New Year's Eve

It was an amazingly warm day today.  Aidan and I went out to gather moss for our New Year's Eve water garden.  There is so much green - it hardly seems like winter.

There is something so magical about a walk just before sunset along a stream.

We collected a couple of different kinds of moss near the stream but there was another variety that we wanted, so off toward our little lake we went.  Aidan was ready to do battle with one of the latest additions to an ever growing arsenal.

It has been such a blessing that my children have grown up next to little lake that has something to offer the whole year through.  On one of it's banks there is a huge patch of reindeer moss.  See all the light green?

I think we found at least four different varieties of moss, so pretty.....

Once back home, we chose a couple of large rocks from the yard.  These were places in a large metal bowl and filled with other shells and stones.  The moss was placed on top and then the bowl was filled with water.  Aidan added a bark bridge and a new little world was created -

Aidan tested out a few leftover boats from last year to make sure they would clear the bridge - they did.  In the meantime Christian helped make some new walnut shell boats.  I start by removing the wick from a tea light candle - you just remove the candle from aluminum base and the wick will come right out.  I place the wick in a walnut half and then carefully fill with wax.

This year we used our candles from Advent and the whole bowl nestles nicely on top of the Advent wreath.

We have four new boats ready.  The two big sisters are out for the evening - so maybe we'll let them set sail a boat tomorrow.  I have done different things with our boats.  Most years I attached small scrolls to the outside the bowl.  Whatever scroll your boat lands nearest to is yours to take into the New Year.  Some years it has been a little saying or just a word.  But this year we'll light our boats and send them off with own private hopes and dreams.