We had a lovely trip "up North" to celebrate Christmas with my family. We stayed poolside in a hotel so it was a wonderful break from the tedious winter cold. We hang out for a few days in our bathing suits and shorts looking out the big glass windows at the thirty-eight inches of accumulated snow we've had already this year. Back home and back to reality, the weather has been all we talk about these days. Such crazy weather. Record snowfall leaving us all to wonder where to shovel it, where to park our cars and leaving most roads single lane only. Then a huge thaw, snow dams on rooftops and many damaged homes. We did not escape this new assault of the weather. Ice damming on my gutters caused melting water to pour into my basement (once again) leaving me to (once again) shuttle boxes around to dry space. And now, we are bracing ourselves for a deep freeze.
We decided we needed to help those poor confused birds who sit on branches outside our window. We always leave all the seed heads intact on our perrenial flowers so they have something to eat come winter, but the snow has easily buried anything for them to munch on. So we made a half dozen peanut butter pinecones with seeds for them.
With a twist of floral wire on the end they tie very easily to the branches. The boys have been enjoying watching the birds feast...we may already have to make more for them.
We are still happily in our pajamas, quietly enjoying the mess of Christmas all around us. I love this last day of the year...the dreaming, the planning, thoughts of the fresh start that comes with the opening of a new calendar. I love looking back on last year, all my goals, I laugh as not one was accomplished, but I don't really care. It's the dreaming that I love.
One thing that has been on my mind ever since I read Lisa's post about crafting for ourselves is that I would like to spend some time creating for our home. She has a flickr group dedicated to posting inspiring things you make for yourself and I began to think how very little I do make for me. So I decided that for the first week of the new year, I'd like to try and create something useful for our home. Anyone care to join me? Just for one week...seems like a manageable goal.
For starters, I was thrilled to re-discover this beautiful yarn in my stash while moving boxes around in my basement yesterday.
Araucania Nature Cotton. I bought it at Loop Yarn shop while I was studying at Lifeways in Milwaukee. It is soft and thick and just perfect to knit some face cloths for my boys and me. Now, just to find a good pattern for these...any suggestions?
We're still deciding if we will attempt to go out tonight...the roads have all turned into ice rinks and safety is always a concern. Whatever you do, where ever you are, I wish you all the best as you too close out 2010. Many blessings to you in 2011.
