Monday, December 29, 2014

pay attention and your life will be rich...

do not ask your children
to strive for extraordinary lives.
such striving may seem admirable,
but it is a way of foolishness.
help them instead to find the wonder
and the marvel of an ordinary life.
show them the joy of tasting
tomatoes, apples, and pears.
show them how to cry
when pets and people die.
show them the infinite pleasure
in the touch of a hand.
and make the ordinary come alive for them.
the extraordinary will take care of itself.

– William Martin

the perfect place to be...

is in the moment.

as the year winds to a close i wanted to share just a few photos of some of the best ways i could imagine spending this month.. . with our families.
hope you enjoyed your holidays and you got to spend time with those you love most.

             just loved how everyone came together to help kerry and drew with their new home.
            i feel so blessed to have such kind caring people in my life and in my children's lives.


                                                                 celebrating move in day.

                            welcoming mom home enjoying a christmas show at the pops
       

       consuming endless amounts of hot chocolate with homemade peppermint marshmallows.
                    finding the edible peppermint spoons just made this drink totally christmas.

                   decorating the house for christmas always includes some christmas bedding



i really enjoyed cooking up some old fashioned christmas treats.  memories from long ago. one of my                                                               grandmothers specialties
our card that never went out.  i had good intentions there were just too many other things to do.

cozy fires every evening.

                the endless sushi at my works christmas party.  who ordered all this food anyway?

                     my favorite holiday girls only party, so glad my mom could make it this year


some of the best friends around. 

the family shot

pre christmas breakfast
 holiday lunches that ran into evenings.

                                            the girls hamming it up on christmas eve

posing for the 2015 calendar


the sweetest great grandchildren
the perfect gingerbread martini
some holiday treats.

      i love them so much!


these people that mean everything to me xo

hope your holidays were filled with love.

love sent, xoxo

Friday, December 19, 2014

congratulations...



to Kerry and Drew on your new home.  so very happy for you .  



Wednesday, December 17, 2014

don't lose sight of what's important...

                                               proof that angels really do in fact exist.


love sent, xo



Monday, December 15, 2014

wrapping...

i love craft paper.  i usually have a ton of it around the house and with a few bits and pieces
you can make some pretty impressive gift wrap.  it is really versatile, and you can buy a big roll of
it at michaels for dirt cheap.  use the coupon that is usually in the michaels flyer for 40% off  one
item and it is a double win.
some ideas for your wrapping pleasure.  of course if you don't like rustic these might not work for you but i happen to love it.

a simple evergreen spring and you are done.




a little black marker some minimal art skills :) and of course a tag in remembrance of
our france  trip.


my favorite package of all.


happy wrapping.


love sent, xo

Saturday, December 13, 2014

so much to catch up on....

but... gotta finish shopping first.   happy saturday.



love sent, xo

Thursday, December 11, 2014

let it snow...



love sent,  xo

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

santa claus is coming to town..

it's  9:51pm and i am thinking of heading to bed.  i stopped to look at my mantle filled with santas, 
all the santas i have painted over the years.  the same mantel i have tried to change up the past  couple of years.  i am faced with opposition from many places.  folks who remind me that it is tradition and it's part of so many christmas pasts.  i am out numbered in looking for the change.  i love it, i do, it's just that i thought it might be time for a change. a sweet friend sent me a picture tonight of a santa  that i had given her mom many years ago.  her mom passed away this past summer and it made me smile that she still has this small reminder of a different time and place. we shared so many happy times. 
this is a piece of my life.  
for a moment i could hear my dad calling us from living room to start his movie reel rolling on christmas morning. the past is part of all of us. the good times and the challenging times. then i thought of my sweet friend that has had such a tough go of it these past couple of weeks.  she rises to the challenge every single time and we still hope for another miracle.  i thought of  my brother in law who lost his sister just a couple of months ago and how hard it is this year for his family.  i thought of my mom boarding the plane to come home tomorrow for the holidays after her own successful surgery just a couple of weeks ago.  life can be so tricky and hard and happy and beautiful.  i stop and remind myself to see the good,  to hear the small sounds, to feel the big feelings, and to say thank you for all of it.


time stands still best in moments that look suspiciously like real life.  "brian andreas"

love sent, xo