Saturday, November 28, 2009

Thankful

 

Thank you all for your prayers.My daughter, son in law and grandson were able to make their flight to be with us in Colorado for Thanksgiving.

Danielle, is doing well and I think it has been good for her to be with us, to recover and get lots of love .

She had surgery for a tubal pregnancy. Once the doctor got in there, nothing was found. Apparently she miscarried, and the doctor didn’t realize it. He thought he saw something in her tube. It was unnecessary surgery but we are thankful it was not  a tubal.  We are all so thankful that she is doing ok and was able to come. We are all sad about the baby but are trusting God.

The girls cooked all day.308 Sherry in Phoenix: that is your box of Cinnamon Bun potpourri on the table. :D It is on it’s way!307 007 The layered bar cookies are to die for!

Monica’s famous spinach artichoke dip. She serves is with slices of crusty french bread.008 014 We ran out of pie plates so the pumpkin pie turned into  mini pumpkin pies baked in the muffin tin.

011 This doesn’t look too pretty but the pistachio pineapple salad is so yummy. My 17 month old grandson hunted and found every little marshmallow in his serving. I have more pictures that I will be sharing soon.

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I am never happier and more content than when I have all my children together. We shared a traditional Thanksgiving feast with roasted turkey, honey ham, green been casserole, jello with sliced bananas, cucumber salad, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potatoes, cranberries, stuffing…AND, we had the exact same meal the next day, with all the leftovers. We are truly so thankful for our blessings. Even during tough times, God has never failed to provide.034

Anny and Penny love going for a stroll in their dog stroller. They don’t resist like I thought they would!035

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Daughter Update

Daughter,Danielle, ended up having surgery last night for her ectopic pregnancy. Things went well with no complications. She gets to go home today. We still aren't sure if they will be able to fly out for Thanksgiving. If she is physically able, I hope they can come out so we can love on them and help them.



Monday, November 23, 2009

Bittersweet & Prayer Request




Today, my 4 remaining children at home, pitched in together to clean, clean, clean, paint, decorate and make cozy for Thanksgiving. The oldest daughter, her husband and precious grandson are coming home from San Diego. We all love and miss them so much and we adore the little guy. It is so hard to live so far away.

We just learned that oldest daughter went into the hospital with an ectopic pregnancy and we are all so very sad. We know there was nothing that could be done but it is still so sad. We are waiting to hear if she needs surgery. We don't know if they will be able to fly out after all.

I would sure appreciate your prayers.


Sunday, November 22, 2009

Lavender Sachet and Potpourri Winners




Ugh! It was a bummer to have a computer breakdown right during a giveaway. But, now I can announce those who will get a fragrant package delivered in a few days.

The winners are beautiful ladies that I am sure I would be friends with in real life and not just in blog life. All are creative, artistic,encouraging, sentimental, and super-friendly. I guarantee that if you stop by for a visit at their blog-homes that you will enjoy the cozy atmosphere at each.

Receiving french lavender in a beaded sachet:

http://pupylov.blogspot.com/~Lisa
http://hyacinthforthesoul.blogspot.com~Sarah
http://sissieshabbycottage.blogspot.com/Diana

Receiving a huge bag of Buttery Cinnamon Bun Potpourri: I am going to add some winter-y botanicals to make your potpourri more Christmas-y. :D


http://countrywingsinphoenix.blogspot.com/~Sherry

I hope you enjoy these little treats! Please send me your mailing addresses.


Friday, November 20, 2009

Computer Problems and Winners!

So, my computer died and I wil be back to business sometime this weekend. We have winners of the Lavender Sachets and Harvest potpourri!!! I will post an announcement soon.

Friday, November 13, 2009

Pink Saturday~Not Fiesta Ware~More Giveaways

bijw9y Hello Pink-Lovin’ Blog Friends! Pink Saturday is my favorite event. I have come to know that the pink-lovers are just the sweetest and kindest people out there. I hope that you visit Beverly at How Sweet the Sound. You will find all kinds of pink goodness.

