By Lynn, on January 4th, 2012%
Yes, my friends, today is the day to read chapter 2 of ALICE IN WONDERLAND. I am so enjoying this, and I hope you are! Please check in every day to see what we have added new to the Alice Tree. We will show you the whole tree when we are done with the book!
You will immediately notice a bunny in a teacup! The teacup was a gift from my sweet friend Marqueta. I must say a teacup looks adorable nestled into the tree branches with a little RABBIT sitting in it!
Yesterday in chapter 1, of course, Alice fell asleep, saw a rabbit with a pocket watch, fell down a rabbit hole, found a key, drank a potion, ate some cake and ended up very sad! She wants admission into a lovely garden (and I know how she feels!). She has no idea what awaits her!
I absolutely had to make cards that included an old key and a watch charm! Ditto for the most recent ALICE “BLUE DRESS” which was featured in a Disney movie redo of Alice in Wonderland with Johnny Depp and Mia Wasikowska. Ahhh, that blue dress. Absolutely lovely!
I JUST LOVE that blue dress and those boots!!
Please read chapter 2 to me!! Please, please! I want to know what happens in Chapter 2!!
If you like, join me! We are reading Alice in Wonderland by the schedule in the righthand sidebar. Today is day #2! We are adding ALICE bits and bobs to a tree and calling it THE ALICE TREE!
And now, for a fashion moment. Do you remember when I came home with that load of fabric scraps from The Scrap Exchange and threatened to make a funky skirt from scraps?
Well, I started it yesterday, but it is SO not done yet. I need to take it in a little around the waist/hip area and add elastic to the waist. (Right now it just has a tie in the casing.)
Also right now it is not hemmed, and I wondered actually if I should even hem it because it has such a scrappy look, but the more I look at it, the more I think I should. Do you see the fabric rose I made and added to the front?
Come on! Advise me dear readers! What sorts of things should I add? Lace anywhere? Chains? You know how outrageous the new STEAMPUNK clothes are. What say you?
Do you see how Annie stands up on the bed beside me? I got in a chair. She jumped up on the bed.
Well, it is off to work now! But first a hot cup of coffee and ALICE IN WONDERLAND chapter 2. Please come back tomorrow to see what we’ve added and what I might have done to the funky scrappy skirt.
Enjoy this day!
By Lynn, on December 30th, 2011%
I wondered about a post title, yes I did, in looking for something that made sense. But why should anything make sense, since we are going on an adventure to build an Alice Tree and make January the month of Alice in Wonderland? I figured welcoming someone to the end of a month was every bit as good as welcoming someone to the beginning of a month!
Come closer, friends, and let’s talk about December coming to an end! It has been a beautiful month indeed! We have had lovely weather on many days, making it seem not so winterish, but then other days with evidence of Old Man Winter’s frosty breath on the grass and our windshield. We have had food and warm beds at night and friends nd family. Is there anything else in this present life that a person could want?
Lavender, perhaps?
And lavender we’ve got! I want you to know that my Princess of the Universe bought me the most beautiful Crabtree & Evelyn lavender gift set. It smells delightful! Reminds me of the lavender in my Little Wild Garden.
All items have been lovingly removed from the box and placed in my bathroom. (Hear that? My bathroom? With lots of counter space? New bathroom? Bright, white, and no leaks or hard-to-clean fixtures.) I digress. The box is being used to hold things that will be incorporated into the Alice Tree.
Oh, look! The bun-buns are SO excited over being included on the Alice Tree! Thank you to the readers who suggested it! Lily. April. And others, if you thought it and didn’t speak it, or if you said it and my mind has already cleared out and is onto some other bunch of words whirling around in my head (as is so prone to be the case).
These little bun-buns are playing hide and seek behind the roses.
Anyhoo… Where were we?
Oh yes! I am absolutely flattered that Michaela thinks so much of me. Actually, I am humbled.
Thrift store shopping continues. Ah, G.W. Boutique, I love you. In honor of Alice Month, I have pinned on an Alice brooch.
Old Navy dress 4 dollars; striped turtleneck 3 dollars. Black leggings — an old wardrobe staple bought new a few years back.
BEAUTY TIP, ANYONE?
When winter weather gets here, it seems my skin just won’t stay moisturized. Really. I feel that fair, freckled skin is prone to dryness and wrinkles anyway, but the winter cold combined with the dry heat going on inside just wreaks havoc!
