gratitude produces hope in the dark days of winter...

the party lights are on... to drive away the dark and stormy night... time for a gratitude fling: *peppermint tea * Christmas lights that stay up late into January * fig bars * jigsaw puzzles * chicken soup * simplicity at Christmastime * quiet time with God * fuzzy blankets * warm woodstove fires * toasted sourdough bread * new appliances: popcorn popper, skillet, electric massage cushion for the royal chair * grandbaby giggles and snuggles * all the kids and their families around the dining room table * watching the cousins laugh together * new pink fuzzy socks with black polka dots... What's on YOUR gratitude list? happy new year wishes and prayers for a blessed new year for you all!

another little peek... short on words

another peek at the smallish nativity tree... (nativity hand-carved in s. america) the fairy grandchild = grandma love! she loves her hands. she's the bohemian fairy grandchild so the bohemian concludes she is deciding which henna hand decos she wants... the fairy grandchild sitting on santagrandpa's knee and holding his hand... mrs. santagrandma LOVES it!!! smoochy baby cheek wishes to you all...

oh my! it's almost here!!

merry almost Christmas, from Bohemia!! the bohemian chose a rather smallish tree this year and just put on her nativity collection, with lights and a few merry colored balls and dancing icicles... (the tree is standing in an old pickle crock!!) sadly, (and she IS sad!), the weatherman has predicted no snow for the pacific northwest for Christmas. she made a few presents and a pile of cards and a doorhanger which she concocted for her fairy grandchild... she snapped a picture or two of the royal mother and princess sister at Molbak's, in front of the startlingly beautiful poinsettia tree. now THAT is a place to visit to get into the spirit of Christmas!! acres of poinsettias (the bohemian had no idea they came in so many colors!), and trees of every theme, color, and size... ornaments so varied that NO one could come away without finding"just the very thing"... the bohemian and her royal honey played mr. and mrs. claus at the nearby village grill. she helped the children frost cookies and make ornaments for their trees. and had a blast doing it!! she wishes all of you and your loved ones a wonderful Christmas celebration and prays for blessings for you throughout the coming new year! twinkling hopes and starlit wishes to you all...

Season's blessings:

* the smell of evergreen boughs * peppermint tea * tiny nativities * happy birthday Jesus songs on the radio * Christmas crafting * holiday cards coming in the mail * seeing the lights of Christmas trees shining in all the windows of all the homes * fudge * the baby grandchild Hanna... she gets on every list, doesn't she?! * jingle bells * Hallmark Christmas movies * zucchini muffins * split pea soup * Christmas parties * Good list, huh? this bohemian is so truly blessed and so happy to be living this village life in her cozy cottage. she is so truly grateful! joyful, glittery holiday wishes to you all...

it's beginning to look a lot like...

season's blessings: *trumpeter swans flying over honking all the way* day-after spaghetti* creating home-made cards* christmas lights going up all over town * warm, snuggly quilts * time with loved ones (esp. moms!!) * egg salad sandwiches * coffee and scrabble friends * artist friends * petting warm, cuddly kittens * christmastime coming!!! enjoy this most wonderful time of the year... toasty marshmallow wishes to you...

holiday blessings...

so many blessings at this time of year: *precious baby grandchild * woodstove warmth* christmas lights * creating cards * homemade soups * dragging out the christmas decorations * a clean craft room (it will only get messy again...but tidiness for the moment...) * my kids and my kids by law * snowflakes * snowmen* hot chocolate * peppermint mochas * watching Ellen and laughing out loud... happiness and fairy wishes to you all!

it's coming... it's coming...

it's coming! a big storm... the wind is battering the cottage and the rain is belting sideways down the windowpanes. it's coming and there's christmas music playing softly and the woodfire is warm. it's coming and it's time for a gratitude fling!! the bohemian is SO thankful for: thanksgiving time, a gathering of family, laughter and stories and turkey and gravy and her children near, her warm cottage when the wind and rain rage outside the door, constant comment orange tea to soothe her sore throat, good books to read under a blanket. (just a few of the best things in her life) it's coming... and she has been busy, busy making christmas tags! (browse through and enjoy...) it's coming and it's time to count down with anticipation... and so it's almost time for advent calenders!!! it's coming... and she needs to make squares for the advent calendars, lots and lots of squares, lots of 'em! 00ps...oh... a tangent: the paste paper snowflake tag she mentioned last time... half an advent calender to go (times 4... one for each daughter/daughter-in-law)... it's coming and the bohemian hopes you are knee deep into christmas joy and creations. and NO, it's not too early for christmas music and watching Elf and the Grinch!! and listening to "baby, it's cold outside" and smiling quietly.... cheery, holiday joy wishes to you today....

november...time for a gratitude fling...

