If you love vintage and you love French....

you will adore these books. I've been calling them my treasure books and they truly are.
Ever since these books "found me" several weeks ago, I've had difficulty putting them down.
This may sound crazy but I think the books "find you" and not the other way around.
These books knew I needed a little mini vacation and that is what they have provided.

Vintage French Interiors- Inspiration from the Antique Shops and Flea Markets of France
by Sebastien Siraudeau is filled with the most magical photo's.
It is beautifully written and just look at some of the photo's.

While reading this, I had the feeling that I was visiting the shops and markets with a good friend.
You will LOVE IT!

The other book that I am head over heels in love with is: The Flea Markets of France by Sandy Price, photo's by Emily Laxer.

Notice the size- small enough to fit in a carry on bag.
When hubby saw this book, he started shaking his head and laughing.
He knows me wayyyy too well!
I figure I am just being prepared (blame it on scouting as a child).

This little treasure book is just filled with helpful tips which I plan on absorbing-hehe.
I'm telling you, this book "found" me for a reason.

Just looking at the photo's makes me want to start shopping now.

If you should be near a bookstore soon, maybe these 2 treasure books will find you.
If they do, let me know.

If the chapeau fits......

Jayde, Hailey, and Annika.
They love hats so I know that mine will be in good hands (in the future).

Can you tell that Annika loves to have her picture taken?


Have a blessed weekend!

The Chapeau dilemma

As you can see, my love affair with hats started at a very early age.
I'm not even sure how old I was in this photo.
That's my dad holding onto me. I treasure this photo as I don't have many of the 2 of us. I wonder what he thought about my hat?

With the Kentucky Derby approaching, I thought this might be a timely post.
I love to watch the race just to see the hats. I close my eyes as the horses run. Just call me chicken.

I have some hats that I am thinking about parting with.
As a child, I loved sunhats, Easter bonnets, really any hat and wore them all the time.
As an adult I purchased hats for special occasions but usually had them on my head for a short period of time. They are pristine!

Frank Olive was an incredible Milliner. He designed for "the stars".
He passed away in 1995 at the very young age of 66.
Many of his hats were one of a kind.

This one is kind of a cloche hat. It fits very close to the head.
I'm channeling Chanel-hehe.

This blue and white baby is Fabulous!
The bow should be worn in the back but I prefer it in the front.

Last but not least is a straw Eric Javits.

This is great for shielding your face from the sun.

I love the look- very Audrey Hepburn.

So, do I part with them or hang on to them for dear life?
I really would appreciate your input.

Now, I need to rest my fingers. I have been working on some little projects and the fingers are beyond sore.
See you all later and thank you for helping me decide what to do.

Blame it on the Dutch- Part 1

Many years ago, 38 to be exact, I had the opportunity to be an exchange student in the Netherlands. Right now I am screaming silently in my head- has it really been 38 years?
I have to tell you that this experience changed my life in many ways and that is why I blame it on the Dutch.
Don't worry, this is extremely positive.

When the opportunity came up, I JUMPED at it.
I had never been to Europe, didn't speak Dutch (took Spanish in high school), and had never lived away from home. I really wanted to have this experience and hoped I would be one of the lucky ones.

On the plane over to Amsterdam, I had second thoughts. What was I thinking? I don't speak Dutch. One member of the large family I would be living with spoke limited English.
This could be a nightmare.

Actually, it turned into a life changing experience and for many reasons.
It gave me confidence. I realized I could do something outside of my comfort zone and live through it- hehe.

I started to learn Dutch. Very shaky at first and very funny. The younger kids in the family taught me little songs, etc. In return, I taught them English phrases.
I still remember a bit. Ik hou van je- I love you (but that is a whole other story). Not sure if I spelled it correctly.

The picture above is the house I lived in. I thought it was just perfect.

This picture was taken in the garden. I had always loved plants and flowers and this love just grew. As a girl, I remember coming home from Church and changing my clothes so I could "help" a neighbor with his garden. As I look back, he had the patience of Job!

This shot was taken in the backyard. So peaceful. I knew when I grew up I had to surround myself with what made me happy.

Another shot of the garden. I learned to enjoy life, and savor every experience.
Beauty is everywhere, we just need to open our eyes. This experience opened my eyes.

We would ride our bikes through the woods.
I don't mean little rides but serious (even Lance at that age would be shaking his head) bike rides.

This picture was taken after a particularly long ride. I'm the one leaning on "my younger brother". I didn't think I would be able to ride back home. But I did.

I learned to really live in the moment but
I knew that I was destined to move to Europe.
And I did. Several years later, I moved to Switzerland (The original French Elements started at that time even though I didn't realize it).
The exchange experience opened my eyes and for that I am extremely grateful.

