Praying for the Tornado Victims

Although we are surrounded by such beauty, There always lurks pain and devastation amongst us... As I tour my gardens each day I offer prayer for those who can not take time to smell the flowers..."YET"...

Dear Lord I ask you to please let the victims have peace soon and see that there "Is Light in that Tunnel"...

This little tree frog made me smile today as he "THINKS he is hidden" but I sat and watched him and the swirls of hummingbirds that frequented my wiegela bushes around him...I also thought if I could place a little red cap on his head the hummers would visit him too...

Life is very fragile... This fern leaf peony is an example of how quickly things change... We have had LOTS and LOTS of rain here in Connecticut... I will NEVER complain about it... The flowers bow to the weather BUT they manage to smile again when the sun returns... To all the Tornado and disaster victims HERE and all over the world, "I am praying every day for you"... "Not a moment goes by that I am not Thinking of you"..."I want the sun to return for you so you can smile again"...

Captivated by Kipling

The stories and poems of Rudyard Kipling are captivating for all ages... He is a story teller that I will enjoy reading forever and ever... and we "MUST" introduce our youth to these timeless treasures of imagination so "They will live forever"... T

There is no greater gift than an "Interesting Audience"... I must admit I am as captivated with them as I am with the stories I tell!

When I was little my Grandmother had this "Wonderful little Elephant statue"...She had picked him up "Somewhere in time"... I LOVED this little guy and would sit in front of him for HOURS imagining how Great a life he had as "The Elephant of my Grandmothers House"..."He and I had LOTS of adventures together"!!! "He is Definitely One of my Favorite Things"...

The minute I met this basket it "Jumped in my car" and Followed Me Home! LATER I realized just how incredibly familiar it's shape was... Doesn't it look like Elephant Tusks???

This set of vintage binoculars I bought at our little town tag sale "Many Years Ago"... The elderly lady that I bought them from was "So Sweet", I wanted to take her home too... It was pouring rain that day and we were shuffling around under tents... This little lady took all my attention that day... I spent every cent I brought on her goodies... EVERYTHING was $5 that day as we all stood in the wind driving rain! These binoculars belonged to her Hubby and she told me of their adventures with them "Always strung from his neck"! They were the very first thing she gave him when they got married... "She had such a twinkle in her eye as she went on with her story"... I LOVE these binoculars and they sit in my front bay window to watch the world, and I think of a Dear Couple every time I pick them up...

We are having "Madagascar Coffee" today in these "GLOBE Paul Cardew Cups & Saucers"... The little ones will have milk with a few teeny drops of coffee mixed in... My Dad used to do this for me on a special occasion

The white bowl(one of two) is a GW find that had me "Happy Dancing" all the way home!

A baby elephant is one of God's Greatest Gifts to us...We need to give him the respect he was born to deserve... AND as I have said before, "If he shows up in my garden he is welcome to dine on whatever his heart desires"...

Ahhh, these bowls were $1 at GW and They were my BARGAIN of the year!!! LOVE THEM! They are ROSCHER "enchanting lines"... If you know me, You "KNOW" how I love quirky shapes and uneven lines...So these are just plain GORGEOUS and they are going to be popping up in lots of table settings!

P.T.Barnum was a native born Connecticut Yankee... I bought this book of his animal stories from the VERY HOUSE he was born in(in Bethel Connecticut). He lived there until he was 24 when he built a home in Bridgeport CT. This book was published in 1926 and caused a STIR at my table when "Clarence the Lion popped in to hear HIS favorite stories be told"...He is claiming that the Handsome Lion on the cover is his "Great Great Granddaddy"...Keeping Clarence in mind...I never missed an episode of "Daktari" back in the "Good Ol' Days". I LOVED that crossed eyed lion named Clarence. One of my favorite movies was "Born Free(you can watch the whole movie on YouTube)"... Did you cry a lot during it? I also LOVED Elsa... and I remember the day I took the bus Downtown to buy the sheet music for BORN FREE and played it on my piano... It was also "Very Fashionable to wear safari clothes"... I LOVED my Safari Jacket... Oh how I wish I had squirreled it away...

