Thankful Thursday

Hello friends

It's Thursday again and time to reflect on being thankful. Today I am thankful for my sister. I am blessed to have such a wonderful sister. She has been my best friend as log as I can remember. She is wonderful, kind, compassionate, fun, loving and talented. She always has a smile, a word of advice, a listening ear. When we get together we talk non stop about everything and nothing and drink large amounts of tea.

She is an artist too,like my mother and this is a painting that she did. It's a copy of a Norman Rockwell. There is only one thing wrong with my sister. She lives too far away! Today I am thankful for my sister. What are you thankful for today?

Rhondi xo

I'm a Little Teapot

Every time you come to visit I usually ask if you have time for a cup of tea. So today I thought I'd show you a few of the teapots I've collected. As I was taking the pictures I remembered the little song I sang as a child:

I'm a little teapot short and stout

Here is my handle

Here is my spout

When I get all steamed up

Then I shout

Just tip me over and pour me out.

t had actions to go with it. Do you remember that song too?

This first teapot is a fun design by Mary Engelbreit. I love black and white checks and black and white dots, which is what attracted me to this one. The little pink rosebud handle on the lid is cute too.This one is a teapot and teacup all in one unit. The little handle on the lid is a lemon. It's just big enough for one cup of tea. This is what it looks like when it's apart. I love the little a checked cloth design looking like it's draped on the top.
I would never use this pumpkin for tea. It just wouldn't make a good cup and would drip when I would try to pour. But it's cute and looks nice on a shelf.

This one of beets is fun too, also just for decoration.
I love the blue (of course) and I thought the black and white was a great contrast against the blue. This teapot goes with everything I have so I move it around a lot!
I saved the best for last. This old yellow teapot is much bigger than the others and holds about 8 cups . There are no markings on it. It's probably from the 30's or 40's, could be Hull. it is such a nice strudy heavy pot and I like to use it for a casual tea with muffins and mugs.So those are a few of my teapots. I'm sorry I can't ask you in today but my sister is coming for a visit and I've got to get dinner ready. They'll be very hungry after a full day's drive. I already know what I'll be thankful for tomorrow!

Thanks for stopping by. Next time we'll have more time to chat.


Rhondi xo

Just a Short Visit

Hi
I am just making a pot of tea and I got out a pretty cup for you because I had a feeling you might pop by. When I was getting married my mother-in-law had a cup and saucer shower for me and this is one of the ones I received. I think it is from the 40's.
I amazed at how kind and generous bloggers are. In many ways it feels like a big family and there is always someone sending an award or saying something encouraging.
Kathleen Grace at Kathy's Cottage who gave me this is one of those people. Thanks! If you happen to mention the word LOVE in your blog today then I want to give this to you!
Well I can't chat any longer. My sister is coming for a visit tomorrow and I have to get things organized for her visit, so I have to say goodbye. See you next time and thanks for stopping by.
Rhondi xo

My Mother

Hello my dear blogging friends


I was thinking about my mother and missing her today. She died almost 5 years ago, but today for some reason I'm missing her. She was an amazing lady, kind , funny , intelligent, creative and beautiful. She did many amazing creative things but toward the end of her life she fell in love with watercolors and every painting she did was filled with love. I am lucky to have just a few and I thought I'd show them to you.


Mom loved flowers, especially geraniums and even after she moved into a condo she had the balcony filled with pots of geraniums. She especially liked those soft peach color ones and the pale pink ones and would always buy the biggest pots she could find. Geraniums were her favorite subject. This one called Flowers of Friendship, hangs above the mantle in our TV room. (The photo doesn't do it justice and has a reflection of pictures on the opposite wall on it.) It's quite large, 28"x36"This one called A Pot of Daffodils greets you as you come in our front door and looks nice against the yellow walls.Mom called this one My Garden in a Jar. Delphiniums are one of my favorite flowers (and they don't grow well here at all) so I was really happy to get this one. I love the blues in it and it goes perfectly with the blue of our bedroom walls.
Here is a close up.
Whenever I look at these paintings I think of my mom. My mom passed on her love of flowers and gardens and everything creative. I love you mom!

