I know I should have started this a few days ago….really! It was a pretty harrowing week here, with the conjunction of a million spheres all causing chaos. Mechanical and electrical breakdowns, I must ask my sister-in-law Juanita, if Mercury is in retrograde. It’s not quite midnight so let’s count this post as December 4th and counting. For the next 3 weeks I’ll post an inventive, creative holiday idea. It could be a recipe, a hostess gift, a kid’s gift, a decoration, just about anything that I think might enhance your holiday season. Today’s idea comes from REAL SIMPLE and is a Mantle Makeover. We’re all familiar with the usual fireplace mantle decorations. This is NOT standing rows of Christmas cards, draping a greenery garland, hanging stockings, pine cones and ornaments or Nutcrackers. Clear away the clutter atop your mantle and give it this very simple makeover.
DECEMBER 4th
A Very Berry Christmas Wreath and Votives
HOLIDAY MANTLE
Elegant, sophisticated, simple and beautiful. Berry wreaths are readily available in stores like Michael’s and flower shops that carry artificial or silk flowers. Scatter a few berries around and line up some votive candles flanked by pillar candles. The two-color theme is very powerful and the choice of the raspberry-mauve berry color adds not only a holiday flair but also a winter seasonal flavor
In large Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat 1 TBS oil over medium-high. Season chicken with salt and pepper and in two batches, cook skin side down until skin is golden and crisp, about 5 minutes per batch. Transfer chicken to plate; pour off fat from pot.
Add 1 TBS oil, squash and onion to pot and cook until vegetables are beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Add sage, flour, coriander and nutmeg and cook, stirring until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add broth and cook, stirring and scraping any browned bits with a wooden spoon, 1 minute. Nestle chicken, skin side up in squash mixture, add cranberries, and bring to boil. Reduce heat, partially cover, and simmer till chicken is cooked through and squash is tender, 20-25 minutes.
Today is the last day of my photo week, however not the end of my photo posts! It’s just been a great week for me as Murray has been sending me shots every other day or so. So even though I did feature a magnificent owl yesterday, today is devoted to birds of a different feather altogether. Nice play on words don’tcha think?
A Young Red Tail Hawk
A Slate Junco Sitting Pretty
Mallard Triplets
Cardinal Triplets
Hey how did you get in the picture?
Blue Jays Are Known Thieves!
He’s Really A Beauty!
HE
SHE
All photos by Murray Head
Some people think New York is an ugly city, dirty and without beauty. They are SO wrong- There’s so much beauty in The City, it’s all around us. Central Park alone is replete with beautiful flowers and wildlife; The birds are wonderful, the ponds full of turtles, frogs and visited by egrets and herons alike. If outside art is not your thing, we have amazing museums and art galleries filled with every genre and period of art and sculpture. AND of course not to brag too much, MANY of the most famous artists original work hangs here.
Not that the title of this post bears too much meaning for the following photos but I did think it was kinda cute. Murray has been haunting the parks in the City this week so I have been blessed with a whole bunch of great photos to pick from for my week of photos!
Previously in my Yellow Is The Color Of My True Love’s …blog post, I did feature a photo of an owl in tree laden with yellow leaves. But today it’s all about the owl! Being quite the poseur, he showed up two days in a row!
“I’m keeping my eye on you”
“Why don’t you mind your own business”?
“NO, I don’t like having my picture taken”!
“I’m not sleeping, just resting my eyes”.
“I only need one eye open to see what’s going on”!
Turns out that the Citicorp building in midtown is no longer the home to a fantastic adult and child-pleasing train display. Very disappointing because this Sunday I planned to take Finley to see this wonderful exhibit. I’m not sure if and where it has moved.
Here’s my 2012 list of suggestions on ways to celebrate the season in New York City.
New York City’s own LITE-BRITE Tree
THE TREE – STILL the number one tourist attraction this time of year and an event televised nationally – The lighting of the Christmas tree in ROCKEFELLER CENTER a spectacle to behold and free. Each year I marvel at this monstrous beauty and each year it looks better than the year before. Walk around the Center, see the ice skaters, better yet, why not rent a pair and join in the fun!
GRAND CENTRAL TERMINAL: Millions of people have passed through this temple of transportation, so many trips begin and end here! Walk though this architectural landmark; View the heavenly ceiling with its golden astrological symbols. Visit the Transit Museum and Gift Shop (even if you are “only looking”). There’s always several vintage train sets on display. The Christmas Fair booths in Vanderbilt Hall are great for unusual and unique gifts and there are many retail outlets throughout the Terminal. If you arrive after 3pm and are sans kids, you might want to have a late afternoon or evening cocktail at The Campbell Apartment. It has been restored to its original splendor when it was the private office and salon of the 1920’s tycoon John W. Campbell.
