Waiting

 

Hello, Dear Friends, I hope that you are keeping the faith 

as this tumultuous world swirls all around us. 

I have been in a state of suspended animation 

as I wait for spring, 

while war and rumors of war keep me awake at night.

Life is so precious, and we must be grateful for every single day

and the freedoms we so easily take for granted. 

I can't begin to understand mankind's 

inhumanity, but I do know that 

there are much greater forces

that transcend the cruelties of this world. 

Paul the Apostle in 1 Corinthians 13:

"So faith, hope, love remain, 

These three, but the greatest of these is love." 

xx

Speaking of love...

I am very fortunate in that regard at this point in my life. 

xx

My little grandsons created the bookmark with

thumbprint hearts.

I also received a sweet pipe-cleaner bracelet with beads, 

and pink cookies and treats. 

xoxo

Roses, card and chocolates were from my Dearest.  

He also surprised me with this very retro-style

radio/CD player and a whole set of 

60's love songs.

xx

Doowop, Doowop! 

Now I can listen to music while in the kitchen!

Our song, 'My Girl', by The Temptations is 

one of them. 

xx

The dogs look out on a very cold day. 

I am pet sitting for my daughter's dog, 'Lovey'. 

Isn't she cute? She has made herself at home 

and is quite bossy. 

Kai loves her to pieces. 

They sleep together, bark at nothing together, 

and race around chasing each other,  

stealing toys and bones. 

They've been a good distraction to some of the

vicarious trauma I am feeling right now 

due to world events.  

. 

They are pure innocence and love.

Well, maybe not completely innocent :) 

The hutch across from the daybed. 

I found this twiggy wreath when I was at the craft store

the other day. 

The colors in the wreath and this sweet painting 

complement each other. 

My grandson, Ethan's painting of a tree fort

that he wants his grandpa to build. 

xx 

I've been feeling like I need warm, happy colors 

around me these days. 

Little Lovey likes to park herself on the daybed

and mess up the cover :)

You can see the pet door. We had to put a paver brick

in front of it on both sides so she could jump in and out. 

That's the trouble with having short little legs. 

I should know :) I am 5' 3" in heels. 

I found an old advertisement in a magazine 

with a sweet graphic to match the colors in 

my poppy painting. 

Another cute graphic that complements my tea towel collection.

I love the 'Birdie' cereal. 

Grandson, Gavin's drawing of the house 

(floating away, attached to balloons), in the movie, 'Up'. 

He has included the old man and the little dog, too. 

xx

Both of the grandboy's artworks were sweetly mailed to us. 

The hallway off the kitchen, with the library on the right.

(View from the laundry room)

Ramblin' Man has redone the little powder room here. 

 He repainted, (Dutch Boy, 'Peace')

replaced the plumbing fixtures, 

(Toilet and sink)

and hung a glass shelf over the sink.

xx 

Vintage photos of our little town at the end of the hallway. 

My own artwork in the making. 

I am making some progress. 

It's going very slowly, but I work on it 

a little every day. 

It's like painting a 1000-piece jig-saw puzzle! 

I have been using my lighted magnifying lamp that 

I usually use for sewing and embroidery. 

It really helps! 

I've been doing a lot of baking. Old favorites 

like banana bread, apple crisp, and here, oatmeal-raisin cookies. 

I love the graphics on these ingredients. 

Advertising art is a favorite of mine, as you can tell. 

Pretty little helpers. 

Love, laugh and lick the spoon. 

I baked these for the Mr. They are his favorite. 

My baking sheet magnet board that  

I keep on the front of my white refrigerator. 

A little note he left me before leaving for work,

years ago. I keep it with my recipe. 

He sometimes left early in the morning before 

I was awake. I would pack his lunch the night before. 

He worked long hours as a Regional Sales and Distribution Manager

for a local potato chip and salty snacks company. 

He oversaw 9 managers, and nearly 200 distributors 

in seven states after rising up through the ranks,

beginning as a distribution driver. 

He traveled a lot, hence the nickname, 

"Ramblin' Man".

I enjoy having him home finally, now that he is retired. 

He still 'rambles', but now in a different way. 

He loves to 'ramble on' about things. 

And I love to listen. 

xoxo

Broccoli cheese soup and home-made bread. 

