The Birthday Angels Strike Again

When I got up early, I looked outside to see the tree in my front yard holding 80 balloons.  My two daughters had gotten together at 11 PM last night after I went to bed and taking the dog with them so he wouldn’t bark, hung 80 balloons in my decorative pear tree.

They also put up a sign announcing my 80th birthday.  Now, any of the neighbors who might have wondered about the age of the old woman who walks her dog 3 times a day up and down the street will know.   The 80th birthday is off to a good start.

The Birthday Angels

Pause and Remember – 6/29/2012

On Friday, I pause and remember a single moment from the past week – inspired by The Warden’s Log.

Ready for the 4th of July!

Time for Easter in my April Kitchen

I’m lucky to have a lot of display areas in my kitchen.  I have one large primitive shelf…

…four window sills…

…two small corner shelves ….

…and a small decorative cabinet.

There’s a place to hang a handmade bunny dishtowel….

…and to display a 1970s cottage cheese container.  Yes, we did love our shades of orange back in the ‘70s.

One item I’m going to be displaying for all of the Easters to come is this wonderful spring-like picture of my youngest granddaughter.  The pink is just so perfect.

Valentine’s Day in my February Kitchen

With the dreary weather we often get in February in southwestern Ohio, I’m happy to put up the cheery Valentine decorations that I’ve accumulated through the years.  The little red and white enamelware plate was from a set I had as a child over 70 years ago.

Most of the items were handmade by members of the family:  decorative painting on wooden pieces….

….some are quilted, appliquéd, crocheted.

Two pieces call to mind Valentine’s Day in the 1940s and my grade school parties.

The story of our Valentine’s Day celebrations at old Raschig School in the 1940s and a Valentine wall hanging are here…

A Tree Skirt from a Square Dance Skirt

Thirty years ago (in 1978), I was very much involved in square and round dancing.  For my Christmas gift that year, I asked my oldest daughter to work her magic with needle and thread on a skirt I could wear to all the Christmas dances.  She helped me choose a heavy cotton fabric in Christmas green and I made a 12-panel full-circle skirt.  She decorated each of the panels with a different design in embroidery and fabric paint.

My favorite designs were the little folk girl and the angel, although each image was unique and charming.

I wore the skirt for many years at dances and various Christmas parties.  Each time, I would have to stand still while other women made a circle around me, picking up the panels and admiring my daughter’s handiwork.  After my husband became too ill to dance and after the waistband became a little too snug, I hated to think of storing the skirt away and never seeing it again at Christmas time.  That’s when I decided to just cut it apart up the back and use it as a tree skirt.  It’s wonderful and makes an appearance every year encircling my Christmas tree.

I’m so glad to be able to sit and look at the skirt each year, remembering all of the happy dances and parties from so many years ago.

Halloween Around the House

Thanks to the creative efforts of my two daughters, I have Halloween decorations all around the house – on walls, shelves, chairs – just about every surface.  The oldest daughter made the wreath and the three items that are on my piano – the scottie pumpkin is new this year.  Her blog at Salmagundi Express describes exactly how she carved and painted this pumpkin.  

Some more of her work:

The youngest daughter made the little Dracula and pumpkin man along with the door handle piece when she was a teenager.  She also made the cute candle holders.

Her main handiwork now is crocheting the most gorgeous afghans and I have one for every occasion.  She also contributes a large number of these every year to the local Linus Project.

I love to look around my house and see so many beautiful things that my daughters have made for me over the years.