What else is there to do in the middle of winter?

American Idol returns tonight. I hate to admit it but in the winter I am a tv addict. On a cold night there is nothing like anticipating the return of a favorite show. I love to cuddle and watch tv in the evenings. I’m always saying that there is not a lot of quality to watch (Downton Abbey excepted) but I seem to always find a program or two to occupy my time. Here is a list of some of the programs that I watch:  please do not judge me too harsh.
Reality shows: Housewives of NYC, Beverly Hills, New Jersey and Orange County.
Millionaire Matchmaker, Millionaire Decorators..It’s nice to see how the other half lives>>do you see a theme here?
I heard how good Parenthood was so I tuned it in on Netflix and started watching the episodes from the beginning. Every time I had a free moment I’d sit down and watch till I got caught up. Now I can watch it on Tuesday nights.
I like Shark Tank, Top Chef, and Dance Moms too.
  Smash will be starting soon, in fact, you can download the opening episode as an app for your ipad.
     I just finished watching the premier episode. It’s great!
   What are your current favorite shows? What do you think they reveal about you?

TEXTURE TUESDAY

I am taking a class online with Kim Klassen called Beyond Layers.  I can’t say enough good things about Kim and how she has inspired and taught me during this last year to create, journal, photograph and document my life. Each week she sends messages which urge me to try out different techniques and see things in different ways. On her website kimklassencafe.com she hosts Texture Tuesday where she posts pictures from her readers following a theme. This week’s theme is Cuppa Love, showing a cup and using some of her textures. I am showing my picture of a simple black mug. I have many cups for my tea ranging from delicate antique flowered dainty tea cups to thick Chinese red substantial cups to blue and white Royal Copenhagen fine china. But after reading this Nate Berkus book I felt that the simplistic lines of the solid black cup showed that design doesn’t have to be fancy. The mercury glass ball is leftover from Christmas but too pretty to put away. The quote on the book front is from Steve Jobs. I used Kim’s textures reentry and chaos.

Snow Walk

Last week Sadie and I went for a snow walk. It is so beautiful in the cemetery with the fresh whiteness covering up the ground. I love the crispness of the air and the quiet solitude.

“Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather.”

“The future lies before you, like paths of pure white snow. Be careful how you tread it, for every step will show

“There is nothing in the world more beautiful than the forest clothed to its very hollows in snow. It is the still ecstasy of nature, wherein every spray, every blade of grass, every spire of reed, every intricacy of twig, is clad with radiance.

Steve Jobs

I have always been fascinated with the creativity of Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple. Last year I read his biography and was astounded at his daring to have such conviction in his ideas and his ability to stay true to what he believed in against all odds. This week I am reading Insanely Simple The Obsession that drives Apple’s success by Ken Segall. Although I am not a “business” person this book gives a unique perspective into how Steve Jobs used the technique of simplicity to create his Apple products. Simplicity is a value that permeated every level of the Apple organization. It’s what helped Apple recover from near death in 1997 to become the most valuable company on Earth in 2011. Two of his quotes stuck with me :


”Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice.”

”And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.”

Random Saturday thoughts

Don’t you just love this?

MERCURY GLASS

Mercury glass - slideshow with music

I have a new decorating love...mercury glass. Throughout the last year I have noticed on the blogs that I visit that any women are using this shiny, metallic, silver glass in their decorating schemes. Then I saw it wherever I shopped. I finally gave in and bought a small votive holder. Then at Christmastime I found some mercury glass pine cones that I thought would look great among the artichokes. But when I found these two round vases on sale at Kohl's last week I knew I had to have them. I love the gleam of light that they impart to the room. The sunroom is now all ready for the rest of the winter.

10 on the 10th

All you have to do is take ten frames of any day of the month and post it on the tenth of the month. So here are ten photos of Christmas things I couldn’t bear to put away yet. My new binoculars. I like to keep a pair handy to look at the birds or up in the woods. They are also handy for plays when I don’t have the best seat in the house. These icy wreaths…not a very good shot, sorry…stay up in January. They seem to fit the icy, snowy landscape outside.

And I love the beaded icy wreaths on the backs of the chairs in the wintertime.
This glass snowy pinecone lends a winter feel to the sunroom.
This happy set of holly dishes is just right for hot cocoa and a treat on those cold, cold days.

And I couldn’t part with my new arrangement from Jan Williams, in fact it may stay out permanently. 


And this snowman wreath can certainly stay out a while longer.

I decided to put lights at my windows to cozy up the dark winter.
The little French tree was just too cute to put away so I put it in my frency bathroom.
One last thing, this garland from Ashecombe’s which lends a woodsy air to the candle-eir.

What’s your word for 2013?