I've been making lots of soups lately, too. 

Chicken-rice, minestrone, beef stew. 

Just plain and simple comfort food. 

I've also restarted work on the crochet sweater 

that I started last year. I just have one sleeve and 

the yolk to finish. 

The beautiful canvas and leather bag that 

my son and wife gave me for Mother's Day last year. 

xx

All of these little projects help me to manage my anxiety

when the world seems so out of control. 

I wish that I could talk to my grandparents and great-grandparents

who went through so many difficulties and who survived

World Wars, the Spanish Flu of 1918, The Great Depression. 

My Mother's side were immigrants from Scotland

during WWI, and Ireland during famine. 

My Father's side have been here 

as far back as the founding colonies during

the Revolutionary War and the Civil War. 

Wouldn't it be wonderful to hear their stories? 

We would learn what real courage and resilience was.  

Hopefully, our own grandchildren and great-grandchildren 

will be here to wonder about the same things. 

I've been waking up at the break of dawn the last few days

to put the hummingbird feeders out at first light. 

It's been very cold at night, and I take them in to prevent them from freezing.

 

One benefit to waking up so early is that I see some beautiful sunrises. 

But on this morning, the planet Venus and the crescent moon were there to greet me! 

Another morning I had the crescent moon right over Mt. Rainier at sunrise. 

One morning we had a dusting of snow.  

Old Man Winter is not quite done with us yet. 

So, I wait...

For spring. 

For the pandemic to end. 

For peace.  

"For He will command His angels concerning you to guard

you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up,

lest you strike your foot against a stone."

-Psalm 91:11-12

"See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you

along the way and to bring you to the 

place I have prepared."

-Exodus 23:20

xx

Archangel Michael is historically associated with protecting

humanity from the forces of darkness. 

He carries the sword of divine justice. 

He symbolizes courage, strength and protection. 

I pray that Michael watches over the brave people of Ukraine,

especially the little children, the elderly, the soldiers, 

and all of the victims of the senseless wars in this troubled world. 

xoxo

 

The Heart of Winter

Hello, Dear Friends, I hope that you are keeping up spirits

as we journey through the heart of winter.

We have had mild weather here in the foothills 

of the Cascade mountains near Mt. Rainier. 

It has been cloudy and gray, with the occasional 

sunny day to cheer us on.

I can't complain.

For quite a long time we had thick fog. 

Believe it or not, that is the sun, not the moon! 

Everything was very quiet and still. 

It was rather eerie. 

While I waited for the sun to return, I kept busy 

in my sewing room. 

I used the time to sew a few heart sachets. 

I like to keep a supply on hand for tucking into 

drawers and onto clothes hangers. 

They also make sweet garlands and gifts. 

xx 

My happy place. 

xx

I do have a good supply of pin cushions! 

I sewed the mushroom and strawberry pin cushions, 

and I found the 'tomato basket' at a flea market. 

The vendor had about a dozen of these little baskets and 

when I asked her about them, she told me 

that she collected the pin cushions from estate and garage sales.

She said that they were at nearly every sale and she felt compelled 

to give them a home. When her collection grew too large, 

she thought up the idea to sell them in berry baskets. 

 

I think that if these little pin cushions could talk, they 

might have some precious stories of quiet hours

spent in loving creativity! 

My violets enjoy this east-facing window. 

I brought the hearts downstairs in the early morning light 

to hand sew the buttons and hanging loops, 

then stuff them with fiberfill and a scoop of dried lavender. 

Black and white ticking. 

These are blue and white to match my bedroom. 

xx

What tugs at your heart strings? 

For me, it's the sweetness of my grandsons.

Unexpected phone calls from my children. 

Hugs and kisses from the Mr. 

Pretty cards and notes from loved ones.  

Flowers. 

Little birds. 

Babies.

Dogs. 

xx 

"There is no charm equal to tenderness of heart"

- Jane Austin -

And Angels. 

I keep a dream journal. 

Do you? 

I live another life in my dreams. 

xx

Lyrics to one of my favorite songs. 

