Wren's Nest

Swappy goodness

I've been loving doing fun swaps lately. People are so generous it blows me away (and is sort of intimidaing when sending things out...). Here are a few treats I've received lately (I still need to gather all my goodies from my Tea Cup partner, so that one is not included). Some of these goodies aren't even swaps, they're just people being amazingly thoughful and sweet. Here goes:

These lovelies are from Jen as a thank you hosting the tea towel swap. So wonderful!! Love all the birds - lavendar pillow, vintage needlepoint and tag and the tea towel could not be sweeter with it's little saying, bright colors and rick rack with polka dot trim at the bottom. Thank you Jen!!
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Then came my lovely ATC from the swap Selena and I did just amongst ourselves because we had never done ATC's before and we wanted practice. Is this not the sweetest?? I love the feather and the flower fairy and the lovely fairy stamp. Thank you Selena - great job!!

Next we have an amazing "just because" gift from Rosa. She was my Red and Aqua partner that I sent to. She is so wonderful and sent me these lovelies just because. Can you believe it? Blew me away - since it hasn't been the best time around here this thoughtfulness meant so much! Thank you Rosa!! and thank you for the lovely post about the swap!! She included two lovely bird postcards, a beautiful angel notpad (with beads). I'm trying to keep my daughter from completely taking it over! and Cath Kidston napkins, which are so pretty, I think I'll have to figure out another use for them so I don't use them up!! Too pretty to use as napkins. Thank you for your kindness, Rosa!!

I am in Moki's letter swap. Very fun stuff - I'm still working on mine to send out by Friday. I have received a couple of my "j"s and they are so cute!! The first I got is from Margarita Jaramillo Coletto(who doesn't have a blog as far as I know, but needs one because she is really talented!). How cute is this?? Thank you Margarita!

And as if that weren't all enough I got my next letter swap from Raesha, who had also very kindly offered to send me a Daphne du Maurier book (one that I had not read - The Flight of the Falcon) when she saw that I like ol' Daphne so much. She also included some great bias ribbon and tape, vintage Aunt Martha embroidery transfer, ribbon and the cutest tissue holder. PLUS this adorable "J" in - hello, my fave - pink and brown! Thank you Raesha!

Well, what's a girl to do with all this fabulous goodness sent her way?? I feel so blessed to know all of you amazing ladies!! Thank you so much!! Enjoy your Wednesday!!

He's Home!

FINALLY John is home!! I cannot thank all of you enough for all of your prayers and good wishes - you have no idea how much it helped when I'd come home from visiting him and find your wonderful comments! We really appreciate each one of them. He's doing better, but it was a particularly virulent pneumonia, so it's going to take a while for him to be 100%. We actually thought he'd be home Saturday, but his dr. wanted him to have one more round of IV antibiotics, so kept him until this afternoon. We're just glad he's home. It really makes you not take things for granted!

On Friday evening, since we though he'd be home Saturday, we decorated for Fall. We're putting our things out early-ish (though I can't have them out enough since I LOVE autumn) since I don't know how long our family room will be in commission during the coming seasons - we're remodeling and adding on and the family room and kitchen will essentially be ripped to shreds, so I thought we'd enjoy it all now. So here are a few pictures (though not great quality since there was not too much natural light) of our Fall goodies:

This is a quilt I made a few years ago - it hangs at the end of our hallway.

This is my antique jelly cupboard all done up and a close up of my favorite witch - she's slightly green in skin tone, so we'll call her Elphaba

and these two cuties are Robin and Rosie made by Salley Mavor - two of her Wee Folk that John surprised me with. I love to make these little folk, but hers are amazing!!

And last but not least, the Queen of the Harvest. Another one of my favorites. I just love her! I love all things autumn. I'll have more pictures later in the week after I do the porch. I'm so excited to go buy some pumpkins!

THANK YOU again for all of your thoughts and prayers - it's a blessing for us to "know" each and everyone of you.

Good Wishes Needed!

