Twinkle, Shimmer, Glimmer, Glow

Even though I was feeling a bit "bah, humbug" this morning, Chloe insisted that we go out in search of our Christmas tree. It was selected in record time this year, partly due to the fact that Claire, Jack, and Wynham were jumping on a trampoline instead of arguing over which tree was THE best.

Of course, as soon as we got it home Chloe disappeared to go bake cookies and everyone else scattered to the four winds while Wynham strung the lights, after which he was not seen again until dinner. I don't mind hanging the ornaments myself; there is literally a world of history on our tree, and the memories come flooding back each year. For a moment, I feel the childlike wonder of my own tender years...

Par-TAY!

In the midst of the holiday shuffle we celebrated two more birthdays, and though her actual date fell on Thanksgiving, Claire graciously deferred the celebration a day on the condition that we go out for fondue. For his part, Jack was laid back about bringing in his fifth year a couple of days early...

Strummin'

There are many other snapshots of Thanksgiving I could have posted (potatoes being mashed, rolls baking in the oven, raised glasses, smiling faces), but this (unlikely) quiet moment caught my eye. I love the light, and Wynham's earnest contemplation in the midst of the surrounding chaos. Just a simple pleasure for which I am thoroughly grateful...

Pie, Oh My!

It's impossible not to long for my mother around the holidays; she was the reigning queen supreme of beautiful cakes, pies, and cookies. Mincemeat was her favorite, and her version was always spiked with loads of extra brandy and bedecked with a miniature Della Robbia wreath she would painstakingly sculpt out of marzipan.

Her Christmas cookie assortment -- known to make people swoon -- included cinnamon stickies, apricot tarts, and stars glittering with those silver nonpareils which are now illegal (if she were still around, she'd have them smuggled in from somewhere, I'm sure).

My own humble pie has a too-brown crust and a cracked surface on its pumpkin filling and makes me miss her even more. But she would have smothered it in whipped cream and eaten it just the same, and for that thought, I am thankful...

God Bless Us Every One

I'm pretty sure he fell asleep before "Amen"...

Mouse Invasion!

Whenever I decide to go all Martha Stewart, I'm always actually relieved when it doesn't turn out as perfectly at the picture. The whole point is -- even with burnt ears and red-rather-than-black tails -- the kids simply had a blast with their friends creating these little mouse cookies (it's the journey, not the destination)...

We'll Always Have Paris

Just LOVE this photo of Dad which Debra sent me from Paris;
a picture worth a thousand words!

Penny for Your Thoughts

Look at this simple joy... Where does it go? Where do we lose our wonder? I'm glad I have little ones around to remind me not to forget...

Belting it Out

Chloe steals the show at
the Night of Blues...

Divine Sky

Breathtaking...

Making Faces

The picture speaks for itself:
Claire expresses volumes with a few
simple strokes of the pen.