Random Thoughts for a Sunday Evening

                 Isn't it maddening how some words look like they're spelled wrong, no matter what you do?  I still honestly believe that those things that hang off curtains and keychains are tassles.  I see it spelled correctly--tassel--on supply bins everywhere, but my brain refuses to believe it.  I'm still not sure which spelling to use when referring to the shelf above a fireplace, as opposed to a garment.  Mantle?  Mantel?  I spend a lot of time telling Kiddo that spell check isn't foolproof and won't catch her using the wrong word, and it makes me very aware that I do not always know how to proceed.  Good thing I can look it up, and I make sure Kiddo knows that I do.  I'm doing the best I can to show her that we all have to use references, and that it doesn't all have to be stored in our heads.

                Thanksgiving was quiet, and now we just wait to be sure that nothing got passed on to anyone else.  Tiny wore her mask around the family for the first time, and she was a trooper about it.  It helped immensely that absolutely everything she did during the visit made her uncle melt like butter on a hot plate.  Even though he has his own curly hair, I caught him gently pulling and releasing hers.  It established for me that no one is immune to those tiny springy curls.

                I spent a good amount of time this week working on the Advent calendar.  I hand quilted and bound the tree wall hanging, and it's now down to the bias tape channel on the back to run the dowel through for hanging.  I finished satin stitching the ornaments and only whacked myself on the forehead with the machine takeup lever a few times.  When you're really trying to concentrate and do an accurate job, you sometimes get a little too close to the moving parts.  I'll start attaching pinbacks tonight.  Hopefully, I can stay ahead of the demand.  If I have time, I'll also make a bag to stitch onto the back of the wall hanging to hold all the pieces.  For this year, though, I'll just hide them in the sewing room.  Tiny is still too excited about her ability to open zippers and scatter the contents of zippered items.  I hope she'll have more self control next year.

                I'm sure I'll have a focused post next time, but that's all the thoughts that are worthwhile for today.