These January Days

 It's been a slow week around here.

A string of dark, rainy days had me yearning for the gardening season.

My temporary fix was a trip to the garden center for a few new houseplants.  They helped to fill in some of the bare spots after the Christmas décor was put away and give me something to nurture until I can be outside again playing amongst the flowers.

When we moved I vowed to have only a few houseplants and only ones that weren't too fussy.  While watering this morning I counted 10 plus one rather sad looking orchid. (hmmm... how did that happen). I'm experimenting with the orchid to see if I can get it to re-bloom.  I understand that can take awhile.  Speaking of houseplants, have you noticed how they are currently all the rage? A visit to YouTube for orchid growing tips led me into the rabbit hole of channels devoted to everything you could ever want to know about houseplants.

 In other exciting news I made a homemade cleaner before Christmas.  A walk through the woods for pine and cedar mixed with a few orange peels and vinegar.  It's been tucked away in the pantry waiting to be put into service during the post holiday clean up.  I think this weekend I'll put it to the test on the bathroom floors.  Oh boy, sounds like something to look forward to :).

I do, however, like the idea of moving away from so many chemicals in the house.  Do any of you use the more natural, homemade products for cleaning?  If so, have you found any that you really like?

The holidays left us with far too many sweets lurking about.

This isn't a good thing for somebody who dislikes wasting food.

A cookie here and a candy there have left Brett and I both disgusted with what the scale is telling us.  Since the holidays also left us with a surplus of butternut squash and granny smith apples, I had a chopping session followed by a roasting session and then a food processing session to prepare a soup that Brett declared the best soup I've ever made.  Wow, I'll take that compliment.  But, to be honest, it is a delicious and nutritious soup which is something we need to balance out those sweets ;).  I've been making it for years and even did a blog about it way back here.  

With a little luck all of that chopping counts toward calorie burning.

Moseying Into The New Year

** Happy New Year **

Raise your hand if your Christmas tree and decor are all put away.

I'm imagining a lot of hands going up.

Here, however, the tree is still up along with all of the decor.

This morning brought rain and gloom.  I plugged the tree in and continue to enjoy the cozy light it gives the room.  This weekend will be when everything is returned to "normal" around here and that is okay with me.  Some years I would be feeling very behind to have Christmas still lingering.  This year an opportunity to hop on a plane to go share New Year's Eve with the one and only grandson arose.  Hard to pass up an offer like that.  So, we left the house as is and took off for a week.  This was his first time staying up until midnight to wear a silly hat and glasses and blow a horn to usher in the new year.  At first he looked as though he thought we'd all gone a bit mad :).  I'm thinking that now that he knows what it's all about he'll be looking forward to this opportunity to stay up past his bedtime and make all the noise he wants without being reprimanded.

Just Like That

Weren't we all just bustling about getting ready for the big day?

Now just.like.that it's over for another year.

 Ah, well I suppose it's like that most years.  Hopefully all the preparation work sets the stage for a memorable celebration.

Around here we were happy to have the family together on Christmas day.

Some years are better than others at remembering to take photos.

This year we did pretty good at getting shots of everybody.

As much as I like this one...  that cord needs to go :D.

I like the way different family members bring different elements to the celebration.  I wonder if you can guess which of my family members makes sure there is a sweater for everyone.  Quite a colorful bunch we were.

Somebody enjoyed decorating sugar cookies.  It became even more fun when he taught his uncle how it was done.

I do hope that your holidays were happy and memorable too.

December 21st ~ Warm Memories

When we moved there was one piece of furniture that didn't quite flow with the open floor plan.  Hello flowery sofa :)

It seems that floral furniture is a thing of the past.  Neutral sofas are what I see everywhere I look and I can see how versatile they can be for changing up the color scheme.  However, despite what the furniture fashion police have to say about it, I still like my little flowery sofa.  

In trying to have her not stick out like a sore thumb fit in with her surroundings, I am aiming to create a bit of a garden room feel in this new living room.  A place to prop up your feet and read, sit and enjoy conversation with no televisions to distract and (for me) a place to make plans and dream up ideas for the outdoor garden.

With that in mind I needed something on the wall above.  I didn't want a painting or anything that would add to the busyness so, I opted for a garden gate with a simple fern wreath on it.

Across from the sofa is a window which looks out on a small courtyard.  On either side of the window there are armchairs.  This spot needed some sort of table that offered a place to set a glass or tea cup for each of the chairs.  It took a while to find something to fit the bill.  One day I was in a local antique mall/craft mall type of place and spotted this.  An old table that had been chalk painted and distressed to give it an updated look.  It fit the space perfectly and gave each chair it's own little landing spot.  Over the spring and summer I also used it as a place for garden books and décor.  It turned out to be a good place for plants to grow in the terrarium.

Have a seat and I'll bring you a beverage so that you can try it out ;D.

 When it came time to decorate for Christmas it seemed like a bit of change was in order.  I decided that instead of trying to hide that colorful couch, I'd play up the colors a bit more.  So, I hauled out the 2 bins of my parent's old Christmas ornaments that I have been holding onto for at least 30 years now and looked through them to see what I could find.  It seems like the old Shiny Brite ornaments featured a lot of pastel colors with plenty of pink.  I pulled out my favorites and hung them on a little tabletop tree.

