IT MAKES "CENTS" TO ME FOR FRIDAY - NOVEMBER 1st

Hi Everyone :) :)

I hope you all had a really good week. My week was really busy. I had all these ideas for other blog posts that I wanted to write about this week and I just didn't get around to it. It's probably a good idea to start putting these things down on a calendar and writing a little bit here and a little bit there - as time allows.

I don't really have a blog post about saving money today BUT I am going to share a couple of things that I thought you'd find interesting.

The first is a link to a video from the Dave Ramsey website. Actually, I saw it posted on the Dave Ramsey page on Facebook.  Every so often they'll post really neat and inspirational stories of people who have gotten out of debt.  This is one that was some serious inspiration for me for a few reasons.  Here's the link below.  Watch the whole thing in its entirety:



The decision to be completely and totally 100% debt free is a choice that I have made for myself. It's a decision that will look different for everyone based on different circumstances etc. However, this video was really inspiring to me for so many reasons.

This is a young woman, who with her husband, perservered through some very difficult circumstances to reach a personal goal that they had set for themselves. People made fun of them. That didn't stop them.

What caused me to literally break down in tears was when I learned....well, I'm not going to spoil it. That's why I HIGHLY recommend you watch this whole video and then you'll know why it caused me to break down and cry.

What I carried away from this is that if you want something bad enough, you will find a way. God will make a way.  It may take me awhile to reach that goal, but with God ALL THINGS are possible.  Plus, I'm not going to let the objections of a few dictate my life or throw me off my goal.

I spent most of the morning and part of the afternoon with my very good friend A. from church. She's a mentor and good friend. We went went shopping at Costco and also ate lunch there. While there and on the drive home, we talked about all sorts of things including money etc and setting priorities while working my way out of debt etc.

My mind was so focused on paying bills that I was not eating while at work. Yes, I admit it and it was a very bad thing. So we talked about how paying bills are important but I must take care of my body first. So we brainstormed some really inexpensive things I could bring to work and eat on my lunch break. 

A. gave me a huge box of these fast noodle packages that her daughter brought back from Vietnam. They work just like the Top Ramen noodles that you buy in the store. So what a blessing and that's a HUGE savings right there.

Some super duper cheap things you could bring just to give you a protein boost while at work:

hard-boiled eggs

peanut butter


I'm living on a soda-pop can budget right now and these are two very easy and inexpensive things that I can do right now.

In any case, I'm really having to sit down and rethink my priorities. I'm not giving up on my goal of getting out of debt. What I am doing is just rethinking how I do things.

So I'll have more to add to this as time goes on. So keep checking back here and read my updates. As I think of things, I'll add it here and save  some for next Friday, too. It's been a huge day of revelations for me about finances, how to treat my body well etc.

I would love to hear your thoughts and feedback. Keep it kind, of course :) :) I love hearing from all of you :) Have a great weekend.

That's the news from the ocean shores of California today. Love and hugs to you all, Heather :)

UPDATE: November 1st at 8:40 p.m. PST
The same friend that I was talking about earlier, came back again later today and brought her daughter with her.  She had all this extra food that she just blessed my father and I with. I was so humbled and thankful.  I don't often talk about the difficulties in my life, because I would rather foster an attitude of gratitude and be thankful for the many, many blessings that God has given to me.

However, this practical act of love was amazing.  So now our cupboard and freezer is comletely stocked. There are lots of things that I can bring with me to work, to give me that needed protein boost during the day.

I find that for my body, protein is a necessity throughout the day to keep me going.  So it'll be interesting to see how things change at work, because I'm making sure that my body and health are a top priority first while still keeping my goal of paying down debt and saving money at the forefront.




"ONE BEAUTIFUL THING"

Hi everyone,

I'm participating in the "One Beautiful Thing" link-up over at Brooke McGlothlin's blog "Surprised By Life"

She's also hosting a really cool giveaway for some awesome photography classes. Click on the link above to check it out.

