Important Dates

Hi Friends!

Check out my new *very favorite* piece of artwork designed by the super-lovely and very creative Mel over at The Larson Lingo.   Isn't it fabulous?!? It's a list of all of our birthdays and our wedding anniversary.  I love that it's one-of-a-kind (unless, of course, there are people out there with our exact same dates [which would be incredibly weird and a little spooky...]).  I know exactly where I'm going to hang it once the Christmas decorations come down.  For now, I've got it in my craft room so I can enjoy it while I'm wrapping.

Have a fantastic day!

XO,

Vicki

Around Here

(source)

Hi Friends!  Feeling kind of random today, so I thought I'd do an "around here" post.

Feeling:  proud that I got my butt out of bed this morning and went to Boot Camp.

Thinking:  that Buster smells so much better after yesterday's bath.

Wishing:  we'd get some snow this week!

Watching:  nothing right now, but I did watch a little bit of football yesterday.

Hearing:  Mindy Gledhill's new Christmas album.  It's a good one.

Tasting:  the last of my venti non-fat chai tea latte.

Seeing:  lots of presents under the Christmas tree.

Needing:  to finish up the last of my custom mini-album order.

Reading:  The Family Fang.  Loving it!

Hoping:  that everyone loves the gifts I picked out for them.

Hope you have a super-duper day!

XO,

Vicki

Sentimental Fool

Hi Friends--

I wish I could say it was only around Christmas time that I get all sappy and sentimental, but the truth is, I'm a big 'ole ball of sappiness pretty much all year 'round.  I can't help it;  I just love things that remind me of favorite memories and special people.  I think that's why I love to go antiquing so much.  I love running across treasures that remind me of happy times.  Every year I get positively giddy about unwrapping my Christmas decorations. 

Hello, beautiful feather angel girls that belonged to my Grandma:

Hello, cross-stitch ornament made by my mom (she made a matching mini one that she attached to my wedding garter!):

Hello, very favorite felt ornament made by my Grandma:

Hello set of matching iceskates, one for John, and one for me:

Hello, handsome husband wearing his football uniform made by his Grandma (yes, I did marry the high school quarterback!):

Hello set of St. Nicks hand-carved by my Papa:

 Hello, gorgeous shiny ornaments hand-picked by Tommy each year that I use for my centerpiece on my dining room table:

Hello, handprint card made by Jack when he was 5:

 Hello, fabulous, colorful, meaningful banner made by my mom:

 Hello, fun banner made by my Grandma Dorothy:

Hello, Mary and Joseph waiting inside the manger that my Dad built:

Hello, Christmas time.  I love you and all of your sappy, sentimental goodness!

XO,

Vicki

Random Memory//Feeding the Birds

Hi Friends--

For my 40th birthday, my sister took me to Paris.  For real.  We packed a lifetime of memories into that trip:  we ate crepes by the Eiffle Tower, shopped on the Champs Elysees, admired the Mona Lisa, walked the halls of Versailles, and watched naked ladies dance in Moulin Rouge.  We got lost, fell for a classic tourist scam, mastered the Metro, startled natives with our boisterous American laughter, and completely fell in love with the beauty of the City of Lights.  Of all the things we did, though, my very favorite memories of Paris are of sitting in Les Tuileries watching the natives and other tourists.  Our hotel was close to the Louvre and Les Tuileries and every day Christy and I managed to sneak in at least an hour sitting by the fountains.  It was so lovely.

I was glancing at some photos this morning, and this one immediately reminded me a picture Christy took of a woman feeding birds in Paris:

We thought it was simply amazing that she was feeding the birds by hand.  So amazing, in fact, that I immediately ran off to find some bread so I could feed the birds, too.  Look how happy I am feeding the birds!  Look at me just throwing the birds some yummy bread!  Here birdies!  Have some fresh-baked bread!

Wow!  Would you look at that! One landed right on my knee!  Look at me!  I must be the bird whisperer!  My!  What big claws you have!

Oh, goodness!  Two birds are in my lap!  Well, isn't this something!  You know what?  You little birds are heavier than you look.  And your little talons are kind of sharp.  And your red eyes are a little freaky up close.   Um...Christy? I think I might need some help here.

Hey! Let go of my bag of bread you little buggers! Seriously, Christy?!?  Stop taking pictures and come rescue me!

