My Lovely Calla Lily

Ever since I was a young girl, really a child I've loved the Calla Lily. Last year my floral friend gave me a few of the bulbs and so far this is my only bloom...but I do see two more buds coming along. I wanted to pick this beauty for the longest time and finally did on Saturday. The weather was rainy and it did get a little bruised so I knew it was time to rescue it. When I was little I loved to run my fingers over the little yellow center cone and all the powder would come off on my fingers.....oh, my Grandma use to to get so upset with me.....but I just couldn't help myself. Now I know better.
I think this is one of the most lovely flowers....I put it in a favorite piece of moonstone and set it on the dining room table on the most lovely table runner. This runner was a Christmas gift from my friend Michelle at I'm A Little Tea Pot and I love it. Let me show you the beautiful embroidery...
Look at the wonderful Calla Lillie's, pretty, pretty, pretty. There was a little tag on the back and look what it says........
It says..... for my birthday and on the other side it says.....
The date, 2-8-79......from and by Brenda DeJager. What a precious gift......I know I will take loving care of it, enjoy and treasure it always.



When you have only two pennies left in the world, buy a loaf of bread with one and a lily with the other ~Chinese Proverb~ Hugs to all, Linda

The Johnson Girls and a Surprise

Hi everyone! Have you had a busy day? So many of you are doing Spring cleaning the bug bit me today too. My bedroom is finished and nearly all the kitchen and now I'm taking a well deserved break. Earlier this week was our Johnson Girl's get together (this is my name for our group...all friends from high school). We met for lunch at a beautiful new restaurant called Scott's Seafood On The River. You have a wonderful view of the river and can enjoy all the action on the river as you dine. The food is absolutely delish and the service is outstanding. Here we are.......look how we've grown. Originally there were three of us and then by word of mouth we re-connected with more of our former classmates. Let me introduce you... Starting on the left and going around the table is Jeannie, Janet, Judy, Janice, Ann, Marcia, Me, and Susan. One friend Sharon is missing today. You can click on any of the pictures to see better. The waiter had just served our lunch and we were ooooing and aaaahing over how yummy everything looked. It was great seeing everyone and hearing their latest news.
Look what sweet Jeannie brought for me. Three of the most darling hats that had been her mom's. This is so precious, the palest of pink and don't you just love the bow?
This one is lovely with leaves and flowers and can you see the beautiful green veil? I love hats with veils...I think they make you appear very mysterious.
This one is so light and airy...a purple veil and velveteen ribbon. Simple but charming. We're having a tea party in May and I know we'll be wearing these darlings. Thank you Jeanie...these are treasure and I love them.

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Here is a surprise I also wanted to share. This is from my friend Priscilla in England. Look at the Easter treats! Isn't that the cutest towel ...my favorite color and how cute of a design Time for Tea, lovely mint tea, delicious candy eggs (I opened right away), hot chocolate drink mixes, Outrageous Orange was so yummy, and look at the darling whisk. I used it Easter morning to whisk up eggs for french toast. When I was using it I thought of Priscilla, and her mum and dad and wondered what they were doing as I was fixing breakfast. Do you ever do that? Look at a picture or a gift someone has given you...and think of them, I do it all the time.
Little things just mean so much. Who would have thought in just eight short months I would have met so many wonderful friends blogging. I do think of you as friends and our blogs are like a telephone connection to each other. I have more fun visiting each of you. Well I'd better go now...have a happy weekend and I'll be chatting with you soon. Hugs, Linda

