From Desk Drawer to Reliquary!

It immediately caught my eye yesterday, as Katie and I

were perusing around Art of Recycle in Ephrata, PA.

I'm thinking this is a vintage desk drawer... with an ink well,

 pencil/pen tray. What do you think?

It measures 8 by 16.5 inches... and the price was right!

It didn't "scream" at me... but immediately spoke to me, saying:

"Turn me on end, stand me up... stand me up!" 

And in that moment... Behold a reliquary, 

waiting to "house" a doll and a story!

And so... with a bit of sanctified imagination 

and some of the inspiration that Penny, from Art Journey 

(see my side-bar) just blogged about... 

I'm ready to begin working on a new doll!

Well... it's about time! (wink!)

Winter's Hold... A Light Touch!

While picking up fallen branches and trimming back rose bushes,

I couldn't help but notice some "stirrings" in our flower gardens!

Daffodils encroaching upon the ground ivy...

Lenten Rose revealing its new growth...

and even some of our Sedum was found...

sunning itself in the late morning light.

Winter's hold... it seems to be a light touch; for the moment!

A New Year... Fresh Fallen Snow!

Our first measurable snowfall of the season...

A cardinal found the stash of seed I placed in the feeder,

before the snow started falling this morning.

Happy New Year Wishes and Blessings to you and yours!

Christmas Eve

Our tree is decorated... ready and waiting for the grandsons to arrive

(and their Mom & Dad too... wink!)

We've always had candles on our tree (that German heritage), 

and this year added red wooden beads and curly raffia.

Like many of your homes...

Every ornament on our tree has "a story"...

Above... ornaments our grandsons made.

The snowman is from our Vermont

"Kingdom Kraft" business days...

The pewter lamb from Danforth Pewters.

This snowman ornie was from our oldest daughter

and has become a favorite...

We made this wedding couple for our first tree...

Up in Amherst, Wisconsin... forty two years ago.

A Vermont handcrafter created this...

(it hangs next to a red bag full of coal!)

Another from our first Christmas...

filled with dried wildflowers we found

along the roadside in Amherst...

Our German "Putz" collection... now fills a wooden cabinet

during Christmas.  When we lived in Vermont, we would

visit the homes of others friends who also put up a putz...

The figures tell the "life of Christ" story... not just the Nativity.

Out fireplace mantle this year... (fake greens... Tsk! Tsk!)

Found this St. Nick at a thrift shop ($3.) in Vermont a few years ago...

He's  a little "grumpy"... but we love him!

Love, love, love the over-sized ears on this folk art angel!

And then our "sepia photo finish" tree...

Four generations of family photos that I processed

years ago with a "sepia" finish...

Grandma Cook (Koch)... our parents, our siblings, our children.

(Yup... that's our wedding photo and our daughter's above it!)

Three generations of "Fischer" girls... 

Grandma Lucille, Katie and our daughter, Naomi.

A flood of memories... 

And then there are the hand-carved wooden Saint Nicks...

made by Vermont artisans, the McAlister family

We're wishing you a Merry Christmas... Daryle & Katie

Thanksgiving Day...Just Enough Snow!

We spent four days over Thanksgiving in Vermont 

with Em and Chad... and their wonder-dog: Stella!

Along with our grandsons (Jon and Ryan pictured here), 

our daughter Naomi and son-in-law Steve... 

In a word: WONDERFUL!

Yup... just enough snow to spend Thanksgiving morning 

making a snowman and having snowball fights...

Jon and his "lying down" snowman... that he made in

one of uncle Chad and auntie Em's raised bed gardens. 

Pop-Pop just had to do an "oil painting" rendition

of this delightful creation... (a snowman-doll is next!

Blessings... 

One of South Jersey's Best Kept Secrets!

This is why I love taking a load of garden cuttings for mulching,

 to our local landfill on an early Saturday morning!

Our backroads here in South Jersey remain one of our 

best keep secrets...  Shhhhh, Don't tell!

Neglected Beauty... Found in Our Gardens Today

From the Solomon's Seal, 

with its leaves translucent in the sunlight...

...to an invasive Carrotwood cousin 

that loves to climb...

...to our decorative grasses, 

showing off their plumage...

...to the unassuming Butterfly Milkweed 

that has finally gone to seed...

...to our stone turtle who seems ready to hibernate

'neath the leaves found in the birdbath...

Ah, glorious Fall!