It's That Time Again!

How time flies.

It's time to celebrate my Blog Anniversary and my birthday with another

box of curiosities.

This year the box holds two glass mugs

a red tea pot 

Honey

Honey dipper

Almondina cookies

Assam tea

Special Blend of tea (Blend of Ceylon and Indian)

and I'll probably add a couple of extra goodies.

All you have to do is leave a comment. 

One comment is all it will take.

You don't have to be a follower (if you win it would be nice).

A winner will be selected on June 4.

Good Luck!

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

More Mail Call

I'm still trying to catch up with Mail Call!

Here are two more Liberate Your Art postcards.
Both of these were made by blogging friends.
We thought we'd continue the fun of Liberate Your Art.

By Sherry at Becoming.

By Tracey Fletcher King

Tracey and I are both tea lovers
and along with the wonderful postcard she sent me a print of her beautiful watercolor header.

One of the blogs I've been reading for years now -- even before I started blogging

is Colette Copeland's Blog.

I've always admired her lovely art.

 She had a give-a-way and I won! 

And last, but certainly not least is the bracelet I won on Face Book
 from Diane at Snigglefritz.

I think I'm all caught up.

Another big thank you to Sherry, Tracey, Colette and Diane.

I love all my goodies.

Wishing YOU well and much joy.

Random Things

It's Friday and time for This and That.

Random Things!

Thank you Nancy for hosting!

- I went out early this morning into the garden, cut basil and back in the kitchen made pesto.

My mouth is watering!

- The kitties are upset.

They watched the kitchen chairs leave the house.

They love these chairs.
They are very comfortable for me and the kits. 

I finally decided to get the chair seats recovered.

They were getting a little thread bare after 30 years.

The stuffing was leaking out.

(Sort of sounds like me!)

- It's getting hot and humid.

Summer has arrived.

I have plenty of books, yarn and other crafty things to do

as I enter my summer hibernation!

- The college baseball season is coming to an end.

Tomorrow is senior day -- time to say farewell to some fine young men.

-- I finished reading Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier and recommend it highly.
Two remarkable women, unconventional in a very conventional time (1820s), meeting and doing remarkable things -- like finding fossils.
Fiction based on two very real women.


Wishing YOU well and much joy!

Notecard Party!

It's time for one of my favorite Blogland Parties:

Vee's NoteCard Party.





Once a month we all get together with four photos from our blog that we think would make a good Note Card. 
This time of year, before it gets too hot and humid, I spend a lot of time in the Japanese Garden at Hermann Park. Here are some of the images I've shared recently of this very special space.

The Kiss of the sun for pardon,

The song of the birds for mirth,

One is nearer God's heart in a garden

Than anywhere else on earth.

~Dorothy Frances Gurney

"In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous."

 ~Aristotle

"Japanese gardens ask that you go beyond the garden spiritually,

 that you look at the garden not merely as an object 

but also as a path into the realms of spirit."
— Makoto Ooka in The Temple in the House by Anthony Lawlor

"When a garden is used as a place to pause for thought, 

that is when a Zen garden comes to life. 

When you contemplate a garden like this it will form a lasting impression on your heart."
— Muso Soseki in The Temple in the House by Anthony Lawlor

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

Mail Call

It will come as no surprise that I LOVE Mail Call!

The lovely June at A Creative Dreamer suggested a postcard swap

to her followers and I threw my name in the hat.

Here are the lovely mixed-media cards that arrived in the post.

The first postcard came from June.
She sent a card to each of us.

In many ways the scan doesn't do this card justice.
The colors are so bright and wonderful.
I'm glad June loves poppies.

The second card came from Eileen - The Artful Crafter.

Isn't this lovely?!

I loved the message Eileen had on the back:

"Striving for perfection sometimes prevents me from finishing things. Challenges and swaps help push past my inner critic."

And last - this is the card I sent to Barbara at Rocky Cross Studio.

You know how I love tea.

This little bird is trying to add the teabag string to her nest.

And, I liked the message (also from a teabag):

For All You Do and ALL you are

SIP, SIP

hurrah.

Wishing YOU well and much joy!