~THE BEAUTY IN BLOGGING~

Blogging seems to bring out a beauty in people. It brings out their deep thoughts, talents and reveals their very souls and spirits.


Blogging is a special sort of giving and sharing of yourself to one another. I admired her photo's and said the next best thing would be to have a book of her work..and Mary at LITTLE RED HOUSE sent me this lovely book of flowers and it touched my heart!! It was her way of communicating her feelings and appreciation. I love her for that. My camera is not the best and does not do the pictures of the roses in her book justice at all. Her book is of the most beautiful flowers and that glare is NOT in the real photo.


And with her book...a card...



And the card said it all...


And this book will rest on my coffee table in the years to come and inside will be Mary's sweet card.... and a note by me so my family will know who "Mary of Little Red House" was in my life and how we added to each others lives.

The sweetest and the best of friends are met through this wonderful world of blogging...
Thank you, Mary of Little Red House!

Smiles and love..
Mona

~SATURDAY ADVENTURE TIME~

Good "Saturday" morning!

I am off to garage sales..and breakfast. Wish me luck!


I have meant to post this all week..but my week has been a bit crazy. I think you probably know what I mean! It happens.
Recently I bought a few quilts from one of our bloggy friends, Tammy, at FOR A STITCH IN THYME.


First I bought this lovely quilt...a lap robe you know...perfect size..and when I took it out of the box..and the nice bags they came in..I was struck by the SOFTNESS of these quilts. On the back was the softest material ever with tiny hearts..gorgeous material!


Then...I spotted this one..even better. It could go in our little guest room. Lovely! My guests are going to love this! Like a cloud!


Ah..but the doll cradle I just bought at a thrift store..I had been looking for one that would fit it. I have bought all these gorgous little dolls for my granddaughters to play with when they visit...and she had a tiny one she called a "sampler"...so...I decided to SAMPLE it!
Tammy uses the most beautiful material and her photo's do NOT even begin to do her work justice. NOT EVEN!


This picture is not at all necessary to this post..but my little sweeties have dollies to play with..and little dishes when they visit. (you know..for the grandbabies?) :)


I love to buy things that folks have made..and I have found some wonderful seamstresses and artists with so many talents...mosiacs, sewing, painting..and these attract me most of all. And...they fit my cottage style.
So... a BLISSFUL DAY to all of you...and many hugs!

Mona

~UNIMPORTANT THING'S THAT MAKE YOU SMILE?~

I'VE BEEN TAGGED!


This is a picture I took on the Island. Do you see those berries at the bottom of the picture? ...THEY are something that make me smile.

MR1DRFL's WONDERFUL family, three wonderful people who make me smile!


This is, starting on the left, Big Brother (Island resident) and Mom (their 98 year old mother) and Mr. Wonderful. Soon to be known on this blog as MR1DRFL.

Do you think that would make a good personalized license plate? MR1DRFL would surly do me in if I tried that! So anyway..on with the game!

Well...it's about time I got to this...Karen probably thinks I let her down...nope..NOT on your life!!

Karen at SOME DAYS ARE DIAMONDS has tagged me... You see...I am AWARD free but not TAG free...so.. :)

Rules of the game are to list 6 unimportant things in your life that make you happy! EVERYTHING is important to me, which goes to show me I have to lighten up a bit!

Then, as with most tag games, I must name 6 others to do the same thing.
I am "award free" but not tag free..so..LOL here goes!

1. MR1DRFL offers to cook dinner.
2. MR1DRFL offers to do the dishes
3. MR1DRFL says he is going to Home Depot and do I want anything?
4. MR1DRFL calls from Costco and asks if he can bring a hot chicken (not chickie!) home.
5.MR1DRFL says "you don't need to cook tonight. I'll go get us something." YES!
6. MR1DRFL says "take your time and enjoy yourself" when I go shopping! :)

And like Karen...I could just go on and on. Every one of these things brings a smile to my face! FAST! All seemingly unimportant...but they make me smile.

See why I married again? It was a no brainer! :)

My choice for 6 sweet people to tag are:

1. Words of Wisdom From a Smart Mouth Broad
2. A Little Shabby Always Chic
3. Blondie's Journals
4. English Cottage in Georgia
5. Never Enough Time
6. My Vintage Blankie

PLEASE don't yell at me. Ok? If you are tag free etc..etc..just don't do it. I will love you anyway. I promise!

Love and hugs,
Mona

~ ON A SUNDAY AFTERNOON~

Yes, I know we are a partying family but when you have seven children..and they are grown and they all have children and they keep getting married, starting to have families the family just gets larger...and larger ...and larger..and there are celebrations and more celebrations...and we HAVE TO PARTY AND HAVE FUN!! :) Right?
Right! (puff..puff!)

