WE DID IT! The luv-lee days of 2018 have come and gone, and we survived! And now? Now, MUSICA! Off to 1928, Together! And I promised you a Christmas in this old house of creativity! So here we go!
It was Christmas number 168 for this old house. You can hear the echoes of Christmas past ~ time for us to add another layer. Blessed to be
And then, for frosting on the Happy Cake, we had a house full of darling English People! Saying things like clingfilm, vile, hang-on-there, jolly, and ghastly, with their cute little English accents. All my favorite words! That’s my darling friend Rachel (in the middle), her mum, Diana, and her husband Paul … they came over the sea to help us celebrate.
Here we are, on Christmas morning, opening our presents in front of the fire . . . books, shortbread in red English-phone-booth tin, scarves, and socks! ‘Twas Merry Merry! We crossed hands and snapped our tiny snappers! See them, Joe’s got one, everyone has one.
A happy mess when it was over!!! Cups overflowing!
Jack watched over it all! The adult in the room!
We’d been looking forward to having them with us since we said “so-long” to them in England last June . . . We knew we didn’t have to say good bye, because they’d be coming for Christmas . . . that made leaving England so much easier! Which it never really is!
So, I wanted to have everything ready when they got here so all we had to do was cook, eat and play! Adoring being home for Christmas. Nesting like crazy.
Made my grandma’s frosted Molassas Cookies, the cookies she boxed up and sent to 
us every year. And since the kitchen table was covered in wrapping paper, I discovered that an ironing board is not just for drying bread (for Thanksgiving turkey dressing), or even ironing! It can be like a moveable counter ~ so lightweight, and perfect for cookie-cooling duty! Made croutons and spiced Pecans and apple crisp, and bread pudding too, which we fried in butter for breakfast.
I also printed out a few memories of my long sweet friendship with Rachel and her darling family ~ to put on the fridge, like a little open photo album. Reminding us . . .
And Joe was busy too, making luv-lee wreaths and garlands with spicy pine, holly, and boxwood from our garden.
🎶Wherever we go, whatever we do, we’re gonna go through it together . . . 🎵
A man and his barn . . .
A woman and her cups. I got the dishes washed . . . we were having sixteen for Christmas dinner, so I prepared accordingly, sorted napkins, washed glasses,
polished silverware.
. . . Wrapped presents . . .
And hung stockings by chimney with care . . .
Washed the candles sticks and gave them new candles . . .
And finally, all the way from England, after a one-night glitch where a storm prevented them from getting over on the ferry, they arrived! I put Ray and Paul, in the front bedroom, and Ray’s mom, Diana had the Peter Rabbit Room. And basically, in a nutshell, we poured the wine and began to eat! 
And to make up for it, we walked out to the pond . . .
then went to lunch in Oak Bluffs. Very balanced. I can’t tell you how wonderful it was to see Ray again. I’m going to tell the whole impossible story about how we became friends in my new book, in Enchanted!
We all climbed into the Fine Romance van and went on an Island tour, up to Menemsha (the little fishing village you saw in Jaws), where we stopped at a food truck to pick up little paper bags of hot French fries . . .
. . . then to Alley’s General Store for Coffee, then to the Red Barn Art Gallery for culture. There was also Christmas shopping in Edgartown, and two Christmas parties, down the street to Lowely’s one night, then over the lawn to Martha’s the next.
Walking out back to Martha’s under the full moon. Looked like this . . .
Felt like this.
We also managed to squeeze in a couple of old movies . . . after dinner one night we rushed to our chairs for a wonderful evening of Love Actually.
So much fun! 🎉
Before they came, Joe made a new leaf for the table so we could fit all our Christmas dinner guests at one table. But when he put it in, the table was so long, it sagged in the middle. So the two “engineers” as they called themselves, spent Christmas Eve in table fortification . . . you can see them in process here. It was just the beginning. They glued all the wobbly chairs too! Mas MUSICA?
While they did that, we watched The Bishop’s Wife. There we were, minding our own business, mooshed into the sofa, quiet, teary-eyed, watching lovely old black-and 
-white movie, with Cary Grant, the ice-skating angel, about Christmas and miracles. Joe and Paul were going in and out to the barn for tools and other manly pursuits, we ignored them, made silent eye-roll-girl-nod at the Empire State Building they were constructing under the dining table. Then Paul walks into our teary silence, and says, “Look at you, nest of . . . ” he’s thinking what to call us, I’m thinking, “bluebirds?” then he finishes, “vipers.” Ha! Vipers? And this photo above was our reaction, us being vipers! Speaking for the least viper-like group of people I know! So funny. Only Paul. This is one of the many things I love about English people, command of language. 🇬🇧
Then Paul, expert ironer, ironed the tablecloth . . . it had a very thick piece of flannel under it, so what better place to iron than on the table!
This is Paul, the last time he was here, doing his ironing in the pantry!
Paul set the table . . . while Joe put the roast in the oven . . . Our two guys love Christmas as much as we do!
Ray and I feel SO LUCKY that our guys liked each other so much! Makes for very nice hanging-out! 💞
I did the centerpiece, then Paul took over!
We set up a side table for the food (and lookout post for Jack) . . . Rachel brought presents for EVERYONE at the table! Over the years our friends have gotten to know them . . .
Ray put a gift on every chair! So thoughtful. She wrapped sixteen gifts! It was such a fun way to begin the dinner!
W h a t e v e r , said Jack. Only interesting thing about gifts, as far as he’s concerned, is the ribbon. He’d rather eat flowers. Not allowed either. 💞
Years back, one of our girlfriends made me the MOST charming set of place cards as a gift. They escaped their original box, so I don’t remember who sent them to me, but this was the year I pulled them out. So adorable, all different, handmade, glittered and painted, and there were exactly sixteen! (Hope whoever made them is seeing them ~ I loved them so much!)
Joe made pink and juicy roast beef with delicious gravy and horseradish sauce and 
salmon too. I made cream-cheese mashed-potatoes and a Pumpkin Cheesecake. Ray made roasted root vegetables and cauliflower in cheese sauce (asking for recipe, so good, will share!). Paul cut little crosses in the bottoms of the Brussels sprouts, steamed and served drizzled with balsamic syrup. Lowely brought a beautiful spinach salad scattered with pomegranate seeds, another friend brought creamed onions . . . Ray also made her famous Brownies. A Christmas feast!
