SweetScarlett

On Being Happy

2012-01-30T23:25:00.007Z

As it appears today, our home in the 1960s, Buffalo, New York

She would wake up in the darkness, earlier than the rest of us, to spend time alone.
While we were still nestled in our beds upstairs, our mother would sit quietly alone in the kitchen. The scent of freshly-brewed coffee mingling with the circling stream of blue smoke from her cigarette. The crossword puzzle sat on the table with its friend - the pen - waiting for her to continue, as she sipped a bit of coffee. This was the relaxing part of her day.

Her busy life was filled with demands of her family and obligations to her job and her patients. Her time, her love, her housework, her job all took their toll and so this early morning time was for herself.
I can see her at the kitchen table as clearly now as if she were right here in front of me. Mom knew what to do to help her stressful life long before all the talk shows came along to help us.

Last week I watched an episode of the Oprah Winfrey show, featuring Goldie Hawn as her guest, and have been thinking about it ever since.

Goldie wants all of us to be happy and she has a way for us to give it a go.
We can begin by taking her quiz.
But Goldie's discussion with Oprah was direct and to the point - all she ever wanted to be in life was happy.

"My identity has never been wrapped around my being famous," Goldie says. "My identity has been what's inside of me."
On the inside, Goldie says she sees herself as a daughter, mother, partner and friend. Aging and outside looks, she says, are simply a part of life. "Getting older is natural," she says. "We have to face the fact that jobs are going to stop . . . (Your looks are going to change) . . . These things are going to change."

Goldie is on a mission to teach people to be happier. Her happiness initiative with The Hawn Foundation means, she's devoted to helping both children and adults experience optimum happiness.

Goldie Hawn's messages came on the heels of some debates/discussions within the UK and EU forums about the US Declaration of Independence and its intentional inclusion of 'the pursuit of happiness' as something all Americans have a right to try to attain.
In another interesting article, it seems Goldie Hawn wants to help British children to be happy, too!

There have been studies done that indicate, (along with other findings,) that happy employees work harder and longer and value customers and teat them better so it all goes round and round in a good way.
Evidently, keeping your citizens, workers, and well, everyone, happy makes sense.

Bravo to the researchers - but explain how to help make people happy, please.
It seems some work has been done here.
If you have a moment, take the time to read the articles in the following links. They both make some good points.
12 Ways to be Happy this article is from a 60 year old woman
Find Happiness in Unexpected Places - this article is from a High School and geared towards teens

Dan Buettner, a member of the audience at Oprah's show, and a best-selling author, explains how we can find a bit of happiness, too. In his book, Thrive, Finding Happiness in the Blue Zone Way, we may find some answers.

But now, back to Goldie and how she has helped us to understand a bit about making ourselves a wee bit happier - something my mother knew fifty years ago.
She talked about finding time for quiet in your day. Begin with only a minute of total silence and sit quietly - doing nothing at all - just letting your mind wander.
Build upon your minute until you are practising this for 20 minutes or more each day. You can split it up into shorter segments if need be.

Wishing Happiness to you all!
xxx
Maggie

Introducing Pasticceria Amalfi in Bedford, England

2011-11-11T12:16:00.045Z

It was by chance that I discovered this amazing Italian bakery, Pasticceria Amalfi, in Bedford a few months ago.
We were dining at an Italian cafe, The Cappuccino Bar, next door to Peacock's auction centre in Bedord's city centre, when I asked if they had any cannoli on their dessert menu. And although they did not offer them in the cafe, our informative server directed us to Pasticceria Amalfi, just a few blocks away. It has been a love affair ever since.

Rich and amazing chocolate tart - you can taste the quality in this delightful confection

I was raised in an area of New York State that was rich with immigrants from Germany, Poland, Ireland, and Italy. The ethnic foods I grew up with, and am fond of, derived from all of these unique cultures. Since moving to England five years ago, one of the foods I miss most is Italian food. Not that it can't be found in the UK; but the sort I miss originates in southern Italy and Sicily, and until now, that has been a difficult search with woeful results.

I work in the Bedford area two days a week and so I feel it is my calling to make a pilgrimage once a week to Pasticceria Amalfi. What else can a girl do when the source and supplier of such authentic and wonderful Italian pastries has been found?

The shop front on Park Road West in Bedford

Upon arrival in the shop, I am met with a warm welcome from one, or both, of the owners - brothers, who have settled here in the UK, bringing with them the lovely tastes of their homeland.

Tommaso and Francesco Holding some of their fabulous treats

Francesco Intingaro and his brother, Tommaso Intingaro, have emigrated to Bedford from their home in the southern coast of Italy - an area known as the Amalfi coast.
Francesco was first to arrive and Tommaso soon followed. At first, both had limited English language skills, but were able to find jobs and worked at them until setting up their own bakery business about two years ago.
And what a bonus for the people of Bedford to have such a quality Italian bakery in their midst!

Tommaso behind the counter chock-full of goodness!

The bakery carries such gorgeous delights as these and so much more:Beautiful Italian cookies

A chocolate mocha creme puff

A chocolate-chocolate cup cake: chocolate cake & chocolate icing

The very best chocolate tart ever!

Fresh fruit and custard tarts
But absolutely nothing compares to the original cannoli - crisp, light wafer with gorgeous cheesy filling

The shop also creates custom orders and specialises in cakes of all sorts - especially wedding cakes and special occasion cakes.

Give them a ring or stop by to discuss your special occasion order. You will love the personal attention and detail that comes from pride of work and dedication to customer care.

Pasticceria Amalfi also carries a custom line of handmade cake ornaments.
These cake toppers are locally sourced, providing a local artist with an outlet for her gorgeous designs.
Although Pasticceria Amalfi carries many different styles of cake toppers, I adore the delightful baby cake toppers. Some are designed exclusively for Christenings and others can be used for New Baby parties and birthdays, too!

The detail is amazing on the Christening baby! Simply gorgeous!

For the modern family, a baby boy in his Christening outfit sleeping on a gorgeous detailed blanket

For your baby girl, a darling baby sleeping on a flower petal

There are toppers for baby boys, tooIsn't this adorable? Look at the incredible detail!

A family of beauties

You can find the bakery at their website - just click on any of the links with their name, Pasticceria Amalfi and you will be linked directly to it.

Pasticceria Amalfi
27 Park Road West
Bedford, Bedfordshire MK41 7SB
Telephone: 01234 306 514
International Calls: +44 (0) 1234 306 514
email: tfgcakes@hotmail.com
website: http://www.amalfipasticceria.co.uk

Or, visit the bakery when you are in the Beford area. Really, no journey is too long a distance if you love authentic, delicious Italian pastry.

And you'll get the chance to meet the bakers too!

xxx
Maggie

THE ITALIANS ARE COMING, THE ITALIANS ARE COMING!

2011-11-09T22:49:00.002Z

Watch this space to find out all about a fabulous bakery in Bedford!
Soon, soon, soon!

xxx
Maggie

An Estate Sale in Priors Marston

2011-10-22T14:23:00.011+01:00

Funnily enough, I was on eBay searching for a turkey platter to send to my daughter in New York, when I came across a link to The Old Vicarage in Priors Marston, Warwickshire. The sale was scheduled for Saturday, October 22 and Sunday, October 23.
Suddenly, this event moved to the top of my to-do list for Saturday and all thoughts about turkey platters flew right out of my head!

I have lived in England for five years now and this is the very first time I have seen an Estate Sale advertised. So naturally the excitement was intense. You see, in the area I lived in New York State, these sales are common and are a regular form of entertainment and collecting all rolled into one fine day out.
I rang the owners, Judith and David, to inquire about some of the items I was interested in and set about planning my route.
I wanted to wake early in order to be out and on the roads, driving through the gorgeous Autumn countryside, taking the rural back roads and enjoying the drive. But only on the way home!
On the way, I wanted the fastest way to get there in order to be there as early as possible. I wanted to move to the very front of the queue in order to have the best shot at finding what I was looking for before someone else got to it first. That is how it's done in New York.
But most of the time it is near impossible to be anywhere near the early entrants due to dealers who arrive with tons of 'pickers' and take up all the first numbers, and they get the best things before you ever have a chance.

So imagine my surprise and amusement when one lone woman stood before me in the field across from the home, asking me if this was the right place! We two were the first and second people there! Oh how that intensified my excitement!

I was searching for an iron bed. And they had two - one looked like a modern reproduction and the other was a lovely antique. They also had two very nice wooden beds in full size.
But I didn't buy any of them. Instead I found some lovely vintage items to take home to our cottage.
A pretty little chest of drawers,

a dresser-top mirror,

a fire screen,

and a set of six linen with drawn threadwork and embroidery placemats.

And all fit nicely, with room to spare, in my Smart car.
And yes, the slow drive back through the countryside on a fine, sunny, autumn day was both relaxing and glorious!
If you have nothing planned for tomorrow, why not go for a country drive and stop at the sale?
Judith and David are lovely and have a house filled with unique and wonderful things!

xxx
Maggie

Remembering Priscilla

2011-10-17T19:08:00.004+01:00

Priscilla Dyte Pfenninger

24 January 1948 - 13 October 2011
Buffalo, New York USA
My dear sister
May she find peace and rest and freedom from pain.

While we are mourning the loss of our friend, others are rejoicing to meet him behind the veil. ~John Taylor

A New Home - A New Linen Closet

2011-09-09T20:25:00.012+01:00

Our little cottage hasn't a linen closet or 'airing cupboard' built-in anywhere. Our old home had a lot of built-in storage and we have a lot of linens! So we needed to improvise.

I bought this little bookcase on eBay, originally sold at IKEA, and decided it needed a simple make-over in order to house our linens just outside the bathroom on the landing by the stairs.We collected it from the seller and washed it all, inside and out. Then began the process of searching for the perfect fabric to make a curtain for it. Initially, I wanted to use a piece of vintage fabric - oh I have a lot of that! And finally using a vintage piece might be a good idea, rather than continuing to hoard it.
But while searching for storage containers for the bathroom I stumbled across this fabric at Laura Ashley and fell in love.

Laura Ashley Portland Fabric in Cotton/Linen Blend

Not only was this stunning material available for my project, it had matching/coordinating storage boxes and wallpaper, too!
The colours are gorgeous and the design so perfect - large, shaded-blue flowers on an ivory ground. Mixing up traditional design with modern style. For certain this was a winning combination. It was as good as sold.

I purchased a meter of the fabric and a set of the storage boxes (sadly, now sold-out) and the lovely salesgirl also provided me with a very large piece of the wallpaper as a sample, at no charge.
The result is a curtain for the bookcase and some storage boxes to keep the bathroom soaps, medicines, etc, all in three tidy boxes. (More on how the wallpaper is to be used in another post.)
Here are some photographs of the finished linen closet. Total cost about £75.00.
We are still quite bare in the house - nothing up on the walls yet, and still with a lot stored in boxes, but it will all improve in time.
You can see some of the fabric hoard under the beds in the background! Oh and naturally - there are tons more linens - of the vintage kind - under there, too!
More to come - watch this space!
xxx
Maggie

Uppingham!

2011-08-19T22:10:00.008+01:00

Yes, dear friends, we have finally moved and settled-in to our new home in the East Midlands and what a journey it has been!
It took forever to find a home to move to, and although we visited many wee towns and villages, it was difficult to find one with much availability - after all - who would want to leave such beautiful surroundings? But eventually we were successful in finding a place to live in charming Uppingham.
Would you like to learn more about it? Here is a video highlighting the county and Uppingham.

Our home is a modern built cottage that has kept its charm in being built to look like an older cottage. So we enjoy the energy efficiency found in new home construction with the period charm of an older home.

Lots has been unpacked but there is still a lot to do. We have moved from a home that had a lot of storage built-in to a home with very limited storage. So we have been busy filling the gap buying things we need to make our house a home.

I have found a chest of drawers to rework with some paining magic and an IKEA bookcase to transform into a linen closet. And more to come!

A view down the High Street from Market Square

Market Square at Night

We love being part of a small town and have begun getting to know some of our neighbours. In coming posts I will highlight some of them and their businesses in town.

We are just now beginning to tackle some of the outdoors with a concentration on the front garden.
Let's just say it is a 'natural' garden right now, filled with lovely wildflowers in the form of weeds, sharing the bit of earth with plants which no longer can be seen!
We are trying to get it weeded and then plan on planting lavender because it takes care of itself and comes up every year and looks and smells divine.
A bit of spring bulbs should also be planted as well as some hydrangea and peonies.
In the back garden, I would like to plant some lilacs and lily-of-the-valley.
If you know any good sources for any of these plants, please share!

So it is a happy post this time with many more to come.
Please leave a note to let me know you are still stopping by - and accept my apologises for the lack of posts in ever-so-long.
xxx
Maggie

Just some conversation . . .

2011-01-25T17:25:00.009Z

Introducing, Squares - the baby and his loving parents, Joe and Elizabeth

Today I saw my neighbour working busily away in his garden and it made me smile to think of spring not being far off.
We did have one lovely day last week - the sun was shining and spring was in the air with mild temps and the tiny tops of daffodils peeking through the ground in the front garden.
With spring comes changes in our lives - everything fresh, new and exciting.
And so it is true with me, too.

About a month or two ago I began a new job. Although it is temporary, I am hopeful that my work will be good enough to provide them with reasons why they might keep me if funding becomes available.

Baby Michael

As I have been busy with that, and with a holiday visit to New York to see Michael (otherwise known as, 'Squares, the baby' ala Gavin and Stacey fame) the poor struggling blog has again been ignored!

Add to that my impossible lack of creativity lately and writer's block and you can see where I am headed with this.

So I have decided to write about some people who are not faced with the same creative 'blocks'
and bring you their stories. Soon, I will be featuring some craftspeople and their work in this space along with anecdotes of my own life as my husband and I begin 2011 with hope of a better year.

Happy New Year to you all! Here is to fresh starts and new journeys - especially that of new little Michael, who I am happy to introduce here . . .

xxx
Maggie

PS - If you are interested in being featured here, please send me an email and we'll chat.

Christmas Memories to Share

2010-12-24T02:52:00.005Z

Mom with my niece, Debbie

This year, I wanted to share this with you in the hopes you recall some of your own memories of family at Christmastime and share them, too . . .

As I sat wrapping presents tonight, I was thinking about my mom and the way she wrapped presents for us when we were little.
I was trying to add just a bit of her style to my gifts tonight, but I know I am not even close to meeting her exceptional standards.

If the item was clothing and if it was wrapped in a box from the store, she would line the box with tissue paper first, and then the gift was placed inside. She folded over the tissue paper, surrounding the gift and then sealed the tissue paper closed with little festive holiday seals - yes seals, not stickers. They were the type you would have to lick to get them wet so they would adhere to the paper.

Then she would wrap up the box, surround it with curling ribbon, and then tie a bow from the curling ribbon. She would make tons of curls with the ribbon and the package would be almost finished.
Usually, she would also add a small gift to the top of the wrapped box, too. It might be a candy cane, or some other trinket to add more fun the the gift.

And if the gift were a 'soft' item like socks, she would do all the same steps for it, too, only adding the curls and ribbon to each end of the tube, making it look like a Christmas Cracker.
She filled our stockings with walnuts, treats, coloring books, small gifts, and of course, the traditional orange in the toe of the stocking. After all of the commotion of opening gifts under the tree, we knew we could count on our stockings to extend the thrill of the morning.

It is important to remember she worked in the 1950s when most moms were home all day with family. She worked at night, so she could be home with us during the day, and she must have been pretty tired. And with six children to shop for and each with a small pile of presents to wrap, she had her hands full, to be sure. But she wasn't a slacker when it came to wrapping - oh no!
She baked, too. Not just two types of cookies like I do, but whole plates of gorgeous cookies in all sorts of shapes and flavors.

