Don't forget your pinkie

My niece made me smile when she reminded her cousin

...When you raise your teacup...

~ don't forget your pinkie ~

One of the highlights of my week

was tea with some of the ladies in my family

Always have treats

flowers

teas and chocolates

and

when you hold your teacup

~ don't forget your pinkie ~

The daintiness and yet elegance of a china teacup focuses
one to be gentle, to think warmly and to feel close.
-- Carol and Malcolm Cohen

~

Wishing you a very sweet week.

March is around the corner!

What will it bring?

{no more snow please}

Triumphant Tulips

Rock, Paper, Scissors

Winter, Tulips, Snow

Tulips win!

Thank goodness I prepared for today's weather

making sure I had those tulips on my table

to keep us smiling indoors!

*

It's spring fever.  That is what the name of it is. 
And when you've got it, you want - oh,
you don't quite know what it is you do want,
but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!
~Mark Twain 
*
I love spring anywhere,
but if I could choose I would always greet it in a garden.
~Ruth Stout
 *
No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow.
~Proverb
*
Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe full of slush.
~Doug Larson
*

Stay warm and cozy my sweets

Have a pretty Friday and a sprinkled pink Saturday!

{sharing something for Friday Pretties at Joyce's blog

and something for Beverly's How Sweet the Sound ~ Pink Saturday post}

Here comes the Sun!

It's been a long winter

but finally

the sun has stayed out for more than a day.

How wonderful it feels to have the sun on my face

As I walk passed the creek I

see and hear

the ice

surrender to the sun

I celebrated by bringing out the tulips.

~ Goal for today ~

*)( bring home some real tulips )(*

Wishing you

sunshine on your shoulders

upon your face

and

on your path

Visit Sky Watch Friday for amazing skies the world over!

 

Thank you Sky Watch Team!

Counting the Gifts

Dear God,

~ Thank You ~

The scene outside my father's backyard windows

A soft, sweet doe in the early morning snow

Finding a little protection from the winds on the lee side of a row.

Thank you for
this little bit of summertime on another wintry day

Thank you for

treasured time with my father, sister and niece

For the heart of a little niece who shares her Valentine creations

~ Thank You ~

There are gifts all around us.
Let's spend each moment with eyes wide open to all His gifts.
There's nothing like the JOY from a heart filled with gratitude.

Giving Thanks with Ann Voskamp at A Holy Experience

A Vintage Secretary {a place for everything}

Look what came home with Maria last weekend.

If her teapots and pink dishes could talk they'd say
they're lovin' it inside this ol' secretary

~ which is vintage just like they are ~

It doesn't match Maria's house ~ but it matches Maria.

And now there's a place to write pretty letters while sipping tea

{The hand painted stationary was made by my sister for our first anniversary in 1979}

I'm looking forward to a wonderful week off from work.

It starts tomorrow afternoon with a 3-day trip to my father's.

My sister and I will talk and laugh and enjoy time with our Dad.

Then I'll come home on Sunday
and find stationary and cards that are not in their place,
and introduce them to their new home.

♥

Wishing you joy and much laughter,

Love,

{sharing something for Friday Pretties at Joyce's blog

and something for Beverly's How Sweet the Sound ~ Pink Saturday post}

The Fragrance Remains

Valentine's Day is also about Friendship.

On Sunday, I came home from church and found

these in a box on my front porch rocker.

Ruth, a dear friend of mine,
heard about my little tree that stays up through February.

how

I put all my "love" ornaments on it.

hearts ~ doves ~ teacups ~ roses

She heard how

when Timber came to visit last month...

he pulled on an ornament and the whole tree tipped over

it sounded like a shelf at Tiffany's breaking into a million pieces.

Ruth heard how

Rachael and I spent the afternoon gluing and taping what we could

and how

most of it was "saved"

except for the beautiful hand-painted rosebud ornament on the bottom.

I've known Ruth for decades.
She and her husband, Joe, are amazing artists.

She surprised me with an ornament that she painted with roses...

a sweet heart pillow and a clear heart to hold the broken pieces of the original.

On the new heart ornament I will write the name of 

nine year old Christina Taylor Green of Tucson, AZ.

The original rose ornament was broken just before the shooting there.

My husband, Chris, wrote about it {here}

Thank you so much Ruth ~ you are so sweet and thoughtful.

♥

“The fragrance always remains in the hand that gives the rose.”

Every day of the year

Wishing you Love and Joy
every day

of the

year

Happy St. Valentine's Day! 
and
God bless you, dear friends and family.

love, 

      Maria

Little by Little

Jesus didn't say,

"try to be the light of the world"

or

"you could be the light of the world." 

or

"you might someday be the light of the world."

He said,

"you ARE the light of the world."

Little by little, the the days grow longer and brighter.
Each additional minute of sunshine brings more light and joy.

Let us bring a transforming glow to the darkest parts of life.

Little by little, the world grows brighter and more loving because

 You ARE

 a light to me

and to

all.

Love,

 ~ Maria

Inspiration for this post came from the sermon last weekend.
♥

{sharing something for Friday Pretties at Joyce's blog

and  for Beverly's How Sweet the Sound ~ Pink Saturday post}

Get Warm {Hug a Mug}

 This Friday,  it was blustery and cold,

so we warmed up at our local Coffee Café.

 *

. . . Today . . .

. . . as I drove home from work . . .
I could almost hear
the STOP sign howl at the 30 mph wintry winds.

...STOP...

{at Dunkin' Donuts!}

luckily

I had my steaming hot French Vanilla Latte to hold

{an even better treat for .99}
and my fleecy car blanket on my lap
*
It's amazing how a hot cuppa coffee can turn a blustery day around!
 * * *
* *
*

Go Green Bay!

You know we love the Packers

When we make green and yellow cornbread.

We ♥ Green Bay!

Some other goodies we had for Super Bowl Sunday

Swedish meatballs and perogies
Juan made crock-pot chili 
{food network's recipe - slow cooker chicken chili ~ it was so delish!}
Amanda's Packers Cupcakes
My brother & sister-in-law brought over a crockpot of Italian sausages too.


{Green Bay won ;o)

Soft hearts ♥ Pretty and Pink

I'm working on a cake with a heart center.

It's a Bluebird Notes challenge!

The first photo in the collage is the cake pictured on the box.

Wishes may come true!?!

I'm not sure how the middle is going to look ~ but I'll find out tonight.

It's my husband's birthday!

Here's the frosted cake.

{the heart inside is raspberry mousse}

I saved some of the raspberry mousse for the top too.

The inside photos are going to be a surprise for Koralee at Bluebird Notes.
Regardless of the outcome... I'm going to send them her way!
oh... I hope the middle looks even remotely like a 
♥
Ok now... here it is!
My cake kind of fell.
It broke here and there.
But it didn't stop us from enjoying all the fabulous raspberry mousse 
and chocolate fudge buttercream frosting!  Yum!  love that stuff ♥

We'll be enjoying it for Chris' birthday!

Happy Birthday Honey ♥

~ Happy Hearts to All ~ 
Love, 
     Maria

photo:

{Taken by daughter, Amanda in CA in '09 ~ I had a little fun using bokeh in Picasa}

{sharing something pretty for Friday Pretties at Joyce's blog

and something pink for Beverly's How Sweet the Sound ~ Pink Saturday post}

 ps.

Go Packers :o)