found on friday

winter passed by...

winter passed by last night

she must have only tiptoed

her finespun skirts left threads of lace on the lawn

her necklace scattered tiny diamonds on the road

and ghosts of her breath clung to the garden gate

virtual coffee a la road

if i had had virtual coffee with you yesterday morning, i would have tossed you and my travel mug into the car and sped off on my errands...

you would have told me all about the past few weeks that we've missed each other, who you saw for Christmas, where you went, what you did for NYE... and i would have listened happily as i sipped my warm brew. so glad to be back to my regularly scheduled life and chat with you again.

as i dragged you through targets and old navy and the grocery store, i would have filled you in on much of the same: friends, friends' houses for games, had friends over for games... and how my sons spent so much of their time with their friends. i was glad that they had a chance to really re-connect with their buddies. they are so dadgum busy with school all the time... and i would have babbled about some of my thoughts on getting a REAL job to help pay for this stuff i'm buying, and how i've had some ideas on art teaching and some other inspirations and how i'm trying to let God open and close doors his way and to follow his lead... i would tell you how surprised i am at how He's changed me over the years so that i'm more flexible and open to all kinds of things. it's a genuine relief not to get tweaked over all the "i wants." and how puzzled i am that i'm not annoyed that i have to bring in money because my husband's construction business is so slow.

as we left the stores i would have shared some of the fun thoughts from the little book i picked up again (great one for this "fresh start" time of year) and then i would have hugged you and dropped you off on your doorstep as i took my bags home to unload and started filling out job applications...

Add caption

shopping around and something cool found

i love this water bottle carrier by lireca.
tres cool...

sunday creative flourishes in the new year!

the prompt for the sunday creative this week is...

flourish verb 1. thrive, prosper 2. to be in a state of activity or production 3. to reach a height of development or influence 4. to make bold and sweeping gestures noun 1. a florid bit of speech or writing 2. an ornamental touch or decorative detail 3. fanfare 4. showiness in doing something

since flowers flourish here in california this time of year, i thought i'd add a few flourishes to some of those that are blooming right now...

found on friday

i was asked by a friend if i could help her daughter with clouds.
micaela likes painting in acrylics and loves clouds.
can't say as i blame her. clouds are magic!

so i pulled out my easel, found my old paints, and we sat together a couple of times this week to get fluffy.
what a great job she did. i hope she keeps practicing, and maybe she'll let me post some of her work so i can show her off :)

and this morning i found a little time to make some of my own clouds...

a few of my favorite things...

ahhh, my blog...

we're all probably feeling a bit like, "how much can you fit into one week?!" one week ago i was wrapping and shopping and cooking and checking my lists... and now it's fait accomplit. our family's christmas is quiet and relaxed and very yummy... and there are certain customs that we have developed that are important to us. i neglected the advent calendar this year, and decided that was a mistake i will not make again! we play games together on christmas eve, the boys (now adult-sized) always open their stocking gifts on our bed in the morning (my favorite), breakfast is always eggs benedict (kyle's favorite) and "sunshine drinks", and english trifle with too much sherry (ian's favorite) for dessert after dinner. (all the food is kurt's favorite, especially the chicken a l'orange)

we usually go to christmas eve service as well, but my husband has had a rotten cold, so we stayed home and all my men listened while i read the littlest angel (i was a good girl and didn't cry).

we all love the opening and sharing and fun of the presents. it's been a tight year for us, and i was so pleased at my sons' acceptance of the smaller and more practical pile. of course, my favorites are anything pretty or crafty! i thought today i'd share some of my favorite new things...

the darling robin plate is from pier one,

the weekly organizer from art in motion, 

orchids courtesy of the greatest artist of all, 

the gorgeous water bottle from wild and wolf.

what were the most delightful gifts (yes, the ones you actually opened)

you received?

