Creative Talents

   Son often comes to my rescue when I am in a quandary about how to achieve something.  His method of observing, contemplating then attempting is to be admired, to say the least.  He never dives into things headlong like his old mom.  I have a tendency to start midway into a project then become confused when the end result is not to my liking.  Not him....think it through BEFORE beginning, gather necessary supplies and tools, then and only then, delve into the solution!  His method has proven logical and was, once again, put into use with my home/Christmas decorating.

  I have often stated that I was born in the wrong era.  I feel a certain awkwardness with the current trends and prefer things from centuries past.  This year, I gave into that mood and decided that the living room (with all of its antique furniture) needed to be somewhat Victorian.  Yeah...the Little Bayou House is an oddity but it makes me happy.  One of the needed changes was from the simple, canvas curtains to rich, velvety draperies complete with embroidered sheers.  Not a problem.  This change was easy with fabric and curtains from other rooms but I also wanted tiebacks.  I tried the lovely satiny rope and tassel things but did not have enough on hand.  Son came to my rescue!  He created my tiebacks and I could not be happier.

  For those who do not know me, I am somewhat of a "clutterer" as I save things that may have a possible use.  While Son was scrounging about the place to find components of "Victorian tiebacks", he came across my stash of some things salvaged from discarded items.  He suddenly changed from scrounging to creating!  Using a wood backing, he quickly attached a ceiling fan blade bracket.  This was attached to the window frame with the wood hidden behind the curtain!  Yippee!  There was a tieback!  Three more were made and his old mom was one happy camper!

  I am fully thinking that we should all follow his example and think a bit before jumping into action.  (Me, especially!)  That observing and thinking sort of go out the window when I face problems.  Son's method serves him well and I have my "quasi-Victorian" Christmas room!  I feel perfectly at home!

Waiting for Next Year.

   Here it is December 24th and I am still pondering the decoration thing.  In fact, tonight...TONIGHT...I feel like decorating.  For the past month, Christmas felt as if it was far in the future.  It felt as if we were pushing things.  I did not decorate.  I did not buy gifts.  I did not bake.  I did not "Christmas".  Actually, I think I could have best been described as the Grinch and Scrooge all rolled into one.  I was not happy.  Health issues, the lack of family nearby and hurricanes all tend to get in the way of feelings.  That aside, I now want to pull out all of the decorations, go into a flurry of wrapping gifts and fill the house with the aroma of cookies. Well, the cookies are there and a few gifts are under the pitifully decorated, obligatory tree.  I was in a pathetic stage.

  So, my decorations sit in the old trunk awaiting to be brought out for their time to shine.  I am sorry but they will have to wait for another year.  It is too late to adorn the Little Bayou House.  Hopefully, next year will find the place filled to the brim with laughter and happiness.  Hopefully, the lights will twinkle a little brighter, the stockings will be hung by the chimney and the entire place will smell of cedar and vanilla.    Hopefully, I will be me again and will be able to do the things I so love to do.  

  Merry Christmas, folks.  May the Light shine brightly down upon this old world and bring peace, love and joy.  

Not The Way I Imagined...

  It is Christmas Eve and, once again, the Little Bayou House sits quiet.  This is one of the downfalls of getting old.  Kids have a way of growing up on you and moving far away leaving the house way too empty.  On Christmas Eve, the place should be bustling with family and friends.  Last minute baking, gift wrapping and stocking hanging activities should rule.  Carols being sung, kids dancing with anticipation and happy chattering that once echoed through the halls are now only rattling through the dark nooks and crannies of my brain.  Those are memories...happy memories but just memories.  Those things should be happening here!  They are not.  Instead, I am sitting here reminiscing of Christmases Past when all of those things did occur.  

  The Little Bayou House is decorated somewhat, hundreds of cookies have been baked and a few gifts sit under the tree but even with all of that, the place seems dull.  Growing old is not for the weak....Trust me on that.  When we are young, we have dreams that our family will always be around...that all holidays will be spent together and, yet, the Little Bayou House sits empty.  The only sounds are ticking of the clocks and those ticks seem almost deafening.   I am thankful, however, for the company of the Bayou Princess Cat who has snuggled in beside me for the night. Merry Christmas, Ms. Nycto...Santa won't be visiting us tonight but we will be alright. We will be alright.  Merry Christmas!

A Bit Of Red On A Gray Day

  While my mood has not lifted, I am going through the motions of the holidays.  The Little Bayou House is as decorated as it is going to get, hundreds of cookies have been baked and the few gifts wrapped.  It is going to be a very....very....quiet Christmas here on the Bayou this year.  Family members all have other plans so Santa will not be filling stockings at our mantel this year.  Instead, the time may be spent thinking of how to go about improving myself a bit.  I might as well get a jump on those New Year's resolutions!

