Missing You...

(you're so many miles away and we never see one another but i miss you like crazy.)

Melissa's Stairway

Random Stars

My latest postcard finds!!

At Sunset

Sunset on the terrace overlooking Lake James.

Soon-To-Be-Mine

Amber Brown pointed this creation by Fidoodle out to me via etsy and I am absolutely buying it for my nephew. Isn't it the coolest?

Castle Crags, Calif.

The Garner Files

James Garner is one of those actors that you can't really remember how you learned his name or his face; it's just as if he's always been there. He is also one of those actors that seems to come across as genuine, real, and like someone you'd have a rip-roaring good time with any day of the week. Reading his memoir, I am now convinced that I was one hundred percent right in that assumption. Get thee to a bookstore and purchase The Garner Files as soon as possible. You won't want to put it down for a second.

(photo kidnapped from barnesandnoble)

Favourite Holiday Flicks

1~The Gathering

(photo kidnapped from moviepostersdb)

2~Ziggy's Gift

3~A Christmas Memory (1966)

4~Miracle on 34th Street (1994)

(photo kidnapped from petitpanopoly)

5~The Man in the Santa Claus Suit

(photo kidnapped from allposters)

6~Die Hard

(photo kidnapped by screenjunkies)

7~Christmas Vacation

(photo kidnapped by take148)

8~White Christmas

(photo kidnapped from cincinnati)

9~Love Actually

(photo kidnapped from johannes-filmreviews)

10~A Christmas Carol - George C. Scott

(photo kidnapped from northjersey)

(runners up: One Special Night with Julie Andrews and James Garner, Lovely, Still with Ellen Burstyn and Martin Landau, It's a Wonderful Life, and The Gift of Love: A Christmas Story with Angela Lansbury and Lee Remick)

Favourite Christmas Stories

1~Truman Capote's A Christmas Memory is without question my absolute favourite story for the holiday season. It is perfection from the first word to the last.

2~My Special Christmas - Basically I totally saved Christmas with the help of Goldentoe the elf, and one of my brothers plus my two BFFs. How could I not love a story that featured me?

3~Christmas with the Goblins was in a collection of Christmas stories compiled by Current entitled Treasured Tales of Christmas and is a family classic in our house and has been since 1980. The Goblins was a Finnish folk tale that featured two children and a Yule Goat that came around to deliver presents to good Finnish boys and girls. Fredrik and Lotta were a pair of spoiled brats who got wicked mad when the Yule Goat announced that they would not receive as many gifts due to the increased number of poor children in the world. Lotta guessed that the goblins were probably better off than they would be that night. So that smart little Yule Goat snatched up those two demon children and transported them to the goblin mountain and directly to the thrones of King Mundus and Queen Caro (awesome names). Mundus was the king of darkness and after threatening to turn Fredrik and Lotta into crows or spiders he instead offered them a riddle; figure it out and they would be set free. Mundus asked about that damn bright star he sees in the darkness and the children proclaimed that it was The Christmas Star, and that Jesus brings love and forgiveness to the world. Then, apparently at the mere mention of the Son of God, the trolls and goblins of the mountain disappeared "like shadows and smoke" and poof! Fredrik and Lotta awoke in their beds, safe and sound. The children then head off to church having learned to "keep Christmas in their hearts, where it belonged, and to show love and kindness to everyone, and to share what they had with those who had less." Awww....

4~How Spider Saved Christmas was the first Christmas book I learned to read on my own and it still cracks me up - I used to love that Fly's gift was a photo of himself "It will remind you of me." The illustrations are simple and adorable and although the idea of Christmas being saved is as old as the hills, the fistful of cuteness in this book is undeniable.

5~Another book purchased from Current, The Gingerbears' First Christmas by Nancy P. McConnell with whimsical photographs by Ron Oatney was a favourite to read to my little brother. It's a story about cookies that come to life and clean the house, decorate the tree, and help out the family that is struggling to get everything done in time for Christmas. They even help finish making the toys for the children. It's completely charming and I still like to think that those bears never got eaten. (God forbid.)

