My 8th Tea Time Tuesday & Teapot and Tea Things Tuesday for August 31st, 2010.

Hi everyone...

Phew..it's been a crazy couple of weeks. I just started back to work at a luxury fruit gift company a few weeks ago and things have been crazy and busy and crazy-busy.  For the next few weeks, I'll be repeating some tea things...but telling you some more stories behind each of these tea things and sharing some more Scriptures etc...at least until I can add more tea things to my collection :) :) :)

Here's where it all began...oh all those lovely tea cups and the siren call of "Let's have tea" :) :) :) You ladies are awesome...and now I'm hooked on tea :) :) :) That's okay...I've been so blessed by all of you :) :) This first photo is some of the tea things that actually belong to my grandmother.

This was part of my grandmother's wedding china. She had a full set for 8 people :) :)

My grandmother passed away in 1995...to cancer.  She went peacefully in her sleep and I miss her still...but I don't cry..not anymore...rather my heart still aches a little for the woman I loved so much and still do. She was a woman who loved Jesus Christ.  The day that she went home to be with Jesus Christ, it would have been her 53rd wedding anniversary.

Below is a close-up of the sugar bowl. I don't recall my grandmother ever actually using this, because she was very health conscious. Of course, I wouldn't remember sugar for my tea...but I DO REMEMBER a sweet....either a half of a Danish, a homemade cinnamon role or oatmeal molasses cookies... :) :) :)


I was thinking about all the teas I would have EVERY DAY when I spent summers with her. It's so random, because just today, I was sitting at my computer at work and trying to figure out how to sell peaches..and YES, they are very TASTY AND DELICIOUS :) :) :)...truly...but then all of a sudden I found my thoughts wandering to my grandmother.

We ALWAYS had tea around 3 or 4 p.m. as I recall...and it was special.  I remember sitting at the table having tea and staring out her window. She had a perfect view of the ocean less then a few miles away. After we'd had time to visit, she'd pull out her Bible and some of these Bible stories that her mother-in-law...my great-grandmother had written who knows when...I'm sure she wrote those back when God was a boy..but in any case, she'd always read one of those stories and we'd talk about it. What did we talk about? I don't remember. All I can recall is that each story always illustrated some principle out of the Bible.

Here is a close-up of the detail on the sugar bowl. This is the same vine/leaf with shell edging that you'll find on all the cups, dishes, saucers etc. Isn't it beautiful? I love the delicate detail. That is real bonafide Wedgwood china...

Oh...I love this sugar bowl. So cute and chubby and just plain beautiful :) :) :)

My grandmother would make me memorize Scripture...which at the age of 14 and 15 was NOT what I wanted to do..but I obliged, because she was my grandmother and I loved her :) :) Although as soon as the Bible lesson was over, I was away from the kitchen table quick...and doing other things...like looking at her family photos ;)

She felt that it was important that I commit God's Word to memory. She thought it was smart and would serve me well in adulthood. My grandmother was right..although I would not have admitted it at the time. I'm so thankful now for that foundation that she instilled in me. 

It's funny when I think back on it now...because I don't remember a single word of what we talked about other than those stories from my great-grandmother. However, I do remember her telling me why she bought Bibles for all the kids in her Sunday school class. Some of the kids couldn't afford a Bible, some just didn't have them for whatever reason etc...but she wanted every kid to have a Bible and to read it :) :) :) She would paste a name plate into each one...it said "Ex Libris" at the top in fancy script.  How do I know this? She gave me one back in 1990..It's a New King James "Open Study Bible".  It's fantastic and has really great outlines. 

In any case, I do remember that and that always touches my heart even after all these years.  I've always wondered about those kids that she taught. She really did love those kids...that I remember very well!!! She loved them enough to tell them about Jesus and teach them the Bible :) :)

Below is the backstamp. I think this was the backstamp on the sugar bowl. I don't remember exactly. The backstamp itself is the same on all the dishes and cups...however, some of the "series numbers" are slighly different.

As a young teenager I had no idea about the long and impressive history of Wedgwood china. All I knew was that this was gorgeous and I loved it because it belonged to my grandmother's :) :) :)

Those are my tea things for today :) :) :) I spent a few years living in Europe in my early 20s. Three of those years I spent in Germany.  When my friends would ask me a question about something that would involve a long story or response...I usually replied with "Das ist eine Tasse Tee-Geschichte". That literally means "That's a cup of tea story". What that implied was, we need to sit awhile, sip some tea and have a long chat about whatever the subject happened to be...that was okay with me :) :) It was always a good excuse to have something good to drink and spend time with friends.

Oh, I'll be sharing stories from work from time to time and I' ll be calling these segments "Tales from the Pear Tree". So here goes...it'll look something like this..