Enter the avacado. Every morning, I peel a slice to eat and peel up a slice to put on my face. I mash it up and smoothe it over face and neck, leaving it there until it dries. I then wash it gently away with warm water and pat my face dry. You’ll have to try it to know how good it feels. And eating avacado, well that’s not hard!
Avacado has a strong anti-aging antioxidant called glutathione. Glutathione increases immune cells and breaks down bad fats.
Of late, I have really been trying to snack on healthy things when I am in the mood for something sweet. Sweet potato fries with honey. A smoothie made of yogurt, bananas and frozen strawberries. Yogurt with fruit stirred in. You get the picture.
I have to admit though, I have a weakness this time of year…
Looks like it might be whipped cream on top of hot chocolate, but it is actually whipped cream on top of coffee. Yeah. With cinnamon sprinkled on top. Since I live in WONDERLAND, why not also pretend that I have My own Starbucks right off my office? Actually, I am trying not to do this 10 times a day. Just one. Or two.
Well, dear readers, tag making is in progress. I have cut handmade tags which are currently being readied for the Alice Tree. I think this will be a major learning curve. I do . I am wondering if Michaela’s school would want to see the Alice Tree when it’s done. Maybe I am asking for a lot of work to have to haul this thing to her school.
A girl can dream.
And I say, dream big, or go home!
Here’s to this day. Enjoy this day!
OH, AND PS!! Here is a website with Alice in Wonderland, including illustratrations from various illustrators! It’s a treasure! Alice in Wonderland.
By Lynn, on December 28th, 2011%
“Only an ugly thistle,”
I heard you say
Of a pretty purple blossom
Beside the way.
But that was before the pastures
Were bare and brown,
Or Frost had cut with his sickle
The flowers down.
Here now is this self-same prickly
And ugly weed,
But its tufts of purple blossom
Have gone to seed.
And forth from their dingy covers
Come lovely things –
The tiniest of creatures, flying
On silken wings.
These are the seeds, and hither
And thither they go,
Light as the downiest feather,
White as the snow.
Loitering, or blown and drifted
About the air,
They make dull days in November
Seem almost fair.
~Clara Doty Bates
I read this earlier today in a very, very old children’s book called Seashore Chats, published in 1898.
I could not help but think of my own life — marriage over, buckets of tears left behind, and a garden of 23 years overgrowing from neglect these days. But on the winds of change (yes, they are a blowin’) I see the tiniest, most beautiful seeds.
You see, life is precious. And we only get one of them. Are we to be selfish with our lives, saving every last ounce of energy and time and thought for ourselves? No! But when a person becomes so sad and so drained as to have no peace, and when little ones are caught staring hard at their mother, wondering if she’s okay, then self-preservation must begin. That is when it should begin. That is when it does begin.
And what are seeds, except self-preservation? There are so many lessons in the garden, dear friends. I am humbled and amazed at the lessons that are indeed there!
And, dear friends, it does not take disaster to bring out the delicate seeds of beautiful change. Seeds of change can take the form of better eating habits, commiting to daily outdoor walks, or vowing to speak in a softer voice to one’s children. Seeds of change are beautiful!
My “flower of the day” today is not a thistle, but a white silky rose, pinned to a white Ann Taylor sweater, a recent thifty 3-dollar find. If I see perfectly clean and delicate silk flowers at the thrift store, I buy them up if they seem to match my purposes for them.
You can take a bloom apart and use as many or as few of the petals as you want. Put a smaller flower (paper flowers are good) inside and pin it all to your sweater with a safety pin coming from the inside of your sweater. Just be careful and don’t get stuck!
Another recent thrifty find, which I am absolutely LOVING, is this long (sweeps the floor) denim Arden B. skirt. I should have photographed the hem (or lack of one!) because it is the type of skirt that looks as if it had been hemmed and then it was all let out. Very cool. A few strings. I love it!
Perhaps I should learn not to swing all my weight onto one hip right before the flash. Sorry! I really mean it! Sorry! But I did want you to see the lovely V-shape set into the back of the skirt, so I am including this picture anyway! It’s a very pretty and flattering skirt! Skirt = 4 dollars.
Here is wishing you joy and wonder, and delicate seeds of change!
And now…
I accept your dare! The Alice Tree will be! The month of January is Alice Month at Rose Cottage! More lights! Alice tags, Alice tarts, Alice roses, Alice ornaments! It will be quite the tree! You are invited to join me! And we will share our trees come the end of January!
