seeing hearts...

there are hearts everywhere you look

this close to valentine's day!

~~~

i thought i would show you a few of the hearts i've been seeing...

~~~

this much-loved pillow

graces the bed in our guest room for valentine's day.

it's satin is faded and threadbare and i love it!
~~~

this is an old wooden hanger

that i wrapped with red vintage velvet ribbon.

the glass heart is hung on the hanger

and tied with more velvet ribbon.

the necklace is made of clear glass seed beads.

it hangs in my laundry room.

~~~

this vintage lace-edged heart hanky is

also hanging in my laundry room.

~~~

i've collected these vintage red-handled cookie cutters

over the years.

the tin is a vintage valentine chocolate candy mold.

~~~

you can't have too much red

or too many hearts

for valentine's day!

~~~

hope you're seeing lots of hearts...

~~~~~

~~~

~

make it a hearty, happy day!

peggy

popcorn love...

i love popcorn!

love it!

~~~

if i had to pick one food in the world

i couldn't live without,

it would be popcorn!
~~~

love it, love it, love it!

~~~

popcorn has it's own shelf in my cupboards!

that's how much i love it!

~~~

i usually use a stovetop popper.

that's what i grew up with,

and i love making popcorn this way.

~~~

popcorn has it's own vintage jar!
on the countertop,
so i can see it!
~~~
i knew i could use this jar to store my popcorn in
when i read the lid!
~~~
we also have a stir crazy popcorn popper!
~~~
the grandsons love watching
the popcorn pop!
they each carefully place one kernel in the popper
and we wait for them to pop.
when each of the kernels pop,
i add the rest.
we try to count the popcorn
as it pops.
we usually count
1, 2, 3....100!
~~~
fun, fun, fun...
~~~
they love popcorn
aaaaalmost
as much as i do!
~~~
i do love popcorn!
and as much as i loooove popcorn,
it can't compare to my love
for these boys...
~~~
they are the extra butter on theatre popcorn!!!
~~~
it's the popcorn lovers yummiest valentine!
~~~~~~
~~~
~
make it a popcorn day!
peggy

love week...

if february is the month of love,

(and it is!)

this week must be the week of love!

~~~

gotta love that!

~~~

and one another...

~~~

my hope for you

is that this week

is filled

with love...

~~~

for you

and for one another...

~~~~~

~~~

~

make it a loving day and week!

peggy

blue cloud abbey...

blue clould abbey is located in northeast south dakota,

near marvin, south dakota,

in a lovely and serene rural setting.

it is home to 13 benedictine monks

who are called to pray and work.

~~~

i was part of
a women's retreat held at blue cloud abbey
this past weekend~
a weekend white
with snow and fog.
~~~
incredibly beautiful and peaceful...
~~~
a tranquil welcome greets you
as you come inside.
~~~
inspiring pictures hang thruout the abbey.
~~~
the stained glass windows
are magnificent.
~~~
the color is intense
~~~
and the detail is exquisite.
~~~
surrounded by such beauty and peace,
in and outside the abbey,
and the wonderful hospitality of the monks,
makes the time you spend there
a wonderfully, inspiring experience
you won't soon forget.
~~~~~
~~~
~
make it an inspiring day!
peggy

happy 2 to you...

here she is...

the puppy love of my life...

~~~

nell!

~~~

she's 2 today!

~~~

isn't she the cutest puppy you have ever seen in your whole life?

~~~

she was a cute puppy,
(the cutest!)
and as naughty as she was cute!
(maybe naughtier!)
~~~
she was the naughtiest puppy
i have ever had in my life!
~~~
i say "was" but she still is...
still naughty
and still a puppy!
~~~
she's not as naughty
and she'll always be my puppy!
~~~
i cannot tell you how much i love this dog!
i love her soooooo much!
~~~
and the best part is...
~~~
she loves me,
no matter what!
~~~
as cute as she was
as a puppy,
she's that pretty now!
~~~
and she loooooves snow!
(just like her mom!)
~~~
she rolls in it...
eats it...
and
(as you can see in the pictures)
wears it!
~~~
she's the best!
~~~
happy 2nd birthday nell!
~~~~~
~~~
~
make it a love your puppy day!
peggy

simple rustic charm...

i love my willow tree angel of the heart.

(and my mother-in-law who gave it to me)

~~~

i love the simplicity and rustic charm

of these angels.

~~~

simplicity,

living a simple life...

~~~

so me!

~~~

more simplicity and rustic charm...

~~~

this hand-stitched valentine

is as simple, sweet, and charming

as it can be.

i couldn't love it more!

~~~

the message here is simple...

~~~

no one wants to be forgotten

on valentine's day!

~~~

to remember

and be remembered

on valentine's day

is

a sweet and simple gift of love

that brightens all of our day!

