the almost lost art of thank you notes...

Do you still write thank you notes?



 I try to as often as possible.

 

It seems to me it's not as commonplace as it used to be.

I think in our greedy, more is more society any opportunity to show gratitude is a wonderful thing.

And who doesn't like receiving happy mail, I ask you?!

One of the first thank you notes I remember receiving was from the leader of Junior Choir at church, I was probably 7 or 8. I can't even remember what the note was thanking me for, but I do recall being so excited about receiving my very own piece of mail that I asked Mom if I could send a "You're Welcome" note in return. I was quite disappointed to find out that wasn't a thing. In my child's mind it was the only appropriate response since it was instilled in me to tell someone you're welcome if they told me thank you. haha!

A little while back I heard that they are no longer going to be teaching cursive handwriting in school. I think that is a shame. I read an article once that said something about how important handwriting really is. They made a point that when you hand write something you use more of the old noodle than you do when you type. Isn't that interesting? I couldn't find a link to the article, but here is a post that talks about the article to which I'm referring.

I can speak from experience that pieces of handwriting from loved ones now gone is something I treasure. For years I cleaned house for my great grandma, Grandma Lou, and did a little shopping for her too. I saved one of the notes she left me with the grocery list. She would have me do little mending jobs for her as well since she, an excellent seamstress herself, was no longer able. The note read: "Michelle, Could you put in a new zipper? This one is nuts. Gram" hahaha! She was such a hoot.

So, I sat out on the deck on an unseasonable mild afternoon
& started writing.
{Making a photo worthy display beforehand of course. *wink*}
Then I got to thinking about being thankful.

Being thankful is so important.
We are told to be thankful to God for everything in all circumstances.
{In each & every case it's always far better than what we truly deserve.}





"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts,

to which indeed you were called in one body;

and be thankful.

Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,

 singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus,

giving thanks through Him to God the Father."

{Colossians 3:15-17}



"Rejoice always;

pray without ceasing;

in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."

{1 Thessalonians 5:16-18}



"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.

 Do not be anxious about anything,
but in every situation, by prayer and petition,

with thanksgiving,

present your requests to God.

 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding,

will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

{Philippians 4:4-7}



Did you notice how often the words 'rejoice' & 'grateful' or 'thankful' are in the same passage?

Ah, nothing cultivates the joy of the Lord quite like giving thanks to Him.

It puts things into the right perspective.

We remember that He is in control.

All things are filtered through His loving hands.

How can you help but have joy when this is the case?

 

When we thank someone for some kind thing that they have done for us we ultimately thank God as well because He is the One Who put these givers in our lives.

 

Let us always be thankful to Him for the innumerable gifts He gives us every day. ^_^

{But especially that greatest gift of all: His beloved Son, Who gave His life a ransom for those who will believe in Him & His sufficient sacrifice to reconcile wretched sinners to Himself.}

 

So, next time you're penning thank you notes

to those who are a blessing to you,

remember the ultimate Giver.

 

{And be sure to take a coffee & cake break
when your hand starts to get a bit tired.}

~*~

Do you have any treasured memories connected with hand writing?

How often do you hand write things?
 

^_^

Much Love,

Michelle
{Yep, I took the piccies & I ate that cake. It was good.}

consider the stars...

 ☆"Lift up your eyes on high And see who has created these stars,
The One who leads forth their host by number,
He calls them all by name;
Because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power,
Not one of them is missing."
{Isaiah 40:26}☆

"He who counts the stars and calls them by their names,
is in no danger of forgetting His own children."
{Charles Spurgeon}

I'm so excited to show you all one of my latest crochet projects -
this star bunting!
I made the original as a gift for a dear friend's birthday.
I'm now offering them for sale in my Etsy shop as well!
It looks so "4th of July" with our cheery red gingham kitchen curtains.
I want to make myself some in pastels for my bedroom.
Wouldn't they just be the sweetest thing in a nursery though?

"When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,

The moon and the stars, which You have ordained;

What is man that You take thought of him,

And the son of man that You care for him?"

{Psalm 8:3+4}

 

The star theme brought to mind these precious verses as well as this beautiful song from the Getty's newest album.

 



I also just finished this patriotic star shaped doily for my Momma.
It may look like I'm practicing some sort of voodoo, but rest assured,
I am not.
I'm just starching & stretching this doily so it will stay in its crisp shape
& not be all wiggly-woggly.

 

Oh, by the way, if you do bop over to my Etsy shop be sure to check out the cute vintage patterns I've been listing. Perhaps there's something there you just *need*. ;)

 

 

What do you think of my star garland?

