A beautiful day in the neighborhood...

What a day! It went to the 50's last night and it is breezy with low humidity today...like summer used to be... before it became so hot and tropical every year.


I just had to share with you a most magical birthday gift that I received...isn't this the most AMAZING clock? Mushrooms, acorns, squirrels... whimsical! Thank you dear April!




I have to admit it's probably TOO whimsical around here.

The various woolies and characters have been keeping company underneath a table upstairs. Take a little trip to Martha and Jane to hear what they were discussing!




We are going to enjoy this terrific weather in a variety of ways this weekend. Who knows knows when the heat wave will return?

Wishing you the happiest of weekends!


Enjoy the day!

Handmade pretty inside and out...

In no particular order are some lovely handmade gifts I received recently for my birthday. Don't you love it when there is a surprise element inside?

My friend Marty hand knitted and then felted this wonderful bag! I cannot wait until it is a bit cooler so I can start using it.

Inside is a beautiful fabric lining!

You might remember some gifts that I received from April. Amongst them was this fab Julie Whitmore faience style mug...with a donkey!

Inside there is a star!

My darling grand-daughter (who is eleven) made this fantastic caterpillar mug.

Inside there is a scene!

Remember the wonderful donkey April made?

Inside there is a star
to make a wish on!

Such talented people! I am so lucky to have so many family members and friends who are talented artists. Thank you all!

Now I must remind you to visit Martha and Jane. The drawing for the needle felted birdie giveaway will happen this afternoon!

Oooh...weekend is nearly here. Better get going here and get some work done!

As always,

enjoy the day




and happy weekend!

P.S.

I forgot to mention two things:


Does anybody know what these huge, heavy velvety flowers are? They are so gorgeous and "ruffled." They have hairy stems and are deep oranges, red, yellow and purple. They were in a birthday bouquet and I am fascinated by the whole bouquet.

And I wanted to mention Martha and Jane and the giveaway...don't forget to sign up for this beautiful birdie giveaway!


Okay..once more I am out of here...

enjoy the day!

Lazy, hazy days...

It is hard to imagine that any animal would want to nap on a hot shingled roof, but I have a visiting mourning dove who frequently naps outside the window when I am sewing. It is not bothered by the hum of my Featherweight or the radio going.


Then we have the squirrels. We have recently changed over to a bird feeder that will not allow them any form of entry. This is after they went through about 4o pounds of bird feed in our other feeder.

This one has a weighted spring action on the perch and won't allow any large birds on it either. The perch will collapse at a certain weight. We moved the older feeder down to ground level and they can knock themselves out with that one and let the songbirds near the deck.

It is amazing how no attempts have been made to access this new feeder. Squirrels are smarter than one would think. They are also little piggies and deck railing nappers!

My apologies for photos taken through the screen in the windows. They are blurry, of course.

So, summer is mellowing and we have had a day or two where it hasn't reached 90F degrees. There is still a lack of rain but the days are getting shorter so it feels cooler even though it probably isn't!

As for me, I am recovering from my very happy birthday and want to say thank you to everyone for wishes, gifts, sharing my birthday!

As the weekend rolls around once more,

enjoy the day...




and happy weekend!

Here is some of my birthday loot...if you don't mind me showing off some goodies!

Carol, my artist friend whom I trade art with, gave me a box filled with some adorable dolls and some art supplies she knew that I wanted. She also made that cute little birthday spool with Alice in Wonderland figures in the left corner. (There is something else to celebrate. Yesterday Carol received some good news on her continuing recovery from a serious illness.) Thank you, Carol!

From Eileen of Eileen's Attic: Eileen made the tea cozy and it is perfect! How about that little tape measure? Eileen's work is always meticulous and I treasure all that she makes as well as her friendship. Thank you, Eileen!

Original art by my artist friend, Harriet: Harriet is a very good painter. She had no idea we were traveling about looking at lush green landscapes. What a surprise the painting is! It looks exactly like places we have been right down to the color. The photo is a tad fuzzy as I didn't use a flash to avoid bounce off the surface of the painting.

Harriet and I met on a plane 24 years ago. We were ladies traveling alone on our way to Mexico when we met and we have been friends ever since. Thanks, Harriet!

From My Darling Husband, I received an iPod Touch. It was really easy to get working--even at 5 this morning--and I have fallen in love with it. We are going out later to dinner so this is a very special day for an older chick...who has been "wired" on the net since '97 and loves those widgets/gadgets.

The day is still young. It's typically humid here as it always is on my birthday unless I am elsewhere.I have not seen some friends and family members yet, but the day is off to an amazingly wonderful start. Can I say that I am very happy to be here? And with you, dear and faithful reader?

Enjoy the day!