"Kids...it's time for another episode of "Tales from the Pear Tree"....:) :)

I work for a luxury fruit gift company here in Southern Oregon.  It's been around for decades...75 years to be exact...and actually has a history going back further than that...:) :) :) In any case, the old department I worked in...outbound telemarketing...that department was eliminated over a year and a half ago.  It was just brought back a few weeks ago. I realize I sound a bit disjointed here...but there's so much to talk about and I only have so much blog space :) :) :)

In any case, one of the things I do involves calling past customers and asking if they'd be interested in any of our specials. It's great product...but it's not always easy to tell people about over the phone. Right now, it's peach season and we sell lots of Oregold peaches.  My job is not easy...and honestly, the only reason I do it is because it is what's available and it pays the bills...sort of :) :) 

However, I am blessed because at least half of the ladies and 2 guys that I work with are Christians...all different kinds...but all love Jesus Christ :) :) :)  In any case, this past week was especially hard because customers were mean, talking rude, being condescending etc... and honestly it made me cry this week.  I was frustrated because I get that people don't like telemarketers...but that's no excuse to be rude. So I thought that I will write a post on how to treat telemarketers...AND some tips on how to gently get rid of them while still being nice and polite :) :) I've learned a few things in this job :) :)

In any case, right now it's peach season and I've been selling peaches like they're going out of style!!! I was working that phone so much I was beginning to feel a little bit like a peach hussy...actually, I was thinking "peach harlot"..but "hussy" is probably a better term :) :) While in between phone calls, I turned to one of my co-workers...also a fellow Christian...and we were talking about how hard it was to get sales this one particular day. We'd only worked about half the day, but it felt like we were working overtime.  We both came up with the term "peach harlot"...and just started busting up laughing :) :) :) Oh, it was some welcome comedic relief, that's for sure...and now I can't stop laughing over it :) :)

I did read a verse the other day which I wrote out and put under the computer monitor...Ephesians 5:19...It's a good one...and I'll be gradually adding others. It helped me to keep things in perspective. I'm learning to pray for my customers more...something which I have not done enough of.  Today was easier :) :) Thank you Linda over at Prairie Flower Farm :) :)

Sometimes my customers are really funny...even the ones who "reject" my offers :) :) :) That's okay...I can handle the rejection :) :)  I'm blessed to talk with people all over the country and sometimes the place names are just really funny. My most favorite one of the day was a very sweet gentleman who was in "Truth or Consequences, New Mexico". Isn't that just about the funniest city name you have heard? I think so...really cute :) :)

Well, that's about it for the moment. I  still feel like I'm running around in circles...but that's okay. One of these days I'll figure it all out and be completely organized and sane...right?...hee hee hee :) : ) (Insert here great admiration for all my blogger friends who are married with kids..I don't know how you do it all :) Thanks for joining me for tea and stories.  That's the news from Oregon today. Extra love and hugs to all of  you, Heather :)

Memory Verse for Sunday ~ August 29th, 2010.

Feel free to borrow this image and share in on your blogs or on Facebook with your friends/loved ones.  Left click on the image and enlarge it, before saving it.  The background graphic is courtesy of The Graphics Fairy. Go check out her site. She has some really neat vintage images and ephemera :) :) :)

Hi everyone,

I hope you are having a great Sunday.  My shoulder feels MUCH BETTER today. The tension in the muscles seems to be going away very slowly...and  I'm moving it as much as I can, gently, to keep myself active. I don't want to become petrified like a tree.

Enjoy today's Scripture verse. The background graphic is from The Graphics Fairy and it was just too cute. It was actually an altered piece of sheet music...and I thought it went well with today's verse.

I'd read Ephesians 5:19 on one of you sweet lady's blogs...and lovely me, can't remember which one :( In any case, I wrote the reference down on a little 1" by 2" index card and took it to work.  Since at least half of the people I work with are Christians, I figured someone might have a Bible on them. NO!!! It was so funny. I went from one co-worker to the next asking if he/she had a Bible..no, they all left them at home. It was really quite comical, because I really wanted to write out the entire verse.

Instead, I just placed the little reference card underneath the monitor screen, right in my line of vision...so it would remind me to be joyful unto the Lord!!!

Yesterday was a very tough day.  My job basically entails telemarketing. We're a soft-sell company...and I can handle rejection. However, yesterday people were just plain very mean.  Sweet Linda over at Prairie Flower Farm gave me some great advice....pray for them. That is exactly what I will do, because I don't know what's going on on the other end of the phone. I'll admit that when customers yell at me, it does make me cry sometimes because I'm just doing a job. There's no excuse for treating anyone mean...not at all. So Linda really made this heart of mine very glad yesterday :) :)

Oh, I came up with a title for my stories about work. It'll now be called "Tales from the Pear Tree" even though right now we're still in peach season. The Royal Riviera pears are what we are world-famous for here in the States and internationally.