  The weather, however, is a different story.  Most folks would say differently as we have had a cold, drizzly rain for the past two days.  Personally, it made me feel better.  Hearing the rain pelt the rooftop made me stop and smile at least a dozen times today.  If it could rain every day this week, perhaps my disposition would improve.  No one has ever claimed that I have a "sunny disposition" anyway so I might as well go for it!  Gray suits me fine.

  Early this morning, I braved the drizzle to go check on the small skiff moored at the pier.  There were a few ducks out in the middle of the Bay but none close enough to photograph.  Even my sweet little marsh rail was laying low and could not be found. Perhaps she had taken shelter beneath the heavy marsh mats and was keeping snug.  There was nothing interesting to be found so I made my way back up the pier.  Then!  A bright splash of red made me think of the Season being celebrated.  A small Yaupon tree grows at the foot of the pier and its berries were finally ripe.  The berries were dripping with water droplets from the mist causing them to look as if they were wearing jewels.  I was tempted to snap off a few branches to add to the pine boughs in the entryway but decided against it.  The berries were better suited as food for the cedar waxwings that should be on their way to the Bayou.

  ~As an added note, Yaupon berries are toxic and should not be eaten.  Using the berries as seasonal decorations should be done with care if you have small children or pets in your house.  The berries have a tendency to drop rather quickly and can be a temptation due to their bright hue.  

Erik's Cookies

  Christmas traditions are carried on generation after generation.  Whether it be placing Baby Jesus in the manger on Christmas Eve or ringing Christmas Bells at midnight.  The customs vary from place to place and from family to family.  There are several "hand-me-down" favorites that have made it through the ages here on the Bayou.  We still sing carols from the small paper books that Mom used as she played so happily on the old piano back on the farm. We still bake until "the cows come home".   We still hang the old cloth socks from my childhood (not the newfangled stockings) from the mantel.   We still enjoy family time.  These will always be a part of our holidays.  There are a few "new" traditions that I started with my kids that I sorely miss since the kids have grown up and left the Bayou.  I miss watching Bing Crosby, Rosemary Clooney, Danny Kaye and Judy Haynes in "White Christmas" with my oldest son.  It was one of our favorite times together.  After he was "in the know" about Santa, he stayed up late to help me on Christmas Eve, then we would settle in to watch the movie together.  Watching the movie is not the same since he is on the island so very far away.  Some day..maybe...maybe.  Then, there was the tradition of lying on the floor and looking up through the Christmas Tree with my daughter when she was a tot.  We continued that even when she would come home from college.  That has gone the wayside, too, since she is married and in her own home creating their own happy traditions.  Some day..maybe...maybe.   The tradition with my youngest son was making new ornaments for the tree each year.  This, too, has ceased since he is grown.  Although, he is still on the Bayou, his ornament-making days seem to be something of the past...perhaps a fond memory.  Again..some day..maybe...maybe...

  Now, I have sort of inadvertently stepped into another tradition.  For the past few years, a certain nephew has always gotten a plate of his favorite cookies.  Erik proclaimed that the Plum Dot cookies are the "best ever cookies".  His fondness for the baked treats lead to me baking two batches each year...one for all visitors to the Little Bayou House and one batch just for Erik.  In fact, I now call these "Erik's Cookies" when I start to bake.   His ooohs and ahhs over the baked goodies are all it took for this old aunt to make sure that he has his very own supply.  That young man knows how to smooth talk an old lady into baking for him but, then again, he is mighty special to me!  

  Today, the tradition of baking "Erik's cookies took place.  Not a one of the cookies made it to the treat table as they were secreted away so they would be ready to be presented to Erik.  No one gets to eat off that plate!  Tomorrow, the second batch of the Plum Dot cookies will be baked and those will be placed among the other trays to be sampled by any and all who stop in for a visit.  Christmas traditions on the Bayou say that you will not go away hungry!  Last year, I fretted that I would have to alter the recipe due to the fact that I had used my very last jar of plum jam.  How thankful I was to see that the plum trees outdid themselves this summer.  Sixty-three jars of plum jam line the shelves so it was easy to reach up, grab one and fill the cookies for Erik!  (Just so you will know, the recipe for the Plum Dot Cookies is on the Cooking on the Bayou page on this blog.  Happy baking!)

It Came From Above!

  Weather is a fickle thing.  At least, the weather in the Deep South is.  In the early morning, you don a sweatshirt and jeans while walking through heavy fog and, by afternoon, you bask in the hot sunshine wearing a T-shirt after having kicked off the shoes.  Here it is the middle of December and our day was literally HOT!  The outdoor thermometer read 84!  Such temperatures sure did not match up with the snowmen decorations that I was placing in the entryway!  Don't despair!  Tomorrow, we shall see rain before a cold front smacks us with freezing temperatures!  My snowmen will feel right at home!

