Wishing on a star, Beatrix Potter, Daydreams, Foxy Whiskered Gentlemen... and more...

January is almost here... a new beginning...  full of beauty and promises of delightfully enchanting things to come... the Long Nights Moon was beautiful... the next  morning, it was still full as it hung high in the sky above the Great Salt Lake just to the west of us...  the weather has been terribly cold and snowy here in my little town... so much so that our Nature walks have been shorter than usual... it started snowing Christmas Eve Day and been pretty much constant ever since...  almost two and a half feet now...  but just getting out and walking down the lane is so very intoxicating to me...  Jack and I try to identify little footprints in the snow...  which critter is it...  a squirrel?...  a mouse?...  the snow has blown until it is hard to tell...  the deer had a party in our back yard last night...  from the looks of their hoofprints in the snow, they surely must have been running around playing tag!... there are treats out for them...  apples and oranges... and they must be sneaking into the birdfeeders as well... for seed is scattered about everywhere!...  but that's okay...  our little family of Quail will come later and nibble it all up...

My Fairy Rose

I have tried really hard this year to like winter... but I must admit, it has been very hard... so...  I have been doing alot of things to keep busy until our beloved Springtime arrives...  it won't be too awfully long now...  maybe...  I hope...  there are Valentines in the stores now...  and most of the magazine covers speak  of Spring... looking out my window at the mounds of snow...  I do wonder if it really will come... but of course it will!... I must be more patient than I am...  I am not a patient person waiting for Spring...  are you?... I have been doing alot of reading these days...  I love to read...  and my choices vary...  I post often that many days, I am still that 10 year old little girl...  so on those days, I get out my treasured copies of my favorite books from my childhood... I printed out a copy of my beautiful Fairy Rose above and made it into a bookmark for me... little things help remind me of my gardens that too are anxious for sunshine and warmth... what are your favorite children's books?...  Beatrix Potter has got to be at the top of my list...  her stories are so sweet and simple... and I love everything having to do with England, her home... I think she and I would have been best of friends...  what with my love of Nature and all of God's precious little creatures, you know... and ever since I was a little girl I have always named all the little critters too... and I am English on my mama's side of the family... I have posted often about being French on my daddy's side of the family, and I am equally proud of my English heritage on my mama's side... and all of my ancestors from "across the pond"...   how fun to let my thoughts drift away... imagining some of my ancestors actually knew Beatrix Potter...  and visited her at her home, Hill Top in the Lake District... and they sipped tea together whilst she sketched little critters for her books...  sigh...  I love to daydream... do you?...

Beatrix Potter's Home Hill Top

 Photo Google Images

My love of her Tales lead me to another love...   precious little vintage porcelain figurines of her famous storybook characters...  I have a small collection... and am saving up for more... most of them are very old...  let me introduce you to some of them... that's one of my collection of her books in the background...  a teeny miniature set of twelve of her Tales...  first, here is "Foxy Whiskered Gentleman"... Beswick, England 1954...

Next, "Mrs. Tiggy Winkle"... Beswick, England 1948...

"Mrs. Rabbit"... Beswick, England 1951...

And "Little Black Rabbit"...  Royal Albert, England 1989... I bought several new (old) ones actually on Christmas Day on Ebay but they have not arrived yet...  I placed an opening bid on Jemima Puddleduck for $9.95... mint condition...   never in the world thinking I would win the bid, as they go for close to $200...  I forgot all about it until I came home from my sisters on Christmas Day and yikes!...  I won it for the $9.95!...  most people are not like me and looking at Ebay on Christmas morning I guess...  I am a "lucky duck"...  tee hee hee... 

Ooh,  the kettle is whistling, so it must be time for my tea...  wishing you all a beautiful beginning to a brand new year next week...  I don't make resolutions...  but I do make plans...  and wishes... and daydreams... do you?...  let the child in you come out...  my favorite saying is posted on my sidebar...  it has been since the beginning of my blog...

