~~~ Blue, Blue Monday ~~~

I thought it would be fun to brighten up 'Blue Monday' with a spot of tea in a gorgeous blue chintz English tea pot, accompanied by a darling blue floral English creamer & a hand created Tea Book (the book was designed by my friend, Ann Williams). Monday has always been designated as 'blue' because one would have to back to work ... it is also the highest stress day medically after a serene weekend. So what better way to alleviate the negative, to begin a wonderful spring day. C'mon over for a spot of tea & chat ......

~~~ Cherry Blossom Time ~~~

One of the most beautiful sights in this nation is Cherry Blossom Time in Washington, DC. Taking a step back in time & the history of the Japanese offering in good will the cherry blossom trees in the early 1900s, our nation continues to be dressed in dancing cherry blossoms of gorgeous pink for a little over a week ... to then be drenched in drifting 'snows of pink' at the end of there reign.

I am a collector of vintage silhouettes, having about 600 of my 800 left. At one time they all dressed our walls in the TV/office room. I thought I'd share this one, as it reflects the beauty of spring & blossom time, with the romance of the south.

La Chambre Rose...

We found this gorgeous vintage mahogany mantle in an antique mall. I had to have it! It has such gorgeous details & shelving on each side. We were redecorating our master suite, pale soft pink walls, rose border wallpaper at the ceiling trimmed in detailed moldings & accented entirely w/rose pictures, china, linens, pillows & quilts.

The antique etched mantle mirror was a 'find' from an estate sale. Then the search was on for the perfect accessories to adorn the mantle. Gail made the gorgeous pair of lights crystals on vintage lamp bases accented w/porcelain pink roses & crystals dripping from the bobeches. (Gail created the chandelier & the sparkly colored light bulbs we have posted.)

Amy created the broken china teapot, the rose embroidered gloves are draped w/a vintage crystal necklace, an elegant finishing touch.

~~~ Rebirth of a Begonia ~~~

I love to garden & particularly enjoy my begonias. Last winter I did not take the begonia
bulbs out, shake them off & store them properly, as I should have. I just left them in the
pot in front of the kitchen window.

This morning as I watered the geraniums & begonia pots I thought I saw a little leaf ...
AND ... lo & behold! a 1" begonia has been 'born'. I am so excited.

~ TODAY'S THOUGHT ~
Dreams come true for those who work while they dream.

Zipping Along ~ Once Around the Block & Back

This is our Joshua ... the other 'joy of our life', driving his Poppy (Harold) home. I got such a kick out of watching Joshua drive the car ... I am terrible with stick shifts & Joshua just took right to it. I love this car ... it is such fun on sunny days to zip around in it ... we love just taking off on a country road & going out to breakfast, the breeze whipping thru our hair, the sun warming us. What fun we have. Years ago this car was just sitting in a neighbors yard, deteriorating. A friend bought it, pushed it down into our driveway & later moved it to his home ... later when he decided to move he offered the car to us, & we snapped it up. Harold never could get a 'kink' out of it to run, so we towed it to our new home, & eventually sold it to our neighbor (his house in background). Our neighbor literally took the entire car apart, restored it, painted it & taunted me by driving it 'around the block' with his grandkids on nice days. One day as Harold was at Dulles Airport going west, I got the call that the car was FOR SALE! I told our neighbor to HOLD THAT CAR & finally reached Harold to tell him I had bought the car. We truly enjoy our fun times in this little 'bird'.

~~~ PARENTS HAVE RIGHTS , TOO ~~~

Some of my very dear friends have been going through some very sad difficult times with children. I cut out this piece about 35 years ago, or so, placing it on my fridge for our children to view. (I had all kinds of 'pieces' for the children to read & think about, covering the front of the fridge. My daughter, Cari said one day that she read it often.)
This piece is browned & terribly worn around the edges from exposure to time. Every person who has come into the kitchen has always stopped to read it.
May you know, my friends, the hardest thing in the world is to stand by & watch your child flounder because they are too stubborn to listen to reason. Your heart breaks, the tears flow, the pain is often insurmountable ... but thru love & faith & prayer you are able to stand aside & let them know you are there to support them, despite their choices & attitude & stubborn pride.
Never stop letting them know you love them, keep the hand extended in forgiveness & love ... one day, there is always hope that their hearts will be filled with love & understanding & they will return.
They, too, one day will become parents ...
~~~ ~~~ ~~~
Parents have rights, too. I had the right to say, "I cannot keep you from doing what you want to do, but I can let you know that I do not approve, & am now declaring your behavior 'off limits'.
I learned that our child(ren) was not making me miserable. I was making myself miserable.
I learned that it was easier to live without my child than to tolerate the pain.
At first, I resisted all these ideas. I said : 'I can't do it. My children are my life.' Then I was asked, 'And how is your life'. I replied, 'It's hell.'
I learned that if my child was not willing to change, I had to change as a matter of survival. It was not easy, but I did it..
I learned that I couldn't save my children from (their) self. I now know that people must accept the consequences of their behavior. That is how they learn & grow.
I wrote this letter for two reasons: to let parents know that it is never too late to assert their rights, & that children should get the message that they cannot dump garbage on their parents & not suffer the consequences when the roof caves in.

~~ LIFE'S CLOCK ~~