And here we go! Anna and Peggy went first!
It was Diana’s first trip to the Island. Isn’t she cute? Everyone loved her! Joe put light-necklaces on the chairs . . . I said, “Good Job, Joe!”💞
Paul lit a fire, and manned the bar, poured the wine, Joe opened oysters . . .
And when everything was ready and the candles were lit, off went the lights . . .
We put my camera on a tripod to take our official Christmas photo. Beloved faces, names of friends you’ve heard me mention, Martha and Gerry, the Schwiers, Lowely and John, their children, nieces, and brothers, our luv-lee English People, and at the far end, me and Joe …
Feeling grateful that somehow out of this entire world, we had found each other. We’d all come a long way to do it!
I had to detach myself for a moment, pull back as interested bystander, to see the 
flickering candles, the trees and twinkling lights, the smiles, how pretty it was, the sounds of laugher, of cutlery on china, to realize once again, how lucky we are, and how fleeting the moments. Another Christmas. Maybe our best ever. After dinner Martha played the ukulele and we all sang Christmas carols in only tree and fire-light.
Something I’ve heard from many, it was our best ever! And then, it was time for goodbye. 😩 I moped around for days. Took naps. Did laundry.
Got out my calendar and moved Birthdays and Anniversaries from 2018 to 2019.
Washed the tablecloth and Christmas linens and dried them outside. Deep sighs of missing our friends. No one calling me a viper. No one asking for clingfilm. 😪
Walking made it better . . .
So I decided to visit iPhoto and remind myself about 2018. The only time I’ve ever gone to a book signing by ship! Here we are docked right downtown Charleston, South Carolina . . . walking back to ship after saying hello to Girlfriends . . . just before Anchors Aweigh!
I was reminded about dreams come true, how we re-visited Hill Top, the precious cottage Beatrix Potter left for the world to enjoy.
We got to walk and walk and walk through the beautiful English Countryside. And the Wales Countryside, and the Irish Countryside. Heavenly.
Was this only last May?
The morning I was the only one up walking through a perfect English Village ~ Lower Slaughter in the Cotswolds, where a river runs through it.
And then home again . . . the moon followed us all the way across the sea.
Our ship sneaking into town on little cat feet . . . writing in my diary that London was 1,500 years old when New York was founded. 
Heart swelling with pride . . . curious as if I’d never seen it before. What a gift!
Home, to delight in the familiar.
The familiar.
Decorations away, table back to normal size. Lights off the house, ornaments wrapped and back to the attic.
Making seedy toast, because I like crunch. I bought all different seeds in small amounts in the bulk section of our market . . . and mixed them together in a jar . . . I chose seeds from THIS LIST … read about their health benefits!
I sprinkle them on my buttered toast for extra vitamins and crunch! They’re good on anything, on fish, casseroles, rice, roasted veggies.
Standing at the kitchen sink, eating my toast, watching the woodpeckers at the feeders. Wondering where the snow is!
We’ve seen none of this yet, we miss it! This is New England and snow is a requirement! (Knock on wood, be careful what you wish for!)
Beginning again. It’s 2019. Stuff to do!!! I have a book to write! I get to spend the winter dipping my brush into 
watercolors, painting borders and lambs, scratching my pen across paper, and choosing the best photos to tell my story. New Calendars for 2020 are due soon. I’m laying the first one out on the back of my sofa (above) . . . January, February, March . . .
I’m designing a photo wall-calendar for 2020 … in addition to my normal painted wall calendar. It’s called A Year in the English Countryside. Choosing the photos has been so much fun ~ I’ve never done a photo calendar before! Very exciting.
HAPPY NEW YEAR dear ones . . . and, “Don’t be afraid of the space between your dreams and reality. If you can dream it, you can make it so.” 💞 Belva Davis
And last of all . . . Our New Year’s Eve … we walked over to Lowely’s house and spent it with a small group of our oldest and dearest. Lowely made a delicious dinner, I made an angel food cake, we played Pictionary (hideous game, I chose “Bambi” … no one understood my drawing of a fawn. Next year I make the categories!) So before you watch this video, turn down the sound, save your ears . . . we sing! 😘 Note rings around candles, so everyone’s New Year wishes come true.
XO
There’s no place like home… 💞 P.S. I’m going to design us a new cup. What should be on it??? xoxoxo
Thank you for this… for sharing. Everything.so.special.so.loving. It filled my heart. You are truly… blessed. Happy New Year Sue, to you n’ yours xo
Loved seeing your beautiful Christmas, Susan. Great to see Rachel and her lovely mum and husband. Your friendship is amazing and lovely to see. Kindreds always find each other. The table construction by the engineers is so creative. I showed it to my engineer husband and he agreed it was perfect! Your new calendar is in my kitchen. I am really excited to get your calendar for 2020 of the English countryside—right up my alley for sure. xoxo ♥
Happy New Year, Susan and Joe! As usual, a wonderful post! What a beautiful table for your Christmas celebration! What is the pattern of your china? I love it! You are the best, Susan!
That china is Copeland Spode. Thank you Nancy, you are too! Happy New Year! xoxo
Just lovely. Almost like sitting down with a cup of tea in person hearing you tell of your Christmas. Happy New Year, Susan and Joe!
Another wonderful, delightful, warming post. Thank you so much! I’m a little dismayed (in a good way) that there will be TWO wall calendars for 2020! It’s always been so easy to order mine, and later this year, I’ll have to make a decision! Or find another spot where I need a wall calendar. Or hang them side by side. Yes, that’s it – side by side. Dismay is banished. 🙂
LOL, me too, a little shocked at myself, but it will only be a one year thing, not doing it next year because I’m using all my best photos this time! Second best will not do! So, me too, I’m going to have to have both!
I’ll order both. Painted one for my kitchen and photo one for over my desk.
You have it figured out!
