Monday Musings No. 49, a weekend update + 5 Things: what I read, watched, and discovered this weekend and more.
Good Monday morning musings friends. How was your weekend? Ours did not go exactly as planned. Friday we attended the tree lighting ceremony and party and had a great time.
Saturday morning I baked Christmas cookies, bread and treats all day for gift boxes and a party we were to attend that night. As we were headed to the party the power went out…in the whole village. After we made our way home we discovered the power was out not just in the village but in the entire county.
Early updates said we were not going to have power again until midnight Sunday or even Monday.
Sunday we awoke to a cold house and even worse news, apparently the power stations had been deliberately vandalized and there was no clear time frame for it to be back up.
MUSINGS
We headed to Harris Teeter at 7:30 to get ice and a few provisions and encountered a line of 35 people already waiting to order coffee at Starbucks.
Back at home we decided that it was time to finally get a generator, not an easy feat when 40,000 homes are without power for an indefinite period if time. After a bit of a search we located one about 11/2 hours away.
We hopped in the car, retrieved the generator, gas, extra extension cords and more provisions. With a little help from our neighbor we finally had it set up and charging phones, computers, iPads and of course keeping the refrigerator running too.
Friends and neighbors stopped by and in light of the news, power restored by Thursday, it was quite festive and fun talking about the holidays and sipping cocoa.
Power Update
The good news is that last night about 7:00 friends and family started to text that their power was coming back on. Ours came on for 7 minutes, long enough for us to turn off our generator and roll up the cords and then it went out again for another 2 hours.
Then it came back on for 10 minutes, then went off, then on again 1 hour later, then off and finally I gave up and went to sleep.
This morning the power is on, we woke to the security alarm beeping and the room lit from the Christmas tree.
As for the power, there are a lot of rumors but the FBI and the state are investigating, the substations were deliberately sabotaged with gun fire and that is all we know.
Sadly 34,000 homes are still without power. We are blessed to have power and heat and are doing whatever we can to help friends that are still without.
St.Nick
Friends, don’t forget tomorrow is St. Nicholas day. Put your stockings out tonight so that you get an orange, some candy and small treats in your stocking.
That’s it for me, now onto 5 things.
+5 Things
1. Read
I am reading Better Than Fiction.
Love isn’t always by the book in this charming romantic comedy about a bookseller discovering how to be the main character in her story.
As a self-proclaimed book hater and a firm believer that the movie is always better, Drew Young didn’t anticipate inheriting her grandma’s bookstore, the Book Nook. She’s in way over her head even before the shop’s resident book club, comprising seven of the naughtiest old ladies ever, begin to do what they do best—meddle.
Bestselling author Jasper Williams is a hopeless romantic. When he meets Drew at his Book Nook signing event, he becomes determined to show her the beauty of reading. He curates a book bucket list in exchange for her help exploring the local Denver scene for his current manuscript. From going river rafting to trying local restaurants, Drew begins to connect with Jasper in a way she only thought happened in fiction.
When messy family ties jeopardize the future of the Book Nook, Drew is caught between a bookshelf and a hard place. She’s reminded that real life isn’t always big dreams and sweeping romance. But Jasper is the plot twist she never saw coming and he’s writing a happily ever after just for them.
2. Watched~Classic Christmas Movies
Last week I shared my holiday bucket list and on it I mentioned that I love Christmas movies. This week I have been ticking my favorites off the list and watching one or two a night.
Here are a few of my favorite Christmas movies.
1.Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer
4. Elf
5. Home Alone
10. How the Grinch Stole Christmas
3. Weekend Links
Hanging Out With Joan Didion: What I Learned About Writing From an American Master
A Winter Playlist That Has Nothing to Do With The Holidays
How to Survive The Holidays As an Introvert
This Parisian Couple Creates Elegant, Enduring Interiors
30 Little Challenges for Finishing the Year Strong
Do You Like Timeless Classic Style?
7 Books That Will Make You Smarter
4. Finds
Speaking of cookies, isn’t this the cutest cookie jar? I think it would make a great gift filled with homemade cookies or even set on a cake stand with fake snow to decorate your kitchen.
