Frozen in Time

Snow.

White crystals fall from heavy gray skies.

Bitter howling winds whirling cold fingers

that curl around this old house.

Whistling through cracks and crevices.

Winter in Michigan.

Snow crystals turn.

Hard driving icy pellets smother limbs and branches.

Growing heavy,

bending

bowing

popping

cracking

and then crashing to the cold unyielding earth.

Stripped.
Cracked.
Broken.

I awake to the crashing.

Wincing.

Prayers instantly lift.

Whispering safety for us,

for protection of our beloved trees

and for the wildlife we feed.

Icicles cling.

Grow.

Freezing rain driving down.

I look out frosty windows.

My heart craves southern warmth and sand between my toes,

not the frigid north and icy eyelashes.

A favorite ancient Wolf River stands stoic.

Clinging to deep red apples too high to pick.

"Wren Tree" succumbs.

Breaking...like our hearts.

Splitting in two.

Our favorite shady maple that was so full and beautiful.

Birds found refuge there.

Our little wren made her home there every year.

She will have to find another.

We will miss her sweet song,
and hope that she returns to find refuge in the cherry trees instead.

Clean up is continuous

with wary eyes cast upwards at drooping, snapping branches.

Neighbors offer help. 

Our hearts full of gratitude.

The earth seems to sleep in the cold.

The generator hums.

Going to bed in warmth

but waking to cold for three days.
I feel grumpy instead of grateful.

And then...

sunshine from clear, azure skies.

Not warm, but bright.

Our eyes close against it,

seeing it behind our lids.

Amazed by the piercing color.

Wishing it would melt the ice,

but it does not.

The trees sparkle.

Twigs click their iciness.

Dark shadows dance across white under glittering treetops.

A walk to the barn brings numb fingers and a red nose.

The garden sleeps...frozen in time...

as I dream of Spring.

~  Eucharisteo  ~

Linking to the linky parties on the lower right of my sidebar.

Christmastide

With only a few more days until Christmas,
I realized that I had better share some of the Christmas love that is embracing this old farmhouse.

However, the pre-Christmas season started out with two refrigerators appearing in our kitchen.
Like *magic*.

The large, pretty one in the dining area was given to us by a thoughtful, loving niece...
for free.
Yep.
Free.
We couldn't turn it down.

We hauled it in through our French doors and there it sat until I had time to clean out our current frig
(which we moved out into our garage).
The ancient frig in the garage was then given to a neighbor who was in need of one,
and even though we stressed the word ancient, he still wanted it.
We loved paying the kindness forward.

Now, cleaning refrigerators is not my most favorite thing to do.
It's just not fun, as you all well know.
I cleaned three of them in one day.
Ugh.

But once I had them all sparkling clean,
I couldn't wait to feed my slight OCD tendencies by organizing our food in the new one.

Look at all the room in there!
It's 3" deeper than our old one,
and the nice, deep shelves on the doors just roll my socks up and down.
I am beyond thrilled!
It was free...people.
Free!

And it's even got a fancy water and  ice doohicky on the door.
I tell ya....
my socks are still rolling up and down.

We actually now have a less-than-15-year-old refrigerator (which we've never had)
that is giving us more space than we've ever had before.
Did I mention that it was free?
It doesn't get any better than that, especially at Christmastime.
Bless you, Charlette and Tim!

So, after doing the happy dance in front of my new frig with my socks doing their own thing around my ankles,
and watching the eyebrows raise on the Mister,
I turned my attention to Christmas decor.
I hauled my now organized holiday tubs down from the attic.
(A couple weeks ago, I organized all my tubs
and gave 5 huge boxes of red/white Christmas decor to Goodwill.
That felt so good!)

Christmas then bloomed softly here at Heaven's Walk.

Enjoy.

♥

Christmas dream catchers ready to mail out to a customer.

A new little flocked pink tree in the corner dressed in vintage ornaments.
The pink being another nod to breast cancer research
(like my Sacred Hope Hearts are).

I wrapped some boxes in craft paper and tied them with linen and satin ribbon.

This sweet little heart was a thoughtful handcrafted gift from Laura.

Thank you, Laura!

Roses are always a part of the decor here ~ no matter the season.

Vintage silvery blue ornaments fill a wooden tray next to an glittery aqua candle.

The stockings were hung by the fireplace with care...

A sweet little doves sits quietly on a pink velvet bow amidst crystal covered pines.

A new vintage deer and pine tree ornament cradled next to a mercury class candlestick holder.

Decor was kept very, very simple in the kitchen.

An antique bowl was filled with more vintage ornaments.

I added more crystals to the chandelier for some extra holiday sparkle,
and a small flocked fir takes center stage.

The snow swirled and blew past the windows on this cold wintry day...

and while my husband and Maizie trekked out to feed the deer in Apple Meadow behind the barn...

I stayed warm and cozy inside.

Heaven's Walk is ready to celebrate the reason for the season.





...And on earth...peace and goodwill to all....


~  Eucharisteo  ~

Linking to the linky parties on the lower right of my sidebar.

Hairnets and Cocktails

Surgery day for my mini-lumpectomy came and went like a foggy, blur.