Lovely scenes of Christmas time with friends. The Queen video I had not seen in its entirety so thank you for sharing and with Subt Espanol 🙂 My cup runneth over. Mi copa esta rebozando! Oh happy day. They won BIG at the Golden Globes. Oh happy day. Only snow could make things better about now. Thank you for being you Susan.
I was SO thrilled for Bohemian Rhapsody. It’s a film that’s left a lingering something with me, something really touching and good. xoxo
Me too, Susan. Well stated. I just kind of sat there for a while, my eyes teary but not crying. Just something touching and good.
I might have to write you a letter or two about all this. One to you, one to them. I’ll work on it.
Thank you, thank you!! I needed a cheery post!! I especially enjoyed the Christmas dinner with all that happiness all in one space. Sincerely, thank you for sharing your life in such a simple, true to life, colorful fashion. Happy 2019!! Let’s make it a great one!!
Oh, Susan. What a beautiful Christmas! Your blog posts are so heartwarming. We all have our own lovely tribe to call our own & how blessed we are. Can’t wait for the new book. Have a wonderful New Year!
Hear, hear!
Wonderful! Wonderful! Wonderful!
Buon Anno Bella!
Christmas seemed to come and go in a flash. I hated to take my tree and decorations down. Thank you for sharing yours with us 🤗. I think those owls under the umbrella would make a great mug!
Oh Susan… what a lovely holiday you shared with your Brits! It sounds absolutely PERFECT! Here in Wisconsin’s Northwoods, we are lacking snow, as well! It is very strange… hmmm.
A new cup!?!? You draw such lovely florals. And I love the photo of your “familiar” hollyhocks. What about hollyhocks??? Anything you choose will be wonderful… of that I am certain!
Hugs and best wishes for a productive and healthy 2019 for you, Joe and Jack.
Catie
I love hollyhocks, great idea!
Hi Susan, loved hearing about your beautiful Christmas celebrations with Rachel, Paul and Diane. I find it hard to let Christmas go (we are still enjoying our tree) but 2019 is here with a brand new year waiting to be filled up. May it be kind to all of us. Hugs, Elaine
Blessings…
I think you should put a little white lab, a tuxedo kitty and a grey tabby kitten on your next cup. Wishful thinking. Did you fry the bread pudding? Do tell! Debby
Yes. I made my Father’s Bread Pudding, cooled it, cut it into large “fingers” and froze it. For breakfast we fried it crisp on both sides and served it with maple syrup! Delicious!
You’re just killing me with this!
LOL, I can’t help it!
Thank you…
for you and yours, for the Food For The Soul,
a well needed “Sane Tonic” in this time. Blessings for you-
you are a jewel!
Cheers
What a lovely Christmas you had. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for the pictures of your holidays. So much fun! It gives me so many ideas for next year when I will be better prepared. (LOL) Now on to Valentine’s Day!
This was such a delightful read. Thank you so much, Susan, and may your new year be filled with blessings uncountable.
Thank you for sharing your holiday! It was lovely…..HAPPY New Year to you and Joe!
Truly lovely holiday. Thank you for sharing! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
What a lovely Christmas you had. I like your checked chair cushions! But I love what you said about Jack – that he was the adult in the room. 😀 How cute! Happy New Year. 🙂
Okay seriously, how about a cup with “English words” like cling film? Debby
Ha ha ha!
Happy New Year, Susan! I feel like I’ve been lucky enough to relive the holiday all over again, this time at your table and on the beloved Vineyard. How lucky to have your English people for the holiday and all their wonderful turns of phrase. I’ve found myself using more than a few of those since I got back from England this fall. Perhaps it’s separation anxiety. So glorious to be in your lovely space with sweet Jack, a beautiful table, colorful lights and all that love! It radiates across the miles!
Wishing you the most beautiful things of 2019. I intend to be first on the wait-list for the 2020 calendar (and I plan to pick out two or three weeks to mark off for my return to England!)
Ha ha ha, separation anxiety! xoxo
Oh, Susan, I just love this post. Makes me feel as if I were right there with you, celebrating my favorite holiday with your friends. Thank you for sharing.
Happy to have you! I really should have an extra chair at the table for all my luv-lee blog Girlfriends.
What a great read, Susan…thank you!! SO HAPPY you had such a marvelous gathering of loved ones!! And I must say, those from England could pass as kin for that matter…really!! And though you have a gorgeous cat, I wonder if someone you know has a gorgeous doggie…maybe you could make a cup for us who love doggies so much…just an idea!! I am sure it will be pretty whatever you do.
There’s a doggie page in the new England photo calendar! I love your idea! Cats all sort of look alike, but I worry about not having every breed of dog on a cup! Maybe I should do a Schnauzer head, and German Shepherd body, a dachshund’s tale, different dog for each paw … and 3 puppies, all different!
Oh, if only Rachael’s beautiful Alice would find her way onto a cup…my world would be heaven! (Thanks for your introduction to one of my favorite online friends!)
Something tells me Rachel would 110% agree with you!
I second the motion!!!
MUTTS are the best breed…go for it. All the great characteristics wrapped into one beautiful package.
I am so partial to dogs…or any animal, with a white blaze up their nose and forehead…you know it makes their little faces have such character and you can see their “thoughts” easier! My favorite breed…and they all can look rather different, is Blue Heelers…our last one was mostly Blue Heeler with a twinge of Border Collie thrown in…the smartest most lovely of all we ever had!! STILL miss her, now over 8 years since she passed on. You often see the mixed dogs these days that are just so cute indeed. One lady I often see in Costco has one that looks JUST like a wookie…and its name is: Chewie!! SO CUTE!!
Boxer puppy pleasee ! and of course a Corgi for the Queen !
xoxo
paula
IN
Love love! I think the next cup should be a holiday you haven’t done yet. Thanksgiving? Easter? St. Patrick’s day? 💕💕
I think that’s a wonderful idea!
Jack is perfect as your familiar! Love the idea of a photo calendar! I would definitely buy it! Looks like you had the most wonderful Christmas! I hope you got your wish for snow. We here in California got over 3 feet of it over the weekend! What a nice New Year’s gift for water starved California!
