Happy Heart

My heart is so happy!  It's a sunny day and warm temps are melting the snow.  Yes!  So ready for Spring!

I have finally taken a moment to snap a shot of my valentine from Elizabeth of Creative Breathing.   I just love all of her work and thrilled to have something from her.   I will truly treasure it.

Sandy from 521 Lake Street is hosting her first swap on her blog.   Her swap tag is adorable.  Vintage images are just so sweet, arent' they?  Little chickies with big eyes...

I have signed up for this tag swap and can't wait to see what we all come up with.  Craft swapping has been so rewarding to me and it's a great way to make a new friend.   This one will include some "goodies" along with a tag.  It'll be fun to see what kinds of goodies I find.  Once my swap partner is revealed I will begin my creative quest! 

Swaps give me an excuse to get creative and it's something to look forward to in the mailbox!

I've always loved snail mail, receiving letters and packages.   I  had pen pals growing up and one of them, Kristen, is still in contact with me.  We met face to face about 8 years ago when I went to the east coast for  a wedding.   It was so nice to finally meet my old pal!  I still can't believe we sent 50 cents to a teen mag who matched us up and here we are today still friends. 

The electronic age is fast and fancy but there's nothing like having something in your hands that someone took the time to write and send in the mail across the miles.

Think about joining one sometime - I highly recommend it!  



Happy Valentine's Day!

I wanted to show you my sweet valentine from Sue of It's a Very Cherry World...  I exchanged with her and Elizabeth.   Once I receive the one from Elizabeth of Creative Breathing  I will post a picture of it as well.  I'm super excited to see what Elizabeth has created.  She is such a talented woman!

Isn't it cute?  Love it!  I should have taken a picture of the ones I sent out, too.  I'm still new to the whole swapping world but it sure has been fun.  Gives me something to look forward to.   Vintage valentines are my favorite. 

Well speaking of cherries, we have a great store called The Cordial Cherry here in Omaha.   I went for the first time and I loved it!   Splurged a couple of calories on two.  You know, for blogging purposes and all!!

Whimsical and delicious.   The artistry amazes me!  There are your normal chocolate covered cherries, too.  I just had to get the froggie for fun.

Over the weekend I  had lunch and shopped with a couple friends and found the cutest red and white vintage apron!  Isn't it cheerful?

I also found this lamp!  The shade is so adorable!  Polka dota and pom poms - Sold!!   It's vintage as well.    The only snafu was that when I was tightening the lightbulb the plastic cracked.   I really don't want to return it just for that ... it's one of a kind (the shade at least)!  

If anyone knows anything about lamps - tell me if the plastic part where the light bulb screws in can be replaced?   I could tape it but that would be a last ditch effort to salvage it.   

It just makes me so happy when I look at it!!  Sorry if I  concerned any of you from my last post.   I'm okay - just had a bit of a hard week and some things were stressing me.   I have to put my trust in God to carry any burden I may have and I know He loves me and loves you, too!

I thank you for your thoughtful messages and taking time to let me know you cared.  It means so much to hear from you!

Wishing you love every day of the year (not just on valentine's day) AND a big HUG to you all!   









Faith

photo by me

“If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you."   Luke 17:6

Last week was a tough week for me.   I don't know if it is the cold and unpredictable weather getting to me or what?  I hate it when I get grumpy!  I hate it when I get hung up on something negative and that recording goes over and over in my head.  

I found myself asking God to help me deal some of the feelings that are bubbling up in me.  It also helps to have a friend tell you "stop that right now" when they hear you say things that are not truths about yourself.

I thank God for friends that will do that.

I will not give up faith!   Tomorrow is a brand new day! 

Photo by me

"For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning."    Psalm 30:5

One of my favorite scriptures!   Great song we used to sing in church, too.  

photo by me

I am blessed to have a mother who prays for her children.   She participates in a women's small group called "praying moms".   These mamas gather together and lift up prayers for their children every week.

Many prayers have been answered and it's all in the name of love.   God bless the mamas and grandmamas that pray for their children.   How many of us wonder where we would have been if we didn't have those matriarchs standing in the gap for us? 

photo by me

James 5:1 says the "effective fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much"! 

Great Mag!

This weekend I received the magazine I won from Birds of a Feather.  ''Where Women Cook"  has been a joy to read!  First off, I love Ree Drummond AKA Pioneer Woman!  She was my "person" who creatively inspires me (which is honestly a running list of many, many talented women) and wouldn't you know I won the mag with her on the front cover!   Ree just cracks me up with her quick wit and silly posts.  She drew me in first with her beautiful photography, family life, great recipes and cute cowboys!  
I really find it interesting how they run a ranch and seeing pics of real cowboys out there doing their thing!

