Lights but no ornaments. The husband had asked the Fire Son yesterday to take the tree off the roof of my car, so the Fire Son took it down, brought it in, and set it up in the stand. I had all the Christmas things readily to hand in the study closet, thanks to all my cleaning efforts in the first week of Advent (go me, and again I say, go me), so I brought them out and put the lights on, so that when the Viking and the Artgirl rolled in, as they did around 1:30 this morning, the tree was shining in the window to greet them.
At some point, ornaments will be added. I don't know when or by whom.
Today's agenda:
*dog walk
*food shop
*sort out sleeping arrangements --- I think we will end up putting two sisters down here on the new daybed, so I'll need to switch out this one twin mattress for the two that are currently upstairs in the Artgirl's room. I think the deal will be that whichever sister arrives first (Anastasia, I presume, but I'm not actually sure who's coming when) will go in with the Artgirl, and then the other two will sleep down here on the pulled-out daybed. As much as I didn't want to give up this extra gathering space, I am kind of stoked to use my daybed in all its pull-out glory.
Weather: Projected high of 54F, low of 28. So, chilly, with some actual cold tonight (yeah, yeah, people in South Dakota, I know you think this is beach weather . . .).
Wearing:
*Secondhand Not Perfect Linen Smock dress (S/M) in Grape Wine, bought September 2024, last worn December 15. Total wears this year to date: 10
*Secondhand Chico's linen button shirt, bought early 2023, dyed by me in the summer of 2023. Last worn . . . some time ago . . . looks like . . . wow . . . August 29. Well. I don't wear button shirts often, but I do like them when I'm in that mood. I'm glad I have the ones I have, even if I don't wear them regularly.
*(not seen) Secondhand cashmere/silk/merino tank worn as base layer.
*Snag merino tights in Red Velvet Cake, bought summer 2023, in their second season of wear.
*Xero Tari boots, bought summer 2022, in their third season of extremely regular wear.
So, it's Postulant Chic day, and I have to say, I'm happy with it. I really like Evening Blue (the Rit dye color by which I transformed this linen shirt), which is sort of a greenish duck-egg blue, against the rich purple of my dress. It's a very satisfying combination that will give me a little frisson of pleasure all day.
Nice dog hair, too. Always with the detailed touches.
Day 3 hair in default ponytail: still feels clean. I've been lathering twice when I shampoo, and really taking the time to scrub my scalp, then going fairly easy on the leave-in, just enough to give my hair slip and a little encouragement to curl (again, I've been getting these absolute rolls of curl, often hidden in the depths of my hair --- a new and pleasing development, even if they don't last past the first day, even if they only happen in high humidity).
I feel a lot better than I did yesterday, even on a second night of relatively interrupted poor sleep. Better strike the stores while the energy is hot --- though I do have to take the dog out first and revisit my list (which I wound up spending all yesterday making, which is probably all to the good).
Dressed a little more warmly to walk the dog:
Onward!
PS:
My new-to-me Keens boots arrived today --- early! They are very nice and I think will serve me well. Real leather, a decent fit (for non-barefoot, non-Birkenstock shoes), a nice look, all for $45. I'm not wearing them right now --- just tried them on --- but will wear them soon. I'm glad to have them to wear with my Chocolate Brown, Cinnamon Rose, and other dresses that look less good with dark-gray taller boots and with ankle boots. These are really pretty, and although rather wide in the calf, they have working buckles, so I was able to tighten them to fit.
These are narrower in the toe box than other shoes I own, but not unreasonably so --- and real leather has enough give that I think they'll accommodate my stupid left-foot bunion all right. I need to take them out for the dog-walk test, but in a quick try-on, they seemed comfortable. I went up half a size just to be sure I'd have a little extra room. The heel is a little loose, but I'll always be wearing socks or tights with them, so they shouldn't rub (and I can affix moleskin to the inside as well).
Addendum: I really wanted some Vivo Barefoot Rider boots, but the prices used are something else. I was not prepared to splash out $200+ for a pair of used boots, or even $100+. My eye happened to fall on these Keens boots, and I thought, why not? I had been wanting a tall brown pair for a good while, and for this price (less than a quarter of what I'd have paid for a pair of Vivo boots), it's all good.
They are --- in case you want to investigate a pair for yourself --- the Keens Baby Bern boot. Mine are the "Oak" color, which is a really nice, rich medium brown that will work beautifully with all my clothes (brown, but not super tan/orange, and not burgundy).
I'll still wear my Melrose boots a lot, as well as my Taris, but it's nice to have a tall-boot option in brown and in non-suede, for bad weather. Now I really want to plan to go out on New Year's Eve and wear my Cinnamon Rose Leila dress, my sparkly shrug cardigan, and these tall boots . . . I wonder if I can talk the husband into a little night out . . .