Happy New Year dear Susan, Joe and Jack,
I’m going to bet that all of your online girlfriends wish that they lived next door to you and were able to partake of your wonderful festivities just as I do. What a joy to look at all your pictures and your incredible decorating sense. I have to admit though that although I do love your living and dining rooms (the wall colors are beautiful), I still prefer the lovely wallpapers that you had before. Wallpaper always makes me feel so cozy and of another time. I’ve carried the same wallpaper from my last home to this one. My mother always preferred the walls to be painted because in the 20s through the 40s, there was wallpaper all over their home, so I guess that’s why I went the other way.
Your friend Rachel looks like a cute little pixie and I bet that the 2 of you can really light up a day as well as a firecracker or two. So glad you had the time to spend with each other. When I was a little girl in Decorah, I had an English girlfriend. I can’t remember a whole lot of my childhood but I can still remember her name – Anne Barlow. She had a big smile and hair in ringlets. Maybe she was the start of my love of English things. We had/have very few fences or walls in Decorah and she lived just down a small hill from me so we would just walk back and forth to visit. I bet that her home had all of the old English cups and saucers, teapots and lace that I love now. Maybe one day still I’ll make it across the seas.
Jack as always looks as cool as ever. I think that I told you that I got a kitten who I named “Olivia”. After Sam passed I was very sad (and still am for that matter but then it’s only been 2 and a half months) and needed something to fill up the emptiness but I wasn’t ready for a dog yet and then, out of the blue, there was a stray kitten that had just been dropped off at the Humane Society. I said I would foster her but after 3 days, the foster became an adoption. I admit that I have had no past experience with cats so this is a learn as we go, “whoa, how did you learn to jump so high; it’s 2:00 am Livvie, time to go to sleep not run around the house at Daytona Speedway rpms; that’s my hand you’re sinking your teeth into” time. She has shown an interest in rubber bands ala Jack, though his are the elastic kind. All I can say for now is “God give me strength” to keep up with her or as she says “God give her strength to keep up with me.”
I hope that 2019 will prove to be a good year and that at the end of it we can all at each other, link arms and be able to say “it was hard but we did it.”
Much love to y’all and to the Earth on which we all have the great privilege to live.
I’m a total wallpaper person. But living here, after a while, mold seems to crawl under it. It’s okay, in a few years, when we’re fairly sure it’s all good and permanently gone, I’ll get new wallpaper! You should look for Anne Barlow on line. Wouldn’t she make the perfect pen pal for you? Maybe she’s back in England and will be the perfect person for you to go visit! Love your kitty news! Do watch the rubber bands, you don’t want her to eat them, very dangerous to kitty innards! Jack doesn’t try to eat the ponytail bands, but he LOVES string and ribbon, which is also a huge no-no. I had to watch him like a hawk over Christmas and hide the ribbon at night. He doesn’t climb in the Christmas tree though. So I’m happy about that! Much love to you too. Blessings to this gift of God, our earth, and all who care for her in His name. “It was hard, but we did it.” xoxoxo
Happy New Year, Susan and Joe and best wishes for health, happiness, and peace.
Fondly,
Debbie
Thank you Debbie, same to YOU!
What a blessed break from the news your blog is to my heart!!! Thank you for reminding us that human values still exist.
Love from Colorado.. Judy ….p.s. we have no snow as well!!
Not just me, everyone on here. It’s so good to see the normalcy that exists all over the place! xoxo
Loved seeing your holiday celebrations with friends and loved ones. On to 2019 and new memories. Happiest wishes sent your way for a year filled with all good things! Loved the pictures of Jack – I can see he’s spoiled some like my kitty Tucker. They do help make a house a home. Carry on…
Told Joe the other day, we live Jack’s life. He makes no adjustments to suit us, but we are in constant adjustment to make sure his little life is as happy as it can be! Unconditional love in top form!
Your remarks about the fried bread pudding sparked a memory for me. My Mother was an expert baker of all things. One favorite was when she had leftover dough from baking bread. She would fry it up and we would eat with butter and homemade maple syrup. A special taste I will never forget!
Going shopping tomorrow, will get the seeds for toast🤗looks yummy, good for you too. Ps, loved my Swedish candles❤️
Aren’t they the best! I’ve been addicted for years! xoxo
What beautiful pictures! I love all your decorations and the lighted up necklaces. I’m English too like your guests, yay, glad you like our country. I live up in Lancashire on the West Yorkshire border, we have some pretty countryside around here…rains a lot though. If you visit again, try Northumberland (North East) and Cornwall (South West), oh and Lavenham in Suffolk and the nearby coastline, beauuutiful.
Will do, sounds wonderful! Thank you for good advice, we adore your amazing country! xoxo
Happy 2019!
That was a wonderful trip through the holidays with you. It’s late and I thought I was tired, but once I got here, something perked up in me.
Was it the light necklaces? the gifts on the chairs? the quotes? the walk through the English countryside? the angel cake with rings at the end and a song to go with it? I think it was all of it combining together into a lovely glimpse of a real Christmas and New Year. I am filled with light!
I watched the Bishop’s Wife with my husband, his first time seeing it, and we both laughed and cried. I want a Christmas tree like the one in that movie with all that tinsel on it! Someday. . .
How about a New Year’s Cup of kindness with a picture of your cake and rings on it? A wish made with every sip. . .
I will have sweet dreams with all these images dancing in my mind- even the vipers 🙂
Cheers!
It was first time for Rachel’s mom too . . . she loved it ~ it’s a must-see movie! We used to have trees like that when we were small. The tinsel is made of lead! Very heavy, made your little hand sweaty while you held it and put it on one strand at a time (the law in our house!). Yeah, don’t let the vipers into your dreams! xoxo
Pamela….it couldn’t have been said any better!
And Susan….I never thought about the fact that our old tinsel had lead in it. They were heavy though and now it makes sense to know that. And yes, we too were instructed to hang them NO MORE THAN THREE at a time!
