Everyday Beauty

Saying Goodbye

It's been a sad week around here.

We took Phoebe to the vet on Tuesday to have her little tumor removed. We were surprised to find out the cancer had indeed spread. She had been acting very unusual these past few weeks, and it was her way of telling us she wasn't well. It was her only way of letting us know. Animals know. They're amazing.

I didn't want her to be in anymore pain. I didn't want her to suffer anymore than she already had. It was such a hard decision to make to let her go, but we knew it was the best thing for Phoebe. I've cried a river and can't believe there are any more tears in me.

Today, I held her in my arms and kissed her soft furry little head. Said goodbye. Cried some more. Thanked her for all the years she snuggled with me as I had my morning coffee. Thanked her for her gentleness, never ever hissing, even when the boys pulled her tail and grabbed fists full of fur. Thanked her for making us laugh when she chased her own tail around and around in circles. She and I have been together for many years. She was my girl. I can't believe how much I miss her.

If there's a kitty heaven, surely she's already there.

Sweet Summer Strawberries

 

Mario and I took an afternoon and went strawberry picking together.

 

He picked about 2 berries. I picked the rest. It was much more fun for him to run up and down the rows than to pick berries, I suppose! But, anyway, it's a nice little tradition we started and plan to continue with Sam when he gets bigger.

We picked 12 pounds of these sweet, warm, delicious berries.

 

I had planned on baking a pie or something, but we ate them all.

Every. last. one.

Yum. Love this time of year.

Well, Hello There!

Gosh, I've been gone a while, haven't I? Thanks for all of the sweet birthday wishes in my last post.

I hope all of you mothers had a beautiful Mother's Day. I picked these Lily of the Valley from my garden to wish you a happy day, and then never got around to blogging on Sunday. So, here are some belated wishes. If only you could smell these...

 

These vintage "Mother" charms are store stock I've had since last October. Never listed them....kinda missed the boat for Mother's Day, didn't I? And the wrinkled pink silk ribbon is from Heather's shop. She hand dyes them and sells out as soon as they're listed. Because they're THAT beautiful!

 

So, anyway, I got so much accomplished in these past few weeks. It feels good. And lots of family fun was thrown in the mix as well. We spent a Day Out with Thomas:

And someone was so excited he could hardly stand it!
We also visited family in New Jersey {where I neglected to take any photos, 'cause I was too busy gabbing and eating...and eating...and eating.}

We went on some bike rides together. Sam is loving his seat. The whole time we were riding he was yelling, "Go! Go!" It was so funny.

 

And I found a little time to make myself a new necklace from old bits.

George hung up my birthday presents in the foyer and hallway. It was nice to get rid of the  octagonal brass ones that came with the house. I can't believe I lived with them for 5 years!

And tomorrow I leave for Jenn's event! Very excited to spend time with all of these girls and craft and shop and chat. It's going to be a true retreat for me. I made some goody bags for everyone and I'll post tomorrow or Friday and show you.

It's nice to be back. I missed you guys!

Happy Easter!

A Good Weekend

George came home safely this weekend from a trip to Iraq, and that's a very good thing. We all missed him, as we always do when he's gone. He had a layover in Paris and bought this for me in the airport gift shop. Ironically, he hadn't even read my post about candy boxes! I guess he just knows he can't go wrong if it's pink, heart-shaped and contains chocolate...

Then, drumroll.........Sam took his first steps! We were so excited and proud, as if he had just been accepted to Harvard! Now, he surely needs those cute shoes.

I also managed to squeeze in a little more cleaning time in my craft room. Organizing, organizing, organizing. Never ends, does it?

On Saturday, the mail lady brought some happy mail from a friend. Always nice to see her walking up the driveway with a box. I don't know about you, but getting the mail is one of the highlights of my day! It's so fun to see what's in the pile.

And Sunday night brought us this beauty:

Finally, a snowfall that's worth talking about! They are few and far between around here. George grew up in New England and loves snow, winter, and everything that goes along with it. He was like a kid on Christmas morning when he woke up to all this snow. He even decided to take the day off work from home today so he and Mario could play outside.

 

Here are the neighbors and Mario all playing together. George was shovelling snow, and I was inside making soup. It's noon, I'm still in my pajamas, glasses on, hair in a messy bun. Fireplace is going. Think I'll make some chili for dinner. Some hearty comfort food. It's one of those cozy days.

Hope you had a good weekend too!

{p.s. for those of you who emailed me for a pattern for the dishcloths... I wish I could share it with you, but I didn't use one. I don't even know how to read those patterns! I just double crocheted rows back and forth until I had the desired size. Then, I chain stitched the perimeter to finish it off.}

Happy Valentine's Day!

Mario and I made these Valentine's for his classmates and for Grandma & Grandpa and George. We like to make handmade cards whenever possible, and it's so sweet to watch his eyes light up when he passes them out.

