Book Love

 

I've mentioned before that I'm not a huge reader.  It's rather ironic that I'm a writer, yet I don't really enjoy reading, so it stands to reason that books with lots of pictures would be the kind I gravitate towards.

I don't own a ton of decorating and design books, but I do own a few.  Some I've had for years, like Malcom Hillier's Wreaths and Garlands, and John Hadamuscin's Special Occasions.  Both of the books I just mentioned are more about entertaining and floral arranging than decorating, but I still love the photography and wonderful ideas they give you in books about floral design and entertaining.

The other design books I own have mostly been gifts, or books I've purchased after having them recommended by a friend.

For some reason this spring has me itching to add to my collection of design books, I just love the permanence of a coffee table book that I can go back to time and time again.  I do that with magazines, but in most instances there are only one or two homes or features that really catch my eye in any given magazine.

With books, the whole book will have a design style and I find that I love nearly 80% of what I see in any given book.  Plus, now that my interest in photography has taken off, I find that I pour over books in a totally new way.  I cherish the composition or lighting of a shot now where I once was mostly interested in the decor.

When Terry John Woods friended me on Facebook recently, I felt it was a sign that I needed to buy this talented man's book.  I had seen it many times and knew I would love it, but I'd never made that commitment and gone ahead and purchased it.

I ordered it from Amazon along with my pre-order of Fifi's book, but Terry's book arrived just a few days ago, and Fifi's is due any day now!

I have to say that from the moment I opened this book, New Farmhouse Style, I was completely blown away!  The styling, photography, everything about this book had my heart beating faster and my fingers ready to turn the page to see the next delightful image and read the heartfelt text.

Now as you might imagine, writing about beautiful homes and even getting to visit some of them for a living can make it a little harder to be wowed by anything home related, much less a book, but this one had me at hello.  

I mean just look at the photo above.  Terry loves white tulips and ironstone and so do I.  I even have white tulips at my house right now, and I also have lots of little white pitchers floating around this very dusty place of mine!

The incredible photography by Kindra Clineff, paired with Terry's simple yet elegant sense of style had me rethinking everything I thought about photos and styling for shoots.  His book proves that less really is more when it comes to the new sense of country decorating.

This book made me want to pack my bags and move to an old farmhouse in Vermont and instead of filling it with stuff, fill it with only the stuff I love!  Yes folks, this book is truly that good!

Now, just in case you are thinking "hey has Kat lost her mind, is she now on Terry John Woods' payroll, what does she stand to get from singing his praises?"  The answer is yes, I have lost my mind but it's totally unrelated to Terry John Woods or his book.  Two, I'm not on Terry's payroll gosh darn it!  And three, I stand nothing to gain from my gushing review except to give credit where credit is due, and that means telling all of you so that you too can discover this wonderful book for yourself!

I did a photo shoot at a lovely home yesterday, and I have to tell you that I was very much aware of each and every shot that I took.  I carefully edited out what wasn't necessary, taking my cues from Terry's clean, inviting style.  And I have to say that when I reviewed the pictures, I couldn't have been more pleased with the end results.

Today or tomorrow, Fifi's fabulous book, Romantic Prairie Style, should be showing up on my doorstep, and I know that it will move me in the same way that Terry's book has.  I've had a sneak peek at her book, and I can't wait to get my hot little hands on it as well.  And the best part is that Terry has a new book called Summer House, which you can pre-order now, and Fifi has begun work on her second book too!

At this rate, you may not be hearing from me for awhile!  Remember what I said about not being able to live in a mostly white house...well I may have lied when I said that...never say never....Benjamin Moore store here I come!!!

Until next time friends...

Spread the Love...

Ocean Soul   (from now on I'll be posting just one link because blogger doesn't like it when I post 3 and it makes my pictures go all wonky!)  ***I love, love, love how this blogger's daughter took the whole family along with her on a school trip to Italy...check it out!

