French Cheese

 We opened the window
to let in the breeze
and immediately felt
the censure of trees - 

Even fresh air
cannot, with ease,
battle the odor of
a good French cheese.

♡

Featured: A new turtle friend

living in a delicious

Camembert package.

Small Things Make a Life

A seed to sow

A place to go

A walk to take

Something to make,

A life.

♡

A seed to sow - 

Working on my autumn veggie garden.

A place to go - 

Planning for happier days.

A walk to take -

A favorite again now that the weather is cooler.

Something to make -

Made these napkin holders for the table 

from recycled paper rolls.

Life. So precious.

♡

Round Like a Ball

I remember

when I was small,

I thought it so nice

to be a ball.

All you do is

play the whole day,

and if you're not happy

you just roll away.

♡

Featured: I made this board game

for my soccer-obssessed nephew.

And yes, the cards all rhyme.

In the Forest

 

I went into the forest

hoping to play

but all the animals

were away.

I asked a tree where 

the animals had gone,

“They got up early and 

left at dawn.”

I soon found out that

the circus was in town

and the animals all 

wanted to see a clown.

♡

Featured: A cereal box upgraded

The Christmas Story

 

1/3.  Alf and Elf were not usually given The Big Jobs. They were sweet helpers, a little silly and with a talent for complicating things. But this being the busy holiday season with a few workers out with the flu, it fell upon them to deliver the sweets to the Christmas party. Really, what could go wrong? The two loaded their jolly jelly cargo on Alf’s car and they hit the road. As their neared the river bend the car stalled. The gas tank was empty. What now?

Next: Planes, Trains and Automobiles

2/3.  Elf really wanted to hire a hot-air balloon for the sweets but none was available at short notice. Luckily for them (the universe, for reasons of its own, would sometimes reward incompetence with luck) a boat was nearing the river bend and agreed to take them along. It soon turned out that Alf was not accurate when describing the weight of the sweets to the captain and the little boat began sinking. The crew saved the candy, but all was not dandy. They were left, cold and wet, on the shore.

Next: On the shore alone?

3/3. Suddenly a train was heard coming (that meddling universe in action once again) and stopped to help. Alf was a little disappointed, he’d had visions of a plane, Santa’s sley or the tour bus of Bruce Springsteen, but Elf insisted that they board the train. Once settled, they had a little idea to throw a shindig as a thank you, played Christmas music, distributed much of the candy among the passengers and almost pressed the emergency break. But they did reach the Christmas party in time. Will they get another Big Job? Time will tell.

♡

Featured: Two wine bottle corks out and about

on this festive season.

Happy Holidays!

The Pink Forest

There once was a forest

where all the trees were pink,
it was quite glamorous -
magical, don't you think?

But the animals living there
asked with a frown:
"Can't you trees be ordinary?
What is wrong with brown?" 

(©handmade by amalia)

♡

Featured: Little woodland friends

The Tea Party

1/3.  Aunt Augusta was having her annual tea party. She liked peculiar things and the guests always tried to find little curiosities for her as hostess gifts. This worried Freddie quite a bit. He was not what you might call ‘an ideas man’, he never had a clue what to bring. And this year promised to be worse than ever. His crazy cousin Carlos and his friend, horrid Harlod, had just come back from Turkey with quantities of Marzipan. Aunt August was very partial to Marzipan. Oh, what should he bring?

 Next: What is a tea party without tea?

 2/3.  There was a rather interesting story in the morning paper about tea. And not just any tea, Chinese tea! The story used exotic words like wild tea trees, high mountain tea and nutritious tree teas with abundant flavors. It all sounded very Aunt Augusta! Freddie had a good think. There were seven days until the party. With his frequent flyer miles, careful planning and a bit of luck, it could be done. He packed his bag, asked a neighbor to feed the cat, and he was off to China, the Land of Wonders.

 Next: Planes, Trains and Automobiles

 3/3.  The trip was quite long. Freddie found himself hopping from plane to train, taking buses and a ship, there was even a rickshaw involved. The plantation, when he finally reached it, was stunning. Freddie may have been a little deflated to discover that they ship their tea internationally, but he got over that as soon as they brewed him a cup. Oh, it was lovely! He grabbed as much tea as he could carry and started towards home. He made it to the party in the nick of time, flat broke and exhausted. But wasn’t it all worth it for the hint of a smile and a tiny nod from Aunt Augusta as she tried the tea?

♡

Featured: The adventures of an upcycled wine bottle cork.

This story is sponsored by iTeaworld 

https://iteaworld.com/?ref=ay9eddnn