Heidi included a sweet picture of a pretty bird.  I love the ribbon and millinery flowers - love those darling details!

photo by me

Also featured in the magazine are two other great creative ladies Serena from Farm Chicks (her kitchen is so fun - popping with lots of bright color) and Elizabeth Maxson of Elizabethhouse

Farm Chicks



The Kitchn

I had the pleasure of meeting Elizabeth a couple years back at an event in Kansas.  She had beautiful antiques and bunches of lavender in her booth which was located in a historic barn.  Her vignettes were enchanting and her sweetness was refreshing.   I enjoy reading her blog and seeing her great photography.  Her love story also inspires me...  I would love to hear from my man "I prayed for you"! Wow!

Photo by me

Here's some of that lavender that is still fragrant after all this time!   Check out photos of Elizabeth's cozy Frenchy kitchen featured on The Kitchn,

Stuck in Winter Dreaming of Spring

"It's spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you've got it, you want - oh, you don't quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so! " 
~Mark Twain

My Own Network??

I know Miss Oprah has moved on to her very own cable network now.  I no longer have the fancy cable anymore so I haven't had a chance to take a gander to see what it's all about.

I got to thinking as I was watching my fave classics on cable recently...  what would my network look like?
Well, I think it would definitely have a lot of diversity in genre because I like an eclectic mixture of shows.
I would want to bring back some of the classic comedy sitcoms like Laverne and Shirley, Three's Company, and Happy Days.   I loved those shows way back when!  Come to think of it I still love those shows!

Happy Days was an after school show that was like the cherry on top of my day.  Light-hearted, silly, and clean.   Sure Fonzi liked to make out with the ladies but aaaayyyy he was "The Fonz"!!  I've been known to call someone who wears a lot of pink "Pinky Tuscedero" - one of Fonzi's gals.  She was rough and tough an wore a pink jacket. 



I find myself still staying up way way too late to catch Three's Company.   I can't help it!  Jack Tripper's slapstick still makes me laugh out loud.   He was so handsome, too!  Suzanne Somers looks fantastic after all of these years.  Amazing right?

I know they already wear out Little House on the Prairie on a certain network but I still love it as a grown up.  I can't help myself!   Fuzzy photo sorry...

Am I starting to sound like a nerd and no one would watch this hypothetical network of mine?  

I've tried to watch some of the new sitcoms (Hot in Cleveland/Mike & Molly) and as much as they do make me laugh I notice they are pushing the envelope on language and sexuality.  It kind of ruins it sometimes.  Why does it have to be this way?

Okay okay I'll move on - I gotta have some great cooking shows on the channel as well.  Cutie Italian girl Giada makes cooking sound fun.    Barefoot Contessa is another fave. 

Don't forget some of the decorating shows!   Divine Design is a great show.  Candace can come and decorate my home anytime.  She knows how to glam a place up.  Cute short hairdo in this photo, too.

Gotta have a fashion makeover show, too.   This duo knows there stuff and they crack me up!

I'd have to come up with my own original shows ...  Lemme think....

How about a making crafts with vintage items?  I'd love a show like that!  A new challenge every week.  We'd have pickers go to antique stores, flea markets both in the US and out of the country.  Oooh that sounds fun!   Paris, Italy, Japan?

A travel show where the host would cover all the tent shows and antique markets and decorate homes with the items they find.

I'd have some sort of budget shopping show  -with how to stretch your buck for all kinds of things like food planning, decorating, etc!

It is late and this just dropped out of my brain after a long week at work.  Hope it wasn't too silly for ya!

My own network??  Hmm if only ...  





Stayin In

Today is a good day to stay in where it's warm!   That's what I've decided, anyway.  There's some great movies on cable ("You've Got Mail", "Waitress" and "Nine Months").  Yesterday I was excited to be out and about with my good friend Michele.  She's been on the mend from surgery and hasn't been able to get out for a few weeks.
I dropped her off at the salon while I ran some errands then we had a delicious lunch, I showed her around Trader Joe's (still thrilled to have it in our town), then we hung out at the bookstore.  
There were light snowflakes coming down most of the day and the forecast called for 3-4" of snow.  No biggie. 
We were having tea and flipping through books and I looked up and tons of huge snowflakes were coming down!  I was like - time to go girlfriend!  I was white knuckling it on the drive home because it was hard to see and my windshield kept icing up.  We ended up getting 6-8" inches instead and below 0 temps! 

