Posie Gets Cozy

Merry, Merry and Bright

The stockings are hung. The gingerbreads are snowflaked. The scarflettes are blocked. The Christmas cards are almost in the mail (I actually handwrote them this year, no photos, no computer, and it was, unexpectedly, one of my favorite parts of the past few weeks). All is calm, all bright. I feel peaceful and expectant, hopeful.

I wish all of you the merriest Christmas and happiest of holidays. Thank you for the kindnesses, the patience, the wisdom, the encouragements, the giggles and the tears, every little kiss you've blown our way this past year. You have taught me so much, and that has been a true gift. If I could, I would make you a special present, something cashmere and crocheted, with my very best wishes and my most sincere appreciation woven into every bobble and scallop.

May your season be filled with love, comfort, joy, a little magic, and true peace.

xoxo,
a

Pretty in Pink

Saturday night we had our Christmas sleepover with our niece. We stayed home and made "gingerbread" (graham-cracker) cottages together. These were originally in the December 2006 issue of Martha Stewart Living (and look at this cute one, out of sugar!). I think they are the perfect size — you're done decorating just as you are ready to be done, which is important. We were considering doing something fancy downtown, or riding the Santa train, but it turned out that she wanted to stay home and decorate, like we did last year and the year before. I love a girl that loves tradition!

And for all those times I've stood in my kitchen looking at the dozen or so little vintage cups I tend to gather and thought, "Why do I have these?" — now I know. They're perfect for corralling tiny 'Nilla wafers and mini marshmallows.

I do so love projects that start with the same basic materials but evolve into wildly different and creative ends. You gotta love the flowery cactus-like shrub here.

Here's Uncle Andy's cottage and boat house (his is a beach cottage in Manzanita), tiled in burnt peanuts, Chex shingles, and an Anchor Steam bottle cap. He had a window box on the side that I neglected to photograph but he wanted me to tell you about it, and it was very cute. His has a cactus shrub, too.

I got way into the pretzels, and went traditional Tudor, with the Douglas fir in the yard.

I just love this picture. I think it's on the top of the list of my favorite photos. It was hard for her to sit still the length of time the shutter wanted to stay open in this dim light. Which, in its own way, says as much about her now as anything in focus could have. So sweet. A great night.

Happy Santa Lucia Day!

Oh, aren't they sweet? All the girls in their white dresses, celebrating the light? I'm so charmed by them all!

These are just some of the photos that have been submitted to the Santa Lucia Clothespin Doll group on Flickr. Please go over and look at the amazing job that everyone is doing on the dolls! From petticoats to painted stands, every single one is unique and adorable!

Thank you again for ordering these and for sharing them with me and all of us. I have loved getting your emails about what it was like to make them with your families, and spend some quiet, sweet, simple afternoons being a kid again with a paintbrush in one hand and a hot chocolate in the other, music playing, and a puppers sleeping under the table. (You wouldn't believe how many people have written and told me about their dogs sleeping under the tables while they worked on these! How cute is that!) I am so very pleased that you are enjoying the kits. It's really the best Christmas present I could've gotten this year. Thank you. It really means a lot to me to see all of these, so thank you for sharing them.

If you've made some dolls, please take some photos and join the group! You can click the button in the sidebar at upper right to see the slideshow or join the group, and I'll try to send out invitations to everyone who ordered a kit, too. You need not have gotten a kit to join, though — even if you just made some on your own, you are very welcome to join!

Happy Santa Lucia Day! I wish you light and love!

