Oh, Peonies! You Are My Favorite!

My Mom has so many peonies bushes in her yard -- white, light pink, fuschia...  And every Spring when they put out dozens upon dozens of buds, I get so anxious for the day when I can go outside on a beautiful Colorado day, barefoot & armed with a pair of scissors, to cut myself a bouquet!  And a few for around my parents'  house too, of course :)  When it was time for my wedding, I quickly chose to have peonies in my wedding bouquet, as well as my bridesmaids', & they were cut from my Mom's yard special for the occasion :)

Without a doubt, peonies are my favorite flower.  No matter the color!  What is your favorite flower?  Is there a particular memory that you associate with it?

You Should "Go The Distance"!

Feel like seeing a good movie this weekend? I know everyone is talking about the new Harry Potter movie, but that's not really my thing. If you're like me, then here's a suggestion for a different movie: go see Going The Distance!  Okay, seeing as I just Googled this movie & read that it came out in the States in early September, well...maybe I should suggest that you go & rent this movie.  Gah, I'm so behind the times over here!

A friend of mine went with me to see this last night, & we had such a great time!  We didn't expect it to be nearly as good as it was!  It was the perfect Saturday night out movie for two girlies without their husbands.  Oh, we're Going The Distance alright!

I think this movie is especially entertaining for anyone who has had to do the long distance thing, or who is doing the long distance thing!  There are a lot of us out there!  *raising my hand, raising my hand!*  This isn't your typical mushy gushy girlie rom-com.  Instead, it's a much more realistic romance, with many added touches of hysterical laughter along the way!  I think I had already laughed a dozen times by minute five!

Did you know that Drew Barrymore & Jason Long used to be together?!  Off screen!  ....You did?  Man, I am behind the times!!  Well, they sure are good together on camera!

Psst - Guess where else I went yesterday?  You'll have to check back tomorrow to find out!

And also, a big thank you to all of you who have been participating in this week's Saturday Around The World blog party!  It's open until Tuesday at Midnight Eastern Time, so bring it on!  I'm loving your comments!!!  I hope you're finding new favorites & new followers!

Candlelight Night

Don't you just love the flickering light of candles in the evening? So relaxing & sweet! While I was home in the States, my Mom introduced my to "flameless" candles, which operate using LED lights but produce a realistic flicker -- & the candles are actually made of wax, & scented too! {Target had so many!}  How fun! A nice alternative to buying new candles each month...just pop in new batteries! Now, I know this sounds a bit tacky, but you should see them for yourself! And my favorite part: you can set the candles on a timer so that they will come on at the same time every day! Tonight at 6 PM, one by one my candles came on! Lovely...

These candles are great, too, because you don't have to worry about ruining any decorations placed around the candles, such as...Christmas ornaments!  How cute to fill a hurricane or large candle vase with pretty little things without having to fear that they'll be ruined by the heat or wax!  ...I'm too excited :)

I'll never stop using real candles, of course, but I've put my flameless timer candles in hard to reach places, & on they go on their own!  Mah-velous!

Knit Me Busy!

Welcome to all of my wonderful new readers! Thank you so much for stopping by & deciding to follow! I'm flattered! Please, make yourself at home :)

A few days ago, I stopped in at the craft shop on Post to see if I could figure out what to buy to start my first knitting project!  With the held of a saleslady there, I got just what I needed: two balls of yarn {one hot pink, one red, white, & blue!}, two pattern books {one of washcloths, to start, & another with beautiful blankets, one of which my Mom made for me & is now in our living room!}, & a set of three plastic child's "learning to knit" needles!  Yes, I thought that would be a decent way for me to begin also!  So, after my shopping trip, I came home to watch YouTube videos on how to knit, & now I'm proud to say that I'm already done with about 1/4 of my first washcloth!  I've got the knit stitch down to a t, but we'll see how the fancier stitches turn out when I'm done...  If there is no pattern, then I need to practice more :)

My Grandma, who passed away earlier this year, did a lot of knitting.  I remember one of the last things that she told me: "I'm sorry that I can't knit blankets for your babies."  I keep thinking about that, about how sweet & wonderful she was.  I want to be able to carry on the things that she did!  Knitting reminds me of her.  I suppose that's one reason that I'm enjoying it!  Also, it keeps my mind busy.  Hooray for that!

I have visions of knitting a big, bulky, cable knit afghan in a Celtic knot pattern!  {A bit like this one, perhaps!  From Knit & Knag Blog}  How beautiful would that be?!  Oh, it's nice to have another project to keep me busy!

What are your crafts or hobbies that you enjoy?!

Wishlist: Sparkly A For Amanda, Please!

