A few of my favorite things. . .

Stacks of dainty tea cups and a spring basket filled with eggs and flowers...

Decorating my home with tea pots and creamers and sugars and lacy doilies...

A good cup of hot coffee and something gooey to go with it like a hot cinnamon roll...

Roses and handpainted china...

My white hutch filled with whimsical notions...

And, of course, bunnies...

Vintage images...this one is by my favorite illustrator, Eloise Wilkin...

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving, dear friends, celebrated with family and friends.

"If you want to turn your life around, try thankfulness. It will change your life mightily."~Gerald Good

I am participating in "Tea Cups on Tuesday" this week. I am posting a little early, but if you will go over and visit these lovely ladies on Monday evening or Tuesday morning, you will see all of our tea participants: Sandi @ http://sandimyyellowdoor.blogspot.com/ Martha @ http://marthasfavorites.com/ and Terri @ http://artfulaffirmations.blogspot.com/

Have a terrific week!

Counting my blessings, one by one, at Bunny Cottage...

My handsome son, Jeremy, a gifted musician, and sweet Grace, my dancer extraordinaire...

my sweet, Jake, with a heart full of love and concern for others. . .

my sweet, Luke, in his kindergarten picture. . . he is my "superhero" guy who loves Iron Man, Superman, Spiderman and anything to do with all of these superheroes. . .

Beautiful Grace again and my lovely daughter-in-law, Lindy, who does an excellent job of teaching our young people in school. . .

My beautiful Ally, who loves to "perform" and is my little actress who is never without friends close by. . .

My fun-loving Maggie Zane, named after me. She loves to laugh and loves life like me, too.

My darling, Henna Rose, who melts my heart when she says, "I love you, Gee!"

My handsome son, Aaron, who recently received his law degree and is a terrific lawyer and my lovely daughter-in-law, Corinna, who is a wonderful hair stylist.

And I could not forget, Baby Olivia, our sweetheart who is on the way and will make her debut in February. . .

My beloved sister and best friend, Myra, and my darling niece, Robin. They are my "partners in crime" and we can spend many hours a day just laughing and having a good time!!!

And last but certainly not least, I am counting each of you my friends, who make my life so much richer with your creativity and encouragement and love for life, yes, each of you are a blessing to me... I can hear my momma singing that old hymn, "Count Your Many Blessings" as she lovingly worked around our home taking care of us. I dedicate this post to her and my wonderful daddy. They truly taught me the meaning of a "thankful heart". I will forever be thankful for them. Have a blessed Thanksgiving!!

"If the only prayer you said in your whole life was 'thank you', that would suffice."~Meister Eckhart

A tiny rosebud. . .

It is only a tiny rosebud,
A flower of God's design;
But I cannot unfold the petals
With these clumsy hands of mine.

The secret of unfolding flowers
Is not known to such as I.
God opens this flower so easily,
But in my hands they die.


If I cannot unfold a rosebud,
This flower of God's design,
Then how can I have the wisdom
To unfold this life of mine?



So I'll trust in God for leading
Each moment of my day.
I will look to God for guidance
In each step of the way.





The path that lies before me,
Only my Lord knows.
I'll trust God to unfold the moments,
Just as He unfolds the rose.

Sending much love and blessings to you, dear friends. Enjoy your weekend!!

Roses are red, my love. . .

Violets are blue. . .

Sugar is sweet, my love,

but not as sweet as you. . .

If you grew up in the 50's and 60's like I did, I am sure you remember the words of this song

sung by Bobby Vinton. Isn't it amazing how a song can take us back in time to the days of our youth?

Thank you, dear friends, for stopping by today for a visit. I am sharing some of my favorite tea things including a favorite violet covered teapot, tray, creamer and sugar, given to me by my sweet sister, Myra, as a Christmas present several years ago. Next to it is a picture of my grandparents on their wedding day. I never met them personally. They went to heaven before I had the opportunity to know them. However, I do know them in my heart of hearts and look forward to seeing them again one day. I feel their presence and the presence of all of my loved ones each and every day. I am participating in the Tuesday Tea Parties so please stop by and see all of the lovely tea things being shared. These sweet ladies are our hostesses each week: Sandi @ http://sandimyyellowdoor.blogspot.com/ Martha @ http://marthasfavorites.com/ and Terri @ http://artfulaffirmations.blogspot.com/ Happy first day of November to you and God bless you all!

