IT IS BEGINNING TO LOOK...

 

FYI:

 In an earlier post I showed you

 some beautiful berries 

I had picked from the garden 

and included in an arrangement in the entry. 

 While preparing this post

 I found out from

 "The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady" (picture above)

 that they are from the Privet plant

 and are toxic to animals and humans.

 Just a reminder that 

even the beautiful things in life are sometimes suspect 

and not always as perfect as they may seem.

 

Even though 

it is still 24 hours away from 

the first of December...

...let me introduce you to

 the most wonderful time of the year. 

 I hope you all celebrated 

the most wonderful Thanksgiving 

and are beginning to feel 

the spirit of Christmas.

 It isn't exactly

 beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here 

but it is beginning to look a little like it.

I wanted to thank you all

 for your nice words about 

my Christmas Pasts.

The years are going by so quickly 

that some of it seemed like it happened yesterday.  

Surely, that jolly little man 

just slid down 

the chimney last week.

I am happy to report

 that it is still happening, 

thank you very much,

 but apparently at a much slower pace!

Believe it or not, 

I haven't gotten the boxes 

out of storage yet. 

 I am just playing around here

 with things on hand 

that either didn't get put away last year

 or are some new purchases.

There is still garlands and greens

 to drag out 

and, evidently, I always start with 

those things first

 because it is really hard for me to think of how I want things without them...

Right now, 

the only access to real greens

 is a beautiful little cedar tree, 

growing up between the rosemary, 

that I have been babying all year long.

 There has been many a close call 

with Captain ScissorHands 

but so far it has survived. 

 I will be poking some of it

 into small nooks and crannies 

but don't want to pick it too early.

  I am debating if I want to spend $25 

for a small tree from a lot

 to cut up for greens.

That is why 

you are only seeing 

a few snippets this time. 

 Wouldn't want to spoil the full on effect!

This is a little bisque house

 that Tami gave me many years ago. 

 The roof comes off and it will hold 

a tiny candle or some special keepsake.

  I have always displayed it in the guest room

 but this year I decided 

to make it over into...

,,,a tiny and cozy little gingerbread cottage, 

comforting with warm light 

spilling out of its little windows 

and snow on its roof top.

This birdhouse has been sitting

 in the Secret Garden awhile 

and I decided that the time had come

 for a renovation 

and I almost forgot to take a picture before I started painting it..

...now some birdies can live there 

if they want to 

but it might have a Hansel and Gretel vibe, 

so they might want to

 rethink their decision 

and find another home. 

 For now, 

a little vintage candle choir,

 led by Santa, 

is singing its praises.

It is the most wonderful time of the year 

and a bite of apple pie

 might be in the cards 

for all the good little boys and girls.

You could make a game out of all this 

and try to guess 

what the big picture will look like...

...but even I don't know at this point, 

so guess I better get 

to unpacking some boxes...

...because

 there are still a lot of loose ends

 and bows to tie up.

I wish you all 

days of comfort and joy 

as you prepare for this holiday season.

Until next week...

...Judy...

Sharing today with:

Love Your Creativity at Life and Linda

CHRISTMAS PASTS 2...

The kids came up on the 21st 

and we had a wonderful time. 

 It was short and sweet 

as they had to go right back home 

but it was all worth it. 

 These days, any time spent together

 is such a glorious treat.  

We had a good meal,

 celebrated Jake's birthday,

 got to see Jacenda's ring 

for the first time in person 

and got to meet our fur great grand baby all at once...

...she is adorable,
 a great delight, super smart,
 and displayed such good manners. 

Her mom and dad had a

 different story to tell

 but at great-grandma's house

 she was on her best behavior.

She took a sunbath...

...and went for a walk

through the autumn leaves.

Kisses were exchanged between cousins,
 but the other cousin (Robin) 
wanted nothing to do with Bean
 and, for sure, didn't want her around me! 
 Kai was infatuated with her 

and wanted to be by her side at all times.

My Great Grandmother's quilt

Before we jump right into the past time,

 I want to show you my 

latest effort in the quilt block saga. 

 I really don't know why I have become so

 fascinated with  quilts lately 
but, for some unknown reason, I have.  

I only own two old quilts. 

 One was done

 by my great grandmother's hand

 and one I bought at an antique shop.

  The only value 

that they have is sentimental, 

especially the one 

from my great grandmother. 

 I have never made a quilt

 in the way that they are 

supposed to be made.  

When the kids were little

 I made them each a "quilt" 

that consisted of 

two pieces of fabric

 with a layer of batting

 between the pieces and then

I tied them all together with yarn. 

 Cute but nowhere in competition

 of any quilt. 

 A funny story regarding 

one of those quilts:

Our son sucked his thumb 

and used his quilt as a security blanket

 at the same time. 

 He drug it every place and called it his noni.

  It was always dirty 

but it was a great loss for him to be without it so I devised a scheme. 

 I cut the quilt in pieces 

so that he could have

 a clean piece at all times.

  Over time, the pieces became so worn that, one by one, they were thrown out. 

 When he was down to the last piece, 

he let it go out the car window 

while driving down the freeway.  

All I could hear from the back seat 

was a teary little voice saying, 
"my noni, my noni"
 and that was the end of that. 

 I wanted something to do one day

 that involved painting 

and I think I thought that quilt blocks

 would be an easy 

and fast fun thing to do.  

They are harder to do (at least for me) than they look

 but I was hooked.  

So here is my latest endeavor

 and how it began:

I bought this picture a few years back 

but, unfortunately,

 it didn't seem to fit in anyplace 

and was not really pleasing to the eye. 

 It was three feet long

 and just a bunch of Ball jars in a line. 

 So as the saying goes,

 when you are given lemons,

 make lemonade and  

I turned it into something else. 

 I ordered a special stencil 

and this is what I came up with:

I am really pleased with it.

  I thought I should have made 

the quilt ends a little smaller 

but after looking at it for awhile,

 it has grown on me. 

 Now it is doing more

 that just sitting in a corner gathering dust.

Now here is the rest of

 Christmas Pasts 

that I promised you.

Before I close, 

I would like to share with you 

something that someone sent to me:

"Judy, thank you for a peek into your wonderful world.  There is peace, tranquility and a feeling of safety that all of us look for in today's world but rarely find.  There's a look of the late 1800s but the feel of the safety of the 1950s.  It's good that you've found a way to communicate with people on a level we all can enjoy, recognize and feel comfortable with.  Thanks again for giving us all a little place to come to when things get ugly or unacceptable."

I certainly felt blessed 

when I read this. 

 Thank you so much.

 

 This is the time of year 

for thanksgiving and gratitude

 and I hope you all know 

that the words above

 are exactly what I hope

 that you will take away 

when you read my blog.

  

What these special people in my life said,

 and so much better than I ever could,

 is how I feel about

 each and every one of you 

and how much I appreciate

 all your kindness, your good thoughts and your friendship.

Have a wonderful 

and blessed Thanksgiving.

...Judy...

Happy Birthday, dear Jake. 

 We love you to the moon.

Sharing today with:

Love Your Creativity at Life and Linda