  Son and I cut firewood, today, in preparation for this next cold snap.  The two cast iron woodstoves will be chugging nicely, all the while, consuming the chunks of pecan wood.  Perhaps a bit of cooler weather will get me in that "Christmas Spirit" that I am so lacking.  Yes, the Little Bayou House is decorated with a tree, garland and lots of twinkly lights.  Yes, the table is being mounded over with delightful baked goods.  Yes, gifts are in every nook and corner.  No, I am not into it.  I do, however, love the coziness of the place. 

  This afternoon, while I was carrying an armload of firewood to the bin, something fell out of the old oak tree and smacked me on the head.  At first, I thought perhaps a squirrel binged me with an acorn but, when I stopped to check, I found it was a small sprig of mistletoe.  I have always heard you should stand beneath the mistletoe in hopes of catching a kiss from someone but I never knew the stuff would bean you on the head!  It was a good thing that this was just a twig and not the whole bunch that is growing in the treetop!

  Funny thing about that mistletoe stuff...it comes from the Anglo-Saxon words mistel and tan.  While that may seem logical, it is illogical that we wish to kiss under it when you realize that the word mistel means "dung" and tan means "twig".  So...poop on a stick is the stuff you are hanging above your doorway while awaiting your honey bunches.  Sorry, that does not sound overly romantic.  Neither does having the stuff drop out of trees on top of your head.

 

 

Not Feeling It...

  Once again, Christmastime is upon us and I am just not feeling it.  This has been a particularly hard couple of weeks for me so the exhaustion is fraying the nerves.  I want rest not the hustle and bustle of holidays.  Then again, this hustle and bustle will not last and I shall then wish it was here again.  The brain is never satisfied!  It is to be an unusually quiet holiday season around the Bayou, this year as, once again, Mark has to be away and the grandlittles cannot come from the island.  Son and I will putter about the place and hope that Darling Daughter can take off of work at the senior care center long enough to share at least Christmas Day with us.  The effort of decorating seems almost pointless but I am going through the motions.  Hopefully, my mood will brighten once I start poking bits of "Christmas" in every nook and cranny of the Little Bayou House.

  This morning, I spent my time putting ornaments on the tree.  The tree stands in the middle of the room so can be viewed from all sides.  This gives me the opportunity to sit and admire the beauty from different angles but, also, makes each misplaced light stand out like a sore thumb.  I have been rearranging lights and ornaments all day.  In fact, I think I have spent more time "fixing" the tree than actually decorating it.

  For the past ten years or so, the "theme" has been a country Christmas but, since "farmhouse" everything has caught on with a rage, I had to be a bit different.  The tree is now decorated with ornaments from "Christmases Past" which suits me fine.  I am old. Why not have old decorations?  In fact, it sort of suits the living room since the entire thing is filled with "old".  Old furniture, old clocks, old lamps, old me...we all fit.  

  By the time I complete the Little Bayou House's transformation to Christmas, my spirits will have lifted and things will be easier.  The peace of the season will settle around the Bayou and make the old brain thankful for what is here even though I shall miss what is not.  

Maybe Tomorrow...

  Ok, so this is not like me at all.  Usually by this time, I am excited for the holidays but this year is different.  While Christmastime is always a favorite, I am just not in the mood. Things are not decorated.  Gifts are not purchased.  I am not Christmasy.  I want to be but it just is not happening for some reason.  Son knows something is amiss so he came down to put up the tree.  That is as far as it got.  Nary an ornament adorns the branches.  Nary a garland flanks the windows or stair rails.  Nary a wreath hangs on the front door.  I am just not feeling it.  Maybe tomorrow...

  While I am not all cheer and joy, the Bayou around me seems to be doing its best to get me in the spirit of the season.  While out tromping the hillside with the old dog, a bright red splash in the green underbrush caught my eye.  A few small oak trees were mingled together with some bay trees and sassafras trees.  The leaves had started to change colors but instead of going to that orangey gold the recent frost turned them deep red.  Red and green...how convenient.  Christmas cheer...even the woods is more Christmasy than me!

  I promise things will change over then next few days.  The tree will receive at least a hint of decorations, garland will be draped over everything and gifts will be wrapped and under the tree.  I will put on my best smile, bake a ton of cookies and be all Christmasy.  Right now, however, I will wallow in my blahs and dream of what I should be doing.  It just occurred to me that I was this same way last year.  Perhaps I am going through a bit of "not having family nearby" blues.  Maybe tomorrow....

Come on, Christmas!

  A bit of Christmas came to the Bayou this afternoon.  Mark made a quick run to the corner store and, along with the things on the list, came home with two "Santa" hats.  These were supposedly for Darling Daughter and me to wear during the holiday season.  I do not wear hats...at least, I do not wear Santa hats.  I am not a cutesy person so that thing is better off used as a decoration.  Still, we had a brilliant idea!  Lets let the dog wear it!  Mr. PJ was thrilled....well, probably not thrilled or even remotely happy about it.  He was more likely just humoring us by tolerating the thing on his head. 

