holiday magic …

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Christmas was filled with magic for one little boy and a chance for an older brother to show said little one, the magic of how this strange thing, called a toy, worked. We all gathered at the little boys’ grandmother’s – Mimi, as she is known! – for brunch that lasted throughout the afternoon! A grand time was had by all!

Today, I’ve been up to my elbows in a much needed activity, purging stuff, aka döstädning – getting ready for 2019! Hadn’t realized how late it was until I glanced out the window and saw the sun was setting! Time flies when you’re having fun!

Cheers~

sometimes mondays | 12.24.2018 …

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… look like an amaryllis in bloom.

Several weekends ago, I went to Lowe’s for an electric baseboard heater…it was bitter cold and we decided we’d best get the heater just in case the 20+ years’ old furnace decided to quit…just in case. While there, I saw these containers with amaryllis and the promise that a) it did not need to be watered or transplanted and b)  blooms in 3 -6 weeks. Intrigued and skeptical, I bought 5 – oh why not? They made fun and interesting gifts for my Sunday Friendstitchers and by golly, they bloom !

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I wasn’t sure what to expect but I am delighted…

Wishing all a wonderful holiday. I’ll return Wednesday!

Cheers~

welcome winter solstice…

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Full December Cold Moon ~ 5:46 P.M. ~ 12.21.18

Technically, the Winter Solstice arrived today, 12.21.18, at 5:23 pm, accompanied by the Full December Cold Moon. Despite the moon’s moniker and the advent of colder temperatures, we’ve enjoyed spring like temperatures all day – mid 60°s, accompanied by a nice downpour, mid afternoon.

Technically, the full December Cold Moon is tomorrow, Sat 22 Dec at 12:48 pm. Why can one see the moon in the daylight? The technical term for  this phenom is syzygy . Interesting.

Our day has been quiet…I had a hair appointment and stopped at the grocery store for a few items. Tomorrow, my plan for any weekend shopping is to begin early and return home  circa 2 pm. That should give me my “fill of mingling with holiday crowds.”

Have a grand weekend!

Cheers~

 

3 on thursday | 12.20.18…

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  1. I  haven’t even started to shop… I’ve had that pin for 23 years! I looked for it earlier this week and t’was nowhere to be seen/found. Oh well, I thought, perhaps it’ll show up… I was sure the time thieves were involved. I was right! Today, I pulled out my Christmas vest and there it was – pinned (still?) to the sweater, last worn  in 2017. …
  2. I haven’t even started to shop… for my nieces, ages 32, 26, almost 18, who prefer $$$… (I do have an object for them, too that’ll I keep secret until after Christmas…just in case they happen onto this post) …
  3. I haven’t even started to shop… but I shall brave the crowds tomorrow and/or Saturday or Sunday to pick up a few groceries for dishes I’ll make for a Christmas Eve gathering…and go to Barnes & Noble for a few books for Chris and Elias.

My real reason for shopping so late in the season: I love being out among the crowds. It’s a real trip down memory lane for me. Norman and I often reminisce about how all things Christmas when we were kids  – from shopping to getting/putting up/decorating the tree – happened on Christmas Eve Day. Of course, when we were kids, we also didn’t have online shopping or Amazon …

How about you – shopping all done? Joining Carole and friends for 3 on Thursday…

Cheers~

unraveled wednesday | 12.19.18 …

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I woke up this morning filled with energy:

  • zip zap –  strip the bed linens …
  • gather and sort laundry …
  • prep chicken tenders  for baking …
  • fix tea for MSQT

Whew! That was a lot and all before 7:00 am. Despite frost on the rooftops, the sky is bright blue and sunshine pretty much all day. Later today, Norman has a medical appointment; perhaps that’s why I was so gung-ho earlier.

My Christmas knitting project proceeds; I think I’m about/near the halfway point. I am learning intarsia (which is probably why I stopped knitting this many, many moons ago). I don’t expect to finish this by Christmas – why rush? Perhaps the first week or so in 2019? When is just a word; the goal is to finish. Stay tuned.

I mentioned yesterday that I’m still reading (via ears) Becoming. Next in my queue: The Library Book.  On New year’s Day, I’m hosting our bi-monthly (give or take a day/week) Recent Reads gathering; it also happens to be friend MT’s birthday. She requested that we all read the same book – we normally don’t – and we agreed. The book has received rave reviews! Have you read?

I’m 99% sure I will be listening to the book since I have Audible credits. There’s not a copy to be borrowed from either of the two library systems I use.. The hold queue is long! I’m debating about reading the Kindle version and syncing it with the Audible version… Any thoughts? Whatever, I guess I’d best get a move on if I intend to join in the discussion.

Both the washer and dryer have signaled cycles have ended; probably a cue for me to end this post and move on with the next item on my agenda. Joining Kat and friends here.

Cheers~

it’s tuesday | 12.18.18 …

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~blue sky blooms and love the menagerie of dogs all decked out for the holiday ~

Another day filled with blue sky and sunshine, tho’ a tad brisk out…but, who can or should complain? Certainly not I.  A good day to run a couple errands: post office and a leisurely trip to Whole Foods. Feeling quite proud of myself for not buying any talenti gelato – t’wasn’t on the list and I did not even tempt myself by walking past the refrigerated section.

