Isn't this bird so festive and Christmasy? He was a decorative member of the Christmas Victorian Tea. (You can read more about it and the decor on my creative blog, The House of Beauty and Culture.)
I'm not sure what's come over me, but I'm loving bird decor. I bought my first bird from Joann's on clearance to inhabit my thrift store bird cage. Then at an ornament exchange, I was given two calling birds. And I have become slightly obsessed with the 12 Days of Christmas. Rather than spending $24.00 on paper ornaments from Ballard Designs, as lovely as they are, I decided to make my own. This is a project en processe (sounds fancy, eh?).
The family and I are currently enjoying an early holiday celebration up in Englewood, NJ, a cute town right outside of NYC. Mr. Nice Guy had a gig up in CT, so we tagged along for the weekend to visit with Grandma.
Making Memories...last night I took the two older children outside during the snowstorm (we had waited all day for the blizzard to show up.) It felt like we were on a set of a movie, the setting was so perfect. Glittery, untouched snow sparkling in the street lights. Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse... Just the three of us battling it out while Mr. Nice Guy took photos, our raucous laughter disturbing the tranquil night. Nighttime snowballs fights are exhilarating!
It reminded me of an evening soon after Mr. Nice Guy and I got married. A rare snowstorm blanketed the city, and we decided to hike a few miles to the grocery store, just for the fun of it. We laughed like little children, eyes bright with wonder and excitement, holding hands while crossing the empty streets. Until we came across some guys engaged in a serious snowball fight. I encouraged Mr. Nice Guy to join in as one snowball whizzed by our heads - no need for us both to become the new targets! Many minutes of hilarious fun later, he rejoined me as we continued our trek to the downtown grocery store. We didn't actually need any groceries but decided to pick up a few snacks for movie watching, just in case we were snowed in for a few days. The return trip was just as fun, as I shared childhood stories of snow fun. Sledding down big, bumpy hills and returning home half frozen. My mother sticking our feet in the warm oven to thaw out. My father building a real igloo for my brother to camp out in (and he did, though my mother dragged him indoors in the early morning so fearful that he would freeze.) My sister losing a shoe in a snowdrift and trying to find it - we never did, even after the snow melted in the Spring!
So last night, though it was past the children's bedtime, in the interest of making wonderful memories and loosening up the overly serious and perhaps rigid parental personal I have, we played in the snow. It was so much fun. And the children kept thanking me over and over when we came in to thaw out over mugs of hot tea. The look of wonder on their faces, their eyes bright with excitement, their peals of laughter and squeals as the cold snow found exposed skin was priceless. A pre-Christmas toast: to many more moments of making wonderful memories!
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