Red Shoe Studio

Ho, Ho, Woe

My friend Janet and I agree...the single worst thing about being divorced is the every-other-year holiday schedule. My kids are with their dad this year so I made plans to head out to spend Christmas with my Mom and Dad. My bags were sitting in the front hall last night when I decided to check my flight status...unfortunately I was supposed to be flying into Denver this morning...flight canceled...no available flights until the 26th!
After a not-so-brief "meltdown" when I realized that I really couldn't get out, I got back on track....my kids will split time with me, (their Dad lives 5 minutes away) and I will go out to Colorado with them the day after Christmas..
Now I have an extra 4 days in a nice, clean, decorated home...I went to the craft store and got the supplies for a present I didn't think I'd have time to make, and I put on a big pot of lentil soup that should see me through the next day or two...

This is a favorite Christmas spot...in the butler's pantry between my dining room and kitchen...during the rest of the year I have ivy topiaries, (the only houseplant that survives my green thumb.)

Vintage Christmas...

I hope I don't get in trouble for the "vintage" in the title, at my age I shouldn't be getting into trouble at all...

Dad

Mom

Don't you love the tinsel?  It seems no Christmas tree was complete without it...we hung it when I was a little girl too, but I haven't seen it in stores for years...
One of my New Year resolutions for 2007 is scanning all the family photos that I can get my hands on...there's only one copy of lots of these older pictures, and I would really like to preserve them for my kids and theirs.

Home Dec

I was really looking forward to decorating my living room mantelpiece, my new and old cardboard houses and collection of bottle brush trees...

Usually I keep it pretty "random", this year, Graham decorated the mantel for me. Now, this is a kid that wants to be an architect, has been creating elaborate Lego structures practically since birth, so did we get the "random" look? No way...my mantel has neighborhoods with orderly hedges, front yards, and a thoughtful size gradation...

I like it, it's different than I would have arranged it, but even control freak Moms can let go now and then and just enjoy the result! Thanks, Graham!

(I did however have TOTAL control of the tree decorations!)

Crunch Time

After two weeks of what is commonly referred to as a "blogging break", I'm back and it is indeed, crunch time at our house...I haven't made a single cookie or our favorite peppermint bark, (that's on tomorrow's list,) and my gifts are still unwrapped.
On the plus side, I did get a chance to make these little gift tags today...they match my Martha Stewart wrapping paper. (From Kmart, of course.)

Also, the house is decorated, the kids are studying hard for their exams, and I'm done with all my presents and shopping! (I think...maybe I should check that list twice...)

Oh, Tannenbaum...

Tree lot, Sunday...one of my favorite places to be every December. But, boy is it hard to choose! I walk around acting as if I can really tell what these trees will look like once they're unbound and defrosted. Usually I'm pretty lucky and we have a beautiful, somewhat symmetrical tree...last year I wasn't going to be home much at Christmas, so I  purchased a pre-lit artificial tree. As artificial trees go, it wasn't bad, but my kids had a fit! This year, I didn't even chance it, straight off to the lot!

We have a lovely, fragrant, Fraser fir tree...currently with half a string of lights on it...(and here I am typing with sappy hands!)

Snow Day

The kids are thrilled....snow day #2! After so many years of waking up early, I was outside, in pajamas and snow boots, first thing this morning. Everything looks so much more beautiful when it's covered in snow...

bunny tracks and boot...

garden goddess, buried...

red, yellow, and blue...

Our birdbath looks like a big, white cake on a pedestal...altogether about 6 inches of snow! (sorry birds!)