Settling In For Winter

Winter Journal

"We have had a lovely day. 

All the trees were covered with ice,

and it shone like diamonds or

fairy palaces," wrote 

Louisa May Alcott in her 

girlhood diary.

A cup of tea, a warm woolen

throw and an arm full of

old Victoria magazines.....sigh...

settling in for a cold winter day.

Blessings....Dee Dee

My New Year's Resolution And Why

I'll blame it on "Pinterest"....well,

my search there, got me started, anyway.

I wanted to make deserts for 

Christmas, that were scrumptious

and delicious.  I found recipes that were

tried and proven ..... "pecan balls" and "fudge."

Having bought a two pound bag of 

pecans from Sam's Club......I  

doubled  the amount of nuts

called for in each recipe.

Not only did they taste good, when

served, they made a mighty nice 

presentation.

Having said...... 

this sort of eating behavior, has to stop!!

The last of these goodies will be served

on the desert plates, at our traditional

New Year's dinner.  

Which brings me to the subject of

my New Year's resolution.

Can I just say DIET? and 

now you know WHY!!!

My New Years resolution is.....

"I will stay away from sugar, 

and carbohydrates, 

and eat lots of healthy foods.

My deserts will all be similar to this

crisp organic apple."

Sigh.......

Have a beautiful Lord's day, everyone.  Dee Dee

Right On Schedule

It's as though they have a built

in time clock.  Each year, my

Camellia plant begins producing

buds toward the end of November.

One or two blooms appeared

earlier in December, then finally

during Christmas week, something

magical happened.

Enjoying this beautiful time of year, and

wishing sweet weekend blessings for all.....Dee Dee

A December Sunset

We put the new camera to the test late

this afternoon.  Hard to believe the sun sets

around 5:30 pm these days, ....but it does. 

Lots of folks parking along the causeway,

with us. A sign of the times, I suppose,

 as many were using their Smart phones to 

capture the sun's amazing images.

"Oh, what a beautiful thing just happened!"

Blessings..... Dee Dee

click on photo to enlarge

Our New Camera

Images, found on my desk, and taken

with our new camera......

It arrived today. 

 Had we not been expecting a package,

all might have led to disaster. The Postman had placed

our Christmas gift to one another, outside the

cottage door, in a cold, winter, blowing rain. 

It was,  thankfully, seen and rescued by the Mister, 

just in a nick of time.

Nothing, however, 

could or would deter our joy at the

arrival of our new camera.  We opened

the box together, the Mister more anxious than me.

He had been, after all, the one to shop online

for a camera.....and he will be the one to

study and learn about all the 

"bells and whistles."

 Wishing you happiness!  Dee Dee 

Love And Joy Came To Us

Christmas night.....finds me relaxing at home with the Mister. 

We've been recalling all of today's magical moments.

May your days be merry and bright....Dee Dee

Adoration Of The Magi

~Bassano Francesco

Have a blessed Christmas Day,

dear family and friends.....Dee Dee

A Christmas Week Visitor

We've had the doors to the cottage

open today.  Although a bit chilly,

it was nice.  I love the cooler weather,

and besides, it feels more like Christmas.

Having said.....the doors open are allowing

outdoor sounds to be heard more clearly.

Such was the case for the Blue Jay

family making all sorts of commotion.

This fine fellow was looking at me

in a most perplexing sort of way. 

Perhaps he was born in the garden....

back in the spring.

I walked slowing and quietly beneath

the branches.....

hoping he might hop to another

branch, allowing for a nicer image.......

....but no such luck, our Christmas week

visitor was content to sit  in this location. 

Noticing the tiny berries

the tree is producing, revealed to me why

exactly we've  had so many wild birds to our garden lately.

Have a blessed Lord's day.  Dee Dee

click on images to enlarge

Christmas On Honeymoon Island

The weather has changed and

just in time for Christmas. We 

were blessed today with beautiful 

sunshine and cold winter breezes.

Having donned our jackets

 and scarves, the

Mister and I drove out to 

 Honeymoon Island.

I wanted to see how "Mother Nature" 

had decorated the island for Christmas.

Winter on the island is quite beautiful

in so many ways.  

I noticed the evergreen trees today,

more than ever before.

One hour before sunset, the lighting

made for some very pretty images.

Palm trees grow all over the 

 island. Fortunately for me, 

groupings of evergreens grow

there as well.

I love the combination 

pine and cedar trees.

Strong winds blowing......made

for rattling palm fronds and

bushy pine needles swaying 

back and forth in perfect unison.

