Magazines, Flowers, Photography and Time To Relax

Magazines, flowers, photography and time to relax, are just a few of my favorite things in life. One of the magazines I am always drawn to, is" Country Living", British Edition. The photography in this magazine is so outstanding. I have a problem in that I find it very difficult to get rid of the past copies of this magazine from the last few years. If I do pass the magazine on, I always save at least one or two of the pages I like most.

This quiet, beautiful Saturday afternoon, I thought I would share four of the pages I have saved in my huge white notebook.

Some fortunate person will receive this bouquet of flowers.
I can almost feel the relaxation and smell the sweet floral smells in this lovely setting. A good friend, a hot cup of coffee, and hours to share... In reality, the laundry needs to be completed and the muffins need to be baked. I wish each of you my blogging friends contentment and joy throughout the rest of your weekend.

Do You Remember?

The longing...the anticipation...the begging, all because of a simple bubble gum dispenser like this. My husband's memories are so vivid...in his visits to his Grandfather's Ford Dealership. Just one penney would produce two colored Chicklets( with the Ford logo). His first order of business in his numerous vists, was to ask Grandpa for a penney, then head directly to the gum dispenser sitting, on the part's counter. My memories are not quite as specific...although every time I see this dispenser sitting on my kitchen counter, memories come flooding back.

Thanks to our daughter, we have this vintage looking bubble gum dispenser in our kitchen. For our oldest grandson, it is a given during his visits. However, this dispenser takes only quarters(a true sign of the times). For our two year old grandson...it is just a dream. He has tried his hardest to figure out "how" he could possibly retreive some bubble gum. When he is a bit older he will know, and his sisters will know. But for now...it remains a memory producing bit of nostalgia, in our home. What about you...what do you remember?

One Of The Little Things

"Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and discover they were the big things." --author unknown

Creativity Of Friends

I am so blessed!! I am surrounded by creative family and friends. "Creativity" that exemplifies itself in many different ways in my everyday world. I was reading in one of my magazines "Where Women Create", an article by the talented editor Jo Packham. In her introductory article "From My Kitchen Table", she says"Creativity is an expression of a woman's heart and soul; a way of seeing the world and of telling the world about what you have seen." She goes on to say "I am reminded again, that so many of women's creative successes begin with nothing more than a kitchen table and an idea...and the will to make the journey." Pictured above, are three beautiful Raggedy Ann dolls that my dear sister-in-law created for each one of my daughters when they were born. The time and love that she put into each one, is obvious as one closely inspects each doll. I have been saving these dolls in my cedar closet for the girl's daughters (if that happens for each of them), when they get older. Everytime I see these three dolls, sitting with their pretty dresses and feet crossed, I am reminded of the kind, creative aunt who made them...

...included on each doll's heart is a embroidered heart, that says "I love you". How fortunate all of the little girls born in my extended family were, to have a gift like this, made just for them.

This comforter was created, cut, and sewn by another one of my dear friends and her mother. The amazing story about this perfectly created comforter, is that my friend chose the fabric, color coodinated to go with my home, cut all of the patches, and then her mother did all of the sewing, with machine and the finishing touches by hand...with VERY POOR eye sight. This is one of many comforters that she sews each day, for people all over the world. I marvel at her joy of giving, regardless of the fact that she is SO limited in her ability to see. What a treasured gift this is to me. Every time I walk past it, I am reminded of this giving lady and her very talented daughter.

Isn't it something what one can do with a simple block of wood? I knew this next friend of mine for a few years, before I realized how truly artistic she was! At our daughter's school, her artwork was first discovered, when she brought these perfectly real looking, painted birdhouses into school, for us to sell at our school giftshoppe. We were all so surprised at her hidden talents that were surfacing. In my home I have five pieces of art created by this good friend. I hope she is continuing to share her artistic skills, blessing others as she did me. Creativity comes in so many different facets of life, and it is my belief that even those who claim they are not creative, really are, in ways that they just might not be aware of. My introduction to the world of blogging has proven to me, once and for all, that everyone of those involved, are so very creative! I have been made more aware of the gift of creativity, than ever before in my life. Thanks to each and every one of you, who in some way or another, share your own form of creativity with the world around you, and with me through each and every blog that I visit.

Yesterday's Flavorful Food Dishes

Like I mentioned last week, the carrot cake came home from school, yesterday. It was every bit as delicious and appealing to the eye as she had said it would be. Interestingly enough, it was baked with Splenda, instead of sugar. which means that I could eat three slices instead of one...just kidding!!

Moist, delicious, and chocked full of carrots and walnuts...just like I want my carrot cake to be. Adding to the appeal of this cake, were each of the individually created carrots on top. How I wish that each slice was calorie free.

Last evening I tried this chicken recipe. My husband requested that I share this on my blog. Actually, all of us enjoyed the taste of this recipe, and I will make it again. It is a quick, simple recipe, with flavorful results. I did not have croutons on hand, so I cut up a small loaf of french bread, into cubes.

Served with a garden salad, this meal could be served for many occasions. I made it in the morning, and baked it in the evening, in time for dinner. I had three frozen chicken breasts that I put in a combination of boiling water and chicken stock. Cooked them for an hour until tender, then cut into cubes. If time does not allow for this process, you can buy a cooked rotisserie chicken at the store, and cut it in cubes. Either way...you may find that this recipe is a keeper.

Pens and Marbles

Thanks to the Dollar Tree, I now have this fun pen holder in my kitchen. Details for this are included below.

I had a jar of old marbles. I read that they work in holding pens and pencils. I used this glass container, filled it half full with marbles, and it served as an effective, vintage looking pen holder.

Another idea I tried, is to take a painted flower pot, add the marbles, decorate with a glued ribbon, flower and pearl and added the pens.

My dollar store purchase, which was made to help eliminate the inconvenience of needing a pen and not being able to locate one. I found this black and white picture holder at the Dollar Tree. I hot glued four marbles to the bottom of the holder. I cut out four photos and inserted them, glued a black and white dotted ribbon, and it was completed. This could also be a fun gift for a student or a friend at work. If photos were not available, you could use verses or quotes in each photo section. The colorful pens were purchased at the Dollar Tree, six in a pack. For some reason, when Spring arrives, I find myself on an organizational binge in my home.

Just In From Aruba

I want to share with all of you, what I had the privilege of viewing this week, from my Uncle's camera. He and his wife were visiting on the island of Aruba. I personally have never visited this island, so early every morning I was thrilled to be able to sit in front of my computer, with my hot cup of coffee, and see these outstanding pictures. They are just too spectacular to not share with all of you. Actually, time does not permit me to share all of them with you, even though I would love to. Each and every one of them are photography at it's finest.

A vivid reminder that God's promises are as real today, as they were when the first rainbow was given to Noah, after the flood. I stand in awe everytime I see one in the sky. Thank you dear Uncle for once again capturing exquisite beauty through your camera lens.