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Tag Archives: holidays
Happy New Year!
![Permalink to Happy New Year! Packing up the holidays](http://thingselemental.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/DSC072271-150x150.jpg)
Are you enjoying this first week of the year as much as I am? It’s cold and rainy here in the Bay Area. Perfect weather for packing up the holidays and unpacking plans for the year to come. I’ve spent the last few days moving things from one floor to another trying to restore order [...]
Friday Things: The Ease Edition
![Permalink to Friday Things: The Ease Edition Christmas Lights at LDS Temple, Oakland, CA](http://thingselemental.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/IMG_6206-150x150.jpg)
Well, here we are again. First couple of weeks of December done. Holidays in full swing. To Do lists hopefully getting shorter and shorter or abandoned entirely. After all, at some point you just have to say enough is enough, right? Otherwise you miss it all by racing to the finish line. I still have [...]
Happy 4th!
![Permalink to Happy 4th! 4th of July cookies](http://thingselemental.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/DSC03666-150x150.jpg)
Happy Independence Day! How are you celebrating the 4th? We’re searching the unpacked storeroom for our flag, assembling a new grill to replace the old Weber that got crunched in the move and catching up on The Americans (so good but intense!). Tonight, barring too much fog, we’ll see if our new hilltop location affords [...]
Winding Down
Merry Christmas all! Here’s hoping you’re resting from your holiday labors this weekend. Feet up, book in hand, take-out menus or a no-fuss slow cooker recipe nearby. Me? I’m perusing a new collection of essays on knitting, finalizing Peru plans and playing with the kids when they’re around. Just doing my best to slow down [...]
Holiday Home Stretch
![Permalink to Holiday Home Stretch Holiday Card 2013 - Minted](http://thingselemental.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/DSC022721-150x150.jpg)
At a recent gathering a friend mentioned how much she was anticipating Christmas and another responded that as a child she could hardly sleep because of the anticipation. I remember feeling that way as a kid, but as a grownup it’s easy to become more anxious than excited about Christmas. I still lose sleep, but [...]
Happy Halloween!
![Permalink to Happy Halloween! Halloween Pumpkin](http://thingselemental.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/DSC01886-150x150.jpg)
If you’re still looking for some last minute Halloween decor ideas–simpler than this front yard fright fest I spotted in Virginia last week–consider combining seasonal votives and an exceptionally gnarled pumpkin with a black tablecloth. Or add a string of spooky black cat lights to an all black tablescape like the one Design Within Reach put [...]
Spring Treats
![Permalink to Spring Treats Easter Bouquet + Peeps](http://thingselemental.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/IMG_2648-150x150.jpg)
True confession: I like Peeps. Yes, those Day-Glo sugar-coated marshmallow chicks are a taste treat I actually look forward to every Easter. To enhance the texture, I open the package a few days early to let them get a little crunchy on the outside and set them out as part of my holiday display. Look [...]
Friday Things Considered
![Permalink to Friday Things Considered Oxalis field](http://thingselemental.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/IMG_2462-150x150.jpg)
Like a tipsy party guest, oxalis—with its day-glo yellow blossoms and exuberant growth patterns—can be a pain to those attempting a manicured springtime garden display. Here in the woodland hills of Oakland, however, outrageously cheery swaths of oxalis are as welcome as a sunny patch of daffodils in a proper English garden. Also, did you [...]