Rhondi xo

Sunday

Listen.......do you hear it...? I don't either! I don't hear the sound of sports on TV! No football this Sunday and NASCAR hasn't started yet. A Sunday without sports! Now that's what I call a day of rest. The TV is still on but at least it's not sports for a change.

My TV watching , sports loving husband can also be very sweet. On Saturday he brought me these beautiful roses. I have a crystal vase which is just the perfect shape and size for a dozen roses.
I thought that those of you who are in the midst of a cold winter might enjoy seeing some flowers, so here they are.

Isn't the color gorgeous?
And they smell beautiful too.
Hope you have a restful Sunday.

Rhondi xo

Thankful Thursday

Good morning my friends

I'm glad you stopped by. As many of you know I have decided to make every Thursday "Thankful Thursday" so this morning I was trying to decide which of the many many things I am thankful for that I should write about today. The thing I am thankful for is such a simple thing that I take for granted every day:

I AM THANKFUL I CAN SEE.

I can see the beautiful smiles on my grandchildren's faces, sunsets and sunrises, wonderful colors everywhere, the beauty of nature. Because I can see, I can drive a car, go to the movies, watch TV, ( not sure if it's worth being thankful for) make a quilt, read a magazine, have fun decorating my home, give a smile to someone who looks sad, and see my husband's smiling face, no matter how stressful his day has been, as he comes home each night...

This is such a small list. I could fill the page, but you would probably stop reading long before I finish! If you have a blog, why not make your Thursday a thankful one too. Together we could spread thankfulness all around the globe.

What are you thankful for today? I'd love to know!
Rhondi xo

Kitchen Redo

Hi

A couple of you were asking how my kitchen redo was coming along. Slow! I painted all the cabinets and put new hardware on them. All the walls are painted lime green and I've just about finished all the trim and doors. I am going to tile the backsplash just plain white, but am having trouble finding a pure white tile. All the white tiles are a little on the cream side so they just look dirty next to the pure white cabinets. So far I've just checked Lowes and Home Depot so tomorrow I think I'll try calling some of the tile places listed in the yellow pages.

Having the kitchen only partially done has not deterred me from starting to add accesories!
One thing I am good at, actually 2 things: Hanging stuff on the walls and arranging things on tables, counters, any horizontal space that is handy.

So here are a few of the plates hung up. They are all small plates, 5" or 6".
And here is a little grouping on the island. You may recognize the green bowl. It was on the table in the hall last week! It's all yard sale finds, except the miniature teapot. I love the green plate they are sitting on. It was a bargain at 50 cents.

So as you can see I've got a teapot handy in case you should pop by for a visit. I hope you will. If you don't have time to stay I hope you'll take a minute and leave a comment.

Until next time...

Rhondi xo

Award

Hello again to all my wonderful blogging friends.
Bloggers have got to be the most generous people on the planet. There seem to be giveaways for every occasion and awards enough for everyone. Thank you to my lovely friend Regina for giving this award to me.
I am supposed to pass this on, but rather than chose only a few and leave out someone, I am giving this to all of you who have ever left a comment, because when I see the comments it does indeed make my day.
So dear friends I pass this award on to all of you. You have welcomed me so warmly as I began this adventure of blogging and have given me so much encouragement. You make my day!!!
Rhondi xo

Thrift Shop Finds

Hello my blogging friends. I think it's time for a cup of tea. Have you got time to join me for a few minutes? I am getting out a nice old cup and saucer instead of a mug which is what I usually have. I've got 2 of these so I'll get one for you too. Make yourself comfortable. I'll bring in the teapot. On Tuesday the Goodwill here has senior's day which means 2o% off for seniors. I didn't find a thing! There is this one lady who is always there when I go and as usual her cart was loaded to the top with some great looking stuff. I don't know how she does it, but it appears as if she just gets there at the right time. I must admit it makes me mad that she always gets so much. I think she is probably a dealer. It will give me great satisfaction some day when I am able to snatch a treasure from right under her nose! That's not very nice of me is it?


