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