Oakview Cottage

Happy Valentine's Day!!!!

2012-02-13T19:15:00.000-06:00

Hi, I'm so glad you have come by today.

As you can see my table is ready for our Valentine's dinner.

I have set a red and pink Valentine's table, with a couple of hearts, candles and cupids in the middle of the table for the centerpiece and an album of vintage valentines for us to enjoy while we eat.

These were my mother's when she was a little girl.

I have set the table with my newly thrifted dinnerware.

They are Bowrings Celebrate Life dishes.

The dinner plates are black and white transferware and they are all sitting on a large doily that's paired with a pink place mat.

The mugs have sweet little messages in them.

It's a beautiful day outside, the sun is shining brightly through the windows,and the love songs are playing quietly in the background. I love violin music, it's probably my favorite, my husband likes saxophone music.

I made chocolate chip heart cookies, one for each of us.

Here's wishing you a Happy Valentine's Day my friends.

Hugs,

Cindy

I will be busy this week with my fireplace makeover and I'll be painting the living room and kitchen, too. I am very excited to get these two rooms painted. I also have another project on the go, it's a little different, I hope you will like it.

Exclusive Country Homes

2012-02-09T20:15:00.001-06:00

I love giveaways, I really need to have one someday.

I particularly love winning a giveaway, don't you?

Greet of Belgian Pearls had a fabulous giveaway, it was for the book Exclusive Country Homes and I won!!! A great big YAY for me.

It arrived yesterday and oh my, there is so much eye candy in there. It's huge and it will take forever to read it all the way through...so I can see many happy hours ahead of me...sigh, I love beautiful European homes.

That is just one example of what I have to look forward to.

These homes are all lovely estates.

Greet, of Belgian Pearls, along with her brother and her husband run a business that has been in her family for four generations. They create elegant rooms with lovely wood paneling and built-ins of all sorts. She refers to them as cabinet makers, but they are that and so much more. These artisans do truly amazing work. If you have not been to her blog, you need to go, especially if you love beautiful interiors.
Greet was one of the first bloggers that I "met" on-line, she won a pay-it-forward giveaway that I had. I sent her an apron that I had made and since then she has become a real friend. She is so warm and genuine.

Thank you, dearest Greet for sending me this amazing book, I will think of you every time I see it and especially every time I read it.

I admire the simplicity of European design, don't you?

Have a lovely weekend my friends,

Cindy

~Hearts Are Showing Up Everywhere!~

2012-02-08T11:02:00.000-06:00

I love Valentine's Day, for several reasons, but I have never decorated for the day. Not that I can remember anyways.

But this year is different somehow. For one thing I am going through a very creative phase, creative for me anyways.

Let's start in the living room...

...hearts on the fireplace in the form of a small paper banner, and the mantle...even a couple of little cherubs up there, too.

A heart in the bird cage... hanging from the centre hook, can you see it?

Even in the kitchen...over the window...

...so there it is, hearts showing up everywhere!

Do you decorate for Valentine's Day?

It's a very special day in our family, we have two Valentine's birthdays, how fun is that? Well, to tell the truth, my brother, the first Valentine's baby, has never thought it was much fun. But my grand-daughter, the second Valentine's birthday, thinks it's wonderful!

Did you notice that I have a new "I Was Featured" button on the side of my blog? Two of the challenge bloggers featured me, I am so thrilled!!! I am reminded again of how important the blogging world has become to me. Most of my friends and family have never been interested in the fact that I love design and decor. Only in the blogging world have I found people who are interested in it and I've found many kindred spirits here. Thank you, my friends!

And special thanks to Karianne of Thistlewood Farms and Linda of It All Started With Paint for featuring my armoire in the Imagine the Impossibilities Challenge.

Have a sweet day!

Cindy

~Ice Skating~

2012-02-05T17:42:00.002-06:00

When I was nine years old my family moved from the coast of Washington state to the frozen northern regions of British Columbia.

Our first Winter there, I received a pair of ice-skates and I was very excited!

But I fell again and again, until I finally learned to put my weight on my heels, so the picks at the front of my skates would not catch and send me flying.

Despite the pain and embarrassment of falling and losing my glasses time and time again, I loved ice skating from the moment I first set foot on the ice. And to this day, I still enjoy the thrill of flying across the ice on winged feet. That's how I feel at least!

Just outside the backdoor of the little log house where we first made our home, we had a creek with steep sides.

We tobogganed down the hills and skated on the creek, it was truly a child's winter paradise. Our school had an outdoor rink that was taken care of by the school board, so we were always able to skate at recess and lunch time, also.

Our son and his family gifted my husband and I with ice skates for Christmas this year. We've been ice-skating at least once a week, ever since then. I know I will miss it when Spring arrives.

I'm in my early 50's now, and I'm afraid to fall, but it doesn't stop me from skating as fast as I can.

I love the feel of the icy wind whizzing by...

...and it's such great exercise!

These photos are of myself and my two oldest grand kids. They were with us on Friday and we took them skating. My grand daughter is accustomed to skating with boys skates, so I spent time teaching her how to skate with figure skates. She was skating very well by the time we were ready to head back home for some hot chocolate.

Skating with them brought back so many great memories from when I was a kid! It seems like yesterday!

What outdoor recreation do you enjoy in the Winter time?

Do you go ice-skating?

I wish you could join me some time, we could have some great fun.

Have a lovely day and stay warm wherever you are.

Hugs,

Cindy

A Small Antique Table Makeover

2012-02-01T15:29:00.001-06:00

Hello again, my friends.

So far in 2012, I have completed five paint projects and here today I will show you the latest one.

Just before Christmas I found this lovely antique table at a local thrift store for only $7.99. It was pretty, but the finish was in really bad shape, as you can see here.