here in bohemia, signs of autumn saying farewell are all around... chimneys are puffing woodsmoke softly into the wind. the bohemian's lovely ginkgo tree has lost, overnight, it's brilliant yellow leaves, which now carpet the lawn beneath. the warm red leaves of the blueberry bush are dropping to the ground beneath, leaving scraggly branches dancing in the wind. the sky above bohemia is a moving picture of purple clouds, brilliant sunbeams, rainbows, and blue, blue sky. the pumpkins, tomatoes, cabbages, onions, and cukes have all been plucked from the dying vines. and the bohemian knows... winter is approaching. no, she has not put away her halloween things yet, but the "harvesty" stuff can stay for another month. she has christmasy things happening on her workspace, and the nutcracker ballet playing softly in the background. yes, she thinks, i am ready to move on... bohemian gratitude fling: she is sooo happy for these things (only a tiny partial list, you understand!!!): *the magic of grandbabies *the warmth of woodfires *the taste of coffee with honey and cream *the variety of colors *quiet serenity *her faith in God *her wonderful best friend and hubby *the deep satisfaction of creating art what are YOU thankful for at this time of the year? her stamping exchange group played with paste-paper-making (glorified adult version of finger-painting, really) and then were challenged to use it in cards. this is what the bohemian did with hers. the leaves and the punched border were punched out of the paste paper that she made. her last "fall" card. with some of the leftover paste paper she punched snow flakes. she'll show you that another day. deliciously messy painty wishes to you all...

an appetite, a feeling, and a love...

Wordsworth: "...Their colors and their forms were to me then an appetite, a feeling, and a love..." What an incredibly gorgeous Fall in bohemia this year!! the bohemian ate hungrily of the intense colors in the world around her and she was nearly satisfied...or so she thought. even the rain did not dim her wonder and delight at the sights she drank with her eyes. but a rainstorm, a violent wind, and a frost later and she was mourning the downfall of the leaves which heralded the starkness of winter coming. only the joy and anticipation of the coming holidays lightened the gloom descending... and the rumor of snowflake dances coming, and the threat of glistening crystals on the windowpanes. she truly hopes that this month will bring blessings, and LISTS of blessing as we count each and every one. and she hopes for you a tablefull of yummy wishes, too. happy November!

November morn.....

"It's a beautiful day for it." - daily comment of Wilbur Cross

goodbye october...

farewell, october... you graced bohemia with beautiful crisp sunny days. you also handed us windswept, rainfilled ones. the trees wore the most gorgeous colors this year! thank you, most imaginative Creator, for leaves of red, orange, gold... for rainbows, purple clouds, orange pumpkins, multi-colored and crunchy leaf piles, spidery webs decorated with fat, sparkly raindrops, and blue mountain majesty with a dust of brilliant white snowfall. my soul is well-fed with such abundance of beauty... a page from the bohemian's "black" glue book... "make hast to be kind"! a glorious halloween to everyone. relish the beauty of the season and don't forget to count your blessings one by one. keep your costumed selves playful and safe! black and silver wishes with purple and orange love notes to you all...

a few holiday cards... eeeeekkk!!!!

with infinite patient impatience, the bohemian managed to upload (one. at. a. time. -is anyone else having this issue?!) a few of the halloween cards she made. hmmmm... why does this one make her think of her blogger uploading?! she grungied up (sure it's a word!!) these cards to make them seem more spooky. and a happy harvest time to all... go carve those pumpkins and dance with those scarecrows. and don't get lost in the corn maze and have to dial 911!!!! orange and purple wishes to you all!

a little Halloween sneak...

the bohemian black cat... a smiling orange bohemian pumpkin waiting for dark time to glow by candlelight... hope you're having a great Octember.... spooky sparkly wishes to you. (0nce again, the bohemian was only able to upload 3 pictures, one. at. a. time, one of which promptly went away into blogoshpere twilight zone...SIGH!!)

arrrrrrgh!

NO! the bohemian is not trying out her pirate growl for Halloween costuming! Blogger is frustrating her SO MUCH RIGHT NOW!! she has been trying to post for days now. today she was able to upload two pictures. ONE. AT. A. TIME. and then blogger refused to post any more. not even one at a time. the bohemian is so sorry to any of you popping in for a lovely post... she will keep trying. she promises! arrrrrrgh. she wants to have patience but she doesn't want to have to USE it!!! happy halloween decorating to you all!!! now she needs to go write in her gratitude journal and remind herself of how beautiful her life is and that even though blogger is the bogeyman right now, she will hold onto her JOY!!! rain-kissed wishes to you all....

grantitude fling... see previous post! ( these were some pictures in one of my unpublished drafts)

art...creativity...masks...paint...colors...time to create...artist friends...art studios... Fall...Autumn...pumpkins...garden spaces...jack'o'lanterns...Halloween...Thanksgiving...family... gorgeous dramatic weather...cozy warm house from which to view it...raindrop prisms... Jesus...my salvation...His sacrifice for me...His prayers of intercession for me...His joy=my joy... woodstove warmth...woodshed full of wood...cooking on my woodstove...watching flames dance...

a travel journal...

the bohemian is finally finishing up another travel journal. this one had captured memories from some of her shorter trips around her own country, rather than her travels abroad. snippets of the pages she prepared for her trip to S. Dakota to visit her brother. she always includes a travel alphabet... and embellishments. and stickers. and stamps... and ephemera picked up along the way... (passport stamp from Theodore Roosevelt Nat'l Park, and a real butterfly, who committed suicide on the grill of her sister's convertible). winter is advancing quickly... sit by your fire, drag out the journals, and relive the memories of warmer, more adventurous days of your life. be warm and safe out there...