My 2010

Just a little look back at my 2010 in pictures. I'm a total loss at introspection, but I do find it fun to gather a few of my favorite images from the past year to see where I've been, and where I'm going.

Food and flowers seem to be major themes for me. lol

Seriously though, looking back I am so grateful for the beauty around me, the time and tools to capture what I see, and the inspiration and encouragement of all of you... thank you so much for sharing your world with me this past year!

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Don't forget to enter my giveaway!

A Giveaway!

So, after all the shopping, all the wrapping, all the cleaning, all the decorating, all the cooking and all the baking...

It's over.

And you're left with a pile of empty boxes and leftovers for dinner.

Bah humbug!

Need a little cheering up? Head over to my Little Red House Reviews blog, and enter your name to win a $75. gift certificate to CSN stores! Maybe you could get yourself some

Delsey Luggage and escape to the south of France... or maybe just a little something to perk up your post-Christmas blahs... ;)

What are you waiting for??? Go now!

Christmas Wishes

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

Thank you so much for all of your comments and support and friendship this year -- you have truly transformed my life each and every day. Wishing you joy this Christmas!

Just Checking In

I'm literally just popping in to say hi... my goodness, things are crazy around here at the moment! I would imagine that they are the same at your house. Anyway, hi! I'll be back tomorrow with my Christmas wishes for all of you. :)

Mosaic Monday: Christmas Kitchen

Just a simple mosaic this busy week -- some images of Christmas in our kitchen here at Little Red House. If I don't see you all again before the week is out, have a wonderful Christmas!

Thank you so much for sharing in the fun at Mosaic Monday this year. I have loved seeing all your beautiful images and learning a little about each of you! There will be no Mosaic Monday next week. We will resume on Sunday, January 2, 2011.

Now let's have some mosaic fun! Here are the instructions:
1. Publish your Mosaic Monday post.
2. Once it is published, click on the title of the post. This will lead you to the static link for your post. The static link is the page with only that post on it. Copy the url from your browser at the top of the page.
3. Paste the url into the appropriate inlinkz box in this post.
4. Type your name in the appropriate inlinkz box in this post.
5. Click on "Enter."
6. Please link back to this Mosaic Monday post so that your readers can find other wonderful mosaics.

That's all there is to it! It's always a good idea to then check and see if your link is working. If you have any questions, feel free to email me: mrcarroll(at)optonline.

Pretty

Everything looks a little prettier when you squint, right? At least that's the story at my house, where there are still plastic bins all over the place... lol

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OK, let's try to have one last Mosaic Monday before the countdown to Christmas. The linky thingy will be up by 8:30 pm Eastern time Sunday. See you then!

It's beginning to look a lot like...

So, the mantel is done (in the traditional manner) and the trees (all three) are up but not completely decorated yet. I'm not done shopping, and everywhere you walk, you trip over a plastic Christmas bin. My cards are printed but not mailed, and I'm in the middle of that pre-Christmas fog that descends every year...

But on the other hand, the house is snug and warm, there is Christmas music playing and I'm still dreaming of a white Christmas. :)

How are things at your house?

Mosaic Monday: Living Mindfully

So how are your holiday preparations going so far? Is it possible that Christmas is less than two weeks away?

Are we at triple red alert yet? lol

I have been absent from my computer for the last week or so, just checking in occasionally amidst the hustle and bustle of the season. I'm sure you have been doing the same. But I have been trying my best to slow down a little, to take some time to reflect on the things that we will be celebrating -- to live mindfully.

And so I am making a great effort to cook a hot meal every night for my family (no sandwiches or takeout) -- conscious of the fact that so many go without, and thankful for the gifts we are given. I'm taking the time to sit down and read, even if it is only a story or a poem -- anything to let my mind rest for a few minutes. And I always stop and watch the sunset if I can -- for it is truly a moment of peace amidst the frantic pace of the season.

Can I ask a favor of you? Can each of you comment on two people before you and two people after you in the list this week? That way everyone will get a few comments and we will all have a few more minutes in the day for our holiday preparations.

Thanks so much!

Now let's have some mosaic fun! Here are the instructions:
1. Publish your Mosaic Monday post.
2. Once it is published, click on the title of the post. This will lead you to the static link for your post. The static link is the page with only that post on it. Copy the url from your browser at the top of the page.
3. Paste the url into the appropriate inlinkz box in this post.
4. Type your name in the appropriate inlinkz box in this post.
5. Click on "Enter."
6. Please link back to this Mosaic Monday post so that your readers can find other wonderful mosaics.

That's all there is to it! It's always a good idea to then check and see if your link is working. If you have any questions, feel free to email me: mrcarroll(at)optonline.

Random Christmas Thoughts

My daughter is coming home this weekend to help with the Christmas decorating. She is very busy with the end of the semester at school, but she really didn't want to miss trimming the tree. So it will be whirlwind decorating here this weekend. Then she will go back to school and for the next few days, our Little Red House will be filled with boxes and tissue paper and decorations spread across every horizontal surface. It always looks really terrible before it looks really good.

You all know what I mean, right? :)

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After totally ignoring this Christmas cactus for the last few months -- it was as dry as a desert -- it has suddenly begun to bloom right on schedule. With absolutely no help on my part.

Don't you just love a plant that thrives on benign neglect? :)

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Don't tell anyone, but these candy canes are left over from last year. I tend to crave chocolate candy, so they are safe from me. And they are so tightly wrapped, that I couldn't be bothered to try to eat them. Maybe that is the secret to dieting will power -- all manufacturers should make it almost impossible to actually get at their products.

