Ring Out The Old, Ring In The New

A Happy New Year! Grant that I
May bring no tear to any eye
When this New Year in time shall end
Let it be said I've played the friend,
Have lived and loved and labored here,
And made of it a happy year.

~Edgar Guest


I truly wish each and every one of you, a New Year filled with much love, peace and happiness.
Your friendships have encouraged, enlightened, and made me laugh my frock off throughout this past year.
Here's to a 2012 filled with the same !

To friends and family alike
Many Blessings,
Jo
x

Winter Friendships

Taking a few days off to catch up on overdue visits with dear friends.
Share a cup of tea, a piece of homemade Christmas cake, and swap Christmas gifts.
Be well !

"Winter, a lingering season,
is a time to gather golden moments,
embark upon a sentimental journey, and enjoy every idle hour. "

~John Boswell

Ratty, and Mole visiting Badger ~ Wind in the Willows

Peace On Earth Goodwill To All Men

Christmas is upon us.......

I've so enjoyed our visits back and forth throughout the year, all the sweet comments written, and well-wishes when a word of encouragement was needed.
We truly wish each and every one of you, friends and family, near and far, all the blessings of a Joyous and Merry Christmas.

May you have the gladness of Christmas which is hope;
The spirit of Christmas which is peace;
The heart of Christmas which is love."

~ Ada V. Hendricks

Turn off the PLAYLIST at the bottom of the page by clicking the LARGE round button before playing the video

Peace on Earth, Goodwill toward Men
From our home to yours.......

Christmas Memories

When Christmas bells are swinging above the fields of snow,
We hear sweet voices ringing from lands of long ago,
And etched on vacant places
Are half-forgotten faces
Of friends we used to cherish,
And loves we used to know.

~ Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Finishing Touches

I managed to do the Christmas decorating without dragging a single box out of the attic.
Fresh greenery, pip-berry vines and dried fruits, it all looks pleasingly festive.

My favorite Christmas dinnerware is the Pflatzgraff Winterberry pattern, I'd like more pieces (hint, hint )

The 'goodies' arrived today, Walkers plum pudding, simply the best.

"Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful."

~Norman Vincent Peale

Let The Merriment Begin

We've had the strangest warm weather the past few days.
Here it is, the middle of December and the temperature reached a balmy 70 degrees today, folks were running around town, in shorts and flip-flops !

This afternoon, I accomplished a little inside decorating.
Our tree is an Alpine Tree, tall and skinny, and doesn't require any furniture to be moved around.
The mantle is almost finished, I'm going to add a few dried orange slices and cinnamon sticks.

The English Christmas crackers await eager hands

The silver has been polished

The dining table is set

I've hung a fresh evergreen wreath on the porch, and added two vintage wooden sleds, decorated with boughs of fresh Cedar.
The birds have already decided to make it their nightly roost.
'Tis the season for sharing....

Bringing Home The Tree

"Christmas--that magic blanket that wraps itself about us,
that something so intangible that it is like a fragrance.
It may weave a spell of nostalgia.
Christmas may be a day of feasting, or of prayer,
but always it will be a day of remembrance
--a day in which we think of everything we have ever loved."

~ Augusta E. Rundell

Making A Start

I've decided to go minimal on the Christmas decorating this year, at least that's my intentions.
I do seem to have trouble knowing where to stop, once I've started.

For many years, I would hang twinkly faerie lights from every eave of the house, every tree in the yard, even the bird houses would get a mini-set of twinkle.
I would be the crazy neighbor, hanging lights from the porch long after dark, whilst the rest of the world snuggled inside.

I'm going green, please wish me luck !

And The Rains Came

We have been deluged with rain these past few days.
Cold, wind-driven rain, mixed with snow flurries here and there.
The creeks are overflowing their banks, Winter is in the air....

Christmas Spirit-Lifter

When the weather turns chilly, and I'm looking for something to stir my Christmas spirit, I make a batch of Spiced Tea.
The combination of oranges, cinnamon and cloves are a delight to the senses, perfect for sipping fireside late evening, and watching the Christmas tree twinkling in the dark...

2 cups Sugar
2 cups Tang
3/4 cup instant tea
1 envelope Kool-Aid Lemonade
1 tsp. cinnamon
1-1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1-1/2 tsp. ground ginger

Combine sugar, tea, tang, lemonade mix, cinnamon, ginger and cloves in a medium mixing bowl; stir well.
Pour into a 1-pint wide-mouth jar with tight-fitting lid.
Use 2-3 teaspoons in a cup of boiling water.

Double Trouble

For the cat-lovers amongst us....the latest Simon's Cat video >^..^<