The rules! 🤣
Hello and happy new year. what should be on the cup? here are some ideas – a quilt; or stacked tea cups/mugs maybe a tea set-pot, cream, sugar bowl; or a Nantucket basket overflowing with flowers or balls of yarn – the border could be knitting needles,crochet hooks; corgis and shelties – to suggest a few. Love how we all feel a part of your festivities. I was so sad to take down all the Christmas decorations – they are so comforting and luv-lee and the house is so plain and empty without them. We have no snow here either! what gives?!
Don’t know…waiting for light to see if anything happened here overnight! Love all your ideas … I did stacked cups already, but a little bit of knitting, basket type thing sounds very cozy!
What a lovely post. A heartfelt Christmas with lovely friends. And the photos in England melts my heart.
What a lovely blog – thank you for sharing. I get choked up too at the end of The Bishop’s Wife. I read once that originally Cary Grant was supposed to play the bishop, and he fought for the angel part instead. I’m so glad he did! Best of wishes to you and Joe for a wonderful 2019! xoxo
Happy New Year! Such a lovely read this fine morning, thanks ever so much for sharing~ What seeds do you put in your seed mix? They look lovely!
I chose all of these seeds that we had in our store (I think they were out of sunflower seeds) … http://www.healthline.com/nutrition/6-healthiest-seeds
What a perfectly delightful holiday! Thanks so much for sharing it with us. I so enjoy your wall and pocket calendars. Onward to a new year filled with many good things!
Lovely to hear from you and see your house with all of the decorations and fun Christmas! Thank you for sharing.
A new cup, how hard/easy would it be to put a little lamp on a table with a cup of tea/biscuit on it? Whatever you decide will be cute though.
Tea for a Tea cup! xoxo
We took down our tree yesterday, the last part of Christmas to leave. A little sad as I fed Fred the cat, so thank you for one last festive post!
What a wonderful blog you wrote. To share your Christmas and New Year’s with us is such a treat. A peek into your home and your festive life. Thank you.
New cup you say???!!! How about my favorite saying that ended your blog- “There’s no place like home.” Because I treasure the security of a safe and a happy place to live, all about my house I have “home sweet home” sayings, including your cross stitch. “The best journeys always take us home.” “Home again, home again, jiggity jog” And one in my kitchen that just days “Home. I am saving my gift certificate for that cup.
Love you Susan!
Great idea Peggy, Home, where everything begins, and is, and always will be. xoxo
Ditto! “Home keeping hearts are happiest.” (something like that…Longfellow?)
Thank you for sharing your Christmas-I felt like I was there. Lots of fun and great way to start my day. Idea for the new cup would be a birthday cup, with all your birthday prints on it and especially the cupcake art above that says “make a wish.” Best to you for many productive days with all the work you have ahead with the new book, calendars and all.
Thank you, I need that push of support! A birthday cup is brilliant! xoxo
Yes yes. B day cup. Great gift idea!!
A birthday cup IS brilliant! A cake with candles and all your rings included 🙂
It’s always a joy to see a new post from you, Susan. So glad you all had a Merry Christmas and thank you for sharing it with us. Can’t wait for the new book and the photo calendar!
Hello Susan,
HAPPY HAPPY NEW YEAR to you and Joe!! Wishing you lots of good health, lovely walks, playtime with Jack, fun times with family and friends, and all good things!
Loved seeing your Christmas, cute lights, lovely table, yummy food…..
The seeds you eat are so good, thanks for the tip, having them on toast! We enjoy them here too, through our overnight porridge, and have you tried a few spoonfuls mixed through the topping of an apple crumble (or crisp, as I think you call it…)
Very windy out, right now, but I’m trying to stick to my daily walk…..Blew a few cobwebs away, haha!
Gelukkig Nieuwjaar to you, and lots of love from
Nicoline
xxoo
Us too, cold, but we bundle up! Yes, I think you can put those seeds on everything! Happy New Year, Gelukkig Nieuwjaar, back to you and your sweet family. xoxoxoxo
Loved seeing and hearing about your holiday festivities. I have a seed jar but never thought of putting them on toast. I usually just put a few tablespoons on top of a green salad instead of croutons. Exciting news about the picture calendar! Whatever happened with the “movie” deal?
Still in the works, probably forever, I’ll update with details soon!
Susan…..we thank you for the nice surprise of a new post popping up on our laptops this morning! Still have the twinkling fairy lights around the house, and will have them up, all winter….thank you, once more, for reminding us what is really important in life – keeping those connections of friendship across the pond and across the front yard and in the case of kitty cats, across the kitchen table!…..if USA had the National Trust, you would be one of our treasures *actually you ARE one of our treasures….
love to you,
Regina, Seattle
Love you Regina! xoxoxo
So beautiful and magical. I just want to jump right into the pictures and be a part of all that happiness. Wishing you all good things in the New Year.
Happy New Year to you, Joe, and Jack! Thanks for another beautiful, happy post. It’s always a good day when I find a new SB post.
What a lovely share! So many changes in our own family this past year. Your books have helped me immensely………Looking forward to an abundant and peaceful 2019. Wishing the same to you and yours. xoxo
btw……….how do get to see your response? I post comments occasionally, but I never know how to access your response. 🙂
Love your beautiful table settings! Thank- you so much for sharing. Jack is one of your cutest and best accent pieces and we all love that you share him with us too. Very best wishes to you, Joe and Jack for this year. 💖💖 Bridget
I love your posts. They make me feel like I’m having a good cup of tea with my dearest friend. Your home is lovely but the people inside made it extra so. My vision of your cup design is table linens on the clothesline with flowerbeds on the edges. Home to me is linens on the line. They are one of my favorite pictures that you post. xoxoxo
Sharing is so special, and thank you so much again for doing it! I must tell you, I’m in love with that extra, extra long tablecloth! Where, oh where, did you find it???? Lovely pictures, all…Lovely people? Of course! Happy New Year to you, Joe, Jack….treasures all! And once again, thank you!
I found that gorgeous cloth in an antique store in Woodstock Vermont! I don’t know if the store still there, but she had the most beautiful linens. And tons of them!
What a glorious Christmas time! The best of friends, good food, genuine warmth of hearth and dear hearts, wrapped up in beautiful house. Nothing could be finer.
