A Quick Change of Plans
Happy Monday, ladies. If you celebrate, I hope your Thanksgiving was kind to you. Ours shifted unexpectedly when one of our grandsons came home from pre-school with a highly contagious virus. My son took one look at him and wisely pulled the plug on their visit. We were sad to change plans, of course, but no one wanted that bug passed around the table like a side dish.
So, we canceled the fresh turkey we’d ordered before it even had a chance to make itself at home in the fridge. Thankfully, I hadn’t started baking pies…I don’t need the temptation of those hanging around this time of year! We’d already celebrated Thanksgiving in October (the Canadian one), so this was more about being together than observing the holiday itself. Still, it was disappointing.
With our original plans off the table…literally…we booked flights to visit our daughter. Every seat the day before Thanksgiving was taken, so we ended up flying on Thanksgiving Day. If you’ve never done that before, imagine a nearly empty airport where every hallway echoes, and you start wondering if you’ve stumbled into an alternative universe.
Our flight was delayed for hours, and when it finally boarded, there were only about sixteen people on it. One of them was coughing so violently that I started rethinking every decision I’d made that day. I avoided eye contact, wore my mask, and skipped the airplane bathroom after she used it.
We landed well after dark but were genuinely delighted to walk into our second home, where the sheets had been left clean, and everything smelled reassuringly familiar. It had all the comforts of our main house, in a much smaller space. There’s a quiet kind of relief when climbing into your own bed, especially after a day spent dodging airport germs and rethinking your life choices at Gate 42.
One of the small joys this weekend was spotting the pottery my husband and daughter made in a class they took together last summer. It was one of those weekly group classes that included clay under the fingernails, trashed jeans, and plenty of laughter over whose bowl was the most structurally unsound. They kept at it all season, and afterward, she had a few of his pieces glazed.
Seeing them lined up on the mantle made me smile. Each one slightly wobbly, a little thicker than it probably should be, and full of heart. There’s something deeply endearing about handmade things, especially when they’re made by people you love…people who don’t usually consider themselves the creative type.
What struck me most was how willing he was to try something new. That’s not always easy as we get older. We find what works, stick with it, and before long, anything unfamiliar starts to feel like more trouble than it’s worth.
But there’s something to be said for doing something just because it’s interesting, even if the results are a little uneven. It doesn’t have to lead anywhere or turn into a new hobby. Sometimes it’s just about staying open. And maybe ending up with a lopsided little pot that makes you smile every time you walk by.
That got me thinking about the cable sweater I’d left behind in Vancouver in October. It’s currently sitting on two cables and a set of needles, which definitely qualifies as a challenge. I was actually looking forward to getting back to it…until I took it out of my knitting bag and laid it out to see where I’d left off.
Whatever confidence I had vanished on the spot. I’d finally memorized the pattern before I stopped, but now it looked like something a much more patient version of me had been working on. There were strands crossing everywhere, and I couldn’t make sense of what row I was on. I sat with it for a minute, then quietly folded it back up like it hadn’t happened, and began thinking about starting a new project. It’s still sitting there, winking at me from the corner by my chair. I haven’t given up…I’m just working up the courage to dive back in.
And now that Thanksgiving is behind some of us, the world has fully shifted into holiday mode. The stores here are jammed, and the city’s windows are already glowing with Christmas trees and lights on the balconies.
Cyber Monday has arrived right on schedule, dragging a thousand discount codes behind it. My inbox is pitching everything from socks to skincare to things I’m pretty sure I already own. Apparently, urgency is the new festive.
Still, what kind of blogger would I be if I didn’t at least point you toward a few sales?
I know many of you like to shop this time of year, and I truly appreciate it when you use my links because it helps support the work I do here. Below are just a few that feel worth sharing:
QUINCE, which almost never has sales, is having a one-day-only Cyber Sale on select pieces. I will be shopping this sale for sure.
CHICO’S has 50% off the highest-priced item and 40% off everything else.
TALBOTS has 50% off the entire site and free shipping.
NO MAKEUP MAKEUP has 20% off everything for BFCM.
WALMART Cyber Monday deals are live!
ANN TAYLOR 50% off everything.
LOFT 50% off everything, plus an extra 20% off.
KOHL’s big Cyber Deals are on.
NORDSTROM RACK up to 70% off their already reduced prices.
Whether you’re browsing the sales or just here for the musings, I’m glad you’re part of this space.
And if the only thing you add to your cart today is a second cup of coffee, I fully support that decision.
Have a great day!
The pottery is beautiful. I love the colors. So sorry your TG turned out as it did. I feel bad for you. I hope your grandson is better. Wear a mask on planes!
I always do wear a mask on planes. My immune system isn’t that strong so every little bit helps.
I am so sorry you had to jump through hoops to have some holiday fun.
My daughter instituted the mantra, “less is more” for our get together. She informed everybody that it will continue through Christmas and maybe beyond! I am delighted!
BYW, I loved your notes on your Vancouver visit! Enjoy the holiday season, Jennifer along with your husband and family. Hope your little grandson is feeling better. 🫠
I do love your writing. You always make me laugh and you are so relatable ! Keep up the good work!
Glad you were able to celebrate Thanksgiving in October. My husband is American/Cdn, and we sometimes celebrate Amer. Thanksgiving – for me, it is just too darn close to Christmas with almost an identical menu. But, I didn’t grow up with it, so…..
Your knitting is lovely – my advice for the cable sweater is to book a 30-60 minute private tutorial – a good knitting teacher will be able to easily get you on track (minus the swear words – at least, that’s me when my knitting confounds me).