Enjoy this day!
By Lynn, on December 27th, 2011%
wonder (wun’der) — n. …7. the emotion excited by what is strange and surprising;
I find that a person has to have a bit of wonder in her life, or life loses luster. Just a bit of wonder will do! A bunch of bright red berries on a gray day. A snowflake melting in the palm of an ungloved hand. A smile from her sweetheart.
Sometimes wonder is all that sustains. And when wonder won’t rain down on its own, it has to be sought for and made up. Like clay mushrooms. Like treasures from the past. Like words poured out on paper.
I am proficient at spinning a cloak of wonder to throw over that which surrounds me. It’s a gift I am thankful for. Truly.
Even now, I have formed a habit when it comes to putting one step in front of the other each morning. There is a fresh, imagined wonder over what the day may bring! One of the first steps into wonderland I take each day is getting dressed.
Life is too short to dress ugly.
My dear friend Marqueta said that, and it’s a quotation I take to heart. Do I look frumpy at times? Well, of course. But I love to start the day out looking the best that I can. Every. Single. Day. It makes me very happy!
A skirt practically bounding away in pleats and tucks found its way out of the closet this morning. Layers of pink topped it off, because this morning was one of those “but I’m still tired!” mornings, and I thought the soft pink would be good for my complexion today. I wore tall black boots with the look of riding boots. One never knows. Especially since Jane Austen’s Emma has been on my mind.
A bit of hair gel ( I love Studio Line by Loreal) makes that pouf look shiny and keeps loose hairs from tickling my nose all day. Ahhh, pretty clips — just more wonder from wonderland.
And speaking of wonderland, let’s stayon the topic of all things wondrous. Shall we?
My little sweetheart daughter had the project at school of reading a book and then making a game to go with it. I think her game turned out to be absolutely and most colorfully inviting!
Just look at the little game pieces she baked from clay!
Her book, of course, was Alice In Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. I think she did an amazing job. I am of the belief that this “board” should be framed and put on her wall!
More Alice! More wonder! It shall not cease!
You know that I have a fascination with little Alice anyway, as I have fashioned more than one brooch with Alice on the front…
John Tenniel’s Alice
Arthur Rackham’s Alice
A.E. Jackson’s Alice
My own rendering of Alice.
Shower of Cards by John Tenniel
Come to think of it, I am wonderfully inspired! The clay calls, the paper calls, the sparkles, the glue, the pencils, the wonder of what can be made! It all calls! In fact, I am thinking some sort of pink Alice Tree (refer to last post with pink Christmas tree) would be most fun!! January could be Alice month ’round here! Oh yay!
Everything’s got a moral, if only you can find it.
~Lewis Carroll
Here’s to finding the wonder in your own life!
Enjoy this day!
By Lynn, on December 20th, 2011%
My Dear Friends,
Is there a list of horrible bloggers? Am I at the top of that list? Oh my! I say I am going to do better and then I disappear off the face of the earth, or so it would seem.
I am trying to decide which little ‘shroom face will most get me off the hook. Is it the tired mushroom in the front? The sleepy one who is worn completely out and has done too much? Is that me? Will you forgive me, if I look so tired?
Or is that me in the back, sort of hiding under the beard of Old Man Mushroom, scared that I have totally blown my blog by being absent for TWO WEEKS!? Which is it? 
Ahh, well, I think we are all still happy members of The Standing and Staring Club. Are we? (Please say yes.)
As you can see, I have been busy, busy, busy making mushrooms from clay, with their funny and sweet and sleepy and most serious faces!!
Some were for gifts, some for selling, and some sit sweetly on my kitchen counter, making me smile while I am steaming my vegetables and talking to John and Michaela.
And just to show you how busy I have been, here is me going not slo-mo but fast-mo across Rose Cottage, in my hurry to keep everything done!
Actually, I wanted to share this picture because you can see the red and white afgan in the back of the room, which I pull out for Christmas only, because it was handmade by my late maternal grandma, Jewel, who I miss so much! It makes me think of her to see this bright red and white gracing my couch.
