Happy Mother's Day

A little flower love is being sent your way to say...

Happy Mother's Day! xo

Motherhood

This is still one of my all time favorite images I have ever taken.  I don't know why, there's nothing extraordinary about it, and I've even featured it here on my blog before.  

I think it may have something to do with Mother's Day fast approaching that makes me feel connected to all creatures who are mothers.  And this year we are once again gifted with a nesting pair of bluebirds in our backyard box.  The female bluebird is steadfast in her quest to turn those 3 tiny blue eggs into successful young bluebirds, and later, productive adults...not unlike ourselves as we raise our young.

My own mother will have been gone 10 years this August, and though I fair well with it 99% of the time, I can't help but think of what a wonderful influence she was on me in so many ways, and how I wish she could see the things I've accomplished, both personally and professionally.  I know that she can see me and my accomplishments, I feel her all around me, but to pick up the phone and be able to tell her that I'm older and wiser now, that I get some of the things about her that would, on occasion, drive me batty, would be priceless.

We sometimes take things for granted, like being able to tell someone how much they mean to you, or even how much they drive you crazy!  The assumption is that that can wait until later, but often it can't.  My mother was fiercely loyal, a worrier by nature, and someone who would have laid down her life for any one of her children...these are just some of the traits I inherited from her.  I am also too mouthy for my own good sometimes, opinionated, and a bit overbearing...also some traits I can attribute to her...but ones I cherish none the less.

I stumbled across this wonderful video tonight as I was surfing for nothing in particular, though somehow I think I was meant to see it, meant to share it!  I know it's a few days too early, but then again waiting until Sunday may just be too late, so I want to wish each of you who have taken on the demands, the worry, the sleepless nights, but most of all, the indescribable joy of being a mother a very Happy Mother's Day!  It's not a job that everyone wants or that some should tackle, but it is the most important position I have or will ever hold!

You can watch the video by clicking HERE as it won't let me embed it!

Lovely Surprises

 

The past few weeks the UPS truck, Fedex, and our mailman's jeep have been paying frequent visits to our humble abode.  Between things I've ordered and happy little packages sent by others arriving nearly every day, it's been a little bit like Christmas.

Recently the lovely Tricia Rose of Rough Linen fame created her very own bread bag out of some of her beautiful linen.  After road testing the bag herself she offered to send a few out to her readers, and I was one of the lucky ones to receive one of her bags.

Now I know I've been mostly gluten free since January, but trust me, I will find a million and one good uses for this lovely bag.  And just having it makes me pine for Tricia's linens which are on my "most wanted to buy" list!  Thank you Tricia!!!

The next lovely package to arrive on my doorstep was one from The Polished Pebble.  Those of you who have followed my blog for any length of time know that along with my love for Rough Linen's wares, I share equal affection for Kelley and her amazing design talents!

Along with her design business, Kelley just opened a shop where she sells one of a kind vintage pieces and some of her homemade goodies, like soaps and potpourri.  Kelley was so sweet and sent me some samples of both her Lavender and Rose potpourris and to say they smell heavenly would be a bit of an understatement.

Each generous bag is filled to the brim with the scent of her Ojai Roses or snippets of the beautiful lavender she grows in the highly coveted yard of her California home.  Now my home can smell a tiny bit like what I image lounging in her backyard on a gorgeous summer day must feel and smell like! Thank you Kelley!!!

Last but not least are some documents I ordered from Oscar Naylor on Etsy.  Alwen, who owns Oscar Naylor was so wonderful to work with and helped find me just the right antique ephemera I was looking for.

These are beautiful vintage documents, many dating back to the 1700 and 1800s and I plan to get them framed to hang in just the right spot in my house.  And along with the items I ordered, Alwen gifted me with a few extra goodies...thank you so much Alwen, I will treasure these!

So as you can see, it has been like Christmas around here, with lovely little surprises showing up each week.  And with Mother's Day right around the corner I think there might be a few more surprises coming my way.

I hope you each have had a few pleasant surprises at your house lately, and for those of you who are moms, I wish you each a VERY Happy Mother's Day!

Treated Royally and A Shout Out

Yesterday my family gave me the royal treatment.  It started with sleeping in, followed by yummy scones for breakfast/lunch, and then a delicious dinner complete with a beautifully set table.

Our daughter came home for the weekend, which is always a treat.  I just love having everyone under one roof!

On Saturday, my son asked what I wanted for Mother's Day and I told him not a thing.  He then informed me that if I didn't tell him something I wanted, I would get something I didn't want.  

When I opened my gifts there was this single asparagus shaped taper candle (pictured above) and as I pulled it out he was grinning from ear to ear...so was my daughter who had gone shopping with him!  He said it was the ugliest thing he could find and that because I hadn't given him any ideas this was my "something you don't want" present.  I hate to tell him, but the joke was on him since I like my pretty little asparagus candle, and my only disappointment was that he could only find one!