Happy New Year! 🥳
Loved, loved your Christmas post. I felt as if I were there at the table. And many thanks for your past mentions of The Bishop’s Wife. I had never heard of it but thanks to you watched it this year and absolutely loved it. It will be a new Christmas tradition for me.
And just an interesting sidenote. My much-loved mother-in-law had a very heavy flannel cloth to use with her parents’ dining room table. Before table pads, they put them under the tablecloth, as you did. She said it was called a ‘silence cloth’. Silence for the dishes, not the people!
Love the silence cloth, going to put it over my head later! 😆
Happy New Year Susan!
I loved reading your blog this morning, so full of wonderful things! It’s hard to believe it is 2019! I can’t wait for your new book to be published! You have inspired me to journal with more creativity. I was also in England this past June and went to Beatrix Potter’s house, Cotswolds, Wales, London and Liverpool. I kept a journal while I was there, but now I’ve been rewriting with sketches and little drawings. It is so fun and meaningful. I will be going back to Liverpool this summer for a family wedding. Also I am writing my family’s story of immigration from Liverpool to America in 1957 on the Queen Mary. My dad was just 15 when he came to the States, it is truly an amazing story. It is so bittersweet for me as my Mom and Dad have both passed away and also my grandparents who brought their sons (my dad and uncle) to America. They left war torn Liverpool for a better life in America. There was no rebuilding even 10 years after the war ended, just rubble in the places that were bombed. The economy was not good either and the weather was bitter cold. So When I go back to Liverpool this summer, I will be doing lots of research about post war Liverpool and what it was like for my grandparents and daddy as a young boy. When you go back to England next time, you should visit Liverpool, it is an amazing place. It has completely changed. I hope you and Joe are off to a great 2019! Take care Susan! xoxoxox
Theresa Raffee
How fun for you Theresa, to immerse yourself in that time. Love that you’re having fun with your journaling . . . our generation is going to leave behind some lovely diaries for the future, telling of our times. xoxo
“Off to 1928, Together! ???? ” Well, okay, but the crash is going to come in ’29, and then we’ll have to go through the Depression again, but if anyone can cheer us on through that, it’s you, so I’ll try it!! (Sorry, I couldn’t resist! I’m sure it’s a typo, but it gave me a chuckle to think about.)
Thanks for sharing your Christmas with us! Looks wonderful! Props to the “Engineers” for shoring up your dining table to fit everyone. The more the merrier! Luvlee to extend the holidays vicariously through you!!
Happy New Year to everyone!
LOL! We never stay that long. The minute it’s laundry day, we come home! We just go for the music!
What a wonderful Christmas celebration you had! Your home is so charming, I’m so glad I found your blog!!
Your Christmas looked absolutely perfect in every way! Now that’s what Christmas dreams are made of. Oh, to be a guest at your beautiful house with your amazing hospitality, delicious food and adorable Jack. Happy New Year to you, Joe and Jack! xoxo
Beautiful post. How about a Gratitude cup? Or a Peace cup?
Happy New Year to you.
Happy New Year to you, too! Thanks for sharing your reflections on your Christmas. Your home looks beautiful inside and out and the warmth of your preparations and celebrations reaches into our homes. Huh? Did I just hear one of the Girlfriends say that they actually felt the warm fire, heard the crackles, squeezed into the group of 16 for dinner and tasted the pie? I know I heard her delightful reactions as she read this latest blog…amazing…this cyberspace of ours!
The beautiful new curtains look like they have always been hanging on your windows which is such a wonderful and lovely thing. They are very pretty accents on your Blog!
New cup? I’m still waiting for Mrs. Claus!!!!
You need to bottle up some of your energy…label it…and sell it to some of us…seriously. Susan’s Magic Potion…Just one morning whiff and you will be energized to power through your day. How in the world do you do everything that you do? I think that joy/positivity is your magic. I must say that you have the right men in your life because they are happy working partners from drinks to food to decorating. What a team you had for the Christmas Eve/Day prep. Kudos to the boys for being so wonderful. I have always wondered how Joe hangs the garland on the outside of your house…what a job…jeesh. I love the way it looks and thank him for doing it.
I can’t wait for the photo calendar. I think that it will be well-received and become a regular addition to the calendar lineup each year. Jack photos…home photos…SB garden photos…MV photos…so many themes to choose from for 2021…I can’t even believe that I just typed 2021. Wow…they got Y2K wrong because here we are 19 years later. Thanks to the universe we continue through joy and tears…hope and fear…love and loss…exuberance and exhaustion…hellos and goodbyes.
Together we share experiences which celebrate and buoy Girlfriends up. Happy New Year to Girlfriends around the world…SB’s club of friendship!
Pet Jack…purrs from our Grayson to him! Continued health and love to you and Joe. Health to keep you keeping-on and love to support and spark one another!
❤️❤️❤️
Hi Susan!! This was such a joy filled post My cheeks hurt from smiling!! My Christmas was one that was also joy filled with family and grandbabies and friends and when you write about stepping back to observe all the chaos and glitter and laughter and wrapping paper flying and hustle and bustle right down to the noise of the silverware on the plates and the glasses tinkling I can SO relate!! I had that very same moment!! I am truly grateful for the wonderful holiday season and having this blog to go to for a quick pick me up. Thank you for being such a positive and happy person and for sharing the way you do. I cannot wait for your new book!! Happy New Year to you and Joe and squinch Jack for me please :> Much love and many hugs, Kerrie
Happy New Year and many blessings for you both -may all your wishes come true this year.
How great your friends from good old England visiting you with Christmas!
A new mug for Easter will be great.
Greetings to you all!
Trudy from Holland
Thank you for sharing your Christmas celebrations with us. Everything was so beautiful and festive. Lucky Diana getting to sleep in the Peter Rabbit room. Happy New Year. 🎉
What a wonderful Christmas season you had! So enjoyed seeing all the photos. I love the birthday cup idea, second choice would be St. Patrick’s Day.
Happy Happy 2019 … we have the same stove 😘❗️👍
Oh Susan! so generous of you to share all the juicy,sparkly details. My throat did close up a bit reading about your saying good bye to your dear English family;). So difficult, but so joyous to have such kindred spirits in your life.
