she's a runner...

she ran away again to the bay where her sister lives. she and her mother and sister crafted the day away and as the sun was beginning to sink down she took this picture out her sister's front window of the fairytale castle across the bay. okay, it's actually a refinery but at night with all the lights twinkling... it DOES look like a fairy castle! it DOES! our bohemian has kinda sorta lost track of what day of christmas she was on... but one of the days was a MEMORY DAY. this is an angel she made for her sister long, long ago when she tole painted... on such a blue day, a strip of red signalled the sun sinking away into the ocean... they made merry and popped popcorn and played scrabble with a holiday twist... only christmas words. ah hem. yes, some of them were quite a stretch. but they had so much fun! then they went to a nearby garden where there was a festival of trees. oh my gosh!!! peoples' imaginations are simply wild! LOVED this lime green one, with colored birds nesting in its branches. and a palm tree with a crab pot on top, complete with resident (stuffed) crab. and darling little flip flop ornaments...oooooo! a blue tree... a rustic tree with accompanying rusty truck. oh and this one in luuscious colors and woolly stockings... and even an oz tree!!! upside down with a sparkly tornado about to take it flying... our bohemian kinda wanted those purple and black tights the wicked witch was obviously done using... and a yummy candy tree in dr. suess colors with its little table on top... whew, that was such a lot of fun! and that is only half of the bohemian's tree pictures!!! more later, maybe.... meanwhile, back in bohemia... another of the bohemian's nativities. mary and joseph with baby jesus headed for egypt to escape the evil king.... and a glue dough ornament our bohemian made YEARS ago. oh, our bohemian is sooooo in the christmas mood now!!! merry, merry christmas bliss to you all! i hope your day is full of wonderful holiday memories that fill your heart with smiles and warm fuzzies....

three more days of christmas...

it is so cold here right now!!! see how the bohemian's mountain glistens in the darkening daylight.... another of the bohemian's nativities... this one sits beside the christmas tree. ( hand-carved in south america) day 8 of the advent calendar: MEMORIES the stemware is a special holiday item, collected from olden times. okay, it's just holiday glasses from Arby's... 99 cents with a drink. None of the Arby's near the bohemian's village even do this anymore. the bohemian and her kids used to pop in a couple of times at christmastime every year and collect them. her collection has shrunk from a dozen to 9 over the years but she's never afraid to let kids use 'em! fancy glasses the kids can drink from.... yeah, that was the whole idea! day 9: CANDLES okay, this isn't a candle but it IS a candle holder! and the star beside it pokes into the candles to "shine" over the nativity. cool, huh? day 10: CHRISTMAS TREE this is the bohemian's tree this year. ooooo! sparkly! (LOVE my LED lights!!!) another nativity on/in the bohemian's tree. it plugs into the light string and slowly turns different colors. ( i love this one) see how frozen the meadow is below the bohemian's kitchen windows!!! the bohemian thanks God for her woodstove and fuzzy blankets. here's wishing you toasty toes and warm woolen mittens... unless of course you live in the warm south! then you are wished twinkly lights and chirstmasy sunsets galore....

the 7th day of christmas...

what happened to the 4th, 5th, and 6th? well, the bohemian ran off on her merry little miniature escape and so she got behind... now, don't think this is a special occasion, a one time thing, an unusual occurrence. somehow this happens every year. so here we shall catch up... this is just another of the bohemian's nativity collection. the 4th day of the advent calendar says: RED. our bohemian is not a fan of the color red. except at Christmastime. then she allows it... see here... evidence that there IS a santa! and he has a red hat!!! he's been sneaking around here, the bohemian thinks. the 5th day of the advent calendar calls for WREATHS. this is a ceramic wreath the bohemian made when she and the children used to do ceramics for homeschool art. the little stars are actually holes so light can shine through from inside. this is a wreath our bohemian made for her paternal grandmother when the bohemian's children were wee ones. after this grandmother passed away, our bohemian was given this wreath back. what a fun memory...painting the children! i mean, their HANDS, of course! and the 6th day calls for ANGELS... here are some angel cards the bohemian could not bear to throw out, so she drags them out every year to decorate with... day 7!!!! yea, we caught up!!!! day 7 calls for WRAPPING. here is some of the bohemian's favorite that she put on her daily journal page... the page is not finished but she likes the background so far... some of her favorite ribbon for wrapping... see how messy her craft table is! i know none of you have that problem... just me. hmmmmm... thank you for catching up with me! christmas is fast approaching. may you find the time for everything you have chosen to do. and may you skip the things you really don't want to do.... angel wing blessings be upon you...