I'm about to go make up the husband's office for the Texascouple, who arrive tomorrow night. Then ALL beds will be in readiness. Earlier the Fire Son and I switched the one twin mattress that was on the new daybed for the two thinner memory-foam mattresses that I'd bought to go with it, so that one sister can go in with the Artgirl upstairs, and the other two can sleep on the pulled-out daybed in here. I won't make up the bed with clean sheets and blankets until the last minute, because Dora, but that'll be a relative cinch to do. One good thing about the stacked mattresses is that the twin sheet I'm using for a slipcover fits them more tightly than it did the single (thicker) mattress. Stacked, they're just enough thicker than that one mattress to make a difference.
I am so very pleased with my guest-bed arrangements --- at last I have an option for double sleeping in every potential guest room. Eventually I'll replace the futon in the guys' old room with another of this same daybed model, but for now the queen-sized futon will have to continue to suffice.
The Artgirl has to go get her driver's license renewed, so depending on which car she takes, I might wait yet longer to do my shopping. It's nice to have actual reasons to procrastinate about a thing I really do not want to do --- yet someone must do it, and I am that someone.
I'm still waiting for one more of my bought presents to arrive . . . then that at least will be finished. And now the sun is shining through my study window, so I might fall asleep in my chair . . .
ALSO:
While I'm sitting here, manifestly not doing the shopping or making up a bed or anything else, here are some thoughts I have about parameters for my purchasing in the next year.
1. Obviously hard, strict rules don't work for me. I just break them.
a. I maintained NO DRESSES for a good nine months, but then I just collapsed and bought . . . multiple dresses.
b. NOTHING NEW was a more successful rule, broken only twice: once when I bought that Trades of Hope silk/cotton kimono last spring (because I'd won credits in a raffle --- otherwise I would not have acquired it at all), and again when I bought my Wool& Marine Blue Fiona dress (a style I love, in a color I love, about to be discontinued --- and I have worn and worn that dress already).
2. Possibly some flexible limits will work. Considerations:
a. I know that I want one new dress. No, I don't need more dresses, but wanting something, if I have the money to buy it, is valid. I have decided that I am going to buy an Iris Blue Wool& Sierra when they become available. I might give myself a limit of two new things, just to be safe.
b. I think I could give myself a limit of ten secondhand items, and that would be generous. I did a good bit of experimenting last year (linen trousers, various skirts, some shoes) and am now in the process of reselling some of my experiments. I don't know that there's much I feel I need, going into 2025, but if I give myself a generous secondhand/thrift allowance, in terms of number of items, then potentially I can work with that.
c. I have resold a good number of clothing pieces and have still more up for sale currently. I will probably do one of those "Take-Back Bags" (to recycle textile items of any kind) early in the new year as well, to move out any non-saleable things still bagged up in my closet. I should make a goal quarterly, at least, of re-examining my wardrobe, assessing what I'm wearing and am likely to wear (for example: I don't wear button shirts much, but I keep them because sometimes I do wear them), and moving things along, especially if I'm contemplating bringing something in.
d. At this writing, we do not have a big trip planned for 2025. I think this year we're going to divert funds into the house, for needed repairs and updates. We might go to South Dakota --- my friend there is talking about hosting a house party sometime in the summer, and if that works out, it'd be fun. I don't know that I'd need any clothing for that eventuality that I don't already own. In fact, I don't know that I would need any clothing that I don't already own for any trip that we might propose to make. But I have bought clothes around travel occasions for the last two years, and it's always worth noting that I might do that again.
So anyway. I think my rules will be:
1. Maximum of two new items (exclusive of underwear and tights).
2. Maximum of ten secondhand items (to include accessories like belts and scarves, as well as shoes).
This feels ridiculously doable, but we'll see. I haven't yet made a rule for myself that I didn't manage to transgress, and there's no reason why 2025 should be any different.
LATE AFTERNOON:
I'm back from the dreaded store run, having forgotten only dill weed, cup hooks, and dishwasher detergent.
Tried on my Keens boots again so that I could take some photos. I won't typically wear them with dresses this length --- shorter dresses and fit-and-flare skirts that graze my knee look better with taller boots. BUT I really love the way these look and feel:
The thing about the end of the year, when you're thinking about guidelines for your clothing purchases for the next year, is that you find yourself BUYING STUFF to get in under the wire before your new rules kick in.
Kidding, sort of. I had been looking for boots like this since last year, and I'm very happy with the way these fill a particular gap in my closet. I love the color. The fit is good. These are also a good bit higher than my Melrose boots, which hit at mid-calf. The look is sleeker and potentially dressier --- which is good, because boots are about as dressy as I get in the winter.