Mosaic Monday

Hello my dear friends.

We just got back from spending Thanksgiving with our newest  grandson, Spencer.  There are always so many things to be thankful for, but when you have a new baby in the family, everything else fades into the background.

Every Monday Mary at Little Red House hosts a Mosaic Monday, so I'm joining in with her today, showing this collage of Spencer at two weeks old.  That is our daughter holding him, not his Mom.  Right now he is the cutest baby in the entire world and one of the top 4 cutest babies ever born!  Our other 3 grandchildren were the cutest baby ever when they were born too!

Now that Thanksgiving is over we all start the mad dash toward Christmas.  Only 25 days to go. 

My TO DO list is a mile long, but I am determined to simplify Christmas this year. I'm sure many of you wish to do the same.

I haven't forgotten about the One Thousand Gifts, but I plan to go back to posting Thankful Thursday and write about them then.  If any of you would like to write Thankful Thursday posts again, let me know and I will have a Mr Linky for you on Thursday.

Rhondi xo

Thanksgiving

This a week of giving thanks.

 I am continuing to "give intentional thanks and gather fresh joy" on my way to one thousand gifts.

Today I am thankful for:

# 103 lunch with friends
#104 so many wonderful comments from you on the 2 year birthday of my blog
#105 talking to my son John on the phone yesterday
#106 little wren right outside my window eating berries
#107 daily email photo of newest grandson Spencer

This is a busy week so I am taking the week off from posting. 
I hope all of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving.  We all have much to be thankful for.

Rhondi xo

Breathtaking Beauty

As we drove home last week from Boston after seeing  Spencer , our newest grandson, we were treated to a spectacular show in the sky.  It was breathtaking and lasted for the longest time. 
 
"The heavens declare the glory of God

The skies proclaim the work of his hands.

 
Day after day they pour forth speech;

night after night they display  knowledge."

Psalm 19:1,2

No other words say it quite so well.

Rhondi xo

Two Years Of Blissful Blogging

It was two years ago today that I wrote my first blog post. The first time I invited you to share a cup of tea with me I wondered if anyone would respond and two of you did, Pam at PAMKITTYMORNING and Angela at Cottage Magpie. I was thrilled. Then bit by bit I found all of you and I was hooked!

It has been a wonderful two years, travelling around the globe , peaking into your homes, listening to your stories, and sharing your triumphs and sorrows.

You have made me feel a part of a very special community of people. Thank you for all your sweet comments, the encouraging words in your posts, the inspiration and affirmation I have received from you.

I thought I'd revisit some of the photos I've used for banners in the last two years.

My Dainty Blue teaset.

The chaise lounge in my studio.



Blue glassware in the kitchen.



Summer flowers fresh from the garden.



Tea in my red tea set.



Thanks for making these two years of blogging very blissful!!

Rhondi xo

A Gift and a Miracle

Here he is gift # 62, Spencer Andrew, born Saturday November 14 at 6:17 PM, 7 lbs 7 oz. Perfect in very way. Aren't babies a miracle?

As soon as we heard the news that our daughter in law was in labor we got in the car and drove to Boston stopping overnight at my cousin's in Philadelphia. We knew we probably couldn't get there in time for his birth but at least we'd be there shortly after.

Well little Spencer waited until Grandma and Grandpa arrived and I was able to hold my newborn grandson. What a thrill!! This is our 4th grandchild and each time is just as exciting as the last one.

So I am continuing on with my Mulitude Monday One Thousand Gifts posting a day late.

Gift # 63-holding my new grandbaby, 64- new life, 65- look of joy on my son's face, 67- warm feeling of that little bundle of joy in my arms,68-I now have 4 grandchildren,70-soft cheeks, 71-little baby noises, 72, newborn baby smell, 73-healthy baby.

Charles Dickens said, "It is not a slight thing when they who are so fresh from God, love us."

Dear little Spencer, you are a gift and a miracle. You have stolen my heart and I am one blessed Grandma!

Rhondi xo

A Place To Write

This is where I am sitting this morning as I write to you. I am sitting at the table in my studio cutting and pasting pictures from magazines. There is a tiny bit of sun trying to come through the clouds and streaming down on the table. Oh it is so nice to see the sun! It's been so dull and dreary this week.
Do you write in a journal? I do, and have for a long time. It's just a plain composition book, with lined pages. I've often seen these wonderful creative journals where they have interesting things on every page. They always intrigued me and I was always going to do that one day. Well recently I was reading Holy Experience, and Ann had a post on how she made a visual journal by just cutting out photos or words from magazines and gluing them on the pages. I could do that!