Authentic

My last post has been a long time in the making, and many of my closest blog friends saw the writing on the wall.  Like so many of my fellow bloggers, I'm an all or nothing kind of person.  If there was a type AAA personality that would be me!  I tend to assume that others have expectations of me, when often those expectations are self imposed.  Call it southern guilt as my friend Connie says, or whatever makes me feel this way.  As my daughter reminded me in a lovely email, I'm the one who always says "quit worrying so much what other people think!"

Too bad I often don't take my own good advice.  We women are famous for that though aren't we, tending to everyone else and putting ourselves last on the "to do" list.

Your comments actually made me cry, and let me tell you folks, that's saying something.  I didn't cry at my mother or my father's funerals, so it takes a lot to make me cry.  And maybe that's part of the problem too, maybe I am always trying to be so strong, so together, and so capable that I don't get to be as authentic as I should be.  As true to myself and I want to be.

I tell others to blog about what they love, not to worry what other people will think, not to care, and then I worry and care about those same things myself.  I wonder how many of us truly are able to go through life not giving a damn what anyone else thinks, I'm betting the numbers are fairly low.  Do we ever truly soar without fear of losing our way and the worry that we'll come crashing back to earth?!

When I started this blog of mine, one of my dreams was to get my writing out there in the hopes that I would eventually write for some major magazines.  I've been more than blessed to realize this dream and so much more thanks to my blog!  And for that I will forever be grateful.

Along the way, I have gained so much, but I have lost a little bit too.  I've lost time because I have invested a lot into my blog, and I've lost money too because the time I spend trying to keep all the plates in the air is time I should be using to reach the next set of goals I have.  I don't even know how bloggers who create, constantly decorate, and shop for their reader's pleasure are able to manage, I know I could not.

I have a family that supports me unconditionally, they are my biggest fans and my greatest cheerleaders and to say I'm lucky would be like saying the ocean has a little bit of water in it!  But it's time I stop just chasing dreams and work towards making them a reality and one that pays me in cold hard cash for my efforts.

When I started my blog, I was explaining how something crazy had happened to me that day.  My dear friend Julie said to me, "now that is a blog I would read!"  What she meant was that she loved seeing all the pretty pictures and beautifully decorated rooms, but to her, a blog she could relate to would be one where dogs aren't just cute but they sometimes also throw up.  Where houses are beautiful and dusty at the same time.  Authentic life, unfiltered, not retouched, hanging out there for all to see.

I can't be "that" authentic, but I think I need to change things to be more true to who I am and what I want.  Your responses have filled me with so much hope and better yet, courage.  Courage to be myself, to post what I want to post, to follow that great advice that I give to others but tend to ignore myself.

I will take time for myself and not worry if it's been 2 or 15 days since my last post.  I won't worry if I can't reply to comments or visit every blog in the universe.  I will be myself and I will learn that being still isn't being lazy, it's simply being quiet so that I can hear what "I" have to say to myself.  I won't placate myself and think, things will be fine now, and then find myself back in the same boat again just a few months from now.  This is a pattern that needs to be stopped dead in it's tracks.  I need to be who I am, for what it's worth.

My artwork was recently picked up by a lovely gallery, and when I got home my husband said "aren't you so excited?!"  I said "I'll be excited when someone buys something," which is so like me!  I will learn to cherish the joys and live in the moment!  I will turn those negative "what ifs" into positive "so whats" and I will be the only person I can be...ME!

So from the bottom of my heart, thank You for letting me be ME!  Where we'll end up at the end of the ride I still don't know, but thank you for getting in my banged up old pick up and riding along!

What Do You Think

Somewhere along the way my blog has evolved from a blog about design and decor to something completely different.  When I started this journey it was to showcase homes that I felt were wonderful and deserved seeing, but that might not suit the needs of any particular magazine.  You see, magazines can't just take homes willy nilly, they have to seriously consider if the homes they select will best suit the interests of their readers.  So they often have to pass up homes that are truly magazine worthy, but maybe just don't fit the niche market they serve.  It makes sense after all to feature homes that will keep readers coming back for more...I call that good business sense.

