A Very Special AMY - Inspiration Friday For Sure!

Many of you already know Amy at Four Sisters in a Cottage. For those of you who have yet to meet her, sweet and dear Amy is battling breast cancer. Following surgery she has been taking mega doses of strong chemo and right now she is feeling pretty rotten. Her blog has kept us up to date with her treatment. It has been honest and enlightening - she has allowed us to see the ugly side of breast surgery, and the damage done by chemotherapy. Her pain has made us realize how good health is the most important thing, and that real beauty comes from within. A couple of days ago Amy questioned the meaning of life with cancer. Today many of us hope we can reassure her that things will get better and she will once again be strong and will get back to living her life the way she wants it to be.

Amy dear, life with cancer is a changed life but it is still a life well worth fighting for. As you already know, my husband (5 year survivor) and myself (18 year survivor) have battled it too - there are SO MANY of us out there. We have gone through hell and come back to get on with living. You too will be doing this - it will take a while but you will join us, proud that you were strong and made your body fight this terrible disease. Then, it will be your turn to inspire other women and men, to show them how one can survive and be strong as they fight their cancers.


Your wonderful Bob, the children, your Mom and your family, your many close friends who are able to be there for you, your doctors and nurses...............................and all of us out here, your blog family, love you and support you on this difficult journey. Many of us wish we too were close by to lend a shoulder to cry on, make you a cup of tea, or just hold your hand when the going gets tough. However, we are here in a different way, thinking of you daily, remembering you in a prayer, and sending constant get well wishes your way. You really are loved. You will be well. You must continue to be strong.

OK Amy, now show us that great hat collection!! Hope it was fun at the sales, and I just know your massage was heavenly!

As you said..............keep smiling. We care about you and love you.

The Romantic Country Party

I'm arriving late for Karla's Romantic Country Party - but better late than never!!
Karla has invited us to show or tell what we love about our home.

What do I love about my home? Well I could say everything and show you loads of pictures, but that would steal precious time from your visits to all the other wonderful places being shown and shared today. Of course, if I'm completely honest, there are a few things I'm not so happy with - but what the heck, nothing in life is perfect. That reminds me, need to get that paint can out and start redecorating again!

So here's a quick look at some favorite corners and family treasures. Some pictures you will have seen before if you've been visiting for a while.

My front porch - small but cozy and I have made it into 'outdoor room'.

In the living room I love my fireplace which burns oak and hickory logs so well through the Winter months.

My Autumn mantle decoration!My beloved Devon pottery jugs with hand painted Jacobean flowers that belonged to my Mother and fit so well with this crewel embroidery I did many years ago.Quiet blue grey bedroom where the color changes with the light, and my vintage shutters with iron 'dogs' bring back memories of France and Italy. And here.................my favorite place to read.
In the dining room my delicate bone china 'tea service for one' which was my Grandmother's.

My 'Torquay' patterned china - my seaside hometown in England - with shells and seaweed.
My kitchen island where I love to prepare good food including fresh veggies from the garden.

Writing on the kitchen wall reminding me to enjoy life.And this view I awake to each morning - my peaceful back garden with the Victorian gazebo where I sit with my coffee and am thankful for my home, my family, and my many treasured friends.

We create our tomorrows by what we dream today.

Welcome Back to the Porch

So many good friends 'visited' the porch today there wasn't space enough to have you all stay for a nice cup of English tea! So, guess what, you're invited back tomorrow, or any day convenient to you. The kettle will be on and I've made another loaf of pumpkin bread. It promises to be another beautiful sunny day - teatime is 4:00 PM - see you then.

Replaced the seashells in the iron urn with Autumn gourds. You can just see a few bright red hummingbird vine flowers in the background. This delicate vine, along with the morning glories and jasmine, has 'curtained' the end of the porch this Summer - green protection from the afternoon sun.

Cobalt blue and pumpkin orange, quite lovely together.

Knew I'd find a use for this little kiddie chair - we can of course remove the pumpkin if you want to sit here with your cup of tea. My lovely flowers from Deborah are so perfect at the front door - such a thoughtful gift which I'm enjoying each day.

Autumn is a second Spring when every leaf is a flower...........Albert Camus

Porch Posts

Sometimes I sit here enjoying the joys of Nature. I'm grateful to have a front porch, even though it's small. It adds another element to my cottage home, bringing me closer to the garden plantings and abundant wildlife. At dusk I've watched the fox walk across my lawn to reach her young at supper time. The squirrels scurry up and down the oaks where they have their nests, stopping to drink from the fountain and nibble from a nearby bird feeder. Add the possums, the chipmunks, an occasional raccoon, the evening bats, the neighborhood cats.............you're getting the idea aren't you, a very busy place. But then there are the birds, so many species, colors galore, warbling their soothing songs, too many to list right now, but had to tell you about this special little one.