So I began to cut and paste and have the beginnings of a wonderful visually inspiring journal, a "visual journal":

All you have to do is cut out a whole bunch of pictures . Then spread them out somewhere and begin to pick out ones that would look good together on the pages. Cut them to fit and glue them down. I use a repositionable glue stick, so if I change my mind I can rearrrange or remove them. There is something very therapeutic about cutting pictures out of magaines isn't there?
Now as I record my thoughts or events of the day, I write the words between beautiful pictures of things that please my eye or my soul. It is a delight to the senses!
I have another journal in the works. I'll tell you about that on Monday.
Hope you have a great weekend!
Rhondi xo

Goodbye

It has been dreary, rainy and windy the last two days and all the beautiful leaves are quickly falling to the ground. We can see much farther in the woods now because the trees are getting quite bare. The beautiful colors of fall are slowly fading. I captured some of the color in a collage before it was all gone. Goodbye beautiful colors of autumn. I'm going to miss you!

Rhondi xo

Veteran's Day

Today is Veteran's Day here in the United States and Remembrance Day in Canada. It is a day we take the time to honor our veterans. I think America has lost the whole concept of honor. We used to honor people older than ourselves, people in authority. We don't any more and it's sad to me.

Whenever I see a person in the military, I always go up to them and shake their hand and say "Thank you". I am amazed at how much that touches them. One time we paid for the groceries ( it wasn't a lot) of the guy in line in front of us who was in a uniform. He told us after that he was heading off to his 3rd stint in Afghanistan! That small gesture meant a lot to him. I'm not telling you this to brag, but to give you the idea of honoring our military men and women.

Today if you can, thank someone who is willing to put their life on the line for other's freedom.

Thank you to all the people in our armed forces. I appreciate and value what you do.

Rhondi xo

Multitude Monday

Good morning. How is your week shaping up? I had such a busy weekend so I am just taking the morning to catch my breath, relax and enjoy the peace. This is the sunset one night recently. It's beautiful isn't it? Looking at a sunset always makes me feel contented in some way.

Recently I found a blog called holy experience. I have really been enjoying it. Even just listening to the music is wonderful! Every Monday she has what she calls Multitude Monday and she lists things she is grateful for, just like I do with my Thankful Thursdays, only she has taken it a step further and aimed for 1,000 things to be grateful for! She has been doing it for quite awhile and is past 1,000 now!

I am going to join in every Monday. I think being grateful is a great way to start each week. It hope it will help me keep life in perspective and remind me of how very blessed I am, no matter what the circumstances.

So here goes.....I'm on my way to one thousand gifts. Each thing I am grateful for is a "gift". Ann at Holy Experience calls it "giving intentional thanks and gathering fresh joy". I could really use some of that "fresh joy"!

1. Jesus

2. good health

3.a kind faithful husband

4. great kids and their spouses

5. three grandchildren

6. one little grandson on the way the end of November

7. beautiful fall day

8. wonderful church

9. friends

10. music that inspires and cheers me

11. food in the pantry

12. a fun lunch with blog friends

13. sunshine

14. my studio

15. the falling leaves

16.red cardinals flitting by my window

17. God's word

18. my sister

19. having a daughter

20. 40 years of marriage

Thank you for being my blog friend today.

Rhondi xo

Lunch With Blog Friends

I sent out an email invitation to any bloggers that lived in North Carolina to come for lunch. I picked some flowers from the garden.

I set the table and made some soup. Only three were able to come but it was just the perfect number because we were really able to chat.

And they came...with their cameras! You can tell a blogger because we always have our cameras ready! I couldn't resist taking this shot of Penny Mary and Donna taking pictures of the food.

Mary is giving Donna some pointers.

They came bearing gifts. Mary's was wrapped with French paper, with a picture of the Eiffel tower on the tag.

Inside were sweet smelling lotion and spray, a lovely guest towel and a pretty little bottle which she got at Suzanna's. If you read Mary's blog you will know about Suzanna's shop.

Penny's gift came wrapped in red toile.

It was a beautiful vintage kitchen towel in all the colors I love and a rolling pin with blue and white handles. I've never see one like that before, the perfect colors: blue and white.

Donna sews these cute bags and she made one for each of us.

Inside mine was an apron she made ...

and some recipe cards, a snowman cookie cutter and a mini loaf of lemon poppy bread.

We had such a wonderful time. I felt like we had been friends all our lives. We talked non stop and before we knew it 3 hours had gone by! Thanks for driving so far to come to my house for lunch and for bringing me such thoughtful gifts. You're the best!

Here we are: Penny, Mary, Donna and me.