"You aren't just the age you are

you are all the ages you ever have been" ~Anon

Me age 1~2

Life is too short to not be happy... laugh every day, even at yourself... giggle even... be silly... keep a picture out of when you were a child... then be that little girl once more...  often...  take time to notice the smallest of things... a furry little squirrel in the snow, a glorious sunrise... a full moon at night... make plans... write them down... do something you love...  I love to sketch Nature and carry my little sketchbook on my Nature walks with me...  I also  plan on writing a childrens book this year...  I have always wanted to...  and since 13 is my lucky number, perhaps 2013 will be just the year to do so...  wish upon a star... then blow kisses to the wind ... wherever your daydreams may  take you this year...  I hope it is a most happy place... like mine... xoxo...  Julie Marie  Linking this post with "Be Inspired Friday" at Debra's place Common Ground...

Cheers...

A toast to all of you...  my dear friends...  here's to a most beautiful beginning to a brand new year ahead... may all your cares be left behind you...  and only happiness and good health be yours ... 

Happy New Year! ... à votre santé!...    xoxo  Julie Marie

  

Yes... I am daydreaming of Spring...

Another Christmas has come and gone...  I hope yours was beautiful... ours was just right... could not have been any better... the snow started Christmas Eve day and is continuing as I write...  I know we have alot of winter ahead of us...  but once Christmas is over...  my thoughts turn to Spring... I know I am not the only one...  my sweet friend Amy at My Shabby Bungalow  feels the same way I do...  we love flowers and bunnies... and birdies and nests...  and woodland critters... and the warmth of the sun on our face...and Valentines and Easter... and the sweet smell of blossoms... 

I just can't help it... I know somewhere out in my garden underneath all of this snow, my sweet little violets are shivering and shaking...  like me...  wishing for a nice, warm sunny Spring day...

No...  I do not want to wish the time away... and I treasure each and every moment of every day...  but... I  really don't like cold and snow except for Christmas... it happens this way every year at this time... I am anxious to be in my gardens once more... so, today I will be putting away all of my Christmas decorations, and doing some cleaning house...  I love to get a "fresh start" with every room dusted and vacuumed...  and some little touches here and there of the Spring to come...  Santas and elves will be replaced with birdnests and dried roses in jars... just little touches really...  but they make my heart sing...  stacks of garden books and seed catalogs are placed by my favorite chair next to my fireplace...  ready to linger over with my garden journal in hand and a nice hot cup of Lady Grey at my side... Tessy is playing with her new toys and Jack is reading some of his new books he received... a nice, warm cosy day inside...  spent relaxing after the hustle and bustle of Christmas...  the calendar may say it is winter...  but my thoughts are swirling with beautiful images of Spring...  xoxo...  Julie Marie

" 'Twas the night before Christmas... and all through the house...

"Not a creature was stirring...

 Not even a mouse"...  

Merry Christmas everyone!... it is snowing here today with more predicted tonight...  a White Christmas in my little town for sure!... wishing you the same... xoxo...  Julie Marie

He's Makin' a List and Checkin' it Twice...

I have posted this before...  it is a pillow I bought for my sister some years ago...  but it is soo cute I just had to post it again this year...

Merry Christmas everyone!... I hope you all made the list!...   xoxo...  Julie Marie

Nature...

No snow yet today,  but it has turned bitter cold outside now... the windchill this morning is making our mean temperature 8 degrees...  brrr!...  our feeders are going non~stop with our little feathered friends visiting all day long... here's the lunch crowd from yesterday...  don't you just hate waiting to be "seated"?...

"One touch of Nature makes the whole world kin" ~ William Shakespeare

xoxo...  Julie Marie 

Believe...

Good morning ladies... just a short post here...  usually, when I sit down to post,  the words come easily to me and I could oft times write a book I have so much to say...  for the past week however, the words just don't seem to come to me to express all I am feeling, as I know you all are too...  some bloggers are staying silent, many are posting beautiful tributes... we all grieve in our own ways... I did a post of remembrance the other night for all of the victims in Connecticut...  but ended up pulling it as the words were not exactly what I wanted to say... my heartaches and prayers continue for them all...  my heart told me I needed to post something... for everyone affected...  I do have a favorite word...  one that always comforts me...  I have it in alot of places in our home...  to remind me...  to always Believe...