Here is a late-night {well, on German time!} find that I have to share with you all: the British based Alphabet Bags!  Alright, you may have already seen these {they've been all over the press!}, but little old me just stumbled upon them for the first time!  Now, this idea is quite simple, but it is the simple things in life that make it worth while, right?  And who wouldn't want their initials sparkling across the front of a cute tote?!  My dilemma is this: would I get a bag for my first name's initial or my last?!  Either way, I'd of course choose the glitzy diamante!  Yumm!  How does yours look?!  Oh, how lovely!

Cute, aren't they?  Makes me almost wish I was back in college so that I'd have books to tote around every day!  And in case you don't want your bag to showcase your initial, Alphabet Bags also sells darling totes in other designs!  And snap purses too!

And at 12:30am, I'm off to bed with a sewing project completed: a Tiffany-blue curtain for my powder room window!  Hooray for late night projects :)  Hope that you all had a marvelous weekend!

Fit For A Queen Bee!

Two wonderful things to smile about today: 1} I was able to Skype chat with my hunny for over 30 minutes tonight! Being able to see him was oh so fantastic. It makes everything easier when we're able to talk, especially without checking on the time every few seconds. Oh, deployment, you can be done, & 2} I now have over 100 readers!  Lovelies, you made me smile!  Thank you!

As I sat in my bubble bath last night, enjoying my book & my tea with honey, I was also pampering myself to a face mask--a honey face mask actually!  Sounds sticky, right?  Right, but it's also super hydrating, which my little nose needs after being blown so many times!  Then, while turning my head to keep my doggies from licking the delicious sweetness off my face, I realized just how many uses honey has!  And I thought I'd share in its wonders...  You know, for fun!  And beauty tips :)

{ Let's Look At Some Sweet Facts About Honey }

• Honey never goes bad.  Isn't that amazing?!  Archeologists found 2,000 year old jars of honey in Egypt & behold, the honey was just as delicious as ever!
  
  
• Honey contains many vitamins & antioxidants & it's a natural sweetener, but it contains no fat, no sodium, & no cholesterol!
  
  
• In honey, you can find everything needed to sustain life...even water!
  
  
  
  
• Honey can both attract & absorb moisture, so it can be used to prevent scares & to treat burns!  And because of its ability to retain water, honey is the perfect moisturizer.
  
  
• Honey is nature's energy booster!  It provides a concentrated energy source that helps prevent fatigue & can boost athletic performance.  It supplies 2 stages of energy: the glucose in honey is absorbed by the body quickly & gives an immediate energy boost, while the fructose is absorbed more slowly, providing sustained energy.
  
  
• And my favorite: Need a glow?  Mix a half cup each of honey & milk & add them to your warm bath.  After 20 minutes, Voila!  You're a Queen!  You do know that Cleopatra used this potion herself, don't you?!

And a lovely yellow tub to go with your honey, courtesy of { Girl Learning Along The Way }.  If your bathing style is a bit more posh, look at this fabulous tub!  Need some mood lighting?

Now, if only honey could cure my cold!  Goodnight, everyone!  ♥

Fancy A Spot Of Tea, Love?

I've always loved tea. Growing up {& even still!}, my Mom had an entire pull-out kitchen drawer devoted to her teas. In fact, her collection has spilled over onto the drawer below because she has so much!  She has every kind of tea that you can imagine: African red tea, coconut white tea, ginger green tea... whatever tea your little heart may desire!  Needless to say, I've inherited this love.  And although my collection isn't nearly as diverse, I still drink tea just as often as when I was growing up.  I do wish I had my mom's kitchen drawers to go to, though!

And this weekend, I've been drinking more tea than usual.  Much more!  That's what being sick will do to you.  Poor me!  But it's easier with a tasty cup of tea, & honey!  I think that I need to resupply, however.  My collection is running dangerously low!  My two favorite brands of tea are Celestial Seasonings & The Republic of Tea -- I'll have to stock up when I go home!  I think this Hot Apple Cider Tea sounds delicious for fall!

And I have such a cute tea kettle too!  My brother got it for me for Christmas last year.  Ah, a Chantal Bridge teapot!  Mine is Tiffany blue, to match my Kitchen Aid Mixer!  But the green one is awfully cute, & I like all the glasses pictured here too!  From Chantal.Com

Thank you all so much for your sweet comments about my last post.  I am feeling much better today {emotionally, at least!} & have made up my mind to make the best of all that this next year has to offer.  Whether I keep myself busy with knitting classes & Bible Studies or I find a way to go home for a while, I will remember that this is temporary.  And that God is with us!  Helping us each step of the way.  Your notes made me smile.  I have fabulous readers ♥  Thank you, dears!  And a big welcome to you all who are new!  Hello!

{ Fun fact:  Did you know that my parents live 10 minutes from the Celestial Seasonings headquarters?!  It's true!  And I wish that I could go there now...  On their free tour, they open the door to the Peppermint Room & let you take a whiff!  It's a sure cure for a cold! }