*1. St Lucia dolls, 2. close up finished doll, 3. IMG_1715, 4. IMG_1701, 5. IMG_1683, 6. IMG_6111, 7. Santa Lucia Dolls, 8. Santa Lucia Dolls Under The Tree, 9. Lucia Dolls 2, 10. Santa Lucia Dolls, 11. Feeding the poor.............., 12. Saint Lucia Dolls, 13. St. Lucia Dolls, 14. St. Lucia Dolls, 15. St. Lucia Dolls, 16. Dec_07 025-1, 17. Santa Lucia Dolls, 18. Lovely Lucias, 19. Santa Lucia Dolls, 20. Santa Lucia Dolls, 21. St. Lucia Dolls, 22. St. Lucia Dolls, 23. December 13, 24. Santa Lucia, closeup, 25. IMG_1720

Snow Village

On Sunday, I put up my precious and most-beloved village, and saw snowflakes. For a few minutes, snow was there, and I watched at the window thinking it was an illusion. As nonchalantly as it started, it stopped. In that moment, I missed Illinois more than I can say.

I had a memory of standing in Ann's apartment in Hyde Park near the University of Chicago watching the snow pile up, later walking in our wool coats and leather boots to the Medici for a bowl of ravioli, and later watching Roman Holiday on her tiny TV as the snow continued to fall past the streetlights.

Until I moved to Oregon ten years ago, snow was a major part of my life. It's a major part of most Midwesterners' lives, really. There's a sort of camaraderie snow engenders that rain doesn't inspire. Snow seemed to unite us. I walked to Keystone Park with my pom-pom topped skates over my shoulder most Sundays. I'd meet Monica at the end of my street. At school she acknowledged me if necessary, but back in our neighborhood we had a secret, simpler life we rarely discussed beyond its borders. Underneath our jeans we'd wear long underwear, two pairs of socks. At the park, they'd plow the snow into stout, frozen berms and then flood the big field, adding layer after layer of ice. We'd change into our skates in the old warming house then skate for hours and hours, practicing figures, chasing and fleeing, learning to spin, thinking up complicated routines and judging each other harshly for our efforts. We were not good, and neither of us had ever had a lesson, but we skated in that park every winter for years. Behind the huge, gnarled oak trees of our old, pretty town the sun set low and glowing. It was so, so cold. I'd walk home as it was getting dark, and the house would be dark and very warm, my mom making sauce, my dad smoking and watching Channel 11. I'd stand at the sink, frozen-cheeked and wild-eyed, and run my hands under warm water until I could feel my fingers again. Then I'd stand there, still and warming, until someone told me to shut the water off already, and move along.

Woodland Hearts

Yesterday we had a busy day but it was nice to get into the Christmas spirit.

We'd gone to the tree lot last week when I had my idea about garland — and thank you to everyone who had such great ideas about making garland from cuttings. Sweet Nadja at Red Shed Trees, a local tree farm that has been selling trees in our neighborhood for years, was so nice — she gave me a big box of free cuttings from the bottoms of her trees. I had strong suspicions that I would not really want to be making my own garland the minute I read the comments. Then when I saw the cuttings — well, the sight of the cuttings made me want to curl up on the sofa and drink hot cocoa and watch someone else make the garland. But that's just me. I left the cuttings in the trunk of my car and I will say that they made the whole car smell great.

So yesterday we went back to the tree lot and bought the feathery, delicious-smelling garland ready-made at $1 a foot. Nadja still has lots of cuttings there that she says you can have for free if you are more ambitious than I am and want to make your own. Andy and I decided that it is probably better this year to not have a tree and make it a little easier on the puppers (and, frankly, on us) — our tree is silver tinsel, and very old and fragile, and totally covered with vintage glass balls. A puppy's Christmas dream come true. Well, we will miss you, sweetheart silver tree. Next year, I promise.

At home, we wrapped the garland with lights and wooden hearts and draped it across the panels of the fence. The hearts came from the Woodland Holiday collection from Martha Stewart at Kmart. They are not for outdoor use but I am not troubled by such things.

I really like it. It's simple, and pretty, and just what I wanted for Christmas.

Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman

Yes, our little teen queen is growing up so fast. Andy has been in Chicago since Friday so Miss Clover Honeydew Meadow Paulson and I have weathered the storm together, though it was never that bad here compared to what we're seeing on television in Washington and along the Oregon coast. I hate wind, though, and it seemed it would never stop. It finally has tapered off. Yesterday all roads to the coast were closed and there is some serious flooding. We lost a tall but very skinny tree that is now leaning precariously across our driveway. I think our bamboo blinds might be wrecked, too, because I forgot to take them down.

