Good-Bye Winter!

That's it! I'm done! Even though I don't HAVE to go out most days, I have had enough of these frigid temperatures. Warm hugs to each of you that head out to your vehicle each morning to go to work or take kids to school.  Wishing that I could, but there is nothing I can do about the weather outside... but I can change what I look at inside.

When I packed away the Christmas décor early last month, I left out a number of items that were more 'winter' than 'Christmas' thinking they would remain until the middle of March. But their day is done... I don't need any reminders of winter as I look around my home. So, the deer and cute little figurines that are making snowmen and ice skating - the three angels, greenery and pine cones - my fun little Woof 'n Poof girls and the chenille snowmen... Bye bye! See you again in November.

And while I was busy clearing shelves and tabletops, it seemed like a good time to re-arrange the living room. Everything that I could lift or push got moved - it had been a while (anybody know how to revive the carpet where furniture legs have left an indent?).
Today as I look around there are definitely some areas that need to be re-worked and added to - what used to sit there? It will be a work in progress for a while as I sit with a cup of coffee and think it through!

At least I don't have to be reminded of winter everywhere I look, but I know it will slap me in the face when I step out the door!

Till next time...
Blessings,

Gail

Where to Find Cottage Antiques

Can it be true that it has been over 18 months since we closed The Cottage? That time has flown by, but not to worry - we haven't been sitting idle. In July of 2012 we opened a booth at the I-29 Antique Mall and maintained that space until the end of 2013. Today you can find our treasures at The Vintage Market and ReDezign (under one roof) in Beresford and the newly opened Picker's Antique Mall in Sioux Falls. Come along and I'll show you around...

 

The Vintage Market can be found at 123 North 3rd Street in Beresford and is open Friday 9-6, Saturday 9-4 and Sunday 12-4. There are a lot of creative people that have brought items to The Vintage Market! 



 

 

 

If you follow the pathway through The Vintage Market you will come to ReDezign (they also have a separate entrance around the corner on Hemlock).  Here we have a booth with some different types of items - advertising signs, crocks and miscellaneous.

 

 

There's a 'new store in town!' Picker's has only been open a couple of weeks, and we have some beautiful furniture in our booth there.

And, of course, like any antique mall you will also find just about anything you might want or need. It is located in Sioux Falls, just north of 41st Street on Shirley Avenue (right behind Savers). They are open Tuesday thru Saturday 10-5 and Sunday 12-5.

 



 

 

I don't know why I love antique and vintage things, but I sure do! I look at these pieces from the past and wonder about the people that previously owned and loved them. It would be wonderful if each piece came with a written history telling us where they were purchased and at what price, where and how they were used, and what path they took to end up in one of our booths.

 

I invite you to stop by one of these businesses and see what you can find that you love!

 

Till next time...

Blessings

Gail

 

 

Edyth's Month

 

My Grandma Edyth has been on my mind a lot this month. The fact that I am working on "her page" in my ancestry scrapbook probably started it off. I've been looking at pictures of her and remembering stories about her. As a family, those of us who remember her have been sharing memories of our feisty and funny Grandma Edyth.

There was nothing easy about her journey, but I especially think how difficult it must have been to have three sons serving in the Navy in the Pacific during WW II. Her youngest son remembers hearing her cry at night during those difficult times. And I would imagine the most difficult would have been the 'not knowing' if they were safe. Months could pass before the next letter would come, and that must have been mental and emotional torture. 

And it is so appropriate that all this remembering is happening in the month of January. Edyth Webber Anderson was born and died in the month of January - leaving us one day before her 95th birthday.

 

Those of us who knew and loved her miss her still. We miss her wonderful sense of humor and her laugh! We miss her fingers, crooked from arthritis and her soft, paper-thin skin. And we miss her insisting that she was 5'4" tall when she obviously would have had to stand on tip-toe to reach 5 foot. She was always the measuring stick when our kids were growing up - the goal was to be taller than Grandma Edyth.

 

All this remembering makes me wonder what my children & grandchildren will remember about me. I'll take comfort in the fact that the things that seem to mean the most are simply the things that make us who we are.

 

Till next time...

Blessings,

 

Gail

To Crop or Not to Crop...

The major project that I am focusing on in 2014 is pictures. I, probably like most of you, have pictures tucked away in boxes, drawers, bags - and any little space that is available. The other day I ran across a group of pictures from 1990 - thinking that was not so long ago, I was shocked when I realized that it was 24 years past. Frightening! At the moment I am in the process of gathering every picture I can find and sorting them by year. I'm finding it a difficult task, but I will persist.