I don't know how she did it with all the rest she had to do. I wish I could say I am keeping up with her legacy, but I don't hold a candle to the way she could multi-task - way before the term was invented. I hope though, that by sharing this, her legacy of love and care and attention to detail will live on. Long after what was in those gifts has been forgotten, I still remember the way she wrapped them with so much love for each one of us.

The light-up Santa was on our tree when I was a child. The angel on the moon was also on our tree - purchased in Toronto when I was a teenager, this one is a replica of the one I gave my mom and also bought for myself. My daughter has my original.

I am wishing you all the same love and care this year for Christmas. I hope your memories are vast and that you are making more for your own family, to share for generations to come.

Love,
Maggie

It's a boy - Again!

2010-12-15T00:49:00.004Z

Baby Michael was born yesterday!!!
We are so happy and so excited to welcome him to our family on both sides of the pond.
Mommy and baby are doing well and daddy is as pleased as can be.

Congratulations to my lovely daughter and her husband. Wishing them all the best with their precious little gift.

I will be in touch with you all again soon!
xxx
Maggie

It's A Boy!

2010-10-23T12:27:00.011+01:00

Tasty treats all in a baby boy's honour

PETE!!!

Lots of lovely pressies!

Elizabeth and a baby play mat with Maureen looking on

Hello patient and faithful readers!
I can't believe it has been months since I have written and the only excuse I have to offer is that life has bends and twist and I have been on a twisting path finding it difficult sometimes to find home.
Where do I begin?
Summer - where did it go? So many things to discuss and so little space.
Planning a visit to the US and preparing for it took a lot of time. Applying for jobs and interviewing took more time. Then the day was here to head to America for a very special event!

My eldest daughter, Elizabeth, is expecting her first baby, our first grandchild! (Although, Jim and I have grandchildren already on his side of the family, this will be our first American grandchild)
Elizabeth is expecting a baby boy in late December or early January. Michael already has more clothing than I have not to mention a fully decorated room and toys and so much more, too.
They are quickly running out of space in their Brooklyn flat. It is all very exciting!

Elizabeth sent me a plane ticket so that I could join her, friends and family in Wilson, New York (just outside of Buffalo on Lake Ontario) at the home of a dear friend, Maureen, for a baby shower in her honour.

You know you are in Buffalo when you see things like this

Needmoore Farm was the setting and it was spectacular!
Maureen was the perfect hostess, planning and preparing everything, and also providing shelter for me during my stay with her.
She is so talented! She hand-made many bits and pieces of infant couture and also made a gorgeous baby quilt for Michael to coordinate with his little bedroom. Where would we be without her? Thank you, Maureen!

A beautiful basket filled with gifts of love from Maureen

Members of family and friends were all there with gorgeous gifts that included the necessities as well as some fabulous vintage-styled toys and some modern day ones, too.

Thank you to all who joined us on a gorgeous September day in an outstanding location. It was truly perfect seeing all of you again and having you share such a special day with us. Thank you for sharing and your generous gifts, too.

Following the shower we traveled back home to Brooklyn, driving a totally crammed car, filled with baby gifts! Elizabeth has it all worked out - she has driven the route so many times. It takes about 5 - 6 hours to travel by car from Lake Erie to Brooklyn across New York state. Probably about an hour of the journey is just getting through the New York City area.
But Elizabeth has driven the route so many times, she is expert! She knew just where the last stop on the Thruway is where you can load up on Tim Horton's coffee! She also knows how to fill all the cup holders so with many, many cups so that once home, you can still enjoy the coffee for a few days! Excellent!

While in the US we went to some sales in the NYC area to look for vintage things to bring back to the UK. I found some lovely items to treasure and sell. Watch this space for more about them!
And I also got to meet my new 'granddaughter' in the form of a Jack Russell mix.
Ya gotta love this dog!

Avery in the Prairie Dog pose

Upon my return to the UK, I had a happy discovery! I have been hired for a job that begins on November 1st. I am so happy to return to work after such a long sabbatical! Wish me luck!

The wait for news won't be this long again, I promise!
I will be visiting your blogs again, soon! I've missed reading all your entries.

xxx
Maggie

Remembering Mom

2010-08-04T08:47:00.016+01:00

Baby Helen, about age 2

I am thinking about my mother today. She lived through such a lot in her lifetime; her life was dominated by change, adversity, and hard work. And through it all she remained a loving, caring wonderful mother and human being.

She was born in 7 December 1918 when World War I was nearing its end and lived a long life, experiencing ever-so-much. Her mother had been raised during the Victorian era and she raised her two daughters and one son with the same strict standards. It was a loving home but one ruled with high standards, schedules, and old time manners.

Helen Mae Truxes Dyte age 18

Mom's youth was spent witnessing the events of the Roaring Twenties and I like to think her fashion sense came from those glamorous days. She was a beautiful woman, both inside and out.

Helen May and Kathryn Truxes

She was 11 when the onset of the Great Depression began in 1929, and she was 21 when it ended, spending her formative years watching her parents struggle to make ends meet and worrying about her future and that of her younger sister, Kathryn.
In that same year, 1939, the United States entered World War II, so her twenties were spent in yet another era of austerity and change.

Mom was only 19 years old when she had her first child, my eldest sister, Elizabeth.

Baby Elizabeth and Mom

She went on to have seven more children and lost two of them. Her infant daughter, Helen, died of a birth defect, spina bifida. Baby Helen was in the hospital for six months following her birth. Mom walked to the hospital every day carrying bottles of her breast milk to feed her baby hoping one day to return home with the child. Baby Helen only lived for six months.
Her son, Todd, died sadly at about age 18 months, of appendicitis.

If she would discuss these two lost children with you, no matter how many years had passed, nor her age, she would cry still; the pain was that intense and her wound still raw after so many, many years. She never forgot, nor wanted to forget, those two children whom she loved so dearly.

Elizabeth and Mom

Baby Priscilla, Baby Susan, and Mom

Pearl Harbor was attacked on 7 December 1941 - mom's birthday - and she was only just turning 23 years old with her little four-year-old daughter to worry about. What was the future to hold for her and her siblings soon to follow?

I can't imagine living through such decades of change without it negatively affecting your personality, yet, my mother was a loving, kind, warm person. She lived for her family and loved her children more than anything else in this world.
She loved gardening and had a 'green thumb'. She had a natural way with making things grow and add beauty to her world.Not a wonderful cook, but her baking skill were top notch. She could bake a mean pumpkin pie, which we called, 'lead' pies because they were so heavy. But they tasted more like heaven!

That's the family in 1956! Mom was holding me, and Elizabeth was holding my infant brother, Tim. Priscilla, Sue, and Deborah are in the front row. Even dad got in the picture via his shadow!

When we were growing up in the 1950s and 1960s, at a time when most moms were, what we call today, 'stay-at-home moms' my mother worked in a hospital. She would care for us during the day, sleep a few hours in the evening once my dad returned home from work, and then head out for an all night late shift at the hospital. She worked to make our lives better and help to make ends meet. I can't imagine how she managed it.

Did I mention she had only a hand-operated wringer washer and no automatic dryer?
She would carry laundry down from the second floor to the basement, wash it and put it through the wringer to squeeze out the excess water. Then she would climb up to the attic with the clothes and hang them on lines up there. In the summer, she had a clothesline in the garden, but winters were all about that four flight climb to do the washing for a family of eight.
It was when using this machine that she had an accident and put her hands through the wringer, crushing her bones and requiring surgery.

Despite hands damaged and arthritic from the accident, she still somehow managed to knit, crochet and sew. When we were very young, she sewed clothing for us. I can remember her making nightgowns for the girls and that the luxurious cotton flannel from which they were made, was warm and wonderful on cold winter nights. They were so full you could wrap your body up in them like a blanket. Store-bought nighties were never any good after having those glorious homemade ones.

Mom loved country rides and it was on one such occasion that I learned of her love of animals, too. I mean, let's face it, I knew she loved cats, and dogs, and birds, but on this day she pulled off to the side of the road to rescue a turtle who was meandering across it. She was so concerned about helping the turtle, she drove her car into a ditch.
Thinking nothing about that, and only about the turtle, she quickly got out of the car and stepped up to the turtle, gingerly lifting it up and then placing it on the grass by the road's edge.
Her car had to be rescued by AAA. Forever after, she would be reminded that she needed to 'watch the turtle' if she got too close to the edge of a road.

Dad and Mom back in the early days

Mom became a widow at age 47. With five children still living at home, and the youngest only 9 years old, she had a lot to learn. My dad had managed everything in their marriage, during his lifetime - all household expenses and bill paying - everything. Mom hadn't even learned to drive until she was in her forties.
My mom didn't know how to write a personal check and I know she never learned how to balance her checkbook. But it was all on her now and her world was falling apart. It was a difficult time for all of us. But she somehow managed, and we all lived through it, grew-up and moved on with our own lives, and our own families.

And that is how it is supposed to be, isn't it?

My beautiful mom

If mom was still here with us today, she would be 92 years old. And my dad would be 100!
She passed away on 4 August 1998, 12 years ago today.
It was from my mother that I learned about family and love and about what the important things are in life. She was and will always be my inspiration and my 'hero'.
I am so proud that she was my mom and that I am her daughter.
I miss her each and every day.

You may have lots of friends, a loving family and children of your own, but you will always have only one mom. Cherish her always, and tell her you love her. And just for me, today, give her a big hug, too.

xxx
Maggie

David Austin Roses - So Perfectly English!

2010-07-24T01:04:00.021+01:00

My neighbour encouraged me to get out of the house a couple of weeks ago. I have been, more-or-less, a shut-in for the last three months, and so it was decided we would travel to Shropshire to have a visit with some fabulous company - English roses.
A friend of hers offered to drive and the three of us began a journey to tease all of our senses.
I was expecting to visit a nursery that specialised in roses. You know what I mean: the typical lanes of shrubs, with row after row of plants, all set out for you to select and buy the best one of the lot. My, was I mistaken!At David Austin Roses you drive in on a lane that lies between fields of roses all in bloom, and it is a heady, breathtaking, experience. Once your car is parked, you are directed by signs on which way to enter through the sales gift shop, but then - oh my!

You wander out from the shop and into a dreamland of roses. Roses, roses, everywhere.
They are in pots or growing up the side of a wall. They greet you under canopies of wooden lattice that are so covered with their vines, it is actually dark beneath them.

Some formal, and some less formal, gardens of shrubs, ramblers, and climbers of many varieties.

Queen of Sweden

We sat for a bit to rest beneath a beautiful portico overlooking a gazing pool, perfectly centered to look ahead into the depths of the rose-covered pergolas.

It was a day of feasts for the senses- seeing, smelling, touching, listening, and even tasting as when took a wee lunch break on the patio, just outside the tearoom, on the premises.
We watched as people walked around discovering new 'friends' and old favourites.The heady scents of so many different roses all mingled together and hung in the afternoon air, making our outing ever-so fragrant, too.

We saw children accompanied by grandparents and watched as they tentatively touched the heads of the roses, all the time worrying about the possibility of being pricked by a thorn. All the while, their youthful voices were chattering away, asking one million questions of their companions.Tiny sparrows kept us company while scurrying about collecting crumbs from the pavement and swooping up to their nests under the eaves of the buildings.

It was a gorgeous sumer day, a bit overcast, and very breezy. The rain held off until we were headed home so our day was just perfect in all ways!After our garden walks, I had decided to return home with A Shropsire Lad, a hardy climber, with a fabulous scent.

I guess other people had the same idea; it was all sold out!

A Shropshire Lad

So I decided to purchase my second choice, The Generous Gardener, but it was not to be!
Suddenly I was, (not surprisingly), taken with, Penny Lane.
As a child of the sixties, naturally, I had to have it! Who wouldn't want a rose bush with the same name as the famous song from the fab four?

Penny Lane

Penny has been planted in a special spot in my 'instant garden' that, you may recall, I wrote about earlier in the year. With a bit of luck she will climb over and around a corner of the wall and bring a bit of beauty to a drab space.
She is holding her own right now, and you are sure to be reading more about my little Penny in upcoming posts.

If you are in the area, plan a visit to David Austin Roses - you will not go away empty-handed or disappointed!
xxx
Maggie

Meet Ellie!

2010-06-30T17:54:00.010+01:00

A huge "THANK YOU" to Ellie Thouret who discovered my Etsy shop, SweetScarlett, and has asked me to accept an invitation from her to write about, and promote, my work featured in my little shop!

Ellie is an author/artist associated with an on-line journal publication called, Try Handmade (www.tryhandmade.com). I love their slogan - "people not factories"
She has just published her article, "Product Showcase: Go England!" featuring some wonderful handmade artists, and their products, all made in the UK.
Have a look here: http://tryhandmade.com/product-showcase-go-england/

This is just one example of products she has featured in her article. This adorable little striped guy was made by Emma from Squiggly Monkeys. He is so fresh and cheeky, isn't he?

Ellie has a little bit to share with us, about herself, in her Etsy profile:
I am an independent knit and crochet designer based in the UK's North West.
My accessories are inspired by anything and everything and I put a stylish flair into all of
my garments.
I instantly fell in love with yarncrafts and my mission is overturn the common
perception that knitting and crochet is old-fashioned and unfashionable!

Her Esty shop, Ellie Thouret Textile Designs, can be found here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/EllieThouret
Why not take a moment and look to see what she has in the shop and why knitting is so "now" and not old fashioned at all!

Ellie Thouret has been kind enough to also include my work in her current treasury on Etsy.
Entitled, "Handmade in England" it showcases some the items featured in her article for Try Handmade. It can be found in Treasury East on Etsy at this link: http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4c2a26113d6d8eefbfd49a44/handmade-in-england

Thank you Ellie - I appreciate the promotion and want everyone to know it, and YOU, too!
xxx
Maggie

Looking For An English Autumnal Fair

2010-06-02T16:46:00.004+01:00

Hello sweet readers,

I would like to participate in an in-person fair this autumn.
I know many of you attend them, and some of you participate in them, but I haven't a clue as to how you find them to do either.

I would like to begin to make some things using vintage fabric and new fabric and vintage linens I have been hoarding for just this purpose. But once made, I would like an outlet in which to sell them. I am considering creating lovely tote bags, pillow covers, aprons, baby and children's clothing, as well as my little Lucky Penny Books to sell in a stall.
Fairs that have both a vintage feel to them as well as the opportunity to sell both vintage and new objects would be the perfect venue for my items.

I prefer West Midlands locations and dates near to the Christmas season. But depending on distance, I would also be willing to drive for a bit. I love the Cotswolds area as well as any pretty village locations.

Who can help me find a good venue in a nice location with a quality fair???
Thank you!!!

xxx
Maggie

Happy 5th Anniversary, Darling Jim

2010-06-01T00:41:00.007+01:00

Nothing brings me more pleasure than to think back almost six years ago now, to our long distance courtship and love affair. And nothing has changed in these past five years of wedded bliss, except the distance.I believe in fate. And it was fate that brought me to Jim. And I am so happy it did.
He is a kind and loving man, father, and husband.
Everyone who knows him loves him. Especially me.
Wishing all of my lovely readers, the sort of love and happiness Jim and I have together.
And wishing my Jim many more years of happiness and togetherness with me.I adore you, James Wareham.

xxx

Maggie

We were married right here in the living room of our home in Williamsville, New York

Our friends and family decorated the house and made home-made deserts and refreshments.

Our home-made wedding cake, my bouquet, and some other wedding finery

Calling all Women - Uterine Cancer - This May Save Your Life

2010-05-20T00:11:00.009+01:00

Hello friends!
I know I have been silent for over a month and that is not like me at all.
But there are good reasons for the lack of blogging.
I have been wondering whether to share this with you or not, as it is very personal.
But I have chosen to write about it in hopes that it may help some of you and bring you to an awareness of a condition some of you may be experiencing now, or in the future.

