Meeko Caught Again and Awards

Meeko got caught again. Here he is taking a snooze on the couch with his teddy bear. I didn't have the heart to wake him, but really don't like him getting on the furniture. He is usually quite good about it unless the boys are here. Maybe he was feeling a bit insecure? Animals have feelings and sometimes it's hard to guess what they are thinking. Of course they can't tell us, so it is a guestimate on our part.

Hootin' Anni wanted to see a photo of my Tinkerbell attitude t-shirt that I picked up in Disney World in 2005. Here it is Anni. I love it and wanted to get another one like it when we were in Florida in January. Alas, they didn't have them. The decal on this one is starting to crack but I wear it a lot. It's my favorite t-shirt.

I have been honored with some awards recently. The first one is from Hootin' Anni and I absolutely LOVE it. Anni is very talented and makes beautiful graphics. If you've never visited her blog, be sure to follow the link above. She always has something interesting and Anni is a LOT of fun too.
Thank you, dear friend. You have a wonderful and vivid imagination. I will add this to my awards page and display it with pride

Stephanie at Mississippi Songbird awarded me a couple of awards which are beautiful. I love them both and will display them with pride. Thank you, Stephanie. I'm so glad we met recently and that our friendship is blossoming.

Both of you ladies make my day and I'm blessed to have both of you as friends. Thanks once again for your generosity.

Good Friday was a very quiet day here at the homestead. Hubby watched a little tv and I quietly reflected on the meaning of the day. Be sure to spend time with your family this weekend. Reflect on the meaning of the Easter holiday and enjoy the love and laughter of friends and family. ~Blessings, Mary~

The History of Silhouettes

Isn't this silhouette lovely? I have always wondered about the history of these wonderful pieces of art, so tonight I did a bit of investigating.

Silhouettes have captured the imagination of people since the early 18th century. The first silhouttes were painted images of the subject's shadow and were referred to as shades. English royalty made this art form very popular. Artists would attend formal gatherings such as balls and other social events and paint the shadows of lords and ladies. The art form then moved swiftly across Europe.

In France, the peers of Etienne de Silhouette were very impressed with his technique and attached his name to this lovely art form. Silhouettes were used in brochures, magazines and pictures in the US and Canada during the late 1800s and early 1900s. At this time the art form hit new heights. They were replaced by photography in the mid 20th century.

Today silhouettes are still seen in magazines, on billboards and are used in many different forms of advertising, but they aren't as popular as they were at one time.

While surfing a free photo share site, I came across this silhouette. It reminded me of two that I have that hung in my parent's house when I was a child. They had once belonged to my great-grandmother. They now belong to me and hang in my house as a reminder of bygone days.

This is my second week of particpating in Friday Flea Market. Be sure to check out the treasures I have this week at Mary's Vintage Flea Market. Included are vintage prints, vintage luncheon plates with matching tea cups that fit right onto the plate, a Queen Anne bone china cup and saucer and a reproduction of a vintage marriage certificate that is blank and can be filled in to use as a beautiful wedding or shower gift.

Show and Tell Friday is cancelled this week due to Easter. I will be participating as usual next Friday.

I wish all of my readers a wonderful Good Friday. Enjoy the day with your family. ~Blessings, Mary~

Congratulations on your Marriage, Barry & Michelle

After being together 20 years today and raising two boys to the ages of 12 and 10, my daughter and her spouse got married today. They have been planning this unbeknownst to the family for over a year. They had planned to go to Las Vegas and get married this year on the date that they met. However, with Barry being out of work for over a month and Michelle's surgery and complications, they had to forego that plan.

Change to Plan B. Since we don't have a Justice of the Peace here in town, they planned to go out of town and get married. Due to Michelle's surgery, they had to forego Plan B.

Two weeks ago, Michelle phoned me and told me they were getting married today. She said they didn't want anything formal and that they'd found a Reverand who would come to the house. So, everything was put into motion.