January, its neither here nor there isn’t it? A bit of cleaning and organizing, eating better ( most of the time), Taxes :{ ! I’m always happy when it’s over.
Happy new year to you and Joe. Spring is just around the corner!
I totally agree with the suggestion of a hollyhock decorated mug..as long as there’s a bird or two nestled in there! Luv. Lee posting. Looking forward to the new book👏
So love your posts with photos-feels like I am celebrating along with you! I just finished writing in my 3rd Christmas Memories album you made. The first was given to me by my daughter in 2007! Our kids have enjoyed our stories so thanks for making such a lovely book for us! My next projects are finishing filling out your To My Daughter With Love From My Kitchen books for my daughters. As far as mugs I was sorry I missed the summer one but I did order set of 4 Christmas cups and the apple a day and garden one. Love them all! Happy New Year from Virginia!
What a sheer delight! Enjoyed every single detail of your lovely blog! What a feast of friendship, recipes, decor, tablescape, aromas, customs, cultures, language, and Christmas
blessings! You are such a dear to share it all with us, Susan! Happy New beginnings to you and Joe…..2019! Make it the best one yet!
Joyful faces in such a happy Christmassy house. Love seeing all the preparations ~ what a nice welcome to them on your refrigerator door! And how scrumptious to be able to hang THREE more stockings from your mantel! Greeting💖them at your door, hugging them inside where everything they see says 💞WELCOME HOME💞, showing them to the cosy rooms that have been prepared just for them. That first night with all the Christmas celebrations ahead! And Christmas Dinner!! How lovely of you, Susan, to invite us in to share in the wonderfulness. Did someone say “God Bless Us Every One” when toasting with the Christmas Punch? I will be rereading this post alot next fall when preparing my own Christmas welcome for friends and family.
Oh, and I love the seed shaker idea. Definitely adding that to my kitchen this week! I would have a hard time choosing between all the super ideas for your next cup that the girlfriends have been sharing. The one thing that comes to my mind is “Courage, Dear Heart” C.S. Lewis. I do love the tiny pitcher so much, and I think how wonderful and encouraging it would be on one of your cups✨.
So often you quote or say something that strongly resonates with me, and “Walking out back to Martha’s under the full moon. Looked like this… (MV photo) Felt like this… (Currier and Ives ‘American Homestead Winter’).” That is so exactly how I feel walking out on certain moonlit nights…like the moon I am seeing must have traveled from a very similar night years ago, through time, to shine on the land that I’m walking through now; because that night (the clouds, the air, the woods and fields below) had just the right atmosphere to call that ancient moon to the here and now. Lovely lovely blog, lovely Susan. xoxoxo
Beautiful Christie . . . I have that feeling with all moons. Moon knows me since I used to sleep outside in the backyard with my brothers and sisters! Knows the people who grew up in this house. Shined on Mark Twain and Beatrix Potter …. we’re all connected. Happy Christmas Christie, Merry New Year! xoxo
What a lovely post! Thank you so much for sharing with us. We had an early Big Family Christmas combined with a very late Thanksgiving this year. Dec. 8th. I Called it a Thankful-Christmas. It was the only time we could get all the grandchildren and their parents ( my stepchildren) together on one day. We even had a newborn baby boy. That was precious. The house was noisy and fun. A Joke was played on my husband, toys and diapers unwrapped and lots and lots of delicious food. I was also very thankful when all the work was done. LOL. Our Second Christmas was more toned down and lovely. We still have three teenagers at home and my parents come over on this day . Second Christmas was Communion, the bible story and presents and a brunch. A nice quiet, peaceful, calm day. I think this is the first time I really enjoyed Christmas since we’ve been married. I’m all for peaceful and quiet.
Happy New Year…. I know you are a tea girl… I love both tea/ coffee
Owls, Coffee,twilight my favorite time of day… dreaming with GOD, nature. Just a few of my favorite things plus music…and books… all I hope to be inspirational for a new cup that will be filled with liquid love…no matter if it be tea or Coffee…🙏💜Love&Shalom
Kimberly
From California
Thank you for sharing your beautiful holiday adventures, and for always showing how life’s little, mundane moments hold the biggest treasures. Happy New Year!!!
Hello Susan, a very happy new year to you! It was heartwarming and just purely enjoyable to read your blog post of how much love and kindness was shared among you and your friends during Christmas. For a new cup, how about a montage of the seasons? a little glimpse of every seasons around the cup?
I just love your posts Susan xx
How fun it was to read all about your recent celebrations with family and friends…You make everything so special! I borrowed your idea of using the ironing board as extra counter space. My husband and I made a lot of cookies to share with everyone! Thanks for sharing your beautiful life with us!!!
Thanks for sharing your wonderful Christmas with friends. Left me thinking, “Wish I could have been there!” And your photo of Lower Slaughter took me right back to our stroll on Arlington Row in Bibury…the cottages strike me as the epitome of Home. Unfortunately, we arrived there just as two huge tourist buses unloaded, so we didn’t get the same almost-by-ourselves stroll you got. Clearly the secret is to get there early in the morning…which we’ll definitely do when we return to the Cotswolds.
Happy New Year Susan! This blog has to be in the top 10 of all others, warmed my heart and spirit. I would so love to have a cup with a picture of the outside of your home. You already have so many lovely photos of it, Having a cup of coffee with your lovely home to look at i~ would be just perfect.
Debbie.
Yes, my brother and I slept outside summer nights, too. Mom would pile up blankets and sleeping bags and tuck us in all around, and we’d fall asleep trying to see shooting stars. As soon as my children wanted to, I would build the same sleeping bags/blankets nest for them (and me) and we would look for constellations, and as hard as we’d try to stay awake to watch the starry sky as the earth turned, we’d always fall asleep way too early. Merry Happy Christmas and Blessed New Year, Sue xoxoxo
Oh, my. You make me feel like such a slacker. I have most of my Christmas down and put away, but haven’t touched our largest tree. It takes all day to get it down and all packed away, and I just haven’t had time. I thoroughly enjoyed this post, though. I didn’t see my notification that you had written a new blog post, but I do come here just to check every once in a while. Imagine my excitement when I found this! Anyway, happy 2019, dear Susan and Joe!
