Now that Christmas has past.....

Well with Christmas now in the rear view mirror, what is everyone planning for New Years? John and I are just going to spend a quiet evening at home. I will be making a special meal (which I need to get planning) just for the two of us. We will probably play Scrabble or some other board game and then we will stay up and watch the ball drop in Times Square from the comfort of our warm home.

Years ago we went out with my middle sister, Sue and her husband Chuck (I think it was the first New Years after their marriage). We went to a local ski area that was having a lovely formal party in the ski lodge. We danced, had dinner and had a great time! But as we have gotten older and we moved away from NJ, we just seem to have quiet celebrations with each other. I actually like that the best!

What is everyone planning?

It is really cold here but I really feel for all my feathered friends!

Yesterday while it was snowing John went out and filled the bird feeders in our courtyard. There was a steady stream of birds flying in and out. The poor little things were all puffed up so they could stay warm. I have to remember to put the suet out for them too. You can really see the colors of all the birds against the snow-they are just beautiful. Here are some birds I think look exceptional pretty against the snow:


This little bluebird's coloring is so vivid in the winter sunlight! I love these little birds all year round but against the snow they are just gorgeous!


The color of the cardinal as always is a show stopper but against the snow that crimson red just stands out and is enhanced. We have alot of cardinals in Charlotte, which I love! We had 5 male cardinals in a cedar tree the other day, right before Christmas. They looked like red bows all of nature's Christmas tree!


Blue Jays are really bossy and loud birds but I have to say they are just gorgeous against the snow. You can certainly see them from far away(and hear them too!).



This is a slate-colored junco. They are not a colorful bird, but these little birds are so cute! I watch them for hours hopping along the ground,going unnoticed. They are sweet little birds, they don't bother anyone and they aren't agressive at all.

I found this picture online of a fairy with birds. I love it! I like to think this fairy takes care of all the birds in this cold weather we are having!





Everyone have a great day and stay warm!!

Wonderful Christmas and Winter Wonderland Surprise!

We all had a wonderful Christmas!! Everyone in our family gave and got such nice gifts! The girls and their men arrived at about 9 and we started opening gifts while drinking tea and coffee. About half way through I made the traditional Pillsbury Orange Danish (the girls still insist on this breakfast delight!). When the presents were done we took a break before we started opening the stockings. I put the roast beef in the oven and everyone got coffee/tea refills. Everyone gave very thoughtful gifts this year. It was all wonderful!!

Here are some pictures of our Christmas:


Our Christmas tree with all the presents under it!


I created this centerpiece for the Dining Room Table.


John was watching everyone open their gifts. I think he was still half asleep!


This is Megan showing off her new Kindle from her hubby, Ken. She is also wearing a capelet Jenny and Kevin gave her for Christmas.


Megan, Jenny and I on Christmas morning.


Here is Jenny wearing the shawl I made for her. I'm so glad she loved it!


Megan and Ken


Jenny and Kevin being silly!


Jenny and Kevin not wanting their pictures taken.


This morning I woke up to a winter wonderland!! The weather fibbers were finally right for a change. It is still snowing here and everything looks like a sugary confection! It is absolutely beautiful!! Teddy didn't know what to make of it when John took him out-he just wanted to play instead of taking care of business, if you know what I mean! It does look beautiful and we don't have any place we need to go to today-so it is just perfect!!!

Here are some pictures of our winter wonderland here in Charlotte, NC:


This is what it looked like when I opened the front door this morning! It is a winter wonderland for sure!! Very beautiful and quiet.


Our courtyard looked like a winter wonderland too!


Our garage is after our courtyard and when I looked at the garage roof this morning this lovely pine tree was all covered in snow and looked so beautiful! This almost looks like it was taken in a field not over our garage roof!


We have alot of cardinals here in Charlotte and they were taking advantage of the sunflower seed we put in the feeder. They have been very busy here this morning!

The past few days have been great here at our house and today will be a chillin' out kind of day. This kind of day is much needed after all the Christmas preparation. It was all well worth it though-what a wonderful Christmas! I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas too!

Merry Christmas Everyone and a Happy New Year!!

I probably won't be blogging for the next few days, but I wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!! I hope everyone gets time to visit with family and friends! Enjoy yourself my blogger friends!! HUGS!!

The Final Countdown begins!