Barry works long hours and commutes 1.5 hours each way. Michelle hasn't been able to drive. So, the boys decided they would buy Mom & Dad their wedding rings for a wedding present. Last week I took them out and they picked out two lovely matching wedding bands. They are plain gold with a small diamond chip in each. I thought they made a good choice. (Dagnabit, I forgot to get a photo of the rings.)

I offered to buy flowers, but the bride and groom to be didn't want flowers. So, I offered to buy them a cake. The bride chose her favorite kind of cake and hubby and I picked it up today on the way to the wedding.

The entire family arrived at 1pm and the Reverand arrived shortly thereafter. He was a very nice man and quite a character, so we had a bit of fun before the wedding began. The boys stood up with their Mom & Dad but of course couldn't sign the register because they are minors. So Barry's Mom and I had that honor.

Here are some photos of the lovely ceremony. Everyone was dressed very informal by request of the bride and groom.

Above is the wedding party and the Reverand. Notice everyone but the Reverand was in their stocking feet. Brandon had a very pained look on his face. I wonder what he was thinking?
The boys held the rings and here the Reverand is instructing Brandon to take it out of the box and lay it on the Bible.
The joining of hands on the Bible, over the rings and the blessings of the rings.
The taking of the vows.

The exchanging of the rings.

Jordan kissing the Bride.

The Bride and Groom and the announcement.
Cutting the cake.

The wedding was beautiful even though it was very informal. This is a really nice photo of Barry and Michelle. Jordan was nearby anxious to have a slice of the cake. See his hand.

We sat around talking for a while and then everyone went their way to do the things they needed to do. The boys came over about 5 pm and Mom and Dad went out for dinner. A very nice day for everyone involved. Today is Thankful Thursday. It is a day when we list the things we are thankful for. If you would like to participate, be sure to stop by Sting My Heart and pay Iris a visit. You can find out all the information there.

This week I have so much to be thankful for:

1. Barry & Michelle getting married. They've been together for 20 years and now, on the 20th anniversary of when they met, they have made their union lawful in the sight of God.

2. That Michelle's lab reports came back that the cyst she had removed is benign.

3. Michelle can finally start getting out a bit and drive her car. She is able to do more around the house, though she still is unable to lift anything heavy. She is happier now that all the infection is clear.

4. Thankful that my husband and I, Barry's parents and my mother were able to attend their wedding, which was a joyous occasion.

5. For sufficient food on our tables, warmth in our houses. There are many who aren't as fortunate.

6. For the struggles that God allows me to face in order to make me a stronger person and to rely on His voice.

7. For Meeko, our Alaskan Malamute who brings much happiness and laughter into our lives. He also provides us with walks everyday in all kinds of weather.

8. For the love of nature, which was taught to me by my parents. I have passed this down to my grandsons.

9. Feeling much better than I did last week. I have some of my energy back.

10. For Easter and Jesus dying on the cross and being risen that we may have eternal life with him in heaven.

What are you thankful for today? I would love you to leave a comment and let me know. ~Blessings, Mary~

PS. Cynthia at Walking On has posted that her daughter, Ladybug, has been found. Please continue to pray for this family.

Blessings and Sad News

Our family was truly blessed today. Early this morning I took Michelle for her checkup with the GYN. Her incision is almost totally healed. The nurse is coming in tomorrow morning and then that is it. There is no need for the nurse's visits any longer. The doctor also had the lab report. The cyst was benign. I am so thankful for your prayers and support during this time. You all have definitely been a blessing to me. Blessings have been raining down upon us from every direction. God is good.

Sad news for Canada once again. To date 81 soldiers have died in Afghanistan, the latest being Sgt. Jason Boyles, a 32 year-old from Ontario.

Wednesday Sgt. Boyles' body will be flown into CFB (Canadian Forces Base) Trenton. Boyles belonged to the 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia Canadian Light Infantry, which is based in Shilo, Manitoba. Boyles was killed when he stepped on a landmine on Sunday, according to City News at Six in Toronto. Boyles is a native of Napanee, Ontario, not far from CFB Trenton. He had recently started his third tour of duty in Kandahar, Afghanistan. He was to have been in Afghanistan for six months on this tour.

