Friday, December 2, 2016

Celebrate the Small Things



Whoops! I totally skipped last week in the midst of Thanksgiving stoof. Stuff. Too much stuffing. Hopefully you had a wonderful Thanksgiving (if you celebrate it). I'm thankful for our wonderful host, Lexa Cain, and her co-hosts, L.G. Keltner and Tonya Drecker.

 So here's what's new:


Image: scrapkat1 (Not our village, but you get the idea.)


1. We got our Christmas tree up and the other holiday decorations out. Many years ago we started a collection of little houses (you stick a light bulb in the back to illuminate them). Now we have so many, getting them out of the basement, up the stairs, and out of their styrofoam boxes is a huge pain in the gluteal region. But the kids like them. And if I stare at them long enough, I get the strange urge to write a story set in our "village". Some day.




2. Last CTST, I mentioned our new stray kitty. Last night Mr. M and Pretty Kitty got into a huge brawl on our back deck. In the pitch, black dark. Sounded like the image above. Benches knocked over. Green tomatoes everywhere. Mr. M's ears are torn up, but I'm hoping that's the only thing wrong. I have no idea how Pretty Kitty is doing. Why in the world am I celebrating this? Okay, I'm not. But speaking of my last CTST, my daughter did make it into Mary Poppins (ensemble), so yay!


Image: benyclark


3. After years of using a 2G flip phone, the AT&T takeover has forced me and my husband to update our cell phones. Now I've got a . . . 3G flip phone! Bah-dum-dump. Okay, stop laughing. It takes pictures. Really. 

Do you go all out decorating for the holidays? Are you and your smart phone permanently attached?

31 comments:

  1. You're sure I can't laugh at your little flip phone?
    Congratulations to your daughter.
    I think you will be writing a village story soon...

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  2. Won't comment on who else has a flip phone. Enjoy your weekend.

    Marilyn @ http://www.onbecomingawriter.com/blog/

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  3. Sorry about the kitty fight. I hope Pretty Kitty is okay. There's nothing quite like the noises cats make when they fight!

    I love the sound of your Christmas village. I have a few houses and always love putting them up. Maybe I should try to get enough to get my own village going.

    Can't deny I would be lost without my smartphone, even though I swore up and down I'd never get addicted LOL.

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  4. My parents used to set up a whole village, too. My husband and I have a few houses - one is, appropriately, a bookstore. :)

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  5. I love those villages even though we don't have the space to set them up at our house. There is a shop called Stats that has a beautiful setup of them for sale during the holidays.
    That sounds like quite a brawl that happened in your backyard. It's like a whole new world in our backyards at night when everyone is asleep. In our neighborhood there are cats that I see all the time, but also a giant cat-killing racoon that I've heard of but have never seen. There is a skunk that we sometimes smell through the cracks in our house. I've seen a couple of coyotes and an occasional possum. We live in a big city, but I recently heard a pack of coyotes howling nearby when I let my dogs out to relieve themselves at night. I had to rush them back inside in case they were ambushed and we had to have an epic Lord of the Rings style battle.

    My mom has a flip phone, too. XD As for me, I waste a lot of time on my smart phone, that's for sure!

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  6. When cats fight, it sounds like they are killing each other.

    I love your Christmas village setup. My mother-in-law has one, too.

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  7. Your village is beautiful!!!
    My hubby still has his flip phone and won't give it up!
    Have a nice weekend!!!

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  8. My smart phone and I are not in love, although it's the only phone in my life. I refuse to be one of those people who carries my phone around and checks it constantly. Congrats to your daughter. I don't go wild with the holiday decorations, but I enjoy my tree and a few other things.

    Love,
    Janie

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  9. A Christmas village sounds wonderful but where do you display it? I still miss my pay-as-you-go flip phone it did everything I wanted - i.e. to make telephone calls and cost me about £20 per year to run. Still getting to grips with my smartphone and it costs me £20 per month!
    Special Teaching at Pempi’s Palace

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    1. We have a long wooden credenza and some matching shelves that I inherited from my grandparents. All the usual brick-a-brac is put away for the Christmas season.

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  10. The Christmas village is adorable! I'm so happy your daughter got into the musical! I guess Mr. M and Petty Kitty had to test each others' boundaries. I hope they're done now.

    I finished your collection. You're a great writer! My fave story was the one about the acoraphobe(?). His goal enhanced the plot and the ending was a twist I never saw coming -- love that! I'll be reviewing when I have a chance. (Sorry I'm slow...)

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    1. No worries on the slow. I'm just pleased you liked them! (And are willing to take the time to review them.)

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  11. My parents use a flip phone still and have no plans on upgrading. You're not alone! ;)

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  12. I love those little villages. We had one at one time. They're so cute. Sorry the kitties had a brawl. Hope you have a great week.

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  13. Those villages are so cute! We have a somewhat one in the building. My parents give us a house or two every few years, but none really match. Still, I like it. Oh horrible to have a kitty fight. Hopefully, they fall into a more cheerful spirit with the holidays ;) And congrats to your daughter!

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  14. Our house seems so full now that we don't have much space for decorations. We've got our tree tucked tightly into a corner of our dining room and other decorations all over the house including little houses and structures in nearly every room. Maybe someday we can incorporate all of the miniature buildings into a town somewhere--when we set aside the room to do it.

    I can relate to the phone thang. My wife gives me her hand me down phones which I barely use. Checked the bill for last month and noticed I used it for 1 minute. What a waste of money for me to have a phone!

    Arlee Bird
    Tossing It Out

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  15. My husband grumbled his way to a smart phone and now he can't do without it. I didn't even drag the Christmas decorations out yet.

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  16. I've had a smart phone for several years, but my husband clings to his flip phone. Of course, he borrows mine when he wants to google something or needs to text one of our kids. Sorry about your kitty fight. Hope both felines sign a truce soon.

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  17. I had to force my other half to get a new Samsung touchscreen. He was clinging to the old nokia.

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  18. When we were at the cell phone store, they told us they sell a TON of flip phones. I love my iPhone, but I can see the benefits of simplifying. What a great idea--setting a story in a Christmas village is a great idea! Ours is a Griswold Family Christmas village, so that story has already been told, I guess!

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  19. I love Christmas decorations but getting them down from the loft is a huge pain in the derrière and putting them back is even worse. Why do house builders assume a rickety ladder going upwards to a world of cobwebs, and darkness makes an inviting storage space – why can’t they just build sufficient cupboards? I do love those little villages but I can’t face putting anything else in the loft.

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  20. It takes us a while to get around to decorating (this weekend for sure!) and even then, we're hampered by the destructive tendencies of our three cats, but we do the best we can. I have a friend with a cat who manages to have strings of lights on his stairs and decorative Christmas balls on the floor--I have no idea how he gets away with it. I suspect that kitty is on serious tranquilizers.

    I grew up with a Christmas village, and trust me--you are giving your kids some wonderful memories. There's something about a world in miniature that inspires the imagination.

    Merry Christmas!

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  21. Tamara, remember us when you hit the big as a NY Times Bestseller. I know you can do it. Best wishes for a healthy and prosperous 2017!

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