Christmas

"Brown paper packages tied up with strings..." 

Work

      I don't know if you were expecting a picture that was of the work that I do and that's actually what I thought of when I picked the theme. Then last night the sunset took my breath away and I knew that at the end of the day this is my favorite part of work. Even if I had a bad day this view never ceases to make me content right where I'm am. It's my little bit of heaven. :)

When Carmen suggested "work" as our theme for this week, I wasn't sure what I was going to do since I wasn't going to be working between then and today. Then, I remembered that I own my favorite work tool. I clean houses two days a week and love it. Mostly because the people I clean for are the kindest, sweetest, most generous people ever! But, yes, my Dyson is my favorite cleaning tool. 

Warmth

Coffee after a good long hard day. A long long red coat. Lights in the windows of my small town. Fun gloves from target that don't match with anything but make me smile everytime i wear them. Fuzzy footies. Hot chocolate with Jen at Morton Street. Scarves. Someones kind smile. A compliment from a stranger. Christmas cards in the mail, and so so much more. So today i am thankful for all the wonderful things God gave me to use while I live in this freezing cold north. And I must admit. Middlebury is very sweet in the winter decked out in all its christmas finery.

Fuzzy slippers. What more do I need to say? : )

Music

I love music. Classical. Southern Gospel. Pop. A little bit of everything. Christmas music fits right in there with my mix. ;) So when I saw these carolers on the gingerbread house I couldn't resist taking a picture of  what is one of my favorite things to do in the winter. Hard tack anyone. :)

P.S. I heard my favorite christmas song this morning. Pat a Pan. love. :)

When Carm said she wanted this week's theme to be music, I thought "oh shoot! What am I going to take a picture of!?" Besides listening to the radio and Pandora, we aren't a very musical household (unless barking and whimpering counts as music :p). As I was contemplating what to capture, I happened to think of this music box...one of the many things sitting in my "favorite things cabinet." This dear music box is in sad shape. It is chipped and broken and scratched can barely play anymore, but I love the history behind it. Grandma Miller gave it to me at some point after I graduated and told me that it was the last gift her sister Leora gave her before Leora passed away. So, even though this music box isn't very musical anymore, I still love it! 

Hobbies

                                                              Life's a hobby!! Joshua Lederberg

I do believe I have inherited my mother's craftiness. I have about a million hobbies, from photography and scrapbooking to the newly discovered "paper cutting"...not to mention my new love of mod podge! If you can cut it, glue it, paint it or add ribbon to it; chances are, I'm going to try it if I haven't already... I love my hobbies and I am very thankful my husband gets it and appreciates the many things I come up with.

Bowls

so i know the thing for this week isn't very inspirational but it makes me happy. mainly because we sell the coolest ever hand carved bowls. the lady is from Appalachia Tennessee and just drops in whenever she's passing through. so we got a huge order of them the other day and i got to check it in and it made me happy. i hope y'all have a wonderful day and keep your eyes open for all the little things that make you happy. even if it is a weeny tiny bowl. and if you are feeling so inspired just tag a little comment about that little thing at the bottom of our page, and share your happiness. :)

I have this odd love for milk glass. I've started picking up pieces in thrift stores and garage sales. I just think the pure, white glass is so beautiful; and when I find a piece for two dollars, I can't let it go! This piece; however, is even more special because it came from Dennis's Grandma. How much more valuable is something you love when it is given to you by someone you love! 

Old

I've always thought old things had a sort of magic about them. they always made me wonder what they looked like when they were new, and what kind of journey they had on the way to now. i guess that's why i love the story of the velveteen rabbit so much and the famous skin horse quote. and why i love old books. and old houses with old chest full of old letters and pictures. the shadows and stories and history behind it all. and i think actually that when someone or something ages gracefully right along with life they are more beautiful at the end than they were at the beginning. that's why i love old things

One of my favorite memories from growing up is exploring the old house that was way back in the woods behind our house. We found letters, old school papers, glass coke bottles, old washing machines...We would make up stories about who the people were and why they left all their things behind. Old houses still fascinate me and that is one reason why I love the South. There are old, broken down houses around every corner. Just imagine the stories this little shack could tell!

Laughter

"Somewhere over the rainbow!!" That song sung at the top of your lungs and choreographed by my beloved sister Carrie can only make you laugh!! love you Pippie Lou!

When Carmen said she wanted this week's theme to be laughter, my first thought was "oh boy, how am I supposed to get a picture of that!?" My second thought was of this picture. It's not from this week, but it is one of my favorite pictures. Not only does it show the loveliness of an amazing lady; it also brings back memories of the few weeks before the family moved to IN....weeks where we spent every possible moment soaking in each other's presence....day's focusing on each good moment and not on how badly we would miss one another. So, while I did not mean for this to get all kinds of sappy, here's me saying "I miss you...and can't wait until the next time we can laugh together!"