Over 2,000 coalition forces stood at attention while his coffin, shrouded in a Canadian flag, was loaded onto a military plane for the trip home. Machine guns were silent while a lone piper piped Amazing Grace. Eight of his comrades carried his coffin to the plane. He is being described as a warrior.

Please pray for the family, loved ones and comrades. of Sgt. Boyles. I'm sure he will be sadly missed by all who knew him.

On that sad note, I am signing off for tonight. ~Blessings, Mary~

My Garden, Blogging T-shirts and Other News

I'm excited. Can you see them? They're there in the photo. Do you know what they are? If you guessed tulips sprouting up through the soil in my southern Ontario flower garden, you are correct. This is a sign that spring is on the way. Officially it will be here Thursday, but the weatherman is saying we will still be seeing snow into April. That is not what I wanted to hear, but these little sprouts give me hope that he is wrong.

The other thing that is sprouting in my garden is hyacinths. No, there weren't any snowdrops, but I may have missed them. They may have bloomed beneath the piles of snow we had here and still have in some places. We are lucky to live on the north side of the street. We have tulips blooms because the sun shines on our property all afternoon. Our neighbors on the south side of the street have lots of snow in their yard and it won't be gone for a while. They have shade in their side yard most of the day at this time of year. Hope you enjoyed the photo. I couldn't get a good one of the hyacinth sprouts. They are barely peeking through the soil, but they are there.

Denise at Samaritan Women is a very talented person. She has an artistic flare that is incredible. Denise had a contest for a slogan for a T-shirt that could be distributed to bloggers. She has announced the winner over a Sew the Word and is offering the T-shirts for sale at a very reasonable price. Be sure to drop over and take a look. The T-shirts come in a variety of colors that will be a hit this spring.

Mama Bear at Bears in Exile is recruiting people to take part in a Circle Journal. The idea is that a group of Internet friends will agree to journal for two weeks and include stickers, newspaper clippings, photos and other embellishments to tell a bit about their lives and what is happening in their part of the country. When the two weeks are up, you will mail the journal on to the next person on the list. This will continue until everyone has taken their turn, then the Circle Journal will make the rounds once again so everyone can see what the others did. Some of my blogging buddies are already taking part and I hope some others will as well. This is going to be a LOT of fun. Run over to Bears in Exile and sign up now.

Awards are always fun. Today I received the two below from Storyteller at Small Reflections. Thank you so much Storyteller. You made my day.

I would like to pass the Excellent Award to the following:

Jackie at In the Land of the Living Skies.

Tammy at Family Doin's

Lady Di at Kitty Justice

Willow at Willow's Cottage

Stacey at Stacey's Treasures

I always enjoy visiting your blogs and hearing what is happening in your neck of the woods. Congratulations!

I would like to present the above award to everyone on my blogroll. Enjoy and Happy Easter.

The graphic above is one of my Easter postcards. Feel free to take a copy if you'd like. I have dozens of these vintage cards and I enjoy looking through them each year around Easter. There are so many beautiful images.

Enjoy your week and be sure to take a little time for yourself. I'm always urging my readers to do a kind deed for someone and today I'd like you to do it for yourself and then post to let me know what you did. ~Blessings, Mary~

Happy St. Patrick's Day

The Wearin' of the Green is a traditional way to celebrate St. Patrick's Day and havin' a wee bit of Irish in my blood, you can bet that I will be wearing green.

Today was a little cooler than it's been for the last few days and once again they are predicting snow. Last week, the snow that was predicted passed us by. I can only hope that the same will occur this week. I have cabin fever and am looking forward to spring.

Happy St. Patrick's Day to all of my friends and readers. Even if you're not Irish, it's fun to join in the Wearin' of the Green. ~Blessings, Mary~