Needless to say - I'm extremely tired of WINTER.  Boo!

While I'm home today I've been gathering up some of my valentine supplies to prepare for a couple card swaps that I signed up for .   February is fast approching.  I can't believe how fast time flies!

All photos by me

I love red, pink and white together!  I have several cute things from last year that are still laying around and this year I decided I'm going to try using crinkly bias tape ribbon.   I have to get it from the only scrapbooking store I know that carries it.  I'm surprised that I can't find it at the local Hobby Lobby or Michael's yet.

I also found a few cute vintage valentines when I went to the antique store.   I especially couldn't pass up this one because I swear when I was in gradeschool I received one or maybe I even gave them out!  Who knows!  When I saw it something connected and I was thwarted into the past.   I also saw a Barbie Country Living vinyl house which I definitely remember playing with!

Darling!!   I love poodles, too!  We always had one when I was growing up.  Some folks think they are yappy but ours never were.  

My brother is a police officer so I thought this one would be fun to give to him.   They sure had a lot of funny sayings on those old valentines cards!   Gotta give em an A for originality, right?



Giving Support

All photos by me

Cancer sucks...  It has unfortunately cut so many lives short and taken away many of our family, friends and loved ones.   But I also know there is hope, faith, and miracles!  So many miracles...  So many healings...

I give all glory to God for the miracles that are continuously in our midst. 

Right now there are two beautiful ladies I know who are battling cancer at the same time.   I am praying for them and believing for a complete recovery and healing.  I pray for the day that I will hear that they are completely cancer free!

A few months ago, I lost a close coworker from cancer.    I only knew her for a very short time and for the most part she wanted to keep the battle she was fighting to herself.    This pretty lady was very brave and must've dealt with so much pain on a daily basis.  She was losing so much weight but every day she looked beautiful!  I always loved that she always wore a pretty scarf around her neck and had the cutest shoes.  She never lost her "spunk" and worked until the very end of her life.  Gone too soon. 

I wish she would have let us do more for her but she didn't want to draw attention or make a big fuss.  

It is a great regret of mine for not acting quickly enough on something I wanted to do to brighten my coworker's day.  I put it off or forgot.   I had the best of intentions and wanted to extend support and love.

Then she was suddenly gone  from work and never came back...

So now I have decided not to sit back and to show my support today!  Tomorrow morning the two lovely ladies will receive these little vases with a single daisy and a card.  I hope it will brighten their day...  To let them know that someone is in their corner praying and asking for a miracle of healing for the both of them.

I also hope this post will encourage you to reach out to someone today that may need a little sunshine in their life,  a prayer to give  hope, a hug to receive love and a friend to stand by and just be there to listen.

Some of the best things in life are free.  We just need to be willing and able to take that step out and do it sooner rather than later.

God Bless! 

P.S.  Thank you SO much Keswick and Country  for mentioning me on your blog and those of you that stopped to say hi and became a follower of my blog.  It really blessed me! 





My 1st Blog Anniversary!

I cannot believe it's been an entire year since I entered the blogworld!   A year goes by so very fast! I am glad I took that first big leap because it has been so fun sharing and connecting with so many wonderful people out there!
Your nice comments and feedback are something I truly enjoy and I thank those of you that follow my blog and stop by and visit me.   It makes me smile...  Thank you SO very much!

Starting a blog was a goal of mine for 2010 that stuck and I hope to continue for years to come...  A lot of other bloggers have chosen a word for 2011 and I was trying to decide on one that would be fitting for me this new year.

                                      Strength

One of the definitions of strength is "moral power, firmness, or courage."  Another is "the power to resist strain or stress; durability."

There's a lot that is packed into that word and that's why I like it for 2011.  I need tons of strength carry on and keep striving for my goals!

"The LORD is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving."


Psalm 28:7

Check Out This Amazing Giveaway!

I like to surf my fave blogs and stumbled upon this pretty blog when I was checking out what Dreamy Whites had going on her blog.  Alas! She is part of a generous giveaway happening on Keswick & Country!  Wow!!  Look at all the great goodies.

Dreamy Whites

                                                     

French ticking and lavender .... yes!! 

Dreamy Whites

Dreamy Whites has so many great items online as we speak.  I  happened to be dreaming of having that toile pillow in my bedroom.   It's sold but it's still pretty in a picture at least!!  I can smell the lavender now.   Ahhhhh

                                                    Dreamy Whites



Sparkle

Every once in awhile I like to peruse the wedding blogs for a little party inspiration or just revel in the romantic images. 
Sometimes I think it would be great to work in a bridal shop but then I watch TLC and decide - eh - maybe not!  LOL!

