My first set of Copic markers

Right on.

Bags

I've lost count on how many bags I've sewn since Christmas, but I'm happy to report that I have emptied a drawer of fabric, and used up several rolls of ribbon and old spools of thread.

Magic Tree Skirt

For more than 20 years, I've had an ancient tree skirt, ripped in several places. I could never make myself get rid of it. My mother had made it, long ago, and I remember it being under our tree when I was little. I also remember painting pillow cases and other scraps of cloth with my mother and these "liquid embroidery" paints.

This year I cut it up. I put the pieces of scenes in little frames - gifts for my siblings and our children who are old enough to remember their Nana.

Today I am putting away the Christmas decorations. This piece that I had saved for myself sat on the piano (my mother's piano). It sparkled at me. What? I had never noticed any sparkles on the tree skirt before. It looked as if it had started to snow on the scene.

I stood there, a stuffed Santa decoration in my hands, and rocked slowly back and forth, to see if those sparkles were real. It was a sort of magical moment. Until I realized that the backing on the inexpensive frame had tiny holes, letting pin points of light shine through. But even so, with the magic gone, I walked around the house, holding it up to the morning light, smiling at myself and the snowflakes falling on a minature house.

Winter Figs

Our fig tree seems confused. The fruit usually comes in very late spring. This winter, all the leaves have dropped, but each branch has sprouted a little fig struggling through the cold weather.

Getting rooted in the New Year

I remember reading about/hearing about a tradition that went something like this:

Whatever you do on the first day of the year

will help to establish what your coming year will be like.

So after waking up this morning, the first day of 2013,

I sat down at my desk and wrote.  And tangled.  And read.

And drank coffee.

If there's any truth to that tradition/superstition,

It's gonna be pretty good year.

Lei of love

Last night I had the chance to participate in the wedding

of two of my favorite people

I was gifted with this beautiful lei

made by another one of my favorite people

In Hawai'i, a lei is a symbol of love

Right on

He makana kēia.

A beautifully wrapped gift from Hawaiʻi

in a lauhala box

with fabric and raffia and a wooden honu/turtle

Cool

Christmas Orange

It was my mom's tradition to always put an orange in the bottom of our Christmas stocking. I love the idea of the promise of the return of the sun (son) after the cold winter.

Use it Up

One of my jobs this year is to use up the piles and piles of stuff I've been saving/collecting/hoarding. Today I used scraps of material and ribbon to make reusable gift bags. I sewed about 10 bags and felt very satisfied with my progress. But when I was done, and was putting things away, I noticed that I had not even made the tiniest dent in using up the two tins of ribbon and three bins of fabric.

Back to NYC

A snowy (and very delayed!) departure from Pittsburgh this morning.

Back to the Big Apple.

Yup.

Record Book

I bought this cool record book at a yard sale. It appeared to be empty. Until I saw this on the first page:

Eeee-Yikes!

Evolution Game

How does "The Stockings were hung by the chimney with care!" become "Betty the body builder works out with candy canes?"  Only at Christmas Game Day, the funniest day of the year!

I wish all the holiday treats were as hard to get at as these nuts in their shells. Cookies in the shell . . . that might slow down my Christmas cookie consumption, at least a little.

Bridge & Elevated Tracks

Like a piece of modern art

On newsstands now:

The Good Doctor is on the cover of a magazine

at your newsstand.

(Note: I had the double check the spelling of the word NEWSSTAND.)

Relentless Piles

This is the 5th big bag of trash for the recycling bin. We are sorting through the stacks that have piled up over the years and there are still many more stacks to go. I cannot wait to be done with this. But I know that being done just means that we will begin again the relentless accumulation of piles of stuff.

Closed

The bagel shop I went to (almost daily) for lunch,

back in my "corporate days"

has closed.

Christmas Tree Crossing

Princess Guard

Dropped and long forgotten, this little princess now stands guard over the Christmas tree lot.

heart

after a day of unspeakable horror and tragedy

here in our country

i needed this.