Wordless Wednesday



A Blackbird Designs Cross Stitch Break

I can be somewhat of a workaholic.  I work myself sick and push myself so hard,
 then I crash and can go no further. 
When I get tired, I get weepy and mournful. 
I start missing my daughter or my dad, or Texas...
 just whatever my heart feels is worth a wallow. 

 

I couldn't take another minute of it today.  I snapped at 11:00 AM.  Shed a few little tears.  Went outside and laid out in the sun for some "light therapy" and vitamin D. 

 

 I came inside and pulled out a lovely work in progress. 

 

I love Blackbird Designs and wish I had the time to work
every single one of their cross stitch patterns.

I would wallpaper my whole house with them. 
(Love their fabric too).
 

I'm currently working on Anniversaries of the Heart, Pattern 5. 
 

 

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh...........my soul sighs cheerfully and feels mended.  It's just what my afternoon needed.  I needed to rest my busy mind and back, meditate and pray for cancer filled loved ones, count my blessings....
concentrate on anything but work!!   

Sewing is healing.  I feel as if I received a Vitamin B shot today. 

Now it's off to an early bed for me.  It starts all over again tomorrow. 

 

Do you need an afternoon vacation? 

What do you do when you snap?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Your absence has gone through me
Like thread through a needle.
Everything I do is stitched with its color.”  

~W.S. Merwin~

 

 

Love is what carries you, for it is always there, even in the dark,
or most in the dark,

but shining out at times like gold stitches in a piece of embroidery. ” 

 ~Wendell Berry, Hannah Coulter~

 

“Now the Earth with many flowers puts on her spring embroidery”

~Sappho~

 

 

To sew is to pray. Men don't understand this. They see the whole but they don't see the stitches. They don't see the speech of the creator in the work of the needle. We mend. We women turn things inside out and set things right. We salvage what we can of human garments and piece the rest into blankets. Sometimes our stitches stutter and slow. Only a woman's eyes can tell. Other times, the tension in the stitches might be too tight because of tears, but only we know what emotion went into the making. Only women can hear the prayer.”

~Louise Erdrich, Four Souls~

 

 

Thank you to my son who took the photos for me.  Such a SWEET young man.

 

Blessings, PEACE and favor to all of you.

(((group hug)))

 

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Dear Watson felt sorry for mama today. 

Nothing is better than sewing and kitten cuddles.

Sharing with these SWEET places
Elizabeth and Co. ~ Be Inspired
Far Above Rubies ~ Domestically Divine Tuesday

Yummy Spring Thrift Store Finds

I. Love. These. Birds.  !!!!  From Japan

Milk Glass Candlestick

(and my Gnome's name is Sue.  Johnny Cash called it)

Beautiful red glass votive and vintage party forks

(These vintage party things and votives both sell real well, if you're in the "business")

I've been buying up vintage cross stitches for years. 

I have no need for this, but it was cool. 

I had never seen it before.  1969, Moon landing. 

I don't know how to crewel, but I can't leave birds just sitting there. 

I'll either teach myself how to do it, or sell it.  :) 

Mustard Bag.  Pshaawwww......  I win! 

Actually, my daughter's is better (she found one in Texas),

but I am happy to have my own. 

I LOVE HER.  Sweet little thing. 

Another Homer Laughlin-esque vase and a vintage

Asian theme cross stitched table cloth. 

I love jars with the original lable still attached. 

Ohhhhhhh Charlie.....I love his eyes brows.  He is a candlestick.  Just love this guy. 

Oh, and Bambi. 

My kids are grown.  I don't know why these dumb little figurines call out to me. 

Buy me!  Buy me!! 

 

Well, that's all for this week. 

Hope your week was just as fun in the great treasure hunt of life!. 

 

Sharing with these SWEET Thrifty Peoples:

Thriftasaurus ~ Sir Thrift A Lot

The Cottage Market ~ Junkin' Joe Vintage and Thrifty Finds

The Nifty Thrifty ~ A Living Space

Elizabeth and Co ~ Be Inspired

 Young Heart ~ Thrifted

 

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YEEEHAWWWW...Bambi caught a ride on Dear Watson's Tail. 

 

 

~The End~

Hot Air Balloons in Florida ~ *clicks heels*

We are way out in the country. 

They launch hot air balloons in the pasture behind our house. 

Literally, our back yard. 

There have been times when the balloons are so low,

they touch the tops of our trees. 

I guess hot air balloon season is upon us. 

I see them out there all the time now. 

 

Have you ever been in a hot air balloon? 

I have not.

Let's go!!

 

The quotes below are by Frank Baum, from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.  Of Course!!

 

“If I ever go looking for my heart's desire again, I won't look any further than my own back yard. Because if it isn't there, I never really lost it to begin with.”

 

“Everything you were looking for was right there with you all along.”

 

"Some people without brains do an awful lot of talking, don't you think?” 

 

Toto did not really care whether he was in Kansas or the Land of Oz so long as Dorothy was with him; but he knew the little girl was unhappy, and that made him unhappy too.”