Our Happy Day and Swap Treasures

Hi everyone! I hope everyone had a Happy Easter, I know we did. Ours was great filled with lots of fun, happiness and love. Here we are just before sitting down for dinner.George spent the weekend with us, I love having family here and Carl is having the best time with his brother. They love talking about old times, going to the fishing hole along the river and even to the flea market.
Isn't this the sweetest bunny? I just love it! The guys went to the flea market on Saturday and this was an Easter surprise for me from George. When he saw it he said "this is Linda". When I opened it I knew this had to be our table centerpiece...too cute. Look at the cute little glass chick, it's one of my basket treats from my honey. We've always exchanged baskets with our family and friends it's just a tradition we enjoy. Do you see the little floating flower candles at each place? They are part of my Easter swap lovelies from Cate at A Charmed Life. My package arrived Saturday just in time for Easter.
Look at my special basket! It is so pretty, I love it! I think I'll put it beside my bed with books I'm reading and my journals. Cate is just so clever and creative look at all the precious treasures that were inside........
First let me tell you everything was wrapped in the prettiest pink and turquoise tissue and as I opened each package all I could say was "how pretty, oh, look, how neat, I love this"......there was the prettiest journal and notepad with pen, a darling flower mug with teas, candies, the floating candles, (click on the picture for a close up of all the treasures) the prettiest chenille heart and an egg that Cate made and the sweetest Easter bracelet she also made and a rose hanky. Cate, thank you for all the lovelies. Each time I use one of my treasures I will be reminded of my sweet new blogging friend.

Today is another pretty day, I'm meeting my Johnson friends for lunch at a beautiful new restaurant on the river....it will be fun to see everyone and catch up on the latest happenings. Do you have plans for today? Whatever you do just have a happy day. Hugs, Linda

~~HAPPY EASTER~~

To each and everyone I'm wishing you a most joyful Easter.

Have a happy day with family and friends. Hugs, Linda

~~The Rabbit Hunt~~

Hi Everyone! Did you know Jayne at Country Cottage Chic is having a Rabbit Hunt? What fun. Hop on over to her place and learn more about the hunt. I love bunny rabbits and here are more of my little ones. You can click on any of the pictures to enlarge. On my side-boy I have some favorites.The little one in front of the lamb my mom made, and she made the lamb too. The glitter rabbit and the little one under the cloche were gifts from Lisa.
This little bunny has a sweet face and is wishing everyone Happy Easter. My mom made her too. She loved doing ceramics, so I have lots of treasures from her.
This is a little thrift store find. I liked her coloring and cute face.
The picture on the left is me when I was 5 years old and the other is Lisa when she was also five. The little bunny I've had for along time. I don't even remember where I bought her. She has a couple of boo-boos but that makes her even more special to me.
Here is my kitchen companion.....a thrift store find. I hope you have fun on the Rabbit Hunt, I know I did.