After some linen coloured chalk paint, walnut stain and satin Varathane, it looks much better, I think.

I distressed it, too, that's so hard to do after working to paint it so nicely. But I like the looks of it distressed.

I am going to join The Delectable Home today, hope to see you over there.

Have a wonderful day!

Cindy

I need to find a more prominent place for such a pretty table, I'm thinking.

I made the Impossible Possible! (Armoire Reveal)

2012-01-30T13:14:00.002-06:00

Hello my friends, thank you so much for coming by today.

I have joined a fabulous challenge and I am so excited to walk you through it and explain what my challenge was all about.

Eight years ago my husband and I purchased an antique armoire. I loved the bones of it, but not the finish on it.

Pretty boring, actually.

When we purchased and moved into our little 1927 Craftsman Bungalow over three years ago, I knew that I was closer to doing something really special with it.

Then came the "Imagine the Impossibilies" challenge from super-talented Karianne at Thistlewoodfarm along with five other bloggers.

I had been wanting to refinish this armoire for so long that I knew that IT was my "impossibility."

First, I had to get my husband on board, that didn't take any persuasion, he was very willing to help me out. Tons of thanks goes to my sweetheart.

Secondly, I asked your opinions and I got lots of fabulous ideas that day. Thank you so much for them, they really gave me clarity.

Thirdly, I wanted to make my own chalk paint and tint it myself. I chose a linen color that I loved and I tinted it. It came out to the exact shade that I wanted!

Fourthly, my husband purchased and added the molding that I picked out.

Fifthly, I painted it and then I did something I had never done before. I glazed it. Here is where a blogger came to my rescue, a Canadian gal at, Recaptured Charm. From her and her blog, I learned what to purchase and how to do the glazing. I added a black paint to the glaze.

That was the hard part, the glazing took hours! But I am liking the results more and more every day.

~Before~

~After~

I'm not stopping here, next comes a fireplace makeover. My son, the brick mason is going to reface my ugly dark fireplace with a re-claimed brick that is very attractive.

Then I will paint my living-room a yummy creamy color and

my bathroom will be a light turquoise. Lots of fun to come!

This is where the parties are happening starting Tuesday at 7 am Eastern time, check them out!

Kelly at Eclectically Vintage

Karianne at Thistlewood Farm
Linda at It All Started with Paint
Andrea at The CottageMarket
Karah at The Space Between
Stacey at A Sort of Fairytale

Go HERE to see all of the people who took up the challenge!

I have also joined my friend Nita for Mod Mix Monday.

Warm hugs,

Cindy

I'm lovin' it!!!

Creamy Lattes

2012-01-28T09:12:00.002-06:00

Just like milk in strong coffee,
latte colors—from rich cream to caramel—tame bold hues for an ultra-livable palette.

Cup of Joe blend coffee and cream into your scheme with the skill of a barista with tips from l.a. designer mary mcGee. here’s how she gives a caffeinated jolt to these luxe neutrals.

1
If a lighter tone is your goal, watch out for green or gold undertones. Hold the colors you’re considering against a true-white paint chip to look for a rich cream with a brown
2 base, McGee says.
“I mix colors to get a perfect cream,” McGee says. Her favorite “recipe”: A 50:50 mix of Benjamin Moore’s Marble White (OC- 34) with Grant Beige (HC-83). “It cuts the gold, and you end up with this incredible
3 color.”
Avoid beige boredom by using a variety of finishes and textures in a room. A white lacquer coffee table, leather chair, mirrored lamp, silk drapes, and a great sisal rug— McGee counts on all these materials to give a latte-color space richness.

I found this somewhere, it's from BHG.com and this is what my color personality is.

Funnily enough, I have been planning to repaint the interior of my house which is presently yellow, and these are the colors that I have been loving for some time now. I particularly love the Milky Foam. This article explains how to get the exact Latte cream that I have been wanting in point number 2 above. Also, it says that Milky Foam
"Looks amazing paired with a muted robin’s-egg blue. Kabuki Clay 3003- 8C; valspar.co"
I was in HD yesterday and I found a gallon mistint paint for $9.00 and the color is very close to a robin's egg blue with a green undertone. Then I found a lovely turquoise cloth shower curtain for half-price that is a couple of shades darker than the mistint paint. If you've read my blog for very long you will remember that I added turquoise to my decor last summer. It was then that I decided that I was done with yellow. I have had tones of yellow, more on the gold side, for nearly ten years. And I'm really tired of it. I am on my way...and I'm loving it!

Have a great weekend, my friends and don't forget to come back next week for the unveiling of my armoire!

Warm hugs,

Cindy

Happy Birthday to my sweetheart!
This is us in Gimli last summer when my sister was visiting us.

dark brew

It's All About the Journey

2012-01-25T12:43:00.001-06:00

Hello my friends,

today I want to show you how my journey from Impossibility to Possibility is coming along.

Remember this?

I have had it for about eight years and I have wanted to paint it for about eight years. But the fact that it is so large and my indecision combined caused me to leave it in this state for all that time. It's just not very pretty, in fact I didn't really like it much.

But bit by bit, as the coats of paint went on, as my hubby added the crown molding, then trim around the mirrors, I find I have a very warm spot in my heart for it now and it isn't even finished yet. I may end up being very fond of it, time will tell.

And don't forget about the huge reveal parties that will be happening on January 31st. Be sure to come back here for the links to all of the parties.

Thistlewood Farm is one of them, as well as It All Started With Paint.

And there are more!

I hope you are having a lovely day!

Warm hugs,

Cindy

PS (is ps short for psssssssst!?)