I don't collect baskets... They just seem to multiply like other "Cute Thingies" that Follow Me Home and Multiply "ALL BY THEMSELVES"... I Swear to you, they do!!! This gnarly basket was in a shop one day and at Conghaile Cottage the next... I kind of Knew once I made eye contact I would be doomed to house this Character for the rest of my days! "Hey I'm weak"!!!

"Water for Elephants" ... The book was wonderful and the movie is opening soon... I have some CLIPS for you...

"Getting to know Rosie"...

Anyone for Animal Crackers???

"Lions and Tigers loop-d-loop"...

Do you remember Shirley Temple singing Animal Crackers??? Well Here's some FUN for you!!!

You "Must,Must,Must" see this movie!!! Actually FIND IT and buy it! It's a movie you can Actually sit with everyone of any age and have FUN watching...It's one of those VERY Touching movies that will make you feel really good... It's  roll in the isle funny at times that it's not making you cry because it touched your heart... "LOVE,LOVE,LOVE it"!!! You can catch the TRAILER HERE!!!

"Born Free... Listen to their beautiful music"

I'm Linking To
"Show and Tell Friday@My Romantic Home"
"Vintage Inspiration Friday@Common Ground"
"Simple Pleasures@A Collection of This and That"
"Tablescape Thursday@Between Naps on the Porch"
"Vintage Thingie Thursday@Colorado Lady"
"Tuesday Treasures@The House on the Side of the Hill"
"Tea Time Tuesday@Lady Katherine Tea Parlor"
"Tea Cup Tuesday@Martha's Favorites"
"Tea Thingie Tuesday@Silken Purse"
"Table Top Tuesday@A Stroll Thru Life"
"Tea Time Tuesday@Rose Chintz Cottage"
"Masterpiece Monday@Boogieboard Cottage"
"Seasonal Sunday's@The Tablescaper"
"Home Sweet Home@The Charm of Home"
"Friday Pretties@I Love Pretty Little Things"
"Thrifty Things Friday@The Thrifty Groove"

Easter Egger Chickens

These little Chickies are extra special!!! They lay eggs that are already "Colored for Easter"... They are also Very Sweet to have around with a Personality Plus! LOOK at those characteristic "Chipmunk Cheeks"!!! OK I'm on CUTE OVERLOAD HERE!!! Do you see that one on the right? She not only has Chipmunk cheeks, her coloring is JUST LIKE those little critters that live in my gardens...

__❤♫❤ •.¸¸.•´¯`•.♥ .•´¯`•.¸¸.•´¯`•.♥.•´¯`•.¸¸.•´¯`•.
_❤ ♪♫♪ ❤ •.¸¸.•´¯`•.♥ ✯ Here a Chick ✯ ♥.•´¯`•.♥
❤ There a Chick .•´¯`•.¸¸.•´¯`•.♥.•´¯`•.¸¸.•´
❤ ¸.✯¨¯`❀✿❤•.¸¸.•´¯`•.♥ .•´¯`•.¸¸.•´¯`
.....❤ ♪♫♪ ❤ ´¯`•.♥  Everywhere a Chick Chick ❤

The color of the eggs are "Green, Blue, Pink, and different variations of the colors"...These are not a good example...

"AND"......."CHOCOLATE"... a Chickie that can Lay a chocolate colored egg!!! "Now Wouldn't you be the ENVY of your Easter Egg Hunt with these babies???           All of the info you will be needing to "Welcome these gals into your life can be found @ CACKLE HATCHERY and BACKYARD CHICKENS"!!!   NOW am I the only person that NEVER heard of these "Fine Feathered Ladies"??? Have I been Living Under a Rock??? If I can get Hubby to build me a cute little hen house and figure out a "Plan" to keep my wildlife invaders at bay, "I'm getting a dozen of these Sweeties"!