Because I've developed this love of photography I feel like my blog has moved in a completely new direction, one that rarely talks about beautiful homes or what's hot in the design world right now.  And I think because of that I've lost a bit of the momentum that got me to where I am.

I think that people have been somewhat disappointed when they click in here some days and see puppies instead of paint colors, or bird shots instead of photos of beautiful bathrooms.

So I've decided that maybe it's time for this little blog to move along, mosey on down the road and take a little break.  I know there have been times when I've thought I needed to walk away because life became so hectic or demanding that I couldn't see straight, but this time I think it's more like I'm just ready to pack up my bags and find a new place to hang out.

I simply can't seem to find my niche, one that will suit the needs of my readers and my own need to do what I want and in my own time.  I'm just not that person, the one who gets up at the crack of dawn and never sits down during the entire day.  I used to be that person and then my body finally said, "keep going Missy and we'll show you who's boss," and it did!

So a few years ago I found myself spending thousands of dollars to get healthy again as I'd let my thyroid and adrenals completely shut down all while keeping up a breakneck pace and pretending it wasn't happening.  I was a "doer" after all, the person you came to when you wanted something done or wanted advice or a quick answer, so how could I be the one now needing help?  But when you go to a doctor and they say to you that you have to slow down the pace at which you are going or you won't be here, well you tend to pay attention.  I was working 2 jobs at the time, trying to sell our last house for sale by owner, and then trying to remodel our current house. 

To show you what  knucklehead I can be, I ignored the doctor when she told me how serious things were, except I did quit my marketing job but continued with the writing.  Then the next doctor said the same thing, and then a 3rd, and I finally began to listen and follow their advice, which went against everything I've ever known.  They told me that I could exercise for 5 minutes a day!!!  Now I was exercising for a whole lot more than that at the time, and the idea that exercise could be bad for me when I had relied on it as an athlete my entire life just didn't sound right, but it was true.  When you are flooding your body with cortisol due to stress and then you go above your metabolic threshold by exercising and release even more cortisol, you actually make yourself much worse, and that's exactly what I was doing.  The harder life got, the more stress I took on, the more I pushed myself to power through it.

It taught me a valuable lesson though, and one that even if I don't remember it, my dear sweet husband does!  When the tide gets too high and the waters are moving in quickly he will remind me that I don't really want to go back to that place where my body took charge and I had to be very still and not do anything for a long time. 

So now that life is moving quickly and I have so much going on, well something has to give in return.  The question is what to let go?  I've had so many wonderful writing and photography opportunities to come my way this past year that I know I won't let those go.  And I'm far from being stressed in the way I once was, but I also recognize how quickly that can all change and how you can wake up one day and think, "how on earth did I let this all become so overwhelming?!"

I read several emails and posts by other bloggers recently, specifically Jo from Secret Garden Cottage where she ended her blog because it had all become so time consuming and stressful.  She found that she had given up the very things that caused her to create her blog to begin with!  I've had people write me thoughtful emails asking if it's really worth it to keep going with their blogs, lamenting the time they spend and the things they are missing out on as they struggle to create the next post.  And it reminded me of when Mr. Tide was very young in his career and traveled almost non stop.  He missed holiday after holiday and school events for the kids.  I looked at him one evening when he was home and I said "one day, when you are old and you are on your death bed, you won't wish that you'd attended one more meeting, but you will wish that you saw that school play or that ballet recital."  It wasn't long after that that he began looking for a new job, one that has allowed him to be "here" and participating much more than he once did.

I love it when you all tell me that a post I've written touches you, or brings back a special memory.  Those comments touch me in a way that I truly can't put into words.  But I feel guilty that I can't write you back and tell you how much that means to me, I just don't have the time!  I once asked Fifi how she does it, replying to the huge number of comments she gets on her blog?  She looked right at me and said "I don't!"  She said she doesn't have the time and she can only do what she can do.

