Monthly Chronicle

As I sat to collect all that has happened this month I am amazed at how much I squeezed into the month.  Life is full and nothing short of wonderful, despite the losses.  
  
+ Chopped off the rest of my hair at Osgood O'Neil.  That makes over 14 inches I've cut off this year.


+  Attended the Handmade Holiday event at West Elm and found a lovely little gift from Red or Gray Art for my sister.


+  First time to check out the Dallas Flea.  I'm so inspired by indie artists.


+  My nephew had his first birthday.  Such a handsome little man. 


+  I purchased my first Christmas tree and decorated for the holidays.


+  Participated in the annual Salvation Army Angel Tree and I had so much fun shopping for my angels.


+  My mom came for a visit with her friend and it was fun to have a house full of guests.


+  During the visit we did a lot of shopping, but we also attended Kodachrome Christmas.

+  On a sad note; a personal tragedy with Ollie.  


+  Started updated the shop office.  Fresh paint, new furniture and flooring.  


+  Started the 12 days of Christmas tradition with cc and she loved it! 


+  We took a day trip over to Denton to visit a lady we actually met at the Dallas Flea. We purchased a piece of her repurposed furniture for my office.


+  The exterior of the house if getting a makeover. We are updating the color with a fresh coat of paint.  


+  We had mini carolers at our house.  5-6 children with their mothers stopped by to wish us a Merry Christmas.  


+  We kept our annual tradition of decorating sugar cookies.  


+  Attended a beautiful Christmas Eve service and realized I had maybe found balance in my life after all. 


+  I had lunch with an old friend that was long over due.  It was good to visit with her.


+  I had a blast with the December challenge.  Making gift wrapping a creative experience elevated the experience and I actually enjoyed the process.


+  Decided to take a chance on putting myself out "here" more and started the challenges, this chronicle page, and my seasonal recording page.  


+  We ended the month by running our second business through New Year's and went to sleep on the 31st very happy.  


I'm looking forward to a very adventurous 2012.  

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November Chronicle 

Cut Poinsettias

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For as long as I can remember my grandmother has always had poinsettias in her home at Christmas.  Always the red variety because red is her favorite color.  When I finally had my own home, but couldn't afford a tree, I would always have a poinsettia.  That was almost more special than a tree because it reminded me of her, of home. 

The one little problem is that I really don't like the look of poinsettias.  They come wrapped in foil and most look a little leggy.  I think it was last year when I was thumbing through Better Homes and Gardens and came across a spread on using poinsettias in bud vases.  Why hadn't I thought of this before?  The picture above looks so much prettier than this:

Since then I've been buying 2-3 poinsettias with smaller leaves and cutting them for vases.  I change out the water every now and then and they last the entire month.  It's an updated version of an old family tradition, and they turn out so beautiful. 

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By the way, it's the first day of the winter solstice.  Check out what's in store this season.



The Twelve Days of Christmas Tradition

I love holiday traditions.  They give me a sense of connection to others.  My favorite has been our Christmas Eve tradition of making hearty soups and attending a late church service.  The meal brings the family together without all the hub-bub of a fancy meal and gifts.  Church, of course, is the true reason for the season and where I feel totally blessed regardless of my baggage.  It has ended up becoming a very magical evening.

Then there are the fun traditions.  In high school, my mom started the twelve days of Christmas with us.  Each morning for 12 days (the 14th - 25th) in our stocking, we found a little gift.  They were little things she knew we would enjoy like chap sticks and favorite candies.  It was always so much fun to find a prize each day.

This year, I decided to share this tradition with cc.

For each day, she has a package waiting for her when she wakes up.  Attached to it is a slip of paper that describes the Christian meaning behind the saying.  For example:

"A Partridge in a Pear Tree

The partridge in a pear tree is Jesus Christ, the Son of God, whose birthday we celebrate on December 25, the first day of Christmas.  In the song, Christ is symbolically presented as a mother partridge that feigns injury to decoy predators from her helpless nestlings, recalling the expression of Christ's address over the fate of Jerusalem: "Jerusalem! Jerusalem!  How often would I have sheltered you under my wings, as a hen does her chicks, but you would not have it so..." (Luke 13:34)

I had no idea that the real 12 days starts on Christmas day and not 12 days before. 

In addition to the spiritual meaning behind the day I decided to get creative and give a gift that related to the saying of the day.  Since we are only on day eight I can't list them all, but I'll share a few of my favorites.