I am recovering from a total hysterectomy. My surgery was done on April 26th at the Women's Hospital in Birmingham. I am still healing but that is only half of it.
Last week, I received a letter, confirming that there was cancer in my removed uterus.
I had dodged a bullet, but one I never saw coming. This is the story.

It has been a journey that began all the way back in August 2009.
Let me go back there and begin at the beginning . . .

Last August, I began bleeding. Thought nothing of it.
Being like a lot post-menopausal women, I didn't know too much about what my body was up to. I had had an easy time of menopause - my cycle simply stopped. No more periods. No odd symptoms, no hot flashes. Nothing.
So this weird bleeding seemed to me like a one-off. Nothing to worry about.
In fact, almost as if to prove my point, it disappeared as quickly as it began and I truly thought nothing more about it.

Then, in late November, it happened again. Only this time it stayed for a couple of days.
Again, I really didn't consider it any sort of warning sign or anything like that. We women are tough and used to our bodies having unusual discharges. All women go through menopause differently and there are no set rules. Who knows why our bodies do what they do, right?

But then, the following week, in early December, it happened again. And stopped again.
And then the next week, it came back again, and stopped again. Now I began to worry.
It wasn't as if this were a recurrence of a monthly cycle, it was weekly and so the warning bells went off.

But the holidays were fast approaching and I was busy and waited to call my GP.
In the meantime, the bleeding stopped again and I felt a little better about it all.
In early January it started up again, but this time, it did not stop.
Once a week, for a day or so, the bleeding came back again.
I began inquiring among neighbours and friends to see if they could recommend a good OB/GYN person for me to go and see. Each time I was met with blank stares.
And even when I asked a nurse in reception at a local doctor's office I received the same look. You see, it is a term that is unfamiliar here. Most people refer to gynecologists as 'guy-nee' and I was speaking with a funny accent using odd terminology.

When I was able to get my question across, I was alarmed to discover that most women did not have a personal gynecologist. They were seen by the nurse in their doctor's offices for pap smears and only went to see the guy-nee when they were having babies.
And today, most of them are now seeing midwives for this rather than OB/GYN doctors. So it might be years before they actually see a medical doctor who specializes in women's bodies. Scary.

In fact, most women I spoke with glanced away with a shy look when the subject was broached. None of them had regular visits to a gynecologist who knew them and their medical history.
In fact, unlike most HMOs in the US where a woman has an assigned doctor as her Primary and an OB/GYN for her gynecologist, here in the UK, a woman has a GP (Primary) who must refer her to a gynecologist if she wants to go and see one. This makes it all the more difficult, and embarrassing, for women - especially shy women - to broach the subject with their GP. And if you do not have a good relationship with your assigned GP, well, you might be inclined to put off making the appointment, as did I.

Now, I am not a fan of our GP. We are looking to make a change to another one, but in the meantime, I knew I was going to have to deal with the doctor we had.
I really did not want to have to go in and discuss this with him, and this contributed to my reluctance to make an appointment with him. Add to that that my darling husband was working out of town in a difficult situation, and I just didn't want to go.
But these all were excuses and I had no other choice.
I made the appointment in late January and went in to see him in early February. He referred me to a clinic at the women's hospital for a simple diagnostic test.

I was infuriated with him because of this. I wanted to see a practicing, gynecologist, and he was sending me for a scan! This is just another way women are manipulated within the system, and must defer to one doctor in order to even try to be seen by a specialist.

I went in to the clinic on my assigned day and waited my turn. I was called in by a technician who explained what procedures she would be doing that day. The first was a belly scan. Depending on its results, determined whether or not she would do an internal exam and take some measurements of my womb. In the end, both tests were done.

Let me pause here to say, that of everyone in the hospital that day, this technician was the only person who was insensitive, heartless and cold. In the documents I received prior to the examinations that day, it was said that I could ask the technician for results of the examinations, and that she would be able to reveal them in a limited way.
I asked her what she had seen and what it meant. Her reply was this, " The lining of your womb is about 4 times the thickness it should be."
When I asked what that meant, she said, 'If I told you that, it would scare you to death.'
Then she instructed me to go to the gynecological clinic to be seen by someone else.

Naturally, her remarks made me believe I was a dead woman walking. And little did I know how close to the truth, that indeed, was.
I waited for hours to be seen in the very busy clinic, all the while struggling to remain calm but fearing the worst. Finally, I was seen by a very loving, caring woman who did another internal exam with a camera to try to discover more about my condition.
She could not get her tools to work properly so she sent me to a different area of the clinic where they could try to get some tests done with proper specialty equipment.

I was then sent to another specialist, in both room and person, for another attempt with the camera. But my body was having none of it.
So an appointment was made for me to return later that week, when the doctor who specialised in these procedures would give it a try.
In the meantime, I was informed about what to expect given different outcomes of the examinations.

I was told it was more than likely fibroid tumors and that it would be a simple removal of them and that would be that. When I returned to the clinic to see the doctor again, he was so sure it was going to be uterine fibroids, he actually asked me to take part in a study.
But the results of his biopsy and examinations took a different path.
Interestingly enough, my pap smear test came back negative. But the biopsy of the pollups revealed there were 'pre-cancerous' cells in the womb.

I was invited to return to the hospital to see a doctor specialising in oncology and it was her recommendation that I have a complete removal of my uterus, ovaries, and cervix - and possibly lymph nodes, too.
What had been discovered in my womb was pre-cancerous cells and it was best to take no chances.
Surgery was scheduled for April 26th and I had the procedure late Monday and was home by Thursday evening of the same week.

I know, I know, this has been a long and wordy post after so much silence on my part.
But I wanted to tell the story because I believe it is a common one.
As women, we take for granted that our bodies do weird things, have odd discharges, bleed sometimes when it is not expected, and so on.
From the moment we enter puberty, it is a long struggle with what changes we will have to put up with next!

Just look at the way different women experience the joy of pregnancy!
Some fly through it without a care, others are wrought with problems.
We are often told that what we are experiencing at any given time is 'common' and not unusual.
So naturally, when you are a fifties-something woman who has been experiencing menstrual cycles for decades, you too would probably not think it odd to be bleeding, yet again.

So my message to you all is this - it is not normal to bleed after menopause.
I can't even think about what my outcome might have been had I waited any longer.
And I am ashamed that I waited as long as I did.

If you have gone through menopause, and have experienced bleeding, no matter how minor, do not wait a single day.
Bleeding after menopause is is sure sign that something is not right.
Go to your doctor right away, no matter how odd you feel about it or how shy you are.
Get tested and live a long and healthy life.

NB: 23 May 2010 - UPDATE:
Letters arrived yesterday in the post from the surgeon. Microscope tests of the removed tissue revealed it was, in fact, cancer.
It was all contained within the womb and nothing had the chance to spread.
Thank God.
Be ever so careful and watch for signs that will provide you with a positive outcome, too.

To learn more, go to WebMD, and to MedicineNet for signs and symptoms.

Happy to be home and writing again!
xxx
Maggie

Instant Garden

2010-04-18T23:59:00.009+01:00

The overgrown area behind our utility room was driving me crazy.
Old blackberry vines poked out of the soil everywhere and while long abandoned and cut rose bushes kept them company among the assorted other weeds.Weather permitted a day of pulling weeds and pruning back vines and some digging in the still soft and winter-wet soil.

Once the tiny area had been cleared, I transplanted a hydrangea bush that had been struggling to survive in the meager soil left in its original pot.
Next I added some already flowering daffodil plants I purchased at Ellenden Farm Market.
Some forget-me-not flowers had sprouted between the pavers on the patio, so they, too, were uprooted and added to the flower bed.

With all of the digging, I had uprooted some grape hyacinths (Muscari armeniacum) and so some of them were returned to the patch, too.The purple primrose flowers that were crunched in together were then relocated and some yellow ones added, too. In fact, the only 'new' plants I added were the daffodils and the yellow primrose - all the rest I already had in the garden.

But the piece de resistance, as far as I was concerned, was the discovery and addition of wee wild violets. In fact these tiny plants were the inspiration for the instnat garden in the first place.
I have missed these tiny harbingers of spring since my move here to the UK.
Originally, I found them growing wild in my front garden's lawn when I purchased my previous home in the US. I carefully removed them, over the years, and transplanted them along the edges of trees and basement windows.You will not believe how big they grow when placed in the proper conditions!
The spread out and multiply to become proper hedgerows of large, bright green leaves and sprightly purple flowers each year.

I discovered three very tiny plants trying to find a bit of sunlight under some shrubs along the perimeter of the garden. My plan to use them as a border and add to them whenever I could find more, was set.

Then to my wonderment and surprise, I found more of them right next to the area I was digging up - and nowhere near where the originals were found!

See the little violets growing in among all of the grasses and weeds and flowers?

So they were dug up and added, too.
You will see some more photos of them as they begin to grow and become the border I know they can develop into!

In the meantime, the instant garden in a huge success with a small spot waiting for a visit to the rose garden center for a climbing fragrant gorgeous rose bush!

Happy gardening!
xxx
Maggie

Yellow

2010-04-13T22:40:00.010+01:00

It's all about spring and the tidings it brings in the form of yellow!

Forsythia bushes are filled with sunshine as they wave in the wind like flags bearing signs of better weather to come.

Daffodils burst upon the scene where only a week ago there was mud and damp grass and grayness all abound.
Now we see bursts of yellow-colour trumpets heralding the arrival of spring.

Sweet Primrose flowers, yellow among them but coming in all colours of the rainbow, too, co-mingle with the daffodils to add a festive variety with which to play off of the bright and cheery flowers.
We are blessed to enjoy such gorgeous sights in early spring each year.

And this year is even more profound as we leave the dreariest and coldest of winters well behind and embrace the warm soft breezes that bring memories of summers past and soon to behold.
Welcome Spring!

xxx
Maggie

Ethel Dietz Nichols sitting on rock in garden Date: ca. 1911-1915

Daffodils
(1804)

I wander'd lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the Milky Way,
They stretch'd in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:

I gazed -- and gazed -- but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

- William Wordsworth
(1770-1850)

The Gift of Love

2010-02-26T00:18:00.007Z

Deborah, my sister, made this little Stanley dog for me.

I know, I know, I missed Valentine's Day so why the look backwards?
I wanted to write on Valentine's Day, but it was on a Saturday and my husband is home only on weekends right now, so anything other than spending time with him and our daughter, Katie, is really out of the question. So since that day I have been thinking about how to fit everything in that I want to write about without boring you all to distraction. It won't be easy, the list is long.

So why should the list be long and what the heck is on the list anyway?
I had been thinking about Valentine's Day and how it is celebrated in the United States versus how it is celebrated here in the United Kingdom.
Here is is strictly a day for lovers. I discovered that my first year here when I went looking for cards to send to America to my children. No cards were found and I was told why by shop clerks.

In contrast, in the US, the day is considered a day for everyone to share love with one another.
And it begins in the home as children and carried through to school, too. Some of my oldest memories of childhood include the yearly Valentine exchange in the elementary classroom.
It begins weeks before the actual day, when the teacher distributes brown paper bags for the children to decorate. (Posh teachers get white bags now!) The use of paper doilies, crayons, and all manner of trims and embellishments were used. Naturally, your name would be quite prominent!
These were completed and tucked away until February 14th when they would be taped to the edge of your desk and everyone would have a turn at walking around the classroom to deposit little paper Valentines in the bags. Someone would bring in treats (probably the teacher) of candy and cupcakes and drinks and a party would ensue.
There was always a bit of candy in the Valentine bags, too, especially, Conversation Hearts.

It is much the same in classrooms today. The main difference is that in my youth you gave Valentines to those you wished and now you are required to give each child a card whether or not you like them. It is insurance to make certain no child is left out of the caring and love intended for the day. A nice improvement.

In high schools today, young girls get gifts of flowers, candy, soft toys, and more from their sweethearts. It is a controversial subject within the schools as many girls are left out and stigmatized for not getting things, and/or having a boyfriend. Some boys and girls give gifts to each other secretly, while some girls give gifts openly to each other. No matter what your take on this, it is still a sign of love being shared.

When my own children were little, I followed a tradition my mom had with us when we were growing up. I would have a small treat for the kids waiting for them on the dining room table, or it might have been tucked away in a lunch bag. It was always a foil-wrapped chocolate heart or the same item on a sick in the form of a lollipop. Conversation hearts and gummy hearts and wee foil choco hearts also found their way into lunch sacks along with a little Valentine, too.

Valentine's Day is a day some people refer to as a 'Hallmark made-up day' in order to get people to buy greeting cards and flowers and candy. Who knows? Maybe it is. It does rank right up there with Sweetest Day and Grandparent's Day. But the latter two are recent inventions and St. Valentine's Day has been around a long, long, time. Evidence of this is found in the intricate and beautiful Victorian Valentine's Day cards found in Ephemera shops or sales.

It would make me sad to think that we needed a reminder to show our love for each other by creating a day for it - any day, St. Valentine's Day included. I like to think that these days are just special days for love, not the only days for love. And love comes in so many packages!

My sister, Deborah made this little sewing kit for me. I adore it!

I love when I witness something loving. It is like a precious little sign that love is out there.
Last week I noticed a family having lunch next to our table in a carvery pub. It was unusual because the family had four children - something not seen too often in these days of families with only two children. The mother remained behind at the table tending to the baby in the pram and one of the youngest children. Her husband took two children with him to go and get their food.
When he returned to the table the mom and young toddler went for their dinners while the dad remained behind with the older kids. Nothing unusual here, right?
When the mom returned to the table, the rest of the family was nearly finished eating.

The mom began cutting food for the toddler as her own plate was getting colder.
By the time she had finished preparing the toddler's plate, the baby in the pram was restless and wanting his dinner.
The mom struggled with a bottle in one hand and her fork in another but only momentarily. Wordlessly, her husband appeared from the other side of the table, removed the bottle from her hand, and nodded in the direction of the place he had been seated. She swapped seats with him and proceeded to eat her lunch in peace while he proceeded to feed the baby in the pram, bottle, dinner in a dish he removed from the baby bag, et all.
It was a tender scene filled with love for one another and caring and sharing the load, so-to-speak. He wasn't asked to come and help, he just saw a need and filled it. Amazing.

It isn't perfect, but I love it just the same. A linen heart 'wallet' with lucky shamrocks.

Everyday things that are gifts of love include, an unexpected call from a friend or family member; seeing the little daffodil sprouts peeking up through the snow and dirt; a gift from a loved one made with her own hands; Jenny wren building her nest in a shelterd spot under an canopy in your garden; a cozy fire; a favourite piece of china; a hand embroidered vintage piece of linen; a warm lazy day; and so many more!

You don't need a special day to show you care - any day will do.
Go on then - share the love!

xxx
Maggie

Where Do I Begin?

2010-01-12T01:05:00.011Z

Our Christmas tree 2009

My sister, Deborah, made the Stanley Terrier Ornament Other ornaments are vintage and collected over time

This one, or one like it (I collected them to give to my children and do not know which one of us has the original) has been on my tree since I was a little girl

Should I say, Merry Christmas or Happy New Year?
Do I go way back to mid December to try to catch up - or - perhaps way back to February 2009?
It has been one long and crazy year!

Angel Pyramide

First of all, I would like to say that I hope Santa brought you everything you wished for and that this year, 2010, is all you dream it will be filled with happiness, good health, lifelong friends, and all the joys of family.

Our holiday was lovely spent quietly with family and friends.

Our collection of antique and vintage tree toppers - some right from Germany!

Our daughter, Elizabeth and her husband, Joe could not be with us, nor could our son Jonathan and his fiancee, Stephanie. We missed them desperately and hope that this year will be one where we can all share the holiday together.

