Christmas child

                                                        cole alan larson
                                       minutes after his birth, 24 years ago today.
                                             * (there was a snowstorm) *

                                            happy birthday christmas boy!


                                                     with much love,
                                                             mom

                                                            

once upon a Christmas

i dug, and dug and looked some more and finally found this picture. i wanted to share it with you . it's my momma, my big seester and i on Christmas morning a loooong time ago. isn't it just the best?
 i love to analyze all the little details in the photo...like my mom's moccasins, my sis and i's character slippers...our p.j.s and robes- probably hand sewn by my mom. remember back when everyone used to meticulously drape silver tinsel on their trees? i remember how it would stick to you when you were trying to release it- full of electricity.  : )
i can also shut my eyes and remember how the fabric on the chair in the corner felt- (prickly) and there was a metallic thread running through the fabric. in those days the curtains were often really bold patterned fabrics.

my sis and i loved this little table and our dishes. i think our mom was probably schooling us on the proper way to serve each other coffee. we look like we are seriously taking it all in- and doesn't it look like we're wearing lipstick? (probably just had chapped lips- haha).

we didn't know it then, but we didn't have many more Christmas's together and that's why i especially cherish this photo and the feeling of love it shows between us.

 now gather up your loved ones around a shiny tree and take pictures and make more happy memories o.k.?    

hugs, big Christmas ones from me to you. i'm looking forward and praying for so many good things to come your way in the new year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!         be blessed,

                                                            xo, beth

                                               

martha stewart you're the best!

i found these darling boxes at micheals and made up a few to share with neighbors and friends- they were on sale- ($7 regularly $14) and i don't think it even matters what you put in them- the box is so darned cute people will love whatever is in them.

 

after making these up i was dangerously low on goodies, so

i proceeded to make more peanut butter kisses so my 

family wouldn't have to pray a neighbor brought US

over a cookie tray!

 

 

 

 

 

 

a few weeks ago i met 2 friends for lunch and one of them gave me some paperwhite

bulbs. she said "if you plant them right away maybe they'll bloom for Christmas"

well---look at what's blooming! thanks tony! love them

 

 

it's saturday evening and i guess i'd better just gather up all

my patience- do a little meditation- say a prayer, drink some wine,

do a downward dog and bite the bullet- i can't put it off any longer, i have a two page

list of groceries i need and i imagine myself and about 7209 other shoppers

will all be at cub foods together!

 

i can do this- i can- i love Christmas  (the cooking part is my

least favorite though- there i've said it).

 

 

i might sneak in one more post in the next two days,

 like you e-v-e-n have time to care right?

ho ho ho

 

is it too early to wish you a MERRY CHRISTMAS?

 

 

xo, beth

 

 

the Christmas story

 

 

i hope you can watch this. it is one of

the most precious videos i've ever seen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

when it starts click in the center to enlarge 

                                       * bless the little children of the world*


                                                      happy monday~
                                                           xo, beth

 

 

today, i just have a quote that i want to post. it's to honor and

hold up the people who's lives were so tragically changed last friday.

 

 

 

 

"inhale grace~ exhale fear".

 

 

 

 

 

we'll never understand this kind of violence, so we find

peace wherever, however we can. for me that means focusing on all

the goodness still around us.




 

 

 

 

xo, beth

the colors of Christmas

you know if you read my blog, that i have been loving the softer side of Christmas
this year. i've been showing you a lot of soft whites, silver and golds- browns and
greens. here today is a bit of traditional red and green to bring you some bright
weekend cheer~

                                    how many of you remember your gram having these?
                                        i think they were for egg nog or tom and jerrys

                                           curl up with a warm blankie and a movie
                                              (i'm going to watch hope springs)

                                    it's friday- wishing you a great weekend-from the
                                       bottom of my heart. (why do we say that?)