Jack and I will be spending a quiet Christmas at home...  with one precious little stray dog who came to stay almost two years ago... who has not left my side for the past week...  Tessy knows her mama has been hurting... I call her my healing dog... she truly is a gift from God...  I just want to hold her and all of my family so much tighter than ever... we will be listening to beautiful Christmas carols... really listening to the words... and softly singing along with them... knowing that Jesus truly is the reason for the Season...

Christmas blessings to all of you... xoxo...  Julie Marie

Mrs. Santa's Vintage Cowgirl Boots...

Just like the real Santa Claus has "helpers" (remember your mama telling you that when you were a little girl... and you asked her how Santa could be at EVERY store???  all at the same time???...)  well...  the real MRS. Santa Claus has "helpers" too...  all across the country and around the world...  in my little rural town, Mrs. Santa Claus's "helper" wears boots of course...  but they are vintage white cowgirl boots... beautiful ones that once were worn by the Miss Apple Blossom Festival Queen in Wenatchee, Washington... a festival that has been going on for over ninety years...  for real... (purchased several years ago from  a pretty lady named Kelly at Farmstead Lifestyle)... yep...  Mrs. Santa's "helper" is a farmgirl at heart...  says the North Pole is just too darn cold for her...  she is quite outspoken too, this particular "helper" of the real Mrs. Claus...  says Santa always gets all the credit for Christmas, when infact, it is the "Mrs." who really does most of the work...  Julie Marie, oops, I mean Mrs. Santa's "helper" says she has been doing the shopping, the decorating, the wrapping, the crafting, the cooking, the baking, yada, yada, yada, while Jack, I mean,  Mr. Santa's "helper" is sitting in his favorite chair watching an old movie and eating chocolate peanut butter cups... resting up for the big night I suppose...  she says she loves him anyway!...

But, who do you think REALLY opened all those letters from little kids, and checked their lists... and made sure sizes were right on clothes for them, and that no candy canes were broken... and fed the reindeer... and cleaned up after the reindeer, and walked the reindeer and mended the elves stocking caps... and... and...  okay all of you Mrs. Santa's "helpers"...  take your boots off, put your feet up... fix yourself something warm and yummy to drink...  grab your latest copy of Romantic Homes and relax... you've done your part...  now it's up to Mr. C!...  xoxo...  Mrs. Santa's Helper in Centerville, Julie Marie  Linking this post to Vintage Christmas with Debra at Common Ground...  

Friday, December 14th...  like all of you, my heart is aching for the victims of this day's events.  I will be away from posting for a while, taking time to pray for all of the victims, their families, the emergency personnel who responded and their families, for all of the world who was affected by this tragic day...  and hold tightly to my own loved ones...

Vintage Ice Skates Tell a Beautiful Story...

Several years ago, I did a post here about the yard sale I almost didn't go to...  it was a treasure hunters dream...  mine... but it was real...  everything there was 25 cents...  nothing more... the family of the vintage man who had passed away were all there... along with fifty plus years of a lifetime of beautiful treasures...  I came home with my SUV packed to the brim...  everything from a Roseville cookie jar to Bavarian china to a Red Wing pottery bowl...  for real...  25 cents a piece...  I told the family these things were all very valuable and they should think carefully before  parting with them... especially for those prices...   they thanked me and said they had each taken all they wanted and wanted these things to go to good homes... so...  many of them did...  mine...  among the boxes and boxes of goodies, I found two beautiful vintage pair of ice skates...  one was a tiny child's size and the other a ladies pair...  they were white and in immaculate condition...

My dear friend Celeste of Celestina Marie Designs paints vintage ice skates...  and I knew I wanted her to paint something for me...  I sent her both pair of skates...  gifting her with the small child's pair for herself and asking if she might paint mine when she got a chance... no hurry...  the Summer passed quickly...  then Autumn came and went that year... and before I knew it, it was almost Christmas time... I had actually forgotten that I had sent Celeste the skates that past Summer...  then,  a box arrived for me in the mail... and inside...  were my beautiful vintage skates...  coming home to me...  a gift from Celeste...  with her magic touch on them...  she knows how much I love my beautiful surrounding countryside... and "my" barn which is just down the lane and around the bend... Jack and I walk past it every day...  in winter...  it is like something from Currier and Ives... I stop to photograph it every time we walk past it...