Needless-to-say, I'm still having nightmares about the birds.  And you better believe I no longer eat bread outside.  Ever.    : )

XO,

Vicki

An Open Letter to Mother Nature

Dear Mother Nature,

Hello!  I hope this finds you enjoying the holiday season.  Are you finished with your Christmas shopping?  Me, too!  I'd say everything is just about perfect around here.  Except the weather.  Frankly, MN, the weather up here in Wisconsin is pretty darn dismal.  Oh, sure, you did a bang-up job with fall.  I especially enjoyed the work you did in early November.  Stunning work, MN, stunning!  December, however, has been a little less than stellar.  This drizzle and fog and the gloomy skies?  Not working for me.  I know you're probably pretty busy right now, what with everyone wishing for a white Christmas and all, but could you spare a few moments to send a little snow this way?  It sure would make things look a little more festive around here.  I'd prefer a full day of the big, heavy flakes, followed by a sunny day so everything sparkles a bit.  I hope I'm not asking too much.

Thanks in advance!

XO,

Vicki

PS  I am a huge fan.  Love the hat, by the way!

The Paris Wife//Book Review

 

“This beautifully written story captures that electric time, the 1920's in that electric city, Paris, through the eyes of Hadley Hemingway, Ernest Hemingway's first wife. While Hadley reveals the strengths and, ultimately the weaknesses in her complex and fascinating marriage, readers are treated to a novel rich in detail and riddled with real-life characters who fascinate us all.”

-- Jeanne Regentin, Between the Covers, Harbor Springs, MI

 

 

Hi Friends!

 

It's been a good while since I've swooned over a book the way I swooned over Paula McLain's The Paris Wife. It's good, friends.  Really good.

 

The Paris Wife is the love story of the remarkable Hadley, and her equally remarkable (and somewhat difficult) husband, Ernest Hemingway. Oh, I know what you're thinking,  "Eew!  Hemingway!  Who wants to read about that womanizing bore!"  I admit I was a little reluctant, too.  But this beautifully-written book is about Hemingway's early years, before he had four wives and a line of rustic, manly furniture named after him at Ethan Allen.  The writing is gorgeous.  Simply gorgeous.  McLain's vivid descriptions of Paris in the 1920's are worth the price of the book, alone.  And I loved that the minor "characters" were the all other authors I read in college:  Gertrude Stein, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ezra Pound, etc.  Oh, to have lived in Paris in the 1920's!  I'm not going to lie, finishing the last few chapters proved difficult for me; I wasn't ready to let Hadley go (John always laughs at me when I say this).  She's definitely a "character" I'll carry around with me for a while. 

 

Go pick up The Paris Wife, and get ready to swoon.

 

XO,

Vicki

PS I didn't really like any of the Hemingway I read in high school and college, but this book made me want to run right out and re-read everything he wrote!  I'm going to start with A Moveable Feast.

A Simple Thank You

Hi Friends!

Well, it's official, my first semester as an Adjunct Professor is over.

I submitted my final grades last night.

And while I will miss this group of students a whole big bunch, I can honestly say they are ready to move on. They'll go on to be outstanding nurses, law enforcement officers, and administrative assistants. They'll work in hotels, assisted living centers, and fisheries. You know what they won't be doing in any of those places? Identifying gerunds and adjectives and adverbs. Not a single one of them has aspirations to be a writer. But every single one of them can write. They had so much to say this semester and no problem saying it in writing. They wrote about abortion, and their strained relationships with their parents, and getting pregnant at 16. They wrote about how much they loved their grandmas, their children, and their spouse. They taught me how to change my oil, brew a perfect cup of tea, and install a thumpin' stereo system in my car. And while they might have come in a little miffed about having to take my class, they worked hard, anyway. They showed up for class, every single time. They learned about "autos" and "turkeys" and "fish". They teased me like crazy and were never afraid to argue their points. They played silly icebreaker games and baked each other birthday cakes. They were happy for the person whose paper was used as a good example. They worried when someone missed more than one class. Is this normal? I don't think so. I don't remember ever baking a cake for any of my classmates or paying attention to whether or not someone missed two classes in a row. And I certainly didn't have half, heck, even a fraction of the outside pressure that my students have to deal with every day: work, marriage, kids, car troubles, finances. I have the utmost respect for those who are juggling real life and college. It can't be easy.

Last week some of my students brought me gifts and thank you cards. I'm not going to lie, I got a little choked up; work, marriage, kids, bills, finances, and they still thought to thank their Intro to College Writing teacher. I will never forget my first class of FVTC students. I wish them nothing but all of life's very best.

XO,

Vicki