This Carolina wren has taken up residence on the porch. For the past ten nights, this little guy has slept in a corner of the porch ceiling facing in toward the wall. Who says birds don't sleep? This bird arrives each evening a little bit earlier than the night before as the evenings draw in - today it was 7:20 PM. It appears to go to sleep almost immediately, and doesn't wake and leave until the first rays of dawn hit the porch. How do I know? Like an idiot I set my alarm early, get to the window and watch through the blinds. One morning it awoke, flew to the chandelier, opened it's beak and grabbed a nice juicy moth as it flew by........................breakfast on the porch, a great way to start the day.

These pics of the wren are little blurry as I took them through the window.

If you look at the top left hand corner of the porch, beyond the chandelier, you can see the little ledge where Jenny or Johnny wren sleeps.Newfangled........................."new and often needlessly novel" (American Heritage Dictionary). And what is this newfangled, bedangled, twiggy thing you say? My amazing outdoor, gently electrified, lamp created by a local artsy twig lady. Although comfy in it's former home, it begged to leave SuzAnna's shop to come sit a spell on Mary's front porch. Now, I have lamps, and being a lampshade designer/maker, I love lights and shades. But this lamp spoke to me........please pick me, take me to light your porch with a glow from the lovely angel with wobbly wings.........smile at my little attached birdhouses, feathered and bark birds..........despite my twigginess, my iron limbs are sturdy and my finial shabby chic.

For Christmas I will add white fairy lights - Valentine Day red hearts - there will be no stopping me when it comes to lighting up this "twiggy's" life.

Tea and Sympathy in France

Some of you have already found the French husband ~ you know who you are ~ and you kindly share the ups and downs of your exciting lives in France. Actually the ups seem much more prevalent than the downs. Life in Provence, Paris, small villages, and little towns, make many of us envious to have that romantic life too - but difficult to persuade these American husbands to up sticks and move "across the pond".

Recently, while treasure hunting, I found these French lovers enjoying a spot of tea. Apparently French tea is disappointing, especially to the English! My family now living in France take pounds of "real tea" across the Channel, by boat, plane, hovercraft ferries, and through the "Chunnel" (the tunnel which runs under the English Channel). Oh yes, the wine goes to England but those Brits make sure their tea gets to France.

The jug was displayed in another corner of SuzAnna's shop - I just had to borrow it for this picture so a second French couple could join them for afternoon tea. Notice even a French poodle came to the party!

These are two pages from the scrapbook I made following my trip to France last year.

We're all dreaming about and imagining how romantic life can be be living in France. Please keep telling us about it and sharing your great photos. We love it all and want more.

Friends, fun and frivolity

Another fun blog thing..........................one gets to meet new friends in person..........and not necessarily wearing fancy hats or pinned with notes like this gal. Yesterday I spent a delightful time with Deborah from Pictures, Pots & Pens . We met online and found we live a couple of miles apart. She'd been wanting to visit SuzAnna's so we made a date to shop and eat.

We spent time browsing and shopping - SuzAnna's treasures become more exciting and interesting each visit. Here we are chatting over lunch at "Cafe Capistrano" - great freshly prepared TexMex food. Aren't we angelic looking!!

Discovered we both love chairs - here's a cute white child size rocker - perfect for one of those pumpkin displays, and that iron bed would be great in the garden for real vines to twist and climb. This Sunday ALL the chairs will be pulled down from the rafters, placed outside for a huge "chair sale". What fun - will try to get back for that event. Those gals really know how to entice treasure hunters.

This chair is adorable!

Deborah came bearing a delightful and thoughtful gift - this very lovely and unusual chrysanthemum which is now keeping my pumpkin company on the front porch. Thank you so much Deborah - it's so pretty.
I believe that friends are quiet angels who sit on our shoulders and lift our wings when we forget how to fly~~~~~~~~~~Unknown

Inspiration Friday - Autumn Gold

This weekend the sun and heat will return after two days of clouds, drizzle and a heavy downpour last evening. How the gardens loved it - how we the gardeners loved it too.

Yesterday I bought a big, fat orange pumpkin for the front porch - I'll show you later when I've done a little seasonal decorating. Meanwhile I'm sharing these striated and nobbled beauties someone else was lucky enough to find. There must be special areas in the country where these are grown. We only have the garden variety....................old fashioned, run of the mill, big 'ole orange guys.

Want to make a good harvest golden soup this weekend - maybe butternut squash. Some moist, russet shaded, pumpkin bread would be tasty - warm from the oven served with a steaming cup of Earl Grey tea on the front porch..........in the late afternoon.

The turning leaves, gold in the late day sun.

Enjoy your weekend.