What Really Matters

 { From one year ago...

This home we almost lost last January, 

our old house,

is now under contract,

as we have finally sold it 

and should close on it soon. This post serves as a

potent reminder of all that is precious and important

in my life. }

It had been done a hundred times before.

This time it turned out different.

My husband took some trash out to burn in our fire pit.
Just some cardboard and some magazines.

I even had him check this morning
to make sure the burn ban was not in effect.

And a short time later I heard him yell from outside for help...

The flames had jumped the pit and were out of control.

The medical person in me reacted in a triage fashion:

Call 911...

 Make sure the animals are okay....

Move the cars so the fire trucks could get inside the gate...

Rush back outside to help him put out the flames.

 We are still in our "old" house way out in the country.

It took the volunteer fire trucks almost 20 minutes to arrive.
Twenty long minutes, and I thought for sure
our home would be engulfed in flames before they got there.

But arrive they did.

All four of them.

 Our siding on the back side of our home was burned,
and the flames came right up to the house.
We both inhaled a fair amount of smoke,
and I have some burns on my feet.

However....

 we are safe.

 Winnie is safe inside.

Havok and Belle are safe
around to the side of the house.

And we still have a home.

And our lives.

I am shaken beyond belief, but so grateful, 

as I know that we came very. very close to losing everything today.

Everything materially, that is.

I'll be away for a bit as I process what happened today.

{ this was last year, remember...time off was taken }

Giving thanks to God above....

You Rock

Indeedy y'all do!

Happy Valentine's Day!

XOXOXO

This Saturday.....

This coming Saturday,

February 18th, 6pm...

I was lucky enough to spend several hours yesterday afternoon

helping Binky and Ron  and Robin and John 

get the new Carol Hicks Bolton shop

all decked out for the creative event of the year,

Magnolia Pearl's Fashion Imaginarium.

Mr. Twig even showed up to lend a helping hand!

The shop is looking gorgeous,

the clothing is transcendentally divine,

and the creative minds behind this endeavor

are not only the best and brightest,
but the most generous and kind-hearted in the business.

I hope you will be able to attend this

one-of-a-kind, not to be missed event.

I feel so blessed to be able to
participate in { a very small way }

and see some of the behind the scenes goings-on

involved in a project like this...just being around creative

geniuses like these folks is reward enough,
especially if only a smidge of their genius rubs off!

See you there? I hope so!

Magnolia Pearl's Fashion Imaginarium

Saturday, February 18th, 6pm

Carol Hicks Bolton Antiquites

Laboratoire de Design
301 S Lincoln
Fredericksburg, TX

 830-997-5551

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ROSE!!!

Please join me in wishing my

beautiful, talented, loving,

inspirational friend
Rosa Mae Hicks 

a very Happy Birthday.

She is 91 years old TODAY!

Please add your birthday wishes

in the comments below, and I will

pass them on to sweet Rose.

You are very dear to me, my friend...

I LOVE YOU, MISS ROSE!!!

Rosebuds

Wishing you the happiest of Friday's!

I thought it was about time 

that I shared a few more photos 

from my Romantic Living Magazine feature

on Rose Hicks and her beautiful home.

And most especially since this weekend

we will be celebrating sweet Rose's

91st Birthday!!!

Please enjoy these photos,

and join me in wishing Rose a very blessed

and Happy Birthday...and many more!

 a lovely and lived-in

bedside vignette

a charmingly cozy 

sitting area

Rose's unshakeable faith 

is evident everywhere.

sumptuous linens designed

by daughter Cathy of Me and My House.

aaaahhhhhh......ironstone heaven.

'Tis lovely!

I have many more photos
from this shoot to share in the days ahead,
so please be sure to check back.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend,

and don't forget to also follow me using my new

Linky Follower Widget on my sidebar!

XO,

linking with

at the picket fence for inspiration friday

common ground for vintage inspiration friday

french country cottage for feathered nest friday

A New Way to Follow Fiona and Twig!

