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It’s been a while since I’ve written something that rambles on as much as this post does. But in the end, I still liked it, so I’m hitting publish anyway.

I’ve managed, nearly this entire school year, to keep myself healthy. Save for the occasional tired eyes and overall feeling of constantly needing a nap, my immune system has stayed the course. That is, until Thanksgiving weekend. I stuffed my face with my favorite warm rolls and pie, then fell sleep around 7pm (What? Doesn’t everyone fall asleep precisely at 7pm on Turkey Day?). Then I woke up early with Mom and hit the stores. There’s been a lot of murmuring going around about the stores being open on Thanksgiving Day, but I was kind of pleased about it; the lines weren’t nearly as bad on Friday as they usually are, which made the shopping trip easier. I got some pretty good deals for myself during our traditional Black Friday frenzy, and managed to buy nearly half of all of the Christmas gifts I intended to buy in a single swoop. And wrapped. Frickin’ productive is what that is.

I obviously can’t share the gifts I bought others, so here are the things I bought for myself:

Black Friday Haul

  • New flatware – This whole back story is going to sound weird, and completely out of place, but here goes:  In my opinion, I’m too old to buy cheap toilet paper. What, exactly, does that have to do with flatware? Very little, thankfully, but I bought these because of the same idea. Back in college, I roomed with a girl in grad school. At some point, we got into a discussion about feeling like an adult (I was just turning 21 at the time, I think). Her explanation was matter-of-fact enough to stick with me for years. She simply stated, “I just don’t like the idea of buying the cheap college crap anymore. I want the good towels. I don’t want to eat on paper plates. And I’m willing to pay a little extra for the ‘good’ toilet paper.”  As a single gal, I’ve still managed to hang on to a hodgepodge of mangled, flimsy pieces collected over the years from those bulk kitchen sets that can’t stand up to normal wear and tear in the dishwasher (and let’s face it, no one is hand washing anything in this house). And I’m tired of it. I want to throw the old crap away and replace it with something that matches that new, shiny kitchen I’m creating. But that doesn’t mean that the idea of living on a budget goes completely out the window; I snagged this 82-pc (service for 16) set for less than $50, saving nearly $100 in the process.
  • A TV for the living room – The only TV I currently have at home is the one that my ex mounted onto the bedroom wall. It has since broken (the image is still visible, but the color gets kinda wonky about 1/3 of the way down), leaving me with zero well-functioning TVs. I used to have one in the living room, and am really liking the idea of having friends over for casual cooking/movie nights after graduation. Which will be kind of weird with a broken TV in my bedroom, so I have been saving up for a little while and bought while the gettin’ was good (saving myself at least $200).
  • Finally, the washer and dryer set (label on the photo, of course, because of my art inspiration). After a brief panic that the ones I wanted were out of stock already (who knew so many people wanted a new set this year?), I found another set that is close enough to my budget on sale (saving about $600) to still work for the room.

Then, Saturday morning came – along with two tonsils the size of golf balls.

It hurt to talk.

It hurt to swallow food.

I spent the next two days in bed. All while trying to complete writing deadlines and staring down my last full week of school: one negotiation to execute, two papers, and two presentations to go. And a partridge in a pear tree.

I’m starting to recover, and just in time for a final push to get it all done. It’s hard to think about it being over when it still isn’t, but I know the end is very close (!). It’s both exciting and tiresome at the same time to think, just eight more days.  That’s it! I know I’ll probably lose a little sleep again, but hey – I’m also heavily medicated, so that’s fun. Guess that means no power tools for a little bit… just because I happen to like my fingers.

Completely derailed trains of thought aside, this week should be shaping up in terms of DIY as soon as these papers are delivered and I am back at 100%. I finished the drywall repair and painted the laundry room walls on Thursday morning before heading to Mom and Dad’s for turkey, so I’m looking forward to sharing those new photos with you soon. All of the pink is now gone! That by itself strangely makes me feel a little better.

The washer and dryer will be delivered end of next week, giving me just enough time to finish the grout, seal it, re-install baseboards, and reclaim my sanity. Then, it’s Christmas decorating time (which should be pretty easy, considering what I revealed in my last house tour video), going out to the movies, and maybe, perhaps, a quick trip to the spa just for the heck of it.

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving break. And in case you may have missed it, the ol’ blog has a slightly sleeker new look – lots of improvements coming in the new year with the house tour, so I thought it best to get a jump on things and get rid of a little clutter (I liked most of the design I still had, but wanted more functionality with the project gallery and other pages). Be patient as I build it out, but if all goes to plan, this means a much easier-to-navigate site. Have a great week!

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10 Comments

  1. Yay for new washers and dryers! We bought our new Samsung set on super sale this weekend too! :)

  2. It sounds like everything went really well shopping wise and having a good Turkey Day. Sorry to hear you fell ill. I have heard many sories of people who go, go, go and when they get a moment of downtime they get sick. I can’t imagine what a crock to have it fall right when you had so many assignments due. However, it could have come it a worse time too! And now your moving past that–yehaw! Hope you are able to plug away and pull through without to much pain! During the holiday time get some much deserved (and needed) rest and relaxation. I can only imagine how free you will feel when the weight and pressures of school are done!! So excited for you!

  3. Sorry I’m so confused, did you mean flatware service for 16 (people)? A 16-piece flatware set is definitely not gonna be enough! Go for a BIG set, like this http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/Reed-Barton-reg-nbsp-Addison-45-Piece-Flatware-Set/1013342571?categoryId=12128 or this http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/Oneida-reg-Shaker-45-Piece-Flatware-Set/1016697222?categoryId=12128. I got TWO 45-piece sets a couple Christmases ago and sometimes I use all 16 spoons before running the dishwasher #sosorrysolazy. Excited to see your new washer and dryer in the finished laundry room soon!

    1. Yep, I’m going to chalk that one up to the fuzzy brain thanks to cold meds. HA! It’s actually 82 pieces (and I updated the post, thanks for pointing that out!).

  4. Sorry to hear you got so sick. It seems last weekend was the time to get sick! I was off all week last week with my boys, and my body waited to get sick until SUNDAY AFTERNOON. Yeah, right before going back to work. In a hospital. With sick people. Stellar.

    On a positive note, I went out Friday afternoon (after arguing with The Man yet again about why I dont’ want a puppy) and was pleased to find no lines, and everything I wanted (even the doorbusters!) in stock and still at a door-bustin price!

    1. I had mixed results with the doorbuster deals after 1pm. Some stores were still honoring them; one store refused to sell me the flatware for the doorbuster price and I just went online and purchased it instead (which is so odd to me to have the cheaper price honored online but not in person). I still got what I wanted though, so that worked out well!

  5. I’ve been looking into getting one of those Samsung Smart TVs. How do you like it? Our old LG sucks.
    Also, great blog. I love your writing and your posts always keep me interested:) keep up the good work.

    Victoria

    1. I haven’t been able to take it out of the box yet – it needs to go above the fireplace and I needed to paint the wall first. Just put a second coat on the wall though, so more than likely, I’ll be able to take her for a spin this weekend. And thanks for reading!