As we review the year that has unfolded, I am thankful for things that have come to pass and I look forward to what will be.
A very safe and happy, New Year’s Eve to you all!
(Image found on Flickr)
Tag: winter (page 14 of 15)
Its snowing where I am today and I LOVE it! I feel like I am in a snow globe world!
The holly and the ivy,
When they are both full grown
Of all the trees that are in the wood
The holly bears the crown
“The Holly & the Ivy” is one of my favorite Christmas Carols. Whether or not it is sung or simply instrumental. I have kept my eyes peeled for ages to find a vintage Christmas brooch that I can wear on my Winter coat, but I haven’t found the right thing yet.
In the meantime, I think I just might make one of these felt holly brooches that I found on Martha Stewart. The colors they have used combined with the trim give them a vintage 1950’s air, with the peaches and golds and corals all beautifully on display.
I have some scraps of wool felt that would be just right and the perfect vintage icy blue velvet ribbon to use as a trim! This is going to be charming! Now, I just have to hunt down a few little baubles or berries or tinsel to tuck into it!
To make your own click here.
(Images copyright Martha Stewart)
Yesterday, was St. Nicholas Day. Some of my most cherished childhood memories come from this day. We headed out into a very frosty wintery wonderlandy Monday morning to catch our bus to school. It was just too cold to be out, it was a morning to be snuggled in bed with hot chocolate and Christmas music, but off to work we went.
I headed up to my cupboard and once I dumped my stuff on my desk, I began to start taking down signs that were posted on Friday about classroom changes. As I walked out onto the landing of the back stairwell to remove my last sign, something flew up out of nowhere and perched on the ledge that leads out to the conservatory.
It was a fat little robin red breast. We chatted to each other for a few moments and with a little turn of his head he hopped along the ledge and disappeared through the elfin sized gap, where the new building meets the old and flew away.
Thank you, St. Nicholas, for you know how much I love British robins and how much more I wanted to be cozy in bed yesterday morning, that little present made me smile all day!
I opened my e-mail yesterday and a note from my adorable sister popped up. She had seen something and said to me that this looked like the kind of thing I put on my blog.
Well, I clicked on “The Little Things” and watched it and watched it again and she was right! I just love the polar bear! But, even more, I love her thoughtfulness! What did she send me? Just watch below:
I wish that polar bear would visit this week and tip a little box of snow on us, I could really use a comfy, cozy, hot chocolate drinking snow day!
Oh, the lovely, lovely postman put this, through my racing green door this morning and I have never been so happy to get something in all of my life.
I have a terrible sinus infection and have come home a bit earlier from work and am now cozied up in bed listening to Christmas music, drinking hot tea and pouring over this:
HEAVEN! My fingers and toes are crossed for snow tomorrow, then I can stay in bed and look at it all over again!
Where has the year gone? I cannot believe that as I woke up this morning, we entered into one of my most favorite times of the year; the season of Advent. The 24 day build-up to Christmas! It is time to get out my Christmas Pixie, Eglantine. Alas, we are going to be having some work done at the cottage and I won’t be able to decorate as normal.
I have looked and looked at old-fashioned paper and chocolate Advent calendars, but non were beautifully decorated and were not anything I wanted in my house for the next 24 days. Since most things will have to be packed up for the moment, I wanted something small, maybe even transportable.
In looking at “One Pretty Thing”, I happened upon this:
What a fabulous idea I think this is! This is the perfect Advent calendar for grown-ups, or to mail to a college student or a friend. What a cute idea!
Read the whole post here. Happy First day of Advent!
(All images copyright My Little Mochi)
This is what is making me smile this morning:
1)Gorgeous roses scattered around the house and cheering up little corners. The grocery store always has good deals and I am came home on Saturday smiling, arms laden with 3 big bunches of roses all bought for about £7, I was very happy with my little rosebud collection.
2)As my cutie pie stepped outside to head to work, we opened the door to the most gorgeous big fat flakes of SNOW, I have my fingers crossed that it keeps coming down, I wouldn’t mind being snowed in for a few days….
I hope there is something in your morning that makes you smile!
Happy Groundhog’s Day! What will Phil say to today? 6 more weeks of winter or is spring time coming our way? We shall just have to wait and see….
*On a side note, for those of you who don’t celebrate this day with Phil, Groundhog day found its origins in the USA with the arrival of German settlers, who thought that groundhogs bore a resemblance to hedgehogs and therefore were wise and intuitive about things. If the sun shone that day and he saw his shadow the groundhog would run back to his cozy little home for 6 more weeks of winter….
In Europe the day was celebrated as the Christian holiday of “Candlemas Day” and there were plenty of rhymes to go along with the day:
If Candlemas be fair and bright,
Come, Winter, have another flight;
If Candlemas brings clouds and rain,
Go Winter, and come not again.
Come, Winter, have another flight;
If Candlemas brings clouds and rain,
Go Winter, and come not again.
To find out more click on the picture of a cute top-hatted groundhog!
**Update: If we are going by the Old English rhyme above than in my part of Merry Ol’ England today, it seems that Spring is on its way! In saying that, however it is more sleet than rain and there was a dusting of snow on the ground yesterday, so hmmm! And, Phil’s prediction? He said there would be 6 more weeks of winter!
It is bitterly cold here. The sun is shining today, as it was yesterday when we were out, although that Mr. Old Sun, didn’t seem to make much of a difference to the temperature outside.
There was ice everywhere and a very hard frost on the ground. We were in multiple layers, but still the cold just managed to wriggle in through your clothes and we stayed in a constant state of freezing, even some of the stores didn’t put their heat on! That was just mean!
On our way home from a very frosty day out grocery shopping and running errands (I found heart shaped silicone cupcake holders–yeah) we jumped on the train and had a little (or not so little) train passenger riding along with us! It made me HAPPY!!
It was like having a big teddy bear in our compartment! I am sure she was warm with all that lovely fur!