A Labor of Love

My mom is amazingly talented with a crochet hook.  She can whip things up like they were nothing.  All of my life she has had a project of one sort or another nearby; and she never ceases to amaze me with what she can make, and in how short of a time that she can make it.  Last year she decided that she wanted to make all of her daughters crocheted tablecloths.  So last year my sister, Molly, was the lucky recipient.  My mom told me that I would be the next one in line.  She asked me which pattern I liked, and what measurements my table were.  But this last summer she told me she didn't think she would be able to finish it by Christmas, as she suffers terribly from arthritis and rheumatism, and it just really hurt her hands to do much crocheting.  I told her that was fine, as obviously I didn't want her to be in pain while making me a gift.  Just the thought that she wanted to make something for me counted the most.  But on Christmas Eve, I opened a gift from my mom.  And yes, it was the tablecloth.  It is absolutely beautiful, and what makes it so special is that she obviously forged on ahead with the work even though it caused her pain.  A good example of a labor of love, and what a mother will endure for a child.  Thanks mom -- it will always be very special to me.  I love you.

Merry Christmas

Christmas breakfast at our house ..... homemade orange rolls, ham, eggs, orange juice and egg nog.

I wish all of you a very Merry Christmas!!

Little Shoppers

Some people manage to get all of their Christmas decorations up a few days after Thanksgiving.  Typically I get mine up as soon as I can; however, the village generally is the last item to get set up, and the past few years, it has been very close to Christmas Eve when the lights of my tiny little community light up to celebrate this joyful time of year.  Two residents of this community though are really more from the future than my Victorian era village, and usually feel very out of place amongst their Victorian dressed friends.  So this year I set them up in their own little place next to vintage looking bottle brush trees.  I think they feel much more at home now :-)

Don't Forget the Candy Canes

I'm sure most of you are very busy right now finishing up your shopping, decorating, baking, etc.  Some of you may not have even begun your holiday preparations; but whatever stage you are in, be sure you don't forget the candy canes.  I think they are such a cheerful little Christmas treat.  They can be hung on a tree, tied onto packages, tucked into stockings, glued together to form a little heart decoration, even tucked into a table centerpiece.  Oh yes, and just eaten straight out of their little hard to open cellophane package.  And once the holidays are over, you can throw any leftovers into your food processor, and you have a delicious peppermint topping for ice cream, cakes, or any dessert really. 

Milly

We have jumped into winter this year with both feet.  November went on record as being the snowiest November we have ever had.  Around Thanksgiving we managed to have a blizzard, sub-zero temperatures, and two snowstorms.  In spite of all of this we have managed to stay cozy warm in our house.  Our dog, Milly, however had alternate plans.  She has a very warm shop that she can go in and out of at will.  It is equipped with all of the food and water she could ever want, as well as a very big cozy, soft bed.  So during our inclement weather, what did she decide would be best?  To leave her warm shop, escape from her enclosed area, and sleep under our deck!  I guess she just thought we really needed some extra protection during the storms.

Little Turkeys

Before Thanksgiving gets too far behind us, I wanted to share a picture of my little turkey place cards that my daughters made for our table.  I thought they were so cute, and really added a nice touch to our holiday dinner.  They got the basic pattern off of the Martha Stewart craft site, and then changed them up a bit to just make them even cuter.