I grew up around flowers but I had never experienced anything like the flower fields in the Netherlands. This YouTube video will give you a little tour of some amazing flower fields.
Just watching this made me want to quickly pack, and jump on a flight.

Enjoy

Warm and fuzzy

This has been a CRAZY week around here.
I know you can relate.

My son is adjusting to his new surroundings. It sure beats the hospital.
I have been helping with little "issues" that have come up.
Not complaining though!

I have a few projects that I have been working on and also filling a few custom orders.
Yay!

Thank God for blogger post options or the last 2 posts would not have existed.
I am hoping to get back on board sometime this weekend.

Last week, Ms Karen shared this video with me.
You might have seen it already but it is worth a second look.
It is absolutely FABULOUS.
You can't help but smile!
I'm warning you though, the song gets stuck in your head.
I love this song so that's o.k.

Enjoy and happy weekend.

P.S. I know the video is too large for the space (I chose the wrong size).
There is just more to love!

Happy Birthday Dorothy!

Oh my, this is an old photo (Jayde will soon be 9).
My precious girl really does not like having her picture taken.


Dorothy, you have been part of my life for the past 11 years.
A fantastic part of my life.

You have touched us all with your love and spirit.
I have watched you become a wonderful wife to my son and a fabulous mother to my 3 granddaughters.

You are a treasured friend and the daughter I never had.
I am so blessed to have you in my life.

I know things are difficult right now but you are handling everything like a pro.
I am so proud of you!

I just want you to know how much I love you.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HONEY!

The Fairy Princess

Photo by Howell Conant


I intended to do this post yesterday but my computer was having issues.
The tech has been out 3 times. Hopefully, 3 times is a charm.

53 years ago yesterday, Grace Kelly became Princess Grace.
Actually the civil ceremony was April 18th so that was her official wedding day.

I was just a little one when she became a Princess but as I grew older, her story fascinated me. I think my fascination with crowns, Princesses, etc. must have come from Grace.
Looking back, I think she must have been quite lonely.

I have been blessed by having the opportunity to visit Monaco several times.
It is drop dead gorgeous, almost too perfect.

I thought I would share some pictures with you.
Hopefully this post will go through.

This is a photo of Saint Nicholas Cathedral where the wedding Mass took place.

These photos were taken inside the Cathedral.

The Palace

My son loved these canons.

O.K, I cried as I saw their resting places.
The first time I visited, Princess Grace rested alone.

A woman that works in the church, told me that Grace receives flowers daily.

She passed away so young. At 54, I am two years older than she was when she passed on.


I hope you enjoyed the little tour. If I don't come round, the "issues" aren't allowing me to.

Grateful, grateful, grateful

We are doing the happy dance around here and thanking God.
My son will be going into the assisted living facility today and he is so excited to finally be released from the hospital. We are hoping that he will only be there for several months but ....... not up to us.
For those that have been keeping him (and us) in your thoughts and prayers, I can't thank you enough.
Sadly, I received a few comments telling me to stop whining. I didn't look at it as whining. I guess it is the difference between seeing the glass half full or empty.
Oh well, not gonna rain on my parade!
We had the opportunity to speak with Jeff briefly on Saturday. YAY!
God has him where he needs to be and mom is at Peace with it (just took a little while).

Another reason to celebrate, I won a fantastic giveaway.
Teresa Sheeley is kind, talented, and an amazing artist.
I entered her giveaway and WON.
Yay!

I love her pillows and won all three.
Can you believe it?

These tea towels are to die for. I won them too!

Last but not least, this original piece of art by Teresa.
When you least expect it, blessings come your way.Thank you my friend! I am still pinching myself.If you haven't visited her site, you are missing out on a treat!What a fabulous week this is!

Some big changes around here

The picture above is of Jeff (and D. Duck) when he was 14 months old.

This was his favorite thing to wear and it was difficult to pry him out of it.

This was a photo taken on Halloween in 1981 (check out the wires in the background).

Again, this became his favorite thing to wear.

Well, now he is wearing it for real and mom is kind of weepy.

I won't bore you with the entire story but here is the short version.

He has talked about going into the Army since he was a kid. He has always been very patriotic. When he and Dorothy got married,

it still came up occasionally. After 3 children, it still came up occasionally.

Last year he got laid off from a pretty terrific job. After months of looking and finding nothing, "the Army talk" came up again. He talked, I cried.

And cried and cried.

It was something that the kids had talked and prayed about and felt certain that this was the right time. Even my precious little ladies, believed that this was where God wanted him to be.

He enlisted. Last month he was to leave but it was delayed. There was another delay but yesterday was the day he left Phoenix for Fort Jackson, SC.

He will be there for Boot Camp. Can you tell I am a little weepy as I type this?

I am very proud of him for following his calling.

