Fiona and Twig

Saturday, December 24, 2011

An Ineffable Light

painting:

Nativity at Night

by Geertgen tot Sint Jans, c. 1490

______________________________

"...the virgin knelt down with great
veneration
in an attitude of prayer,
and her back was turned to the manger....

And while she was standing thus in prayer,
I saw the child in her womb move
and suddenly in a moment she gave birth to her son,

from whom radiated such an
ineffable light
and splendour, that the sun was not comparable to it,

nor did the candle that St. Joseph had put there,
give any light at all, the divine light totally
annihilating the material light of the candle....

I saw the glorious infant lying on the ground naked and shining.
His body was pure from any kind of soil and impurity.
Then I heard also the singing of the angels,
which was of miraculous sweetness and great beauty..."

From a vision of
Catholic mystic
Saint Bridget of Sweden (1303-1373),
which served as the inspiration for this painting.

May His ineffable light illuminate your path
this Christmas season, and always.

Signing off for a few days, my friends...
With my love and very best wishes for you and yours,

originally posted

Christmas 2009 & 2010

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Christmas Prayers Needed

I am beyond frustrated right now...

My dad is now being rushed back for his FIFTH hip surgery

in 3 months. He keeps having complications, and he's due for

a lengthy hospital stay this time, with multiple surgical procedures

scheduled to help aggressively treat this.

And yes, he will be hospitalized over Christmas...
and New Year's. Beyond that, who knows?

He remains positive, but it's taking an emotional toll...

on him and me both.

Believing for better days ahead...

update

dad came through surgery fine, but he is still facing

several more surgeries and months of rehab.

thank you all so much for your prayers and kind words.

love you ALL!!!

Monday, December 19, 2011

Exciting News and a Giveaway Winner

Happy Monday!

Boy, do I have some thrilling news to share with all of you!

You've heard me rave about her and her marvelously talented

family on this blog many, many times...

And my own home is filled with many a priceless treasure

from their iconic store Homestead, right here in Fredericksburg, Texas.

Well, the end of an era is rapidly approaching.

Homestead is closing its beautiful doors at the end of this year.

However...

An incredibly exciting new era is upon us!

My sweet and unbelievably talented friend

Carol Hicks Bolton and her husband Tim

are embarking on a fabulous new adventure,

which is sure to be a feast for the senses.

Introducing the soon-to-be-open

Carol Hicks Bolton

Antiquites

I got a sneak peek inside the new building as I was doing
a walkabout in town the other day,
and it looks like it's going to be perfection.

Be sure to follow my lovely friend Binky's blog,

as she has worked alongside Carol and Tim for years,

and has an extra special feature planned on the new shop

after Christmas!

Oh, and in other news?

The lucky winner of my

Vintage Rescue Squad 2012 Calendar Giveaway

along with a copy of the new Artful Blogging featuring

my article and photos is

Donna from Brynwood Needleworks!

Congrats, Donna!

I'll be back in a couple of days with a gorgeous house tour,

so be sure to pop back in.

Happy Christmas Week!

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Happy New Year 2012 Giveaway!

Giveaway Closed

Okay, I know I just had a giveaway a few weeks back,

but I have something really extra special that I can't wait

to share with all of you!

Once again, my good friend Sue of Vintage Rescue Squad

has put together an absolutely amazing calendar...just

chock full of month after month of images of all those treasures we

vintage lovers simply drool over!

I was lucky enough to be featured in the

2011 Calendar

and Sue has included me in the 2012 Calendar, too...

including the cover photo!

Introducing the

Dreaming of Junking 2012 Calendar!

That cover image was actually a collaborative effort

between me and my friend and photographer extraordinaire,

Thomas Adams, so I was absolutely thrilled to see that it made the cover.

I also have another image featured in the calendar, the month of October,

so again, thank you Sue!

Per Sue's description...

" Satisfy your junking jones with VRS' new 2012 calendar!
This year's theme is ABUNDANCE; most photos show multiples of all the vintage treasures we adore. I've included dates of most major US flea markets and antique shows nationwide—from Warrenton/Round Top and Brimfield, to smaller local and regional shows!
Plan those junk jaunts in advance. But remember: if you see me at a flea market, I've got dibs on those skeleton keys!