I wonder how long this cedar

tree has withstood the hot

Florida sun, the salt water 

breezes and hurricanes. It is

a grand ole' survivor, indeed.

"Oh Christmas tree,

how lovely are your branches."

I brought home a few stems

of cedar....placed them in a glass jar

tied about with a rag bow. The fragrance is

delightful and I'm quite pleased.

Mother Nature, it seems, is

quite remarkable!  

Warm Winter Blessings.....Dee Dee

click on images to enlarge

Christmas Candy Making And Baking Ritual

Pretzels covered in white chocolate

and dipped in crushed peppermint....

Yes, the preparations had gone according to my plans.

Now, the candy lay conspicuously and deliciously 

on the kitchen counter, for all to see.

The moment of truth arrived as the Mister

 obliged in a taste test.  Oh joy!

What cook has not delighted in that  look of 

appreciation and approval on the face of her beloved?

They were already bagged and readied to hand out,

when we had the sweetest of visitors. 

 Wee new grandchild Violet,

cooed and smiled as her mother sampled

the Christmas confections.

There was more approval and appreciation

and I delighted once again as they left

with containers of candies.

Yes, today was the beginning of my

traditional candy making and baking ritual. 

I'll be making deliveries to our church on

Christmas Eve.... to several of our friends 

that will be alone during the holidays. 

Christmas is a time of family, a time of giving....

a time of hope and a time of joy.

Joyous blessings.....Dee Dee

click on images to enlarge

Porcelain Doll Repaired

Young granddaughter was showing me

her room.  Her bookshelf is filled with

 favorite books for her, all having stories 

that generate conversation between us.

 I'm impressed with the American Girl series,

being read by her generation 

of young ladies. 

Broken, porcelain, Victorian doll was

lying on her bookshelf  and I noticed.

I posted on her a while back. It was 

then you could see that her leg was broken completely 

off, and a tear releasing stuffing, was on her arm. 

 "Oh my, would you like

me to repair your doll?" She was

so sweetly in agreement, and I promised

to do so.  

Repaired, porcelain

Victorian doll 

will be at the top of her

stocking on Christmas morning.

I've made her a pretty red dress

with tiny blue flowers.  The pattern

came from a five year old child's mind.

I was that five year old, and I designed

this simple styled dress for my dolls, every so

long ago.

To complete her outfit, she has

"tiny scrap rag bows" around her

tiny ankles.

She is quite lovely lying among

piles of Christmas ribbons....there

to stay until Christmas eve.

 I'm thinking she will have a special

place of honor in young 

granddaughter's bedroom and a newly

acquired place in her little girl heart.

Have a blessed day, everyone!  Dee Dee

The Christmas Camellia

I've been keeping my eye on

our Camellia plant, hoping for 

blooms during the Christmas season.  

I could see hundreds of small buds,

and finally today, I found one

single bloom.  It was on the 

bottom side of the plant.

 I brought it inside....

.....and placed it by the Nativity.

"And Heaven and nature sing, 

and Heaven and nature sing........"

Have a beautiful day, everyone!  Dee Dee

Favorite Old Christmas Movie

The House Without A Christmas Tree

is one of my favorite Christmas holiday

movies.  I began watching this with my

children, on television, in l972. 

 The story is about Addie, a young 

girl living in Nebraska, l946, who wants

nothing more than a Christmas tree. Her

mother, having died when she was born,

 lives with her father and

grandmother. Her father, played 

by Jason Robards, is a 

bitter man refusing her to have a tree.

There is one scene in which Addie uses

a "not so nice word" but otherwise the

movie is suitable for family with pre-teen

and older children.

In the scene shown here, Addie is baking

Christmas cookies with her grandmother.

The cookies are delivered by the father

to poor families in the neighborhood.

This is a lovely and heart warming 

little movie and I highly recommend it.

It can be purchased on Amazon or

viewed on Youtube.

Have a sweet ole' day!  Dee Dee

The Christmas Tree Ornament

Choose

wisely then,

each ornament

And frosted

tinsel skein

For branches

that have

worn jewels

Of gleaming

mountain rain.

Elizabeth-Ellan Long

Have a blessed day, everyone! Dee Dee

 click on image to enlarge

We Had A Visitor

He had beady eyes....

but he was kinda cute 

wearing that brown plaid 

Santa Claus outfit.......

He came bearing gifts......

So....we let him stay......

At least through the Christmas 

holidays.....

Have a blessed Lord's day, everyone!  Dee Dee

Our Cottage Poinsettias

While placing the Poinsettias around

the cottage, I signed a little, showing

symptoms of contentment and 

complete satisfaction.