I found another wonderful Canadian blog, she refinishes furniture beautifully and has lots of photos on her blog of the process. I have found it very helpful in this current venture of mine. Recaptured Charm is the name of it. Check it out!

~A Red and White Tea Cozy~

2012-01-23T20:46:00.001-06:00

Hello my friends, did you have a busy weekend? We certainly did, and I'm late with Monday's post. Well I guess it will just have to be Tuesday's post.

Friday's mail held a delightful surprise for me, it was a sweet little gift from Sue of beach bungalow. Sue lives in the coastal town of Oakville, Ontario, where, alongside her husband they are restoring an old house.

Just a week or so ago, she blogged about a darling little tea cozy that she had crocheted. I commented on how pretty it was and of course, how talented she is. She wrote back to tell me that she would make one for me if I would like one and she wanted to know what color. I quickly wrote back and said I would love to have a Red and White one. Just a few days later, it was in the mail.

It was accompanied by the sweetest little note.

Thank you SO much, Sue, I LOVE it!!!

It fits my little two cup tea pot perfectly. I have been drinking a lot of tea over this last month, with it being so cold, and this is just the thing to ensure that my second cup does not grow cold!

I have said it and so have so many of you, blogging friends are so special, I love every one of you! I appreciate every one of your kind comments, you have encouraged me to continue with my furniture painting and the re-decorating

my little bungalow.

Have a wonderful day and be sure to go say "HI" to Sue at beach bungalow and I think you might possibly be able to order one of these from her. She is hoping to open an etsy store and that might be one of the items available.

Warm hugs,

Cindy

~AWinter Mantel~

2012-01-20T10:31:00.002-06:00

YAY! It's Friday, I love Friday. It's the beginning of the weekend and my husband works from home, so I have the car. I am going to go out in a few minutes and brave the -22 C (7 deg below 0 F) somehow it just doesn't sound very cold when it's converted to Fahrenheit.

When I lived in Northern BC, I remember one Christmas that was 50 deg below 0 F, now that was COLD! About 20 years later, when I was a single mom and I delivered bundles of the Edmonton Journal to several of the small outlying communities, there were several days when it was 40 degrees below 0 F. A couple of well meaning people on my route warned me that I would die if I "hit the rhubarb" (went off the road). I simply had to go though, it was my job and my kids had to eat. I prayed and sang praise and worship songs on those very dangerous days as I drove, and I know the angels were around my car for the eight or nine hours that it took, because I felt at peace and I had no problems, whatsoever.

Like so many, after Christmas I felt a longing for a very simple decor. This is my "simple" fireplace Winter mantle.

I put my barn pictures on the mantle, I love barns.

Simple decor on the hearth...

...and there you are, the chairs are pulled up close to catch the warmth from the electric fireplace. There's a warm ruffly throw to wrap myself in. Staying warm is what it's all about.

I hope you are staying warm and cozy, too.

Warm hugs,

Cindy

The verdict is in, these pretty birds are Bohemian Waxwings. Thank you to everybody who helped me identify them, I appreciate all of your comments, always.

~A Pretty Valentine Craft~

2012-01-18T12:16:00.001-06:00

A happy Wednesday to you, my friends.

I hope you are all well and staying warm. It was -23 deg. Celsius when I got up this morning, that is pretty chilly, especially when there is a breeze. It was -30 something with windchill factor, brrrrrr!

I want to show you a very easy craft that anyone can do.

I saw this on Pinterest and I just had to try it.

I put it in a dollar store shadow box frame, but I had to remove the glass in order for the heart to fan out like it needed to.

I think it's a lovely little craft. I stacked eleven little hearts and glued each one down the fold with a tiny bit of glue.

In other news, I had a delightful little surprise when I looked out my front window and saw several pretty birds in my Mountain Ash tree. They were pecking at the frozen berries.

They are so pretty, I have no idea what they are, though. Perhaps one of you may know, please tell me if you do.

What delightful little surprise have you had today?

I am joining the Cozy Home Party at Cozy Home Scenes.

Staying warm,

Cindy

A wide shot, you can see my crafting paraphernalia on the table. It's too cold to spend much time in the basement craft room.

I'm Taking the Challenge

2012-01-15T20:06:00.005-06:00

It's the "Imagine the Impossibilities" Challenge. You can learn more about it at Thistlewood Farm.

My "Impossibility" is a plain, little, old armoire that I really love and have wanted to do something with forever! But I have not known what to do with it. It sits in my living room and will continue to. Here is the first photo.

I think it's made of pine or maybe fir, because the wood grain is not very pretty, so I'm not concerned about keeping the wood look. In other words I will gladly paint it.

Okay, the setting. It's in my living room against a wall that will soon, along with the other walls in the living room, be a soft creamy white much like the arm of my couch that is visible in the foreground. And lastly, there's wood trim in the living room.

My inspiration is this armoire in the background below:

I want my husband to add molding to the top like this one has. I think mine would look good like that.

Or this one:

I would love to distress it heavily like this. I would love to put shelves in it, too.

Or paint it dark grey and replace the mirrors with glass like the one below?

Or maybe I should leave it wood, just refinish it.


Pinterest

Please tell me what you think when you leave a comment. I'm very interested in hearing your opinions. I only have until the end of the month to have it done.

Today is my youngest grandson's birthday, he turned
five! Happy Birthday little man!

I'm joining Mod Mix Monday.

Hugs,

Cindy

Just in case you've forgotten what it looks like! :)

Hall Tree Makeover

2012-01-12T21:50:00.004-06:00

This is my third makeover of the year! And we're barely two weeks into it.

I don't think I have ever done this many in a whole year, and I have more makeovers to do still.

This is the hall tree that I asked you, my dear readers, to give me ideas on how to paint.