Clover and I got into bed routinely before 7 p.m. Way before 7 p.m. It was WONDERFUL. I was absolutely exhausted. I finally finished all of the kits and got those out. When I got home from the P.O. each day I would feel like the stress of the whole year was finally catching up with me. I was desperate for some rest. My limbs felt like ingots. Once tucked in, they were too heavy to move.

Clover was so good, watching Christmas movies with me and chewing her bone with great intensity, and the amazing thing was that I felt like she kept behaving better as the weekend went on. On Friday she absolutely would not do anything I wanted her to do, preferring to chew on me, or freak out whenever a cat came near, or pee in the guest room three minutes after coming in from outside. But by last night you would've thought she was reading my mind. She seemed happy to do everything I needed her to do. Perhaps this is just coincidence, but it made me feel so good, and I really needed that. Sometimes with the puppers it feels like one step forward and two steps back. But sometimes, although it's more work, it's almost easier when only one person is dealing with the dog all day long, every day, do you know what I mean? When Andy and I are both home together it's half the work but somehow more chaotic. Even with Audrey, some days it would get to be 10 p.m. on a really hectic day and suddenly one of us would be like, "Did you feed her?" "No, I thought you were gonna feed her." "No, I didn't feed her. I thought you fed her." "Whoops, we forgot to feed our dog." And Auds would just be sitting there patiently, looking at us like, "Would you people get it together please."

But a few nights ago, my little puppy had a bad dream — snoozing on the bed, she twitched and yelped in her sleep, as she often does — but this time she yelped so loud she woke herself up. She had such a look of worry on her face in that moment I said, "Oh! Baby!" and she got right up and came over and wedged herself right into my side, under my arm, and snuggled as close to me as she could get, and stayed there for hours. I am not used to our dogs doing that.

But this weekend it was Snuggle Central around here, especially last night, and I think we were both loving it. It felt so good to slow down, and then just to stop. I have been thinking about Audrey so much this week, and that day last year we all spent decorating the house for Christmas. When I think of Audrey, I always think of that day last year, and that last picture of her waiting for Andy. It was one of the best days I've ever had. We haven't put up a single Christmas decoration yet. I think I am worried that I will be so sad when we do, so I've been putting it off without really realizing it. Andy gets home in a few hours so I think we will decorate tomorrow.

With that I'll leave you with this poignant scene from one of my favorite Christmas movies. What totally makes it is him saying, "Did you HEAR that?" Oh man. Some of the most brilliant quotes ever are here.

Family Fun Days

What a week! I love this picture of Andy and his mom and gramps at Multnomah Falls. Having lunch at the lodge was only one of so many great things we all got to do together. It was a really extraordinary week and we feel so privileged to have had our family come to stay with us for this holiday. My sister Susie unfortunately leaves today, the last houseguest, and tomorrow Hallmark magazine comes for a photo shoot (yipes) so I'd better go and clean something. I'd like to take a nap.

Filling Santa Lucia kits turned into a family affair. The paint arrived at the end of a long day last week, Tuesday I think — we got home from the brew pub at 9 p.m. and several big boxes were waiting on the porch. I nodded at them in approval — good, got here — then immediately put one foot on the stairs, headed for bed. But my industrious husband and mother-in-law had already dragged the huge boxes in, opened them, and efficiently set everyone up at the dining-room table with a paint-filling station before I stumbled back downstairs, incredulous in my pajamas — We're fa-fa-filling them now? Such employees I had never seen! It is in my very nature to be a party pooper and the first to hit the sack, but how could I refuse the free help, and with such enthusiasm to boot??? Grandpa T. came down in the cutest red flannel nightshirt you ever did see, the Rice-Krispie treats came out, and by 9:30 p.m. all four of us were deep into the rhythm of squirting colors into thousands of tiny plastic pots — each kit needed ten different pots. Those babies got filled by midnight. I could not believe it. It was such a fun night — I'll always remember it. Thank you Mom P. and Grandpa T. and Andy!!! You're all hired, effectively immediately! Or, retroactively!

Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday was delicious, and afterward we had enough people to split up into two teams and play Charades. Each team thought of five movies, songs, books, TV shows, and animals for the other team to act out for its members. While we offered up charming options for our opponents to portray for each other, assuring success for even the smallest participants (song: "Walking in a Winter Wonderland"), the other team, led by Capt. Andy Paulson, whammed us with such classic family favorites as "Screaming for Vengeance" (a suggestion contributed by said captain who, incredulous when we later protested that we'd never heard of this song, insisted that "everyone knows this!!!" heavy-metal hit). The funniest was my sister Julie trying to act out The Bourne Ultimatum by pantomiming giving birth (a tremendous whoosh from between the legs — she did this several times while her teammates watched silently because they could not figure out what in the hootenanny she was doing as our team fell off our chairs laughing) followed by lots of finger-pointing and foot-stomping (as in "right now!" and "come here!" — the "Ultimatum"). Our moms won the prize for our team, however, when my mom successfully led Andy's mom to The Shawshank Redemption. I embarrassed myself completely by running around in a circle, occasionally sticking my bum out and pretending to "sting" several things while flapping my "wings" to suggest a "bee," the third syllable of the first word of TV show Barnaby Jones. Rematch, next year.

Cranberry Countdown

Good morning, coffee! Here we go!

Well, the house is clean, the menu is set, and the guests' plane arrives in about an hour, so I am excited.  Clover's been walked so she should sleep for most of the day, and I should go turn on the basement refrigerator, which I always forget to do. We got an electric turkey roaster ensemble this year for the first time. I didn't even know they made such a thing! How awesome — you stick the turkey in it, turn it on, and then your whole oven is freed up. I hear that the turkey may have trouble browing in this thing, but I'll let you know how it goes. I think Andy is going to start it off in the oven, then transfer it over for the rest of the cooking. He does the turkey by himself, I just eat it.

Santa Lucia kits are getting assembled and are on track so far. I placed another order for wooden parts and paint so those are on their way. Unfortunately, if you didn't get one by Friday, they are sold out since I really want to get them to everyone on time and with the numbers as they are I feel like I am pushing it. Which is a good problem to have! But I am really sorry if you didn't get one. It's a busy time so there isn't a lot of wiggle room, unfortunately. But I think I'll redo these kits with general fabrics, not as Lucias but just sweet little calico sisters. In a few months, though. More for spring. Yada yada.

Anyway, so, okay — signing off here for a few days. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone — I wish you happy cooking, family happiness, and much general fun and joy!

Adding Light

Every morning I wake up and I think, "Oh yeah, I keep meaning to show somebody my candle!" And then do I show you my candle? No. I forget. No, this is not a metaphor. I really do have a candle and I am obsessed with the candle.

Mine is a blatant copy of the candles pictured at right from the Wisteria catalog. I would've ordered theirs if the one I wanted had been in stock, but I really did go running to the web site the minute I got the catalog weeks ago and it was already unavailable, I swear! So one of the things I got on my many jaunts to Michaels a few weeks ago was red puff paint (puff paint: a very underappreciated medium, if you ask me, and could be flammable, but I don't think it will get that close to the flame when it's attended) and then I found this short wide candle at Target for $7.99. And then every night I've been freehanding this design around the side. The motif repeats four times. You have to go slow, a little bit each night, to give the paint time to dry lest you smear the whole thing and wreck it and get it all over your comforter, which would be bad since it is fabric paint, meant to stay on fabric.

