A few small changes to bring a little life into the washed out gray light of  winter.

 A purple ribbon, from a gift, as a little nod to Lent...preparing the way for Easter and Spring.

Displaying a beautiful embossed glass candle, a gift from Kris and Doug and Sweet p.  Happy Birthday dear Doug. Doug and Kris and Sweet p. made some big changes this year, and I am so glad that included coming to Chicago! It's been amazing having them close.

 Can't wait to have flowers to press from my garden.  From Elizabeth, my generously kind SIL.

 It's been a while since we thrifted.  I found two treasures, this vintage scale and an old enameled coffee pot.

 Oi how I miss my camera!

The coffee pot is stained inside, and a little rough on the outside.  It was filled with foam and moss.  I saw it's pure vintage beauty.

 It will be a long time before a warm up.  Our local weather guy says that until the Great Lakes thaw, the cold is here to stay for a while.  I look outside and try to think warm thoughts...

My warm thought for today...I am nearing my 1,000th post! Seems like I started yesterday, but it will be five years on March 2nd since my very first post.    More on that soon. Thanks for stopping by.
Enjoy this beautiful day.

Weekend Update, Deja vu Edition

Yes our beautiful Sun comes up in the morning, and the sweet crescent Moon rises at night, but the days of February are running together like the movie Groundhog Day...We just can't seem to make any progress out of winter.  As a rule I love winter, and I love snow, but since the beginning of the month we seem to be stuck.

 The snow still covers the ground, my driveway is still half impassable.  The temperatures have been in the single digits.  I feel like we need a patch of bare earth, a small sign of spring.

Walking the neighborhood there was one other person out. Everyone is still hunkered down inside.

We did have company for Sunday dinner. Our little family came, and then it didn't matter so much how cold it was outside.  It was warm and happy and full of fun and snuggles.  Still, Sweet p wants to go in Grandma's garden.  The Sun tricks the little sweetheart into thinking it's a fine time to play outside.

Six more weeks of winter was probably quite optimistic for that groundhog.  Can't see a thaw, in fact more snow is predicted this week.

It sure looks beautiful, the Sun on the snow, the crisp air in the lungs, but even I, a winter girl is looking forward to some signs of spring.

Two of my favorite photos of my dearest, right next to our bed on my table.

My camera died. Just stopped working.  A couple of these photos I took with my hubby's camera.  I received my camera 5 years ago and took over 20,000 photos.  It's been my constant companion and I miss it already. As luck would have it, when Kris bought me my camera, she bought the same camera for herself. In the age of iPhones with awesome cameras, Kris is giving her camera to me since she hasn't used it in years.  I am so happy, being the one trick pony that I am and learning a new camera right now does not interest me a bit.

The best place to be in weather like this is in the kitchen, and that's where I was. 

We had a bake sale this weekend and these were two of my additions.  A Turtle Torte and a Triple Chocolate Bundt.  The house smelled delicious!

Sorry that even my posts are more of the same...I promise to get going with some thing more interesting. Until then, thanks for stopping by.  Enjoy this beautiful day.

On Turning 60

I'm not sure how it happened, but I am 60 years old!  The years flew by, and here I am a Grandmother!
If you expected to hear the woes of old age, you will be disappointed. Sure, my skin sags and my hair is thin and graying, but happier and more content than at any point of my life....  I threw myself a party...not because no one wanted to, they all asked, including my dearest how I wanted to spend my birthday.  I didn't know until I emailed my dear SIL and invited her and her family for homemade pizza, that I was gonna have a party.  I am so glad that I did.  I had a near perfect birthday.  The only missing piece was Mike and Amanda, but we face timed during the party and got to laugh and say hi to everyone.

I like to do it myself.  There I said it.  I am impatient and hate to ask for help.  I thrive on doing!  On hospitality, on making things nice for everyone.  In that I get pure joy.  I had the best birthday, with all my favorite people.  Speaking of favorite people...my grand daughter and nieces helped me to unwrap my gifts, then sweet p. said, "Now we sing!" and led everyone in singing Happy Birthday.  What a precious moment!
I made a lemon trifle with the cake I froze that we didn't get to eat Super Bowl Sunday.  I made meatballs  in the crock pot and Jon made the little hot dogs in the crescent rolls also left from our party cancelled by snowstorm..  Dear brother Greg brought the punchki, aka Paczki.  I always buy them for him, sentimental one that he is, but he beat me to it this year.

 Kris, Doug and Penny were here for my birthday! The sweetest gift.  Then, the embarrassment of riches.

 My SIL Elizabeth brought this lovely bunch of flowers.

 The best gifts are from the heart.  Little bird did it again.  Wrote this sweet note with my favorite painting of all time on it.  She didn't know, but no surprise...we are kindred spirits.

If I've learned anything from living 60 years, is that life goes by so quickly, enjoy every minute. .I've been blessed having a very happy and love filled life.  We've laughed through some very difficult times, known sickness and loss but always loved and appreciated life.   I am grateful for my husband and children and my baby grand, they have shown me the most perfect love. For all my family, my brothers and SIL's who are so dear to me and especially my nieces and nephews who I love so very much.  I have the best friends, some for almost 50 years, some like sisters, some brand new and some friends who have come into my life because of blogging.  I also remember friends who didn't have the chance to grow old, for friends that lost their dear sons when they were just starting their lives. How can you complain about getting old, it is such a gift.  I also remember my parents, and their parents and ancestors long forgotten who paved the path for me to this place, at this time.  I say it all the time, I AM GRATEFUL, but it is only a drop in Lake Michigan of the gratitude I feel.  Here's to being 60 years old...so glad to have great companions I have on this journey! (You know who you are...Buffskiboots forever!)