So, do I keep blogging and turn off the comments, that way you can still read my posts?  Or am I so vain as to think that you even want me to keep blogging?  It is pretty presumptuous to assume that you would even care if I disappeared into thin air.  I love putting the crazy things that run through my head onto this blog of mine, but I worry that if I don't do my best to visit you, or comment back that you'll think I'm someone who thinks I'm better than you...we're all busy after all.

But friends it's more than that.  I simply CAN'T keep going at the pace I'm going, so I'll wait and see what you have to say, good, bad, or indifferent, at least I'll know which way to go from here.  Thank you!

Beatrix Potter and Me

You may have noticed by my new springy header picture that I'm ready for Easter.  This year Easter is very late in coming but that won't stop me from enjoying all of the bunnies I have around my house.

Growing up, Easter always meant new shiny white shoes, a new dress, a hat, some gloves, and maybe even a matching white purse or sweater.  My mother loved Easter and she always made sure we were dressed to the nines.  

Born just outside Charlottesville, Virginia, my mother was a proud Virginian, so while many people had let go of the classic Easter attire by the late 1960's and early 70's, we still looked like we were ready to greet the Queen on Easter morning.

And I can remember the beautiful hats my mother and grandmother wore each year on Easter Sunday.  They were a cross between a frosted confection and a floral bouquet perched atop their heads.

When I had my own children, I carried on those same traditions, just minus the hats.  We have pictures of my daughter all dressed in pastel pink with ruffle topped socks and patent leather shoes clinging to an Easter basket nearly as big as she was.  And when our son came along, he got to sport little smocked outfits with bunnies and carrots, something Little Lord Fauntleroy would have been proud to wear!


 

There was always a big Easter dinner too, with corn pudding, fresh asparagus, Virginia ham (is there any other kind?) and homemade rolls just to name a few of the goodies.  And for dessert, you had to have fresh homemade coconut cake, along with something chocolate, and lemon chess pie.

There were Easter egg hunts, and we always brought a change of clothes for the children so that they could rip and race around the yard without ruining their spiffy new duds.  And the other tradition was to open the gift my mother and father gave the kids each year, a new Beatrix Potter figurine.

Each year my mother, who dearly loved Beatrix Potter, who find just the right figurine to give to each child.  Growing up, we each had a few figurines of our own, but she really began the tradition in earnest when my niece, the eldest grandchild, was born.

When the grandchildren would stay over with my mother and father, Nana (my mother) would read them Beatrix Potter books.  Those tiny books were full of wisdom and adventure, and the kids loved hearing the tales of Peter Rabbit, Jeremy Fisher, Jemima Puddleduck and the like.

Sometimes, there were life lessons in the stories, and sometimes my children were just plain confused, like when Peter's father spanked him, something we didn't do at our house. 

Beatrix Potter was a very interesting woman who purchased property in the Lake District of England to try and help preserve the rural landscape which she so loved.  And upon her death in 1943, she left most of her property to the National Trust.  She also had dogs who look a lot like mine, and because she was such an animal lover, I have always felt a sort of kinship with Ms. Potter.

My friend Dan used to tell me how much I would love the Lake District, and I hope to go there some day. 

After my mother died, we found meticulous notes on which figurines had been purchased for which child.  And even after her stroke, she still managed to give each of the kids their precious Easter gift.

Along with the figurines my mother and father gave to the grandchildren, there were plenty more to be found at her house.  She loved these sweet little porcelain creatures brought to life from the pages of books written so long ago, and she had amassed quite a collection over the years.  I even brought back several figurines to give to my mother as gifts when I visited England for the first time.

The one pictured above with Peter holding a bunch of daffodils was one of her favorites.  My sisters and I went through her collection after my father died, and my sister M brought out "the" list to make sure that we didn't duplicate what we already had.  We separated them into ones that no one had, and then ones that someone didn't have, etc. before dividing them among each of us.  We also saved some out for my brother to take.

 

The little bunny figurines I've shared with you today are just a few examples of the 50 Beatrix Potter Figurines I have in a cabinet in my house.  One day I hope to have grandchildren, and I will likely continue the tradition of giving each child a figurine for Easter.