So, Celeste fashioned my ice skates after my beautiful barn...  putting her magical touches on them as only she can do...

She could tell from the fur inside of them and the type of blades, etc that they were from the 40's, my favorite era... she painted the small ones for herself with her signature pink roses... and they are just stunning too!...  the blades on mine now glisten with sparkly glitter and she added faux fur around the tops...  they are much too precious to me to put outside or even on our door...  so they sit nestled on a little shelf in my hall tree just inside our entryway...  the first thing everyone sees as they enter my home...

You know my vintage treasures all have a story to tell...  whispers from the past, I call them... and these beautiful skates are no different... close your eyes...  and listen closely...  for they are whispering of Christmases long ago...  and a beautiful lady and her little girl... another time...  another place...  skating across a frozen pond...  giggling and laughing...  the air frosty and delightful... giddy with anticipation as Christmas Day nears... Believe in the magic of Christmas!...  xoxo...  Julie Marie  Linking this post with Patti and Paula at Ivy and Elephants for What's It Wednesdays, Jann at Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson for Vintage Christmas and Debra at Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Fridays Vintage Christmas...

This picture has absolutely nothing at all to do with this post... but  it's cold and snowing hard here today...  so Tessy wanted to show you all her pink and beige sweater, pink neckwarmer and stocking cap she's wearing to go walk down the trail today!... I love my little girly girl sugarplum!... she makes me smile...   

A Gardener's Christmas...

I do love this blessed Season of Christmas...  and all of the beauty it brings...  but as a gardener... besides thinking about Christmas...  my thoughts are always on the Spring that is to come...  and my gardens that await...  many a long, cold winter's eve is spent lingering over seed catalogs...  a nice hot cup of tea at my side... planning and dreaming...  plotting and scheming... jotting down notes in my garden journal as I sit in a cozy chair in my bedroom by my little fireplace and start to dream...  so...  I decided to do a little "gardener's" Christmas of sorts on a little table in there...

A pretty little sparkly nest... a couple of vintage ornaments that graced our family tree when I was a little girl...  feeling blessed that I inherited a love of gardening and Nature and all living things from my mama, my grandmother and my great~grandmother...  much of my inspiration each year as I buy and plant my flowers still comes from their gentle whispers... my paperwhites are blooming now and they seemed like just the perfect touch for my little "gardener's" Christmas corner...

Remember when they looked like this...  just a couple of weeks ago?...  those are Jeanne D'Arc crocus just starting to peek up in my vintage sugar bowl...

For now...  I have the best of both Seasons... excited for Christmas... with just a bit of dreaming of my first blooms in Spring...  because that's what gardeners do, you know... 

Linking with my sweet gardening friend Tracie at Fish Tail Cottage for Natural Christmas decor this Tuesday...xoxo...  Julie Marie

Deck the Harley With Boughs of Holly...

 "Deck the Harley with boughs of Holly...  fa la la la la... la la la la...

"Jack is going to kill me when he gets home from coffee...  fa la la la la...  la la la la...  "  You know me...  our home is all  decked out for Christmas... and Jack's beloved Harley looked so lonely out in the garage this time of year...  soooo... fa la la la la...  la la la la... actually... he loves my vivid imagination and craziness!  I do this every year... he'd be disappointed if I didn't do it again this year... and little does he know that when he rides it after Christmas, he always has glitter on his bum...  tee hee hee!...   Jack is a retired police officer and rode motors for much of his career and was the motors training officer...  they always rode Harleys...  gee...  I wonder if the whole SLCPD  motor squad would like me to decorate theirs...  hmmm???...fa la la la la...  xoxo  Julie Marie

The Softer Side of Christmas...

