Party on!

2009 is almost gone...it's been a great year!  I have met some lovely people, and been to some beautiful places.  I have been healthy.  There was some joy every day.

I'm not very good at keeping resolutions and every year my resolution is not to make any.  But every year I break my resolution before the year has even begun.  It seems there's always something to improve on the old year...so my resolution this New Years Eve is to continue all the good stuff from 2009 and leave out what didn't work so well.

Here's to:
 - sharing the interesting, beautiful, wise and wonderful  aspects of life with my blogging friends around the world
 
 - playing with my grandkids

 - knitting the yarn stash, reading all those books in piles around the house, and hooking some new rugs

 - listening to those ideas which didn't come out of my own head

 - enjoying the moments as they come

Cheers, everyone!  Happy New Year!

Decisions, decisions...

When you get yarn for Christmas like this...

and this...

and this....

It's so hard to decide what to do first.  I'm kind of thinking to do some of that pretty green lace 'cuz  I have this other gift that I can't wait to try....

  I'm busy queuing up patterns on Ravelry right now!

Thanks to Deb, Steve, Sarah, Alison, Wendy and Marlin I'll have some  happy knitting to start 2010!

Ruby Tuesday

Since 2009 has almost gone, it seems appropriate to use a photo from the beginning - when the year was new!

This is the only one of our Stellar`s jay visitors to actually knock on the door to demand peanuts.

One time, he (or she, who knows for sure)  did actually fly through the open door and sit on a chair waiting for breakfast!

Thanks to Mary T for hosting Ruby Tuesday here.  Pay her a visit...you don`t even have to knock first.

Happy New Year to all!

Mellow Yellow Monday

 Just keepin' the party goin'...

There's always yellow somewhere - even in a day of gray skies.  You just have to look around.
For more yellow just visit Drowsy Monkey's meme here.  You might want to join in.  It's easy and it's fun.

Rock this house!

Yesterday was our big family day and we had a Christmas ceilidh!

It started pretty quietly...

we sang some Christmas carols accompanied by actual instruments...

then we poured out the Irish lagers and Guiness' and sang our best Irish songs...

we sang along with the Chieftains....

and danced...

then somebody put  Great Big Sea on the player and we roared...
and decided that percussion was way easier to cope with at this stage...

and I wished I'd brought a bodran back from Ireland....

 There was more dancing...

and some drumming....

And, I know that my Dad was joining in - from wherever he is - and was thrilled to see my sister with the spoons!

We had to leave Eeyore to play softly on the guitar....who knew he was a party animal?

It was amazing and lovely!  We had the happiest gathering ever!!

Merry Christmas!

However you celebrate...

may your Christmas be full of  joy, peace and love. 

May all our Christmas wishes come true!

House party?

It all started so well...

It looked like such a sturdy little house.

It had the most wonderful decorations.  They looked like jewels on a palace!

Then we noticed that the icing wasn't as hard as it could be.  Then the gingerbread roof broke .  The room was too humid and the materials were softening.  And the icing still wasn't hard enough.  Oh no!

So, what do good builders do?  They take everything apart and lay it flat to decorate.  The beauty of horizontal walls is that they can be really  glammed up.

 
One got tired of waiting and found a corner to nap in.

So, after a night drying by the fireplace, the house was reconstructed.  Quick, get a photo!

Good thing, because sometime in the night...

I can't tell you how many lessons we all learned with this adventure!

Ruby Tuesday

A Christmas gift of holly berries for today's Ruby Tuesday...

even though holly berries aren't edible, these look very luscious and juicy.   The birds love them.

Holly trees grow in many gardens here but are not native and are considered an invasive plant.  Many of the berries have been flown to the forests with the birds who eagerly eat them.  Holly trees grow wild in most of our forests and parks here and out-compete native shrubs.  Only the female plants have berries.  We have four trees (of various sizes) in our yard and none has berries - a family of boys.  So, we're doing our part for zero pop. growth!  And pruning a friend's tree for Christmas color is keeping that many more berries out of birds' beaks. 

Merry Christmas to all my Ruby Tuesday friends!  And, thanks to Mary T for hosting us all here.

Mellow Yellow Monday

Tis the season to think of toys...

...this one went to the thrift store.  I thought it was so cute I had to get a photo before it left.  I love the little case on wheels and the handle that pulls up.  I'm not sure that it would actually keep everything neat - maybe just another thing to find room for?

To all I meet here on Mondays, a very Merry - and Mellow - Christmas! Thank you, Drowsy Monkey for the fun meme.

Sunday wonders - N

N is for Nativity and Noel...

