The Weekly Cute

Do you remember Mueski? Remember how sweet he is?
Well...he now has a cute little friend! :)

My friend just adopted a kitty from MEOW to be Mueski's little buddy. So far it is still a rocky friendship, but as you can see, they are warming to one another--no pun intended. She has named him Spartan, and I'm so excited to meet him! (And maybe be his catsitter, too!)

Birthday!

Happy Birthday, Shelene!

A wintery birthday cake for a December birthday girl.
I hope you have a happy, cozy, marvelous day!
xo

The Weekly Cute

Better late than not at all...

Thanks to my friend Naomi for tipping me off to Surprise Kitty. :)

The Nutcracker

Clara before the tree, pnb.org

One of my favorite things about the holidays is The Nutcracker. I love to listen to Tchaikovsky to get into a festive mood, and I have fond memories of watching the animated movie as a child (which my brother managed to uncover for us to watch last year!). But the very best, if you can manage it, is to go to the ballet.

My mom took me to the Des Moines ballet's rendition when I was younger, and I had the great joy to see the Joffrey perform this a few years ago in Chicago. Even if you don't consider yourself a ballet fan, it's a magical experience. The music, the dancers, the costumes--perfect holiday memories.

Seattle's Pacific Northwest Ballet is said to be quite impressive. Imagine my excitement to learn that each year they perform The Nutcracker with sets and costumes by Maurice Sendak! It looks amazing. Even sweeter, PNB made a movie of this back in 1986 AND you can watch the whole thing free on Hulu! Merry Christmas to us! :D

{who doesn't wish they had an Herr Drosselmeyer?}

How It's Shaping Up

Christmas has arrived at the Nathan-Callie household!

Well, a tannenbaum at least. And a good one I must say!

We picked it out and brought it home Saturday night. I believe the tree selling fella called it a Norwegian Spruce. It has short, pokey needles and it smells divine! It might be a little big for our living room (you can see it has been wedged between the couch, desk and window) but it is such a nice presence. It's a nice thing to look at. I even love the funny little cactus top. I can't wait to hang ornaments. We discovered that one strand of lights wasn't nearly enough (which filled me with a strangely intense but short-lived feeling of Christmas failure) so it isn't twinkly yet. I will be so excited to share our tree, all dolled up, with you in the next few days! :)

It has become downright cold recently. Fortunately it hasn't rained in sometime and a bright sun has been showing. In general, we have been doing some projects around here and filling time. Nathan is finishing up work for his classes (woot, last week!) and internship. I am making holiday cards and a few other little things. I went to a large craft show in Seattle this weekend with friends and now have several diy projects on the back burner. There is a certain hustle and bustle feeling around the season, isn't there?

How is it going for you?

The Weekly Cute

After all these years...still, all I really want for Christmas.
Check out that center split, those feisty swipes! This puppy's been watching too many Jean Claude Van Damme movies. Watch out for Chong Li, Puppy--he'll getcha. Me, however...I'll just hug you til forever.

Hello, December

style-files, martha

December, I'm excited to see you again. :)
The gray of the season has come easier this year, perhaps because of other distractions, or perhaps because I have eagerly awaited the holidays. The Bright and Merry shines out on the rainy days. The holiday music has been playing since the day after Thanksgiving. The teas are brewing. The decorations are in the works.

Who else is feeling gleeful?
If you were here, I'd invite you over for tea. We would make salt dough ornaments and paper chains. I'm hoping to pull Nathan into my holiday spirits and put up a tree soon. I hope you are filled with all the merry and bright I'm feeling this season.