A Gift

I don't enter give-a-ways just for the gift but will often leave a comment when someone is doing a give-a-way. A short time ago I had a comment from Dawn at Cottage State of Mind telling me I had won her give-a-way. Well, not only was I a winner, but Dawn sent everyone who commented a gift. I think there was over 30 comments so you can see this was no small task. I hope you will drop by and visit this generous lady as her blog is always so warm and fun to read.


I received my package from Dawn a couple of days ago. I was so excited it was like having a birthday or Christmas. Just getting the package and the anticipation of what was inside really lifted my spirits. Thanks Dawn, I need some spirit lifting.

Inside was a lovely card with a special personal message.

As I peeled back the packing I found two tea towels. One black and the other with black roosters and red writing. Dawn, I can see you really paid special attention to the colors I use and know I love roosters.













Next I unwrapped this beautiful plate. Red, my favorite color and the design is beautiful.



















Also, included were four lovely placemats. Just perfect for my kitchen table.





Perfect Dawn, see how lovely everything looks on my table.


Thank you for the lovely gifts and I can tell you put your heart and soul in to to finding just the perfect gift for each person.

I will enjoy all of my gifts for a long time.

Thanks

Thanks to all of you who stopped by to leave such nice messages about my flooded basement. The news isn't good. We will have to replace all of the floor, doors, baseboards, frig., and wine cooler. My Husqvarna embroidery machine was also a loss. I probably will not be replacing it as it was expensive and no longer in the budget.

I know all of this is replaceable but I feel so badly for my husband who spent four years taking this space from a blank cement basement to a lovely place to spend time. It is also much harder to view things as replaceable when you are 70 than when you were forty or fifty. You have less income, less potential for having more income, and less physical energy to put toward a project. I don't want you to think I am whining. I am not as I know this is such a small thing compared to what other face every day. I am thankful for all the blessings I have in my life.

Such as this pair of wrens who have built a nest in a hanging basket above the table I have coffee at each morning. She takes great offense that I would sit there and scolds me ruthlessly.

Can you see the little fluffy grey balls in the bottom of the nest?

I haven't been able to water my plant and it is slowly dying. But it's worth it to see the birds so close each day. I hope I am around when the babies decide to fly.

My flowers also give me great pleasure as I greet each new day.

My goldfish rise to the surface and wait to be fed each time I sit down as well. So I have many little things that bring me pleasure and I know that eventually all of the big things will find a resolution.

Also, help! What happened to my blog. My header picture won't reduce and is so grainy. It looks like blogger may have been making changes but I can't figure out out how to fix my header. Any suggestions anyone?

100th post

I was going to do a fun, exciting post for my 100 th post. However, I dropped by to say I probably won't be blogging for awhile. We woke to 8" of water in our newly finished basement this morning. If you look closely you can see the water line on the wall and green cabinet.

The wood floor is floating and I think we probably have lost our frig, wine cooler and my sewing machines.

I'll be back when we have this under control. Stella

Homely Homer

I can't wait to see what this tomato looks and tastes like. The label reads: Tastes great - being ugly is only skin deep.

Is It A Yolk?

I have a swing hanging from a large tree in my backyard that has probably seen better days and should be replaced. But this is a special swing so I want to keep it. My baby daughter gave it to me the day we both graduated from college. I had been working full time and going to college. The last semester I took 18 hours so she and I could graduate together. My swing meant I could now spend some time just swinging.

It has been many colors in the last 20 years but most recently it has been pale yellow.

Now badly in need of a paint job I decided it would be nice if it could match all the yellow flowers in my yard.

So I went looking for a color that would match the lilies by the fountain.

The yellow roses in bloom.

The deepest yellow of a pristine rosebud.

Like the yellow lilies among the roses.

But when it was painted it looked like an egg yolk. I know I can repaint it and the weather will fade it out soon. But until then?

Perhaps just a few pillows to break up the yellow. Honestly, does it look like an egg yolk?

My Cuz Is Comin

About two months ago one of my cousins called to say she and her hubby and two other cousins were coming to visit for a couple of weeks. The plan was they would arrive the first week of July. Great, plenty of time to get the house fluffed and all ready for company. Over the weekend I had a call. Plans had changed and only one cousin and her husband were coming and would see me in a couple of day.

Well I wanted our almost finished basement to look nice. I just have some final touches to add to a few rooms. One of these is my sewing room. As you all know basement windows are UGLY! Or at least mine are. I needed a quick fix. I had planned to make curtains but hadn't yet looked for material. A quick look through my material stash and I found some material I have been hoarding to upholster just the right chair.

I hung white curtain rods and bought rings with clips to hold the curtains. (If you buy these don't buy the kind you have to slip the hook over the ring. They don't work well as they don't want to stay in the rings.) Because at some point I still want to use this material to upholster I just folded the top of the material down and clipped on the rings. Because the material is heavy and won't fray I just draped the bottom on the floor and tucked the edges under.



The new curtain add some color to the room and partially hide the windows.

Not a bad quick fix. Now I just have to find somethings to hang on the wall.