Here is my one beautiful thing for the week:

My sweet friend D. from church invited me over to her house yesterday for some tea, fruit and crochet.  She's a military wife, so it was really cool to learn a bit more about her life as a military spouse. She's also a fantastic crocheter.

D. taught me how to crochet a granny square. I'm an experienced knitter, but granny squares terrified me, until yesterday.

She is the sweetest friend and bought fruit for us to eat, since I have to eat gluten free for health reasons. Berries are a good choice.  I just had to snap a photo of this because I love the bowl. It's so simple, but it has some serious retro vintage appeal. 

The fruit looked really patriotic sitting in that bowl, too. Well, not for long, because we ate it all :) :) :)

That's the news from the ocean shores of California today. Love and hugs to your day today, Heather :)

My 22nd Tea Pot and Tea Things Tuesday & Tea Time Tuesday

Hi everyone, Oh  it was crazy busy at work. Good thing I was prepared .  At least it means job security at the moment.

Oh, don't you love it when someone you have never met in person sends you a goody box?  My sweet friend Dorothy over at "Notes from Mémère" sent me a lovely tangible gift of God's love to encourage my heart. There was also some fun girly stuff, too. That will be for another time.  Feel free to pay her a visit. She's a lovely lady, loves Jesus Christ, and she's just a wise, sweet lady...just like all of you :) :) :)

Okay, time to show off the tea things Dorothy sent to me. Here's the first photo...

These are just four of the items that Dorothy included in the goody box :) :) I received this care package in the mail yesterday. It was great.  My dad was just a tad "jealous". At least he was PRETENDING to be jealous. Usually the packages that come in the mail are for him. Don't you just love the delicate pink flowers?  I think there's a trend forming in my tea collection :) :) 

Here's just a little close-up view of the secret rose detail on the inside rim of the tea cup. This cup is really interesting. It's a little bit bigger than other teacups I've seen...of similar shape. Oh, but it's lovely and just the perfect size to hold in your hands!!! Oh, this would be a great hand warmer, a nice hot warm cup of tea ;) :)

Here's the flower and leaves detail on the side of the cup. It repeats on the other side of the cup, too. This reminds me of something really nice.  I just can't think of what it is just yet. However, once I think of it, I'll make sure to let you know :) :)

Here's the first of the three "plates". Although this is really more of a little dish. I'm not sure what it would be used for exactly . Now my grandmother would have used this for ice cream. Each scoop would be small, about the size of a golf ball.

This next plate is actually a saucer. It pairs very nicely with the teacup.   Wouldn't you agree?  Oh, I love it that a theme seems to be forming all on it's own :) :) Oh, and these are special now, because my friend Dorothy picked these out especially for me :) :) :)

 Here's the backstamp. In fact, only this plate and one other had the backstamp on it. I'll do some more research on this later this week. I'll add it to this post.  If you know anything about it, let me know. 

The angle on this photo is a little different. It makes this plate look a little oblong. Nope, it's all optical. It is perfectly round and perfectly suited for a nice slice of pie ;) :) :) Or maybe a nice scone with some clotted cream?   Something simple and lightly sweet :) :) :)

Those are my tea things for today. Thank you so much for stopping by. Oh, ladies (and one gentleman who follows my blog :), thank you so much for your friendship. It's wonderful!!! You all encourage me in ways you don't even realize ;) :) 

Oh, weather, it's raining and pouring. There is no snow on the floor. Hmm...it is a bit strange. However, I'm grateful all the same.  Other than that, work is BUSY!!!!  This last week will be the busiest!!!  After that, I'm not sure what will happen. 

Remember a few times when I was "complaining" about the pain in my right shoulder? Well, last Friday it was so bad, it was hurting my shoulder, my right arm and my neck. After my last break at work, it felt like it was going to travel right up to my head. In any case, I just left work early and told my boss. My father took me to the hospital. No worries there.  I fall into that group of Americans that doesn't have health insurance, yet. So I sat in the hospital parking lot for awhile deciding whether to walk in or not. 

