Happy Birthday Abby!

Our dog Abby turned 5 today. She is a sweetheart and so well behaved.  She is afraid of our cats even though she is much bigger than them.  She loves peanut butter and chasing her tennis ball. She never turns down someone who wants to pet her. Here she is playing with Alison in the snow after Snowstorm Nemo.

 (She looks tough in this last picture but she doesn't have a tough bone in her body)

Happy Birthday Abby! We love you!!!

Vintage Heart Pins

I have a few vintage heart pins that I wanted to share.

 

Here's a closer look.  This crystal heart has lots of bling.

This sweet little heart pin reminds me of a grandmother/mother piece of jewelry with the different birthstones.

and my favorite......( I love when a pin can be a pendant too)

 

Only two days until Valentine's Day! Do you have your heart shaped jewelry all picked out for the big day?

Paper Heart Necklace

As we get closer to Valentine's Day I wanted to share with you this sweet Paper Heart Necklace with you..

 

It's really easy to make and comes together in no time. The materials are few.........

 

You will need:

Modge Podge

paint brush

decorative paper (I used origami paper)

matching cardstock

eye pins
matching beads ( I used pearls)
Heart punch ( you can use other shapes of course)
bail
chain

This is a relatively inexpensive project too.  First start out by cutting out 14 cardstock hearts and 2 decorative paper hearts.

Using the paint brush apply the modge podge to 7 of the hearts while stacking them up one on top of the other.  Try to get them lined up as evenly as possible.  Finish with 1 of the decorative hearts.  Repeat this step so that you have two heart stacks.  Next, put the beads on the eye pins in whatever way that makes you happy.  I found it easiest to make my loop for the bail before I glued the piece together.  It's hard to manipulate the wire once the heart is together.

(sorry about the dark picture, I was doing this at night and could use some photography classes)

Next, center the head pin in between the two hearts with the decorative paper facing the outside.  You can technically wear this heart with either side facing out so you may want to choose two different decorative papers. Then you would have two necklaces in one! Generously apply Modge Podge in the middle of the heart stacks, where the eye pin is. Line up the two heart stacks and squeeze together.  I held it in place for a few minutes and the two stacks dried together quickly.  I then applied a coat of Modge Podge to all sides. Add your bail and chain and Viola!

January Look Back

As the holidays come to an end and we settle into cold January I always think that we are going to stay home and hibernate.  We actually had a really nice January with a little bit of visiting and a little bit of relaxing. ( Unfortunately for me a little bit of the stomach flu too)

We celebrated our grandson turning 5.......

The kids got to go skiing with their cousins........

 we got to visit with dear friends......

and Neil and I joined our church. Looking forward to an equally enjoyable February.  Can't believe it's here already!!

New Year Vintage Postcards

I love vintage postcards and wanted to share some with you that celebrate New Years.

 

This one reads "My dear Eva, My best wishes for your success and happiness for 1912. 

With Love, Mary"

( I love birds on old postcards)

This one is postmarked 1909 and reads " Come out some night as I haven't hardly had time to come and see you lately though I will soon. Wishing you a Happy New Year. Your Friend, Bev" The recipient was Clara.

We complain about how hard it is to find time to see our friends with all we have to do today. Can you imagine how difficult it was for friends to get together 100 years ago? Laundry alone must have taken forever! 

What I love about both of these cards is that one girlfriend was sending it to another to keep in touch.  They are the original facebook! Women need their mothers, sisters, and girlfriends to connect with.  That's how it was 100 years ago and I have no doubt it will be the same in the next 100!  

Chicken Soup

Being that January is National Soup Month, I thought that I would share with you a soup that is popular at our house.  I found it years ago on Allrecipes.  I know many people tweak recipes but I am not that creative in the kitchen.  I always make this recipe the same way the recipe calls for.  We all love it.  It is hearty and comforting.  You can find the recipe here. Enjoy!

Prayer of Susanna Wesley

I thank thee because, when I have been sometimes interrupted in my work 

and my thoughts of Thee have been diverted, 

I have found how pleasing it is to my mind to feel the motions of Thy Spirit

quickening me and exciting me to return. 

Amen

 My husband and I will be officially joining the United Methodist Church next weekend.  In preparing to do so we have been reading about John Wesley, one of the founders of the Methodist movement.  When I was looking through writings/prayers that belonged to my grandmother I found this prayer by Susanna Wesley.  Recognizing the last name I looked her up in Wikipedia.  It turns out that she was John Wesley's mother. The funny thing was, when I looked her up I discovered that she was born on this day 344 years ago! How weird is that! I guess it was meant to be that I found this prayer in my grandmother's belongings and am sharing it today. You can read about her here.