Have a great week everyone. That's the news from Oregon today. Love and hugs, Heather :)

Everything is coming up peaches.....:) :) :)

Hi everyone...:) :) :)

How are you? I'm doing well. My shoulder feels so much better. There's still some soreness when I try and raise my arm above my shoulder. However, for work I should be good and it's bearable. Thanks for all the prayers, because I really needed them. Continue to pray that it'll be completely pain free. I'll be keeping all of you in my prayers, too!! Oh, I did post the final two days of the mystery dishcloth knit along. Those are at the very bottom of today's post :) :) :)

Here's my next installment in my 365 Day Photo Challenge.  Miss Antoinette of  Practical Simplicity Photography inspired me to take this challenge. It's been a lot of fun and very challenging.


Saturday ~ August 21st, 2010 Teacups aren't just for tea anymore. This is a German demitasse with an even tinier ball of crochet cotton.


Sunday - August 22nd, 2010 Everything is coming up roses :) :) :)


BONUS for Monday ~ August 23rd, 2010 I forgot to get a photo today. The only solution for roses is MORE ROSES :) :) :)

BONUS for Tuesday ~ August 24th, 2010 I didn't forget to take a photo this day. There wasn't anything I liked, so I posted this, taken at work on Wednesday (August 24th).  It was just a random flower that I thought was a beautiful shade of pink.  I'm glad to be working. It does cut into my photo-taking time :) :) :) That's okay...I like a paycheck :) :)


Wednesday ~ August 25th, 2010 This was an interesting flower that I took a photo of at work.  They're a nice light purple color, but when they shrivel up, they turn an interesting bluish-lavender color before falling off the bush.   You can see just a hint of this in the photo.


Thursday ~ August 26th, 2010 This came in an envelope with a letter asking me to subscribe to "Highlights" magazine. Oh my goodness, I LOVED that magazine as a kid. Does anyone remember Goofus and Gallant? Goodness...I LOVE visiting my dentist, because he ALWAYS gave me a "Highlights" magazine to read. Apropos fun kid magazines, does anyone remember "Ranger Rick"? Now that's a blast from the past!!

Friday ~ August 27th, 2010 This was in recongition of the day that I was one of the top TWO peach sellers :) :) :) These are some yummy peaches!!! 

Wow, what a week so far. There are a BOATLOAD of changes happening at work. Some of them are very, very good. The other ones aren't bad, but it'll take more time to see how things pan out. I'm feeling a bit whipped by all those peaches I've been selling the last few weeks. Oh my goodness, they are GOOD!!! Yes, I do get samples in the company breakroom from time to time :) :) :)

I found out that so far, I am the number one seller AND number one in overall performance for my department. Let's just say I was stunned...but that's good, because I've been working very hard this season..not just for myself, but for the whole team. All the jobs in our department DEPEND on us doing well.  The whole company, especially marketing, is looking at us to see if we can make this work.

Short recap, the department I worked in was eliminated about 1.5 years ago...and we all continued to work, but just taking inbound calls/customer service calls.  One of the things we were told was that we weren't doing good enough...However, I KNEW that wasn't true and so did all the rest of my co-workers. Let me tell you something...I work with some awesome people with some amazing sales skills!!! I NEVER would have thought I'd be a good saleswoman :) :) NEVER...but here I am and it's working...Thank you Jesus for making this happen!!! Now I have no idea how God will use this in the future...but I'm learning some valuable skills...that's for sure!!! Needless to say, for my part, I'm working like work is going out of style...because I want all of us to have jobs through Christmas.

It was a good day today...but I'm tired and feeling a little "peach" whipped :) :) :) Ooops...I said that already...I really do have peaches on the brain, thinking about all the different ways to enjoy them. Soon it'll be time for those super yummy pears!!!! I have one more working day tomorrow, then rest on Sunday...than back at it again on Monday :) :) :)

Here's the rest of my knitting project...and you can see what the finished product looks like. Click here to visit Rachel's Knitting Corner to see some of the other mystery dishcloths. It was a fun project...and now I'm waiting for another!!!!

Day 9....almost finished....

Day 10...TADA....finished mystery dishcloth :) :) :)

The dishcloth isn't much of a mystery anymore :) :) :) isn't it C.U.T.E. ?  The pattern is really easy...and I'm thinking I have some great ideas for CHRISTmas gifts :) :) Linda over at Prairie Flower Farm says CHRISTmas and I like that...so I've decided to adopt that phrase too :) :)

Well, the only frustrating thing about this week, is that I'm way BEHIND on all the blogs I LOVE to read. I feel cheated, because I didn't get to visit all the tea parties that I wanted to this week. Not sure how I'll catch up...but please don't feel left out if I don't leave a comment on your blog ;( :( :( I LOVE all the comments everyone has been leaving me :) :) They mean a lot, especially now....you all are one of the seriously big joys of the end of my working day every day ) :) :) :) Love ya...and your comments are definitely read by me...loved, appreciated, noticed!!!!!

My shoulder started feeling better. Then today it's hurting again. I'm going to ice it, for sure... My mattress is probably one of the things to blame. It's old and one of the metal wires is starting to poke through. I'd actually inherited it from a neighbor here in the apartment complex who had passed away...before that I'd been sleeping on the floor. Oh, remind me to tell you that story..It's part of the reason why I moved back home to live with my dad...Seriously, remind me, that would make a good post!!!