They are standard 11" x 8.5" calendars and are spiral bound. "

And to once again share the love,

I'm giving away a copy of this fabulous calendar,

along with a copy of the current issue of Artful Blogging,

featuring my eight page article and photos.

Again, no hoops to jump through.

Just leave a comment.

If you want to follow, please do, but it's not required.

I'll announce a winner

Monday, December 19th.

In the meantime, be sure to visit Sue's Etsy Shop
if you just can't wait to get a copy of this terrific calendar!

Good Luck
and
Have a Blessed Week!

linking with

vintage inspiration friday at common ground

feathered nest friday at french country cottage

Monday, December 5, 2011

What's The Deal With You, Anne?

...deep breath...

This post has been a long time coming.

My life has changed.

My priorities have changed.

This blog has changed.

I post less, and seem to spend less time

on the computer in general.

On a fairly regular basis,
I get e-mails asking me

"When are we going to get to see more of your new cottage? "

I have other bloggers inviting me to show off the new house in

linky parties, which I invariably always decline.

I have famous people asking when it might be possible to

come and photograph our farmhouse, and I've had to reluctantly
put them off for the time being.

Here's the deal...

Life as I knew it changed forever on September 13, 2011,

the day my mother passed away.
It's as if time stopped, and I did too, right along with it.
Frozen. Immobile. Numb.

As most of you know, it took a very, very long time for us to

even get moved in, due to fencing and construction issues,

and it wasn't until the end of June, first part of July that we finally

got even a little bit settled in.

And then August came.

It became apparent that my mother was not well at all,

so rather than styling the house and welcoming famous visitors,

my whole focus became trying to get her to seek medical attention.

By the end of August, my critically ill mother entered the hospital,

and two weeks later she was gone.
Just like that.

And she pretty much took with her any and all desire I had

to decorate, to primp, to style, and to show off this

beautiful old house I had so wanted to share with all of you.

But that's not even the whole story.

There's more I haven't shared with all of you.

Concurrent to all of this, I was dealing with a medical situation of my own,

and facing a never ending cycle of doctors appointments.

And if you think that's all?

Think again, dear readers.

Two days after my mother died, my father, my active, 75 year old

father fell and broke his hip, and since September 15th, has had

three failed hip surgeries, and is due to face his fourth surgery

this coming Wednesday.

This vibrant, fully employed man has had to live in the rehab wing of

a nursing home the past two months, and will have to live there

THREE more months, until he returns to the hospital for his

FIFTH and hopefully final hip operation.

My mom and dad had been divorced many years when she

passed away, and admittedly, he and I have never been close.

We have even been estranged at times.

But through the mercy of God

( and perhaps the intercession of my sweet mama ),

he and I have become much closer in recent weeks.

And lest we forget the doggie drama
which recently took place, too.

THIS

is what I've been doing instead of decorating,

instead of staging photo shoots of my farmhouse.

Rebuilding relationships.

Trying to regain and stabilize my physical health.

Devoting much more time to my faith and to prayer.

And just trying to make sense of all that is going on,

and recognizing the fleeting, fragility of life in general.

To those who have been disappointed that I haven't

gotten the house photo ready, join the club.

I'm disappointed, too. I can count 30 pictures, mirrors,

and what-not's that still need to be hung on the walls,

not to mention drapes in every room except the bedroom.

But all of this will have to wait.

Because in the bigger picture, the grand scheme?

It really doesn't matter right now.

Family comes first.

Faith comes first.

And I know each and every one of you well enough

to know that you'd probably feel exactly the same way.

I'm not going anywhere, I'll still continue to blog on the same,

somewhat reduced schedule I've maintained the past few months.

And I hope that when I finally DO get the house photo ready,

you will all still be around to witness the miracle, LOL!

I hope this didn't come across as a "poor, pitiful me" post,
because I surely did not intend for it to!
I recognize the hidden blessings amidst the trials, I promise you that.
Through it all, God has been right there with me.

That's all.

Just a little "state of the union"

to let friends and readers of this blog know where I stand

and what I stand for.

Oh, yeah....

and to tell you that I love you.

:-)

photos taken at

chick-a-dee and house wren

in wimberley, texas

this past summer