Happy Christmas to You and Yours....

A very happy Christmas to everyone...

What a busy month this has been. Shortly after I was hospitalized in early November, I realized I really "should" do City Arts Market...so until December 5, I worked to make it happen...and then after that, Christmas took over, with all it's busyness.

This was the first year since having Max that I have worked regularly outside the home, and since now that I'm in "retail"...this means kind of odd hours, and a schedule that changes week to week and day to day.

The nice thing about working however, is that you can afford nicer presents...so I actually shopped a few times this year...saving the mall for just a few days ago. How good have I been, I thought? I've worked in a store since August yet I've barely barely barely shopped myself and haven't been to the mall in months. Oops, I wanted everything I saw! A new black winter hat, a faux fur stole (bought that for my mom instead, it's gorgeous), new shoes, new pants, lovely sweaters, and what great deals. Hopefully I'll get back there in the next couple weeks. I felt like I was wondering around the store in rags! but not for long...I'll get myself fitted out soon.

I'm giving heart felt gifts this year. Namely, the book "Out of Your Tree 2" by Dominic Lee, of Priory Studios, which benefits cancer. Dominic took our honeymoon photos for us on the streets of Dublin, Ireland in 2001, and photographed us a few years later in Northern Ireland on the Giant's Causeway. He is a dear friend and a fabulous photographer. I am grateful for my sister Julie surviving her second cancer scare this year, and so I'm giving this book to her. Read my review here on the Stillorgan Chamber of Commerce website.
I am the official United States distributor of this book in America, so if you would like your own copy or copies let me know. If you are a Maeve Binchy fan, like me, you'll enjoy her and her husbands chess photo, and her introduction to the book. (among many many other extraordinary photos that were taken around the world.)



My other gift is Garth Johnson's "1000 Ideas for Creative ReUse." in which my pot rack table was given a full page. This gift is for my Dad who helped me put the table together, and for my brother who is an architect in Boston. Thank you Garth for choosing this image for your book.




I also recently was given a dozen photos of my property and the neighborhood from the early 50's. And so I was able to reprint them all for my fantastic new neighbors Misty and Joe and give them to them in an album and framed too...apparently the little girl that lived in their house was best friends with the little girl who lived in my house...and so these photos are so poignant to me and to them. Our enormous trees are just sticks in the photos and the children are gorgeous.

Over the last week, we've had a snowy blizzard, and lots of running here and there, making up for time lost due to the snow storm. We're off to share more presents soon...so have a wonderful day and chat soon!