BLINGITY-BLING -BLING

Sorry I haven't been in touch lately! Why it must be at least a month or so.

What?

 Seven  months?????????? My stars!!!*******

That's what happens when you are flitting around the globe.

 First it was the Pulitzer for one of the little volumes I wrote last year entitled 'The Art of Exaggeration'

 then the Chelsea Flower Show to introduce my newest hydrangea/delphinium cross

 (requires heavy staking),

 then off to Oslo to see my 7 year-old grandson receive the Nobel for his working lego model of the human body (f**ts on command)

Next I finally baked that white chocolate merinque replica of Buckingham Palace

  the Queen has been begging me for (she ate it at one sitting),

then rushed back to see little 5 year-old Davis cross the finish line at the Boston Marathon

 (he hopped the last 10 kms. to give others a chance)

I had hoped to be in Paris for the debut of my new 'Glitzy Granny' line of jumpsuits (order now and receive a free package of Depends) but there was a cancellation at the Mayo Clinic and I had to hurry back for my brain transplant. ( I performed the surgery on myself which was quite exhausting)

The jury is out on whether or not it was successful.

Ha!

Meanwhile things have slowed down a bit and so I have been fiddling around my townhouse, making little changes.

This is the first place where I have had the luxury of a walk-in closet.

 It sounded so wonderful.

 In truth, it became the graveyard of all things with no real home....

errant Christmas decorations,

 empty boxes (just in case),

 clothes collected over years, slipping off hangers,

 Queen costumes (don't ask), 

luggage,

 odd socks....

you get the picture.

In a moment which can only be described (by me of course) as pure genius, I decided to turn this dark secret blemish into....

wait for it...

A Dressing Room  (cue music)

OOH-LA-LA

I removed the door ( while hubby was out, dragged it away, then told him later......works for me!) and hung silvery curtains....going for a little bling. I bought them at Homesense along with the shimmery little rug.

I had found the vintage stool awhile ago at a thrift store and it is loving its new pride of place.

Tres chic Paris bins hold shoes and jeans.

Hubby (once resucitated) hung the sweet chandelier.

I moved a dresser in from the bedroom, glammed it up with my jewellry box, and a mirrored tray to hold parfum bottles, propped up a mirror,  hung pictures and scarves, coralled purses and foldables in bins, paraded hat boxes.

Removing the door allowed room to hang robes and belts on the side wall.

I pretend I am special now.

Instead of running back and forth between bedroom dresser for undies, to closet for clothes, to dresser for scarf, to bathroom for jewellry, to dresser for socks and belt, having left a trail of nightie and robe and been unable to unearth a coordinating purse ( the horror!) and knocked 3 things off their hangers and been kabonked on the head by a teetering suitcase (soft-sided my foot!).........

sigh!!

I now glide into my new space, hang my nightwear, assemble and change into my complete outfit, pose on my pouf as I select earrings, spritz myself dramatically, select the perfect handbag, bat my eyelashes at my oh-so-clever self reflected in my shimmering mirror and

 swoop into my day.

Hope I run into you. 

You are the real bling in my life!!!

AUTUMN BRUSHSTROKES

All dressed up for the rain

My tires are a bit soft but I'm darn cute for $5.00

My sign says Bed and Breakfast $2.00. I have had many requests for lodging!!!!

Grab some veg on the way in

My current living rom mantle

Cookies. These found their way to church and were also delivered by the"cookie fairy" to Davis' and Jerod's classes at school

Davis  loves to play with the little table set for dinner. Turkey anyone? 

Of course everything found its way (crammed in the back of my Honda Fit) to the church for a Thanksgiving display

These apples are thrift store finds.......but I bet you couldn't tell

Just knit up this chunky infinity scarf...goes with everything!

Going the distance! Bought this wool skirt on clearance at Winners about 10 years ago for $9.00. So cute with tights and a longish swetater....or so I like to think.

Raided my closet and falled up my bedroom....changed out white gauzy curtains and blue/white quilt for this yellow coverlet (thrift store of course) and brown leafy curtains.

