Christmas. . .already?!?!?!

A few months ago at mass, Father said that every Catholic household should have a Bible, a crucifix, and a nativity scene.  I realized that I don't have one!  I used to love playing with the hard plastic nativity scene my parents had, arranging the different people and animals and recreating the Christmas story.  I also loved staring at (but not touching) my grandmother's beautiful Italian creche.  As a child, it seemed so fancy and exotic, with the moss draped around it and the delicate paper affixed to it, the face of Mary so ethereal.  The best nativity I have ever seen was at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  A few years back, I was in NYC at New Year's and was able to view it.

I ordered my own pretty little vintage nativity scene through ebay.  While I adore the Met's creche, I think this version will be more my style---at least, more suitable to my 650 square foot condo and simple life.  When it comes in, I'll post a picture.  :)

Best Thanksgiving Story Ever!

Pick up a copy for your little one. . .or for yourself!  :)

The Old Engine That Used To

In the middle of nowhere, you find remnants of the past.  Keep your eyes open.  They are everywhere.

6 Year Olds and the Pilgrims

Me: What ship did the Pilgrims sail on?

Child 1: The Pilflower.

Child 2: The Maybutterfly.

Me: Sigh.

Do Not Squander Time. . .but money is okay!

One of my favorite vintage finds of all time is a clock from (I think) the thirties or forties.  It is in my aforementioned favorite jadite color.  It plugs into the wall and keeps accurate time despite its age.  I am looking up at it right now as I'm typing this and thinking two things 1) boy, I really should take a shower and get in bed, because 5:30 a.m. is closer than I think AND 2) I am so glad I spent the money on this even though I was poor and in graduate school at the time and probably shouldn't have even spent what little extra change I had on a hamburger much less a vintage clock on ebay.  It has graced the kitchen of every home I have had since then.

Dinner at Eight

I hosted a dinner party (coincidentally during that same Fall Break just mentioned in the last post).  Of course, I'm only now getting around to blogging about it.  What can I say---teaching 24 six year olds can be a bit time consuming!

I made the Barefoot Contessa's chicken with mushroom and madeira sauce and did not even skimp on the cream.  It also had creme fraiche in it!  Yum!  I also made rosemary polenta (another Barefoot Contessa recipe; I love her!) and a green salad.  For dessert, I poached pears in mulled red wine.  They were incredibly delicious and wonderful for my friends who have a gluten free diet and couldn't have eaten a dessert I might typically have made.

My Halloween decorations are out in these pictures.  I love Halloween!

I struggled over the color for my curtains.  My favorite color is green, followed by blue.  My natural inclination is to go with those colors.  For EVERYTHING.  In my old house, all the rooms were either blue or green.  In this tiny condo, I don't want to paint the walls.  I want it to look fresh and uncluttered, since I tend to have a clutter problem.  (I like stuff!)  So I wanted to get color through accessories like curtains, and I also wanted to add warmth.  Something about this room cried out for warmth.  A friend suggested terra cotta.  I saw these curtains and decided they were what I needed, though quite far from my usual norm.  You can't tell, but I have two wicker chair on either side of the TV (massive, ugly, horrific TV) and they have pillows the same color as the curtains.  I like the way the terra cotta goes with the robin's egg blue pillows (from Etsy).  Some days I still have an urge to get new curtains.  But in the autumn, these seem just right!

The weird things hanging at the top of the picture are my shabby vintage Halloween tags.  I hung them from my chandelier.  Of course, little pup had to make it into the photo.  He follows me everywhere.  I have my jadite plates on the wall.  I adore them.  I have to say it twice because I love them that much.  I ADORE them.  If I had my way, everything would be the color of jadite.  Which would be extreme and would probably make everyone sick of jadite.  But never me.  I can't get enough.

Strolling Through the Park One Day. . .

About a month ago, I was blessed with a fall break.  Now for most people, passing by lush, blooming flowers during a walk in the park on one's break would indicate spring and not fall.  Here in what can only be described as a subtropical climate, we have blooms of one kind or another all year long.  I definitely long to experience the changing of leaves and all things autumnal.  I dream of reveling in a quintessential New England autumn.  However, when confronted with the realities of the harsh Northern winters (through Weather Channel updates and CNN coverage of ice storms), I am happy to live in a place where a verdant green is a constant.

Here in the Crescent City, we are blessed with two fabulous parks.  I typically frequent the one Uptown, close to two excellent universities and the architectural splendor of St. Charles Avenue.  I often encourage tourists to leave the French Quarter if they get a chance and come down and visit this gem.

Every time I walk in the park during peak tourist season, I catch people snapping pictures of the moss.  It's Southern Gothic at its finest.  I'm pretty sure that my favorite little guy and I probably made it into a few of their photos over the course of our park meanderings!

And speaking of my little guy. . .

I love our walks in the park together.  They are my "moments of Zen" each week.  Unless a squirrel is involved, in which case. . .

our walk becomes more like a frantic charge!

We spotted a swan, reminding me of that Hans Christian Anderson story "The Ugly Duckling."

There is a part of the park that my pup gravitates toward.  He wants to run amidst the cypress knees and track down who knows what.  Here is the cypress with its knees.  Cypress knees are actually roots that stick up above the ground and help the cypress breath.  I think.  ;)

Birds were everywhere!  Birds in flight make me think of fall.

We always encounter this bridge when nearing the end of our walk.  It makes me feel a little bit like I'm in a fairy tale.  Or at least Alice in Wonderland.  ;)