Can You Copyright a Polka Dot?

It's always disheartening to come face-to-face with certain realities...  take for instance, the delight of stumbling upon a sweet shop... paired with the sadness that it houses a crafter of rather moderate talent... but more-than-moderate ego... one whose public ridicule of her lesser-monied patrons and the talent of her fellow artists was so smug and so vile that it caused me to more carefully consider not just the art... but the artist behind it...

   

Out With the Old...

Traditions... predictable and comforting patterns of behavior... that was me the day after Christmas... out at dawn to find just the perfect wrapping, cards and potpourri for the next year's festivities... and all at half off, no less!  No longer so, I'm afraid... it seems that with each passing year, stores stock less and less holiday sundries... so that you're fortunate to pick up a few things BEFORE the Holidays... forget about after.  This year, for the first time, I didn't go out on Boxing Day at all... and, instead, have been tentatively searching out my post-Holiday bargains solely online... I will miss most the tactile aspect of in-person shopping... as I am a little old school about certain things... cards should be cards... nice heavy card stock... that sort of thing... nothing worse than a floppy Christmas card...

ah well... online, Christmas and me... in with the new.

Ah, Christmas...

Christmas... combining a little past and a little present.  My great grandmother made the most fabulous cinnamon rolls ever.  My childhood taste buds were honed on these yeasty marvels... with their lovely combination texture... and the most mouth watering caramelized bottoms... oh, drool.  There were things you could just count on... turkey at Thanksgiving... Santa at Christmas... and great grandmother's cinnamon rolls at both.  If I close my eyes, I can still recall that distinctive scent of cinnamon combined with warm newsprint.  She always kept the rolls in their baking pan and wrapped the pan in newspaper to keep them warm on their trip from her house to ours.  My sister has managed to recreate those rolls to absolute perfection.  She even uses the very same pan... and wraps it newspaper... but has added her own special touch... the passenger seat warmer in her car.

That Evergreen Bough...

This year the decorating is slow going...

because instead of just unpacking...
with a this goes here and that goes there...

I'm changing it up a bit...

And if you're me...

that takes time...

to find just the right spot...

for just the right treasure.

Just Breathe...

It's important to take time for a little holly jolly

amidst all the prep work for the Holidays...

so, today, a friend and I went on a small Holiday excursion...

a little breakfast... a little gift exchange...  a little Christmas shopping...

the only thing missing...

a little snow.

We Need A Little Christmas...

It's time we hung some tinsel on that evergreen bough... Where does the time go?  The Thanksgiving turkey is barely a memory... and here I sit... with undecked halls...

Well, almost undecked... it's a start... baby steps...

Fair Warning...

My shopping is far from done... actually, I don't even have many ideas for anyone...  Shopping excursions so far have consisted mainly of... one for me and... and well, one for me.  If this trend continues, it's going to be...

 

fruitcake for everyone!!  (Well, except me of course... I seem to be accumulating quite the stack...)