An Idea Worth Stealing

A few weeks ago I found the perfect bouquet at the thrift store for $1. What makes it so perfect?

It's simple yet stunning.

Simple because it's made using a half round piece of styrofoam with the heads of faux flowers glued abundantly on top. It's stunning because it can be plopped atop almost anything and
it looks gorgeous.

A silver ice bucket.A white pedestal vase.An old copper pot.On top of moss rocks inside a huge hurricane.

And it's easy to store away when the season, or your mood, changes. It's definitely an idea worth stealing (or buying at the thrift store for $1).

Enjoying Moments

I walked into my living room this morning to view the new arrangement on my coffee table. It's the working of my three year old granddaughter who proudly announced yesterday, "I decorating!" She had taken items from around the room, combined them together, and then carefully topped the sugar mold with mini gourds.
Her decorating makes me smile and reminds me to relax and enjoy this moment in time.Author Anna Quindlen, in her book Loud and Clear, said, "The biggest mistake I made [as a mother] is the one that most of us make. ... I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. There is one picture of the three of [my children] sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages 6, 4, and 1. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in a hurry to get on to the next things: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less."
I have that same regret with my own children. And so for today, and perhaps for a few days to come, I will bask in the beauty created by my three-year-old interior decorator.

September Love

My favorite month of the year is September. I love this month so much that if I were in charge of making the calendar, I would make two Septembers. I enjoy the month partly because it's the month of my birth and the onset of my favorite season. It's the beginning of a new school year and when the outside temperatures begin to feel perfect.
To me September signifies a fresh start.A few years ago I joined the crowd and put up all of my fall decorations at the beginning of September. But I discovered that I prefer to ease into the season, much the way Mother Nature does, just a little at a time. This way I can savor my favorite month of the year.

What month would you like to repeat each year?

Garden Delight

I want to thank you all
for your very warm and
welcoming comments
on my comeback post.
It's good to be back!


Summer days have come to an end but luckily
my vegetable garden is still in full production.
The tomato plants have filled the obelisks that we built. I grew heirlooms this year and it makes me giddy
to see them ripening.I've had so many tomatoes, zucchinis and summer squash
that I set up a table on my front porch
and asked my neighbors to come help themselves.I am delighted to see so many pumpkins and gourdsof all colors, shapes and sizes growing in my garden. I'm sure this may seem strange to some,
but sometimes I think that my purpose
for growing a garden is more for the
happiness
I get from decorating with my harvest
than from the eating of it. I suppose both serve a similar purpose;
one feeds the body, the other feeds the soul.

Sunflower Love

Oh how I love sunflowers! They are such a happy plant. Those pretty, bright yellow heads that magically track the sun

through the day (a little reminder for me to keep my face to the light).I have tried for years to grow them.
I have only been successful once.

I'm not sure why a flower that will thrive in an empty lot will not grow in my yard. Because of this, I have been spotted over the years traipsing through abandoned patches of ground cutting large bouquets. Did you know that people can give you some really strange looks when you're out in an empty field with a pair of clippers?This year I decided to go faux with some realistic looking sunflowers. They're just as pretty but without the mess of hitchhiker bugs, falling pollen, and odd looks from strangers.And I love how they look in my thrift store vintage brown bottles.

A Unique Comeback Story

Almost two months ago the demands of life seemed to be. . .well, too demanding. Feeling overwhelmed I decided that I would take a little break from blogging. However, much like an exhausted mother who lies down for a twenty minute nap only to awake hours later, my little blog break became longer than I had originally anticipated.What did I do during my break? I wish I could report that I spent my time creating. I did not. But I did do some inventorying. I took many more items to the thrift store than I purchased (with a few more car loads to go). I discovered that I own more books, frames, chairs, and lanterns than I need. I even took an inventory of my life asking myself if I was happy with how I was spending my time, talents, and energy. I questioned my purpose for decorating and for blogging.

We live in a world where we are merely a click away from viewing the lives of countless strangers. This can be so very inspiring but more often than not it can make us question ourselves. Should I be putting up beadboard or board and batten? I just finished painting my cabinets black but now everyone is painting theirs gray, does that mean I'm out of style? The light, coastal look is in but I live far from any coast, what shall I do? Is my home beautiful? Am I pretty? Is my family as wonderful as those I read about? Am I creative? Do I have anything special to offer?Why do we do this to ourselves?!? There is a wonderful quote that states, "Comparison is the thief of joy." I believe this to be so very true! But more than robbing our joy, comparison can also rob us of our uniqueness. We are each placed here on earth for a purpose. Just as our outward appearance is individual and without equal, so is what we have to contribute to the world. Why do we spend so much of our energy and time trying to be like the crowd when what makes us amazing is our individuality. Think about it. Every year there is a new fashion or style unleashed to the masses simply because the masses have become just that, a mass.I have answered my question about my purpose for blogging. I do it because I enjoy it. Blogging inspires me to use and improve my talents to bless myself and my family. Hopefully somewhere along my path I inspire others as well. Please forgive me for getting on a soapbox about the hazards of comparison. You have likely already figured this out, but I needed the reminder. That is my purpose for posting this message today. I need to remind myself that I am unique. I need to make it my business to explore that uniqueness. I hope that you'll join me in my journey.
I implore you, dear readers, to take a little break of your own. Find out what makes your situation, your home, your family, and who you are as a person so remarkable.
Embrace your distinctiveness and even your peculiarities! Remember that you truly are extraordinary----even if you think you are not. You do have something to offer this world that no one else can. That is why you are here.

Now, Go and Be Exceptional!