presents...

At Christmas, all roads lead home.  ~Marjorie Holmes

Today I am finishing up with gift wrapping and cookie baking.

The house smells like Christmas, looks like Christmas, feels like Christmas.

I feel the season's gentle benevolence descend 

like softly falling snow.

♥

And best of all I am looking forward to the most treasured gift

of all~ my sweet children gathered here for Christmas eve

and Christmas day! 

I love the laughter they share, the bright noise of them together! 

Everything else will fall away, the trials of life

will dissolve like snowflakes meeting a candle flame.

Joy will fill my home when those sweet faces

gather here. 

♥

There is no present greater than love.

♥

join me~

 Come one, come all! Have a beverage 

and shop to your heart's content!

I have lots of lovelies! 

Great for gift giving or a treat for YOU!

heroes among us...

Today is Pearl Harbor Day.

I am reminded of those who lost their lives on that fateful day

and the many days of war that followed.

Heroes comes in many guises. I am blessed to know

a few. My husband is one. He does more for others

in a week than most people do in a year.

And my son is a hero, too.

Here he is on the day he signed his

contract with the U.S. Navy.

He will leave for basic training in August, 10 days shy of his 19th birthday.

He is going into the Navy's highly regarded nuclear propulsion program.

I am so proud of his decision. He is a kind-hearted and determined young man

♥And he is a hero to me. ♥

Remember and hug the heroes in your life today.

shades of winter

It is a marvelous feeling to realize I have no more shows this year. While I love creating, love staging my creations at shows and adore meeting shoppers and fellow artists/craftspeople, truth is these shows are exhausting! So, I am basking in the lovely post-show glow and contemplating surviving Christmas and winter.

As you can see I am in a frosty, wintry sort of mood.

I am fond of this color palette, the blanched sky and bare branch.

I created my new blog banner in these muted, solemn shades.

My latest creations also feature these hues.

But I will soon return to the sweet pastels and bright colors that I adore.

Stay warm, my friends. Spring is sleeping now,

planning her sweet and vibrant return. ♥