Thursday, June 30, 2011
Monday, June 27, 2011
Maira Kalman's Library Art
This is a beautiful video of a subject I am "Very Passionate" about! My love of books has been with me since childhood... We need to keep the "Creativity" Alive in our youth, they are our future and need to express themselves... In a simple book the world and beyond are "Endless"...I know we live in a world of KINDLES and electronic reading BUT there is something about stepping into a library that is "MAGICAL"! It lets your creative side soar into times and spaces you may never actually visit! Some of those times and spaces do not exist outside of the books covers and our personal adventure inside it... I don't know about you, BUT when I step through the door of my local libraries I feel a presence there...I hear whispering in the air... A Library is Infinity at our fingertips! Let's keep them alive..."Please support your local libraries"!!! I feel the same about bookstores... I want authors to ALWAYS know I am their "Biggest Fan"... I am HERE and "I'm Reading YOUR Book"!!!
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Bargains, Tea, and a Bear
 |
| We are having lots of rain this week so instead of working in my gardens I thought I'd sit here and admire them through my window... "Do you see Summer out there"??? "HAPPY 4th of JULY Everyone"!!! |
 |
| Of course with the scent of honey from the tea "A good Ol' bear" dropped in and took a seat... |
 |
| I thought I would share a few of my bargains from my latest treasure hunt with you... I always bring my goodies home, polish them up and initiate them into my cottage... Do you recognize my "Gnarly Basket" inverted to make a table??? It works perfectly and fits the mood... You can see it in my May Post "Captivated by Kipling", where it served as a basket... I'm not quite sure "WHAT" it was intended to be, but I have a theory... It was made by the forest friends and used as a playpen for their little ones! Hey, I told you it was My Theory AND this is My Blog, so I'm sticking to it! |
 |
| First let me introduce my MUG, or at least I thought it was a mug...I was very excited with it's cute little cottage look and price of $1... So... I trotted off to the register to claim it and take it home! |
 | |
| After giving it a bubble bath, I made myself a cup of coffee, made myself comfy and then proceeded to look my little treasure find up... MAYBE I could find another mug or plate "OR" MAYBE a teapot, to keep it company... Oh Yes!!! Well as I typed in "Price Kensington Cottageware" made in England, UP POPPED my mug...WHICH wasn't a mug at all!!! It was part of a cup & saucer "SET"... AND the worst part "WAS" that I had seen the saucer at GW(NO they were NOT together in the store) and passed it by... """OH NO"""!!! What was I to do!!! Well, after a VERY SLEEPLESS night, I headed BACK to GW to claim my saucer!!! and as you can see they are now very happily reunited... "Do you know my coffee tastes better in this cup NOW that it's had it's reunion with it's saucer"??? I can see them smiling at each other as I do my little happy dance!!! |
 |
| This Antique Figural Teapot is "Bennington Pottery's Rebecca at the Well"..."It was made between 1850 & 1870" and followed me home from another thrift shop for $1 the VERY NEXT day! I had cleaned it up and set it in my front window... While admiring it "I had an idea"!!! The "Cottageware Cup & Saucer" would make a WONDERFUL set with this pot...Just look at Rebecca at the well! Doesn't she look like she lives in that sweet little cottage on the cup??? "PERFECT"! The figural pot has the same scene on both sides... I want to "Thank" Sherry @Back2Vintage For helping me identify my teapot! She is always so helpful! and if you haven't visited her blog yet... "Please Do"... You will be in for a Big Treat!!! "While you're there, give her a HUG from me"!!! |
 |
| It seems like yesterday I was showing you how HIGH the snow was piled outside this window... and NOW it's replaced with the most beautiful display of magenta pink... |
 |
| This is "Spirea Neon Flash"! It's one of my favorites for it's continual performance and color all season long... It was damaged tremendously from the heft of our winter snows...I had to cut it back almost to the ground...YET... it's rewards are great...It will bloom and bloom again, giving me a display of magenta pink until the late fall gives way to winter once more... Oh Yes, it IS one of my favorites! |
 |
| Now lets talk about "Tea"! I am a coffee-aholic, BUT I find tea a dessert alternative and DO enjoy exploring the fine culture of "Drinking AND Collecting Teas"... I really love "TEAVANA"... The photos here are a few of my favorite Maté teas... Have you ever tasted their "Magic", visited their stores or their website??? |
 |
| Maté is a wild shrub from Argentina that makes a delicious, flavorful tea. Maté tea contains a stimulant similar to caffeine, although without the jitteriness or addictive tendencies. |
 |
Blueberry Kona Pop Tea BlendDeliciously fruity and refreshing! This blend of Their Blueberry Bliss Rooibos tea and Pineapple Kona Pop herbal tea makes a wonderful iced tea treat when paired with their German Rock Sugar. It is a caffeine-free delight that is great for the whole family. |
Friday, June 17, 2011
The Secret Garden
 |
| Mother Nature always has a plan... |
 |
| She never forgets to stop and smell the flowers... |
 |
| She is forever spreading her kindness... |
 |
| Last year I neglected my gardens due to family illness... It was also the hottest summer on record followed my record snowfall... |
 |
| But... Mother Nature had a plan... |
 |
| A profusion of flowers that is destined to be a masterpiece year... |
 |
| She has left nothing untouched... |
 |
| All of God's Creatures seem at home here... This little guy is a tree frog and he "SINGS all night under my bedroom window"...WOW, what a set of lungs he has! |
 |
| Flowers are a soothing part of life...Whether they be planted or wild... You can always count on them to make you happy... I hope a peek into a few of my gardens have made you smile today... |
I'M LINKING TO THE FOLLOWING FUN PARTIES...