For now though, they remind me of my mother, of Easter, and of those wonderful tales told as only Beatrix Potter could! 

Spread the Love...

Rubies' Place

The Antique Gardener

Westie Julep

A Request and A Winner

Thanks everyone for your wonderful comments about my encounter with the skunk and my moon photos in my last post.

Also on my last post I got a lovely comment from Leaf and Ink asking to see some more pictures of my dogs.  You see when you're a dog lover, and over at Leaf and Ink they clearly love their puppies, you can never really get enough of seeing dog pictures, especially herding dog pictures.

I had to chuckle when I saw the comment and thought, you know I do need to post a few pictures of the pups.  The only problem is that I've not taken very many pictures of them lately.  I did take a few of sweet Misty Belle last Friday morning at the crack of dawn just before we took her in to the vet's office to be spayed though. 

I am now officially one of "those" dog owners.  The kind who worry when their dog gets spayed and my strong maternal instinct has now extended to my furry friends as well.  Oh it was always there, but now it's bad! 

Thankfully Misty came through her surgery with flying colors, and my vet also understands this sort of neurotic pet parenting and called several times following the surgery to let me know how she was doing.  I'm sure they've seen worse, but hey I can't help it if I love my dogs and want them to be safe and happy!  Besides, sane people are so much more boring than us crazy neurotic types anyway, right?! 

I actually sent these pictures to my daughter this morning and told her that Misty wants her to come home for a visit this weekend.  It's been awhile since she's been home, and I knew that this face would make her want to come home!  It worked, though she did make note of my not so subtle guilt technique.  Hey, sometimes you just have to bring out the big guns...you know what I mean?

And now on to the winner of my Giveaway.  Random.org seems to hate me lately and although I saved the image it is now floating somewhere in cyberspace never to be heard from or seen again!  *sigh*

The winner is #28 who said...

28 ...Living in Southern Maryland makes me feel lucky every day. Having a happy healthy family is also something I am lucky and grateful to have!

Turns out the winner is a local girl!  Kelly, shoot me your mailing address and I'll get the magazine in the mail to you right away.  Or maybe I'll just show up on your doorstep and deliver it myself and you can fix me dinner...what do you say?  Ok, I'm just kidding...kind of! ;-)

Before I go, I wanted to share this amazing video with you all that my daughter sent me this morning.  I just love how this student put a twist on traditional time-lapse photography.  Not only are the images gorgeous, but it makes me long to go to Paris again!

Le Flâneur (music by The XX) from Luke Shepard on Vimeo.

 

I completely forgot to Spread the Love in my last post...sorry!

Ms. Bake-It

Completely Coastal

Pondside

Bad Moon Rising

Wow how time flies when you are having fun, or working...whichever the case may be!  Since last Thursday I have taken Ms. M out for an afternoon's worth of lunching, driving, and visiting.  With the help of two of my siblings and our spouses, we've nearly completed the work at my parent's house, and are so close to being ready to put it on the market that I can almost taste it.  Plus we had little Misty Belle spayed first thing Friday morning.  Try keeping a herding dog quiet after surgery and you'll understand what my weekend has been like!!!

It has been a very busy few days, but oh so productive so I can't complain!  And the weather...well it was spectacular with sunshine and high temps to remind me that it really is springtime!

Like millions of other people I ventured outside to see the "big" bad moon as it was rising last night.  Picture it, me with my trusty tripod all settled in on the dock ready to capture this very cool moon rising over the water...

 (Kim Klassen Texture)

First there were lots of Canada Geese flying by, and I even saw a river otter who got very close, swimming withing feet of me before he turned and went the opposite way, and then all he% broke loose!

I've mentioned before that I hate bats...well guess who showed up?!  But I was good, I said to myself, hey he's eating the bugs, it's all good and I began focusing on the moon again and how lovely the trees and branches looked silhouetted in front of it.