THE NUTCRACKER BALLET – You can catch a performance of THE NUTCRACKER at BAM- BROOKLYN ART MUSEUM performed by The American Ballet Company. Very easy to get there by subway or bus. This year’s show is dazzling and entertaining. Suitable for children ages 4 yrs and up. It’s a holiday classic.
RADIO CITY CHRISTMAS SHOW – But nothing is more classic than going to RADIO CITY MUSIC HALLand seeing the ROCKETTES perform in the annual RADIO CITY CHRISTMAS SHOW. I have been going since I was little; My grandmother used to take me and as a young girl, I was overwhelmed by the size of the Music Hall and the sweeping grand staircase. The show is magical, the Rockettes are truly spectacular. My favorite routine is the Wooden Soldiers. And you can never get tired of watching in awe how those legs just keep high-kicking! Children love the show, there are two recent pieces done in 3-D and Santa is the host throughout the show.
And down they go one by one
WALKING THE WINDOWS –Walking in Midtown Manhattan during this holiday season is one of the best ways to enjoy Christmastime in New York. On your way to Rockefeller Center, you should plan a walking route that will take you past some of New York’s premier department stores and their breath-taking window displays. The stores to see (and they are all within walking distance of one another) are: Bloomingdale’s* at 59th St/Lexington Ave., SAKS Fifth Avenue at 49th St., Bergdorf Goodman’s on Fifth Ave/58th St., Barney’s on Madison Ave/61st St. * Bloomingdale’s is a great place for your kids to visit Santa. ** Not within walking distance BUT certainly a New York holiday experience is a trip to Macy’s, the renowned Christmas store in Miracle on 34th Street.
The UNICEF SNOWFLAKE –Strolling along Fifth Avenue in the evening is a treat in itself. This is the time when the City lights up! Look up and follow the Star on Fifth Avenue. Since 1984, the Snowflake has been a holiday tradition. The snowflake was dedicated to Unicef by the Sotheby family in 2002. The original snowflake now hangs high above the Beverly Wilshire on Rodeo Drive. In 2005, a new Snowflake was created by Ingo Maurer of Germany in collaboration with the Baccarat Crystal company. The Snowflake has 12 double-sided branches, contains 16,000 crystals, is 23 feet wide and over 28 feet high. Quite amazing!! And then there’s CARTIER all wrapped up in a big red bow!
The Unicef Snowflake
SERENDIPTY 3 – FROZEN HOT CHOCOLATE! Seriously now, can you imagine just how delicious that is?? No, you can’t. So you should give yourself a break from site-seeing and go to Serendipity 3 located at 225 East 60th St. Frozen Hot Chocolate is a treat not to be missed.
THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART– No trip to New York City regardless of the season is complete without a visit to THE MET. One of the season’s glories is the BAROQUE CHRISTMAS TREE adorned with hand-crafted Neapolitan angels and surrounded with the BEST Nativity scene ever. Hundreds of figures populate various scenes related to the story of The Nativity. It is truly beautiful! Note: The entry fee is “what you wish to pay” (really)!
CHRISTMAS MARKETS – There are Christmas markets throughout the City, not as spectacular as those in Germany but they are here. Check out Union Square, Columbus Circle and Bryant Park for a wide selection of craft items, art, outerwear and gifts of all sizes for all ages.
NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDENS – If you think there’s nothing Christmasy to see at The Botanical Gardens, you’re way wrong! There is a spectacular Holiday Train exhibit there. You will marvel at the model trains and landmark replicas. This exhibit is worth the trip to the Bronx and you can get there by subway and bus.
The Holiday Train Exhibit Botanical Gardens
11. BONUS: GINGERBREAD ADVENTURES – Children explore the spices that make up a classic gingerbread recipe. Kids can step inside a child-sized gingerbread playhouse and also decorate a gingersnap cookie with frosting and candies. All ages will enjoy viewing a display of gingerbread houses made by New York City-area bakers.
I said this was a photo week and it does seem to be shaping up that way! Look at these bursts of color and then tell me, is it true that the color yellow is uplifting and illuminating? In world of color psychology, the color yellow denotes intellect. It is optimistic and cheerful and yet also associated with criticism, impatience and cowardice.
