ON A WINTER'S DAY...

"All the leaves are brown

And the sky is gray...

...California dreamin'

On a winter's day. ..."

John Phillips and Michelle Phillips

December, 1965

Performed by The Mamas and the Papas

I love the four seasons

 and we usually get

 the best of each one 

here in the foothills.

 What I don't love

 about winter though,

 are the gray skies.

 I can't tell you 

exactly what it is

 or how it makes me feel,

 but there is a change in myself 

that I have heard happens

 to a lot of people

 at this time of year.

I have come up with 

a fairly simple solution 

to my dilemma and

 that is spending money.

  It doesn't have to be 

a lot of money, 

in fact the less the better,

 but to have a small treasure 

to show for my efforts 

goes a long way

 to boosting my morale.

This past weekend 

was full of those gray skies 

and, with a little dose

 of California Dreamin',

I was out the door 

and on to the thrift shops!

This little candlestick

 made my day. 

 I love the dainty lines

 with the rustic finish 

and sometime ago

 I had two of these same candlesticks.

 I would display them 

on the dining room table 

in the large hurricanes

and they looked so pretty.

 Somehow,

 one got broken

 and the remaining one

 was mostly stuck on a shelf 

after that 

-- until this weekend -- 

I found this one 

so once again

 I have a perfectly matched set.

I quickly put

 this pretty little dish 

in my basket.

 One of these days

 I will use it in a photo shoot,

 displayed along with 

a fresh bunch of basil or parsley 

after a trip 

to the Farmer's Market.

I liked the shape and size 

of this candlestick 

and think a coat of Old Ochre, 

and some distressing, 

will go a long way 

in freshening it up.

I can visualize 

this cookie jar 

on the kitchen cupboard 

filled with a bouquet of

 wild flowers and a few American flags

 for a 4th of July 

celebration.

So,

 for around $10, 

I had brightened 

up my day 

considerably.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here are a few projects

 that we have been working on:

We bought this little white stand,

 along with it's identical twin,

 a while back

 to use in the kitchen

 for a project 

that we have since decided not to do.

 We now have in mind

 a different use for them 

and will share that later on.

This little hanging cupboard 

was on the back porch out of sight,

 so we decided 

to bring it inside to be enjoyed.

 I have displayed 

my Christmas gift to myself,

the larger patriotic old crow, 

along with some other

 prim-ish items

 that I dearly love. 

 I am so sorry 

that I have misplaced the paper-work 

on my Christmas patriotic crow order.

 When I find it 

I will certainly give the maker credit 

as it is a great little collectible

 and the price was right.

I do remember 

that I wanted to order more from her,

 so I will keep looking.

Another piece 

brought in from the cold

 is this small pie safe. 

 Such a cute example

 of an

 'old-time' appliance!

We usually don't exchange 

Christmas gifts with the kids (except Jake).

  Our Christmas consists 

of enjoying each other's company 

and a good meal,

 but Tami and Tim

 did give us this sweet sign this year

 - just because- 

along with the sweetest 

tiny little white paper church

 that, unfortunately, 

got packed away without a picture.

 I love the gifts 

and can't wait to enjoy the sign 

this summer in the 

Secret Garden. 

 Thanks, TNT.

As I said,

 we have always 

given gifts to Jake

 for Christmas.

 He is our only grandchild 

and just because he is grown 

doesn't mean we would ever stop. 

 The sweet thing about him 

(not the only one)

 is that now that he has his own money,

he buys gifts for us too.

 It is something that he wants to do 

and just another reason

 we are so proud of him.

 This is the prettiest sconce

 and I can't believe

 how perfectly it fits inside 

the old chippy frame

 on the dining room wall. 

 I just love it and thank you, Jake.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As I mentioned earlier,

 we do get the best of each season 

and today is one of the very best.

 No gray skies, 

just sunshine and blue.

  The kind of day that

California Dreamin' 

is all about.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I want to thank my good friend, Barbara, at 21 Rosemary Lane for honoring my Snow Family of Downton Abbey in her Share Your Style link party. I think it might have been a couple of weeks ago and I feel so badly that I am only now acknowledging it. I appreciate it very much, Barbara.

...Judy...

Sharing today with:

BTTCG at Bernideen's

No Place Like Home at Rose Chintz Cottage

What's It Wednesday at Ivy and Elephants

Share Your Style Link Party

Feathered Nest Fridays at French Country Cottage