So that's another reason I'm working hard selling peaches, pears,...fruit, fruit, fruit...so I can earn enough commission to buy a new bed. I've got one in mind...simple, but super comfy :) :) :)

Pray that God will show me how to be more organized. I think I got a bit lazy after being unemployed for so long. There needs to be a good balance between work, having time for my blog friends, real friends, etc... I'm single and it's difficult. I don't know how all of my married friends do it...Oh, yes I do, you are all superwomen :) :) :)

Oh, oh, oh...my Victorian knitted lace edging is coming along nicely. I'll take a photo of that and share it with you. I have an idea for a pattern in my head...hopefully it will turn out well!!!! I'll share that when it's finished :) :)

I'm just going to sit back and relax and enjoy the evening. Some new neighbors moved into the apartment complex today...from somewhere in the Southwest. They have this very sweet German shepherd dog...but the dog is HUGE...I mean huge, like the size of a HORSE...I've never seen a German shepherd dog that big before...but he sure is cute and very sweet!!! He came over to say hello to me today!!!...the dog, that is...I actually said hello to the new neighbor first!!!

That's the news from Oregon today. Oh, my am I so thankful for all of you out in blogland :) :) You are all blessings...so unique :) :) :) Love and hugs from Oregon, Heather :)

Heather's Seventh Tea Time Tuesday & Teapot and Tea Things Tuesday for August 24th, 2010.

Hi everyone..OH, so excited, because it's Tuesday...and you know what that means...tea ;) :) :)...and all of us fabulous ladies out in blogland really know how to "party down" when it comes to showing off all our tea things :) :) I really look forward to this a lot!!! Here's what I have for you today. I found these items at a couple of yard sales earlier this weekend!!!

These two items I purchased for $5 at a yard sale. The ladies were so sweet...AND they had tents set up, so that people could yard sale shop AND beat the heat at the same time. Although when I visited last Saturday, the weather had cooled down nicely for the day. I found a lovely demitasse teacup with matching saucer AND a miniature sugar bowl. The view of the sugar bowl is really nice...this is what's on this side...



I don't know anything about demitasse teacups...maybe you ladies could fill me in? I loved it because it was made in Germany. I lived in Germany for three years. This other item, the sugar bowl, was really sweet. I think this was designed small on purpose.  I'm not sure why..but I'm thinking it's perfect for tea for one :) :) :)

One of the lady's running the yard sale said that demitasse cups are used for certain really strong Turkish or Indian teas..and sometimes for certain English breakfast teas. Now, remember, I'm still new to teas but I loved her story...so the story itself was definitely worth the price I paid :) :) :) Plus I like the design. It's like someone chopped off the first inch of the rim of the teacup :) :) It's so dainty!!!

Here's my German demitasse teacup again with the view of the miniature sugar bowl from the other side :) :) Doesn't that rose like very English? I like how the gold trim on both items match!!!

The lady also told me that these were her mother's tea things. Her mother had to move into assisted living..and they were selling some of her things that she couldn't keep anymore. That broke my heart..to be honest...but at the same time, the lady was happy that I would give those items a good home. She also said there'd be lots more teacups in the spring. So I'll definitely have to check it out!!!

Here's a view of the saucer. It has three lovely roses with a vague hint of color in the background...lovely peachy tones with a touch of yellow!!!


I was really curious about the lady that these items belonged to. The daughter, one of the lady's running the yard sale, pointed out many things of her mother's. I could tell right away that this woman was a real, trule lady. She had silk gloves and satin gloves and everything a proper lady of the day would have...she was/is a very stylish woman.

This is the backstamp on the saucer!! I love backstamps on tea things: ) :) :) It says just as much to me as the actual design itself!!!

Here's a close-up of the floral design on the outside of the demitasse. It is so lovely and delicate...just like the cup itself!!!

Here's a lovely little bouquet of pink flowers with gold and green leaves...accented  with two smaller pink roses...because doesn't every secret rose on the inside rim need accompaniement? Yes, yes it does :) :) :) The backstamp on the teacup was the same as the one on the saucer....right down to the number "41" on the back.


Now believe it or not I almost passed on the teacup and saucer alltogether for just this lovely little sugar bowl. It was so cute that I just had to give it a forever home. It's got a nice background of buttercream yellow...with this lovely rose that reminds me so very much of British royalty!!!