"Show and Tell Friday@My Romantic Home"
"Cottage Flora Thursday@Fishtail Cottage"
"Outdoor Wednesday@A Southern Daydreamer"
"Toot your horn Tuesday@A Silly little Sparrow"
"Masterpiece Monday@Boogieboard Cottage"
"Show off your Cottage Monday@The House in the Roses"
"Blue Monday@Smiling Sally" note the SPLASHES of BLUE in my gardens!!!
"Seasonal Sundays@The Tablescaper"
"Pink Saturday@How Sweet the Sound"
Sunday, June 12, 2011
MAGNOLIAS
One of my Dearest Friends sent me this in the mail...Maybe some of you have already read it BUT I am sure that all of you should read it "Just Because"!!! It will make you cry but I know all my friends here are the same people that would find the joy of this story!!!
I also think posting it on Sunday is Perfect!!!
REMEMBER this is not my story BUT because I agree that we all need each other I am passing it on to you...
After the rehearsal dinner the night before the wedding, we banked the podium area and choir loft with magnolias. As we left just before midnight, I felt tired but satisfied this would be the best wedding any bride had ever had! The music, the ceremony, the reception - and especially the flowers - would be remembered for years.
The big day arrived - the busiest day of my life - and while her bridesmaids helped Patsy to dress, her fiancé Tim walked with me to the sanctuary to do a final check. When we opened the door and felt a rush of hot air, I almost fainted; and then I saw them - all the beautiful white flowers were black. Funeral black. An electrical storm during the night had knocked out the air conditioning system, and on that hot summer day, the flowers had wilted and died.
I panicked, knowing I didn't have time to drive back to our hometown, gather more flowers, and return in time for the wedding.
Tim turned to me. 'Edna, can you get more flowers? I'll throw away these dead ones and put fresh flowers in these arrangements.'
I mumbled, 'Sure,' as he be-bopped down the hall to put on his cuff links.
Alone in the large sanctuary, I looked up at the dark wooden beams in the arched ceiling. 'Lord,' I prayed, 'please help me. I don't know anyone in this town. Help me find someone willing to give me flowers - in a hurry!' I scurried out praying for four things: the blessing of white magnolias, courage to find them in an unfamiliar yard, safety from any dog that may bite my leg, and a nice person who would not get out a shotgun when I asked to cut his tree to shreds.
As I left the church, I saw magnolia trees in the distance. I approached a house...No dog in sight.. Knocked on the door and an older man answered. So far so good. No shotgun. When I stated my plea the man beamed, 'I'd be happy to!'
He climbed a stepladder and cut large boughs and handed them down to me. Minutes later, as I lifted the last armload into my car trunk, I said, 'Sir, you've made the mother of a bride happy today.' No, Ma'am,' he said. 'You don't understand what's happening here.' 'What?' I asked. 'You see, my wife of sixty-seven years died on Monday. On Tuesday I received friends at the funeral home, and on Wednesday . . . He paused. I saw tears welling up in his eyes. 'On Wednesday I buried her.' He looked away. 'On Thursday most of my out-of-town relatives went back home, and on Friday - yesterday - my children left.' I nodded.
'This morning,' he continued, 'I was sitting in my den crying out loud. I miss her so much. For the last sixteen years, as her health got worse, she needed me. But now nobody needs me. This morning I cried, 'Who needs an eighty-six-year-old wore-out man? Nobody!' I began to cry louder. 'Nobody needs me!' About that time, you knocked, and said, 'Sir, I need you.' I stood with my mouth open. He asked, 'Are you an angel? The way the light shone around your head into my dark living room...' I assured him I was no angel.
He smiled. 'Do you know what I was thinking when I handed you those magnolias?' 'No.' 'I decided I'm needed. My flowers are needed. Why, I might have a flower ministry! I could give them to everyone! Some caskets at the funeral home have no flowers. People need flowers at times like that and I have lots of them. They're all over the backyard! I can give them to hospitals, churches - all sorts of places. You know what I'm going to do? I'm going to serve the Lord until the day He calls me home!'