Thanks for all of your good wishes for John's recovery. Please keep sending them! John went into the hospital today because he is still having a really difficult time breathing and his oxygen levels are too low. His fever is gone, but other than that he's not really improving. I took him back to the dr. today and she had him admitted to the hospital. He's seeing a pulmonary specialist there. Hopefully he'll be out in a day or two. I'm just trying to keep it all as normal as possible for the kids, so we'll all be going to see him this evening after soccer practices (it was really important to John that they go to those and do all the stuff they'd normally do). They seem to be hanging in (better than their mommy, I'm afraid). So, please continue with the prayers and good wishes ~ please know that they're all much appreciated even if I am unable to respond for a while! Thank you!

Bye Bye Patio

I have so many things to share, but I have to say, I'm so tired that today, you'll get treated to the destruction of my patio which took place at the end of last week and over the weekend. It all got carted away on Monday. It was not a very nice patio and I'm glad it's gone - now we have a beach in our backyard because they built it on sand with hardly any ribar (sp?). No wonder the tree roots had pushed it up so far! It's the first step in a long journey of the dreaded remodel/addition, but at least it's a start!

Thank you to everyone for their nice anniversary wishes and wishes for John to get better - he's not too much better today. Please keep us in your thoughts. We went to the dr. yesterday and she gave him a BIG shot of an antibiotic and more oral antibiotics to take. Still a lot of coughing and he's very tired and uncomfortable. Just to make it more exciting here - Collin has the croup. I took him to the dr. this morning, and luckily his lungs are clear, so it's just that barky cough and he's good to go back to school tomorrow. Phew!

I have some lovely Japanese craft books to share (some are on flickr) and I'll do that later this week. I got them on my trek to San Jose last week when I thought my trees were getting cut down (that will happen next week). There are some great tea towel ideas and so I'm thinking of starting a tea/dish towel monthly or bimonthly challenge making different things with tea towels... More to come on that. Have a lovely Wednesday!

The first cracks in getting the patio up

Partly done - sand underneath (you can imagine what the kids and dog are tracking in!)

Giant pile of rubble! Who knew there'd be so much!

I Do! (14 years ago...)

Today is our 14th Wedding Anniversary!! It's been quite a ride and there is no one on earth I'd have rather been on it with than John. It's funny to look at pictures from our wedding ~ it's all brand new and you have no idea what lies ahead. He looks sooo young in the pictures (we actually weren't that young - he was 29 and I was 27), but I have to say, I think we look better now. Maybe a happy marriage and 3 great kids brought out the best in us! Thank you Johnny for the best 14 years of my life so far and here's to many many more!

(The sad news is that my poor guy is here at home laid up with bacterial pneumonia, so we won't be celebrating too much today ~ we're off to the dr. at 3:30 for a follow up visit. He went to the ER on Sunday morning and got diagnosed and STILL helped with Collin's birthday party that afternoon. What a guy! I'll update you all on how he's doing once we know more...)

It's FINALLY Done!!

I finally finished my advent calendar (well, the calendar part is done, I still need to make all the little treats that go inside). I am teaching a class on this in November (Yikes! I get really nervous teaching classes, decidedly not my favorite thing, but I can never say no...)

So, here it is - not the greatest pictures - the light was sort of strange, but it was the only time I had yesterday to take the shots before I dropped it off at the shop. It's made out of all wool (the blue was cutsom dyed just for the occasion) by my pal Bren at Acorn Quilts and Gifts. The numbers and letters and mittens and snowflakes are hand appliqued and the snowflakes are beaded around the edges, the pockets are by machine. I think I like it - the jury is still out. You know sometimes you work on something that was in your head and then you're not so sure about the end product, so we'll see. I think with all the little woolies in the pockets I might like it better (a little woolie tree, stocking, star, crown, etc.) That's it for me for tonight - we're celebrating Matt's 12th birthday (where did the time go?).

Old Books and Other Fun Things

I love old books. I always have. When I was in 4th or 5th grade I used my own money to buy an antique copy of Rose In Bloom by Louisa May Alcott. I still have it somewhere. I also have old copies of Little Women (my favorite book EVER!), Black Beauty and The Yearling that were my mom's when she was a girl.

