A wonderful award & Honoring our Veterans....

I am truly honored and humbled to accept this Kreative Blogger award from the very lovely and talented Rebecca of Rebecca for Vintage Living. (if you haven't visited Rebecca's blog you must...it is so beautiful, not only for her beautiful pictures and art, but her studio and home will leave you practically drooling if not down right green, I know it did for me :) Once you start looking at her blog, it is kinda hard to stop, it is just one beautiful image and post after another...enjoy! ohhh and your welcome...(sorry couldn't resist.)

Rebecca was so sweet that she had already given me another lovely award when I had dislocated my arm, being that I couldn't really type I thanked her for it but didn't honor its rules (bowing head in shame) But honestly...in my sorry defense... being new to all of this, I wasn't sure what to do or how to do it, luckily, after I finally got to the nerve to admit and ask for help...I went to my wonderful friend...Whom you all know...Dawn of The Feathered Nest, who took a few minutes to explain things to me...Dawn what would I do without you?

So according to the rules on Rebecca's blog....I have to tell you 7 things about me and then award 7 other blogs..Soooo...ok ready?....seriously are you ready?....I know I am stalling but I am starting to hyperventilate and I am starting to see stars and my ears are buzzing....kidding...kinda lol.

1~ I fell in love with my husband when I was 16 and in high school, I saw him walking across the quad and said to my best friend..."see that guy, I am gonna marry him one day and we both laughed...We married...over 2o years later and I am still laughing :)

2~ I, like Rebecca and many others of you out there lost my dad this year, March 14th and even though I still miss him so much it sometimes hurts to breathe...the holiday I associate most with him is Thanksgiving because he always made birthdays and Christmas about us and all the grandkids, but Turkey day was all about him and his favorite foods...I hope we carry on those yummy traditions...even the tart cherry pie (mouth is puckerin just thinking about it lol)

3~ I have 2 daughters ages 19 and 13, who even though I love them with all my heart....and sometimes wish they were still like I see them in my hearts eye...little and sweet...sometimes wish they would grow up and actually act their age :)

4~ I have had the privilege and heartbreak of having and losing... not 1 but 2 wonderful, amazing, loving daddys in my life. My first daddy I lost when I was 10 and he was only 35...then like I said earlier, my dad Sonny, we lost just this year, he was 73 and amazing. As painful as it is losing these wonderful men, I thank God everytime I think of them, because I was loved so much by them both...the most amazing thing though... I was their step daughter...but never once did they call me that or treated me like that...to them, I was their daughter, they were my daddys...and that is all that mattered.

5~I am so thankful for all the wonderful woman I have met and become friends with thru this amazing thing called Blogland...in my darkest moments...visiting you and talking to you has helped pull me out of some of the darkest moments... you will never know how truly thankful I and my family who have seen what this means to me, are.

6~I have so many ideas, so many things I want to do and try....but there just never seems to be enough time with all my excuses :)

7~I have the biggest weakness for chocolate and that is why I will forever battle the same 10-15 lbs lol (pathetic...I know but tis me)

Whewww that wasn't so bad....really, the shaking is finally subsiding :) Now the 7 blogs I want to give this award to are as follows...( if you feel you can't accept this award...because sometimes...life gets in the way) that is ok, because you know how wonderful you guys are...this is just away of letting you know, others think it too :) *I forgot to ask if you can give the award to someone the person who is giving you the award, chose too?

If you get a chance, visit these wonderful blogs, they are truly beautiful and inspiring.
Dawn of The Feathered Nest
June of Laughing With Angels
Carole of Maynard Greenhouse
Nancy of Fete et Fleur
Ana of A Petite Cottage
Carolyn of Little Bear Studio
Lorraine of Paper Bird

***I wanted to award these 2 wonderful ladies also, Rebecca, who originally gave this award to me and Tracey of French Larkspur, although Rebecca gave her the award already, I wanted to also....In fact there were so many more I wanted to give it to, all you have to do is look at the right side of my blog and see all those wonderful blogs...and you would know that this post would then be more than a few pages :)
Thank you, Rebecca!