(virtual) french roast

if we were really having coffee this morning...

i'd sip my french roast sans croissant and tell you that i really enjoyed my monday. i substitute teach occassionally, and yesterday i got to play le professeur de francais. speaking franglais makes me smile!

i'd also tell you that we went caroling sunday evening with some of our friends. boy, did my teenage sons moan and groan about that one! but once we got there and the little kids were jumping up and down and people were so sweet, they smiled and sang and would never confess that it wasn't that bad after all. maybe the pretty teenage girls sweetened the deal... i dunno... ;)

you'd hear about how i'm falling behind in my christmas gift crafting and that i'd better get a handle on what needs to get done and when, pdq! or suddenly it'll be christmas eve and it'll be too late! then you'd tell me how your list is behind, too (don't even tell me if you've got it all under control, cuz i don't want to hear that). and we'd tell each other to down that last gulp and get to it, girl! i'd wrap my scarf over my shoulder and wish you a super day!

found on friday

fridays were a silly choice for me to make a blog commitment... they are usually rather full days.
but i've got one this week. notice the time i posted, didn't actually make my deadline, but who really cares, right?

this morning i pulled out my camera to take a picture of my special find, but i'd left my card in my laptop. duh. good excuse to draw...

see what i found today?!

not white, wet

here in california, winter doesn't mean white, it means wet. but it's a gentle wet.
mostly it feels fresh and green and doesn't have to keep you indoors. my morning walk was wet this morning... soft and quiet ... and although not white, the world is dressed with touches of red :)

beginning to look a lot like...

yes! the tree is bee-u-ti-ful and this year i put the nativity under it rather than the christmas village i usually put there. i'm liking the choice. decorating is done and shopping is under control. i am a happy woman. now i can relax with what are the fun things this time of year...

...working on the little hand made gifts for my friends, caroling with a group of friends, going for after-dinner walks to look at christmas lights, all my favorite cd's, our family's traditional movies that we watch this time of year, cranberry margaritas, meeting friends for a latte (oops, that was two "foods" in a row, better be careful!), small gatherings to play games... and i will NOT bake cookies this year. too bad guys, but mom gets fat just LOOKING at them!

(yes, that's a tortilla)
i'm hoping that you are finding time to enjoy the season too...

cup o' coffee together...

i didn't realize how much i needed to sit down together for this (virtual) cup of coffee... hold on a sec while i get a refill...

i'm on my third cup! i usually only have two, but i'm busy this morning and i've just been chilly for days! any how, i've had my walk, avec une amie ce matin, and the second load of laundry is going (which means i had to go into my youngest son's room for his sheets and to hunt for dirty stuff in every drawer, nook, cranny, figure out which stuff in the pile on the desk is the clean stuff he never put away, and those socks! mothers whose children are still small, you have no idea how smelly and disgusting a 14-year-old boy's socks are... diapers are nuthin')! 

i'd ask you if you think i messed my hair up badly. i haven't been able to afford my hairdresser for about a year now, and i am at the age when my husband says, "i like it when you color your hair." the grey was really catching the light, :) so it was past time. hmmmm.... i ran out of day yesterday, so i performed the operation after dinner. i was tired, it is an involved process, i mean, highlights and all... 

our lovely tree is up and lighted and garlanded; tonight we'll put on the actual ornaments... my husband and sons are such a great help, they don't leave it all to me. i can't tell you how much i appreciate that! my eldest even did the lights this year. yippee!

 i am learning to pull back on Christmas. i've decided which decorations are enough. i've decided that we don't need to have more lights on the house than all the neighbors. my sons don't need knock-your-socks-off gifts. the past few years have been less prosperous, so we're learning to appreciate the little things more, and that's a good thing! we are all learning to give to our favorite charities in someone else's name... and that's our gift to them... and people really value that! i hand make my girlfriends' gifts. we read from the bible at dinner and remember that this season is really a time that is set aside to contemplate the mystery of an almighty and infinite God that came to dwell on this earth with us, to bring us light and life, and that he came, as we all do, helpless and tiny and so precious, so human. 

i'd show you the scarves i made. way too easy, just cut 'em out of fleece. shop around and you can make them for almost nothing! i am determined to wrap them up with a red bow and put them in my car. now i have a Christmas gift for the homeless folks i run into.

