Last Looks 2021

Darling daughter snapped a few photos 

on her way out.

The house is once again quiet,

both soothing and sad.

What will 2022 bring to this world?

 

Waiting

Waiting for the kids and 

his pooch cousins.

Let the merriment ( chaos) begin!

 

Christmas 2021- still working on it

Anyone/ Everyone else

discombobulated?

I am struggling to maintain-

everything

Decided to tweak the master bedroom.

I already have that brown shade in the new blanket

and throw in other parts of the room.

Brown ( that brown) checked curtains 

and new rods on the way.

That shade of brown is apparent in nearly every room.

It all stems back to my beloved pie cupboard I refinished with

my dad when I was 12.

All the pillows are pretty much for Walter's benefit,

as he loves to root and hide in them.

There is the cupboard far left back in dining area

That shade is now everywhere.

Tabletop, rug, lamps, baskets, even the gourds!

Wonderful hand made snowman gift from a wonderful blog friend

pennyrugsandmore

I picture him as the town crier 

or lamp lighter in my wee village

Still making last minute cards

Shipped these heavy corbels cross country to another blogger friend.

Aren't they wonderful?

My hope for 2022

I managed 3 trips to CA in 2021

and each one was a mess of small totes and carry ons.

My hope is 2022 will be easier travel.

I sold my large "plane appropriate" bags many years ago.

So with a great sale going on, and knowing 

they only had to survive car trips, I grabbed some new.

Countdown to kids arrival begins.

Small Christmas this year so very little wrapping.

Baking my mom's chocolate cake next week for her post-birthday 

by request from DD.

Baked my annual pepparkakor for Thanksgiving,

in shape of fall leaves,

but not baking anything else.

Kids are no longer big sweet eaters 

and I am not allowed so..

DD is now vegetarian full time

so no standing rib roast and yorkshire pudding either-

it'll be a different holiday in that way also.

Change is fine

All I want is those dear faces in my home,

with the fire burning, the glasses and stomachs full,

and the stories and love shared.

Z

 

Christmas 2021

Enjoying every minute

Sometimes you fall back in love with your home.

For so many years - decades - I've always felt I would be

moving soon mostly because of "I need to".

Then came years of "I want to" to be closer to Darling Daughter

and Dearest Son and now Darling DIL, but that couldn't happen, 

dear lord, the cost in CA!

I've pared way down, but to you it looks like still so much,

but the closets and almost all drawers are empty. I store only 

holiday decor and tools, supplies etc.

The holiday decor is plunked down into existing decor 

and snow is thrown over, and greens added in abundance.

Many of these greens I've had over 20 years.

After 29 years in this house,

 I have made few major changes, other than paint

here and there, but I am getting inspired to maybe 

add some architectural changes in 2022.

Carpet is to go - for new, or perhaps

manufactured woods- depends on cost.

Anyway, my point is, when I came back from CA

and walked into my home I felt such joy and peace.

I like this place. I've kept only things I love

and enjoy- so many are memories of my folks

and of PA that I still miss, though I haven't been

back in 18 years, and even then it wasn't to my home town.

I was back to spend the last weeks of life for my parents. 

I am so blessed to have found a way to stay in my home.

I need to continue to care for her and to make 

her a haven for my family, and friends, but most of all

for me.

Holed up here for 15 months alone with Walter

was weird but not really awful

because as I just said-

It is a refuge, a place of peace and nurturing solace.

I pray you all have the same. 

Z

 

More- Always More

I'm still unboxing as quickly as I can,

so bad photos, but thought you would enjoy seeing some

of the treasures I uncover daily. 

A huge thank you to those shopping and buying.

What a huge help and relief for my friend. 

Right now we are not shipping- that is too much for 

both of us right now.

If that changes I'll be sure to let you know.

Look at this beauty - 1 inch yo yo's with a triangle edge!!!

 

Goodness Me

Just a few quick, badly lit, shots of 

what I've been doing.

A good friend needed help downsizing her vast collections,

so I volunteered to help and thought you might 

like to see some fun things.

There is so much more to come, but for now I'm just sending

 out emails to my old email list, and local folks can buy. 

I'm paring down myself and trying to resist any of the goodies,

but I did grab an old 8 foot peg rack that will go in my 

long hallway by the spare rooms. 

First I need to repaint hallway as it's been thru a lot in 28 years.

Fun huh?

 

It's a bottlebrush and deer holiday

Bottlebrush, deer and greens 

make decorating 

so easy.

Just doing wee bits at a time and 

my holiday storage I designed years ago

makes no mess at all.

The tree is the smallest I've ever done 

but I'm happy with it.

It has cotton balls on stems and frosted 

eucalyptus and lambs ears tucked in all over,

and then a few green and white paper ornaments

join some vintage mercury glass and

the requisite birds nest.

The red is only in the den. Last year it was

the porch, but change is good.

The lighted village is on my coffee table,

 so nighttime is very cozy.

The bedrooms I will do after Thanksgiving,

while I blast holiday music and most likely 

the new Adele. I still get chills when 

I remember her concert that was treated by Hannah.

SO much has changed for all of us since then. 

I'll get some clear shots 

with my camera in daylight soon,

if I can find the thing after 2 years of non use. 

I was never good at it anyway, and it's old.

Z