My family can sometimes have a fatalistic sense of humor. So my father said  and I quote " You can go to the hospital or you can go home and die"..all with a smile and laugh. Well, dying was not an option, so I walked into the hospital. It was a good thing. It turns out I have BURSITIS. WHat????? How did I get that?  So the doctor gave me a prescription for some pain killers, which have helped!!!  Plus some  pages filled with stretching exercises. Ladies (and gentleman), I haven't felt this great in about two months.  So your prayers have helped!!!!  This is God's reminder that I definitely need to take better care of myself!!! 

Oh, I'm feeling a bit long-winded today :) :) That's the news from Oregon!!! Extra bonus love and hugs, Heather :) :) :)       

My First Blog Disappointment

UPDATE ON SUNDAY, OCTOBER 24TH 7:54 A.M.

Hi everyone, I emailed the person in question to let her know what was happening. She said that her computer had been compromised a couple of months ago and that is when my spam emails started arriving. She said she always puts something in the subject line. I've just been deleted th email. She said thank you for the info :) :) I'm so glad I decided to tell her instead of blocking her...Well,I did block her and then unblocked her...I"m also marking those spam emails as "spam", so they go right to a junk box!!! Okay, I'm off to get some breakfast. That's the news from Oregon. Love and hugs, Heather:)

Hi everyone...
How are you? I'm fine. I worked today and now I"m home knitting and reading magazines etc. oh, I don't even have a photo for today. Sorry. Oh, I just experienced my first blog disappointment.  One of the blogs I had been following, I had given my support and trust..and I don't want to give too many details yet...unless everyone asks...then maybe...but instead of returning the favor what I have been receiving are a load of junk emails and spam from this person's blog email address. So I stopped following the blog and that  person is  now "blocked" from my site.  The straw that really broke the camels back was when I get one of countless emails from said person...and it's nothing but a "link" to some unknown site. Of course, I NEVER click on links like that...but this one had next to the link...how to lose weight and get in shape. Not only did I find that slightly offensive, but also in very poor taste....and besides, had absolutely NOTHING to do with the person's blog. Not only that, this same blogger, had sent me a friend request to Facebook via my email...and no, I automatically deleted that. I don't know why this is happening...but I took what steps I could to protect myself from this as well as protect my blogger friends...because if it happens to me, it could happen to you...and I "love" you all and consider you friends :) :) Anyway, I am annoyed...officially...right at this moment...

Well...not totally annoyed....because I've been knitting...so I've been relieving a lot of annoyance that way :) :)  I'm participating in this month's mystery dishcloth knit-along over at Rachel's Knitting Corner. Click here to check it out. It's just knitting instructions right now...but you can see some very cute photos of other mystery dishcloths that are now finished  projects.

Hey....please forgive me for my down tone today....I just am annoyed when I give something to someone in trust...and that trust is abused!!!   I'm trying to keep a joyful and trusting spirit and not lose that...remembering that God will help me get through whatever difficulties I encounter...Otherwise, I'm doing fine....That's the news from Oregon today. Love and hugs, Heather :) 

Precious Gifts At Just The Right Moment & Update

Feel free to share this photo on  your blogs, Facebook, and or with your friends and loved ones :) :) :)

Hi everyone!!! :) :) :)  How was your day today? Mine was good. I had lots of calls today and with the exception of two customers who were not "happy" no matter what I did, my customers were especially nice today :) :) Oh, Here's the photo of a giveaway I won over at Prairie Flower Farm a couple of weeks ago :) :) Isn't it sweet? I really LOVE it!!!! Click here to pay Linda at Prairie Flower Farm a visit. She's a really sweet lady, who knows all kinds of wonderful farm and homemaking stuff....plus she LOVES Jesus Christ.

This gift came at exactly the right time....Why? God KNEW I would need some extra  love/encouragement in the form of a very sweet gift :) :) :) At first I was going to turn the guinea feathers into a project...but Linda packaged it so sweet...I'll leave it the way it is!!! It'll remind me of farm life, my sweet friend....and the love/encouragement of Jesus Christ she pours into everything she does...for her family and for others around her!!!

