Christmas Greetings again

I donned my Christmas hat for Midnight Mass

This is a Tracey Tooker original dating back to 1992.

I love this hat. A lady on Madison Avenue once told me it was a happy hat.

I agree; it makes me happy every time I wear it.

It has wonderful memories too;

I bought it with the profits of mrr design after my first year of business.

Giant poppies, a velvet ribbon, and navy,

just perfect for me.

While I receive compliments from outsiders,

not too many folks within the family fold are keen on the hat.

but that doesn't deter me.

Here, here for being me!

Christmas Day 2010 Greetings from my house to yours

I have taken this straight from the Writer's Almanac - because it is spot on:

Novelist Oren Arnold had the following Christmas gift suggestions: "To your enemy, forgiveness. To an opponent, tolerance. To a friend, your heart. To a customer, service. To all, charity. To every child, a good example.

To yourself, respect."

With all my good wishes for a wonderful Christmas and if you do not celebrate this holiday, a peaceful day. Thank you for visiting the blog.

Peace and happiness to everyone who is reading.

xo Marnie

Christmas Eve 2010

Variations on the

CRÈCHE

Somewhere in Rhode Island. Photographed by Dominique Browning from Slow Love Life

I would have stopped in my tracks too if I drove by this creche.

Makes you think.

Traditional, I have forgotten where I found this image.

Sweet, as seen on Inchmark Journal

Whimsical, as seen on Chance

designed by comic strip artist Massimo Giacon for Italian design house Alessi.

Simple and beautiful from Switzerland.

A friend gave this creche in a log to me last year.

It is a 3-d puzzle piece - the pieces push out for a wonderful effect.

And finally, the creche from my youth.

I love this not only because it is beautiful but because of the family associations.

It fills me with joy when I set it up each year with Miss Is.

And for an extra treat, you can wind up the music box

and hear lovely Christmas music

Oh Come All Ye Faithful

&

Silent Night

Another good poem to read and reflect upon this Thanksgiving weekend.

Thanksgiving

WE walk on starry fields of white
And do not see the daisies;
For blessings common in our sight
We rarely offer praises.
We sigh for some supreme delight
To crown our lives with splendor,
And quite ignore our daily store
Of pleasures sweet and tender.

Our cares are bold and push their way
Upon our thought and feeling.
They hang about us all the day,
Our time from pleasure stealing.
So unobtrusive many a joy
We pass by and forget it,
But worry strives to own our lives
And conquers if we let it.

There's not a day in all the year
But holds some hidden pleasure,
And looking back, joys oft appear
To brim the past's wide measure.
But blessings are like friends, I hold,
Who love and labor near us.
We out to raise our notes of praise
While living hearts can hear us.

Full many a blessing wears the guise
Of worry or of trouble.
Farseeing is the soul and wise
Who knows the mask is double.
But he who has the faith and strength
To thank his God for sorrow
Has found a joy without alloy
To gladden every morrow.

We ought to make the moments notes
Of happy, glad Thanksgiving;
The hours and days a silent phrase
Of music we are living.
And so the theme should swell and grow
As weeks and months pass o'er us,
And rise sublime at this good time,
A grand Thanksgiving chorus.

Ella Wheeler Wilcox

gratitude

blessings

sharing

loving

mindful

listening

thanksgiving

the old family bird

from the table of my youth. makes me smile every year.

The Pumpkin

OH, greenly and fair in the lands of the sun,
The vines of the gourd and the rich melon run,
And the rock and the tree and the cottage enfold,
With broad leaves all greenness and blossoms all gold,
Like that which o'er Nineveh's prophet once grew,
While he waited to know that his warning was true,
And longed for the storm-cloud, and listened in vain
For the rush of the whirlwind and red fire-rain.

On the banks of the Xenil the dark Spanish maiden
Comes up with the fruit of the tangled vine laden;
And the Creole of Cuba laughs out to behold
Through orange-leaves shining the broad spheres of gold;
Yet with dearer delight from his home in the North,
On the fields of his harvest the Yankee looks forth,
Where crook-necks are coiling and yellow fruit shines,
And the sun of September melts down on his vines.

Ah! on Thanksgiving day, when from East and from West,
From North and from South come the pilgrim and guest,
When the gray-haired New Englander sees round his board
The old broken links of affection restored,
When the care-wearied man seeks his mother once more,
And the worn matron smiles where the girl smiled before,
What moistens the lip and what brightens the eye?
What calls back the past, like the rich Pumpkin pie?

