At Considerable Cost

{pretty} Several of us spent Wednesday morning working on new wreaths for our front doors.  Elizabeth hosted and provided us with a perfect workspace.   The children played together well and were content.   We laughed and talked and finished the morning with some beautiful finished products.   Even though everyone used the same basic components, each wreath was unique.   I made my wreath last year, so I was there to help and enjoy the company.   Female bonding and beautiful crafts made for a great mid-week boost! Ready to begin!  This is one of Elizabeth's pics.   Hers are the ones that were obviously NOT taken with an iPhone! Almost done! Julia and I working on her wreath. Lauren contemplating the perfect placement. Elizabeth's finished wreath Julia's finished wreath Lauren's finished wreath {happy} We celebrated my husband, Joey's birthday.   The kids couldn't wait to surprise him as he entered the door after

Saturday morning, fortified with coffee and chocolate cake (Breakfast of Champions), several friends and I headed out to see if we could find any treasures at local garage sales.   Each of us found at least one treasure and everything we bought was a bargain.   It was a great morning. I have been looking for a bookshelf for Thomas's room and I found one at the last sale we visited.   Mama would always say, "If you wait long enough, you can find anything at a garage sale." Now, to load it with the books that have been stacked on big sister's floor for weeks.

  {pretty} This could double as {pretty-happy}!  My friend, Lauren, and I share September as our birthday month and we celebrated with some dear friends Wednesday night.    Gifted Nan made the beautiful flower arrangements which not only brought beauty to the table, but also were our special gifts to take home.   My poor iPhone picture simply cannot do them justice.   The cake was a scrumptious chocolate dream, a chocolate cake covered in chocolate ganache.   The dishes are lovely vintage tea/coffee plate sets and they suited our gathering--and our group--perfectly.   We were able to get our first glimpse of Mary's lovely new home as we "oohed" and "ahhed" over its features.    We sometimes jump up and down or even clap in exclamation.   Pretty girly.   Pretty wonderful.   Pretty refreshing to our spirits. Gifts for the birthday girls! Mary's yummy offerings!   We always pull out our special dishes for each other. {happy}

I'm finally trying to do this link-up with the blogs Like Mother, Like Daughter , since the format works for this share.   Here's a little of the from our week: {pretty} It's no secret that pies are my thing .   Some women relax at a mall or a spa, but I love to relax by making homemade pies in my kitchen.    There is a homey and wholesome beauty to the sight of my baking island in the midst of pie-baking. {happy} From apple pies above to the apple which apparently hasn't fallen far... My daughters love to play school as soon as they get home now.   This is the sight I found in my oldest daughter's room.   It's the same sight my mother found in my room most days of my elementary school years.   It's the sight relatives and friends will always recount from their memories of me.   The tradition continues as my daughters now line up their own dolls and stuffed animals to teach them. {funny} We finished painting the chi

To continue where my last post about our house projects left off,  I have some new pictures to post. I wanted the kids' rooms to be finished before the first day of school, so it was a mad rush to get it all done.   There are still books on C's floor since we have run out of bookshelves!   I know the kids' room colors are terribly traditional and awfully stereotypical, but they chose them. E's Lavender Room  Update: I exchanged the white bed skirt for this ruffled lavender one.   It looks better and it was on clearance at Target for less than $5. This was the girls' dress-up center, but now it's Emmeline's dresser.   The next project for her room is painting this, since the finish and wood quality are not great.   I don't like seeing wood pieces painted, but the damage on this one is too great for a refinish. Mama bought the "Emme" boutique hat box after Emmeline was born.   There is an "Emme" la