Welcome Winter

It's hard to believe but, as I write this post, it's the first day of winter
and we FINALLY have snow! 

Perfect timing, right?

Although it's only a couple of inches, this fluffy coating of white 

transforms the garden into a frosty wintry scene.

Inside the house, I use a lot of white in my decor. 

Maybe that's why I love the look of the first snow
before it gets all dirty and sloppy.

Roxy loves it too
or maybe she's just keeping an eye on that sneaky mailman!

It's been so dry this year, even the ski resorts have been hurting. 

Some of them have delayed their openings due to lack of snow. 

Of course, our mountains are getting a lot more snow from this storm
than we are in the city so hopefully the skiers are happy.

(photo Vail Resort)

Back to the winter garden, the white stuff makes even simple things beautiful.

And magical.

Now, as the snow floats through the crisp air, it's quiet and peaceful. 

Construction on a nearby house has stopped and traffic on our slippery street has slowed down. 

I could get used to this. 

I only hear the scraping sounds of people shoveling snow from their sidewalks 

and a few Canada geese headed out of town overhead. 

The weather forecasters say temperatures will stay in the teens and low 20s 

so we're hoping the snow will stick around these next few days.

Weather Update:  Yes! We had more snow over the weekend
and a white Christmas!

I've never seen Roxy more excited!
Presents!
Christmas chaos!

We wish you all a very Happy and Peaceful New Year.

***

Merry Christmas and a Return to the Titanic

A short note to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas! 

I hope your holidays are filled with joy and special traditions 

that will become cherished memories. 

As this year is the 20th anniversary of the premiere of the movie Titanic, 

I thought it would be fun to re-post my story about Molly Brown's house. 

So, if you haven't read it or want to revisit it again, here's a link. Enjoy!

Touring Molly Brown's House - It's Unsinkable!

If you're a Titanic movie fan, there is a fascinating special on the National Geographic channel
(on demand) called "Titanic 20 Years" that I think you'd enjoy.

Merry Christmas to all my Blogger Friends!!! 
Pat

A Christmas Night to Remember

On a mild December evening with an enormous supermoon lighting our way, 

Ron and I took our little dog, Roxy, for a walk in our neighborhood.  

The houses on our street glittered and created a festive holiday feeling. 

As we enjoyed the Christmas lights, we shared our childhood Christmas memories.

Ron and I both remembered the family piling into the car 

to drive to the "ritzy" part of town to view the lights, 

oohing and ahhing as if they were fireworks. 

Compared to the intricate displays today, they probably weren't all that amazing 

but to us, they were magical.

Today we keep our lights pretty simple with a string of twinkly lights on our fence. 

I also remembered the arrival of our Christmas tree every Christmas Eve. 

It was a family tradition to wait until the night before Christmas to decorate our tree. 

Dad would drive down to the corner gas station and buy a tree. 

Then, pushing and pulling it through our front door, we'd set it in its metal holder, 

turning it this way and that until it looked its best or at least straight.

Ron said he remembered how the tree lot smelled. 

Growing up in Oklahoma where there weren't any pine trees, 

he thought the smell of fresh pine was different and wonderful.

He also mentioned those Christmas novelty songs they played on the radio. 

I remember them too especially that Chipmunk song (Alvin!) that they played over and over, 

no doubt driving our poor parents crazy. 

Do you remember those strings of different-colored lights 

when if one light went out, the whole string died?

And carefully placing each individual aluminum icicle on the tree? 

Time consuming but definitely worth it.

After the tree was decorated, Mom would sing Silent Night in her clear deep voice 

and my sister and I would go upstairs to bed while Mom and Dad 

brought our presents out from their hiding places to put under the tree. 

It was hard to go to sleep when we kept hearing noises that sounded like reindeer on our roof.

Here's a picture of me (left) and my sister with Santa in the 1950s
about to give him our wish lists.
I never did get that pony!