Seeds on toast! Who knew? Making some bottles for friends soon. What a great idea!
Your posts always inspire and delight me! Thank you for sharing your sweet friends and life, from musica to decorations there is always something to bring a smile to my face.
Such a picturesque Christmas Dinner…we make our families and loved ones these days, just as you have done. My family brunch was next door neighbors, neighbors across the street, dear friend from AZ and dear friends from prior residents in northern california. I find it difficult and I have such wonderful memories of Christmas past, but life dictates that you move forward and make new, wonderful memories…and I have.
How about a cup with a roaring fireplace and a girl and boy on either side, lying on their tummies, reading books?
That Nicoline up there is a sweetie:) Loved seeing all the fun you had..thsoe necklaces are soooo cute I could see my girls in them.
Your dear sweet English friends..she reminds me so much of a brilliant..lovely IGer I follow..
instagram.com/5ftinf/?hl=en
I bet you will think so also.
How lucky were you and Joe to find each other?
♥
We have way less snow than usual..
However we had a snowfall that required the blower over night.I don’t mind winter at all anymore..I love all the hobbies that only winter allows us..
Thank you for your beautiful post. What a special Christmas with those you make family, there is nothing better. Looks as though it was filled with friends, fun and plenty of laughter and isn’t that what the holidays are about.
Happy New Year to you and Joe, may it be filled with joy, love and blessings.
Terri
I enjoyed reading this so much that your words and photos made me feel like I was there!! You certainly have a flair for pulling me into your stories and making me feel that way!! I love how special you made the holiday for all of your guests. The NYEve singing made me chuckle!! And my fav photo was Jack sitting on your open book – how precious is that? Happy New Year, Susan, to you and Joe!
I got some nice English tea and biscuits of different sorts from my son and daughter-in -law. They have a lovely English shop in their New Jersey village; my favorite there (the than the quilt fabric store). So I have been enjoying those. Only wish they’d sent me some Smarties. Never having lived in England (I did) they don’t realize how great they are for remembering. Loved your Christmas table. Love Lower Slaughter… my cousin lives in the Cotswolds and one day when my daughter and I were visiting, she asked her husband to “take us to the slaughters.” And off we and my camera went. I was glad we did not get slaughtered…Happy New Year.
Dearest Susan,
One of the best memories of my life is that I made it all the way to your house in Martha’s Vineyard. It was a dream that came true, going to a library to get your calendar, they didn’t have it but we happen to park right in front of your lovely house. This crazy Spanish girlfriend on her honeymoon. dared to knock your door & give you the hug she was longing for.
You make life sooo beautiful, everything in you & your home, is so warm, delicate, lovable!!
Thank you for touching our hearts. Debbie & your Spanish girlfriends.💖
Hello Susan,
What a wonderful surprise for me as your blog popped up on my email. I feel all Christmacy again after seeing all your beautiful pictures. It’s the warmest, most wonderful time of the year. I wish we could have our decorations and Christmas cheer all year long. Everyone is in the spirit of the season and the world looks better through our eyes. I’m sure all your “girlfriends” would agree that we feel better after “visiting” with you in your beautiful home. Thank you for sharing. Wishing you and Joe a very Happy and Healthy New Year and more love to your little furry friend, Jack!
Oh to be a guest at your Christmas dinner! Out here in Northern CA we have an old theater in downtown Palo Alto where they show old black and white movies…..so we went at Christmastime and watched the Bishop’s Wife on the big screen! So much fun! Oh, and the theater has a real life old time organ player between screenings! More fun!
Love your blog and just received your 2019 calendar!!!!!
Christine L.
So love your blog. Makes me long to go back and visit my dear friends in East Yorkshire and Lancaster. Would also like to go up to Scotland and see “my” castle, Castle Stalker. I have only seen it from a distance. They are going to have tours of it this summer. It is in Port Appin area (Highlands), on an island when the tide is out!! Wouldn’t that be fun?
Just beautiful…Happy New Year!
You’re verbiage always makes me so happy. Thank you for all you do……..
Happy New Year! As for the cups – how about a painting of Beatrix Potter? Perhaps with a background of Hill Top. We all love Beatrix and you have brought her reality to us. Just an idea.
Thank you for additional such wonderful memories
What a wonderful, beautiful holiday you had and shared with us. I had to take in every detail and see how happy everyone was. When you said “new cup” for some reason, I thought of standing-up stacks of your favorite books – titles on the spines, different colors, Jack peeking around the cover and a bright bookmark sticking out….that way when we drink our coffee/tea with others, we can say “I read that book too!”…anyway, loving Libraries and books that is what came to me…thought I would send it your way… thank you for always giving me a great pause to the day to sit down, breathe and take in your beautiful words, pictures and drawings.
Oh Susan, I read your entire post with a huge smile on my face. It was so nice to see you and your English friends celebrating Christmas. It made me think of a dear friend from
Australia to whom I have been emailing for over 10 years. We share our family news and all our problems together. It is my hope that some day we will meet in person and be able to celebrate together. As for the new cup, how about a beautiful, cozy fireplace that says Home Sweet Home or There’s no place like home. Thanks for sharing your joy!
Happy New Year, Susan ♥ What a fantastic Christmas you all had…it’s always the best to be home xoxo So much to take in, must read it again with a fresh cuppa, and then read all the heartfelt comments…so much to come in 2019 ~ a fresh year! So happy I found your Heart of the Home that day back when…you are the celebration and the pick me up for any occasion. xoxo ♥
Susan, you really do have the most magical and fascinating life. I believe that you and Joe work hard to make it so that your dreams do come true, and you are both deserving of those fulfilled dreams. Your home for Christmas was warm and inviting and absolutely “luvlee.” Thank you for taking the time in the midst of all of the festivities to share your thoughts, friends and experiences with us. Thinking about the new cup, perhaps scenes from your daily walk or a rendering of your home; also thinking of your garden and the picket fence – countless ideas! Blessings to you for the New Year – may peace reign~