Good kitty!

Marvin the cat says as long as this Christmas tree doesn't pull any fast moves, then no one will get hurt. P.S. I can see you there Marvin!

A lot of snow at the log cabin!

It's 30 degrees and the snow has been falling all night! It's beautiful but I must admit when the snow came up to my mid-calves as I was headed to the car - it can be an obstacle too! Thanksgiving with just the 3 of us (oh - and Marvin the crazy cat) was very nice. I ended up making a ham and we had plenty of food for all. Even Marvin got a bite! Today we are going to try to go sledding (I'll be the one screaming all the way down) and then later we are going to watch some more movies. Hope all of you have a nice weekend!

Brr!!

Here's our cozy Thanksgiving table. We all went around the table and listed what we were grateful for. It made me smile when my stepson said "our log cabin."

It's so hard to get a decent picture of the Christmas tree, but I'll try again. It's 9 1/2 feet tall, has strands of cranberry beads and rustic ornaments on it. Marvin snatched one of my stuffed moose ornaments and took it under the bed to lick it to death. But so far - nothing broken!

Last night we watched a classic movie - Irving Berlin's White Chrismas w/ Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye and Rosemary Klooney. My stepson wasn't sure he liked the movie but he did like the Christmas cookies I made!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to all my bloggy friends!

"For each new morning with its light,

For rest and shelter of the night,

For health and food, for love and friends,

For everything Thy goodness sends."

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Headed to the Log Cabin

I am headed up to the log cabin early this morning with Marvin the cat in tow. I'm sure Marvin can't wait to get to the cabin and see how many times he can climb up the Christmas tree or beat up the Old World Santas! Greg will be up later tonite once he picks up my stepson. We just found out one family member is sick, another is changing plans, etc. - so we went from 14 people to 3. Looks like it will be just me, Greg and my stepson. Does anyone know where I can get a defrosted turkey? (Denise, can we come over to your log cabin? Ha, ha!) Either way, it's our first Thanksgiving at our log cabin so no matter what we eat, it will be special.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving my friends!

























Did I mention I have an appointment with this pine tree on our property?

Funny I think

Okay, you're about to find out I could possibly have a sick sense of humor. I can't stop laughing at this photo I took prior to the Grayling Christmas parade starting a few weeks ago. Santa "disobeyed" the traffic signal while crossing a street and caused this car to screech his brakes to avoid hitting him! Santa was okay - which is why I laugh that I captured this on film! You can see the STOP hand signal in the photo. I thought Santa knew better! If I've offended anyone, I'm sorry. I'll be back tomorrow with more cozy cabin stuff!

2 Christmas trees please, maybe 3!

I spent last night going through my Christmas decorations, sorting out which ones I would take to the log cabin. I really want to create that "north country" feel to our place this year. I am putting up 2 Christmas trees in the cabin, one will be decorated w/ the rustic ornaments, cranberries, pine cones, etc. and the 2nd tree will be a bird theme with minature birdhouses and bird ornaments. I think the birds outside need their own tree so I'll put a small potted pine tree on our deck and decorate with edible bird treats. I'm sure the squirrels will enjoy it too.
How about you - does your Christmas tree have a theme?

By the way, check out Country Girl at Home's blog. She has decorated her front porch so beautifully. And her sun porch looks so cozy and inviting as well!



Greg bought these bird ornaments for me last Christmas. I cherish them!














Here are some old world Santas that I couldn't resist. Neither could Marvin the cat! As soon as I pulled out the Santa in the white coat, Marvin tackled it and tried eating Santa's beard. I may have to put these guys in the loft window sills so kitty can't reach!

Giveaway Winner & 2 Runner Ups!

Thank you to everyone who entered my pecan cranberry bread Giveaway! Thank you to the "regulars" and thank you to the "newbies" - it gave me a chance to visit many great new blogs. I decided in addition to my giveaway winner, I would also draw 2 additional names and give away their choice of cherry preserves or British lemon curd from Zingermans - great for spreading on bread!



I had Greg draw the names! Drum roll please..............................

The winner of Zingerman's cranberry pecan bread is Jessica at Five Pines! Congratulations to Jessica! Please email me your home address to shelleyupnorth at gmail dot com.

My two runnerups are Cedar at Adirondack View and NC Mountain Woman (Jayne) at Mountain Musings. Congrats to my 2 runner ups! Ladies - please email me whether you would like the cherry preserves or the lemon curd spread along with your address to shelleyupnorth at gmail dot com.

Thank you again! In keeping with the holiday spirit, I will be hosting another giveaway in December. Please stop by again! And if you enjoy my blog, please stop by often!