Meet the newest member of the Hill-Sparks Roseville family.
This beautiful 8″ vase in the Magnolia pattern was one of my better scores – since there was a chip on the edge of the base, which frankly showed more on the underside than on the outside, no one was bidding on it and I got it for $13.50! Just a few short years ago, that would have been an impossibility. Prices were way too high, even on pieces with a chip or two.
Don just spent about five minutes extolling the beauty of the Roseville; he is particularly taken by the earthier tones, which he said are the closest I will let him get to anything ‘Southwest’ in decor. He’s right. As this vase is on the coffee table in front of his chair, he’s a happy camper.
It was meant to be. See how it’s lit, as if by the heavens?
I’m hanging in there. The ankle is aching a bit today but it’s awfully damp around here with all the rain, so I expect that’s the reason.
And I will be singing along to Christmas Carols while driving when “I’ll be Home for Christmas” will come on and I’ll lose it. My dad always told me about his memories of that song playing as he shipped overseas during WWII. And that it was playing when he came back home.
I can’t hear it without dissolving in tears.
The poignant part of Christmas – the loss of my father so recently – is just under the surface throughout the day. We’ll light a candle for him tomorrow and it will burn all day long.
Last Christmas was the first without my mom. This Christmas is the first without my dad.
And we’ll be thinking of my dear blogging friend Linda, who lost her brother yesterday. Her Christmas will also be bittersweet.
I’ll be back tomorrow with Christmas wishes, but if I don’t catch you then, Merry Christmas to you and yours. I hope your holiday is filled with peace and joy and quiet moments of reflection.
Happy Thursday.
Such a beautiful piece of pottery Claudia. It’s so nice that you and Don both enjoy the same things. I wish peace for you this Christmas. Peace and hope in your heart. Merry Christmas! (By the way, since I commented yesterday we have received another 10 inches of snow! Yuck!)
Blessings,
Betsy
Oh no! You guys deserve a big break! Merry Christmas, Betsy! I hope your holidays are wonderfully happy ones. xo
Another lovely piece of pottery! Thank you for sharing your treasures with us.
The rain has been hanging around here too but I am grateful it is not snow. We dealt with enough last year to spread through two so I’m hoping we will continue to have a milder winter.
Merry Christmas to you, Don and Scout.
We’re hoping the same thing. It would be so much easier on everyone, especially Scout.
Merry Christmas to you and yours, Sue! Have a joy-filled holiday.
Merry Christmas to all of you. 50 mile per hour winds here today. The bird feeder is flying sideways and every seed has fallen out. Your new Roseville is the same pattern of the one I have of Grandma Hill’s. We’re off for our 5 day Christmas marathon. Enjoy the day!
Eileen
Have a Merry Christmas, cousin! My love to all.
Beautiful new Roseville. It is a difficult time of year for so many of us who have lost loved ones. I did something yesterday that I’ve been wanting to do for years — something I think every ADULT should do … I had my picture taken with Santa! Yeehaw! Merry Christmas to us all!
Merry Christmas to you!
I can feel your loss. My husband has been gone for 6 years now, but I miss him especially on Christmas Eve. I am off to the cemetery this morning.
Thinking of you, Debra. Merry Christmas. May your holiday be filled with peace.
That is a beautiful piece, the earth tones are lovely.
The loss of your dad is so close, nice to remember all the things they told you, because now you carry and share that with family and the next generation.
Thank you, Christy. Merry Christmas!
I love the new Roseville piece. Today I have some final arrangements with the funeral home. Some packing of a few things I want to ship home and a really nice holiday dinner planned with Ashleigh. Tomorrow we leave for Houston, she will fly to GA and I will visit family Fri/Sat and fly home on Sunday. I need to get back to my Mom and Charlie (gosh I miss him). It’s been such an emotional time I know it will really take me time to process it all and I still have some grieving to do. Wishing you, Don and Dame Scout a lovely peaceful day. Prayers for you my dear friend.
hugs,
Linda
And prayers for you, Linda. Sending you our wishes for a peace-filled Christmas with Ashleigh.
Warm and damp here. I’ll have to turn on the A/C later if I can’t cool the house with the fans and the doors open. Not very Christmas-y, so we’ll have to run on our Christmas spirit! Happy Christmas to you, Don, and Scout. “Next year all our troubles will be out of sight.” For this year, a peaceful day for all of us.
Merry Christmas to you, Dana. Have a wonderful holiday.
Deepest condolences to Linda on the loss of her brother, and of course, you too, Claudia. I remember how tough those first holidays without my parents were. I lost mine like you did – within a year and a half of each other. In fact, warmest thoughts and wishes to all those who are missing loved ones at this time of year, when it always becomes that much more difficult. ??
Absolutely. There are so many who are missing loved ones this Christmas. Sending love to everyone who is suffering this holiday. xo
I love the shape and colour of your new Roseville piece.
I have to work this morning and then I am apparently being taken for celebratory ice cream in lieu of birthday cake this afternoon. (Never mind that is blowing snow and desperately cold outside.) I hope you and Don and Scout have a relaxed and happy Christmas together.
Is it your birthday, Barbara??? Happy Birthday, my friend! And Merry Christmas to you and your daughter! xoxo
Lovely Roseville….you got a great deal! The rain has stopped and the sun is out….this should be coming your way soon, I hope! Cannot believe our grass is as green as it was last spring! This time of year is hard…there is always joy and sorrow. I think it’s hard, because with the joy of Christmas, comes the knowledge that there are people in our lives that are unable to share it with us. I wish for you and Don, a very Merry Christmas filled with joy and hope. Enjoy this warmer weather! ;)
The same to you and yours, Donnamae! Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas, Claudia, Don, and Scout! May your memories of your parents warm your heart. Love your new purchase!