There's a peek at the sweet note that Linda wrote to me. I won't show all of it, because it's just for me :) :) :) I hope you understand...However, see that lovely purple Tazo tea bag? I'll enjoy a cup of that while I watch the elimination round of "Dancing with the Stars" on tv tonight!!!

Aren't the tags the cutest, too? Very sweet...and now I've got "pumpkin pie lattes" from The Human Bean on my mind....It's like the pumpkin pie in a coffee cup :) :) :) Yummy!!! That's just one of the things I love about Linda...all the attention to detail :) :)

Oh, I bet you are wondering what I meant about getting this gift at the time God knew I would need it most? Well, as most of you know, my dad and I have been going through some challenging times at work. My dad lost his job today...and that's all I can or will say about that. Needless to say, my dad is sad...however, he is also relieved!!!!   Continue to pray for him and myself, as I am now the only income earner in the family...for the time being..I'm NOT worried though....

I really do need a little calendar for my purse. This will be perfect!!!!! The one I currently use is too big for my purse...so this will be nice to have when I'm out and about or at work :) :)

The whole time I was  at my computer taking calls today at work...I was thinking of one thing only...well, actually TWO things...Number One: The joy of the LORD is my strength...a truth and a promise in my book :) :)...and Number Two: God will work this out!! He will watch over my tiny family. He is faithful and He ALWAYS keeps His promises..Okay...I guess that's more like five things...but that's alright :) :) So when I came home and I saw Linda's gift...this is just what I needed :) :) :) 

I immediately set to work photographing this special gift...and putting some Scripture to go along with it.  As I was searching, I found that the entire phrase "...the joy of the LORD is my strength"...is only found in one place...Nehemiah 8:10. For those of you sisters wiser in the faith, let me know if I'm wrong..but I even checked the Blue Letter Bible online...



Speaking of which, there's a website that's really great for looking up Bible verses, reading Scripture etc. It's called the Blue Letter Bible...It has all different English translations of the Bible...so you can look up a Scripture in one translation, and even have that translated into another English version. Click here to visit this really neat website.

I first heard about this from my father a couple of years ago. For a period of about a year, my father and I didn't have a car. So we literally had to walk EVERYWHERE, including the library...and I didn't want to carry my Bible with me, because it would get really heavy while walking. So I'd walk to the library and spend an hour on the computer just reading my Bible...and that was how I did part of my devotions for awhile. It's a bit unconventional...but at the time it worked and was a real ministry to me...

Oh...and while I was pontificating on why the "joy of the LORD is my strength" was only found in one spot in all of Scripture...my dad reminded me that all Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching etc...and He reminded me that God's promises back then, are still promises today.

Then we started telling silly jokes...and I'll end with a funny...Bear with me...I'm going to take a little liberty here..

Question: Who was the second shortest person in the Bible?
Answer: Knee High Mia...(Nehemiah)

Question: Who was the first shortest person in the Bible?
Answer: Bildad the Shoe Height (Shuhite)  :) :)


Okay...I hope you enjoyed the humor. It's good clean fun :) :)  Thank you so much for praying for my dad and I....your continued prayers are always appreciated!!! That's the news from Oregon today. 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 :)

My Fourth Tea Time Tuesday and Teapot and Tea Things Tuesday for August 3rd, 2010.

I'm just playing around with making collages and I think I used one too many photos here. What do you think about this as a possible new header for my blog? Let me know what you think!!!! I can also make it black/white with a hint of color...I think I'll play around with this for awhile :) :) :)  Feel free to borrow this photo. Please link it back to my blog :) :) Thank you!!!!

Hi everyone, I can't wait to share a couple tea things with you. Actually, there's one item that I'm not sure if it's used for tea or something else...so you will have to help me out.

