The Birthday Box

I wrote about celebrating a certain little girl's sixth birthday last week, but I didn't show you everything that was made especially for her. "A" makes boxes for the girls on their birthday each year, and it has become their favorite tradition. The birthday box is a much anticipated gift—how big is it going to be? What will he put on the cover this year? Where will the secret be carved this time?

The answer to the question of what to put on her box this year was obvious. Our pug-crazed girl would get a box with a little doggie smiling right back at her.

Of course, she loved it. Just as much as all the others. We are compiling quite the collection of birthday boxes, and they seem to be getting bigger each year. (We may need a bigger house when the girls are teenagers.)

For all the special treasures and trinkets the girls collect, there is a special place to keep them safe. I love peeking in these boxes to see what the girls are coveting this minute. Their most prized items seem to change quite often. I have spied a gamut of things—from cherished souvenirs brought back for them from far away places to grapes. Old ones.

Just today we found the elusive remote in the pug box. I think I may have to make box inventory checks more of a routine occurrence.

Between (and sugar on top)

The week between Christmas and New Years is always a unique one. A week filled with a bit of reflection as we absorb the events of the past year, mixed with a sense of anticipation and renewal, as we await the new year. Kate, of Marmalade Moon recently wrote about these days, the "days in between," or “mellandagarna,” in her native Swedish. I love the idea of giving this week "in between" a name and celebrating it.

When you think about it, most of us do celebrate it, in our own ways. This year, we have been celebrating mostly with food (our very favorite way to commemorate occasion). Cooking and eating some old favorites and trying a few new recipes, too.

Banana bread has always been a favorite, but it was taken to another level after a friend told me what she recently ordered at a diner: banana bread toasted with butter and powdered sugar sprinkled on top (!). So we baked a loaf, using our preferred recipe, thickly sliced it, slathered it with butter and sifted the sugar onto it and, wow. The sugar dissolves into the melted butter, becoming something reminiscent of frosting (which is always good for breakfast. My mother would be proud—and I am being completely serious). This may be a fantastic new tradition for us—ringing in the new year with some good ol' sugar coated bread.

Wishing you a peaceful new year!

A thousand thanks for stopping by this little place and commenting. This blog has been a wonderful avenue of artistic expression and you, the readers, have motivated and inspired me to continue on a creative path. I look forward to sharing so much more in the new year. Best wishes for the new decade!