Warmest Wishes

Although an American tradition, I want to send the warmest wishes and thanks to you all. I am truly grateful for all the joy and good reading your blogs have brought into my life.

Book Strain

It took one day to read Philip Gulley's Home to Harmony. It came in at about a 200 page count which would normally take me about 3 to 4 days to read but it was a fun read and I set aside all else in order to finish it. There was an unintended consequence to enjoying such a light read: I began to crave something in the arena of a doorstop classic to balance my literary appetite. Only David Copperfield would do even though I try to save Dickens for the beginning of the year when all is quiet and winter is settled in.

When I sit down with one of Dickens' work (with the exception of A Christmas Carol), I feel like I am committing for the long haul and cross my fingers there will be little to distract me. So I had some misgivings about reading David Copperfield when my mind is full of to do lists and dates by which to ship and calculations for the hours it will take to thaw and cook a turkey. I thought 'these are exactly the type of distractions I don't want when reading Dickens'. But a hundred pages in, I realize it is the other way around... I need to worry about Dickens distracting me from getting Thanksgiving dinner on the table on time, Christmas cards in the post before Christmas eve and stockings stuffed. As usual, he has drawn me into this world that I hate to leave and can hardly wait to return to.
Another worry was this Nonesuch edition of Copperfield that I purchased and fell in love with as soon as I lifted it from the box it was delivered in. I was so in love with the richness of the paper and the perfect size font and the gorgeous illustrations that I shoved to the back of mind the little voice that asked how in the heck was I going to handle this unwieldy tome when it came time to read it. Sadly after the first go at finding a comfortable position holding this behemoth, it went back on the shelf and I drove to Barnes and Noble to buy their $8 edition which, joy of joys, contains the classic illustrations and won't contribute to any pulled muscles.

As for the distractions... thank goodness I started all my Christmas preparations early...and if I miss the important turkey dates circled heavily on the calendar I have no compunction blaming Dickens.

Home...

Today is one of those days where everything is wet and drizzly and misty and overcast...and I love it...but it has put me in a bit of a maudlin mood. To be honest, it has only exasperated this mood that has been with me for the past week which has been brought on by our house hunting and pondering what exactly 'home' means. The books I have been reading have fallen in line with this train of thought. I checked out multiple volumes on country/cottage home decor from the library. I paid a stupid amount of money for a book with one of the best titles ever (see picture below). And I reread the book that best represents 'home' to me.
My mother so kindly gifted me a subscription of Country Living and it quotes Mary Randolph Carter from her new book "A Perfectly Kept House is the Sign of a Misspent Life". The idea behind this thought appeals to me greatly as I often become bogged down in 'a place for everything and everything in its place' thinking. I crave order and do ascribe to the 'cleanliness is next to Godliness' philosophy. But this way of life is exhausting and frustration inducing when living with kids and a husband who doesn't exactly feel the same way. So lately I have been asking myself about what makes a home cozy and the type of place one wants to return to at the end of the day. I know it isn't one where the mother of the home follows you around making sure the house is in perfect order. So I guess Carter is playing the cheaper version of a therapist and reminding me to find the perfect medium between clean and cozy.
Another author helping me in this area is Miss Read. It is way too early but I had a sudden desire to reread The Christmas Mouse (my favorite read of 2009 and one I want to push on everyone to read this holiday season). Mrs. Berry understands exactly what it means to have a well-kept home that is also cozy and inviting. I didn't mean to but as soon as I finished The Christmas Mouse, I moved on directly to No Holly for Miss Quinn which I enjoyed much more the second time around. I then started a new-to-me series by Phillip Gulley. I admit that the main reason I wanted to try out this series is because there are two Christmas volumes to look forward to but there is this religious aspect that also represents the concept of home for me.

Along with the house hunting, I gained an excessive amount of nervous energy and to burn it off I began moving furniture. I rearranged my youngest's room and exchanged bookcases between floors. Room was made on the mantle for a new clock (a gift from my mother and father) and mental notes were made for changes I want to make when it comes to Christmas decoraring.
So in comes this clock just as I am so focused on thinking of home and it reminds me of all the little things that make a house a home...not just the actual structure. I spent many a weekend reading and sleeping next to my grandparents' booming grandfather clock and the Westminster chime became a symbol of home. This mantle clock isn't chiming every quarter hour but it plays every hour on the hour and it is one of the comforts of home.
And I recently added another little thing towards the neverending process of making a home...a pillow. I know it is possible to have too many pillows and I am quickly reaching that line but I tested out this pattern with a lap blanket in mind and thought that one more couldn't hurt.

So these are my mixed up, rambling thoughts on home...feel free to share your own.

Tuesday

Moving to Pennsylvania over a year ago, we decided to rent a townhouse until we knew exactly which city we wanted to settle in. For so many reasons, we have chosen to stay in the town where we currently reside and have begun the great house hunt. It feels great (by which I mean huge) because after the initial start we see what challenges we face. Although my husband and I have been married for fourteen years, we are learning exactly how vastly we differ when we discuss our 'dream home'. The good thing is we love where we live right now and feel like we have the time to find something that will fit for all of us. One thing we agree easily on is how much we love this town and I am reminded of it every day and was especially so when I went to purchase some of our fall decorations from a family farm. No one manned the stand and it operated on the honor system. The honor system? No way. Foreign concept around the parts that I come from. But here, it is common practice and one of the many reasons I fell in love with this place.
Fall decorating has been taking place indoors as well and as much as I love putting out the decorations and enjoying them for the duration, I loathe cleaning them up. Ah well, it is worth the hassle.

I am still in Herriot country. I completed the biography written by his son and it is absolutely perfect. A must read for those who read Herriott. I have moved onto the fourth book in his series, The Lord God Made Them All, and while the episodes feel a bit disconnected, I like this view into his life as a father and am enjoying his adventures abroad as he oversees the delivery of livestock from England to other countries.

I am finishing up my last Christmas projects which makes me very happy. I can finish up the shopping next and then move onto a project for our foyer that I have been wanting to start using the same colors above and adding a brown. It took me ages to decide on this color scheme while in the yarn shop and was still iffy once I started but I like it so much I am going to use it to make our foyer a little more welcoming.

The weather has finally turned and I am all so happy. The flannel sheets and fleece blanket have made an appearance, and this morning I finally switched on the heater.
But I did brave the cold first thing this morning to vote and rewarded myself with a gingerbread latte. The cups are here!

Happy Tuesday!