Bakers, you will love this sale on Neilsen-Massey vanilla, lemon, coffee, peppermint extracts and more.
If you love coffee make sure to check out the Breville coffee maker sale, almost all of the machines are on sale for 20% off. My husband has this one and uses it every day to make his morning cup with foam.
I’ve “opened” a Holiday Shop on the blog. You can find Christmas decor including trees, wreaths, pillows and more. You can also find holiday outfits, plaid finds , Gifts for Her,Gifts for Him , Hostess Gifts, toys and and so much more. You can also shop my Amazon storefront for gift ideas.
Boden
Chico’s Finds
H&M
Talbots
Anthropologie
Target
5. In Case You Missed Weekend Meanderings
Saturday I joined Juliet and Kim for our weekly series, weekend meanderings. I shared Holiday outfits, festive cocktails, Andrea Bocelli and more on Weekend Meanderings.
If you would like details for any of the items in the collage you can find them here. I think each look has one or two items that you can wear with something that you already own.
You can find all weekend meanderings posts here.
UNTIL TOMORROW
I hope that you had a lovely weekend and that you found something on Monday Musings to enjoy. If you missed any of my musings you can find them all here.
Take care and thank you for spending part of your day with me. I will see you tomorrow.
You can also follow me on Instagram and Facebook to see daily stories and life at home with my pups who make frequent appearances. Or subscribe to the blog so that you do not miss a thing!
Elizabeth, I was thinking of you yesterday and wondering if you all were affected by this outage. Let’s hope they have cameras and can find out..So sad this was possibly a targeted act that could really hurt people -especially elderly who could be without heat, or a person who relies on electricity for life maintaining equipment in their homes. If it’s true these people who were worried about drag story hour being dangerous, just put a whole lot of other lives at risk, and could even kill. In a neighboring town, we had a drag story hour and when some fools came to protest, the reader, the parents and kids downed them out with chants of Baby Shark loudly until they could be taken away by a guard. We have a lot of issues in this nation and that its not one of them. Hoping you guys stay warm and so glad you got a generator. Now you have one at least for these times.
Good links and I’m enjoying them with my coffee this morning. Thanks for linking to the holiday tour. Hope the week goes well and stay cozy. x Kim
Dear Elizabeth,
When I heard what was going on in the news I was hoping you guys would be okay.
It’s too bad that the person that did this could not put their time to doing good. It’s horrible the risk and damages this has caused so many people. I feel especially for the elderly and people that have chronic health conditions.
It’s a blessing you both found a generator.
Our retreat was in Oak Creek Canyon (Sedona) and over the 23 years that we owned our home we went through power outages. It’s a big deal especially if you’re not there when it happens. I understand many of the things that happen. We went through them.
If we had decided to keep our home within the family and not sell we would had invested into a good generator. Climate change and our canyon fires changed our thoughts. We decided to be pro active and sell. The timing to sell was not ideal, but it’s okay. It gave us peace of mind. You can’t put a price tag on that.
I’m glad you are okay. The community are in my thoughts.
Take care of yourselves.
Oh, Elizabeth, this is so sad to hear. Is it homophobic hate? I’m thinking of all the patients with machines relying on electricity at home (about a year ago, my mama was relying on such a machine to help her with oxygen as she recovered from Covid, and I was there to care for her at home and prevent hospitalization). Beyond the cold, there are just so many risks. So glad you got a generator. Thank you for reminding us all of the harsh realities of modern life in the 2020s. Hope your power is restored soon, and peace comes soon to your county.
Michele, I am heartbroken for all that are suffering. The people who need electricity for machines, to keep their medicine cold, for the families who are suffering because their food is rotting and they do not know when they will have money for more. It is cold here this week and so many people are in their homes with no heat.
The harsh reality of modern life is that is that we take so much for granted and we are blessed beyond measure to have all of our creature comforts.
That is the sort of thing that requires a full investigation and serious jail time.
William, I could not agree more.