she ran away to the beach...

a little miniature escape, if you please... beside the sea. recipe for pleasure: * a friend's cottage by the bay *1 daughter *1 daughter-in-law *1 son's fiance + grand-dog *2 days and a night throw together and mix. chill for 1 walk on the beach. crawl under blankets after that and watch ELF and laugh at all the jokes you know are coming (NOOOOO! don't eat that ABC gum off the handrail!!!!). play a few games. laugh raucously. talk about the menfolk. drink LOTS of coffee and eat junk food. serves 4, with plenty of smiles left over. oh! quick! grab the camera! it's almost sunset!! oooooooooh! aaaahhhhhhh! rush back to the cabin...you're a frozen popsicle! girls just want to have fun! (daughter-in-law, daughter, son's fiance -yes it's as cold as it looks!) beach walk= beach treasures must-have items: 10 layers of clothes; muck boots; scarves and hats; mittens; pockets to contain treasures. even the grand-dog needs warm clothes!! don't fall, warns the over-protective mother... don't let the dog fall in!! oh, it was a lovely sea-side escape! just what was needed! hope there is a mini escape for each of you, just when you need it. you can always come to bohemia and stay awhile... i love your visits! gingersnappish wishes and nativity blessings for you all...

it's the 3rd day of christmas...

and brrrrrrr! a cold one it is! even though there are more clouds today, it just might snow here in bohemia... the bohemian's advent calendar calls for NATIVITIES today... and these our bohemian has in great abundance! this little cross stitch was one of the bohemian's first cross stitch projects, even back before kids (she can't remember that far back!!!) . her sister, the embroiderer, talked her into trying it. the bohemian had never been much of a hand sewer... but she did this project just to prove she could. so this one goes on the advent banner... and this adorable little nativity was made for her by a dear friend. the driftwood is from one of their favorite washington beaches. this one she keeps out all year long... and here is a collection of minis from costa rica... she has many more she will drag out as the month rolls along. she is wishing you your very favorite things of the holiday season. may you find the wrapping paper of your dreams and the perfect gift for that loved one who has everything! and don't forget to put on XM Holly for the best music for the season. the bohemian's favorite christmas song: carol of the bells by the trans siberian orchestra. this one you have to turn up LOUD!! it makes her spirit soar everytime she hears it. hope you hear your favorites today and that your spirit soars...

the 2nd day of christmas...

the day dawned cold and clear... a beautiful, sunny day. it's such a gift! and the advent calendar says today is the day of DECORATIONS. so the bohemian drags out a few things : things that glitter and sparkle. and the handcrafted star garland made in south america. ...and any and everything that's red! to decorate for Jesus' birthday. get ready to party!! lights, tree, nativities, smells and sounds and tastes of the holiday season. mmmmmmm.... cinnamon wishes and peppermint blessings to you and all you love...

on the first day of christmas...

our bohemian's beloved mountain, shining in the cold, crisp sunshine... the advent calendar theme today: AROMA the symbol is cinnamon sticks... so our bohemian lights the candles and thinks of baking cookies... and remembers that our acts of kindness are as a fragrant aroma to God... one of the bohemian's nativity sets, this one from haiti ...against a painting of sunset in trinidad and an angel reminds us: TAKE NOTHING FOR GRANTED! wishing you the lovely smells of the christmas season... don't forget to practice kindness.