Love is Tender

Hello, Dear Friends, I hope that you are 

taking time to celebrate the 

tenderness of love 

this Valentine's Day. 

There are so many different ways to express 

this sweet emotion. 

I'm sure you can think of all the people 

(and pets) that you love dearly, 

and all the devoted ways that you show your love.  

I think it is definitely worth celebrating! 

"There is no charm equal to tenderness of heart."

- Jane Austen -

Like many of you, 

I always like to celebrate every holiday by doing a little decorating. 

Valentine's Day is no exception. 

Any excuse to create a change of scenery! 

Especially this time of year when we 

are spending so much of our time indoors. 

This year I am keeping things soft and low-key. 

A little sanctuary 

from the cares of the world. 

It all started with a lovely shopping trip with my daughter, Heather

to Hobby Lobby. This is an all-day endeavor! 

We have a 30-minute drive, which is when we catch up on 

the latest 'goings on' with each other, fueled by a stop 

at our local 'Starbucks'. 

Then when we get there, we peruse every aisle as we consult our shopping lists

(which we may or may not stick to!)

and consider whether this or that will work here or there! 

We have so much fun! 

I had a vision of what I wanted to achieve - an 'old world' style

with an olive and cream colorway. 

I've seen this trend on Pinterest lately. 

I had the cream-colored quilt and some of the pillows, 

but I needed to buy some olive fabric. 

I couldn't find what I wanted and was about to give up

when this lovely, soft corduroy caught my eye. 

I bought two yards and was able to stitch up 4 pillow covers. 

I had some needlework fabric with a soft, loose weave and 

sewed the (lumpy - Lol) heart pillow and fringed the edges.

It's very tender! :) 

I had the knitted throw already. 

These three 'paintings' are all Hobby Lobby offerings. 

I fell in love...

They were perfect for my theme. 

This wonderful painting is the real deal, and very vintage. 

My dear Sis-in-law, Donna sent it out to me

all the way from New England. 

She knows I love pansies. 

It was originally much larger, but had a tear, so I removed it from the frame, 

cut it down and reframed it with one I already had. 

I was able to keep the signature, too. 

The pottery vase was a flea-market find. 

The stone heart was a gift from the Mr. years ago. 

 

A vignette with faux tulips and ivy, and 'love' frame that I found on our shopping trip. 

'Love' is embroidered on black velvet. 

The sweet card is from my sis-in-law, Terry

from years past. 

The pretty dish was a Christmas gift from my grandson, Ethan, 

with cookies. 

xx

A precious correspondence. 

I covered a heart-shaped candy box with scrapbook paper and lace 

a few years ago. 

A sampler that I found at a flea-market. 

I can't imagine anyone giving it away. 

It has a date of 1987. 

Harmonious colors. 

The old hutch faces the daybed. 

Paper hearts. 

Sweet hearts. 

I found this wood riser on our trip, too. 

Perfect for my cookie cutter collection :)

My beautiful friend, Carrie, from the blog, Northwoods Scrapbook 

had a giveaway and I was one of two winners! 

One of the prizes was this beautiful 

bouquet of roses! 

You would never guess that they are not real! 

It is a large, pop-up card! Isn't it amazing? 

She painted this beautiful card to go with it! 

Definitely frame-worthy! 

xx

There were so many lovely things, including 

hand-made earrings, tag, recipe card and stickers.

And a mystery book delightfully wrapped in brown paper, with 

a bookmark and post-it markers and even a highlighter pen

(not pictured).

 And these teeny-tiny books and coffee mug refrigerator magnets! 

Thank you, again, dear Carrie. 

I love it all. 

xx

Check out Carrie's sweet blog, 

which you can find on my side bar

or click on the name of her blog, mentioned above. 

All this decorating made me hungry! 

So, I baked a batch of Oatmeal-Blueberry Streusel muffins.

Baking just so happens to be one of my love languages. 

xx

Something from the heart. 

Of course, I had to sample the goods first! 

Do you like my coasters? 

'Gather and be grateful'

I found these at a Christmas market 

when we went to visit my son and his family 

at his mountain cabin on Thanksgiving weekend. 

Earth and sky.

Sand and sea. 

xx

Here's the muffin recipe:

Oatmeal Blueberry Streusel Muffins 

Serves 12

Bake @ 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes

Use paper liners in pan

Muffin ingredients

1 cup oatmeal 

1- 1/4 cups flour

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

Combine all dry ingredients together in medium sized bowl and set aside. 