I drove back to the church, filled with wonder. On Patsy's wedding day, if anyone had asked me to encourage someone who was hurting, I would have said, 'Forget it! It's my only daughter's wedding, for goodness' sake! There is no way I can minister to anyone today.' But God found a way. Through dead flowers. 'Life is not the way it's supposed to be. It's the way it is. The way you cope with it is what makes the difference.'
Friday, June 10, 2011
"Mom&Dad" "Happy 63rd Wedding Anniversary" "November 8th, 1947"
 |
| I am joining in a "Special Wedding Blog Party today @ Angelic Accents" AND I have to show off my VERY FAVORITE wedding EVER... My Mom&Dad..."My Parents have been married 63 years on November 8th" and they are still Best Friends... |
 |
| "My Mom was the most Beautiful Bride"... I LOVED her gown but unfortunately I did not get to use it. BUT I copied her flower arrangement of a simple prayer book and single orchid... |
 |
| "I Love you Mom&Dad"... "Happy Anniversary"! |
 |
| "I still have my Moms wedding announcements from the newspaper"... So many of these lovely ladies do not grace our lives anymore... It's very interesting to read the details of this "MOST Special Event" and seeing My Grandmothers and Aunts and Great Aunts and Dear Friends..."I like to ponder as I read it and I can feel my presence there"... |
 |
| Mom and I acquired this wonderful silk scarf at a tag sale when I was only about 12... She spotted it with all it's Shakespeare Romantic quotes and told me to tuck it away for my wedding someday(remember our old hope chests???) |
 |
| "Clocks"... they ALWAYS have to be included! To know my Dad and to know me is to "ALWAYS have plenty of Clocks"... Dad was just visiting from Florida and spent LOTS of time synchronizing my timepieces... "9 o'clock is the hour they were married"... |
 |
| "These beautiful Roseville vases were a wedding gift and are one of my personal favorites"... Mom gave them to me years ago when we built our home... I love them for fall and "of course Mom&Dads Anniversary"... The Johnson Bros Cup&Saucers are my Dads favorite... When he visits he goes through my cupboards like a chapter in "the three bears", looking for JUST the right cup! Believe me that keeps him busy with my hundreds to choose from, and I hold NONE back from him... He may have "any one his heart desires"...These are the ones he chooses! I think I have told you before that he is NOT a mug gentleman, I don't think anyone in his generation is... I LOVE to watch him picking out his cup&saucer... |
 |
| This picture of my Dad in his early teens was with my parents Wedding Pictures... I think he looks like a "Movie Star"... |
I'm Joining
"Wedding Blog Party@Angelic Accents"
Faded Charm for "WHITE WEDNESDAY"! What better post for white than a Beautiful Bride! Join us all over there and see what everyone has for us this week...
II'm linking to "Between Naps on the Porch". Please come and see all the incredible posts everyone has offered this week.
http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/
Thursday, June 9, 2011
"BLOGGER PROBLEMS"
"Hello, Hello Out there"! I am SO Upset because Blogger is at it again...I've been having troubles here and there. There is actually NO WAY to comment on some of your beautiful posts AND I keep getting kicked off with the saying "NOT AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME"!!! It even effects my regular e-mail. I tried writing to some of you and it just gives me NO Response... "SO"... do we blame it on "SunFlares" or is it BLOGGER again??? All I know is "I MISS YOU ALL", and I'm not being anti social, "I'm TRAPPED in Bloggatory"!!! YES there is a place...Please keep tuned in for my only way of communication at the moment..."ESP".... I'm sending you all my Love&Hugs!!!
Sunday, June 5, 2011
"Tea with Martha"...
