Winter Blooms

I know it's only January, but I'm always in search of winter-blooming plants and flowers.  My hellebore has been blooming all fall and winter, and as the weather warms up a bit, the lovely white flowers are thriving.

Also, I picked up my first bowl of primroses, and they are on the porch, greeting everyone who stops by.

Primroses at Flower World

I made my way last Thursday to Flower World to pick up some primroses, the first real color of the distant spring.  I'm longing for warm, longer days, and Flower World always has something for me to take home to brighten up the house and yard.

It's time to linger over seed catalogs and get my orders in.  Can't wait!

A Walk Around Lake Tye in Monroe

Polly, Don and I needed some serious exercise last week after being house-bound after weeks of wet, soggy weather.  Between squalls, we geared up and headed to Lake Tye in Monroe.  It felt so good to be out and walking.  We had a nice walk around the lake, and even Polly fell asleep on the way home (always a good sign!).

Faye and Wendell's Birthday

The first week of January, my aunt and uncle have their birthdays.  Faye turned 80 this year, and Wendell turned 81.  We got together with my cousins and second cousins and had a wonderful Italian dinner and cake on January 9.  It was good to see everyone again, and to celebrate these two lives.

We made Faye and Wendell an apple pie, and he didn't want to wait until he got home to try it!

Mike, Don and me

Polly's 10th Birthday

Polly turned 10 on January 19, and we have had her for two years now.  She is a wonderful dog, small and compact, kind and loving, and a great companion.

Don and I took her to the park and then to her favorite dog boutique in Mill Creek Town Center, Paddywack.  She got to go into the store and pick out two toys.  She had a great time.  I also picked up a dog-friendly tiny birthday cake and three "pupcakes".  Polly got to keep one, and we gave two to Henry and Gracie, Polly's best friends across the street.

Getting ready for "dog-cake"!

Polly with her new birthday toy (tired girl)

Birthday cake and "pupcakes"

Isn't this a cute dog-healthy cake?

Collage of December Christmas Party

Here is a collage I created of my December 12 Christmas Party.  We had so much fun!

First Snow of 2016

Don and I took a Sunday drive to Duvall a couple of weeks ago.  There was no trace of snow when we left home, but once we got to Duvall and the Snoqualmie Valley Trail, light snow was falling. We took a short hike, grabbed lunch, and headed home.  It was snowing in earnest by then.

We had a fun ride home, and it looked like a winter wonderland in Maltby!

Don down by the river

Our Driveway

Front Yard

Shopping at Joyworks in Downtown Snohomish

The first order of the New Year for me was to drive down to old historic Snohomish to shop at my favorite store!  The downtown area has been beautifully restored, with many lovely shops and restaurants to try out.  It's one of the best reasons to live in this area, besides being close to the Maltby Cafe, Flower World, and Snoqualmie Gourmet Ice Cream!

Here are a few shots of the interior of the store.  It's one of those places that you can spend a lot of time in--the two floors are beautifully decorated with new and old items.  I never go away from this place empty-handed!

I love the blue interior of this old cupboard!

That watering can would look good in my collection.

This is the "White Room"

A beautiful Spring tableau

a Quiet New Year's Day

I usually spend most of New Year's Day taking down the Christmas decorations and the tree.  This year, I had so many things to pack up that I started a day early so I could finish by the end of the day.  My planning worked, and I finished late Friday, moving all of the packed items into the garage for transfer to the overhead garage storage area.

We had a Mexican food feast, with super nachos, tortilla soup, queso fundido, and some good wine.  It was a fun day!

Day Trip to LaConner

After the holidays, we were getting a little bit of cabin fever, so we packed up Polly and headed out to LaConner last week.  It was cold, but clear and dry, so we felt that it was the best day this week to have a road trip.

We got up to Conway in less than an hour, and stopped at Pasek Winery's tasting room.  Don chose a red wine for us to try, and we then headed on to the town of LaConner.

It was around 30 degrees, so we did a little walking along the Swinomish Channel, and then headed back home.  This little town always attracts many visitors, and we couldn't even find a parking spot in town.

I got a lot of nice pictures, and we'll be back in a few months for the Tulip Festival.

Christmas Day Scavenger Hunt

After eating Christmas dinner and opening our gifts, we all jumped in the car for our annual Christmas scavenger hunt.  It was too cold to be outside looking for clues, so we got into two cars and traveled caravan-style on a five-mile loop to see who could get the most items crossed off of their list.

It was fun driving through the countryside in Snohomish looking for any of the 12 items listed.  It's always a close contest between Kaila and Matthew, but Kaila won by a few points.  We had so much fun.  Here we all are in front of the picket fence and our new Santa!  Nice job, everyone!

Opening Presents

Here's my mom, Matt and Kaila opening their gifts. Santa was good to everyone this year!

Christmas With Our Family

Here we all are, enjoying dinner and each other.  It's so good to be together on this special day.

Getting Ready for Christmas Dinner

Here I am in the kitchen, preparing our holiday feast!  The table is ready, the appetizers are out, and we are almost ready to get the celebration started.  Merry Christmas!

Christmas on the Porch

I love to decorate the porch each year, as it is the threshold that joins the wintry, outside world with the interior decorations. It's so happy-looking!

Decorating Cookies for the Holiday

A couple of years ago, Don was perusing the King Arthur Flour Company catalog, and came across a couple of cookie cutters that intrigued him.  He promptly ordered them, and we've been having fun making and decorating them.  The theme of the vintage red pickup truck with a Christmas tree in the back has become a new sub-theme for our Christmas decorations.

Here we are, hard at work the night before Christmas!

An Apple Pie Dish From My Friend Liz

My best friend Liz sent me a great Christmas gift from Williams-Sonoma.  This is the most beautiful covered pie dish I have ever seen!  It works well, and I had to test it out by making our Christmas Apple-Cranberry pie in it.

Decorating the House for the Holidays

Here are a few pictures of the house inside all decorated!  We have so much fun making every room in the house look like Christmas!  Thanks to Don and Polly for their assistance.