  Since my son, daughter-in-law and grandlittles are off on some faraway island and since they are the actual family belonging to the dog, it seemed to be a grand idea to take a photograph of the dog and send it to them.  He was having no part of this idea.  First off, he is not a fan of being photographed.  (I think the flash bothers him.)  Second, the hat thing was fast becoming a point of irritation.  So, Santa came to the rescue!  Santa (aka Hubby) donned the other hat, sat in a chair by the Christmas Tree and petted Mr. PJ.  This eased the angst a bit with the dog.  He was patient enough for me to get one picture...one.  There was no getting the "second, just-in-case" photograph. As soon as the camera clicked once, he was out of there!  The hat went flying,  Santa Mark started laughing and I had to be satisfied with what I got.  

  So, Come on, Christmas!  We are ready!  We have our hats, tree and Christmas dog all ready to go.  Christmas on the Bayou is in full swing.  Merry Christmas, folks!

Awaiting the Christmas "Storm"

  So...for the moment, the Little Bayou House is quiet.  All is calm...the calm before the storm...soon that storm called "grandchildren at Christmastime" is set to hit.  The Bayou will be rocking for the next few days but it will be fun.  We do not get to see the grandlittles often as they live in Georgia and the trip to Bayou can be arduous when traveling with little ones.  We do not get to go there often as Mark's work schedule keeps him busy.  When we are finally together, we try to cram everything possible into the few short days.  Then, it is heartbreaking to see them climb in the van to head back home or for us to see them waving goodbye from their doorway as we head back to the Coast. It is hard not being near.

  This will be our first Christmas to spend with the children.  Hopefully, we can make it a memorable one and they will be able to look back fondly and say "I remember baking cookies with MawMaw!"  "It was fun picking satsumas with PawPaw!" or even "Remember all of the crazy decorations at the Little Bayou House?"  It matters not the memories, as long as there were some made.

  Speaking of decorations and cookies, all are ready for the "Big Visit".  Lights are strung, garland hung, baubles dangled....the Little Bayou House is bedecked!  Cookies, brownies and mini pecan pies are filling the trays with more ready to be baked.  Tomorrow will see the kids decorating gingerbread men, cutting snowflakes and eating more cookies than they probably should.   This is all part of the fun.

  Merry Christmas from all of us here on the Bayou.  May the blessings of Christmas stay with you throughout the coming year and may you find peace and happiness untold.  God bless!

 

Just a "horse of a different color"

  Back in the spring, my brother was doing a bit of housecleaning and loaded up stuff to bring back to the Little Bayou House.  Canning jars, dishes and one pot were items that had found their way from here to his home down the lane.  One item that did not travel from here to there was a horse.  He brought a spring type rocking horse down the lane so it could be used by another generation of children.  The grandlittles will be happy to see "Clyde", the horse, when they visit.  So I gladly adopted the horse and welcomed it to the fold.

  Clyde was a bit ragged about the edges, so to speak, so he got a good cleaning.  Just so you will know, never use bleach and a scrub brush on a painted rocking horse.  The results were not good.  Most of the paint wiped right off that silly horse!  Now I definitely had a bit of work to do. The horse would have to be repainted before the grandlittles could ride it.  Well, one thing then another got in the way of the task.  Spring planting, summer canning, the fall clue hunt all took up more time than I had so the horse remained colorless.  Then, we got word that the grandlittles would be heading to the Bayou for Christmas.  Whoa, Clyde!  We had to work fast!  I did the only thing I knew that would save the day....

  I called Darling Daughter, Elizabeth!  She always manages to make everything right!  First, we discussed what the horsey should look like then we dove right in to painting.  She was on one side while I did the other.  After a bit, we swapped sides and continued work. She and I can work on the same project and never get in each other's way.  (I must say that Elizabeth does an incredible job painting eyes but, then again, she is an artist...I am a wannabe artist.)  After several days of painting and then clear-coating, Clyde looks so much better! He is now a "horse of a different color"!  Success!  Elizabeth and I had so much fun repainting the horse that we now wish we could find more worn-out rocking horses that need refreshing.  

  Clyde is ready for the grandlittles' visit.  He is beautiful and will be able to gallop in all his glory!  How fun for the kiddies and how fun for Elizabeth and me!  I imagine Clyde is having fun as well.  He has sat idle for some twenty years and will now hear the giggles of little children once again.  That must feel good even to a plastic horse.