Some of you may know that my husband lost his job last February. The recession was in full swing and his company was losing business every day. More than half of the workers and management were made redundant and Jim was one of them. His new job was to look for work and apply for jobs, every single day - which he did without complaint. It did get very depressing some days as nothing seemed to come of all his hard work. He had a few scattered interviews over long periods of time, but nothing came of them and the word was that there were as many as 300 applicants for every 'real' advertised job. And the harsh reality was that most of the hundreds of jobs he was applying for didn't actually exist.

Finally, the week before Christmas we had the good news that Jim was hired at a company in the south of England.

Now we live in the middle of England, and Jim was born and raised here so this move will be both an adventure and a bit sad for him, too. But oh what it means to us right now!
Jim is living two lives: one here with me and our daughter, Katie, on the weekends, and another in the south five days a week.

Of course I worry about him all the time and this recent rash of terrible weather doesn't help matters! I thought I had left snow behind me in Buffalo, New York!

A view of our neighbour's garden right after the first round of heavy snow

We found a lovely cottage to share with some wonderful people, a cat and a dog, who we lovingly refer to as 'holiday pets' even though work is far from a holiday for Jim! So he is all set there, living about a city block away from the sea, with all the comforts of home.
He will continue this commute until we find a place to move and live.
And there is so much to do and to prepare!
And all the while I am reminded of a time we spent, not so very long ago, in a similar situation.

We married in 2005 but our first year of marriage was spent apart while I remained in America preparing and selling my house there and settling my affairs before moving here to the UK.
The Internet kept us close. It was a place to meet and chat and send messages and photographs.
We both subscribed to International phone services and talked everyday. Surely if we could do this for over a year, across 3500 miles, we will be up to it again with only 150 miles between us?
So while I am keeping the home fires burning, Jim is earning the money for fuel, and this year will surely run it course with excitement and new stories to share.
Keep a watch of this space . . .
xxx
Maggie

Bringing Home the Tree

2009-12-06T22:32:00.011Z

I recall nostalgic images from the past . . .
gorgeous sleighs filled with people, smiling faces, and warm blankets, being pulled by horses through the snow. And perched on the back, poking out in all its glory, was the Christmas Tree.
What a lovely way to collect the family Christmas tree and to travel in such a brilliant fashion!
Such were the times of our grandparents and great-grandparents.
Today, we have different methods of bringing home the tree.

So it happened yesterday, we went out for a ride to Church Lench to attend the tiny village's Christmas Fayre. It meant a ride through the barren countryside on a gloriously sunny day.
With so many leaves off of the hedges and trees, it is a good time to garner a glimpse of country houses and estates that you normally cannot see when all is in full bloom and blossom.

Seeing the rolling hills and the peaceful sheep in the fields, was like stepping back in time when Christmastime meant a different holiday, celebrated in much simpler ways than we celebrate today.
We had a lovely day out and about and on our way home, the clouds began brewing and a sprinkle of rain danced on the windshield now and again.
We happened upon a Christmas tree farm, very near our home, behind the hill where we live.
Even though it had not been our intention to buy a tree on Saturday, we decided to go in and have a look.

Upon driving into the car park, we knew there were some stares and some smirks - in fact - the young lad who approached us was outwardly laughing - he just couldn't help himself.
He asked us what we were interested in looking at, and Jim responded with something like, "A tree, naturally." To which the lad replied with a laugh, "What size?"
By then of course everyone there was having a chuckle, but we didn't care because we knew better.

Our darling little car had taken home many unusual things in the past so we knew it was wrong to try to second-guess whether or not something was going to fit in it.
Why, my boxwood bushes and pots and soil had all come home in little Smartie so why wouldn't a tree?

We selected our tree, and popped the roof open, and dropped it inside the car just as the rain really began pounding down. We closed the roof enough to keep our heads dry and motored off.
We knew the folks in the car park were still having a chuckle, but we also knew it cost us much less for petrol to collect our tree than it dod for our jolly counterparts in their big Land Rovers!
I only wish we had had some sleigh bells, hot chocolate, a blanket and some carols playing inside, too!
The modern age is upon us - we say, "Let's make the most of it!"
xxx
Maggie

Martha Stewart & Etsy Contest Finalist!!!

2009-11-05T19:43:00.010Z

Oh I received the most wonderful news this week! I am so excited!
Well, saying I am excited about being a finalist in the Martha Stewart & Etsy collaboration contest would certainly be an understatement! I am beyond that - overwhelmed might be a better term to use to correctly describe my feelings right now.

I was contacted by a member of Martha Stewart Weddings on Tuesday about being one of the finalists in the contest. One of my wee Lucky Sixpence Books had been selected as one of 19 finalists and one winner out of thousands of entries. After some questioning I discovered that the announcement was going to be made on Thursday, today.
I feverishly began completing books I had very slowly been working on, in order to try to get them listed in my shop ASAP.

Of course, you know when you are busy, that is when all things come to a head: the phone rings a gazillion times, there are doctor appointments to attend to, tradesmen appear at your door, email builds up, the bank decides to ring you with am accident insurance policy to sell, birthdays, and even a very early Christmas coffee morning celebration, too!
So it was with great difficulty, with everything else going on, that I tried to keep working so that I would have some new additions for my shop by today.

You might imagine my surprise when I then discovered the announcement was made on Wednesday instead!
Oh well you know what is said about the best laid plans!

I have gotten a lot of work on the books finished and some are in the shop now and some more will go in this weekend - new styles and designs and custom covers as well as a new concept for design-your-own book.
Stop by Etsy and have a look - and thank you for letting me do the puffing peacock thing tonight!
xxx
Maggie

It's All About Katie

2009-11-03T00:53:00.017Z

Yes, that's right, it is all about Katie today. Why you might ask and who the heck is Katie???
Katie is my beautiful daughter and today she is 24 years old. And I continue to be bewildered as to where the time has gone.

Okay so it's a bit cliche but it seems like only yesterday I was pushing her along in her buggy, or watching her tumble from room to room, or, play with her dolls, or dress the cat in doll clothes and hold him while he and she played Monopoly on the living room floor.
I remember fondly how she put herself to bed at night. Pleading to remain up just a bit longer was not her style; when she got tired, she took herself off to bed without a fuss. She was such a unique child and still remains so today as a fabulous young adult with her bright future all set out before her.

Katie's friend Mary and Katie

If you knew Katie, you would know that she has many fine qualities and so many things that interest her. And how she loves to talk! She is in the right field at university studying Media and Communication - she will go far as long as she keeps on talking!

Things Katie Loves
Click on the image to see it larger and see the many things Katie loves!

I can remember when she wanted to be a pediatrician. My I was so proud. She had decided that herself. I wasn't a parent who suggests career goals as my children's dreams to them or to other parents - oh no! I used to hate those parents who told you that their two-year-old child was going to be a doctor (or substitute any other well paid profession here please) when she grew up!
How on earth would they know that?
But my little Katie, at about the age of seven or so, decided she wanted to help make children well as her life's goal. Wow!

Now I was a struggling, worked-to-death teacher with no life of my own and I knew how hard it was to teach and how many personal hours were spent doing the planning and paper correcting, et all. So imagine my surprise when one fine day Katie announced she had changed her mind and was now going to be a teacher! Uh oh - what happened to the pediatrician???

But eventually she came round to her new career choice and announced to me - "I want to be famous." and as simple as that she was on her way to becoming just that. And again, if she only keeps chattering she will be famous one day. But for now, she is 'famous' to me. And I adore her.
As do all in our family and her many friends and all who get to know her.

She is a perfect daughter; a wonderful humanitarian and all-around good person. She gives of herself to others and makes people feel good about themselves. She has a fabulous sense of humour and a giving heart, though she hates to admit it - that would be too fluffy and over-the-top. We are proud of her accomplishments and her desire to do well at school and to be the best she can be.
Here's to you, baby Katie: Wishing you a fabulous birthday with many, many more to come.
Wishing you all the cake you can eat!
We love you, little Goo.

xxxooo

Mom and Jim

Katie and Jim on her birthday last year

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T23:29:00.005Z

The air is crisp and there is a smell of pumpkins and candle wax in the air tonight.
I love Halloween!
In America, it is a night to go haunting your neighbourhood and visit neighbours you do not get to see every day.
As you walk with your little ones, who run haphazardly up sidewalks in order to be first to the door, you recall the times when you were young and the excitement you had doing the very same things your children are now experiencing. Ah, the memories!
As an older adult, we now see our grandchildren reliving those days as our grown-up children walk with them. And so it goes.

I can recall one Halloween night I was out alone with my younger brother. We were very young - maybe 9 and 11 years old, or younger. But in those days, parents allowed kids to go out alone - it was not unsafe. Some older kids grabbed my brother's treat bag and ran off with it. He stood there in shock not being able to say a word and then when he did, he simply let out a yowl and cried.
I insisted he remain right there and ran after the kids who took it. You know what they say about adrenalin in times of need? I cannot believe how fast I ran. It was like I had the wind behind my back. I caught up with the kids, and tore the sack from their hands and ran back to my brother who was still in the exact spot I had left him.
I marvel at how I had the courage to do that. The kids were older than us and much bigger. I think I surprised them, too, and they were caught off-guard and so hadn't the reaction time to do anything about it.
Tim and I headed back home after that. We had had enough excitement for one evening.

My first year in Birmingham, we had dozens of children come calling at our door and I was thrilled to see them. I had been led to expect not-too-much in the way of ghosts and goblins, being told this tradition was not as big in the UK as it is in America.
But last year and this year, we had only a handful of children calling out, "Trick or Treat" and I am wondering if the kids who were here the 1st year are now to old to come round, or if they have moved, or if parents are too afraid to allow them out with so much bad out there these days.
I do hope the tradition continues to live on. It is so much fun for the kids and so much fun for the adults, too.

Katie carved our pumpkin for us today and we made up treat pouches just like my mom made when we were little. I didn't have the same candies in them, but the meaning is the same; traditions carried on from mother to daughter, generation to generation.
Make your traditions memorable and all the best to you, too.

Boo!
Maggie

It's Alll About Me!

2009-10-22T18:05:00.011+01:00

Welcome to Natasha's Party! She reminds us that it is important to take time out for ourselves, and I will write more about this theme another time as I would like to elaborate upon it, but for now, a huge "THANK YOU" to Natasha for inspiring us to do a little something for ourselves.

Well, maybe it is only partly about me! I can't get used to the idea of bragging on myself, so-to-speak.
Oh the plans were in the works after reading Natasha Burns idea to host a party featuring the things we said we would do by today.
Well, for me, that meant wait until the last minute because naturally other things came first.

Because I had said I would join the party, I was in a panic yesterday.
No, the stairs were not refinished as I had thought they would be. The day I had set aside to work on the stairs was taken by an emergency and then never got replaced. But the chair - oh that darned chair - it was staring at me throughout all of the six weeks we had been given to complete our projects and still went untouched.
So yesterday I began my work in earnest.

This is the chair that needs attention . . .

In this picture it is all clean and ready to go.

I scrubbed the chair and set it to dry in front of the fire.
I plodded through mounds of fabric to determine which I would select for the cushion.
I chose a vintage cotton chintz that would look nice with the paint colour.

Then looked at the paint I had on hand.
Then today, bright and early, I set about some light sanding and some final cleaning before I began the process of painting the chair.

Farrow and Ball Traditional Paint

The chair has been painted, and the sewing has commenced, but alas, I have failed the challenge as my chair is not yet complete.
I will continue working on it later tonight and add photographs of the progress.
Then I will visit your little websites and have a look at what all of you have managed to complete. I can't wait! It is so exciting!
More to come . . .
xxx
Maggie

Addendum: Well, the best plans are well . . . stopped! LOL!
Oh the mistakes I have made on the chair's cushion!
You can see from the image above that I had cut out shaped, fitted cushion covers. My intention was to make a proper fitted cushion cover complete with piping.
But since this is a rather low sitting chair, I wanted to try to raise it up a bit. So I figured that padding the springs first would be a good idea, and then, topping that with my lovely cushion.

Umm, well, that didn't work out visually, although it did make the chair oh so comfortable to sit upon! With the added height, the cushion looked awkward and too high on the seat, so I have decided to scrap that idea and just wrap the cover instead.
I haven't done it yet, well not to any sort of professional-looking product, anyway, but I have taken a photo to show you how it will look, (even if a bit frumpy right now) when it is completed.
At least this way you can see the paint, too!
I am off now to have a look at your lovely creations and to be inspired!

German Potato Salad - Warm Comfort Food for Autumn

2009-10-10T22:26:00.013+01:00

There's a chill in the air and some mornings reveal a icy coating of frost on the grass these days.
It can only mean one thing: Autumn is here and with it, comes the warm comfort food we love.

Today I discovered some bacon near its sell-by date and decided it was time to make some German Potato Salad. If you have never had it, but if you like the sweet and sour sauces, you will love this simple, delicious dish.
There are only three main ingredients: potatoes, bacon, & onions, so you will probably have them in your larder right now.
You will also need some corn starch (corn flour), cider vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper.

It is a simple recipe but with many steps so it does take some time to complete.
If you don't have a lot of time, all in one go, then simply cook your bacon today and finish the rest tomorrow. But make sure to save the frying pan in which you cooked the bacon - including the bits - don't wash it!
Also, this dish is perfect to make ahead one day to give the flavours time to all blend together, so it works well for company. Simply reheat it on very low heat or place it in a slow cooker.
I will place the recipe at the bottom of this post and show you how it's made beginning here.
Mine came out superbly today - I do hope yours will, too!

Chop the onions and set aside.
Mix about 2 tablespoons of cornflour with some water to make a thin paste and set aside.

Select some new potatoes or salad potatoes to use. Waxy ones work best.
Scrub and remove eyes and imperfections. (I leave the skin on but you can remove it all if you wish)
Boil until just barely done - 'al dente' so-to-speak - they continue cooking even after the heat is off so it is best to remove them from the water and the heat once they have finished cooking.
The reason for keeping them as firm as can be is so that later they don't break apart in the sauce. It is really difficult to get it right so if they are over done, don't worry about it, they will still taste fine.
Place the potatoes to cool in a colander and rinse out the pan they cooked in.

Once cool, you can either slice the potatoes or cut them into quarters to have ready to mix in the sauce in the last step.

While the potatoes are boiling, cook your bacon. Place the pieces to drain on paper towels.
Cool your pan when finished cooking the bacon and pour away most of the fat from the pan, being careful to keep the bottom coated with a little bit of it.

Place the bacon pan back on the stove and warm it up again. Put the chopped onions into it and simmer until they are translucent.
Break up the cooked bacon and add the bits to the sauteed onions. Stir well.

Now pour the vinegar into the pan with the onions and bacon and bring to a boil, stirring all the time and cleaning the wee bits off the bottom of the pan with the vinegar/sugar mixture.

Pour the contents into the larger pan in which you cooked the potatoes.

Add the water and bring to a boil.

Add some cornflour paste you made earlier, a little bit at a time, until the mixture thickens.
Once it reaches a sauce-like consistency, and is boiling again, stir constantly for at least one minute before reducing the heat to a slow simmer. It is important to do this stirring/boiling for a minimum of one minute to eliminate the starchy taste from the cornflour.

This is another tricky bit: how do you know when the sauce is too thick or too thin?
It is impossible to get it perfect every time, but what I find that helps is to watch the side of your pan. If the sauce you are stirring seems to coat the side of your pan, it will also coat the potatoes, too. You can see this in the picture, below.

Add the quartered/sliced potatoes to the sauce. Stir and heat through being careful not to have the stove heat on too high and burn the mixture. It is finished! Yeah!

