Friday Photos

A look back at the week, Monday thru Friday, through photos

It was a very basic, normal week here at home. I worked 3 1/2 days which felt like a good amount to me- not too little and not too much! 

The first two days of the week I didn’t work. Errands included a trip to Wal-mart to take back something that I bought probably a year ago (and didn’t have the receipt). It was still in the box and I knew that Walmart would take it back since I had seen the item still being sold in the store. Without the receipt, I was given store credit which worked for me... Naturally there were a few miscellany items that I needed for the house and/ or pantry so I walked through the store for my items. 

I could not resist the siren call of the Christmas clearance aisle! A sign in front of the aisle said that items were 75% off; there was not a lot of merchandise left. But there were some pretty gold glass ornaments/ bulbs so I picked up a couple of packs. No, I am not planning on having six full sized Christmas trees in the house next year- but bulbs break and need to be replaced plus one of my trees had some purple (yes purple!) bulbs and I wouldn’t mind replacing those with neutral gold. Anyway, I bought a few other items from the aisle as well.

At check-out, I realized that the Christmas items I had purchased were not merely 75% off but rather 90% off. So I did what any reasonable crazy clearance shopper would do. After completing my transaction and putting the items in my car, I fast walked right back into the store and strode purposely towards that Christmas clearance aisle. I scooped up the rest of the bulbs, some tree skirts, and a few other ornaments. At 90% off, these items were practically free! If I can’t use the items, I will save them for when the kids have their own Christmas trees to decorate. That way, they won’t have to purchase everything for their trees. 

These ended up costing just .59 before tax.

I actually needed two tree skirts (to the extent you can say with a straight face say that you *need* tree skirts!) and these were under $2 after 90% off. 

These are called gift toppers but I think that they would look nice on a tree, especially one with a natural and/ or neutral color scheme.

I would not pay much more than nine cents for these but since that is what they cost, I bought them! I can use them in the Christmas room next year.

As lovely a receipt as a Wal-mart one is going to be!

Tuesday was not cold but rainy. It seemed like a good day to bake. But I’m not eating desserts or sugar so I decided to make banana bread with a sugar substitute. It turned out really good. I know that sugar substitutes aren’t exactly healthy to consume... but sugar is not healthy and it has calories whereas the sugar substitutes aren’t healthy but they at least contain no calories. 

The top strange looking notwithstanding, we all enjoyed how good the bread was. I added no sugar added chocolate chips and pecans. 

It was also the day that I did some garden work (I referenced that in any earlier post). Kind of odd to be in the garden in January... in the rain... but that’s exactly where I was. I mentioned that the trash and recycling had declined to take our Christmas tree boxes. Alyssa helped me lug the boxes back into the house; their residing back in the house depressing. I figured I would have to break them down and then hopefully I could rid of them via recycling. 

I remembered reading something about using cardboard outside in the garden. It can be used under mulch as another barrier to keep weeds out and it can also be used to create a new bed- this can done by placing cardboard directly over grass. The grass near our garden has been encroaching into the garden- the garden has no natural barriers and grass is going to grass apparently. So, I decided to place cardboard down on the grass near the garden to create more space and a more defined space (hopefully!). Everything that I read said that after putting cardboard down, the cardboard should be thoroughly hosed or watered down. Well, the rain would take care of that ergo why I was out in the rain. Also, the process of the cardboard breaking down takes about three to six months. If it takes four to five months, then that will be perfect for the growing season ergo why doing it January made sense. 

Not all cardboard can be used- it should be free from print dyes and tape. Unfortunately, that rendered much of the Christmas tree boxes not usable. But I was able to find some pieces that didn’t have anything on them. 

Deconstructing the boxes sure made a mess!!

Goodness, pictures of Christmas clearance items and cardboard boxes- is that all this week consisted of? Picture wise in Ohio, yes. Fortunately, across the pond, Abby’s week was filled with a few more captivating shots!

Her classes started this week but they don’t take up all day. Her group toured some iconic places this week including the Louvre and the Versailles Palace. 

The Mona Lisa

I asked Abby what the queue, if any, was like to see Lisa. 

She sent me this picture- she said there’s no line. People just bunch in groups and eventually make their way to the front of it. I asked Abby who was in the photo with her. She said he’s a guy who recognized Abby from a student organization they are both in on campus. Abby is an emcee for weekly meetings and the guy recognized Abby and they’ve become friends. 

The palace at Versailles