The decorating is all done... honestly it  took me several weeks to do it all...  and I will admit it...  I am tired!...  but it is a good tired...  a feeling of accomplishment... and  everything really does look beautiful... a winter wonderland inside for sure...  elves and Santas from Christmases past mingle with angels and reindeer from Christmas present... sooo...  I took my own little "holiday home tour" last night...  but there was just one home on the tour...  ours... and just one person on the tour...  moi...  well...  one sweet little doggie took the tour with me... hoping there would be refreshments at the end of the tour!...  Jack has already taken the tour...  about fifty times I think...  every time I do something he hasn't seen...  he must take the tour all over again... tee hee hee!...  

 You know me...  I love it all... the trees, the ornaments, the elves and Santas...  the memories... especially the memories...  soon...  Christmas will be here... with cookies and spiced cider...  and pumpkin pie and Christmas candy... and children's laughter... and glittery lights on all of the homes...  I want to savor every single moment of it... I want to linger by the flickering fire... I want to sing Christmas carols... I want to walk up to the old~fashioned tree lot just down the lane one more time and breathe in the Heavenly smell of fresh cut pines... and gather more boughs...  the nice man who owns it is the same one who has his veggie stand there all Summer along with his flowers and plants he sells...  he lets me take the boughs he has trimmed off of the trees when someone wants one shaped up a bit...  how fun it is to carry an armful home with me...  back down the lane...  around the bend... as my home comes into view...  I can't wait to find the perfect spot to arrange these beautiful finds...   I must take him a little box of my homemade brownies as a thank~you...  I love kind people!...

The girls turned in our Angel Tree gifts yesterday...  sorry...  I did not get a chance to photograph what I bought my two "sugarplums" as I didn't think we were turning them in until next week...  cute little outfits for both the little boy and little girl... a pink rose covered tea set and Barbie for my little angel girl and a truck and an Army set for my little angel boy...  a pink cupcake fleece blanket for little girl...  a red snowman blanket for little boy...  plush reindeer stuffed animals for both...  and Christmas candy for each... must have candy at Christmas time...  I hope my little "sugarplums" have a Merry Christmas too... 

I do believe I have shown you all of my decorations... I know I have done many posts...  seems I always do this time of year...  but my beautiful vintage soft pink ornaments nestled in a jar filled with dried pink roses and petals  from my garden seemed to reflect the mood I feel right now...  the softer side of Christmas...  angels and snowflakes... Bing crooning White Christmas...  sugar cookies covered in pastel sprinkles... cozy flowery jammies... a warm cup of tea in a vintage chintz teacup...  and a feeling and prayer for Peace on Earth... wishing you all of these beautiful feelings as well...  xoxo... Julie Marie

My Hot Chocolate Station...

I have been loving seeing everyones cute candy stations, treat stations... hot chocolate stations and all...  so much so that I decided to set up a hot chocolate station of my own today!...  every night when Jack and I sit down to relax and maybe watch a movie or something, I fix us a nice, relaxing cup of hot chocolate...  how fun to gather all my necessities and put them in one place!...

I rounded up my Christmas mugs and cups...  measuring spoons and such...  hot chocolate of course...  candy canes for swizzle sticks...  a little jar with a lid holds mini marshmallows waiting to toss in...  yum!...

Must have some yummy chocolate candy to go along with our drinks...

 
I placed it all in a corner on my counter...

And also on my wooden plate drying rack...

Love how it all came together...

Can't wait till tonight for my special treat!...

What could be better on a foggy and cold winters night...  xoxo...  Julie Marie

Best~ever Brownies for Christmas...

Our home is all decorated...  our gifts are almost all bought... cards addressed and ready to mail...  time to put on some Christmas music and begin my baking... one of my most favorite parts of the holidays!...  I love to cook and bake and spend a good deal of time in our kitchen...  infact, it's my favorite room in our house... I start baking early and freeze most everything... I learned that when I was a little girl and my mama and her friends would do that... funny thing is though...  all the yummy cookies and brownies and such tasted just as good frozen in the middle of the night when we'd sneak out into the kitchen when no one was looking and we'd snatch some!... 

