Bees, Bugs and Blooms and My Favorite Wall!

Imagine my delight this week, when I opened a box of the sweetest bowl fillers – made by my dear friend Colleen from And Baby Makes Five. Colleen was one of the first bloggers I connected with 3 years ago when I started blogging and she has become so dear to me.

Even while undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer, she still takes the time to think of others and make them feel special. She is just that kind of person and I am blessed to call her friend.

Colleen knows that daisies are my favorite flower and sent her Bees, Bugs and Blooms bowl fillers. They are a welcome addition to my springtime décor! And they look great around the Amish Harvest candle – hand poured by Karen over at Star Mills Candle Shoppe.

Thank you Colleen!!

If you haven’t met this amazing gal yet, click on the picture like this

on my sidebar and please tell Colleen I sent you!

~**~**~**~**~**~**~

I promised some pictures of where I put my newest treasures and I’ll save those for my next post because I wanted to join in on Misi’s 1890 Gable House Musings Display Chain Tuesday again. This week’s theme is My Favorite Wall and this one is a no brainer for me! There are so may reasons why this wall in our dining room is my favorite wall in our home. Of course this is where our family gathers around the harvest table Mr. Red Door and crafter (okay – we struggled to make and we struggle to keep it from falling apart! LOL) From treasured furniture pieces and collections, to gifts from dear friends, I always feel good when I see this wall.

I think everyone knows by now that I really love my red stepback cupboard where I keep just some of my redware collection. This cupboard was one of my first new pieces when we moved here and I love the warm aged red color and how nicely it displays my redware.

You know I love me some redware! It is my favorite collection. I am so happy I started buying quality pieces back in the late 80’s on one of our many trips to the Lancaster, PA area. At the time, I was thrilled to be able to come home with one nice piece as a souvenir of our trip and additional pieces came home on each trip back.

And then there is my fowl rack…another of my favorite pieces that I have had for many years as well. I think I have been asked about this more than anything else in our home. I bought it at a store that used to be wonderfully prim but has changed drastically. The finish on it is just awesome!

I love the bowl with the scroll design on the bottom – it was made for displaying. And the tallow berries in the red basket were a gift from my dear friend Sherrie.

Two more of my favorite pieces are the gorgeous painted cupboard on the wall and my mustard bucket cupboard as I call it.

I got the painted wall cupboard at a shop that closed years ago – owned by a great gal Larissa Erwin. She was a wonderful influence on me and some of my early purchases. This piece was painted by a local artist which makes it even more treasured. I may not have a mural on my wall, but I have a mural! I just love it!

And next to it is this sweet sampler stitched for me by my dear friend Kathy. On the mustard piece are some treasures as well. The topiary was a thank you gift from my dear friend Karen Gerhart. The small crock to the right of it was another piece I bought one of those family trips to PA. It is from Eldreth Pottery.

The stoneware crock below was part of a subscription series of salt glazed stoneware I got from Early American Homes magazine many years ago as well. And the great lamp came from the Seraph in Sturbridge – again, many years ago.

The crock on the floor is another one of those pieces that I am glad I bought at the time. Larissa took me to some antique stores and she encouraged me to save and buy one really nice piece instead of several smaller pieces and over the years, it has been very sage advice!

The mustard piece is one of my newer pieces. I bought it locally but it is from a great shop in Hollis, Maine – Primitives in Pine. Click on the name and be prepared to make an extensive wish list!

And the closing reason the dining room wall is my favorite wall is because it is part of a long expanse connecting to the living room ….

…and my second favorite wall!

Thanks for sticking with me through my narrative. If you want to join in, click ~here~ to get to Misi’s blog!

~**~**~**~**~**~**~

Today I would like to mention a wonderful blogger friend of mine. Her name is Grammy Lura and she is from CA. We have never met and she is not prim, but I have enjoyed her blog for a long time now. Every Sunday she posts Grammy’s smiles and it is so uplifting to me. Well Lura and her husband were headed to Utah to their granddaughters blessing when they were in a terrible car accident. Lura sustained some severe injuries but thankfully both she and John survived – though he bled so from his head and was momentarily knocked out so she thought she lost him. When he woke up and she knew he was OK, somehow she had the presence of mind to make sure the GORGEOUS blessing dress she made for her sweet baby grand daughter was removed from the wreck and kept away from all the blood. This is what the car looked like.

Lura broke 15 ribs, her sternum and collapsed a lung as well as many bumps and bruises. It is a miracle she is alive but she is still in a lot of pain. John had to go home to CA to take care of business for a bit and she has many long hours alone and in pain. She has her laptop so if anyone would like to cheer her up, you can stop by her blog and tell her I sent you and wish her well. She can really use some distractions and uplifting so prayers are also welcome! Click ~HERE~ for her blog and feel free to add her to your church or temple’s prayer list. Thank you!

Today I am thankful for:

Lura and John being spared

Memories of special times with family and friends

Living in this colonial town in one of only 2 states that celebrates Patriots Day – which has nothing to do with the marathon. Click ~here~ to read about my town’s true patriot Gen. Artemas Ward

Cooking on the grill

New spring veggies and potatoes

Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time ~ warm hugs, Linda