Lunch anyone???

Have fun with your fall decor. If you don't do it now, you will be thinking Christmas soon. Yowsers!!

YOURS TILL NIAGRA FALLS.......

If you are of a certain vintage, you will recall the days of autograph books. I had forgotten all about them till I discovered one in a thrift store. For you youngsters, every girl had one and took it to school and had her friends write witty little poems in them. 

This one is from the 1800's

This style was from the fifties

Or maybe you had one like this

See how many of these you remember.

By hook or by crook

I'll be last in your book.

Barbara had a cat

It swallowed a ball of yarn.

And when the cat got kittens,

They all had sweaters on.

Latin is a language

As dead as dead can be.

It killed the ancient Romans,

And now it's killing me.

Don't make love at the garden gate
Love is blind but the neighbours ain't.


A kiss is a germ
Or so it's been stated.
But kiss me quick,
I'm vaccinated.


If there was a boy's camp
Across the sea,
What a good swimmer
Sandy would be.


When you are married
And have a pair of twins
Don't come to me
For safety pins.


OUQT
INVU


If you want a taste
Of heaven's joys
Think more of the Lord
And less of the boys.


There are tulips in the garden
There are tulips in the park
Best best of all tulips
Are the two lips that meet in the dark


Yours til Niagra Falls


Yours til soda pops.


Yours til butter flies


Yours til the U.S. drinks Canada Dry



Your teeth are like the stars, he said
And pressed her hand so white.
He spoke the truth for like the stars
Her teeth came out at night,


Yours til the mountains peak and see the salad dressing


Though your tasks are many
And your rewards are few
Remember that the mighty oak
Was once a nut like you.


If I were a head of lettuce
I'd cut myself in two.
I'd give the leaves to all my friends
And save the heart for you.


Yours til France takes Turkey and dips it in Greece and feeds it to the Hungary USA


Mary had a little lamb
Her father shot it dead
Now Mary carries that lamb to school
Between two hunks of bread.


Grandma has a habit
Of chewing in her sleep
She chews on Grandpa's whiskers
And thinks it's shedded wheat.


In the breadbox of your affections, consider me a crumb.


Twas in a restaurant they first met
Romeo and Juliet
Twas there that he got into debt
Cause Rom-e-owed what Jule-et.


It was midnight on the back porch
Two lips wee tightly pressed
The old man gave the signal
And the bulldog did the rest.

My favourite of all time is one my Dad wrote for me. He of course knew none of the little rhymes, so wrote his own:

Marianne is a pretty little girl
Her hair is the colour of a squirrel.

I carried that page in my wallet for years.

 I wish I still had it.

REAL TEARS

After 27 years of being a single Mom, I met someone 5 years ago.

The circumstances were somewhat unusual. I was happily content and not looking for a relationship.

One day, I was busy at my Tea Room when 3 people came in for lunch. They identified themselves as children of an elderly couple, now deceased that I had known for over 40 years. I had known of their children but had never met any of them. These children had known my ex-inlaws for over 50 years and had also known about me. (How strange is that?)

They were from out of town and had gone to the nursing home to visit my ex-mother-in-law. She told them about me, how I cared for her all those years and about my little store......so they decided to visit. She passed away 3 days later, so if they hadn't visited when they did, we may never have met! (People had often suggested that she was no longer my responsibility, but I loved her and she needed me and it was the right thing to do.)

Because of that serendipitous meeting, and several other 'chance' encounters I am now married to Art who was one of those Tea Room visitors. Once again God showed me how he rewards our faithfulness when we do what he asks us to do. 

I wrote the following poem for Art when we were finding each other.

Kleenex advisory....it's a gripper!

Real Tears

Real tears were cried in the course of today.

Eyes swimming,
 brimming.

Drops sliding,
 colliding.

Healing tears washed over me today.

Wound bathing,
 abrading.

Scars tracing,
 erasing.

