Peaceful Days

The nativity is prominently displayed. The tree is decorated.

The holiday vignettes are in place. Christmas cards are 

mailed. Most shopping errands are done.

 Therefore, I am relishing these remaining days of quiet. Soon there will be out-of-town family members and a great deal more noise and activity. But oh, I am so thankful for family, friends, and home.

 Sadly I dropped and broke this Santa figurine. Repaired him but the tiny bear in the stocking is minus one ear.

These small treasures on the writing desk shelves have big memories attached to them. The green boxes on the center shelf are new, thanks to a birthday

 gift card to Hobby Lobby from Olga.

 I have enjoyed sitting at this desk and addressing cards while listening to Christmas tapes. That's my old Panasonic cassette recorder from school days on the floor.

  

We moved Mother's bedroom suite into the extra bedroom/computer room. 

The twin bed was put in storage. Jo took the bookcase/desk unit to his house for Gunner's room. The idea to pile old bulbs around the squirrel came from someone I follow on Instagram(kelly.elko) With Pinterest, Instagram, blogs, decorating magazines and books there's a continuous supply of holiday ideas.

But the main problem I have is limited space for the layers of goodness.

Stay warm. 
Be thankful.
Anticipate Christmas joys. 
Keep traditions.
Believe in the miracle of His birth.

Monday, Monday

 Just two quick photos 

I opened the doors of the small cupboard and placed two ABC mugs inside.

I will always be fascinated by our alphabet of 26 letters. To think that those 26 marks are responsible for all the words in our language.

I snapped this picture of the top of the bookcase for Magpiemonday on Instagram. Pictures of collections are shared on Mondays. This was my first time to take part. I still love to look for children reading, either in figurines or prints. One of my favorite art prints is "The Fairy Tale" by Walter Firle.

Change-ups

One friend told me she rarely changes her decor. Once she finds a place for something there it stays. Sometimes I leave objects in the same place, but usually I tend to try out new locations. 


Brass owl came down from his high perch on the architectural piece to hide behind the letter S on a desktop. Squirrel moved from an end table to the piano. Green plates left the top of the refrigerator to be a part of the hutch. Moving objects is my indoor pastime.

There's a person I follow on Instagram. 

She has a bamboo-look brass tray that she uses in her decorating.

I was so happy to spot one at Goodwill.  It was very tarnished.

I was pleasantly surprised to uncover the letter C in the center.

Now to add the right pieces to create an interesting vignette.

If you want to see beautiful things and a unique decorating style visit Megillicutti on Instagram. Melissa Parks is a Chicago area vintage and antiques dealer. I look forward to her every post.

Good Morning

What a lovely Wednesday! Perfect spring day. Spotted this greeting outside the doctor's office.

My office visit was short due to lab work only. Because of fasting I headed straight to MacDonald's for coffee and an egg and sausage biscuit. 

Next I decided to check out a small indoor flea market on the highway. Came away with two finds that were less than my breakfast food. The problem is I   like what I find so much it's hard to put them in my booth to sell. The geranium print is nicely framed, and the other scene has parts painted onto glass.

This was my first Mother's Day without my mom. On my Facebook page I wrote the following: Although I can no longer physically touch or hug my mother this Mother's Day, she is with me always. This photo of our hands is a favorite of mine.

I was glad on Mother's Day that I heard from all six(Chance, Jo and Olga, Jason, Ryan, Les and Pennee, and Lauren) in different ways. I believe Ryan surprised me the most by posting a picture on Instagram. I didn't even know he had this photo of us from years ago.

Oh, one more thing...I'm reading a book that Les and Pennee sent me. It's by Katrina Kenison - the gift of an ordinary day 

                                           A Mother's Memoir

I find myself underlining in pencil some touching passages.

Well, that's it for now. Take care until our next visit.