Yes, busy time of year it is and busy time of my life it is. On a sad note, but a note of update (since those things are necessary), I have been gone from the old house for 9 months now. Does it seems so? No. Not to me either. And my legal separation papers are signed. And life seems to be moving on for me, and for the carpenter, in different directions. I won’t discuss the carpenter here. No. It would not be fair. But some things must be so. I hope my update is not offensive to anyone. I know many of us have different beliefs and different guidelines… Friends we all are, and you deserve an update from time to time.
I must say, one of the little material things I miss most from the old house is my rustic spice cabinet which had quite the story of love behind it. I am sure you remember the old spice cabinet (referenced in linked post as my most favorite thing).
Yeah, there is is. Still bolted to the wall. Not mine anymore.
Alas, I got in the mood to make another rustic sort of space for my spices, and a recent trip to The Scrap Exchange gave me all I needed.
Between a vintage dresser drawer, discarded heavy cardboard boxes, and a wooden box with one drawer missing, I ended up with a spicy storage unit to sit on my kitchen counter. I love it!
The drawer itself has personality plus! The decoupaged boxes sit inside, all bright and cheery, holding my ever growing spice collection.
I mean, I had to start from scratch with the spices because the carpenter has the spices that were (are) in the old cabinet as well. (Well, I did take my large bottle of vanilla extract.)
Every new thing, every new-to-me old thrifted thing, every day — it all becomes a part of Rose Cottage and me and my children and seems to take us one more step from the sadness that was a huge part of my life.
Paper, paper, paper and more paper. Love paper! Yes I do!
I ended up making about 150 gift tags. It feels so good just to look at them! I love the sweet Victorian children in their nightgowns holding lanterns or candles, the old homeplaces surrounded by farm and snow, the deer in the woods, and the Victorian couples! I love it all!
It’s so much fun to hand someone a stack of 10 or 15 gift tags, just because.
Yesterday I gave some to my mom and my aunt. Today I passed some on to a dear friend.
As well, the little clay man I made not too long ago, was dressed and given a tray of flowers, and his story came together as it happened. He is American, but has a Japanese grandfather. (Can anyone say Grandfather’s Journey? The lovely book by Allen Say.) Anyway, this little man just made me think of Japan. He has a lovely Japanese garden and grows the most lovely flowers to place in his simplistic home. His wife loves them! The only thing, I want him to have two names: an American name and a Japanese name. What in the world will they be?
He’s my new favorite. At least for now. Seems every time I make one of these dolls, that’s what happens.
Yeah, the more this little man came together, the more it reminded me of the lovely story, Grandfather’s Journey, and the times I read it to my children. It was one of our Five In A Row books we used in homeschooling.
Oh. I really have to go. Work calls. And so does so much else!
Let me say in closing that I am still have way too much fun with clothes! I go into G.W. Boutique several times a week and usually find a new dress. It’s a habit I can afford. Actually, since Michaela and I can share clothes, we have both had so much fun with this! She wears the new dresses too and we both think it’s just the best thing!
I hope your day is wonderful! Until next time…
Enjoy this day! Take joy!
By Lynn, on December 7th, 2011%
Sometimes I suprise myself when I find a new ray of sunshine in my life. Where were you, sunshine, all those years? I looked hard for you but always found you only indirectly. You were shining on The Little Wild Garden, you were, and that, in turn, kept me alive. Maybe I should be glad you were not shining on me all the time. For something had to make me move. Something. Anything. And find again the girl inside me who was dying.
Yeah, I am amazed every time I see a little bright spot in my life. A new, fun dress. A big flower pinned on for good measure. Something that makes me laugh. Doing something that reveals a part of me that was hidden from me and I had forgotten about.
I don’t want to make this blog a ME, ME, ME blog, but I am full of things I could share about women who give too much. Isn’t there a book about that somewhere? Ah, well. We must balance taking care of ourselves with laying down our lives for a friend. It is a delicate balance, friends, and one to examine in our own lives every day. I find that praying for widsom helps the most.
Do you love being a girlie-girl? (Well, of course not if you are one of my male readers.) But if you are a girl, are you a girlie girl? In a vintage shop the other day, I found these very dainty little hairpins with what looked like ivory roses on them. Even something so tiny makes me happy!
Yesterday, on a French country looking scrap of fabric, I dried dozens of handcut tags for the holiday season. Every little break yesterday, I tended these tags.
I tended these tags. I hummed Christmas carols. I thought of what to make next. The artsy side of my brain was happy.
And I ended up with 62 tags, ready for selling and/or using.
All covered in sparkly dust.
