I've Got Sunshine on a Cloudy Day

This is just a little post to share some sunshine with you all. I know some of you may be waist deep in snow, and we've had rain today with possible snow tonight. Yesterday was beautiful though, and things are starting to bloom around here.
These first two postcards do show what our desert looks like here in the Spring, although there are alot of houses here now. These are a few more postcards from my great-great aunt's journals. I shared before that she traveled around the world back in the 30's. The writing around the edges is hers. When I was a child, you saw many orange groves like this, but most of them have now been replaced by housing tracts.I grew up near the ocean and we often saw sunsets like this.A couple are from Hawaii before statehood. Feel free to copy and use any of them if you want to. Some sweet sunny postcards for a cloudy day.Blessings,
Marcia

Dollhouses

Did you like to play with dollhouses when you were little? It seems like every little girl did.Back in December, Diane at Saturday Finds (a wonderful blog) posted about an old Sears catalog she had, and she included photos. In one, was the dollhouse I had as a child. You can see it here, if you scroll down to the dollhouse picture. It's called the Colonial Mansion. I spent many wonderful hours playing with that dollhouse. I had the furniture and little family too. Of course, I wish I still had it. Don't we all wish we'd kept certain toys from childhood?The dollhouse I'm showing today is one I've had for several years. A friend gave it to me when she was moving out of state and didn't want to move everything. I played with ones like this too, when I was a little girl. I wish I had more of the furniture for it, even though it's just simple plastic furniture.I love all the bright graphic colors in this little dollhouse, and the details are wonderful too. The rugs, paintings on the walls, etc. I always wondered why they never had any staircases though!
What kind of dollhouse did you play with when you were little?
Blessings,
Marcia

Yes, They're All Ours

This is one of my favorite photos of my kids. Not because it's such a great photo, but because it captures a moment in time when they were all still little. It sits in a frame next to our bed. Here's a photo of the same kids today. Not quite the same feeling, huh?
I mentioned that they're all ours. There was some question about this last September. No, there wasn't a mix-up in the hospital. We were contacted by the I.R.S. and told we were being audited. To any foreign friends who might be reading this, the I.R.S. stands for Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. government agency that decides who owes what, in taxes.

Anyway, we were not being audited for any financial reasons. We file the simplest of tax forms anyway. No itemized deductions here. But apparently, the I.R.S. thought that maybe, during the year of 2007, these kids might not be ours. We were audited for our exemptions. Seriously. The fact that we'd been claiming each of them since their birth didn't matter. We had to prove they were ours.

They asked for blood.

Okay, not really, but they did want everything else. It's a little scary to have the I.R.S. tell you that your kids might not really be yours. Well, at least not for the year in question. Lots of things go through your mind. Should I send photos of their life, maybe photos or videos of their birth? What if they decide they aren't ours? Do they try to take them back? :-)

When I asked the nice I.R.S. lady (she really was nice) why we were being audited, she said it was strictly because of our family size. So large families out there, you might want to be aware of that.

This past week we were notified that they did agree, these kids are indeed ours! Yeah! And good for the I.R.S. too. I'd decided that if they didn't come to that conclusion, I was sending them a bill. The cost of braces alone means they'd owe us money :-) Could you imagine what I could collect from them if I charged them for everything else?

Have a wonderful week.
Blessings,
Marcia

Vintage Love Mantel Party

I've been kind of under the weather this week and didn't get around to visit your wonderful blogs. I'm so sorry. I've missed you all. I'm one of those people who get migraine headaches, and I've had a doozy this week, so looking at the computer screen was just something I couldn't do. God is good though, and His grace is sufficient. I'm also blessed with two wonderful daughters who took care of many things around the house for me this week. Thank you girls! I'm linking to Mantel Party hosted by Beth at The Stories of A to Z again this week. I had fun participating in it a couple of weeks ago. Beth says it can be doesn't have to be a mantel, and I'm still enjoying my white and silver mantel, so I decided to show my piano top.Nothing fancy here, but I've added a little Spring color and some framed vintage Valentines. In fact, I see my roses above are showing their "fake" side, but that's the reality around here, so I'll let you see it too :-) And yes, those are Disneyland silhouettes of my children up above the piano.Also, to go along with the "Love" theme, and because I like to decorate with vintage books, I've included one that I bought several years ago because I liked the cover photo and title :-)
Isn't she pretty, and isn't that an interesting title?