He is excited about the opportunity that lies ahead and the chance to serve his country.

His brother is having a difficult time with the decision.

All I can do is pray. He is watching over them.

I also wanted to wish everyone a blessed Passover and Easter.

We are so lucky to live in a country where we can celebrate our faith.

Have a blessed Palm Sunday ( and a little reminder)

Thank you for entering. The giveaway is closed.

The winner will be announced on Monday.

Have a wonderful evening.

Just a gentle reminder (or a shameless plug), Hehe.

Today is the last day to enter my little giveaway.

Comments will be closed sometime between 7-8 pm Az time.

The winner will be posted tomorrow.

Most importantly, today is Palm Sunday. Have a blessed one with those you hold dear.

See you tomorrow.

Please don't be shy

Only 4 days left to my little giveway which ends on Sunday April 5th, 7pm Az time.

For those of you that have posted it on your blogs- God bless you!

Please don't be shy and swing by. I truly love to have giveways and the more the merrier. I guess cosmetics aren't as popular as my friends and I thought they would be. Note to self: cosmetic giveaways on line, not so good-hehe.

If you could hear the Cannes man, he is encouraging you to enter.

To coin a phrase, "you can't win if you don't play".

Have a wonderful Thursday.

hugs

Spread the Word to end the Word- the R-word

Tuesday March 31st is a very important date. It is the day designated to Spread the Word to End the Word. The R-Word.

****WARNING****

I'm on my little soapbox but this is SO important to me and to others out there.

Special Olympics is an organization that is very close to my heart and has been for many years.

The R- word is the word retard. I have to tell you that it is a very difficult word to even type.

I can also tell you first hand, that having a child that has "worn" that label for years has been tough.

Especially for him.

What has been interesting to me, is the fact that children didn't seem to consider someone with

intellectual disabilities all that different, but many adults did. It was almost as if it was

"contagious" and should be avoided at all costs.

Words have so much power. They can make someone feel great or totally destroy someone.

The R-word is a word filled with hate and how sad is that?

There are so many words filled with hate. I was in line at the grocery store the other day and a

darling child was sitting in the cart. She was probably 3 years old at most. She pointed to a

magazine that had a prominent couple on the cover and what came out of her mouth was pure

hate. This was coming from a child that obviously didn't even know what she was saying but she

had heard those words before. This innocent child was picking up words of hate and didn't even

know it. Very, very sad. This is our future.

I so admire what Special Olympics has done over the years and what they are trying to do with

this day of awareness.

God Bless them for trying to make a difference.

Finally..... The Giveaway

Thank you for entering. The giveaway is closed.

The winner will be announced on Monday.

I think this Smart Car would make a fabulous giveaway.
I know I would love to win one! Years ago, when I saw my first, I was smitten.
While I can't give a Smart Car, I can give you the next best thing.
O.K, maybe not the next best thing (depends on how you look at it) but still maybe some items that you might just fall in love with.

In a previous post I mentioned that I have an occasional cosmetic related gig. All those years with Clinique as a REM paid off I guess-hehe.
As a result, I receive some fabulous products to try. This girl can only use so much so it is time to share again.

The giveaway includes: a Bobbi Brown Limited Edition cosmetic bag.

A Bobbi Brown limited edition Shimmer Brick in Copper Diamond.

A Chanel Professional Eyeshadow Base in Lumiere Bright.

From Darphin (an incredible line from France), Arovita C Line Response Firming Serum.

A Trinket made by moi.

And last but not least, A Shimmer Brick Compact in Apricot from Bobbi Brown.
When I was telling my youngest about the giveaway and deciding what to give, he suggested that I add an additional Shimmer Brick. So, this extra item came from his input.


It is very easy to enter. Just leave a comment on this post.
If you don't have a blog, please leave your email address so you can be contacted.

The giveaway will end on Sunday April 5th (7 p.m. AZ time)
The winner will be announced Monday April 6th.

If you would like to be entered TWICE, just link my giveaway to your blog.
Please let me know if you have done so. Since my sweet one is still in the hospital, I haven't been visiting blogs on a regular basis.

So, that is it! Good luck.

I can't wait to see who wins! Yay!!!

Smells heavenly around here

Remember a while ago I shared that I love bottles?

Last night I was going through some of my goodies and decided to make some diffusers.


I still have quite a few bottles of essential oils and fragrance oils (from the bath and body products line) so I thought I would use them. Since the oils are not diluted, the fragrance is strong and true.

Very easy- just decorate your bottles, pour the oil in the bottle (vanilla extract works nicely also)
and place the reed sticks in the bottle. The sticks can be found at any craft shop.
It is a good idea to flip the sticks over occasionally (in the beginning anyway).

My house smells FABULOUS! The large bottle holds an orange oil, and the smaller bottles hold an Amaretto fragrance oil. Yum!