Christmas morning we waited impatiently for our grandparents to arrive so we could tear open 

the wrapping paper on our presents. I remember a slinky, play dough, and a battery-operated bear 

that drank a bottle of Pepsi. (I see those in antique stores now!) 

Santa always brought my sister and me matching PJs. 

Ron loved his model airplane kits, Lincoln Logs and little soldiers.

Seems Christmas then was more simple and less stressful than it is today. 

It was about family and tradition and cherished small town memories that we still hold dear.

I'd love to hear about your treasured childhood Christmas memories.

We wish you a very Merry Christmas and a peaceful New Year!

***

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Linking with:
Shabby Art Boutique, Blue Willow House, Little Farmstead, Dwellings, The Dedicated House,
Between Naps on the Porch, Coastal Charm, Stone Gable, A Stroll Thru Life,
Savvy Southern Style, A Delightsome Life, Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson,
21 Rosemary Lane, Petite Haus, French Country Cottage

A French Country Christmas Living Room

In my last post I'd decided not to have a tree this Christmas. Wait! What?
(If you missed that post, you can read it by clicking this link.)

A French Country Christmas Dining Room

Instead, I thought I'd decorate my living and dining rooms with vintage pieces,
while giving these rooms a little French Country flair.

So, let's start in the foyer. 

Welcome to my French Country Christmas!

This old nativity scene is actually Italian so it has that European feel.
I love the blue and red together.
The angel wreath always hung in my mother's kitchen window when I was growing up

and my sister hand painted the three sheep.

Come on in to the living room.

The mantel is always the focal point in holiday decor.
I love to use lots of candles and a few bottlebrush trees.

Cozy up to the fireplace.
An ironstone pitcher holds a stash of white candles on the console table behind the couch. 

A few baubles on a vintage wire tree and a candle bring sparkle to the living room . . .

and a French market basket, filled with holiday goodies, adds a bit of French soul.

An urn laden with holly, pine cones and antlers is a simple natural touch,
an important element in French Country design. 

Of course, I think everyone should decorate with whatever makes them happy.
But I've decided I'm content with how our house looks this year (without a tree).

So enjoyed hearing all your comments and I wish you a very Merry Christmas!

***

If you enjoyed your visit, I hope you'll follow me by email.
Just subscribe (it's FREE) in the upper right column of this page.
You can also follow my Pinterest boards to see all my favorite photos.
Thank you!

***

Linking with:
Shabby Art Boutique, Blue Willow House, Little Farmstead, Dwellings, The Dedicated House,
Between Naps on the Porch , Coastal Charm, Stone Gable, A Stroll Thru Life,
Savvy Southern Style, Designthusiasm, A Delightsome Life, Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson,
21 Rosemary Lane, Petite Haus, French Country Cottage

A French Country Christmas Dining Room

"What do you mean you aren't going to put up a Christmas tree?"

That's what my friends said when I told them I was not going to have a tree this year. 

I planned on just decorating our small living and dining room space
in a simple French Country feel. 

I wasn't sure I'd stick to it but, since I'm trying to simplify my life, I wanted to attempt it. 

I could always put a tree up later if I really missed it. 

Besides, I had some nice vintage decorations that I thought would be just as festive.

This white bird has always perched on top of our Christmas tree 

so I wanted to give it a special spot, here atop my antique mirror.

Here's a wide shot of the old farmhouse mantel trimmed out for the holidays.

The silver bells, tied with a red ribbon bow, are Ron's. His mother gave him one each year 

at Christmas, engraved with the date. Now, they're a special feature of our holiday decor.

A simple natural centerpiece on the dining table grounds this small room 

with a bit of bling and candlelight. The vintage silver tray sits on an old grain sack. 

Bringing the outdoors in with this metal patio lantern and some greenery
is a nod to a French Country feel. 

I found two of these gorgeous wire urns at a yard sale last summer. 

I switched out the red geraniums for a collection of teddy bears in each one. 

