All Things Nice . . .

 

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I have a small blue kettle,

A homely little thing,

And when I put it on for tea

It always starts to sing.

It makes me think of the little fields

And hills all fresh and green,

Of tiny streams that slip along

Their mossy banks between.

It has a note of wistfulness

Like flutes, all silver clear --

Perhaps it was the piping of

Some fairy trumpeter,

It sings of quiet hidden pools,

Of clouds and summer rain,

Of the grey waste of winter seas,

Spring in the fields again.

Bird-song and eventide . . . and still,

Deep places of the earth,

All come to me and sing again

Beside my glowing hearth.

I hear the piping of the lark,

The sound of hurrying wings --

Here in my room . . . they whisper in

The song my kettle sings.

~Edna Jacques, The Song My Kettle Sings

My Kitchen Window, 1942

Surprise!  Anthony never made it over this weekend.  There was an upset in the family. They had to have their much beloved cat put to sleep and Anne's sister arrived for a visit, so they will be coming down a bit later on next month.  Its always so sad to say farewell to your furry family members.  We know they will not be with us for long when we take them in, but still we do it.  Knowing that . . . regardless.  We love.  They love.  But grief is the price we pay for love.  Always.  But we gladly pay it.  Oh what a great blessing it is to have loved and been loved back by someone or something so much that it hurts so much to say goodbye.

 

 

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I took Christmas down. In anticipation of Anthony et al coming.  I thought it would be less cluttered if I had Christmas put away. Normally I would wait until New Year's Day, which has always been the tradition. The house always looks so clean and fresh after the decs are all taken down and housed for another year.  My wreath is still on the door. I will leave that for a while longer.

I think Dan was taking their tree down also. They had a beautiful tree this year.  I know I say that every year, but it is true.  Dan always gets the nicest tree and he does all the decorating.  He is a wonderful tree decorator! 

I love my cozy little home.  I know just how Laura Ingalls Wilder must have felt. What a great blessing it is to have four walls so shelter me.  That they are warm and comfortable is yet another blessing.  In a world where so many are displaced, if you have a place to call home, you are blessed beyond belief.  I hope that I never take this tender mercy for granted.

 

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Time spent with loved ones.  I am so blessed to have family close by. This was something I longed for, for far too many years. Todd had only one brother and they did not communicate very often. Now I know why.  Anyways, in being back where I belong I have the privilege and blessing of being able to spend time frequently with family. Family is everything.  I spend lots of time each with doing things with my sister, and then there are family dinners, both out and at home.  Yesterday I got to go out to lunch with my ex in-laws and niece. Love them very much. It means the world to me that out of that whole family, these three make an effort to include me and love me still.  We always have such a lovely time together.  They don't live too far away, just up the valley a bit. We had a lovely lunch yesterday and then afterwards they came back here for a drink and a mince pie.  It was really nice.

Look what Cindy made.  (I gave her the doll for Christmas. I think she called her Nancy.) 

Its a bean bag chair sized for a Blythe.  Its just one of the things we are going to have in our Blythe shop. She did a beautiful job on it I think. Nancy looks very comfortable sitting in it!

We are talking about buying a book case and setting it up as a background/doll house to take photographs in. We also need to get some doll stands.  This is so much fun. 

We did not have many dolls when we were girls.  We are enjoying playing with these "grown up" dolls now. 

 

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Do you do resolutions?  I try not to.  New Years Resolutions are not my friends. I have never been able to keep one really.  I stopped making resolutions years ago now.  I saw them as just setting myself up for failure. Instead each year I resolved to do a bit better at things than I did the year before. To eat a bit healthier, get a bit more exercise, be a bit kinder, a bit more loving and less judgmental of others, etc.  If I can manage to do those things then I consider my year a success.  They are quite doable goals and still I mess up sometimes.  I am not perfect, but I keep trying. I think that is the most important thing. Cindy and I are going to try to find a place that offers chair yoga classes this year.  That will be fun.

 

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It has only taken me two and a half years but I recently discovered that my bathroom has heated floors.  It has made such a difference when taking a shower.  Its a lot warmer in there. I don't know why the bathroom is always the coldest room in the house.  The cats love the warm floors. I often find them in there laying on the floor now, lollygagging in the luxuriousness of it. 

 

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Now wouldn't this be a real treat!

It makes a huge difference.  It was always so cold in there. I would put the baseboard heater on before taking a shower, but it did not make much difference.  My father has a blow out air heater in his bathroom, which is nice.  These heated floors are making all the difference in the world.  

And my heat pump is working beautifully so far this season.  Thank goodness for that! We haven't had it really cold yet, but it is working a charm. 

 

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I am thinking I should have called my blog, Little House, Big Life.  I think it is very apt.  I am cramming as much life into my little house and living as I can.  Oh, I know I could cram yet more into it, but I can't be greedy.  I do want to make more time for myself to do fun things, like sewing, crafting, etc. I say that and I vow to do that, but then I don't. Perhaps this year I will.  As they say "Hope Springs Eternal!"

Now I really am going to go away until the New Year.  So I will catch you on the flip side and leave you with a thought for today  . . . 

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •
•。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~＼。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ ｜ 田田 ｜門 ★

 *.˛.Why is it that weeks and months

and years go by so quickly, all in a blur,

but moments last forever?° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •

~Jennifer Donnelly° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •

In The English Kitchen today  . . .  Homemade Onion Dip, the small batch.  This is simply lovely.  You start by caramelizing onions and the rest is a cinch!  So tasty!

I hope that you have a wonderful Saturday and I wish for each of you the most blessed and beautiful of New Years.  May 2024 be kind to us all!  Don't forget!

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And I do too!