Monday, May 17, 2010

Love and Marriage

Its wonderful to celebrate a loving marriage.   Our good friends, Dick and Ivy, came to visit last week and shared their 54th wedding anniversary with us.  John was the Best Man at their wedding, in England, in 1956 - and they honored him again by naming their first child after him.    We had a great week.   Ivy and I watched 'the boys' remember and tell stories about their days together in the Army, and we could almost see them grow younger with each tale.  We spent hours over pictures and the time just melted away.   When you see a love that endures over a lifetime you know you are getting to be part of something really special.   We are grateful to them for sharing their special day with us - and we look forward to the next visit already!
                                                                              CHEERS!

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Going, going, gone ..


Susan and I love to go to Crumpton - and when she came to visit last month that's just what we did. The Dixon Furniture Auction in Crumpton, MD is open every Wednesday through the year, except the weeks of Christmas, New Year's and July 4th. 
There is always something for everyone at Crumpton.   Here on the inside tables you can find everything from glassware, buttons, lamps, small toys, books, seashells to carvings and small furniture.
In the field outside, the auctioneer rides along in a golf cart, while the crowd follows watching and waiting for their coveted item to come up for bid.  You have to keep your eyes and ears open because he moves pretty fast - not to mention how fast he talks! Stay alert and you can win your bid and bring home a 'find' to repurpose into a 'treasure'.
and ... let's not forget the food!   This is only a fraction of all that's available.   We sometimes go just for the hotdogs - wrapped in soft pretzel dough - they are 'melt-in-your-mouth' 'to-die-for' good! You will also find ice cream, baked goods, roasted chickens, a full scale restaurant, home canned goods, fresh meats of all kinds, and cakes  & pastries ... and although we didnt find our 'treasure' in the field this time, we surely did find something sweet to bring home!!
I hope she comes to visit again soon ...  my mouth is watering for a pretzel dog:)

Monday, May 3, 2010

DIVAs Give Back

I am fortunate to be friends with a great group of women who gather regularly (?) - or semi-regularly - to talk about design projects, our likes and dislikes in decorating, creating crafts, learning from each other - and always sharing good food and building friendships.  We call ourselves DIVAs - Discovering Individual Vision & Ability.  Most recently we gathered at Judith's house, starting off with dinner and catch up conversation.  Then we unleased our creative energy decorating mirrors we donated to Laura's Home - a women's shelter in Ohio.  My friends, Terry Graul and Carolina Martin, have partnered to bring about a makeover of the shelter, building on a theme of "Inner Beauty - A Sparkling Idea from the Inside Out".  With that in mind, we used a poem which was a favorite of Audrey Hepburn to inspire us in our crafting



We worked into the evening, still laughing, chatting and thoroughly enjoying ourselves.

Then we wrapped them all and sent them off to the deserving ladies of Laura's Home

... our inspiration poem ....
Beauty Tips by Audrey Hepburn
•For attractive lips, Speak words of kindness
•For lovely eyes, Seek out the good in people
•For a slim figure, Share your food with the hungry.•For beautiful hair, Let a child run his or her fingers through it once a day.•For poise, Walk with the knowledge you'll never walk alone.
•People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed and redeemed; Never throw out anybody.
•Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you'll find one at the end of your arm.
•As you grow older you will discover that you have two hands; one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.
•The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair. The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides.
•The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mole, but true beauty in a Woman is reflected in her soul. It is the caring that she lovingly gives, the passion that she knows.
•And the beauty of a woman, with passing years only grows!