bits of sunshine

it's still winter

and it is beautiful
but it is cold
and i am ready for a wee bit of hope that spring might be coming
though i could look at the handiwork of old jack frost any day!

:: February, A Month of Collections :: 14 ::

:: February, A Month of Collections :: 14 :: Depression Glass ::

my green depression glass
(part of my larger collection of green glassware)

my mom has found most of these pieces for me
she keeps her eye out for pieces, then gives them to me for my birthday or Christmas
- the candle holders were my Christmas gift this year

the candy dish in front belonged to my gram
she gave it to me just a few months before she passed away
she was going to stay overnight with me before my brother's wedding, and she had it all wrapped up with a little thank-you note, ready to give to me, but she ended up in a nursing home a week or so before our planned overnight and trip . . . she had my mom bring me the package anyway, and i am so thankful to have both the dish and the note . . .

ring pop

my little brother has a lovely little lady in his life.  she told him that he can't kiss her, though, until there is a ring on her finger and the "e" word is settled.  on sunday night, he picked her up and gave her a ring pop and told her, "it's edible, my dear."  he didn't get his kiss yet . . .

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edited to add ::  the "e" word is "engaged" officially.  they won't wait till they're married before they kiss.  :)  for a little while here, it is just going to be sort of a tantalizing joke for them.  and waiting a month or two for a kiss is nothing . . . they'll have lots of time to be kissing . . .  :)

:: February, A Month of Collections :: 13 ::

:: February, A Month of Collections :: 13 :: Buttons ::

This is almost all the buttons I have.
My kiddos and I had fun laying them all out - and talking about things we could use them for.
Some are vintage, some are new, some came from my mom, some came from an antique store here in town, some came from the Netherlands, some came from Australia, and a few of them, I dug out of the ground . . . a couple years ago Ben found an old dump-site buried under a job site. We found old scissors and shoes and glass and tin cans, and three milkglass buttons!

Did you ever play Button, Button, Who's Got the Button?
We used to play it at Back-yard Bible Club.
Oh, fun times. :)
All the kiddos sit in a circle.
A string, with one button on it, is wrapped around the circle.
One kiddo is chosen to sit in the middle.
Everyone passes the button around, behind their backs, on the string . . . until the middle kiddo says stop. Then everyone says button, button, who's got the button? And the middle kiddo tries to guess who has the button behind their back. If guessed correctly, the button holder moves to the middle of the circle . . . and so on. We really thought it was fun. :)

So, there you have buttons and two button stories.

I interrupt these collections

to bring you . . . . .

SUNLIGHT!

the sun is shining today!  this is the first day in many weeks that the sun has shone longer than 2 or 3 hours.  i am loving it!  maddie and isaac think it feels like summer . . . and it is nice and warm in our big window by our table.  they will be bundling up when we head outside to go sledding in a few minutes, though!  the sun may be shining, but the temperature is just 10 degrees F.  oh, the sun does wonders for me, though.  i am more productive, more kind, more at ease.  i am loving this sunlight! 

the rose is maddie's valentine from her daddy.  :)

we had a long, oh-so-full weekend.  all fun stuff, but too full.  ben and i did get to spend about an hour and a half on a little valentine date, and that was really nice.  the kids and i also made some fun valentines for our friends and family, and we made chocolate cupcakes with strawberry cream cheese frosting and heart sprinkles.  mmmmm.  my memory card was lost all weekend (in the couch cushions), so i had to make memories in my mind and my journal.

tomorrow i will be back with another collection.  i don't know that i will hit 28 collections this month, but i have some more ready to show you . . . i'll hit 20 for sure!

i hope the sun is shining on you today, friends.  either from the sky or from the love of those around you!  i've got both right now.  :)  i'm feeling very blessed.

:: February, A Month of Collections : 12 ::

:: February, A Month of Collections :: 12 :: Charms ::

Some are Maddie's.
Some are mine.

:: February, A Month of Collections :: 11 ::

:: February, A Month of Collections :: 11 :: Isaac's Excavators ::

:: February, A Month of Collections :: 10 ::

vintage matchbooks
these belonged to my Grandma Eva

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Edited :: i moved the "violet tips" to the post with the violets - that just seemed to make more sense.  :)

:: February, a Month of Collections :: 9 ::

:: February, A Month of Collections :: 9 :: Violets ::

my mom gave me a violet plant before i left for college,
i have divided it many times over the past 11 years.
3 of my violet plants are from that original,
and i have given clippings away, too.
the other two are from my neighbor lady.
they were one HUGE one that i divided.
i love how they bloom and bloom and bloom -
all winter long!

and the white primrose?
my dad told my mom to buy one for herself, one for me and one for my sister-in-law,
to brighten up our cold, grey February days.
i think i have a pretty sweet dad.

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lots of you love violets!
i was going to answer your comments individually, but i will just write a few things here - for everyone to read.

~ Violet LOVE ~

• i have found that violets like to be in a window where they get lots of light, but not a lot of direct sun.

• they don't mind being cool. i think i read that they prefer 50 - 60 degrees (F). i am proving this to be true.

• when watering a violet, avoid getting water on the leaves.

• i try to keep mine nice and moist, but not soaking. they are close to my kitchen sink - so i often use water that is left in our drinking glasses to just give them a little drink. they probably each get watered a little every other day. then, every once in a while - maybe every other week - i make sure to water them all.

• dividing a violet is easy! if you pull the plant out of the pot, you should see some very obvious separation points. when a violet is HUGE, if you look closely, you will see that it looks like many little plants all crammed together. just pull them apart and re-pot each part.

• also, violets like to be near each other. they bloom more often if you have at least two small ones near each other - or in carmen's case - one HUGE one - it's actually a bunch of small ones. as long as it's not root-bound it should bloom like crazy!

and that's what i know about violets.
happy growing!

:: February, A Month of Collections :: 8 ::

::February, A Month of Collections :: 8 :: Poetry ::

a collection of poetry books
some of which are collections

A Heap o' Livin' by Edgar A. Guest
Evangeline by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Poems of Childhood a collection
The Song of Hiawatha by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Tender Buttons by Gertrude Stein
Poems Every Child Should Know a collection
The Sonnets by William Shakespeare
One Hundred and One Famous Poems a collection
Beyond Heart Mountain by Lee Ann Roripaugh
Post Card Poems a collection
When I am an Old Woman I Shall Wear Purple a collection
Child Verse by James Whitcomb Riley