Christmas Eve with the Chickadees

And after....

signed, the willow

The Holidays 1

How were the holidays?  

We took some time to make a gingerbread house. Since "some" time equates to very little time, we bought a kit.  See above.

 This is how ours turned out.  Not sure that the icing is real icing as the instructions read "knead the frosting until it is the consistency of toothpaste."

It was an afternoon of giggles as we gave the gingerbread man and his snowman that lived in this humble abode some bulging eyes!


signed, the willow

We put the tree up

Unfortunately, we copped out of the sea creature theme this year.  And I'm starting to wonder what everyone puts on their tree to "tie it all together". In the 70s we used garlands. In the 80s, we pulled out the ribbons.  In the 90s, feather boas got tossed on our trees.  Somewhere the beads came out again.

We're a full dozen Christmas trees into the 21st century and I still have ribbons on my tree.  Help!

Here's what the internet consensus says.


Reclaimed wood:

Source: flickr.com via Molly on Pinterest

Au naturel:

Source: thatkindofwoman.tumblr.com via Brancoprata on Pinterest

post its:

Source: decorology.blogspot.com via Ashley on Pinterest

What about this?

source:  Etsy * The Doll City Rocker


Outdoorsy:

source: Design Sponge

Love this one!

Source: twoheartstogether.com via Bethany on Pinterest

tulle and burlap?

Source: doityourselfdivas.blogspot.com via Beth on Pinterest

Source: poppytalk.blogspot.com 

So, I'm thinking of starting this now for next year.  Maybe I'll do my baking now for 2012 as well.  Yack.

signed, the willow

Art and the Written Word

I've always been a fan of text and art together.  To me, it's how art makes sense.  Art Journaling.

Source: sarahearn.blogspot.com via Darrell N Karen on Pinterest

Source: andreajoseph24.blogspot.com via Muriel on Pinterest

Source: flickr.com via Rowena on Pinterest

Source: artistjournals.tumblr.com via Rowena on Pinterest

Source: flickr.com via Rowena on Pinterest

signed, the willow

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Bloglovin

Every week there's a new curious tool to use on the internet.  Pinterest, Klout, and Bloglovin.  I would love to meet the genius people who create these wondrous and necessary tools on the internet.  Remember the days where the internet bored you to death and you felt as though you'd seen it all?  Yeah!  Those days are over.  Now we need ways to navigate our ways through the piles of bookmarks and links we've collected.  A tool to refine the blogs.  A tool to tell us what's new and what we've already read (even though we've probably already forgot).

Here's how pretty Bloglovin looks:

Here's how pretty, I don't look:

signed, the willow

Spinning

My blog came to a pause when I came down, spinning down, with vertigo.  My head is constantly tilted to the left.  My eyes are suffering from nystagmus and I keep  the gravol and a trash can close by.

Maybe it's a testament to my crazytown life that I'd end up with a spinny symptom of something else that's wrong with my head.

Stay tuned,
willow

Running with Gratefulness

Do you ever have those cliche moments when you just find your momentum?  Your groove?  Your energy?

Today I went for a run with our dog, Suma, and found myself floating on air because of gratefulness.  I was thanking the Universe for my legs, my muscles, my heart pumping blood, my lungs breathing fresh clean air.  The things I take for granted.  With the gratitude in my heart, I crossed over the creek on the  pedestrian bridge and looked down at Suma.  She was grinning ear to ear.  Anyone who knows Suma, knows this particular smile.  She was grateful too.  Grateful for her legs, her lungs, her heart, and for me.  She looked up knowingly at me as if to say "You rock, mom! Thanks for bringing me and picking up my poop with your tiny Teaopia bag."  I said the same with my heart to her - except for the poop part.  One day, we won't run together anymore.  Sooner for her, sadly.  As we met up with Burlington's best looking willow (.No, silly.  Not me!) the air smelled of a fresh batch of chocolate chip cookies.  Thank goodness I live in a safe neighbourhood where fellow exercisers greet me with a smile and the wholesomeness of the neighbourhood was encapsulated in the aroma of those chocolate chip cookies. mmmm. grateful

signed, the willow

Warm and Cozy

For us, the weather is just beginning to get chilly.  Warm and cozy here I come!



I think I might be able to swing this blankie.  How great would that look on my bed?  With a dog sleeping on top of it, of course.

Source: eismandesign.com via Val on Pinterest

No animal deserves to die and be mounted on a wall.  Instead, knit a deer friend for your wall!

Source: azcentral.com via Elizabeth on Pinterest

I don't knit, but if I did I think I'd like to make this large knit throw.  I'd probably be able to whip it up in about a day....or not?

Source: sundayinbed.tumblr.com via Tanya on Pinterest

Love this hat.

Source: krentu.blogspot.com via Joyce on Pinterest

I'm imagining these to be cruelty free boots.  There's no reason why not.  They'd surely fit over my calf muscles with those laces.

Source: google.com via Joyce on Pinterest

signed, the willow

I'm married to a Griswold

Yes, I know there aren't that many lights.  But, when goes to Canadian Tire thrice each weekend day for more lights and starts chatting up the neighbour about his lights.  The neighbour puts out lights, Clark Griswold puts out lights.  The neighbour puts out more lights, Clark puts out more lights.  And it keeps going on and on and on.

signed, the willow

Birthday Wish

This year for my birthday, I wish for world peace and for maternal health throughout the world.  All women deserve their god-given right to nurture and love their babies.

And all women deserve to gain some weight, put some fat on their breasts, hips, to feed their babies.  Yeah.  We've had our chances to be young, slim, pretty.  Now we need to have fat on our waistlines to hold our children and watch our daughters be young, beautiful and give them the confidence we have now - you know, the confidence we didn't have then.

and yes, I made the latte.  And then I drank it.  With that little baby in it.

signed, the willow

Favourite Snack

One of my most favourite snacks is my Salmon Cracker Fight Club.


Take some crackers
 Brown Rice Crackers with Black Sesame Seeds
or
 34 degree Rosemary Crispbread

Take some cheese
 Havarti - Jalapeno!

A little spice
 Spicy Spinach Dip

No Fight Club Salmon Cracker snack would be complete without 

 Smoked Salmon

 Top it off with something sweet

 Red Pepper Jelly

This was my late night dinner on Saturday night.  For the Moms that needed booze, I needed booze too.  First I needed this food.  Then I passed out.

signed, the willow