Along with the soaps, a gift certificate, and the candle, I also received this wonderful book Perfect English by Ros Byam Shaw with photography by Chris Tubbs.

If you've been reading my blog for awhile now, then you know how much I LOVE design books, especially beautifully photographed ones and this one did not disappoint!

It's full of wonderful text and glorious imagery of quintessential English country design and decor, which allows it to live up to the title of Perfect English!

My roses are now in full bloom, and my daughter created a lovely table arrangement for my Mother's Day feast yesterday evening.  We had grilled steaks, fresh asparagus, organic potatoes, and berry sherbet for dessert...yum!

Mr. Tide's gift to me was doing a ton of yard work this past weekend and buying me some blueberry bushes and flowers that will bring me lots of enjoyment for years to come!

I also treated myself to a few pretties the past few weeks, including these lovely green cut glass votive holders, which we used at dinner last night.  I also picked up a few pieces from Mason Cash to add to my ever growing bowl collection.  I bought a set of pudding basins, a mixing bowl, and then 4 small oval baking dishes which I hope to use to bake individual pot pies this winter, or maybe yummy creme brulee!

I hope you all had equally wonderful Mother's Day celebrations yesterday!  And thank you to my family for helping make my job as a mother very easy!!!

This week will be another busy one as I am hosting our local garden club this evening, working on a story that was due 2 months ago (yeah this is the life of a writer sometimes...things get delayed or pushed back and you just have to go with the flow), a photo shoot on Wednesday, and I have an art show this weekend that I'll tell you more about in an upcoming post, so it's push time!

But before I go, I wanted to give a shout out to my dear friend Fifi O'Neill!  Her book has been burning up the charts...and is topping lists everywhere!  Congratulations Fifi, I can't think of a more deserving person!!! xoxo

Romantic Prairie Style ranked #6 in sales on Nielsen Bookscan
for two weeks in a row in the Hardcover House & Home category, as reported in the
Best-Selling Books listing (week ended April 17th) in the April 23, 2011 edition of
The Wall Street Journal
Circulation: 9,963,418

Happy Mother's Day

Wishing you...

A Very...

Happy...

Mother's Day!!!

Cards, Crabs, and a Flash

I hope all of you mothers out there had a wonderful day surrounded by those you love!

I sure had a great day today, from sunrise and counting...well maybe from 9 am anyway since I slept in!  I actually got way more gifts than I expected.  We aren't big present people except for birthdays and Christmas, so when I had 2 boxes to open I was so excited! 

First Mr. Tide bought me a very cool piece of camera equipment, a bounce flash!  A bounce flash allows you to bounce the light off of the ceiling, or almost anywhere, so that your photos are much brighter but don't have that harsh light which is often created when using a flash.  When shooting interiors of homes, or at dimly lit events, having a good bounce flash is critical.  I got the chance to try my new flash out on Saturday (he let me open it early so that I could use it for my two shoots on Saturday) and it made a HUGE difference! 

I took the picture above without using the bounce flash.  You can see how light the area around the window is, but the further you move away from the window the darker the room appears.

Here is the same basic shot, but with the help of the bounce flash the lighting is much more uniform.  Both photos were sharpened using PS Elements and the second one was lightened slightly, but you can see what a difference using a bounce flash can make.  This was such a great present and will make my photo shoots much less dependent upon the weather, and I can now shoot in low light as well as bright light!  *Happy Dance*!!!  Oh, and if you didn't already know (and no, I don't get compensated in ANY way), if you buy camera equipment from B&H Photo in NYC, be sure to do it through Kate, from Chronicles Of A Country Girl so that she can get a little pocket change out of the deal!  She has a button for B&H on her sidebar, that's what Mr. Tide used, and I know Kate greatly appreciates the support!

Today, I was served a yummy breakfast which included pumpernickel toast, bacon, walnuts, and fresh organic strawberries... yum!  And then it was time for me to open the present from my son and daughter!  They both admit that now that I am a blog-a-holic, buying presents for me has gotten a lot easier.  

And they also know what an addiction I have to dishes, so they gave me these gorgeous melamine crab plates from Pottery Barn!!!  I love anything with crabs on it, I'm a native Marylander after all, and these plates are perfect for summer dinners on the back patio overlooking the water eating corn on the cob, fresh peaches, and what else but...crab cakes, of course!  Thanks Bugs and Angelfish!

They also each gave me a beautiful card with the sweetest handwritten messages inside.  They make me tear up every single year, no matter how old the two of them are!  Mr. Tide tried to buy me a card a few weeks ago, but I insisted that he give me a back rub instead, and I think I won out in that deal!

So there you have it, my wonderful Mother's Day 2010, surrounded by the ones I love the most and lavished with presents, good food, and warm wishes, can you really ask for more than that?!

Oh and did you notice that sweet changing table in the "bounce flash" photos above?!  Well I'll be showing you lots more pictures of that darling nursery one day this week!  It is too sweet, and you won't want to miss seeing it!  

Until then my friends, enjoy your week ahead!