~~~~~

~~~

~

make it a sweet and simple day!

peggy

spring dreams..... day 2...

i'm still dreaming of spring!

~~~

this is where our vegetable garden will grow,

after all the snow has melted...

and spring comes.

~~~

my husband and i work together in the vegetable garden.

we both love gardening!

he's more the vegetable gardener,

i'm more the flower gardener.

~~~

we grow

pumpkins, squash, green beans

tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots,

onions, and potatoes.

~~~

this year we're going to try indian corn and sunflowers

in with the vegetables.

we'll also plant marigolds and zinnias

in the vegetable garden.

i like the vegetable garden to be pretty!

~~~

every year i save more vegetable seed

to plant the next spring.

i love saving seed!

it's easy, fun, and frugal.

~~~
i feel like a prairie pioneer!

~~~

this spring we'll buy

carrot and cucumber seeds,

tomato plants, onion sets (white and purple),

and seed potatoes (red and white).

~~~

saving flower seeds is my favorite!

~~~

flowers are my favorite!

i love, love, love flower gardening...

love it!

~~~

i love to try planting flowers i've never grown before

so i do buy some flower seeds.

i have to...

really!

~~~

still...

being frugal in saving vegetable and flower seeds

allows me to be more lavish

when i'm buying new perennials, bushes, or trees.
~~~

i love that!

~~~~~

~~~

~

make it another dreamy day!

peggy

spring dreams...

i'm having dreams of spring!

~~~

yesterday i mentioned that we have

many winter days ahead of us.

~~~

today... i'm dreaming of spring!

a girl can dream, can't she?

~~~

even when i see my secret garden and bench buried in snow...

i know that when spring comes

there will be

bloodroot, lily of the valley, hosta, violets, columbine,

forget-me-nots, coral bells, grape hyacinth,

and more blooming here!

~~~

and here...

one of my most favorite and fragrant pale pink roses

will bloom.

~~~

and later...

the autumn joy sedum

whose dried heads are barely able to peek

thru the deep snow

will grow and bloom here,

along with a growing number of perennials.

~~~

these help me dream my spring dreams!

~~~

these

are my favorite garden seed catalogs.

~~~

i dream big garden dreams

as i peruse these catalogs.

and then finally,

and carefully, i choose the seeds

and then i

plan and plot

for colorful spring, summer, and autumn

flower shows

thruout the yard.
~~~

oh, to dream...

~~~

and as excited as i am

to plan, plot, and plant flowers,

i am even more excited...

for my bee block!

~~~

i love bees!

~~~

i want to make sure

they know they are most welcome

to come into my gardens,

to pollinate to their hearts' content,

and then to live safely nearby...

in their bee block.

~~~

gotta love a dreamer...

~~~~~

~~~

~

make it a dreamy day!

peggy

sunshine and shadows...

the sun shone and the snow sparkled today...

it was a beautiful winter's day.

~~~

the sun shone
and created shadows everywhere...
~~~

you couldn't help but see them,

~~~

no matter where you looked.

~~~

all the little animals...

~~~

were out and about,

enjoying the sunshine

and the beautiful winter's day.
~~~

none of these tracks were made by

punxsutawney phil.

but like phil,

all the little animals

saw their shadow!
~~~
six more weeks of winter...

~~~

we, in south dakota,

can't count on

phil's prediction.

~~~

we know...

~~~

that we will have many more

than six weeks of winter!

~~~

we can only hope

that all the winter's days to come

will be like the day we had today!

~~~

punxsutawney phil

couldn't be here today

to enjoy the sunshine,

make tracks in the snow,

or to give his prediction...

~~~

but i had someone who could...

~~~

prairie dog nell!

~~~

(you'll meet her soon in an upcoming post

when she turns 2!)

~~~~~

~~~

~

make it a great day!

peggy

a "love"ly weekend...

it was a "love"ly weekend

for me.

my friend, june, was here!

~~~

we'd planned this weekend of valentine crafting

for some time

and were sooo excited

to get together,

to talk,

to craft,

and to eat!

we even had time to check out our new thrift shop in town!

~~~

we may have talked and ate

more than we crafted

but we had a great time!

and we did make some great hearts for valentine's day.

june just got a few more ( a lot!) more done

than i did...

~~~

it was a girly weekend

but we did invite our husbands

and june's son, dakota,

for roast beef supper on saturday nite!

~~~

june and i have been friends

since high school

and we love so many of the same things!

it's good to have had such a good friend

for so long.

i feel like we know sooo much about each other,

but i did learn something new about june this weekend...

~~~

she has a secret for playing hand bells...

~~~~~

~~~

~

make it a great day!

peggy