Enjoy this beautiful day!

From My Heart...

...to yours.  Wishing you Love

 and a Happy Valentine's Day.

Enjoy this beautiful day.  

Penny

Shaking Off the Gloom

 Oh we've had a gloomy couple of weeks here in English Valley. 

 I've had nothing much to share except more snow photos.  

 I went into my archives to dig up some hints of Spring.

 These photos were taken in 2011. 

 I just had my son Jon help me bring in my glass table 

from the deck where it winters,

 so soon my dining room will have its springtime look.

 Lent starts next week, so Easter and it's bunnies and eggs are not that far away.

Might just be some cabin fever that has me thinking about spring...

 I need some green.  A trip to the local nursery might do the trick.

Maybe I should start some seeds for the garden. 

 The smell of the earth and growing things is good for my soul.

  

It's probably just February, one foot in winter, with the promise of spring.

I hope you enjoyed this moment of reverie.  

Enjoy this beautiful day my friends.

February Snow

 Nature does nothing uselessly. Aristotle

 There is a plan.

 We are in it.

 We are in it together.

 Nature reminds us that there is order to beauty.

 There is a reason for everything.  Alexandra Stoddard

 Enjoying this snowy landscape.

 How magical our world looks covered in snow.

Thank you for stopping by my friends.  Enjoy this beautiful day.

Six More Weeks of Winter

Good old Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow this morning, predicting that we will have 6 more weeks of winter!  To that I say, HOORAY!  I know, it's not a popular stance, but I love winter and I love snow.

I was so glad to have at least one string of lights up in the house while a blizzard swirled around us. That's right an actual blizzard!  (Did you know that a blizzard means a snowstorm with  sustained winds in excess of 35 miles per hour?)  We got about a foot of snow here in English Valley.  Our Annual Eagle trip to Starved Rock had already been cancelled since my dear hubby was sick, and our Super Bowl festivities were bare bones since it was just my sweetheart and me.

I wanted to show you the last treasure I thrifted, seems like weeks ago.  I've been looking for a luggage rack for a while, since we first decorated our guest room.  This one was hidden, as most  good things are, and I immediately picked it up.  For the small sum of $5.99 I took it home.  Then I looked it up it to find it is worth at least $60! It looks brand new.

 Pretty ribbon makes it extra special.

 It is very cool and has yet to make it into the guest room. I am using it with a tray in the living room.

 A few Valentines around the house...

The pearls are an addition from sweet p.  Did I mention we had a sleep over?  That's where Grandpa got his virus, we think. Sweet p is perfectly comfortable with grandma and grandpa.  More fun and love than you can imagine.  She's got great ideas and is crazy about grocery shopping...something they did not do in New York.  The little family has settled in.  Their apartment is so pretty and spacious, they have all their things and we added some new plants.  We are all so happy to have them back home. We've been to the city at least a half dozen times since they've been back.  Did I mention we are soooo happy!?

 It was so cozy with the snow outside and us snuggled and warm inside.

My sweetheart covered in love. (In case you're wondering, I did not make the quilt, bought it at JC Penney over 20 years ago.)  He had the worst week, but he is gratefully on the mend. It was the perfect storm of toothache, virus and a infected foot.  Then he had an allergic reaction to one medication and was covered in hives.  This guy is not sick very often, thank goodness, but when he is, he shuts down.  He can sleep for 48 hours, get up and go back to sleep.  On the other hand when I am sick, I feel the need to get up and get going...like if I pretend that I am fine I will be.  It works for me and his method seems to get results.
It was a very long week, filled with worry.  Oi Vey!

Saturday I sat and watched the funeral of Ernie Banks, #14, Mr. Cub.I have written about Ernie before, he was on my team, the 1969 Cubs,and right into the early seventies, when I was baseball crazy. Last week Ernie died of a heart attack at 82 years old.  It was the most beautiful service with music and eulogies by former team mates, Ernie's twin sons, and those that loved him.. The most beautiful thing said was that it was not that we loved Ernie, but that Ernie loved us back that made him so special to us.  He treated everyone with love and respect. Ernie loved the Cubs, loved Chicago and was an approachable, warm and genuine man. Everyone has a Ernie story, my son Jon photographed him with Robert Redford at an opening day several years ago, my brother Greg met Ernie at a convention and he was warm and generous, even inquiring on Greg's wife.;-) That seemed to be an Ernie trademark.   I got my only detention in High School because I was listening to my radio in Religion class when Ernie hit his 500th home run... Rest in Peace Ernie, you will be missed and always remembered.

It might be a couple of days till things get back to normal here in Chicagoland.  We have a driveway to shovel, thank goodness for 4 wheel drive on the beast, we can get out even before the driveway is clear.
Snow pictures tomorrow.  I can't help it, it is sooo beautiful today, the sun is shining.

The newly engaged Jon and Charlotte are planning a engagement party to bring their two families together before they start to plan the wedding.  They will  marry in 2016.  Mike and Amanda have a new family member, a cat named Hannah.  They rescued Hannah and hope that she will keep Henry the cat company.
Mike found a seasonal job when they first moved and it has turned permanent. He is still looking for a library position.  Amanda is loving her new job and it's challenges.   Being on Lake Erie, they get the same
weather we have first.  They got about a foot of snow in Cleveland yesterday.  I miss Mike everyday, but he is so good about staying it touch...that helps. .

I recently found a french phrase that I love... "raison d'etre". It means, the most important reason or purpose for which a person exists...for me, without a doubt my raison d'etre is my family.

Thanks so much for stopping by and for your kind comments.  Enjoy this beautiful day.