Please enlarge the pictures as I have not learned how...

The WEDDING CAKE..
was done with fresh roses..
Chocolate cake with Mouselline filling and fresh raspberries and whipped cream frosting. Mouselline filling is vanilla bean pastry cream and Italian Merangue Butter Cream blended. I hope to heavens I have that right. If not...Cheryl is going to do me in!! The cake was made by my sweet daughter in law at her wonderful bakery "Jammin' Bread"


Chocolate covered strawberries...of course!! What's a reception without those!


This was a wonderful cream cake...I had never tasted anything like it. It was almost not a cake but a delicious cake type pudding...


This was a morning brunch celebration held at 11:00am. Approximately 85 people attended.
*Warm rice pudding
*Fresh fruit salad
*Fresh raspberries and strawberries and other berries, cherries, Kiwi..etc. etc...
*Crisp bacon and sausages (in those large silver pans you see)
*A wonderful potato dish..with eggs..(I think)
*Waffles made on the spot! butter, syrup and other toppings..
And to be honest..so much more I can't even remember...but it was all DELICIOUS!
and of course the omelets of your choice!
Cold drinks of your choice...and Fresh made lemonade and sweet tea...
and fresh coffee!
The outdoor drink table by the pool...

My sweet son in law had four omelet pans going at once. He made omelets of their choices and the line was four deep and out the door! Busy guy!


Wonderful ice cold Mimosa's served with a fresh raspberry is why everyone was so mellow? You suppose? Nothing like fresh squeezed orange juice for brunch! Uh huh!

These beautiful swags were made by my daughter...she wants to make them for Christmas and add TINY fairy lights. VERY tiny lights. I want to do it with her for my home..so that should be fun. The swags were made of lemon leaves..Mary said they only took a couple of hours to make...and there were five very long ones. I think they are just beautiful. Over the fireplaces and all the doorways...

There were fresh swags and wedding bells over all the doors..my pictures don't do them justice..
And the gifts began to arrive...hmmm...do you see that lovely crystal bowl? Hmmmm... :)

All of the floral arrangements and garlands were made by my daughter, Mary. All the cooking was done by Mary and my daughter in law,Cheryl, and the mother of the bride, my daughter Erin. Nothing was hired out or done by outsiders. I am proud of that. ~smile~

Thank you so much for your visit and I hope you enjoyed, yet another family gathering in celebration! Always something to celebrate it seems. I LOVE it!

Hugs to all of you for limping through this post.
Mona

~REALLY EXCITING STUFF~

Ok...so I lied a little...but Saturday is our garage sale day and in my life...well..pretty much anything excites me.
Anyway...I look for two things...dishes and books. These are my finds for myself today..in PERFECT new condition. (you can see why my heart was pumping!)


I thought this cookbook was especially beautiful. I tried to capture the gold gilt edges of the pages..but they didn't show up. Ah well...just take my word, those pages JUST gleam. Anything shiny gets me...


This one I really do love and will use. Not a mark or any sign of ever being used. No names inscribed...it even cracked when I opened it. I bought all of these books for .50 and .75 cents each. But it was late ...nearly noon and they were wanting to get rid of things...they had lowered the price from $1.50 they said.

Please understand..I don't NEED another cookbook..(yes I do!) but it was NEW! For .75 cents! Well, what would YOU have done?? (I'm old and I'll KNOW if you're lying!)


To be perfectly honest here...I think it was the pictures of all that delicious food and I was getting hungry!


And these beautiful childrens books. The most expensive one was the Precious Moments children's stories. That one cost me $1.00. It is in new condition and the cover is soft and padded. Lovely!


Of course I couldn't pass these classics up. EVERY baby needs these!


Would you just look?! I even scored a couple of lovely pop out books and one that has a little keyboard so the child can play music! Emily is going to LOVE that one!
I think Emily's little library is well on it's way!


Now I know these glasses are nothing special..but...these dessert dishes were cut glass and diamond shaped...and ok...I paid $10.00 for them..but..but...I couldn't help myself! (besides my daughter, Sandy, gives dinner parties...and these are going to be used as a bribe to get her out here to California... (now to find something to bribe Kristy (GD#1) with...hmmm..money ya think?


I HAD to have a few coke glasses...


I honestly am not sure why I bought these..What??...I was on a roll!


And these green coke mugs.... they..sparkled in the sun?

And then we headed for a big pancake breakfast...it was a really, really wonderful day...oh, but then after we unloaded the car...it was off to Lowes..for..FLOWERS AND MY LEMON TREE!!!