In the end I decided to paint the whole piece with a homemade chalk paint mixture. This is basically the recipe that I used: 1/2 cup plaster of Paris...1/2 cup hot water whisk those together and then add 1 1/2 cups of paints. I enjoyed using the chalk paint for all of the reasons that I had read. It really does go on nicely, I had to add water to it once, when it was getting too thick. I got the recipe for Chalk Paint from Art is Beauty, click on her blog name and see a beautiful table and chairs that she has painted.

I needed something in the kitchen to hold my satellite radio and my telephone. I also have all of my cookbooks there. I had a vision of what it could be...

Here she is with her chalk paint and a little distressing, with a coat of espresso paint on the hardware. I decoupaged vintage music sheets over the mirror. I'm not happy with how I did that, I shouldn't have angled the ones in the center. I'm going to do that over again.

My photos turned out terrible, it was very difficult to get a good shot of it because the kitchen is so small. But you can see that my satellite radio fits nicely and the telephone has it's place, too.

It is a great improvement, I think.

We got some snow on Wednesday and the temps have been down to -19 C (2 deg. below 0 F) for two days. That really isn't cold. I lived in Northern BC for many years and it was much colder there all winter long. It's been pretty balmy here lately hovering right around 0 C (32 deg. F) most of the time.
Have a good weekend, my friends.

Warm hugs,

Cindy

A Stool Makeover

2012-01-10T23:20:00.001-06:00

I am overwhelmed by the wonderfully sweet comments that I got on my table makeover! Thank you to all of my friends that popped over for a visit and thank you to all of the new friends that stopped by, too. That is what makes blogging so much fun, I think.

My latest project isn't quite so extensive as the table, in fact this one took no more than an hour altogether. Unfortunately, I did not get a good picture before I painted and remade the top.

This is a stool that my husband brought home the day that he picked up the old Singer treadle sewing machine for me. They are both curb-side finds. The top lifts off and there is storage under it. It is such a cute little thing that I keep it tucked under my kitchen table for

extra seating.

When I put a linen colored cover on it I discovered that it is really quite old, the padding in it looked like horse hair.

Do you see it tucked in under there? It had the old dark finish on it. You can see more of the table before it was painted, too.

First I painted the stool with a homemade chalk paint. (And by the way, what I didn't tell you about the table yesterday, was that I painted it with the homemade chalk paint, too.)

On Saturday I had a light-bulb moment! How would the cover look done in a Union Jack like design?!

I grabbed it and ran to my sewing room and a few minutes later, it looked like this!

The colors look a little off, the turquoise is a very soft color and the red is a true red.

I love it!

The last project that I have nearly completed is seen in it's original state in the first photo in the upper middle-right hand side. It should be finished by Friday.

Once these are done I have taken the "Imagine the Impossibilities" challenge. Several very talented bloggers have gotten together and they have challenged each other to tackle some kind of a project by the end of this month that they thought was an impossibility!

My new blog friend from Thistlewood Farm can explain what it's all about right here. Just in case you wish to take the "Imagine the Impossibilities" challenge, too. Ms. Thistlewood Farm is going to learn to make homemade bread! Now that is a challenge, if I ever heard one.

Later this week, I will show you what my "Impossibility" is. And maybe you can give me some idea of what you would do with it.

Until then...

Warm hugs,

Cindy

I'm lovin' it! (again)

Table Makeover

2012-01-08T20:10:00.002-06:00

Hello all, this is a post that I wanted to do on Friday, but I spent the day in bed with a sinus headache. I have only had one that bad before, and I sincerely hope I never have one like that again.

Anyway, here I am with my table makeover that I am SO very happy with.

First let me remind you of what it looked like BEFORE.

Sorry that is so blurry, I had it on manual focus, (dumb thing to do). But, you can see that the top is in bad shape. I kept a table cloth on it at all times, as you can see and have seen in the past.

So... New Years Day found us working on our table...me working and hubby taking photos. :) I wanted to be able to say that I did it all by myself, with him looking on at times.

Yes, that one is blurry, too. But you can see what the table apron looked like, in this one.

AFTER:

The top is so pretty now. After sanding the old finish off, I cleaned the surface and stained it with a walnut stain. Then once that had sat for 24 hours, I used a Varathane satin clear water base finish on it. I am very happy with it.

Another project is the doilie runner on it, it's not quite finished, but I'm loving it, too!

And if you look to the right of this last photo you see another project that is almost finished. I need to buy a small 1 x 4 to finish it off.

I am joining Mod Vintage Life again. She has some lovely participants each week.
I'm also linking to a brand new party.
It's called Your Cozy Home Party over at Cozy Home Scenes.
This looks like it's going to be really wonderful, so check it out, ladies.

I hope you had a good weekend and have a wonderful week.

Warm hugs,

Cindy

I'm loving it!!!

Gifts From Italy

2012-01-04T10:52:00.001-06:00

Don't you love to receive packages in the mail? Ah, yes, me too.

So imagine my delight as I reached into my mailbox to pick up the package that had a Bologna, Italy return address on it.

I have been reading Shabby Soul for quite some time now. Sylvia's blog is full of lovely shabby images, she shows you how she has created many of her sweet little projects, too.

I just love all of her wonderful dreamy images.

Inside the package were two delightful Christmas gifts.

One is a large white cloth with red embroidered words on it, I'm not sure what it says, but I love that the words are in RED and in Italian. Edit: An anonymous commenter from Italy left a comment telling me that the words are not Italian. Actually, she's right, they are German. Thank you!
I have been perusing European blogs recently and red is a very important color in many of them.

Isn't it sweet? It fits perfectly on my footstool/coffee table.