What Changes...Stays the Same

  Santa Claus has changed a good bit throughout the years.  Whether you look back on the lore of St. Nicklaus, Kris Kringle or Father Christmas, the story behind the character is all the same.  A kindly old gentleman (who had wealth untold) secretly gave gifts to those deserving.  Later this changed to giving gifts to children.  That part stayed pretty much the same through the centuries but his appearance changed with time.  Depending upon who was describing the jolly old geezer, he was anywhere from tall and thin to short and roly-poly.  His dress went from robes to a nice, red fur trimmed outfit that is most recognizable today.  His mode of travel changed from going on foot, riding a horse or in a sleigh with magical reindeer.  

A picture of Santa Claus that adorns a child's art box from long ago.

  It is not these changes that occurred to me today, however.  It is the changes that have happened in my life. Santa Claus used to be the magical man who slid down our chimney to bring a toy or two.  Later as a new parent, Santa took on a different roll. He (we) was the giver who longed to see the joy in a child's eyes.  As time passed, children grew into adults and Santa became tired.  The excitement had passed and Santa Claus moved on to other neighborhoods.  Christmas just was not the same.  This year, the joy will be seen in grandchildren's eyes.  The jolly old elf will make his rounds again filling the stockings and leaving gifts under our tree. 

   As a child, I believed....truly believed he was real only because of one special neighbor who overnight became the "man in red".  As a small child during lean times, I had been forewarned that Santa Claus may not have made enough toys for every boy and girl and that our toys may be given to less fortunate children.  I went to bed just knowing that somehow Santa would come at least to fill the stockings.  Instead, I awoke to find the jolliest man bearing gifts.  It mattered not that it was our neighbor, Mr. Sidney.  It mattered not that he wore a red flannel shirt and wore a Stetson hat.  It mattered not that the gifts were toted in a sack that once held oats for cattle.  He was Santa that Christmas morning.  I believed...still do.  Things change but somewhere, somehow, someone out there is Santa...even if only for a day.  Those who give without expecting anything in return, those who share no matter how meager their own portion, those who bring happiness even without a gift...those are the folks who are Santa.  That part has not changed.  

"Tis Nothing New

  I took a few moments today to stick up some of the Christmas decorations.  Yep, I am slacking!  The Little Bayou House should have been bedecked long ago but somehow that just did not happen. Today, however, I made progress even though the tree is still not in its rightful place all adorned with lights and ornaments.  Some day soon, I hope. What did occur to me was that, as I tied a big bow to the garland on the stair rail, is that nothing is new.  A few weeks ago, Darling Daughter and I visited one of our local stores and we were both amazed at how burlap has become all the rage.  Burlap and canvas...well, who would have thought?!  I admit that I did buy several rolls of printed burlap ribbon.  After all, it is ribbon!  Who can resist buying Christmas ribbon?  
  
  While digging around in the decoration boxes, I came to two conclusions.  One..that I own far too many doodads that scream holidays and, two..most of my decorations are at least thirty years old! Some are far older as it seems that I inherit every aunts', parents' and grandparents' decorations.  I cannot part with them.  That just seems like sacrilege!  What would my kinsfolk think if I just tossed their prizes to the wayside??

  It was in that box that I came across several short strands of garland that I bought when my oldest was just a wee babe some thirty-plus (and we won't go there!) years ago.  The stringing for the garland was jute, burlap Santas and fabric scrap Christmas Trees were dotted at six inch intervals.  I loved this garland and used it in the kitchen for years!  But I was a bit bemused as the current rage for burlap seemed to be nothing more than a repeat of Christmases past.  Long, long ago, it was not uncommon to use what was on hand whether it be for everyday items or happy decorations.  I can remember wearing dresses that Mom sewed out of flour sacks and having curtains made from the same pattern. (It was pretty neat to be able to blend in with the draperies!)  I made dolls from corn husks and pine needles and used jute string, burlap and canvas for everything!  It was cheap!  As matter of fact, all of those things were free for the taking.  On the farm, those items were always on hand.

  The Little Bayou House is decorated with pine limbs, cones and burlap ribbon.  Homemade ornaments are stashed in bowls and boxes as they await their place on the tree.  Wooden toys, hand-sewn calico gingerbread men dangle from threads in the kitchen windows and paper snowflakes swing happily from a garland of jute string.  Yep, there is nothing new about the decorations.  Nostalgia is good during the holidays.  It takes us all home.

 

So It Begins!

  I have had to kick myself in gear!  Christmas holidays have crept up on me with an alarming rate and I am fully not prepared at all!  Usually by November 1st, all of the shopping is complete and gifts are wrapped.  Ha!  Not this year!  Usually by Thanksgiving, the decorations are in place.  Ha!  Not this year!  Usually, I start getting excited about the whole holiday hustle and bustle in June.  Ha!  June, July, August, September, October AND November slipped by without ever jostling a notion of eagerness.  I am not prepared....AT ALL!  Don't get me wrong.  I am ecstatic about this Christmas since this will be the first time that I have celebrated with my grandchildren.  As matter of fact, this will be the first time in years that the entire family will be back on the Bayou!  Oh, happy days!  But, instead of doing anything to get the place ready for such shindigs, I have done diddlysquat!  Nothing!  Zilch!  Until...

