a review of the holidays....

I discovered that a dear friend is actually 

"Mrs. Claus"

Hence, Christmas-towne in her living room....

Then, to IKEA

my sweetie & I went..

Then home to decorate...

Another dear friend supplied us with a 

Charlie Brown tree...

one of my favorite ornaments....

the only time of the year in which my office is slightly presentable...

Another day, preparations for dinner for 10....

then a visit from

the daughter, who was single, blonde and pet-less last year...

who brought her new husband, dog

and....

RED hair this year!

An ornament to remind us of the V&A in London..

Lovely cards from all over...

These photos were all taken on the run...

mostly with my new iPhone....

I am still in the learning stage with it.

Hope your holidays have been 

interesting, calm and joyous...

smiles

P.W.D.R.T.I........

People Who Don't Respond To Invitations!

well,

to 

be 

honest....

Don't respond promptly.....

It 

drives

me 

crazy....

I don't even require a definitive answer...

simply an acknowledgement of the invitation would be 

sufficient.

Here's what the deal boils down to..

I love to entertain around the holidays.

My sweetie also likes to have people to our home.

We like the planning even....

So, 

once Halloween is over,

I usually pull up the calendar on my Mac

and start to scheme...

I love to have as many as can come...

especially at Thanksgiving.

We have children with parents other than ourselves,

so we are aware that the kids may not be with us on that day.

We also have extended family near by. 

We have friends with no family near by.

We like to extend our invitation to others, who have 

no place to go for dinner that day.

We can make it work.

I send the invitations 

early, so that consultations and plans can be adjusted,

if need be. I even gave a "drop dead" response date in the form

of "Please respond by;"

So.....

why don't people,

at the very least,

respond with something like

"I received the invitation, and we are still making our plans. We will let you know asap!"

nada

nothing

zip

Not one acknowledgement...

except my parents,

who are delighted to be a part of...

and confirmed that the invitation went out.

Is this what you experience?

Do you entertain?

Does your family respond?

What about birthday parties?

Do you host them?

Do people respond to your invitations?

Last May,

I hosted a bridal shower 

sent honest to goodness printed 

invitations of heavy card stock 

(which I love)

and slightly half of the invitees responded.

People attended that never acknowledged my invitation.

What's that all about?

If you have a tried and true method of 

inviting...

please share....

I am starting to feel a bit desperate...

smiles

Holiday observations...

Do things seem slightly strange around your house?

Sounds that creep in from outside....Getting to you?

Maybe there are strange smells emanating from your kitchen.....

or even your fireplace...

What's it all about Alfie?

It is the Holidays....

it started way back in the early fall....

no more waiting until after Thanksgiving to think about 

the HOLIDAYS!

And so it is...

hurried shopping-check

crowds-check

snarled traffic-check

crazed parents-check

excited squealing children-check

satisfied smiling grandparents-check

Here are some things I have noticed;

neighbors, who normally don't speak - talking and laughing

children, who would normally leave the table in a flash - doing the dishes

smiles from people who wear a frown 11 1/2  months of the year

strange sitings in the neighborhood...

One of those strange sightings was a 

partially "dressed" Christmas tree, lying on the curb,

Apparently thrown out in haste.

Now, that's odd....it appeared nearly a week ago....

it is a fresh green tree, with a string or two of

colored lights. 

And yet, there it is,

waiting for the dump truck.

Well, for a person with an enquiring mind....

this is food for fodder.....

what brought on this fit of 

Tree tossing?

Where is the culprit?

Why?

Was he/she mad at the difficulty with which lights are strung?

Was there a fight?

Someone wanted white lights, and the stringer wanted colored?

Who won?

What are they doing about Christmas now?

Why weren't we all informed, so that we didn't have to guess?

As you can see.... the person with the enquiring mind is in a dilemma

Well,

I was sitting with my sweetie at the coffee shop when a neighbor

stopped by for a chat.