6~Dav Pilkey's Dragon's Merry Christmas is actually four mini stories and Pilkey's Dragon is as precious as a peanut. I bought this at the book store attached to the café I worked out back in 2003 and wrapped it up as a gift for me to open and read on Christmas morning.

 7~Okay, not technically a Christmas story, but it was a Winter favourite when I was very little. It's all about the bestest snow plow in the whole world and how she dug out the City of Geoppolis when it was covered in snow. Katy made it possible for the mail to be delivered, patients to get to the hospital in West Geoppolis and the fire department to put out the three alarm fire in South Geoppolis. Yay Katy!

8~Christmas at the Hollow Tree Inn by Albert Bigelow Paine was also a part of Treasured Tales of Christmas. It was about Mr. Dog and how he told his forest friends the story of Santa Claus, but since Santa only comes to Mr. Man's house, these poor suckers didn't have a snowball's chance in Hell of getting a glimpse at the man himself. So, Mr. Dog dresses up and plays Santa and makes it the happiest Christmas Hollow Tree had ever known.

9~Santa Mouse Meets Marmaduke was the story of a mean mouse named Marmaduke who "often behaved like a rat." My mother still remembers the first page of the book from all the times we begged her to read it again and again. To sum up, Marmaduke was so bad that Santa Claus got Santa Mouse to head on over to Mouse Hotel (that's where Marmaduke lived) and check in for the night. Marmaduke, being the nasty mouse he was, broke into Santa Mouse's room, rummaged through his luggage and dressed up in Santa Mouse's red suit. Then he tricked his little sisters into thinking that he was the real Santa. When Santa Mouse found out what Marmaduke had done he chased Marmaduke around the kitchen until Santa Claus appeared and put a stop to it. Santa read both mice the riot act, had a chat with Marmaduke who then learned his lesson and was forgiven. Christmas morning Santa Claus gave Marmaduke his very own Santa suit and a note that said "Let's be friends."

10~When I was four years old I was able to recite 'Twas The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore from memory. We still have a scratchy recording of it and let me tell you, I read that story with gusto!

Well, that wraps up this sensationally long post. Hope you enjoyed the stroll down Memory Lane with me. Have a great holiday, dear readers!
xoxo

Bill's Poetry

Ginger Family!

I do so love to make silly gingerbread cookie people, especially ones with boobies, belly buttons, and cycloptic eyes!

Ryan's Place

Saturday I was over my cousin's house and snapped these photos while there. Ryan earns his living as a piano tuner and moonlights as an incredibly talented jazz guitarist. He is also a gifted artist and recently began his education on repairing guitars. There is little that he cannot achieve. Oh, yeah, and he's hilarious, kind, and an all-around fabulous fella.

Home for the Holidays

by Fred Swan

Dear Santa,

Love, Little Z

Best Santa letter EVER!

Melissa

Seen In Stratford

The Skin I Live In

Yesterday Nicole and I finally went to Theatre N to see La piel que habito and it was phenomenal - just as I expected. It was beautiful and lush, viciously disturbing, and bizarrely tender. More than once, Nicole and I turned to eachother with our mouths hanging open in shock, a mirror for the other; just when we thought we'd seen it all, we discovered that the unexpected was just around the corner.
Antonio Banderas has never looked more dashing and handsome and Pedro Almodóvar has created another gorgeous work of art.

(photo kidnapped from cinezapping)

Waitin' on the Snow...

Looking back through old photographs, I stumbled upon three that my mother took of my brothers and me helping to clear out the front steps and driveway. It totally made me wish for lots and lots of snow...
The one of Dave is great because he's caught off guard and the one of me is hilarious because I look as though I were preparing for the hunt in that hideous orange suit. But the photo of little Xavier is absolutely perfect. He is so damn cute it shouldn't be legal.

(all photos taken by Rose)