A little bit of this and that

Everybody is in the holiday mood and I take it, we all can use a bit of easy entertainment, no more of have to and need to:


Just fun and games....many of you have already folded the blog business for this year and I do not blame you, but for time being I will hang on to it, we are staying put here in our snowy Northeast, perhaps some skiing days after Christmas...
We have a snowstorm forecast for this weekend, earlier I supplied our household with all things needed and sitting here by the fire I now feel it can come and we stay snugly inside!


Apart from those survival essentials I usually read whenever I need some time to relax.
I happened to be in Diane's bookstore in Greenwich,CT, one of my favorite little bookstores. It is one of those rare places, where you feel the loving touch of the book lovers at work, shelves packed delightfully to the ceiling with books, beckoning to be cracked open.
There is a small upstairs, reached through a creaking staircase, art books, design book and more, downstairs from children's books through historic novels and cook books everything a reader's heart desires. This place is lovely and I wished I lived closer...below a few of the books, which caught my attention:







Every one of them more delightful then the next...

Being in the season of giving and receiving, I received an unexpected book gift from Apartment Therapy, perhaps because I participated in one of their contests. I did not order it and yet, it arrived on my doorsteps the other night. It is a delightful crosscut through the apartments, they had featured over the years.


Thank you, guys, this is a wonderful gesture and I appreciate it very much!

And lo and behold my third book from 'The Various' trilogy has arrived too, a gift to myself by the British author Steve Augarde. I adore these books and I am already deep into this one! I can only recommend it!



And while checking my e-mails, I still receive some from here, a place where I used to buy toys for my little ones, who are by now not so little anymore.
And I cannot decide to cut my ties, so I browse and think of toddlers who might be in need for some delightful toys...





Thinking of gift giving: I found and bought many things way before December and now dig them out from various hiding places, like a squirrel in winter!




This fun pillow via Etsy seller christiechase.


But it seems the biggest gift I can bestow on my family and myself is the gift of time:
Time to sit with my husband and share more then the household repair list, time for my daughter, who needs me to listen to her dreams, time for my youngest boy to cozy up and read books with him, time for my oldest boys to read their letters, hear their plans and take part in their lifes overseas.
Time to talk to my parents and siblings, time to reflect and renew, time to give to friends and time to just give...
I have been thinking about the old complaint of the missing time: This new year shall be a year of finding time. It is about making decisions and if in doubt, I will make time! Perhaps one less post to blog and instead listen, one less shopping trip and instead read to someone, one less errand to run and instead cooking with the family, one less planned out weekend and instead the pleasures of sweet nothings together with the ones you love...
I will start right now and leave you here, sitting instead with the children and watch the movie with them, a movie which has been waiting for us since two weeks ago in it's red envelope:
Bridges to Terabithia...


Good night!
XX
Victoria


Pictures by Victoria Zlotkowski, via google image, bookends from Christopher's in Nyack,NY, Anthropologie and as indicated.