advent hat and mittens ...

"take time ... slow down ... be still

be awake the Divine Mystery that looks so common

yet is wondrously present"

~edward hays~

Ready or not ... the holidays are here.

I am ready ... 
however the gifts are not bought and wrapped ... the cards are not made nor the envelopes addressed ... the tree is not lit, decorated or even set up ... my antique ornaments are still wrapped in their boxes ... in fact i do not even have my lists started.

But i am ready.

I am ready to take my time, to slow down and to embrace and enjoy all the traditions of the season.  My wish is to be present in each moment.

My first Christmas tradition is the advent calendar ... this year instead of opening little doors, i surprised my daughter with this adorable calendar.  Each handmade hat and mitten is filled with small gifts ... one  for each day till Christmas.  It hangs over her bed on her headboard ... a front panel of a vintage upright piano.  Each morning i know she will wake up with such joy and excitement of discovering a new little surprise ... what a great way to start a new day!  

It is the perfect way to start my day also ... to see the joy and delight in her eyes ... perfect.

So let the season begin ... i am ready.

Until next time...
nancyjean

time to step away and reboot ...

"step away ... self~check ... reboot"

~kim klassen"

What is it about some people ... why do i feel such an immediate connection. People that just "get" me.  Those friendships i treasure and hold on tight.  
There are even those people i feel a strong connection to that i have never met.  I read their words and they always seem to resonate.  At times i wonder how is this possible ... a complete stranger.

like~minds ... soul~mates perhaps?

Then there are other people ... no matter how hard i try ... there is just no connection.  Some are people i know well, people that are in my everyday life. 
In fact the harder i work at the relationship ... the greater the disappointment.  As i grow older, i am learning to let these people go ... 

Tonight is one of those nights, when i need to step away and reboot.  You see, I should be at a charity event tonight ... after all i made all the centerpieces for the event that will be actioned off.  My daughter's achievements will be mentioned ... but for all the wrong reasons.  
These are some of the people that disappoint.  
These are the relationships that i need to let go.

So tonight instead of putting on my finery and a facade ... 
i will heed my friends advice ... 
i plan to wrap myself up in a blanket, cuddle by the fire and listen to the falling snow ...

step away ... self~check ... and reboot

Until next time...
nancyjean

packing up my memories ...

"like snowflakes, my Christmas memories gather and dance ...

each beautiful,  unique and too soon gone"

~deborah whipp~

It is Friday once again ...  "a time that we stop ... pause ... simply ... cherish life's simple pleasures".  I love how she has magically formed a like~minded community ... total inspiration!
 

Listen ... what do you hear? 

Well, if your home is like mine, you might hear stillness ... quiet ... calm.  The hustle and the bustle of the holidays is over ... as good as it was, this tranquil feeling is so welcomed. 

And now it is time to take down the Christmas tree, sweep up the stray pine needles and glitter. Then carefully wrap up my treasured ornaments ... my Christmas memories.
 

I love the stillness this time of year.

If you find yourself with alittle extra time today, be sure to click here to find some wonderful inspiration!
 

Until next time,

NancyJean



this is the New Year!

"this is a new year ... a new beginning"

~ a great big world~   



This is a new year ... truly a new beginning.  Don't you all just love a beginning ... a new chance to get things right ... the first day of the rest of your life and all of that?  

 

The whirlwind of the holidays has come to an end.  January is always a cold . snowy . long month here in Chicagoland ... think polar vortex.  But instead of dreading these long dark thirty one days, i have learned to welcome them.  

It is my time to nest ... to slow down  ... to start new projects without any looming deadlines. My time for alittle planning ... and introspection.  It is my time to read that neglected stack of books and magazines on my nightstand...to open up a new journal.  It is even my time for alittle cleaning and organizing ... gasp!  

 

So bring on the New Year ... i am so ready!

Today i am linking up with Kathy's fun Song~ography ... a "fun mash~up of photography and song" ... a visual song, if you will here and Kim Klassen's fabulous texture Tuesday here.

I just adore this letter I found at the flea market ... addressed to 'Merry Christmas and Happy New Year' dated 1907! 

 

Until next time ...

Nancyjean  







my little vintage treasures

It is friday ... the first friday of the new year ... special!!  And time to link up with Kim's finds.  I love how she has magically formed a like~minded community ... total inspiration!

"Christmas waves a magic wand over this world ... and behold,

everything is softer and more beautiful"

~norman vincent peale"

Oh my ... remember me?  I have not been present at my blog for months!  But i really do have an excuse ... you see i fell while on a photographic walk and broke a bone in my foot.  But oh no, not just any normal bone ... this happened to be a bone that is very difficult to heal.  In fact if the break had been just alittle bit further up the bone, i would have been in surgery.  So i have been non weight bearing since before Halloween!  But i did get THE most welcomed Christmas present this year ... i got released from my doctor's care and i can walk again!!  I still have a limp but i can get around now without the use of my scooter or crutches ... which means a normal life again!

Okay ... enough about my problems ... on to the beauty!

My little vintage Christmas treasures ... my shiny brites ... my vintage ornaments.  Some are passed down to me from relatives ... others i found at antique stores. They are always on the top of my "gotta have" list.

"Christmas ... that magic blanket that wraps itself about us,
that something so intangible that it is like a fragrance. 
It may weave a spell of nostalgia.
Christmas may be a day of feasting, or of prayer,
but always it will be a day of remembrance ...
a day in which we think of everything we have ever loved"
~augusta e rundell~

I have these beauties hanging on our Christmas tree ... and also scattered throughout the house in antique bowls.  I firmly believe in surrounding myself with objects i adore ... and these shiny brites definitely weave such a nostalgia spell over me.

"i will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year"
~charles dickens~

As Christmas comes to an end, i just can not pack up all my shiny brites  ... so there is always one bowl that finds itself proudly displayed in my china cabinet all year.  It is my way of reminding myself to always keep that Christmas feeling strong throughout the year.

If you find yourself with a little time today, be sure to click here to find so much inspiration!!

Until next time ... 
NancyJean

be brave...

 " Say what you wanna say
And let the words fall out
Honestly I wanna see you be brave..."

~sara bareilles~

I just sat down tonight to write Sunday's post for Kathy's Song~ography.  The song she choose this week is "Brave" by Sara Bareilles.  I've never heard this song...so I read her lyrics.

Oh my...did they strike a chord with me! 

You see...several difficult things happened to me last year.  I just kept quiet and let others take advantage of me.  I have always been one to never rock the boat...always wanting to be a people pleaser...always avoiding confrontation at all costs.  

But the costs were just to great on me.  I kept quiet... i was not brave enough to let my words flow out.  As a result, I have had quite a few tears flowing instead.

Just when I thought the year was about over and I could start anew...Christmas came... and once again I let others ruin my day simply because I did not speak up. 

So as I put away my Christmas tree and start a new year i am hoping..maybe this is the year I have learned my lesson...maybe this is the year to have my voice heard.

So thank you, dear Kathy for choosing this song...it really spoke to my heart.

If you have a few moments, be sure to click here to join in on all the brave song~ography fun!

until next time...

nancyjean