Monday, February 28, 2011

Advice Wanted...and a Thank You to a Friend :-)

 This is a recent photo of my girls.
 They looked like this *yesterday*, really they did :-)
 Growing up too fast, I'd say.
you can see Serena's natural streak here. We're all a little jealous :-)

These two photos were taken by McKenna Pendergrass

My oldest daughter is to be a bridesmaid in a wedding this summer.
(How can she possibly have friends old enough to get married?)
(When did that happen?)
The wonderful couple will be having a vintage themed wedding.
The sweet bride-to-be told her bridesmaids to pick out their own dress, 
something they love and will want to wear again.
Everyone will be in different dresses. Her only requests are vintage style,
knee length, and a neutral color.
Oh, and she wants them to spend no more than $50.00. She's a budget minded girl :-)
(I don't think that will be possible though)
Now, here's some of the styles we've found,
but they cost a bit more than that!
(these are for style, not necessarily for color,  and they are all a bit too long)


Dresses by Nataya
So does anybody know where we can find sweet vintage 
dresses for a song? Any ideas? Maybe you know of some vintage shops 
or online stores. My sewing skills are not that good,
especially in this type of fabric.
I know that some of you visit my blog from other countries...
perhaps you might know of something
that we here in California might not have thought off.
I'd love and appreciate all of you suggestions :-)

If you have an old dress like any of these hanging in your closet,
we'd be interested too :-)

 Also, I want to say ♥ thank you so much ♥ to my bloggy friend P.J. 
She did the sweetest feature on my photography. 
I feel so honored :-) I can't begin to tell you what this meant P.J.!
I was so touched by your thoughtfulness.

Wishing you all a wonderful week!
Blessings,
Marcia 

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

How Do They Know?

This little one showed up at our door yesterday in the late afternoon...
my husband said "NO!"
 but later he made a little bed for her...
and gave her some food :-)
We thought she'd find her way home...
but she was still here this morning,
We're hoping she and Milo become friends :-)
 She's got the sweetest little mask on her face,
and Oh, those eyes!!
these photos were taken by Joshua, my 10 yo son :-)
 If she sticks around, and we can't find her home...
what should we name her? Any ideas?
Blessings,
Marcia

Sunday, February 20, 2011

PInk Blooms and Presidents

We woke up to a light dusting of snow this morning. It was so pretty, 
but is all gone now. Spring is on it's way, but hasn't arrived fully yet,
even here in Southern California.
(That will teach me to brag about our sunshine, won't it?)
Still, a few pink flowers can warm up any day :-)

For my American friends...Happy Presidents Day!
Here's a short, wonderful and lesser-known story about George Washington for you :-)
(We homeschooling moms try to make everything a lesson, I guess!)

One day, during the Revolutionary War, General George Washington stepped out of his tent.  It was extremely cold, and the wind was blowing.  The demands of leading an army were weighing heavily on him, so he decided to go for a walk around the camp.  In his long coat, and with his collar turned up no one could recognize him as the commander of the Continental Army.
Washington came across a group of soldiers under the command of a corporal who was out to show he was in charge.  They were building a tall rampart of logs and the corporal kept barking orders, “Up with it!  Push harder!”  The soldiers lifted with all of their might. The log was so heavy they could not move it farther.  The corporal would shout out again, “Up with it!  Push harder!” The soldiers could not lift it more; their strength was almost gone, and the log was about to fall.
Then Washington ran up and pushed with all of his might and finally the log fell into place.  The men gave their thanks to the stranger who had been so kind,  but the corporal said nothing.
“Why didn’t you help your men with the heavy lifting?” asked Washington. 
"Why don't I?" the corporal answered, “Don’t you see?  I’m a corporal!”
“I see” said Washington. He then opened up his coat and revealed his uniform, and he said, “I am the general.  The next time you have a log too heavy for your men to lift, send for me!”