Lately, I've been interested again in old books. I found these at a used bookshop here in town
I love the Jane Eyre, in it's little box - it has beautiful pictures too. Always enjoy the covers (and the cute stories) of the Happy Hollister clan (golly gee, those kids roamed around and their mother never worried!). The Kate Greenaway book is so sweet with such beautiful pictures. I think I put some of the inside pictures on flickr. Then Selena sent me this cutie Happy Hollister book to add to my collection AND the sweetest teeny tiny peg rack with a teeny tiny apron and a teeny tiny wool bag. I will hang it in the entry of my dollhouse bakery (someday when I have one!). So CUTE!!!

And last, but not least, here are my Daphne du Mauriers that I got off e-bay for next to nothing. I don't know if I'll keep the paperbacks, but I LOVE the Rebecca (the copy appears to be from 1965) and My Cousin Rachel (that copy is from the '50's). I may (or may not) send one of these to my Vintage Classic Book Swap partner - we'll see. I have Rebecca in paperback and I've read it and re-read it dozens of times. My Cousin Rachel - I have not read, though I saw the movie (with Richard Burton and Olivia de Havilland - who went to my high school in the'20's by the way...) and was sort of lost at points, so maybe I should read the book. We shall see.

Tree Update

Thank you ladies for all of your kind thoughts about our poor trees . Guess what!?! I got home from keeping myself out of the house for 3 hours and the tree guys HAD NOT SHOWN UP!! So, I called my husband who called them and they wouldn't be able to come for a while still (this is 1:30 - they were supposed to come by like 11am) so we cancelled and now the trauma will occur on Sept. 26th. So we get to enjoy the trees for two more weeks...

Sad Day

This is probably going to sound strange, but we are cutting down two trees in our backyard today and it is making all of us very sad. This giant fruitless mulberry (one of 3 we have in the yard) sits right outside out family room sliding door and we look at it constantly. You can see it from the front of the house too - it's beautiful wide branches spreading across the back of the roof. We have layed on the grass beneath that tree with all the babies and looked into the lovely leaves - and each child has found comfort in the breeze moving the leaves and making a slight sound and wonderful shadows.

We are remodeling and adding on to our house (finally - after 10 years!) We have tried to think of ways to save this tree - but because it's in the "drip line" of the addition it's just not possible. The birch we love too, but this mulberry is really such a part of the backyard. Of course the backyard as we know it will not exist any longer. After the trees, they will rip out the concrete "patio", which I will be thrilled about - it's so bad looking! My husband said letting go of the trees is the hardest part of the whole thing - having out kitchen/family room ripped apart, the building, the mess, etc. none of it will be this hard. (of course, he won't be here during the days when all the noise and work will be happening, so I'm not sure about the trees being THE hardest...) but it is sad. So, that will be it for me today - I'm leaving until I have to get the kids - I just can't be here while they're doing taking them down. So begins the long saga of "the remodel"... I have a feeling I'll be needing a lot of support in the coming months from my bloggy friends!!!

Can't wait...

Well, this isn't the post I was planning on doing today, but my camera battery is D-E-A-D, so until that is recharged, I can't really take any new pics (but I do have a scanner, so...). I got my Country Living a few days ago and wow - I can't wait until it's REALLY Fall - I LOVE FALL!!! Check out this fabulous cake on the cover - I do have that pumpkin cake pan and it's fun to use! The recipe in the magazine is for pumpkin/chocolate cake - hmmm... I have not had that combo, but I'm willing to try! It's so cute! There are so many great articles and pictures inside - it's getting me in the mood for Halloween! I loved this shot of these great pumpkins (I'm a big pumpkin fan, in case you didn't figure that out) I love all the different kinds - they're so pretty! We always get a big variety of kinds to decorate with. I also love anything pumpkin flavored - bread, pie, you name it!

I've also just gone ahead and gotten these little pincushions out - I need to get busy and make some more for the season - maybe I'll put a couple up on Etsy. I do really love these - I don't say that about most of the stuff I make, since I'm always ready to find something wrong with most of it, but these little gals, I really enjoy making and using - they just make me laugh!

John got back from Vegas this morning and turned right around and took Matt and 4 of his buddies to some extreme sports show thing for Matt's birthday - he'll be 12 (YIKES!!) on Thursday. Where has the time gone?? So looking forward to them getting home and having a nice, quiet evening - making some funky lasagna with ravioli instead of lasagna noodles - if it works, I'll post the recipe as my Recipe of the Week tomorrow. Happy Sunday!!