Now to Honor all our Veterans and all who are still serving now...Thank you for so unselfishly serving our Country to protect and honor it and us...May you come home safe to those that love you...Thank you, thank you, thank you, I think a thousand thank you's would never be enough. To our dad Sonny, who will forever be a Marine....Thank you Dad, we love and miss you everyday!

Until next time dear friends...

Rose~

Please indulge me in this lil mamie moment...

My stars I remember the day that this picture was taken and how she laughed and ran on the beach and had her sister Ashley and her cousin Alisha chase her. She like me and my older daughter truly love the beach and the ocean...



She was walking on the beach leaving her footprints and when I realized what she was doin, I wanted her to turn and walk away from us so that I could take a picture of her, because it reminded me so much of my favorite poem "Footprints In The Sand" but she was tired, grumpy and cold...so this picture was as good as it got :) Never once did we think to GO behind her and take the picture lol

When I look at my daughter Anaissa now, this is still what I see in my hearts eye...she is now 13 and about 5'8 and I coulda swore 5'10 because she looks so freakin tall, I am 5'4 so it amazes me still...that I have to look up...if I want to look into my babys eyes...not to mention that it breaks my heart sometimes too :)

Both my daughters are brilliant...at least in my eyes :) They are both equally talented and love to draw, write stories, do journals and are just so artistic and talented that it blows my mind...I often wonder how, where did this talent come from? At just 13, Anaissa speaks like an adult... an albeit pompous adult :) hey I am "ama"...I can say that lol She loves big words and loves throwing her sister off with them...I can't tell you how many times I hear her leaving her big sister in a huff simply saying..."look it up" after insulting her and you know....(pssst don't say anything, this is stickily between us..but I sometimes have to leave the room because the need to laugh is just overwhelming...especially when I hear my older daughter yell "Mamie" and I have to define for her what her baby sister just called her :)

The other day, Anaissa left a paper at my desk that she was typing up for her English Gate class so uhmmm I stole this little piece...I couldn't help it...I thought it was beautiful :)

The Brightest Star...

A young girl. Full of love. Full of happiness. A bright girl.

One that literally shines with enthusiasm. A girl...that glows with

happiness & joy. She's carefree. She's young.

She is enlightened. She smiles & every other person in the world

can't help but smile with her. Star...That's what they call her.

The brightest of them all. The one that's not afraid of strangers &

embraces them with open arms. She's never afraid...

She's the girl I want to be. A girl, not a woman.

But sadly, that's a girl...no one will ever see.

Oh Nissa amor, if you only knew... that when mamie looks at you....that is the girl... I see :)

Update on me :) I am doing somewhat better...you know how it is...mom is always ON so too much too soon rehurting my arm and so I am slowly recovering...my stars feels like forever! but my arm is better each day...thank goodness it has been warm here in So Cali. because cold makes me literally see stars lol I hope to be back to posting more often and leaving more comments than I have...sorry, I have been visiting but was just too sore too type because well...I always have alot to say :) lol

Until next time dear friends...

Rose

A quick thank you and an update...

How can I tell you how blessed...happy...surprised and even a little sad all of your amazing comments on my last post about my dads pancakes have made me. When I wrote about my dads pancakes...it was all because a beautiful picture of a plate with delicious and beautiful..yes beautiful looking pancakes bought such a loved memory of my dad from my heart to my head.

When I wrote about my memory it hurt a bit, especially when I told about his last days... remembering that is still so hard...but it also made me soo happy to remember him, his pancakes and his smile and even the grumpy comments he made when we asked for his recipe...I just never thought how many of you could identify with this memory and feeling too.

I feel so blessed to have soo many beautiful, wonderful memories of my dad, I am even thankful for the not so happy memories...because, you know my dad was after all only human...like the rest of us...but none the less, they are memories that bring him back to me if only for a few precious moments...but I am so thankful for them. Now for why everyones comments made me a little sad too...I think the realization that so many of us have lost loved ones recently, or are going thru something painful with a loved ones illness is heartbreaking...Also the fact that cancer is so often a part of this factor with so many of us makes it even harder to deal with sometimes...But I wanted to Thank All Of You, that took the time to read my LONG post and left me such amazing heart felt comments....Thru my tears from reading them...I thank you from my heart and hope that you all have some amazing memories of your own loved ones in your heart that bring you happiness when you most need it. Again, Thank You!!!

