Monday, January 04, 2010

Hail to the New Year!

Christmas has come and gone and the New Year is upon us.
Old Man Winter is having a blast!
He came early in December, dug in his heels, and seems determined to stay for the duration.
This past week he has socked us with plenty of wintry weather. We've had snow every day in varying amounts, and today the temperatures were frigid, the snow heavier and the wind wicked.....a good day to rug up and stay warm inside.



This sweet little Downy Woodpecker, on his way to the suet cage, obligingly took a minute to pose nicely for a photo (or two or three).


I felt sorry for the birds having to deal with the such cold temperatures and that nasty wind today. They were busy at the feeders all day. That's a Tree Sparrow on the left and 2 House Sparrows on the right.



December flew by with the busyiness of Christmas preparations. Hannah "helped" me decorate the Christmas tree.



Hanging the ornaments brings nostalgic memories of Christmases past, children growing into adults.....


and having families of their own.


Celebrating the birth of Our Savior.


I love baking and decorating Christmas cookies!

One of my favorite presents came in a package of lovely surprises from my very dear friend Alice, who blogs in Canberra, Australia at A Growing Delight. Posted by Picasa




It's a card with a picture of Kookaburras. When the card is opened it plays the sound of the birds "laughing". I almost died of fright when I first opened it (thank you very much, Alice!) and Hubby and I had a good laugh :) Hannah was completely enthralled, and determined to find the creatures making that wierd noise.



Jasmine also came to investigate....


but decided she was not particularly impressed.



Another very sweet surprise came from my dear friend, Vero, who blogs in France at Au Fil du Jardin. She sewed this beautiful card! Isn't the little snowman adorable?


Hubby and I spent a quiet Christmas Day with an old friend visiting in the morning, and then all the family came on Saturday for the weekend. We had a wonderful time of laughter, good food and just being together. It's such a treat to have everyone here at the same time...something not so easy to accomplish these days. Posted by Picasa



Daughter 2 gave the grandsons noisemakers.....and won the hearts of all the adults, especially their parents (uhuh). Do you suppose she holds a secret grudge against her brother for some long ago incident? Hmmmm.


The big kids had to get into the act when the "Whacky Sticks" were opened. I can't remember their exact name, but this one is fitting. They made a lot of noise when whacked together! (I think those toys were probably mysteriously "lost" shortly after they arrived home).


And now here we are in 2010! (already!)
This white world of winter is very beautiful, despite the cold.....


but I'm dreaming of spring and the flowers to come!
(there's still one Anemone de caen flower blooming and another one coming).

Alice and Richard, there's still some shortbread left!
It won't last long, but
I'll bake a fresh batch when you come to visit :) Posted by Picasa

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

Thanks for a wonderful year of blogging and friendship. I look forward with eager anticipation to this next year of blogging adventures.

May God bless you all, my dear blog friends.

34 comments:

Charlotte said...[Reply]

Love the birds! Happy New Year.

Anonymous said...[Reply]

Great post. I have been working on getting Christmas stored once again. Love the photo of the snow on the buildings.

Marrissa said...[Reply]

As always you have beautiful photos! I can't get over how they make you feel as though you are right there in all the action :) Looks like you had a wonderful (and delicious!) Christmas! Warmest blessings for you and all your loved ones this year!

Lisa at Greenbow said...[Reply]

It looks like you and yours had a great holiday celebration. I loved seeing the cats inspecting that strange new creature in their midst. Mmmmmm that shortbread would go good with my hot cup of tea. I am glad to see that you have plenty of birdies to entertain during this cold winter. Happy Healthy New Year Kerri.

Tabor said...[Reply]

I have been trying to catch a photo of that little woodpecker for days and ours are far more shy! Everything in your house looks delish!

Layanee said...[Reply]

I enjoyed reading about your Chrismas celebrations and LOL at the noisemakers. What a good idea for my rambuctious great nieces and nephews for next year. Thank your daughter for me. I wish you peace and the warmth of more friendship in the coming year.