Seems the person who owned the tree in question, had 

brought it home, set it up in a stand,watered it, let the limbs relax,

and then,

started to string the lights....when all of a sudden

they noticed 

SPIDERS!

everywhere....coming out of the tree!

apparently, some spider momma had laid her eggs

earlier in the year, and went off to die,

leaving her eggs to incubate for the winter,

hoping to hatch in the spring.

But NO@!

Mr. Tree Farmer came along in the fall and 

chopped that tree down,

wrapped it up,

and took it to town 

for sale.....

Ever hear of such a thing?

not me....smiles...

It was all a dream....

Remember JR?

Well, that's just about what the idea of making all my 

Christmas gifts would be like....

High drama....

broken promises....

deception....

out right lies....

There isn't a chance in this here reality 

that I could actually make all those gifts,

much less sew them all.....

Nope...

Nada...

Neyt...

Oh Hell No...

Not happenin'

not even with a glue gun....

But 

a girl can dream can't she?

Sometime,

in a place long ago....

this girl thought she might attempt

"The Martha Perfection Cycle"

but alas...

no.

I have a few talents,

but a perfect Christmas is not in my repetoire.

No, 

Christmas comes with too much emotion,

hopes, dreams, illusions, delusions.....

I simply cannot pull it off.

So... 

I guess I will post some photos

 and pretend

the perfect Christmas event is in the works.

But please do not feel the least bit sorry for me...

I am finally coming to terms with the idea that 

a perfect holiday season is all in one's head.....

that perfection is in the mind of the willing...

that I can have that perfect holiday if I make up my mind

that whatever happens IS perfection...

Difficult you might say,

but is it?

Perhaps it is simply a matter of allowing others to be 

and act just the way they are...

and being in a state of mind, that is willing to accept 

imperfection as being a form of perfection

(ok, my head just about exploded on that one, don't ask for more)

I am willing at this point in time to accept

what comes my way.

Hopefully,

this feeling will last....

smiles.

I am ready to take it all down...after one more look....

The stockings are tired....

They are just a bit droopy...

The gifts have all been delivered...

And I have only one more

holiday event to host...

tonight.

My book club ladies are coming.

Coffee, regular and decaf...

Christmas cookies..

Fruitcake...smiles.

and

celery and carrots....

(bigger smiles)

I dont' know about you but I am so

sick of the "sugar highs" that

permeate the holidays.

My head can't take it anymore.

And as much as I love me some coffee...

I might just have decaf...

well..

not really...

but I thought about it.

smiles.

Home is where....

anywhere I find those....

whom I love...

who love me...

who desire my presence..

who enjoy the event as much as I do...

who will eat my food...

who will stay to watch bowl games...

who realize the value of family...

who are willing to share...

who understand that we all have weaknesses....

who desire a better world...

who are willing to work for it...

those who see the glass nearly full...

the many who accept me as I am...

who find that life really is

a bowl of cherries...

and that we are all a barrel of monkeys...

who will laugh at my jokes..

and not make me the butt of one...

Family can come in so many disguises....

it can be the lonely neighbor..

the couple that has no children and

actually enjoy the chaos that accompanies

young adults...

the single guy who has family very far away...

the single girl who has lost her dad this year...

the couple with a toddler, who need a break...

the also, young couple with two beautiful girls that light up the room...

the middle aged man who is beginning to learn to care for himself...

the new grandmother who is learning to set boundaries..

the couple who is so relived that he has a new job...

the man and wife who have lost everything this year and still smile....

the retiree that longs for the company of her children..

the independent woman, who has put everything into her work and her dogs...

All of these people

are my family..

and yet,

I am actually related by blood

to none of them...

I am so grateful to see the miracles that are happening all around me.

My wish is that everyone sees a miracle before year's end...

Go out and look for it...

It is there, I promise...

Really...

smiles.

Some of my favorite things...

Iris, even fading ones!!!
Basil!!! love the smell, as well as the taste!!

Home grown roses!!!

I would have to say the summer,

even the hot, humid days are my absolute

favorite time of the year.

I am off to a family reunion this weekend,

to meet people that I have never met before....

excited, a little nervous, and oh so glad for a

break!

Hope your weekend is FUN!!