lingering.

*

One spends so much time planning for the holidays. What stews to simmer on the stove, what cakes to bake, what gifts to make and discover for the little ones.  We wait for family to arrive at the door. And then, so quickly, it is over and we slowly fall back into our daily rhythm. 

I love how we still have these lovely sweets still lingering in our home, reminding us of days spent decorating a tree, of lounging by a fire, of gathering around a table with family.  

P.s. The last photo is of peppermint bark which was gifted to us.  It is the first time I had ever had it and it really is quite a treat! I think next year I will try to make some too.

*

happy holidays.

*

*

Solstice.

*

*

We Took To The Tropics.

*

As much as I like winter in New England, I must admit that in the past few days I have caught myself day dreaming about some warm tropical island just a wee bit.  It has been cold, cold, cold here and the idea of being sticky with sweat, smearing on sunscreen and having sand in the toes has felt rather inviting. Alas, we are here to stay! So, yesterday we got as close to going to a tropical island as we could.  We put on our winter coats and boots, jumped in the car and crossed the river to the lovely college greenhouse!

We saw purple flowers that were so full that they weighted down their stems, smelled the scent of blossoming jasmine, delighted in the colors of growing oranges, lemons and bananas, resisting the urge to pick one right then and there and devour it, saw swimming carp that were so large that their long whiskers tickled our finger tips and, perhaps most importantly, we felt warm.

Then, we put back on our constant hat and coat companions and headed back out into the winter of New England.  

The air felt cool, fresh, alive and yes, quite wonderful.

*

Little Felt Garland.

*

On Saturday we headed into the forest once again!  This time in search of a little Christmas tree.  The newly fallen snow was covered with a thin layer of shimmering ice and the wind was blowing cold.  We bundled up from head to toe, picked up our saw and ventured out.  It was not too long until we came upon our tree.  A wispy, etherial hemlock!  We carried it home with bright red cheeks and set it into its holder.  Its branches were too delicate to hold any ornaments (and we don't have any either!) so I quickly made this felt garland.  I simply cut little square pieces from my beloved felt stash and strung them on embroidery thread.  I made four different lengths and tied each end together.  We draped it over our trees branches and it looked quite happy with its new felt jewels!

*

Snowbound.

*

*

Vintage Storage For Little Things.

*

It is always nice to find new ways of using old things.  Whether it is taking an old, beloved shirt and using it for it's fabric, making a garland out of scrap paper, or, as in this case, using vintage kitchen finds for storing office supplies.  It just feels good.  When I finally I had a proper piece of furniture that I could use as a desk, I instantly set to work on organizing all of these wee things I had gathered over the years.  It is a wonderfully economical way of giving things a new home.

1. These are two vintage, wood egg cups from Italy.  I thought it was such a steel when they were both sold to me for $4.  They each came with a little wool hat for keeping the cooked eggs warm . The two are so clearly in love.  She seems to be gazing at him in her coy demeanor with her batting eye lashes no matter where I place them.  They work so nicely for holding things such as  matches or birthday candles.
2. These little tin molds are great for holding just about anything and are also very inexpensive.  One can usually find them being sold in a group.  I love how they are both rusty and a bit shiny all at once.  
3. I found this mini muffin tin at our local church tag sale for .50 and I love it a great deal.  When I have been in a necklace making faze it has been quite handy for holding different beads in each of its pouches.  Now, I use it for pins and needles, tape measures and clips.
4. These old blue and white teacups are so dainty and nice...maybe too nice for holding push pins.  Soon, when my son is ready for tea parties, we will use them in their proper way!
*

First Snow.

*

*

First snow.  I do love it so.

Moss Garden.

*

Every year, at the start of December, we make a moss garden.  For each of the four weeks of the month we add some little treasure to it representing the mineral kingdom, the plant kingdom, the animal kingdom and then, human kind.  It is so nice, as the days get more and more blustery, and we spend more and more time indoors, to have some time to think of these grand kingdoms of nature.  Like forcing bulbs, it is another wonderful way of bringing a lush, green, living thing into the home. It is also nice to know, that at the end of the month, the moss can be brought back outside and planted once again onto a rock, even under the cool snow.  We are just borrowing it for a time.

So, a few days ago, after a heavy night of wind and rain, my son and I slid into our rain boots and headed into the forest in search of our moss.

Before we left, I readied a container to hold the moss once we got it back home.  This year, I decided to make a smaller garden than I have in the past, and used a lovely, blue pie plate gifted to me by a dear family friend.  I put a thin layer of sand on the bottom to help a bit with drainage and then covered it with some moist garden soil.

Then we picked up our big, red bucket and headed into the forest.

Soon, we came upon this magical, mossy rock.  Amongst the muted color of fallen leaves and gray branches, it shone the most brilliant green.

I gathered some moss and put it in our bucket as my son splashed in rain puddles and investigated some mushrooms.

With a bucket full of moss, muddy boots and pant hems, we walked back home silently, stopping only to throw pebbles into the brook.  We held our dirty hands with one another and I felt quite blissful as they stuck together with sweet-smelling pine cone sap.

When we arrived home, I pressed the moss into the soil and gave it a good misting of water.  We put in two stones to celebrate the mineral kingdom.  One, a pebble from our land and the other a special, healing crystal that had been gifted to me.

Then, my son fell asleep.

*

A Child's Christmas In Wales.

*

A few years ago, when my sister gifted me with, 'A Child's Christmas In Wales' by Dylan Thomas, I fell instantly in love with it. Although I had read the prose before, there was something about this version, with it's lovely woodcuts by Ellen Raskin and bound in a little, square, blue book that was particularly charming. My belly was big with baby too, and I found the words to be so comforting, good and true.

As the back of this little book says so perfectly, 'A Child's Christmas In Wales', "captures a child's-eye view, and an adult's fond remembrance, of a magical time of presents, good things to eat, aunts and uncles, the frozen sea, and, in the best of circumstances, newly-fallen snow-its wonder, silence and snowball mischief".

It really is such a wonderful book to read during this month of December, curled up on the couch, wool throw on the lap and a cup of hot chocolate kept warm by a blanket of marshmallows.

Dylan Thomas, with his infamous voice, recorded the story as well.  I am eager to find a copy of the record and listen to it this winter...with hot coco in hand, of course!

*

Blooms In Winter.

*

Paper white (Narcissus) bulbs are such a wonderful, winter treat.  Just when the last of the green grass is gone, and the stubborn dandelion seems to have lost it's fight to the cold, we are able to bring a little bit of summer back into our homes. I often buy a handful of bulbs as soon as they are available at the local garden store, and force them into bloom for as long as possible.  It is such a delight to watch the bulb's roots take hold of their supporting stones, to see the long, green tendril grow out of the top, and finally, to witness the buds burst open and flower.  

 

One of the things I like most about forcing bulbs, is finding interesting vessels to put them in.  They really are happy in any sort of container as long as there is no drainage.  I have put them in old tin coffee cans, tall glass canning jars and in vases.  

Once in bloom they let off a lovely floral smell as well!  I will share some pictures as these bulbs grow.

*

 h a p p y  d e c e m b e r !