1 cup milk

1/4 cup butter, melted

2 eggs

2 Tbsp maple syrup or honey

1 tsp vanilla extract

Combine wet ingredients in a large mixing bowl. 

Add dry ingredients 1 cup at a time, folding gently until mixed. 

Fold in 1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen. 

Do not overmix. 

Streusel Topping

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup oatmeal

1/4 cup chilled butter, cut into pea-sized pieces

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp salt

Mix all together in small bowl. 

Fill muffin cups 2/3 full, then top with 2 Tbsp streusel. 

Bake 20-25 minutes in 400 degree oven until toothpick comes out clean.

Cool 20 minutes. 

Enjoy!!!

I was outside on a recent beautiful day, 

when I spied this little beauty - the first of the season! 

And to my surprise, this little guy backed out and flew away! 

He looks a little skinny, but his pollen sacks were full. 

We've had a few unusually warm and sunny days recently.

I was able to do a bit of garden tidying

and even some pansy potting. 

Hopefully they will be blooming soon. 

 

But now, it is back to rain and cooler temperatures. 

We had a little house guest recently when my son and his family 

went on vacation to Hawaii for a week. 

His name is Ramsey. 

Isn't he cute? 

Kai was equal parts thrilled and jealous to have this little guy

spend time with us :) 

They got along great - chasing each other around and stealing 

each other's bones.

Kai is smiling but doesn't realize Ramsey has his bone in his mouth. Lol! 

xx

 Nap time. 

xx

Some interesting skies over Mt. Rainier recently. 

xx

I hope that you have a lovely Valentine's Day, dear friends. 

It's a good excuse to buy yourself some 

flowers and chocolates. 

And maybe share with someone you love. <3

xx

Oh, and how about our Seattle Seahawks winning the Superbowl? 

So exciting! 

xx

" Love is a friendship set to music."

- Joseph Campbell - 

" Love is like the wind, you can't see it,

but you can feel it."

- Nicholas Sparks - 

'A Walk to Remember'

" A loving heart is the truest wisdom."

- Charles Dickens -

 

February

 Hello, Dear Friends, here we are, already in the short and sweet month of February! 

January was not kind to most of us, but I do hope 

that February is a bit friendlier. 

I've noticed the days are gradually getting longer, 

and there are some tiny signs of spring,

here in the foothills of Mt. Rainier.

My crocus and early daffodils are coming up. 

The wild plum trees are budding.

The robins are coming back.   

Today I heard the 'peeper' frogs singing 

down by the creek below our little mountain. 

That always signals that spring is on the way. 

My Mom, who lived just down the lane

from me for 30 years, 

 would always call me as soon as she 

heard them. We could finally look forward 

to sunshine and flowers, even though we still had 

weeks to go. When I would visit her, she would 

pull out the seed catalogs and show me all of her 

 garden plans. My Mom and Dad loved their gardens.

Every visit included a tour.

I sure do miss them.

  

xx

It's such a bittersweet feeling when I hear the peepers sing.

I've been busy in my sewing room during these cold winter days, 

creating new pillows and curtains 

to brighten things up a bit. 

(The little cats were my Mom's.) 

xx

It's always a process to get started. 

My sewing room ends up being a catch-all, especially during the holidays. 

So, a good clean-out was in order. 

Redecorating after the holidays requires some thought. 

 I have to sort through my fabric to decide 

the color theme and whether I have enough of this fabric or that. 

That usually takes a few days. 

I have cupboards and drawers, and a closet full of large bins of fabric...

all collected over time. 

Then it is a matter of coordinating it all, along with lots of measuring, 

and finally, I get down to work. 

All of that sorting refreshes my mind as to what I have 

in my inventory, so it serves two purposes.

It also helps clear my mind. 

Sorting through life, one seam at a time... 

And, of course, I always have a little companion to keep me company. 

Can you see him? 

Birdy-Boy usually stays on his perch in the window, 

chattering to the wild birds, but occasionally 

he likes to be a bit naughty. 

Here he is, chewing the labels off my yarn stash.

He also likes to pull the pins out of my pincushions

and seams. 

Chattering happily all the while. 

xx

When I decorate, I usually follow my mood at the time. 

Lately I have felt the need to have a calm, quiet refuge.

Natural and light. 

Pillows sewn with linen fabrics.  Embroidery. Woven baskets. 

Pretty paper roses. 

