Caledonia

This post will end with me telling you about one of my most favorite musicians in the world, who I hope you will immediately listen to and fall in love with. But in order to do that, I need to give you a little back story.

Years ago (almost 12 years ago to be exact) I went to Scotland. My family roots are Scottish (among other things) and I met up with my dad and his wife to explore the country. Here's my dad and me in Edinburgh.

We could trace our family to two different clans, Grant and Menzies. My maiden name derives from the Menzies clan, so I was super-excited to walk the halls of Castle Menzies. (Sorry for the glare on the glass in the photo below, but you get the idea.)

I remember walking through Castle Menzies with a proprietary air, imagining my ancestors sleeping in the rooms and walking the halls. It wasn't until dinner that night that my dad broke the news: our ancestors weren't the ones to live in the castle. They were part of the clan, surely, but not at the top of the food chain, so to speak. Most likely they lived in a cottage somewhere on the clan lands. Here's a photo of my dad, explaining to me that, if the Castle Menzies was the big red napkin, then our family lived in the little white speck down the road.

Needless to say, this took me down a notch! However, it didn't diminish the distinct feeling of homecoming that I had when I went to Scotland. I've been there again since that first visit, and the feeling of home is the same each time. I don't know if it's a self-fulfilling prophecy or what, but there it is.

And now, on to the music. Have you ever heard of Dougie MacLean? That's pronounced Doo-gie Mac-Lean. He's Scottish. He's a folk singer-type. He's kind of like James Taylor but with even more of an acoustic, soothing thing going on. His music has the same effect on me as Vince Guaraldi and A Charlie Brown Christmas. It's calming and somehow makes me breathe a little slower when I listen to it.

Dougie MacLean wrote a song called "Caledonia" about Scotland, which is his home. (Caledonia is a somewhat more poetic name used for Scotland.) The lyrics are all about missing home. Going home. How home will take you, no matter what shape you're in or what you've done. Chances are that you treasure home, whether it's Scotland or somewhere else, as much as I do, or you wouldn't be here. I wonder if the song will speak to you the way it speaks to me?

Now, seriously, don't focus on the fact that Dougie MacLean looks a bit like an aging hippie here. Or that this video is cheesy. (It's the best version I could find on YouTube.) But if you end up falling in love with him like I did, may I recommend my favorite of his albums, called "Craigie Dhu." I hope it brings you a moment of peace this weekend!

Let me know what you think!

Can We Still Be Home for the Holidays?

[This post is dedicated to Edie of Life in Grace, who lost her home to fire a few days before Christmas. I can't imagine how you feel, and I pray your sense of home is restored, with much grace from God.]

I've been thinking a lot about the holiday season.

Christmas is my favorite time of year. Like most of us, I love the cozy nights by the fire, the excuses to see family, and the many special treats and traditions that we look forward to every December.

There's always something that bothers me, though. It starts to set in bright and early on December 26, and by January 2, it's full blown. The Let Down. Everyone talks about it, everyone fears it. I can't say why for the rest of you, but for me, here it is:

The holidays give us permission to value the things that are really important to us. We walk into a store and the songs are playing over the speakers: "Chestnuts roasting on an open fire," "There's no place like home for the holidays," "Since we've no place to go, Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!" It's like our whole culture allows one big recess from the usual focus on achievement, acquiring, and conquering. We are told it's acceptable, even preferable, to sock in, cuddle up, turn to our families and friends, and allow that to be enough.

I know we have control over our own lives and we can choose what messages we allow to penetrate during the other 11 months of the year. We can sock in and cuddle up anytime we want to, right? But somehow it just feels like the hurdles are bigger, and that we have to defend our choices a little harder.

Does anyone else just feel a bit bummed about having to get back in the fight?

In an attempt to remind myself that "home for the holidays" doesn't have to end after Christmas, I posted this quote in my kitchen:

It reads:

Winter is the time for comfort. For good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand, and for a talk beside the fire. It is the time for home.

--Edith Sitwell, British poet

May your January have as many open fires, chestnuts, and comforts of home as your December.

Biting the Silver Bullet, Part II

This silver thing has brought up a lot of helpful comments. Thank you to all of you who gave me a "recipe" for cleaning silver with baking soda. I am proud to announce that I tried it today! Googling "silver cleaning" and "baking soda" will give you quite a few recipes to go on, but I chose Real Simple's version because it was...ah...surprisingly real simple.

Basically I took 1/4 cup baking soda, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 quart boiling water. Mixed them all together, then poured it over my silver. (I lined a glass dish with tin foil for this little silver science experiment.)

What silver, you ask? Well, that's the other thing. The great irony is that, while I've been checking out antique shops for other people's old silver, I had my grandmother's complete set, beautiful and engraved, all ready to go in my own house.

I've kept it tucked away and only brought it out on special occasions. But why? Why not use it all the time? I've been pondering this. And in the meantime, I got the above recipe for cleaning silver, and decided to use it on my grandmother's stuff, and on other family pieces, like this bowl.

Just pour the mixture over your silver piece(s), and let them sit for a minute or two. My silverware was remarkably clean already, so you can't see much of a difference, but check out the before and after on this bowl!

So, back to the silverware. My blogging friend Sarah, over at Nesting in Pleasant View, encouraged me to use the precious stuff every day. She says "Use it, use it, use it! My mom's silver sat in a hutch for close to 40 years only being used maybe once every 5 years. The setting is very intricate, with a small rosebud on it and definitely looks more 'dressy' than my everyday plates and stuff. I threw caution out the window and decided that if I liked it, then I would use it. Now I can't imagine NOT using it....It makes me happy to stir my morning cup of coffee with a silver spoon that was a wedding present to my mom and dad."

