Big Little Things

I love the holidays! Every year I get a Noah's ark ornament or toy. There is something that endears me to the representations of that cataclysmic event. On the right is a miniature Noah's ark toy set for one of my daughter's American Girl dolls . It's funny how dolls have their own toy dolls and toys but there it was the American Girl dolls that my daughter had when she was younger had a Noah's ark set. She and I played together with them for hundreds of hours.

I loved today's Thanksgiving celebration at home. It was very calm and stress-free and everything was delicious, or perhaps I was just hungry. The epsilons cleaned the house and helped me clean up after dinner.

My daughter continued making her dolls. She made her second doll. She calls him Paco. My son watched a movie with a friend. The Viking and Daisy dozed off together on the love seat while I stretched my legs in the sofa.

I was beginning to relax when the little things scattered around the living room caught my eyes. I love little things. I like very tiny detailed things. I like fun things. The only serious things I like to have are books, kitchen and cooking equipment and dishes. The little things that are fun and look like toys make me smile and feel very young. Here are some of the little things I like:

Izzy kept me company in the kitchen today. Tiny things inside the curio cabinets of the entertainment center include netsukes from Japan; an antique porcelain ashtray belonging to The Viking's grandfather now holding a Christmas charm bracelet given to my daughter by her grandmother; a lampberger gift from The Viking, a mold of a sow with piglets given by The Viking's cousin who is a sculptor; a miniature paddle which my Father-in-law carved while we were chatting by the banks of Crystal Lake in Wisconsin. They are all in front of a row of antique classic books which belonged to The Viking's father when he was a teenager and a German Bible which belonged to The Viking's German great-grandparents. More Noah's arks and on the wall, a birthday gift from my friend Valerie Walsh.

Not sure if your lawyer gives you little things when he goes on vacation but ours does. He gave me this birdseed duck from the Caribbeans; the American Graffiti model car was assembled by my son when he was 7 years old; the sleepy bear figurine was a gift to him when he was a newborn from his grandmother and the partially hidden Halloween ghost figurine was a present to my daughter from her grandmother. I bought the fireplace keeper in Wisconsin when we had The Viking's family reunion and his parents' 50th wedding anniversary; the Noah's Ark figurine is a Christmas present from The Viking and the framed painting of an Edward Hick's print of Noah's Ark is a Christmas present from my mother-in-law during my first year of marriage to The Viking. The cylinder of miniature conch shells were originally in an egg sac washed ashore in Delaware and found by The Viking's friend who gave it to me for my collection. I collect shells and I brought back with me the giant triton shell from the Philippines during my first visit back home in 1987. It is now illegal to take these giant shell specimen out of the country.

When my sister went on a 7-country European tour several years ago, she asked me what I wanted for a present. I told her I wanted a pig figurine from each country. I kid you not, she was looking for pig figurines at the Vatican, in Pisa and Rome, Paris, Amsterdam and other European cities. The baby shoes belonged to my Father-in-law. On the right are the first Christmas decorations I displayed after Thanksgiving.

The crystal figurines of a teddy bear and a frog on the silver tea seat are gifts to the epsilons from their grandmother. The angel adorning the China cabinet door knob was picked up during one of our family vacations in San Antonio; the mountain goat and the bison clay figurines are remembrances from our cabin camping trip in South Dakota with some of The Viking's family.

Christmas and other ornaments adorning the China cabinet that I keep displayed throughout the year.

The delft salt and pepper shakers of a Dutch boy and girl are presents from my friend during her visit to Amsterdam...getting ready for Thanksgiving dinner...

Daisy celebrates her first birthday anniversary. I tried to have a really nice table but the epsilons prominently displayed their cans of Diet Coke instead of using their stemmed glasses...my daughter's handmade dolls Izzy and Paco.