Valentines Day Greetings

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY

I love the old Valentines. The colors are so beautiful, and the drawings dear and the messages heartfelt.

I keep a bulletin board of old Valentines up all year long beside my desk. They are so perky and cheerful and full of inspiration to me. They are mostly from the 1930's and 1940's. 

 There are a few older ones, that are full of grace and charm and are extraordinary. This card has 3 fold-outs and a base to stand up on.There are roses, forget-me-knots and lilly of the valley. It is almost 4-D. I love this Valentine.

My mother-in-law has kept her school days Valentines all these years. She says she and her younger sister used to play with them on rainy or sick days. She still gets them out and remembers...

In my school days of the 1950's and 1960's, the Valentines had lost so much. So much meaning, so much color, so much size. We were required to bring one for everyone in our class, and so Valentines were sold in boxes cheaply for people to afford. That explains a lot.

 In the days of my 3 daughters growing up, Valentines were even smaller and almost meaningless. The girls gave Valentines with Strawberry Shortcake, Care Bears, My Little Pony or Precious Moments on them (just what boys want), and the boys had G I Joe, Star Wars or Super Heroes Valentines (just what girls want). Here are a few photos of a pack from Precious Moments I got at our Christian bookstore for $1.99 back in the early 80's. They are cute but inane, and don't say anything worth saying. They are just little square cards you fold in half and put someone's name on. But somehow the girls still had fun doing it and addressing them. Now days it is my granddaughters giving Valentines with Shopkins on them for $5 a pack. 

This is another example of the quality of vintage things that are worth having, and the diminishing quality and higher prices of today.

All Things December

 Fun with Piano Students

After school one day in December, we had an impromptu 'tea' only with hot chocolate and molasses sugar cookies. This is Abby and Emily, and their Mom Carol and I are sipping out of sight of the camera, and keeping warm in front on the fire. Brrr- it's been cold for a couple of weeks now.

Here is another group of students, and the one with the guitar is Shayli, then Brinnay and Ella in the green Christmas t-shirt, along with Mom Kindi. I have known Kindi since she was Ella's age, so it is so much fun to teach her girls. The home school in the kitchen while each has a piano lesson.

JoAnn has been busy baking up a storm, and made some very beautiful sugar cookies that were a work of art!

JoAnn and I had a fun time too, decorating the tree this year. We had purchased a few new trims and I sat and got the ornaments ready for her then she put them on the tree. What a great idea! I was happy to be sitting, and she was happy having control of the placement. Christmas music was playing and a plate of cookies was nearby for the hungry (that's us)!

Well, we have done some fun things in December this year. Tonight we are going out to dinner with 3 dear friends and have a special Christmas dinner together. Then on Saturday is our Church Ladies Christmas Brunch and I am going with a friend and looking forward to it. 

Then of course I am fitting it the baking and Christmas cards as time allows. So nice to spend these days preparing my heart and home for the coming of the Savior!

November Doings

 A fall treat I saw on Pinterest, and decided to try out. Chex mix with candy corn and candy pumpkins! 

 This was the month we got our piano tuned. I took the opportunity to take photos of the interior. It is so pretty inside. This old upright was made before 1885, by the Franklin Piano Company. My great-grandparents purchased it for my Great Aunt Minnie. She brought it with her from Iowa to Oregon, then Seattle by train. She taught piano with it for many many years until her arthritis was too severe. She gave it to my parents so I could learn on it, a wonderful gift! Now it resides in Bend, Oregon and I have continued the tradition and teach on it. So many years of wonderful pleasure I have received.

This is behind the bottom panel, with the sound board in the back. The funny black box is a humidifier, that I have to water every few weeks. We live where there is virtually no humidity, so to keep the piano and wood moist this is the solution.

Julie and family have a new addition. "Sunshine' has arrived to keep them all company. Isn't she a beautiful kitty?

 And finally, today is the day before Thanksgiving. I love the peace and fun of this day. Mom is here with us, and she and I are working on a few Christmas projects this morning. First experimenting with selfies. She is 95 and knows what a selfie is and how to take one. Wow!

 We are getting some ornaments ready for delivery, and having a great time doing it. Thinking and talking about each grandchild and great-grandchild. Hey kids, does this get you exited for December?

All Things Cozy in Late Autumn

I love to find seasonal photos on Pinterest and save them. I put them on my computer screen as wall paper, and then rotate them every few minutes to enjoy the scenes. I thought I would share a few of my mid-to-end of Autumn photos. I can't give all the photographers credits here, but they are some creative and talented people. 

Where I grew up in Seattle, we had a whole street lined with gorgeous chestnut trees. This was the season to pick up the pods that had split open and gather the nuts. There is a brown hard shell, with the chestnuts inside. Then there is a papery covering. My mother used to roast them over a fire in our fireplace, with little x's carved into the skins just like the photo below. Those would curl up and be easier to peel off. The chestnut inside was so worth the efforts, as they have an amazing buttery goodness!

I think it would be SO fun to live on Punkin Blvd, don't you?

That's what it smells like when you scuffle through the dried fallen leaves on the ground.

Have a delightful week-end, celebrating Halloween, the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, and all things cozy in November.

A very white Christmas!

We do LOVE snow, and the three of us are having a very white and merry Christmas! Hope yours is merry too!

Thanksgiving Greetings

"I will give thanks to Thee, O Lord, among the peoples;

And I will sing praises to Thee, among the nations.

For Thy steadfast love is great, above the heavens;

and Thy faithfulness reaches to the skies.

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;

and Thy glory above all the earth."

Psalm 108

Thanksgiving greetings and love to all our family and friends!

4th of the July the way it should be...fun and family!

 

We were blessed to have granddaughter Macy here the week before the 4th. We did lots of fun 4th of July things, and here is a fun red, white & blue breakfast of yogurt and fruit. Macy loves fruit!

And here Macy and the insurance man are frosting red, white and blue cupcakes for my piano recital. And eating a little bit too....

Finished product, and some of the refreshments for the recital. Moms brought red and blue cut up fruit to go along with the cupcakes.

 Emily is getting really good, and has been playing long enough to be relaxed at recital time.

And here are three cuties after the recital is over, so they have big smiles!

 

We took Macy home and stayed for the whole weekend. Saturday we all hung out at the Lewis River on family property. Kirk and the men took a 3 hour kayaking trip down the river to the property. The insurance man got a pretty bad sunburn on his legs, maybe the first ever, but enjoyed the beautiful scenery. Later, grandson Lane wanted a ride too. There was lots of time to spend with the babies and kids.

 

And lots of good time spent with daughter Joy.

 

On the 4th we all went to Ridgefield to watch the great parade they have there. 

 

Granddaughter Kory joined us for the parade as she had the day off from working.



 

Kirk drove his restored tractor in the parade along with Lane, and Kory brought her fiancé Sam as well. We are looking forward to their wedding in October, another fun family event.

And finally when we got home we took JoAnn and Neil to go watch the fireworks show at the home of more family here in Bend. JoAnn made a special scarf just for the event, and the weather cooperated as it was chilly and cool that night.

Great 4th of July 2016!