~*BEAUTIFUL GEMS of THOUGHT AND SENTIMENT*~

~*BEAUTIFUL GEMS*~

My Father had a passion for books.  Didn't matter what kind...he loved them all. 

~*FRONT PAGE of BEAUTIFUL GEMS*~

I hope someday to own one or two of his most favorite...he had an amazing collection.

~*My FATHER...about 1993*~

Early this past Summer my Mother and I attended an amazing estate sale here in my town.  It was a family-run-sale (my favorite kind) and the contents of the home were incredible.  I scored a vintage Remington Typewriter, two amazing handmade vintage evening dresses (all hand stitched and dyed) and one of those large copper pots with perfectly placed patina.  I also snagged a ton of old books...about thirty or so.  Most of them had been stored away for at least fifty years or more and just seeing them made me think about my Dad.  He would have loved a sale like this one, and no doubt would have bought the same pick of books I had if given the chance.

 

~*BEAUTIFUL ARTWORK*~

As thrilled as I was over the Typewriter, clothing and old boiling pot, it was the books I was the most excited about.

~*1890 LONGFELLOW POETRY BOOK*~

Books.

Dusty.

Dirty.

Old.

 

 ~BEAUTIFUL VERSES*~

Anyway, I purchased all of them for about $25.  It wasn't until I lugged them home (and had time to flip through them) that I realized the rarity of my find.

 ~*TINY BOOK - THE BOY'S STORY BOOK*~

All the books are wonderful...my favorite is the BEAUTIFUL GEMS BOOK and the one you see above...THE BOY'S STORY BOOK from 1853.

~*BY THEODORE THINKER*~

It is so precious...

 ~*BEAUTIFUL DRAWINGS*~

Lots of lovely black and white etchings, too.

BEAUTIFUL GEMS is about 120 years old and as crazy as it sounds I just love the smell of it.  The spine has some damage and some of the pictures inside are loose.  So, I'm planning on scanning a few of them and framing them up for my La Chaumière de Briarwood.

 My Father would have loved it best, too.

Hoping your day is wonderful and filled with lots of good things.

Only good things.

Blessings...

~KITCHEN REMODEL....YES IT'S STILL GOING ON!~

If someone had told me when we first started our kitchen renovation that we would STILL be working on it after several years I would NEVAHHHHH have believed it!  I know I keep harping on it, but the entire process has become a pain-in-the-grommet (my dad use to say that and I have no idea what it really means!) and we can't wait for it to be done.  Although we are still working in temp-mode (make-shift sink and island and no countertops/cabinets), we are finally seeing LIGHT at the end of a long, long, dark tunnel!

  Today I'm sharing with you some pics that were taken a few days ago.  As I said the other day...trim-work is now finished and my Mr. AGPMan is working on the cabinet plans.  Look at the two photos above....I'm really happy the UGLEEEEEE air vent is gone (2nd photo upper right on wall) as I always hated it

 

This vintage French door will replace the temporary one you see that leads to our new laundry room and full bath!

I've TRIED my best to enjoy the process...and sometimes I do.  But, the work has been grueling and slow-going.  Extensive plumbing work and electrical work proved to be more involved that we ever imagined it would be.  Renovation work is tough.

I'm thankful we've been able to do what we have done given my Mr. AGPMan's 2013 layoff from the Big Red "X".  That tossed a big fat wrench into our budget and our plans.  Everything ground to a halt for nearly 8 months!

It's only when I review the photo diary I'm able to keep my perspective in check.  We've saved many, many thousands of dollars doing the work ourselves...  I'm thankful for that and grateful my guy is so talented and able to do so much on his own.

I've finally settled on the style of cabinets I want.  I found these French themed cabinets while perusing Pinterest...LOVE THEM!

I don't want all the cabinets to have glass doors and I don't want this type of counter-top or back-splash.  But, I do love the idea of it all.  We hope our kitchen island will look something like this...

The space next to one of the pocket door that leads into my Mr. AGPMan's office we hope will look something like this...

At least the really hard grunt work and tear-out work is done.  Things are almost put back together and I'm actually looking forward to the next phase.  I'm hoping it will be a lot more fun!

More soon!  Hope your Friday is awesome.

Blessings~

Rebecca

~*SPEAK ONLY KIND THINGS...*~

I spent the afternoon with my beautiful Momma today and that always puts me in the best of moods!  I love it when she's able to come over (she still drives!) and we are able to enjoy lunch out and just sit and chat.  After some good-eats at a favorite local Café we returned back to my La Chaumière de Briarwood where I showed her how to navigate the pattern for the Tattered Pumpkin Pillow you see above.  She's wanting to make a few for her friends and for some reason she thinks I can teach her, well, something.  That is soooo funny to me as this woman has taught me ALL I KNOW!

Everything.

My Mother lives life with a grateful spirit.

She always has.

Never a whiner or complainer,

she accepts each day as it comes

with more grace and dignity

than I will ever hope to have.

She is my hero.

"Speak only kind things," she says.

(I.Forget.That.A Lot.)

In just a week she'll reach a birthday milestone and at present I've been super busy planning her party.  Her invite is above (still so thankful for learning Photo Shop and Paint Shop Pro all those years ago!).  This birthday is a very a special one....

NUMBER #80!

She's so excited as family members are coming in for the big day!  We are working at keeping it positive and fun...a tad bit of a challenge as we are still marking many "FIRSTS" without my Father.  Makes having my Mother still here so very, very special...

With the scent of Autumn in the Air we've planned the celebration using a Fall theme.  Makes decorating and choosing the menu/food a little easier...and sooo delish!

More to share soon!    

Blessings...