I am still working on my little giveaway. I hope to have something posted later this week.

A very welcome gift from Anita

Have you ever noticed that when you least expect it, (and when you really need it) wonderful things can happen?

Last month, I received an award from Anita that just made my day. Anita has an enchanting blog- I just adore it. She writes the most beautiful posts and she has a truly lovely spirit. I feel very honored to call her my friend. Thank you so much Anita!

As things were a little crazy at the time, I am just getting around to passing on the award.
The award is: "If the shoe fits wear it". I tried on the shoe and it did fit although the glass slipper did crack a little bit-hehe. Anita, your thoughtful kindness did make me feel like a Princess and for that I am very grateful. I am still wearing the glass slipper and feeling very Royal.

You know, I have met so many wonderful people through blogging. You all ROCK!
There are several people I would like to pass this award to.
2 are Princesses that live across the ocean and 2 are Princesses that live right here in the USA.
I am also awarding this to a non-blogging Prince.

Let's begin with the Royalty from across the ocean.

BARBARA: Your posts are gorgeous. Your spirit is even more beautiful.
You bring beauty to everything you touch. Thank you for sharing your world with us.


ELIZABETH: You have been through so much and always have such a positive attitude. I always enjoy your posts-FAB!
Thank you for taking us along on your French journey. If you ever need a "boarder", I'm all over it-hehe.


TATTINGCHIC: Can I just say that you have inspired me from the first time I visited your blog.
I learn, I laugh, and I have even cried. Your sense of humor is a gift. I treasure our friendship.


ANGIE: You are one of the sweetest gal's out there! You my friend, are a winner. Your faith comes shining through. You have a lot on your plate but you wouldn't know it. Good things are in store for you. I can just feel it!

And now the PRINCE. If you tried on the glass boot, I just know it would fit.
Hubby, you came in to my life when I least expected it. You have been there for me through the good, bad, and downright ugly. You are loved and appreciated more than you will ever know.
You certainly make me feel like a Princess (o.k, maybe a Queen).
Thank you for being you.


Ladies, enjoy your award and if you should have a crown at home, wear it.

HOPE

******UPDATE******

Doing the happy dance!!!! My son may be discharged at the end of the week or the beginning of next week. The word HOPE is even more beautiful now.
Thank you GOD.

HOPE is a word that has received a lot of bad press
in the news recently.

To me the word HOPE is beautiful.
I believe in order to have HOPE, you need to have FAITH.
I also believe that FAITH allows us to have HOPE.

We have a lot of HOPE around here.
While my son is still in the hospital, we know that God is working miracles.
His spirits are strong and he has a sense of peace.
I can't ask for anything more than that.

At first, I was not so pleased that the hospital is an hour away from us (on a good day with no traffic).
That drive is precious now. It gives time to think about what is truly important and has become a time of joy for us. That in itself is a miracle-hehe!

Thank you for your continued prayers. All of us appreciate them!

While I haven't been able to carve out time to visit blogs, I have been able to do some work and that is therapeutic.
It has been a true blessing.

I pray everyone has a week that is just overfilled with HOPE.
HOPE is a gift.

hugs and more hugs!


P.S. Thank you sweet Angie!

A New Day

This has been a week of many changes.

This verse rings true for us.

Say to them, may the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord smile upon you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you His favor and give you His peace.
Numbers 6:23-26

My sweet son has been in the hospital for 3 weeks. Once he is stable enough to be discharged, he will be going to a long term medical facility. His heart was broken (mine was too).
Those words are very difficult for a parent to hear. You want your children to live life to the fullest and be able to accomplish their dreams.
I know that God is holding my son in His hand. When we saw him yesterday, he had a calmness, a peace about it. We also have that peace.

Thank you for your prayers. They have made a difference as they always do.

I feel so fortunate to have the people that I do in my life. My hubby has been a God send in many ways. He is always there for me, through the good and not so good. He loves my boys as if they are his own flesh and blood. He knows when I need an extra prayer or a hug. God sent the right man at the right time. I am very blessed.


I hope to catch up with some blog reading this week as well as work.
I hold you all close to my heart. There are some wonderful people in blogland and I feel very fortunate to have you in my life.

XOXO

Still in....

Just a quick post.

My son is still in the hospital and no release date in sight. We are hanging in there with lots of prayer.

I truly appreciate your comments and emails. I don't know what else to say but "thank you".

11 days and counting

This picture has been used to death but I think it is just so precious sooooo, here we go again.

This is just a quick follow up post regarding my son.

He has been in the hospital for 11 days. At this point he is holding his own (kind of) but we have no idea when he will be discharged.

We appreciate and thank you for your comments, emails, and prayers.

Count your blessings today and hug those close to you.

Life is such a gift.