Have a wonderful weekend.
Blessings,
Marcia

Silver Sunday Frames and Frills

I had so much fun last week being a part of Silver Sunday hosted by Beth at Gypsy Fish Journal. I'm back again this week and I've found a few more silver things around my house. I've been polishing more than ever too. The photo above is from the 1930's of a Scandinavian church. It came from my great-great aunt, who traveled around the world in the late 30's after retiring from teaching. The frame is from Michael's.A collection of frames with vintage photos. The couple in the small frame on the right is my parents when they were young. In the large frame is a photo of my grandmother's family when she was a child. I wear more silver jewelry than gold, and I've included some of my costume stuff. It is shiny silver though :-)I had an uncle that was in the Air Force when I was a child. He was stationed in Europe, and my parents asked him to get charms for me from some of the countries he visited. Later, they put them on this charm bracelet, along with some I'd collected here in the states.
This butter dish was another one of my parents 25th anniversary gifts. The coasters I picked up at a vintage shop, and I can't remember where the little jar with the silver lid came from. The little hurricane lamp in the back is one I've had as long as I can remember. It was one of a pair, but I gave the other one to my friend when we were little.

Have a Blessed Sunday!
Marcia

Seeing hearts

It's hard to believe it's been nearly a week since I've posted. We share one computer around here when my older boys aren't home with their laptops. I need one of my own! This past week I picked up a new version of an old computer game, one my older kids played when they were young. It's called The Oregon Trail... and I've been fighting for computer time ever since. It's a great learning game, and my twins like it because they get to hunt. I've been seeing hearts everywhere. It's that time of year. I've always loved them, so I'm starting to get them out around here too. This heart is from Michaels. I bought it last year, but I've noticed they have them again this year.
The other side of the little heart pictured at the top of the post. I stitched it up this week. I've seen lots of beautiful hearts out there, and they've been inspiring me to get busy sewing.Here's a pillow that was a gift from my friend Angela. It's not a heart, but it does speak of something close to mine :-)I have a small collection of old Valentines. Here's a little one I think is cute. Feel free to copy it and use it. I'll share a few more over the next few weeks.We've had rainy weather on and off since Sunday. This afternoon it turned to snow. My parents live 12 miles away and didn't get any. That's the desert for you. We didn't get alot, and it was quite wet because of all of the rain, but it was pretty! Here's the little bench outside my front door.Have a wonderful day!
Blessings,
Marcia

Mantel Party and Silver Sunday

I'm linking to Mantel Party Every Friday at The Stories of A to Z and Silver Sunday at Gypsy Fish Journal. I know I'm a little early for Silver Sunday, but at least I won't miss either party!

The silver candlesticks were a clearance find a couple of years ago. The white candle holders were given to me by a friend and the white candles on top are from Walmart.The white crochet are 3 pieces that were originally made for a wing chair. They were made by my grandmother. She died before I was born, but I've always felt like I've known her because my mother has told me so much about her, and I've been blessed with so many of her things.The old silver mirror was my grandmother's. Also included are a vintage oil lamp, a candle from Walmart, and a heart from Romantic Homes Magazine.
The silver platter came from my mom, a 25th wedding anniversary gift for my parents. They've now been married 61 years! The little sheet music cone was made by a talented local artist. Her web site is called White Market. Be sure to go by and see what she did with bottle brush trees. You'll be inspired.A close up of another Valentines Day heart project from a Romantic Homes magazine.Here's a view in sepia tones. Yes, I've been learning more about my camera :-)
Thanks so much for visiting. I enjoy hearing from all of you.
Blessings,
Marcia