I went shopping yesterday. Mostly I like going out on Black Friday because it feels so festive. All the people looking at all the stuff feels like a party to me. This time didn’t seem to have as many people as past years, but maybe it was just my timing. I was out early, but not super-early, so maybe I missed the first rush.

I did have a goal. I needed to get some bolts. I got a headboard from someone on Craigslist, and needed the bolts to attach it.

I started painting my bedroom a year ago, and haven’t finished because I wanted a headboard to protect the newly-painted wall from dirt. I got the bolts. Here are the before and after shots of the headboard:

I also wanted to get a rug for my bedroom. Since I was in a buying mood, I got it yesterday. I like it. It makes the bedroom feel more cozy.

I didn’t get to the painting though. Maybe today? We’ll see…

Yesterday I mostly stayed home, but I plan to go out to the stores today. I don’t really have anything specific in mind, but one thing I know I won’t be getting is a bigger washer and dryer.

There was one on clearance at Lowe’s, and I agonized over the decision to get it or not. It was half price because it had a huge dent in the front of it. It also had a higher capacity.

But it is 30 inches deep instead of 27 inches. That won’t fit in my bathroom (my laundry spot) without some major retrofitting. On top of that, clearance items aren’t eligible for delivery or installation. How would I lift it up the stairs to my house and get the old machine out?

I decided the time and hassle was not worth the savings.

Maybe I’ll see something today though… Happy Black Friday!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We were off of school yesterday. It was a change in our original schedule, so it was a bonus day. I celebrated by doing almost nothing all day. It was very restful.

In the evening, I went to Thanksgiving Eve church. I played the piano for church. It went pretty well. One of the hymns didn’t sound right while people were singing it. I usually use the words to help me know how many stanzas are left and when I should stop playing. Fortunately, I had the worship folder open next to the hymn book, so I could see they were singing alternate words. Maui words! How fun!

A while back, I saw some books for sale on the Scholastic book order thingy. It was the whole “I Survived…” series. Some of my kids like these, because they’re engaging and easy to read. And they were half the regular price! Awesome!

I thought I ordered them, but then they didn’t come and they didn’t come. I looked in my bank account history and didn’t see a charge. Had I not clicked the “buy” button or something? Dang. I wanted those books.

And then yesterday, they arrived! Woo hoo! I was so excited! I did order them! As a bonus, spending a certain amount got you a free book, so I got “The Westing Game” too! Nice!

Yesterday I noticed that the crown flower tree I planted at school had some holes in its leaves. There’s a caterpillar eating it.

But this isn’t just any old caterpillar. It’s a monarch butterfly caterpillar! That is, in fact, why I planted it. Crown flower trees are the main hosts of monarchs here on Maui. I’m not sure how many leaves a caterpillar needs to eat before it pupates. Hopefully it won’t take all the leaves on my baby tree. It would be hard to decide between my tree surviving and the caterpillar surviving.