 

Have you been working on anything that you're excited about lately?

 

Much love,

Miss Michelle ^_^

the heart of the home...

Would you like to take a step inside my sister's kitchen & look around?

 

 

You'll love it here, it's one of the coziest places I know.

I love to sit and chat over a cup of tea or coffee by the big picture window that looks over her patio where the kids are playing, and her flower garden where bees are buzzing & butterflies are fluttering.

 

When a kitchen sink is as gorgeous as this it makes washing dishes a joy!

 {And how perfectly does this vintage tablecloth that's doing duty as a skirt apron match the cabinet?! I just can't get over it.}
 

 

 Some of those flowers usually find their way indoors, bringing their freshness & sunshine with them.

 

 

 Kitschy kitchen goodness is in every nook and cranny.

 

 

Of my three sisters, Beth & I probably have the most similar decorating style.

We both love anything cheerful, farmy, kitschy, & vintage.

Which can make garage sale-ing together a little tense.

Just kidding. We share pretty well. ^_^

 

 

In Beth's country kitchen there's always sure to be some fresh veggies about the place this time of year.

That's bound to be when your husband is a landscaper & expert gardener with about 4 or 5 vegetable patches.

{I've lost count how many actually...there seem to be more every year!}

 

 

Even her ceiling fan is cute for cryin' out loud!

We affectionately call it a fandelier.



 

I helped her paint her cabinets this beautiful shade of Annie Sloan chalk paint, Henrietta, a couple years back. The insides are painted with Antoinette & have Hello Kitty liner on the shelves. I neglected to take a piccy of that, but I'm sure you can picture it.

There's nothing like climbing around on the counter tops with the Beatles playing in the background whilst sipping endless cuppas with your sister.



 Speaking of cuppas...

here is the all important coffee counter.

*angelic choir music plays*

{I'm irritated with myself for accidentally cutting off the head of the cute crocheted chick-i-poo on top of her lil Keurig. Bah. Didn't realize I'd done it till I got these piccies on the 'puter. You can see it un-decapitated in the previous photo though!}

 

{A refrigerator isn't complete without some artwork!}

Even the fridge got a makeover!

She glued a pretty wood decal thingy on & then painted over it.

That chalk paint really does stick to anything.

I gave her this old metal garbage can & gave it a coat of Antoinette.

{Oscar the Grouch simply couldn't make his mortgage payments anymore & had to move to a smaller can. ^_~ You know, the economy & stuff.}

 

 

Everywhere you look there's something cute to make you smile...
this corner cabinet which belonged to our great grandma is a home to all sorts of cute tchotchkes...
vintage hanky bunting adorns the window...
and some adorable vintage wicker umbrellas hang jauntily from a hook.



 

Possibly one of my favorite things about Beth's kitchen is that she always has something yummy baked. {And she's always willing to cut you a slice} It was yummy zucchini bread this time with zukes from {one of} their garden{s}.  ;)

If you're interested in the recipe she said she uses Better Homes & Gardens' Recipe, but without the nuts cuz eww. ;P

I hope you've enjoyed your visit to Bethie's kitchen!

Much love,
Miss Michelle ^_^
{Photos by yours truly}

the friendliest flower {Auntie & Niece Style No. 1}...

I've been a fan of the Mother/Daughter fashions that seem to have had their heyday in the 50s for a long while now. I blame my Mother really. (Poor Moms. They get blamed for everything.) ;P Mine got me started with my love for matchy-matchy apparel since she made coordinating Daisy Kingdom dresses for my younger sister & me when we were little girls. Though it may be dorky...at this point I don't give a hoot.
{Being well and firmly established in my dorkiness.}
 



The Lord hasn't made me a mother, but He HAS made me an aunt!
I am so blessed with this niece who doesn't mind matching her ol' auntie.


{Pinterest Sources: 1*2*3}

{and another lil niece who'll get in on this action soon enough

& 4 nephews...who probably...won't. ha!}

 

You may have noticed from previous posts that I haven't been wearing much vintage lately. I tend to go through spurts of wearing it a lot and then not so much. I'm in a not so much phase right now. I still L-O-V-E all things vintage, but I just haven't been very dedicated to the wearing of it lately. Part of the reason being that I've lost some pounds and not much of my old wardrobe fits quite right. (Not that I'm complaining about it by any means. Lol!)

I'd have to put some serious work into making a new vintage wardrobe, and I'm just not feeling it right now. I'd say my style is still very much vintage inspired, but there are times when I just wanna wear skinny jeans...or overalls...or modern clothes. That blasted Lauren Conrad keeps coming out with something beautiful to tempt me in her line of clothing at Kohl's.

