A Tale of Grace: December 2010

Friday, December 24, 2010

Merry and Bright

I didn't send Christmas Cards this year. We've had a difficult year, so if you normally get a card from us, I hope you understand. I have also been sick, followed by nursing a sick daughter, so excuse my being MIA this week!

I do, however, want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year - or best wishes for whatever holiday you are celebrating at this time of year! I'm going to spend mine with my family, which is the best way I can imagine. The last 2 (well, 3) members are on their way to us now!

In the meantime, I will be snuggling up with this little sugar plum. How can my days not be merry and bright?

Wishing you peace, love and JOY! Merry Christmas To You & Yours!

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Fly-Away Friday: I'll be spending it here...

image: beachbungalow8.blogspot.com

Well, not exactly here. Unfortunately, this is not my bed, but I wish it was! I love the vintage glamour of the mirrored bed frame enclosing the plush, upholstered headboard. And pink! This is definitely a single gal's room, P would never agree! I love the dramatic contrast of the black and white against the pink walls. Le sigh.

I am, however, stuck in bed this weekend. I'm sick. It's the flu. And I'm not happy about it!! I have some shopping to do and presents to wrap and Christmas cookies to make and a little girl to play with. Thank goodness my parents are taking good care of me and very good care of C (P is off on his own adventure this weekend!). On the up-side I'm having plenty of time to watch all those Christmas movies I haven't gotten to yet. I'm about to watch Christmas In Connecticut which I have never seen. Have you?

Anyways, I hope no one else is spending their weekend like I am. Now go do some Christmas shopping so I can live vicariously through you!!

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Norman Parkinson: Elegance and Glamour in Black and White

I love this photograph (Cardin Hat Over Paris). I wish I had that coat. And hat. And view. It's a fabulous photo - it's like she owns Paris. I wish I did, if you'll remember from here. (I saw this photo in Lonny Magazine which, if you don't already read it, I'd like to know why. It's fab!)

Norman Parkinson is the genius behind the lens.

He's a legend - having done some of fashion's most memorable and iconic photography for Harpers and Vogue from the mid 1930s to the 1960s (among other things, of course). I have long admired his work and of course would love to own something but I'm not gonna lie, "price on application" for his limited edition print of Cardin Hat Over Paris scares the bejeezus out of me. :)

His work really doesn't need any commentary, so just enjoy some of my favorites:

I'd love to know what they're gossiping about!

Margot Fontaine

Loel, Victoria and Alexandra Guinness

Jean Seberg

How elegant is this 1956 Vogue cover?

And of course, Audrey

Did I miss any of your favorites?

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Christkindlmarkt, with an Irish twist!

And no - amazingly, the Irish twist did not involve Guinness!

Despite our lack of a Christmas tree (can you tell I love my Christmas trees??), we decided we'd do our best to get into the Christmas spirit this weekend. We were initially going to go to my parents house for the weekend and do the German Christmas Market in the city where they live, but as I'm heading there next weekend (when my lucky hubby is heading to Manhattan for the winter wedding of one of his best friends - wish I could be there G & F!), doing laps across the country wasn't exactly the best idea when I had plenty to do here in anticipation of Christmas.

SO...we did the Dublin Docklands Christmas Market. It was a lot of fun! There were plenty of people with the same idea and it all felt very festive. It was also the warmest it has been in Dublin in weeks (read: the ice is almost gone!!!), so that made the walk there and back much more enjoyable. We went by way of Lansdowne Road (I mean the Aviva Stadium):

We walked over the new Samuel Beckett Bridge, a beautiful structure designed by the famed Santiago Calatrava, who also designed Dublin's James Joyce Bridge, along with the Milwaukee Art Museum, the Turning Torso building in Sweden, and his current project is designing the new World Trade Center Transportation Hub - quite the resume, huh? The Samuel Beckett Bridge is said to evoke the image of a harp laying on it's side. I think it's beautiful and it's very impressive in person.

I love the long shadows of a winter afternoon.

By the bridge is the brand new Dublin Convention Center (lovingly (locally) referred to as the Heineken Can):

And there's a great view of the still-being-developed docklands from the bridge - the convention center, the O2 (the Point), the Dublin Wheel...

We also passed the Jeanie Johnson famine ship:

and finally arrived at the Christmas Market:

I'll let these photos speak for themselves (for the most part!):

Mmmm...Mulled Wine!

C had a great time, although she was not happy that we wouldn't let her crawl all over the wet ground! The folks at Pie Minister had their own message for dealing with the hectic Holiday season:

Love it!!

After a delicious lunch of bratwurst and deliciously naughty fried sugared dough balls with mulled wine for me and beer for the man, we happened upon this:

Oh sweet heaven it's the Haribo stall. :SWOON: My sweet tooth(s) were doing a happy dance at the sight of this, but not as much as P's. He grabbed one of those bags and hardly missed a scoop. I said "don't get too much, it'll be expensive!" but he didn't really listen. Here's what 25 Euro worth of Haribo looks like:

But let me tell you it was delicious and worth every penny! Thank goodness C isn't old enough to know what she's missing!

On our way home we went through town, past Trinity College and the Central Bank of Ireland (a little trivia - the Bank of Ireland (formally the Irish Houses of Parliament) has no windows because back in the day they taxed per window, so they save a pretty bundle by bricking them all in. It's still a beautiful building, though, inside and out!):

It was very pretty out and about and the streets were packed with Christmas shoppers. What recession?!

Friday, December 10, 2010

Fly-Away Friday: the Maldives

In my mind, right now, I'm here:

In reality, however, I'm still here:

(The snow has melted a lot since this photo was taken, but I'm claiming artistic license on this one). I'm getting a little sick of the ice. Ok - I'm REALLY sick of the ice. Snow, I love. Ice, not so much. Not at all, in fact. It started melting today but it's going to take a while, and I'm not being patient about it!

So...for my "dream-cation" this weekend, I'm off to the Maldives. Have you ever been? Please tell me if you have! I think it looks like heaven. Honestly, look...