Tomorrow I'll be shopping for our Easter dinner and doing last minute things around here. Are you ready for Easter, or are you doing last minute things like me? Have a happy Friday getting ready for Sunday. Hugs, Linda

~~~Bunnies~~~

Spring is here and in just a few short days it will be Easter. Are you ready? I'm making my shopping list this morning and I have just a couple more basket treats to buy. My house is clean and decorated...oh, I just remembered I do need to iron my tablecloth, but while I'm here let me just share a touch of Easter. This little banner is one I made....fun, and easy too. I almost always have my moonstone dishes on the hutch and I've just added some Beatrice Potter figurines. I've collected them for years.....most were gifts, and several I received for Easter, I just love them.
Do you see the cute little bunny picture? I just copied it from the net and put it in an inexpensive frame.....this is fun and simple to do too.
Love little Peter Rabbit. I have lots of the Peter Rabbit books and this little set is a favorite. Beatrice Potter was such a gifted person...if you haven't seen the Potter movie you should. It's her story and the movie is just visually beautiful. Oh my.......what is this??
The bunnies have been busy.........where are you????
I see you hiding. What else have you been up to? I hope you didn't eat too many jelly beans, you don't want a tummy ache. Well I must go and see what other mischief this little guy has gotten into. Have a happy day. Hugs, Linda

Family and My Weekend Project

The past few day have been so busy, but great too! Carl's brother, George is out visiting from Texas. He'll be spending most of the time in Lodi helping his daughter, who is having a difficult pregnancy, but this past weekend he was able to get away and spent two days with us. Here they are sitting on the patio, catching up and watching the NASCAR races which they both love. At the beginning of the season they chose three drivers who they think will win the most races....they have a complicated scoring system, that takes a genius to understand...it must be a guy thing, Lisa, is in on the bet too. They love giving each other a bad time about who's ahead and who's losing. Carl and George are about even and Lisa has not had much luck. She says she is going to pay up with Monopoly money. While they were watching the races I worked on my Easter swag.
I saw a very pretty Valentine's swag on Sharon's blog at Rose Of Sharon. It was so neat that I wanted to make an Easter one. You could really make one for any holiday. For mine I chose a Springy material and used my rotary cutter to cut lots and lots of strips.....7"long by 1"wide and then you just tie the strips to a length of jute. This project takes a lot of strips, here is the beginning..............
I'm almost finished , just a little more to tie. After you get the swag to the length you like start adding your embellishments. I had been collecting little Easter items and just started adding them to the swag. Finished!
I love the way it turned out. I hung it from the shelf over the arch from my kitchen into the family room. When I walk into my kitchen it's the first thing I see and it just makes me smile. To have a closer look just click on the picture. I'm thinking maybe I'll do a 4th of July one...and I know for sure one for Christmas. Sharon, this was so fun, I'm glad I saw yours.

Have a happy day...hugs, Linda

Happy Saint Paddy's Day

Happy Saint Paddy's Day To You! May your blessings outnumber
The Shamrocks that grow
And may trouble avoid you
Wherever you go.......
~~Irish Blessing~~

Have a wonderful day......Linda

~I Was The Lucky Winner~

Look at this darling table mat! Dianntha, from Ohio Farm Girl recently had a give-away celebrating her 100th post. The lucky winner would receive this wonderful table mat......and I won. I just love it, you should see what beautiful stitching she does. The mat is black with maroon and gold stars and stitching in between each star...if you click on the picture you can really see all the detail work. These make lovely candle mats, but you could put anything on it and it would look neat. I decided to put it on my kitchen table with my Easter centerpiece...I like it. What do you think?
I love the way it looks! Besides the mat she also included a surprise. A snowman garland, these little guys are so cute. I hung it just above the plates, and I'm leaving it there for awhile just to enjoy.
Here is my centerpiece and you can see how nice the table mat looks. I bought this tiered basket a couple of months ago mainly because I thought the top looked like a crown. All of a sudden I have a thing for crowns...I have no idea why but all of a sudden I really like them.
Don't you think this looks like a crown? I do. I've been collecting these eggs for sometime and the large one is my latest find. My favorite is the black one. Do you have a favorite?
In the bottom basket I put bunnies, eggs and an older metal egg.
Here is a closer look at the snowmen. Aren't they sweet? I love their expressions and each one has a different muffler and look at there tiny ear muffs..too cute. Dianntha, I'm going to enjoy using my mat and decorating with the garland...and when I use them, I will think of my new friend, a talented and creative stitcher in Ohio. To everyone, have a nice evening and happy days until we meet again. Hugs, Linda

~Vases~A Bunny~and A Birdie~

Hi everyone. I know it's a little late, but I was determined to to say hello. Did you have a nice day and weekend? I hope so. Today was just a busy day running errands and getting packages ready to post. Yesterday was the peddlers faire which is always fun, and it turned out to be a vase day for me. This pottery vase is one of my favorites treasures......it is pale pink and best of all a heart shape. I just love it................... I found this cute little bunny and a couple other Easter items too. I'm just now putting out my Easter things. Is anyone else still decorating or am I the last?
Here is vase number two. I have a small collection of creme colored vases with the matte finish and thought this one was kind of different. It reminds me of a loving cup.
As soon as I spotted this little birdie I thought it would look pretty with my pink vases. I think it is "tweet".
Here is vase number three...a head vase. I thought she was so pretty, I've placed her in our bathroom and I think she fits in perfectly.

Well, tomorrow I'll be putting out Easter things and coming by to say hi. Until then have a nice evening and sweet dreams. Hugs, Linda

~A Beautiful Award and the "Sideboy"~

Earlier this week I received this lovely award from Sharon at Rose of Sharon. I am honored and thank you so much for your thoughtfulness. Not only does Sharon have a beautiful blog but she is a special lady with a beautiful soul. I would like to pass this award on to........ Becca at Of Bluebirds and Roses

Robin at Bittersweet Punkin

Michelle at Back through Time

Michelle at I'm A Little Teapot

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Does anyone decorate for Saint Patrick's Day? I don't really but I do think of March as the month of green so I always put lots of green pieces on my sideboy. I love green dishes and most of these are from street fairs. I'm always looking for birds figurines and the little green birdie is a favorite of mine.
When I saw this little table runner at the peddlers fair last month I fell in love with, I thought it would the perfect touch for my dinning room table. I like it with the the ivy and carnations centerpiece and green candles.
I can't believe it but Sunday is the WX Peddlers Faire. We are expecting a sunny day so it will be a great day to poke around.......I'll be looking for little Easter things. What are your weekend plans??? Whatever you do have a great weekend . Hugs, Linda

~MY SIX WORD MEMOIR MEME~

