Christmas Beauty 2017

Our Christmas decorations just came down last on Saturday. 

At the beginning of December we weren't feeling at all Christmassy, 

so we started late and stretched it out late.

A special addition to our CHRISTmas celebrations this year was an advent candle holder made by my creative architect-cousin. To see more of his work, check out the Første Lys Atelier Facebook page.

When my parents traveled to the east coast last autumn they got to visit my aunt and family - including cousin Peder. He was inspired by the crates of unused telephone pole insulators that Dad found in cleaning the office shed and brought out to be sold in the thrift shop associated with my uncle's ministry. 

Very soon, Peder had fashioned a series of candle-holders seamlessly incorporating the upturned insulators into his artisan woodworking.

A comical part of Christmas clean-up was that our home-grown tree - freshly cut on December 16th and watered only through Christmas week - dropped all of its needles in a big puddle on the wood floor as we took off the decorations.

But it was beautiful until then!

Mom's newest ornament - a Common Loon

Charlie Brown and his scraggly tree were given to Dad by an employee/friend and enjoyed each Christmas at the telephone office. This year he found a new home by our tree.

 One Christmas bouquet remains outside our door - a special gift from friends at Dorothy's funeral.

Losses and Crosses

And, even should misfortunes come,

—I, here wha sit, hae met wi’ some,

  An’s thankfu’ for them yet.

  They let us ken oursel’;

They gie the wit of age to youth;

     Tho’ losses, and crosses,

They mak’ us see the naked truth,

  The real guid and ill.

     There’s wit there, ye’ll get there,

       Be lessons right severe,

     Ye’ll find nae other where.

Burns

Turkey Parade

To continue the theme of bird-watching... our turkey family has joined up with several others to spend the winter. Thirty-two turkeys wandered through our snowy grass again back in December - making their way to our neighbor's where a feast of corn is spread for them.

The Company of Chickadees

"The snow is too beautiful to-day. O I was right! one may grow morbid over books--but I defy anybody in the company of those chick-a-dees."

from Susan Warner's Queechy

          

           

Birthdays to Celebrate

 It is always a gift to have birthdays to celebrate, such as Mom's birthday back in October.

Our last family-birthday with Dorothy at her corner of the table.

We have had the joy of celebrating several of our friend's 

early December birthdays with her as our guest. (She is more like family by now.)

But this was the first year she has seen snow at our place.

We had to go out for a little snowy tramp just before she left for the airport!

Soon before Christmas comes Elsa's birthday. 

This year she chose a hot-dog roast in the fireplace and a coconut-cream-frosted orange cake.

Her birthdays are always festive with Christmas decorations.

I surprised Elsa with her very own pair of TheNauticalNordic mittens.

She had no idea when I had time to make them without her seeing! 

Well... riding to and from the airport, some mornings before breakfast,

and sitting by Dorothy in her bedroom those last days.

A Creative Break

After pushing for weeks to help Elsa restock pillows (shipped as far New Zealand!), finish a dozen pair of special-ordered mittens in time for Christmas, and try some new color/pattern combinations to eventually be photographed for the shop...

... I was ready for a creative break. 

Not that I could last more than a week without any knitting. 

But now it was time to try something new... for fun!

Just off my needles and awaiting blocking to help the lace design "pop" is a scarf for myself. The Quince & Co. pattern, called Everly, was such a joy to knit! And with a gift card from Christmas, I got to try a wool/silk fingering weight yarn: "Tern" in Barnacle.

Another new knitting project that is giving room for creativity is making Christmas gifts for next year. They must be kept a surprise, so... no photos! Also on my needles is a long, slow project I can pick up at any time. This wool scarf is a scrap-quilt version of using up yarn.

All Good Gifts

The squash harvest didn't last while we had no chance to process them in November and December. But the pumpkins were still beautiful for baking in January!

48 cups of cooked pumpkin are now stashed in our freezer,

minus what went into a fresh pumpkin pie, much to Dad's delight!

Somehow these photos reminded me of a hymn we found and learned back in our childhood singing around the piano with Mom. I wish you could sing it with us with all it's marching unisons and stirring harmonies!

We plough the fields, and scatter

the good seed on the land,

but it is fed and watered

by God's almighty hand:

He sends the snow in winter,

the warmth to swell the grain,

the breezes, and the sunshine,

and soft, refreshing rain.

Refrain:

All good gifts around us

are sent from heaven above;

then thank the Lord, O thank the Lord,

for all His love.

He only is the Maker

of all things near and far;

He paints the wayside flower,

He lights the evening star;

the winds and waves obey Him,

by Him the birds are fed;

much more to us, His children,

He gives our daily bread. [Refrain]

We thank Thee then, O Father,

for all things bright and good,

the seed-time and the harvest,

our life, our health, our food.

Accept the gifts we offer

for all Thy love imparts,

and, what Thou most desirest,

our humble, thankful hearts. [Refrain]

Author: Matthias Claudius (1782), Translator: Jane M. Campbell

Tune: WIR PFLÜGEN