How Nice

Brown paper packages...

tied up with string.

One of my favorite things.

Nothing compares to the unexpected

surprise of the manila envelope.

Especially in this high-tech world we live in.

I was like a little girl when I

reached in my mailbox and pulled out this...

Addressed to me...

my, oh my...what can it be.

First clue...

the return address.

Teresa Kline.

You may recognize that name.

Way back in January

I declared her the winner of an unannounced

giveaway...

because she left such a nice comment

on one of my postings.

Truth be told...

it was the first comment I had received in

a very long time.

Yeah...

I'm one of those

who squishes the package before opening

and takes a guess at what's inside.

Come on...

moments like these are meant to be savored.

Tissue paper wrapped in twine...

where I come from...

that's the Rolls Royce of gift wrap.

Slowly...

methodically...

pull back the paper to reveal what's inside...

ah...

a small gasp of surprise...

lovely.

Teresa sent me a thank you for my thank you...

in a way she knows best.

With cards and embellishments she created.

beautiful.

Paper crafters are a rare breed.

I have a few of them in my life...

and I know the time and patience required

to make these little masterpieces.

And these were pure loveliness.

Lovely layers of fine paper...embellished with

buttons...ribbons...stitching

and lace.

very nice indeed.

Teresa...

you shouldn't have...

but I'm very glad you did.

A nice thing about this high-tech world we live in

is meeting people from all around the planet. Making friends from far away places...

and keeping in touch with the

touch of a button.

That's how I met Teresa

who resides in Virgina.

She has given me words of encouragement

and simple kindness.

In my book...

that's a friend.

If you want to see more of Teresa Kline's handiwork

you can visit her at

www.paperieblooms.blogspot.com

Thank you, Teresa.

And thanks to all of my friends for stopping by.

Saturday Recap

Bedford Garden Tour 2011

My first...Bedford's 15th

In case you were unable to attend...

here are snippets of what I consider

The Best Of Show.

A Final Look Over My Shoulder.

I've got to get home to

paint, weed, plant, build, and

redecorate.

Now I know why I stay away from such events.

They can be quite costly.

Instead...

I will hop on my bike

until the feeling passes.

Joe is going to join me

on this adventure from Fort Meigs

to home...

approximately 25 miles (rounding up!).

We are helping Mad Man on his final leg.

My brother-in-law, Ed...

who got it into his head to bike to

Michigan from Indy!

He's still smiling after 233 miles!

He knows I have a cool pool and an

ice cold Bud waiting for him.

Way To Go, Ed!

To celebrate in style...

we put on a fireworks display.

Well...

actually Bedford did.

They must have heard about Ed's grand

Tour de Midwest.

Well, it's Monday...

8:30am...

garden weeding awaits...

I think I'll go for a bike ride.

Pillowcase Project :: Wildflower

A Garage Sale Find.

Pretty Blue.

The sniff test told of hours in the sun...

on the line.

Sold for 50 cents!

Inspired

by the old song...

Born To Be Wild!

I drew a design with tattoo lettering.

Born To Be A Wildflower

A spin-off of the classic.

Next...

traced the design onto the border.

Chose colors of DMC floss

from my pre-owned stash.

Dug the hoop out of the attic.

Began

Free-Hand Embroidery.

In other words...

I did whatever felt right.

Back Stitch---Satin Stitch---

Chain Stitch---

French Knots.

Then...

Took a walk in my garden...

and found what I was looking for.

More Inspiration.

Part One was now complete.

Part Two began with a quick measurement

of 20 inches. Cut to size...

cut a bit more from the top corners...

made a binding from the remaining fabric

and bound the raw edges. Sewed a 3/4" casing at the top edge...

cut 2 more strips from fabric and made

two drawstrings.

Pulled them through the casings.

Tied a pretty bow...

twice.

And Voila!

I know just the little

Wildflower

to wear this.

...to be continued...

The Pavlovian Candy Jar

On a recent visit home

we took my sister and her boys to

the candy store.

Boyd's Retro Candy Store

to be exact.

Located at the

Lewis/ Detroit Ave./Sylvania

intersection...

Toledo, Ohio.

They sell memories.

The oldies BUT goodies.

Pixie Stix, Warheads, Goetze's Caramel Creams...

Soda pop...

the way it should be...

in bottles!

Although small inside

they utilize every inch to stock

all things sugar.

Ice Cubes, Lollipops, Jelly Bellies...

Mallo Cups, Jaw Breakers,

Lemon Heads. Candy Buttons on paper strips...

