preparing for the big day : yarn, twine, twigs, brown paper, citrus and handwritten notes

oh how i am enjoying a little break from teaching. i can finally get to all the projects i've been

wanting to start or finish. hooray for a hand-made christmas! (hopefully the recipients feel the same).

the days have been wonderfully gloomy--the kind of weather i hope for when i gather

all my yarn about me with a cup of tea or cocoa and listen to my fave holiday classics.

cozy just doesn't have the same feeling when it's sunny and hot outside.

am so happy to be living in a place that has all four seasons again. it's been oh so liberating. i like change indeed.

am so grateful that i've been able to avoid busy shopping areas this year.

it has made gift-giving such a rejuvenating experience. 

i love that my days are spent at home, relaxing, going at my own pace.

and i can hardly wait to get all of these projects wrapped...sort of the icing on the cake.

hoping today to get to the little baking i've been wanting to do: 

gingerbread today; shortbread the next day; and homemade custard egg nog for thursday.

love this time of year.

fact : new shoes make you jump higher

ceej gave me my birthday present to open up in a very pretty spot.

i can't think of anything better than receiving a gift in a beautiful location.

it just makes a heart giddy. for sure.

almost as soon as i had my boots on i had to test out

my life-long theory that new shoes do indeed make you jump higher...

i think it worked. but i ended up with a bit of a headache

after all that jumping...which made me really feel thirty. jumping now equals headache?

despite the headache i was happy to get the boots, 

and have a feeling they'll be getting lots and lots of use. thank you, ceej!

this morning i'm trying to make my own marshmallows {wish me luck!}, 

then having a picnic lunch with good friends,

and finally making my way to the cabin with ceej for the rest of the weekend.

can't wait to soak in more autumn mountains.

{update: first attempt at marshmallows failed...ugh. will be trying again either later today or sometime this weekend}

giving and reading books

there have been many trips to my little neighborhood bookstore
and many packages arriving at my doorstep as i've been
gathering in such wonderful books to give away and
to keep for myself.

i'm quite proud of little nieces and nephews who have a love
for reading...far beyond their age-level. yes, i am a proud auntie indeed.

then there's my stack of books...that's not even the half of what
i'll be reading to prepare for my semester at oxford this summer.
i'm quite eager about reading every page and learning
all that i can about royal dynasties and influential poets.

what are you reading?

pretty flowers and notes for a job well done...

i get giddy about giving little gifts.
my very favorite of all gifts to give
is a simple bouquet of fresh flowers
with a hand-written note.
wrap it all up in simple brown paper,
and tie a ribbon around it, voila!
my mom definitely deserves my favorite gift.

what's your favorite gift to give?

made-by-hand christmas and wishing for days when listening to stories on the radio was such a thrill

is there anything better than knitting by the fire
while listening to a child's christmas in wales or little women?
i could do this forever.

i'm making fingerless gloves for nieces who think the gloves are elegant and pretty,
and a cowl-neck scarf for celia jane because the cold constantly grips her...
and others that i won't mention here to keep some gifts a surprise.

are you making anything by hand for gifting this holiday season?

simple gifts & the best birthday yet

thank you all for such wonderful birthday wishes. love.

i love gifts...giving and receiving. i love how thoughtful people are.
ceej definitely knows my little heart,
as do so many in my small group of family & friends...
am in love with these little bits of stationary ceej helped me pick out
at bellocchio in san francisco over the weekend
{this is also where i got this beautiful letter...was hoping to get another one but turns out the owner of the shop has to pick them up by hand in paris...sigh}.
so now i have a few pieces of pretty paper to write very special
hand-written letters to people i love.

i really am so grateful to people who thought of everything:
something to read, something to listen to, something to make, something to keep me warm,
something to practice & learn...all so perfect. thank you!

and, i must tell you about dinner last night...
we went to one of those small little places where you can
eat on the patio with twinkle lights
and all the food is local and seasonal...
the kind of place we've been saving up for for weeks...
our waiter placed our menus gently in front of us as soon as
we were seated...and there, at the top of the menu, was printed:
"happy birthday ann!"
how fun is that?!
the food, of course, melted easily and slowly in our mouths.
my house-made butternut squash ravioli was, well, beyond
my taste-buds' experience.
we agonized over what to order for dessert
and finally made our fateful choice:
the "ding dong"...with chocolate moose and ganache
along with two scoops of vanilla ice cream.
oh my.
we were indeed happy.
and, one of my favorite parts,
the waiters bring you your check in an antique book
in which you can make a little note and draw a little picture
recording your visit there...
love that.

the day was filled with perfect details...
thank you everyone for such a memorable and wonderfully simple birthday.

a most wonderful package from a most generous woman...straight from paris

do you remember zina? she is one amazing woman.
we made a little swap...
but i think i came out with the better end of the bargain.
for sure.

i sent her a print of one of my photos
and she sent me this package of treasures
from her recent visit to france...
ooh la la!!

she sent me the sweetest note...
it's as if my own mother wrote it:
so encouraging and oozing with kindness.

she sent me this rose tea from the oldest herbologist in paris,
{it's absolutely lovely...and, as zina promised, is like drinking a bouquet}
an antique handwritten postcard {!!!!!!}
and a book, exuberance, that i can't wait to devour.

i think i might have found something to "collect."
these handwritten notes melt my entire soul.
remember this handwritten note that ceej gave me for valentine's day?
it was the prettiest gift ever given,
and now i add this note to its company.
!!!!!!

this wonderful package from a wonderful woman from a wonderful place
has reminded me that when i some day visit paris it will be in the spring.
i have been listening to amelie-les-crayon since the blossoms stretched their arms,
and now i drink my rose tea, try to decipher the hand-written note,
and pretend i am in that beautiful city.

thank you, dear zina!!!!
{p.s. she and her sisters have started a fantastic cooking blog...what a treat!}

sweet things

ceej comes home this weekend.
can.not.wait!

he's been gone for two weeks.
i entrusted cj's boss with a little surprise for cj
that he delivered to cj half way through their trip...
it was this little notebook that i made into a mini love book.
it was a hit!
can't wait to see ceej and tell him in person what he means to me...

and i think i'll have some fresh chocolate croissants waiting for him...
we'll eat these sweet treats and talk over some tea,
dance in the living room,
and probably go for a walk along the river.
my solo days are happily coming to an end.

are you ready for the prettiest gift ever given? well, here it is:

for my valentine ceej took me to this
most beautiful little store
and let me bring home a few little things
that made my heart flutter its wings.

they have a basketful of wonderful antique letters.
this, my lovelies, is what i speak of
when i tell you of the prettiest thing i have ever owned.
this letter.
so simple. the handwriting so perfect. so small.
i keep thinking i need to go back and buy up all the antique letters
so i can lie in the grass and study their every marking
to pass by my afternoons...

but, i think i will be happy with just one.
for now, at least.

aren't you just swooning over this handwriting?
it melts my heart,
and has inspired me even more to finally
sign up for a calligraphy class.

i also bought this little book of the kiss.
it's really charming in its out-of-date wisdom.
makes me laugh.
but i have to admit that some of its advice
is timeless and just so lovely.

i also purchased some mini envelopes,
which i'm sure you'll be seeing here again,
and a burlap bag to keep my little treasures in.

don't you think it's the prettiest thing you've ever seen?
thank you, ceej!

{p.s. i accidentally deleted some of your comments on previous posts...
so sorry! if you see that your comment never showed up,
please leave me another one.
i promise to be a better comment moderator!}