Monday, December 28, 2009

no. 11: our first christmas


it is somewhat difficult to explain our christmas celebration in an entry read by family, friends, & perhaps, strangers. on christmas eve we survived a two-feet deep flood on an arkansas highway, luke came down with strep throat, & i had to miss two days of work because the drive back to missouri is far too long for only me to drive.


but before said events occured, we experienced the most peaceful of moments tucked away in our tiny attic apartment with the lights low, the tree glistening, the candles lit, the stockings stuffed, the presents wrapped, & a bottle of wine opened & enjoyed.



we exchanged gifts slowly, enjoying every second of the quiet hum of christmas music in the background. we thanked one another for the gifts made by hand & our appreciation for the many hours spent creating.


luke loved the metal cups i found at the local thrift shop & the bundle of cinnamon sticks to be used in our next pot of apple cider.


he was so excited about his new scarf & how warm he will be on his next bicycle ride out into the freezing temperatures of missouri.


i was so surprised at his thoughtfulness & noticing of my love for chamomile & lavender. he made chamomile tea, a pillow pouch, and bath scents for me from fresh herbs.


he also spent many hours in the kitchen melting down wax, applying wicks, & mixing lavender oils with candle wax to make the most beautiful candles.


most of all, we were so thankful for the quiet evening spent with eachother. the best gift of all: quality time.

thank you all for reading!

-natalie & Luke

ps. next sunday, we plan to review our new year's resolutions from this year & make new ones for the year ahead. but- we'd like to include you! even if this is your first time to read our blog, or if you have been reading for awhile but haven't commented, we'd still love to hear from you!
please just comment with your name, your location, & your new year's resolution!
we look forward to hearing from you.

9 comments:

  1. your blog is a delight. the love and warmth of your christmas is evident.

    as for resolutions: save money. live simply.

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  2. These pictures are amazing. So much happiness!

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  3. hmm..

    my New Years resolution is to be more creative with my clothes by making more and giving more away.
    I also plan to be more gracious with the ones i love.

    thanks for sharing your Christmas.

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  4. I am crying! Why am I crying?...because I am so happy that you found your love and he treats you so well.

    (glad you all made it through the flood...and I've been praying for Luke...hope he is feeling better & that you haven't caught it)

    My resolution....to make more quilts!

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  5. My name is Luna et Soleil and I'm from a northern country. I don't make resolutions. I don't believe in them. I believe that if you want to start a goal, you should be able to start any time you want, not just limit it or wait for the New Year. You can always wish for happiness and good health to others and allow them to bestow that upon you, but I believe that goals should be kept, maintained and accomplished within any time, really.

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  6. My resolution is to stay a vegetarian and basically to be really blunt and bold this semester. And I also have a tiny one to wear my hair curly, haha. I miss you guys!

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  7. beautiful photos! and I love the gifts you gave one another - so simple and so special! I'm so blessed to know you both.
    I haven't given a single thought to my resolutions, but lately I've been gathering ideas about how I want to live my life in general, so I suppose those ideas can work for resolutions as well. the main idea is to live simply - to have less. to create more. to make things by hand. to conserve and preserve. to savor moments.

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  8. stay on top my dreams. photography, book binding, and a business idea that i just can't shake.... I want to stay beautiful always so I can give happiness everywhere.

    all the way from Paris...

    Love Jacquie

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  9. i'm so inspired by your christmas, it makes me ashamed of the amount of money i spent and had spent on me this year, and i'm planning already to make more use of my creativity to put together gifts for my friends and family! thankyou for posting!

    all the best for the new year (:

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