Many thanks to my beautiful friends Heather and Vanessa

from At The Picket Fence  for allowing me to re-post

this great post with just a few tweaks!

{ my hallway vignette }

As you’ve probably heard, 

the popular Google Friend Connect (“GFC”) is going away March 1^st 
for non-Google blog platforms like Wordpress and Typepad,
and the scuttlebutt is that it will be eventually phased out completely 
to be replaced by  Google+.  (now don't panic yet!!) 

GFC was never really so much an “I follow this blog” tool 
as it was an attempt at the whole Facebook “friend, like” concept. 
Now we are being asked to join Google+ but have found 
like many of you it can be difficult to navigate.  

Bloggers know a good “follower” tool is really needed
and we’d like to have one that is not tied to a million other services
(seems like Facebook, Twitter and Google are linked to everything else on the Internet).
 One that we can use JUST to keep track of our favorite blogs! 

  Those who use Linky Tools and know the owner/creator (Brent Riggs),
realized he would be perfect for developing some kind of
really easy to use “follower” system.
So Heather and Vanessa contacted him, and he loved the idea.

The gals over At The Picket Fence along with a few other bloggers
were involved with the "Beta Testing" of this fabulous new tool!!
And boy did they give it a run for it's money...
and Brent graciously listened to every suggestion,
question and concern they had!
So without further ado I want to introduce you to:

LINKY FOLLOWERS (http://www.linkyfollowers.com/)

Brent has created a FREE (and we all love FREE) service 

that a group of bloggers have tested and helped develop. 

He has just recently launched this, and you’re among 

the first to be invited to try it out!

Don’t let a bug or an “oops” hurt your first impression. 

You’re being invited to be some of the first users 
of this great new tool, and your feedback will help him 
iron out any problems very quickly.  

Just contact Brent (brent@brentriggs.com)… he is great about fixing things fast.

But, there are already so many amazing options!  

You can group blogs by Favorites, Everyday and General and even Custom Groups.  

You can create a Blogroll that includes Blogs 

that DO NOT have Linky Followers but that you like to keep tabs on, 

and you can highlight a Featured Follower!! 

One last thing, the inevitable question:
Can my GFC followers be automatically moved over? NO.
Google won’t allow access to those accounts but more importantly,
YOU really shouldn’t sign up someone to a new service.

They should voluntarily sign up themselves.
You’ll need to ask your GFC folks (and all your blog readers)
to follow you using Linky Followers but its easy, quick and did I mention, free?  

They’ll love the tool. It’s  a cool way to organize and follow the blogs you love.

You can get started by FOLLOWING ME from my Linky Followers widget on this page… 

 or you can locate it on my sidebar right below the Google Friend Connect widget! I want to invite MY friends here at Fiona and Twig to give it a test try.  Just start by clicking on the “Follow Me” option and it will walk you through this easy process! 
So please sign up to follow me by clicking my Linky Tools widgetright where it says "Follow Me Via Linky".I have SO many great things planned for 2012, I'd hate for you to miss out! And don't forget, you can still follow methe old way, too...for now.
To learn more about this great new tool,visit THIS post from Heather and Vanessa.
Happy Wednesday!

talk. to. me.

 tell me that i 

inspire you

{ click photos twice to super-size }

tell me that i

 spark your imagination

tell me that i

create a sense of 
calm and serenity

tell me that i
challenge and intrigue you

tell me that i

positively, absolutely enchant you

tell me that i

delight and engage 
your senses

tell me that i

illuminate and enlighten

tell me that

you're headed this  way...

 

headed to a place of wonder, enchantment and 

possibilities....glorious, endless possibilities.

 courtesy of the beautiful lady below...

Carol Hicks Bolton Antiquites

301 S Lincoln
Fredericksburg, TX 78624

830-997-5551

now open for business.

p.s.

the "me" talking in this post is the store. not ME me.

just wanted to clarify! :-)

p.p.s
so happy to get a shout out HERE.
they contacted me last week about using
my photos!