So I did it! I swear, the hardest part was taking each piece out of that velvet-lined storage box, allowing it to come into the every day and being stored without an anti-tarnish guarantee. So far, so good.

I will let you know if it continues to go well. :)

Supermarket Hydrangeas

Wish I could tell you that I have hydrangeas in my yard. In fact, I wish I had the guts to show you how pathetic my backyard looks right now! Colorado is not kind to those of us who already have "the black thumb." We rely on sprinkler systems and a lack of hailstorms to keep things green around here. It's not good for people like me.

Anyway, it's lucky that my local supermarket sells flowers. I recently bought a bouquet of three hydrangeas and decided to spread the love throughout my house.

In my kitchen:

My family room:

And our bedroom:

See, this way I can pretend I live on a beautiful country estate where the smell of hydrangeas wafts onto my front porch and through my open French doors. Of course, in this fantasy, my house is clean, my kids sit quietly reading Charles Dickens, my personal chef prepares dinner, and I sit peacefully with my hydrangeas sipping a glass of wine.

What?

The Queen Bee Book Review, Part II

Recently I picked up the book "Feeling at Home" by Alexandra Stoddard at my local library. It really got me thinking about the purpose(s) of my home and how it makes me feel.

Here are a few examples:

We can't just plunk furniture around a room and expect to have the space come alive. There has to be some emotional integrity to what is selected. In the case of using inherited furniture we don't like, it can become a trap. We feel guilty not using it, but it is wrong for us. It is also tempting to buy "just-for-now" pieces (cheap furniture that is not well made or well designed), purchased as a stopgap.

Think of your home as a place of healing. Light a candle. Play some favorite Mozart or Beethoven. Bake a Shaker lemon pie, clean out a messy kitchen drawer, sit in a favorite chair and read to a child, or have a nap...

Our home should be a safe, private place where we can discover and rediscover our passions, what interests we want to pursue, what enthusiasms we've found fascinating...Each of us is an individual with unique talents, gifts that need to be explored for us to feel real fulfillment in our short lives.

Interesting stuff, huh? It got me thinking about this ad for Twinings tea that I see in some of my home magazines (stay with me, I have a point!):

Every time I see it, I stop and stare for a minute. Something about the rain against the window in the photo, and the idea of slowing down to enjoy a comforting cup of tea. I love it. How does this relate to the book?

Because it prompts me to pursue a "safe, private place," a "place of healing" in my home. This chair next to my fireplace, sitting quietly with a cup of tea, is that place for me. It's so easy to look at your house as a war zone for your kids, a showplace, a party location, or just a big old mess that needs to be cleaned and painted and organized. Me? I think of my home as all of those things.

But sometimes I force myself to slow down, close the curtains, turn on some Van Morrison, and just curl up in my favorite chair. I have to be intentional to create that place of healing in my home. I have to force myself to leave the dishes, the laundry, and the toys on the stairs. I actually long for cloudy days around here (few and far between in Denver!) because its easier to curl up and take that time for myself. I guess that's why the rain on the window in the photo gets me every time!

I encourage you to think about ways to create a "place of healing" for yourself in your home. And share with us how you do! I think we can all use a little inspiration...I know I can!

Un-Edited Decorating

Sometimes blogging can give people an unrealistic sense of my life. The photos look pretty, everything is clean, and anything I don't want to show can just be cropped out of the photo.

Here's an example: remember this ceramic pot? I wrote about it here. I've always thought it was fabulous!

My almost-one-year-old baby Henry didn't think it was so fabulous.

Little troublemaker decided that Mama's pot looked better on the floor. And that the dirt looked better in his ear. (Don't worry, he wasn't hurt...just entertained by the big crash he made!)

So, I did a little redecorating.

No cropping. No editing. Just lots of dirt in my boy's ear and a nice, non-breakable pot.

My New Favorite Christmas CD

The day after Thanksgiving we love to drive up to the little town of Estes Park, Colorado, where they hold an annual Christmas parade just after sunset. The lights of the parade, the pretty floats and Christmas characters, and the music is just magical!

We all bundle up, as you can see!

This year we wandered into a little shop and discovered Peregrin Road, a local acoustic band. They were just sitting there, live, playing music from their Christmas CD, which I bought on the spot! It's a beautiful mix of guitar, Irish whistle (my favorite) and other things this non-musical person cannot identify.

All I can tell you is that I've been listening to this CD non-stop. Although Frank, Bing, Tony and the rest of the crew will always have top billing at my house, sometimes you just need a little variety in your Christmas music! I love to play this during my (few) moments of peace, or at night when the kids are in bed.

I promise I don't know these guys, and they are not paying me to say this! I just found something that brings me a little calmness and peace during the Christmas season, and wanted to share. Their CD sells on Amazon, or you can go to their website directly to listen and download. If you have a few minutes, I highly recommend it!

Have a great weekend!

Easy Holiday Potpourri

I meant to share this with you all last week, but the giveaway kind of took over! However, as I sit down to write, my house smells wonderful, so it's the perfect inspiration.

Next time you're at the grocery store, pick up these easy three ingredients: oranges (or little clementines work well too), cinnamon sticks, and whole cloves. Peel an orange or two and allow the peels to dry (you'll use the peels only, not the fruit itself). Put all three ingredients in a pot and cover them with water, then simmer on the stove. Sit back and wait for your house to smell amazing.

Bring on the holidays!