Ron points out that OU's football team is in first place!

Adding a few bottle brush trees in front of this antique medicine cabinet is a simple vintage touch.

I thought I was almost finished decorating when I remembered the vintage sled 

I found at an estate sale last summer that was somewhere in the attic. 

Once I found it, I propped it against the farmhouse mantel and tied a small wreath on it. 

Isn't it a beauty?

This paper house looks welcoming at night, casting a warm glow on a stack of ironstone plates. 

With all these charming holiday decorations, I'm really not missing a Christmas tree this year.
Do you have a tree(s) this year?

I hope you come back next week to see my French Country Christmas living room/foyer.

Will there be a tree in that room? We'll see.

Happy December!

***

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Just subscribe (it's FREE) in the upper right column of this page.

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Thank you!!

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Linking with:
Shabby Art Boutique, Blue Willow House, Little Farmstead, Dwellings, The Dedicated House,
Between Naps on the Porch, Coastal Charm, Stone Gable, A Stroll Thru Life,
Savvy Southern Style, A Delightsome Life, Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson,
21 Rosemary Lane, Petite Haus,French Country Cottage, Designthusiasm

A Day of Small Things

Happy Thanksgiving!
What makes me grateful this Thanksgiving day -- a day we set aside
to reflect on our blessings and say what we are thankful for?
For me, it's the small things. 

I wake up slowly as weak November sunlight peaks through the bedroom's linen curtains.  

I am most thankful for this easy early morning time since retiring. 

No more blaring alarm clocks to shatter my dreams. 

Only a little white dog belly-crawling up through the blankets to lick me awake with wet dog kissies.

Having time to leisurely enjoy a hot cup of coffee while browsing through a favorite magazine
makes me happy. I've always loved reading magazines to start my day. 

I even have time to grind fresh coffee beans -- what a difference from the weak coffee machine
in the employee lounge. Ahh. Retirement. Yes, definitely thankful for that.

How to spend my day, this special day of gratitude? 

Here in Denver, we have a traditional Thanksgiving race called the Turkey Trot
where everyone runs around Washington Park before the big holiday dinner.
Calorie burning in advance of the feast.

We cheer the racers on and enjoy their creative costumes.

Walking home, we smell fireplaces burning in the crisp air. Gray smoke curls up into the 

darkening sky. Inside, our gas fireplace provides warmth, convenience and a cozy feel.

Thanksgiving dinner is a simple affair. 

As a vegetarian, I try a new pasta recipe and Ron makes pumpkin pies, my favorite. 

This is one day when we actually use our dining table to eat on. 

I appreciate all the holiday touches and wonder why we don't do this more often.

Time to nest. This holiday gives me time to think about the onset of winter.
Moving indoors, re-reading a favorite book or watching old black and white movies.

Turning inward as the days grow shorter and the light slants low through my windows.

Christmas is tapping on my door.
Soon I will get out our holiday decorations and, this year, I vow to keep it simple.
Okay, more simple than last year. 

Evening is a time for quiet reflection and remembering Thanksgivings past. 

I miss my family and friends who have moved on.

I'm thankful for the good man and my little dog who share my life. 

As this day ends, we watch a gorgeous sunset over the mountains and count our blessings.

The Denver Post, our first newspaper, proudly proclaimed as its slogan in 1859: 

"Tis' a blessing to live in Colorado." 

Got that right! So much to be thankful for on this day of small things.

***

If you enjoyed your visit, I hope you'll follow me by email.
Just subscribe (it's FREE) in the upper right column of this page.
You can also follow my Pinterest boards to see all my favorite photos.
Thank you!!

***

Linking with:
Shabby Art Boutique, Blue Willow House, Little Farmstead, Dwellings, The Dedicated House,
Between Naps on the Porch, Coastal Charm, Stone Gable, A Stroll Thru Life,
Savvy Southern Style,Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson, 21 Rosemary Lane, Petite Haus,
French Country Cottage