I lost a post...

I just spent three hours on my Nutcracker trip post and it disappeared.. This makes me very sad. I don't know when I'll have the heart to re-do it.  

I hope you're all having a lovely week. Stay warm and be safe!

Tamara

XO

Just Coming to Say Hello and Explain..

Hello Everyone..

This is strange post and even stranger ( is that a word??) picture!

I am in San Diego having a wonderful time!

I had planned on posting while here..

But guess what! 

No internet :)

They finally were able to get it to work..

sporadically.. So I'm not going to try to work on a long post!

Because I may not be able to save it.

I have enjoyed my time here very much.

I lugged my guitar along so I brought the music with me!

I'm not sure how much time I have so this will be very short..

But I miss you all. I had big plans to blog hop and visit while here.

Oh well..technology isn't perfect!

We're leaving tomorrow morning. 

So I'll catch up when I return home.

Soooo to explain the picture.

Guess what is still up at our house?

Our daughter did not want to take it down and so she is home

enjoying the tree.

I caught Brutus admiring the tree before we left.

What a cutie. He is the most photogenic cat... curious..cuddly

and has the most ATTITUDE of any cat we've EVER had.

And that's saying a lot!

When we lived in Ohio many years ago,

we used to swear that there must be an invisible sign hanging

above our long, country driveway saying...

~STRAY CATS WELCOME~

Anyway.. I'm getting warnings that my computer is not saving this..

oh NO!

I hope I can make it work!

I do hope that you're all doing well and enjoying the second half of your January.

Be happy and well and I will see you next week!

Thank you for coming by.

Love and blessings,

Tamara

Another Year Has Begun...And Some Random Art

 Hello everyone!

How I've missed you.

What an amazing holiday it was..

It seems that we're still partying with family every chance we get.

Celebrating life every day is what I often talk about

and I think I'm finally getting the hang of it.

Last evening, two of my daughters and myself stayed up late watching

Persuasion. It's a Jane Austen classic, period drama and one of our favorites!

If you're interested, you can watch the trailer here. 

(I have yet to get my pictures together for our December trip. The cord to the camera

was lost and though one has been ordered, it's coming from overseas and must be on a slow boat!

I still have a few more holiday pictures to share besides our Nutcracker holiday.)

***************

I hope your new year is off to a wonderful start with many promises

of good things! I find the HOPE that a new beginning offers is

 such a treasure. And the possibilities of 

achieving the dreams that sometimes lie obscured by cares and responsibilities,

seem to make themselves known as I reflect and search for deeper meaning.

Do new beginnings bring you to that place too?

Here is one of my favorite quotes by Mary Oliver.

 I wrote this out for our New Year's party.

  POM POMS!

 They are fun, easy to make and so festive for special occasions.

The white ones edges weren't trimmed. I forgot but I loved that it

 turned out like a beautiful rose! It was made of crepe paper while the others

  of tissue paper.

If you'd like to try them, there's a tutorial here on the 

beautiful blog White and Vintage. Christine is very sweet and

and very talented! 

The shy one... Burliose~

or.. SIR or Mr. Dainty Paws.

Have you been doing any baking in the New Year?

My granddaughters, AKA, the GIGGLES..

helped me make pizza dough last week.

There was a little leftover and so I made some

little cinnamon sugar monkey breads...

We all enjoyed those with some hot cocoa!

They are the hot cocoa princesses! Oh my..

Here we are working on phonics. It's 

one of the things that I do when my grand daughters come.

I help them with their school. 

We homeschooled our kiddoes and now our kids are 

doing the same. 

 I have mentioned my winter canvas that I'm working on.

Here's a small part of it.

It's my first attempt at drawing and painting, so I'm a bit timid.

Like my little mouse.

It's coming along though and I should be done in a couple of weeks.

It would be sooner but I'm going with my husband on his business trip 

to San Diego and I will leave my friends and all the glitter behind.

Do you ever have a word for the New Year?

I don't every year but sometimes a word just keeps coming to me. 

Right now it's CONTENTMENT. 

This is a page from my journal..

I had done this a few weeks back. Then after the new year, Fox shared the word flourish 

 for a good word. I liked it. A lot! I was envious and thought, Oh! I'll change my word.

But I told myself no.. That's cheating. Haha!

And then I read my journal and I had actually attached the

word FLOURISH to contentment.

I had forgotten. So I'm excited to see how the year will go and what

loveliness God will allow to flourish in my 

"one wild and precious life" 

as I seek to learn more about being content.

I do wish you Happiest of New Years, my friends.

(I'm sorry I am tardy.)

