A few random things...

that I am loving right now:

1. Driving around and seeing how everyone has decorated their houses. So far there is one I am loving most, with paper lanterns like these, and white lights illuminating the wrap-around porch on their Victorian. I'd never think to put the lanterns outside, but it works. (I'll try to take a good picture the next time I'm out after dark.)

2. Getting holiday cards from friends and family whom I don't hear from often, the rest of the year. Especially from those so far away (Slovenia, Denmark...Minnesota).

3. Holiday drinks: eggnog with fresh-grated nutmeg. warm cider with cinnamon sticks. peppermint tea. hot chocolate with whipped cream and a candy-cane stirrer. sparkling cider, so the kids can toast, too. and this big, dark, red wine: almost black, and perfect with all those winter comfort foods we're eating now.

4. The questions that are coming from Anna, as she grows curiouser and curiouser. "What makes the water work?" "Is there something holding the house up?" and, some indiscreet but sensible questions over boy/girl anatomy that I won't go into here.

5. Naptime.

6. Getting ideas, inspiration, and encouragement from reading blogs written by smart, creative people who let us have a glimpse into their very real lives. I've spent a good deal of my adult life leafing through shelter magazines and catalogs which leave me feeling that my house, my clothes, my life, are just not cutting it. It is so fortifying to read about and see how real people make their homes, raise their kids, and cope with the same issues that most of us are faced with on a daily basis. {I don't have a blogroll on the sideboard, for a couple of reasons, but I think I will do a post soon, with links to some that I love and read consistently.}

7. Getting comments on my own blog, from all over the world- Denmark, Scotland, New Zealand. It's so nice to know that someone (anyone?!) is out there, listening. I'd love to hear from you, too.

That's all for now. Thanks for reading.

tt