                                                   

                                                  isn't this scrumptious?

now i want to get serious for a couple minutes ok?


if you are a girl and you are single or married or a wife or a mother, if you have family or friends or a nice neighbor or a dog or two you adore...if you are over the age of 19 then this weekend will most likely be so jam packed with things to do to make Christmas
beautiful for those you love that your head will be about to pop off by sunday night. can i just encourage us- yes i'm saying "us" to take it down a notch? to not make ourselves crazy and to cut ourselves some slack?

although all my photos are yummy and it'd be great if our houses and our lives could look like a picture postcard all the time~i'm not trying to set a higher standard.

can we remember to not get so caught up in the commercialization of Christmas that we end up forgetting what really matters?  2 more people i care about lost loved ones this week and i can't help but think about how as the rest of us rush around getting ready for the blessed holiday, that they are quietly figuring out how to say goodbye.
 take care of yourself in the next 10 days and guard your time. spend it on what really matters and for me that's making sure that the people i hold most dear will find me grateful for nothing more than their presence on Christmas Eve. that's all that really matters.


                                                 sending you a big hug,
                                             from the bottom of my heart!

                                                            xo, beth

break time

i need to take a break from wrapping Christmas presents on the living room floor- my back is complaining~ soooo.... i decided to show you a few more of the ideas i've been collecting to share.

p.s. ellen is on and man oh man do i ever wish i was in her studio audience today. remember when oprah used to have her "favorite things" show? each person sitting in her studio that day would get like a half a million bucks worth of free stuff and go completely flipping 
 n-u-t-s?
well ellen is no scrooge herself- she has a twelve days of Christmas extravaganza and gives away a whole sleigh full of gifts every day. i'm watching her audience go BANANAS as we speak and it looks like so much fun...(is it just me that wonders how those crazy funsters get home with all their loot)?

                         kraft paper with stenciled snowflakes and a branch- love it

                                    this is a picture i took and then edited a bit  : )

                                                  
                               found this on etsy. anyone know how to make me one?

                                           

    o.k., i wish my kids were still little because i would so be trying this.
you draw a chalk snowman on your driveway and then the kids lay down. (you will need a ladder to take the photo)

                                  
                       someone (who me?) has eaten most of the carmels i made last
                        weekend, so i think i will head downstairs and start
                           another pan of them. if we ate like this all year we would
                                             blow up. not even kidding.

                         oh my i just saw that there's going to be a "best of andy williams"
                             Christmas special on tonight- i think i'll watch it.
                                    in my youth we had one tv in the house and
                     about 3 channels and the dad got to pick what you watched.
                                 if you didn't like it, you could go to bed.
                                         Ho, Ho, Ho, hand me the remote~

                                                                              xo, beth
                                                             

heads are going to roll

if you live anywhere near minneapolis mn. you know we had a foot of fluffy white snow last weekend. i'm such a kid at heart- i still get all giddy when we have a big snow fall. (i love a good old  snowstorm and all thunderstorms too).
yesterday the sun came out and my world looked like it had been frosted white and then sprinkled with glitter- um hmmmm~ thank you Jesus!
 
about 20 years ago i started taking photos of snowmen and yesterday i took a snowman drive and found a whole bunch of them to shoot (not literally)- no guns were involved. so much snow fell after most of these dudes were made that a lot of their eyes were covered....it was funny. : )

here are some of my favorite rolled snow creations~

                                     pretty sure this snowman was bigger than my jeep

 

 

 

 

notice the little basket on her arm?

 

 

 

i know, i know, these are not snowmen...but i LOVE the peanuts gang and couldn't resist!

                                                        taking a bow

                  my neighbor friend mary made this little snowman- girlfriend is a funster

    and here in closing, is the little guy i made on sunday. i hope this post made you smile~

                                              it was such fun to have discovered each
                                   and every one of these creations. the thing about

    snowmen is that they can be here one day and gone tomorrow. 
it is magic to find joy in the little things.