Don't you think that is a good idea? ;)

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Thank you so much for continuing to participate in Mosaic Monday, even though I know you must all be very busy with the coming holidays. I really appreciate all your wonderful images and comments! The linky thingy will be up by 8:30 pm Eastern time, Sunday. See you then!

Do Tell: Christmas 2010 Edition

Greetings, peeps! Are you feeling the Christmas spirit yet? Or are you all bogged down in the minutiae and the must-do's of the season?

I thought it might be nice to take a moment and think about the bright spots of the holidays. Would you like to answer a few "Do Tell" questions, and share your holiday favorites with each other?

Here goes... I will answer the questions in the comments section, and I hope that you will, too!

1. What is your favorite Christmas song?
2. What is your favorite Christmas movie?
3. Are you dreaming of a white Christmas?
4. Do you have any special family traditions at Christmas?
5. What is the best gift you ever gave anyone?

I'm linking this post to Darcy's Holiday Bokeh Party at My 3 Boybarians

A Little Bit of This and That...

Just a little bit of reindeer moss,

some milk glass,

some ribbon,

and a little bit of bling. They are all marching down my dining room table. Decorating for the holidays continues apace. :)

Mosaic Monday: Christmas in the Kitchen

I'd like to tell you that I got the kitchen decorated for Christmas, but unfortunately these pictures are from last year. The red transferware dishes are reproduction Spode, collected from TJMaxx and HomeGoods and Marshall's. The little house is a cookie jar that my in-laws gave me as a gift a few years ago, filled with delicious cookies. The bird prints, in their rustic wood frames, were a rummage sale find.

I went on a holiday house tour on Sunday. Unfortunately they did not allow cameras, so I could not take pictures for you. But I have to say that I got a lot of inspiration, and I'm feeling bit more in the mood to decorate my own house. :)

Now let's have some mosaic fun! Here are the instructions:
1. Publish your Mosaic Monday post.
2. Once it is published, click on the title of the post. This will lead you to the static link for your post. The static link is the page with only that post on it. Copy the url from your browser at the top of the page.
3. Paste the url into the appropriate inlinkz box in this post.
4. Type your name in the appropriate inlinkz box in this post.
5. Click on "Enter."
6. Please link back to this Mosaic Monday post so that your readers can find other wonderful mosaics.

That's all there is to it! It's always a good idea to then check and see if your link is working. If you have any questions, feel free to email me: mrcarroll(at)optonline.

Stately Progress

So how is your decorating going? So far, in addition to my paperwhites, I have hung a wreath and put up the garland around the front door. Unfortunately, I failed to test the lights before I hung the garland, and when I plugged it in, only half the lights were working. Aaaarrrgh! I also put a small tree on the back porch. More to come soon.

I did a dry run of something different on the mantel, and snapped the picture above, but then I realized that this was just a non-starter because my kids have traditions to uphold. So the decorating is progressing at a stately (or is that glacial?) pace here, but that's OK. It'll get done.

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Are you guys up for Mosaic Monday this week? I need to get my act together and create something... anything! I'm sure you all are much more organized than I am. Seriously! But as always, the linky thingy will be up by 8:30 pm Eastern time, Sunday. See you then! :)

Have You Seen This?

Have you seen this yet? Just in case you haven't, I thought it would be fun to post it here. I can remember singing this in high school chorus, and by the end of the video I was singing along and really tearing up. :)

Please scroll down to the bottom of the page and shut off my music player before you start the video.

Christmas Cards

Because I love photography, I've been making my own Christmas cards for a few years now. At first, I simply attached 4x6 prints to Strathmore Photo Mount Cards. If you order your prints on sale, this can be quite a thrifty way to make a very personal card. The image above is one of the photos I used a few years ago. It was taken at my favorite park, Natirar, and edited in Photoshop to add a texture.

Last year, I also ordered some postcards (with added envelopes) from Moo. Here is one of the images I used (above) also taken at Natirar. Moo makes gorgeous quality glossy postcards. You can add text of your choice on the reverse side. I simply added a Christmas message, and then hand-signed them. This year, I have ordered some more and personalized them with our names as well.

Lately, I've been playing around in Photoshop, learning how to make cards with digital papers, layers and cutouts. I can't tell you how much fun this is! I've always been artistic, but never super crafty. Here is a creative outlet that I'm really enjoying. :)

Here are two of my favorite designs (above). I may design a few more and then order a set from Moo. (Yes, I always do my cards at the last minute.) Or maybe I will try getting them press-printed on a linen paper. I think that might look better, especially with the vintage damask papers . What do you think? I guess I'll have to check out turnaround times at printers. This might be a project for next year. :)

Small Miracles

I know some of you have all your Christmas decorations up already, but I tend to start out slow. This little paperwhite bulb in a milkglass mayonnaise cup is just about the only holiday decorating I've done so far. lol

And I've even embellished the saucer with some berries and a bit of pine branch from a recent walk in the park! Wowza, right?

I'm not proud of my lagging efforts. But I have to say that I just don't feel right doing the Christmas thing until after the turkey day stuff is over. That's just the way I roll.

I have a few more paperwhites planted in a Michael's urn that I got a few years ago. I love watching the green tips grow just a little taller each day -- it's lovely to have that symbol of new life in the dark days of winter. And when they eventually bloom, they perfume the whole house!

I'd like to think that the slow procession of growth is also a reminder to slow down in this sometimes hyper season, to turn our faces to the winter sun and have faith that the miracle of Christmas -- the miracle of light and life in the dead of winter -- will happen even if we don't get all the cards mailed and the gifts bought and the cookies baked.

Just a small miracle to remind us of the reason for the season.