We're ready! The house is clean and waiting to be happily messed up with people and baggage and filled with chatter and catching-up. I've got all their favorites waiting - a pineapple for Evan...
everyone's drink of choice...
and do these snacks for Ryan make me look like one of those grandmothers who love to fill their grandkids with sweets and treats? lol
Even the corgi is clean and scrubbed!
woo hoo!
I've been busy fluffing the house - there's nothing like Spring to get a person in the mood for cleaning and freshening up. And, the anticipation of houseguests will also do it! Our son is on his way home from Iraq (on leave) and our daughter, son-in-law and grandson will arrive next week. Oh joy!
This little cabinet was one of my fluffing projects. I started revamping it with the intention of doing everything myself, but it wasn't long before I found myself in trouble. My husband had to step in and rescue the situation, but because of that it came out so much better than I could have done. This is actually it's second makeover. Originally it was a snake cage! I found it in front of a neighbor's house, ugly and worn. It had glass in the front and a hinged screen on top, and was really horrible inside. I almost passed it by but I could see some possibilities, and I did need a cabinet just that size. Will made a top for it, and I did some serious rebuilding of the original legs with bondo (great stuff!), then I painted it white. It stayed that way for a few years, never quite finished, so I decided to get back to it a few weeks ago. I sawed off the legs and replaced them with the straight parsons legs, and that's about as far as I got on my own. Will said we might as well do it right (I'm all for that, although it did sound a bit like an insult), so he brought home molding, door frames, and the wire door inserts. I must say it's very handy having a husband who works at a custom cabinet shop and can bring home all this great stuff! He attached the molding along the bottom, put the doors on, and we painted it "kettle black". It's finally really finished, and I love it!!
The plate sitting on the cabinet is called "The Prom Dress" and is from a painting by Norman Rockwell. When Will and I first saw the painting, years ago, we were struck by the fact that the girl could have been our daughter. I don't know who the model was, but she looked so much like Alanna that we had to have a print or something. We ended up with two prints and this plate, which has become one of my favorite things, naturally!
Ah, Mothers. Today's Sunday Show and Tell is all about them. I'm blessed with a mother who is quite wonderful and very cool. She's 81 years old (I hope she doesn't mind me saying that!), but you'd never know it. That's her there as a little girl and as a young mother. These days she plays tennis, skis, walks, travels, paints beautiful watercolors, and is incredibly attractive. She just got back from a 3-week trip to Ireland the other day, and had a fantastic time (except for the last day, when for the first time ever she was pickpocketed! The guy was good, she said - she didn't feel a thing). My mom has always been an artistic inspiration to me - over the years she's tried her hand at all kinds of art... batik, oil painting, watercolor, pen & ink drawing, needlework and knitting, and she did it all well. She taught me how to sew when I was a little girl, and that above all has stayed with me these many years. I so appreciate the great childhood I had, and all the creativity that filled our house. I am blessed indeed!
And for me, my Mother's Day gift will be in the form of my kids coming home next week! My son (from Iraq), and my daughter, son-in-law and grandson (from NY) will be staying for 2 weeks. I can't wait to have a full house again!
Although I've always claimed Autumn as my favorite season, I'm beginning to reconsider. This Spring has been so lovely, especially seen through the lens of a camera. Everything is fresh and new and growing with the promise of summer right around the corner. And right here, right now, around my own neighborhood corners, these bits of greenery are growing wildly... and you should see the roses! But I'll save them for another post.
I've been an Jane Austen fan since way back in my middle-school years. In 8th grade I had a literature class that was held in the school library. It was a small class, about 10 of us I think, and we each sat at the ends of the long narrow library tables. We had to pick a book from an approved list, read it, then write a book report. I chose Black Beauty. I loved that book and I wanted to read it again, but the teacher overheard me saying that to someone and she made me pick a different book so I would "broaden my horizons". hmmph. By that time there was hardly anything interesting left, so I was stuck with Pride & Prejudice. I must confess the first reading of it was difficult. I didn't really grasp the spirit of the book, but I did rather like it and was really glad that it ended happily. Even then I was a romantic! In high school I read it again and that time it sank into my soul, so I read another Austen book right after and was well on my way to becoming a life-long Jane Austen fan. I like all her books but P & P remains my favorite - it's not only my favorite Austen book but my favorite book, which became obvious as I gathered these books for the photo and found that I have four P & Ps. I also have two Sense & Sensibilities, but no Mansfield Park at all.
I noticed this "which Austen heroine are you?" quiz on several blogs. I am Elinor Dashwood. Who might you be?
Take this test to find out!
I saw an old flower frog at a flea market once, but I didn't buy it. Later I wished I had, so I checked eBay and found a few vintage ones there. I think they look so cool, with their original colors wearing away and a patina setting in. I have a feeling that I might have the beginnings of a new collection! Not that I really need anything more to add to my already long list of Things To Look For At The Flea Market, but actually it's good to have several things to look for in case some of those things are in short supply that day. Does anyone else collect these?
The blue & white issue of Victoria arrived last week, and I was excited to see a shelf full of my own blue chintz on the cover. Several years ago I discovered this pattern, which is called 'Burgess' - our last name. As a matter of fact, I think I first saw it in a very early blue & white issue of Victoria, which I still have somewhere around. Of course it was imperative that we get some of this lovely dishware, so the search was on! but we discovered it's not an easy pattern to find. Miraculously, there was a seller on eBay at one time who had lots of it and I was able to pick what I wanted out of the lot, so I bought dinner plates, salad plates, bowls, and a few accessory pieces. Since then I've only ever seen the occasional pitcher or spoon rest. I keep all these dishes in a cabinet where they can be seen, but since I worry that they'll be cracked or broken I tend not to use them very often. My decorating tastes in color and furnishings have changed from one thing to another over the years, but I will always love blue & white together. These dishes reflect that, and they'll always have a place in this Burgess household even if they do have to live in a cabinet. Except for the utensil jar - that's filled with wooden spoons and sits on the kitchen counter. So far, it's survived quite nicely!
Lavender. One of my very favorite things. I love the fragrance, the color, and the way the bushes look when they're all lined up in rows, like a vineyard.
Today is the last day of the macro photography challenge. I loved doing this - I had nearly forgotten how much I enjoy photography. I still have ideas for macro shots, so I may just sneak them in here and there!
I've been waking up every morning to the (rather loud) sound of birdsong. I love it! I think it's one of my favorite sounds - right up there with the sound of the sea. These iron birdies have been gracing my home for so long I can't remember where I got them, but I love their shabbiness. They're quite heavy - there's a chip in the tile floor where I dropped one of them long ago... the bird survived the fall with nary a scratch!
30 Days :: 29
