Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Christmas Lights





Nothing like the drive home from work these days ~ singing along with Christmas Carols and enjoying the pretty lights! 


I love this time of year!



Tuesday, November 29, 2011

More DIY Christmas Fun!


This DIY phase I'm in started after I gave my daughter all her ornaments that we've collected for her over the years for her first Christmas tree as a married woman!! It was so fun to pass them along ~ like I'd always imagined. After I did that, I wrapped up her brother's ornaments....cause we couldn't just put his on the tree without hers. And I started to wonder....what's our tree going to look like now?? I felt like I was staring at a blank page (or canvas...you get the idea). I started to look around on line and in some stores but I felt very disconnected from the decorations that I saw. Just no sentimental attachment ~ and I'm all about my sentimental attachment to the traditions of our Christmases.

So, I slowly realized that I was going to have to invest in the creation of our new tree...our new "Christmas" look ~ or I wouldn't be happy with it. I went through all our decorations, kept what I loved, and got rid of the rest. Then I started looking around for pretty things to make!! These sparkly glass balls caught my eye ~ so I searched the blogosphere for some helpful instruction, and found it here. I followed all her directions (but didn't pay for the Martha Stewart glitter - just bought the extra fine glitter I found in the kids craft section at AC Moore). I have to tell you....I HAD SO MUCH FUN!! Not sure I'm going to stick with the gold ribbon - I'll keep you posted!

We're going to put up our tree this weekend ~ just me and my husband! So I have some more work to do between now and then. Let some new traditions begin!!

Monday, November 28, 2011

DIY Christmas fun!


This weekend I made a wreath for my front door!

First got the idea from my friend Claire - see hers here!

A simple ring of styrofoam, some pretty green yarn, some "berries", a piece of ribbon and a little bit of glue. I sat, took my time, and wound the yarn around and around the ring...adding a bit of glue from time to time. When it came time to add the berries, I just laid the stems on the styrofoam and wound the yarn around them. They held in place really well. I tied the gold ribbon on, and hung it on my front door ~ the first sign of Christmas at our house.

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Hustle and Bustle?


My heart is peaceful this morning.
I am well rested.
We have had a wonderful, relaxing, 
long
weekend.
I'm hoping to carry this feeling through the end of the year...
through the 'holiday season' with all it's potential for
hustle and bustle.
Let's see if I can relax and enjoy!
Because it'll be over before we know it - 
and I don't want to loose 
the important
in the middle of all the 
hustle and bustle.
No need to rush.
Let's just live it one precious day at a time!


Friday, November 25, 2011

Celebrate With Thanksgiving!


Thank you God. You have made
me all that I am and
given me all that I have.

Thank you God. You are the
perfect Father, guiding me, protecting me,
trusting me and believing in me.

Thank you God. Your grace and
goodness inspire my heart and heal
me when I'm hurt or weary.

Thank you God. For my husband.
For his laughter, his love, all
his hard work. And his faithfulness.

Thank you God. For my children.
They have filled my life more
than I could have ever imagined.

Thank you God. For this table
and the love that we share
here. And for yet another day.

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Thanksgiving Thoughts {day 3}


They say my "nest" is empty
But I'd have to disagree.
For around me, filling every nook,
Are the folks I want to see.

I think of many different friends
Who know what I like best.
Their gifts surround be every day
And remind me that I'm blessed.

The heirlooms I've collected
mean so much to me.
A silver brush, some bookends
Connect me to my family tree.

And, of course, there are some photos
Faces loved, from far and near.
Silly smiles and perfect poses
from those I hold most dear.

So as I sip my coffee
on this Thanksgiving morn,
I know it's friends and family
that I'm most thankful for!


Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Thanksgiving Thoughts {day 2}


Home.

I'm grateful for my home...in the "I have four walls and a roof" sense of the word.
I'm grateful for my home...in the "best family in the world lives here" meaning of home.
I'm grateful for my home...in the "Love that dirty water, Boston you're my home" kind of a way.

We've got history.
And seasons.
Great sports teams.
The ocean.
Music, museums, shows, artisans and international cuisine.
There's so much to see and do!

My favorite thing about this corner of the world has got to be the blending of the old and the new. A modern city that's grown up around revolutionary war homes, churches and government buildings. Families that have roots here dating back generations are settled in among college kids that arrive from all over the world. There are young students to create new music and a world renowned symphony orchestra. Something for everyone.

