Advent, Week 1

I've been totally inspired by my sister's wonderful Advent posts this year!
So I've decided to mirror her weekly breakdown of Advent activities...here is week 1:

-:- 1. Decorate our Christmas tree -:- This was the first thing we did this season. We got a perfect little Scotch Pine and we love it.

-:- 2. Deck the Halls -:- Probably my favorite thing about decorating our home for the holidays is watching the cats as we drape potential prey over every part of the house. Wilbur gets a very intense look in his eye...prepares himself for the kill...



...and then catches me looking at him through a camera lens and twists his body awkwardly to casually sniff the radiator. Cheek.

-:- 3. Go see the Nutcracker Ballet -:- On our way to the show, Casy asked me why the Nutcracker was such a big deal. By the end of the show, he told me he knew each one of those songs, but didn't know they all came from that ballet! He said Home Alone is the Nutcracker!
We finished the night with some brick oven pizza and the OSU game.

-:- 4. Make our Advent wreath -:- One of my most favorite Christmas traditions.

-:- 5. Start reading the Christmas Carol -:-

-:- 6. Exchange ornaments on St. Nicolas Day -:- Um, in our shoes, with some Christmas candy too. Hello, gingerbread cream-filled Godiva bar. And thank you, husband.

-:- 7. Sponsor a child (or two!) for Christmas through the Salvation Army -:- We went toy shopping this weekend for our girls!

Love, T.

Time for Bed

I took the day off today and filled my hours with crazy amounts of (much needed) domestic productivity.

Wilbur wasn't much help.

And now it's time for me to follow his lead...good night!

Love, T.

Around Here, Lately

Love, T.

Weekending

I like reminding myself of the lovely weekend in the middle of the week itself. It's just what I need to get through my Thursday and Friday. So here are pictures from last weekend...

...and what a weekend we have coming up! Tony and Jill are coming out for a visit and we are beyond excited to see them. We'll have lots of good food, go see lots of neat things, and we'll have great company. Can't wait.

Love, T.

Tonight

Casy is coaching high school baseball.

Claude and Wilbur are trying to look innocent.

We will drink wine, eat homemade pizza, and watch a movie.

I will finish a Christmas Valentine's Day Beginning of March hat for my love.

And we will brace ourselves before a very long day of housekeeping tomorrow.

Happy Friday. It couldn't have come fast enough.

Love, T.

Just Woke Up...

...from a little winter cat nap.

Good morning, End of February!

Love, T.

Happiness, Part 1

I have a long list of Things That Make Me Happy.

It includes things that you've already heard me talk about: coffee, knitting, flowers, baking.

And it includes several things that you may not have heard me talk about. Like starting things, taking a nap with a purring cat, rearranging furniture, being on the road, and anything having to do with rabbits.

It includes things like European grocery packaging.

I don't know why I like it so much, but I do. Candy wrappers, especially. 

Even if I don't eat what's inside of them.

Because in this case, regrettably, it's not what's inside that counts.

(I also love accidentally posing with my cat in my pajamas...

...and the fact that I never have a camera in my hand without also having a Wilbur nearby.

What can I say? He's just a cat who likes to be involved.)

All of this European goodness comes from a few towns over, where we met my parents and grandfather for some Polish grocery shopping (hello, homemade pierogies and kielbasa) and for some Polish eating (hello again, homemade pierogies and kielbasa).

We were tremendously successful at both endeavors. And we felt pretty good about that!

Love, T.

xo

There is something so endearing about little baby socks. I'm kind of obsessed with them. I figure if I start now, our kids could have a pair for every day of their infancy.

But since I'm still catching up on my Christmas knitting (ahem), I don't have time to spend on 365 pairs of miniature socks. I can only squeeze them in when absolutely necessary...for real children, perhaps.

So when a friend of mine recently welcomed his first child, I got started on a little something for their little girl.

The pattern is from Purl Bee.

The yarn is alpaca (so soft).

Wilbur, as always, participated in the photo shoot. Later that day, I found the X on the floor (thankfully unharmed), a victim of Wilbur's curiosity and instinct. I can't really blame him. They are irresistible.

Love, T.

#11. Bake a Ton of Christmas Cookies

This weekend, I baked. And by the end of last night, I was ready never to bake again.

I was sticky from sugar, powdered with flour, and my fingertips were burned. But I baked on.

Our bedroom floor was covered under Things That Needed To Be Picked Up, we had significant piles of laundry forming next to the washer, and Christmas presents needed to be finished. But I baked on.

The cats meowed at me constantly, desperate for some love and attention, wanting only to sit on my lap for a few minutes...but I baked on.

Okay, fine. This didn't really happen. They were sleeping, completely ignorant to the fact that I wasn't there with them. But I imagined that my preoccupation with cookies was noticed by them all the same.

Anyway, I baked my heart out...and slowly but surely I started seeing the fruits of my labor. Dozens and dozens of cookies. Cranberry pecan noels, sugar cookies, molasses cookies, Russian tea cakes, oatmeal raisin cookies, and lime meltaways.

This morning, we put them on plates for distribution. Neighbors, coworkers, and friends got a plateful of sugary, buttery love. And what better kind of love is there to give?

And remember how I said I never wanted to bake again? It was nothing a little bit of sleep couldn't cure. This morning, after almost fainting when I rediscovered the huge number of cookie-related dishes in the sink, I looked at a pile of overripe bananas on our table and thought how much better they would be baked in a bread.

This, to me, indicates that I'm cured. And that we have a tradition in the making.

Love, T.

Puss in Boots

Wilbur is so predictable. He looks for the fort in everything. Blankets, boxes, and...boots?

Anything that makes some kind of opening for him to stick his head into, really. And as long as he feels hidden, he doesn't care if he is actually glaringly noticeable. It's inspiring in a way. You can be anything you want to be, even invisible.

Casy and I find ourselves playing along, saying things like, "Where's Wilbur? Do you see him? I can't find him anywhere!"

Those boots, by the way, are a thrift store find and I don't know how I lived without them. They are Peter Kaiser, made back when boots could be made in West Germany. I adore them. And the cat who becomes invisible under them.

Love, T.

We Call Him Sneezy

Poor Wilbur is sick. He's a sneeze machine and hasn't even had the energy to be naughty in quite awhile.

I foresee a visit to the doctor pretty soon. Until then, Wilbur has been resting up, staying hydrated with toilet water, and snuggling with his hot water bottle and favorite blanket.

Hopefully Claude stays Bashful and doesn't turn into another Sneezy!

Love, T.

this moment

A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor, and remember.

Inspired by soulemama

Love, T.

Autumn Walk

Casy and I walked through the woods today.

We saw brilliant colors,

many mushrooms,

light peeking through the trees,

and lichen.

 We meandered, picking up little autumn nuggets...

...and put them out to remind us of the day and of the season. And to give the cats something to do while we sleep.

Love, T.