take a breath...

grasp a moment...

or two...

gaze...

ever so closely...

the beauty,

and magic

is there.

waiting

just

for

you.

light...

as the morning light starts to dance around the room...
and the house starts to wake up...


i savor this quiet opportunity...

these peaceful moments...

and this warm glow...

and embrace the

light.

i hope a light shines on you today.

welcome new followers! i am so glad you are here!

come sit by my fire...

i have finished decorating my mantel for the holidays.

until i decide to change it AGAIN, that is!

hubby and i are very casual people and after decorating 3 very large, very traditional mantels for my client.....

you can view them HERE.

i wanted to decorate mine light and airy and slightly whimsical.

i was inspired by this cute gift tag i received on a gift last year.

i can just imagine a small child selling snow balls for 5 cents.

i love snow! i would buy them!

instead, i had to make mine.

i adorned this little tree with trims from my sewing box.

like drifts of snow hanging onto the delicate limbs of a tree.

my hubby's collection of antlers add a rustic element to the mix.

some of these were sheds, some are from his hunting expeditions.

he is the hunter. the only thing i ever shoot are photos.

my handmade stockings.

two with button cuffs. two with vintage ponsettia tablecloth cuffs. two hiding in the back, waiting for some sort of embellishment, when the inspiration hits......

we found the windows in an old barn that was about to be torn down.....back when we lived out in the country.

this is where we relax together.

nothing fragile here.

you can take your shoes off and put your feet up.

wrap yourself in a blanket.

and get

comfy and cozy........

thanks for stopping by!

you are welcome here.

anytime.

i am joining

layla and kevin over at the lettered cottage blog

for a christmas mantel party.

and kathleen at faded charm

for white wednesday.

come join us!

snow kinda mood...

something you may not know about me......

i was born in california.

my family moved to minneapolis when i was very young,

and then onto a suburb of chicago, where i did most of my growing up. picture the "wonder years", remember that t.v. show with fred savage? i loved that show.

both of my parents and all four grandparents are from north dakota.

my first two years of college were spent in minnesota.

hubby, he's from the "u.p" of michigan...that means upper peninsula.

anyway.......

i have some northern blood in me.

and i LOVE snow.

and i LOVE winter recreation.

cross-country skiing, ice-fishing, skating, sledding, snow-mobiling, you name it.

if it involves being out in the snow, i love it.

so...

please excuse me for changing up all my side bar pictures.

i'm just in that snow kinda mood.........

even though here in tennessee, today on thanksgiving, it was 70 degrees!

tomorrow i will be pulling out my christmas treasures and perhaps even play some christmas music (only when hubby is golfing...he says it's way too early for such music).

me...well, i'm dreaming of a white tennessee christmas.