Another month gone and I’m struggling to keep up with pretty much everything.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas all over town. It used to bother me when people decorated for the holidays before Thanksgiving, but here in the Midwest, where trees and plants are bare and the landscape is dreary, I appreciate some sparkle and color.

1) I decorated my office with a string of lights (nearly killing myself by balancing with one foot on my tall stool and maneuvering the lights with a meter stick), and we picked out a tree the weekend after Thanksgiving. Really need something larger / more stately over the fireplace. One of those things you keep meaning to deal with that isn’t really all that important, so you never do.

2) My friend in Portland posted some of her amazing vintage Christmas wreaths on Facebook and I knew I had to have one. They are fun and festive and glamorous and kitchy and the girls were making squealing noises as I opened up the box and unwrapped it.

She can custom make one with whatever color palette you want. And no one else in town will have a wreath like yours, guaranteed.

3) I was so furiously writing last month’s list that I forgot to tell you about a wine and live auction I went to with my friend Renee. She wore these amazing shoes and I am always so impressed with her and anyone who can walk around in, let alone stand in, heels that high all night. And yes, I would if I could.

4) And oh my gosh the most exciting (exciting meaning !!!!!) part of the night happened on the way home when our Uber driver possibly/most likely saved our lives by slamming on the breaks in an intersection where we had a green light. He stopped just in time as we watched a car fly across the intersection.

We were so grateful that we didn’t even get mad when he:
A) Got pulled over by the cops for a busted headlight (Me upon seeing him pull up in his old minivan, “Ummm he has a headlight out, do you think that’s okay?”)
B) Missed the turn to my house at which point he put the car in reverse on Lakeshore Drive. (Renee upon realizing what was happening. “Ummm sir? Sir? Um, people don’t normally reverse on this street.”)

5) The freelance project I’ve been working on for months is finally done and it is beautiful! I’m not a big jewelry person (although I will take a blinged out cocktail ring if you want to give one to me), but after working with all this high-end luxurious jewelry, I’ve kind of changed my tune. Not that I can do anything about my newfound love of expensive jewelry, but hey.

6) Speaking of bling, my school auction is full speed ahead. Every so often we receive a donation from people who are moving or clearing out space in their home, etc. This interchangeable watch donation was particularly WOW, so I put it on and wore it for a couple hours at work.

I have to say that initially I tee-hee-ed about, but it did grow on me after a while because it is so beyond ridiculously quirky. And rarely does anything ever fit my skinny wrists!

7) Speaking of work, I recently read that the plastic in Keurig cups can leech into your coffee, and when ingested can act like estrogen in your body. Which means I shouldn’t be using them (I take medication that basically zaps estrogen from my body). And we only have a Keurig at work.

SO. I was all, I’m going to be so cool and European with my French press and that lasted about two days because it took so dang long and was messy to clean up.

So now it’s Trader Joe’s instant coffee for me every day after lunch. It’s quick, easy and reminds me of college. And no that is not my purse in case you were wondering, it is an auction donation if you would like to bid on it in the spring.

8) When I was at couples bowling (because we’re cool like that), I got a text from my Auntie that my mom had fallen and possibly broken her shoulder. It turns out that it was her collarbone that broke, not her shoulder, but it’s still going to be a very long and painful recovery. Send good thoughts and prayers over to her, please!

9) As I was out shopping at Barnes & Noble for my husband’s birthday present, one of the staff pointed out a book she felt he might like based on my description of what I was looking for. I knew immediately it was too magic-y for him, but it was right up my alley, so I bought it.

I am loving it so far (and i really love the cover also!) and I am about a third of the way in. If you like adventure and old London and magic, you will not be disappointed.

10) I always make an apple pie for my husband’s birthday and here it is and it was so delicious. I think I purposely block out of my mind how much I like pie so that I don’t eat it every single day of my life.

11) I dug up my dahlia tubers this month, and brought them to Detroit Abloom’s new root cellar (if you donated to the cause – THANK YOU!) to store for the winter. I am hopeful that most will make it and am already plotting out where to put what next spring.

The labeling part is tricky because if you don’t do it while the blooms are still on the plant, you risk not remembering which plant was where (oopsies).

12) This is what it looks like when you finish bowling and the dining room at the Yacht Club is closed so you end up at Irish Coffee and you are STARVING.

Thus concludes another month of Grosse Pointe life. Enjoy your December and have a wonderful holiday season!