 

 

“People would rather live in homes regardless of its grayness. There is no place like home.” 

 

 

Blessings to you all.

Choose Joy.

 

Sharing with:

Pret a Vivre ~ Ready to Waltz

The View From Right Here ~ Weekly Top Shot

 

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Pooh and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day,

ended on a high note last night with Bambi on his back. 

I'm not sure how much more he can take. 

Poor Pooh.

He said he hated me but took it back real fast out of guilt. 

 

~The End~

DIY Bride Feature ~ My Daughter's Thrift Store Wedding

Greetings to all my beautiful peoples. 

 

No time to talk.  My son and I are outside painting furniture. 

BUT...wanted to share with you our good news today. 

 

 

We just found out my daughter and her husband's wedding was featured at

DIY Bride. 

 

That would all be MY WORK (a full year's worth of work and tons of thrifting). 

But you know moms...we love our only daughter's and will jump in front of a moving train to make ANYTHING happen for them. 

 

 

This was a $5,000
Thrift Store & Family Heirloom wedding.
(ok, maybe a little more than that, but at least under $8,000.  I did a good job keeping it around $5,000, give or take a few, until my husband, the saint, decided everyone needed to eat dinner).

 

IT CAN BE DONE. 

 

Lot's of things we wanted to do, but just ran out of time. 

That happens when you're doing your own wedding. 

It's better to be rich and hire people to do it all.  LOL 

 

But that wasn't the case and being forced to work with a teeny tiny budget encouraged our creativity.

I HIGHLY recommend doing business with the following people:

Meegan Weaver, the best photographer for a good and fair price. We LOVE her.

Amanda Rose Studios did our bridesmaid dresses. She is wonderful to work with

Lone Oak Ranch and Retreat was a God send. Book your Texas stuff here.

Me and Matilda did the mens ties. Beautiful and for a good price.

  

 

Isn't she the most beautiful girl woman you ever saw?

I miss her so much I could throw up.

 

 

OK, BBL.  Gotta run.  Paint is drying.

 

xoxoxoxo 

 

****waves to adoring crowd****

Sharing with the SWEET places:

Homemaker On a Dime ~ Creative Bloggers



Wordless Wednesday

Fundraiser Tea Party

Thought you might like to see a "Tea Party Fundraiser" I worked.

I hosted a table.  People pay money to sit at your table. 

They are served the whole tea party spread, all homemade foods. 

I found out 24 hours before the event I was to host a table. 

I. Freaked. Out. 

I panicked and ran through the house,

gathering things I had on hand and just winged it. 

I like what I did.  I went with a literary/shabby theme.

Next year, I'll use shorter bud vases, but for 24 hours notice, I thought my table was kinda sweet. 

 

It was a special day.  I saw people I hadn't seen in years. 

People I've known my whole life through church. 

We ended up raising over $4,000 for scholarships for my

Alma Mater, Florida College. 

Over $4,000 just from a tea party is pretty good, eh? 

It was hard work, but it was wonderfully fulfilling. 

I'm already planning next years table. 

I'll have more than 24 hours notice next year.  :) 

 

I wish I had more time to take pictures of other tables. 

Each table had a theme and some were just adorable or especially lovely. 

PS:  I should add, all the books, tea cups, lace, plates and milk glass are mine, thrifted of course. 
And the Green Depression glass is mine, a gift from my mother-in-love.   

 

 

 

This is my sister-in-love and my son's girlfriend in front of my table.

 

Be blessed and be a blessing.

Encourage one another.

Choose Joy!

I'm sharing with these blogs, which I hope you'll go visit:
Savvy Southern Style ~ Wow Us Wednesdays, Rae Gun Ramblings ~ What we wore, read or Made,
Primp Junktion ~ Primp Your Stuff, Fluster Buster ~ Flusters Creative Muster;
Elizabeth And Co ~ Be Inspired, A Diamond in the Stuff ~ Time to Shine;
Pink a Potamus ~ Pink Hippo Party; PJH Designs One Of a Kind ~ Transformed Tuesday,
Knick of Time Interiors ~ Knick of Time Tuesday,
Lavender Garden Cottage ~ Cottage Style Party, The Shady Porch ~ Rock N Share Wednesday,
No Minimalist Here ~ Open House Party

Martha's Favorites ~ Tea Cup Tuesday, Bernideens Tea Time ~ Friends Sharing Tea, Rose Chintz Cottage ~ Tea Time Tuesday, Artful Affirmations ~ Tea Cup Tuesday, Antiques and Teacups ~ Tuesdays Cuppa Tea

 

 

 

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Pooh thinks sewing is much better than tea.  He thought the tea party was lame

because they didn't have tuna sandwiches.  

 

I am almost at 100 followers.  I would love for you to be one here at Sweet Woodruffs.  :)

Find me here on Facebook

Over here at Twitter

Sweet Woodruffs on Instagram

 



Orange Trees are Blooming!

It's one of my favorite few weeks of the year. 
 