Now for my little update, I also want to thank you all that have been so sweet to email and ask how I am, it is a wonderful feeling when friends realize they haven't seen you around their blogs and wonder why (makes you feel special..right :) What wonderful "friends" I have made here in Blogland...Dawn...I forever thank you for that :) I dislocated my shoulder...thinking that I just pinched a nerve and that is why it was hurting so bad, I proceeded to try doing windmills (slowly)with my arm, thinking this would help losin up my arm and make it not so sore...SMART...yeah I get that now lol. After Tylennol and Advil did nothing and the pain was to the point it was making me ill, I finally went in to get my arm checked and found out I had actually dislocated my shoulder...yup and let me tell you not fun getting it put back either lol Guess those windmills were a really bad idea :) So I have been trying to visit your blogs still, because I miss seeing what everyone is doing but I haven't left comments...(typin with 1 hand is sooo slow lol ) and it was my right arm I hurt..., I am right handed, I know....only I could do that much damage...so well lol Hopefully in a few more days I will be back to commenting as well as visiting :) Hope everyone has a wonderful week....And if you are in So California....yay do you not just love this new cooler Autumn weather...just lovely, we are getting the sweaters and lap blankets out :) Tine for lovely delicious soups and oven dishes like meatloaf and pot roast with mashed taters....loves it!

Well until next time dear friends....

Rose~

A Time for Pancakes...

Picture by the lovely Mari Eriksson

Is this not the most beautiful picture of pancakes you have ever seen? It was taken by the lovely Mari Eriksson of the gorgeous blog An Angel At My Table, this picture literally bought me to (happy) tears and inspired this post, It's with a happy heart that I thank Mari for sharing her beautiful picture with me and allowing me to use it in this post :) If you have never seen her blog, you really should visit her...Her blog is so beautiful and her pictures are truly gorgeous!


Have you ever noticed that there is ALWAYS a time for pancakes? Day or night...breakfast..lunch..or dinner...shoot or like me...a 2 in the morning snack :) Everyone likes them different...in our house, my kids slather them with syrup..my youngest Anaissa...always steals MY apple cinnamon syrup...my husband loves them however I make them, I love them with warm strawberry compote...but my dad...my dad...well he made the most delicious...scrumptious pancakes that I have EVER eaten. No one else can match his...my mom has tried poor dear...but I am always the first to tell her...good... but nope!! ( I know even in my 40's I give my mama a hard time :) I have eaten them at some fru fru restaurants and some not so fru fru mom & pop joints and still no one made them like my dad....

When I was a young girl I remember waking up on Sunday mornings when he would make pancakes...mounds and mounds of delicious tiny... fluffy... yet crispy melt in your mouth...yes so good you wanna smack yo mama pancakes!! I would eat soo many that you could probably roll my lil butter ball butt back to bed! On weekends I hated...did I mention HATED waking up early...In fact...I hated it so much that most Sundays they... notice I said they all got up early and went out to breakfast, my sister getting those stupid mickey head shaped pancakes with tons of whipped cream...but not I...even at a young age I had a more upscale palatte (but looking back now...maybe I was just lazy lol) I preferred to stay in my warm bed...but when the smell of his pancakes wafted into my room...no matter what ungodly hour it was...I sat straight up in bed and smiled! I also knew I better get my lil butter ball butt in there before they were gone :) My sister is 7 years younger than me but let me tell you for someone as tiny as she was...that child could pack them pancakes away!!!

To say his pancakes were good...was an understatement...everyone loved them, when he took us camping as kids...we begged for them...when later in years my parents took all the grandkids camping without the adults...they begged for them and I would actually grumble when my kids came back and said "Pampa made pancakes!" Did I sound and act like a 2 yr old..yes and I don't care lol

He would make what seemed like hundreds of tiny lucious pancakes and we would literally devour them...but he would as a "surprise" make a bunch more and leave them on a pretty lil plate for later...just incase someone had a hankerin for a mid day snack...miday...heck I made excuses to walk into their kitchen and snatch one or two.. many times through out the day...plain..with nothing on them...they were even more delicious...they had such a light taste and just enough sweetness that to this day I haven't found anyone elses to compare...NOT EVEN CLOSE !

