More Tea Party

Tea Party!

I hosted a tea party for my beautiful sister this weekend.

This was a spiritual shower of sorts. We gave her the painting of Christ that you see behind her.

The girls busted out my wedding album. Go mypublisher.com!

I love this floral summer skirt. It brought some whimsy to it all. (Haha, I bought it at whimsy boutique!)

My neighbor hand carves stamps. I borrowed letters to make these name tags on my left over wedding stationary.

This cake came from a little pastry shop down the street. I thought it looked great on the green glass pedestal accompanied with my bluish-green furniture.

I love these spoons. Thanks Mom!

This is my wondrous mother.

Everyone wore white. These are a mix of our greatest friends.

An Answer to a Prayer

A Dear Dream

I have always dreamed to live in a white cottage, surrounded by a little land, full of pretty, flowering trees and bushes, roses, lamb's ear, peonies, soft grass....

Sometimes when I'm riding on the bus or waiting in a line, I let myself imagine it, and by now it is quite a place.



Maybe that's why I am drawn to this little photo from marthastewart.com. I don't particularly like the harsh bushes. I would replace them with softer, more romantic, budding stuff. Still, I'm captured, captured by this dear dream.

Collaging

The Delightful

Sometimes I look too far away seeking delight. After coming home from a small trip, I am in love with what was always here:




This little silver tray that I bought at DI for less than a dollar holds a messy, marvelous array of bobby pins, feathers, and pearls. It's not much, but I really do love seeing it every day. Light plays off it, sings from it, in wondrous ways. The tin box used to read "mints." But it has been with me for 10 years now and it is getting tired.






Opening this cupboard (emphasis on this particular one) is so--oh gosh I have to use the word again--delightful. My mom and my sister and I spent the summer before my wedding gathering depression glass dessert plates. My grandma lives in a small town in Washington state that is basically devoted to antiques and when we were there we scoured every shop for them. SUCH FUN. Seriously, Olivia and I laughed ourselves silly doing it and I have no idea why. Once we had quite a collection, we laid them all out on the floor and gazed at them four hours--no joke.





OK, Rachel Ashwell got me into this look long ago. This picture is from September. I'm longing for flowers again.





When we first moved into our apartment, a neighbor came over with a titanic sack of flour and taught me how to make beautiful bread. It does feel good to create something, to say "I made this." Even if it is something as common as the staff of life.


Yah for the charming, ordinary, delightful things that are all around!

She is my Sunshine: An Ode to Al

We met the first day of World Religions our freshman year of college. She squeezed into the back of class at the last minute. I sat, like always, in the front. But destiny got us together. The teacher put us in the same group and we had to introduce each other to the class. We got along swimmingly, so naturally, and we have been the dearest of friends ever since.

Today she just listened to me cry. And I felt so happy to have her.

Cheers to kindred spirits! Bosom buddies! And true friends!

By the way, isn't she darling? One of my three dedicated blog "followers"! Thanks Al!