Inside Weddings

All of these chandeliers are so magnificent and  romantic!!   The the natural wood as well as the great  outdoors makes for a lovely reception for sure - in the right season and location, of course.

100 Layer Cake

This country wedding and the gift wagon is so charming.   When it comes to a wedding I could go country/winery casual to Cindrella-esque regal with lots of flowers and bling bling.

During the summer of 2010 I went to the sweetest wedding that had a small guest list and it took place at a lake home.   I loved the casual vibe, the simplicity of the decorations and the comfortable feel of it all.  The food was divine and the summer day was breezy and kept us cool.

100 Layer Cake



Oh Italy you keep calling my name!  Someday I will come visit and I will be so very happy! 

100 Layer Cake

A wedding in the Tuscan countryside? No problem.    If you haven't guessed yet I super LOVE the 100 Layer Cake blog.  So many wonderful ideas, gorgeous weddings and fantastic photography featured. Such inspiration even if you don't have a wedding to plan.  Please check it out!   

Now I need to go back to reality, nurse my sore throat and get back under my comfy covers on the couch til bedtime.   We had 8+ inches of snow and school has been out for 2 days.  At least that means I get to wear jeans to work tomorrow.

Ciao bellas!!

PB Love 2011

Anyone else loving the new Pottery Barn catalog just sent out for January?   I tell you if I was given a monetary gift to use to decorate my home I'd make a beeline to PB... like... ASAP!  I'd probably get a cushy sectional and a leather chair with an ottoman first.  Ya gotta have an ottoman, right?
I love a comfy living room.   where me and my friends can flip off our shoes and curl up on the chairs and sofa and have a great movie night or gab session with coffee and chocolate!   I definitely want my guests to feel comfortable, too!

Pottery Barn

When I was in high school I took an interior decorating class in home ec.  We were told to plan out our spaces and go and get swatches of fabric, carpeting, etc.  I loved ripping out pages from the catalogs showing which furniture styles I'd be using in my space. 

Pottery Barn

I dreamt of being a talented interior designer and would help the rich and famous make their homes spectacularly gorgeous!  Oh youthful dreams aren't they fun to remember? 

As you can see I still have a love interior design and you can probably also see from the list of darling blogs on my sidebar that A LOT of them are comfy "shabby chic" and frilly pretty decor blogs.

 

Pottery Barn

Velvet drapes are so pretty.  Especially on these tall windows with all the light pouring into the room.   Lovely...

                                         Pottery Barn            

                 

I've been eyeing these pillows and think they would be great in my own living room.   I also like botanicals, nature, and birds.   Oh and bunnies but one doesn't see too many bunny pillows I guess!

Pottery Barn

                                                                                                              

Look at the cubby organizer against the wall!

Pottery Barn

 

Pottery Barn

Isn't this milk bottle chandelier the coolest and most unique lighting fixture ever? Love it!  I love a little quirk!

Actually think that the entire kitchen in the photo below is wonderful!  The way they have the coffee mugs hung on the wall and the pretty white pitchers...  Again all the pretty light pouring into the room.

                                                                     Pottery Barn

Sigh!  I could go on and on!!!  Maybe I'll post on some of the scrumptious bedding collections they have out right now.   I can't believe how many things I'm seeing in PB that I've been seeing in the blog decor world for awhile now.   Twill, burlap, pitchers, quirky architectural, ticking, etc.  





Winter Kisses

Hello hello!   How is 2011 going for you so far?  
I'm back at work today and ready to get some routine in my life again...   Work is so good for that isn't it?
I never realized I liked routine until I've been all out of whack after taking time off from work!  As much as I love to have the freedom to do whatever whenever I have found that there are a lot of positives for being a creature of (good) habit!

Ohhhh... Such as getting up at a normal time, eating at a normal time, etc etc!   I was very bad  at keeping a decent schedule during the holidays.  I think we all could be guilty of that during this time of year, huh?

Do you like my sweet Anthro ornie I picked up on clearance the other day?   Her lips look all puckered up giving "winter kisses"  to us all!    I'm still getting used to my new 50 mm lens on my camera.   Practice, practice practice! 

I don't know about you but I'm ready for Springtime already!  It's been soooo cold & I tend to get sick of winter right after Christmas is over!  I'm in the wrong area of the US!  

Thank heavens I have dear family and a BFF living in Phoenix and I get to visit lots and lots!

Have a great day!