I was strangely calm right up to the moment we walked into the surgical center,

when little butterflies started fluttering in my stomach.

I know that the feeling of peace had everything to do with all of the prayers being whispered on my behalf.

Thank you all SO much!  ♥

You never quite realize how much being prayed for makes such a big difference,

until you are the one being prayed for.

Believe me...

it makes all the difference in the world.

My sweet, supportive husband was by my side every minute.

We actually laughed our way through my change of "attire" in preparation for the operating room.

After pulling on a strange, hugely oversize, hospital gown 

which despite it's size, 

turned out to be quite the cat's meow because it was plugged in to a sort of hose that swathed my body 

in warm, comforting air.

Kind of like being inside a nice, warm balloon. 

The nurses kept telling me that the gown wasn't oversized.

I was just tiny.

TINY?

Really??

Ok.  

I'll take that.

And then...

and then...

I was given a hairnet.

WHAT?

A hairnet?

Nobody told me about any hairnets.

This girl doesn't wear hats much less hairnets.

Good gravy.  

My hair was going to be a disaster the rest of the day.

Oh sweet vanity.

It took me 15 minutes trying to figure out how to stuff all my hair inside of it

and still look presentable.

Presentable for whom, you may ask?

I don't know.

The cute anesthesiologist?

I became quite popular for the next hour with one nurse starting an antibiotic IV,

another taking my vitals,

and yet another asking me numerous medical history questions.

Everyone was amazed that I had never had any surgeries

"for someone my age".

Niiice. 

Thank you very much.

At least you consider me "tiny".

A visit from the anesthesiologist,

the surgeon's assistant,

and finally the anesthesiologist's nurse who started my "nether-world cocktail"

which whirled me off to sweet la-la land...

*  *  *  *  * *  *

Ninety minutes later in real time,

[two minutes in "nether-world" time]

I was rolled back into my room.

My chest wrapped tightly like a stuffed sausage. 

I turned to my husband and said,
"Wow, was that ever a great nap. They need to market that stuff."

We celebrated the moment with cocktails of ice water

and crackers with cheese.

So romantic.

Especially with that fashionable hairnet still on my head.

Wobbling my way into my clothes while clinging to my husband's arm,

I was then escorted like royalty in a wheelchair to the back door

[probably because my hair looked like heck and they didn't want me going out the front door]

where they loaded me up into our SUV and we thankfully headed for home sweet home.

Tucked onto my love seat with a thick pink throw and a green smoothie nearby,

I sunk back into a deep sleep...

happily hairnet-less.

~  Eucharisteo  ~

Linking to the linky parties on the lower right of my sidebar.

Gratitude & A Giveaway Winner

On another cold, cloudy breezy day here at Heaven's Walk,

I spent the day washing linens;

reveling in the scent of my favorite detergent and dryer sheets filling the warm house with sweetness.

Pillows were stripped and piled high on sofas.

New pillow slips were pulled from the linen closet.

I tossed and arranged.

Re-tossed and rearranged.

Grumbled and complained how the mix of fabric patterns just wasn't making it.

A quick look at a friend's blog post photos.

Back to the linen closet.

More scented pillow slips in my arms.

Do the "dash and turn".

Frown.

Sigh.

More re-tossing and rearranging.

Another "dash and turn".

Hmmmmm...

My goal was to create a mixed goodness of shabby chic prairie-type patterns.

A room of simple rustic sweetness with a touch of elegance.

A mish-mash of dusty pink, smoky blue, sage green, and white.

Florals spilling over stripes grounded by solids.

I truly think there is a special talent in creating the perfect blend of patterns.

Magic takes place when it's done right.

While I contemplated my feeble attempt at this magic,

I was suddenly overwhelmed by a feeling of gratitude.

Gratitude for a warm house on a cold day.

For down-filled pillows held in my arms.

For the sound of the dryer rumbling softly in the basement.

For fresh roses in vintage vases.

For big old barns and acres of trees.

For another year of being able to hug my mother and father.

For a loving, devoted husband.

For my furry little heartbeats at my feet.

For a God who loves me fiercely and unconditionally.

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A sighed whisper. 

"Thank you, Lord."

I reached for the basket which held slips of paper with friends' names on them

who had entered my giveaway for Rachel Ashwell's new book, 

"Couture Prairie and Flea Market Treasures".

I closed my eyes.

"Thank you for my blog sisters, Father."

I reached in and picked out a slip of folded paper.

It read:  Maureen Hayes

Congratulations, sweet Maureen!

I will contact you for your address!

Maureen has a beautifully inspiring blog called "Being Chronically Ill is a Pill".
Please stop in, say 'Hi", and leave an encouraging message for her.
You will be blessed by her thoughtful, giving, and grateful heart!

♥

Thank you ALL for being such supportive and encouraging followers.

 Thank you for your sweet comments,

your outpouring of love,

and your continued prayers.
You ladies rock!

I feel so blessed to be a part of this wonderful community!

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I pray for you each

Comfort

Peace

Health

Healing

Have a blessed Thanksgiving everyone!

Eucharisteo!

~  Blessings  ~

Linking to the linky parties on the lower right of my sidebar.