  Well, yesterday, it began!  I plunged into the upstairs closet that houses the billion or so items called  decorations.  Box after box, crate after crate, bag after bag...everything that could remotely be used for bedecking the Little Bayou House came out of that closet and...now sits in a huge heap in the middle of the guest bedroom.  Yes, that very same bedroom that is to house visitors soon is full to the brim with garland, trees, balls and baubles of all sorts.  Lights are mounded on the bed, garland is strewn on the floor (complete with pine cones rolling under the bed) and sparkly ornaments are sifting glitter everywhere! It is fun!  I think..I hope.  Help!

  Then came my little bit of peace in all of this chaos.  The first box smelled of cedar and held a treasure.  I pulled out the Christmas quilt that my sweet daughter-in-law sewed for me.  She makes the most beautiful quilts and gave me this one several years ago.  Since then, Joanna's quilt is always the first bit of Christmas cheer that I display. The quilt makes me happy and gives me inspiration to carry on with the massive job of decorating the Little Bayou House.  I say massive since it is usually up to me to decorate the entire house.  When Mark is home, he is great about doing the heavier things and stringing lights about the place but as he says, he does not know where to put other items.  Son claims to have no decorating sense whatsoever and will gladly haul boxes downstairs or erect the tree where I have directed but pulling the rest of the stuff together in some semblance of order is entirely my doing.  The decorating gets a bit daunting at times but that is ok...I have my bit of sanity in the form of a quilt.  I can look at it and pull myself together.   By the end of the weekend, at least the Little Bayou House will look like a Christmas wonderland or Santa's workshop or a rustic cabin Christmas...I have not decided which just yet.  It will happen...soon.  Then comes that shopping...ugh!  And the baking....and the crafting...and.....whew!  Thank you, Joanna, for not only the beautiful quilt but for the smiles and love that come with it!

Oh, to be a kid again!

  Ever since I was a child, I have loved Christmas and all of its trappings. Back then I loved the hustle and bustle, the whispered secrets of gifts, the sights, smells and even the sounds of the holiday.  Not much has changed from that standpoint.  I still feel that twinge of inner child trying to sneak out at this time of year.  Things have changed in the world around me but deep inside, I want to be a kid again and celebrate like long ago.  

  Tonight, I sit here in the dark.  Only the decorations shimmer with their twinkling lights.  It is pouring rain outside with a slight bit of wind.  The temperature is just cold enough to need the added warmth from the old cast-iron stove.  All is quiet.  Once again, it is going to be a quiet Christmas for me.  There will be no stockings to fill nor will there be the happy squeals from little ones as they see what Santa left.  The kids are all grown and have lives of their own.  

  Still, that little spark of anticipation flickers inside me.  It is Christmastime.  It is a happy time.  All is well with the Bayou.

Brigadoon Returns!

  Years ago, the kids and I used to love watching musicals on TV.  One of our favorites has always been "Brigadoon" starring Gene Kelly. There was just something so magical about the whole concept of a disappearing town. We loved it or at least I loved it.  In fact, I was mesmerized by the movie as far back as the first time I watched it at my grandparents' house. That said, it is only natural that I would name my little Christmas Town after the mythical village in the movie.  Since this village disappears as quickly as it appears just like the one Gene Kelly visited, Brigadoon seemed to be an appropriate name.

  My Brigadoon came to life this afternoon.  Mark and I hauled out the houses, trees, townspeople and other accessories.  We still have to put the finishing touches on our village but at least the houses are in place. This year (like every year), we managed to find a few new pieces to add to our ever growing village.  A fire station, a second gazebo, a post office and (my favorite) a chocolate shop were purchased.  Most of the buildings are secondhand pieces that we find in thrift stores or garage sales.  It matters not that these are someone else's discards.  They all add a bit of charm to our happy little community.  

  If these purchases continue, we will soon have to find a much larger table to serve as our base.  It is not my desire to have a mishmash of buildings but rather a nice, homey village that can inspire kids' imaginations.  I know that if I had seen such a tiny village when I was a child, my imagination would have run amok!  Hopefully, this little town will have the same effect on the little tykes that visit the Little Bayou House.  If the town brings a smile to a child's face, then it is so worth our effort.  Brigadoon returns to the Bayou!

Have a Jolly Good Christmas!

It is Christmas Eve!  Old Santa is busy flying from town to town delivering the many toys that the elves spent the last year making.  By this time of evening, he has probably already visited at least a million homes. A lot of the stockings have already been filled and multitudes of toys have been stacked beneath adorned trees.  Good Old Santa!  He always plows through even when the rest of us get bogged down with the stress of the holidays.

