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.

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.

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 :)

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.

I'm Dreaming of a Warm Christmas....

Just like the ones I used to know.....

........growing up in Australia,
where Christmas was most decidedly
not white!

But it certainly is this year in upstate NY!

We've had a very snowy December....

and my dear husband has spent quite a bit of time out in the cold plowing the driveway.

I must say the scenery is gorgeous,

but the cold that goes along with it is not so enjoyable.

It's very good weather however, for baking holiday treats.

Dear Alice, are you and Richard coming for tea and shortbread? I made it especially for you!

Or, if you'd prefer, cranberry chocolate chip cookies.

Or perhaps some of that delicious cranberry-orange nut bread? We liked it so much at Thanksgiving I decided to make it again for Christmas. We'll save you some, but you'd better hurry!

The hungry little birds have been arriving early in the mornings to fill their tummies against the cold.

Little Mr. Downy Woodpecker is a friendly fellow and doesn't mind posing for a photo.

From our house to yours.

I hope you all have a joyful Christmas filled with the blessings of family and good friends.

And please dear Aussie blog friends, soak up some of that wonderful warm sunshine for me!

Remember the reason for the season!

A Bit of Fun

I must say I deeply regret mentioning that one of my presents this Christmas was a "Mad Bomber" hat from our youngest daughter.

Ross received his MB hat last Christmas from KE's beau and we shared it all winter (Ross got a turn occasionally), after finding it to be the warmest hat imaginable. So dearest daughter thought I should have one of my own. She even assures me that they're extremely fashionable at the moment. (Apple, do I hear you snickering?)

Wouldn't you know that some of my smart alecky blog friends would think it fun to see a picture?

Now, I'm always ready for a laugh, but these hats are not pretty....so this laugh is at my expense! However, with a bit of prodding from Ross (always the jester), I took the hats with us when we visited our son and his family last weekend to have our Christmas with them, and we had him take a photo of us.

So what do you think?

Fashionable to say the very least, yes? That front flap forms a brim if you fold it down, and you can wear the ear flaps up if you want to hear better. Picture that!

Of course, our son and the boys had to get in on the act too.

The little guys look a lot cuter in all that fur than I do.

You might be a redneck if you wear one of these :)

We also had some fun opening presents.

These Magstiks were a big hit with all three boys :)

They're magnets that you can make neat shapes with.

On Saturday morning while C went with his mom and dad to indoor soccer practice, Ross and I had a wonderful time frosting sugar cookies with K. He kept us smiling all morning with his excited chatter, and watching him frost those cookies, while dribbling frosting along the counter top was priceless. Now that's fun! :)

I hope you're all having a lovely weekend!

Scenes of the City

Thanks so much for all your cheery New Year's wishes and comments. Our experiences are made richer by sharing them with each other :)

I took lots of photos while in the city and wanted to share some more of them before getting back to some plant themed posts, which have been sadly lacking here lately.

But first, I've had several special requests for a picture of me in the mad bomber hat, and against my better judgement, will post one (while cringing) soon :) It was Ross's idea for us both to put on our hats and have our son take a picture this past weekend, so we did (while feeling, and looking really stupid). A truer pair of country bumpkins you've never seen! Anything for the blog and a laugh, right? Stay tuned....

This was the scene we awoke to on Christmas morning...a totally new experience for us. The city was peaceful and quiet, with very few people out and about at that time.

There's a balcony garden on the top floor of that tall building to the left of the photo. You might see a bit more detail if you click on it. My daughter (KP) says there are many more plants out there during the warmer months.
It wouldn't be my cup of tea, but it is possible to have a gardening experience even in the heart of the city, living in a highrise apartment.

I loved the blended colors of these buildings.

This is the same street seen from the other end, as we walked back from St. John's after the service.

As we walked down the street this flock of pigeons burst into the air and flew right at us, just barely missing our heads. The commotion was caused by the man in the photo who had just dropped a few handfuls of food for them....

which they greedily gobbled up.

Now we're back at Rockefeller Center again, and there's the huge Christmas tree, with the familiar yellow cabs in the foreground. Riding in those is quite an experience...one that I'd happily forego. Zooming in and out of city traffic and barely missing pedestrians, bikes, and horse and buggies is not my idea of fun! It entails a lot of inhaling and exhaling!

This is the famous skating rink that you sometimes see on the Today Show.

The flags are pretty as they flap in the chilly breeze.

Here's the building where the Today Show is filmed. The street to the left is where the people gather to watch.

Now what's that lady doing talking on her cell phone in the street?? New Yorkers do that while riding bikes on these busy streets too!

The buildings were decked out in bright finery.

Here's the famous Radio City Music Hall

And the magnificent Saint Patrick's Cathedral

Inside Saint Pat's.

I'd like to have the market cornered on Poinsettias in the city in December! They were everywhere, and all very beautiful.

The animated windows at Sacs, Fifth Avenue, draws a big crowd. There's a line to view them and not much time for taking photos as the crowd just shoves you along!

What a treat for kids they are....and adults too :)

So cleverly done.

I love the reflected buildings behind the figures.

And here we are in Central Park again....a little more peaceful and quiet than in the midst of the crowds of midtown.

Pretty little bridges to stroll across....

And there's plenty of wildlife, which coexists quite happily with the people, it seems. This squirrel was not at all afraid, and let me approach to within a few feet of it.

Walkways and bike trails.....

playgrounds with cute statues....

And water.....

complete with ducks......

It's a very pleasant place to walk.

But all good times must end, and finally we had to say goodbye to the city, and our dear daughter and SIL, and head for home across the George Washington Bridge.

I hope we'll have other fun visits to the Big Apple in the not-too-distant future because there's so much more to see!

Ellis Island and The Botanical Gardens are high on our list.

And we have to check up on Hanna, the city kitty, and her new 'sister', Ilsa :)