Mini Bottle Gift Carrier

     January IS the month of birthdays - six family members, three co-workers, and a couple of friends all share the birth month. On a recent Thursday evening, several siblings gathered for a happy hour celebration at the cozy piano bar of  a local restaurant. (The windows framed a pretty view of the snow covered patio and flames crackled in the fireplace - it was a lovely place to spend the evening!) 

     As we've gotten older and have families of our own, birthday gifts between siblings are mostly token, and usually inexpensive, so before the holidays I bought several mini bottles of various liquors. Paper stock was transformed into little carriers by cutting, folding and gluing.  With my graphics software, I designed and printed some appropriate labels, which were attached to the front; pink ribbon ties added a festive touch and held the bottles in the carriers. I was pleased and the birthday girls were delighted.

Loving Snow

      "I love snow. It makes sweaters warmer and coffee tastier. It makes homes feel cozier. It makes  a book and a fireplace seem like everything a reasonable human being could ever need"...I want to be out in the snow...I'm not crazy. I just live with sled dogs and we had an appointment."
     Author Jenna Woginrich's sentiments echo my own and that is why I was out early today with my camera. A neighbor's towering fir tree stood sentinel on the corner and its magnificence just begged for a photo. On an ordinary day, when the tree was not cloaked in snow, I might have passed it by without a second thought.

The Twelve D's of Christmas (D = Favorite Decoration)

1. Santa salt and pepper shakers that I loved as a child and didn't even know they still existed until we had to sell Mom's house last year! The little ceramic fellows never fail to inspire a wistful nostalgia for Christmas's past.

2. Simple potholders featuring screen printed  images on cotton fabric -  these were sewn and quilted by my maternal grandmother, who I miss dearly, but never more than at Christmas.

3. A fish ornament that is not vintage, nostalgic, or even traditionally holidayish, holds a special place in my heart because it was a gift from a special friend and because it is so unique, with its animated features and sparkly colors.

4. About twenty years ago, I found a page of vintage Christmas images (meant for decoupage) inserted in a magazine. I cut them out and glued them to stock paper, and gold or white doilies trimmed to size. Red embroidery yarn was tied on for hangers. The ornaments have such a lovely old-world appeal.

5. A paper mache reindeer is regally transformed with a painted finish that has the rich appearance of burnished gold. He is also a planter and holds a small bush of shiny berry-laden holly.

6. A spruce wreath hangs on the front porch to the left of the door. Originally it had just the small gold ornaments, red berry sprigs and the red bow. Later I bought the little sled at an after-Christmas sale but couldn't seem to find the right spot for it, until it finally found a just-right place on the wreath.

7. Santa takes on a whimsical form, again on the front porch, atop the summertime fern stand. For safety in the blustery winter winds, his ceramic form (now wait, is he a snowman?) is wired to the stand. 

8. Another holiday resident welcomes visitors on the front porch - this vigilant cardinal that I rescued from a local thrift shop. I used acrylic paint to cover the faded metallic finish and was pleased with the realistic palette. My redbird looks right at home, perched among the potted ivy, scarlet berries and winter flowers.

9. Small shelf at the end of the hall holds two skating snow people, a snowman candle holder and some greenery, and radiates a quiet charm at night with a tiny candle glowing in front of the mirror.









10. Simply because I love it, the nature tree stands atop the computer desk all year long but for the Christmas season, small apple ornaments and tiny gold bells are added. Oh, and a gold nativity ornament assumes the highest point on the tree.

11. Husband started this collection of ceramic buildings a few years ago and now they sit on a bookshelf in the living room. A snow blanket and pillowy pine trees complete the winter look, which glows with tiny lighted windows in early morning and in the evening. (The village is on the same timer as the Christmas tree - no need to hassle with wires or awkwardly placed electrical plugs.)

12. I made the stately swan three decades ago. The fowl, and the holiday wreath encircling his slender neck,  was made from a kit - preprinted fabric which I cut and stitched together, then stuffed. He perches on the highest shelf in the vaulted kitchen, among a collection of cookbooks.

Jumping Monkies

     When Duncan chases squirrels in the backyard, we marvel at his sprinting speed and when the little acrobats tease him unmercifully by keeping just out of reach on the ash trunk, we laugh at his attempts to get up the tree. The poor dog jumps as high as possible and probably wishes he had some chimp-like climbing ability.
  

     After photographing Dunc, I was treated to a visit by the neighbor kids and we played Jumping Monkeys  at the dining room table. The object of the game is to catapult all four of your monkeys onto a 12-inch plastic tree before the other players. The fun is fast-paced and requires some practice (especially by little hands) to get a good aim. Also it is important to use the correct pressure on the launcher, as three-year-old Lydia found when one of her monkeys landed atop the chandelier instead of on the tree. Laughter ensued and amid the giggles, I grabbed the camera and got a shot of Lydia's errant ape. It WAS a day for simian high jinks.

Boxing Molly

     Putting up the Christmas lights has become easier over the years because I have learned to label each string and the end of each string to correspond with a location on the house, fence or shrub. It has also become customary for Miss Molly to appropriate one of the storage boxes as soon as it is emptied. (Her occupation is temporary, however, because the box is soon relegated back to a shelf in the basement for the season.)

Pup in a Leaf Pile

     It was just after sunset and there was only a hint of light remaining on the western horizon. When I snapped this photo of the little girls at play in a huge leaf pile, it was dark enough that I did not see the dog. However my flash picked him up and later, when viewed on a monitor screen, I laughed to see his little face peeking out of the leaves. That friendly farm pup thoroughly enjoyed having playmates for the day.

The Nature of Thankfulness

     The meandering Meramec River in Missouri travels more than 200 miles, twisting and turning before it reaches the Mississippi. Close to the river in Crawford County, where we spent Thanksgiving day at a brother's home, autumn had stripped the leaves from the forests, opening up some delightful trails and vistas. An afternoon hike took us over rugged bluffs and leaf-carpeted valleys, where we enjoyed the fresh air, the scenery and a remaining bit of forest flora.

     A fallen tree boasted this lovely fuzzy moss that included delicate orange appendages (flowers?) - all brilliantly highlighted by the slanting rays of the late November sun. The landscape, the sky, and the warm still air seemed to be holding on to autumn while the inevitable grip of Old Man Winter loomed.