Amelia

How adorable is this 5 year old? She is one child that has a sweetness in her that can't be denied. She follows around her 1 1/2 year old cousin Emerson and helps him and plays with him whenever he is around. She will be a great baby-sitter and Mama some day. She has tender feelings and loves her family and friends. She is a little lady that we call Silly Millie because she always comes up with quips that make us laugh. Happy Birthday to my special little girl.

Shon Turns 39

Yesterday was Shon's birthday. He turned 39. Of course I'm not old enough to have a 39 year old, but he was 4 years premature. This is such a cute picture of him with his daughter Lissie.
I just included the dialogue that I wrote last year because it is just the way we feel and we still love him more than imaginable.

On April 6th, 1970, Wayne and I welcomed our new baby son. Oh he was beautiful and perfect in every way. He had golden hair that the nurses found delight in, and each time they would bring him in, he would have a new hairdo. He was a very good baby and such a blessing to us. He had the biggest blue eyes. How did that happen? Wayne's eyes are brown and mine are green. Each time one of our children was born, we would pick out a song that was just for them and we would sing it to them throughout their life. Shon's was "Close to you" by the Carpenters. On the day that you were born the angels got together and decided to create a dream come true, so they sprinkled moon dust in your hair of gold and starlight in your eyes of blue... etc. He is 39 now and we still sing it to him. He is such a smart and talented young man, and one of those guys that can fix anything or if he can't, he will figure out how to, and we are so proud of him. Happy Birthday

Shon, we love you tons.

At the Museum

This is a picture of me when I was in my thirties. There is a funny site that you can go to that sets you up as a "museum portrait" or offers a few other options to have fun with. Ooh, I wonder what they are saying about me? Did she used to live on a farm? Oh, she used to be thin,

she matches the background, her hair is almost the same again.

The picture can be enlarged

Modern Art Museum Effect

After we painted the dining room I decided to change things out. I liked the decorations I had in there, but I was getting tired of them since they had been up for 6 years. That is about how long I keep things (6 or 7 years) and then change them out. I keep my paintings, but most decorations get put away. I took an online quiz to see what my style was and it came out "Wine Country" mixed with "traditional" and "country". I guess that means I like traditional country Italian. I am eclectic in my tastes and Wayne pretty much likes the same things, so it works out OK. In the long run though, I do have the most say and Wayne has said that at times when he didn't think he was going to like whatever I was doing, when all was said and done, he ended up liking it. I am not really into the shabby chic look but I did get this cabinet made from a vintage window that I really likes. The inside was painted black, but the objects just didn't show up inside so I painted it the wall color and like it much better. (You may need to enlarge to see it better)

The paintings are some of my own watercolors, the leaf platter on top was one I found at a garage sale for $1, the little sugar bowl on the top left was given to me for my wedding by my sister when she was 12. On the top right is a pottery pitcher made in Colorado.

The back of the cabinet is bead board and had two shelves, but Wayne added a third one for me so I had more display area. I collect pottery and silver pieces so I have them in here along with Wayne's Mom's salt and pepper shakers, a cute candy dish and angel from my friend Susan along with a collectible Lilliput cottage. Now I will more storage area to show off my Santa's when Christmas comes around again.

Little Bowls

I just love little bowls. I don't know why or when I started even noticing it but I have quite a few in my collection. My favorite are the antique or vintage ones. This is my smallest.

It's only about 3 inches across at the rim so you can see how

small it is as you compare it with the teaspoon.

These are my favorites. The white one is from an antique stare and the

yellow one is an antique reproduction. They are about 4 inches across at the rim.

The white bowl is new but conjures up times when it was filled with creme brulee' so I love it and the green one is a vintage bowl I got at a garage sale.

These are all about 4 inches across at the rim too. The one on the right is antique. My Grandma Eyre had some just like them so they invoke wonderful memories for me. We use them for mandarin oranges, sauces, pudding condiments or taco toppings. They are all too small to hold much else.

I guess I will have to admit that I love dishes of all kinds. I have 6 sets of dinnerware and many eclectic pieces of mismatched servings bowls. One of my sets of China used to be my Grandma Eyre's. Grandpa bought it for her during WW2 and it was made in Japan. Nobody wanted Japanese products at that time but Grandpa didn't care. Mom had it for a while and then passed it down to me. One of the other sets of dishes is actually Wayne's. He was on a quest to find the perfect dinner plate and we finally found them in Denver at a kitchen supply store. He likes dishes (and pans) too. When we go on vacation, you will inevitably find us at a kitchen outlet or restaurant supply store. The funny thing is, we don't cook that much any more. It's usually goulash or sandwiches on paper plates, but on Sunday, when the kids come over for dinner, we put out the good dishes and nice silverware and the little bowls.