Brownies are one of my favorites of all...  one of our neighbors had the best brownie recipe ever...  it is the only one anyone in our family ever made and I still make it to this day...  it's so simple yet sooo delicious!...  I don't even frost them...  just a little sugar on the bottom of them when they have cooled and they are ready to freeze (or eat!)...  it's always so much fun swapping recipes...  I hope you all will share some too...  for now, here is the recipe for the best ever brownies!...

Darlene Wilson's Brownies

3/4 C flour

1 C sugar

5T cocoa (I always use Hersheys powdered cocoa)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 C butter

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla (I always use real vanilla, not imitation)

1/2 C nuts (I use walnuts)

Grease and flour 10X10 pan.  Mix dry ingredients together, then add butter, eggs, vanilla and nuts.  Bake 350 degrees approx 30 minutes.  DON'T overbake!...  you know they are done when a toothpick comes out almost clean... don't let them dry out from baking too long!... makes about 1 dozen Brownies, so I usually double the recipe, then make even more!...  when cooled I cut them in squares and dip them in granulated sugar and some in powdered sugar...  they freeze great... and it's still fun to sneak into the kitchen in the middle of the night  and snatch one (or two!) right out of the freezer!... ( Tessy...don't tell on mama!)...  xoxo...  Julie Marie

Sugarplums... and Angels... and Family... and Friends...

What a beautiful...  enchanting... magical time of year... happy thoughts filled my mind today as I drove to meet my sister and the girls...  the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy softly playing in my car as I drove along the little back roads...   first we hugged then talked and  laughed and giggled as we sipped coffee and ate breakfast at a favorite little cafe...  then we were off to shop for our special adopted angels for Christmas...  we each had two angels from the Salvation Army's Angel tree... visions of sugarplums surely fill these sweet little angels heads this time of year too...  and we all think all little children need to know they are loved... especially at Christmas... our family has been so blessed all of our lives and nothing can compare to the feeling in our hearts knowing maybe...  just maybe...  these precious little angels will feel blessed at Christmas as well... before we went to shop, I gave my sister and  all of the girls these little Sugarplum Fairies I made for them...

I started calling my little adopted angels "sugarplums" as I do not know their names...  just their ages... gender...  and the few little special gifts they are hoping for...  my angels are a little 2 year old girl and a little five year old boy...  we all had so much fun shopping for our little ones...  I will post what I bought for my sugarplums in several days... then give them to the girls to turn in for Christmas...

As I drove back home, I played my cd over and over of the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy...  picturing in my mind two precious little children excited with their gifts from "Santa" Christmas morning...  I also thought of a very special friend of mine...  her name is Amy Arnaz...  she is a beautiful ballerina and she and her husband Desi own the Boulder City Ballet Company and the historic Boulder City Theater in Boulder City, Nevada...

Beautiful Amy

 (I snatched this from your blog Amy!)...

Every December, her ballet company performs the Nutcracker at their theater...  this year however, Amy was not able to choreograph everything as she had a knee replaced this past summer...  so they will not perform it this year...  I called Amy to chat with her for just a bit today...  she has a beautiful blog called Insights From the Magic Tutu,  however has not posted for a bit as she is still recovering... so Amy sweet lady... this post is for you...  full of love and sugarplums and all things happy!...  Several years ago, Amy gifted me with this beautiful little ballerina...  my very own Sugar Plum Fairy...  she sits out year round with another beautiful ballerina she sent me... and at Christmas time... I do believe she comes to life as sounds of the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy softly drift through our home...  and dear Amy...  my wish is that you too will be dancing again very soon... as I know how much you love your ballet...  and all of your precious ballerinas...    

  
So my day was filled with beautiful things...  family and friends...  happiness and love... angels and sugarplums...  tonight, I shall make a cup of my favorite tea this time of year...  can you guess what it is???...

Sending happy thoughts and visions of sugarplums to you too... and always...  always...  believe in the magic of Christmas... xoxo...  Julie Marie

"He who has not Christmas in his heart

will never find it under a tree" ~Roy L. Smith

Winter's Beautiful Secrets...