These Dreams

Heart

Spare a little candle, save some light for me

Figures up ahead, movin' in the trees

White skin in linen, perfume on my wrist

And the full moon that hangs over

These dreams in the mist

Darkness on the edge, shadows where I stand

I search for the time on a watch with no hands

I want to see you clearly, come closer than this

But all I remember are the dreams in the mist

These dreams go on when I close my eyes

Every second of the night I live another life

These dreams that sleep when it's cold outside

Every moment I'm awake, the further I'm away (the further I'm away)

Is it cloak and dagger? Could it be spring or fall?

I walk without a cut through a stained glass wall

(Weaker in my eyesight)

Weaker in my eyesight, the candle in my grip

(Words that have no form)

And words that have no form are falling from my lips

These dreams go on when I close my eyes

Every second of the night I live another life

These dreams that sleep when it's cold outside

Every moment I'm awake the further I'm away (the further I'm away)

There's something out there I can't resist

I need to hide away from the pain

There's something out there I can't resist

The sweetest song is silence that I've ever heard

Funny how your feet in dreams never touch the earth

In a wood full of princes, freedom is a kiss

But the prince hides his face from dreams in the mist

These dreams go on when I close my eyes

Every second of the night I live another life

These dreams that sleep when it's cold outside

Every moment I'm awake the further I'm away

These dreams go on when I close my eyes (every second)

Every second of the night I live another life

These dreams that sleep when it's cold outside

Every moment I'm awake...

Songwriters: Bernie Taupin, Martin Page

Cream Linen with vintage lace and buttons. 

I have no idea why the font and layout has changed here. 

It's the blog ghost. 

*grin*

I put together this Victorian style cloche, 

with a craft-store bird,

for my winter mantel. 

I sewed some sherpa pillows for the library chairs, too. 

I put together an art corner to keep myself busy 

for the rest of the winter. 

I have no plans to join society any time soon. 

xx

I'm strictly amateur, of course,

and starting out with a paint by number! 

xx

The light is good right here, and it is out of the way

of our day to day living. 

This is what the finished painting is supposed to look like. 

Wish me luck! 

I transformed this vintage vase into a paintbrush holder. 

I used a big piece of polka-dot poster board to protect my table. 

The paint containers are drawer organizers. 

I used what I had on hand! 

The little table folds up flat when not in use. 

The view out the window. 

The primroses are still blooming. 

Precious pansies. 

I bought a new flat to plant. 

We have mild winters here and by the end of February

the early bulbs are already blooming. 

"If I had a flower for every time I thought of you...

I could walk through my garden forever."

- Alfred Tennyson -

Moss pots and ferns. 

The plaque was my Mom's and says,

"A gardener's life

is full of sweets and sours, 

he gets the sunshine

when he needs the showers."

Moss flowers. 

Moss and succulents. 

I'm saving this for a fairy garden. 

We had some hail the other day. 

Sweet Kai braved the hail to rescue his little toy. 

Ramblin' Man named all Kai's toys. 

This one is 'Timmy'. 

Those two keep me laughing. 

"Make sure you marry someone who laughs

at the same things you do."

- J.D. Salinger -

Speaking of 'All Creatures Great and Small', 

have you been watching Masterpiece? 

It's wonderful. 

We've also been watching, 'Around the World in 80 Days'.

 Whenever the sun comes out, I put on my gardening gloves 

and get to work outside. 

Here I've trimmed my heart-shaped wildflower garden. 

Kai keeps watch. 

With Timmy. 

xx

Another project in waiting - trimming all of the hydrangeas. 

I'll wait a little longer. 

The old blooms protect this year's buds from frost. 

There's plenty to do in the meantime. 

"Love is space and time measured by the heart."

- Marcel Proust -

From the bedroom window. 

The next night, four deer decided to tramp through it

sampling the new shoots. 

What can you do? 

They were beautiful in the moonlight, though. 

I didn't have the heart to scare them away. 

xx

To compensate, this was the sunrise 

the next morning. 

xx

Love never gives up, never loses faith, 

is always hopeful and endures 

through every circumstance. 

- Corinthians 13:7 -

"I have decided to stick to love;

hate is too great a burden to bear."

- Martin Luther King, Jr. -

xoxo

Thinking of you, Dear Friends, and hoping 

that you are able to find peace and comfort 

in this troubled world we live in. 

xoxo

Keep shining your light. 

xx