Everyone asked for his secret recipe...he response..."No secret...just follow the directions on the box, not too damn hard"...then he would smile....

It had been awhile since I had his pancakes...my tummy and my heart were craving them...He was in the hospital still processing the diagnosis they had given him, just like we all were. That morning for breakfast they bought everyone pancakes...but they came back to his room because they had made a mistake he was to have oatmeal...he didn't mind...he said he actually preferred it...he said "you can't mess up oatmeal but the pancakes looked and smelled like shit" (sorry but he didn't believe in mincing words :)

The morning after he shared his last wishes with us all...he was preparing to come home and trying to make him smile I said..."just think Sonny...you can eat all the pancakes you want when you get home....course you have to make them" ( I know selfish of me to say but...Hey he smiled!!) He was walking around on his own...although a lil tired..he still insisted on doing things on his own, joking...just happy he was finally coming home...Well we never got that chance...to have his special pancakes...He came home the next day on Sunday, early evening...and by Monday morning he couldn't really talk or walk much less stand...By that night you couldn't understand what he was saying...it was heartbreaking because when he spoke it sounded like he was drowning...By that next Sunday he was with us only in spirit and we were all hanging on to each other to survive and we were planning his funeral...

How sad that with everything going on that all too short week we had left with him...no one thought to make him pancakes...no one thought to get his recipe...no one will ever get to eat his melt in your mouth..soo good you wanna smack yo mama pancakes again.......

The holidays are quickly approaching...I think we are all quietly dreading it here, Thanksgiving was his favorite holiday because my mama made it all about him and all his favorite dishes...because you see, he made Christmas, all the other holidays and all our birthdays all about us...but sharing this memory and others like this with my mom, husband...my girls...my sister and her lil ones....I think helps us ease into the upcoming holiday season...

So you see...sometimes a picture isn't just worth a thousand words... sometimes it is worth much, much more...like one special, precious..albiet...delicious memory....Again, Mari thank you sooo much for reminding me of my beautiful memory...And helping me to smile once again when I think of him...


Until next time dear friends...




Rose~

A lovely friends 1100th Post Giveaway!!!!

My stars just writing that left me speechless....1100 POSTS!!! Say it with me...
1..1..0..0 !!!! WOW!!!

My sweetest friend Dawn or as I with carino (love) call her Lovey...of The Feathered Nest blog, is having a Giveaway to Celebrate her 1100th post! But as amazing as that is, she is also making a piece of art for the lucky winner!!! Have you ever seen her work?? It is so beautiful...I would even go as far as saying Delish..because it is truly a feast for the eyes :) I know there are some of you out there that are fortunate enough to have one of her beautiful pieces in your home...then you know...because I have one and everytime I walk by it... I SMILE...her work just makes you do that..well that and oooh and ahhhhh !

So go over to her blog and leave a comment...and enjoy her gorgeous blog!! Good luck!!!

(So is it bad Karma to want no one to listen to me and leave a comment to win?...just kidding...not really :) ...like I said...have you seen her work!! :)

Click here to Enter Giveaway!!!

I will post something new later tonight, I got over the flu, feeling better and catching up on everything that didn't get done while I was sick...you know how that is...and now my girls are sick so between that and all the stuff going on around here, I am visiting as many of your beautiful blogs as I can but I don't get as much time as I would like to post...I mean the ideas are there...it''s the get up and actually do part is that is sadly lacking :) Hope you all are well...

Until next time dear friends....

Rose ~

2 Wonderful giveaways, Jeanne d'Arc Style and a sneak peek...

I seem to have caught a nice lil bug here and feelin a lil crappy to put it nicely...but I really wanted to share these 2 wonderful giveaways with you...The first giveaway is from the lovely Jana of the beautiful blog Collected Treasures, she is actually having a monthly giveaway on her blog...how great is that :)

Click here to enter giveaway!

The second one I already posted about here It is for the lovely Kathleen of the beautiful blog Musings From A French Cottage

Click here to enter giveaway!

Please...Take a moment to visit their beautiful blogs and enter their wonderful giveaways and just enjoy your visit...I know I always do!

