~ A Garden Like No Other ~

While we were on our holiday, we wandered into the heavenly gardens of El Escorial.
Yes, those are swans!


Hard to imagine a more beautiful place to think, reflect...

Be amazed.

So beautiful.

Coco

Looking through some amazing images found in

Chanel; Collections and Creations

by Daniele Bott.

Coco Chanel once said,

"Black comprises everything. So does white.

They possess absolute beauty: They are in perfect harmony."

"Go and fetch my pearls. I will not go up to the ateliers

until I have them around my neck."

Though also famous for her cosmetics and perfumes, Chanel said:

"Beauty is not prettiness. Why do so many mothers teach their daughters to flutter about, instead of teaching them about beauty?"

"Beauty should begin in the heart and soul, otherwise cosmetics are useless."

"A woman can be overdressed, never over-elegant."

A lesson that still rings true for today.

(Chanel: Collections and Creations by Daniele Bott)

~ A Heavenly Candy Shoppe ~

Though I am not a "candy person" by nature, I can recognize

something amazing when I see it.

And this was amazing.


Walking along the street in Madrid, this heavenly mirage of confections
seems to materialize out of nowhere.


The colors are amazing, and the aroma divine.

Yum...

Of course, I had to buy one of these adorable pink tins to remind

me later of my adventure in Candy Land!

I hope you find something amazing today, too.

Today is my baby girl's thirteenth birthday.

How is that even possible?

It seems like just yesterday.

(sigh)

One of the most beautiful parts of our trip were the cathedrals.
Centuries old art that can still speak to us today.

So beautiful...

The Most Beautiful Park in the World?

On our trip we visited the main park in the city of Madrid.

The beauty was breath-taking.

Here, Hubby lounges in the boat while my children row! What a life!

Beauty from Parts Near and Far

I was lucky enough to go to Europe with Hubby, kids and my mom for a few weeks.

Of course, I brought you back some beautiful souvenirs of beauty.

So much beauty to be savoured in the heart.

~ Remembering ~

My grandparents were married 60 years before my grandmother died.
Over the weekend, it was their anniversary - June 20th, 1936. Though they are not here anymore, I know wherever they are, they were together on Sunday. I have lots of pictures of my grandparents around my house. Maybe too many, I don't know. We spent a lot of time together growing up. One of things I loved most about my grandparents was that their lives were not perfect; not by any stretch of their imagination. They had their share of hardship and tragedy. So while their anniversary may be forgotten, it means something to me.

"The holiest of all holidays are those
Kept by ourselves in silence and apart,
The secret anniveraries of the heart."

~ Longfellow

~What I've Been Up To ~

I finally finished my little bundles of goodies for my teaching friends.

Tied with a beautiful box, dyed flower and a vintage flashcard, they turned out great ~

I scoured etsy for vintage autograph book, which I decorated.

I made note cards out of old 1930's report cards.

For the kids' teachers, I made a Dick and Jane themed card.



"Look, Jane, Look! No School!"
That's what I'm talkin' about!

It worked! Plus, a free Art and Soul ticket...

Eureka! Browsing the internet this week for some aged vintage millinery for a project. My issue: it can be hard to use those lovelies once you get them...they are one of a kind and so beautiful. So, I went to the craft store and got some super-cheese stark white ones and soaked them in tea. I was a little afraid the hot water would make them come unglued, but...wha-laa! I love them. And they were inexpensive!

Last weekend, the family indulged me on a trip out to my favortie antique mall. Came back with some lovely things for projects. I know, these days I have been collecting more than crafting. But I am slowly working!

It looks like I will not be able to make it to Art and Soul (sigh). I have a ticket for the journal session on Thursday, 5/20. If you live near Hampton Virginia (or if you don't!) and you'd like my ticket, please email me. (Listensister@hotmail.com) I'm determined to get to an art retreat one of these days...Maybe I will see you there!

~Happy Mother's Day~

Celebrating a Big Birthday...and...Catching Up

(sigh) Celebrating my baby's tenth birthday today. TEN! I cannot believe it. Now everyone is on double digits. A mixture of joy and sadness.
More mixture of joy and sadness...Art and Soul Retreat! My invitation came the other day...so excited! I'm only signed up for one workshop, but still! Now, cosmic forces are conspiring to keep me away. Stay tuned. There may be a freebie headed your way.

I am lucky enough to have a hubby who will entertain my love of dressing up. We went out to a facy fundraiser the other night. These pictures are reminders of a lovely evening.

What a treasure I found the other day in a fun new boutique! I love these gals and their jewelry...right up my alley!

We are enjoying unseasonably warm weather these days. Summer is coming. Soon, everyone will be out of school and our thoughts can turn to lazy afternoons. So thankful.

I hate the feeling of my neglected blog, honestly. It reminds me that so often when things get crazy, it is the things so important to just me that go by the wayside. So I went to check out my handy-dandy calendar to see when things would be slowing down a notch. Good news! Soon! Thanks to many, many thoughts and prayers my mom is doing much, much better. She is out of the hospital and staying with us for a while. The course I'm taking will be coming to a close, and before you know it...school will be out! So I promise that there will be more of a priority on the me-ness of it all!

As a way of showing just how serious I am about this resolution, I wanted to tell you I did someting entirely selfish...signed up for Art and Soul in Hampton, Virginia next month! I am soooo excited! Anyone else going? I can't wait. Even though I could only eeeck out time for one workshop, it's an investment that's well worth it!

Good News and Bad News, and Happy Easter

( First of all, I got this picture from here.)

Now. The bad news: My mom is in the hospital.

More bad news: It's pretty serious.

Good news: She's getting better. Miraculously. (And I mean that literally.)

Really good news: Hospitals are amazing.

Bad news: It happened over our Easter break so I

haven't gotten anything done that I had planned.

Really good news: She's getting better, so who cares about that?

And as my son said, "At least this didn't happen over Christmas!"

Very good news: I have amazing friends.

One thing that I did get done, as promised. New knobs!! Ahhhhhh....

Happy, Happy Easter. God is so good.