The Ballet

Good Morning! It has been a very busy few days.

I don't have many pictures, but I had lots of fun. 

Our Thanksgiving was our normal quiet, I walked in the morning, and we had steaks on the grill in the afternoon. We watched the parade and did nothing! Friday and Sat back to work. The roads were ice covered from the rain the night before, so I had a slow start, but I got in and decorated our store window. It came out pretty good and then Saturday I decorated the ice cream store next to me window.

Sunday bright and early I headed to my daughter's for a day of shopping, and the nutcracker ballet. My grand is going on toe shoes this year and she had never seen professional dancers perform the nutcracker. This was in Portland Maine and what a fantastic job! On the walk out of the theater my daughter was talking to a woman who had been to Boston, and she said this was a better performance of it, yikes! But that made me happy. We had just the most special day.  spending the day with them is the most special gift. When we got back to my daughter's house my grand talked on the phone to her grandfather for a long time about her day. 

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Today I am pulling out my Christmas things and starting to decorate.

My daughter has her house looking so festive it gave the boost to get some things out. 

Have a great day!

 

Joy and Peace

Our weather has been cold and very windy.

This is not a great picture but the brook I walk by is starting to freeze.

We got stickers for our big window no bird hits so far. 

The bird whisper (my husband) saved that bird we thought that was dead from hitting the window. He wrapped it in some cotton rag we had and tucked it in a little space out of the wind and cold and the next day gone. And no sign of something getting it. 

Still working on my Winter window for the store. I made this today.

I did fix it up a bit after this picture but oh the youtube made it look so easy. It wasn't hard but so much work!

Our beautiful mountains have taken another young life.

A young woman wanted to hike several peaks in a day she was so under prepared. The morning she headed out was very cold and gale force winds especially on the mountains. They have been searching for her for 3 days. We had black hawk helicopters circling so very sad. Our mountains are not the tallest in the world or even in the United States but because of how they are situated they have the world's worst weather. Many people have underestimated them and have paid the ultimate price. My heart goes out to her family, she would have turned 20 today. 

Happy Thanksgiving my sweet friends

may you find joy and peace.

 

Very Chilly Day

The temps never got out of the 30's and the wind is blowing.

There are pretty good gusts now and then, my morning walk was chilly, but I was dressed for it and as always, I felt good after.

This is my only thanksgiving rug and not a good one either.

I have lots of fall rugs so those will do for now. 

On a cold windy home field our Patriots just won!

Thank goodness I thought my husband would have a stroke on some of those plays lol. He was doing a lot of yelling. He had his lucky patriot's shirt on for a little insurance! 

His old high school just won their championship 49 years after his team won so it is football central around here at least the talk is. 

Part of my wool shelving just because I love looking at it....

I finally put our birdfeeder back up. Hopefully the bear is asleep and no more issues. I wondered how long it would take for them to find it again. Just a few hours, this woodpecker is a frequent visitor. 

We had a bird hit one of big windows sadly they didn't make it so I taped some old calendar pages up for now until I can get some stickies for the window. Now no birds in the feeder I just cannot win. 

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I will post again Wednesday but I am off to my hooking room to watch Christmas Vacation for the first time this year. Crazy but it makes me laugh every time. 

 

First snow

We got our first snow overnight Tuesday night into Wed. It was a slippery ride to work but the trip home was fine. And because we are going into the 20's tonight it will stick for a while anyway. 

The woodstove is happily humming along in the basement, so we are snug. 

Monday, I decided to gather greens in our woods and fill that basket I got at the dump and a long with the sheep my friend gave me it is looking festive for no money. 

Speaking of no money I found this framed watercolor at the dump this week. It is professionally framed but I do not see a signature. I like the subject, so I took it, and it now resides in our bathroom. It is probably worth crazy money and when I die my daughter will be on antiques roadshow telling them how I had over the toilet LOL!

My other two finds I will try the cookie stamp. I never have much luck with those. I washed it in very hot water and soap. And another M.C. Beaton this one is Agatha Raisin; I have seen the shows made from the books I hope I enjoy this as much a little zany. 

I have the baking bug and made some pumpkin bread. It is really the best bread! Husband loves it and he is not that fond of pumpkin.

You can find the recipe easy pumpkin bread here it makes two large loafs or I use the little pans and it will make 5 of those. The bread freezes fantastically. 

We have tickets to the Nutcracker ballet for the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Sweet B is excited we are taking the day to shop and lunch before it will be so nice to have a girls day. 

Husband and I have tickets to see a comedian the night before so lots to look forward to.

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Thank you so much for the kind words about my cousin's passing.