Beautiful tears filled me up today.

Heart tended,
 watered,

Soul lavished,
 cherished.

Small sips at first today,

Testing the feel of love.

Showered,
 then empowered
 by love today.

Sweet tears……….
 Because of you.

Psalm 30:5 Weeping may endure for a night but joy comes in the morning.

           

A piano story

   ….to the tune of.....

 ‘God loves to surprise us.’

 

Did you ever want something so badly and couldn’t think how in the world you were ever going to acquire it?

Well for me it was a piano.

 I spent my childhood and teen years pouring over the keyboard, emoting the classics and then the songs of the church. Sadness and joy erupted on those ivories. It was my go-to place for solace and expression.

Years later my daughter showed some interest in learning to play, and even though the idea of a piano was out of the question for a just-surviving single Mom, somehow I knew that God would grant this desire of my heart. (Unlike today, where people leave perfectly good pianos curbside, or post them for free on Craigslist, we actually had to purchase them. I wonder if someday they will prove valuable again)

I prayed. 

It was fall oozing into winter. I wondered what extra I could do to earn money. My thoughts went to making gingerbread houses to sell as that was something I had always done for my kids. I had made elaborate ones….a 2-storey dollhouse embellished with rose-strewn wallpaper made from frosting and furnished with gingerbread furniture and lit up for Christmas, and office buildings, and circus trains and mail boxes stuffed with Christmas cards. But they took days to make…. No one could ever pay me for the time it took.

Then I had an idea. 

(or did that idea come from somewhere else?????)

What if I made little individual houses, so each child in the family could have their own? I could market them as a little Christmas eve treat. I figured I could make 10 houses out of the same amount of dough as for one big one. I could make a pattern and create them assembly line fashion and even personalize them with specific candies to the child’s liking.

Well I started.

 ……up early every morning to make the dough, cut out the pieces and bake enough for 10 houses…all before going to work. At night, I assembled 10 houses, decorated 10 from the night before, and wrapped 10 from before that in cello. I took them to work, to craft fairs, even sold wholesale to a couple of gift stores. My sister-in-law Celeste had me make tiny white churches, with stained-glass windows and steeples to give out to each family at the Christmas Eve service at her church.

I was exhausted come December 23rd

 but $1200.00 richer. 

I had looked often in the paper but had been discouraged to see that all the pianos were quite expensive, a long way away and of recent vintage. In my mind’s eye, the piano would be an antique with rich dark wood…a little ornate.

It seemed like my dream of a piano for Christmas had been a bit ambitious. I sat down after supper that evening and picked up the local paper not really expecting to find anything. I was shocked to see a piano for sale for only

…..guess what??? 

Yes!

 $1200.00!!!

 And it was only 3 blocks away!

 I hurried over and when I saw the piano, I’m sure I gasped. 

It. was. the. one. in. my. head!!!!!

 And to top it off, it met a dire need of the couple who owned it. Two Christmases were blessed by this one piano! I hadn’t really thought of the logistics and cost of transporting it home, but I needn’t have worried because as it turns out, the owner's brother was a piano mover and the move was included in the price. (Of course it was!)

 Thank-you God!!!

I won’t soon forget the look on my children’s faces as that piano was rolled into our home on Christmas Eve, 

nor the amazing sense of excitement,

 gratefulness,

 joy

I experienced.

The piano is now gone these many years later. It was sold to provide for another need but it will always remain a concrete example to me of how God knows us intimately and as we are faithful to him, he often takes delights in surprising us with the desires of our hearts.

Chapter 2.

Recently, my sister-in-law passed away, and her boys have decided they want me to have her piano. I’m rusty, my fingers not nearly as nimble, but it comes back quickly and I’m anxious to rekindle that special relationship I had years ago with an inanimate piece of wood that sung my heart and soul and dreams and made beautiful music with just the touch of my hands.

Once again, I feel like a child …a child who is loved and valued, 

whose parent takes joy in fulfilling that impossible wish.

 I am secure and safe and blessed among God’s children.

