Christmas at the Aurora Colony

The Aurora Colony is a 30 minute drive from Portland, Oregon.
Each year they celebrate Christmas with an interactive walk through the history of the colony.
Volunteers play the different parts and guide their guests through the museum by candle light.
It had been a long time since I had visited the colony for Christmas and it was a delight recently to walk through history by candle light.
German and Swiss emigrants, established and lived in the Aurora Colony, a Christian communal society, from 1856 to 1883. The story they shared on this evening was the preparations for
a wedding in the colony at Christmas time.
The pageant was fun to visit, but just seeing the museum decorated for Christmas put me into the spirit of the holiday.
What do you do that puts you into the spirit of the season?
Click on the collage to see the pictures in more detail.

O Tannenbaum, O Christmas Tree

My tree this year in the daylight.

My tree in the evening light.

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree,
Your branches green delight us.
They're green when summer days are bright;—
They're green when winter snow is white.
O, Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree,
Your branches green delight us!

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree,
You give us so much pleasure!
How oft at Christmas tide the sight,
O green fir tree, gives us delight!
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree,
You give us so much pleasure!


The Christmas tree delights me.
Seeing all the beautiful decorations in blogland
has been fun; so let the holiday begin
with great celebration.
The teapot is sitting ready for your visit.
A few cookies and peanut brittle are waiting.
Come by for holiday celebrating each day over the next week.

A Mad Hatter Tea Party

The table is ready for a Mad Hatter Tea Party.

Why not start at the end sharing the sweets.
There were Dormouse Cookies, Meringue Mushrooms, and Eat Me Red Velvet Cupcakes.

Bread and Butterflies were served.

White Rabbits Tea Sandwiches with carrots and raisins.
The Queen of Hearts egg salad sandwiches with just a touch of chili paste.

It is a fun tradition each year as I plan and produce Lily's Christmas Tea.
Lily and her family started coming to my home when Lily was 4 years old and now she is 12 years old. I think we have only missed one or two years. It is so much fun to surprise the family with the theme each year. This year I read Alice in Wonderland and made notes.
Then I started planning.
Of course we would have Orange Marmalade for the scones, this was at the original Mad Hatter Tea Party.
Then before the party we had a game of croquet sent from the Queen of Hearts herself. The flamingos didn't always cooperate, but in the end there were two winners.

There was also Cheshire Cat Smile turkey sandwiches and Mushroom Caps too.

The tea of course said Drink Me and plenty of tea was imbibed.

Now you would think that would be the end of it each year, but my women's group thought it sounded like so much fun. They wanted to be included too. So the past three years they have come the night before Lily's family comes for a trial run. Two tea parties in one weekend, what fun! A tea party tradition for sure for the holidays.

Montserrat, Spain

Riding up the windy road we arrive at Montserrat on our final afternoon of traveling in Europe.
We were hoping for a quiet time of reflection, but what we found was many tourists.
Montserrat, the serrated mountain, is a religious pilgrimage for many people to touch the black madonna. It has been an important site for the Catalan people for a thousand years.

Inside the monastery, the black madonna sits in the alcove above the monks.
There was such a long line, we didn't climb the stairs to see her up close.

My quiet time was spent here in reflection.

Now it is time to say farewell to Europe.
It was a wonderful three weeks of travel.

Some travel tips:
1. Pack light, you will have to carry what you bring and buy.
2. Take an empty bag for shopping.
3. Plan well and be flexible if plans change.
4. Smile and enjoy the people you meet, even if you don't speak their language.

I met a little boy of about 3 years old on the train to Barcelona.
He was looking out the window saying "mi casa".
I repeated "mi casa" and his eyes lite up that I would speak his language.
Now it is time to return to "mi casa" (my home).

Enamored with Glass - part #2

While traveling in France I walked by this window with lovely
glass jugs and bottles. Thinking about being enamored with glass, I took the picture just for you.
We have similar traits to glass:
Reflection - We often reflect on our faces the mood of what is happening around us. Are we sad when we visit someone in the hospital or are we happy when we visit the carnival?
Fragile -We can break if dropped and our hearts can be broken if hurt.
Shaping - Often through tough times or "going through the fire" we are shaped into what we become.
Strong - We become stronger through the thickness of our skin.
Beauty - We are beautiful no matter the shape.
Vessel - We take and hold things in our hearts.
And sometimes we are broken, but we can gather the pieces together to make something new and beautiful, such as mosaics.
What other comparisons can you think of today?

Pretty and Perfect

Do you ever drive by a house all lite up, the windows so brights, and
inside people going about life?
I often wonder how is their life, it looks so perfect and so pretty.
I want to just step inside and be included in that perfect, pretty world.
Then I wonder are they just giving that image of perfection,
but really have daily trials to bear.
From the outside it looks so perfect until we touch the heart and find we are each traveling through life with our hurts, pains, and laughter.
Take time to touch the heart of someone near you and share together in love.
Happy holidays!

Strolling in Barcelona

La Rambla

Our final days were spent in Barcelona.
We had a small taste of this beautiful city last year and just had to see more.
Paris is my favorite city, but Barcelona is a close second.
The Gaudi architecture was the main reason we went back to Barcelona, but just experiencing strolling down the La Rambla and through the small surrounding streets was a thrill.
The people in Barcelona definitely know how to stroll at all hours of the day and night.
We strolled one evening to find wonderful tapas for dinner and the next night was a stroll to find paella for dinner on the water front.
There is only one final stop before we left for home, which I will share with you next week.

Please check out the give away below.