Don't you just love the quiet glow of a wintry night?...  I know I said I am not a winter person...  and I still prefer Spring, Summer and Fall...  but when I walked around our home last evening, turning on our trees and lamps...  I loved the soft winter's glow on my desk in our bedroom...  casting shadows that danced about on the walls like beautiful ballerinas...  maybe even the Sugarplum Fairy from the Nutcracker this time of year... I felt so cozy and warm in my little quiet corner...  perhaps I do like winter afterall???...  I sat down and wrote in my gratitude journal for the day, then jotted down my list of things to do...  all in good time...  no hurries...  just enjoying the moment in my secret winter's glow...  I love secrets, do you?... Tessy and I share secrets all day long...  I call alot of things in my life "secrets"...  as I feel like they are something special...  a precious gift just for me...  but then, I cannot ever  keep a secret... can you?...  see, I had to share my secret winter's glow with you...  but that's okay... because, you see... I know you love secrets as much as I do...

 
Do you have a special place that is yours alone?...  a place to write, to read...  to daydream?...  we all need such a place...  surrounded with things we love...  precious photos and little trinkets...  pretty paper to write on  and a favorite teacup for a soothing bedtime cup of tea...  a place to let our cares drift away and let the wintry glow fill our hearts with only good thoughts...  I cherish this time of mine in quiet solitude...  life can get so hectic and overwhelming at times...  taking the time to sit quietly...  sorting out what is important in life... and what is not...  what really matters...  and counting my blessings seems to make everything right with the world for me...  a little time spent in quiet solitude surely must be a secret to a happy life as well...  yesterday afternoon, in trying to keep my promise to myself to simplify this year, I decided not to buy yet another tree for my vintage pink ornaments I showed you in my previous post...  but they were so dreamy I wanted them out...  I looked through my secret stash of things I already have and decided on a large apothecary jar of mine to put some of them in...  I tossed some of my dried pink roses and petals from my garden in the bottom...  a cushion of sorts...  as many pink ornaments as would fit...  then an angels kiss and a wish... sprinkled with another handful of roses for good measure...  some vintage lace around the top...  to  me it is simple yet  beautiful...  and it didn't cost me a penny... I am proud of myself for not buying anything more... and promised myself that next year I would simplify even more so...  a little at a time... I scattered the rest of these pale pink beauties here and there around our home... tucking them in vintage china teacups or placing them on pretty vintage silver trays...

  
This morning, I awoke early as always... while  Tessy and Jack were still fast asleep... I slipped on my favorite old robe...  you know the kind... even though you have a nicer newer one, you always reach for your older shabby cozy one...  mine is lavender colored and lovingly worn...  it's my favorite of all...  made my morning cup of coffee and slipped quietly outside with it to greet the morning...  what beautiful secrets does the early December dawn hold for me...  I didn't have to look far... there in my cottage garden...  that just several weeks ago was covered with almost three feet of snow...  were the teensiest tinest ittiest bittiest of my sweet violets blooming...  just for me... I snipped a little bouquet...   I couldn't wait to put my little secret violets in a pretty tiny vintage parfum bottle for a vase...  and of course...  I had to share my secret with you...

Tessy has a winter's secret today too... ( besides her pretty new hot pink neckwarmer)...   can you tell how much I love this dog...  our precious little abandoned stray that was a gift from God to us last year... my little shadow and best friend... she knows who the winner in our giveaway is...  and she is like me... she wants to share her secret too...  she says the winner is beautiful Patti at Ivy and Elephants...  Patti...  please send me your mailing address and I will get your package out priority mail today!... 

Thank you all so much for entering my giveaway...  for  your visits, your lovely comments... and for our special friendships...  wishing you all many beautiful special wintry "secrets" today too...  xoxo...  Julie Marie


      

Don't forget to enter my giveaway!...

Be sure to enter my French~inspired giveaway!...  just leave me a comment on any one or all three of my previous posts up until midnight this Sunday, December 2nd for up to three chances to win...

I will post the winning name on Monday, December 3rd...  xoxo...  Julie Marie