There is one litle thrift shop near me which seldom has anything but I got a couple of things there today. This metal and glass hanging thing which I hung in the kitchen window. It has a slight tint of blue in the glass which I like and will look very pretty when the sun shines in in the afternoon.

I also got this very nice needlepoint pillow and a cute plate made in Portugal. I spent a total of $4 for the whole lot, so I felt it was a successful outing.
Lots of you commented on how neat my studio was and that the space where that your work space is messy. Just thought I'd show you my studio , not even 24 hours since I took the last photos. Actually it doesn't look too bad yet but the photo doesn't show all the little pieces of fabric all over the floor.
When you leave I'm going to have second cup of tea and read. I just went to the library and got Home to Holly Springs by Jan Karon. I've enjoyed the entire Mitford series so I am sure this one will be good too.

Hope your day is going well. Please come back again. I love our visits.

Rhondi xo

A Room of My Own

Every girl needs a room of her own. Finally after 36 years of marriage I finally have a room of my own! Just for me! I am the only one who uses it.

When I first saw this house almost 4 years ago, it was this room plus the yard that sold us on it. At first we used it as a sunroom/family room and I filled it with whiter wicker and white slipcovered furniture and all my blue and white china. It was a beautiful room.

When I began to make quilts I wanted a place to work on them. This is my favorite room in the house and so one day my sister and my husband convinced me that my work with the quilts was important enough that I needed a room to work in. Since I often spend the entire day sewing it seemed that this room would be the best place for me to be, since it has big windows which let in light and let me have a beautiful view to look at. So we gave up the sunroom and turned it into my studio. It's amazing how much easier it was for me to call myself an artist once I actually had a studio.


So here is my studio. It is just off my kitchen and looks out onto the backyard. Some of my blue and white plates are on the wall. You can click on the pictures to enlarge them. Here is another view. I need to make a pretty cover for my chair. I just noticed how ugly it is when I look at this photo.
Every studio needs some work space. We took a plain slab door and screwed some long 2x4's onto it for legs. We made it counter height so it is easy on my back when standing there cutting or designing. It is seldom this tidy :)
My other work space is this table with the painted legs that my sewing machine sits on.Shelves to store some of my books.
More storage under the table, another old bookcase painted white and large plastic bins. Storage for fabric in 2 antique pine cupboards, one you can see in the background. My Blue Plate Special quilt which you've seen before hangs on the wall. More storage: plastic bins under the table and a white wicker magazine basket.
More storage space behind these doors.
The best thing of all is that when I am working on a project and have to stop I can just leave everything where it is, doesn't matter if it's messy. I am very blessed to have such a great studio. I waited a long time but it was worth the wait.

So when I say I've been working in the studio or working on a quilt you'll know where I am.

It's The Little Things

Yesterday when I was thinking about being thankful I took some pictures of my sewing studio, but then decided that I was really thankful for the rain instead.
While I was taking pictures I snapped a couple of some of the small details.
I used to do decorative painting, so these are all things I've painted.
Vines on the legs of the table where I have my sewing machine. A folk art style tree and checks on a little bookshelf that sits in the corner of the studio.

Blue folk art flowers on a lampshade in the corner where my chaise lounge is.
Another day I'll show you pictures of my studio but for today, just a few little handpainted touches. It's the little things that mean a lot.
Hope you have a good weekend.
Rhondi

Thankful Thursday

Good morning my friends.
I am so glad you stopped by because I am really ready for a break. I have been doing hand applique for the last 3 hours and my fingers need a rest. So I'll put the kettle on and make us a pot of tea.

So, I was wondering what to talk about today, just thinking that today is Thursday and watching the rain fall, for which I am very thankful. Then I thought" That's it! Thankful Thursday" ( a little alliteration there, maybe it's kind of corny but maybe not. ) Wouldn't it be cool if bloggers all over the world added one sentence about what they're thankful for every Thursday. It would be easy to remember the day because of the alliteration.
Today I am thankful for the steady rain we are having here. We need it so badly!
I think I can hear the camellias saying "ahhh..."