This sugarbowl would be perfect for a single person or two people...if they're just having a cup of tea each.  Oh, this is not that much bigger than a golf ball :)

Here's the backstamp...and wouldn't you know it...It's the Royal Stuart collection...cool...and you know there were some stories with that royal family :) :) I love my little sugar bowl :):)

I love the nice clear backstamp!!! I don't there can ever be too many patterns or backstamps for tea things!!! Nope...again, more is more :) :) :)

This was a bit of fun I was having with my newly acquired demitasse teacup and saucer.  I knew I wouldn't be drinking tea out of it soon...and I do LOVE to reuse things for totally new purposes other than it's original intended design...on occassion, of course :) :) So here's what I came up with today. I put in this little skein of crochet thread that I purchased at a thrift shop for $0.50 cents.  This particlar spool of crochet thread is about the size of a golfball..maybe a little bigger...and well, that'll give you an idea of how "big" my German demitasse is in real life :) :)

I love how the label says "Brilliant". I didn't do that on purpose...but it's very apropos to the day...tea...brilliant...lovely ladies who celebrate tea with me...brilliant...so forth and so on..:) :) :) :)

Okay...I had to include some knitting here...because asking me not to, is like asking me to stop breathing. Here are the last three days (including today) of the mystery dishcloth knit along hosted by Rachel's Knitting Corner. Click here if you'd like to participate.  She has all the instructions there so you can get all caught up.  I think I can pretty much tell what the pattern is now...it's so much fun...but you never know if there'll be a bigger surprise when this is finished. That's why it's a mystery :) :)Oh, fun times...ladies..fun times :) :) I really love this and I couldn't go to work this morning until I had written the instructions down...so I could work on it this evening...

Day 6 - Saturday ~ August 21st, 2010


Day 7 - Sunday ~ August 22nd, 2010


Day 8 - Monday~August 23rd, 2010

Work went really well today. Today I worked "inbound" phones...meaning that I took orders from customers who were calling in today. Plus, I resolve any customer service issues that may arise. Every once in awhile I had a "not so nice" customer...but that's par for the course and I try not to let it bother me.

Oh my shoulder was really acting up today, ladies...It was painful..It goes from my shoulder right up my neck and I can feel the tension. I think it's definitely my muscle. Pray that God would heal the pain. I'd love to go see a chiropractor...but I do not have health insurance, so right now I have to see what I can do to help myself at home :) :) :) Well, enough about that...I would totally appreciate your prayers...and vice versa, if I can pray for you more specifically, please let me know...You can always send an email or leave a comment here...whichever you feel more comfortable with!!!

I was able to talk with some really sweet customers today..and specifically I'm thinking of a couple of really sweet old ladies...that sounded like they were in their late 80s/early 90s...just darlings...and very nice!!! Every person should have nice customers like that!!  So God is really good to me....even with my shoulder acting up :) Have a great week everyone!!!

Oh, I almost forgot, I started knitting my first ever Victorian knitted lace edging...out of dark red crochet cotton. I'll post a photo at some point. I have white crochet cotton...but I had to try red...and make this first try really difficult :) :) :) That's the news from Oregon today. Loads of love and hugs, Heather :)

Memory Verse Sunday ~ August 22nd, 2010 :) :) :)

Feel free to share this on your blog and/or with your friends an loved ones. Please link this back to my blog!! Thanks!!! Love ya all!!!! Oh, what I recommend is left-clicking on the photo to enlarge and then save it!!
Hi everyone...I hope you have a really nice Sunday. I'll post about my mystery knitted dishcloth late tonight or tomorrow morning. I just feel the need, at least for Sundays to just keep it simple with Scripture :) :) :)

OH, yesterday, I forgot to mention that I found one of those shopping baskets that I put my German professor's peaches in. I picked up the basket with my arm..not wise, since it was super heavy and the handles were hurting my arm.  Now I have this nasty bruise going across my arm...Well, I'll be "smarter" next time...ha ha ha :) :)

Have a great Sunday everyone!!! Thank you so much for your friendship and for visiting my blog.  That's the news from Oregon for this morning. Extra love and hugs, Heather :)

Who Knew Peaches Have a Siren Call That No One Can Resist :) :) :)

Hi everyone.....Happy Saturday...oh my goodness...what a day it has been today.  I found some more great stuff at a couple of yard sales..some of which I'll show you today, the rest on Tuesday when you stop by for "tea" :) :) :)

Oh, and I stopped by the Harry and David Country Store here in town. It's the flagship store for the company and it was crazy busy...imagine a really good sale at a department store and the people were buzzing around like flies..I'll talk more about that at the end of this post ;) :) :)

In an effort to find more fun things to do that don't involve television, I picked up this really cute 500-piece jigsaw puzzle for just $0.15. When you look at the photo, it's really cute. I loved the vintage label you can see in the backround on the right hand side of the picture.

I think this puzzle should be relatively simple to put together.  I do like puzzles !!!!

Our neighbors gave my dad and I a rocking chair. It's nice and reminds me of the one my mother had when I was a little girl. Oh, and the back is nice and sturdy...which feels like heaven on my back :) :) Anyway, I saw this really cute green brocade seat cushion at the same yard sale. The lady only charged me a $1...and it's practically brand new.