Several times when the children were small, Mark had to miss spending Christmas with us due to his job on the riverboat.  It was hard for us all. He has always loved the outside decorating and the shopping and without his helping hand, those jobs were difficult for me.  I muddled through, though, and the children awoke to happy surprises on Christmas Morn.  I did have the advantage of having my brother live right next door.  On one of the Christmases that Mark was away, I told my brother how hard it was to get the children to sleep on Christmas Eve.  If they did not get to bed early enough, I would never get everything finished in time.  Well, just about seven o'clock that evening and just after their prayers were said, I heard something strange outside the window.  Bells!  Jingle bells!  Oh, my goodness!  I have never seen kids clamor so fast to get under the covers and close their eyes!  Old Santa was already in the neighborhood!  They had better not be awake when he got to our rooftop!  Yep, Jimmy was out ringing those bells for all he was worth!  Brothers sure are good!  The next morning, bright and early, he was at the door.  "Are the kids up yet?" he asked.  When I told him that they were still upstairs fast asleep, he charged up those stairs like a wild man!  "Get up! Get up!! Santa came!!! Santa came!!!"  Yep, brothers are great!  The kids flew downstairs to get their toys and my brother got to share in their excitement.  He probably does not even remember these antics but I remember it as an act of kindness and my kids still talk about hearing "Santa" that night.

This year, it is just the opposite.  Mark is home but with the exception of Michael, our other kids are not here.  Of course, all of the "kids" are grown so that does have a tendency to change things a bit.  They are all busy with their own lives and sometimes it just does not work out that their schedules coincide with ours and the holidays.   Still, the holidays come and go.  They are just a bit different.  Since my kids are not here, my brother will not be outside ringing bells nor will he be waking up the little ones tomorrow morning.  Santa won't pay a visit to the Little Bayou House nor will toys be piled beneath the tree.  But one thing is for sure.  Christmas will always be on time.  We will celebrate Jesus' birth and rejoice in His love.  Merry Christmas, Folks.  May your holidays be filled with joy and may you always find a reason to celebrate.

Rainy days are baking days!

I think the Good Lord knew that I needed to be prompted to get in the kitchen to do that Christmas baking.  I have been procrastinating for far too long.  The table sat bare, the cookie jars sat empty.  No treats for my husband and son had been prepared at all.  So, today, He sent down heavy rains to keep me indoors.  Not being able to make my hasty retreat to the pier, I set to work.  Out came the flour, sugar, butter and eggs.  I gathered together the sifter, bake pans, mixer and wooden spoons.  Cocoa, ginger, nuts and berries all came out of hiding to join in the fun. I heated the oven and turned up the music!  We were having a baking day whether I felt like it or not!  Once I started, I got excited and really enjoyed my day.  To be honest, I dreaded this merely because my daughter and daughter-in-law are not here.  When they are here, the kitchen is filled with happy chatter and much laughter.  That always makes the baking much more fun!  We just enjoy our time together all the while making treats for our menfolk, extended family, neighbors, friends and anyone who happens to visit the Little Bayou House.  That, to me, is Christmas!

Today even though they were not here, I baked.  While I baked, I sang along with the Christmas Carols that were echoing throughout the house.  I thought about Christmases past and how happy the place seemed.  I thought about rain, cold weather, family, friends, ornaments and even reindeer!  Yep, it was a great day after all and I realized that even though my family is scattered all over the world this Christmas Season, we are still all together.  From Kuwait, Georgia, Louisiana and the Bayou in Mississippi, our hearts are all as one.  That...that will never be broken!  Kids....I am baking for you!  Merry Christmas!

Love Mends All.

Sometimes I hang on to things just because of sentimentality.  I have very few material things from Mark's grandmother but each item that she gave to me has high value if to only me.  She was not a rich woman according to standards set by today's society but she felt that she had everything.  She did give me far more than just a few trinkets as she gave me love and what riches are better than that?  Momie (the family name for this grand lady!) accepted me into the family in her own style and much before some of the others.  We soon became close friends and shared a many times together.  She taught me a lot.  Two friends..one old Polish lady and one insecure farm girl.  What a misfit pair!

