OH Chwistmas Twees Oh Chwismas Twees....

This is the tree of this cute girl I know. She put it up herself. :)

Don't miss Alicia's review of The House of Seven Gables...

See it on the Pineapple Snow Blog.

The Box I Finished today...

Says inside...

We shall find peace. We shall hear angels. We shall see the sky sparkling with diamonds.

Anton Chekhov

Available for $25. Let me know if you're interested. :)

Christmas House Pictures...

Just a few of the favorite Christmas things at our house. Did I say that I love Mexican Paper Flowers?

Great Quote...

How full of the creative genius is the air in which these are generated! I should hardly admire more if real stars fell and lodged on my coat. Nature is full of genius, full of the divinity: so that not a snowflake escapes its fashioning hand.

Henry David Thoreau

Happy Snow Day!!!

Fun Book....

Listen to these tapes while you wrap your gifts. This is a really fun little Christmas book.

Love this little book...

See it here.

New Love Boxes I Finished Yesterday...

Granny Chic Book of the Week...

I love this old book. It's a little old fashioned (in the weird way) in places, but mostly it's old fashioned in the good way. The book gives advice like: don't wear tight shoes, you can't be charming if your feet hurt. Hilarious, but still true.

Charm is a word that has some negative connotations now, but in this book it means sincerity, kindness, generosity and ettiquette. It was originaly published in 1938, but no culture has needed it's advice more than our current one.

As you read, you may have to edit for content. For example:"There is scarcely an hour that passes in which someone doesn't do something for you. It may be the grocery boy . It may be the mailman. Most of all it will be the people with whom you work and live. Do you stop to realize the humanity of these givers of good things that make your life comfortable? Your telephone operator, your stenographer, your maid, your laundress, the man who tends your garden (I wish....), the chauffer who taxis you? What is your attitude toward them? Are they mere scenery, something you paid for and so needn't be aware of? You can't afford to think so. Your attitude toward those who serve you reflects your attitude toward everyone else. Charm springs from warmth, not etiquette."

I don't have gardener, (dang) or a chauffer (no biggy, I love driving) but I have a hundred people who help me accomplish the things I want to do. How would you like to be the kid at the UPS store that does my laminating? Poor guy. I should tip him, but I hope that I thanked him very kindly anyway. I sure appreciate that he made my Christmas card so shiny. I love shiny. I need to do this better. I get so distracted thinking about other things, I often don't even look the cashier at the grocery store in the eye and say, "Hello". Bad manners. I am going to do better.

Anyway, (rambling, sorry) this book is just silly in places (the parts about bathing), but it has some great points. Enjoy!

Great Quote...

The glory of friendship is not the outstretched hand, nor the kindly smile, nor the joy of companionship, it is the spiritual inspiration that comes to one when he discovers that someone else believes in him, and is willing to trust him.
Emerson

Crossing Delancy...

I love this old Romantic Comedy with Amy Irving. Hurray! It comes to DVD in Feb. See it here.

Love this little dress...

See it here.

Dorothy Draper...

CBS Sunday Morning featured a story about Dorothy Draper a few weeks ago and now I am seeing her everywhere.

In an introduction to her most famous book, Entertaining is Fun, Carleton Varney writes, "It was not uncommon to see a Dorothy Draper-decorated room with aqua-and-white striped walls, vibrant "lipstick red" carpeting, and curtains made of a flowery chintz; pink, violet, and red roses entwined with vibrant green leaves and aqua blue ribbons on a sparkling crisp white background." She is known as the first proponent of what we now call "eclectic." She believed that is was fine to "mix periods" and she certainly did that. She was one of the first people to make decorating a profession. She was the Martha Stewart of her time; she was extremely talented at creating a recognizable brand and selling it.

After seeing, the story on Sunday Morning, I was interested to learn more about her style. However, this is glamour dressed up, not the comfortable "Granny Chic" that I love, but it is a lot of fun.
See part of the CBS Sunday Morning story here.

I'd love to have you leave a comment...

And, what I understand is: you don't have to have a blog to comment, just click other or anonymous in the choose an identity area and you don't have to enter a web page, even though it asks for one.

Jolly Old St. Nicholas...

I love the tradition of Santa Claus. I always have. But, even more than the myth, I love the real story. Nicholas was born in the third century in the village a Patara located on the southern coast of Turkey. He was raised by wealthy parents who were devout Christian and who died leaving him a wealthy orphan. He was made a Bishop of Myra while a young man. To follow the example of Jesus, he used his entire fortune to bless the needy. He was known for his generosity to children and his love for them.

In 2006, we have added some glitz, a miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeer to the mix. But, the idea that someone could do some small kindness for children and then have so many millions of people try to commit similar small acts of kindness1800 years later in an attempt to do likewise is a miracle that cannot be surpassed by Santas that come down the chimney and fly all over the world in one night. That is the kind of Santa it is so important to believe in, just a normal person who wanted to do some good and who made the lives of the people around him a little better.
In our current culture where the idea of personal responsibility seems to take a daily beating in the media, the concept that one regular person can make a real difference seems less and less popular. And yet, one person makes a real difference all the time.
In order to become a Catholic Saint you have to have so many recorded miracles to your name. I don't know about those or what they are. What I do know is that he did perform one miracle of which I am sure. He was a good example.
I believe in Santa Claus and in the idea that anything or anyone that can inspire us to reach beyond ourselves to do a bit more for someone who needs us is something to believe in at Christmas time and all the other times of the year.
And, I believe that the real story of Santa is better than the myth, as it often is.

Merry Christmas...

Yesterday, I ate cake...

I ate some chocolate cake that was amazingly tall and very delicious and it had a green mint frosting with chocolate ganache. It was very good! And I ate some other cake that looked kind of like this. It was chocolate cake with chocolate bits inside and it had whipped cream topping with crushed candy cane on top. Amber, please send the recipe?

Matryoshka Dolls...

I know several people who love these dolls and this ebay store has a great selection at very reasonable prices..

See them here.

A Star for Christmas...

As I have written before, I love the work of Art Glass Artist Robert Held. Amazing! Look, a STAR for Christmas! Beautiful! See his site here.

Eddie Walker...

I love Santa. What a great guy! And, I have a small collection of Eddie Walker Santas, but as I was telling Michelle yesterday, you just don't see them around much. Duh? Ebay. There were quite a few listed including this cute guy. Speedy Delivery.

Gift of Organization...

These might be cute for just the right person on your list. See them here.