Y'all, Thanksgiving is tomorrow! How is that even possible? I was just packing up the Halloween decorations yesterday; how could the month be almost over? It's a good thing I'll always have What's Up Wednesday posts to review because, with time spinning away as quickly as it has been, I'm certain to forget things. Thanks to Sheaffer and Shay for the opportunity.
What I've Been Eating
I am aggressively pursuing a cleaner diet and making a Herculean effort to get enough protein into it; that means a lot of protein smoothies for breakfast. I've also been trying to ensure sufficient selenium in my diet (essential for thyroid health), so the smoothies always contain two Brazil nuts. I am not a fan of the flavor of Brazil nuts, but the taste is undetectable in the smoothies, so it's a win.
Mom and I recently went out for dinner at the local Thai place. Before we went, I researched the Thai foods with the highest protein, so I ended up trying chicken pad Thai and chicken satay. Both were delicious.
What I'm Reminiscing About
I'm not really reminiscing about anything in particular at the moment.
What I'm Loving
I've been attending yoga pretty regularly lately. I hate how weak and inflexible I have become, but I love how the sessions leave me feeling when I am done.
I'm on a vintage Christmas kick and have been scouring the local antique stores for items to add to my growing collections. I am especially loving vintage Santa mugs and flocked Santa figurines.
What I've Been Up To
I attended a Christmas sale in a neighboring town to add to the abovementioned collections. Mom came along, and we had a great morning exploring the vendor booths and searching for treasures.
What I'm Working On
2024 is the Year of the Village at Casa de Chelle. Because the village is such a chore to build, it only comes out about every other Christmas, and 2024 is its year.
Earlier this month, I paid one of our employees from the hardware store to come to the house and remove the eight big boxes containing the village from the attic. Hugh and the Man-Cub were hunting and unavailable to help, so the $20 I gave him was well spent.
I took my time unboxing the pieces, which took the majority of the rest of that day.
I started the building process the next morning, but completing the city took until late the following evening. This is why the village appears only every other year or so. It's a labor of love, to be certain.
What I'm Dreading
The Monday before last, I got my first court subpoena for records regarding a case that came through Not So New Job last year. I was not happy about it, and our prosecuting attorney from the DA's office was less than impressed with the Public Defenders Office for requesting our records. Our records did nothing to help the defendant's case, and it's not our job to help him anyway. The crime he is accused of committing against a child is abhorrent, and he deserves the very worst the justice system throws at him. My Board has now agreed that we need to have an attorney on retainer, and I dread the entire process of vetting and retaining one.
What I'm Excited About
If all goes well, Hugh, Mom, and I will be in Texas by 5:00 this evening to spend Thanksgiving at the Rodeo Princess's new home. While I am sad that Shanti and the Man-Cub couldn't join us, I look forward to a fabulous meal with Queen B, the Rodeo Princess, the Rebel Without a Pause, his fiancee, and his daughter (longtime readers know this is my daughter, niece, nephew, future niece-in-law, and great-niece, respectively). The girls have been shopping and prepping for the feast, and it will be fun to sit back and relax while someone else does the heavy lifting in the kitchen this year, especially since my birthday is tomorrow, and relaxation on my birthday is the best gift I could ask for. Ok, maybe not the best gift; before I left Hooterville, my staff celebrated my birthday by gifting me with a wine advent calendar. Is that not the coolest thing ever? I'm excited to crack open the first window when we get home on Saturday.
What I'm Reading
I've been pretty busy lately and haven't had the bandwidth for novels, so I've been reading magazines in small snippets when I can. I'm not mad about it.
What I'm Watching
'Twas a Month of mind-numbing holiday movies!
First, I watched the absolute cheesiest, schmaltziest, eye-rollingly ridiculous movie ever to be presented by our friends at Netflix. It's so bad, it's almost good. IYKYK
Then, I watched the cringiest show they had to offer (SpellCheck assures me this is not a word, but I have no other verbiage for the sheer amount of cringe this show delivered). It's so bad, it's...well, it's just bad.
I had to start watching the final season of
Yellowstone, just to get the cringe out of my mouth
What I'm Listening To
The Holly channel hit Sirius XM on November 1st, and I have had the Tahoe dialed in ever since. Hugh rolls his eyes whenever he enters the car, but I don't care. Listening to Christmas carols makes me a happier, less road-ragey driver.
What I'm Wearing
As I write this? Comfy jammies. Highly recommend.
What I'm Doing This Weekend
We'll be in Texas through Saturday, so I expect we will do some Black Friday shopping. Not aggressively or anything. I mean, I'm not getting up at the crack of dawn and waiting in lines or knocking down the competition in an effort to get to the last Cabbage Patch doll or any of that nonsense; that's so 2003.
What I'm Looking Forward to Next Month
Christmas! I feel the need to indulge in all things nostalgic and reminiscent of years past. This will include attending the annual Christmas production at the community theater, watching Petticoat Junction's annual Parade of Lights, joining Hugh, Mom, the Man-Cub, Shanti, and Queen B at the local botanical gardens for their Garden of Lights display, doing all the holiday baking, and everything else that I can do to recreate the magic of Christmas for myself and my family.
Favorite Purchase This Month
My favorite purchase this month was, hands down, this vintage Santa doll, which I picked up at the Christmas sale I mentioned earlier in this post. He dates back to the 50s and is in remarkably good condition. I plan to display him in a small metal sleigh that I purchased a number of years ago at the Russell Stovers outlet store. The sleigh has been in my attic for years, and I'm excited to finally have a use for it.
Isn't he freaking adorable?
That's it for today! I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving surrounded by friends and family!
I hope you have a fantastic regular 'ol Thursday for my Canadian friends!