Christmas Magic

 

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  

 

Fall into Winter

 Hello, Dear Friends. 

I hope that those of you who live in the North, like I do, 

are staying warm and cozy and settling in for the long winter ahead. 

For those of you who live in the South, 

I hope that you are enjoying the lovely flowers and sunshine. 

Every season has its challenges, but also its beauty. 

As we enter into the final month of the year, 

I want to share some of nature's beauty, here at my home in the 

foothills near Mt. Rainier.

We've had our first snows in the higher elevations. 

It's especially pretty at sunrise. 

Migrating hawks stop by to look for a quick meal. 

Sometimes they stay for the season. 

The beautiful Varied Thrush winter here in the lower foothills. They live in the 

higher elevations the rest of the year. 

I love their reedy calls. 

Mt. Rainier with its cap of swirling clouds. 

The mountain forms its own weather, 

and sometimes the clouds are captured in the whirlwind. 

This is a forecast of future rain or snow, 

usually within 24 hours. 

Most of the time it looks like this. 

The mist has a life of its own,

changing every moment. 

It adds a mysterious atmosphere to the forest. 

You can see why the 'Twighlight' movies were

filmed in Washington State. 

With all the rain and mist, mosses thrive on every surface. 

Raindrops look like fairy lights. 

When the sun shines through just right, 

some of the raindrops will turn brilliant colors. 

I've yet to capture this phenomenon on film, 

but I keep trying...

Barberry

Beauty Berry

Berries and rosehips take center stage in winter. 

Big-Leaf Maple wingnuts 

Annas Hummingbirds are year-round residents. 

I feed them sugar water all year, but they also

live on insects, flowers (we actually have flowers that bloom here year-round),

and the sweet sap that is released 

from deciduous trees by our native Western Sapsucker. 

Isn't he pretty? 

 Western Sword Fern stays evergreen and 

carpets the woodland floor. 

Bracken fern nearby turns golden and dies back. 

Can you see my American Eskimo dog, Kai 

between the trunks of Western Red Cedar? 

A Stellar Jay with an insect in his beak. They love carpenter ants and termites, 

so are very beneficial. 

This is one of a nesting pair of Stellar Jays that live on the property. 

These beautiful birds are the watchdogs of the forest, warning 

the residents when Hawks are around by imitating 

their calls. 

They warn of Ravens and Eagles by imitating 

the way they clack their bills together. 

It creates a unique sound similar to 

hollow bamboo sticks banging together. 

I've watched little birds dive for cover when 

they sound the alarm. 

Like this pretty guy - a Spotted Towhee. 

He has red eyes and white spots on his wings. 

This is another bird that has a reedy call. 

We also have a pair of Ravens who nest in a neighboring hill. 

This is their offspring. 

I see them flying together every day with junior alongside. 

Sometimes junior gets separated and will sit 

in the treetops and cry. 

These are large birds, much larger than a crow. 

Can you see him in the treetop, second from left? 

Off he goes...

One morning recently, I noticed from my deck, a large flock of crows 

swirling around and around above me. 

They seemed to be focused on one large fir tree in particular. 

They were screeching and carrying on, 

and I had my suspicions as to why. 

They stayed for about an hour, then mysteriously flew 

away together. 

This was unusual, as I normally don't see flocks of crows here. 

My suspicions were confirmed a little while later, when I happened 

to see a Bald Eagle fly away from the direction of the fir tree.

(I was out on the deck planting winter pansies.) 

He must have sadly caught a crow, which was the reason for their distress. 

I've seen the eagle several times since, 

but not the crows. 

I spied this beautiful girl from my kitchen window the other morning. 

You can see that she spied me, also! 

She was eating my ivy along the walkway, which I didn't really 

appreciate, so I shooed her away. 

I've seen her with her half-grown doe fawn nibbling on my gardens

the last few days. I enjoy seeing them and don't mind 

their pruning, except when they come too close to the house. 

I don't want them to feel too comfortable around people. 

For their own safety. 

xx

They are Blacktail deer. 

One afternoon a couple of weeks ago, I was looking out that same 

kitchen window when I saw movement at the edge of the clearing 

we call the 'front lawn'. Lol!

There are wild plum trees there. 

As I zoomed in with my camera, I could see this little family 

come into focus. 

A mother Racoon and her three offspring. 

They were very busy eating the fallen fruit and climbing the trees

to shake down more. 

I loved watching them and was glad that my little trees 

 provided a much-needed meal. 

I love all God's creatures and try to always be kind and compassionate. 

I even catch and release spiders that find their way inside.

(Cover with a dedicated see-through plastic food container and carefully slide 

a sturdy, thin piece of cardboard underneath. Carry outside. Make sure you open

the door before-hand or have a partner to do it for you!) 

I rescue insects that fall into buckets and the bird bath, too. 

A leaf is good for this. 

We are given the gift of living on this beautiful Earth

and I believe it is our duty to honor that by taking good care of it

and not take it for granted. 

Nature needs all the help she can get right now. 

I know that all of you, Dear Friends, feel the same. 

We are old souls that have found each other. 

It's so important now, more than ever, to show kindness 

and compassion in a world that's sadly lacking in these qualities. 

And please, Dear Friends, take good care of yourselves and one another.

We are all in this together.  

xx

Linking with: Saturdays Critters

 "Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished."

- Lao Tzu -

"Everything you can imagine, nature has already created."

- Albert Einstein -

"Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one

thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, 

we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. 

All things connect."

- Chief Seattle -

xx