A sweet gift from my daughter-in-law a few years ago. 

xx

I sewed new curtains for my old hutch doors. 

I love the vintage style fabric. 

I hung a quilted wall-hanging I made a few years ago,

over a fruit crate vignette of vintage bottles, on the wall beside the hutch.

Some of these bottles I found at an old home site nearby, years ago. 

There was once a thriving little coal mining town here at the turn of the last century, 

complete with a hotel! 

All gone now, except for a few photos and memories kept in some books at a tiny museum.

I bought the books. 

How could I not? 

They belong to this place. 

xx 

Love birds. 

xx

For Valentine's Day. 

One of my decorated candy boxes and some vintage alphabet blocks. 

A vintage Valentine, too. 

I created the romantic heart by simply wrapping a bent, wire clothes hanger 

with brown floral tape, catching the 2 inch stems of dried roses as I went. 

The roses were from my daughter on my birthday in October.

xx

I added a tiny, rusty heart (a gift from my sis-in-law)

that I hung from sheer, moss green ribbon. 

The beautiful flowers are from the Mr. 

xx

Terra-cotta trinket boxes. 

 

A vintage market find. 

A neutral theme. 

A little surprise inside. 

I made the heart border out of sheet music wrapping paper. 

I just folded a long strip accordion style and cut the hearts, leaving 

a tiny bit on each side uncut, then unfolded it and voila'! 

Cherub napkin rings. 

Sweet cards. 

A favorite cookbook. 

The wooden box on top of the pantry holds emergency candles. 

We've lost our electricity a few times already 

during storms, and it's nice to have them handy. 

We've also lost a few old, spindly trees. 

The Mr. has been busy cutting them up into firewood. 

The forest is always evolving. 

Sometimes he just leaves the logs for the wild things. 

Little eco-systems sprout up around them. 

xx

The white ironstone goes with everything. 

Don't tell anyone, but I keep my candy stash 

in the big bowl on the bottom shelf. 

For some reason, the Mr. hasn't found it yet! 

Or maybe he has, but he knows better than to steal any. Lol!

I do like to surprise him and share, though.  

xx

My daughter gave me the beautiful basket on top of the shelf.

It's perfect for serving plates of appetizers.  

Or pies.

I'm of the opinion that there's never enough pie.   

xx

I sewed the semi-sheer drapes on the glass door out of a large sheet.

Sheets are an inexpensive source of fabric 

when you can find them on discount. 

My daughter bought the pretty woven table runner for me 

when we went to the flea-market last fall. 

I've had this old box for years and thought it would look nice 

with my collection of vintage bottles in the kitchen window.

Something to make me smile while cleaning up the dishes. 

xx 

I'm really feeling Zen with this neutral theme. And I had 

some pleasant afternoons sewing while the snow, rain and wind blew 

outside the window. 

Zen - a state of calm attentiveness in which one's actions

are guided by intuition rather than by conscious effort. 

Always well within. 

Speaking of Zen...

Morning light. 

Everchanging views outside my windows. 

xx

Life is everchanging, isn't it, my dear friends? 

Lately I've felt the need to find my inner calm

as the winds of change 

swirl all around me - around all of us. 

I am working on the realization that I have no control 

over anyone or anything, except for my own thoughts, actions 

and responses. 

'Response-ability'.

I've always been a worrier and tried to anticipate 

what lies beyond every corner. 

I guess that came with being a mother. 

But now that I am older and wiser, I realize that 

all the worrying and anxiety has not changed a thing

and is actually very detrimental.  

There's a certain peace that goes along with this realization. 

But also, a determination to take the responsibility

to be a positive force and not add to the negativity.

To go with the flow...

 

xx

 

I saw a great quote recently. 

'Be a fountain, not a drain.'

Love that. 

Although sometimes we need to give love and understanding towards 

those that are drained. I think we are all feeling a bit drained 

these days, so it is important to take some time for a 

little introspection as to what is most important in life.

xx  

"The value of compassion cannot be over-emphasized. 

Anyone can criticize. It takes a true believer

to be compassionate. No greater burden can be borne

by an individual than to know no one cares or understands."

- Arthur H. Stainback, educator and writer -

xx

"So many people are hanging by the thinnest of threads. 

Treat all people well. You could be that thread."

- John Pavlovitz -

xx

I hope you, too, are finding a little Zen these days,  

my dear friends.

Spring is just around the corner. 

One corner we can happily anticipate.  

xx