Here is the mint green brocade seat cushion already in use on the rocking chair. It fits perfectly...and even though you can't see it, there are lovely satin ties in the back, so it won't slide off. I even sat down to test it out....one cushy tushy...very comfortable :) :) :)

Do you remember the post from yesterday where I bought the Ralph Lauren cotton flat sheet, the lacy table runner and the light switch cover? Click here if you want to read that post. Anyway, I actually put it on the wall today.  I was able to use a flat-head screwdriver to take out the screws..but I had trouble prying the old cover from the wall. So I asked my dad for help. He just popped it off, like it was a sticky note. Go figure....I think my dad is to cranky vending machines and light fixtures...like what I am to yard sales...amazing :) :) :)


Here's the light switch cover already happily ensconced on my wall :) :) :) You can see part of my messy bookcase on the left...and a miniature clipboard with vintage Victorian designs for Valentine's Day. That's actually a great little pl ace to write yourself messages or make a list of stuff to do for the day...whatever. It's fun and creative!!! Just about everyone I know owns a clipboard of some size. Try it out for yourself :) :)

Here's a close-up view of the light switch cover...again :) :) Don't you love the frilly femine detail!!! This is so cool.  Slowly but sure, my room is starting to look more girly!!!



The family I bought the mint green satin cushion and the jigsaw puzzle from...were a sweet family. It turns out the husband used to work at the same company I work at now. He was on the janitorial staff.  He has this beautiful cedar chest that he put together himself and lined the inside with red velvet. I would have dearly loved to purchase that, but it was way out of my budget at $80...but for a cedar chest, that was a screaming good deal. I asked him why he was selling it...and he got a little misty-eyed...so I didn't press further. I do hope that the person who buys that, will love it and give it a good home...and will cherish that piece as much as that man obviously did!!!

Oh, so I went to the Harry and David store today to buy a gift for a friend.  She knows this gift is coming, because we've been emailing back and forth...but she doesn't know what part of the gift is here :) :) :) SURPRISE!!!!  Anyway, when my dad and I pulled into the parking lot, I noticed all of these customers literally swarming the front of the store. I thought I missed something and there was a huge sale going on. Well, as it turns out, I wasn't totally wrong. There was a sale on homegrown Oregold peaches...fresh-picked from the orchards...for just...are you ready for this....$0.10 cents a pound...that's practically giving them away for free. I mean, some people just had bags...Others had pallets...and I mean pallets with at least a hundred pounds worth of peaches. I think it was the siren call of a good deal...and I"m guessing that most of the customers will can them!!!! Here's a couple of photos I took of the event...and let me tell you...this does not do justice to the swarms of consumers there today :) :) It was so funny!!!

Those boxes are about the size of small jacuzzis...and people were able to take as many peaches as they could carry...and pay for them of course :) :)

While I was staring in amazement at all of this, I noticed a woman I hadn't seen in years. It was my former German professor :) :) :) So I went over and said hello. It was so wonderful to see her again. It's because of her that I went to Germany and now speak fluent German :) :) :) We got caught up on a lot of things...and I helped her carry some of the bags of peaches she had gathered!!!!


This was just a sampling of some of the crowds..There were HUNDREDS of people swarming everywhere...a bit like locusts...but these were happy people getting a great deal on some fabulous fruit :) :)

People had to wait in a line to get their fruit weighed BEFORE they could go into the store to pay for it. At this point, my German professor and I parted ways. She went to wait in line...I went to buy part of the surprise gift for my very sweet friend. When I was finished, I went to search out my German professor.  Let me tell you...the line was near the door you see in the above photograph...snaked all the way around the right hand side of that building...all the way around the back...and ended at the other end of the store..which is where I found my German professor. So while my dad waited near the car, I spent time talking with her in German. It felt good to speak German again..Thank goodness, they let people who just had two bags or so, come right into the store to get the fruit weighed and payed for. My professor had four bags...so I just grabbed two...she grabbed two and in we went!!! Goodness, there were people buying up to $10 worth of peaches...you do the math...that's a lot of fruit at just $0.10 per pound :)

The long line stopped just behind the green awning...oh goodness...but that's the price you pay when those famous Oregold peaches go on special :) :) :)

My German professor's bag had a hole in it...and a couple of peaches fell out...and people were so sweet saying "You dropped some peaches" and picked them up for us...like it was precious diamonds :) :) :)  She had to wait for her husband to come pick her up and I went back into the store to buy her one of the really nice Harry & David canvas bags with the vintage pear logo on the front. They're great market bags and fairly priced and super sturdy!!! Oh I waited in a really, really long line.. I stood behind two ladies who were travelling from Washington state. They had seven bottles of wine between them.  We have a really nice selection here in Oregon...if you like to imbibe wine..I don't...but it's nothing other than I don't enjoy the taste. In any case, they were surprised at the number of people there today. They knew about the peach sale...and we were joking about how this could be so much worse. Actually, it wasn't bad at all. I was just having an insanely good laugh over the whole scene...and so were they :) :)

I did get my German professor's telephone number and I plan on staying in contact with her!!! Oh, it was good to go out today...and I had NO CLUE about the peaches or that God would bless me with a dear person from my past....:) :) :) I did see some of my co-workers there buying peaches...and I know we'll all be laughing about this at work on Monday :) :) :)

