THE HEART OF THE MATTER...

Wave goodbye

 to January...

...and say hello

 to February.

February,

 while being the shortest month 

of the year...

...is also the one

 with the most heart.

The skies of February 

portray signs of winter

 still to come...

but with a sliver of brightness 

along the horizon...

...the view

 through one window

 promises a budding spring...

...and the view 

by another window 

holds the warmth of 

sunny days to come...

...but the view

 outside my office car window

 this morning 

puts us in our place

 and reminds us

 that all that is expected 

will not materialize

 for awhile yet...

...and as I am sitting here

 warm and dry,

 the Captain trudges through 

the sleet and snow, 

walking the dogs.

 This is dedication 

and all heart.

While we wait

 for the elusive spring,

 touches of that very thing 

will help to keep 

the cold at bay.

A mixed bouquet 

on the dining room table,

displayed in an old tool caddy,

accompanied by 

candle light...

...a bit of greenery

 and a painted rose 

catch your eye 

as you pass into

 another room.

Lamps are lit,

as well as candles,

to continue the feeling of 

being safe and warm 

at home.

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

During the holidays, 

I was looking for some 

seeded eucalyptus with not much luck.

  I finally found a few sprigs

at Raley's

 but that was all.

  When Courtney at French Country Cottage

 showed a faux eucalyptus wreath

 last week 

that looked so realistic,

 I ordered one.

 Not only is it beautiful,

 but the price was outstanding. 

 It came from Balsam Hill 

and it regularly sells for $69,

 on sale now for $28.

 I couldn't pass it up 

and am really pleased with it.

 Thank you, Courtney.

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

Now,

 on to the 

heart of the matter...

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

Kai, 

and his little pal,

 send our best Valentine wishes 

to all of you...

...Judy...

Sharing today with:

BTTCG at Bernideen's

No Place Like Home at Rose Chintz Cottage

Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style

Share Your Style Link Party

Show and Tell Fridays at My Romantic Home

Feathered Nest Fridays at French Country Cottage

MAKING FRIENDS...

I can't tell you exactly

 when my love of books and reading began.

 It might have been 

on a dark rainy night,

 with the sound of thunder in the distance,

 the power out, 

and my mother and father 

reading aloud to us by candlelight,

 so that our minds were relieved 

of the fear of the storm;

or it might have been

 when I found The Secret Garden 

and would steal away

under the branches of an old tree 

in my grandmother's garden 

to imagine and wonder 

all that was capable 

in an eight year olds' mind.

It may even have been

 when I would go to the library 

with my mom 

and where I found

Albert Payson Terhune

and all the stories he wrote about dogs.

I was never good at arithmetic

 but I excelled at spelling and reading

 and the quiet times in the classroom,

when we were allowed to sit 

and read our books,

 was the best part of school

 for me.

The book, Little Women, is the original book that I received as a gift when I was 10 years old.

In 1949,

 at the age of ten, 

I was given Little Women

 by Louisa May Alcott.

 I have since found 

a few of her books

 while rummaging through the shelves 

of old book stores,

which is a favorite pastime.

A few years back,

 I found the book, Coming Home,

 by Rosamund Pilcher.

  It was the start of a journey 

of strong female authors 

such as Maeve Binchy,

 Joanna Trollope, 

Gladys Tabor, 

 and Jan Karon,

the creator of the delightful

 Father Tim series,

 to name a few.

No matter

 what type of books you read,

 whether they be

 the old classics or romance novels,

 which I have read my share of 

(and enjoyed, I might add),

 a book is like spending time

 with an old friend 

and I have been known 

to re-visit some of the same ones 

over and over again.

...Judy...

"Good books,

 like good friends,

Are few and chosen;

The more select,

 the more enjoyable."

Louisa May Alcott

I've been busy this week

 and haven't visited like I should have,

 so I missed that Sandi

over at Rose Chintz Cottage,

 last week, 

picked my end table(s) 

as one of her features 

on her lovely party,

 No Place Like Home.

 Thank you so much, Sandi,

 I feel very honored 

to have been included.

Sharing today with:

BTTCG at Bernideen's

No Place Like Home at Rose Chintz Cottage

What's It Wednesdays at Ivy and Elephants

Share Your Style Link Party

Feathered Nest Fridays at French Country Cottage

A FEW SMALL THINGS...

Here we are today,

 sitting at my desk

 in the office car,

composing this post,

 as the poor souls 

are out in the weather 

walking the dogs,

 and the

 Secretary of the Interior 

looks on.

It's a hard job,

 but somebody

 has to do it!

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

You've seen this photo before...

...are you sure?

Look again,

 closely...

Do you see: 

 One photo has

 four shelves

and one 

has three?

The fourth shelf 

is actually a photograph

 stretched on a piece of canvas.

 I ordered it from EBay 

and when it arrived 

I was pleasantly surprised 

at how realistic it looked.

 If you didn't notice it 

right away 

don't feel bad,

 a person who lives in this house,

and who shall remain nameless,

 didn't either!

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

Remember

 when I shared this cabinet

 in my last post

 and mentioned 

we had planned on using it, 

and another just like it, 

in a project in the kitchen 

that had since been scrapped.

We have had our eyes open 

for an end table in the sitting room

 to replace this cute little table 

that we have been using.

 I love this little table

but it was really too small

to carry the heavy load 

that was assigned to it 

so when the kitchen project 

was decided against,

 we put our heads together,

not to mention the chests, 

and came up with this...

I painted the two chests black,

 pushed them together,

 and we added a piece of old marble,

 that we had, on the top.

 We were amazed 

the marble was

 the exact size 

that we needed.

My first thought 

was to add baskets in the openings 

for small storage, 

but I wasn't able to find

 four alike 

so decided to use the book boxes

that I found at Hobby Lobby.

  They didn't have

 the best selection at the time, 

so I got what I could 

and added some actual books to the mix,

 and will add more 

of the book boxes

as I find them.

The room is 

slowly coming together 

and when I get

 the two chairs replaced 

that will be

 a happy day.

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

I told you

 I would let you know 

where I ordered

 the old patriotic crow from.

 I found it at www.oldfarmhouseprimitives.com, 

and I want to thank

 Bernideen at Bernideens

 for featuring my post 

from last week 

on her BTTCG party.

 Thank you so much, Bernideen,

 I am happily honored.

Well,

 that's a few small things 

going on around here

 and 

I will leave you 

as the "navigator" 

shows us the way home.

Hope everyone 

is staying 

dry and warm.

...Judy...

Sharing today with:

BTTCG at Bernideens

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