Best friends. . .

During my growing up days, my best friend, Pam, and I loved to go shopping on a Saturday afternoon in our small town of Carlsbad, New Mexico. Our first stop was always Woolworths five and ten cent store. Upon our arrival, we headed directly to the jewelry counter. Pam always bought a beautiful "diamond" ring and I a "pearl" ring. These, of course, were our engagement rings (I am pretty sure our boyfriends at elementary school did not know they were "engaged"!) After our ring purchase, we would then peruse the Barbie dolls and all of their lovely adornments. Sometimes, if we had enough money, we would buy paperdolls. These paperdolls gave us endless hours of enjoyment. Last stop for the afternoon was the Corner Drug Store. This was an old-fashioned drug store with a soda fountain. We always ordered a hamburger with chips and a Coke. What a wonderful time we had and how grown up we felt on those magical Saturday afternoons. Even though Pam and I live many miles apart now, I feel like we could start our conversation right where the last one ended. She was and still is a true friend, a friend of the heart and soul. I hope you have enjoyed many friendships throughout your lifetime, dear friends. I count each and everyone as a kind friend who I value very much. Enjoy your lovely autumn weekend as you think on times past! Love and blessings always.

Rosy thoughts for a rosy tea party. . .

Childhood is the most beautiful of all life's seasons. . .

One may live without bread, not without roses. . .

You can complain because roses have thorns, or. . .

you can rejoice because thorns have roses! I choose to rejoice!!

God gave us memory so that we might have roses in December. . .

I'd rather have roses on my table. . .

than diamonds on my neck.

This is the lovely Peggy Martin rose growing in my backyard garden. This beautiful rose is a true survivor having withstood hurricane Katrina. . .We, too, can withstand the storms of life when we have our faith rooted deeply in Him.

Dear friends, thank you so much for coming by for a visit today. I am enjoying my garden during this cooler weather along with my favorite pieces of rose covered china. I hope this note finds you doing well, dear ones. I am participating in "Tea Time" on Tuesdays. Please visit our very kind hostesses and all those who are participating by going here: Sandi @ http://sandimyyellowdoor.blogspot.com Martha @ http://marthasfavorites.com/ and Terri @ http://artfulaffirmations.blogspot.com

Autumn Tea Party, and I was "Daisy Mae"!!!

Hello, dear friends, we are having some gloriously cool weather here in Central Texas...

So, I thought it would be fun to have an autumn tea to welcome in the season...Mr. Scarecrow definitely wants to be invited!!

I have one of my very favorite tea cups for you to share some autumn tea from...

My little bunny is out in Farmer McGregor's fall garden so he had to be invited, too...

Along with this sweet and magical and very friendly little witch...

I have one of my comfy chairs waiting for your visit, along with a plate of ghosty cookies...

I know you are thinking what does Daisy Mae have to do with our celebration? Well, she is part of my childhood memories. You see, one year my momma helped me dress as Daisy Mae for Halloween. Yes, I had the cut off jean shorts (not nearly as short as Daisy Mae's, my momma would not have allowed that!!!) and a cute peasant shirt that my mother had sewn for me. It had elastic in the neck so I could wear it off my shoulders like Daisy. I must say, I did not "fill out" my costume nearly as well as Daisy fills hers out, but as a ten or eleven year old girl, I did think I looked pretty cute!! Now there was a rule among girls my age that you could trick or treat until you were in sixth grade. After that, it was considered a little too babyish to trick or treat in junior high. Well, if you know me, you know how I love autumn and Halloween and all of the festivities. When I was in sixth grade, I made the most out of that Halloween, sadly knowing it would be my last time to go out trick or treating. Yes, I was a sad girl the next autumn in 7th grade when I didn't dress up and go out to get treats. However, now that I have grandchildren, it is perfectly normal for grandma to go out with her grandchildren and trick or treat to her heart's desire. Who says there aren't advantages to getting older?

I am participating in this week's tea parties. Please visit these ladies, our faithful hostesses, and all of those who are participating this week: Sandi @ http://sandimyyellowdoor.blogspot.com/ Martha @ http://marthasfavorites.com/ and Terri @ http://artfulaffirmations.blogspot.com/ I am posting a little early so visit these ladies late Monday evening or early Tuesday morning to see their tea things and all those who participate. Please enjoy your autumn week ahead, sweet and kind friends!!