Filled with love peace happiness and fulfillment.

Thank you so very much for supporting me and being my friends.

You are all such jewels and I feel so blessed!

Hugs and blessings to you

Tamara~

Wishing You a Very Merry Christmas.... And a Few Life in December Photos

Oh my!! Hello friends..

How are you doing?

Well I hope.. 

Christmas day is almost upon us.

Can you believe it?

My mind is swirling with so many thoughts as I'm resting a bit.

 Hanging onto all of the beauty and wonder of the lights,

the gatherings and special events.

Today, my daughter and I went bear hunting at the grocery store.

                  And we caught one and then we took it hostage and stuffed it into

the back of my husband's car!

HAHA... just plain fun.

AND...

our trip, of course.

Which was absolutely

perfect and amazing!

We had tickets to the Ballet Arizona

production of the Nutcracker.

It was spectacular beyond words.

And for our youngest daughter's

late 20th birthday present,

we went to see the 

For King and Country

Christmas Tour concert featuring Lauren Daigle.

I love to go on "holiday"in the winter. 

There's just something so exciting and special about it.

I will save that for another post.

I'm still gathering pictures from the phones and cameras.

There have been some really exciting times but much of the time I have 

 been enjoying everyday things. 

It was quieter and more simple for me. 

And it has been a Christmas to remember.

These past couple of weeks, we've played music with our friends to 

raise money for gifts for local children.

We were able to bring in $500.00 and we had s much fun doing it!

I enjoy such a mix of Christmas music.

Traditional O Holy Night ( one of my favorites ) by Nat King Cole to the

pumped up version of 

The Little Drummer Boy by 

For King and Country.

You can watch it here

Do you have a favorite Christmas carol or song?

I just want to share a few pictures of what I've been

busy at. I have enjoyed seeing others homes

and projects and hearing about their

families and friends. So I thought I'd share a bit also. 

Part of my Christmas village... it's a work in progress!

And I always enjoy making some cards to send some handmade love

to friends and family! 

 A little thrifting and a smoothie outing with my daughter

is always in order! 

I have found some beautiful

things this year. 

My middle daughter, Hannah, says that I'm a 

treasure magnet. 

Haha. 

(Maybe I just spend a lot of time in thrift stores ;)

Just today, I found the most adorable

little music box for my granddaughters.  The cutest

group of snowmen with halos and the music box 

played Joy to the World. 

It was perfect! 

I secretly wanted to keep it but I wanted them 

to have it more. They will love it!

Part of my HUGE pile of CHEX MIX that 

was atop my kitchen counter cooling!

 My Christmas wreath that I made.

 The December craft show.

 The following pictures are all of angel wing ornaments that I made.

This little tree has since been decorated with gleaming

silver, glass pinecones and a string of shiny silver beads.

The giggles had fun making it pretty!

And I am still decorating.. Shhhh!

Am I the only one?

Well tomorrow is Christmas eve.

And all is well.

What we've done is enough.

I am purposely practicing the

discipline of NOT doing that one more thing!

It has helped me to release that

temptation to make things perfect.

Well done ladies!

The baking and shopping and wrapping.

All that giving and doing. 

We might have a white christmas so in lieu of that,

 here's the classic and classy Bing Crosby

 singing one of our favorite songs of the season!

And here's a clip from Meet Me in St Louis with Judy Garland

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. 

So warm wishes to you and I hope that you do!

Enjoying family and friends..cozy fires, good food,

playing games, opening gifts... feeling the love that came down

and that is all around.

And always, always counting our blessings.

Thank you so much for coming by.

I always hope that you find a bit of peace,

happiness and inspiration here.

Love and hugs,

Tamara

Christmas Sparkle....

Hello... 

I hope this finds you happy and at peace.

Right now, my focus is contentment and 

the "that's enough" philosophy.

I am so grateful for the season and all that it means.

There's so much light that surrounds.

Not only from the twinkles and icicles but from 

the beauty in the hearts that share so much.

My idea of Christmas, whether old -fashioned or modern, 

is very simple: loving others.

Bob Hope

I was inspired a while ago by some white poms that

I bought at the grocery store the other week.

They were beautifully glittered. 

So I had to try it with gold, glitter spray

 Glittered Hydrangeas share their beauty.

 Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love.

Hamilton Wright Mabie

I will be going on a holiday trip this weekend.

I can't say much because it might spoil the surprise!

 But I will share when I return.

Wishing you all a very lovely week filled 

with all the joys and goodness that the season can bestow!

Thank you so much for your visit~

Love and blessings, 

Tamara