What I really want to mention today is the background of pictures. What I am finding most interesting in very old and not so old pictures is the background or surroundings that make up the picture. Outdoors it might be the vehicles or buildings, and indoors it would include the décor or styles of that time - perhaps foods or dishes. To demonstrate, I am going to use a picture that we used as our Christmas card this year. It was taken in 1959 or 1960 in my parents' home.

 

I love all the tinsel on the tree! The rule was that we had to place it on the tree one strand at a time, and of course it all had to be removed the same way as we undecorated the tree. It was saved until the next year when the process was repeated.

 

And I remember so well the draperies in the living room and all throughout the house that my mother lovingly sewed. This was in the 50's and they were made of a somewhat nubby fabric called bark cloth. She purchased the fabric at Shriver's Department Store in Sioux Falls.

 

The picture window was always decorated at Christmas time and each year Mom came up with new ideas. And of course there is a Saturday Evening Post in the magazine rack!

 

But here was the best find in this picture - the little choir boy that still comes out to sing each Christmas in my home!

 

The tendency today is often to crop our pictures in an effort to highlight the people; but if that had been done to this picture, I would have missed out on the opportunity to be reminded of and reminisce about the home I grew up in. Give this some thought the next time you are cropping a picture.

 

Another option would be to periodically go through your home and take pictures of how you live today. January would be a great time to do that. And if things aren't perfectly picked up and cleaned, that's even better. Someday the kids will enjoy seeing the toys they played with strewn across the floor and their childhood shoes piled by the back door. And whatever happened to those dishes we used to eat off of every day?!?

 

Till next time...

Blessings,

 

Gail

Word for a New Year

Do you choose a word for the year? I've never done it before, but decided it would be a good exercise. So, after analyzing some excellent words... 
          Learn
                          Create
                                           Believe

 I have chosen the word Embrace!

As a verb - a word that calls for action - it means to take or receive gladly or eagerly, to accept willingly.

It is my intention to do exactly that with each day of 2014.

 

Not only to "take what comes,"

 but more importantly to seek out new things to embrace!

 

As I open the door to 2014 and travel this path, I will share with you the things learned,

          the projects completed,

                    the places visited

                            and the people encountered along the way.

 

And I would really love it if you would share back with me in the 'comments' section below. Two way conversations are the best!

 

Let's have a great year!

Till next time...
New Year Blessings,

Gail

Stitching Up a Merry Christmas

As a parent, it is always fun to watch your kids open their Christmas gifts, and I was especially anxious this year. However, I'm not talking about the little people (although they were fun to watch too). Over the past year I made quilts for my two girls and their fellas, and I think I succeeded in both surprising and delighting them.

 

The pattern I used was Yellow Brick Road and it is designed for fat quarters and was great fun to put together. I actually made one for myself last year, so I have now made three quilts using this pattern - I think somebody needs to take it away from me! The first one I made last spring, and used a group of coffee-themed fabrics. 

 

 



Since Kerri & Jeremy both enjoy coffee, I knew it would be perfect for them. This quilt needed a border to bring it up to the right size. The quilting is done in a coffee mug & steam pattern - so appropriate. 

 

For the quilt I put together this fall for Heidi and Jeff I chose a group of flannels in colors that I knew reflected their casual lifestyle. (Sorry that the quality of these pictures is so poor. They were taken later in the day and the lighting wasn't good)

 

 

The quilting is done in a 'flame' pattern to represent a fireplace or campfire. A flannel quilt and a crackling fire - perfect for this time of year.

 

It was really fun to work on these projects this past year, but I found it difficult not to let it slip when talking with them. Now I have a couple of grandkids that have been waiting patiently for their long-ago promised quilts! I think I better come up with a different pattern though.

 

Till next time...

Blessings,

 

Gail

 

 



Silent Night...

The Christmas message is evident year round at my friend, Linda M's house. She has been collecting nativity set for many years, and they are artfully displayed throughout her home. Some of them come out just during the Christmas season, but many serve as reminders of the birth of Jesus throughout the year. These pictures were taken with my cell phone on a whim one evening, so the lighting and the quality may not be the best, but I hope you enjoy this tour of Linda's nativities - my Christmas card to you...

Silent night, Holy night

 

 

All is calm, all is bright

 

 

'Round yon virgin, mother and child

 

 

 Holy infant so tender and mild

 

 

Sleep in heavenly peace,

 

 

Sleep in heavenly peace.

 

 

Silent night, Holy night

 

Shepherds quake, at the sight

 

Glories stream from heaven afar

 

Heavenly hosts sing Hallelujah

 

Christ the Savior is born,

 

 

Christ the Savior is born.

 

Silent night, Holy night

 

Son of God, love's pure light

 

Radiant beams from Thy holy face

 

With the dawn of redeeming grace,

 

Jesus, Lord at thy birth

Jesus, Lord at thy birth.

 

Until next time...

Christmas blessings,

 

Gail