 |
| One of "Martha's Favorites" is now one of "My Favorites"...I won this stunning Cup&Saucer while exploring her Beautiful World... Do you see that gorgeous Victorian Brooch? It was an extra Special Surprise! |
 | |
| We are having tea with Martha today! "Our Land of Blog is a Brighter Place because she's in it"!!! There is a Sisterhood here that gives us strength and today I am toasting one of "My Favorite Ladies"!!! |
 |
| We are still being adorned by peonies SO "This one is for you Sweet Martha"! |
 |
| This little German Guest is one of Hildegard Gunzel's little ladies...She was SO Excited when I told her Martha was coming for tea! She insisted on wearing her Beautiful Brooch... |
 |
| It's truly amazing how many different patterns, shapes, and, colors there are in cups and saucers... Do you think it's possible that "Someone Somewhere", actually has one of each??? My Mother's cousin Phoebe had a Cup&Saucer collection(I think SHE is the reason I LOVE THEM to this day... Mom would visit her and "I" would examine each and every cup and saucer... She had "200"sets and every one of the sets were on display... HOW??? Her hubby made her a display shelf only big enough to custom fit the size of the sets... The molding was WAY UP near the 12 foot ceiling and perched on it's little ledge was her collection sitting "SIDE by SIDE" and extending ALL the way around her VERY Large farm kitchen and continued into her dining room ... It was GORGEOUS! and very discrete... When her only daughter got married they had the reception at her home AND "All those beautiful cups and saucers were used"...Not ONE was broken... Not even a scratch... |
 |
| One of the greatest pleasures of life is relaxing with someone you have "Everything" in common with! Isn't the Land of Blog a Wonderful Place to Live? Where we all have each other... There is ALWAYS someone here, at Anytime of Any Day just waiting to make us smile or lend us a shoulder and a kind word! There is also the Miracle of Prayer here... |
 |
| Please Peek in on "Martha" and give her a Big Hug from me! We can also shop with her at "Pretty Vintage Things"! |
 | |
| Thank you So Much Martha. I will treasure our friendship every time we have tea together! "I'M LINKING TODAY TO" "Tabletop Tuesday@A Stroll Thru Life" "Open House Party@No Minimalist Here" "Teddy Bear Picnic@The House on the Side of the Hill" "Tea Cup Tuesday@Martha's Favorites" "Tea Cup Tuesday@Artful Affirmations" "Teapot and Tea Things Tuesday@Silken Purse" "Tea Time Tuesday@Rose Chintz Cottage" "Tea Time Tuesday@Lady Katherine's Tea Parlor" |
Monday, May 30, 2011
Tartans, Shortbread, & Short Stories of The Scottish Highlands...
 |
| Lovely Sarah @ Hyacinths for the Soul had a giveaway, a while back, and I was the lucky winner!!! She sent me this Darling Shortbread tin that looks just like a kilt. LOVE it in it's tartan finest, but there are no signs of the goodies that it contained, but I can assure you "They were DELICIOUS"!!! The antique iron nodder bank has been in my family for-e-ver! Mom had taken him to retire with them to Florida but he didn't like the heat SO he came home with me... His original paint is still wonderful and you can even see the tartan plaid in his kilt... |
 |
| The tartan cloth is also a gift from Sweet Sarah... I LOVE,LOVE,LOVE the colors in it and plan to keep it ONLY for the "Most Special of Occasions"!!! Wouldn't a tablecloth be GORGEOUS in that tartan? The little ceramic "Highland Cattle" followed one of my sons home from a trip we made to the Scottish Highlands(One of our favorite places on Earth)... |
 |
| My tree peonies had a very hard winter with the heft of the snow. I wasn't sure if I would see any flowers this year. I am VERY Happy to report that they will be fine and here are some of their smiling faces...Their flowers are impressively HUGE. They remind me of Big Floppy Garden Hats! So Pretty and they smell divine. |
 |
| The little antique iron "Pot of Gold" is a $1 thrift find of mine. Of course it was coin-less at the time it hopped in my car...All the change is part of a large collection I have from all my travels in Europe... We would weave in and out of countries so quickly I never got used to the money, "THEREFORE" my pockets got heavier and heavier. When I would make a purchase I would hand out my paper money and add to the silver weight I was gaining. One trip gave me 12 countries jingling in my pockets. There is "Nothing" like a bucket of loose foreign change all mixed together that will make you feel like a little kid again, trying to figure out how many quarters, dimes, nickles and pennies equal a dollar... |
 |
The teacup trio today is "Shelley Heather". How appropriate this is for the beauty of the Scottish Highlands...I fell in love with heather after seeing it's endless fields growing in the highlands as far as your eye could see. When the wind blew it looked like a sea of orchid waves. Yes, when I came home "I did plant heather". I also found out that not only WE love it, the deer find it irresistible..The little wood-carved Scot is hand carved by Donald Corr in the village of Tomintoul... When we met him he was working on chess sets. Oh how I wish I could have brought one of those home! My sons each adopted one of his little characters... |
 |
| Lots and Lots of Highland Flings going on here... AND... a group of the cutest little "Harmony Kingdom Scotty Dogs" |
 |
| Sarah, I wish I had "Hyacinths Blooming for this post"... I can never look at one and not think of you... Thank you again for my new treasures... |
 |
| If you would like to peek at "WHY" I have damage in my gardens and "WHY" I am tickled "PINK" to have all these beautiful faces smiling at me("PLUS" I have my many shades of PINK PEONIES for Beverly this week)... You may venture into my Winter "HERE"... AND... if that is NOT enough there is "MORE HERE"... Before you go, you MAY need a warm cup of tea or java though AND I'm warning you now, "It's COLD"!!! |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.png)
.JPG)