Susan in Maine
Merry Christmas to you and yours, Susan. Have a lovely holiday!
Merry Christmas Claudia, Don and Scout! Hope your day is filled with lots of sweet memories, love and laughter.
Merry Christmas to you, Cathy! Have a lovely holiday!
Happy Christmas Eve Claudia. Love the new piece. It is so hard when we lose loved ones no matter what time of year. Christmas stirs up a lot of memories, we forget the bad things that have happened over the Christmas Days ( every family has had some) and the warm loving ones hit us.
Hope you and Don have a nice Christmas Eve. Watch the Bishop’s Wife or The Man Who Came to Dinner. These are two of my favourites.
Blessings
Sue
We’re definitely watching The Bishop’s Wife, Sue. Merry Christmas to you and yours!
Wow, I have the exact same reaction to “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” for the very same reason! My Dad also told me about wishing to be home during WW2 .I cry every time I hear it as well. My Dad has been gone over 17 years and I still miss him each Christmas. Claudia, Merry Christmas to you and yours. I enjoy reading your blog.
Merry Christmas to you and yours, Jennifer. Thank you!
Thinking of you and sending you lots of love. A special pat for Scout. Merry Christmas to you and your sweet loved ones!
Big Texas Hugs,
Susan and Bentley
The same to you, Susan. Give that Bentley a kiss from Scout.
Christmas starts out rough for me and I often just want to see it go away. But then something happens and I rally because it’s such a season for hope, faith and joy. We can’t help but miss the loved ones with whom we formerly shared the holiday but I don’t want to ever let that take away from who I have remaining, right here in front of me, to experience the quiet wonder with…like tonight, it too will just be my husband and me; but, how lucky we are to have each other. And if I didn’t have him, I’m certain I would still be inspired by so many things, such as the glowy lights around my tree table…no big deal, just one string…or a good ‘ol holiday movie, a mug of hot chocolate, the gorgeous orange and pink sunset we had last night and the big, full moon we’ll have tonight. I got caught out later than I would have liked yesterday evening only to find that a neighbor had hung the most beautifully-lit star decoration from a tree, as if it were shining as a real one in the inky night.
We’re both a bit under the weather…he brought home a ‘bug’…but we’re grateful we don’t have to go anywhere or be anywhere, which would be stressful more than enjoyable when feeling, as an acquaintance of mine says, “puny.” It’s supposed to rain tonight in SoCalif so I pray for road safety with all the families scurrying here and there with last-minute shopping and trips to Grandma’s.
You will be fine, Claudia. You are strong. Strong in lots of ways. Hug that hunk of husband; love on the lovely Scoutie. And have yourself ‘a merry little Christmas’ (as sung by Tony Bennett and a host of others…I only just got out all my old CDs to listen to and it’s therapeutic now whereas, I do know what you mean, in early days of loss, sometimes they’ve been almost too much to bear but then I remember the beautiful voice of my mother singing her favorite carols around the house when I was a kid while she let me make green and blue sugar cookies with too many sprinkles and I can’t help but smile, good times then and she’d be wanting us to have good times now, so I will honor that!).
Warmest hug to you, dear.
After making the coffee cake, with an ankle that is hurting a lot for some reason today, I’m finally sitting down with my foot up. The sunset tonight was simply gorgeous. I’ve wrapped my presents and we’re going to watch The Bishop’s Wife tonight – one of my favorite Christmas movies. Merry Christmas to you and your husband, Vicki. Take care of yourselves and enjoy a peaceful day.
I am so thankful everyday for your blog. I enjoy it so. I wish you, Don and Scout a very Merry Christmas and hope you have a peaceful day tomorrow.
Merry Christmas to you and yours, Dottie. Have a lovely, lovely holiday.
Claudia,
I wanted to thank you for sharing your feelings concerning the loss of your parents. My mom is 63 and lost both of her parents, my favorite grandparents, within a year of each other too (my Papa died last January, so not quite a year), and she never says much about how she feels. She keeps things inside more than I would and it’s just comforting to me to hear how others cope with loss. Other than these grandparents, I have never lost anyone (I’m 45), but I know my day is coming. We learn very important lessons from other human beings, so thank you for sharing how you cope; it may be very helpful to me in the coming years. Merry Christmas to you and Don (and Scout). ~Brooke
My mom kept things inside, too, so I know how that feels. I know that I am enormously comforted by what others have to say about loss and grief, so my sharing my feelings seems natural and right. Thank you for your kind words, Brooke. They mean a great deal to me!
Have a Joyous Christmas, Brooke!
Merry Christmas Claudia to you and Don and Dame Scout. Wishing you peace and joy.
Merry Christmas to you and yours, Vera. Have a lovely day filled with happiness, joy, and above all, peace.
I am happy that you are able to have a quiet and peaceful day, Claudia. The weather does affect things like ankles, etc. doesn’t it….. good to be able to put it up for a while.
I know how difficult these few days will be. Over the years it does get easier, but the memories are always right on the surface, and tears flow often even years later. My Dad passed on Christmas Day 16 yrs ago, so there are so many carols, decorations, and even foods and scents that can bring tears each Christmas season.
Take your time, cry when you will, and in a few days you will be able to say “I did it.”
One day at a time……………. ?
So hard to lose a loved one on Christmas, Chris. It makes the day especially poignant. Thank you for your kinds words, my friend. Merry Christmas to you and yours!
You’re right – “I’ll be home for Christmas” breaks my heart over & over again. I can get very teary over it. Christmas is a bittersweet holiday when you’re all grown up! Blessings to you & your family….. Merry Christmas!
Blessings to you, as well, Mary. Merry Christmas!