For the love of books!

We love books!

Many years ago we turned our third bedroom into a library to accommodate this love affair with the written word.

Kramer also loves the library:).

I love books of all kinds...
especially anything written by Charles Dickens!

Books, books, books! What a wonderful thing!

I also love the time I spend in the library as I am surrounded by some of my favorite things like these yellow roses.

This stained glass window captures the sun's rays transforming them into sparkles of light.

Antique silver-another passion of mine-graces this group of old books:).

Although this is not a real fireplace the antique mantel adds warmth to the room.

Photos of my beloved horse sit beside an antique iron clock case, and yes, the other photo is me at my first horseshow at the age of eight.

(antique clocks-yet another amour of mine).

The clock case houses a carriage clock next a photo of hubby and me and a silver pitcher of flowers.

The Victorians had a love of art-obviously we do too!

You didn't think I had a room without a flying pig, did you?

Thanks for spending time with me in the library.

Where do you love to spend time in your home?

When Pigs Fly!

My dear friend Paula from

http://rosecottagebythelake.blogspot.com

reminded me that I have yet to tell the story of my flying pigs:).

Some time ago I shared that we have flying pigs throughout the house.

Some are actually flying...

while others stand proudly on top of the fridge.
These little flying pigs soar above the kitchen sink.

I am known by my quilting friends for my flying pigs because of this quilt.

I made this quilt in 1994.

It's the scene of the park where we would hold our annual quilt shows.

This beautiful old Victorian house stood guard over the park.

Kramer would like to help me show some of the quilt's details.

This is his Vanna White impression as he sweeps his paw across the quilt to show the quilt museum sign.

A closer look at the sign which is appliqued onto the quilt. The flowers and monkey grass are embroidered.

This lady is selling tickets.

Even the squirrels are making an appearance as they check out the recycling bin in the park.

These ladies are selling quilts...

while these ladies enjoy the quilt show.

Each person is about 1.5 inches and is hand-appliqued with embroidered accents.

This woman brought her baby along:).

And what do you do when you can't design cars to your satisfaction?

You make it a 'no parking' zone, of course!

Many of the quilts hang from clothes lines between the trees.

A woman and her little girl enjoy the quilts.

If you look closer the little girl has brought her teddy bear along:).

A bluebird brings a snack to her babies.

This woman's dog has something other than quilts on his mind.

Another woman carries more quilts to the sale table.

What does all this have to do with flying pigs, you ask?

This quilt took me nearly a year to complete with a great deal of tedious work involved.

And so when I debued it to my quilt guild I told them that 'pigs would fly before I made another quilt like this.'

Don't believe me?

Well look a little closer.

What's that flying in the sky behind the geese formation?

Yup, it's a flying pig.

And that's how I came to be known as the 'flying pig' lady:).

Kramer is worn out from all of that pointing. He's going to take a nap now (of course, what cat doesn't love a good nap on a quilt:).

Love from Brokenness

Just before Christmas a new antique store opened downtown.

I spied this beautiful pitcher and thought it would be lovely filled with roses:).

Last weekend hubby and I were perusing the treasures in this shop and the pitcher was still there. With a little coaxing hubby agreed to buy the pitcher for me.

(Just so you understand, we are following the Dave Ramsey financial program thus limiting extra spending. OK, let me give you a visual-remember the old Godzilla movies were the monster and Godzilla battle-well let's just say this is the case of shopoholic (me) vs. Dave Ramsey. Needless to say Dave Ramey is winning and it's not pretty:).
I was very excited at this little extravagance which I knew had not made hubby too happy but he agreed nonetheless.
Let's get real here (yes this is the shopoholic talking). How can anyone pass up such a beautiful sparkling crystal treasure when it was priced at a mere $28!
Look at the beautiful detail!
I could hardly wait to arrange a bouquet of roses in it!
This was truly a piece of art,
until...
the unthinkable happened.
Early the next morning hubby was getting a coffee cup from the cabinet.
Yup, you know what's coming.
He accidentally hit the pitcher with the cup resulting in a huge crack all the way around it!

The crack is not too evident in the pics but needless to say the pitcher will only be holding silk flowers as it can no longer hold liquids.

Well, that's what I was going to use it for anyway, right?

I paid a visit to our local silk flower shop and found some pretty pink roses.

I placed the rose filled pitcher on the music cabinet in the dining room along with some of my porcelains also bedecked in pink roses.

It's funny, when hubby bought the pitcher he did it out of kindness.

When he broke the pitcher he was crushed.

I told him he was only upset because the crack had ruined the pitcher.

His response was so sincere.

He said, 'no, I'm upset because I know how much you loved it."

The pitcher is more beautiful now than it was when it was 'perfect'.

Everytime I see that crack I will remember how much he loves me.

Sometimes, brokenness reveals the love within.