burn baby burn

d has spent most of his holiday working around our 5 acres. clearing brush and debris with my mom & k. and building some beautiful burn piles.







at night we trek down when the embers are getting nice and hot with marshmallows and chunks of dark chocolate (leaving behind the graham crackers) and bask in the glow.

beach walk

during our island summers we rotate through beaches - those for swimming, those for sunning, those for exploring tide pools...

in the winter we tend to be drawn to two in particular.

shell beach, at montague provincial park, is a constant.













facing westerly, it promises beautiful light late in the afternoon, under any conditions.

i realize i now have hundreds of photos of this spot. of those girls wading and skipping stones. and while they are the same, they are also each very different, the light, the clarity of the water, the vegetation, and these girls, growing before my eyes.

island christmas

we made the annual trek to "our island cottage" again this christmas. it felt so good after heading off in a different direction last year. arriving on christmas eve, our first task, to find the perfect tree. a perfect cedar growing just below our meadow fit the bill.

progressive dinner 2013 :: making merry

{home from our holidays and playing catch-up}

our annual progressive dinner this year happened with new to the neighborhood hosts and an ever-growing guest list.



my dear friend - who has been part of this tradition from the beginning - found me the most beautiful caroling bell. (part of our tradition is ringing a bell between courses to get people moving on to the next house.) the tag on it read: "Our caroling bell is a symbol of holiday nostalgia when family, friends and neighbors would gather to make merry and sing Christmas hymns in chorus from home to home. Filling the streets and sidewalks with joyful song..." so perfectly fitting. our streets really to fill with joy as we trek from one host home to the next.



most visible to me - how our kids are now the "big kids" and how there is a whole new generation of littles and their parents. love.

Happy Holidays!

from us all. see you in 2014!

(card by tinyprints)

weekend to do

wrap it all up!

ranch christmas

we were able to attend the ranch holiday party last night. i think i've said it before - but this is really one of my favorite places to be. the people are amazing. not to mention being able to interact with such beautiful animals.

there was hot chocolate and horse cookies (which i took to mean cookies shaped like horses, but no, cookies for horses of course!) k made dozens and fed them to her favorites (all of them seem to be her favorites.) but her very very favorite is curio, who was given the heart shaped one.

k dreams of her own horse. someday.

in the meantime we spend as much time here as we can.





thanks t.e.e.!

weekend to do

haircuts for everyone
a special friend turns 13

around the house
last batch of holiday cookies
last trip to the post office
paint closet interior
make packing lists

deep breath and remember the reason...

"all is calm. all is bright."

it has been a rough week. lots of prep as we head into the holidays along with unexpected automotive and pet hiccups. (happy to report all is well on both front this p.m.!) and with news that a new baby has arrived we couldn't be happier!

the tree is up. school and lessons are winding down. the short cold days are welcome to this northern soul. the girls took on the gingerbread house on their own this year and did a marvelous job.



looking to this last weekend to wrap up the last of the presents and start packing!

(holiday) wish list

fireplace tools

we have long been on an unfulfilled hunt for fireplace tools. what we have found is either no longer available or outside the budget. our preference is for wall mounted - but would settle for the right freestanding set. we want them black, to match our fireplace screen. and we don't want them too large - keeping in scale with our fireplace.

here are a few that inspire:

one hand forged wall mounted fireplace tools
two amish outdoor fireplace tools
three wrought iron fireplace tools set after george nelson
four and more george nelson
five amish crafter hearth tool set

oh, and can fireplace tools be beautiful? yes... yes, they can.

weekend to do

violin recital

around the house
clean out front closet
bake gingersnaps
finalize master bedroom shelving
relocate attic access
wrap and post gifts
finish holiday cards
gingerbread house & christmas tree!

december habit

excited to be joining in with old friends this month back over at habit


i already feel a little like the month is getting away from me. it is always grounding to return to the ritual of a daily photograph and words. thanks as always, ladies, for having me.