And I'm ok with that.

My style has always been pretty eclectic anyway.

 

But anyhoo...

I've entitled Abbey & my matching frocks "the friendliest flower" because of the "You've Got Mail" quote about daisies being the friendliest flower. ^_^

I already have some ideas for other installments of Auntie & Niece Style too, but I had to start somewhere and these super simple pre-smocked lovelies were a good way to kick it off.



 

Daisies are pretty much my very favorite flower.

Their sweet simplicity & happy lil them-ness just gets me.

 

 

I love them as a motif for decorating too. This daisy handkerchief & candle ring brighten up my bedside table. I also started these seeds this year so hopefully I'll have my own friendly blooms for years to come.

It's a given that if I have a bouquet of these cuties about the house
I'm bound to take a picture {or two or 5,037)
and then if I take a picture I'm bound to add a verse or quote to it.
It's just the way it is.
^_~

And Yardley of London's Royal English Daisy is my favorite perfume.
Though daisies aren't actually particularly fragrant it captures the cheery feeling that daisies evoke.
 

 

 While this isn't the first time Abbs & I were caught "twinning"

 

It is the first time I specifically made us matching apparel.

 

 

So when I found this adorable "Style in an Instant" fabric from Joann Fabrics I just couldn't resist the cheery daisy & gingham print - two of my favorite things! It was a breeze to whip up. Just one seam. I took the fabric to WallyWorld (Wal-Mart) to find matching tank tops & there ya go.

 



 

We didn't have a field full of dancing daisies in which to take our pics so we used the next best thing - a row of ginormous sunny sunflowers!

Cuz you know daisies & sunflowers go together like peanut butter & jelly.

{That's a metaphor. Don't eat these flowers.}



 The best shenanigans are gotten up to with this girl.

 

I better hurry up & make more matching things before she gets embarrassed of me. ^_~

 

~*~

 

What's your opinion on the matchy-matchy thing?

Super dorky or kitschy cute?

 

What's your favorite flower?

 

Much love,

Miss Michelle ^_^

 

{Photos of Abbs & me by my sister Aims. Others by moi.}



the colors of my life...

When I was a little girl I sang in our local civic chorale's youth chorus for a few years. We sang a wide variety of types of songs from show tunes to Psalms to oldies. {and one weird song about an ocelot of all things, "Saucy Little Ocelot", which contained the line "Saucy little ocelot, likes to fuss & boss a lot." Which my friend who sat next to me during practice & I thought perfectly described another girl in the group. We would elbow each other & try to keep from giggling...but I digress...}

 One of the show tunes we sang was called The Colors of My Life from the musical Barnum (which I've never actually seen.)

 

Some song lyrics tend to take up residence in my brain and never leave.

Such as the lines

 

"The colors of my life are bountiful & bold." sung by the fella

 

and

 

"The colors of my life are softer than a breeze." sung by the lady.

 

Every so often I think about these words & I wonder which color schemes would I use to characterize my life?

I really like both bountiful & bold AND softer than a breeze colors.

The only colors I'm not too terribly fond of are neons.

And in moderation even they can be tolerable.

 

Picking out colors for a new knit or crochet project is one of my favorite parts of the whole creative process. I love trying different color combinations. Nothing pleases my eye so much as just the right balance of colors. In my life there is a time & place for bright & cheery as well as pastel & pretty. I like to incorporate them both into my wardrobe & décor.

 

Since it was the lady who mentioned the gentle colors we'll take a look at some of those first.

{Ladies first ya know.} ^_~

 

 

 gentle

 

 

peaceful

 

 

lovely

 

 

calming

 

 

cozy

 

 

like a relaxing day at the beach

 

 that's what I think when I see pastels.

 

~*~

 

Now as to all things bright and beautiful...

 

fresh & juicy

 

 

cheerful

 

 

playful

 

energizing

*like a cup of coffee for your eyes*

 

 

warm

 

 

 like childhood summer days

 

 

That's what I think of when I see cheery brights.

^_^

 

As you can see I've been keeping busy with granny square blankies.

They are my most recent obsession, and they lend themselves very well to experimenting with different color palettes. I've just started on one I've been calling "pastel rainbow" while also working on a vintage beachy sweater in pale coral, light blue, & white. {Seen in some of the pics at the top.}

 

~*~

 

So these are the colors of my life.

Both light & lovely AND bright & beautiful.

 

What colors do you prefer?

Is there a certain scheme of colors that characterizes your life?

 

Much Love,

Miss Michelle ^_^

{Photos by me apart from the one of Mema & me. That was taken by Aunt Liz.}