The Mister and I had promised to

buy our Poinsettias each year from the

same old gentleman.  We found him in

the same location surrounded by

hundreds of his prized 

Poinsettias.  They seemed more

beautiful than ever.....he truly is

gifted as a "grower."

We strolled around in the 

"magical flower wonderland".....

eventually deciding on large pots

with a variety of colors.

The red and white, we selected

for our living room.  Shown here,

you can see it is quite exceptional.

The pink, red,

and white arrangement

was placed on a table in our

family room.

This  just about completes our

Christmas decorating.

Now....I've got some serious

gift wrapping to do!

I'm glad you stopped by.

Have a sweet ole' day.....Dee Dee

Christmas Traditions

The entrance to our

"humble abode" is now

adorned with the traditional

Christmas door wreath.

-

  December

month of holly,

pine, and balsam,

Of berries red,

of candles'

mellow light;

Of home and 

fireside, laughter,

happy faces,

Of peace that 

comes upon

the holy night.

From An Old Carol

Wishing you God's richest blessings today.....Dee Dee

Our Cottage Christmas Tree

The Mister and I called today

a "free day." December's calendar

has  few vacant spaces, and 

finding one today, signaled us to put the

Christmas tree up and decorate 

the cottage. 

The month is moving

along at "break neck" speed. 

Our Christmas parties have taken 

place, and two performances by

our church choir are completed. All

has gone extremely well, leaving

me with heart felt satisfaction. Having

so many choir rehearsals I'm still hearing

the words to "2000 Decembers Ago" in my

head. Have you heard it?  The 

music is beautiful and I'm certain our

Lord enjoyed the performance by

our hard working choir. 

The Christmas tree was fun to do.

I have burlap beneath the

tree. The word "Believe" is

written in red all over the fabric.

I've used a red and cream gingham

like fabric to make a large 

raggedy bow for the top of the

tree. My colors are various shades of red, 

greens and browns. I've selected wrapping

paper to correspond. 

In more recent years, my trees have

been more formal, while using white,

gold and glittering ornaments.

This tree has taken us back in time,

just a little.....giving us that warm 

cozy feeling of days gone by.

I'm glad you stopped by......

Have a sweet ole' day, everyone! Dee Dee

A Wise Man....Illustration

A "Wise Man" had traveled far to bring

his gift to the Christ child.....Illustration by DD

The book of Matthew in the Holy Bible,

tells of  "wise men"......

And lo, the star, which they saw in the

east went before them, till it came and

stood over where the young child was.

And when they were come into the house, they

saw the young child with Mary his mother,

and fell down, and worshipped him;

They presented unto him gifts; gold, and

frankincense, and myrrh.

I love the Bible's stories, the 

Christmas story, one of my favorites.

God came in the flesh to mankind, 

so that we might know Him,

and so that we might be redeemed.

Have a beautiful day!  DeeDee

Candy Making and Baking Time!

Let the candy making and baking begin!  

Yes, it taste as good as it looks, and I did

crunch a few pieces......the cooks 

prerogative.

I'm sure lovin' pretzels dipped in white

chocolate and crushed peppermint.

The long pretzels make a lovely

presentation and package up real nice.

My homemade Christmas goodies are mostly

made to give away to family, or.....

to share with friends, and 

anyone that provides a service to us

during the year.

I believe in the magic of Christmastime,

love the traditions and the wonder of it all.

Have a sweet ole' day...... Dee Dee

Fruit Cake

I brought out my Christmas mugs

 and desert plates last evening.

The Mister and I

  had eggnog and fruitcake. 

Although enjoyable, it was

 not the best fruitcake in the world.....

 decidedly, that would be

the "Jane Parker Fruitcake."

This delicious concoction is

a product of the

 Great Atlantic and Pacific

Tea Company,

The Jane Parker, A&P fruitcake

 is still around, believe it or not, 

 and can be

ordered via the Internet. 

If your from my generation, you'll

be pleased with this news, and if

not, your probably wondering what

the fuss is all about.

Have a sweet ole' day!  Dee Dee

Images borrowed from Google Images

With Every Christmas Card I Write......

Be blessed this Lord's day, everyone.  Dee Dee

A Wee Ole Santa

I've so little time to decorate

for Christmas....but today

I at least  made a beginning.

Santa has his own little 

wonderland,  beneath

a glass dome on a living 

room table.

Far be it for me, that I would

simply place him there, without

capturing his image.

Loving how this

wee ole Santa has made

such a large impression on me.

Hmmm..."It's Christmastime in the city.....

....silver bells, silver bells.....

Have a blessed and happy day!  Dee Dee