Next to the tree went two photos of my Mom & Dad in their younger days.  I think they were just dating or newly married in the large photo.  I never saw that one until they were both gone so I don't know the details, however the way they are gazing at each other in front of that huge Christmas tree makes me smile and also wonder if any of these ornaments were on that tree.

My little living room may not be in keeping with the latest trends, but I'm finding it a comfortable spot to retreat to during these busy days leading up to Christmas.  A place to remember all of the people and past Christmas celebrations that have blended together to bring me to where I am now.  I picture Mom in her small kitchen surrounded by Christmas cookies that she loved to bake and share with the neighbors while Dad added another log or two to the fire. 

I can almost smell those cookies baking and hear the fire crackling.

Soon I will take Mom's old cookbook from the shelf and begin my own cookie baking session.  

I suppose these thoughts and memories could take place anywhere, yet a room containing cherished photos, a family ornament collection and familiar furniture make for a more meaningful experience.  As time goes by and change is inevitable it is nice to pause and remember.

"God gave us our memories so that we might have roses in December"

J.M. Barrie

Here's to roses in December and more light daily.

A Happy Winter Solstice Day to you!

🌹🌹🌹

December 20th ~ The Guest Room is Ready

My ho hum guest room received a holiday spruce up just in time for our overnight guests.

It all began with the snowflake pillows.

Recently while strolling through the thrift shop, two of them caught my eye.  Pillows can be iffy to buy secondhand.  So I checked them over for stains or flaws and gave them the sniff test.  They passed those tests with flying colors.  When I saw they were originally from Pier 1, the $1.49 price seemed even more enticing as I know how pricey throw pillows can be from there.

Another trip to the thrift yielded the plush throw at the end of the bed.  It originally came from Nieman Marcus.  A store I've never even set foot in.  It is incredibly soft and the color was spot on.

Not long after that I was in a different thrift shop and spotted a rack of window coverings that had been donated by L*we's.  I didn't even realize I was in the market for window coverings until I saw these.  The colors were perfect for this room

All in all, the room came together nicely without breaking the budget.  Win Win!!

December 16th ~ How did that happen so fast?

I'm not sure if I've ever had a more laid back Christmas season than this one.  In fact, in my last post it seemed like a great idea to do a post a day until Christmas arrived.  I'm not sure who I was kidding as daily blogging has never been my specialty.  So, here we are ten days later and while you all are probably as busy as can be, I'm here to talk about wreaths.  Feel free to click away.  I'll carry on as I am partially documenting in order to remember a few things next year.

If you are still with me

WELCOME

If you were really on my doorstep, this is your current view.

For the first time in many, many years there is a fresh cut wreath on my door.  Our garden club was selling them to raise funds for starting a monarch waystation within the community.  It came unadorned.  Still beautiful and oh so fragrant.  Yet a little too plain for my taste.  So, when I went to see the neighbor who made the tree from a mannequin (see previous post) it was to have her make a bow for the wreath.  I had met her at a recent craft show and knew that she made lovely bows.  She asked if I just wanted a bow or a few things tucked in here and there.  I opted for the addition of a few things.  When I went to pick it up I was very pleased with how she put it together.  She also gave me a string of battery powered lights with wee jingle bells so that when people came and went the bells would ring softly.

For documentation I hope this post will come in handy when I try to recreate a similar look next year.

Much to my surprise and delight she said she threw together a little wreath for my Christmas gift.  She is clearly a lady with a big heart and a love for creating beautiful things.  After visiting my house she said she could picture this near the windows that looked out on the woods and birdfeeders.

We found just the spot for it and while it is beautiful by day, it is magical by night.

Particularly when the shadows on the wall are reminiscent of a snowflake.

❄❅❆❄

December 6th ~ Enjoying the Talents of Others

I was invited into the home of one of my neighbor's this morning.

I was instantly captivated by the beautiful way she had decorated for Christmas.  Gorgeous Christmas trees, mantles and vignettes.  Her tables and kitchen island were all set in different color coordinated themes.  I told her it looked like she was ready for her guests arrival and it's only Dec. 6.   She smiled and continued to show me around.  I was exercising restraint to not whip out my phone and start snapping away :).  After all I'd only just met her.  But then she told me she wanted to show me one more thing which was the mannequin/tree above.  It reminded me of the one I showed in yesterday's post.  She said her daughter's friend was going to throw away the mannequin and she asked if she might have it to copy an idea she saw on Pinterest.  There between two chairs in her bedroom window stands this beautiful creation.  That did it...

I couldn't hold back any longer...

"May I please take a photo?"  She was more than happy to let me do so offering to turn on lights and lower blinds to capture the best photo.  She then invited me to sit with her in the chairs as she explained how she made it.  I think it involved 10 garlands being cut apart, chicken wire, bow making and I don't remember what else.  She told me if I happen upon a mannequin (or dress form) she would happily teach me to make one.  Knowing mine would never look anything like that, I am happy to enjoy the photo of her talents.