NumberNineteen

Bits & Bobs & A Birthday Girl

Here's a post with bits & bobs...some news, some photos, and even a question for you, dear readers.....

First, lets start off with the birthday girl...

I have to thank every one of you who prayed for a sunny day for our birthday picnic in the park---it was gorgeous!!!!  The perfect early fall day--cool, breezy, sunny & crisp.  And, we had a great time.  The kids went crazy on the playground equipment, the parents caught up, & then we all had goodies, including cupcakes:

Hope, as you can see, was very happy with her cupcake. 

It was really a great, great weekend.  I'm enjoying my weekends so much more now that I'm at the new job.  My days at work are very busy, but I feel like I can leave it behind a little better.  Or, maybe I'm making myself leave it behind better than I used to....?

We are on the big countdown to our trip to Italy...we are leaving this Friday afternoon!  I've laid out my clothes to be packed, have a file full of our papers, have read all of the guidebooks & am just about ready to go.  Last night, I went shopping for cute sneakers to wear over there--I have athletic shoes, but I wanted some really comfy walking shoes that also looked good.  While out, I could not resist these:

Vintage loving ladies, don't they look just like they belong on a flapper wearing a cloche? I love the covered button closures.  As a bonus, Mary Jane's are also very in style this year (yeah, I follow fashion magazines almost--not quite--as closely as decorating mags).

Here is the part in which I ask your opinion....I have a collection of tin cake/jello molds that used to hang on my kitchen wall, in an apartment that I had before we were married.  Hanging the molds (at least not using the method that I did, which was just nails) wasn't a good idea, as they fell down constantly.  When they were up, they looked good.  When they fell on your head, it wasn't so cool.  I really love them & would love to figure out a great way to display or use them.  Deb of Homespun Living  (on my dream yard sale-ing adventure, she is coming along!!!!) suggested on her blog to use small ones (like the ones used for individual cakes) as votive holders, which is a fabulous idea.  But, the big ones, like in this picture, are the ones that I'm trying to find a use/display idea for:

I feel like there must be a good use for them in our spruced up kitchen (whenever that gets done....).  Share your ideas!  Let me pick your creative minds!!!

Lastly, I just got some very exciting news that I don't think that I can share with you yet.  But, you will find out in the next few months.  Don't get excited, I'm not pregnant :)  But, its fun news that made me do a happy dance all around our basement about an hour ago!

I doubt that I will have a chance to post again before we head off to Italy. I promise you lots of photos and lots of stories.  I'm hoping that I'll come back with several posts worth of eye candy and tales of European relaxation!

A Shelf Full of Roses

I'm so happy!  My hunny put up my shelf in my crafty/Kim room so that I can display my roses!  I was waiting on him to put it up, because I can't put up a shelf straight to save my life :)   

~Ignore the  ugly lamp...I am on a mission to find a more attractive option!~

I've been gathering rose themed items for about a year & I just love how they look together!

Several are candy tins/boxes & the one in the middle is a prized British biscuit tin.  You know how I love all things British!

You can also see in the photo above the gorgeous velvet rose haircomb that I found at an estate sale for 50 cents! 

Thank you, hunny, for putting up the shelf!!  I just love my new display!

A Blondie & A Brownie

I thought that I would share with you one of my favorite new things, this Wonderful, Wonderful print that my sister gave to me for Mother's Day.  Its a page from a vintage children's book & I just love it.  She choose it because she said it was like me & Hope. Hope's the Blondie & I'm the Brownie :)  I just found the frame recently & I think that it fits it perfectly.

Aren't I so lucky to have such a great sister who knows me so well & gives me such sweet gifts?

The Name Game

I've been tagged by dear Allie over at My Cozy Home, with the name game!  I do love being tagged :)  Here are the rules:

Players, you must list one fact that is somehow relevant to your life for each letter of your middle name. If you don’t have a middle name, use the middle name you would have liked to have had. When you are tagged you need to write your own blog post containing your own middle name game facts. At the end of your blog post, you need to choose one person for each letter of your middle name to tag. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

I was bestowed with an unusual middle name, one that has proven to be difficult to find words to match the letters--Yvonne.  How many words start with Y that you would like to describe you???  Here goes...!

Y-Yellow....soft yellow is one of my favorite colors...I use it through my house & have chosen it for several decorating projects...

V-Vintage, of course!  You knew that, though :)

O-Overseas, which is where I will be in just a few weeks...Italy, here I come!

N-Native...of State College, PA.  If you know anything about State College, know anyone who went to Penn State, even know anyone who has lived in Pennsylvania, then you know how growing up in the home of Penn State forms who you are.  Penn State IS State College...PSU football is everything, and the world revolves around the university. We were taught the Penn State fight song in junior high music class (I'm not joking). Your pride in where you are from is huge. Its a country locale with city culture.  My hometown is located in a valley that is called "Happy Valley"...yeah, a good place to grow up.
(The Penn State mascot, the Nittany Lion)

N-Nibble...I eat all day, a little here, a little there.  I just love to nibble!

E-Enthusiasms....Glenn once told me that he loved me for my "enthusiasms"....when I love something, I LOVE it.  When I'm excited, I bubble over.  When something is important to me, everyone around me knows about it.

Lets see...who should I tag?  Lets go with Martha at Elizabeth Hill Cottage , Terri at The Shy Turnip , & Jen at The Cottage Nest .

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By the way, I started my new job yesterday & so far, so good.  I'm enjoying taking the train to work--1 hour a day of reading time!  Very cool.  I've read an entire book already (OK, so I am a fast reader).  And, I feel good about finally being able to take public transportation.  My past jobs have been in places that didn't have public transport between my home & their location.  I'm happy to stop using up all of that gas & making all of that pollution.

As far as the actual job, so far, so good.  Its a really small office of about 12 people & things are in the midst of a lot of very positive change.  I'm in training so I haven't been able to really dig into what I'll be doing, but thus far it seems lower key than my last job.   A very good thing!  I hesitate to make any sweeping statements about the job, good or bad, after only 2 days, but so far, so good!