Post Christmas

I hope your Christmas was very happy!  I'm leaving all the decor up for a few more days (Brad's family is coming Monday) and then I'll start packing it away again.  I count it a miracle that I'm always enthusiastic about tucking all the cute stuff in the boxes.  Maybe December 26th makes me feel like I've been given more time because Christmas is over.  That's a little silly considering I'm not that busy.  I like to think about gardens even though it is way too early.  I'll plan flowers anyway.  Will you?  You can always pop over to our down under friends' blogs and see all of their flowers.  Wow!

My neighbor gave me Frangos (above) and they are so lovely. I didn't have to make fudge!  I still want to make some fudge, though.  🐷

I loved seeing the Christmas Star! 

 

Oh, I do hope you are able to savor some quiet moments, drink in the LOVE and mercy coming your way, every moment.

God be with you!  xo 

 

Some Christmas Glow

Hello and happy December!  I've been waiting to blog until I had The Jolly Postman's tour sorted, but he is still waiting for me to complete his travel notebook. Sorry!  Are you enjoying a lovely Advent season? 

I did some more decorating today.  I saw a lovely garland full of Christmas balls (on a vlog) so I tried to make one of my ratty old garlands into a bobble garland.  I'll take a photo of it for next time.  I hung it on the Santa curtained window.  I have a few more things to do in the decorating department.  Are you doing any baking?  Making any gifts? 

Time for a long winter's nap for Tim.

Here's my mom getting ready to take a walk with my niece.  Isn't she great with her walking sticks?  I hope I get some walking sticks for Christmas. 

Jenny brought the girls over for a little baking.  She took a nice snooze.

I made these socks last year.  They are kind of crazy but cozy!  I've been knitting a lot.  I skip around from project to project. 

 Some days I feel very Christmas-y and focused and other days I'm scattered and lazy.  Maybe I need more naps like Tim.

I baked scones today and they were a real treat. Meatloaf for dinner.  I'm going to bop around and visit some blogs now.  Thank you so much for stopping in to say hello! 

Now It IS November!

Hi Everyone! It's really fall now, isn't it?  I took these photos before the cold/snow, but the sky is still THAT blue!  Wow!

And sometimes it's pink!

I'm knitting a . . . PONCHO! 😂 April (daughter in law) and I occasionally do "knit alongs" so she is making a poncho of sorts, too.  I used to think ponchos were weird, but that was before I grew older. 😉 Now a warm wearable blanket sounds VERY cozy!

On the colder days we had, our son in law was up in Conifer and he came upon these lovely elk!

I had my hair chopped off.  My ponytail was pulling my hair out.  It feels good to have short hair again.

My Mother's Day geranium got to move inside with us and she's still blooming! Yay!

My niece came over to my mom's house for Halloween.  My mom loved having trick or treaters!  She had quite a few!  Isn't she a cute unicorn?

I picked up two leaves for you while out walking.  I might actually make them into a bookmark.

Here's Jolly all tucked in his pocket.  He's saying, "Come ON, Pom Pom! Get moving! I want to fly away and begin my adventure!"

This little floppy boy doesn't like cold weather at all.  He must have a lap to nap on in order to cope with the chill. 

 Remember the old days of blogs?  I have been reading old posts from An Angel in the Garden.  She is a lovely pink themed person (I love pink, too!) and her posts are full of New Zealand beauty, thrift store finds, and other amazing and inspiring ideas.  There are still lovely blogs (yay and THANK  YOU!) but it isn't like it used to be.  When it was kind of a new thing, it was such an experience of discovery.

The sun is shining and I've been able to ride my bike around the neighborhood!  I love it so much.  I haven't fallen off yet, so that's very good.

We're having meatballs for dinner.  I've been using my cast iron pan a lot more.  I browned the meatballs in the oven, made a quick gravy, and added partially cooked potatoes and carrots, added that to the meatballs and I'm slow cooking it all up for an easy meal in an hour or so.  I love potatoes and I love gravy.  I used rice flour because I am still avoiding gluten.  I know it sounds faddy and it is, but I feel so much better when I do not eat wheat.  I don't eat dairy either.  If I do, my stomach complains.  It's not that hard to avoid cheese, even though cheese is so good and seems to appear in most yummy dishes.

I really hope you are doing well.  I hope you are growing and having "ah ha" moments.  I hope you are tending to your faith, reading your Bible, and having sweet times of prayer.  I really like you.  

Time to jump on Blue Moon (yes, I named this bike, too😎) See you soon, friend!

Living in October

I had a big gluten free pancake with Sondra for my birthday!  Do you like the art behind it?  I printed it out for her, my painting pal, because my cousin mentioned it in her book Holy Ground: An Alphabet of Prayer.  

 

I saw this little project on a vlog.  It's a free pattern by Ann Wood.  She suggests making 100 horses, but I just made one. ❤️  I'm sending it to Lisa as her Jolly Postman gift.  I have to jazz the horse up first and then I'll name him.  I must break out the Modpodge.

My sister sent me some birthday money, so I bought this cute basket.  I love it!

I did not BAKE my birthday cake, I bought it.  It was lovely and yummy.  I had to dispose of some of it because turns out I can't eat a whole cake.

Noah has been gardening.

I was sitting upstairs in my study (a pretty disastrous room really because it's full of stuff) and I found this book.  Laurel's Kitchen Recipes.  Doesn't this salad look yummy? 

We had these precious visitors stay for a few days.  They are such sweetie pies.

I'm subbing some of my coffee drinks for loose leaf tea.  I have so much tea.  Please come over and share a pot with me.

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It really is high knitting season!  FUN!  It's also high READING season and walking in the October beauty season - and using up all my baking ingredients season . . .

 

Update on Jolly:  Well, it's almost been a year since I decided to send him around.  Hmmmmmm.  One of the problems is the envelope book I started to make.  It now seems clunky so I'm maybe going to paste the envelopes in a ready made book.  I really want to keep things light because of postage. I'd like to launch him soon so he can enjoy Christmas in the various hostesses' towns and cities. 

I'm not sure if I told you, but Jolly is lonely and sort of wants to meet a girlfriend along the way.  The hostesses may have to arrange blind dates.

More about that later.  

He truly loves his fairy tale life, but he's eager to be included in new contemporary stories and festivities.   

 

I put another blanket on our bed because the night air is cold and delicious.

I still have SOME flowers out in the garden. It's not so hot during the day so it's a good time for sun naps.

I pray YOU are well, enjoying October and feeling hopeful.

God be with you!  

 

A Rabbit and Two Tweedles and MORE!

 

Samantha was a brilliant White Rabbit in Alice in Wonderland last weekend!

Lizzy and Millie were funny Tweedles! 

We have one more show weekend and then . . . October!  Woo hoo!  I've loved September but it's been full and busy. 

Lizzy is now (gasp) 8!

I went for a walk with a friend and the leaves are turning.  I pray it doesn't snow, so we can have all the colors of an Indian summer!

We went up to visit these four precious ones!

And this little darling is officially 4!

I spent a few hours cleaning up the garden.  New bunting (snow proof) is needed.  Bunting is so fun to sew!

I took the photo below of my favorite page of a new book.  It's titled Starting School and it's by Janet and Allan Ahlberg (Yes!  They wrote The Jolly Postman books!) It's an adorable story and the illustrations are precious.  Especially the one below.  A Christmas play! 

 

Thank you for stopping in.  I hope your days are perking along well.  (HUG!)