We don't have a lot of space for Christmas decorating .  Our house is small - and very full.  We have edited as much as possible and given away to family a lot of big decorations.  Our tree is only two feet high and we call him Dougie.  Only the tiniest of ornaments can - and do - adorn his greenery.  I like the lights, so we have lots of fairy lights around to give me my Christmas bling.

We have some special things that we have kept, though.  A Nativity that was made by Anne's mother and father.

And a few very small ones from her aunt's much larger collection.

And I have a collection of Santas - or Pere Noel.  Does a collection become Peres Noels?  Just trying to keep to  the letter N.

This is just a part of what I've collected these over the years and each year I'm surprised all over again at how many there are.  Most are fun, some are sentimental and a few are really special.

Procrastination

It's the season for a lot of things and one of them is trying to ignore all the hustle and bustle.  Of course, there are needful things to get done for the holidays.  But I'm a pretty fast worker and I like the creativity that last minute pressure brings.  So, here's what I've been distracting myself with the past few days...books and extra-curricular knitting.

The books are all interesting and there's a common theme - sort of.  None takes place in the present and one is actually a time jumper.  Household Gods takes us from late 20th centry Los Angeles to 2nd century Italy.  You have to really, really suspend your disbelief but it's a good read.  The Chili Queen takes place in the Wild West  with so many twists and turns it's hard to keep track of  who's conning who.  And Dairy Queen Days is a lovely trip back to the 1950's except that it's set in a small Southern town in 1979.  Well-written coming-of-age story. 

I had some merino/bamboo yarn left from the cardigan  so I knit a very cool slouchy hat.  Easy, easy pattern - it was done in a night.  It really hugs my ears and they will be toasty warm.  They say the cold weather will return.  And, then, since there was still some yarn left, I made a pair of nice warm gloves to match.  I modified the cable pattern from the hat for the gloves.  Except for the color they don't look too matchy.

Playtime is over now...I have cast on for that last pair of socks.

Commanding

Tone is important when you see a word.  I'm sure the decorators at this store intended their display to inspire and cheer.  But by putting the mannequin beside the word they've given it a whole new dimension.

Getting this shot was pretty tricky, too.  I saw the wall decoration but had to wait while a little boy had his photo taken.  He was standing cozily between O and Y.   Then when he saw our camera poised, he ran back to get in some more.  It took some coaxing on his mom's part to get him to leave his new modeling gig.

Then a man and wife walked by and saw us taking the photo.  Ooh! he said - that's a good picture.  And he whipped his camera from his pocket.  He even offered to move the mannequin!

So,  a display that caught my eye with its shiny Christmas baubles became in the space of a few minutes a model's backdrop,  a great photo op,  a message of holiday spirit, a bit of tongue-in-cheek word play, a meeting of minds for camera carriers - and a blog topic.  Not everyday THAT happens!

Ruby Tuesday

Yesterday, while we downtown, we wandered into Holt Renfrew.  Actually, we more bolted than wandered as it was cold outside - and they have classy restrooms.

We were heading up the escalator when I spied the perfect Ruby Tuesday shot.  We did stop to ask the concierge if we could take the photo - it's that kind of place.

But, don't you think this chair could be just as gorgeous with a coat of shiny red Varathane?  It's destined to go to the dogs.  We bought it for $3 at a thrift store for Paws on the Run.  Right now it seems to be holding up a pile of boxes in the garage. Eventually,  it will get driven to it's new  home. 

Thank you Mary T for continuing this meme.  Check out the other fun red photos here.

Mellow Yellow

Yesterday, we were in downtown Vancouver to attend a concert.  As we got off the bus, it started to snow.  We ducked into shelter - upstairs in a Red Robin for lunch - and looked out...

It was so warm  inside the stores with lighted Christmas displays to entice the shoppers.

For more warming yellows, visit Drowsy Monkey here.  You can visit all the players, or better, post some yellow, too.

Sunday Wonders - M

M is for Manufactured - literally, made by hand.  OK, OK, I know I'm reaching here but I really wanted to share this beautiful little birdhouse.

Made by Anne's brother, it just arrived in the mail a couple of days ago.  We decided to install it right away because we read that chickadees will roost in a birdhouse over the winter. 

It is so wonderful to look at - and touch.  The pine boards are smooth and straight.  It has a very nice metal roof which will keep the rain out.  The perch is a piece of tamarack and is definitely eye candy for us humans.  I don't know if it adds to the real estate value for a bird.

There is also history in the decoration.  These are RAF wings from their father's WW2 uniform.  Maybe they will be an added inspiration to the chickadees?

There is one bird who will not be using this house...our flightless jaybird.  Made from unpeeled birch branches, he sits forever on his kiester.  I think his big feet - and small wings - keep him grounded.

Oh, that white stuff is our wee skiff of snow.  More like a heavy frost.  I think the house is here in the nick of time to keep the birds warm and dry.