I went for a walk! I wore a winter coat! And a thing that went around my neck sometimes and around my ears other times. And real mittens, with fleece inside. The temperature is officially at 'my face hurts' level. But it's also sunny and I kind of love it, it feels a bit like pouring grapefruit juice through your head from one ear to the other. We had such a long weird fall that when the wind whipped up you were liable to be smacked by a current of madly whirring snow AND a clutch of elm keys.
I'm in a pretty good system for decorating. My aim is to get up the stuff I like the most without also having a bunch of bins and boxes also decorating the main floor, so I go down every couple hours and bring up one box, take whatever I want out of it and bring it back down before bringing up another one. I do this all very carefully because I have a constant fear that I'm going to break my neck falling down the stairs when Matt's not here and not be found for days - wait, I guess if I broke my neck it wouldn't really matter if I was found for days. Except for Matt, that would be unpleasant for him.
Anyway.
My favourite pieces are out.
The card stocking is up. It is reminding me that I am way behind on my Christmas cards, which is lame because I was so excited that I could actually mail some this year, but oh well, we do what we can.
There's nothing on the tree yet but it's nice to have it lit. I don't know about you, but my philosophy in December is 'give me all the crap that lights up and give it to me NOW'. I will probably put the generic ornaments on before the kids get home, and then we'll have our decorating session and photo shoot where they put all their personal things on.
I am going to share the most ridiculous thing that is making me so happy right now, which is the result of a not-great thing. So I mentioned that my running shoes and my boots and orthotics all needed to be replaced at once, which is annoying financially but we can afford it, so, grateful. I got new running shoes, got fitted for new orthotics, and remembered my friend Nat had generously given me a pair of Docs that didn't fit her well.
Both my old running shoes and my old Docs were really tough to get on. I know it's hard to think about how you put on shoes when you're not doing it, but if I'm standing up I lift the shoe up, stick my foot in, pull the back mostly on and then rely on putting my foot down to get it the rest of the way on. This didn't work with my last pair - I would have to bend down or stick my foot on a step or something and really crank my thumb in to not let the back fold over and drive me insane. Similarly with my Docs, it was a real struggle to wrestle them on. I would often be driving to visit my parents and pick up Lucy after work and actually cringe at the thought of having to get my boots off and then back on, with my feet tired and sore after working all day.
BOTH my new Asics and new Docs slip on like a dream. I guess I got a slightly different style of Asics, and Nat's boots are a slightly different style. And oh my goodness it makes a disproportionally big difference to how easy it makes getting ready to leave the house. I used to feel so frustrated and ungainly and like this must somehow be related to being too fat (my feet being too fat? I don't know, self-loathing is complicated).
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| Comfort and Joy! |
Oh, and lest I be accused of click-baiting...
25 comments:
I couldn't click the link fast enough! Nice balls!
I escaped the cold by going south to Virginia for a few days but the joke is on me because there is an ice storm coming tomorrow when I'm driving back. Since it's not going to be warm anywhere, at least I'll have the pretty snow when I get home.
I loved every bit of this. (The shoe part reminds me of how I had a brief obsession with my father in law's long shoehorn. That sounds AWFUL but it is literally true and also I cannot come up with a better way to say it. "I tried my FIL's long shoehorn and it was great"? "My FIL's long shoehorn helped me put my shoes on"? Seriously I have a problem.)
LET'S MOVE ON MY GOD. Tell us about the little tree in the circle. It is darling and I love it.
"I was briefly addicted to using an extra long shoehorn to put on my shoes." THERE. Just leave my FIL out of it.
We had our first snowfall this morning, decorating the outside, which is good because we have done no holiday decorating inside or outside. Yours look very nice.
I was almost sure it was going to be a photo of the giant red balls that block cars at Target. But do you have Target in Canada? And then my brain exploded.
I love that stocking card holder, what a great idea! I'll have to look for something like it. And yay for the easier shoes, that's a small thing that really isn't small.
Regarding your initial thoughts on the shoes, I remember a long time ago when I was younger and thinner, being in a yoga class and seeing a woman who was not at all thin getting into so many bendy poses, and thinking, WOW, I did not know that was possible. Now that I’m older and wider, I remember her bendyness and it encourages me, even when my stomach gets in the way. I’ll bet she had no idea she was such a wonderful role model, right?