Homer Laughlin is the maker of Fiesta dinner ware; the restaurant quality dishes that are my favorite. My hubby knew how badly I wanted them and got me a wonderful set for our family of 7, about 17 Christmases ago. They are pink, yellow, turquoise, purple, mint green, cobalt blue and another blue and persimmon. In 17 years of hard-core use; I have broken 2 pieces on our tiled kitchen floor. Oh, they have been dropped a lot. It, thankfully, takes a lot to break them!

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I happened upon a Salvation Army thrift store in a town I don’t normally get to. Of course I had to check it out and I was so glad that I did. I found these heavy plates with the sweetest pink and green flower design with vines and swirls. I flipped them over; I always flip things over to see what it says underneath, and this is what it said:

008  I assume this is the same Homer Laughlin that makes the Fiesta. It never dawned on me that they would make other designs. I would like to know more about this. Does anyone out there have any Homer Laughlin that is not Fiesta?

I guess I should mention that the 6 plates @ .30 each are happily at home with me. :)

 

I have been busy making my gift items for the Holidays and have made extra to share with the readers.

I have 3 French Lavender Sachets in beaded organza bags.

011 And a giant 1 pound bag of Rose Hips, Perfect Little Pumpkins, Cinnamon sticks, Bael Slices and Belani Apples. Choose your scent for this potpourri: Buttery Cinnamon Buns, Apple Barrel, Pumpkin Spice, Amish Kitchen,or Vanilla-Cinnamon.

Please leave  a comment,follow or sign up to follow,and/or mention this giveaway on your blog for 1 chance each or 5 chances if you do all 3. Thanks everyone and good luck! This is such fun :D

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Tuesday, November 10, 2009

White Wednesday Debut

 

White_wednesday_2 Today is White Wednesday! Thank you, Kathleen, for hosting this great event. I have been visiting the party for awhile now and today I am participating.

 

This is the latest edition to my whites. It is made of chippy, whitewashed wood. I like  this sweet angel’s face. This is on the wall in my front room. It is about 16” x 16”. I wanted to show it with it’s surroundings but at 8:30 at night I’ve got to use my flash, and I can’t seem to catch the area.

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002These delicately beaded gloves were picked up for $2 at the one and only Estate Sale I went to. They are made so beautifully with careful stitching and elaborate beadwork. The lady who owned them was a little thing, these have got to be an extra small. I love her taste. She is the one who owned my beloved toile loveseats. I hope she knows how much I admire her special treasures. You can read about it here.

003 007 I have been working sun-bleached shells, starfish and sand dollars, into my decor. Oh, and white sea glass!

This is the time of year where I work a lot with my dried botanicals; soaps, candles, potpourri, bath salts and such. I have made extra for my blogging friends. Visit the links below to learn details on how you can win these luscious-smelling gifts.

Autumn Potpourri Gift

French Lavender Sachet Gift

A Twist on the Ol' Goodwill Routine


This is my post for 2nd Time Around Tuesday. It is my first time participating and I am almost into Wednesday, as well, but here it is anyway. Thanks, Diane, this is really fun!!!


On my recent trip to Oregon, I spied a huge Goodwill Outlet just blocks from my mother’s home. “How long has THAT been there?”, I screeched.


“Years, forever. We drive past it every time you come out to visit”.


I had truly never noticed it. The truth is, thrift stores of any kind simply were not on my radar. Until very recently, I would not go into thrift stores. Everything was “dusty”, “cruddy” and “stinky”.


Man, have I changed my ways!


This Goodwill was cavernous. Huge, high ceilings and big, flat bins with all kinds of junk just dumped in. I was rather timid as I felt surrounded by professionals. All these people were digging and rifling with abandon.


After finding the nerve to venture towards a bin with low attendance; all books, I picked up a couple of random books that had new covers. There were NO price tags! How does anyone know what to do?


I scanned the crowd with a bewildered look on my face. There is a woman dumping a pile of who-knows-what into a large scale. Ohhhhhhhh, is that a sign? It says $1.59 per pound up to 10 lbs, 10 lbs.-20 lbs is $1.39 per pound and so on…


Now, I understand why the book bin had such low attendance. I scooted with growing confidence to a bin filled with linens and struck GOLD. Into my clutches, with not a soul willing to fight me, was a delectable pile of unused April Cornell tablecloths, napkins and pillow covers with the $14 price tags still attached.