This is a really long post today...Lots happening. My dad and I were just sitting down and enjoying the afternoon. I was a little tired...and this loud knock comes to the door. Lo and behold...look at the gift that arrived for me today :) :) This came from Anne over at Phamily Blog. You can find her blog button on my sidebar, otherwise click here to pay her a visit!!  This box was full of goodies from a giveaway she held not too long ago!!! Thank you Anne with an "e" for this lovely gift :) :) :) :) :)

This was the box.  I knew she was packing some things, but I had no idea about this :) :) :)


Here are all the lovely things that were inside the box. Oh goodness...I had no idea about some of these things. I was just hoping to win one of the miniature vases. The lovely card she sent is the only item not pictured here. the lacy table runner was purchased at a yard sale :) :) :) I'm going to have fun with all of this!!!! Did you notice the cute quilt magazine in the lower left-hand corner?

WELCOME TO: Sherry over at Country Wings in Phoenix. Click here if you'd like to pay her a visit!!! Her blogger header has a lady with really, really long hair...and for my friends who know me really well, I'm growing my hair out long..well, I try to anyway. Right now it's about chin length...and then I end up cutting it...but I"d love to have hair really long and flowing.

Phew...lots going on today... :) :) :) I'll post day six and day seven of the mystery knitted dishcloth progression tomorrow on Sunday. I hope you are all having really good weekends. I'm going to go work on some more knitted lace!!! That's the news from Oregon today.  Love and hugs, Heather :)

How A Car Battery Turned Into An Unexpected Blessing :) :) :)

Hi everyone :) :) I hope you all had a great week.  Yesterday, I shared a little bit about what happened with our car. Click here to read yesterday's post.  Well, Dad and I had gone to Fred Meyer. They open at 7 a.m....and my dad and I wanted to get our errands finished EARLY so we could beat the heat.  Well, when he started the car, it was taking too long to start and making this funny noise...but you wouldn't notice it unless you listened carefully.  Well, it as a good thing we went to the car dealership to have it fixed. We were very well taken care of!!! It was great.

The car dealership has a really nice waiting area where we could sit on cushy couches and recliners and watch television. We hadn't eaten breakfast yet. Breakfast could wait...horror, I know...but the car needed attention. So we watched television in the waiting room.  I made myself a little cup of coffee and it was great. I added real sugar because the packets were so cute.. I mean, doesn't this look vintage cute? Dixie Crystals have been around for a LONG time!!!


This is more of a silly photo than anything else...I wouldn't normally take a photo of a sugar packet...but this was cute and I was a little concerned about the car, and hungry and the yummy, yummy coffee was begging for some sugar...

There was this beautiful mosaic also hanging in the waiting room area. You'll recognize this from yesterday's post, too. If you didn't read yesterday, this was a mosaic done by Charles A. Fomby in remembrance of 9/11/01.  I just love our flag and Americana things...so I had to snap a photo. It wasn't till after the photo was taken that I read the tag underneath it !!!

In Remembrance of 9/11/01 by Charles A. Fomby..

The unexpected field trip to the car dealership turned out to be a blessing in disguise...see, most yard sales in the area don't start till around 8 or 9 here...unless you camp out early and the owners let you shop early. So it looked like I'd have to wait till tomorrow. Well, we were there for at least an hour today...I didn't count the time too much because that couch was so comfy and I didn't want to leave after awhile ;) :) Anyway, by the time we were done, we ended up eating at Sonic for breakfast. I know, it's the first time in about a month that we've eaten fast food...Yeah...but we needed food!!!..and Sonic was just around the corner.

When we were done, we stopped at a yard sale that was near Sonic. It was held in the parking lot of a local plumbing company.  A bunch of young kids and their parents were holding a yard sale to raise money for cheerleading events etc...and there was some really cool stuff there. Take a look at what I found. I spent $10 at this sale today...my budget for the weekend!!!

A lacy table runner/bookcase topper..

Here's a beautiful white cotton/white lace table runner type of fabric...I didn't measure it, but it would fit perfectly on top of a narrow dresser drawer or shelf!!! I have this sitting on the dresser drawer I bought at this same sale today...The photo is coming up... I wish there had been more of this, I would have snapped it all up.

...lightswitch cover with all sorts of fun and feminine detail...

In an effort to find cute, frilly things for my room...I found this really cute lightswitch cover. My dad will put it on the wall for me sometime tonight!! I could just as easily do this myself, but my dad likes to help :) :) :)

...a beautiful off-white Ralph Lauren cotton flat sheet...

Okay...I snapped this up because originally it would have been inexpensive yardage to make my shelf liners and china plate liners with lace edging...but this cotton is so nice...I mean, you can tell by feeling it, that the thread count is really high...I may use this to make a tablecloth with romantic ruffles...at least those are the ideas swimming around in my head...

