"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...
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