+On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, a partridge in a pear tree.  The gift is a bottle tree for the garden.

+On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, two turtle doves.  The gift is a photo I had made into a puzzle of my two favorite girls (two doves).

+On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, four calling birds.  The gift is a messenger bag since calling birds are messengers. 

Some of the gifts are a stretch, but it was a lot of fun coming up with them.  I honestly didn't think it would be a hit, but cc is getting such a kick out of it.  I might just have to keep this tradition. 

What are some of your holiday traditions?

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As part of my December 4(for) green acres challenge, all the wrapping you see above is repurposed.  The cool, graphic paper came from West Elm.  They wrapped up something I purchased a while ago and I saved it and turned it into gift wrap.  You'll also see bubble wrap, bakers twine, safety pins from clothing tags, and vintage labels that I talk about here.

Oh Christmas Tree

I don't normally decorate for Christmas.  We typically travel and with no kids it just seems like it's more trouble than it's worth sometimes.  The theme of my life this year seems to be change although my word of the year is balance.  I decided to get a tree after all.  Somehow that has to relate to balance, right? Taking more time to enjoy family, or even the moment we are in?

We loaded up in the "new" Chevy and headed to Wintergreen Farm, a local farm. 

I really wanted a local tree that we could cut down ourselves.  They grow Virginia Pine, Elderica, Leyland Cypress and Carolina Sapphire.  The Sapphire trees were beautiful.  Unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate.  It had been raining and there was too much standing water to lug a saw out to the field and drag a tree back in.  That is also the reason my photos didn't turn out too well. 

We settled for a pre-cut fir.  A variety you can get anywhere, but I'd rather give my business to the little guy.  After a cup of hot, apple cider we loaded up and went home.

It was soaking wet by the time we got it home, but we went for it and put it up with a bunch of towels below it to catch the water.  Ollie didn't quite know what to think of this tree coming in the house.  She had this look on her face most of the day. 

After we finished decorating I felt like I had nested.  I am sinking into this home unlike any other.  Like a cottonwood tree, my roots are growing fast, and I'm loving every minute of it.

How did you decorate this year? Did you get a tree?

The List to Make It Official

Moving really puts life into perspective for you.  You begin to identify what matters most.  For weeks cc and I have been living in limbo as we prepared to sell one house, and made a few changes on the new house.  Every time something important happened we'd look at each other simultaneously and say "it's official, we've moved."  The list keeps expanding. 

1.  It's official, the coffee pot, latte machine, beans, grinder, filters...have been moved.  

2.  It's official, we now have wireless internet.

3.  It's official, the t.v. has been connected just in time for football season. (Go Huskers!)

4.  It's official, the kitchen is set up.

5.  It's official, the first batch of Great Aunt Linnie's cookies have been made with the girls.

6.  It's official, our first letter arrived in the mailbox.

7.  It's official, the new mattresses are here.

8.  It's official, the rocker has been placed on the front porch.
9.  It's official, the rugs are on the floor, which means painting is done.
10.  And the most important, it's official, the cats have made the move.  Reluctantly.

 

At first glance these things may seem silly and hardly qualify as important, but there is an unspoken understanding that it is not the material items that are so important to us, but rather the moments in which they take place; The traditons that are brewing that create family.  We value the anodyne of creating a home that is a safe place that heals, comforts, and infuses us with laughter. 

I finally feel at home and every time I walk through the door, despite the patchy paint yet to be finished, and the empty rooms waiting for furniture.  I can't think of a place I would rather be.  It's not just that we have moved, we have arrived home and this list is just more proof that we have finally found our resting place. 

What do you find important to you and your family that makes it official?

Sun Tea

I went home to Nebraska a few weeks ago.  It is a special treat when I actually get to visit my parents' home.  Typically they meet me wherever I happen to be.  As I took my coffee out to the back porch the first morning, I found a jar of tea already brewing.   

For as long as I can remember my mom has always made sun tea.  Every summer morning a new glass jar would be on the porch.  With all the change that takes place in our lives on a daily basis, it is comforting to know that some traditions remain constant.  Seeing this jar brought back so many memories of summers past.  It truly reminded me of my mother and home. 

Little things like this bring a sweetness to my life and I can't help but smile.  I wonder why I don't make sun tea every day.  Some practices, however simple, are worth saving.  It's never too late to start.  What do you think?