Many people choose a word for the year to represent what they hope to achieve or focus on during the next 365 days. As I was deciding on a word I mulled over a few thoughts. This year I want to concentrate on having more energy. That would include exerting myself more, moving around and getting more things done, and getting excited about my life. But the word energy or energize didn’t seem to encompass all that I was seeking. Then I found my word:



zest

noun

1.

keen relish; hearty enjoyment; gusto.

2.

an agreeable or piquant flavor imparted to something.

3.

anything added to impart flavor, enhance one's appreciation, etc.

4.

piquancy; interest; charm.

5.

liveliness or energy; animating spirit.

Now that’s a word! I love that it means gusto. That feeling of aliveness and awareness That exuberant spirit. It means being animated, not passive. In the past few years I have settled into a lower key life. It’s quite enjoyable and full of great pleasures. But I would love to see the excitement come back again. I do try to keep learning new things on my computer  in an attempt to stave off senility. But this should be the year that I accomplish some dreams. Each year I vow to pick up a paint brush and express myself with art. This is the year that I should do that. There is nothing stopping me but my fear of failure. This year I would like to live a life of zest.

Peggy - picture slideshow
  
I noticed that the other slideshow that I made starts automatically and the music plays every time you come on my blog. Sorry about that. You will have to go to that video and stop it by hovering over the bottom till the settings appear and then clicking on the two vertical lines to stop the slideshow. I'm just getting the hang of making these videos. 

Tea Time

Are you a tea drinker? January is National Hot Tea month. Tea is the perfect beverage for a cold, snowy afternoon in the winter. And nothing tastes better than iced tea on a hot, hot day in the summer.  Tea has many benefits. It’s high in polyphenols, a type of anti-oxidant that may protect our cells from the DNA damage that can cause many diseases. There are many sites on the web where you can learn all about different teas, tea settings, and tea parties.

Around three o’clock is my tea time. I love making a small pot to enjoy midday. For Christmas this year I received a gift card for Bed Bath and Beyond from my son and his wife. In Knoxville we stopped and I found a wonderful wooden tea chest to hold my tea bags. It is filled right now with many different flavors of Bentleys’ tea.



Before Christmas I found this metal tea tray with poinsettias on it which is perfect for winter tea. I use my Chinese teapot that Linda gave me a few years ago and take my tea with lemon and honey.

Sometimes I use my favorite tea tray with my royal Copenhagen tea cup that I purchased in Denmark.

Here are some of my favorite quotes about tea. Let’s have tea together.

An ipad Christmas

Kizoa slideshow: Electronic Christmas - Slideshow

Christmas in Tennessee

Christmas 2012 Tennessee from Peg Karrasch on Vimeo.

She’s big girl now

How fast they grow. Sara who is two and half got out of her crib while we were in Tennessee for Christmas.

Her bed changed into a youth bed and she got new bedding. Sara is soooo feminine. She loves pink things and girly fashions. She was delighted with her new room which included new white curtains.
And she helped put new stickers on her walls.

She absolutely loved her bed this way!

The Stocking were hung by the chimney with care

Santa Claus is coming to town 2012 from Peg Karrasch on Vimeo.

FIVE FOR FRIDAY

Here are five pictures from our Tennessee Christmas.

Enjoying the snow?

This little fellow seemed to be. I hope you are staying warm on this cold evening. Today was another day of putting away decorations. Now that it’s all in the attic I feel the house is welcoming winter.

Tis the week after Christmas and all through the house

The bustle and hustle of December is over. Ahh, doesn’t it feel good? After being gone over the holiday it’s great to be back home and begin the January organizing and putting the house back in order.

There are a few things I couldn’t stand to put away yet. I used the icicle lights over my hutch. I love white lights and wanted to look at these a while longer. I also left the table setting to add some red to the white landscape outside.

I did take away all the decorations that screamed holiday and turn the sunroom back into a garden santuary again. The hutch is emptied and needs a little rearranging. But that’s for another day.

How is your house? Have you finished with your decorations and have them put away. I did the sunroom today and the kitchen yesterday and tomorrow hopefully I can put everything in bins to go to the attic.

Best of New Year’s wishes

Isn’t it wonderful to have a new year start. It seems that the old year’s mistakes and regrets can be forgotten and you get a second chance to be a better person. The slate is wiped clean and a new one is there just waiting to see what will be written. January always seems the time for change to happen. I hope your year will be the best one ever.

I am back from Tennessee after spending all New Year’s Day traveling on interstates for twelve hours. It was such a remarkable time with all my family close beside me. There is nothing like a four year old pushing open your door and turning on the light before daylight announcing, “Nana, I think Santa Claus came!” It was a very special Christmas.
More pictures will follow of course!