Pocket Letters Received!

I LOVE Pocket Letters! I wanted to share photo's of two Pocket Letters I just received. This is from my friend Gwen who is also on my ATAA group. It's so sweet and I loved the back! I am learning from my friends who have been doing this a bit longer than I have. Thank you so much Gwen! I love it.

Gwen told me she loved purple, so this is the one I put together for her.

I used a purple, green and turquoise theme and found lots of fun things to put together. This is my second PL, so I was a bit more comfortable putting things together.

This time, I did remember to add a little letter!

I found this in my mailbox the other day! It was from my friend Belinda who introduced me to this whole adventure!

I am going to get to meet Belinda in Vermont at the end of the month! She is on my Tasha Tudor group and my ATAA group.

I LOVE the beautiful paper on the back and I think the ribbons and cover on the side is a great idea.
Thank you Belinda, I think it's so beautiful and very special.

I can't wait to do some more, but I am so busy right now getting ready for our trip and some home remodeling. Our handyman will be working while we are away! Back to work choosing paint, flooring, curtains, towels and more! It will be fun to come home to some changes! 

Sunday Thoughts

It's a lovely morning in Oregon today. There's a gentle breeze with lots of sunshine. As we begin a new week, I just thought this was a good verse and a good reminder. It's easy to say we LOVE, but often harder to live that LOVE out.

Enjoy your day. 

Tea Time Thursday #79

 Happy Tea Time Thursday. It's been a busy day and here it is almost dinner time and I am just getting to my blog post! I was with my dad a good part of the day, stopped to see Jimmy and Otto, did a few errands and here it is almost 5PM. Although I adore pink, I just can't pass up a blue Forget-Me-Not teacup!

Jimmy found these two gems recently at as estate sale. I purchased the little crocheted pillow from a lovely lady who had just the best sewing items, buttons, lace and ephemera. She was a delight to visit with and I was thrilled with her offerings.

The first cup is just beautiful! I love the soft blue handle and the delicate little clusters of Forget-Me-Nots!

This cup is a Crown Staffordshire fine bone china teacup and it is Made in England.

The next cup and saucer is really quite pretty too. The colors are really bright and I like the flower print. A nice cup and saucer for a collection.

This one is called "Forget-Me_not" by Royal Standard. It is also bone china and was made in England too.

I am currently very busy finishing up my Tea Time booth for the Doll Fair in Vermont on July 1st. I will have to ship it east in a few days. It has been a fun project putting together a tea shoppe for the fair. Jimmy and I are going back to New England to attend another Tasha Tudor event. She would have been 100 years old this August, so it's a special year to remember her. I will post pictures later this summer as I don't want to spoil the surprise of it all now.

Tasha Tudor LOVED Forget-me -not flowers. I have always loved this photo of her walking in the  field of tiny blue flowers. Her gardeners were not always thrilled with them and would take them out! I love them and don't really care where they pop up.

You can buy seeds from Tasha Tudor's garden through the family website.

This is one of Tasha's cards featuring the little flowers. I am so excited to go back to New England with my husband. We have been trying to take this vacation for 2 years. It will soon be here! Hope you are enjoying some gardening. 

Sunday Thoughts

I grew up with this prayer and have thought about it in awhile. It is such a lovely prayer written by St Francis so long ago, yet it continues to be a good reminder.

My Jimmy is facing a disappointment that is hard to handle. In searching for a way to encourage him, I came across this "simple prayer".

Have a restful and peaceful Sunday afternoon. 

Tea Time Thursday #78 ~ My Fairy Gardens

Do fairies like tea? Well, of course they do! I'm sure the fairies in my garden and especially the ones that live in my fairy gardens enjoy a good cup of tea!

I finally was able to put my fairy gardens together. I found two wonderful cup and saucer planters for two new gardens this year. I was on the hunt for the teacup planters and found one at the thrift store early in spring and one at an estate sale for only $2. Yes, I do love a bargain!

My daughter Gina gifted me with this fantastic book on gardening with miniature plants and lots of ideas for creating miniature gardens last Christmas. It has been fun pouring over the pages and dreaming all winter! Thank you Gina.

