Sunday, December 10, 2017

Monday Stuff On the Way to Other Stuff: A New Nativity

     I love a beautiful Nativity.

After living with a gorgeous village of figures under the tree while I was in grad school, I have been partial ever since to Italian-made sets. They're expensive, though -- the best we could afford were plastic figures that 'looked' right. 
     I loved putting them out. I also loved watching Daughters rearrange the scene, when they thought I wasn't looking. 

The problem: our Christmas decorations, including the Nativity set, are in storage in Michigan. 

The solution:  a new Italian set. Less than $20, thanks to Tuesday Morning...and my discount.

Finally, I have Italian Nativity figures -- thirty-five years after I first admired them. Maybe I can add more in the future.


Not quite as nice as these -- but beautiful, nonetheless

Speaking of the holidays:  The Brick has been watching a holiday-themed movie most days with me. I thought this interesting, since in his opinion, Christmas starts Dec. 24...that's when you start ramping it up and doing stuff. He announced this afternoon that he'll (grudgingly) watch holiday movies with me, provided he only has to see one a day. 
    "But you've already seen two today," I said. (Trading Places and White Christmas.) He looked shocked for a moment -- then started up a Christmas episode of JAG I missed last night. That makes three -- what a guy. 

     He's been putting Christmas music on, too, without any prompting. Miracles do happen.

    This weekend, neither of us has been in tiptop shape. I dragged myself out to the post office Sunday evening...but otherwise, we've stayed quiet and resting. (Computer stuff fits right in.) No church -- no Tuesday Morning hours (thank God). To make things even more interesting, Sir Charles managed to bang up my knee while racing to the morning gobble. 
      So now I limp AND try to breathe through the congestion. Meanwhile:

The Geminid meteor shower will be happening Dec. 13-14.  Step outside and take a look.

A Hawaiian hike, including a bamboo forest and 7 sacred pools. Give yourself a tropical break, if you're dealing with snow and cold right now.  (From Funky Junk Interiors)

Purchasing plans, including groceries, for a simpler December.  (From The Prudent Homemaker)

Katy Perry, Warren Buffett and Bitcoin...whaddya think?  (From The Wealth Advisor)

Vapor rub shower melts and bath bombs -- make them yourself. Now you've got a fighting chance to clear your sinuses -- and help flu symptoms -- just by taking a hot bath or shower. These might be good presents, too.  (From Homespun Hydrangea)




Ten creatures supposed to be extinct...that may not be
.  (From Listverse) Also:

Ten stories of people trapped underwater. I thought about this, while following news on:

Argentina's missing submarine.   (Still missing, sadly.)

An illegal from Mexico (with SEVEN previous felony convictions), who's been deported five times before, is protected by San Franciso's "city of sanctuary" status. ('Hey, we're innocent in all this,' city officials say.) Meanwhile, Our Hero 'finds' a gun, picks it up and it 'accidentally' goes off (do you really believe this?) and kills a young girl. But hey, it's not his fault, according to the jury....acquitted.
    Outrageous.
    See Mr. Innocent here.




Sadly, stuff like this has happened before.

Strip-piecing in quantity, made easy.  This is an old trick worth resurrecting; I first read about it from Marti Michel.  (From Blooms and Blossoms)



Eighteen funny animal pictures taken at the wrong (or right!) time.

A huge bunch of odd (and fascinating) historical photos.

And in the spirit...Bizarro Christmas comics courtesy of yours truly, including the classic below.

Have a good week. 









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