Just about then I heard some rustling in the reeds along the water's edge and I could just make out something white working it's way towards me.  I said shoo, but it just kept coming, so then I yelled SHOO, as it kept coming closer.  That was when I grabbed my tripod and hightailed it back into my yard as the critter ran under the dock along the shoreline.  It was "the" skunk, the one who made Mr. Quinn's acquaintance not long ago, and I'm just thankful that it chose to ignore me instead of spraying me AND my camera equipment.

So there are no pictures of the moon reflected on the water, just the bad moon rising from my back patio!

Good Day Sunshine

Today was one of those days you look forward to all winter long.  The kind of day when spring finally makes an appearance and you throw open the windows and soak in the sunshine!

I love warm weather and always have.  I used to think that it was because it meant no school, but I now realize that I just love everything about life during the warmest seasons of the year.  I love t-shirts and flip flops, the smell of sunscreen, and the feel of salt water on my skin.

I have truly enjoyed reading all of your wonderful comments about what makes you feel so lucky from my last post.  They make me smile and some have even brought a tear to my eye!

I will be away from my blog for awhile.  We have family in town and some of you may have noticed that I haven't responded to your wonderful emails lately...as in forever!  Maybe Mr. Tide was right, maybe I am going a little Charlie Sheen these days! 

So I will take a few days to re-group, relax, and reinvigorate, and hopefully revisit blogs and reply to some emails and comments!  But I have to tell you that if this sunshine and warmer weather keeps up, I might just be gone for a very long time...;-)

You can still enter my Giveaway until Sunday, just click here for details!

Spread the Love...

Simply Me

Cappuccino Cottage

Surfy Art

Luck of The Irish and a Giveaway

This past year my daughter did some genealogy research on my side of the family and found out that we had English, Irish, Welsh, and Scottish heritage.  I was thrilled since I've always had and affinity for Ireland, England, Wales, and Scotland, and I have always felt that I've been blessed with the luck of the Irish!

Even our dogs have lineage that ties them to some of these countries!


 

If I ever had any doubt about how lucky I am, I would never wonder again after all of the amazingly supportive and wonderful comments, phone calls, and emails I've received over the last few days regarding my new photography venture.

You may think that you are simply leaving a comment, but you are in fact bolstering my soul and propelling me forward with your wonderful words!  I read each comment and although I don't get to reply much of the time, they touch me in a way that I can't even put into words, and you can't get much more lucky than that in life!

This afternoon after Mr. Tide finished work, we took the dogs out back and laid in the hammock.  It was chilly but swinging in a hammock is such a comforting thing and so very relaxing.  As we chatted about the day's events and everything we have going on he said, "are you ok, or are you trying to do too many things?"

When I asked why he was wondering that, he jokingly said that I sounded a little Charlie Sheen like today, trying to juggle this and answer that.  I laughed but then I said to him really?!  Do I really sound like Charlie Sheen.  He said, "well you are so full of ideas and always working and creating things and I don't want you to get overwhelmed trying to do too much."  It's true, my brain is always ticking away, always thinking, always moving forward.  It's amazing I actually get to sleep at night, since I go to sleep thinking and wake up thinking...ideas are always freely flowing around here...which I consider lucky too!

This week has been filled with wonderful surprises and chance encounters....

First I met Terry John Woods completely by chance when he sent me a friend request on Facebook.  If you aren't familiar with who Terry is, you will surely know his work.  When I first saw his friend request I thought oh that name sounds familiar, and then I saw his profile picture and I thought WOW!  You see Terry is not just anybody, he's a talented artist, a renowned teddy bear designer, stylist, and the author of an amazing book called New Farmhouse Style, which has sold like hotcakes since its release in October of 2009.

Now you could have knocked me over with a feather when he friended me, and even more so when I sent him a  message and he responded back!  And today I got a chance to speak with him on the phone and I have to tell you all that he is all that and a bag of chips!  He is a down to earth man who has a passion for restoring and decorating old homes.  And if you loved his first book, well you're in luck, he has another one coming out called The Summer House which is due out in late spring/early summer, and he has a shot from the book as his header for his blog.  The photos in his books are by Kindra Clineff whose work is jaw droppingly gorgeous!  You can pre-order his new book on Amazon, and I'm sure it will be equally, if not more successful than New Farmhouse Style!