Saturdays! I love them!
And so on to Sunday and my granddaughter's wedding reception. Another nice day?
Yep!
~Smiles and hugs~
Mona

~OK...OK..OK....fun time..~

My sweet friend Barb at GRITS AND GLAMOUR, has tagged me to play the "Tag! You're It!" You are supposed to go to your 6th file, find the 6th photo and write about it.
Then tag six of your blogging buds to do the same. So here goes:


I didn't know you could put things in files..ho hum...so I went to my pictures..found the 6th row..6th photo...and here it is...(you can put things in ...FILES?? Wow!)

It is the family homestead that is on an island in Maine. Bucks Harbor. The only way you can get on the island is when the tide goes out..and then you drive across a sort of rocky barge. It doesn't hurt to have GOOD transportation to do this. Apparently the island has been in the family and passed down for generations. The old homestead house has been sold to folks outside the family..which is a bit surprising. Just the home was sold with a bit of land, as I understand it..but the rest of the island is still family owned. I walked up and peeked in the windows as no one lives on the island full time...and it was amazing. It is just exactly, or appears to be..exactly the same as it was in the early part of the century. It was like suddenly being transported back in time. A strange feeling.
Oh..and there is NO electricity OR running water on the island and you use an out house...but it really was a lovely one..all white with a nice clean compost potty inside. The potty is up on a concrete slab inside the outhouse. So when you got up there and got on the potty..you were on your own..little throne. Litterly. NO curtains on the windows..but no one is around...still...you know..
Anyway...back to the home. As you can see it really is wonderful to look at.


We will be returning to Maine in August. I can't wait! :) HI JANE AND EMERY! :)

I am tagging the following sweet blogging friends..

1. A little Shabby Always Chic
2. A Cottage by The Cranelake
3. Blueberry Plains
4. My Little Cottage in the Making
5. Mid Atlantic Martha
6. My Little Cottage in The Curve

Now to go let them all know the wonderful news! I really was tempted to just make up some wild story about the picture...but decided to be a good girl and tell the truth. I have to wonder if it's haunted.
My husband told me about a young girl that insisted on spending the night in the house all alone...I guess just to see if she could do it. Apparently she was very young. He thought about 15 or 16. My husband said he, as an adult wouldn't even do it! :) Well..she did it! Brave girl I would say!

Smiles and love..
Mona

~"E" IS FOR EMILY~

It's Emily's first HAPPY BIRTHDAY.....and Emily's very first Birthday cake...and her Grandma made it for her.. (my eldest son's wife, Cheryl.


...and Emily will cry if she wants too...'cause it's her party and the blinkin' water was SO cold!

...and these are the cakes for the adults...(see those two chocolate ones in front...I took those two home with me... (you will notice that my green stacked serving dishes are..still in the hands of my sweet Mary. I KNEW they would not come home any time soon! I was right! :)

This is Auntie Mary(D3) fixing up the food table...for lots and lots of guests..


Hotdogs and fixin's..


And baked beans..


Starting with fresh fruits...

A big tossed salad..different homemade dressings...


bean salad... and of course...

potato salad..

Auntie Mary (D3) feeding an orange to Emily after her LONG swim in her new pool that Auntie Erin (D2)gave to her. Uncle Brock looks on...thinking the orange ...sour? :)

...and she swam ...
....and she swam..


Mommy and Daddy, (Daddy is my first Grandson and second oldest Grandchild.)


Little table and chairs are a set that my friend in MO. paints and that was my gift to Emily. It is very old and VERY strong and I hope she saves it for her own children. From her Mom's reaction...it will be saved! :)

About this time...Great Grandma gets tired...grabs a couple of cupcakes..and retires for the evening. ...and that was my Sunday adventure!

I didn't take pictures of the BBQ chicken, and the hamburgers with melted cheese on them....or the huge jugs of lemonade and sweet tea...or the ice chests filled with all sorts of cold drinks and bottled water..or the three different kinds of hand churned ice cream! Sigh...

What is so great about getting old..is that you don't have to do all the prep any more. The daughters and DIL's are all doing what you used to do! Don'cha LOVE it! :)
A brave smile before retiring..it was a LONG afternoon..and an hour later..Great Grandma was beginning to have visions of jammies, soft slippers and curling up on the sofa..and moments later she was....gone! Am I beginning to feel my age a bit?...yes..a bit!

I know...BORING...kids birthday party...but...it's what happened on Sunday..and ..yes..tick..tock..tick..tock...I suddenly got so tired..I went home and when you are the OLDEST person in the family ....you can do that!

Smiles~
Mona