The little red hearts are his fingerprints.

We made some salt dough ornaments too, and he did all the cutting and painting.  Today we're baking cupcakes from The Magnolia Bakery cookbook. YUM!

I hope you have a wonderful day with your sweeties!

Angelina

 

I finished a few more of my Silver Bella projects. Yay! It's not too late to share another one, is it? This was Teresa's Christmas Pageant class (which I loved), and I decided to change it up a bit and do a non-Christmas theme so I could enjoy it all year long. It's an old book whose pages were carved out to create an area perfect for showcasing a special photo.

This is a picture of my mother-in-law, Angelina Carmella Guglielmino Singarella (just a little Italian), taken when she was a baby in Sicily. Doesn't she look like a little porcelain doll in this photograph? When I was trying to decide which picture to use in this class, this was the very first one that popped into my mind.

Angelina passed away 9 years ago, when George and I had just recently started dating, and sadly I never got to know her very well. In the few days I spent with her, she taught me how she made her homemade meatballs and sauce, and she told me she knew I was "the one" for George - a man no one ever thought would settle down and start a family. She was a teeny tiny thing at just 4' 11", and I had to literally bend down and fold my 5' 10" self in half to give her a hug. She was quiet and selfless and as just sweet as can be. She never had anything mean to say about anyone and never judged a soul. She was an incredible seamstress and cook. She told me she wanted to make my wedding dress, and I'm sad she wasn't around to do it. She would have been a wonderful grandmother to our boys. This is my little tribute to her.

 I thought this little Bakelite statuette of Mother Mary was appropriate.

 

Old velvety flowers and crepe ruffles.

 

Words that reminded me of her.

 

I used the rosette from one of my vintage prize ribbons and added some sparkle and lace and new velvet streamers.

I have this sitting on a table in our hallway upstairs, and we walk past it everyday. A pretty little reminder of her.

 

Santa Dialogue

 

If Sam could talk, he would have said:  Mama, I am NOT going to smile. No way. I won't even make eye contact with this bearded fellow. You can meow and bark and dance around and do all of the things that make me belly laugh at home. They are just not going to work here. Anyway, you look ridiculous doing that in the middle of the mall. Get me off of here. Who is this guy anyway? Mama, I'm going to count to 3, and then I'll start crying really hard.....

Meanwhile, Mario was all about making sure Santa knew he wanted Buzz Lightyear and clay. Clay? Like, as in Play-Doh? Or serious clay? Guess I better go back to the craft store this weekend. And, as you can see, he was quite happy to force his fake smile for the camera! I can't wait for Christmas morning to see his face when he opens his presents. Cannot wait.

Dino & Harry

I added a Playlist of some of my favorite Christmas tunes over there in the right-hand column. {It's not set on auto-start, in case my favorite tunes are not your favorites as well. So, you have to click the play button to listen.} The lineup includes Dean Martin and Harry Connick, Jr., among others. What more does one need?! They can serenade me any day!

In my book, no one is a cool as Dino. The song Baby, It's Cold Outside is played over and over again in our house this time of year, and even Mario knows most of the words now. It's our little tradition that we play it whenever we're all in the car together. George and Mario sing the part sung by Dean Martin, and I sing the part sung by the women. We were a little rusty this year, but after a few rounds, we got our groove back.

If you have this CD, then you must have seen the picture inside the booklet where a very handsome Harry is dragging a Christmas tree through the forest. Oh my tinsel and stars!

I also added Celine Dion's version of O Holy Night, because I get teary-eyed every time I hear her belt out that final high note with such strength. It's amazing to me. And then there's always the classic and beautiful Ave Maria.

I'm always looking for more tunes to add to my holiday lineup. So please share with me, what's your favorite Christmas song?

Halloween Treats

 

I know I'm a day late here, but I didn't really have Halloween pictures to share until Halloween actually happened. Here are a few snippets of our day.

I made this Bald Eagle costume from felt when Mario was a baby. I'm glad Sam could wear it too. I found the pattern in an old issue of Martha Stewart Kids. {Does anyone else wish they still published that magazine??!!} I bought those issues long before I had kids, knowing that someday I would be glad I did. Then, I found more issues on ebay a couple years back. They are full of great ideas for kids' parties, snacks, decorating, costumes, and much more.

 

And here is Buzz Lightyear {aka Mario....but you'd never ever know it was him, right?} He really thought he was Buzz when he had this costume on. I guess that's the fun of Halloween! It was hilarious because he was just as interested in passing out candy as he was receiving it. He kept saying, "Can I feed the children?" We were cracking up wondering where he had heard that.

 

The goggles stayed on for a lot longer than I thought they would've.

 

Oops! I spoke too soon!

I hope you and all of the children in your family had a fun Halloween! Now, I must go hide 3/4 of the candy from my son. See you Monday!