I was meandering about the Little Bayou House today just thinking of Christmases past.  One of the kids' favorite Christmas holidays was when Momie came to stay with us.  She had been in the hospital and needed some extra care once she was released.  With a bit of scrambling and doubling up of kids, we immediately found an "extra" bedroom just for her.  Oh, she protested!  She wanted to be home "Just in case someone came to see her for Christmas."  We were determined and she finally relented.  The kids were jubilant!  They had never had a "Christmas Guest" before and especially not one that they loved more than this lady!  When she came to the house, she brought a small Nativity with her.  The stable was long gone.  All that was left were the three figurines, Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus.  Now, the story was behind the Baby Jesus.  It seems that years before, the porcelain infant was dropped and broken into tiny shards.  It could not be repaired.   What was she to do?  Mary and Joseph looked so forlorn!  It worried her that Baby Jesus would not be there for Christmas.  She fretted for days as she searched for a baby.  Then on Christmas Eve, mysteriously, a miracle occurred! A friend came bearing gifts and among those was a small packaged wrapped in tissue.  He told her to be careful when unwrapping the tissue.  Can you imagine her surprise when she opened that gift?  It seems that he had found a lone Baby Jesus at the thrift store and thought she might like to have it.  He did not previously know that she had broken hers but something just told him to buy this figurine for her. This Baby Jesus was exactly the same as the broken one! Momie was so happy to have the family together again!  She placed the tiny figurine with Mary and Joseph and all was well in her world.  Her Christmas was complete. When she brought the Nativity Scene to our house, she insisted that she needed to make a suitable place for them.  She and the kids worked together to create what they all deemed to be a thing of beauty.  A shoe box covered in aluminum foil and tinsel was the base.  Plastic poinsettias and greenery were poked in here and there.  A few glass Christmas balls were taped to the sides.  Oh, how beautiful this was!!  And...it was.

The real beauty was not the gaudy setting that Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus were using as an abode but rather the love that was shared between that old lady and her three great grandchildren.  The new found Baby Jesus seemed to be perfectly happy!  Mary and Joseph looked adoringly at their new child just as Momie and the children looked lovingly at their creation. This is just as Jesus looks lovingly at us..each of us. The shoe box creation is long gone.  Time took its toll on the thing just like it took its toll on Momie.  When she passed, I asked for the Nativity Scene.  Those three little figures mean so much to me.  That, my friends, is Christmas.  Not the porcelain items themselves but rather the incredible story behind the replaced Baby Jesus, the friend that cared enough to visit an old lady, the love shared between a very ill great-grandmother and three small children and the cherished memories that all of this generated.  Yep, THAT is Christmas, my friends, that is Christmas.  Love..love is Christmas no matter how you look at it.

Decorating with lights!

Lately, I have been hearing a lot of folks make loud declarations against anyone who puts up their Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving.  I figure like this.  If I want to decorate for Christmas in July, it is nobody's business but my own!  I, personally, love Christmas!  I love the spirit of the entire season!  I love how everyone is nicer, friendlier, calmer during the few weeks of Christmas.  So if I can extend all of that human goodwill, then, hey, why not?  Maybe extending the holidays a bit would do the world a tiny bit of good.  Peace on Earth and Goodwill toward men should be year round and not for twelve days in December.  But, go figure.  You cannot extend it at the end of the season as that would run slap into the New Year when we are all about making those resolutions that none of us ever intend to keep.  Lets just start Christmas in July and include all the holidays between the Fourth of July and New Year's Day in the Christmas holidays!  When you think about it..for six months, folks will be calling out "Be of good cheer!", "Have a wonderful day!" or "Peace be with you!" and actually mean it!  Now that, my dear friends, could never be wrong!

Still, I must admit that other than the tiny cedar tree in honor of the new grandbaby, the Little Bayou House is devoid of decorations.  This makes me a bit sad.  For one reason or another, the decorating has been postponed time after time until here it is the end of November and still no tree graces the living room!  Egads!  This will never do!  When the kids were younger and still at home, we decorated when we felt like it.  One year when my daughter was ill, we put up the Christmas tree on Halloween night simply because she asked.  It was fun!  We were making memories!

Today, Michael put up some the Christmas lights.  Or, perhaps I should say, he put down some of the lights.  After a stormy night on the Bayou, the weather is supposed to turn cooler.  The freezing temperatures might hold off for one more night but Ole Jack Frost just might pay a visit.  In preparation for the drop in temperature, we put the window panes back on the hotbed that houses the yellow squash plants.  Not satisfied that the glass would hold enough heat, Michael pulled out two long, long strands of lights.  Now my squash plants are surrounded in tiny, white lights! The lights put out enough heat when under the plants to warm them and keep them from feeling the effects of the pending frost.  My hotbed is decorated for Christmas!  I guess it is a start...and I do love yellow squash!

I do plan on decorating as soon as my daughter gets here.  Elizabeth always has a special knack for knowing just where things should go!  I love Christmas!  I love colored lights on the tree!  I love manger scenes, Baby Jesus and angels!  I love Santa and elves!  I love stockings hung by the chimney with care!  I love the carols, the holly berries, the scent of evergreen, the garland, red bows and ornaments!  I love Christmas!  Peace on Earth and Goodwill toward men..Merry Christmas!...oh, and Happy Thanksgiving, Happy Hanukkah and Happy Winter Solstice! (And any other wonderful day to celebrate in between!)  Put up those decorations even if they are only to keep those plants from freezing...and be happy doing it!