I didn't take a full photo of the flat sheet...because it wasn't really interesting to look at...but the quality of the fabric in my hands...oh, it was heaven...and it's made in the USA!!!! That didn't influence my purchasing choice...it was just a happy fact I discovered after I brought it home.  I'm still trying to figure out if it's queen- or king-sized....'spose it doesn't matter since I'll be using it as an accent for the dining room table. :) :) :)

Now this next plaque was purchased at a yard sale a block from my home. It's cute and vintage and Americana all at the same time :) :) This was only $1. This cute sign put me over my $10 budget!!!  I think I'll be forgiven...this time :) :) :) I have this love of Americana and all things pink, Victorian, romantic, etc...so I'm not sure how to combine the two into one room...but I'm designating the kitchen area for my vintage signs and Americana collections..I think...My bedroom willl be the palatial pink palace...as will the living room. Don't worry...there will be guy-friendly stuff for my dad, too!!!

There were some matching accents to go with this..but I wasn't really sure what I would do with them, so I didn't purchase them.  It's hard for me to exercise fiduciary restraint when I'm shopping at a yard sale :) :) :)

Okay...go back to the yard sale at the plumbing store...Here's the dresser drawer that I purchased. This cost me $5.00 even.. I saw it and went back to the car. When my dad realized what I'd passed up, we both agreed we should go back and ask about it. The lady only charged me $5. That's a steal of a deal... I need more storage for my clothes, craft supplies etc...and this will fit the bill nicely. If you look closely there are some nicks...specifically a missing knob handle and a chunk of the dresser drawer literally missing...but for the price, this will fit nicely!!!


The lacy table runner is sitting on top...with the "Stars and Stripes Forever" plaque sitting on top.  Right now, it's blocking the lower half of my linen closet...but as soon as I clear space, it'll be going into my bedroom. My dad really likes this. He says it looks "country" :) :) :) That's a compliment that was unsolicited :) :) He really likes it...but I want to paint it a creamy white or something that will remind me of all the beautiful pinks that I see on Saturdays here in blogland :) :)

So I know that some of you are really skilled with repainting things. Any suggestions for my dresser drawer? I'd like to repaint it, if it's not too spendy. I like linen white, pink etc... It's tall...which I LOVE...and it's narrow...which I also LOVE...so it wouldn't take a lot of paint...Any ideas? I'm open to your thoughts...!!!! Is spray paint or sample sizes of regular paint better? Isn't it fun to be able to have this kind of choice? This is grrreat!!!

Here's the latest installment in the mystery dishcloth knit along. If you're curious as to what this is exactly, click here to visit Rachel's blog :) :)

Day Five of the mystery dish cloth knit along. I've know completed 29 rows. I think this pattern will remain the same :) :) I like it...it reminds me of the lattice on a yummy pie crust!!!

That's about it for today...I'm wishing all of you a very nice weekend. That's the news from Oregon. Love and hugs, Heather :)

365 Day Photo Challenge for Saturday - August 14th, 2010 till Friday - August 20th, 2010.

Happy Friday everyone...It's been an interesting morning.  My dad and I had some errands to run and we left at 7a.m. to beat the heat. Well, the car sounded really funny when he turned it on..so we did one errand and then headed over to the dealership where we purchased the car. It turns out the battery was starting to die. So we were able to get it fixed and it was going to cost $20 for labor..but since I also paid for a much-needed oil change...the service manager waived the $20. The car sounds really nice now.

Here are my photos for this week's installment of the 365 day photo challenge. Enjoy :) :)


Saturday ~ August 14th, 2010 A "crepe myrtle" plant near a local church in my neighborhood. It's so beautiful and bright.

Sunday ~ August 15th, 2010 Some lovely handmade soap from my friend Gerry at Gerry's Soap N Stuff. Check her blog button on my sidebar. I styled this soap with this handknit cloth made of sugarcane fibres!!!

Monday ~ August 16th, 2010  Looking at life from a different angle...tea and jewelry :) :)

Tuesday ~ August 17th, 2010 This was the skies above my home at about 4 p.m...it rained a little bit later that evening!! This photo is completely natural.


Wednesday ~ August 18th, 2010 The only cure for roses, is more roses :) :) :) These are some of the roses from the bouquet my dad brought home!!!

Thursday ~ August 19th, 2010 A very lovely gift of crocheted dishclothes from my friend Miss Antoinette. You can find her blog button on my sidebar..."Practical Simplicity" :) :) :) She made the card, too!!!

Friday ~ August 20th, 2010 This was hanging in the car dealership's waiting room. I snapped a photo of this while my dad and I were waiting for the car to be fixed. This was made by a gentleman by the name of Charles A. Fomby..in memory of 9/11/01. A somber occassion, but I thought this flag of ours is so very beautiful :) :)

I did manage to stop at two yard sales today and found some great things. So I'll be posting about that this week :) :) :)  I hope you all had a great week ...and that this weekend will be a restful one full of good things and lots of fun!!! I'm praying that God will make His presence known in your lives and you'll experience something great this weekend. That's the news from Oregon for this afternoon.  Love and hugs, Heather :)