Reading

reading. i can't say how much it has impacted my life. these are only a few of the books that have changed my way of thinking. they have inspired me to be who i am. anne of green gables let me be the free spirit i always wanted to be. the three weavers grounded me. when crickets cry  made me question life and found out that it is worth it to open up my heart to the people around me even if it hurts a little. :) i could go on forever but i won't. so a big shout out goes to all those authors out there who changed my life. thanks. :)

Ah, the joy of reading...of being swept away to places you've never been, times that have come and gone, characters that make you want to become a better version of yourself. I don't think I can put into words how much I love to read; how excited I get when a new book sits before me, unopened. So, guess what I'm going to go do now! :)

Circles

balloons. just one more thing that makes me smile. :)

When I was little, my mom had this tin in her sewing cabinet that was full of buttons. I remember asking if I could look at them and then pouring them all out on the floor or table and looking at all the different ones. I picked out my favorites and I'm sure I asked many times if I could keep those for myself. Ah, the memories...

Fall

the trees! the leaves! i'm falling for fall! -mutts

the most  beautiful sight in the morning right now is this lovely tree with the sun shining through the leaves. :)

I am not a fan of fall. Plants dying and winter around the corner...I just can't see how anyone can like fall. For the past number of years, I've tried my hardest to see the good in fall, and yet I still find myself wrinkling up my nose at the thought of it. So, I figure, the least I can do is recognize the beauty of the season. This week, I challenged myself to capture as much of that beauty as I could, and it worked...I had a hard time choosing just one photo for this blog :p So, here's to fall...my least favorite season (at lease winter has Christmas!).

Shoes

shoes are my weakness to put it simply. i think it's my girly girl side coming out. even when i was little and we went shopping for school shoes mom had to pull me away from the heeled shoes. so i guess that's why i have so many high heeled shoes in my closet now. and why i still fit so many on when i go into the store. :)

Could these two pictures be any different? :) These old, ratty work boots belong to my husband and they mean so much to me. They are worn by a man who works hard day and (sometimes) night to provide for me. They also remind me of the miracle of how God gave Dennis is business. I am also a girly-girl who loves her heals, but I don't think any pair of shoes means as much to me as these stinky work boots.

Loving

on top of the world feeling. holding hands, a hug, a pat on the back, sitting on top of your dad's shoulders (when your very small of course), a kiss goodnight. all of these things make me feel loved. :)

I was going to do something really amazingly creative, but I couldn't help it. One of the first things I think about when I think about "love" is my stupid little dog (the first being the hubbers). I know people probably think I'm crazy for loving a dog so much, but how can you not love something so fluffy and cute!? :)

Food

fall=apple festivals. apple festivals = caramel covered apples! the most juiciest, yummiest, most awesomest food of all time. :) not the most artistic picture but the food was awesome!

I made these yummy, little cheesecake tart thingies for our fellowship meal on Sunday. Lucky for me (or maybe unlucky, depends on how you look at it), there were some left over. :)





    

Black and White

i remember going to school n watching my teacher write on the blackboard. i loved when she would get knew packs of chalk out and on special days she would let us draw on it at breaktime. :) "you shoulda seen it in color." :)

We went to a good, ol', southern apple festival on Saturday. I wanted to stay all day and take everything in. Apple cider, apple butter, fresh honey, homemade ice cream, arts, crafts and more yummy food then you could imagine. I felt like I had a little sensory overload with so many things and so many people, but it was a wonderful day.

Water

i love the water. enough said! :)

I woke up to the smell of the freshly watered earth...to the sun making water drops sparkle...to the wondrous green that appears after the rain. The world had been refreshed overnight and there is just nothing quite like a morning after the rain.

Light

glow sticks are awesome! just sayin'. :)

I am enjoying taking pictures of random objects out of focus just a little too much. I don't know yet if that's a good thing or not.

Trucks

Where I grew up in, we rode in trucks. :) But just so everyone knows my loyalty to chevy has not changed since we moved. This is rather the truck you see in Indiana all the time. So if any o you southerners wanna come up here, bring your trucks. I miss them good ole chevys. :)

This week, Wendell picked the theme for us. It is very obviously a masculine theme, but when Carm told me, I automatically thought of this picture that I took last fall. I usually try to make sure I take the picture during the week, but this week has been crazy and I love this old truck, so I'm okay with cheating this once. :)