The second little suprise was this beautiful Belgium lace piece that can be used in so many ways. There are lovely little pockets in it.

Thank you, dearest Sylvia. I am now on the lookout for something pretty and very Canadian to send her one day in the near future...who knows what it will be?!

I am joining Nita over at Mod Vintage Life. Her parties always have such fun participants.

Have a lovely day, my friends! Thank you for all of your wonderful comments, I always enjoy reading every one of them and visiting your blogs.

Hugs, Cindy

You can see the snow on the roof of our garage, we still only have a few inches.

"2012" A New Year

2012-01-01T15:16:00.002-06:00

Happy New Year my friends!!! 2011 is now behind us, onward and upward to better things in 2012.

Did you have a great Christmas? I sure hope so.

Mine was a lot of fun! One day this week I will blog about one very special gift that came from a very special bloggy friend.

Are you a person who makes New Year resolutions? I do not, I gave that practice up a long time ago.

But I do set goals.

This is my hubby and I, we are off to church on the first day of 2012. Heehee! But seriously, how wonderful that we can spend part of the first day of the new year worshiping the Lord, with the people of God!!!

Source: tovestoogfirbeinte.blogspot.com via Lucy on Pinterest

One of the goals we have for this next year is to redo the brick on our fireplace. Many have suggested that I paint it. But the trouble is, I really love brick, but NOT the brick that happens to be on our fireplace.

Source: longlivethequeen.tumblr.com via Cynthia on Pinterest

This is the look that I love, light colored mortar and a reddish brick. My son, the brick layer, has laid off his crew for the Winter and very soon now he will have some free time. When I was thinking of doing this and talking to him about it, I showed him my inspiration images from Pinterest, he said, "What you want mom, is reclaimed brick." And I said, "Yes, that is exactly it!" And that is something that he is able to get! YAY for me!!!

Here are a few more inspiration photos, all from Pinterest including the first two.

Source: blog.urbangrace.com via Cynthia on Pinterest

Source: Uploaded by user via Cynthia on Pinterest

Source: 30somethingdq.tumblr.com via Cynthia on Pinterest

I think the one above is my favorite because of how red the brick is. I love the look of red brick.

Source: flickr.com via Cynthia on Pinterest

Aren't those walls gorgeous?

Well, I think you get the idea. That is goal No. 1. To reface our dark fireplace.

No. 2 is to repaint the living room. It is going to be a soft, warm off-white. That will happen around the same time as the fireplace fix.

There are other goals that I set each year and I have achieved each year. But, I will set the same ones this year and the next and the next, because some things are so worthwhile that they are worth doing endlessly.

Goal No. 1. To spend time alone with God every day, talking to Him, listening to Him and meditating on Him throughout my day.

Goal No. 2. To read the Bible through again. Last year I read the Message translation, this year I think it will be the New King James Version.

Goal No 3. To read, at least one book a month, a book about Spiritual things. I desire to grow in God and this is one thing that really helps. I know that we have to be very careful about what we read regarding Spiritual things. My husband helps me find them. He has a huge library filled with good books on various subjects, regarding spiritual matters.

That's about it.

Do you set goals? If so, will you tell me at least one of them in your comment? And tell me if you would be interested in hearing about each book as I read it, just a small synopsis of what it was about and what I thought of it. I LOVE hearing from you, my dear readers.

Lastly and most importantly, thank you to all of my readers who have become friends and who make this blogging experience a wonderful, incredibly fulfilling and ridiculously fun experience!!!

Happy New Year and happy today!!!

Warm hugs,

Cindy

~JOY TO THE WORLD~

2011-12-22T16:08:00.001-06:00

This will be my last post for some time, I am planning on enjoying my Christmas week without worrying about my little blog.

But before I go I have a treat for you, listen to this award winning choir sing "Joy to the World".

This church, Atlanta West Pentecostal Church, is a part of the same church organization that I have belonged to and loved all of my life. I hope you enjoy it.

My son and his wife and children will be with us on Christmas day. We will enjoy dinner, opening gifts and playing games. It is always so much fun having them here.

This morning I could see that it was snowing and the sun was shining at the same time. If you look closely you will see snowflakes.

A snowflake is a snowflake by any other name,

And though them may all look alike,

No two are the same.

The poor little tree is leaning...I need to go out and straighten it up.

I pray that all of you, my dear readers will enjoy a wonderful, joy filled Christmas and may the Lord send many blessings your way in the year 2012.

Warm hugs,

Cindy

~Christmas Glow~

2011-12-19T10:17:00.001-06:00

Happy last Monday before Christmas!

I am enjoying the glow of the lights, knowing that they won't be up much longer.

I painted the little J O Y plates this weekend, I may leave them up after Christmas.

I need J O Y all year long, how about you?

I went thrifting this weekend and I found this musical Santa, he fit my color scheme and he is so lovely that I just had to have him. I paid $1.00 for him.

I also found this little vintage boys choir, aren't they sweet? I only payed about $1.15 for all three.

My cloche is all ready. There was no room for them in the Christmas village, so they all got together, formed a company and went under-cloche!

My little Snow Lady insisted on snow, so here she is!

The weather has been very strange this year. It was barely freezing yesterday, but big fat snow flakes were falling, so I went for a walk. I LOVE walking in the snow, do you?

Does you have snow yet? Be sure to tell me if you do, I love to hear what's happening in your part of the world.

Enjoy your day, my friends!

Big warm hugs,

Cindy

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that St. Nick soon would be there!

~Whoopie Pies~

2011-12-15T23:23:00.000-06:00

It was sometime around the year 1972, that I entered grade eight and met Anita, who soon became my best friend and continued to be my best friend until I graduated grade 12. I spent many days and nights at her house. Anita's mom was a very good cook and her baked goods compared to none else. One of the things that she made and hid (from us) in the freezer was Whoopie Pies. They are so GOOD frozen.