 

 

fondly,

beth

 

 

this is either one tiny snowman, or

one big chalkboard~   :  )

 

after seeing lots of fabulous snowdudes

in other people's yards yesterday i just had to tie up my

boots, tug a stocking cap down over my ears and

get out there! unfortunately i'd missed the golden hour

when the snow was sticky, so i settled for this miniature

version and set him on my park bench.

 

i love the beautiful outside world so much today-

hope your commute to work wasn't too brutal.

 

#o00     <------ that's a snowman laying down.

 

yes, you can copy it...

 

xo, beth

 

12 " and still snowing

 



toffee

i'll bet your weekend was ka-razy busy and so was mine....here with pictures taken on my fancy new phone (that i can hardly make a call with)is the  weekend in review. i apologize for the poor photo quality- i'm clearly doing something wrong.  : }
sat. i was part of a baking extravaganza at a girlfriends... it included toffee, white chocolate cherry shortbread cookies, caramels, peanut butter cups, flourless chocolate macaroons and the coup de graw...(have no idea how to spell that- but it's a great word) pistachio, buttercream and chocolate granche' macaroons. The 2 youngsters in our group tackled those babies and none of us wonder any longer why they charge around $2.50 each when you buy one in a bakery!

the shortbread cookies prior to frosting

 

 

                 the peanut butter cups cooling in the snow- at my house the squirrels would have thought they were at old county buffet!

piles of owwwey gooey caramels







macaroons. we aren't giving these away. they are under lock and key-haha

here's the lone blurry photo

i have of the 4 bakers after

a full day of sugar and cindy's

unbelievable chili- fun day girls

thanks for all the goodies!

 

i also drove out to independance mn. with another friend to
shop at mama's happy.
we ate lunch at the ox yoke inn on the way home and the name pretty much
says it all.
little town dining at it's finest- i don't know if i've ever
had a finer fish sandwich!

i promise to figure out what i'm doing wrong when i upload my pictures off the phone so the

quality won't be this bad next time, in the mean time, i'm working on my Christmas cards

and can't wait to show you some pictures from the day we went

out to find our tree for the cabin. a couple of them

are on our card and i didn't want to spoil the surprise.

 

i'm in love with our winter wonderland---last thursday driving to work

i noticed that lawns almost looked like they

could still be mowed and now we have a FOOT of

beautiful white snow.

 

i kidnapped 2 neighbor friends and we went on

an impromptu tour of area christmas lights earlier

this evening. we were only going to go around a

couple of blocks so 2 of us didn't have coats,

one of us was in slippers,

no one had a purse or cell phone-

40 minutes later i brought them home in one piece, we

didn't get stuck thank God!

 

4-wheel drive + snow+ lights

add 2 friends &

it = fun!

 

 

maybe we'll have a state wide snow day tomorrow?

 

!HALLELUJAH!

 

 

xo, beth

 

 

 



oh i have been waiting for this

 

 

 

 

o.k., so i know this isn't the seasons

first snowfall....but what snow we had,

has been gone for a long time.

 

it's december.

december, i love you- but

i love you even more

when you are

blanketed

in

white.

 

 

                                   this is what our home looked like tonight after dark.
                         i simply love christmas lights and the fact that people spend
                          hours outside hanging them from roof tops and wrapping
                        them around trees etc.   we do that for each other don't we?
                                sure we do it to make our own houses look pretty,
                                 but we do it for our neighbors too right?

                        do you take a drive at least once this time of year to look at the
                                lights? i hope so because it's magical. go with
                           no other intention. don't just make it an extra turn or two
                               on your way home from the grocery store--- make
                                 it special. for sure play some christmas music softly
                                 and bring a cup of something warm.... bring someone
                         along if you can find a like-minded light lover, or else just
                                 go alone....stay out as long as your little heart desires.
                                    fill up your cup till it's not just half full----run it over~
                                    run it over with Christmas goodness and the
                                                        spirit of the season.

                                                       * grab on to the joy *


                                                              

                                                        happy holidays from
                                                        our house to yours.