Her poor dear husband is struggling so much I worry for him. 

But how blessed they were to have such a wonderful love.

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Have a wonderful week!

Taking Stock

This was at daybreak on Saturday. I have chased her all summer out of my gardens but today I had my coffee and watched her wander and nibble. Just very peaceful.

This week one of my cousins passed away she was much younger than me and had a life of health issues and they had gotten worse the past few years, so it was not unexpected. 51 is much too young and it made me stop and think a lot about what I want out of the years I have left. I can sum it up as love of family and friends and peace. 

I have been following an Irish woman on Facebook who has a lot of profound things to say. Bealtaine Cottage Goddess and sadly their country seems to be going through what we are here. The link above goes her latest youtube video 

Today we were invited to Sunday dinner at my brother in law's.

boiled dinner my favorite! I volunteered to make the rolls. Well, they didn't rise, and they didn't rise I could not figure out why. I was supposed to put in a tablespoon of yeast I put a teaspoon. By the time we got home from my brother in laws the rolls were ready to be baked lol. Yes, we stopped and bought rolls on the way there. 

This should be the last Christmas I am working at the bookstore and the last time I have to come up with a Christmas themed window. I am starting with paper chain from discarded books, and I have a few other ideas I will show you when the window is done. 

I got the most wonderful box in the mail on Friday. It was from 

YaYa (Kathy) at Whispering Pines blog. I have followed her since I started blogging. As you can see, I had to try out one of the hot chocolates right away and it was delicious. The piece in the back is an oven mitt. I have been using the same Christmas oven mitt for several years each time I used I would think about replacing it. 

Does she know me or what? It was just the kindest gesture.

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Today has gotten cold and there is a report of snow by Wed. It will not stay but it is a reminder that November is not supposed to be 70 degrees. 

Have a wonderful week! 

Beaver Moon

The full Beaver Moon was up over Acorn Hollow.

I can never get a good picture of the moon. And then there was a Luna eclipse which I did not see but saw lots of beautiful pictures.

Our weather has been crazy warm 70's this time of year is crazy for us. But all good things must come to an end and yesterday we were back to normal a high of 49. Although we are going to the 60s tomorrow. Then we are going to get what is left of the storm that is hitting Florida. We can use the rain but not the winds coming with it. My roses are so happy they are still blooming! 

A trip to our local dump. I wasn't going to go with my husband, but he convinced me I may be missing out lol. So glad I did! Great baskets!

I put one right to work holding all my rolled rugs. 

Speaking of rugs, I am working on two at once. It feels like I am not making headway on either of them. But loving my witch.

My owl is a Christmas gift so I will have to show it later. 

Now that the show is done in Vermont, I can show you my dear friend's rug. How amazing is this rug!! and it is pretty good size too!

It was designed by David Galchutt It was hooked by Dayle Young Wheeler from Rutland Vermont. She did change a few things to her liking with permission from the artist. That my friends is a pirate with attitude! Hooked in #3. I swear I could stare at it for hours and find something new each time. 

So true!

Have a wonderful week and those in the storm stay safe. 

 

Day Light

I want to thank everyone who commented on my blog post about my husband. Thank you so much for the blessings and encouraging words. We are so blessed and so very thankful. 

A trip to our dump AKA recycling center. And in our dump store I found a first edition of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.  Not bad shape either!

I also found this Rosamund Pilcher. I love this author but the print in this book would do my poor eyes in. So, I think I am going to the library to see if they have a larger print copy. 

If you have followed me for any time, you know I have a thing for magazines. Those glossy pages just call to me lol. And I love Christmas so when I open our mailbox and see these, I do a little happy dance. (Better than bills)

A local bakery put out their price sheet for their baked goods for Thanksgiving. I looked at that and said a little prayer of thanks for being able to bake whatever we need yikes! I know things are so expensive and to pay the help to help bake these things is crazy money too so maybe not that far out there. But it is enough to put me off pie and that is saying something! 

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We changed the clocks and as I sit here at 4:30 PM I see hot pink streaks across the sky. We can't see the actual sunset it is behind the mountains here. That is my biggest complaint about winter. I can take the cold and snow it is the darkness. The days are so short and when I work, I feel like a vampire I never really see the day. Each day will be shorter and shorter until late Dec.

A full moon tonight I hope we can see it through the clouds!

Have a great week. 

Happy Transplant Day!

This is my husband the day he came home from having a bone marrow transplant. He had been in the hospital for a month and could not wait to get home!11 years have ticked by, and a lot of life has been lived and we are so grateful for the Dr's and his brother who saved his life. 

Blessings we have many!