What do you feel when you see these photos?
Gorgeous tree is a glowing yellow against the cornflower blue sky
Personally I’m not a mall shopper, never have been and certainly never for Christmas! I like unique, personalized, customized presents or in my case PRESSents which is my own custom-created gift business. More about that soon. So when my friend Gail sent me this video, I thought it would be great to share with my readers in case they had not seen it.
I love IMPROV EVERYWHERE and have a secret (well not so secret) desire to perform in one of their events. Come to think of it I could have been in this one! Check it out, you’ll be smiling in no time.
My last post was about Peter’s collection of vintage Peter Coddles games. Those 7 are just the tip of the iceberg! Murray took those photos and while he and Peter were setting up the shots, Murray wandered around and snapped a few random pictures here and there as something caught his eye. We have stuff, no doubt about it. Only one photo is of a collection and I’m sure you’ll be able to pick it out (and I’ll give you a hint anyway).
A window sill in my living room. Plants, African art, carved figures, vintage lamps, sand dollars, stained glass, an antique kaleidoscope, vintage bottles and paperweights, and….
Chair monkeys-IF they had hats they could live on the bed
My own personal Dopey collection. Aren’t they cute? Peter stuck Bashful or Happy in there to keep Dopey company.
I love Alessi! This cute rabbit is a toothpick holder.
Mini Bill Ding and his clowns stand guard on a dining room window sill. Along with a several other things!
Well that was just a peek into the collective madness of the collections that reside in our New York apartment. Here are few random photos taken by Murray as he was wandering around Bryant Park, Grand Central Terminal and vicinity.
It’s easy to shop for your pets in one of the City’s Christmas Fairs.
Grand Central Terminal Food Market-Murray’s Cheese Shop
And it goes like this: ” One is nice, two makes a pair and three makes a collection! And then some…. I think we have collections that have collections!. Some people come in and marvel at the sheer number of things we’ve managed to have, hold, and display in one apartment! Most others always ask, “How do you dust all this stuff”? I never answer them.
I have a category in this blog called Peter Coddles and it is supposed to be about antiques, collectibles, nostalgia and to feature some of the many collections Peter and I have. I’ve been really derelict about posting in this area and not sure why. I LOVE my collections and I LOVE the stuff Peter collects, or well most of it anyway but that’s another story. Peter Coddles is also the name of our antique business.
Anyway, Murray came over the house the other day to photograph Peter’s collection of Peter Coddles Trip to New York vintage games. This is a collection I’m particularly fond of because when I met Peter 20 years ago, he had ONE game and over the years I bought him many various versions as presents. We believe he has the complete collection because for years now, we’ve not seen or found one that he doesn’t already own. It’s really hard to display everything and especially vintage games. We do have a few in a frame but most of the others are in drawers and boxes so by having Murray photograph them all, Peter is going to make a book. Great idea!
The game itself is an early 19th century parlor game. It’s kind of the prequel to Mad Libs. There are a lot of cards with random words on them and as the storyteller reads aloud from a booklet, whenever there is a blank in the sentence, one of the other players draws a card and reads the word to complete the sentence. Peter Coddles is a farmer, country boy, a hick and he has decided to take a trip to the big City! He runs into all sorts of things and predicaments. Of course you know the story can never makes any sense and induces gales of giggles all around. Being a boomer from the last century, it just occurred to me that this game might be hysterical if everyone was stoned. Oh well, that was certainly not the idea behind the original innocence of this game, but it is something to consider.
Peter Coddle’s Trip to New York
St. Nicholas Series-Peter Coddles
Peter Coddles Trip to New York
Peter Coddles Trip to New York
Peter Coddles – This ONE was the first in the collection
Just kidding of course! New Yorkers have already started celebrating the holiday season! Millions of white lights are being strung on trees, the ice rink is open in Bryant Park as well as Rockefeller Center, the Christmas Fair booths are opening around the City and Cartier has already wrapped their store on Fifth Avenue in a glowing red ribbon! The kids and the not-s0-small kids are out cavorting around on the ice, kidding around so to speak.
Bill Ding and his band of clowns are the security patrol for this blog site. He is a favorite toy from the 50*s. By the way sometimes a blog is just an ego-maniacal stream of conscience.
Bill Ding and his band of clowns are the security patrol for this blog site. He is a favorite toy from the 50*s. By the way sometimes a blog is just an ego-maniacal stream of conscience.
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