~The View~

~The View from my porch today~

Today is one of those rare days when the sun is shining and the temperature is perfect. As I type this, the curtains are billowing in the breeze and I can hear birds singing outside my window. I am alone in the house except for two lazy dogs, sprawled at my feet.

The coming week is one that is full of possibilities. The entire week stretches out before me in which there is only ONE task that I must complete…something which is even rarer than the perfect sunny day.

I truly love and enjoy people, and can be a very social person. But I am a “homebody” at heart, and there are times that I begin to feel burdened by social obligations. Summertime is especially taxing, with its round of picnics and weddings and graduations…and I am sometimes overwhelmed by the constant rush to be somewhere or the effort it sometimes requires to be with other people.

The older I get, the more I crave quiet solitude, and the less I feel the need to be apologetic about it.  Sometimes I am happiest when I am alone. I am blessed with the endless ability to entertain myself and never run out of things to do. I’m never bored with my own company…qualities that have always pleased my mother.

I have a great deal of company in the house, especially in the morning when nobody calls.
~Henry David Thoreau~

 And so, I am eagerly anticipating this large block of unfettered time. I relish the thought of completing simple household chores without hurrying, preparing healthy meals, and spending time reading and stitching. This week, I plan to take time to just “sit”...as there is nothing better than mornings on the porch, with coffee, pups and time to daydream.

The coming week is one that is full of possibilities…what will you do with yours?

Until next time…

Rhonda

(Please forgive the crazy spacing...blogger is a mess today.) 

~Mother's Day Wishes~

This photo of my Grandparents Ralph and Beulah Dalton, with seven of their eight children, was taken around 1942. My mother, Martha, is in the middle row on the far left. 

~No Love like a Mother's Love~

"There is no love, like a mother's love, no stronger bond on earth... like the precious bond that comes from God, to a mother, when she gives birth.

A mother's love is forever strong, never changing for all time... and when her children need her most, a mother's love will shine.
God bless these special mothers, God bless them every one... for all the tears and heartache, and for the special work they've done.

When her days on earth are over, a mother's love lives on... through many generations, with God's blessings on each one.
Be thankful for our mothers, for they love with a higher love... from the power God has given, and the strength from up above."

~Jill Lemming~

 

~Happy Mother's Day!~

Until next time...

Rhonda

~Tokens of Love~

 I ask you, is there anything more romantic than a man bearing vegetables from his own garden?

~A gift from Mr. Kattywhompus~

I think I'll cook something delicious to reward him for his efforts. This recipe from his great Aunt is on the dinner menu tonight.

Aunt Bob's Asparagus Casserole

3 cups fresh asparagus, chopped and steamed (water too)

OR

(2, 10 oz. cans of canned asparagus, with water)

1 cup cubed cheese

1 1/2 cups cracker crumbs

1 cup milk

1/4 cup roast red pepper

1 tsp salt (I use 1/2 tsp.)

1/4 cup melted butter

Set butter aside. Gently toss remaining ingredients together in a large bowl. Place mixture in a 9"X 9" baking dish and drizzle butter over the top. Bake for 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees.

Aunt Bob is the wife of Uncle Louie, of  Uncle Louie's Apple Cake fame.

Until next time...

Rhonda

~Tuesday Display Chain~ Baskets

Each Tuesday Misi, of Gable House Musings, chooses a theme and invites bloggers to play along with her "Tuesday Display Chain". This week we are showing off baskets of every kind. 

As a collector first of "country", and then primitives, I have accumulated my fair share of baskets. I've even woven a few myself. Baskets are wonderful and useful for so many things...these are a few of my favorites.

~I'll start by showing you a couple of baskets I made years ago. This one, perched on a pile of handwovens is one I am particularly proud of.~

~This Shaker Cheese Basket was the most difficult basket I've even woven. It's so hard to get the little holes even..still not sure I got it right.~

This is the workbasket that I keep next to my chair. It is a large handwoven piece, with an oak handle. I'm sure it's very old. It was passed from my Grandmother to my Mom, and then to me. I remember it, lightly spray painted gold (yikes!) and filled with pine cones at Christmas time when I was a child. Thankfully all the paint seems to have worn away with time. When I told Mom it might be valuable, she replied "No... not that old thing."

