Happy New-ish year

Record cold in Tallahassee!!

It was a brrrrrrrr 13 degrees when I left for town and school this morning. Hurry up! don't be lulled into a false sense of winter but whip out those favorite vintage cashmere coats and fuzzy mohair hats and pile on the layers of jewel-toned sweaters. Time for the wooly fashion parade. Most years I don't even dig out 1/4 of my winter stuff. Why would I? We have seen 85 degrees on Valentine's Day. But at this moment it feels like we might have winter at least through January! Woohoo!

It's cold on the prarie!

Time for books! And tea! And soup!

Tree gone and not a moment too soon!

   OMG is this my tree?
Happy Valentine's day season... hearts and red and for some reason one of my faves. I have re-festived a bit... hard to wean away from all the glory of Christmas so I transition the red into---- hearts! I love Halloween and of course CHRISTMAS, supreme favorite, but also Valentine's has a special place with me-- Easter/Spring pretty cool. For some reason Fourth of July is hideous. Maybe I'm just not martial enough, or perhaps I don't especially care for primary red, tarp blue and white as a color combo. Plus--- who would have the energy to celebrate ANYTHING in 100 degrees with 100% humidity? I'm doing good not to drop dead in July---- and August does not bear thinking about. What about trading in August for Fofember? Fofember is the month that should come between November and December. This move would really help make the year balanced and give plenty of time between messy over-fed Thanksgiving and lovely gorgeous sparkly perfect Christmas. Can you tell I'm a fan of Christmas? Above photo shows you why it was good I took down tree. It still appeared beautiful, but as I touched it to remove baubles EVERY NEEDLE FELL OFF IN HEAPS!

So now I have new theme... Including a red lace square dance petticoat on table base--- why not?

But I must say that glass Christams balls are the single most beautiful man-made thing on earth. Really- !

I have plastic-ed up the Sugar Plum Fairy who reigns over Christmas and folded her away into sparkly sleep. She's really our Marmee, though she looks like Jean Harlowe, and her three little angel-clones are us three girls. Santa is waving goodbye...

More Christmas You tube...

Two different takes on feminism:




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXySpVFasFI&feature=related


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfVKWhhdum8&feature=related

Tree Down Day

Well, it is really shedding now. I guess it's time to say goodbye. Goodbye little sacrificial tree from somewhere far away! Your innocent green life  cut short, chopped off that we might receive a woodly ambassador in our home. Thank you little Christmas tree! I wish you could remain with us always and your glowing presence make  faerie light upon our plebian endeavors such as coffee making, (Click this link to see How-to!!!!)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0Vq4LitXeA&feature=related floor mopping and cat throw-up removal. Here's "Dad" doin' it, cortesy of You tube where else----! go Dad. Does he make housecalls, I wonder? And now here's Tom, recovering from by-pass surgery working away with infinite patience at Lego-central. He has set himself the task of re-organizing all the Legos we have somehow scrambled over the years. Chasing down that last knife, or red-haired mistachio-ed guy, or cobweb and spell book-- for multiplicitous sets, which formerly coagulated as themes: Ft. Legorado, pirate ship, rocket ship, Egyptian tomb, Harry Potter, King Arthur, Robin Hood and his Merry Men, etc. using spec sheets (wisely saved!) as roadmap... a fabulous occupation for someone who is not supposed to move around much and needs to be nevertheless accomplished anyway. Go Tom! Especially since we have about fifteen gallons of Legos!

HAPPY 2010!

OK- so it's a brand new year and the Christmas tree is still up at my house. I know- but I'll take it down this weekend... it's shedding needles but still so Wow! My favorite thing is the way lights and ornaments blur and reflect on shiny surfaces. I love the play of color on  random objects and so, I will drain the last drops of the festive assertion, the over-the-topness provided by this faux-transplanted tree, my pretend candy forest miracle-of-nature.

Don't you wish trees really looked like this? Lights twinkle and wink  unexpectedly ... everywhere you turn, really.
                                                                 I'll miss Christmas and do already.
As with every year that just-passed season feels like the dress rehearsal--

NOW I'm ready to have Christmas. This year was even more busy and fragmented and blurry-fast than usual, wasn't it?. I had my head down, focused on tasks and now it's over! Can I resolve to keep my elvish activities going this year so that next year I am ready? Only, many million-degree days will intervene between now and the next fast Fall, the waiting Winter. Hard to cheerfully fabricate north European folk traditions in 100% humidity...
Right now my resolve is strong because this FREEZING! weather is conducive to thoughts of sparkling ice and delicate traceries of frost and Alpine landscapes and hot chocolate imbibed while wearing  brightly defiant woolies! Here's to 2010! May Christmas live all the year.

It's a silverscape...

 

Mantle decor at Roz and Rachel's

random Christmas cheer...

Tallahassee Festival of Lights Christmas parade

Mary and I walked in the parade Friday night! That was fun. We were wearing books on our back and she passed out pencils. the Magnolia School bus was decked out in giant renditions of childoood faves-- Clifford, Green Eggs and Ham, etc. They did a fabulous job! I think Tiggers like parades now, but only as participant. There is no claustrophobia when one is boldly parading down a broad street-- normally jammed with cars--- and there's plenty of elbow room out here with the crowds conveniently penned behind a fence. I kind of liked it!

