Our Wedding Day--Photo Essay

Today is Our Wedding Day . . .

Ever Ours by Enrouge

On this quiet day after Christmas with family and friends, my man and I will get married. 

It will be simple.  It will be small.  It will take only a few minutes.

Even with its simplicity and brevity, it still means that we love each other dearly.  The commitment to each other will last much longer than the words that will be spoken this day.  We'll be pledging our love to each other before friends and family.  We're looking forward to having these special people be a part of our special day.  We plan to celebrate the rest of our life together with the same happiness we'll be sharing with special people on our special day.    

Please think of us as we marry today . . .

I love this man!!

Please let your special people know how much you love and appreciate them . . .

Happy Holidays!!

Christmas ornament by Hammermann

How do you celebrate the holidays at this time of year?  Do you have a big gathering with lots of food and hubub?  Do you do a quiet few days?

These days we spend our Christmas pretty quietly.  We do a little decorating such as displaying a couple of Christmas quilts.  One is here:

We usually spend our Christmas holidays with family.  No one gets too carried away with decorations.  Once in a while, we get a bit out of control with gifts (last year I made out like a bandit!). We visit and eat.  Then we open gifts and have some snacks.  Then we laze around and fix a meal.  I think you detect the trend here.

Holiday stocking by rikrak

It's a great quiet time.  It's a relaxed time that give us time to think and plan.  We enjoy the winter weather (usually from inside) and the time away from everyday life. 


Christmas is a time for love.  It is a time to love the ones you value most, think of the loved ones who have already gone, spend time with family and friends, and be content.

Enjoy good company and laughter and seek out contentment and joy.  Thank you so much to those of you who have provided me with great companionship, laughter, and happiness.  I look forward to more time and enjoyment with you.

Merry Christmas Chickadee by NatureMandalas

Soap Swap Box Arrived!!!

Here I was . . . sitting at my computer working away when I heard a knock at the door.  I could see that there was a box on the table outside our front door.  I could see that it was from Bramble Berry.
Bramble Berry is a wonderful soap making supplier in Bellingham, Washington.  I knew it must be my box of soaps!

Several weeks ago, Anne-Marie Faiola announced a soap swap using fragrances purchased from Bramble Berry.  Each of us who signed up would select a fragrance, make a dozen large bars, then send them to BB, who would then sort out the bars and send a dozen bars to each participant.  My contribution was bay rum scented soap.  I have a couple of bars left in my collection. 

My box arrived today.  When I picked up the box, the aroma was just wonderful.  Exciting and calming, all at the same time.  When I opened it up and pulled out the paper and started unwrapping the bars, this is what I pulled out! 

The scents include bonsai, sandalwood vanilla (I keep holding this one up to my nose), cherry almond, and cranberry fig.  The cranberry fig soap was made by Anne-Marie herself and the instructions for this beautiful, comforting scented soap are here.

Some of the other soap makers are Mayren;  Desert Soapstone of Prescott, Arizona; Auntie Lu's Scrubs & Suds; Bayou Liberty Soaps; Lotion Bar Cafe; Bonnie Bath; Palin's Pantry; Garden Gate Soaps; and Casco Bay Soap Co.

What a nice surpise.  I mean.  I knew it was coming.  I just forgot about it for a while.  Then I remembered it as soon as I saw the box!  I couldn't wait to get it open and see what others made.  I might share.  I might not.  Well, it IS the holidays and all.  My thanks to Anne-Marie and the nice people at Bramble Berry for organizing this.  It's a fun start to Christmas!! 

Isn't it nice when something happens to make you feel good?  I'll get to remember this each time I pass by these soaps and inhale the aromas and look upon the colors and shapes and packaging. 

Thanks to all who participated and went to the trouble to make their soaps and package them up so special to share with strangers.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!

Vacation Photos--Aztec Ruins, New Mexico

Aztec Ruins, New Mexico

As part of our Four Corners vacation trip, we visited many archeological sites, including Aztec Ruins National Monument in northern New Mexico.  It's a site that was inhabited by the ancestral Puebloans.  We were able to walk around and through a portion of the ruins. 

This complex had about 500 rooms. 

Visitors are able to follow the trail through the West Ruin, built centuries ago. 

Part of the interior.  These people were short and hardy!

Part of the self-guided tour takes you inside some of the small rooms.  I show the photo above to give you an idea of the size of the doors.  That's my man looking through another door into another room.  The ancestral Puebloans were shorter than modern people, but they would have had to duck through these doorways, too! 

A touch of summer color amongst the ruins.  

The ancient Puebloans put windows in the corners!

The Ancient Puebloans built kivas for ceremonial and gathering purposes.  There are thousands of kivas in ruins all over the Four Corners area in the American southwest.  The kiva in Aztec has been reconstructed to resemble what the kiva might have looked like when it was in use by the Ancient Puebloans.  

Have you started thinking about your next adventure?  Will it be before the New Year?  Just into the New Year?  Not until next summer?  

For me, the ideas and the thinking and the planning are great fun.  Imagining.  Wondering.  Learning.  

What adventures are you planning?