Happy Birthday Sis

My sister-in-law (actually one of my ex-SIL's) just had a birthday. Happy day Laura!   I wanted to share my favorite picture of Laura and me. This was at our niece Jenny's wedding several (did I say SEVERAL) years ago.  It was a beautiful wedding in a garden. So I thought a picture hat and a floral dress would be good for the day. Laura thought the same thing with her cabbage rose dress.

I loved that picture hat. It makes me think of spring.  I must be getting spring fever.  Here was the bride, my niece. Wasn't she gorgeous?

Great memories. Have another wonderful year Laura!

Challenging Questions

Just browsing one of my favorite bloggers, Susan at Between Naps on the Porch, and she posted a thoughtful set of questions from Garden and Gun magazine.

I had never heard of Garden and Gun. If you haven't either, do look them up. It's like Southern Living magazine on steriods.

From an artcle in Garden and Gun about restoring a cabin.

As I read Susan's answers it occurred to me how insightful the questions were. So I decided, like Susan, to answer them for myself. Here they are below, then I'll post a list of just the questions for you. Beware: these are thought-provoking!

I would love to hear from you!


1. Favorite Cocktail: 
Pina Colada (before I quit alcohol because of the empty calories!)

2. Favorite Getaway:
Key West or Savannah (Susan at Between Naps on The Porch will enjoy hearing this!)

3. If you could meet anyone in the world, who would it be?
St. Francis of Assisi

4. Daydream of the moment?
Show off my Collies in obedience rallies

5. Your personality in one word?
Firey

6. Are you more garden or gun?
Garden

7. If you were road-tripping, what's the one album you'd take with you?
The boss - Born in the USA - great road songs

8. What are you reading?
Some no-account murder fiction. I'm working my way through all of John Sanford's PREY books. Am currently reading Invisible Prey

9. What do you want to do when you grow up?
I wanna be a rock star

10. What is your greatest extravagance?  Guilty Pleasure?
My pets

11. Favorite Southern Food?
OMG my family won't be surprised by this:  fresh creamed squash

12. Most treasured possession?
A very old ring my mother-in-law got from her mother and gave to my husband that I now wear

13. Favorite Southern name?
My middle name: Marie

14. What talent would you most like to have?
Read music

15. What's your current state of mind?
Cautiously hopeful



OK here is your list:

1. Favorite Cocktail:
2. Favorite Getaway:
3. If you could meet anyone in the world, who would it be?
4. Daydream of the moment:?
5. Your personality in one word?
6. Are you more garden or gun?  .
7. If you were road-tripping, what's the one album you'd take with you?
8. What are you reading?
9. What do you want to do when you grow up?
10. What is your greatest extravagance?  Guilty Pleasure?
11. Favorite Southern Food?
12. Most treasured possession?
13. Favorite Southern name?
14. What talent would you most like to have?
15. What's your current state of mind?

Aren't these questions unique? They kind of re-center you and make you think of what is important to you.  Anyway, leave your answers in a comment or link back to me if you post yours on your blog.

New Wreath

Out with the old, in with the new.

At least for a while.

 Remember when I did the paper wreath with the old herb dictionary?

That wreath has been up until this past week.

 I finished a cute little Valentine wreath last week.

It was fun, easy and didn't take long to make.

I started with a heart-shaped grapevine wreath from Michael's.

Don't have a Michael's? Any craft or garden center should have one.

Have a glue gun and glue sticks on hand.

Add some ribbon that is at least 1 1/2 inches wide.

I used Stampin' Up ribbon in striped red.

Now here's what I did.

I used my Big Shot from Stampin' Up

and their dies for lollies.

The pleated round flower thingies are called "lollies." 

Who knew?

Then more Big Shot Sizzix dies for the nested hearts.

That was it.

Then hot glued it all together.

Here's a detail picture.

I used Valentine themed paper from last year,  

and glitter paper

 and then stamped a cupid on white card stock for the last heart.

Cute, eh?

Happy Valentines Day

to you and yours!

Joining the I Heart Projects party at Itsy Bitsy Paper.

Hop over and see all the creative Valentines.

Collie Collection

GUESS YOU COULD say we have a collection of Collies. Is that how you discribe a collection of them? Like a gaggle of geese? A murder of crows?  We have one color of each except white. From left to right, meet Jessie, a female blue merle. In the middle there is Rusty our "Lassie," a male sable and white. There on the far right is Charger, our tri-color.

They are standing on a show dog pedestal in the dog park. I like to get them all up on it with the "place" or "up" command when we are there. Just for practise. They are not show dogs. They just spent the night at a Holiday Inn . . . hee hee.

Joining the party at The Polohouse this week.  See more delightful favorite pets at Alison's Favorites on the First!