The Best Laid Plans of Mice and (Wo)Men

I am out of practice with all things social.

Hermitage does that.

Yet, in anticipation of welcoming a new little crow to the nest, I came out of hiding and attempted to plan a baby shower (emphasis on attempted).  (And you were wondering where I was?)

I surrendered early on and enlisted the magic of my friend Mel (from Back Forty) who brought the whole thing to life.

{Setup photo - the "clouds" had fairy lights in them that were lit on the day of the shower.}

{Centerpieces by Mom-to-be....}

Invites - check; decorations - check; centerpieces - check; food/cake - check. 

 

But, so much for plans.

Enter the Mouse:

{Mia on her way from delivery to NICU}

...The newest member of the Crow family - our little changeling, Mia.

She arrived - all 3lbs. 12oz. of her  - 8 weeks early...and one week and one day before her momma's baby shower.

She is still in the NICU and will be for some time, but is making great progress.

While she is still on a feeding tube, she can now maintain her own body heat and breathe on her own without a ventilator or oxygen.  She has also started to gain weight and, as of today, weighs 3 lbs. 14.9oz.

She has a long journey ahead, but I am sure that corner of my heart she stole when I first laid eyes on her will only grow in the days and years to come.

Sometimes, it's the littlest things that take up the biggest corners of your heart.

Back to Back Forty

 Exactly one year ago today, I posted about a magical place just over the (very large) hill and through the woods (literally) from me: Back Forty

{If you are interested in the original post, you can find that post here.}

Although Mark and Mel have their sales several times each year, it seems (to me at least) that their Christmas sales are the most beguiling.  (And coming from me - whose first love is fall/Halloween - that is saying a lot.)

This year was no exception.... If anything, it was even more amazing than last year's.  

So, in search of my once again misplaced Christmas spirit, I chose a time that I had hoped would be less "people-y" and made the 3-minute trek over (I am in serious danger of becoming a hermit.)

Since I explained the "gist" of the shop in the original post, I will not repeat it here.  You know where to find it (👆).  

I will leave you instead with a few photos (hurriedly taken as there apparently is no longer a time when there are no people).

News of good  things, indeed, travels quickly.

{You don't know how close this table was to coming home with me...for the lake...}

Peace and out....

A Different Kind of Christmas....

It truly is....  For many of us, I know.  It seems that the song Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas was written for 2020.

Someday soon we will all be together

If the fates allow

Until then, we'll have to muddle through somehow...

These were the original lyrics of the song written in 1944.  They've been changed up...and several times...since. There were changes to more than the above lines...most changes reflecting the times...so do some comparing if you're curious.  Yet, somehow, it's the original version that is most fitting in these times I think.

Yes, that could be an entire post in itself...but not now, not here.  That's not the kind of "different" I am talking about.

  And it's not even the lack of snow here in Nod....unheard of for this time of year.  No, that's not the kind of "different" I'm talking about either.

(This was last week. We did get a little dusting last night, but this is unheard of in Nod....)

And it's not my complete lack of Christmas spirit.  THAT, unfortunately, is becoming a "norm" it seems.  Once again, no baking here, no Christmas shopping here, no Christmas tree here.  But that isn't the kind of "different" I am talking about either.

There are a great many differences in Christmas this year that I could mutter ramble on post about, but since my decor in Nod is severely lacking this year, I am sharing my "Christmas" (such as it is) at the lake.

There isn't much...and I warn those primitive souls out there that this is truly different from what you expect of me.  But the lake house has a completely different soul than my home in Nod and I have to listen to it.

(I had hoped to add some greens and perhaps some lights to the mantel, but like many things this year, THAT didn't happen.)

(I do have a  tree...wee as it may be...and it has lights!)

(Sign Blocks by Mel and Mark of Back Forty)

(Santa by Lisa Evans of Folk For All Seasons)

And then there's this guy:

And, if you're wondering (I'm sure you are 😉), this is what's on my hoop:

("The First Snowflake" by The Primitive Hare...but with different linen, and different floss...Are ya proud of me Marly??)

I hope to manage a post in the upcoming week.  If not, or until then, keep on muddling through...and have yourself a merry little Christmas.

**********

Back Forty

Back Forty:  n. a remote and uncultivated or undeveloped piece of land of indefinite size (as on a farm).

Well, that's Merriam-Webster's definition anyways.

Those of us who grew up on a farm know exactly what the "back forty" is. It is the most remote 40 acres of a farm and when a farmer was too far away to be reached, it was usually because they were in the "back forty."

It was also where the best berries grew...and hunting was the best.  

There was also a very good chance you would meet up with creatures you'd rather not...like wolves, lynx, or bears....at least in OUR back forty.

If you didn't know the definition, don't worry.  Supposedly the phrase is less popular than 80% of the other words in the English language. In recent years though, the term "back forty" has been used as a sort of metaphor for the second half of one's life...you know...that part that comes after "midlife" when things get "real."

In some ways, life becomes more "predictable" and families, responsibilities, and careers replace the carefree days of "pre-midlife."  Like the back forty of a farm, it can also be scary at times and filled with unknowns.

One can look at it like that...or one can look at it as a completely new beginning full of undiscovered possibilities.  The second "chapter" in your life where things can't help but be richer, fuller, and more appreciated because of all the things you "learned" in the first half and you now know what truly matters.

About a year and a half ago, I stumbled upon a new "back forty" right in my own back yard so to speak.  It is a clever combination of both definitions of the phrase as it is "remote" (it IS in Nod, after all), but oh the fun, playfulness, and possibilities!

This Back Forty is a physical place (it is located at 9290 County Road A, Wausau, WI 54401) but it is also so much more.  The owners are a husband and wife team each of whom is blessed with talent and creativity beyond measure and when they combine their gifts, it becomes something magical.  They offer complete design services - from interior designing to complete remodel projects and everything in between...including some amazing and unique craftsmanship.

Periodically, they do themed "markets" or "sales" where they offer up a virtual feast of "funk" and "junk."  Artistically repurposed finds and handcrafted treasures are curated in the most imaginative ways. The photos in this post are of their current Christmas market, "Four Christmases."  Since this post is already long enough, I will let them speak for themselves.

 

And, yes....I was just a wee bit....

...but that's a different post for a different day.  😉

 Mel and Mark...the magic behind Back Forty