~~~~~ Hello Everyone. Tina at Violet Lady has tagged me for a SIX WORD MEMOIR MEME. Here is mine. ~~~~~

~~ FLOWERS ALWAYS BRING ME GREAT JOY ~~

Here are the meme rules:

1. Write your own six word memoir

2. Post it on your blog and include a visual illustration if you’d like

3. Link to the person that tagged you in your post and to this original post if possible so we can track it as it travels across the blogosphere

4. Tag five more blogs with links

5. Remember to leave a comment on the tagged blogs with an invitation to play

I'm Tagging:

Amanda at Jacaranda Cottage

Lisa at A Thing for Roses

Michelle at I'm A little Teapot

Sharon at Rose of Sharon

Robin at Bittersweet Punkin

I hope you will join the fun.

Oh, I wanted to tell you Tina is having a wonderful "JUST BECAUSE" giveaway. She is giving away a subscription to the lovely magazine VICTORIA. Visit her blog and leave a comment... wishing everyone good luck. Linda

~~Bodega Bay Get-Away~~

Hi everyone. No wonder I'm having blog withdrawals, I haven't visited or posted since last Wednesday. I was planning to say hi on Thursday and tell you about our get-away planned for the weekend but I just got behind...but I'm back and looking forward to catching up with everyone. Friday afternoon we finished loading our trailer and headed to Bodega Bay, with our friends and their two dogs......Lily was so excited about this trip too because she was going to have pals to go on walks with.When we arrived the weather was sunny with a slight breeze. Later on into the afternoon the fog did roll in(love it)and it got a little windy but that didn't slow us down at all. Here are our friends Rob and Michelle.
Yay! Thumbs up and a hi, hi we are here. Now to set up camp and get a fire going. I can't believe I didn't take any pictures of our camp and our meals...but let me tell you camp was great and we ate like kings and queens. Just to give you an idea...Friday night we had spaghetti, homemade tamales, salad and for dessert berry pie ala mode....delish. Breakfast Saturday was a yummy ham and bacon egg bake plus french toast. Mmmmm, everything tasted so good...I don't know if it was the sea air or our chefs but I have to say we ate like little piglets. After breakfast we took off and poked around the little town of Bodega. Do you remember the movie The Birds? Well, part of it was shot here. We saw the old white church that was in the movie and visited some antique shops. I bought a purple hanky for my daughter and that was it. From there we went back to Bodega Bay and over to the marina area. There is a pier there and the guys talked about fishing and crabbing...but that will probably be on the next trip.
While the guys checked out the pier, Michell and I walked along the beach picking up shells and look what Michelle found...........
A heart! It's a piece from a clam shell. We're thinking a bird broke into it or it was tossed around in the water, too amazing...whatever I love it. I guess it was my lucky day, look what I found..........
This little heart shaped rock...two finds in one day...perfect.

After checking out the pier and beach we headed back to camp, the guys took naps and we watched TV and stitched. I tell you we had all the comforts of home.

Dinner Saturday was fabulous. Steaks, hamburger with all the extras and macaroni salad......everything was so good. After dinner we enjoyed the campfire and of course we had smores. We finished the evening having brownies ala mode in the RV.......I told you we ate like little piggies.

Time just flew and before we knew it, it was Sunday and time to pack up and head home. We sure had a great time and I know we'll be going back again. Love to get- away but there is no place like home. Hugs, Linda