029 I have always loved April Cornell fabrics but they are expensive!


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They are all gorgeous, not a dud in the bunch!030


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032Here is one of the pillow covers.039 And here is the other.




040 What is this? A mint green chenille bedspread in Queen size. No stains, no holes. Love the color and the softness!044




034 After that, I found these large decorator fabric samples.



035 The monkeys kill me, love it! These are so beautiful and will most certainly be made into throw pillows, unless I come up with a better idea. So how much did the goods weigh? Between 5 and 6 pounds.And, guess what? Nothing had that funky smell. Of course I washed them anyway.


I sure like this place. Hope I can go back soon.038




I am busy making my scented goods for Holiday giving and have set aside some for my blogging friends. Check out the following links for details. Thanks for stopping by!


Autumn Potpourri Giveaway


Lavender Sachet Giveaway

Make Autumn Potpourri~Secret Ingredient and Give~Away

019 In the picture you can see tiny orange pumpkins. They are called Putka Pods and are adorable and perfect little pumpkins to add to your Fall potpourri or decor. Included in this potpourri, besides the Putkas, are rose hips, cinnamon sticks , Belani Apples (the large round, brown pods, and Bael Nut slices. There are many other dried botanicals you may use: dried apple slices, orange slices, curly pods, curve pods, pine cones, cloves, allspice berries and more.

018 I painted a couple of the Belani Apples orange and left a couple their natural brown color. You can paint the Belani Apples any color you’d like. I painted Jack-o-lantern faces on one side, which was fun for Halloween.  I threw in a couple of dried corn cobs, too.

Have you heard of Cellulose Fiber? That is the secret ingredient to long scented potpourri. Cellulose Fiber is an absorbent material and fixative. It is tiny pieces of corn cob that holds, actually soaks up and holds your scented oil.The other potpourri ingredients may have some nice natural scent but they don’t hold the scented oil very well.That’s why the cellulose fiber is so helpful. A friend of mine told me it’s the same stuff that they used in their Hampster’s bed for , you know, absorption.

What is your favorite Fall scent? I like using Pumpkin Spice, Apple Barrel, Buttery Cinnamon Buns, Harvest or Amish Kitchen and Maple Bar. The scents from your potpourri smells like you have been busy in the kitchen!

I have a heaping 1 lb. bag or Fall potpourri to be given out in time for Thanksgiving. All you have to do is leave a comment with your favorite Fall Scent; it doesn’t have to be the scents listed. A deluxe customized bag of potpourri will be on it’s way to you, if your name is drawn. You receive 2 more chances if are a follower or become one.

Thanks so much everyone, I hope you have fun with this!

PS. I am giving away 3 sachets of French Lavender that comes in a Victorian style beaded bag. Click here to enter.

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Monday, November 9, 2009

Ooh La Lavender! Un Sachet Pour Vous! Et Vous et Vous!

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Ohhhh, how j’adore lavande! French lavender has a bluish-grey flower that holds it fragrance for evah.

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Traditionally, mothers have made pillows for their children that were stuffed with lavender flowers because the essential oil they contained helped put the children to sleep. Lavender bushes have been planted beneath nursery windows so that on a sunny day, the fragrance would naturally waft into the child’s room. There is nothing like the scent of lavender to relieve tension and ease headaches.

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I use French Lavender in many ways but adding it to a little sachet bag is a simple yet beautiful way to display and enjoy the benefits.

Would you like a sachet of French Lavender to tuck in your lingerie drawer? Or to set next to your pillow to aid blissful slumber? How about to hang on a peg in your powder room?010I have 3 of these sachets to send out as gifts this week. If you already are a follower, just leave a comment and you will get 2 chances to win.

New followers; just leave a comment and follow for 2 chances to win.

If you mention this Give-a-Way on your post, let me know and you will get 3 additional chances. That is 5 chances to win a prize that you will smell ,when your gift package arrives, before you see what is inside!

Click here to win Autumn Potpourri.!


Coming up soon: Let’s make lavender soap!