i enjoyed visiting with lisa and alli and corinne... you wonderful ladies make me laugh! have a wonderful day!

etsy sale

i'm having a sale on every item in my etsy shop. 

come on by to take a peek. 

use the coupon code to get 20% off!

pards

golden sun
a soft breeze
warm earth
dancing leaves
the gentle creak of leather
velvety brown noses
pards with ponytails

two birds and one stone...

if we were having (virtual) coffee this morning, i'd introduce you to my friend lauren. lauren and i have a standing date on fridays for coffee... right after my morning walk. we moved our date this week because, well, i'll be out of town visiting family for a day or two. i look forward to friday all week. we talk about everything and we know each other so well, and we care about all the big stuff and the little details. i am so thankful for my friend and for our fridays. 


i'd also share my yummy cranberry-raspberry bars with you. lauren wouldn't have one because she has a horrible reaction to raspberries. i'd feel stupid that i'd brought them to share on a day that she was there, but there's a reason for my faux pas...



i participate frequently in the sunday creative. but i couldn't post my entry for this week's inspiration until i had a chance to actually live the adventure. for you see, this week's prompt is

Indulge: 1. To yield to, satisfy, or gratify. 2. To yield to the wishes or whims of; be lenient or permissive with. 3. To allow oneself to follow one's will.

well, i had this new recipe for these cranberry bars sitting on my counter and the cranberries in the fridge. so i had to bake. and you see, here on my little sd card is both my virtual coffee treat, and the object of my response to "indulge." please help yourself and enjoy one or two...

meanwhile, let's talk about the things in our lives that we are so thankful for... leave a comment... tell us what you're thankful for. and the real challenge is... who are you thankful to?

addicting...

these little brooches have become somewhat addicting! i keep having little inspirations of designs and i just have to try them out.

these two will be headed for my etsy shop. picture one of these on a sweater, scarf, hat...

lonely

the prompt for this week's sunday creative is...

Lonely: 1. lone; solitary; without company, companionless. 2. remote from places of human habitation. 3. standing apart; isolated.

we were just reminiscing about the thanksgiving a few years ago that we spent camping in death valley with my mom and dad. there were so many sights and feelings and moments that we brought home with us that will ever linger...

it was strange and magical. the sun had a different light. the air was peculiar to us. it was a beautiful and lonely place...

bunch o brooches

finished four brooches and put them in my etsy shop. i think they'd make darling gifts, and they look so great on a sweater!

autumn puzzle

the trees had spread their jigsaw puzzle of gold and brown and crimson on the lawn

wip...

migraines are not conducive to great accomplishments...
but i feel better today...
wishing you a beautiful monday!

pins and needles

a while back i saw such a cute idea on one of the blogs i follow. melissa in new zealand makes the most darling things! her embroidered brooches just delighted me... so of course, had to make one. you can see her tutorial at tiny happy.
please, tell me what you think of my version.
i think i'll make several more to put in my etsy shop... watch for them next week!

the black "bundle" is my embroidery thingy, just a piece of felt with a ribbon sewn on. for any particular project, put your palette of floss on the felt, a few needles, and it's easy to wrap up everything, including all the single or double strands of floss and keep it all together. very handy indeed...

obsolete

the prompt for this week's sunday creative is...

Obsolete: 1.no longer in general use, fallen into disuse. 2. effaced by wearing down or away. 3. to make obsolete by replacing with something newer or better; antiquate.

when my favorite jeans began to tear, i made them even more favorite by repairing them with my needle and embroidery floss. alas, there comes a time when the holes are so numerous, there is no salvaging what fabric remains... i am too fond of them to toss them. 

promises, promises...

i went out to the garden to pick the last pumpkin off the vine on sunday afternoon so my sons and i could carve our jack o' lanterns...

lots of marigolds had finished their last business for the season:
making their promises of another summer.
these will air dry for a week or so and then i'll package them up in pretty handmade envelopes.
i'll show you those when i make them.
they're great in christmas or easter baskets.

my sons had other seeds that they were more interested in :)