Some comments:

I never use as many onions as the recipe calls for although it will not hurt if you do as they cook down and look so much less once cooked than they do when you are chopping them!
I use less bacon - here in the UK I use two packs or 16 slices. I have made it with the full 2 lbs in the past though and it is really nice!
I have been trying to cut back on sugar so I reduce the sugar in the recipe to 1 1/2 cups and it seems to not affect the outcome in the slightest.
I always use cider vinegar as that is what I was taught to use. Experimenting with other vinegars might be good or bad - not really sure!

And now for the recipe:
Betty's German Potato Salad (from my sister, Elizabeth Schmidt)

2 lbs of bacon, cut up and fried

4 pounds of potatoes (approximate)

2-4 tablespoons cornstarch (approximate)

Some water to mix with the cornstarch to make a paste

3-4 baseball sized onions, minced/chopped

1 cup cider vinegar

2 cups sugar

1 cup water

Prep:

Fry bacon, set aside to drain on paper towels

Toss out the bacon fat, reserving about 1 tablespoon of bacon grease (fat) in the same pan it was cooked in

Mix cornstarch and water to form a thick syrup in the mug; not too thick, not too thin

Boil peeled potatoes until just done – not so done that they fall apart and not so undone that they are still hard – sort of al dente potatoes!

Drain immediately and set aside to cool

Sauce:

Fry minced onions in the bacon pan with grease until soft and translucent

Keep temp up on the pan so it is really hot and add the vinegar, stirring until it cleans off all of the lovely bacon bits from around the pan

Add sugar

Add water

Stir all of it together until it is boiling

Add cornstarch mixture, a little at a time, stirring all the time until it thickens

(it will continue to thicken as it cools so not too thick at this stage)

Once the mixture returns to a full boil, stir for a minimum of one full minute and remove from heat

Set aside

Combine it all together:

Slice potatoes or cube them – whichever you prefer

Place in large pot and cover with the sauce mixture

Stir well and enjoy!

xxx
Maggie

Grounded!

2009-09-17T04:15:00.018+01:00

Hello friends!

Jim and I expected to be home by now and I would be catching up reading your blogs and completing orders placed while I have been away, but nooooooo!
Jim has an ear infection for which the doctor seeing him has forbidden him from flying until it has cleared. We hope this will be by this coming Sunday, but one never knows. Jim is diabetic and might take a bit longer to heal than the average person.
So our extended stay is in Brooklyn, New York with our daughter and her husband.
Now these two have only been married for two weeks and we feel a bit like the guests who just won't leave, but they seem to be okay with it.

So much has happened!
We were quite busy our first week in America, helping Elizabeth and Joe prepare for their wedding. Then the rehearsal dinner and wedding came in a blink of an eye and we were oh-so-busy with all of it, and then before we knew it, the day was upon us and we were taking part in a beautiful wedding ceremony followed by a reception that was simply gorgeous with splendid food and fabulous company that included finally meeting a second cousin, Ed and his wife Janice, whom I had never met before! So much excitement for one day!

Elizabeth looked just gorgeous and naturally, Joe was at his best, too.
A vintage Rolls Royce delivered Elizabeth, her sister, and me to the church after dressing at the country club where the reception was taking place. Later, the Rolls took Elizabeth and Joe from the church to the famous Brooklyn Bridge for photographs, and then to the country club for the reception.
A five course dinner was prepared and served as well as all the cocktails you might desire, with plenty of appetizers, and desserts, too.

Before we knew it, we were saying goodbye again to the happy couple and heading for North Carolina for a visit with our son, Jonathan, and his partner, Stephanie.
We had a lovely visit with them in the Raleigh area, which is absolutely beautiful, and while there, we also applied for some jobs.
If someone shows an interest in either of us, there may be a move to the US in our future!

Some of you know that Jim was made redundant last February, and despite 'working' everyday at finding a new job, so far, he has been met with disappointment. The recession is so bad in the UK, for each job he has applied for there are at least 200 other candidates. It is depressing.
Jim is a manager of manufacturing, and we all know what has happened to factories in the UK. His years of production management do not seem to matter when there are candidates much younger with degrees, despite their lack of experience.

I am a teacher with a specialty in Educational Technology and never dreamed I would be unemployed. The teacher shortage in our area is high but our council does not accept my teaching credentials from the US despite coming from one of the most respected states in the the US, so it will be necessary for me to return to school or find different work. They won't even allow me to do supply teaching!

So we have been looking for work while visiting here across the pond.

Jonathan smiling at the Raleigh airport at 3:30 AM - he is such a nice guy!

After our visit to North Carolina, we headed northwest to Buffalo to visit family and friends. A dear friend, Jeanne, invited us to stay with her and her lovely daughter, in her beautiful home. She gave up her own bedroom and allowed us to have it during our stay with her.
She even gave us a car to use during our visit - such generosity is rarely found and we love her for it.

Our visit to Buffalo allowed us to visit family, including my sister who is ill in a care facility, and also allowed us to spend some time with another sister and my brother. It was so good to see them both. We had a lovely dinner on the river in Niagara Falls, with most of the family partaking of a Buffalo Friday night speciality - the Fish Fry - which is much like England's fish and chips.

We also had the opportunity to visit friends we hadn't seen in a couple of years. Mike and Judy, my former neighbors and our friends, Bob and Rosanne, too.
But with time running out, we never got to visit many nieces and nephews and more friends, too.
Maybe next year???

We were able to attend another wedding in Wilson, New York (on Lake Ontario). Allison is the daughter of dear friends, Maureen and Randy, and her day was just beautiful.
The church was a true country church and the reception was held at the family farm, outdoors, on a cool September evening. It was a beautiful day and evening with everyone looking gorgeous.

Our daughter and son-in-law were also attending the celebration so we all drove back to New York together, making it in record time - Buffalo to NYC - in only a bit over 6 hours.
It wasn't until the next day that we discovered that Jim's ear had gotten worse so we would need to remain here an extra week. Some vacations just seem to be endless!

xxx
Maggie

For the Love of Tile! Get to Homebase this week!

2009-08-14T09:03:00.004+01:00

Hello friends,
This is just for my UK friends as it might be a abit difficult for shopping for those of you based in countries elsewhere!
We found a fabulous deal on mosaic tiles at HOMEBASE this week. If you are looking to remodel your bathroom or loo, get there quick before they're sold out.
Homebase put their own brand ceramic and glass mosaic tiles on clearance this week.
We were able to purchase a box of white, glass mosaic tiles, containing ten sheets per box, for only £3.20 in white.
We bought enough boxes to recover our bathroom floor and two small loos for about £32!
The ceramic was slightly more money, which was odd, since my research had shown the glass are usually more money.
I will post photos when we are finished with the work. For sure it will be a project for autumn as we are off to America soon!
Happy shopping!

Oliver Twist is Looking for a New Home Could it be via Bookcrossing?

2009-08-13T01:01:00.005+01:00

I have finally finished reading Oliver Twist and so now he is looking for a new home!
Have you heard of Bookcrossing?
I joined it ages ago and now I cannot remember my login informaiton and/or password!
If you haven't heard about it before, you will really love it!
The idea behind it is to share books for free. But the fun of leaving them is just as much fun as finding them!

Bookcrossing uses the terms, 'caught' and 'released'. But it means the same thing. You either leave a book for someone to find or you find them.
Once you are a member of Bookcrossing, you print out little forms to identify yourself and Bookcrossing and leave it in the book you are about to release. It provides information for the person who 'catches' your book so that they can go to the website and leave information about where and when they found the book.

When I joined Bookcrossing a few years ago, I released some childrens books outside a WalMart in Amherst, New York, among the pumpkin display they had there.
I also released a book in Starbucks, on Main Street in Williamsville, New York.
But my favourite release was a book left in the center of an antique table in an antique mall in Jordan, Ontario, Canada. It was my favourite because I could spy on it from a distance as I walked about the shop, and even from the front door of the place. The woman assigned to monitor the section of the shop in which I had left the book, had a very puzzled look on her face as she discovered it. I am sure she was wondering how it got there since she had not seen me place it there! Curiosity got the best of her and she tentatively picked up the book, but she did not seem to 'get it' when she read the note inside.

But it was so early in the use of the Internet, not many people went on-line for much of anything, and so I never did get any follow-up on the books I released, which was disappointing.
But I may have to register again and give it another try - it is so much fun!
So what do you think I should do? Here are some options:

Donate to a charity
Release it via Bookcrossing
Give it to the first person who comments here that they would like it?

I sort-of like the last option so that one of you, who may never have read it, or who would like to give it a re-read, might have it and then pass it along.
It could be the book that travels from blog-to-blog!

It's good to be better and back!
xxx
Maggie

Swine Flu

2009-08-03T23:57:00.006+01:00

Hello my true friends!
I am happy to see that in my absence, sweet followers have not abandoned me! It seems like forever since I have written and even longer since I have had a browse on your blogs. But there is a reason: I have been ill with Swine Flu.

Jim's birthday is July 16th, and I had so many things planned but all got set aside when Jim came down with the Swine Flu illness. He was ill for his birthday and just a bit before that, too.
We aren't certain where he came into contact with an infected person, it really could have been anywhere.
Our grandchildren were by the weekend before he got sick, and by 16 July, our granddaughter and her dad, Jim's son, were said to have the disease. So that is one possibility. But Jim's other son had been in hospital with a sports injury to his knee, and Jim was in and out of the hospital visiting him, over a period of ten days or so, and could have caught the bug there. And then Jim himself, was in hospital as an outpatient, and at any time during his own visits he could have contracted the bug. So we aren't certain from where Jim caught Swine Flu, but for certain, I got it from him.

What began for me as a mission NOT to get it at all costs, ended when after a few days of nursing Jim. I busily worked at making sure dishes were fastidiously washed, and all bed and bath linens washed at high temps, and lots of use of bleach, but with no positive results as I , too came down with the flu.

So it has been weeks and I am out of practice typing and even doing the simplest of things!
Jim is well on the mend, with only the occasional cough, while I still cough frequently and require lots of medicine for the accompanying headache. Tomorrow is my last day of antibiotics, so that must mean I am improving!

I would like to pass along some first-hand information about this illness, so that you can be prepared to self diagnose and get immediate treatment.
I have had flu in the past - many times, in fact. So at first, I couldn't believe Jim had it. There was no obvious fever at first, and no vomiting nor diarrhea. He had a cough and a headache and a scratchy throat. Sounded like a cold to me, right?

But then the fever came along, and the headaches got worse, and his joints ached and he coughed up phlegm. A call to the doctor and a prescription was ordered for antibiotic and decongestant with the usual advice to remain in bed and drink fluids and salt water gargles.

By the time I came down with the bug a few days later, the government had the Swine Flu hot line up and running. I took the on-line test for my region of England, and was diagnosed as having Swine Flu.

Tamiflu was waiting for me with a secret number at a local clinic. The medicine was collected and I began taking the drug.

I got progressively worse - uncontrollable coughing kept me up all night long and after 48 hours of it I was a total wreck. The doctor was called and antibiotics and decongestant were ordered and I began a regime of those along with Tamiflu and a lot of pain medicine, too.
What I learned from this experience is that the symptoms are diverse and do not necessarily match and so it is difficult to self diagnose without some help.
Jim had a sore throat but I did not. My throat only got sore after constant coughing.

As soon as I could stand to sit up at the computer for a bit, I looked at the Tamiflu website.
It is a good resource for you to help self-diagnose. They have a graph there with symptoms of cold vs flu that is good for a self-check.
Reading what you can on the government hot line will help, too, especially taking the quiz.
And being aware in any changes in your body - especially fever - and then looking into Swine Flu symptoms will help you.

If you do get it, you know the drill - rest, fluids, and more rest is all you can do. I found sitting up as much as possible was helpful. Lying flat was the worst!
Wishing you all well and hoping none of you get this nasty illness, but if you think you have it, look it up fast and take all precautions you can in getting Tamiflu and medicine to help your body fight this thing. It really is a tough one and wears you down quickly.

I will be visiting your blogs soon!
xxx
Maggie

Busy as a Summer Bee!

2009-07-12T21:20:00.012+01:00

Hello everyone!
Where has the time gone?
I have been remiss in not writing more but it seems the more I am doing the more I still have to do.
What is that old saying, "Ask a busy person to do something because she is the one who will get it done?" Or something like that. I am reminded, too, about goldfish growing in proportion to the size of theri bowl! The more complete in my tasks, the more there seems to be to still finish.

Sooooo here is the brief:
Katie left to spend the summer in America. It is a well deserved visit with family and friends, as well as to try to get some time in on a placement for an internship she needs to complete for university.
She took with her my hastily finsihed wedding invitations so that her sister woulf have them to mail out before July.
They turned out nicely and Elizabeth was pleased, so that is a job well done!

No sooner were th invitaiotn completed, then I was asked to work on revising and editing a manual for a new company my brother-in-law will be opening. Most of it is finished, but I still have more to do, and have been working on that feverishly so that they will have it in time for an upcoming audit.
I have been adding vintage items to my Etsy shop, EnglishPreserves, and when I can, I have been trying to add things to my handmade shop, SweetScarlett.
Recently, I had a request for a custom order, personalised, Wee Lucky Penny Book, from Julie, for her friends who just had a new baby girl.
I had a lot of fun making the book for her and the results are fab!
Here are some of the images . . .

The cover of the book

The end paper with the Queen Victoria Penny and the title page

The inside pages personalised with baby's name and unique message

The last page and end paper

There have been a few orders for custom printed business or calling cards, too, so that has been keeping me busy, too, and my printer gobbling up ink!
And finally, I have added a new design to my bookplates - it is from an illustration from a French nursery rhyme book from the 1920s - so sweet!

Let's face it, although the handmade shop is more rewarding, the vintage shop is where the sales are these days. So more of my time gets spent listing things in EnglishPreserves.

Which brings us nicely into an adventure my husband and I have had.
We attended our first local auction several weeks ago.
What fun!
We bought two boxes of vintage and antique linens and have been selling them on etsy and on ebay.
It is a lot of work - so much laundering and ironing - but allows me to keep a few for myself and sell the rest to get my money back, and it is so much fun to go to the auction, too!
I have no photos of any of them yet, but here are a few things to be found in EnglishPreserves, soon!

A darling little wooden box with carved lid

A fabulous little miniature teapot

My sister is slowly improving slowly - baby steps for her - and although her situation is quite serious, we are all thankful she is still here with us. And we thank all of YOU for your kind words, thoughts, and prayers for her. Bless you.

Until next time . . .
xxx
Maggie

PS - what books are you all reading? I am afraid to admit that Oliver Twist is still about 20 pages from the end!

Thank you, Friends

2009-07-03T00:14:00.002+01:00

Thank you to all who took a moment to send kind words to me. I appreciate all of your thoughts and prayers and kind words.

My sister, Betty, suffers from Epliepsy, and has for all of her adult life.
Additionally, a few years ago, she underwent heart bypass surgery and the surgery went well, but not without complications.

She was at risk because the mediceine she takes for Epilepsy does something directly opposite of what the meds she needed to prevent her from having a stroke during the heart surgery.
She had a stroke then and has several since then.
It seems that every time she gets a bit better and therapy seems to be working, she has another set-back. It hasn't been easy for her or her family. But she is a fighter.

The stroke she suffered this time caused her to be flown by Mercy flight from her town to the hospital in Buffalo about 60 miles from her home. It appeared she was, at best, paralyzed completely.
Her husband was given the option of brain surgery that might reduce or even repair, damage caused by the stroke, or to just let her be and hope for the best.
Leaving her as she was, wasn't an option although the brain surgery was life threatening on its own.

Her husband opted for the surgery, that would hopefully give her a fighting chance at some kind of recovery. I understand that it is early days yet, but there seems to be some hope that she may recover to some degree, although it is not know waht that might be.
She is opening her eyes and recognizing people and nodding, etc, but as yet cannot speak.
In the coming weeks I will let you know how she progresses.

