Month: November 2019

Autumn · beloved · Dull November · home · Indigo day · Seeking Sabbath

The season of Advent

A spirit of simplicity2 Comments

O Tannenbaum

I like to have a day or two with nothing but lights on the Christmas tree. It’so quiet and calm. Seeing the simplicity of only lights on the tree seems a peaceful and prayerful way for me to center the love of Christ in my heart for the coming season.

This year I have decided to take a prayer walk down the street to the harbour each day of Advent and concentrate my steps and my prayers on how I can serve- asking the Lord to open my heart and help me to discern what the people I love need.

My grandson, Verne, will be here later this morning to help with the tree decorating.

Our hearts are equally excited to be able to share this time with one another.

Home and garden Thursday

Make it pretty Monday

Autumn · beloved · Dull November · Green day · home · Hopie

Family Friday

A spirit of simplicity4 Comments

I’ve been quite ill this week. I was at the doctors on Monday and havn’t been to work at all. I’ve been pushing antibiotics, cough syrup, and advil two or three times a day and napping quite often. I think I may have even given the cat a run for his money. I am feeling much better now though. I seem to have broken through it all on Thanksgiving morning.

I popped out on Wednesday to pick up a few last minute items for Thanksgiving and noticed that these pillows were arranged with my initials…almost as if they knew I was coming.

I spent most of Wednesday making the pies. We had an upstairs/downstairs Thanksgiving this year. My mum is in the apartment on the first floor and she did the dinner. We are in the apartment on the second floor and we did appetizers and desserts.

My sister gave me a clock that plays Christmas songs on the hour. Everyone knows how much I love Christmas. It doesn’t play when the room is dark which gives my husband some relief. He is not quite the Christmas aficionado as I am.

Every year we gather the grandchildren together around the Thanksgiving turkey and take a picture. Now that they are adults it’s rare that they are all able to make it. This year it was my two daughters, my son-in-law, and my grandchildren. My sister’s grown children were elsewhere for Thanksgiving. It’s wonderful to be able to look back on all of those photographs! We even have some with me and my cousins from when I was a little girl!

Remember, thankful is not a destination, it’s a journey.

Friday fave fives

Autumn · beloved · Dull November · home · Orange day

Thanksgiving

A spirit of simplicity4 Comments

Early morning sunlight at the kitchen window

Once I read an article about a 101 year old woman whose nephew was writing her memoirs. He said that after listening to her for a while he asked, “didn’t anything bad every happen to you?” She responded almost immediately, “If it did,” she said, “I forgot about it.”

I’m often reminded of that woman’s words at this time of year. They make me pause in my mad pie making activities…I am thankful that I am allowed to make the choice of which things I choose to carry with me and which ones I choose to forget about.

A happy Thanksgiving to all.

Little things Thursday

Autumn · Dull November · kitchen rhymes

Bittersweet

A spirit of simplicity2 Comments

Once I was a girl

I would sit under a certain tree

To puzzle out my troubles

I am a woman now

There is grey in my hair that I do not wish to wash away

I hardly remember the girl who was born back then

Once I thought I could chase happiness

As if it were a destination I could arrive at

But sorrow found me

Lit a raging blaze within me

And created a bond as strong as an oak

beams of light in the forest scream down from above

I have learned to look past the blue-grey lichen covered branches

To wait for the silence in the clearings

And dance with both sorrow and joy as my partners.

The Sunday Whirl

Autumn · Dull November · home · red day

Thanksgiving prep

A spirit of simplicity4 Comments

Making the shopping list.

Pulling out the old recipes from the wooden recipe box.

We’re having an upstairs/downstairs Thanksgiving this year. Mum is doing the dinner downstairs in her apartment and I am doing appetizers and dessert upstairs in our apartment.

Both of my daughters will be there, along with Hannah’s roommate, my son-in-law, and my grandchildren. My sister and her fiancé will also be there but her grown children will be visiting their father this year. My brother and his fiancé will be here for dessert. We will have to be sure to have plenty of ice cream on hand for my brother! It’s his one weakness.

Thanksgiving has not always been my favourite holiday. This year, however, it seems so dear.

Twinkly Tuesday

Our world Tuesday

Wordless Wednesday

Pictorial Tuesday

a simple garden · Autumn · Dull November · home · Orange day · purple day

Staying home

A spirit of simplicity2 Comments

Though it’s only just November and not yet quite Thanksgiving, I have illuminated each of the windows in our flat with electric Christmas candles and one of our bedroom windows is bedecked with a felt, leaf and berry wreath. I spruced up the bed with a folkish and colourful pine tree quilt and a throw pillow for the Prince of Peace. Tucker, our cat, is resting comfortably on the freshly made bed. It’s one of his favourite cat-napping spots.

I was searching for a white poinsettia at the plant nursery and saw this bright pink variety instead. I’ve seen artificial poinsettias in all kinds of colours but this is the first time I’ve ever seen a real one in such a beautiful pink. It’s perfect for my bedside table.

I will wait till Thanksgiving weekend to grace the rest of our home for Christmas. It is my tradition to hang the greens on Black Friday. I prefer to avoid the department stores and malls at this time of year and instead concentrate on centering our home on the peace and joy that the season brings.

Please feel free to use my Mr. Linky meme to add a link to your blog. Your post can have anything to do with staying home. Perhaps you are a stay at home mum or perhaps you work full time, as I do. Your children might be sweet little toddlers, teenagers, or they may be full grown adults with children of their own as mine are. Maybe your house is big and beautiful and perfectly decorated or maybe it’s a tiny apartment like mine. Let’s stop the glorification of busy and take a moment to celebrate what contentment there is in staying home.

Make it pretty Monday

Home and garden Thursday

Autumn · beloved · Dull November · home · purple day

The turkey in us all

A spirit of simplicity1 Comment

The good

I picked up this pretty little pink poinsettia at the plant nursery last weekend.

I love this time of year….this whole holiday season.

The fun

This is from a Thanksgiving 7 or 8 years ago at my mum’s house. She likes to get a picture of all the grandchildren around the turkey. It’s been a long time now since all of them have been together like this. One year only my daughter, Hannah was there. This year my sister’s children can’t make it and only my daughters will be there…and my grandchildren will add delight to the picture as well. This tradition started when I was a little girl and we had all of my 11 cousins together for a picture. We hated doing it back then but love to see the pictures today.

The random

I suppose he isn’t all that random at this time of year.

Still though….turkeys are such strange birds…so random looking.

The wild turkey and the black capped chickadee share the honor of the state bird in Massachusetts. This may explain, perhaps, why the people of Massachusetts are considered to have such a sarcastic and “teasing” sense of humour. There is, after all, a little turkey in us all.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

The good, the random, the fun

Autumn · beloved · Green day · Hopie · In the garden

Family Friday

A spirit of simplicity9 Comments

I picked up the Rae Dunn pot at Home Goods last week and knew right away I wanted to plant a Holly in it for my sister, whose name is Holly. I have it on my kitchen table.

I finally found some time to finish decorating the conservatory in our apartment. I got the pictures that were sitting on the floor hung up and moved a few things here and there.

Joe and I woke early on Saturday and walked over to the Driftwood for breakfast. The place has been in business for over 75 years and still serves the best breakfast around.

Pink poinsettia! I went looking for a white or red at the nursery the other day and found a bright pink one! It’s so pretty.

I saved the best for last! Wednesday night I went up to babysit for my grandchildren while my daughter and son-in-law went Christmas shopping. The baby fell asleep early so Verne and I spent some time reading by the fireside. He is such a delight to be with.

Friday fave fives