~DRESSED IN HER AUTUMN BEST~

~My La Chaumière de Briarwood - October 2014~

Fall is definitely in the air here in Oklahoma.  The leaves on the trees are changing color and there is a coolness to the morning that only comes once the summer sun melts into the horizon in the early evening hours.

I love Pumpkin Days.  They make my heart sing.

My favorite time of the year...

 ~La Chaumière de Briarwood - September 2007~

I finally got around to snapping a new picture of my  La Chaumière de Briarwood (at the top).  The fresh sod we laid late last year finally took hold about mid-May and it's grown lush and full.  The grass/sod you see in the 2007 photo died off when we removed three huge trees a couple of years ago.  Got tired of seeing only MUD so new sod was in order.   I changed our front door from white to a deep tan and next spring we plan on painting the outside siding in a complementary shade.  My flower boxes are empty because at almost fifteen years old they are literally rotting off the front of the house.  With our on-going kitchen remodel my Mr. AGPMan just hasn't had time to make new ones.  So...no pretty fleurs this year! (Drats)...

~La Chaumière de Briarwood - July 1992~

When we purchased our home twenty-two years ago it looked like the photo above.  I hated the two-toned garage doors and the light paint on the exterior.  The original door was in sad shape...overrun with wood ants and the pine tree (right) was ruining the foundation of the house.  The grass was pretty much non existent and what was there was mixed with a bunch of weeds.  Over the years we've done so much to transform the only home we've ever owned...  I love her more and more each year.

~My Mom's 80th Birthday Party~

Yesterday we celebrated my Mom's 80th birthday with a fun party full of family and friends...  I love this picture of us with the bright fresh sunflowers that graced the table~

Several of my vintage blue ball jars were used as vases and I love how they came out.  We went with a Fall theme for the party and everything looked very festive and fun!

Customized Favor Bags were handed out to guests.  They held pieces of our Mother's favorite See's Candy.  Bags were easy to make using a vintage image and a charming sunflower stamp.

Homemade fudge-filled chocolate cupcakes and homemade carrot cake cupcakes were topped with cream cheese icing.  Made 'cutting the cake' beyond simple and almost no mess!  

I'm getting ready to start my Christmas offerings for this year.  I can't believe the holidays are around the corner.  I'll be back later this week to share with you what's new...and old.

Blessings~

~*HAPPY BIRTHDAY #80 MOMMA*~

Today is my beautiful Mom's 80th birthday.  As I told you a few days ago we've planned a wonderful Birthday Reception for her on Sunday and I'm beyond excited about her big day.  I promise to be back late that night (or Monday if I'm overwhelmed...which is a distinct possibility!) and share the details and photos...

My Mother is such a lovely person.  I'm so thankful she's doing so well...

She was a beautiful bride...loved my father so much...  Still does~even though he went to heaven last February...

He loved to put flowers in her hair when she was young...

She loved becoming a new Momma...

And with each child she gave birth to she grew more and more lovely...

Even after we all left home she continued to offer us her wise and tender counsel...

I love you, Mom.

Thank you for everything your done for us all over the years.  Today I celebrate you and your life and all you mean to me...to all of us.

Thank you for putting up with me when I was full of my obnoxious self and giving me a chance to become all you believed I could be.  It was your faith in me that helped me press onward during difficult times...

I can never repay you.

I love you forever and a day.

HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY.

Your Becky Girl

~*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...