CanadianGardenJoy said...[Reply]

Kerri girl those are wonderful pictures : )
I love seeing the birds and of course your furry kids are the BEST ! LOL
Winter weather has socked in most of our regions from Canada to your areas .. I guess it is going to be one long cold (dark?) winter .. BIG sigh .. but we can handle it right ?? right ?? LOL
Happy New Year : )
Joy

Needled Mom said...[Reply]

I have been thinking about you as I keep hearing about all the snow and cold.

Your pictures show a Christmas season that was blessed for you and your family. I can imagine how happy everyone was with those noise makers!!!

The sewn Christmas card is delightful and I can only imagine how the cats must have loved the bird noises. Cute!!!

Happy new year to you and your family. May you be blessed with health and happiness in 2010, Kerri

Roses and Lilacs said...[Reply]

That was such a heartwarming post.

So cold and snowy here too. Looks like the bad weather may last for a while. I'm kind of disappointed that the holidays are over. They seemed to go by so quickly.
Marnie

Cat with a Garden said...[Reply]

Happy New Year to you too! It sounds like you had a wonderful Christmas. Getting presents from thoughtful blogging friends is the best!
Many purrs from your feline friends Siena & Chilli

Sandra said...[Reply]

Once again, I enjoyed my visit with you and your family and smelling the shorbread cookies.

em said...[Reply]

what a wonderful post, kerri. that downy woodpecker photo is just the best! it would make a great christmas card! and thanks for sharing all the lovely details of your holiday, the tree, the kookaburra card, the amazing snowman card, beautiful cats and... i want a cookie! and the barn photo is really something, with the read against a perfect white-out! i'm so glad you posted this all. happy new year.

sweetbay said...[Reply]

I love the woodpecker photo. That would make a beautiful Christmas card. I love your tree too. Your cats are so cute! It sounds like you had a wonderful holiday.

Happy New Year!

Meems said...[Reply]

Hi Kerri,
Brrrr... those birdies have some good weathering abilities. So fun for me to see them against that pretty snow. What a sweet time with family. We hold those memories dear don't we! All that pure white snow against that adorable red barn is my favorite image. Blessings to you, too, dear Kerri for good things in the coming year. Stay warm.
Meems
P.S. Wish I could taste that shortbread or those cookies... we could sit and chat for a very long time... they look delish.

Linda said...[Reply]

Happy New Year Kerri! It all looks so lovely. The pictures of the kitties are adorable. Time spent with the family is so precious. I was so taken with the way the simple toys just captivated everyone (despite getting all the usual techy stuff) in our family too.
The snow makes everything look so peaceful. Stay warm and cozy

Catherine@AGardenerinProgress said...[Reply]

What pretty photos! I looks like you had a very nice Christmas! I remember one year making the mistake of giving my nephews (around your grandsons age) whistles and my sister wasn't to impressed with my gift to them :)
Happy New Year!

Elzie said...[Reply]

Seems as you have the same kind of weather as we do. I don't like all this snow, lol.
Wishing you a great garden year.
Love Elzie

F Cameron said...[Reply]

What a wonderful story about your holidays, friends, family and felines!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Cameron

Anonymous said...[Reply]

Dear Kerri, what a delightful post to take us from the holidays right up to the present young new year! All those noisemakers for the little ones, yikes! Your shortbread looks yummy and the kitties adorable as always. I love the shot of the red barn with snow falling. Peace in the countryside. May this year bring the very best for you and yours. :-)
Frances

Kathleen said...[Reply]

Kerri ~ your weather sounds just like ours except winter started here in October. It doesn't seem like anyone is getting spared this year, does it? At least we're all in it together. I always feel sorry for the birds when the wind is howling and the temperatures are frigid too. The photo of your cat helping to "decorate the tree" is precious. Glad you had a nice Christmas. Happiest of New Years to you and your family.
ps. Those sure are some beautiful handmade cards from blogging friends.