Anita's mom gave me the recipe and I have made them many times throughout the intervening years.

But until recently, nobody that I knew, had ever heard of them. Then one day everybody was talking about "Whoopie Pies". Some say they are from Pennsylvania originally, others say Maine and still others say Boston, no matter where they originated, they are super-dilli-icious!

I wanted to make some for Christmas, but I could not find my own recipe.

I found one here on Martha Stewart's website, but it's not quite the same as the one that I used to make. The batter was too thick and ended up rising too high, even when I used a lot less batter on the cookie sheet it still ended up too high. They were a little tough, although I was careful not to mix the batter too long. I would not use that recipe again, probably.

I made a cream cheese icing, using 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup cream cheese, added 3 1/2 cups icing sugar and 1 teaspoon real Vanilla extract.

Then to make the peanut butter icing I divided what I had just made into two parts and added several tablespoons of peanut butter to one half. It was a little dry, I should have added a tablespoon or so of milk.

Have you ever made Whoopie Pies? Do you have a tried and true recipe? If so would you be so kind as to pass it on?

Thanks so much for stopping by, I always enjoy your visits and your wonderful comments.

Have a fabulous pre-Christmas weekend, dear friend,

Warm hugs,

Cindy

Wordless Wednesday

2011-12-14T10:41:00.001-06:00

I hope your day is Merry and Bright!

Love and hugs,

Cindy

Another Curbside Find

2011-12-12T10:12:00.001-06:00

Good Monday morning my Friends!!!

A couple of months ago, my husband was out jogging, , and he came home with this wonderful old soft drink box that someone had thrown away.

(Schweppes is written on the top of it.)

I thought I would take it apart and use only the original end pieces, since the other pieces, the plywood sides, are not original to it. But they did not come off very easily, so I decided to use it as a side table in my kitchen, instead.

What do you think of the skis being there? I found those in the garbage also.

The vintage Christmas card was one of my moms, from when she was a girl. It is close to seventy years old and I love it.

It's only 11 deg F. (-11 C) outside today, not bad for December. Our cold weather often comes in Jan. and Feb., so we are still enjoying sunny, nice days.

Have a beautiful day and thanks so much for coming by and leaving a sweet comment. If you visit me and leave a comment, then I am able to visit you back. Recently I have "met" so many new to me bloggers, it has been wonderful!

I am joining Nita at Mod Mix Monday , it's a very fun party! Check it out!

Warm hugs,

Cindy

~A Vintage Step Stool Redone~

2011-12-09T13:30:00.000-06:00

Hello again, so nice to have you here.

While working on Christmas gifts, I have been working on a project for me, too.

This is a vintage step stool that my husband found on a curb, he finds the best things for me!!! He knew I would love it and give it a new lease on life. It's very sturdy and when I climb on it to reach the higher shelves I never feel like I could fall.

It was okay like this, but just okay, nothing special about it.

But now it's a sweet little step stool that looks like it belongs. Don't you think?

Red is always my favorite color to use in my house. You will find it throughout, so it was the perfect thing to use. My daughter had given the Target tea-towel to me in September, and although I liked it very much, I thought it was crying out to be used in a different way.

And now, I know you're wondering how I used the rest of the tea-towel...

...Ta Da!

The rest of it is now a pillow. I made a five-minute (for me it's a 30-minute) envelope pillow case and stuffed an old pillow in it.

I hope your day is sunny and bright!

It's chilly but very sunny here in Manitoba.

Warm hugs,

Cindy

Hmmm...maybe I will use it on the dining room chair instead.

Gift Tag Tutorial

2011-12-08T11:44:00.002-06:00

Hello my friends.

Today I want to show you an easy way to make gift tags. This is something that girls would enjoy doing, other than spray painting it is well within the abilities of most children.

They could paint them with craft paint instead of chalkboard spray paint, then use a marker to write on it.

This is the finished product. A little chalkboard gift tag that can be as large or as small as you like.

Okay let's get started.

You will need:

Chalkboard paint (I used the chalkboard spray paint.)

Scissors

Light cardboard (I used the cardboard that comes in pkgs. of nylons.)

1/4 inch wide ribbon

Hole punch

Chalk

First draw a pattern, such as a heart on a piece of your lightweight cardboard. I drew half of a heart, bent the cardboard in two and...

...cut out a whole heart.

Next,

Trace around the pattern as many times as you like, I fit three onto this particular piece of lightweight cardboard.

Spray paint the whole piece of cardboard on the opposite side of where you drew the pattern...

After giving the paint plenty of time to dry, get the scissors.

Cut out the pattern...which you will be able to see on the opposite side.

Punch a hole in one side, attach the ribbon and write on it the little chalkboard tag!

I know this is super simple, but sometimes that's what kids need, right?

I found the picture of the gift tags on Pinterest, but I can't find it when I need it, so if this idea was originally yours, thank you for the inspiration. I love it!

Have a beautiful day and we'll talk soon!

Warm hugs,

Cindy

I hope your day is merry and bright!

A Christmas Mantle

2011-12-05T20:40:00.003-06:00

This is the week for Christmas blog parties.

I have shown bits and pieces of my mantle and today I will show it in it's entirety. I am just so glad that I have a mantle to decorate, it's one of my favorite areas to play with the decor.
I used fresh greenery on it this year, I will probably have to buy more shortly, this is drying out badly.
The pine cones, poinsettias and a gold Christmas ball or two are all the glitz that it needs with the wonderful lights that I have on it.