Oh Yes, I HAVE been a "Chicken Farmer in my Life"...We had 2 dozen "Rhode Island Reds"... OH!!!  what eggs they could lay... Some SO HUGE you could NEVER fit them in egg cartons... AND Yes, Just like Lucy we kept the little chickies in the living room in a HUGE BOX with a heat lamp till they could be moved to the HEN HOUSE..."WHY" you ask? WELL, my boys were young... AND... "They were just SO DARN CUTE"!!! WHO could resist... I have "So Many Stories of my own Chicken Farming Years(TOO CUTE)...    I'm posting the link for you to see "Lucy in her chicken escapade"... Who Couldn't LOVE LUCY !!! You can watch the whole episode on You Tube...Click here to watch
"Lucy raising chickens"
http://youtu.be/JRhovb2KABc

"Spring Splendor"

"Easter Sunday opened full bloom in my Gardens"... "Can you see Him there smiling down on us"!!!

This is my Weeping Cherry Tree in full bloom! It's buzzing with excitement as the little busy characters swoop in acrobatics around my head as I snap these pictures!!! The bees are ecstatic with spring fever...

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"Just in Case" you forgot what my winter was like I thought I'd remind you what my home looked like a few months ago!!! You can view More of "My Winter Snow HERE"... AND Even MORE... "winter storm here"

I always knew that all that snow was going to bring an explosion of excitement to spring!

The skies are the most beautiful Wedgwood Blue today...

The trees in the background will not be fully open till May here in New England... See my iron gazebo peeking through the weeping cherry??? It's just waiting to serve Afternoon Tea for "You and Me"...

"I'm linking to"
"Metamorphosis Monday@Between naps on the Porch"
"PINK SATURDAY@How Sweet the Sound"
"Friday Pretties@I Love Pretty Little Things"
"PHOTO FEATURE FRIDAY@A Rosy Note"
"SHOW AND TELL FRIDAY@My Romantic Home"
"HOME SWEET HOME@The Charm of Home"
"OPEN HOUSE THURSDAY@No Minimalist Here"
"COTTAGE FLORA THURSDAY@Fishtail Cottage"
"SIMPLE PLEASURES THURSDAY@A Collection of this and that"
"WOW US WEDNESDAY@Savvy Southern Style"
"OUTDOOR WEDNESDAY@ A Southern Daydreamer" 

"Have a Blessed and Happy Easter Everyone"

"It's a ritual in our home to watch this delightful movie every Easter"... Jimmy Stewart was always capable of making us smile... So as traditions go, we watch him at Christmas in "It's a Wonderful Life"... and we watch him at Easter with his 6foot Rabbit "Harvey"!!! If you Click "Harvey" it will take you to YOU TUBE to watch a clip of him...

"HARVEY" a Big White Rabbit to celebrate Easter with Us!

Remembering my Blessings at Easter

Easter and Spring brings LOTS of "Bunnies, Eggs, Chocolate and Very Sweet Memories" to mind...

Lots and Lots of the Cutest Faces in their Easter Bonnets!

A Coffee and Crumpet will be "Ever So Much" Better in my "Hareloom Pottery"...Oh and How I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE German paper mache eggs! Is it possible to have too many of them? "NO, I think not"!!!  Have I told you before how much I LOVE "Crackle and Crazing"???

I have 2 antique carved lunch pails from Finland... They are the perfect size for holding biscuits... The bunnies are hanging out in hopes of "crumbs"...They saw me baking them and had the idea BECAUSE the cookies were shaped like carrots they would taste like carrots(WRONG, they are almond shortbread)... OK, I'm sure they will be munching on the apples, that are dotting the table, as soon as I leave the room...

This lunch pail is still stained it's original blue... My antique/vintage chocolate molds have followed me home for "Years"... I love everything about them and they seem to all have personalities all their own... If you choose to visit me at Conghaile Cottage often, you will see these sweet silver celebrities "Showing Off" in the oddest of places... There is never a dull moment here...

