Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Mother

This weekend marks the remembrance of a special day in the life of the Mother of God. 

Saturday, August 15, Roman Catholics celebrate the remembrance of the Assumption of Mary.

That is the day that she was taken, body and soul, to eternal paradise.  

Mary is a close intercessory to her son, Jesus.  

A small, wooden grotto, holds a one-and-a-half inch high statue of Mary, behind little doors that open and close.

It is a statue that reflects the Virgin of Guadalupe who appeared to a little Mexican boy, Juan Diego, near Mexico City in the 1500s.

Silk roses have been attached to the tiny grotto that is less than 12 inches high. 

Mary will always be very, very special around here.

Crystal/Glass Candle Holders

Don't ask why, but anything made of crystal and glass attracts attention.

At last weekend's super duper church yard sale, a pair of crystal/glass candle holders caught my eye. 

Ohhhhh, they were so pretty and quite heavy.

There was no price tag on them so when going to the pay station, I asked the check-out lady if they could come home with me for $1.  

She said "Yes"!   Now that was a ganga.

Because it's important for me to live with lots of color, some deep pink candles got fit into the holders.

They are now on the small table used for meals, near some equally colorful flowers.

WHAT WAS THE LAST BARGAIN YOU RECEIVED?

Church Yard Sale Scores

The darling magnets in today's post came from the awesome yard sale held by a Catholic Church in western Massachusets.

They will be so cute to add in notes to special people.

They are short in length but still say a lot.

Best part yet, they cost a whopping 50 cents each. Yippah. 

It's because of finds like these that church and other large scale yard sales are so much fun.

DO YOU ENJOY GOING TO YARD SALES?

Darling Doll in Pink

As progress continues on going through plastic totes that have been in storage, lovely dolls that have been part of a large collection are found.

Most of them will probably be sold or given away to little girls who love dolls.

Others will go to thrift stores, although that part will break a heart that truly loves dolls.

The darling girl in today's post wears a pink dress with lots of lace trim and a long veil that falls from her pug.  

The outfit got soaked in laundry detergent and hydrogen peroxide to turn yellowed lace back to white.  It worked!

To a doll lover, dolls are like sweet friends who add to the preciousness of life.

WHAT IS A CHILDHOOD COLLECTION OR HOBBY THAT HAS LASTED THROUGHOUT YOUR LIFE?

Splendor at Tanglewood

                         Program cover of week long music offerings at Tanglewood.

Listening to quality music is truly one of the greatest gifts of being alive.

Tanglewood, located in western Massachusetts, is a place where music is revered.

It's the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and  is like a little piece of paradise on earth.

The music played there often squeezes the soul.

Internationally known artists fly in and out of this part of New England to perform at Tanglewood.

Sunday afternoon became a splendid few hours of life while listening to the master cellest, YoYoMa and other musicians play in Tanglewood's shed.

Tickets inside the shed tend to be very expensive but one can choose to bring or rent a chair and set it up on the expansive green lawn. 

Afternoon performances lack the star-studded skies of evenings but they are still glorious.  

The sun beats down and gives tans or is slightly hidden by umbrellas that dot the lawns in every direction.

Tanglewood is a fabulous place to just sit and people-watch.  

The audience comes from here, there, and everywhere!

To have the opportunity to listen to a concert at Tanglewood is truly something to be very, very grateful for.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE KIND OF MUSIC TO LISTEN TO?