It’s Christmas all over again!

                                                          

                                                                            

A SNOOP AROUND MY BOOTH

Just a few pics of things I have in my booth at the Fort Langley Antique Mall. It is one of 55 booths so there is always something to look at. Mine are mostly vintage items that I fall in love with.

My selection changes regularly (one hopes) My spot is called LUCILLE'S 

(what a co-inkidink!)

If you are ever in the Vancouver area and want to come out to Fort Langley, let me know and I will meet you there. We could do serious damage!

My email is : marianneloades@shaw.ca    (please don't spam me!)

THINGS THAT MAKE ME SWOON.......

There are special things that pull at our heartstrings. We prize them not so much for their value but for the thought, the emotion, the sentiment, the giver and the way we feel when we lay our eyes upon them (I've never actually seen anybody lay down their eyes on something and not sure I could stomach that but I think you know what I mean.)

These are some of my faves:

This tiny cup and saucer has double meaning for me. It first captured my heart some 57 years ago when it was gifted to me by my dad. I don't remember ever receiving a gift apart from a birthday or Christmas, but this time Dad had been away for work in Niagara Falls and he brought this home to me. Actually, I lie. It wasn't this one but one very similar with a Niagara Falls logo on it. I adored it

mostly because he gave it to me and because I know that he knew I would fall in love with the little bird handle.

Dad passed away suddenly a couple of years later and the little cup and saucer became even more precious. One day, many years after, I broke it, and that broke my heart. It seemed such a betrayal and I mourned its loss.

Many, many years later, my dear friend and business partner at the TeaRoom, Carol and I were lined up early, early one cold fall morning at a collectible sale at a thrift store. While we wiled away the hours waiting for the sale to begin, we viewed the articles in the window and chose our favourites, hoping they would still be there when it was our turn to enter. I espied the little cup and saucer pictured above and I jumped up and down with excitement. When our numbers were called we ran into the store. I headed straight for my treasure, but it was already gone. I found other things to buy but somehow the allure was no longer there. 

Later we met back in the car and I expressed my sadness at not securing the little duplicate. It was then that Carol handed me a little parcel. I wondered..what in the world? Well you guessed it.... She had bought it for me!

Now you know why I love it. It has little monetary value but it is a symbol of love....twice over. Don't you just adore this story???

Chenille. I love the colours and designs and the cosiness, but I probably love it most because it evokes a memory.......yep, that big iron bed sported one. Oh for those simple, carefree days!!!

 

A September bouquet from my garden.....rose, hydrangea, sweet pea, geranium, chive blossom, bluebells, begonia in a precious vintage vase.

My dining table set for no reason. These dishes are part of a vintage set I recently aquired for $35.00!!

A glimpse into my sewing corner.

My Kitchen Aid mixer. I have had one for over 35 years and use it most days several times. This red one is extra special because it was gifted to me by the sweet ladies of Sunshine Ridge Baptist Church on the occassion of my wedding four years ago. LOVE THE RED!!!

Tomato ware. All thrift store purchased! Doesn't it make you smile?

My cherry apron. I love anything cherries! This strapless, boned beauty was a gift from my daughter-in-law, Christy. Ooh-la-lah!

A red and white quilt....my first defense against winter.

A corner in my garden. Love the new turquoise spray paint job.

An old bike in my front yard....... only $5.00 and it's red!!

Aqua mason jars/vases lined up on the sill.

Little chairs

More little chairs

Dollclothes on the line. Sorry....finding it hard to grow up!

This liitle bag held a gift from my friend Susan. It blessed and humbled me. I truly want to be that person.

This is the perfect example of a thoughtful gift. When we bought the little vintage trailer, my main squeeze brought home this little glitzy, red (of course) key chain for my keys to the trailer. It was better than flowers!

My tin toy kitchen appliances. Just what every big girl needs!!!



Well, that's a start. There are so many things I love that I
 may have to do a swoon #2.

Question: Do you think I am crazy??????