Now for the Jeanne d'Arc Style part...well all I can say is this....And So It Begins...A new obscession that is lol Thanks to the lovely Carol of Maynard Greenhouse who was ever so sweet to send me the Jeanne d'Arc magazine as part of my winnings from her giveaway..that magazine and I seem to be joined at the hip :) I take it with me everywhere and right now feeling crappy like I am...I am literally going from the couch to my bed and back and always with that book...cause lets be honest...should you really call this beauty a magazine??? But when we were taking pictures of my winngings, I noticed that I had something in my home that was in the magazine..and add that with some tiny pewter chairs and metal flower frog and the lovelies that Carole sent me and well I am on my way to embracing this new to me style :) Don't get me wrong..I still love all my stuff...but I am looking at my things in a new light...The only complaint that I have about this magazine is that the pictures are sooo amazingly beautiful and I truly don't mind that I don't understand a word...at least until I came across the gorgeous pictures of FOOD and what I can assume are the recipes lol my stars how I wanted to be able to understand more than the pictures then :) sooo I was soo thrilled when I found out that they were actually bringing out the magazine in English this month...oh the joy :) Look at the pictures below and see what I mean about on to a great start....See my wire basket just like the one in the magazine picture on the top left hand corner...and to think I paid a whole $1.91... I knew I was getting a good deal :)

Now here is a sneak peak at the picture wall in my bebe studio...still need to add more pictures and put more things away...or should I say a TON of things :)

I love this wall cabinet...I paid a whole $10 for it...Gaudy?...maybe...but tis me :) I just need to add the glass shelves and my treasures...

Ok it is almost that magical hour again...2 am...so I think I better go try and sleep for a few hours before it is time to get up and start it all...all over again.

But before I leave you...Let us take a moment today to think of all those special people that we lost on Sept.11, 2001 on that awful day that forever changed our Beautiful Country and us... And whether you agree with these wars or not...God bless all our men and woman who are still in the fight...Bring them home safely to their families and loved ones...and Like I said before...God Bless America...Again

Until next time dear friends....


Rose~

My Treasures from Carole of Maynard Greenhouse ...

Yes, you read right :) ...Treasures...all from the lovely Carole from Maynard Green House blog, whose giveaway....I was ever so lucky to win :)

First of all, I want to thank all of you for your patience...because truth be told...patience and I have yet to meet :) I want to thank my lovely friend Dawn for her genuine happiness in my winning and encouraging me to take as many pictures as possible and just trying till I was happy with the results and then that leads me to my Mr wonderful, thank you papi for your love and patience, taking picture after picture till I was happy... and I am sooo sorry for those extra grey hairs that I just added to your head...but really you look ever so more gorgeous and distinguished...so papi... your welcome lol.

But most of all Carole, thank you! You picked all these lovely things that I absolutely love...like I said before, I love your taste and I am amazed at how you just knew everything that I would love...also Mr wonderful say thanks alot for the Jeanne d'Arc Living magazine and sending me into a whole new frenzy and obsession lol

Now without further adieu...please enjoy the treasures of this lucky duck...

In this first picture, please excuse the palm tree fabric parson chairs :) they are waiting for drop cloth slipcovers ... just imagine how they will look :)...Thank you for that idea, Dawn :)

I love, love this...I think I will leave it just like this...

look how tiny this lovely lil package is...I love love tiny things...

But look at the treasure that was waiting inside....

simply lovely....

que lindo....how lovely....

look at what pretties were in this music sheet package...

you see now why I felt so guilty opening these lovely packages :)

but look at the lovelies waiting inside....

mine, mine...mine

mine, mine mine...all mine...my stars I sound like I am 2 :)

we took about 60 pictures, I cut that to 20, I edited that to these....I didn't want to scare you off...but I did want you to enjoy all the lovelies that Carole was so kind to send to me...everytime I walk by the table and see these things...I smile...I gush and I say...THANK YOU, CAROLE...and then I say...mine, mine, mine...seriously..ask Mr wonderful :)

I hope you enjoyed all my treasures as much as I have and like said...it feels like I got a present from one of my favorite rockstars ;)

Until next time dear friends...

Rose~