Road Trip...

Renault

Just a quick "hello" to all. I will be

back later in the week. I am off on

a road trip with my cousin. I

will check in along the road with

some freebies, etc. for all.

Until then I hope you all have

a great week.

Martin Luther King Jr.Day

Digital Photograph - A Red Barn

A Red Barn

It has been a year...

Arlington Cemetery at Christmas

Last Thursday - January 17th was the one year anniversary of interring my father at Arlington Cemetery. The year of firsts is over. Yet the loss is still sharp lying underneath the surface. I have learned a lot about myself an others this year. I have learned a lot about grief and what loss does to you. But, most of all I have been thankful that somehow I was blessed with such wonderful parents. I could not have picked a better father. He was everything a father should be. Kind, loving, full of integrity. He was never afraid to do the right thing or to show us what was right. He loved my mother and treated her with the utmost respect. He was a POW, a war hero, a true patriot. He did not just talk the talk he walked it every day. I am so blessed. My mother has been so strong. After 68 years of friendship, love, and marriage I know it has not been easy. Here again she has shown us the way and I thank her for that. 

This is a photo of Arlington Cemetery at Christmas. The wreaths on the grave are so touching. The large sculpture in the background in the Air Force Memorial. Daddy was a pilot so to look out over this makes us all happy. If you turn the other way you can see Lee's house up on the hill. It is truly a lovely spot. Most of all I am so honored that Daddy is with all those other men and women who served their country.  

Let me introduce you to Mr. Smudge

Yesterday I woke up and went to feed the cats. Mr. Smudge my very large male cat did not look so hot. His right eye was swollen and he was a little more vocal than usual. Off to the new vets we went. 

By the time we got to the vets his eye was looking better but Mr. Smudge or Fat Boy as we sometimes call him was still looking pitiful.[We have to take him out of the top of the cage as he is too fat to go out the door.]

Out of the cage and on the examination table we have been weighed and our temperature taken. Yes! we have lost 3 1/4 pounds, down to 21 and 3/4 pounds. No, we have a temperature. Still feeling good about the weight loss and I like the new vet.

The happy patient after the medicine in the eyes, and the oral medication administered. Diagnosis - a cold, with a little wet sounding chest. A few days of meds and we should be okay.

Mr. Smudge says pay the bill and take me home I missed breakfast. So, that is how my day started yesterday.

Before any one gets upset with me about his weight. He has always been a big cat. He had to stay with one of my sons for a year and a half where he got way too much food and not enough exercise. When I got him and the girls back Mr. Smudge went on a diet. You have to be careful with them when they lose weight. It has to be a gradual thing or they can get really sick. We are quite please with the weight loss and are working towards more.

Thought I would share Mr. Smudge with you today. We all are readjusting being back together. It was really odd not having a pet when I was traveling. Then finally getting to a point where I had unpacked enough and no one would get hurt here. Kitties like to play in and around boxes. I think every one is starting to finally feel like we have come home.

Digital Photograph - Before the Storm

Thought you might like to see what a storm looks like rolling into the mountains. I took this yesterday around three o'clock in the afternoon. It was rainy and the temperatures were dropping. We did not get any snow where I was, just a lot of rain.I am sure if the temperatures had been lower we would have gotten a lot of snow. Friday/today was warm and sunny. The chili was great even if we did not get any snow. 

This Week's Freebies - Tin Types

I love her scarf and she has the longest fingers. Very pretty.

Pretty little girls in their plaid dresses!

I liked this relaxed photograph of this gentleman.  The books on the table are there to imply that he can read. A big thing for someone in those days. Something we take for granted now.

Aw families. The apple does not fall far from tree in this family. Love the gloves.

Sisters so sweet. Love their matching dresses, haircuts and the little doll.

She looks a bit stern in her beautiful dress. Again holding a book, probably a Bible, telling the world she is educated.

This week I have been cleaning up a bunch of my Tin Types. I thought I would share a few with you. It is a hodge podge of images this week. Families, girls, men, etc. I think just the fact that they are all Tin Types is what holds them together. Please notice that a few are in fancy frames, some are not. I think it was what you could afford and also what has survived through the years. I have found them in some pretty strange places myself. As always I hope you enjoy these and have fun using them in your art, etc.

I have been eating a lot of ...

Grilled Cheese Tomato Soup Pickled Okra

This is what I have been eating nonstop since  I went to lunch with a friend before Christmas. I can not get enough of grilled cheese and tomato soup. I eat it for lunch, for dinner, for a late night snack. Crazy comfort food. Thank You Mary Beth for helping me find my way to this old favorite.

Some things from around the house...

A few of my banks in my bank collection.This homemade bank is one of my favorites. I love how they painted the house pink and the tree is so cute. To get the money out you swing the house over the edge of the stand. I have a nice collections of old and antique banks. I unpacked them over the weekend. It was like seeing old friends.

I have enjoyed collecting Ironstone since I was in college. I lived on several farms and the Ironstone pieces just seemed to fit in nicely. Ironstone goes with everything. It has such a nice patina. I have a large oak cupboard in my family/eating room filled with it. I decided that this little crane would go nicely on the shelf with some of my pieces. It is a chopstick holder but it seemed silly to put it inside a cupboard when it could go with all of my Ironstone. I have a large collection of birds and it just seemed right.

