PATIENCE!!!

“The secret of patience 

is doing something else in the meanwhile...”

 

7:45am ~ Waiting in Cincinnati, OH Airport for flight to Chicago O'Hare Airport... our flight has been delayed 2 hours (due to weather)... they are calling our number now! keep your fingers crossed we will catch a connecting flight at O'Hare! 

 

11:10am ~ Writing from Chicago - loads of people from Wisconsin boarding the plane to Orange County (their football team is playing in the Rose Bowl~Pasadena on New Year's). 

 

Anxious to be back in California... after a shower to refresh us, we're taking my mom to see "The King's Speech" with Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush & Helena Bonham Carter... 

 

tamales for dinner... 

HApPy New yEAr!

PANERA'S ~ ISN'T JUST FOR BREAD!

WISHING YOU LOADS OF LAUGHTER.... GOOD FOOD... FAMILY, FRIENDS & TIMES OF CHEER...

STAY DRY.... (Southern California weather for SUNDAY predicts RAIN?? doesn't seem possible??)...

STAY WARM, IF YOU HAVE SNOW!

COZY UP YOUR FEET!!!

AND SHARE YOUR LOVE!!!

PANERA'S BREAD = 

FREE Wi-Fi.... 

LOVE IT!!! 

HAVE A FABULOUS-LY WONDERFUL HOLIDAY! 

CHECK BACK ON SUNDAY FOR WEEKWORD... PASS IT ON... THE WORD WILL BE FUN!!!

WEEKWORD = MIDWINTER

THE "RED-SUITED MAN" IS RESTING UP FOR HIS BIG DAY! (homemade Christmas pillowcase made by MOM).

SPENT TUESDAY (Winter Solstice) MAKING COOKIES... (Decorated Sugar Cookies & Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies) & PACKING FOR TRIP TO VISIT FAMILY IN CALIFORNIA & OHIO!!!

LOVELY DAY!!

WEEKWORD was selected by SALLY @ DAIRIO
so, hop over to her blog to see what M-I-D-W-I-N-T-E-R activities have been posted this week.

I'll be posting the next WEEKWORD on Sunday... please pass the word!

CHRISTMAS = WEEKWORD!

C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S  

IS...

...COLOR

...STOCKINGS

...LIGHTS

...HOLIDAY BOOKS

...ORNAMENTS CRAFTED WITH LOVE

...A SNOWY SCENE

...CHILLY SNOWMEN

...BABE IN THE MANGER

...GARLANDS

...SANTAS

...CREATING TRADITIONS!!!

...ON THE LIST THIS WEEK?

 

BAKING!!!!

 Last week,

ALLIE IN WONDERLAND selected

C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S

as the WEEKWORD.

I'm posting 2 days late - my excuse?? 

fell in a snowbank? attended a craft fair? too much celebrating? visiting family? had a food hangover? forgot?? remember I'm a year older now!...

Visit Allie's BLOG for CHRISTMAS highlights in the homes of other WEEKWORD bloggers! 

SIXTY-PLUS...

Celebrated my BDAY for most of the last week...

A few days before my BDAY, Susan took me to dinner... Mexican food... and flan for dessert!!! Sorry - I'm not posting the picture of me wearing the "larger-than-my-head" sombrero... Wished I had a COLORFUL pen to "mark" the event!

Adorable CAKE STAND ~ from Susan!

The CAKE STAND  & new friend, "Wooden Santa" guarding the tree!

"Santa Climbing Out of the Chimney" ~ Bday gift from ACE!

JPE & I visited ACE... and the three of us spent 7 hours browsing & shopping  at the holiday CRAFT FAIR in San Francisco... if you "craft" - check out this LINK & mark your calendar for their 2011 summer & holiday fairs...

SAN FRANCISCO'S RENEGADE CRAFT FAIR

"Gifted" with dinner(s)... coffee gift card (thanks SLE & MB & Sea-Bass)... bedtime reading light (from JPE, of course)... an adorable suitcase (which I'll use to transport craft supplies) filled with "everything coffee" from PEET'S (love it! merci NB, Lydia & JMcG)... & birthday wishes (electronic, snail mail & by phone)...

ALL IN ALL... it wasn't bad getting over the "hump" of 60....

GLITZ & GLITTER....

Tomorrow ~ lunching with friends from work... soaking up the glitz & glitter... this is the place to browse & get in the holiday spirit!

ummm! don't you think the back entrance is pretty enticing?

Check out this porch display... are you swooning yet?

Well... you'll just have to wait for more photos ~ tomorrow night!

SO, if you travel to SLO (pronounced "slow" town - stands for San Luis Obispo), you must stop here for a meal!

There's a lovely restaurant... a bakery... a fabulous gift shop... and a romantic get-away! check it out HERE!

HUH! false advertising?? this is NOT an APPLE... 

...doesn't matter, the menu is down-home-cooking! portions are plentiful! and the Apple Dumplings are a signature treat! 

My dad loved to order the meatloaf sandwich! My favorite??? ummm... difficult to make a choice.

BTW ~ on my last visit, I spied this SANTA...