As for me, I have been busier than ever! And here in England we are having a heat wave! The heat makes me very unproductive as I prefer to sit it out - LOL!

I have completed designing and printing wedding invitations for my daughter, and Katie took them to her personally when she left for Brooklyn a couple of weeks ago.
I will post a picture of them soon!

Wishing you all a great weekend!

xxx
Maggie

Tell Someone You Love

2009-06-26T22:23:00.004+01:00

My eldest sister is seriously ill from a stroke and is in hospital as I type this.

I am thousands of miles from her and all I can do for her right now is pray for a miracle.
Although I would love to be with her right now, even if I was there, there is little I could do for her or even for her family.

But oh, how I wish I had been able to be with her and other sisters and family members when they visited in Florida this past Easter. That would have meant so much to her then, and to me, now. Why did I not find the resources to be with her then?

So my message is clear: Don't wait; go see that person you love.
Visit an elderly relative who longs for company, yet, no one seems to have time to visit.
Call a dear friend you haven't spoken with in ages.
And most importantly, tell someone you love how much he or she means to you.
Tell her why she means so much and how much she has influenced you all of your life.
Tell him the difference he has made in your life.

And don't forget to tell anyone you love that you love them.

YART SALE!

2009-06-12T00:36:00.003+01:00

Oh my! Where has the time gone?
First, my apologizes for not visiting your blogs of late, and for not keeping up with my own!
I promise to be by for a visit soon!

I have been remiss while time gets the better of me.
My days begin with promise of a long list of things to get done during the day and night, but somehow, at the end of the day, it seems I find myself playing catch-up with my own agenda!
I never seem to have the time to finish all of the many projects I have going on, and just wish I had a lovely workroom with loads of storage and works areas. It would be so nice to have everything organized just so!
But, I usually work out of the guest bedroom and EVERYTHING is in there:
twin beds, closets, computer, 2 printers, 2 sewing machines, tons of fabric and sewing supplies, paper, board, pens, trims, tissue and wrapping, envelopes, patterns, books, graphics, oh my!
And it seems lately it is all just taking on a life of its own and dragging me along for the ride!
I have now emerged from the room to take over the dining room table with my trimmers, and cutting boards and slicers!
So with that said, I know it is time for a clear out and also time for some cleaning up and organization.
Which brings us to the Yart Sale on Etsy this weekend.
Etsy is sponsoring a sale this weekend and everyone is invited to participate.
One of the conditions of the sale is that the seller includes free shipping.
So do stop by for a peek and get some bargains!
It is NEVER too early for holiday shopping and Father's Day is soon upon us, too.

I have already listed and relisted some items in SweetScarlett for the sale but I am getting tired.
So it's bedtime for me but I will be back on-line tomorrow, listing more things for the sale.
Ooooh - I have some fab vintage buttons and fabric to list in EnglishPreserves, and some other unique finds, too. So please stop by and have a browse, won't you?

xxx
Maggie

Cupcakes!!! A Tasty Book for Wednesday

2009-06-04T02:33:00.004+01:00

Up too late so this will be short! (I know, I know, that's not like me!!!)
Wednesday book night has fallen by the wayside, it seems.
So tonight's book is:
Martha Stewart's Cupcakes: 175 Inspired Ideas for Everyone's Favorite Treat (Paperback)
You can get it at Amazon.
My sister has been writing to me, insisting I buy it! LOL!
Now you either love Martha or hate her and I love her, but no matter which category you fall into, you have to agree she has some of the best recipes out there.
So to all of my English and European friends, dig out gramma's old Imperial measures and get yourself a new book! I will be ordering mine very soon!
If you try a recipe share it with the rest of us, okay?

xxx
Maggie

Jim, This One's For You

2009-06-01T22:49:00.011+01:00

Jim and Maggie June 1, 2005

Jim came upstairs this morning carefully carrying cups of tea and plates of toasted bagels.
He had already been out, driving Katie to university at 8 am, fighting morning rush hour traffic, something he really hates. All the while I was luxuriating in bed, being allowed to sleep in late while he did was up and out of the house.
We sat in bed eating our breakfast and chatting about our history.

Jim and I were married four years ago today, after a whirlwind courtship, having 'met' on the Internet. Some of you know the story, but that is for a different post. This one is about Jim.

Jim and Maggie, December 2004

I like to think about the things we have done, places we have visited, new experiences we have shared. It has all been an amazing experience for both of us.
Scotland, Ireland, Canada, United States; planes, cars, and ferries; road trips on winding country lanes; one lane roads in Ireland and Scotland; beach views and cottage stays, it has all been a new world and like living in a fairy tale for me. And I know this is all the beginning. We have many more experiences to share together.

Jim is a fabulous man.

An exemplary father to his two sons and their families, as well as to my children, Jonathan, Elizabeth, and Katie.

Jim and Katie on her birthday last November

He is loving, caring, sincere, funny, and kind.
And he does the most loving things.

I was babysitting our little granddaughter, Hannah, recently, and the time was getting late.
Hannah was asleep, and I was working on some little books while she slept.
I had forgotten about the time, well past lunch time, but Jim hadn't.
Suddenly, I saw his car pull into the drive, and my sweet husband emerged with a familiar bag in his hand. He had arrived with luch from McDonalds for me.
He realized I hadn't brought a lunch with me and so he went out to buy me a surprise I hadn't had in ages!

Seeing his beautiful smile, and realizing he was so thoughtful and caring made me realize just how much I love him. Marriage isn't about the big things, it is the small, every day, thoughtful, caring things that matter most.
And every day we are together, I realize more and more, just how much this man means to me, and how much more I love him.

We have agreed to not exchange gifts this year. No cards, flowers, or dinner out, either.
We both agreed instead, to exchanging little notes.
Mine was waiting for me early this morning.
But I explained to Jim, that since we were married at 7pm EST, he would have to wait until midnight our time, before I would give him his note.
So this post will be waiting for him when he comes online in a bit. A wee surprise to let him know how much he means to me. And just how pleased I am being married to such a wonderful man. And how I want to share that with the world.

This one's for you my sweetheart.
I love you.

xxx
Maggie

New York Surprise!

2009-05-25T23:51:00.016+01:00

The New Yankee Stadium

Before the crowds filled it all in!A wee bit o' Great Britain in Yankee Stadium!

Two weeks ago, Elizabeth surprised me with a ticket to go to New York City to see her graduate last week.
Commencement from New York University, held in Yankee Stadium, in front of thousands of people, with Hillary Clinton speaking, was something I did not want to miss!
So naturally, I was in a state as I rushed about preparing for the trip on one day's notice!

I am not a fan of flying. It is a necessary evil, especially for my family and me, because to see each other, someone must board a plane.
But in this instance, I didn't have much time to dwell on it and get all sorts of worried about it, so I was off in a blink of an eye and headed to New York.

Elizabeth earned her Bachelors' Degree two years ago, so I was not unfamiliar with such ceremonies. But this graduation was a very special one. Elizabeth has not had an easy time of it, earning this degree from the renowned New York University.

To begin with, it was against all odds that she made the short list for acceptance to the university in the first place. Her grades were above average, but she had no ready cash to pay the tuition costs and university fees, and the competition to gain acceptance is fierce.
But she was among a selected few to be invited to her Masters' Degree program, in American Politics, two years ago.
We were excited and thrilled for her when she made it, not realising what the next years were to bring.

As she prepared to leave Buffalo for the big city of New York, she was leaving family, friends, and even her pets behind. And she knew no one in New York City.

Upon arrival she discovered that the university had no available housing, so she was literally homeless.
While she struggled to find a place to live and a job to support herself, she had adjustments in virtually everything in her life, all while beginning her studies and learning to find her way around New York.
Eventually she found a home with a fellow student, and remained there for a bit, but things weren't working out.

She had a car and discovered just how difficult it is to live in New York and own a car, with parking problems, tolls for roads and bridges, etc.
She was working a full time management job at a large supermarket in New Jersey, Wegmans, all while commuting to school in New York, and living in Brooklyn.

Added to her burdens was envy. She was envious of the other students she met at NYU who were enjoying their studies stress-free. They were from privileged backgrounds and mom and dad were paying for them to attend. They had social lives and didn't work to support themselves. It was difficult for her not to be able to join in and have fun at university. For her, school was all work and no play. The contrast between her life and the lives of her peers was another factor in the weakening of her spirit. She wanted their life - if only for a week to take some pressure off of her.

Things were all falling apart and she wanted to quit and return to Buffalo. Elizabeth would call me in tears and wanting nothing but to go 'home'.
Many times it was compassion and a listening ear and a kind word to get her through it.
But sometimes it required 'tough love' and some harsh reminders of what life would be if she gave up and returned to Buffalo.

She would owe thousands of dollars in student loans with no way to pay it back and no degree to show for her money and time spent. Something had to give.
She needed a helping hand - a friend - and someone who believed in her, other than her mom.
And she found him: Joe.

Joe offered compassion, tenderness, his family, friends, and his home to Elizabeth.
His generosity enabled her to remain in New York without rent; just sharing some household expenses. She switched jobs to avoid the cost of commuting, and found a job with her former employer in political advocacy, that she could work from home.
She gave up her costly car and paid off all of her bills.
Elizabeth spoke with her college advisor and cut down the hours of classes she took each semester. She knew it would extend the time it would take to complete her degree program, but it would mean she would have less stress and she would be able to complete the program.

So the New York surprise was really no surprise at all: Elizabeth is a strong, talented, intelligent, and beautiful young woman who has made it through adversity and come out of it the better for it. What doesn't kill us makes us stronger.

Although battle scars may be in place, she can be proud that she remained constant and completed her program. Her life is forever changed for the better. And she has earned every bit of that degree while securing a better position as her journey through life begins.

She has found a true partner who has shared some of her life, has supported her and loved her, and who will soon become her husband. We love him and welcome him into our little family. And we thank him for helping our daughter during a time she needed a friend and someone to love and support her. Now if only we could get him to be a Buffalo Sabres fan . . .

Congratulations to our beautiful girl!
We couldn't be more proud of you.

xxx

Mom, Jim, Jon and Katie

Handmade in Malvern: The Emerald Grove

2009-05-09T23:21:00.017+01:00

Malvern is a gorgeous little town in the Malvern Hills. We often visit there to go to the antique market and car boot sale held at the Three Counties Showground.

One day, when checking my conversations in my Etsy account, there appeared an invitation to become part of a new consignment shop opening in Malvern, called, The Emerald Grove.
The idea behind the shop is to feature handmade items from the UK to support local artists and promote a greener footprint.
I was so excited and honoured, to be asked to be part of this venture!

So Friday, Jim and I made the drive from Birmingham to Malvern to deliver the first of my, Wee Lucky Penny Books, to one of the partners in the shop, Anne.
We got to meet the lovely Anne, had a lovely conversation, got to mooch around the shop to have a look at all of the lovely things, and a short trek about town, too.
All-in-all, a very fine day, indeed!

Anne and her co-founder, Julie have done a fantastic job working on the interior and exterior of their lovely building, as well as all kinds of hours spent there setting it all up, and establishing an organizational system of records and contracts, website initiatives, and on-line accounts.
The interior of the shop spans several levels - (I have pictured only part of the first level below) and is warm with old wooden floors and filled with colour from all of the delightful handmade goods!
If you are in the area, please stop in for a chat and a look at all of the fabulous handmade articles in the store. You won't be disappointed!

I leave you with some images of the shop, the goods, and the proprietor.

xxx

MaggieMy wee books are packed and ready for the journey to The Emerald Grove!

Approaching the shop on Church Street

The front of the shop

Left front windowRight front window

True Love

2009-05-07T01:25:00.003+01:00

I'm up really late again tonight, and I wanted to say so much about this book . . . but I guess it really doesn't need that much said about it. It is quite simple really.
Do you believe in love?
Do you believe there can be a lasting, eternal love for one other person here on earth?
Nonbelievers - just read, The Notebook, by Nicholas Sparks.
I believe it is probably my favourite book and it is truly the most loving of all love stories.
If you've seen the movie, it is good, but is bereft of the beauty of the words and the full experience of the story.
Get it, read it, love it.

xxx

From the mouths of babes . . .

2009-05-02T23:12:00.003+01:00

Have you seen the movie, Nanny McPhee?
The grandchildren were visiting today, and Katie, Libby, and Ethan settled in to watch it.
If you aren't familiar with the movie, the father in the story has a job as the town mortician.

In one scene, his eldest son visits him at work.
The scene is shot low, so that you see only the tagged toe of the corpse with the dad behind them at the head of the body.
So the son is looking towards the dad with the feet in between them.

It is at this point of the film that our darling, inquisitive, five-year-old Libby asks the all-important question:

"Why are the feet on sale?"

Enough said.

xxx
Maggie

Give Him Another Look

2009-04-29T22:46:00.006+01:00

Charles Dickens: give him another look.

Trying to think of what might interest you in books for today's discussion, at first I thought, most people might be bored with what I am reading right now.
But after much thought, I realized that probably many of you have never read Charles Dickens, or, if you have, it has probably been, A Christmas Carol.
And even more than the reading, many of you may have only seen the movie!

Not that I am suggesting the movies aren't worth watching. On the contrary.
We recently watched the latest BBC version of Little Dorrit and I must say it was absolutely fantastic!
We enjoyed it so much, that we bought the DVD set to have as our own.
If you haven't seen it, borrow, buy or rent a copy - you won't be disappointed.

Back to today's book. Yes, it is true, I am actually reading, Oliver Twist.
No, a high school teacher is not twisting my arm, and yes, sometimes the language is challenging, however, the story - oh my!
The story is fantastic!
There is a reason this author has won so many hearts and his fame lives on over 100 years from his original publication dates, and his reputation for having written 'classics' holds true; his books tell marvelous stories and his characters are unsurpassed.
If you have never read Dickens, give his works another look. I am almost finished with Oliver Twist, so Little Dorrit, is next on my reading list . . . well, after the book I will talk about next week, anyway!
If you have read Dickens in the past, have another read. You will be glad you did!

xxx
Maggie

The Reveal!!!

2009-04-26T14:29:00.011+01:00

OK so now I am all set and ready to go with my latest little creations!
They have been months in the making and I am delighted to be able to introduce them t you in time fr Mother's Day (US) and Graduations for students at University and High School.

Drum roll, please . . .
Introducing Wee Lucky Penny Books and A Penny for Your Thoughts books!!!

Wee Lucky Penny Books feature greetings similar to those found on greeting cards. Messages like, Happy Birthday, Congratulations, New Baby, New Home, Success, Good Luck, appear in their pages.
A Penny for Your Thoughts books feature poems, sayings, quotations, and thoughts.
Both book sets have all of the following:

fabric covers
string, ribbon, yarn, or trim closures
acid-free end papers identifying the monarch and years of reign
an over-sized vintage British penny with one of the following monarchs: Queen Victoria; King Edward; King George V; King George VI; Queen Elizabeth II
pages with greetings and vintage illustrations or decorations

The wee little darlings can be custom ordered, and/or personalized.
Additionally, most of the books you see can be ordered in your selection of pennies.
Just email me with your requests at: luckypennybooks[at]gmail[dot]com

Watch for more styles coming soon and please take a look at my most recent Treasury!

More to come!
xxx
Maggie

PS - I have listed five Lucky Penny Books tonight and will add more tomorrow.
Today's additions include: Congratulations New Baby; Congratulations Graduate; Mother's Day; and two inspirational cards: one with a quote from Queen Victoria about overcoming obstacles, and the other about aging gracefully.

Wednesday Book Club: The Curtain Bible

2009-04-22T23:06:00.006+01:00

I adore this book!
The simplicity of the designs; creative use and reuse of fabrics and linens; colours; and gorgeous setting makes it a must have - especially if you are redecorating.

