See…
(one bonus of working on a college campus, tapestries, remember those? sure it smells a bit like patchouli, but that’s part of the charm) Fun eh?
Gotta run, stockings hung, mass attended, bikes to assemble.
Peace out everyone and Merry Christmas!
We’ve spent Christmas in a number of different locations through the years; Sun Valley, Vail, Ohio, Connecticut, all wonderful and memorable in their own right, but this year we are embracing the notion of “Christmas At Home.” What does that look like, you wonder? Well, pictures tell thousands words, so here we go!
Speaking of pictures, one of the sure signs that Christmas is coming is when the photos and cards from family and friends start to arrive. It’s a race to the mailbox to see who can open them first.
This year, they came in droves and are displayed proudly all over our home.
Seeing your smiling faces is one of the true joys of the season.
Of course, one must have a tree and this year, knowing we would be here the whole time; well, we went big.
Like a “it took three large dudes to get it on top of the car” kind of big.
And A. needed a running start to get it into the house kind of big. I mean why else would one have 10 foot ceilings?
I love those special heirloom items like these miniature angels that form an orchestra that have been handed down through the years.
They line the window sill, and I think reflectively of the joy in someday passing along treasures like these to my children.
Next, the mantle. Ours is a centerpiece for the holiday glow. Filled with mercury glass, antlers and all things that sparkle. This year we added some fun red and white boiled wool garland.
The King Charles spaniels are a fav.
And speaking of pooches, sometimes I just can’t help myself. Everything and one gets a simple touch of adornment.
I still can’t believe our wild lab., Tucker, shockingly enjoyed a moment of peace and sat still for this.
Onto gifts for friends and family. Let’s face it everyone loves getting a bottle of bubbly for the holidays.
I like to enhance the gift one tiny bit by adding a special ornament.
It’s so much fun to drive some Christmas cheer around town, if it weren’t so rainy I’d have the top down for the deliveries for sure, (blasting heat of course:) Tomorrow, the table (I hoped to get to it tonight, but ran out of time). Come back and check it out.
So the stage is set, but Christmas is about so much more than decor and trim. It’s about being with those you love and thinking about those who are important people in your life–whether you are spending the holidays together or not. I always find so much perspective in this time of year, and hope to have the time to a share a thought or two more.
Here’s the thing about new jobs, you have to work, a lot:) So when the opportunity to get away for a four day holiday weekend rolled around, it need to be seized.
We headed to Camano Island, one of the beautiful San Juan Islands (and a handy one for us locals to get to as it is only an hour away, there is a bridge, so no ferry lines, schedules, etc.)
To enjoy nature
And each
other.
To dig our heels in
and enjoy a moment as a family in the sun
and some time to explore with friends in the fog.
While taking in the splendors
of the Northwest.
Photo Credits: Jason Hagens
Whatever did we do before Pinterest? I don’t know, but I’ll tell you what we did today. Oreo turkeys, a la Pinterest of course!
Parents in the Northwest need to have many tricks up their sleeves for rainy weekend activities. So this was a perfect, seasonally-appropriate, “busy” project.
I have to say, buying Oreos reminded me of the recent run on Twinkies (R.I.P. Hostess). I don’t usually buy either one, but nostalgia is fun, let’s face it. All you need are:
Oreos (I recco. double stuff for the stuffing portion), candy corn, pretzel sticks, rolos, chocolate icing, we used bits of marshmallow and gold perils for the eyes and a tiny piece of red licorice for the gobble.
Turned out to be the perfect use for left over Halloween candy. The finished project!
Kids enjoyed it, therefore all is well in the universe.
Hope all of your Thanksgiving prep. is fun too, will be in touch again soon! Peace out.
While I had the glue gun out from the previous post/project it seemed like a good time to work on another project that had been on my list since summer; driftwood starburst mirror.
We collected the driftwood this summer from various northwestern beaches. Actually our labrador chewed many of the sticks we collected, so we pared down the originally planned size.
We procured a round mirror from Michaels (I would strongly recommend getting a mirror that has the proper hanging hardware already attached to the back, more about that later) and hot glued away. Easy, right?
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Well, like most DIY projects, it doesn’t usually go perfectly to plan the first time. I mentioned there was no hanger on the back of the mirror I bought, so I rigged up a paper clip with some duct tape and thought I was good to go. I hung it on the wall, and clearly underestimated the weight, as not even 2 minutes later the whole thing fell to the ground and every piece fell off.
Frustrated and annoyed, though not willing to give up entirely–I threw the pieces of driftwood into long vase for display. It looked alright, but I was rather determined to redeem the original project and amazingly, the mirror did not shatter (phew, the last thing I need is seven years of bad luck!). I made a quick trip to the hardware store for adhesive hooks that hold a total of 3 pounds and re-glued the pieces back into place.
What do you think?
I think it’s time for me to retire the glue gun for a while…
Welcome to my p.o.v. of how to live a life well. Under the construct of 7 areas that I feel passionately about: Fashion, Fun, Food, Family, Friends, Philanthropy (aware not an f, but close enough) and Furnishing. Yes, quite the array I know. I bring you Living Well 7; Don't Wait-Enjoy Life!