...perhaps I'll treat myself! after all, it'll be my Bday!!!

COME PLAY....

"Some cause HAPPINESS where ever they go."

~ Oscar Wilde, Irish writer, poet & playwright

It's time to spread the "happiness" ~ I know we are all very busy... BUT I would imagine that you've taken some pictures, baked something marvelously delicious, have created a holiday greeting or setting in your home, or snapped pictures of the "ever-changing weather"... am I correct?

So ~ this task should be "easy~peasy"...

ALLIE in WONDERLAND

has selected the word...

 

C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S 

as the WEEKWORD!!

Didn't I say this would be "easy-peasy"... So, blaze a path to Allie's BLOG & let her know you'll be posting something!

Spread the HAPPINESS by sharing your thoughts about C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S! 

NO EXCUSES... I've been to your blogs... there are some adorable, stunning, delicious traditions & memories taking place in your house!

BY GOSH, BY GOLLY, IT'S....

COME IN...

HANG UP YOUR COAT & SCARF

AND TAKE A PEEK AROUND...

... A SANTA COLLECTOR LIVES HERE!!!

 

 BEFORE THE RUSH OF THE HOLIDAY, 

A WHITE-COATED SANTA 

GOES SHOPPING

TO PICK HIS OWN CHRISTMAS TREE!

 HANGING AROUND THE GREENERY...
TALL, SKINNY SANTA SWINGS CANDY CANES
AS LONG AS HIS LEGS...

AND  ROLY, POLY SANTA WAVES

HIS "MAGIC" TREE WAND...

REMINDING US THAT SANTA'S WATCHING US!!

EVEN WHEN

WE CAN'T SEE HIS EYES...

SHHH! DON'T SAY THIS TOO LOUD...

BUT, 

THIS SANTA IS ONE OF MY

F-A-V-O-R-I-T-I-E-S!!!

I BOUGHT HIM AT A "POST-HOLIDAY SALE"

IN PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND -

HE'S ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE!

I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY HE WASN'T GOBBLED UP 

BEFORE HIS "INFAMOUS" EVENING SLEIGH RIDE??

(PS - IT WAS MY FIRST TRIP TO RHODE ISLAND

& FIRST CHRISTMAS WITH JPE! 

SEEMS LIKE YESTERDAY INSTEAD OF

E-L-E-V-E-N  HOLIDAYS AGO)

YIKES!!! 

GOTTA RUN... JUST LIKE YOU

I'VE GOT A LIST OF THINGS TO DO!!

I'LL BE BACK!!!

HERE COMES RED MAN...

I COLLECT SANTAS!

sugar coated, sparkly...



swirly, twirly, long bearded...



UH! OH? Surprised??



jolly, mustached, tinman...

teeny, tiny, German....

 S-A-N-T-A' S

COUNTING DOWN...

How do you count down the days until Christmas? 

On the Sunday after Thanksgiving, I would give SLE & ACE their ADVENT calendar... we would have begun decorating the house, the tree, and making lists of gifts to make or purchase, so ADVENT calendars became a part of our "Christmas tradition"... as a way to mark the time!!

SLE & ACE have left their calendars behind - YES, we saved them (there are over 50 calendars in the collection)... AND, I can't bear to get rid of them.  

At Thanksgiving (a couple of weeks ago), they asked me if I still had the "COLLECTION" (& reminded me that someday, they would want to share them with their kids!)

"Surprises from Santa" was ACE's calendar from 1993 (she was 13 years old)...

Ohhh... YES! I gave them ADVENT Calendars even when they were in COLLEGE!

This window reads: "D is for DOLLY with soft sleepy eyes-- She drinks from a bottle, she toddles and cries."

SLE loved German Advent calendars -- especially the glitter & pictures! This was her calendar when she was 12 years old!


Most of the girl's early calendars were made in Germany! The more recent calendars were purchased at Hallmark, World Market or Border's. 

I didn't buy the kind with chocolate or the extravagant ones that had a little trinket or piece of candy! I tried to keep our holidays SIMPLE...

Advent calendars were developed by German Lutherans to count down the days from December 1st to Christmas Eve. It's believed that German families would count down the 24 days until Christmas by placing a mark on the door. The first handmade Advent calendar was made in 1851...

ACE's Advent "Christmas Customs from Around the World" explains around customs & flags from around the world. 

Today's window ~ GREECE ~ says "Children go from house to house singing carols & collecting small treats like nut cakes (Christpomo)."

Another "favorite" calendar (ACE's) had a different riddle each day!

"Why does Santa wear red mittens?" 
(answer at the end of this post)

When ACE was a preschooler, she would tear the windows off instead of leaving them to be opened & closed! 


This was her calendar when she was three years old! with the doors ripped off! We would tape the calendar to the window so they could see the picture clearer.

I HOPE YOU'LL SHARE YOUR FAVORITE HOLIDAY TRADITION....or POST A LINK TO YOUR BLOG TELLING ABOUT A HOLIDAY TRADITION!


the answer to the riddle:: Santa wears mittens, "to keep his hands warm".... oh. bad, bad riddle!