I thought I would be content with my Christmas mantel throughout the duration of winter. After all, it was more wintery than Christmasy. But I felt the need to declutter and simplify the look using some of the same elements. I started with the winter print that I love so much, and worked around that. The point was to keep it simple in order to … Continue reading winter mantel
Expecting a wintry mix overnight, but hearing the sound of rain on the windows, I was surprised to wake up to a world covered in ice. Knowing that the temperatures were headed upwards to 40 degrees today, I wanted to capture this beautiful stage of weather that halted overnight between snow and rain. Winters in Ohio can be very brown, grey, and just plain drab … Continue reading fleeting beauty
I had been toying with the idea of filling all the containers I use in the summer on the deck with greens. I have a growing collection of black wrought iron baskets, plant stands, and window boxes that look so forlorn and empty now that the summer flowers are long gone. I have a variety of pines in my yard that I usually use for … Continue reading pines on the deck
Originally a Nordic tradition, Yule is the name of the old Winter Solstice festivals of Scandinavia, and other parts of Northern Europe, such as Germany. The Yule log is a specially selected log burnt on a hearth as a Christmas tradition. My Yule log was gifted to me on Christmas Eve by my brother-in-law. He had made one for their dining room table out of … Continue reading yule log
Last year I decorated a few paper mâché boxes for Christmas. Not only do they make great decorations to use around the house, but they’re perfect for packaging that special little gift. Here are a few that I made last year. Every year I buy a roll or two of wrapping paper with a brown background. I keep them in an old crock next to … Continue reading little Christmas boxes
I haven’t been doing any baking for the office lately, and with a broken bone in my right hand, I haven’t attempted making any Christmas cookies either. Most of our office works from home, but there is about a dozen of us who come into the office on a daily basis, and I wanted to do something to surprise them for Christmas. Since its getting … Continue reading a Christmas treat
Sunday was a warm day for December, and the perfect time to finish up raking leaves and redecorate the urns for Christmas. I pulled out the fall arrangement of cornstalks a few weeks ago and arranged a trio of birch logs. I follow a blog called Dirt Silver, written by Deborah Silver, a landscape and garden designer who owns Detroit Garden Works. She writes posts showing the … Continue reading christmas urns
I found this lovely picture at our large fall flea market in September, and knew instantly I wanted to decorate my fireplace mantel around it for Christmas. There was something about the picture that spoke to me and made me feel so peaceful. Snow falling and softly covering everything, always fills me with a sense of peace, especially when I don’t have to drive in … Continue reading christmas mantel
If you’re looking for a hearty winter meal, made all in one pan, and that will feed a family . . . then this is it. I found this recipe on A Family Feast blog, where there are hundreds of delicious looking meals, all in one convenient place. This recipe is found under the “Easy Meals” tab, and is called “One Pot Tex-Mex Pasta”. Not only will … Continue reading an easy one pot meal
Last summer, we had a doe and her twin fawns that lived in the neighbor’s yard while they were on vacation for a month. During that time the mother taught her fawns to jump chain link fences and travel the neighborhood. It wasn’t unusual to see them strolling down the sidewalks at any given time of day. Fast speed to this winter, and the fawns … Continue reading oh deer
in my spare time 