Pink sparkly dust, no less. And also sprinkled with some invisible fairy dust, left over in my thoughts from The Little Wild Garden.
This morning they are packaged into bundles of 5 and are ready for distributing. Don’t you LOVE making things this time of year? Oh my!!
I guess you are wondering about my latest GW find? Reference dress at top. Right at 3 dollars, give or take a few cents. Also, the desk I am leaning against was a find on the same day. I had been looking for EXACTLY that, to put the doll house up on, because a certain fatso spoiled rotten beagle of the universe (who shall remain nameless) had been chewing on doll house furniture. $9.99. And below, see the new, lovely, Victorian looking lamp for my mail/bill desk. $4.99.
Let’s enjoy this day! Let’s sing! Let’s twirl! (Put on something pretty!) Take care of yourself.
By Lynn, on December 3rd, 2011%
I am trying to do better. Yes indeed. There are so many new things ’round here I want to show you, and I am going to try to start posting daily again. I really am. I feel like The Little Engine That Could. I am chugging up the hill and workin’ it out! Soon I’ll be moving at a good speed. I can feel it!
Let’s start with this very Victorian Christmas wreath I made this week. Oh, I love it! Makes me want to put my coat on and stand outside in front of my own front door. Yessiree.
There were so many Christmas odds and ends at The Scrap Exchange when I was over there, and I just happened to have a wreath that needed some sprucing up! 
In addition to the wreath I already had, I picked up another wreath while at The Scrap Exchange and it got decorated too! Two wreaths. Oh my. So happy am I! Pictures of the second one coming soon.
I am thinking that one is for my door and one is for selling. Who doesn’t need extra money for Christmas? There is a local store in an old house, full of vintage crafts and Shabby Chic sort of decor, and I think they might want it. I really do. Maybe they would want even more than one! (Where’s the extra time gonna come from??)
I think I can! I think I can!
As far as Victorian fashion, you know I love it, and even though this dress is more 1920s in style, maybe, the pin stripes made me feel oh so Victorian!
Black shirt underneath. Black leggings. Black leather cowboy boots (again). I love it! And I thought the Christmas brooch was a good touch of red, too.
And you can see my little journal, opened up right there beside me.
I am trying to surround myself with things that make me happy. This includes what goes into my journals every day. It is so easy to bring myself down. It almost comes naturally. (Stress does horrible things to a person’s mind and spirit.) It is clear to me these days that the more I “force-feed” myself things that are lovely, the better I feel.
Enjoy this day. I am on to my work desk. Type, type, type. But the apartment is cozy warm. I have strings of lights in the windows. There’s a pretty goblet full of candy canes sitting on the bar at the kitchen. My work area is full of new fabric scraps, bits of paper, lots of ribbon and string. It’s all good.
“Whatsoever things are lovely… think on these things.”
Enjoy this day!
By Lynn, on November 30th, 2011%
It’s crazy how time goes by for me now!! I find myself thinking, “oh, it’s been a couple of days since I posted, so I need to update my blog,” and then I look at the calendar and it’s been a week!
It’s work, I tell you! 40 hours a week keeps a person busy. Add to that my GW fashion runs. And cooking. And just looking for Lynn. And you understand why the days run together!
I continue to take silly pictures from the GW dressing room. I mean, what else is a camera phone for?? And I think you all like the GW Fashion Report. I mean, I hope so, ’cause you are getting a ton of it!
Bright colors are making me happy these days. I need bright. I do. I think the dress above is just the ticket! With white tights and my black leather cowboy boots! Not sure about the gray shirt underneath, but was just trying that on for size. (I bought both the dress and the shirt.)
Another pretty find was this black silk and polyester dress with beautiful ribbons tying in the back! Another great find (at under 4 dollars) for the holidays! Yay.
And while we are talking YAY things, I want to show you my bible verse jar. It is something I have wanted to do for the longest time, and being at the apartment Rose Cottage has finally brought the peace and quiet to implement it.
A few years back, I found a blank journal at the thrift store for a dollar. At the bottom of every page was a bible verse. I knew right then…
I recently went through, tearing pages out and cutting the verses from the bottoms of the pages. I then folded each little verse and dropped them all into this beautiful jar, tied with an antique-y ribbon adorned with a glittery tag.
Now, folks, this does not take the place of bible reading. No sir! But on busy mornings I can send John and Michaela out the door with a bible verse. Or at suppertime we can share a verse. Or while I am working in the kitchen and they are doing homework. You get the picture.
