Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree…
December 6, 2011 | Category: California, Christmas Inspiration, Family, Made by Lottie | 5 Comments
This weekend we did what we think of as a traditional American thing – we cut our own Christmas tree. Granted that in our heads this involved a long, cold trudge out to a field of snow laden trees, wrapped in scarf and gloves with red noses and the feeling of ‘why didn’t we just go to a DIY store for our tree?’.
Our Californian reality was a blissful trip to a beautiful farm in the Santa Cruz mountains, a slight chill in the air but bright blue skies and a beaming sun lighting a field of beautiful green Christmas trees of many different varieties. Our ‘trudge’ was in fact a brisk walk in a field bathed in sunlight causing us to gradually strip off our layers of clothing. The ritual of cutting down a tree somewhat lacked in the effort we had anticipated as the reality is that it took less than five minutes to achieve and involved minimal effort. Christmas trees saw surprisingly easy.
The boys have a go at sawing the tree
He the man!!!! The Magician cuts down the tree
Cor blimey, what a whopper! (7ft tree)
We LOVED cutting down our own tree. After the boys had done their bit, I did mine:
Our tree is a decorated with hand me down decorations and then every year we buy a decoration for each of the four of us. When the boys are older they can have their decorations to start their own Christmas Trees. I also make decorations every year that signify a special event or a project that the children and I work on. I then make the bows from my ribbon stash.
My Iphone pics via Instagram and Decopic (@lottieloves1)
*big church voice* Oh Christmas tree, Oh Christmas Tree, how sparkly are your branches!
This is a decoration made from the corks collected on my recent girly weekend in Napa. A fantastic idea to preserve the memory courtesy of a tutorial featured on the blog of @athriftymrsUK over at her super helpful and lovely blog A Thrifty Mrs
My first foray into soy candle making for Christmas gifts
The Christmas Wreath I made from free pine trimmings I collected with the tree, pine cones from a massive stash I collected two years ago, some old baubles and berries and left over ribbon from my stash, florists wire from my stash and all on a wire frame $2.99 from Michaels. The Christmas Tree is a decoration from Target, 3 for $1. Total cost $3.99 and an hours worth of effort.
We’re almost ready for Christmas now and I’m SO excited! How are your plans going?
Lottie -x-
PS – I finally got round to taking pictures of my recent knitting projects. I’ll publish them tomorrow
Connecting with Friends – or not.
November 29, 2011 | Category: Blogging, California | 8 Comments
My boys with the new Google Icecream Sandwich Icon
Change is afoot. When you enter into the world of blogging and reading blogs you have to expect that things will likely change more often than you would prefer. Whilst this can often be irritating it is the nature of the beast. Blogging, is after all, reliant upon technology, and technology advances at a rate we lesser techy humans are steadfastly learning to adapt to.
What’s prompted this reflection? Google my dears , that’s what.
Regardless of the fact that I am now in the heart of Google land I have for many years been a big Google fan using iGoogle with Gmail, Calendar, Reader and various other nifty tools. However, Google are bugging my little bloggy pants right now.
My fellow Google users will have noticed that Google has been undergoing a few interface changes lately and frankly they’re driving me nuts. I hate the new fonts, the new reader is difficult to read with its tiny font, the new Gmail is just plain annoying and frankly none of the changes they have made appeal to me in the slightest. But then they wouldn’t would they? Technology isn’t here to give us what we like it’s to give us what we never knew we needed. Right now these things drive me batty but no doubt in a few weeks I’ll be positively rejoicing the genius of those icon changes. Technology’s like that, blogging is like that, life is like that. Change is good for the soul, it keeps us on our toes and stops us from giving in to our dull desire for monotonous routines.
Aside from these niggly changes Google has also gone and rocked the blogging world of which I am part. They’ve gone and cancelled Google Friends Connect (GFC) which as of March 2012 will no longer exist other than on Blogger hosted blogs. If you’re not sure what this is then look at the icon to the right of my blog which shows little pictures of my fabulous followers.
Whilst I like the visual of seeing those beautiful vintage ladies on my site I am personally not sorry to see GFC go. I’ve always felt its display of popularity doesn’t belong on blog pages. A weird comment I know, given the raging social networking fiend that I am BUT I don’t write my blog to be popular and have always been a little uncomfortable with the very public displays of popularity on blogs. They’re also far from a true measure of who is ACTUALLY reading a blog. Often people just click on the connect widget and never look at the blog again. I know this because I have done it. I know, I’m sorry, it’s a dreadful thing to admit but as much as I might LIKE to read that blog I don’t have the time. Truth be known I read only a handful of other blogs (is this a burn at the stake type admission?) not because I’m not interested in what my fellow bloggers have to say, I am, I really am, but I really don’t have the time as writing this blog takes up enough of my free ‘off duty Mum’ time. Reading of anything time is a luxury I just don’t have and I know I’m not alone.