The strongest fragrance comes at dusk, when the breeze is blowing perfectly
off the orchards, right into our back yard. 

The sun has warmed the trees all day, like a candle under a potpouri pot. 

 

I always think of Anne of Green Gables. 

I know it's comparing

Apples and Oranges,

but I love that first drive home for Matthew and Anne.
When I see trees blooming in the spring, I think of
"The White Way of Delight".

 

 

 

"The "Avenue," so called by the Newbridge people, was a stretch of road four or five hundred yards long, completely arched over with huge, wide-spreading apple-trees, planted years ago by an eccentric old farmer."

I love this photo.  I think those little green buds mean the flower was polinated, thus the beginnings of an orange.
 

"Overhead was one long canopy of snowy fragrant bloom.  Below the boughs the air was full of a purple twilight and far ahead a glimpse of pained sunset sky shone like a great rose window at the end of a cathedral aisle."

 

"It's beauty seemed to strike the child dumb.  She leaned back in the buggy, her thin hands clasped before her, her face lifted rapturously to the white splendor above."

 

 

"Pretty? Oh, PRETTY doesn't seem the right word to use.  It's the first thing I ever saw that couldn't be improved upon by imagination."

Really funny.  The center "orange" is an orange colored sun spot.  LOL  What a hoot. 

"It just satisfies me here" - she put one hand on her breast- "it made a queer funny ache and yet it was a pleasant ache.  Did you ever have an ache like that, Mr. Cuthbert?"

 

 "I have it lots of time, whever I see anything royally beautiful.  But they shouldn't call that lovely place the Avenue.  There is no meaning in a name like that.  They should call it..let me see...,

The White Way of Delight."

 

 

 Be blessed and be a blessing.
Choose Joy.  :)

Sharing with:
Communal Global ~ Tuesday Around the World,
A Rural Journal~ A rural journal Tuesday Muse

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Pooh has nothing to say and asks that you please keep your voices down. 
He is sleeping off St. Patrick's Day Tom Catting at the moment.   
*face palm*

I would love to see you as a new follower here at Sweet Woodruffs.  I work very hard on blog posts and always have something interesting or fun to share.  :)
 

Hang out with us on my Facebook Page
And follow me on Twitter,
Or Instagram

 ~The End~



Quick Thrift Store Visit

I'm so proud of myself when I have sudden bursts of self-discipline. 

I actually went into the thrift store today,

but only allowed myself to stay a few minutes. 

Didn't dig through books for an hour. 

In.  And. Out.

 

Yay!  Go me!!

 

I spent less than $5.00, give or take a few. 

Who's counting, anyway???

(ummm...my husband!  Doh!)

(And if you really must know, the reason why I couldn't play "thrift store" longer today is because I've moved my booth into a much bigger room and I'm working myself sick.  Ugh.  Exciting times but it's killer work.  I know it looks like fun and IT IS, but being a "dealer", or a good one,
is HARD, VERY HARD work).

 

I grabbed it for the frame. $1.00. Sadly, that bird is going in the trash.

It was eaten by feather eating somethings. Ick

.20 cents for this wooden heart.  It's the sweetest thing.  I'm in love.

  It's a gorgeous ox-blood red color. 

I think they made these things in shop, back in the day.  Do they still? 

 

$1.00.  It's unmarked but it "reads" Homer Laughlin and my rule is,

"No Homer Laughlin left behind"

(or Homer Laughlin look alikes). 

It's a cute little bowl, perfect for something. 

 

Am I the only one excited about these?  .50 cents a piece. 

Best. Show. EVER!!!  McDonald's, 1981.  

 

A vintage pot holder for .10 cents, a set of pillow cases .50 cents a piece and.........

A .50 cent, tiny PLASTIC GNOME!!!

He freakin' winked at me and I was like.....whaaaa?

Holy Cow, you're comin' home with me, little fella!!!

I want to put him in my purse as my good luck charm or as my "conscience".

Like Jiminy Cricket or something.

Oh my gosh, I love him so much.



2 vintage cards for .10 cents. 

I will never pass up inexpensive vintage paper. 

Never ever.

A small little pottery planter marked Japan.  I like these things. 

Perfect for a window ivy or succulant. 

I'm sure it's from the early 70's. 

.50 cents. 



What should I name him? 
He just winked at you and told you to say hello in the comments section. 
True story!

 

~Blessings to all Thrifty peoples~

(((group hugs)))

 

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Bruiser languidly ponders why the grass is greener at the nieghbor lady's house. 

 

 

~The End~

 

Sharing with these Link Up's and Parties:

Sir Thrift A lot ~ Thriftasaurus,  Homemaker On A Dime ~ Creative Bloggers Party , The Trifty Groove ~ Thrifty Things Friday,

Hey What's for Dinner Mom ~ Penny Worthy Project, Joyful Treasure Hunting ~ Treasure Hunt Finds, A Living Space ~ The Nifty Thrifty, Me and my Shadow ~ Magpie Monday,