Little Scraps of Magic

Here

here

drinking in Liz's words

wanting to create magic of my own

here

listening to sounds of traffic outside my window

loath to put Christmas away

and thinking of my childhood when we celebrated

two Christmases

our own and the Russian Orthodox Christmas

in honor of my gigi

here

we leave our tree up until at least the Epihany

here

tired from my first day back to school

although it was a good day...no, an awesome day

full of Eristhanes Seive, primes, composites, and divisilbiltiy rules

it seriously did me in

here

enjoying the last few sips of a cinnamon dolce

and nibbling on an almond Christmas cookie or two

here

thinking about what I need to wear tomorrow

to stay warm

as I help to move 700 plus kids

7 blocks

to and from First Friday Mass

here

enjoying flickering candle light

dancing inside the mercury glass

 

Christmas 2012

May you and those you hold dear, enjoy a blessed and light filled Christmas!

 

 

Brown Paper Packages

Well, not quite brown paper packages - more like clear cellophane tied with a glittery ribbon. I had a great deal of fun playing with it in photoshop, and it will be finding its way into my journal as a background....ideas swirling in this head of mine! I'm rather liking the "abstaction" part of it!

 

The New Normal

I love this angel; she graces my dining room table during the Christmas season, and she makes me smile each time I look at her.

We're settling in for a new "normal," one where there's no dog to greet us as we approach our door. Tuxie, our cat, seems to be taking over this duty, but truth be told, it's for want of dinner, not sheer joy to see us! Cats are such practical creatures.

What has been beautiful through all of this is the support of friends, and one very special sister. In some senses, I've held back talking about this; it seems almost not right to do so in the face of what happened in Connecticut. Yet, the pain has been very real.

And, my sixth graders? So beautifully awesome...leaving notes of sympathy and offering prayers. One young man baked a loaf of pumpkin bread to help me feel better. So many folks wince in pity when I tell them "I teach Middle School." But, oh do I love these kids. Just love them.

And, so we move forward. Eventually, I'm sure, we'll end up owning yet one more canine critter, but time is needed right now to mourn our WhoDey. I'm past the hard crying now, but I'm still figuring out how to balance the mourning with this beautiful season of joy.

A half day of school left...no instruction in the formal sense tomorrow, but rather just some time to celebrate the love of Christmas.

Macro Monday

I've been away from this blog for far too long...life really has gotten in the way! I've finally gotten the decorations up...most of them anyway, and a bit of Christmas cheer now resides at home.

Playing along at Macro Monday...lots of pretties to be seen. Go take a peek!

Advice for Today, Part 2

Look closely at what surrounds you and lose yourself in its mystery.

 

Take delight in the simplest of things.

 

Indulge yourself in nature's gifts of magic.

 

Remember to add that splash of color...you'll feel better! I promise.

The above magic courtesy of Longwood Gardens.

All Wrapped Up!

This little one celebrated his first Christmas.

 

The presents? Nah...........not so much....

...but, that wrapping paper? Oh, oh, oh...what fun to be had!

 

All sorts of textures and sounds to immerse yourself in!

 

And, sometimes a fellow gets so wrapped up in the fun, that

 

he simply takes it with him.

P.S. The above pun? Blissfully intended!

 

 

Christmas Wishes

I Wonder....

...what this friendly fellow might be up to?

 

Why, he's taking a bath, of course!

I adore Christmas creations, and I can happily wander about for hours viewing its decorations - from place settings at tables, to homemade ornaments, and more.

I love the "wonder" of Christmas, those moments that make me catch my breath with wonder and delight.

This fellow made me laugh aloud, and I spent several delightful minutes chatting with one of the shop owners as to how he came to be.

She and the fellow owner work very hard to capture the whimsy and delight of all the seasons. I really believe that both women have the mind of a child, and I mean that in the best of ways.

How many adults could see the potential in a rusted old tub? They've transformed it into something of sheer delight, don't you think?

Softly Glowing

Over here, you'll find many muses "glowing." I just spent several delightful minutes wandering through blogs, all "a glow." Just what my heart needed!

I had great fun wandering through past December photos, and have to admit that these few are favorites.

We'd found an old oblong sort of mirror in an antique shop and placed it along our table. We added our every growing collection of old blue Bell canning jars, some blue capacitators, some "snow," and some "crystals."

Filled with candles, they made magic!

I've learned a lot since I shot these, coming a long way. So, while not my "best," definitely some of my favorites!