"He that will be chief among you, let him be your servant." Matt. 20:27

I hope your week is warm and sunny...inside and out.
Blessings,
Marcia

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

California Sunshine :-)

Mission San Luis Rey
  I thought you might enjoy some of our California sunshine, my friends. 
I hope your Valentine's Day was perfect!
 Here in California, learning about missions is part of the 
public school 4th grade curriculum.
There were 21 in all, and while not the most famous now, 
Mission San Luis Rey stands out as one of the most beautiful. 
Yes, that is an elbow on the right :-)
 If you're a homeschooling family...you can make visiting them part of a 
family vacation, and call it "History" :-)
Learning and traveling go hand in hand, don't they?
 Mission San Luis Rey was the largest of the missions, 
and originally had over 950,000 acres.
Quiet reflection
How it looked in 1830
Present day model
Where the laundry was done :-)
 Do you want to know another wonderful part about visiting missions?
Most of them are pretty close to this :-)
 I'm linking with with Faded Charm for White Wednesday,
and with A Beach Cottage for Good Life Wednesdays :-)
Blessings,
Marcia

Monday, February 14, 2011

♥ Resistance is futile :-) ♥

 The free calendar I received in the mail a couple of months ago 
came from Betty Crocker. 
It's in my kitchen, on the refrigerator.
When we turned it to February a few weeks ago, 
there was a picture of the tastiest looking cupcakes. 
 They have beckoned me, tempted me, and even taunted me, for two weeks now.
I couldn't resist any longer :-) 
Mine don't look quite like Betty's...but they are yummy!
 I haven't even checked to see what's coming in March  :-)
I hope your Valentine's Day is wonderful 
and you're enjoying it with your loved ones!
Blessings,
Marcia

To RussMyHoney,
I Choose You ♥♥♥♥
Always and Forever,
Love,
Me

Thursday, February 10, 2011

♥ Candy Hearts ♥

Did you know that blogger has new fonts to play with? They used to have only 
a few to select from, but they've added many more options.
I'm sure you'll have as much fun as I did playing around with them.
I'll probably change a few more things too.
In our house, we love these little candy hearts
Have you got yours yet?
They taste a little different than they used to, but they're still good to eat.
And lots of fun to play with :-)
See more Friday Pretties here.
I you all :-)
Blessings,
Marcia

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Beauty in the Details

Sometimes the beauty is in the details...
Even though we think we'd like to see the *big picture*
I think it's better that God sometimes gives us
only a close-up view
If we saw the *big picture*
We might close our eyes and miss
the *wonder* of His creations.
Weeds are flowers too, once you get to know them.
~A. A. Milne

As one grows older, one should grow more expert at finding beauty in unexpected places,
in deserts and even in towns, in ordinary human faces and among the wild weeds.
~C. C. Vyvyan
"Paws", our 14 yo kitty, thought she'd like to surround herself with some
flowering beauty too :-)

I know that some of you are covered in layers and layers of white fluffy snow,
so I thought I'd share a little color popping up around here.
As you see, it isn't always so pretty when you look at it from afar, 
although we often think this is the *better* view.
My garden is a mess, and weeds are everywhere...
there is however...
 beauty in the details :-)

Linking to Friday Pretties at I Love Pretty Little Things,
Masterpiece Monday at Boogieboard  Cottage,
Good Life Wednesday at A Beach Cottage,
and An English Garden Party at Modern Country Style.
Have a wonderful weekend my friends

Blessings,
Marcia

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

February = love, thanks and sweet gifts

   Thank you to everyone for your kind words last week. We're all feeling much better now :-)
The love and prayers you shared were such a blessing.
 February makes us think of love.
Hearts are appearing all over blog land...
I'll bet some are cropping up at your house too.
 
I ordered this wonderful little ornament from the talented Lisa Leonard.
It's beautiful!!
Although it's meant for Christmas, I think it will stay out all year...
The people named here (along with my wonderful husband)
hold the keys to my heart

I also recently won a giveaway over at Manuela's beautiful blog,
 an autographed copy of Wren Bay, written by Clarice of Storybook Woods.
It arrived in the mail the other day. I'm looking forward to reading it!
Thank you so much Manuela and Clarice :-)

 February is starting out to be such a sweet, sweet month, 
and we haven't even gotten to the "tasty treats" part yet :-)
Blessings,
Marcia