The Perfect Drink!

Thank you Borders barrista for going that extra smile-- har har. Glad somebody still has that creative spirit, even in corporate world. Cocoa Trio with whipped cream and face puddle. Ahhhhh... priceless.

Remembering Dad and his Magnolia House family

Roz and Rach and Becca made a basket for Howard's Magnolia house caregivers and took it down the street to the lovely place in Quincy that he called home for the last six months of his life. Our intent was to bring some holiday cheer to the hard working staff there and to remind ourselves and them what a great guy he was in so many ways. We really appreciate the fine level of respect and care from everyone at the Magnolia House. They were wonderful with him and truly seemed to enjoy his company. Dad was quite a character as we all know, and when he wasn't lost in melancholy he was very gregarious and exceptionally charming! Fortunately for the staff he saved his bluest thoughts for his daughters, and while we would get exhausted by his gloomy moods  it was very comforting to us three girls to know he was making a special connection with the people who were with him every day. Despite the sad days gosh we miss him!

Santa and two of his spunky elves: Magnolia House lobby

lunch with sisters, shopping for christmas

butternut squash soup, mmmmgood! the weather is crisp and cold, how festive!

Shopping for Family 39.

 

Caring Tree at Mary's school--- Magnolia School

The school has adopted  "Family 39"-- The head of this family is a grandmother with serious health problems who is raising five kids alone. I picked off an ornament-tag that read:

"Girls room. 3 share a bed and they need a king-size comforter or heavy blanket."

Well- one thing led to another. I am extremely limited in funds at the moment (!!) but still, somehow I found myself at Ross looking for this bedspread. I really couldn't bear to buy clothes because the four year-old boy wants a cowboy outfit-- boots and belt and hat, etc.--- and where would you find that?  And having a 14 year-old girl who frequently reminds me that I have simply god-awful atrocious taste I am aware of my limitations. It's too hard when you don't know somebody to get what they would love. Teenagers especially. I hoped that somebody else might have a better current style sense than I do, and went for the bedding instead. 

I DO KNOW LINENS. When I tried to imagine sharing a bed with two sisters, and thought about how it feels like  my bed is my last refuge and how much it means to have it be all clean and snuggy, I really tried to picture their scene. So.... they must have a mattress pad, because that is something fresh for a mattress that may not be the greatest-- and it makes a foundation for the sheets to fit right. I found one for 20 bucks- Ross is fabulous! And put that in the cart. 

Comforter selection was at first glance picked over and sucky. Those things tend to be difficult to get just right. Found a few sets of sheets (only around $20.00 also) but no anchor to base the choice off of, because no comforter! Found a king size fleece blanket, a lovely blue. One of the very nice sheet sets was also a jewel-like and dusty shade of steel/dove blue. OK. That works and it's pulling together around a color. And it's nice, this color-- not too peculiar or idiosyncratic but also cheery, and not as unforgiving of daily wear as pure white. Considering they never had a set of dishes but only styrofoam I'll bet they don't have a washer, but schlep things to a laundrymat. So sheets. What would these girls like/ love? I can't imagine, but this soft blue is calming, yet still  kind of neutral. 

The cart has a growing related pile of stuff in it. Like the old aggregation song about old Farmer in the Dell...The pad takes the sheet, the sheet takes the case, the case takes a pillow, the pillow finds a blanket... You get the picture?

You CAN'T put your only new sheets on a grungy pillow. Or  a new comforter over dingy sheets, can you really? Considering how I know for a fact that some normal middle class people have ratty, pilly sheets. So-- these girls definitely need some new ones. 

But what about their pillows? King sheets come with king cases- and who changes out their pillows as often as they should- even if they can afford to? And then what about the third sister? Shouldn't she have a new pillow also, if her sisters do? Which means   an extra case- beyond the two king ones that come with the  set. How many pillows fit across a king size bed? I figured the five year old would probably get the standard-size pillow (big sisters are 11 and 13, I think) and you can sort of mash two kings across and wedge a standard in there scrunched a little. So yeah, that standard pillow needs its own case as well. OK--a set of 2 for 5.99.  and 350 thread count ! 100% cotton, gorgeous, a little lighter shade of blue also. I've got a theme going now. 

Wow! How did I not see the ONLY even semi-acceptable comforter is a king and at $44.00 dollars a great deal. It's a darker shade of blue (Good. won't show dirt easily) but in the tone range of the other blues that have coagulated in my shopping cart. Jesus this is getting expensive! Add keeping the original spark-- the lightweight same-blue-range king-size fleece blanket (only $20 too!), a blanket which I was thinking might even end up with  the boys or Mom...  
 

$161.00 dollars later, plus wrapping paper-- with no shopping done for anyone else, and no money either!

I used a credit card, and felt slightly kicked in the stomach by my buying frenzy.

But dammit!!!! I'll pay for it somehow. My life has sucked many times, and seemed awful. Yet I have so many advantages compared to this family. By golly at least the three sisters can make up their own bed to be a soft new nice fluffy nest. I hope they fell comforted by it -----and this world really sucks, BTW. And some people really do care.

Recent Christmas pics-- Home; TREE! and English Dept. party