In my study I have a large collection of green pottery. My grandmother started me off on this collection. These are three North Carolina pottery vases by a North Carolina potter by the name of Cole. The glaze is something his family was noted for. I have several pieces by the Cole family. I love the variations of the same theme in these vases. They make me happy when I sit and read or go through paperwork in this room. I hope you have some small things that make you happy. I hope you have enjoyed a few of my things.

My Gratitude Page...

My first six days

I have started my gratitude pages.  I find the ones in the morning are so much different than the ones at night. Maybe it is because I am tired. I do know that I am feeling and seeing the world a little differently. Hope you are enjoying this. 

Digital Photograph - The Farmhouse

The Farmhouse

It has been raining since Sunday. I love a good rainy day. It has meant getting a lot of inside things done and curling up with a good book in the afternoon. The weather is calling for more rain and 3 to 6 inches of snow starting in the early morning hours of tomorrow in the higher elevations. I am still not sure what my elevation is, but as I can see higher mountains around me I am assuming that I am not in the higher elevations. a little snow would be welcome. I am making a big pot of chili and some cornbread so bring it on.

Four Letter Words - Snow

Quote Book#2 - Snow

Woodland Freebies

Squirrel

Rabbits

Chipmunks

Skunks

Wolverine, Beaver, Otter, and Raccoon

Deer

Here are just a few of the animals you

might see if you were out walking in the

woods. Some you might only see in the late

afternoon or early evening.

Digital Photograph - A Walk in the Woods

We are having warm weather here in the mountains. It is almost 60 here today. Yesterday I took a walk in some nearby woods. It was quite lovely, just me and the woodland creatures.

Being outside like that can make you feel so small and insignificant. Sort of puts you in your place, It was a welcome respite from the cold and the boxes. It always gives me a time to think and put things in their place in my head.

I sat down on a log for awhile and sorted things out in my mind. A gentle calmness came over me. The forest had been quiet then came alive. Filled with the sounds of those who lived there. I found several of these little bird homes. So neatly pecked out. Reminding me what a home is for - warmth, shelter, and a place to make memories.

What I did with New Texture

Woodlands

Just thought I would show you what I did with this new texture. I would love to see what you do! Have fun with it.

A Texture for You

Quote Book #1 - True

I have decided to continue my quotes but, in a different format. I thought it might be nice to do them in this old account book I found online as a freebie several years ago. 

For the life of me I do not know where it came from. If any one recognizes it and knows its legacy then please let me know so I can give them credit. Till then I am just going to make it mine and fill it with quotes.

Four Letter Words - True

Digital Photograph - The Mountains

The Mountains

It is a beautiful day here in the
mountains. I woke up before light and
decided to head for the hills.
What a morning. The views were incredible.
Now to make some Chili and Cheese Bread.
A nice cup of tea would be nice.
Hope your weekend is spectacular!

Digital Photograph - Bumper Stickers

Bumper Stickers

Found these in a local store here in the
moutains. I loved the graphic statement
they all made together. Peace.

I am Grateful for...

 

This is my grateful list. I have decided

to write down one thing in the morning

and one thing at night that I am grateful for.

I thought it might make the small

things I am grateful for take on more

meaning to me. It is something that I

want to really try to make a daily ritual.

Of course, being thankful for more is

always accepted. I thought you might like

to join in so I included a blank sheet

for you. Just copy a few and leave

next to the bed. I bet it will change

how you look at things and make you happy.

 

 

Bird Print Freebies

 

 

 

 

 

Some beautiful Italian Bird Prints for
you. Over the holidays I finally was
able to move my last storage unit. After
four years I finally have all of my
"stuff" under one roof. Quite a feat.
I do not have it all unpacked but it is
here and that is what matters. I did
not want to start out the New Year in a bunch of different places.

One of the nice things about unpacking
and going through all this "stuff" is
that I am finding all sorts of treasures.
Many things have been stuck here and
there. Some of the things I have forgotten
or they have taken on a new life here.

These freebies are one of the things
I had forgotten about. I have quite a
few bird prints. Birds make me happy.
These Italian prints were done for or by
an Italian by the name of Giovanni
Manetti. He was a statesman around 1547.
I bought these in college in a used
book store in Chicago on a trip there. They were in a book type portfolio. I hope you
enjoy them. I love their simplicity.

 

Digital Photograph - The Hay Barn

The Hay Barn

I spent a lot of December on the road. The best trip was going to visit family for Christmas. My family is in Virginia. I decided to go through the Shenandoah Valley there. I always love the Blue Ridge Mountains in the background. It is beautiful farm and wine country. There are also lots of caves if you enjoy that sort of thing. I always try to make time to get off the main road and hit the backroads. It makes for a more relaxing trip. I spotted this barn and a lovely revolutionary farmhouse on one of those side trips. I grunged the photograph up a bit. It just seemed right. Looking forward to a New Year and lots of opportunities to take more photographs in my beloved South. 

A Found Treasure - Lace

Lace

Found lace is always exciting. I have

several old sewing baskets I have collected

through the years. I fill them with odds an

ends of sewing supplies I find along the

way. I rediscovered a few over the New Year.

They got me thinking about how just small things can be so beautiful. A piece of lace, an old ribbon. How limiting we can be.

I have decided not to have resolutions this year. Instead I am going to set a series of goals for myself. I am going to enjoy the small, simple things in my life. I am going to concentrate on the Good. The small gratitude's in life that I have. I welcome the good, the positive in my life and this world.

I hope you will join me.

Quote #30 - Good at Heart