Doesn't that look like something straight out of the black and white photo era? I found the little antique table that is sitting in front of the fireplace, at a thrift shop for $7.99, I grabbed hold of that table so fast, you'd have thought there were others there grabbing for it as well. (Which there wasn't.) But I was not going to let that one get away from me. A couple of people asked me about it on my way to the cashier, but it was mine!

Night time is not the best time to take photos, everything glows!

I hope you are enjoying another week, the count down is getting closer to the big day!

It was -23 Celsius when I woke up this morning, it went up to -11 deg C. It was lovely for walking, I had a friend over for lunch and we went for a walk. It sure makes you appreciate a warm house when you are done!
I'm joining this party today!

Have a listen to a 16 year old Winnipeg, Manitoba boy, sing and play "Little Drummer Boy". This went viral today! He is pretty amazing. It shows some beautiful scenes from around our city, too.

Have a great day my lovely friends,

Warm hugs,

Cindy

~Christmas Decor on the Porch~

2011-12-01T10:41:00.001-06:00

Hello my friends!

I can't believe that it's Thursday, December the 1st already.

I decorated my tiny little space at the front door yesterday!

I quite like it, it's all stuff that I already had or found in someone's garbage pile.

That's where I got the skis and poles.

The old crock is from my husbands family. The skates were mine, I wore them for several years. They hurt me so badly that I can't wear them any longer.

I made the little sign, the wood is recycled.

The lantern and door wreath are both thrift store finds

One of my children made the red star many years ago.

The little Christmas tree is one that I have had indoors most years, but I like it better outside! All it needs now is for it to snow and it'll look more realistic. It is supposed to snow this weekend. YAY!

I have found the most amazing blog for Christmas ideas. This blog has everything from food, decor, crafts and gifts. Check out Welsh Cottage On the Hill.

I hope December has dawned sunny and bright and that you are feeling the JOY of the Season today!

Remember that Jesus is still the Reason why we celebrate!

Warm hugs,

Cindy

Today

2011-11-28T13:11:00.003-06:00

As I was sitting in my living room last night, I took this photo, I love this little corner.

Today

Outside my window, a new day I see,

And only I can determine

What kind of day it will be.

It can be busy and sunny, laughing and gay,

Or boring and cold, unhappy and grey.

My own state of mind is the determining key

For I am the person I let myself be.

I can be thoughtful and do all that I can to help,

Or be selfish and think just of myself.

I can enjoy what I do and make it seem fun,

Or gripe and complain,

And make it hard on someone.

I can be patient with those

Who may not understand

Or belittle and hurt them as much as I can.

But I have faith in myself and believe what I say

And I personally intend to make the best of this day.

Anonymous

Today has not gone according to plan, but I will make the best of it and rejoice!

My God is good to me and He is good to me all of the time!!!

I finished the pj's for my four year old grandson.

See the little tag that I put on the outside of them?

My blogger friend, Rhonda, of If You Do Stuff Stuff Gets Done, sent them to me. Wasn't that sweet? Bloggers are the best people in the world, I think! Thank you, dear Rhonda.

You saw the gown for my grand daughter, that I posted about recently, the fabrics are not matching, but they do correspond to each other. Such a fun project! Are you making some of your Christmas gifts? If so what are you making?

I hope your day is sunny and bright, and if it isn't read the poem above again and set out to make it a happy one!

Warm hugs,

Cindy

~Winter Wonderland~

2011-11-26T11:35:00.000-06:00

It snowed overnight, leaving us with a Winter Wonderland today. I took a walk and here are some photos for you. This is what I saw on my walk this morning.

Our Mountain Ash

Do you see my poor little deflated pumpkin with the scarecrow sitting on it on the porch? Time to take him in and replace him with something else, I think.

One of my neighbours made a snow person in their yard for her children.

There is a very large house down that lane, the river is behind their house.

The park and the Red River.

The walkway in the park.

I hope you are enjoying your Saturday!

Warm hugs,

Cindy

Our lovely Mountain Ash dressed in snow.

The Little Things

2011-11-24T11:11:00.001-06:00

It's really the beautiful little things that make up a beautiful whole, isn't it.

Today I will show you a few more "little things", one day hopefully I will have a beautiful whole to show.

But first of all "Happy Thanksgiving" to all of my American friends.

While shopping yesterday, I found some fresh White Pine boughs that I purchased to fit into my decor. I really like them.

Have you seen this Norman Rockwell print? It is the cutest thing!

The little boy has discovered that Santa's suit is in the bureau drawer in his house! Oh no! Does that mean that Santa is just a dressed up dad or uncle, maybe?

I grew up with the story, but we knew that our dad was our Santa. We left cookies and milk out, with a little note for Santa every year. The first thing we did upon rising Christmas morning, was to check and see if Santa had drank the milk and eaten the cookies. Did you grow up believing in Santa, or was it a fun fairy tale that you enjoyed at Christmas time?

While sewing for the grands, I snuck in some time to sew some pretties for me. I love Cardinals, they look very festive, so I picked up this pretty fabric at Fabric Land.

I really must get to that poor old table soon and make it beautiful once again.

I hope you enjoyed seeing a few "little things".

Enjoy your turkey dinner or if in Canada or elsewhere, enjoy your day, my friends.

Warm hugs,

Cindy

MMmmm...I love my Yankee Cinnamon Sparkle candle that I got at Winners for only $12.99.
It smells so good!

~I Believe~

2011-11-21T10:44:00.000-06:00

I Believe that Christmas is all about celebrating the birth of the Messiah, Jesus Christ our Lord.

When I celebrate at Christmas time, I celebrate the salvation that Jesus brought to all mankind and I celebrate my loved ones, by the giving of gifts.

