Remembering Cardinals

 It has been said that cardinals, especially the ones that are bright red, are visitors from the other side of life.

They often represent loved ones of ours who have already crossed over.

Whenever a red cardinal is spotted, it makes me think of my beloved late husband.

No matter how many years have passed, most people never stop grieving. 

Life has changed, circumstances have changed, and we have changed.

When I saw this sweet little angel with the cardinal, it made me think of my late husband. 

It's always so bittersweet to think of my amor, no matter how many years have gone by since he left.

Wishing you a totally lovely day today!

Catch-Up, Thanks for All, Kind of Day

Today is the kind of  day we all need.

Packing away Christmas decorations, preparing some of them to go to charity, and being thankful for all the gifts one received for Christmas are all part of today.

It's a lot of work to put decor away but once it's done, one feels really happy.  It's nice to get back to simpler decor, emptier surfaces, and gratitude for everything.

Looking over Christmas gifts, a few of my favorites follow.

This Pottery Barn diffuser, shown above, from my dear daughter-in-law, is really beautiful.  

The fragrance fills the small bathroom with lovely scent.

Crabtree and Evelyn's Summer Hill lotion, a gift from my daughter, is one of my all time faves, year round.

A brand new notebook, from a niece, will be used for budgeting and expenditure tallies.  I like to put pretty magazine cut outs on opposite pages. That way, the hard task of keeping track of expenses and bills is less harsh.

The photo below, of the little purse, also from my niece, does not do it justice. 

 It's bright, colorful and sparkly and is one of my favorite Christmas gifts.

Here's wishing a good second day of the year to you, too, dear blog peeps!

A New Year, Dreams, Hopes, and Plans

Happy New Year to All!

It's always exciting to get the fabulous gift of a new year of life!

It's actually fun to think about what could happen, changes we can make to enhance life, and be grateful for all we have been given.

One life lesson I have learned very clearly from many decades on earth, is that it isn't always the huge things that are valuable.

Sometimes, even the smallest things can bring us joy.  

For instance, one of my nieces attached the darling pinecone angel she made to her gift to me.

That little angel is so darling.  

Her wings are handpainted by that niece.

May angels light your way through life, guiding and protecting, during this new year!

Inch by Inch, It's a Cinch

Thinking about taking down and  putting away all the Christmas decorations, makes running for the hills sound like a good idea.

Of course, it's not because what has to be done just has to be done, like it or not.

So things are disappearing little by little and being packed away.

Some things will end up this year in the charity pile.  

The pink Christmas tree will be the last to go.

It's wonderful sitting near it in the evenings as it exudes peace and loveliness.

Here's hoping you have a good day today-----a day filled with contentment and gentleness.

Cute Cardboard Cut-Out Houses

While strolling down the aisles of a Goodwill thrift store one day during pre-Christmas shopping, three totally adorable, very small cardboard houses caught my eye.

They were so nicely done and cost 99 cents each.

Somewhere in the dwindling apartment Christmas  decorations, there were small pink Christmas trees and a large pink reindeer.

I looked for and found them!

The three building neighborhood, now with the pink trees and super big, soft, fuzzy pink reindeer, looks as cute as can be.

This holiday season they had to be set up on a bookcase shelf but maybe we can find an extra shelf during the year for next Christmas.

A window on one of the small houses needs to be repaired but other than that, they were 99 cent treasures!

I think the new mini neighborhood will be called "Little Ville."