I'm sure everyone will be scurrying around this week to finish up their shopping, cookie making, wrapping, etc. I am one of those too! I have been trying this year to shop during the whole year and that worked for awhile. I got my Christmas cards out later than normal this year, my cream cheese cookies are still not made and I don't have a thing wrapped! But you know what, I am not sweating it this year. It all seems to get done and looks wonderful Christmas morning! The most important thing to keep in mind this week, that Christmas is not about buying gifts, making cookies, sending cards, etc. it is to celebrate Jesus Christs birthday! Our church had a lovely service yesterday and it hit my like an epiphany, that Christmas comes whether we are frantically running around doing all those things I mentioned and it is always wonderful!

Everyone enjoy what this season brings, enjoy being with friends and family and visiting here and there!

Happy Holidays Everyone!!

My day with Jenny!

Jenny and I had a wonderful day today! For those of you who don't know Jenny is my youngest daughter. She is expecting in July! We had decided to spend the day and part of the evening together and what fun we had. I drove up to Jenny's house in Concord, NC. That is about 45 minutes away from my house. When I got there we then drove into the little town of Concord. There is a shop there called The Bead Lady. What a treasure trove of things that lady has!! I of course, bought some things. When then went to a Christmas Shop, an antique shop and another little shop which had some really cute things! We then had to go to the Chocolate Shop/Bakery and have a wonderful cannolli and tea!! We then left Concord and came back down to Charlotte. We went to another bead store called The Bead Lush (don't you just love the name!!). We didn't stay there long, just had to exchange a defective bead. We went one street over to a place called Dish and had lunch. It was good to sit and chat after so much walking! Then we came back to my house and started creating. I think I made 5 pairs of earrings for Jenny and she designed 3 necklaces that I will be making up at a later date. Then Kevin (Jenny's husband) arrived and we had dinner. I made chuck roast, mashed potatoes and corn. Jenny and Kevin love this meal.

We had such a wonderful day! Here is a picture of Jenny at my jewelry table creating away:





Jenny still creating but she took her hair down. I guess she can create better with her hair down-LOL!!


Some wooden beads and steampunk items she was putting together.

I just love days like this! Another one for the memory book!

Of Honest Fame by M. M. Bennetts

I read this book for Pump Up Your Books. Here is a little about the book from Pump Up Your Books website:

On a summer night in 1812, a boy sets fire to a house in Paris before escaping over the rooftops. Carrying vital intelligence about Napoleon’s Russian campaign, he heads for England. But landing in Kent, he is beaten almost to death. The Foreign Secretary, Lord Castlereagh, is desperate for the boy’s information. He is even more desperate, however, to track down the boy’s assailant – a sadistic French agent who knows far too much about Castlereagh’s intelligence network. Captain George Shuster is a veteran of the Peninsula, an aide-de-camp to Wellington, now recalled from the continent and struggling to adjust to civilian life. Thomas Jesuadon is a dissolute, living on the fringes of society, but with an unrivalled knowledge of the seamy underside of the capital. Setting out to trace the boy’s attacker, they journey from the slums of London to the Scottish coast, following a trail of havoc, betrayal, official incompetence and murder. It takes an unlikely encounter with a frightened young woman to give them the breakthrough that will turn the hunter into the hunted. Meanwhile, the boy travels the breadth of Europe in the wake of the Grande Armee, witnessing at first hand the ruination they leave behind and the awful price of Napoleon’s ambition. This companion to M.M. Bennetts’s brilliant debut, May 1812, is a gripping account of deception, daring and determination, of intelligence and guile pitted against brutality. Bennetts brings to vivid life the harrowing devastation wrought on the civilian populations of Europe by Napoleon’s men, and the grit, courage and tenacity of those who stood against them.

My review:

You will enjoy this historical novel set in London in 1812. Against the backdrop of Napoleon's Russian campaign we are introduced to Foreign Secretary, Lord Castlereigh and his cast of spies, trying to out guess Napoleons minions.

The author paints a vivid picture of our mind of the slums of Paris and London, the battle ravaged landscape of Europe and the brutality of espionage and counter espionage. The plot is fast moving enough to keep your interest and his descriptions of his characters, their feelings and motivation are well done.

You feel their patriotism, humor, pride, vanity and rage at the injustices of their time, as well as their rage at the enemy. The author captures the extreme patience needed in the spy game in the person of his central character, "boy", as he moves like a shadow through Paris, London and Vienna collecting information for the Foreign Secretary, and reuniting with his Maestro.

The author raises our heartbeat, bringing us to an exciting and surprising climax while leaving the door open for his next period work. I look forward to Mr. Bennett's next work.

You can purchase this book on amazon.com. I was not paid to write this review.