Home. After putting away the groceries and consulting with Norman’s son re: N’s IE Explorer acting up… somehow the browser’s image size got changed to a teeny tiny 10. Michelle (Obama;  I’m still listening to Becoming) and I took a brisk walk. She’s a great walking companion and had it been a tad warmer, I might’ve walked and listened a  little longer.  I’m not in a rush to finish the book – I’ve just finished the chapter on the night of Nov 4, 2008, when Barack Obama won the election for POTUS 44. I have very vivid memories of that night! My plans to give my nieces and sister each a copy for Christmas have changed: my niece – grand niece’s mother – beat me to the punch! Haven’t a clue about what to substitute…but, I still have time.

I don’t have much holiday prep to do; however, it might help if I sat down and made a list…

Have you finished with holiday prep?

Cheers~

 

weekending | 12.16.18 …

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Today dawned bright and sunny, a tad coolish but dry! Over the weekend, we had a mini monsoon – well,  not quite but certainly lots of rain. On Saturday, in between downpours, friend Margaret (MT) and I went on a house tour in the town of Cheverly MD., a small municipality right next door to Washington DC.

It never ceases to amaze me how steeped in United States history is this area, the Nation’s capital, that I’ve called home since 1974. On the tour, our first and most delightful stop: Mount Hope, a home built circa 1880s, sitting on a hilltop. Surrounded by trees and a huge front porch offering lots of outdoor living space, and shelter from the relentless rain, the house, a typical colonial mansion, restored and renovated for 21st Century life, still very much holds its 19th Century charm. One could easily imagine living there…

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We visited 5 of the 7 houses on the tour; our second favorite : a circa 1950s, I’m guessing, 2-story ranch style house, recently renovated. The owners created a continuous video loop showing the renovation. A unique feature: a set of card catalog drawers built into the wall just inside the front door. Not sure what it was for but certainly an eye catcher.

Each home on the tour also served wine, cheese, hor d’oeuvres – very welcomed on that very rainy day!

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Sunday, the rain continued; I traveled to Columbia for our monthly Friendstitching gathering. We met at new friend’s Michelle’s  house: very lovely, warm and charmingly decorated with a variety of Nutcrackers. Food was delicious: baked salmon; spinach salad; green beans; rice and of course, dessert featuring Michelle’s cookies. She fixed each of us a lovely little box of delights to take home. The little pouch sitting on top was made by Pat – one for each of us with different fabric. The Scotty dog for me. Each pouch was filled with candy but could be used for paper clips, ribbons, etc…

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The piece de resistance was Coconut, Michelle’s little dog 13 years . Coconut slept while we needlepointed, knitted chatted…and the rain, continued.

Tho’ wet, a fulfilling and delightful weekend, nonetheless. How was your weekend? Drier, I hope.

Cheers~

 

n is for nutcracker …

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My childhood memories are filled with Christmas at Chicago’s Marshall Field department store. My recollection is the center court of the store housed the tallest  (I thought) Christmas tree in the world, reaching from the first to the 5th or 6th floors:

  • One could spend her entire lifetime just looking at that tree and hoping, wishing, barely-able-to-wait for Christmas.
  • One could go to each floor and look out from the balcony, getting a closer view of the tree’s decorations.

The 14th letter of the alphabet is N and Daniel Saboda’s Christmas Alphabet Book‘s popup is the nutcracker. Both of the only two I own have interesting stories:

The first – on the left –  I bought around my 50th birthday from a major Washington DC department store – Woodward & Lothrop.  Woodie’s (as it was fondly known ) was a real department store with 4+ levels and everything one needed, from clothes to furniture to toys, What I liked best about the store is that it was a smaller version of Chicago’s famed Marshall Field’s.  I don’t know why but nutcrackers were a big part of my Marshall Field’s memory and when I saw this one, I bought it. All for a mere $19.99, then… I still have the box.  Sadly, shortly after the holiday season, Woodies closed its doors forever.

The other nutcracker is a more recent purchase; I think maybe in the past 10 years. It – a “quilter” – usually resided in my sewing studio. Several years ago it disappeared;  I couldn’t find it anywhere. This year when I looked in a storage bin, there it was! No doubt, time thieves at work again: building time, picking up something by mistake, realizing their mistake, and putting the missing object back where it belonged so it could, would be “found!” Eureka!

A lot of Christmas holiday magic is remembering and reliving childhood memories, don’t you agree?

Cheers~

 

 

3 on thursday|12.13.2018 …

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I joined my Thursday stitching group today – for the first time in several weeks…we had a good time and I can’t believe I didn’t take a single photo…

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Poinsettias have to be my favorite Christmas flower; we have three small ones and the one above, which sits in front of the quilted wall hanging I stitched  and completed in 2015.

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The quilt hangs year round – that works quite well… This holiday season I moved the  couch so it sits opposite the windows and the poinsettia… just for a change of pace. Everything is all quite festive…

Joining Carole and others for Three on Thursday.

Cheers~