Alice said...[Reply]

Oo, Oo, Ee, Ee, Aa, Aa .... Hannah asked me to send the lyrics for the Kookaburra's song as she knows that Jasmine is just longing to sing a duet with them. So glad those Aussie icons kept you and your feline friends amused.

You must have really loved having all the family there together, despite the pesky, noisy presents...lol.

I didn't make any shortbread this Christmas .... I seemed to have been otherwise occupied .... so I'll just go and make a cuppa if you would be so kind as to lob some over this way. Better still, you and Ross are very welcome to deliver it personally and gain a little respite from the snow - beautiful though it looks.

Keep dreaming about Spring flowers...it'll be here soon, dear.

verobirdie said...[Reply]

You seem to have had a nice Xmas celebration. The pictures show perfectly the warmth and love of it.
I hope the year will go on for you as well as its started.

PS: If I bring the tea, can I have some shortbread, please? It looks so yummmy...

Val said...[Reply]

Happy New Year! Your photos are a perfect reflection of Christmas celebrations at home. Lovely.

When I look outside at our dusting of snow, and below freezing temperatures, I wonder how you manage to live through a whole winter like it!

Cris said...[Reply]

Dear Kerri, wishing you and your family a wonderful new year! Your pictures always make my day. It is a beautiful day here after so much rain, it feels like we are going out of the Arch :-) Birds are singing, trees reflect the sunshine! xoxo

Pam said...[Reply]

Lovely pictures of your lovely (if noisy) family!

Bangchik and Kakdah said...[Reply]

Lovely pictures of the birds... that red and green thing, give colours to the snowy feel. Happy New Year!! ~bangchik

Sandy Hatcher-Wallace said...[Reply]

Dear Kerri...Your post was so beautiful and covered many things, Christmas, family, annoying toys, snow, flowers, birds, cats and friends. I thoroughly enjoyed everything and your cookies looked so delicious. You've been such a wonderful friend and I do look forward to your continued friendship throughout the coming New Year.

Love & Hugs,

Sandy

Giddy said...[Reply]

Kerri, you always have the most amazing bird photos! Several of them would make beautiful Christmas cards.

Your Hannah and Jasmine look like they're having fun helping you with the tree.

Lavender and Vanilla Friends of the Gardens said...[Reply]

Kerri, a lovely post. The birds must be so happy to find such good food when the snow covers everything. I love the cats, they are so inquisitive. The photos are just wonderful. Baking sweet treats, the family together having a beautiful Christmas; xoTrudi.

Barbee' said...[Reply]

This is such a beautiful post, Kerri. Seeing the house kitties reminded me of ours years ago and how she loved Christmas morning with all the tissue and wrapping papers. Oh, and Alice's card is so funny! Loved seeing the family playing. We had a fun holiday season, too. Here's wishing a wonderful 2010 for you and all the family!

Teresa Calcao said...[Reply]

I love to stop by once in awhile,and appreciate all the beauty of this "place"......
Happy New Year,Kerry!

Pam said...[Reply]

I've just had a nice comment from your daughter Kylie. I commented back but since her blog seems to be having a little 2-year hiatus, I'm not sure she'll see it. Say hello to her from me, if you remember!

Mountain Mama said...[Reply]

I just had to laugh at your kitties and the Kookaburra card. They look so curious and I can just imagine their confusion. HAHAHA!
I smiled at your Anemone picture. I certainly share your dreams of spring. I am already searching the flower catalogs for the new flowers I'd like. We never tire of this do we?

Blessings to you and yours from Bellingham, WA.

Chica, Cienna, and Cali said...[Reply]

wish you and yours a beautiful year ahead too, Kerri......isn't blogging such a wonderful way to connect with others..i love this border-less world of ours....even if it's virtual :)