2018~right around the frigid corner..

Bonne Année~

Happy New Year~

I love that gate above..

Christmas has come and gone~

It was so white and so pretty~

So much work for Jacques..and the snow removal people..but a Christmas..as if a postcard~

I love the feeling of a snowy day..walking into my daughter and son-in-laws' home Christmas eve and getting that feeling..

Christmas is a feeling..
the preparations..anticipations..yes..that's Christmas..

It's a feeling..that there is so much good around us.
Have to hang onto that..


It's seeing my family together..the ambiance my daughter creates..the food..the delicious food Fred prepped for days.

I think he could have fed "The Hill♥" ~Wink to Amanda;)

Looking at The Littles table..seeing Lucas now at the big table..having Giuliana and Adamo want to be with us on the eve..they are big kids now..adults..they could chose to be with friends etc..so nice to have them..

Giuliana is an expert make up artist:)Caroline gave her a perfect framed print with :"I came ,I saw,I contoured"~
♥ She loved it.
I was quite excited to give Adamo knives.. I think he liked them..he told me he makes a few awesome chicken dishes.

Fireworks..thanks to BIGGER BOYS  we had fireworks..as I watched I thought who is this lucky..? These Littles are soo lucky..family..food and fireworks.:)And a TON of snow!

The eve was brilliant.. blue skies and freshly fallen snow..in between cake etc preps..I went for a walk and snapped some nature..that is Christmas too..reflecting on the beauty of nature..not man made..

In the afternoon..my son-in -law and his dear friend came over and I aksed them to bring the cake over..heavy..:)

Lovely lovely Christmas eve.From beginning to end.

I know it's different for everyone..I read blogs where families are flying off to one family..sharing events..TG at one..Christmas at the other..  here we all live close..so close ..as in across the street down the lane..and the other 15 minutes away.

We've always done the eve and morning..my daughter took over the eve..Fred's mom..it's always Christmas day dinner..
 So so far there has not been a conflict of places.

Everyone is so different.

Here Christmas is all about the others lol..Jacques and I exchange nothing..we stopped maybe 30 years ago.Wait maybe more..

He's not a giftie guy.Never has been..
..lol his first business trips when we were first married,he was 33 ..I was 20..I bawled my eyes out because he never brought back a souvenir.:(
I would eye his suitcase as he opened it..and ..nope..nothing.

I grew up the baby of the family..the only girl after they had lost one..
so you can well imagine that if they had an extra dollar..I would be the recipient of something..small but that was us..

when I first started making money..babysitting..I would buy my mom something..she had a collection of el cheapo porcelain:)
But we did that..little tokens of love..
Ohmgee what a learning curve..

I must say though..I don't like lists and wish lists..I am an impossible romantic and I think you just know what someone would love..
I batted zero with J too at the beginning..I loved turtlenecks and corduroy blazers w/ patches..(Ryan O'Neal,Love Story lol)..he hates them ..hates anything around his neck....so honestly ..can't fault him .
He had the courtesy of wearing a jean shirt I embroidered for him..one year..OMGEE..brave man.

One thing made me so sentimental..if you have one moment..go read this..At Sarah's..she posted it on Instagram..♥


Christmas day itself..  it was a tad cloudier..but after lunch..in the aft..when everyone had left here..I strolled up the street and marveled at the sweet homes and how different things look in the snow..

Just like postcards every time I turned my head.

Different than Provence postcards..yet postcards nonetheless..

So ..2018..  let's hope it is gentle to all of us.For all of us.


PS.. The cake.. the cake was cute and I was excited by it..but the taste? Again..I should stick to tried and trues like a great chocolate cake..this was from COUNTRY LIVING..where I got the inspiration for the candy cane theme..

I made my icing..but their cake..not FAB..plus we are all so full by the time dessert comes around..:(
Sounds so terrible when so many have no food..

One of my dishes breakfast morning..lol bake time said 30 minutes..NO WAY Jose..more like 1 hr plus..

Southwestern breakfast strata

Not sure how it got 5 stars..
I made my 28ozs can of tomatoes weigh 20..and added 1/2 a can of diced hot  peppers..  drain all well also..like I did or you could have soup.

Finally..Happy and healthy New Year  to you....
I am looking forward to everything you all share so generously throughout the year.

I am sorry for the losses some of you have had this year.. so sorry:(

I am sorry for the ill health of some..

work worries..

no work worries..

family concerns,money concerns..

The floods..the fires.. the weather..the attacks..

I hope everything is so much better in 2018.

SOMUCHBETTER.

Looks like the weather is not cooperating..in F below..

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Extreme Cold Warning

Quebec

11 mins ago – Environment Canada

A multi-day episode of very cold wind chills continues. Bitterly cold Arctic air combined with brisk winds are generating wind chill values of minus 30 to minus 38 across ...