After the Holidays

We have had freezing rain here most of the day. It has been a hazardous day for drivers and pedestrians. I'm so glad we drove back from Ontario on Friday and have been able to relax at home this weekend. We were in Ontario for a whole week to visit my family. We were supposed to drive Emma back to her university residence tonight but will wait until the morning when roads are likely to be easier to navigate. There are areas in Quebec without power. Our lights flickered this afternoon but, so far, we are lucky.

Hazards aside, the ice-encased garden is really quite beautiful. I posted a few photos I took during daylight on Instagram earlier. Tonight with our Christmas lights on and the street lights in the background, the garden is positively luminous.

Emma will be back at university tomorrow. Chloé goes back to school on Tuesday. I am so looking forward to getting back to my routine and painting again but it was very nice to have a break and do other things.

I hope you all had a good holiday and I wish you the very best in 2015!

The Approach

It smelled so good in our house this morning.  Emma made gingerbread cookies.  It's funny how simple things can be such powerful mental triggers.  The spicy scent of those cookies wafting up the stairs started to get me in a Christmas mood.  The snow helped this week too, although sadly it has already melted. It'll be back soon enough.

We've put our Christmas lights up outside.  I love approaching our house from a distance and seeing the golden lights.  They'll be even prettier once the snow returns.

The decorations in the house will be next.  Chloé has already brought up the box of Christmas books and DVDs from the basement and I have tranferred them to a basket.  Even the books they have outgrown stay in that box. Tradition.

I held onto one of my Christmas books from my childhood and it still puts tears in my eyes when I read it. It's a beautifully written and illustrated book about family members making gifts for their little girl (and of course she makes gifts for them).

It seemed too soon to be thinking about Christmas before and all of a sudden I'm wondering if I'll have time to do everything I want and need to do.  It's that way every year. It's exactly one month away today.

In the end, it's important not to hurry and worry too much as I think this is the best part of Christmas:  the approach.

(Every Day in the Year by Phyllis Rowand - out of print, but still available used)

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If you have started to think about your Christmas shopping, just a reminder that I have a special in my Etsy shop all this weekend right until the end of the day, Monday November 28th.  Just apply the coupon code THANKS2011 when you check out and you will receive 15% off your entire order.

Enjoy your weekend.