A Door Able

'Tis a bit of a tough season for door decor. Out with the old and in with...what exactly?  Too soon for hearts and Valentine's and too bare in the flat without the Christmas tree to pull off a naked door.

So I decided to replace this:

With one that can be very temporary:

It is probably a good thing that February is just around the corner because I fear my January wreath is just one curious swipe from being undone.  But provided my staple gun handiwork holds, it might be fun to have an excuse to try it again.

Maybe the wreath should be covered in snowflakes like London! We've had snow since Friday and it is delightful. The kids have been out all weekend in snowsuits in the park. Biggest Brother has been a real champ putting Baby Sister into all sorts of gear, and after ferrying them all across the street, pulling his crew on a boogie board.

Oh! And here's another teeny bit of home decor that is warming my heart. When we were in Barga, Italy, I bought two cloth shopping totes from the tiny market in town. The market was two doors down from where we bought lots of pretty ceramics. Speaking little Italian, we were all curious but dutiful in following the ceramic shopkeeper out the door...and to the butcher's. We couldn't help but to laugh when he piled our purchases on the meat scale. Oh, yes! This is how he was going to weigh our treasures and estimate their shipping costs.

But I digress. I sent one tote to my own Big Sister and turned mine into a throw pillow ("cushion" in British English). Now a bit of Barga can highlight our living room. I'm considering doing the same with one of these jute sacks. Can you tell I'm going out of my way for inside projects this weekend?  Stay warm and cozy!

Wanna Dance

These little dancers have been zipping around the flat like fairies.

Maybe a clip only a mother could love, but I think there's something timeless about this tiny duo. Baby Sister (her hair self-styled, you should know!) ostensibly doing her own thing, but also eagerly holding out her hand to Big Sister, copying her big claps and cue to curtsy and gazing up at her sissie at the end. As if to say, "Did I do it? Was that good!?"

These two are so tickled that they found dance gear under the Christmas tree. They took a break from a Waltons marathon, touring all sorts of places and playing moms and LEGOs to twirl around while I aimed a camera in their direction.

Happy New Years from our tiny dancers and all of us.

In With the New

Happiest New Year!  We spent the waning days of 2012 among ancient stones and touring Salisbury Cathedral. Seeing Stonehenge, the Magna Carta and lots of English sheep in an afternoon. It is an amazing life for the smalls (us, too) these days.

We're mighty grateful for all of it. And getting sentimental, if not a bit weepy, about all these lasts thrown in with lots of firsts, and juggling a hugely ambitious travel "to do" list for 2013. While knowing full well that some of that travel will eventually include school and house hunting, too. But all of that is good news. We know we're very fortunate and are happy and appreciative. But sentimental knows my name and 'tis the season of reflection - looking back upon one year and looking forward to the next.

The best good news is that we're still on our break! That means tomorrow we'll finally be baking the gingerbread people we've talked about for a few weeks. You can be sure we'll all still be in our pajamas. I'm not rubbing it in. Remember when you were barbequeing in the middle of June and knee deep in swim meets while we were still slogging away with spelling lists? This is a tiny bit of just desserts for an exceedingly long school year.

Remember, too that soon after your many days at the pool that we were bouncing on Stonehenge? I'm not ashamed to say that when we stood in front of The Stones this week I reminded the kids of the giant bouncy monument on Hampstead Heath. More than a few sets of tiny eyes lit up with a renewed appreciation for what they were seeing in real life.

More soon and meanwhile, all the best for 2013 and much, much love.