Now for my "Happy Dancing Surprise"... Donna@ "Brynwood Needleworks" hosts a memorable party on the last Monday of each month called "Memories Monday"...Donna and I have found we have LOTS in common right down to "We were both born the same year" AND although I came from a family of only 4, when Hubby and I got married we had 3 boys SO "There were Five in the Family!!! This book "Five in the Family" was a gift from Donna's giveaway at "Brynwood Needleworks" 

This is one of my FAVORITE Hankies from my Trunk of Bounty... It was very well loved and I so enjoy picturing all the tears and sniffles it may have cured in it's day... Clocks being one of my Very Favorite things combined with a vintage hankie "HAS to be Priceless"!  These vintage linens have endued so much in their lifetime. My Mom used to wash clothes with an old "Maytag Wringer Washer"... I cannot look at old linens without thinking of Mom doing her wash and then hanging it out to dry. My Job was to hand her cloths pins... I don't really know if it helped her or slowed her down because I would have them ALL CLIPPED together in one long stick thingy. Our dogs job was to lay on top of the laundry piles on the kitchen floor and keep them toasty warm till Mom was ready for that pile. It must have been a VERY IMPORTANT job because I used to see her pat him on the head and tell him he was a "Good Boy"...

Oh Donna! Thank you SO MUCH for this book. It brought me back to my childhood and the "Love that surrounded my life"... It is such a cute book of early learning and family bonding... See Donna's beautiful postcard there on the left? She is "SO TALENTED"!!! I love everything she makes, not to mention how inspirational she is! If you haven't met her You Must go visit her and see all her goodies "HERE"... The little "Shoe House" vase I have had for YEARS. It followed me home from a yard sale one day and it's just "So Darn Cute". I seem to think that all those little"Who's that live on the Dust Speck" in Whoville could live quite comfortably in there...

This little Sweetie is one of Hildegard Gunzel's girls with her Brother Bear... She is showing off her new Easter Outfit... Do you remember when you were little, getting a new outfit for Easter??? AND that special spring coat... My very favorite spring coat was a woven yellow one that had big pearl buttons. "I LOVED that coat and felt so grown up and special in it"... Oh and don't forget the gloves! We always wore gloves to Sunday Mass. I had gorgeous stretchy lace ones...

I was going to read to her BUT she insisted that she do the reading...

Brother Bear is learning about "New Shoes" ... The book doesn't tell of all the blisters of new shoes in youth.(at least that's MY Memories of them) "OUCH! I'm more of a barefoot and saddles type gal! "We Hope all our Friends in The Beautiful Land of Blog are having a "Blessed Holy Week"... "Love & Hugs to you All"!!!

"I'm Linking To"
"Memory Lane Monday@Brynwood Needleworks"
"A few of my favorite things@Bargain Hunting"
"Show and Tell Friday@My Romantic Home"
"Home Sweet Home Friday@The Charm of Home"
"Vintage Inspiration EASTER Friday@Common Ground"
"Friday Pretties@I Love Pretty Little Things"
"Thrifty Things Friday@The Thrifty Groove"
" Feathered Nest Friday@French Country Cottage"
"Open House@No Minimalist Here"
"Tablescape Thursday@Between Naps on the porch"
"Treasure Hunt Thursday@Blue Creek Home"
"Teddy Bear Picnic@The House on the Side of the Hill"
"Vintage Thingie Thursday@Colorado Lady"
"WOW US WEDNESDAY@SAVVY SOUTHERN STYLE" 
"Easter&Spring@A Holiday Haven" 

Vintage Wine Tablecloth with Blackberry Wine&Tea

I have many vintage tablecloths BUT I think this is my favorite... I find myself ALWAYS favoring the Square ones... I don't like the round because they "JUST Don't FIT", They never make them big enough. I am the type, IF I USE a tablecloth, I Feel it should touch or even puddle on the floor...Therefore... when I buy, even these vintage cloths, I buy square and use them as a topper...

I tend to think of wine when I use this vintage cloth, probably because of it's colors and bounty of grapes... But my "Blackberry Wine Novel" plays a role in this little vignette...Also being a strong influence on accessories to enhance the mood...

