Excursions Through Retail

When I was much younger, Joni Mitchell was top of the music charts for a song called "Both Sides Now".  That's rather what I will be experiencing today; the good and the bad from the retail side of things. I have to get a bit of holiday shopping done, and I ran out of one component for my holiday cards resulting in an emergency stop off at Michael's or JoAnn's Crafts. In other words - I must pass through the slavering jaws of retail hell.

"Welcome to Michael's. Can we help you find anything for
your crafting needs today?" Hell hath no greater portal than
walking into Michael's or JoAnn's Arts and Crafts stores. 

I really hate going to Michael's and/or JoAnn's. Not because it isn't fun to see what new things I can pick up for next year's cards, but because at this time of the year, the lines are long and their checkout process is as slow as molasses on a cold day. I'll start out at Michael's because I have a 40% off coupon for there, but then I'll probably have to switch over to JoAnn's to get more of what I need since I doubt Michael's will have enough quantity.

Yes, I'm a bit over the top with this errand, but really. It will take twice as
long to check out than it will for me to find the single item I actually need
to purchase. Melodrama can sometimes be the perfect vehicle for disgust. 

On a more positive note, however, once I have made my way through the surly holiday crowds and purchased my small amount of goods, I'll be able to return home and begin formatting and printing the final portion of my holiday cards - the envelopes. Yes - I'm into the final stage and even though there is still work to be done, I'm seeing the finish line beckon and tease from the fog when the breeze tickles it. I have hope that I will reach there by the end of next week and mail my cards by Solstice - always my goal.

I love the look of the Royal Mail boxes, even if they aren't as
efficient as the US Mail is. There's just something so nice
about the red color. 

I have started receiving cards from friends and they are all fabulous and so wonderful to receive. I have cards from Shruti, silvertrails, shiremom and alexcat and have started filling my archway. I know it will look fabulous within a week or so.

I wish our sink was so easy to fix. Unfortunately, ours will be more
complex and also more expensive *sigh*. 

AND...just because we can't go a few months without a water/plumbing issue, DH has managed to ignore the slow drain in his bathroom sink so well that it is now completely clogged and he was unable to unclog it yesterday when he made a brave attempt. My plumber apparently is on vacation at DisneyWorld until next week, so DH has to share one of the other sinks in the house for a few days until Jack gets back into town. It's a small sacrifice, but you would think it was asking him to walk over sharp nails. Nonetheless, like it or not, he's sinkless for a few days and he'll have to deal. Plumbing - the bane of our existence.

Happy Wednesday to all...