Anyway, I'm not quite done with it, but I want to use it on the table for Thanksgiving. I have this tablecloth and white dishes, and I think it will look really simple and pretty. This is actually my first time as a married lady having both my husband's and my family in attendance and I am a little nervous! Like, I thought that was just a myth or something — I'm not generally a nervous hostess, but maybe I am after all! I just want it to be nice for everyone. I think of pretty party-giving as a way of saying thank you, really. You just want it to be so nice for everyone so that they can have a special day, a day that's fancy and full and just . . . not like every other day. I remember, as a child, being so excited to get dressed up and go to my grandma's, or even just stay home for that special dinner. I have high hopes, but I always do. I guess that's the Hostess M.O.

Nevertheless, I don't think any of us can think about our own dinners, parties, or families without thinking about those who won't be able to get home, or who have nowhere special to go. There are so many ways to give and places to donate to help ease this. Last night as I was surrounded by bits and pieces of light-bringing Santa Lucia and her candles, I was reading the editor's letter from the January issue of Hallmark magazine, where Lisa Benenson, the editor-in-chief, writes in a very moving way about "adding your light to the sum of the light" — doing whatever it is you're able to do, even if it's small or you think it can't really matter much, to contribute to the collective effort to bring peace, health, comfort, and love to our world.

Here in Portland there are many ways to do that this season. Starting tomorrow, Loaves and Fishes has teamed up with many area grocery stores to make it easy for you to donate a meal to seniors when you do your shopping. Zupan's markets has partnered with the Sunshine Divison to accept donations for dinners this week, as well. Hands On Portland has dozens of opportunites not just to donate this holiday season but to get involved. Nationally, here are a few options for Thanksgiving charities recommended by the Fine Living channel. I know there are so many more, and so many more ways, and so many people who know better than I what the world needs — it's easy to feel overwhelmed. But I think that every flicker of light adds to the sum of the light, so even one way helps someone, somewhere. I would love to about what ways other people have found to add their lights, as well, especially around the holidays.

Well jeesh, maybe there was a metaphor up there after all. Two years of MFA school does this to you, I swear. You're like a gumball machine, spitting 'em out. [That one's a simile, but what's the diff. Can't help either one.]

Santa Lucia Dollmaking Kits for You!

Well, I was too excited to wait. I just couldn't wait.

Although the kits are not completely put together yet (paint and pins are winging their ways from the suppliers to my front door as we speak, though I have cut 44 yards of fabric into 8" squares in two days), I couldn't wait to put them on sale. I am confident that I have ordered enough supplies for everyone, so I'm kind of springing it on you here, I know!

But don't panic — I'll take orders for these all week, at least. I'll make as many as you need, I promise. I should be so lucky! I hope you will like them. I really think you will.

Please order them here, in my lonely little web shop. It has missed me, I think! I've missed it, too.

Oh me oh my, I am very excited and happy about these. I must have been overdue for some sweetness and fun, because I have had an absolutely great couple of days working on them and getting all the parts and pieces together. I've even cooked up a deal with the paint supplier to produce my own custom-colored set of paint pots with varnish and glitter (and yes, the Paulson elves will be filling all of those themselves!), so you will have almost everything you need to make these girls.

Included in each kit are:

5 doll pins
5 doll-pin stands
5 doll head beads
(5) 8" square pieces of calico (for dresses)
5 pieces white pipecleaner (for arms)
3 pieces silver pipecleaner (for candles)
1 piece green pipecleaner (for crown)
Yarn bobbin (for sashes)
Custom acrylic paint set
Varnish and glitter pots
Full-color instruction cards
Dress pattern

You will need only:

Scalloped or zigzag pinking shears
Regular scissors and embroidery scissors
Heavy-weight thread and needle
Assorted paintbrushes
Glue

These will ship the week of November 26. (I will send them overseas via Priority Airmail. I can't tell you what the shipping costs will be beforehand, since it's different depending on where you are in the world, but it's usually not too bad, and these are fairly light.) If you are buying these as gifts and would like them shipped to various addresses, please indicate that in the "message" section of your order [and indicate a "message" to your recipient, as well, and I'll add a card for you].

Thank you! And I seriously cannot wait to see what you make!