~The contents of this particular basket are ever changing. Here it is brimming with antique homespuns taken from a worn out quilt and a pair of sleeves from a 1800's plaid dress.~

~Another of my favorite baskets...it is both functional and beautiful. This was made to hang on the clothesline and hold pins. It was woven at the school for the blind in Chicago, at the turn of the century. I love using beautiful things in my everyday chores, don't you?~

~This little honeysuckle vine basket holds sewing goodies, including two bonnet shaped needle books...one old, one reproduction.~

~A basket of sewing needfuls, including a half-finished pair of socks knitted on old wire.~

~Speaking of sewing needfuls, this little prairie doll pincushion, totes her laundry and my extra pins, in a sweet miniature basket.~

   ~I bought this basket, woven from honeysuckle vine, as a young wife. When the rim started to come unraveled, I couldn't bear to part with it, so I wrapped it with a strip of antique calico. Now, it's ready for many more years of service.~ 

~Technically this isn't a basket...but all of my Easter goodies are still packed away so I thought this would give a touch of springtime to my otherwise dreary collection. I've always loved the colors and the basket weave pattern on this little gem.~ 

Until next time...

See the other Tuesday Display Chain participants at: http://1890gablehousemusings.blogspot.com/

~Early Work Mercantile Updated~

Things are hoppin' at Early Work Mercantile...hope you'll stop by! 

Bunnies are all *SOLD*~ Thank you kindly!

The Stage Is Set

Once again, Misi, at Gable House Musings has come up with a way to entertain us. 

I'm bursting with excitement over her Spring Scavenger Hunt!

Misi  has asked each participant to submit a photo of the area in their home where the found items will be photographed each week. This was easy for me because I have a little corner of the buttery where I take most of the photos for my Etsy shops.

Beginning Friday, March 11th you'll see this...

...laden with the items that Misi chooses each week.  

In order to stay in the running for her amazing prize, I'll have to find 4 out of six items on her list. I'm guessing it will get harder each week. Wish me luck!

Until next time...

~Tuesday Display Chain~ Spring Florals

Each Tuesday Misi, of Gable House Musings, chooses a theme and invites bloggers to play along with her "Tuesday Display Chain". This week, at Old Lady Morgan's request, we are sharing how we accent our displays with Springtime florals, picks and vines.

Now admittedly, I have not done much in the way of Spring decorating. And typically, I go with dried or fresh flowers from the garden and roadside. But as luck would have it, I picked up a few silks and artificial things at the end of the season last year. So, here goes... 

 ~Aged cheesecloth and twine add a realistic touch to a bouquet of silk daffodils and white dogwood on the kitchen table. Daffodils are one of my favorite flowers. I was really quite taken with these...even the stems look real.~

 

~I've switched out a dark bonnet for a lighter one and added some "snowdrops" to the greens already in this wooden box. Instant Springtime!~

One of the things I found on clearance last year were these wonderful herb bundles. They look so real that I was amazed...the foliage is variegated and some leaves are even fuzzy-just like the real thing!

The faux herb bundles are fabulous for tucking in baskets, crocks or softening up a wood shelf or box.

~This little vine basket makes a perfect nest for my favorite spun cotton chicklet.~

~A pretty dogwood pick accents English Abbey transferware and a pair of dancing rabbits.~

~In the living room, silk forsythia and pussy willows surround gourd eggs nestle in a bed of natural flax.~

~A nest, a bowl and a chick, lend some color to a dark step-back cupboard.~

A hand carved jenny wren, makes it's home in an abandoned birds nest. The little ironstone pedestal bowl was a thrift store find. 

~Sometimes simple is still best. Creamy white tulips from Trader Joes, displayed in an old graniteware pitcher.

And for our hostess Misi...a little vintage foo foo. The old basket has faded silk and paper flowers woven around the rim, and I collect these old plush bunnies. I'm not sure why I find them so sweet and endearing. But that's a collection for another day.

See the other Tuesday Display Chain participants at: http://1890gablehousemusings.blogspot.com/

Until next time...