I can honestly say....there's no place like home!

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Thanksgiving Thoughts {day one}

"Gratitude is the memory of the heart."
Jean Baptiste Massieu

This is one of my favorite quotes. 
When I first read it, it helped me understand one of the reasons that I love to scrapbook.

Gathering the best of our memories and caring for them and dwelling on them...well, it just helps my heart!  It helps me to focus on the good. The blessings. The highlights. And it even helps me to remember to make, of the ordinary, a special memory. For someone who tends to be a tad melancholy {me} I have found this hobby to be ... {is it too dramatic to say?} ... lifesaving.
At the very least, I can say that it's led me to some great people and taught me a wonderful craft and filled me with a gratitude for the life I've been given. 

So, as Thanksgiving day approaches, I'll begin by expressing my gratitude for this wonderful hobby of mine! And show you a couple of pages from last year's "turkey" day!



Sunday, November 20, 2011

This Space

"Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul."
                                                    Samuel Ullman


I celebrated a birthday this week. My 51st. 


Thinking back over this year I realized that last year at this time, I had not yet ventured into the blogsosphere. It was odd when that thought hit me. Because today this space, and those with whom I share it, have become so important to me. Part of my daily life. 


My enthusiasm for writing has been reawakened. 
My eagerness to create, and learn new things has been stimulated.
The warmth I feel towards friends (both new and old) has heated up.
My passion for all that revolves around building strong families has found expression.
My devotion to story-telling, and multi-generational interaction has deepened.


I'm thrilled that I've found bloggers that are my age. And love the blogs of younger moms with bright, beautiful, energetic children! I sit with poets and philosophers while I sip my coffee. I've visited corners of the world and played in friends' backyards. I've cried and laughed heartily with folks I've never actually hugged. 


And I am enthusiastically trying many new things! 


You've gotta love the joy on the faces of those sweet girls in that photo! (They are the girls my daughter gives her days to ... she's their nanny!) I love it when she shoots me a photo filled with their adorableness in the middle of the day. And I LOVE visiting blogs where the faces of beautiful children light up the screen. It's with that kind of joy, enthusiasm, warmth, passion and devotion that I hope to live my days. 


THANK YOU FRIENDS OUT THERE FOR SHARING YOUR ENTHUSIASM WITH ME!!!
IT"S CONTAGIOUS!!

Friday, November 18, 2011

What Will the Narrator Say?


As the story of my life
unfolds today, what will the narrator
have to say? Will I be
the chatty "regular" - friendly with the
barista and excited about Christmas Blend?
Will my phone voice be kind -
patient with each caller, eager to
help, meeting each of their needs?
Faced with each file, data point
and calculation, will I be attentive?
Genuinely friendly? Truly kind? Thoroughly attentive?


And what voice will the narrator
take? That of outside observer, or
one who knows my inner life?
And how much of my story
would differ if we switched narrators?
Sure, there are days when I
simply act friendly or kind and
halfheartedly plow through a day's work.
Cause that's all I can muster.


But my hope is that my
journey becomes more and more authentic
with each new day. That what
I show to others is a
reflection of what's really in my
heart and actually on my mind.


Because, to me, that would make
out of any ordinary, regular ol'
day a story that's worth telling.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

SEVEN

I've seen Monet's WATER LILIES ~ the original paintings and his actual gardens.
          The skies of OREGON {and her peaks, rivers, trees, lakes} take my breath away. Every time.
                        The NETHERLANDS showed me tulip fields, windmills and Ann Frank's house.
             I've STOOD in the garden where Jesus prayed and in the Colosseum where Christians were slain.
                        The ELEPHANTS, giraffes, lions, zebras and gazelles of Kenya were magnificent.
          And "LA TOUR EIFFEL" is spectacular whether you're looking up at it or down from it!
But, by far, the MOST WONDROUS of any wonder I've ever seen are my newborn babies little faces!



Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Monday, November 14, 2011

Richly Rewarded!


Last week two friends of mine honored me with some bloggy love! They named me as one of their favorite blogs and passed on the Kreativ Blogger Award! Twice in the same week ~ a girl could blush! It really encouraged me to know they enjoy visiting my blogspot...cause I sure love visiting theirs!

