Aud Lang Syne: Happy New Year ! ! !

This is an interesting history of the song we sing to ring in the New Year. I did not realize it was written in 1788 by Scottish poet Robert Burns. Read the complete article in The Independent with the words of the original poem and the English translation in case you want to sing along tonight at midnight.

London. New Year's Eve last year.

Sun Melting the Frost

I love frosty mornings before the sun comes up to melt it. via

White Enamel Range

I love the vintage range and the white dishwasher. White is always right in a kitchen. I wish I could peek around the corner and see the sink and the fridge. via

Country Walk in Derbyshire England

Oh, to be surrounded by such unspoiled beauty! via

No Diving

Clever Tile Work on this Changing Room Floor.

I'm not exactly sure what this little anteroom is but the writing on the floor leads one to believe there's a pool on the other side. What do you think? via

Be Patient.

So true. Patience is a virtue. via

Box of Beautiful Onions

Aren't these the most beautiful onions? 

I am going to eat nothing but vegetables next week. I need greens after eating too much ever since Thanksgiving. I love chopping onions and find they improve almost every dish. Sometimes I don't even know what I'm going to prepare until I start chopping an onion to see where it takes me. via

Bedroom and Orderly Closet

This is very inspiring as we approach the new year with resolutions of order in the house. via

Boxing Day Flooding in UK

I have to admit I knew nothing about the 3 weeks of rain north of London to Scotland. I hardly watched the news at all in December because of my cold. I just heard on NPR that Cumbria in the Lake District is being especially hard hit. That's the home of the Beatrix Potter museum that houses over 450 of her watercolors! It was hit by floods in 2010 but this is the worst in over 100 years. How heartbreaking to hear about such awful conditions inn the country and land we all love. Read more current news here. Sending my prayers.

Perfectly Planted Christmas Tree

Merry Christmas everyone.

via

Farmhouse with a Forked Path

via

Isn't this delightful? I hope they have a Christmas wreath hanging from both peaks. Happy Christmas Eve. I'm off to watch "The Bishop's Wife" on Turner Classic Movies! xo

Christmas Eve Blessings

See more vintage Christmas images here. 

The rain has stopped and we are having record warmth. It's supposed to be 74° today and it's already 70° and it's not even 9:00am. Oh well. I'll take it in lieu of snow. Have a wonderful day. You can do it. Here's hoping your stars align and everything will go smoothly and you will be ready for Santa tonight. xo

Thomas Nast: Santa Claus

Father Christmas. Santa Claus. Saint Nicholas. No matter what you call him, you probably think he looks like this drawing by Thomas Nast. From my collection.

The Morristown Club

Wreath on the door of The Morristown Club, the site of a Christmas luncheon today with my office colleagues. We were in the library and it was the perfect place for our get together. Delicious too.

UPDATE:  Did you know there's an app for TCM (Turner Classic Movies). I just watched "Come to the Stable" again on it. Go to the app store on your iPhone or iPad and in the search box type WATCH TCM. The app is free and it will work on you device if you have Turner Classic Movies in your cable lineup. Of course, you will have to know your user name and your password for FiOS, Comcast, or whatever your cable you have.  I am so happy I discovered it. You can watch whatever is playing live too. You have two choices on the iPad. East Coast and West Coast. It's awesome. Download it and be happy, You're welcome!!! The list of classic movies you can watch is unbelievable.

CALL THE MIDWIFE Christmas Day Special 2015

I missed their Christmas special on PBS last year and had to watch it after the holiday was over. I love this program on PBS. Here's the article about 12/25/15 programming. I'll be watching! Call the Midwife is one of my favorite series!

Sparkling Apple-Pomegranate

So festive and delicious. A great non-alcoholic beverage to keep on hand. It tastes like the holidays too. Cheers!

Uncut Christmas Trees

Decorated with snow by Mother Nature via

More Trees with Fog and TCM

I seem to be stuck on two things lately. Fog and Turner Classic Movies. I watched Come to the Stable today and it was wonderful I missed the first 20 minutes but I clicked by just in time to immediately understand what was going on. Now mind you, I really wasn't planning on watching a movie!!! But sometimes you just can't help yourself when you get sucked in. My cable company added this channel very recently to my plan and I'm thrilled. Classic movies and no commercials. 