Actually, let me go pull a verse for you…
I will extol You, my God, O King, and I will bless Your name forever and ever, Every day I will bless you, and I will praise Your name forever and ever. Psalm 145:1,2
Now. On to the topic of food.
Am I still loving my steamer? Golly yes! But how about this liver, baby!? Well, I found out last night that John and Michaela both should be on their respective track teams because they both ran after one bite. Really, really fast. Amazingly fast. I heard Michaela say GROSS before she tore out of the kitchen. Actually, I don’t force them to eat things they don’t like, but I am not cooking something different. So take it or leave it.
I was craving liver. I got this grass fed beef liver at a local fresh market, so I know where the meat comes from, and all this was only 2.00. I am sure we won’t have it all the time. Not after last night’s reaction. But sometimes. The frozen corn was put into the bottom layer of the steamer and set for about 28 minutes. Once down to 15 minutes left, I put the tray of frozen asparagus on top and covered again. (Watch the steam; don’t get burned!!) When the timer stopped, all my veggies were done. Just add butter.
Last but not least, this is going to serve as a real journal today. I simply must record my dream from last night but I know I cannot write with a pen fast enough to get it done before I have to work, but boy can I type! (Reference picture of typist above.)
I dreamed last night that Michaela and I had driven to the coast. To a beautiful hotel. A fancy hotel with a person waiting on us much of the time. He was a very nice man. He seemed to know I did not really have enough money to be there but he never said a word. We were only supposed to stay for one night but we ended up staying for four. By accident. How does anyone do that? In the kitchen in this room we had (and I don’t really remember how the room looked, by the way) there was a sink with a garbage disposal. Someone had left a bunch of very large red and green tomatoes on the vine and I found them. In that bunch of tomatoes was a very large, very bright green spider, looking really like a black widow, only it was scary green with red and black markings. I decided to plunge the tomatoes and the creature down the disposal, but I knew in the back of my mind that there was also money left behind in the tomatoes. I plunged them down anyway. I kept wanting to get the money back but it was gone. When it was time to depart, I somehow had a bulldog that I set up on this fancy side table in the hotel hallway. I nearly knocked over two things but caught them before they fell and put them back. Immediately the man was there again. Friendly as ever. As I was leaving, I remembered to show the man that someone had also left a bunch of tomatoes in the windows. Somehow I am not sure if they had money or not. Next, Michaela and I were in the car, speeding along a narrow road along a rocky coastline with sea water crashing and rolling down below. All I needed was a kerchief around my head and Elvis in the next seat and I could have easily been in a 1960s movie. Anyhoo, I missed my turn and realized I had gone way out of the way. The dream ended with Michaela and me turning around and heading home, with me explaining that we had not really had the money to stay for four nights.
Me and my dreams. Any clue as to what that all means?
As far as the spider, I am wondering if somehow this picture of me got tangled up in my dreams. It is the typing picture with the color inverted. My son John said it is so scary that he thinks it should not be on line. So I won’t put it here, but I will let you click if you want to see. Nothing evil folks, just lil ol me with colors inverted. Scary Lynn. It was late when I edited these pictures, so maybe I took the colors with me to my dreams. Also, I have been so focused on my foods and what I am deficient in, maybe I am looking for something in tomatoes, where I found both a spider and money! Go figure!!
Have a lovely day! Enjoy this day! It won’t be ’round again!
By Lynn, on October 27th, 2011%
Yeah, but not what you might be thinking.
I am just in love with this little fella. It is amazing to me how clay takes from the maker, the mood, the day, the moment. My dolls all turn out so different from each other and, almost always, they are not what I thought they’d be. The clay takes shape as if the face and body were in the clay before the hands ever touched it. The new clay person-to-be was just waiting to be brought to life. Then, the mood of the maker, the thoughts, the emotions — joy, sadness, frustration — they all show up in the details.
These days I am unbelievably busy. There have been numerous doctor appoints for me AND for the kids, and not sickness necessarily, but follow-ups for things, dermatology, asthma, etc. There has been driver’s ed in the background for John. Michaela has been involved in lots of social things lately. She just auditioned for a musical at school. I am overwhelmed with how to organize our meals. I make four trips out and home each day just to get John and Michaela to their respective schools that run on totally different schedules. Annie has been rebellious lately (wonder who spoiled her so completely rotten?). It is just huge to juggle it all sometimes.