I have just started to read "Joanne Harris' BLACKBERRY WINE"... I made Hubby & I Blackberry Tea and We read the first chapter together... I LOVE Ms Harris' books. Like her "Chocolat" she leaves you HUNGERING for more!!!  Although the reading was Sweet, it wasn't as Sweet as snuggling with Tea&My Hunnybun!!!

My cups&saucers were "Made in France" and are "Duralex Rivage Pattern" in Amethyst... They "Sparkle" like brilliant crystal yet have a timeless durability to them... These could easily be a favorite pick at any luncheon, BOTH casual or formal... The rich Amethyst Purple is accommodating in so many tablescapes...LOVE THEM!

Take note here of the 3 different vintage linens used... First is my inspiration of todays post "My 40s tablecloth, then I used tatted German doilies under my teacups, AND lastly the woven black&creamy white napkins... I don't know if you approve, BUT I love the combo...Also if you notice, I DO NOT like things straight. I prefer oblong or crooked, AND as you can see the doily is NOT under the saucer, it is placed to the side, JUST like the napkin is... I "REALLY" do not follow an etiquette book(EVER). I set my table to "Make me Smile"... It is finished when I stand back, Look at it, and it makes me feel like "I'm at home"...

Again I am using one of my antique pewter plates from International Silver of Connecticut, (from my very large set)...I know I promised you all that I would show you my entire set..."AND I shall", I Promise!!! I LOVE the way pewter goes with pinks and purples!!!

My depression class Cream&Sugar are "Jeannette Glass Company", Circa 1929 in the "Cube" pattern...The color is that beautiful pink of the early depression glass...

Buzzzzzzzzzzzzz

The black&white grapevine dishes are Made in Italy for Crate&Barrel...I don't know how old they are because I found them at GW for $1 each(set of 4)... Yes I was "Tickled Pink" and HAD to show them off to you!!!

Once upon a time there was a little girl named Donna that was SO SCARED of bees that...When she grew up "God had a plan for her"...He blessed her with three little boys to teach her to respect ALL of his creatures and with their aid of teaching her ALL About what used to be Creepy Crawly she became a Master Gardener... OK, if you don't know by now, THAT little girl is "MOI"!!! and I truly owe my gardening skills to my youngest son for curing me of all my phobias... I'm still working on the snake thingy BUT I'm better than I used to be...  This little bee is a French Limoges Box...and it was a gift from my youngest son...

"Rabbit is Pushy and decisive. The best speller of all the animals. His life is made up of Important Things. Likes to organize things and take charge of group events, even if nothing gets done. Becomes disoriented very quickly in unfamiliar surroundings"...German Steiff "Rabbit" from Winnie the Pooh...

Do you think it's safe to let "Rabbit" tend the vineyards???

The colors in this vintage tablecloth are vibrant, rich and bright...It's hard to photograph BUT in this photo you can see the colors better than the previous... It is a dark maroon with pinks and greens...

"I'm LINKING To"
"Teacup Tuesday@Martha's Favorites"
"Nifty Thrifty Tuesday@Coastal Charm"
"Show off your Cottage Monday@The House in the Roses"
"Masterpiece Monday@Boogieboard Cottage"
"Seasonal Sundays@The Tablescaper"
"A Few of my Favorite Things@Bargain Hunting(and chatting) with Laurie"
"Pink Saturday@How Sweet The Sound"
"Friday Pretties@I Love Pretty Little Things"
"Thrifty Things Friday@The Thrifty Groove"
"Vintage Inspiration Friday@Common Ground"
"Feathered Nest Friday@French Country Cottage"
"Home Sweet Home@The Charm of Home"
"Pearls and Lace Thursday@Faith, Grace, and Crafts"
"The House on the side of the Hill"
"Vintage Thingie Thursday@Colorado Lady"
"Treasure Hunt Thursday@Blue Creek Home"
"Tablescape Thursday@Between Naps on the Porch"
"Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays@Coastal Charm"
"Table Top Tuesday@A Stroll Thru Life"