This is my first fairy garden that I put together three years ago. The little evergreen tree wintered over and is doing well.  The garden has changed a bit, but it's basically the same garden. I tidy it up and redo it a little every summer.

This is my new pink teacup fairy garden this year. I used a thyme plant in this one. It's more fun to add a little live plant to your garden.

Here's a close up of the garden....Mom's Rose Cottage. The fairy that lives in this garden is really sweet and I think she's my favorite.

My second new teacup fairy garden is a bit whimsical. I had to use the lemon house with the yellow and green colors of the pot! I found the little houses at a garage sale with LaVonne when she was out visiting a few years ago. I finally got to use them.

You can get a closer look in this photo. I love the little green frog sitting on the rock. I will be adding bits and pieces during the summer.I think the first thing I need to find is some teacups for those fairies!

In December, I gave my high school buddies a fairy and challenged them to make a fairy garden this summer. It's just for fun, no pressure. My friend Judi sent me this picture to show me her garden. Great job Judi! I hope you had fun.

Happy Tea Time Thursday. It may be time for an iced tea and time to make a fairy garden. I have put together a Pinterest board if you need some ideas....Fairy Garden Challenge.

A Bit of Reading

Being a bit under the weather lately, I've had some extra time for reading. I have been reading three different book, all very interesting and entertaining. So, what am I reading you ask? Here are my selections!

I started Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker by Jennifer Chiaverini some time ago. I talked about this novel earlier this year and I am almost finished with this one. I love to read about the Lincolns and this is a most enjoyable book told by Mary Todd Lincoln's dressmaker.

My friend Natalie loaned this book to me....A Good Man by Mark Shriver. It's a personal story about his father, Sargent Shriver. Sargent Shriver was JFK's brother-in-law. It's a heartfelt story written by his son. I never really knew a lot about Sargent Shriver's life. When I hear his name, I think Peace Corp but he was surely was A GOOD MAN.

My last book is a children's book from 1929, the year my father was born. I found it at the last Portland antique show.....Lucy Locket. I bought it from a young lady who was packing up her table early. She said she was hoping someone who was a doll person would find it! Oh yes I did!

It's written and illustrated by John Rae who also wrote Raggedy Ann and Andy! I didn't know that when I bought the book. It's a wonderful story about some children who find Lucy Locket in their grandmother's attic.

I love the back of the cover...."This is an Old-Fashioned DOLL BOOK! What a perfect book for me.

I once taught first grade, oh so long ago. and I often think of my students learning to read. I think we just take that for granted. Can you imagine all you would miss in your life if you never learned how to read? I am thankful for the gift of reading and for all the books available just waiting to be enjoyed. I hope you get a bit of time to read this summer. 

June!

Welcome June! It's a new month and it is sure to be a busy one! I am actually feeling better this morning...yeah! Jimmy and my nephew Markie took off bright and early this morning for a trip to Idaho. Those two mountain men sure love it up at the gold mine cabin.

We had a rain storm last night and it has been raining this morning.  It's been so very dry, so this is welcome rain. My yard and flowers will enjoy a break from the heat. It looks like it will be back into the 90's by the weekend.

I am working on our trip to Vermont for another Tasha Tudor Gathering. Jim and I will fly out on June 28th, so lots to do. I'm excited as Jimmy has never been to New England. My good friend LaVonne couldn't make the trip this year, so Jimmy is going with me. I will miss LaVonne. This is the 40th anniversary trip we had to postpone two years ago when Otto was born. Of course, we will be back home to celebrate his big second birthday!

While we are gone for the two week trip, our handyman will be doing some remodeling in our home. It's all exciting, but again, lots to do to prepare for that! New flooring, new paint, new colors in two bedrooms and two bathrooms. That should keep me out of trouble, heh?

Time get off the computer and get going on the week's work. It's my week with my dad, so I will be with him tomorrow and I will have two days of babysitting Otto with Jimmy out of town. I need to use my time wisely.

Happy June and have a good week.