Candy cigarettes...

in the gum or "blow smoke" variety.

(Sold appropriately behind the counter)

James is certain that heaven is

one big candy store.

We made our purchases.

Ate candy on the drive home.

Ate more candy at home.

I took what was left and put it in an old

Ball jar.

Seemed fitting.

Until one day James came into the dining room

to get at one of those

remaining Pixie Stix.

"OUCH..." he mumbled.

When I asked him what was wrong he said,

"I hate this jar...it snaps my fingers

when I try to open it."

I started giggling.

For the record, I didn't realize it would

be so hard to open...

I thought it looked cute.

Now...when he

goes to get a piece of candy

he thinks twice...

how bad do I want it.

A Pavlovian response?

Have I conditioned James inadvertently?

A Freudian slip...

on my part. tee-hee.

Convicted

To be found guilty.

It's not a good feeling.

I consider myself a good hostess.

Friends and family stop over--uninvited--

on a regular basis.

I'm a drop everything and have fun kinda gal.

We have an open door policy.

I don't care if it's one person who needs to talk

OR a whole gang

looking for a good time.

We are on-board.

Today at church...

the message centered on our need for

community...

to help with the burdens we all encounter.

Together we can lighten the load that life brings.

We sang

Lean On Me.

Statistics were shared.

Only 20% of "church-goers" actually

invite others to attend their church.

I hate being a statistic.

Especially one of the 80.

To make it worse...

on my way to church this morning

a friend was at my door

wanting to talk to Rudy.

I told him to be sure and give Rudy

a hard time for not coming with me.

He said, "I can't...because I haven't been in years...

but thumbs up to you."

With a laugh...

I told him good-bye...have a great day.

Never entered my mind to invite him along.

Convicted.

Who knows what kind of burden he has been carrying.

Who knows...maybe he would have felt

a belonging to a new community.

Who knows...

"Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30.

I had a moment of opportunity.

My prayer...

that I will recognize that moment

next time.

Right Now

:: right now ::

kickin back :: relaxing

a good read to page through

a strong cafe latte

chocolate biscotti remnants floating about

dog napping at my feet

watching Raul

the pool boy

"I think you missed a leaf

over yonder..."

right now

is very good

Lady In Waiting

Way back in October

I decided (after pricing pumpkins)

that I would have a patch of my own in 2011.

James wanted a giant pumpkin.

Giant means expensive.

He got his giant pumpkin

I got the seeds.

Hopefully these were not Mon$@^to patented.

Funny story...

I had them on the counter to dry.

That very night...

a little mouse had a feast in my kitchen.

He ate every single seed,

but one.

Fast forward to my sister Mary talking about mice

kicking my brain into gear.

"My Pumpkin Seed!"

Yes, it was late June and I planted that seed.

Talk about faith of a pumpkin seed.

While I was at it

I figured I might as well plant more.

I'm calling this my Five-Gallon Bucket Experiment.

Rocks and bricks in the bottom for drainage. My compost pile was depleted so I purchased Potting Soil... and filled that bucket up. Stuck my finger right in the middle.

Covered.

Watered.

Placed it in a sunny location.

Said a little prayer.

Did the same with my front door planters.

Much nicer than annuals.

Okay...

so I've gone a bit seed bonkers lately.

Another metal bucket means

more pumpkins.

I think I can squeeze a few seeds

on the edge of my raised beds.

I know what your thinking...

those pumpkins will be ready for Christmas.

After a whole bunch of online research into the lore of the

pumpkin...

some sites had me dancing naked under the solstice moon...

I might get lucky.

Most farmers say planting too early is the bane

of the pumpkin harvest.

I don't have to worry about that,

now do I?

But...after all that digging,

I did have to worry about gardener's hands...

icky.

Then I found this recipe at a cool site

simply called

Tend.

Three Ingredient

Gardener's Hand Scrub

1/2 Cup Coconut Oil

1 Cup Coarse Sea Salt

1/4 Cup Lavender Buds

(Amendment after additional use: I'm not a fan of the

lavender buds which add little fragrance and a lot of mess...

again, in my opinion...next time I would add

a skin safe fragrance oil OR essensial oils)

Mix and store in an air tight container.

Really leaves your hands feeling squeaky clean and moisturized.

Now...

once again in my life

I have become that person I am intimately familiar with.

The Lady-In-Waiting.

After 4 babies who liked to be "over cooked"

I know I can do this.

I can do this well.

This time around my hands will be beautiful.