Now back to fog. I know it's Christmas but I have fog on the brain. Literally. It is getting closer and closer and I sit watching movies. That's my story for today. I went to a great Christmas party last night that was very festive. Others are ready and I am not. But I will get more motivated tomorrow. Hopefully. xo

The Young English Royal Family

I haven't seen this photo before, have you? Love it. William and Catherine must be having a blast getting ready for Christmas this year! via

Mostly Porch Cottage

via

Not exactly a Christmas image but it caught my eye. I love that they made the porch almost as large as the first floor. I am making great headway toward Christmas, are you? All I need is a week and I was in full throttle yesterday. Today, so far, has been excellent too. xo

Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Yes. It is.

Starting to enjoy it now.

via

Restored Farmhouse in Georgia - Before and After

In a hurry this morning to go out in the cold rain to get sick again. Actually, I am trying my best not to get another cold on top of the one I still have. Although I am much better, I'm still not out of the woods. I feel as if I've lost the entire month of December so far on a personal level, but I've had a great month on a professional level. People still want to buy houses even though it's Christmas. Go figure!

Here's the link to read about this fabulous homestead in Georgia complete with an old smokehouse. The History: The farmhouse, the oldest privately owned residence in Forsyth County, is situated less than a mile from the Chattahoochee River (the original owners operated a ferry between Forsyth and Gwinnett counties). While the house was built first as a single-pen, hand-hewn log home, it was eventually enlarged to a double-pen dogtrot. By the early 1990s, the original interior clapboard walls, single pane windows, door hardware, and heart pine floors were still intact, but the home had fallen into disrepair.

Don't you love authentic renovation stories? I'm transfixed by this one! xo

My First Post Today = Good Night

I had a very good day in the house today trying to regroup. I've been away almost every day with real estate and tomorrow there is a septic inspection. I don't know where the day went but it's time to say Good Night. via

Trees and Fog

Don't you want to climb these steps and enter the fog? What lovely old trees! via

Need Very Little

This is so true. I've been very busy lately and the only thing I've really needed is a huge supply of tissues for my cold. Day 12 is coming to an end and it's so much better but still lingering. I'm at the dry cough stage now. So annoying.

Reindeer Bench

This would be a good place to sit after a bit of ice skating or sledding, wouldn't it? via

Pinecone Christmas Trees

These are perfect fill-in deorations. All a pinecone needs is a star on top. via

Christmas Tree w/ White Paper Stars and Pinecones

Simple.

Beautiful.

Simply Beautiful.

via

Oh, Holy Night Christmas Card

This is lovely. My favorite Christmas Carol.

Golden Grasses, Sand, Sea and Sky

Fabulous photo found here.

Spruce Up Your Christmas Cookies

Another Good Thing from Martha Stewart

Chickens Playing Hide and Seek

Shhh. They will never find us here. via

Mr. and Mrs. Gingerbread

Unisex cookie cutters, the decorations determine their gender. I love the tartan plate and I would welcome a swig of that eggnog right now. Adorable holiday cookies found here.

Fox Door Handle

Someone should start reproducing this wonderful hand-wrought figural door handle so I can have one. via

Beautiful Holiday Decor

Mother Nature did a great job of adding the finishing touch of snow. So lovely. via

Blue and White Breakfast Room Love

There no words for this charming decor. Every detail is perfect. I'm especially fond of the fabric used on the Roman shade. I'm quite sure I have this identical table cloth and now I want to look for it. The sun is out today and I'm feeling a little better. Thanks for all of your well wishes. xo

Adele Love

I love her so much. See more Adele gifs here.

My First Cold in Years and Years

I've been so proud of myself for longer than I can remember, keeping the cold germs from penetrating my good health. All that went out the window on Sunday night when I started going hoarse and felt a tightening in my chest. The sore throat part started on Tuesday. It's sort of a backward cold and I am treating it with the Neti pot, various gargles wuth salt, Bragg's Cider Vinegar, and anything else I can think of, all to no avail. This was the best image I could find on Google to illustrate my condition. I even broke down and bought Nyquil yesterday and it wasn't all that effective but I do feel rested this morning. I am hoping for a whole day without having to leave the house on this rainy day. Cross your fingers for me. Not complaining, just explaining. I know it's been at least 6 years since my last cold, maybe longer. Darn!

Fabulous Early American Dining Room

This must be a wonderful room to feed and entertain family and friends before the open fire. Don't you love the beautiful stonework inside the firebox? I wish I could see more. via

More Natural Building Materials for a Wonderful Rustic House

Beauthaway House, North GA. Appalachian Antique Hardwoods. Home design by MossCreek. Photo by Erwin Loveland. Wow, I'm very impressed with this one! via