Oh first things first...my friend Miss Antoinette over at Practical Simplicity Photography made me a really nice blog button. If you feel led to post it on your blog sidebars, I would love that!!! Click here to visit her blog site :) :) :) She takes awesome photos!!!! Thanks Miss Antoinette for the lovely gift. What a blessing!!! You are such a sweet friend!!! Thanks bunches!!!!

This first photo is a teapot I found at one of the thrift shops that I frequent. It was super cheap...as I'm into buying super cheap, but also super cute items these days :) :) This is a Harry & David limited edition teapot. I didn't photograph the backstamp because it was on a piece of plastic. Harry & David is the company I work for when I'm in the holiday season....:) :)



By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures. ~ Proverbs 24:3-4

I came across that Scripture today while I was flipping through Emilie Barnes' book "Welcome Home" It is chock FULL of ideas for making each room of the house a lovely place to be ;) :) She also has tons of teacups and tea things everywhere!!!! Click here if you'd like to visit her website :) :)

I think the teapot is cute and it actually is functional, too!!! Now, I don't know if this is really truly a "limited edition" or if another company somewhere has the same teapot. However, one thing I can tell you is that Harry & David has not sold things like this in YEARS...They are primarily a luxury fruit gift company..so it does make this teapot a bit rare :) :)

Now the next photo, I'm not real sure about. I believe I found these at the same thrift shop.  I thought it was a miniature pitcher and bowl used for tea..Remember, I'm still new at this tea thing :) :) :)...so I bought it and took it home. The cashier gave me half off on this set ..I think I ended up paying $1.99. There was also a matching mini-bathtub which I did NOT buy..so I took it home. I LOVE it..I love the roses design. It's perfect and fits me to a "t"...Now that I think about it, I'm not sure what these were originally used for. Can any of you help me out here?


There is no backstamp on either item.


This is what I'm currently using this pitcher for...and you'll see how small it truly is!!! At the moment it's a lovely container for my antique silver spoons,....which were purchased at a yard sale :) :) That's no surprise for this lady :) :) :) Does anyone have a good recipe for cleaning/polishing silver?

My friend Stephanie from California came to visit me today. She's going on vacation to Seattle, Washington.  Stephanie and I went to the same public high school together. When my dad lost his job in June 1991, we moved to Oregon. It's been that long since we've seen each other. Of course, we've kept in touch over the years.  Today she was able to stop by for a precious hour and we were able to chat and catch up :) :) :) We also had some coffee at Starbucks.  Stephanie brought her two super cute dogs with her...and that was fun..I love dogs!!!

In any case, I had a really great morning...and I have to say that Stephanie and I both have aged beautifully :) :) :) I'll post a picture, but I want to ask her if it's okay first!!!

WELCOME TO: Valrie of Poems My Way.  Click here to pay her a visit.  She's a really sweet lady who has  a son serving in the Marines in Afghanistan. Please pray for his safety..and for all of our loved ones in uniform!!!

WELCOME TO: Linda of Simple Blessings :) :) Click here to visit her. I'm looking forward to getting to know you better :)

I've been thinking of switching my font to "Papyrus" If you go over to Regan Family Farm you can see what it looks like there. I really like it a lot. What do you think about me switching my font? 

This photo belongs to Prairie Flower Farm AND Peace Creek Collections. Please click on the links in the paragraph below or on my sidebar to visit those sites. This item is super cute!!!!

This is cool. I just had to sneek this in here. My friend Linda of Prairie Flower Farm also makes and sells super cute patterns that are available for purchase. The latest one is a Buddy Bear Snuggy pattern available for download in PDF format. You can also purchase a ready-made version too. Click here to check it out. It really is super sweet :) :) :) Or you can click on the Peace Creek Collections Store button on my sidebar ;) :) :) Linda is a really sweet lady with super cute things :)

Thanks for stopping by for tea and a visit with me :) :) :) Have a great week everyone!!! I'll be praying for all of you this week!!! That's the news from Oregon today. Love and hugs, Heather :)