So, is everyone who’s clicked on GFC reading my blog? Of course they’re not. I would like them to be but I know otherwise. I felt quite a lot of blogging pressure to add the social networking opportunities to my blog to prove that others really are reading it and that YOU must read it because, well, Mrs A and Miss B are and therefore you just wouldn’t want to miss out. I’ve always had utmost respect for those blogs that show no popularity contest tools subscriber numbers on their blog. My assumption is always that they’re just so damned popular and well read they don’t need numbers.
‘There’s a big hole in all of this Mum!’
Well, these here pages are well read and I don’t need numbers so HAH!!!! Take that GFC!!!
I’m removing GFC and all the other ‘I have this many people reading my blog’ widgets. I’d like you to be here because you want to be, because YOU enjoy reading my posts, not because you feel you should enjoy reading them because Mrs A and Miss B read them therefore you must. If big numbers turn you on and you want to be following me because I’m popular then head over to Twitter. I’m simply oozing popularity over there with my 2000 + followers – the fact most of that number never interacts with me is irelevant isn’t it?. I’m also doing fairly well in the popularity stakes on Facebook so do feel free to head on over there. As for Google + well over there I look positively Prom Queen. The fact I never ever go on there would appear to be irrelevant *frowns*
So, my gorgeous, fabulous readers. You know who I am and I know you’re there so carry on reading and I’ll carry on writing regardless of whatever changes in the techy environment we’re part of and regardless of how ‘popular’ I am. If you do use GFC for notification of my blog updates then do switch to using an RSS reader or following me via Facebook and Twitter, both of which I post my latest posts on.
Lottie -x-
PS – I KNOW you’re there but a few comments now and then woudn’t hurt x
Happy Thanksgiving
November 24, 2011 | Category: California, Holidays, Pin Up Pictures, Vintage, Vintage Art, Vintage Inspired, Vintage Pictures | Leave a Comment
Many of my readers are British and therefore don’t know what Thanksgiving is about so I thought I’d explain a little.
Thanksgiving in some form has been celebrated in America since the Pilgrim Founding Fathers who celebrated the first Thanksgiving with the native Indians in 1621. They had suffered a terrible winter during which half of them had died. With the help of the Indians they ended up with a good harvest the following year for which they were all grateful and celebrated accordingly with turkey and other harvest foods.
After this time Thanksgiving was celebrated in most states but on different dates. In 1863 it became a national US holiday by President decree and the date of the last Thursday in November was set. In 1941 it was finally made into law as a national holiday but on the fourth rather than the last Thursday of November. I still find it so fascinating that American history is that recent.
Elvgren Pin Up
Thanksgiving is a celebration of the end of the harvest season and Americans traditionally celebrate with a big turkey dinner surrounded by family and friends. It is very similar to the Christmas dinner we have in the UK with turkey, cranberry sauce, potatoes and all manner of side dishes. This year we will be spending our first Thanksgiving with American friends and I can’t wait to experience some of the ‘sides’ I’ve heard talk of including sweet potatoes (often with marshmallows – yes, really), green bean casserole and of course the obligatory pumpkin pie. The side dishes are definitely not foods we eat in England but they’re all pretty good from what I hear – I’ll let you know!
I love these pictures of Marilyn Monroe and Judy Garland dressed up as Pilgrims with the obligatory turkey
This Thanksgiving we will be joining 14 other families to spend the morning playing football (American) and supposedly I will be expected to get on the field and run with the ball. Mmmmm……completely unimaginable I know but I guess I’m game (she writes hesitantly). We’ll then be headed to an American friend’s house to spend the day with her family and another British family where we shall be found eating, drinking and no doubt laughing, a lot.
A significant part of Thanksgiving, that I love, is that it’s a time to reflect on what we’re thankful for, to be grateful and appreciate what we have. I feel that this holiday is a particularly great lesson for children, especially for those, like mine, who will be spoilt for Christmas in a few weeks time. Teaching them appreciation is so important.
What am I thankful for? A great many things but particularly thankful that we’ve had the opportunity to enjoy the most amazing year of our lives here in California and that we find ourselves, a year on, with wonderful friends with whom we’re truly looking forward to spending Thanksgiving with.
Happy Thanksgiving my American friends.
Lottie -x-
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