Oh, fruit loved of boyhood! the old days recalling,
When wood-grapes were purpling and brown nuts were falling!
When wild, ugly faces we carved in its skin,
Glaring out through the dark with a candle within!
When we laughed round the corn-heap, with hearts all in tune,
Our chair a broad pumpkin,—our lantern the moon,
Telling tales of the fairy who travelled like steam,
In a pumpkin-shell coach, with two rats for her team!

Then thanks for thy present! none sweeter or better
E'er smoked from an oven or circled a platter!
Fairer hands never wrought at a pastry more fine,
Brighter eyes never watched o'er its baking, than thine!
And the prayer, which my mouth is too full to express,
Swells my heart that thy shadow may never be less,
That the days of thy lot may be lengthened below,
And the fame of thy worth like a pumpkin-vine grow,
And thy life be as sweet, and its last sunset sky
Golden-tinted and fair as thy own Pumpkin pie!

John Greenleaf Whittier

happy 4th of july

this photo was taken on June 12, 2010

on the occasion of the 350th birthday

of Hopkins School in New Haven, CT

miss is' alma mater for 3 weeks!

dads

A sweet candid shot of daughter and dad

(dh as he is known to me)

at miss is' graduation last week

and a "smile for the camera" shot

My father and some of his brood

daughters, granddaughters and one son-in-law

Here we are celebrating Dad's 81st birthday

after a tennis match

Granddaughter JM smashed the competition.

DREAMS

by Langston Hughes

Hold fast to dreams

For if dreams die

Life is a broken-winged bird

That cannot fly.

Hold fast to dreams

For when dreams go

Life is a barren field

Frozen with snow.

-------------------------

And to my dear miss is

on the day of your commencement

well done

we are so proud of you

xo m

off you go - enjoy the ride - we love you!

xo

summertime

the livin' is easy

enjoy your memorial day weekend

stars and stripes

parades

and

hot dogs

and

ice cream cones

I like flowers and I like cake

and I cannot believe this blog is two years old.

enjoy this gorgeous weekend

and have a wonderful Easter if it is your celebration

otherwise, happy spring from my house to yours

free-form clover

Happy St. Patrick's day

May the luck of the Irish be with you.

Amen.

In honor of the 2010 WinterOlympics

Fun frame with ski resort euro stickers

A customer just purchased this frame

for a friend who lent them their ski house.

We have certainly had enough snow and cold weather

for good skiing.

The wind came roaring down from the north

and the snow flew.

It looks so beautiful now.

Nothing better than a white Christmas.

Christmas greetings from my house to yours.

I have been so busy that I did not get my decorations up until last Saturday.

I knew I had to rush before the storm.

Phew.

Finally finished my last order and just in the nick of time.

I felt like an elf in the workshop.

Here are some happy helpers (miss is and dh).

This order made me smile as I worked.

A young girl I know will find this 24" x 48" memento board

under the tree on Christmas morning.

It was designed to display her horse show ribbons.

She will be able to hang the ribbons from any square.

No more help from Mama to arrange the ribbons.

I hope to get a photo in situ after Christmas.

Another view to give you some perspective.

Then I began my own orders

of bon-bon tea cakes,

my signature cookie,

to be sent to lots of people I know.

Good morning sunshine

from my house to yours

and Happy Birthday America!

beautiful gardenia

bonus flower that miss is received from her prom date.

the fragrance is heavenly

and still wafting through the house.

the couple looked gorgeous

and had so much fun.

How about this for a special cake for a baby shower!

I heard it tasted delicious.

Baby boy arrived 10 days ago,

following the pup who arrived last October.

and here is beautiful baby Sam

Precious!

Last week I told you about my father's 80th birthday.

Here is granddaughter S reading a poem written by daughters P & B.

And Dad having a grand time with my sister P, hostess of the evening.

Thanks P & T - it was a wonderful party.

A corner view.

A few of the grandchildren all grown-up.

And a look back at the grandchildren at the 70th birthday party.

Looks like they were having fun.

And even as teenagers they still had fun at Grampa's party.

The 70th birthday poem with moi and miss is.

And here is the scrapbook preparation -

man there were a lot of pictures

but it came out great

and everyone had fun looking at all the old pics.

Today is my father's 80th birthday

Happy Birthday Dad!

xoxo 

 Dad and Grandchildren at his 70th celebration

He loves books.

Dad is an historian and retired professor.

When he moved from his house to an apartment last year

there were 5,000 books!

He kept 1,000 and we donated the rest to Got Books?

a fun photo of Grampa with his Grandchildren

on Christmas a few years back

and Dad with almost the whole family 

and don't forget

The last Friday of the month is

Pursuit of Happiness Day

jump over to the NYT 

to enjoy Maira Kalman's blog

here is a teaser...