Nevertheless, I am very content and happy right now. Cleaning out is a continual process. I am “losing” STUFF left and right and paring down, in pursuit of deeper contentment. I will, of course, hang on to what I need and use, but there is so much that I do not need. And you know the THRIFT STORE FASHION report will go on, so don’t worry that the clothing will get pared down too much (for which I practice gratitude and thanksgiving). We have so much.
Well, many appointments today and lots to do, as always! My new little man looks to me like he has figured something out and has got his mind wrapped around something big. What a place to be!
Enjoy this day! Do what you can today and let the rest go. What you do, do it from the heart and with love! It will always show! It will always come back to you. xoxoxo
By Lynn, on October 24th, 2011%
So I did promise to do Part 2 of my trip to The Scrap Exchange. Here goes!
First, my friend Mr. Mannequin.
Isn’t he glorious in his new headgear? I mean, I’d hang out with him. I can’t imagine that we’d get anything but positive feedback. My favorite thing about him is that he keeps one eye on me and one eye out for the waiter. Can you imagine all that Mr. Mannequin and I would have to discuss over dinner since he LIVES at The Scrap Exchange??
Now, for some treasures. I did end up tearing myself away from Mr. Mannequin to shop a bit.
They have a HUGE bin of all sorts of papers. Since I like to make and decorate my own creative journals, these sorts of papers are perfect for cutting up and pasting.
And can anyone say lightweight WHITE TIGHTS? Yeah. For 20 cents a pair, or something in that range. I think I found five good pairs! Woo hoo. Cannot beat that!
Now onto the fabric, which I intend to use to make a funky skirt to wear with my cowboy boots this winter.
And…
One thing that jumped out at me was this really cool clock decanter which I will use to keep change in, and then when it is full it means it is TIME for John and Michaela and me to do something FUN. How about that?
There we are, just a few of the amazingly cool things I found at The Scrap Exchange!
Outside with my treasures. I am standing in front of a green truck (that is not mine, but you know what they say about positive thinking), because I think I want a truck. Or something like that. Not that I do not totally appreciate my van, but I think people born under the Thrifting Star, better known as the Standing and Staring Constellation, need a truck!!!
One more thing to share. And it’s really fun! When I got to the register, the cashier asked me my name, to which I said Lynn, of course. (I started to say Sandra Lynn the Big Fat Hen, but that meant a long story from first grade about my favorite teacher in the world, so I just said Lynn.) She asked me if I had a blog. I said, yes. As it turns out, I was recognized! How cool is that! It was Ruth Warren who does marketing for The Scrap Exchange. Ruth, once again, it was a pleasure to put your face with your name! See you soon!
Enjoy this day!
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About Lynn
I am the mother of four delightful children: a 23-year-old son, a 20-year-old son, a 17-year-old son, and a bright and bubbly 13-year-old daughter. I share an apartment home with my 17-year-old son and 13-year-old daughter. My little home on the internet is called Rose Cottage because of my love for gardening, roses, and all things romantic and Victorian. Welcome.
I'm a North Carolina girl and I love sharing North Carolina links and information. I do medical transcription from home. My hobbies include making sweet little dolls from clay who are named and have their own stories to tell. I also make old-fashioned brooches. These are for sale in my Etsy shop.
For 13 years continuously, I homeschooled some or all of our four children, but the time came that our homeschool had to be closed. It was the end of a beautiful chapter in my life. I will always be a strong supporter of homeschooling and I will continue to review books and maintain my homeschool website, The Healthy Homeschool. The Players
Lil Ol' Me
Son Daniel, 23
Son, Big Joe, 20
Son, John, 17
Daughter, Michaela, 13
Annie Fatso Beagle
My Symphony
To live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion; to be worthy, not respectable, and wealthy, not rich; to study hard, think quietly, talk gently, act frankly; to listen to stars and birds, to babes and sages, with open heart; to bear all cheerfully, do all bravely, await occasions, hurry never. In a word, to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious, grow up through the common. This is to be my symphony.
William Henry Channing
1810-1884
What You Do Sow a thought, reap an action.
Sow an action, reap a habit.
Sow a habit, reap a character.
Sow a character, reap a destiny.
Contact Me 
I would  for you to leave a comment, but you can also e-mail me at lynn AT thehealthyhomeschool.com
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