It's wonderful to see the raindrips dripping off the leaves of the nandinas

So what do you think? Are you interested in joining the Thankful Thursdays?

All you have to do is mention something you're thankful for each Thursday along with whatever else you happen to be talking about that day.
If you want to join in, just post the idea on your blog and encourage your readers to play along and leave me a comment to let me know you're in.  I'll post mr linky too.

Today I am thankful for the rain.

Thanks for visiting. Hope you'll come back soon.

Rhondi

Wisdom From Proverbs

I like to read Proverbs. Usually I try to read one chapter each day. There is always so much wisdom there. This is what I read today and posted it as my WORD FOR THE DAY : A cheerful look gives joy to the heart and good news gives health to the bones. How often a smile has cheered my day! How about you? I am sending smiles your way today. Hope it brings joy to YOUR heart!

My dear friend Angela at Cottage Magpie gave me this award. I am supposed to pass it onto someone else who's blog "makes my day" How do I decide? I love so many of your blogs. Who do I send it to? Mary, Heidi, Cindy, Rhoda, Kari & Kejsa, Andrea, Janet, Suzanne, Kim, Karla, Tracey, Catherine, Penny, Pat, BJ? I could go on and on. I love so many of your blogs. So if you have visited me and left a comment then consider this award presented to you because when I read your comments it makes my day.

As I was reading Proverbs today I also read this: Better a meal of vegetables where there is love than a fattened calf with hatred. (I wonder if the writer of Proverbs was also telling us that vegetables are better for us than red meat?) It made me think of the delicious WHITE BEAN AND WINTER SQUASH HOT POT that Mary at Across the Pond had on her blog yesterday. It 's a cold day here today, perfect for some hot vegetables. So if it's cold where you are today go visit Mary and try out her recipe. It looks yummy.

Spread some smiles around today :)
Rhondi

A Place for Everything

I love houses. I love decorating houses. My husband calls it nesting. Of course he wishes I would just make the nest and be done with it, but that's not how I work. There's always a picture to be hung or a wonderful useless thing from a flea market to be jammed in someplace. I've had to hang pictures just to cover the nail holes left by other pictures that have been moved somewhere else! But that's the fun of decorating, I think-- possibilities are endless. Rearranging rooms, trying new colors, new styles--it keeps things interesting.

That is the opening paragraph in Mary Engelbreit's book called Home Companion published back in 1994. It could have been my words. When I first read it, I said to my husband, "Listen to this. This is me!"

I just like stuff . I enjoy "the hunt", finding a bargain ,and I like the fun of finding a home for it, a temporary home usually as I will probably put it somewhere else in my home before long!

So these are a few of the things that I've found over time. I found a home for all of them on a table in our front hall for a little while. These little yellow birds, $2 at a yard sale, are actually a planter. The books were from a yard sale too 50 cents each. I got this nice big 15" pitcher for $4 at a local consignment shop.
The little birds were $1 at another yard sale.
This great leaf bowl was part of a set that included 6 dinner plates, 6 bread and butter plates plates & 6 cups and saucers, made in Portugal. It was $22 for the whole set! at another consignment/thrift shop.

This bowl was a great bargain too, $5. It's Mottahedah design also made in Portugal.
Just a green plate from T J Maxx.
A little metal Mary Engelbreit sculpture for $3. Another yard sale find.
So I took all these wonderful things I found and arranged them all on a long table in the hall. Here's a close up of half the vignette. The other half.
Here is the whole display which I think looks great with my quilt as the backdrop. This is the wall where my red and white quilt hung at Christmas. If you came to the holiday open house tour had you would have seen it.
So that's my story of finding useless interesting things and making a place for them in my home. Come back next month and they'll probably all be in another place. Perhaps I should have titled this "A Place for Everything and Everything in its Place, But Not Necessarily the Same Place"!

Enjoy the rest of your day.

Rhondi