~~~ Life's Clock ~~~

The clock of life is wound but once
And no man has the power
To tell just when the hands will stop,
At late or early hour.

To lose one's wealth is sad indeed,
To lose one's health is more;
To lose one's soul is such a loss
As no man can restore.

The present only is our own,
Live, love, toil with a will,
Place no faith in tomorrow ~~ for
The clock may then be still.
Sister Matilda

** I have no idea who wrote this but it is hand signed by Sister Matilda. It moved me literally when I found it at an auction. Behind the handwritten words are the most gorgeous water color shades of pink roses & florals nestled amongst ivy in a 3/4 wreath, in a very old wooden frame. It profoundly says it all. I just had to have it. **

Bunny Hugs

Ansel & Tatiana, our dimpled darlings enjoying the Bunny Train ride that their Mimi Marydon & Mother took them on. They are (2) of the (3) lights & joy of our lives. Ansel has the sweetest kindest heart of any child we've met at his age. Tatiana is our little spitfire ... she is like a built-in GPS when travelling & in control of everything. What blessings we have. We are so blessed.

Sweet Treats

For all you gals that love to entertain or just bake, here is an absolutely decadent sweet that can be used any time of the day. I do a 'gourmet day' in our shop every month & try out new recipes that I create also ... this one got raves! but it wasn't my creation. ENJOY & let me know what you think ...

~ CRUST ~
Cherry Coconut Bars
l c. all purpose flour
3 Tbsp powdered sugar
1/2 c softened butter

~FILLING ~
2 beaten eggs 1/2 c shredded coconut
l c sugar 1/2 c drained & quartered maraschino cherries
1/4 c all-purpose flour 1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp salt
3/4 chopped walnuts

Oven 350
Combine crust ingredients, mix well. Press into 8" square baking dish. Bake 20 - 25 minutes until lightly golden.

Prepare filling, combine all ingredients; mix well. Spoon on top of crust, spread evenly. Bake 20 - 25 minutes until golden brown. Cool completely before cutting. Makes 16 bars. 190 calories.

Friends Forever

Every now & then God brings special people into our lives ... regardless of the distance between us in miles. (There goes my poet skills)

They say when it rains, the angels are blessing us.
I am blessed.
You are an angel beyond the words that can be expressed.

Feedsack Fantsy/Blushing Rose Boutique

Happy Saint Patrick's Day ~ May the breeze kiss your cheek & the saints bless your soul.

I thought I would introduce myself with my stash of 2,300+ vintage feed sack fabrics. I love the search for these beauties. We have probably sold about 10,000 or more over time. I enjoy the 'find' of new designs that we haven't had before ... the novelties, florals, designs ... the color combination & just the sheer feel of the old fabrics. I just purcahses my first actual pillowcase (made by the manufacturer) & it has the original label still attached which was exciting ... & it was PINK ... my favorite color.

My husband's Mother made shirts for her sons to wear to school. My Mother & Grandmother were very creative, as they were in their day, using these fabrics for curtains, aprons, pot holders, quilting, petticoats, tea towel, pillowcases ... AND that infamous itchy underwear. They saved every scrap to create rugs, never wasting a piece.

On the other side of my life, we are antique dealers. We have wonderful china, hand painted creations, tea cup lighting, baby creations ... & much more. We have had the opportunity to meet fantastic artisans on the internet to purchase from ... forming warm relationships with many.

I have been married FOREVER (my other favorite color) to Harold, we have 3 living children. Our 3 yr. old Sean is forever an angel. Our grandchildren are our pride & joy. Grandkids are God's reward for not killing your kids, as the saying goes ... chuckle! Joshua is 18 & our entire life ... he makes our days such a joy. Ansel Emery is 8 & the sweetest young man with the kindest heart I've ever seen at this agee. Tatiana Isabelle is a real spitfire at age 6 ... she is a true tom-girl. We are truly blessed & have such fun with them.