They are all still driving home as I write this so I'm the first to post about our lunch. Hope you have a safe trip home!

Rhondi xo

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for:
early sunrises
roses still blooming in the garden
rustle of leaves underfoot
bursts of color in the trees and bushes
planting pansies for winter
our daughter popping in for a visit
sunshine
encouraging words in Philippians
warm house
view of the woods
cozy quilt
hot cup of tea
good health
gentle husband
new grandson to be born this month
happy memories of our trip to Texas

What are you thankful for today?
Rhondi xo

Making It Cozy

Last night was the first night we've been back home since we put the clocks back and all of a sudden it gets dark so early! One of the things I like to do to keep our home feeling cozy when it gets dark is to have lots of small lamps in corners of the rooms.

This tall lamp sits on a beside table in our guest room.

A corner of the kitchen gets a warm glow from this lamp I won from a giveaway awhile back.

A reproduction Orient Express lamp sits on a bookcase in my studio, lighting up a corner by the back door.

This lamp illuminates a small corner of the quilt hanging in our front hall. Besides a fire, quilts are definitely the best thing to make a home feel warm and cozy!

My favorite rooster lamp lights up another corner of the kitchen.

A brass candlestick lamp on the mantle casts it's glow amidst a small grouping from my candlestick collection.
This is just one way that I cozy up our home. What do you do to make your home feel more cozy now that it's dark so much earlier and for some of you the winter cold is on it's way?
Rhondi xo

Girlfriends Forever

Good morning girlfriends. I have been in Texas for the past week, having a wonderful visit with our grandkids and our son and his wife. The kids are still young, 5 and 3, so dressing up for Halloween is very exciting. This year the twins were spiderman, and our little grandaughter was Minnie Mouse. We went to their costume parades at school and preschool and then trick or treating in the neighborhood. It was such fun as they ran from house to house gathering up as many goodies as they could and then watching them dunp all the loot out on the floor at home and decide which ones they wanted to eat as their special treat for that night. Every year by the time Halloween night arrives Ella is tired of her costume because she's already worn it quite a few times at the many Hallowen events they have in their community, so she goes to their dress up trunk and picks some random item!

So if you were wondering why I hadn't been by for a visit or didn't respond to any emails, that's why.

Now this morning I am at my computer with a nice hot cup of tea ready to have a good chat with my girlfriends.

It's funny how I can feel so close to women I've never met but in many ways, I know you better than some of the people who I see all the time. As we were flying home in the plane I was wondering, "I wonder what they've been up to?" Just like the title of this book by Susan Branch says, "Girlfriends Forever", that's what you are to me.

I'm having my tea this morning in my Mary Englebreit "Pals" mug in honor of you!

In the same way that in the movie You've Got Mail ( I'm sure I've told you before how much I love that movie!) Meg Ryan waited with anticipation for the words, "you've got mail" at her computer , I wait with anticipation to see who has a new post up and who has left a comment.

I wonder, how has Brenda made her home look cosy , did Kim post today, what is happening at Pondside, how is Adrienne, how many joined in on pink Saturday, how is all the work at Penny's progressing, what has Podso been up to, what beautiful thing has Kathy sewn, what thrifty projects is Manuela done, what is Carolyn's garden looking like, did Mary visit Suzanna's, what delicious recipes has Marie cooked up, what fun things is BJ doing today, what creative and beautiful things will Karen have made since I last visited her, who has Rhoda visited, what's happening in Elizabeth's little village in France, has Eli made any more cute things, what colorful projects has Lucy posted, how's Heidi in the Netherlands and what neat things has her mom Nancy made.. and what about the other Heidi and Kim, Donna, Jain, Janie, Tina, Rhoda, Angie, Nezzie, Rue, Linda, Marty, Jeanne, Sheila, Kammy, Teresa, Shelia, Nannette and on and on. There are so many others I just can't list all of you!

You are all my friends and I know it seems crazy but I miss talking to you when I am away, even when I'm having fun like being with my grandchildren. You are all very special to me..... Girlfriends Forever, just like the book says!

A big thank you to Kim at Daisy Cottage whose giveaway I won. It was a very special heart hand made by Fifi. When I arrived home it was waiting for me in the mailbox. Isn't it charming?

It's fun to go away but I always love coming back home, don't you? There is something about home that is so comforting . I feel like my home wraps it's arms around me and says "welcome back" each time I return from a trip. Sometimes it also says, "Please clean me!"

Now I'm going to make a second cup of tea and have a visit with you! Wish it could be real but a virtual visit will have to do for now.

Love to all my "girlfriends forever"

Rhondi xo