Sharing is catching . . . in searching for a source for you to find copies of this fabulous book, I discovered more titles in the series by the same author, Katrin Cargill.
Soooooooooo it will be fun for me to look, purchase, and read some of her other fabulous-looking books:
Lampshades: Home Living Workbooks
Simple Soft Furnishings: 50 Stylish Sewing Projects to Transform Your Home
Katrin Cargill's Simple Curtains: Creative Ideas & 20 Step-By-Step Projects
A Passion for Pattern
Pillows: Home Living Workbooks
Bed Linens: Home Living Workbooks
The Home Furnishing Workbook: With 32 Step-by-step Projects
Embroidery: 25 Classic Step-By-Step Projects (Traditional Needle Arts)
Easy Country: A New Approach to Country Style
Swedish Style: Creating the Look
Katrin Cargill's Simple Pillows: Creative Ideas & 20 Step-By-Step Projects
Fabrications: Over 1,000 Ways to Decorate Your Home with Fabric
Painted Furniture: Making Ordinary Furniture Extraordinary With Paint, Pattern, and Color
Creating Cottage Style: Stylish Ideas And Step-by-step Projects
Contemporary Painted Furniture

I own a copy of The Curtain Bible, and love it, so I believe some of these these titles will also be coming home in the future!

xxx
Maggie

I Have a Secret . . .

2009-04-20T23:07:00.006+01:00

This is a sweet little bird's nest found at my old home in Williamsville, New York

Thanks to all of you faithful followers who have been checking in these past few days only to find no new posts!

My apologizes are humbly given.

I have been working on something new - feverishly trying to have it ready for my Sweet Scarlett shop in time for Mother's Day in the United States. And graduation day, too!
Universities in the US typically have graduation ceremonies in the month of May, while High Schools celebrate their graduations in June.

My little secret has been in the works for a few months now, and although some of you are aware of it, no one knows for sure exactly what it is.
Well, except my sister in Florida! And two special ladies in California!

Please check back again soon . . . a a surprise will be waiting!
In the meantime, I will try to get to your blogs to catch-up with all that has been happening in your lives, soon!
xxx
Maggie

I call this the 'Daffodil Pub'. We came across it in our travels, on our way to Ledbury, two years ago. I have wanted to return ever since, but so far no luck!
Isn't it spectacular?

Wednesday Book Club

2009-04-15T23:47:00.009+01:00

What if we all try to share a book we love on Wednesday?
Or maybe just when we have one to share - no expectations for participation every Wednesday?

I will begin with this one:

Bird, Egg, Feather, Nest by MaryJo Koch.

I have had this book for about ten years or so. I used it with my students in my classroom at one time. Since then it has been a fixture in my home. I bring it out every spring, and browse through it.

The book is one of a series of books the author has written, in similar formats.
Some of the titles are:

Dragonfly, Beetle, Butterfly, Bee
Seed, Leaf, Flower, Fruit
Pond, Lake, River, Sea

When I moved to England, I shipped some f my favourite books, surface mail, to save on costs.
This was one f them.
It took about three months to arrive, along with my cookbooks and some novels, and a few 'coffee table' books, all culled from my huge collection, now scattered to lucky recipients.
The book is filled with detailed water colours of birds, eggs, nests, habitats, et all.

The text has all been hand written.
It is fabulous!
There are some for sale on ebay, Amazon, and half.com.
I know you will find this book both beautiful and informative.

xxx
Maggie

Happy Easter!

2009-04-13T00:37:00.013+01:00

The Easter Bunny arrived last night, bringing baskets to hide and jelly beans to scatter in baskets and candy dishes.

Jim and Kate had to search for theirs in the morning, (you are never too old to have a basket!) as did the grandchildren when they stopped by in the afternoon.
It was so much fun watching them all hunt for the little baskets filled with treats.

Libby found her basket first, and the look on little Ethan's face, was priceless!
He was so dismayed at not being able to find his!

Because Katie is here with us this Easter, we had no one to send us our Buffalo Easter treats of Niagara Candy chocolate rabbits, Merckens foil eggs, & Peeps. (also look at the peep show - it is unbelievable!)
But we did find some rather pleasant substitutes, so all was not lost.

Calls came in from our son in North Carolina and our daughter in Brooklyn, New York. It was so good t hear their voices.
We found out that Jonathan has found a new job, so we are pleased and happy for him and his girlfriend Stephanie, as they begin their lives together in a new city.
Our day was calm and easy-going, filled with family visits and laughter food and a bit of baking, too.

But my special Easter present actually came yesterday and during the week.

My sister sent us a lovely card, bringing some of the Florida sunshine with it.
And two dear friends sent us Easter greetings via snail mail, which were totally unexpected, and such a nice surprise.

Our friends, Maria and Frank, sent a fun Hoops and Yoyo card along with a gift. Their squeaky, high-pitched voices drive our Border Collie crazy, so there is an added element of fun for the dog, too!

And my dear blogging friend, Natalie Jo, sent me a darling kitty card with a special kitty fabric inside, too!
She said the card reminded her of me after she read the piece on Sugar Mice so she had to have it for me!
I am humbled by the generosity of others.
It is nice to think there are people out there who care so much about us and are thinking of us.
The true blessings of Easter are the friends and family we cherish and hold dear.

Blessing to you all,
Maggie

Garden Surprise

2009-04-07T20:47:00.011+01:00

A rogue forget-me-not growing in our clay-filled wheelbarrow

Our dear friends, Dave and Ann were visiting over the weekend.
Dave was coming to help Jim work on the Morris Minor car we are readying for use this spring and summer.
This meant a bit of a rush in getting some garden furniture out and ready for the season, as we had been procrastinating in doing so, on the sunny days we have been enjoying.
Jim ventured into the shed and returned with the chairs, one by one.
They all looked rather normal, but one of them held a surprise!

Thinking it had gained a few leaves and twigs via the autumn winds, Jim peered into the crevice
of one of the chairs preparing to remove the debris before washing it.

Imagine his amazement, when looking down into the fold f the chair, he found a perfectly formed nest!
Indeed, the nest was empty, and looked clean, like once built, it had gone unused, but we absolutely loved the idea of the chair being used as a nesting place for birds when humans didn't need it over winter!
Our only regret was that it didn't seem to have a family yet, and it looked like, at least for this year, it was not going to have one.

Ann said some birds build a back-up nest, and perhaps that is what it was being used for.
If any of you can recognize what bird builds a nest like this one, please let us know.

And now I'll leave you with a few photographs of our back garden flowers to share with all of my gentle readers who live in climates still waiting for spring, and for those of you in the southern states where spring never visits.

xxx
Maggie

A gift from Ann - uh-oh - I have already forgotten its name!
You see them growing everywhere drooping over walls.
Absolutely gorgeous! I am so pleased she has gotten this for me!

A Bit about Easter

2009-04-02T17:04:00.035+01:00

The umbrella, mentioned in a former post
Purchased in Witney, Oxfordshire, England

Three vintage, wooden, darling harbingers of Spring from Germany,
purchased from friends, Stephen & Gerry's Antique Shop, in Williamsville, New York

A German paper mache candy container rabbit and cart

My spring cleaning is almost complete, so I have done a bit of decorating for the season.
Here are some of the little things I set out at Easter and Springtime.
Some of them have been with me for decades, and have mad the journey with me across the Atlantic. Others are 'new' finds from England.
And some are actually and really new.

A Bunny Tray from my sister, Deborah, and a black-faced lamb from my daughter

I grew up in an area of New York State, with people predominantly from Germany, Poland, Italy.
So the customs I have are sourced from those influences.

Antique salt and pepper chicks I have had for at least 20 years Reproduction paper mache rabbit candy container, from Germany Vintage chick egg cups from England

New milk glass container on the left, purchased in Bourton-on-Water in the Cotswolds
Vintage white ceramic vase purchased at a car boot recently
Antiqu milk glass container on the right, purchased at an estate sale in Buffalo, New York

Easter would not have been the same without a bunch of Pussy Willows and Butter Lambs on the table. Chocolate foil eggs and trays with chocolate rabbits adorned the table when it was not being used for dinner. And, Mom always had some fresh stems of Forsythia in a vase.

We had white eggs from local hens, and coloured them each year. The Easter bunny hid baskets filled with chocolates and jelly beans and we searched wildly for them as soon as we were awake Easter morning.

Vintage and new paper mache ggs from Germany

When I had children of my own, I found an egg farm that supplied me with pullets - the tiniest of eggs from hens just beginning to lay them.

They were so small they fit nicely in the hands of my young children, and were easy to cover completely, with egg dye in a teacup.

Reproduction chicks, vintage egg; large vintage egg; two ceramic bunnies from Target

We attended church on Easter morning, too. I can still smell the flowers, and hear the hymns if I just close my eyes and listen.

A different type flower child pyramide from Germany Purchased on ebay in Germany

As an adult, I added new traditions to the old - most came from the Poles in our area.
A visit to an historic indoor farmers' market, The Broadway Market, (click on the name to g directly to the market, and also take a look at Hometown Girl for more images from it.) each Easter, resulted in a return home with bags brimming with freshly baked rye bread, butter lambs, Polish sausage, Easter ham, and some treats.

Two cabinets found in an antique shop in Evesham, England filled with Easter & springtime treasures

Television featured the annual egg hunt at the White House and the Easter Parades being held around the country. Later in the day, the movie, Easter Parade was shown, and was watched as we eagerly awaited our holiday meal.

Times are different now, but memories remain. Spring is a time of change, and hope, and renewal. It is when all things breath again and com to life after a long, dreary winter.
I hope these images add a little cheer to your day, too.

xxx
Maggie

Vintage German Pyramide with Flower Children
I traded an antique doll for this and have not seen one like it before or since.
It is one of my favourite things. It traditionally would have small candles in the little cups.

27

2009-03-31T01:16:00.006+01:00

Happy Birthday Elizabeth!
My beautiful daughter is 27 today. Where does the time go?
In a blink of an eye she is all grown up when only yesterday she was an adorable baby in my arms.

When they are small, and we were young and struggling, it seems our patience often wore thin.
I used to grow weary of hearing my mother say how I should embrace the days of my children's youth, because it would all be gone too soon, and how she wished we were all young again and back at home with her.

Of course, I used to think she was mad! Oh my! How I longed for the days when my kids could do more for themselves and not be so demanding.
Of course, now I understand why she felt the way she did; and of course, it is too late.
Too late to have those precious days back again, and too late to tell my mom, just how right she was.

I miss hearing the children wake up in the morning and listening while the chatted among themselves as they got ready for school.
I miss the rush as they come through the door at the end of the school day, all talking at once, trying to tell me all that had happened while they were away from home.
I miss kissing the boo-boo better.
I miss watching the tiny 'bird-mouth' open when it saw the feeding spoon coming close.
I miss the smell of freshly bathed children, and tucking them in all safe and snug in their beds.
I miss knowing they are safe and sound under one roof.
I miss them fighting over the 'window seat' in the car - oh yes - I do!
I miss being at home with them and seeing their faces light up on their birthdays.

As each passing year goes by, I realize more and more what a gift their birthday is to me.

Wishing you all the best, my precious daughter.
With all my love,

MomSee more of Elizabeth growing up by clicking here.

Artists to Share

2009-03-26T23:54:00.008Z

Elizabeth's birthday is March 30th.
She is a grad student, attending New York University, and living in Brooklyn.
I live across the pond in England. Needless to say, important events in her life would be better shared, but that cannot always be.
I wanted to make this birthday we spend apart (again!) special.

Looking for something I knew she wanted and looking for something I knew she would love, but maybe had not thought about 'wanting' I turned to my favourite stomping ground: Etsy.
I am pleased to say the outcome was excellent and the artists deserve recognition for their fabulous goods.

First, I looked for the item Elizabeth was wanting and in need of: a ring holder for her kitchen to keep her rings safe while she prepares food or washes up the dishes.

She had sent me a link to a 'manufactured' ring holder featuring a hummingbird, saying it was 'less scary' than the 'freaky 'hand' ones'. She was describing the Victorian dishes that feature a small, raised hand in the center.
Now I like them, and do not find them freaky or scary, but Elizabeth does not, so they were immediately cast aside, as was the hummingbird - too commercial and a little on the tatty side, if you want my opinion of them. So the search began in earnest.

And it led me to Sue, from Cottonseed.
She was so awesome!
She was fast to respond to my custom request, quick to create a product just for me, and offered her work and shipping both at reasonable prices.
But that was only the beginning; she went the extra mile, including in her packaging an adorable hand-drawn card and a wee bouquet of lavender flowers.

My daughter was so impressed, she wrote a little post about it on her blog, The Brooklyn Clothesline.
She loves her new ring holder and has it in use already in her kitchen. Many thanks to Sue for her charming work and timeliness of creating and shipping. Stop by her shop, Cottonseed, and take a look at all of her wares - you won't be disappointed.

Next, I turned to something I knew Elizabeth would love: a Terrier pillow.

She would love to have a real terrier dog, but for now, she will have to make do with a pillow impostor!
The lovely creation sent to her from Iowa, was hand made and custom ordered from Teresa, from So Blissfully Vintage.

What an amazing woman Teresa is! I sent her a note asking her if she could make a pillow for me in a similar look to what she had used to make a top that had already been sold.
I also requested a colour for the reverse, rather than just white, and with lots of puffs on it, too.
Not only did she respond immediately, but she quickly found the identical fabric, and coordinating chenille for the back of the pillow, and sent photos off to me to ok.

They were fabulous so I authorised the order and paid immediately.
Then this amazing woman MADE THE PILLOW THE SAME DAY! I mean the whole entire process took no more than 24 hours from my first note to her to the the completed item.
Amazing service and fantastic work - well done Teresa!

Teresa specialises in vintage chenille items and welcome custom orders. She has been collecting vintage chenille bedspreads for years and knows all about them - where they were made, pattern names, etc. She is a wealth of knowledge!
Take a look in her shop, So Blissfully Vintage, too, and be amazed at her Easter bunnies and childrens' clothing.

xxx

Maggie Elizabeth at 2 years of age

Give-aways! go on and take a peek . . .

2009-03-26T00:12:00.002Z

This is a quick little note to let you know my friend, Susan, from Hometown Girl, has announced some give-aways, and I am passing along this information to you.
Please go and take a look at them:
Sevi Designs http://sevidesigns.com/
sixoclockstitches http://the6oclockstitch.blogspot.com/2009/03/8-etsy-giveaways.html
Susan has a handmade frame included at sixoclockstitches giveaway and so you don't want to miss entering!
xxx
Maggie

Sugar Mice!

2009-03-23T13:16:00.009Z

We visited lovely Witney, in Oxfordshire, on Saturday.
We were headed to Witney Warehouse to collect a vintage parasol, (or umbrella) that we had seen there the week before. You can just about see the darling little thing in this photograph of the shop's front window:
I will take more pictures of it later, to share with you, once I am finished with spring cleaning and decorating!
After collecting our little item, we took a stroll along the high street and visited some shops.
One was a bakery called Huffins. I was immediately drawn to a tray containing the sweetest little mice!

All set out in pink and white, with wee tails made of string, these tiny creatures captivated me right away!
I asked my husband if they were traditional, (they looked it!) and if he had had them as a child, and his answer was affirmative to both questions.

Of course, we had to have two of them for our grandchildren, Libby and Ethan. They were packed away in a white bakery bag and off we went, heading home, with our two Whitney purchases.
I only wish I had taken some photographs of Libby and Ethan demolishing them on Sunday!
It was a sight to see as Ethan held the tail in his right hand while keeping a firm grip on the doomed mouse with his left!
It was nice to see the children partaking in a bit of English tradition.