Please stop by and say hi to Debbie at It's All About Purple and Barbara at Footprints in the Sand. Their friendship is reward enough for me!


Before I pass the love along to five of my favorite and creative bloggers, I've been asked to share a few things about myself you might not know...here goes:

I love museums.
I enjoy card games,
and word games,
and crossword puzzles.
My thanksgiving dinner is my favorite thing to cook.
And eat.
I'm turning 51 on Thursday!

And to spread the love ~ Please go visit these wonderful women....all 'kreativ' in their own way:

Dianna @ These Days of Mine 
Kristi @ Breathe...Shine...Love... 
Nessa @ Moments & Impressions
Melanie @ Whimsical Creations
Adrienne @ AdrienneEats
{now it's their turn to share a few things about themselves, and pass the award along}

I hadn't ventured into this blogging community last year when I turned 50 ~ The friendships and discoveries that you've brought into my life this year are a continual, daily source of encouragement to me!!

Sunday, November 13, 2011

View From the Couch


Last we met, I was planning a taco dinner with my daughter and
our husbands (how wild is that to see in print!!?!)
She came over after work and we chopped ingredients and chatted ~ we are taco experts.
Pretty good at chatting too.
I even got an apple crisp ready to bake for dessert (and if you know me, that's pretty rare...)

About half way through the CMA's (which were fun, as always!), I got 'attacked'.
Kicked in the gut.
{nasty tummy problems}
I will absolutely spare you the details.

So, I've been moving between the bed and the couch for four days. Sleeping. Watching hours and hours of mindless television...cause that's what you do when you can't move. Well, that's what I do. Husband has been super sweet, kids have checked in to make sure I'm surviving. I've missed some beautiful, clear, crisp, "outside" kind of fall days. And two days of work. My "pre-planned" pajama weekend took on an entirely different slant. And I've felt sorry for myself a bit. OK. a lot. Happens to me when I'm sick. And isolated. Shocking, I know. Today there is laundry going, and I'm sitting up with my laptop - checking back in with the world.

Well, my virtual world, that is.

"You can't stay in your corner of the Forest
waiting for others to come to you.
You have to go to them sometimes."
Winnie the Pooh

This week, I'll be taking advice from a tubby little cubby all stuffed with fluff.
I'll let you know how that goes!

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Happiness is....


....married daughter coming over for dinner tonight!

Monday, November 7, 2011

Just kinda blah over here...


Not a fan of leaving work to leaf-less trees and dark skies.
Sigh.
At least the reservoir sunset will be nice to look at for a week or so...
until there's just no sun left at all after work

A moody day...not helped much by good ol' daylight savings time.
Good thing about moods ~ they change!
Sigh.
Looking forward to a better tomorrow.

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Lime Pops!

"In the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, 
and sharing of pleasures. 
For in the dew of little things 
the heart finds its morning and is refreshed."

Khalil Gibran


This post is NOT about my husband.

Or my spotless kitchen, clean carpets or fresh sheets. 
{how did that happen??}
I am NOT writing about how happy the LIME POPS in the freezer 
made me when I got home last night.
And I most certainly am NOT writing about the person who got them for me and put them there. 

I'll just say that my heart is refreshed. 
And I'm in love.

You may draw your own conclusions!

Friday, November 4, 2011

Getting Better



My yesterdays have come and gone.
Photos, scrapbooks and my maternal heart
carry the best of the memories.
Tomorrow is said to hold the
promise of something better. But after
{almost} fifty-one years of yesterdays spent
{too often} living for that promise,
I'm actually getting pretty good at
this 'living in the moment' thing 
people talk about. I ask you,
"What could be better than that?"

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Ode to the Holiday Season

On the night before Christmas at our little house,
Just one story was read, by a man - not a mouse!
The stockings I packed up last year (with great care)
Are awaiting their turn after turkey day fare.

My children are nestled in new, grown up lives -
but visions of holidays past come alive!
These pages, they tell me, that though kids may roam,
Thanksgiving and Christmas will bring them back home!












Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Frost


There was frost on the windshield last Friday...
Should have taken the hint that a Nor'easter was really on it's way.
I'm so thankful that we're not in for daily doses of this...just yet.