Stupid Cupid

(An old love note from 1906...)

My Dear Blanche,

How are you?

Why don't you come to C. sometime 

and call on your friends?

Another birthday for you.

Well Blanche, hope you will have 

many more happy birthdays.

With much love, Andy

(Blanche, if you didn't want anything to do with him,

why did you save this old card all those years?)

What was on your mind, Blanche?
(let's ALL pretend we're Blanche...what WAS on her mind?)
"Dear Andy...well,..."
(I'd love to hear your comments on this one!)

Sharing with: 
Be Inspired at Common Ground
Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage
Sunny Sundays at Elaine's

Snow Angel

I leave my angels out all year...

I have a cluster of them in an angel garden,

but for now I've photographed just one.

Just one sweet angel in a dusting of snow dimpled with winter rain...

with one red bloom.

She's bringing the dreary landscape

to life right now

with a splash of color.

A dash of soft red amid textured winter browns...

...just to brighten the view out the window
for one sweet day.

Sharing with:

Savvy Sothern Style's Wow Us Wednesday
Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage
Be Inspired Friday at Common Ground

Winter Rain

 Thank goodness for old roses...

because everyone seems to be cranky.

Kids are cranky because we never got a heavy snowfall and they really love sledding.

Crankiness in the work place seems to be a given in January, too.

Things must get accomplished, but there just isn't enough sunlight to make it a day's work.

It's supposed to be 60 degrees on Tuesday and then back to 15 the next day (!)

Last night our furnace blew out after our new purchase just 11 months ago...(super cranky)...

made to break piece of crap.

And,

 tax season is here.

*sigh*

Some people are already feeling the wallet crunch even though no one's even filed yet.

So, thank goodness for old roses.

They're beautiful even when they're spent.

They're one old constant that always delights.

Makin' the rain a little sweeter today with my pinks...

Sharing with:

Sunday Best at My 1929 Charmer

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm

An Antique Valentine and My Gibson Gals

I have always loved February...
(get here already, will you??)

For me it means the end of winter is near.

The end of dark days.
And here love blooms like a honeycomb Valentine.
It IS the month of love, of course.

I always envision February as a vibrant red in my mind's eye.
And so are the covers of my two volumes of Gibson's Gals.

Are you familiar with Gibson's Gals?

If not, you will enjoy...

My dad found these in the garbage about ten years ago already.

The volumes are valued at over $100 apiece.

Gibson Gals are traditional ink print artworks

featuring damsels from the 1800s.

Many demonstrate the female power over the weaker sex.

This one is called,
"A Young Lawyer Argues His First Important Case."

This one, "Summer Sports."
(Love how the men are kites).

Many also illustrate regret, as in marrying for money.

The best images demonstrate lovely encounters..
"All Broken Up."

and old love,
"An Interrupted Story."

Sharing with 

Savvy Southern Styles' Wow Us Wednesday

French Country Cottage's Feathered Nest Friday

Inspiration Friday at Common Ground

Sugar and Spice...

...and tea cups and cheese boxes...

that's what this girl is made of.

I have a small collection of both 

that I feel will be making their blog debut within the next few weeks.

It is so brown outside...

and all that is inspiring to me right now are blooms

purchased from the store.

High of 9 today.

Brisk!

I have a few tiny teas that I inherited...

they are Japanese and quite delicate.

My cheese boxes are more rustic...

averaging just a few dollars at any local thrift and find.

This one Dan got me for Mother's Day

and I think he said it was four dollars.
That's about the average price.

I love the vintage graphics on them

and I use them in the kitchen to organize odds and ends,
like bills on the microwave or bracelets (when I am washing dishes).

But today, she looks good with some pinks.

Toodles, and see you at Linda's

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday!

Winter Whites

White bouquets in winter always do it for me.

They hit the spot; they satiate my desire for a flower 

that's not unseasonal in appearance
at a time when I feel everything seems out of place...

...the Christmas gear is packed away,
but I can't bring myself to bring out the starfish yet.

They pair beautifully

with any furniture piece in the house
and I love them in clear glass.

They are simple
but exhibit grandeur 
without being overwhelming in my home.

The white flower is fresh and crisp

but never harsh.

Had to add a bit of bloom 
to the grocery list this week.

I'm impatient for spring, can't you tell?


Sharing with:

Savvy Southern Style's Wow Us Wednesday
Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage
Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground

Rack My Vintage Brain

Just when you think you're done with school...

your kids go to school....

...and once again you are learning about subject/verb agreement, predicates, 

linking verbs, etc, and trying to explain the grammatical rule

rather than go by what just sounds right.

It's exhausting when they don't get it

and you have to go over it

over and over

and

over.

Well, I'm a child when it comes to technology!

Thank you to all who emailed me about my Blogger technology/ photo editing issue.

There is always some new glitch that I can't seem to navigate on my own.

Can't they keep it simple for the simple folk?

Does the system have to be so complicated?!

 

I appreciate your help, friends!

Linking my thrifty books to 

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm

and Savvy Southern Style's Wow Us Wednesday

Help Me Folks, Blogger Hates Me

1) I cannot upload photos again.  It says I have "lost connection to server" in the photo block 

when I am mid-post and attempting a photo insert. It comes up with a little orange triangle with an
exclamation point in it stating this fact.   Then the post freezes altogether.  Grrr......

2) And THEN I tried establishing a Picasa Web album, rather than just pulling images off of my 
hard drive, and my images pull up, but then 'circle' and still don't upload to the post,
again freezing the post.

3) I am using Google Chrome (Chrome had solved my similar photo upload issue last week when

Internet Explorer and Firefox both said they "do not recognize my address.")

Now a photo issue again, but says I have lost connection to server?  What to do?

Help!  What do I do?

Formally January

This year there wasn't any snow for Christmas.

In fact, it was more brown than anything!

But we did get a bit of a dusting recently.

I can enjoy it a bit out our window...

it makes for a cozy winter day when it's sunny.

Although most of the decorations came down after the kings came,

I leave the evergreen garlands up for awhile.

I can't stand the nakedness of the house after Christmas celebrations.

So, leaving the greens up an extra week here allows me that extra winter garnish.

Oh, the stockings are still up in this photo.

Those did come down.

But the green will be stayin' in  my birdie cage a bit longer.

It's all natural and winter-y inside,

and I love the greens with my grey walls.

I'm trying to stretch my Christmas cheer out into winter cheer since it's so gloomy outside.

And one last favorite old pic of mine here...

Baby when she was just a baby in my Frenchy chair, her first winter.

(And I'm thinkin' now, those chairs are THAT old already?  I just got those).

Sharing with:

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm

Savvy Southern Style's Wow Us Wednesday

Inspiration Friday at Common Ground

Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage

A Late New Year's Greeting

Everyone had all kinds of nice 2012 reflection posts as the year whisked away...

....not I, said the hen.

They were inspiring to read, but I couldn't bring myself to pen a post.

Just enjoying the time off.

Now, I go back to work tomorrow, and reality has finally started to sink in.

And now I sit down to write.

And now my photos won't upload with my USB...I need a new cord.
Had to put the card into the drive.
Then, my photos won't upload through Internet Explorer.
Had to disable cookies.
Then, after Dan downloads Google Chrome, my freshly edited pics are gone.

Hour and a half later, don't know that I'm so inspired to write now.

I'd throw in the towel altogether,
(but I do enjoy writing once in awhile, you know.)

Sigh.

I do love this shot.
It's from our church's garden.

Spring is just around the corner, my true favorite time of the year.

 I must say I'm anxious for March.

 I need to learn to enjoy January.

Health and wealth to everyone!