The tiny happinesses of a busy life

It seems as though the busier times in my life, such as this fall has been for me, require lots of fun and happiness to keep me going. Thankfully, the busy-ness of November has simply involved a whole series of fun and happy events doing the things I love to do, spent with the people that I know and love. To be completely honest, it has felt happy the way Christmas is supposed to feel(but never does) and for that I am grateful, since we are in fact, now going into the holiday season, which I so dread. I now feel much more fortified and able to deal with the stresses and mental tiredness that Christmas brings.

November started off with the happiest of things, a visit from Parents!



This visit included a lovely tea with friends and my dear, sweet mother. It couldn't have been more perfect.






We then had a series of crazy things happen in life which required cake as a solace, so I made a happy visit to Pangea bakery and cafe, which I adore!!

I enjoyed the green tea mousse with oolong tea - this was a real treat.

And I took a few little egg custards home to share with Matthew.

The end of the month has really been lovely with celebrating Thanksgiving and simply enjoying time with friends. I've also indulged in a few little purchases: tiny pans, persimmons, funny christmas cards, etc.

The persimmon is for reference so that viewers will understand just how tiny this pan is!!



I've also been thoroughly enjoying persimmons from the Japanese market



The pan is just adorable and fits perfectly under my broiler. I always have so much trouble fitting a full sized pan under the broiler that I bought these little ones for that purpose, but also to have on hand for baking tiny squashes and other small baking jobs. Maybe I should make some itty bitty cookies on them? that might just be too cute!! =)

Well, whether I'm ready or not, Christmas is on it's merry way and I've finally started to face this fact!!

Here are a few fun cards that I thought match so perfectly my Christmas sentiments

Might be the wrong gender to be me, but the sentiment is the same =)

Hey! that's the way to make punch!! Gin Punch, that is!!

Tis the season for Gin, Gin and more Gin! =)

The Holiday display at Hillcrest Hardware - one of my all time favorite places to do my Christmas shopping!!

a little grumpy bear

 I started crocheting this little panda bear rattle a few weeks back, but when I started photographing him, I realized he's almost too smug and saucy looking to give to a baby. He might frighten a baby with his grumpy visage. But, then again, maybe that's okay since babies are often grumpy their own tiny selves.

 I used a tiny bell stuffed inside the filling to give the rattle a very soft sound. I know babies like interesting noises but parents prefer quieter toys. In the future, I might make the handle ring a little bit smaller. Sometimes I forget just how teeny-tiny, itty-bitty a baby's hands are. 

Wow! that's a grumpy little face! kinda cute though =)

Images of a happy Christmas

Below are a few Images from my cheerful Christmas. Yes, I actually did enjoy Christmas this year! So weird, I know!


Mistletoe reflecting in a silver dish. Sadly, this bunch of mistletoe wasn't hanging in a doorway, therefore, no cheerful Christmas kiss. Maybe next year!


A basket of Christmas crackers. So much fun from such a small and silly toy.


A delicious, juicy pear crostata - My Grandmother and I baked it together. It reminded me of all the amazing things she taught me when we would make cookies, pies and cakes together when I was a child.


The Little disapproving owl - I found him on the window sill and he made my entire day better. I couldn't find him anywhere a few days later; I guess he just came for a Christmas day visit. A much more preferable visitor than Santa (in my opinion).

Not a total grinch!

Despite Matthew's insistence, I'm not entirely a little green grinch. Admittedly, I spend most of November and December growling and harumphing as Christmas approaches, but that's just because it always feels terribly unsuccessful.

This year, I didn't leave my Halloween decorations up until Valentine's day. In fact I took them down before the end of November(unheard of in our household) and replaced them with Christmas decorations.



As proof of my ungrinchlyness, here's a couple photos of my wee pink tree. I never put the baby tree up last year and I've regretted it for the past 11 months. It certainly helped spur me to set up the tree when my dear friend May sent me some darling Hello Kitty Ornaments in the mail.



I even made tiny presents to go under the tree.

We're turning into little bears!

Well almost...we sure are sleeping a lot and then waking up and wanting to sleep some more. I think our little bodies are trying to hibernate. I wore a thick fall coat(two in fact) because it was so cold and rainy yesterday. If I suddenly start sprouting little round ears on the top of my head and my nose become big and pointy and my body doubles in size, we'll know what happened.


Aaaaarrr!

Magical gate to another world

I came up with a theory today: the shop contains a magical portal into another world.

So often people come into the shop and we go through the usual, "hello, how are you today?" "oh fine thanks, I'm just looking" "okay well let me know if I can help you with anything." I see them go to the back of the store, look at the shelf unit in the kitchen and after that point I never see them again, not even leaving the store. I've even gone in search of people upstairs and in the bathroom because I never see them leave and I wonder what has happened to them. Surely I can't be so oblivious as to miss entirely someone's exit from the back of the store to the front door.

I am now quite sure that the door way between the front of the shop and the back room can transport those who know how to use it into a magical world. Otherwise, how else do these people disappear? I never hear the back door open or close, I never see them leave via the front door, I never find them wandering around upstairs or nor even crouched in the bathroom.

Now I want to know, what magical fairyland are these people transporting into? And can I come?

curmudgeonliness

Matthew and I have this terrible disease: curmudgeonliness. Hopefully we can find a cure soon. Although it's awfully fun to complain about things. A coworker said she read a study which suggests that complaining is the main human mode of communication. It is the main way that we get to know and understand each other. Hmmm...why can't we all just make cheerful declarations about our favorite things all the time, like Maria in The Sound of Music?