Tuesday, December 21, 2010

listening...









another kentucky girl



listening, as i try to clean house and wrap presents and do laundry and stitch presents.  not feeling so great today, so all i really want to do is curl up on the couch, with a cup of hot chocolate, beautiful music, and  a good book...



happy tuesday


Saturday, December 18, 2010

botanical gardens...






in lieu of a saturday shopping list this week (i'm off to a certain little ladybug's dance recital in a bit), i thought i would share some images from last week's trip, with my sister and niece and nephew to the atlanta botanical gardens... where we found not only lovely winter berries and blooms, but st. nicholas, trains (miniature and ride-on), and chocolate too!  


and, really, how adorable is this santa?  not only beautifully adorned, but such a jolly old elf he really was ;)  turned out to be such a pleasant, laid back santa visit... no lines, take your own pictures, plenty of time to peruse those wish lists and give santa an extra sweet hug (always a good idea to squeeze in a few extra points with the man from the north pole)









































































































 happy saturday


Saturday, December 11, 2010

twelve days of christmas...









with little more than twelve shopping days left before christmas (and i have yet to begin my shopping or stitching!), i thought i would take a deep breath (and calm the inevitable stress i create for myself by waiting until the last minute) and pour through my etsy favorites.   so, here are my twelve days of christmas... how i enjoy feasting upon the loveliness, all while remembering:



"it came without ribbons. it came without tags.
it came without packages, boxes or bags. 
and he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore.
then the grinch thought of something he hadn't before.
what if christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store?
what if christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more?"


~ dr. seuss



so, i'm taking a bit of a break today to spend time with my family, including a trip with my niece and nephew to visit santa!











 vintage white lamp, from placemichel










































brown/black wool hat, by 13threads















happy saturday



Friday, December 10, 2010

christmas lovelies...






just popping in to share a few etsy lovelies which arrived in the mail this week... 



the first is this loveliest of garlands, by itchinstitchin.  sweet crochet snowflakes and vintage lace on a crochet string










the second is this sweet tree ornament,  made by my friend sonia's son, ishaan... who has just opened his woodworking shop, ishaansworkshop, at the age of eight!  such talent he has!










i was finally able to run over and pick out a christmas tree.  somehow i came away with a rather tall tree! it seemed a perfectly normal size when i bought it (although it was dark at the time, and i believe the man showing me the trees must have been abnormally tall), until the moment i started to carry it from the car to the house


when i came stumbling in to the house, dragging this gigantic tree and mumbling about how it had grown two feet on the way home , tula (my cat) simply looked at me as if i had finally gone completely mental... i feel sure she would have rolled her eyes if she was able to




happy friday



Friday, December 3, 2010

saturday shopping list (a day early) - december 3rd




christmas bird ornaments, by sabinefilthaut



dreaming of bringing the holiday into my home for the season... as soon as i find a free day, i will begin to set about accomplishing this dream.  in the meantime, i thought i would go ahead and post some of the dreamy, december lovelies i've been admiring... while i had a free moment this morning!  
now, back to stitching and post office visiting




























                


















beige spats, by memitherainbow



happy friday


Wednesday, November 24, 2010

happy day of thanks...








happy day of thanksgiving to everyone... a wee bit early.

just finished baking a loaf of cranberry orange walnut bread.  not sure, anymore, where this recipe originally came from?  it is one which was hand written several thanksgivings ago into my special notebook of favorite recipes (it is quite a select group... only recipes that result in at least a few dozen enthusiastic "mmmmm"s when served will see the inside of this book)

it was six years ago today that i first tried out this recipe... for a road trip thanksgiving in boston.  that loaf was carried in mittened hands, as we walked through the blustering cold winds.  quite different from this seventy degree weather we're having down here this year, south of the mason-dixon line



cranberry orange walnut bread:

1/4 c. butter
1/2 c. honey
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 c. orange juice
1 tsp. grated orange rind
1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 c. chopped cranberries
1/2 c. chopped walnuts

preheat oven to 350.  butter and flour loaf pan.  in large bowl, cream butter and honey.  add eggs, o.j., and rinds.  mix flour with baking powder.  add to butter mixture 1/3 at a time, blending after each.  stir in cranberries and walnuts.  pour into pan.  bake 50 to 60 minutes.

** mine is always done a bit earlier... around 40 to 45 minutes





well, i'm thankful for many, many things as this whirlwind year winds down... many new and old thanks this holiday, which i hope never to take for granted.  and the biggest thanks, as always... spending a simple day of cheer with family (and these two kiddos, my niece and nephew, who always keep things ridiculously interesting and comical!)








happy holiday!



Sunday, November 21, 2010

november lovelies...







as promised, some of my november thrifting and handmade finds... 

how lovely when various treasures come together to create a perfectly harmonious collection of prettiness







various vintage bottles and pitchers, with little twigs of wildflowers, all lined up


the lovely mushroom and bird?  two pieces from my ever growing collection  of cary's (littlelovblue) creations

the pretty johnson brother's pitcher and stoneware ink bottle?  two pieces snatched up from my aunt tricia's vintage shop (ladysneezeweed)

most of the other bottles were thrifting finds... how does one pass up old medicinal bottles with labels such as 'sutherland sisters hair grower' and 'hamlin's wizard oil'?  especially when several were on sale for $4 each!





























the antique chapel chair i picked up on clearance while thrifting...

i've been slowly collecting various vintage and antique wooden chairs to create a perfectly mismatched set of dining chairs... ready to place around the lovely antique dining table which i've yet to acquire!  i've been determined to hold off buying a table, until i find the right one (trying so hard to avoid buying the inexpensive ikea table to tide me over)








and here is another lovely i just grabbed from my mom's vintage shop (imsovintage)... an old metal watering can.  i have so many ideas for this one









happy sunday