LOL on the big balls. I love seeing those around town. I wish we had a big tree so we could decorate with them as well, but we live in a little townhouse.
I also love the bird in the circle. Lovely. And as I work from home, I am careful coming down stairs, especially when no one else is here. I picture my daughter walking in the front door and finding me dead at the bottom of the stairs, and the therapy she would need. Nope.
Tree in the circle. I changed it to a bird in my mind.
Sigh. Putting on my shoes and tall leather boots (which are black and I love them so much!) is a daily adventure. I AM WITH YOU.
Also, stairs. Ugh. 'Nuff said.
Your tree is lovely. I have now requested mine be brought up from the basement SIX TIMES. Still no tree. It's time for me to go down there and pretend to bring it up myself and inflict Shame, Guilt, and Panic.
He asked for it.
Last winter I got tired of having cold toes, and nearly slipping to my death twice a day when walking the dog, and - mostly - of the PITA of putting my boots on and off, and I got a pair of Baffin Escalates (which are like huge puffy snowsuits for your feet and legs with sticky rubber soles) AND I got them in bright reddish-orange to combat the blackness of my boring-but-amazing long dog-walking coat and it was one of the best daily improvements to my routine that I can imagine. So, I'm with you on easy footwear.
Oh god Birchie, DRIVE SAFE. I'm still scarred from my last storm-driving experience. Also, wth Virginia, we were counting on you.
HA ha I love you so much. We'll always have one-inch pork and your FIL's long shoehorn. I thought about trying my dad's, and then apparently the thought fled my tiny mind before I ever did it. I think the back of the shoe would just be too tight.
How idyllic, though!
We briefly had Target in Canada and the country held its breath with excitement, and then it was still Canada so it sucked and died with a whimper, not a bang. It was very sad.
It IS. And I know, right, I saw the card stocking and thought geez, why are these not everywhere?
He really did. Make lots of noises like you are very close to injuring yourself. Works for me every time.
We HAVE two pairs of those giant puffy boots, and they're great for shoveling, but alas, my stupid feet and back (and knee now, ffs, get it together, body) will not abide them for long walks.
That is a great memory! And yes, we are preserving everyone's safety by being careful on the stairs.
Nothing reminds me so much of my wayward youth, and summers spent visiting family in Saskatchewan, than Big Balls. Because as teens we used to "cruise" main street because there is literally nothing else to do. Over and over, vroom vroom. But occasionally we would deviate from main street and drive through farmer's fields, because what could be more fun than destroying crops? (we didn't drive through MUCH of a field, farmers' fields in SK are huge, we probably were not even on 0.5% of it, NOT THAT YOU CARE ABOUT THIS DETAIL). Anyway. You're probably wondering where this is going. Well I'll tell you. We listened to ACDC nearly constantly on these drives, and one of the songs was Big Balls. We've got the biggest balls of them all. My balls are always swinging to the left and to the right. It's my belief that my big balls should be held every night. Etcetera.
I can't tell how big the tree in the circle is, but I think it is darling and beautiful. As are the Big Balls, but they are not as poignant. And thanks to Nicole I now know that it is also a song.
We don't do much decorating at this time of year, but the main thing I put up -- our homemade paper chain -- requires climbing on a stepstool. WHICH I WILL NOT DO unless someone else is home because I too picture not being found for days, having been attacked by the paper chain.
Well-fitting, comfortable shoes and underwear are quite possibly the most important clothing items in life.
Oh, I love your winter wonderland :) and I always love the big Christmas balls in the trees :)
your tree looks so perfect and cozy. LOL to the title of this post.
I have one particular pair of Uggs that are really hard to pout on, and I should just... give them to Dorothy and get a different style. And why did I have to read this whole post to understand that?? thanks!
Coming back here to correct myself. It should be BOUNCING, not SWINGING. It is unlikely you care about this detail, but ACCURACY MATTERS.
I have these same thoughts, but I then go on to think how, if I fell and broke my neck, it would RUIN Christmas for my family forever. Like if something like that is going to happen, don't let it happen now.
Guess what- I have some big balls!!! They go in my palm trees. I'm putting them up tomorrow and I'll post a photo. : )
Your tree is giving warm and cozy... and reminding me/giving me permission to have things happen in stages rather than all at once.
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