Hello, Dear Friends, I hope that you have found a bit of Christmas magic
as we celebrate this special season.
Now that we have passed the winter solstice,
the days will slowly begin to get longer, here in the north woods.
When twilight comes at 4:30 in the afternoon,
the sparkle of the holidays brightens
the spirit as we reflect on the year gone by
and make plans for the new year ahead.
After a long winter night, mornings are my favorite time of day.
The first thing I do is look out my little window.
Sometimes I see our resident deer meandering around,
or the neighbor's cat, or the beautiful, blue Stella Jay
sitting in the branches of the cedar tree by the walkway.
My vanity is where I keep all of my most sentimental things.
As I stop to take a quick look in the mirror and choose
the earrings that I will wear for the day,
sweet memories fill my heart.
I do love Angels.
The photo is Ramblin' Man and me
when we were young and full of hopes and dreams.
xx
I am happy to say that through thick and thin,
in sickness and health,
and richer or poorer
(mostly the latter),
they all came true,
even the ones we didn't know we had.
xx
A little holiday sparkle.
We had a beloved dog just like that when the children were young.
xx
The two Christmas pins belonged to my mother and mother-in-law.
One of the last, sweet memories with my Mother was when she treated all the 'girls'
in the family to the nutcracker ballet in Seattle.
I am the eldest daughter of five, with 2 daughters of my own
and several nieces.
For Christmas that year, she gifted me with this porcelain 'Nutcracker'
music box.
The blue, hand-blown heart was a gift from my eldest son.
The photo is me as a little girl.
Long, long time ago...
I've worn this pin to many Christmas parties over the years.
There are earrings to match.
The enamel 'box' was a gift from a dear Sis.
The footed milk-glass 'wedding box' was my Moms.
The sparkly rhinestone necklace is vintage.
The Fenton angel was a Christmas gift from my youngest son
a few years ago.
She wears the beautiful necklace the Mr. bought for me
when we were in Italy.
A gift from a dear one from far away.
This time of year brings sentimental thoughts of those we love
and those we've lost.
Sometimes the tug on the heartstrings
can bring a few tears.
xxoo
I wake the dogs as I come downstairs.
Ricky is the lazy one :)
The little tree is the grandchildren's.
Whoever comes to visit first, gets to decorate it!
My Mom gave me this sweet ornament.
I hung it in my vintage birdcage.
My sea-glass snowman (from my sis) on the powder room shelf.
The morning light is lovely as I brew my morning coffee.
I usually have the morning to myself, as Ramblin' Man is a late sleeper.
Something he deserves after having to get up early
for so many years of hard work.
Now that he's retired, he can do whatever he wants,
when he wants.
xx
Although... he still works hard.
He's the official handy-man around here.
The hot cocoa mugs are a gift to myself this year.
The recipe in measurements are printed inside.
One for me and one for the Mr. xx
Cocoa cannisters.
Cocoa, marshmallows, and sprinkles.
The kitchen window.
Tiny lights on the trees.
xx
I have a new stove!
I had to replace my beloved vintage stove
after another burner stopped working.
It actually sent up sparks and a flame,
so, I knew it was time...
The Mr. managed to find one on-line from Home Depot
that had a similar vintage look, and I was so happy!
It was quite an ordeal to get it shipped, though.
Every day for over a week they promised it was coming.
Then, when it finally came, the delivery guys refused to bring it inside,
even though we paid extra to have that done.
So, there it sat, still in its box, wrapped in plastic on a pallet
at the top of the walkway.
Luckily for us, we have four, strong, young men available
to help any time we ask - my sons and my son-in-laws,
two of which showed up right away.
Love my guys.
Thank you so much!
I love that it has a window in the oven,
and space on top for my cooking necessities.
It even has pan storage like my vintage one.
xx
Red and green to celebrate the holidays.
Just noticed the orbs...
The botanical wall art and pillows work so well together,
don't you think?
I sewed one of these pillows years ago from a tea towel,
then I found another identical towel in my fabric stash!
So now I have two.
I really need to look through my fabric more often!
xx
My vintage vent covers have new 'sprigs' for the season.
There's one on each side of the glass door.
I love that I can change the look for every season.
Sitting here and sipping my morning brew is so peaceful
as I watch the sun rise above the mountains.
I never know what to expect.
Every morning has a new color-scheme.
xx
Our little angel from our first Christmas together.
Every time a bell rings an angel gets its wings.
The dogs have new Christmas beds.
Usually, Ricky is sprawled out in the middle of his,
but sometimes he gets too hot and crawls out.
xx
I'll think that he's sound asleep and then he suddenly rushes out
the pet-door barking up a storm,
with Kai at his heels.
Usually, because he hears some random dog barking half a mile away!
Lol!
I wish I could hear that well!
A favorite Victorian painting. (A print)
Santa is keeping an eye on things.
I found this beautiful ribbon at my local Home Goods store
and knew I had to make a pillow with it for my settee'.
Just the right touch.
Ode to a favorite Christmas movie; 'National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation'.
Other favorite movies:
'The Holiday'
'It's a Wonderful Life'
Hallmark Hall of Fame movie,
'Christmas with Holly' - based on the 2010 book
'Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor'
by Lisa Kleypas.
Friday Harbor is in our own beautiful Puget Sound
here in Washington State.
My sweet collection of log cabins.
My family lived in a log cabin in New England when I was a child,
and we vacationed in 'Butler's Cabin' in the White Mountains
of New Hampshire every summer and fall.
Mr. Butler owned the cabin and was my Father's boss.
I have lovely memories of those days long ago.
xx
Tiny glass houses.
Why we shouldn't throw stones.
xx
My wine rack is looking a bit bare.
We don't entertain as much as we used to.
It's a quiet house these days.
Except when the grand boys come over :)
Instead of having a glass of wine,
we are drinking juice and baking cookies.
xx
Which I think is much more fun :)
The cookies never last very long, though.
The Mr. has a terrible sweet tooth.
xx
Winter scenes from the deck.
Winter views from the kitchen window.
It's been a busy season.
Wonderful family gatherings, including a fun wreath-making party at my daughter-in-law's
beautiful home (my wreath is on the front door), a precious, pre-school concert with my
4-year-old grandson (who I'm quite sure is going to be famous someday :), a sleep-over,
cookie-baking, movie-watching night with 3 more of my grandsons, shopping
and lunch with my daughters at an amazing, local nursery/gift shop/cafe, bulb planting
in pots for the deck (400 miniature bulbs), baking, decorating, shopping and gift-wrapping.
We celebrated a beautiful early Christmas with the extended families this past weekend, too.
All 22 of us!
It was fun, crazy, delicious, generous and full of love.
Thank you to my daughter and son-in-law for hosting!
The Mr. and I will spend a quiet Christmas day,
just the two of us.
I'll make a nice brunch of eggs, ham, fried potatoes, fruit and of course, cinnamon rolls.
And we'll lay around and read and watch movies the rest of the day.
Then, the next day my son, wife and grandson are coming over.
And my daughter and grandson sometime next week.
Life is busy, but we are blessed.
We are looking forward to a quiet New Year's Eve and some
time to rest and renew for a bit until we have to
pack Christmas up once again until next year.
A brief reprieve from the realities of the world,
as we perpetually pray for peace and the brotherhood (and sisterhood) of mankind.
This time of year reminds us to keep the faith, hope and magic alive
and remember that every small act of kindness ripples ever outward
and returns in kind.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year,
my Dear Friends.
Thank you for your enduring friendship.
Much love to you and yours.
xxoo