Hope your grandson/his family are feeling better.
Thanks Kristi!
Your sense of humour cracks me up Jennifer. Love reading your musings…….
Always happy to provide a cuckle..life can be a challenge
Our Thanksgiving plans had to change also. My son an daughter in law were hosting but their hot water tank started leaking all over their kitchen! They just brought everything up to our house and we popped in a lasagna. It was still great to see my grandson.
Lasagne works! Love that
Loved your post today! Perhaps I will brave the where-did-I-leave-off cables blanket, or more likely, the Quince sale. Cheers to you!
Hi Jennifer,
Loved your post today! I loved pottery when I tried it and one day I will go back to it. I remember sitting wheel to wheel next to a new friend I had met and being mesmerised how quickly he shaped the wet clay into something so beautiful…
“You are so good at this!!’ I said, “how do you do it”?
“Only taken me seven years” he replied.
Food for thought.
I treasure my home made bowls now. Have a wonderful day xo
I think it’s fun to try new things! Have a great day
I love your story about the pottery class. And love the final result. We have an only a few handmade/homemade items, made by hubby or me, and a few by his father and my grandmother. And they are irreplaceable.
Thank you for all your advice over the year. You are the hardest working blogger I know.
Home made things are imbued with such a great essence.
Just a thoughtful reminder, coughing isn’t always contagious. It’s certainly annoying but sometimes can’t be helped. I have Chronic Bronchitis which is a form of COPD. I have never smoked but my dad and coworkers did. I complained to management for YEARS and by the time OSHA took action, it was too late for me. Now I take a shot of Tezspire every month which cuts about 80+-% of the coughing (otherwise my life would be miserable). I also have to use a nebulizer every day for asthma. So the coughing sounds awful but necessary to keep my airways open. I’m paying the price for other’s thoughtless actions.
I’m so sorry to hear that!
Have been receiving your emails for approximately a month now and am in love! I so look forward to reading your blog with my coffee in the mornings 🥰 I do have a question. I am going to Malta for 2 weeks in April. I would like to pack minimally. Thinking of working wardrobe around linen pieces, specifically Lands End blue and white striped shorts and long sleeve shirt, white linen skirt and sleeveless white tank, white tennis shoes. What else should I pack?
Malta is so unique looking! We were only there once for a very short time. Linen is fabulous for warm weather but it does look quite wrinkled after one wearing so can be a challenge to rewear on longer trips without access to laundry. Bring very stable sandals and shoes that attach solidly to your feet. Layers are helpful and other natural fibers like bamboo and cotton can be great for travel.
I started using downy wrinkle release on my linen pants after a wear. Works great and soo easy. Put it in a travel spray bottle because you dont need a lot each time. I love linen and am so much happier with it after trying this.
It can rain in April in the Med so take a Mac.
The sweater you are working on looks worthwhile to finish, it is beautiful!
Your writing is so engaging. I enjoy reading it. Sounds like you did a great job pivoting when your initial plans got scrapped; isn’t flexibility one of the most important muscles we need to exercise? I enjoy your thoughts on life as much as your thoughts on fashion; they are real and relatable as well as thought provoking. Thank you!
I agree about the flexibility muscle. I tend to be stubborn so rolling with the punches is a challenge for me.
Jennifer, have you ever thought of going to an open mike? You are witty and I would be in the front row at your first show!
I am sorry that your grandson is ill, hopefully he will be on the mend soon.
I have traveled on Thanksgiving day and Christmas morning and it is as you described, eerily quiet and empty.
Your husband and daughter’s pots are beautiful! Making pottery is not easy, or so I have been told by my friend who is a potter. Good for them for taking the class and their efforts.
As for your sweater!!!WOW! I cannot even imagine how that is made. I hope that you pick it back up and finish because it is a lovely pattern.
Have a wonderful week!
lol, no I haven’t! That sweater is still winking at me and now I’ve run out of the pink yarn for the hat I will never wear so I have no excuse not to pic the sweater project back up. Thanks Elizabeth!
I enjoyed this post very much. Thank you. Wishing you and your family a lovely (and healthy!) holiday season.
I’m finishing up my shopping for the season and grabbed the taupe small Cuyana zip tote to be my warm weather bag. May 2026 Shari will be happy to pull it out, but December Shari really wanted the burgundy despite already having a vertical burgundy leather tote from Leatherology.
I do understand your leatherology. I just ordered the Jade…hopefully the color works for me:)
That cable sweater you started looks like something my mom knitted (many times). She did so many beautiful sweaters, afghans, needlepoint pillows and wall hangings. I have many of them, and some of the sweaters, but we donated many sweaters since we moved south. I am envious of that talent and patience. I knit very simple projects (think baby blankets for our grandchildren, baby hats – donated to NICU in the area). Your work is amazing.
You’re so lucky to have some of her work. I wish I’d kept some from my mom.
Jennifer,
Thank you for sharing an image of your beautiful knitting project. It reminded me of my Granny’s wonderfully knitted bedspreads that she faithfully knitted for each of her grandchildren even though she was blind. Your sweater will be such a treasure when you finish it so I encourage you to jump back into it. It is just beautiful.
Janet
How amazing that your granny could knit without sie. That’s a true labor of love!
Happy Christmas
I so enjoyed your blog today, have a great day and the sweater you are knitting looks like it will be cozy🎄
I would like to have info on the booties you are wearing in today’s photo.
They’re by Munro which went out of business last year. I’m crushed they’re no longer making footwear because my feet love them.