I feel so very lucky to have met Terry and I hope to stay in touch with this truly talented and inspriring man!

Some of you may be wondering why I included a picture of crystal in my header and on a post about St. Patrick's Day.  The photo is of some of the wonderful Irish crystal made by Waterford that I got as wedding gifts and another pattern I inherited from my parents.  My parents actually drove all over the DC metro area amassing a large collection of 3 different patterns of Waterford years ago.  And the best part is they actually used it often when they entertained friends and family.

My daughter Angelfish sent me a lovely email today where she confided in me that since my mother passed away St. Patrick's Day has always made her sad.  Though I don't know if  my mother knew of her Irish heritage, she certainly loved the holiday and made traditional dishes like corned beef and boiled cabbage each year on March 17th.  And there were lots of little leprechauns and shamrocks scattered about her house as well.  My daughter said that my header reminded her of her Nana and she though my mother would like it as well.  I created the header on a whim yesterday, so perhaps my mother was smiling down and wanted my daughter to learn to not be sad and love St. Paddy's Day once again...I hope she will!

I also spoke to Fifi today which is always a treat!  If my husband thinks I have a lot of irons in the fire well he needs to chat with Fifi!  That woman has more irons in the fire than a ten armed smithy!  She will soon be on a whirlwind book tour promoting her wonderful book Romantic Prairie Style.  I have my order in and can't wait to receive it!   Have you ordered your copy yet?!  If you haven't then you better hurry, I've seen some of the pictures and I'm not exaggerating when I tell you that you will fall in love with this book!  And Fifi hasn't asked me to tell you any of this, I just know that you will want to have your very own copy to hug and squeeze and drool over! Click here to order a copy from Amazon!

You can also visit Joy's wonderful blog Savvy City Farmer to win a copy, but hurry, her giveaway ends soon!

The other two phone calls I've had this week were with a lovely woman about maybe showing my artwork at a local fundraiser.  We ended up talking about all sorts of things besides the fundraiser, like how we both learned to drive a tractor before we learned to drive a car, and how very lucky we both were to grow up in the country with fields and woods to play in!  We also knew a lot of people in common, such a small world I tell ya!

The next phone call I had this week was with Becky from Sweet Cottage Dreams.  Becky lives out in California and truly does live the sweet cottage dream life!  She has a wonderful sense of style and we had an instant connection, and talked for over an hour as my son drove me up the road to Whole Foods.  She shares her charming home with her son, husband, a cute kitty, and two of the most darling Scottie dogs you've ever seen.  Plus, she plays wonderful music on her blog which makes me feel like I'm having a pint at a Scottish pub!  I feel so very luck to have met Becky, she is an inspiration and an amazing person!

And last, because even I am thinking I'm sounding a little like Charlie Sheen with my ramblings, I wanted to tell you that the latest issue of Cottage Style is out and I have 2 articles in it.  One even made the cover, but that's not my photo, I just wrote the stories!!!  The best part is that both articles are written about homes owned by friends of mine, so I'm super excited to see these beautiful homes gracing the pages of Cottage Style!

The whole issue is full of great homes and wonderful inspiration!  So...

I also have a copy to give away.  So if you'd like to win one (and the giveaway is open to anyone) all you have to do is leave a comment telling me what makes you feel lucky!  I will chose a winner this Sunday, March 20th and announce the name on Monday.

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!  May the luck of the Irish be with you, and to my dear Irish friend Julie...Happy Birthday AND Happy St. Paddy's Day, you are a true belle of Ireland!

Don't forget it's a Vintage Source weekend this weekend!!!...check out their New Arrivals!!!

Continued well wishes for the people of Japan.

Spread the Love by donating to help rebuild their country...

American Red Cross