Rosie Real

 Happy Birthday to my niece, Michele.


Since Rose came into our lives,
Holly and I have been singing "I'm really Rosie and I'm Rosie Real."

I started it...and now we are all singing.

Finally, headed over to youtube. 

Wonderful memory rush.

Maurice Sendak with Carol King singing

When we aren't singing we are mad dogging.

A member of staff just dragged the metal trash can across the room
to change the liner...seriously, she couldn't have lifted it?
Alas, customer service and common courtesy just aren't what they used to be.

.  

Upcycle Vintage

Placement is a little off...we'll fix that eventually. 
Sew thrift store dollies together.
See the rooster and tulips.  Favorite motifs at the Pumpkin
Cottage.

Mr. Lee drilled some holes for drainage, added a layer of
rocks and cactus soil.
Voila.  Charming, no?

Watched Romantics Anonymous in French with
English subtitles.  Just a lovely lovely film.
The soundtrack is good, too. 

Vintage Treasure Hunt

Day tripping.

Do a sparkly dance.

Light a fancy lamp

Enjoy your Saturday.

CrAFTY Journaling

The Naughty Secretary had this great craft idea.

A successful hunt ensued.  

it will be so cute... scrapping with a twist. 

counting our blessings

Sleep well little Rose. 

See you in the morning for breakfast. 

Inland Empire MS Walk 2013

Fighting the good fight. 

Day Trip to Orange, California

For nearly 30 years,  I have had a love affair with the
City of Orange's downtown and roundabout.
"The Circle" with a fountain in its center. 
Antiques galore, including my fav, County Roads.

Yummy food for every taste. 

My first job in Southern California was located in Orange
and there is where my love affair began.

Make a wish

Floating: Magnolia leaf and roses

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Bench at Country Roads.

Visiting does our hearts good.

Introducing Rose

There's a new kitty at our house.
Surprise surprise.

Look what Mark, my oldest, found while watering
the whiskey barrel rose planter.  
There were two tiny kittens found on Friday,

Can you feel Mr. Lee's eyes roll?
He is not cat people.
He loves dogs.
We recently started planning for a pup.

But late Friday afternoon he gets a call from home.
Guess what we found? Two tiny kittens, can
we keep them?

After a very long week, we went off to the animal hospital
with two tiny bundles of fur.

Rose is a healthy four week kitty.
Her tiny sister has spina bifida, there is a bare spot on her rump, and
her hind legs/paws are turned in. 
We were going to do the responsible thing.

Jacob was distraught because in his mind I am handicap.
Holly is pragmatic.
Lots of tears, but then a nurse steps up to provide the special care
she needs.  Yay.  Angels walk the earth every day if we simply
open our hearts to see.

Mr. Lee is allergic to kitty dander, and yet....
I LOVE this man.

Just a pom pom of fur.  Clovis, our 22 lb, black
cat is NOT happy with me.  Not one bit. 

Boa Pascoa

The Queen of Simple Pleasures

It gives me chills to think how truly blessed I am.

Amazing simple parents.
Parents who illustrated courage and dignity.
Parents who allowed us pets to love and lose.  
Parents who encouraged us to study.
Who believed with hard work and education anything was possible.

A mother who taught me to pray and prayed everyday of her life.

Older siblings who cared and provided for us.
Sisters who taught me the joy of hand crafts.
A brother to teach me the love of cars.
Another brother to experience cultural pleasures.
A sibling close in age.  I was never alone.

Life long friends.  New friends sent directly from
the Lord at every difficult  path in my journey.

A husband to treat me as his Queen.
Healthy brilliant children to engage me
with their pureness of spirit.  

No matter what you see on the outside.
The light inside comes from the Lord.

Love to Last a Lifetime

In, what I like to call, my former life, I had a interior designer and a mural artist.
The mural artist, Carol Cartwright, introduced me to the interior designer.
I was probably 27 years old living a privileged but empty existence.   

The interior designer had been a nurse, in her former life.
In retrospective, she may have recognized her younger self
in me.

She had been married for over 20 years and raised a family. 
The marriage was shallow and eventually ended in divorce.

While she was a nurse, she fell in love with a cardiac patient.
They married and united their grown children and ex-spouses
into a large extended family.  They celebrated holidays and even
sailed together. 

Her beloved husband passed seven years into their enchanted marriage. 
What is lucid in my recollection is her sharing:  "Those seven years filled
me like the 20 years never could."

Recognize the light bulbs of your life.
                                                 little e

Hall of Jeweled Doors

Thanksgiving 2011, Joe painted the upstairs hallway and ceiling.
Last spring Mr. Lee started painting the hallway doors.
Each door will be painted a different color.
Each will have a crystal door knob.


The office door has a special pet door.
To allow Clovis, our kitty, to enter but hopefully not allow
a future pup to enter.

 

All things are possible

Just recouping from a bit of oral surgery.
Whenever my body is under stress,
inflammation flares resulting in
sharp pain in the joints of my right leg.

It is my body's way of communicating...
Slow down.
Relax.
Be gentle.

A good reminder for all of us.
Happy Saturday.