I don't know if Sugar Mice are just available at Easter time, or if they are for any time of year, but this was the first time I have seen them.
You might want to try your hand at making some for your children. Here are links for recipes for making them.
Sugar Mice from Foody. Sugar Mice from The Sugar Boy.

Although I didn't get a sugar mouse for our all-grown-up daughter, Katie, that didn't stop the little kid in her from putting in an appearance . . .

Have a great week my friends!
xxx
Maggie

Hair Accessories from the Past for Today's Modern Girls

2009-03-20T23:53:00.010Z

With modern design so much in vogue right now for home decor, who would have guessed that our modern young ladies would love a bit of vintage flair for the hair?
It seems no matter where we look today we see women wearing vintage-looking hair accessories that include feathers and net, buttons and rhinestones, velvet and satin and all sorts of vintage things!
Feathers bob on slivers of wire; bows adorn necklines and hair; mixed media corsages made with bits from the past combined with adornments of today, peek delicately from behind an ear.

Imagine my surprise when I received a little note from Tiffany, a young artist who had purchased some vintage buttons from my Etsy shop, EnglishPreserves.
Her note provided me with a link to a hair accessory she had made using one of the buttons!
I couldn't click it quickly enough! Here it is for you to peek at, too: GRACE

Tiffany's Etsy shop is called DecoNouveau and features all of her gorgeous hair accessories including: clips, headbands, bobby pins, and drops.

Tiffany is from Texas and creates her little bits of art by hand in her home using only the best materials - and some of them vintage - when she can get them.
She told me "I do most of my work while watching old classic and silent movies to get inspired. Sometimes I get inspired by everyday things -

"Flora" came from the appearance of a beautiful butterfly,which landed on my bike one day and went for a ride with me.
"Kimberley" (already sold) came from a shooting star I saw while up on my roof one night."

A bit about Tiffany from her profile:

I noticed that the vintage style of feathered and decorative hair pieces has come back 'in', but at such exorbitant prices! I try to make all of my work affordable for the average woman to look fabulous on a budget (I know it's tough, I am one myself!) without compromising quality or ethics. It's working out pretty well so far!

Tiffany names all of her pieces after family and friends, and uses friend for her models.
"Melody" is named after her mother (photograph at the top of this post) and "Hanni" is named after her step-grandmother who lives in Germany.

It's such a small world, isn't it?
Tiffany loves custom orders and wedding and prom season is upon us!
Go on and take a look at her unique and beautiful things - I know you will fall in love with them.

xxx
Maggie

The Winner Is . . .

2009-03-20T07:26:00.003Z

My little give-away has ended and I was surprised to see that not many people entered, but that only meant that there was more luck to those who did enter!

Three people entered the give-away:
Isabelle from Suzy's Vintage Attic
Sunny from The Sunny Bower Art Studio
Mary Isabella from Daisy Bouquet

Isabelle won the draw, but since there were only three entries, I have decided to give everyone a little surprise.
So winners, please contact me with what you would like printed on the bookplates and with your contact information, including your address, to my email, englishpreserves[at]googlemail.com

Thank you for your participation!
xxx
Maggie

Lucky Me!

2009-03-19T00:30:00.004Z

Lovely Ali, from 'Message in a Teacup . . . Tales from Betty and Violet' (http://bettyandviolet.blogspot.com/) has given me this creative award
and I am now giving it a go as to how to carry out my duties and honour others with it, as well.
So first things first; here are my seven favourite things:

I love it when my husband says, "Mind how you go" to help keep family and friends safe on their journeys.
I love memories of my childhood and memories of my children's childhood.
I love the scent of spring flowers - lilacs and bluebells and daffodils.
I love the tiny, yet strong, little forget-me-not blossoms, and beautiful wild violets, springing up wherever they choose, year after year.
I love the beach at Lake Erie on the Ontario shore: the bon fires and starry skies at night, the water spray, the wild weather with wind that takes your breath away, the sand and sun and pebble beaches, the fireflies in June.
I love the excitement at the beginning of a holiday knowing not what adventures are ahead.
I love people who care about others and give of themselves.

Of course, there is nothing as wonderful as one's own family: our children and siblings and parents. This goes without saying.
This was so easy - - - I could go on naming things I adore, but I was limited to only seven!

I would like to share my award and pass it along to these lovely women:
Susan from Hometown Girl (she gave me a similar award when I first began blogging but I didn't know how to use it! Thank you, Susan!)
NatalieJo from Piccalilli Days
Sunny Bower from Vineyard Painter
Liz from The Washerwoman
Isabelle from Suzy's Vintage Attic
Elizabeth from The Brooklyn Clothesline
Phyllis from For the Love of Vintage
Lili M. from Lili M.

Happy Blogging and Happy Creativity!
xxx
Maggie

Happy 1st Year Anniversary, SweetScarlett!!!

2009-03-13T00:40:00.019Z

I am so excited!
Today my little Etsy shop, SweetScarlett is one year old!
I am generally not a superstitious person, but this is, after all, Friday the 13th!
Not to mention that the Ides of March are fast approaching!
Of course, St. Paddy's Day will offset all of that, with a bit o' Irish luck!

It all began when I wanted to sell the little clothes I make for American Girl dolls.

I have made so many sweet little outfits, in the past, for my own daughters, and I wanted to make some to sell in order to establish a little business for myself.
My goal was to have my couture for dolls have the quality of 'people' clothes, using vintage fabrics and trim, and also be unique, one-of-a-kind clothing.
Special, so that the little girl receiving them would know she was the only person to have that outfit for her doll.

This pink silk nightgown was a custom order from the Alchemy board. It featured antique mother-of-pearl buttons with silk loop closures, self-made piping in silk, and a collar made from a vintage hankie.

The same customer ordered this robe made from 100% cotton Laura Ashley rose print, Bibi.
It features self-covered buttons and Victorian styling.

A dear 'new' friend from Northern Ireland purchased the Shamrock dress from me, after I had purchased the vintage embroidered linen from her, with which I made the dress. Its photograph is at the top of this post.

The 100% Irish linen dress featured antique buttons, and hemstitching along the hemlines of the sleeves and dress, as well as a lovely hand-embroidered shamrock.
Trish also was so kind as to carry an American Girl doll back from the states for me. Emily has been waiting for some time to be a model . . . I must sew some clothing for her to model!

I made another new friend, Irina, who lives now in the UK, but was originally from Russia.
I purchased some hand crocheted flowers from her to adorn my couture, eventually asking her to design some eggs for me, too. Her little Easter eggs embellished my 1920s style Egg Dress, pictured here.
I also made a gorgeous coat and dress, both made with all vintage fabrics and buttons. It is pictured below.
And finally, a coordinating set of pajamas and robe were made and sold - but sadly, not on Etsy.
In fact, none of the doll fashions ever sold on Etsy, and that was so deflating,

I simply gave up and sold them on ebay.
It was important for me to remove the negative feelings I was having about my work and move on to create other things.

And so my graphics background kicked in and I was off and running designing bookplates and calling cards for my shop.

But like most things in life, my shop (and me) is ever-changing.
Right now I am working on some small objects that I do hope will bring a smile and a bit of warmth, charm, and and history to you all. These are your only hints!

I am hoping to have them ready to sell in my shop in a few weeks - maybe less -

as I am having a bit of trouble sourcing some of my materials for them.

I believe they will be a unique product on Etsy, and maybe just about everywhere else, too.
Please keep checking back to have a peek at them, and when you do, let me know how you feel about them. I need feedback!

In honour of the 1st anniversary of my little shop, I am giving away a set of eight bookplates.
All you need do to win is to comment with your name and/or shop/blog on one of the previous messages about the give-away, or, on this post.

Everyone who send me his/her name will be entered to win. My daughter will draw the name from a hat and I will post who won after the drawing.
In order to give folks a bit of time to comment, I will wait until the weekend has passed before compiling a list and conducting the drawing.

I would like to send out a huge "THANK YOU" to all of you. You have kept me going with support and friendship and even a few purchases, here and there.

Bless you all!
Maggie

PS: With the graphics in my shop now (finally!) picking up, I feel better about sewing again, and will soon be sewing up some more AG clothing. Please let me know if there is anything you would like to see in the shop.

Slumber Party!

2009-03-11T00:45:00.010Z

Not a bed but a sweet little place for the flowers on my porch in America to nestle in a child's wicker baby buggy. We used it on the porch in the summer and in the dining room in the winter filled with poinsettias.

Oh so much fun!
I have never been invited to an on-line slumber party before, and I am not even sure if my participation is going to work, or not, but here goes!

My little nest here in England is still evolving. There is still lots of work to do but we have made a huge dent in it thus far.
My room at my home in America was fitted with a genuine antique double bed, bought on ebay, and fetched from Ohio to New York state in the back of a Dodge Caravan.
I regularly used antique sheets on it - my favourite one being a set from Italy - in pure linen.
Here is a photograph of my room in Williamsville, New York:. . . and then this is one of the two matching four poster beds in the guest room.

We worked on the house here in England, all the time, my first year here, changing rooms, removing walls, installing doors, removing doors, sanding floors, rewiring and installing new fittings, and so much more!
Because my children were arriving in December for our first English Christmas, my husband and I needed to find beds fast!
So we found three single beds on ebay from two different sellers.
One antique iron bed was purchased in London from a gorgeous bedroom way up on about the fourth or fifth floor, in a home that was situated within sight of Harrods.
It had been imported from America (like me!) by its owners who were downsizing and wanting to sell it.The other beds were a set of matching single beds, purchased also in London, but from an entirely different set of circumstances. These beds were being sold by their owners who were newly emigrated from Italy. The beds had belonged to the grandmother of the wife, and had been hand-made in Italy long, long ago. This photograph is just one of the pair of them. It resides in our guest room, where I typically use it as a table for my cutting board for working on my projects! When my very talented friend comes to visit us from the US, I will put her to work painting floral wreaths in the top curvy bit of each bed.

All three beds were in need of some painting so my husband had them stripped and then repainted in powder coating.
The two Italian beds are in our guest room, and the American bed is in my daughter's room.

We wanted to buy our bed as an antique, too, but to get an antique one as a king size bed (equal to our queen size in US terminology) would have cost thousands, so we settled for a reproduction - well - for now anyway! This is our bed made up in a duvet from the Pottery Barn in the Iznik range. No curtains yet! LOL! We have them now - a lovely dotted Swiss white cotton.
My favourite pastime is designing and making over houses. And we have had so much fun doing this one. There is always something new to do and to chat about but today is all about beds!

Next time more on my obsession with vintage linens!
Oh, I could write a book . . .

Two Days to Go . . .

2009-03-11T00:33:00.003Z

OK, so now let's see . . . I have decided to have a give-away!
I would like to give away a set of eight bookplates to someone who would like to have a set of bookplates! LOL!
Anyway, just look in my shop, decide which graphic you would like to have, and then submit your name here. The winner can select any graphic or I can use one of your own for a custom order.
I will put all the names in a hat and have my daughter draw one as winner.
So send me your names!!!
xxx
Maggie

Three Days and Counting!!!

2009-03-10T00:13:00.004Z

Why is it that time goes by so fast these days?
I just noticed that in three days I will have been a member of Etsy for one whole year!
Where has the time gone?

I MUST do something in honour of the day . . . but what?
(Why is it so hard to think these days?)
Any ideas out there?
Help me decide what to do to mark the occasion, please.
I am thinking about having a sale, or perhaps a give-away.

Tick-tock, tick-tock . . .

For the Love of . . . Peanut Butter!

2009-03-07T00:24:00.005Z

Being an American, living in England, it is sometimes necessary to explain our love of the peanut and all of the derivatives thereof.
Trying to explain the joy of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on fresh, preferable squishy, white bread, gets to be quite the challenge! (Most Brits crinkle up their noses at the description.)
Not to mention the deliciousness of peanut butter cookies, and oh yes the all-time-favourite: the Reeses Peanut Butter Cup.

Now here is the rub: you can buy Reeses PBC here on this fabulous island - you see them right there at the end of the counter as you wait in the queque in Morrisons, but sadly, they are not the same as those in the US. In fact, they are made in Canada, do not taste the same, and often are stale, probably sent via surface mail in a boat right up the Welland Canal, to the St. Lawrence Seaway, to the Atlantic Ocean!
Mind you - when you are deprived of them for ages, they will do in a pinch as a substitute, but nothing beats the joy of a tasty, fresh Reeses Peanut Butter Cup right from the good old USA.
And it gets even better at holiday time.

Each holiday brings with it the tasty cups in new and lovely shapes: the egg at Easter; the pumpkin at Halloween; the tree at Christmas. These are particularly good because the have more of the filling and less of the chocolate.
They come six to a pack and are gone in a flash!
Because once a bite is taken from them, you only want to have another and another!

Now here is the point of all of this: You know someone really loves you when they send you these special treats in the post all the way from America. Postage costs are astronomical and probably are more than three times the cost of the product, so it is true love when you find the postman at your door, first thing in the morning, holding a package that bears one thing and one thing only- the coveted Reeses Peanut Butter cup, in egg form, in a MULTIPACK of INDIVIDUALLY WRAPPED eggs!
I have been away so long I didn't even know they were sold like this!!!
Complete with an Easter 'Cat' card, and creatively shipped in a cereal box, what more could someone want?
A huge 'THANK YOU' goes out to our son, Jonathan, and his girlfriend Stephanie, in North Carolina for thinking of us and treating us to such a wonderful tasty delight!
We love you and miss you!!!

. . . and then there were three

2009-03-02T21:42:00.007Z

Imagine our surprise when we arrived at the farm on Sunday to find three lovely lambs in the pen!
The owners have named them: Emily is the first, brown-faced little lamb; the white lamb we were calling Chloe has been named, 'Rosie'; and the newest little lambie is called Izzy.
Izzy was only four days old on Sunday. You can see remnants of her umbilical cord in some of the photos. Her mom had triplets and there wasn't enough milk for all three siblings, so she still gets to be one of three in her new home in the pen.
Enjoy the pictures - and a big welcome to Izzy!

Emily Has a New Friend!

2009-02-27T01:18:00.007Z

Our farm story continues with this update:
Upon our arrival at the farm on Tuesday, we were pleased to discover another lamb in the penned area with Emily.

Unfortunately, she was ill, and that was why she had to be removed from the herd and from her mom. She was suffering from an infection that was obtained through her umbilical cord.
A vet was due to take a look at her and to give her a shot, and we were assured that she would be okay.

But because it was her first day in the pen, she had not yet been bottled-fed, and was reluctant to have any of it! "Where is my mum?" must have been what she was thinking! She was not happy about us having to force her to drink her milk.
Katie and I were having trouble keeping her still, trying to get her to keep the bottle in her mouth, and not getting it all over us!
Jim came to the rescue and was able to hold the bottle and keep her mouth wrapped around it, too.
Kate and I helped to keep her calm and in one place, and rubbed and petted her, and talked softly in funny American accents to her.

The new lamb hasn't a name, so we were calling her, Chloe.
Chloe is a different breed than is Emily. She is all white and very, very, soft.
Emily has dark legs that look like she is wearing socks, and a sweet little brown face. Her fur is nubby and short and wiry - almost like terrier fur!

Emily is younger than Chloe, but stronger and used to drinking from her bottle.
Because she had been fed first, she thought she was going to get more when another bottle appeared for Chloe, and kept nudging me and chewing on my coat while I helped with Chloe.
Did you know that baby lambs 'bump' their mums to get the milk flowing before they nurse? Well, baby Emily was 'bumping' me! LOL!

After all of the hard work feeding Chloe, she was quite the tired little lamb and settled in the grass to take a rest after her harrowing ordeal!

We were tired, too, and dirty! As soon as we returned home we washed all of our coats! Chloe had shed all over us and also had gotten milk on everyone!
It was all worth it, though, and we hope to return this Sunday with little children in tow.
How excited will they be to feed a baby lamb???