Christmas II

Don't tell Santa but I was "naughty" today. Instead of trimming the tree and putting away boxes...I was painting this little trunk. Mr. MW built this trunk for me when we were first married. He was still in law school, and I was teaching in a parochial school, and we were living on fumes. We needed a coffee table so he made us one.  It's still our coffee table in the family room.

I decided I wanted to paint it black...it's a work in progress...so this morning, while an electrician was making holes in my wall to fix the lamp post, I painted.

My red antique dolly dresses found a home for the holidays in a big bowl with greens tucked around them...topped off with Schneeman star. I like my old trunk in black. That's Valspar interior flat paint from Lowe's and I love that there is not one bit of shine!

Sweet Schneeman Star

Shhhhhhh...I'll try to be "nice" tomorrow.

Enjoy the day,

Robyn

*The lamp post is once again in working order.*

Christmas I

The dining room is decked out for Christmas. This is a print of a "parts of speech" page from an early English lesson book. It's perfect for the season in it's red velvet lined frame.

The little print is nestled among the pines and berries inside an English barrister's wig case.

My barrister doesn't have a wig, but if he ever decides to get one he'll be good to go when it comes to traveling.

This is the top of the case...a bit battered...the black, red and gold colors are still very vibrant. 

Perhaps the barrister wore a beaver hat like this one. It rests upon an old leather bible on the sideboard. 

Lots of green and red this year!

Here are a few shots taken in the living room. Love this little Norma Schneeman snowman...he's so happy!

When I saw this early sampler I immediately thought of Christmas. I wonder if the maker...Amy Selby...made this as a gift for someone. That has to be a Christmas tree in the corner!

And the sweet words are perfect for Christmas!

Last year's version was "short & stout"...this year our tree is long and lean and smells divine!

Hope you all are having a wonderful December so far!

Enjoy the day,

Robyn

Red and Greens

One of our Thanksgiving Day traditions is to gather pepper berries. After dinner we head for the woods and cut a basket full of these beautiful red berries that grow wild all over our area.

It is the official beginning of the season and the decorating at our house.

This year the berries are out in great abundance and are the brightest red imaginable. 

  

Lady Apples are available in the market now and are another favorite for Christmas decorating. Mother Nature provides the very best reds and greens for the season.

And, of course, our own boxwoods contribute as well.

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Christmas is on it's way! 

Our tree is up but still adorned only in lights. There is nothing like the glorious scent of pine to awaken the Christmas spirit. In the next few days, out will come the boxes full of cherished ornaments...some very old, some hand made, some gathered on travels...all meaningful to our family.

Enjoy the day,

Robyn

December kitchen window

My December kitchen window is already done so I thought I'd post it a little early, before things get too hectic. The next few days will be busy...full of family, fun and turkey. 

My window is full of trees, deer and tiny, white lights.

I made a new tartan flannel valance. Tartan is great all year round, but it is especially cheerful at Christmas time. I love tartan! This plaid is a deep forest green, with a bit of black and red, and goes well with the woodland theme. 

This wonderful Kolene Spicher print has beautiful shades of green...

and the German lead putz deer and vintage bottlebrush trees pair well with it.

I added these tiny seed lights to the garland. Although I usually like just the lantern and candles, these little lights give the scene a dash of sparkle and look magical when the overhead light is off and the room is dark.

My favorite Christmas scent is bayberry. The mercury glass votives hold bayberry candles and they make my kitchen smell wonderful! My grandmother always burned a bayberry candle at Christmas so the scent takes me back to Christmases of long ago.

December is right around the corner!

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Thank you so much for the lovely comments many of you left on my last post. I appreciate your visits and am always happy to hear your thoughts...especially when they are so kind and gracious. It was a great anniversary!

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Wishing you all a very Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy the day with your family, your friends and the bounty on your table. 

Annie and I made turkeys today...the pinecone, pipe cleaner, googly eyed kind...they are magnificent!

Welcome new followers!

Enjoy the day,

Robyn

...a fruitful two years

Mugwump Woolies blog is two years old today. What an enjoyable journey those years have been! Meeting new friends...sharing our home and travels with you...visiting you on your blogs...it's how I start my day. 

I appreciate the time you take to come by for a visit, and am grateful for your encouraging words and many kind comments.  And your friendship...I am especially grateful for the friends I have made out there in the blogosphere. You have lifted my spirits on hard days and made sharing good days more fun. I thank you for being there.

And...you have enriched my girl's life as well. Annie is a silent partner in this endeavor. She often gives me this advice, "You should put that on the blog.".

We traveled down to Sarasota yesterday. Just for one night. I snapped this pic of Annie and her faithful companion Clancy napping. Clancy has been been by Annie's side for twenty three of her 27 years....

...I'm happy so many of you have been by my side for these two years...on this anniversary I wanted to "...put that on the blog".

Enjoy the day,

Robyn

And so it begins...

Here's a wee peak at some of the goodies I will be playing with this weekend. With Thanksgiving so late this year, and a little traveling in the coming weeks, I need to get busy or it won't get done.

I smell Christmas!

I did manage to get most of the crease out of this early sampler. Thanks for all the tips many of you offered...you are appreciated.

Norma Schneeman Snowman

Are you in Christmas Mode yet? My turkeys and pumpkins and bittersweet are still center stage, but things green and red are popping up.

It's pouring rain and gloomy out...a perfect day for a cup of tea and some Christmas decorating.

Have a great weekend!

Enjoy the day,

Robyn

The hustle and bustle of it all...

Punch needle turkey by Lori Rippey

My girl loves Thanksgiving. She will tell you it's because, "It's all about the food!".

It took us a long while to like Thanksgiving again. Eighteen years ago, on Thanksgiving, my mother-in-law enjoyed the day with her family at our house, got up from the table, went into Annie's room, sat down in her wicker rocker and quietly left this world. The memories of that night are always with us. Although Annie was only nine at the time, she remembers it all vividly...the firetrucks, the paramedics..."the bed" they rolled into her room. To say it was traumatic is a gross understatement. 

But time has a way of lessening pain...something for which we are truly grateful. Annie has wonderful memories of her grandmother. After a few years of healing, we were able to enjoy, once again, the festivities...and the turkey. We spend the day together, just the three of us, with our own traditions, making new memories.

 Contrary to what you might think, the spirit of "thanks" has been heightened by those events many years ago. We know how precious each minute is, and when we are together...well, we try to wring every second of joy out it. We can already feel that special holiday feeling in the air around here!

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Over the weekend, I was looking for something and ran across these old Santa patterns. (Marly over at  Samplers & Santas has done wondrous things with this series).

The original price tag with .50 cents is still on them!

Only one fellow was finished...bought them...B.A....Before Annie. Hmmmm...Have to admit they have held up and still look as appealing as ever. Maybe I can get a few more done!

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 My Christmas pomegranates have been bought and are drying in the kitchen.

 Mr.MW brought Annie's owl tree down from the attic this past weekend. She has been asking for it for a few weeks, so it will be unwrapped and lit this week. Why not? 

We're getting the Christmas spirit...not that we want to rush things...we just want more time to make merry..and bright. 

Enjoy the day,

Robyn