Friday, December 31, 2010

Christmas Farewells

How I hate to say good-bye to Christmas!  I love all the peace and goodwill, presents to wrap, vibrant colors and twinkle lights.
I love waking up early and curling up on the sofa while I listen to Christmas music and watch the lights on the tree.DSCF0381  Our tree is tall and narrow and fits our space perfectly.  Look out the window and you can see our own winter wonderland across the canyon. .. and in our yard as well.
I love each decoration that hangs on the tree all in jewel tones, satins and velvet with sparkling snowflakes scattered everywhere and fairies peeking out from the branches.
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Growing up, I loved to decorate the tree.  Mama always used ribbon, not hooks, to tie the Christmas decorations on the tree.  I loved ironing the little ribbons each year so we could hang them up.
Ribbons I use now are much wider and full of sparkles and glittering designs.  My favorite ornaments are shiny with flocked velvety designs.
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Did I mention I like sparkle and glitter and all that bling?  I’m still waiting for a chandelier that can be draped all over with jewels and trims.  So I covered the hanging bowl light with a coppery metallic mesh bedecked with glittery jewel centered flowers and leaves.  I LOVE it!
I have a hutch that’s so fun to decorate with the seasons.
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During the Christmas holidays I fill it with my favorite gingerbread boy dishes.  Sometimes I use my gold rimmed poinsettia dishes after I’ve had the others in for a while.
Lots of nooks and crannies show off my mom’s handiwork.  After she moved from California she started painting ceramics.
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She’s always been so creative, and I cherish everything she’s made for me.
I love this little village with the chapel, sweet Shoppe, toy store and houses.
Most of her work is painted and fired, but one of my favorites is her work with pastel chalk.  She used all my favorite colors (she had a hard time giving Mary pink robes instead of blue, though).
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I’m leaving you with this reminder:  the reason for season—                      May you have joy, peace and love.

Friday, December 10, 2010

Thank Heaven for Little Girls and Aprons

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Two or three years ago I came into my home after a hard, VERY HARD day of first graders and school politics and  other absurd drama. ( Nothing like this year which is my teacher dream.)  But I walked into not a safe, peaceful haven, but utter chaos of girls, patterns, sewing machines and fabric everywhere.
There is nothing I love much more than a chaos of girls, fabric and sewing machines!  It was 2 or 3 days before Thanksgiving and my girls had turned my home into a sewing factory making aprons to wear on Thanksgiving Day.
I honestly believe that it’s never too late to start a new family tradition, and I come from a family FULL of them!  My most exciting memory of Thanksgiving day was the annual pie stealing at Grandma Pete’s. 
That all started when one of her boys sneaked a pie from outside that was cooling on the window sill.  Going with the flow (which you kind of have to do with 6 sons), she forever after made “stealing pies” for kids and grandkids to sneak off the window sills.  We grabbed our pies and ran like heck to the end of Dinwiddie Street, sat down on the cool grass and pigged out!  I mean literally pigged out…gobbling down that gooey deliciousness without benefit of fork or spoon.  The whole thing!
This new tradition of making aprons wasn’t even my idea.  I was completely taken by surprise!   apron girls   Here is a photo of our aprons from this Thanksgiving.  Of course, not all my daughters are here, but enough to cause a ruckus.   Also here are a couple of daughter-in-laws and one granddaughter.
Some of the girls got really creative and made reversible aprons with one side in Halloween print and the other for Thanksgiving. ..or one side in Thanksgiving and the other for Christmas.  Gotta love ‘em!
Just today I received this cool email from my friend, Serena, all about Grandma’s aprons. 2_2125512879@web36301_mail_mud_yahoo
I have to include these old patterns for aprons that were in her email.  Notice the price….25 cents!  Now I wait and wait until JOANN’S  has a $1.99 sale on McCalls or Simplicity.  And whatever happened to Advance patterns?  I used to love those!

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This is really giving me the urge to make another apron.  Wonder if I could find any of these oldies but goodies in my mom’s old pattern boxes?