happy things

There are a lot of things that make me happy. And most of these things are not things that I can photograph and share. Many of them are intangible and would require a good bit of thinking on my part to share them. Especially, to share them well.

But today, those are not the things I am sharing in this space. The things I am sharing today are quite tangible and photographable. And new.

I must admit some pretty swell things came into my possession over Christmas. How have I gone this long without owning rain boots? And such lovely aqua ones at that!

And speaking of aqua, how about this beautiful cast iron dutch oven? I have always wanted one and I believe Michael did a great job picking one out. I just keep staring at the lid. So pretty. Anyone have a great dutch oven recipe to share?

And what boot collection would be complete without some cowgirl boots? Well, not mine. I have wanted some for years and now I finally have a pair. Hmm, I am definitely seeing an aqua theme to my Christmas gifts.

And last, but not least, look at the bird feeder that Michael's dad built for me...

And look at those blue skies. This was just before Christmas when the weather was so beautiful. Now all that green is covered in white. We have had a lot of fun this past week watching the different birds visiting the feeder. I guess they are having a harder time finding food in the snow.

And do you know what else makes me happy? That I have posted two days in a row. What?! Yep. Apparently my new rule is working for me. Have a great weekend!

P.S. My dear friend, Kristi, has opened an Etsy shop. She has some great vintage and handmade items and some original photographs. Ooh, and she is hosting a giveaway right now. So, go check her out!

flower girl

I have really been loving the trend of necklaces with multiple charms on them. The other day I was going through a box of old trinkets when I came the charm that I got when I was a flower girl in my cousin Peggy's wedding. In the same box were this little heart charm that I had when I was little as well as the clear heart with a mustard seed in it (referencing Matthew 17:20). I immediately thought it would be great to place them on a necklace together.

I found the perfect chain at Target that was 18k gold over silver for just $9.99. And I have been wearing it a ton in the last week. I love that each of the charms has a special meaning for me. Here is the back of the flower girl charm. I have had it for 30 years! Wow!

And to impress you even further, I even have a photo of me at the wedding wearing the charm! I'm the blond on the far right. I kindly stole this image from my cousin's Facebook photos. Thanks Dana!

a treat from australia

a little while back i won a giveaway on nichola's blog. i received a wonderful package from her a few days ago. can you believe these fabrics?!  oh my! she picked out the perfect things for me. she also sent me a bag of wool roving. i have this book on hold at the library and i can't wait for it to come in so i can have a little fun with it. thanks so much nichola!

sunny

look what came in the mail for me! the lovely mystele sent "sunny" to live with me. i had been admiring this piece of artwork for a while and she was kind enough to send her to me with a very sweet note. mystele, i definitely believe she will bring a little sunshine even on the darkest days! thank you so much for your kindness, friend. for those of you who have not seen her artwork, do check it out here, here and here. she is so very talented and kind.

a treat for me

i had great plans for sewing this weekend since it was the first weekend we have spent at home in a while. however, the fact that we hadn't been home much in the last weeks meant that this house was in need of a good cleaning. it just felt kind of stale. i even washed curtains. so, i don't have any new sewn goodies to share. but i do want to share this little container that my mom and dad gave me for my birthday. i just love it. here is a full shot of it...
and in addition to the excitement of washing curtains (yeah, right!), friday afternoon proved to be quite a treat for me. i drove over to athens for this film festival. my reason for going was two-fold. one: notorious was one of the selections. i couldn't miss the chance to see cary grant on the big screen! two: robert osborne would be there in person to talk about the film. i am such a huge fan of his. his knowledge of classic hollywood and films is astonishing. one of my favorite parts of watching movies on tcm is getting to see his commentary before and after the film. it always contains such interesting facts. i was very happy to get the chance to meet mr. osborne after the q&a that followed the film. he was very gracious and kind.
i didn't realize how bad my hair looked that day until after i saw this photo. i apologize :)

treat for me

this is my treat of a pincushion from my friend erica. i love it! it will retain a special spot on my sewing table. thank you!