". Arranged Words: December 2014

30 Dec 2014

On the Cusp of a New Year

I've been loving the sunshine that ripples through the prisms in the morning, creating fiery displays on the floors and walls. The colours are gorgeous. It really brightens up the day!
And outside my window it looks like spring. Over the holidays, we had temps in the teens, and that has made short work of the two feet of snow we had. What a welcome reprieve!


My sketchbooks are getting fuller and I have a few items ready to paint. One 9 x 12 sketch that I am hoping with turn out well with the help of some new paints that arrived the other day. 

 


On the needles...




With the stash dwindling drastically,  I couldn't find enough contrasting yarn to work the stripes in this shawl in another colour, so I've opted for the monochrome look, but I think I have enough navy blue to work the lace edging. If, that is, it doesn't look too stark without the stripes to balance it.

Thank you for reading along this year.


    Happy New Year!  



18 Dec 2014

Good Tidings

After I posted my last post, a foot and a half of snow fluttered down overnight from a heavy sky.  I think that means we will have a white Christmas. 

As you can see in two of the pictures below, besides baking, decorating, caroling, etc., I've been drawing and painting as well.



Lady Slippers ~ a favourite of mine.

So today, with the holidays a little over a week away, I'm just popping in to wish everyone a safe and happy holiday. And for those of you who celebrate, do have a wonderful Christmas!

Make merry!

P.S.

If you are as fond of birds as I am, and you do not have a bird feeder, or are curious to see what's happening at other feeders you might want to check out these webcams.
I've been keeping a watchful eye on this one lately.

9 Dec 2014

Still Green


Although I thought the snow was here to stay it disappeared. Great. Why? Because if the snow stays on the ground late in December, spring generally comes early. Predictive? No.  Just an observation, but I've been wrong before. Time will tell. 


I finally toured this old house. It looks bleak/spooky with the black roof and front door.  If you look closely, you will notice a rocking chair in the upstairs window, which adds another layer of spookiness to the place. But the only spooky thing I found in the house was a well in the middle of the kitchen floor. (That's enough, I reckon.) In the late 1800's, I'm sure, an inside well was convenient because no one ( generally the lady of the house) had to brave the elements to haul water from the well, but I couldn't help but think how dangerous a convenience it must have been, especially with a house full of curious children.


My Christmas preparations are coming along. I have a few items out, but only a few and they all seem to be green..
I'm searching for a container for my frosty fern.
Never one to frequent Boxing Day sales, last year I finally went shopping and bought  this cute linen tea towel for a song.
Enjoy...

3 Dec 2014

Enjoying the Moments

Ahead of Schedule ~ Stocking made by me. I bought the cute cinnamon stick Santas.
 
Behind schedule. But I'm certain this eager Amaryllis will catch up almost as soon as its planted.


As you can see, I'm getting into the spirit of things.  Like most people, I have plans for Christmas, and somethings are ahead of schedule and somethings are behind. ( I'll leave my knitting projects for another post.)  These days I've less to do, so I try not to worry too much. If it's not "in the bag" by December 23th, I say who needs it!

I haven't always been this enlightened. I used to get up early on Christmas morning, not only to stuff and cook the biggest turkey in the kingdom, but also to bake rolls, make a fresh sweet potato puff while peeling a mountain of different vegetables, and sometimes I even baked a hot pie or two. In those days, I was a wee bit hidebound and everything and I mean everything (including a spit spot house) had to be "fresh."

Thankfully, I've changed and I try and do things with a bit more ease. I could put it down to laziness, apathy, or age, but I think it's more about enjoying the moments and savoring the good.

Thanks for reading...