A Fabulous Care Package

My bloggy BFF,
Debra of Common Ground
  had been threatening to send me a goodie box for quite some time....
but this past week, girlfriend finally made good on the promise,
and man, was it ever good!

Oh! And all these new pics were taken
with my lurvely new Nikon D5000!
Squeeee! I love it!

Because every girl needs a crown,
she gifted me with this gorgeous creation...

 

 So beautiful! And my little tiny dancer looks just perfect inside, I think.

But dear Debra was only getting started!

She knew that I had fallen in love with a vintage print
she was selling in her booth a few months back, so what did Debra do?
She went and had a copy made for me, that little stinker!

 look closer...

I am so in love with this achingly sweet image!

Now I just need the perfect frame for it.

And because dear Debra knows that I have two Siberian Huskies
that I simply adore, she tucked this little fella in, too...

So who said my blog was going to the dogs, hmmm?  ;-)

Moving right along...

Have you noticed my new header?

It features not only more wonderful gifts from Debra,
but also an incredible recent purchase
from my beautiful friend Adrienne of The Flying Bee...

 Killer watch faces courtesy of Debra,
stunning ceramic hands from The Flying Bee Etsy Shop.

Thank you, ladies!

But there was one last goodie tucked in to my care package.

Do you know what this is?

How about another view?

It's a massive hornet's nest!
That's right, Debra actually mailed this baby from Missouri to Texas!

Now before you turn your nose up and go ewwww, 
just look at how visionaries like my friend Theresa
of Garden Antqs Vintage has used these wonderful nests in her vignettes...

So much bloggy love tucked into one little box, right?

Oh, and one more thing...
Just look at the charming tussie mussie I won from Melissa at Piney Rose...

Before I sign off, I just want to make sure
that you've entered my great new giveaway!

I'm giving away this amazing book to one lucky follower.
Click

HERE

to enter.

Have a beautiful Thursday!

French Country Style at Home Giveaway

Happy Wednesday!

I am so pleased to be offering this wonderful new book
for my next giveaway...

French Country Style at Home
 

 by Sébastien Siraudeau

From the publisher:

This enchanting volume unlocks the door of French homes tucked away in the country, from a farmhouse in the Cévennes to a castle lost in the heart of the Morvan mountains.

The writer and photographer Sébastien Siraudeau has already uncovered home inspiration from France’s guesthouses, antique shops, and flea markets in his previous books Vintage French Interiors and French Style at Home. Now he turns his experienced eye to the hidden gems of interior design in the French countryside and unveils the wealth of decorative inspiration they have to offer.

The vibrancy of these hidden retreats is demonstrated beautifully and, as the pages unfold, the reader is struck by a wealth of inspiration from the colors, seasons, and stories that have formed these subtly elegant creations

Wonderful, right?

So, why the giveaway?

What am I celebrating?

Well, I long since passed 200 posts,
and there aren't any big events on the horizon.

Maybe it's an I've won so many stinkin' giveaways myself lately 
that it oughta be against the law and it's time to give somethin' back sorta giveaway.

Naaaah, I think I'm gonna call this a just cuz giveaway.

Fair enough?!

Simple rules to enter:

1. Leave a comment here for one entry
2. Be or become a follower for a second chance (leave a comment letting me know you follow)
3. Post or blog about this for a third chance (again, leave a comment letting me know!) 

 I'll be drawing the name of the lucky winner next Wednesday, May 19th.

Good Luck!

The Most Beautiful Thing in the World...

Oh, yeah.
You're lookin' at it.

Sometimes it pays to whine.  ;-)

I've been experiencing a three day bout of nausea,
so I plan on spending the afternoon curled up in bed
with my brand new, Nikon D5000 User's Manual.

After perusing it and taking a few test shots,
I suddenly feel very, very blonde.

Warning, steep learning curve ahead!

Edited to add this photo,
just taken with the new D5000...(click to enlarge)

Wow!
Havok's eyes have never looked so blue!
And no fancy post-editing either, like I usually have to do.
I think I'm gonna like this!

Happy Monday!

MAMI

She is a faithful reader of this blog...God bless her.

She has never left a comment.

But that's alright.

She tells me what she thinks via e-mails.

Born in Cuba, her children call her Mami, the grandkids, Abuela.

Her name is Ruth.

And she raised seven marvelous children.

And I was fortunate enough

to marry her middle child

 Mr. Twig, ever at her side.

This Mother's Day, I want to honor my favorite follower of all,

my Mother-in- Law Love, Ruth.

 (Our wedding day, 2007)

Your family loves you.

Your children love you.

Your son loves you.

And I love you.

Happy Mother's Day!

You Are a Mother, Too

 

A perfect little human

yet unborn

eyes

ears

little fingers

and toes

 

a heart

and a soul

 

not yet known

and yet already loved

 

doubts

fears

worries

self-blame

anguish

grief

Two years ago this month, I lost a child.

To miscarriage.

And this Mother's Day, and the last, have been especially difficult for me.

But I know that I'm not alone.

I know that many of you know this same pain, have felt this same loss.

I have no children.

Not here on Earth, anyway.

But I have been reminded 

that my child does live on.

His soul is with God, and there will come a time when we will meet, face to face.

This my faith teaches me, this I believe.

I am a mother, too.

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you

Jeremiah 1:5

Behind The Mask

                                                               

Masks.

We all wear them at times

We put on one 

to hide what's actually going on inside

This has been my struggle of late

I have been donning a mask,
to hide an inner battle

One I have kept to myself,
one I have stubbornly insisted on carrying all alone, for the most part

I come here, I blog, I share

I take great joy in all of you and your lives, your projects, your dreams

You make me smile, and you allow me to escape, if only for a bit

And little by little, you help save my life
with each kind comment you leave here

and for that...

I love you and thank you

Antique Week in Review....

If you're new to my blog, or somehow missed the news,
I spent a week towards the end of March
in Warrenton/Round Top, Texas documenting the phenomenal Antique Week.

I was there as a seller, but as an observer as well.

I had literally hundreds of images to pore through,
and still have many left to go.

Here's the best of what's left.

Enjoy!

some think it's a bit cryptic, I think it's utterly fab!

 dreamy blue sofa courtesy of the divine Theresa Cano.

 irreverent vignette courtesy of me!

My beautiful friend Angelique gifted me
with this lovely beeswax collage she made!

and pretty maids all in a row

Have a beautiful Wednesday!