I know that Jesus was not born in December and that December 25 is but a symbolic time in which we celebrate.

He still is the Reason for the Season.

When and if we celebrate isn't important, but only that we acknowledge that Jesus is the Savior of the World.

Today I am offering you a small glimpse into my little cottage.

It really is beginning to look festive.

I love this time of year.

It fills me with a yearning to have my family close around me, to enjoy a time of fun and games.

As a kid we had no family but our own mom and dad and siblings, but my folks went out of their way to make it a very happy time. A time that we will remember forever and recreate with our own families.

God decorated our city beautifully this weekend! We woke up to several inches of snow on Saturday!

It has been cold though, it was down to -9 C and with the wind they were saying it was -21 C, and it felt that cold, too!

It is meant to warm up to +6 C this week, but then our snow will melt. So, I'm hoping for +2 C, that's warm enough.

Have a wonderful day my friends!

Warm hugs,

Did I Hear Someone Say...

2011-11-18T14:49:00.003-06:00

...that Christmas is coming!

I have been busy already. My husband bought me a new sewing machine last weekend and I have one of many projects finished.

I have never had a Kenmore, but I do now and I love it. It sews like a dream. Next comes a sewing room!

My first project was a gown for my youngest grand-daughter.

The fabric is so sweet, the polka-dot flannel coordinates with the snowmen fabric on the ruffles.

The snowmen are sitting in little cups that say "hot cocoa" on them, it's so cute. She is only seven, young enough to enjoy "cute". One down and five more to go. A good machine makes sewing projects go so much faster.

I will make pj bottoms for my grandsons out of a coordinating blue fabric and the top for the youngest one will have larger snowmen in cups of cocoa on it.

And I have begun my Christmas decor...

...my Christmas village is coming to life.
My grand-children enjoy my little village.
It has been snowing off and on all day, and "it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!"

Have a lovely day my friends!

Warm hugs,

~A Win And A Winter Tablescape~

2011-11-15T11:55:00.002-06:00

Can you believe it is the middle of November already?!

I am going to start decorating for Christmas really soon. But I am easing into it slowly.

I won a lovely set of cloth napkins with a matching t-towel which I have used as a table runner.

I won them from Martina over at Northern Nesting .

Thank you, Martina, they are so pretty and can be very Christmas-y, but can be used otherwise, too.

I used a napkin here. Aren't they pretty?

And to add to that, I have found some darling little covered bowls and so I have decided to make a delicious Potato Soup for supper in order to use them.

Aren't they cute?
I have paired them with a ruby glass plate, a white plate and a dark brown leather charger. I think the ruby plates really pop against the white plate. I love snowmen because they are very Winter-y and not necessarily Christmas decor only.

I must have been using the wrong setting on my camera, because my photos are not usually this blurry . So sorry for that.

One more thing,

Notice the chandelier candles, they are black in the before...

Before

After

...they are white now. I think they look better.

The snow is gently falling, we are only meant to get a centimeter. I love to see the snow falling and know that it won't cause any problems on the highways.

Have a lovely day my friends.

Warm hugs,

I Will Remember

2011-11-11T11:06:00.003-06:00

WHEN A SOLDIER COMES HOME

When a soldier comes home, he finds it hard....

...to listen to his son whine about being bored.

....to keep a straight face when people complain about potholes.

...to be tolerant of people who complain about the hassle of getting ready for work.

...to be understanding when a co-worker complains about a bad night's sleep.

...to be silent when people pray to God for a new car.

...to control his panic when his wife tells him he needs to drive slower.

...to be compassionate when a businessman expresses a fear of flying.

....to keep from laughing when anxious parents say they're afraid to send their kids off to summer camp.

....to keep from ridiculing someone who complains about hot weather.

....to control his frustration when a colleague gripes about his coffee being cold.

...to remain calm when his daughter complains about having to walk the dog.

....to be civil to people who complain about their jobs.

....to just walk away when someone says they only get two weeks of vacation a year.

....to be forgiving when someone says how hard it is to have a new baby in the house.

The only thing harder than being a Soldier...

Is loving one.

I found the above at Gracie Jewellery. Thank you Gracie for this wonderful way to honor our Military.

I for one will remember and be forever grateful to the men and women who are serving and have served our countries so willingly and sacrificially.

A special Thank You to my nephews Brian and Will.

Brian has been a Chaplain in the US Military for several years, having served both in Iraq and in Afghanistan.

Will has been in the US Military for almost a year.

He is presently stationed in Italy.

Thank you also to Judy and Don, their parents, who have stood behind and beside their sons as they made their decision to join the Military.

Thank you to all of you who have sacrificed, we enjoy our freedom today because of you.

I Will Remember!

Warm hugs, Cindy

The Needles Hwy., SD, USA

2011-11-10T12:24:00.002-06:00

When we were in SD last month, one of the many things that we did was travel Highway 87, aptly named the Needles Highway. We drove it twice actually, but darkness descended so quickly the first time that we could not take photos. So, we traveled it again the next day. I hope you enjoy the photos.

We caught a glimpse of some of the interesting rock formations from a distance.

Finally, we passed through the last tunnel. There are two such tunnels on this highway, one is 8'4" wide and the other is 9' wide.

We pulled off the highway and gazed all around us. It was incredible. I have never seen rocks like this.

The above photo is the "Needles Eye" that the Highway is named after. The photo below is of the base of the Needle.

What a thrill to see rock formations like this.

On our way out, we passed this beautiful lake, Sylvan Lake.

The beauty in that area is absolutely breath-taking!

I definitely will go back again and see these lovely sights. I hope you enjoyed seeing them.

Have a wonderful day,

Warm hugs,

Cindy