It Makes me Happy!

 When I was a young girl I dreamt of designing clothes. I would take small scraps of cloth and hand-stitch them into clothes for my dolls. But growing up in a conservative family I knew the only thing allowed was to be a wife, mother, or maybe a secretary. I kept my dream locked up tight. The high school counselor suggested I attend business school and become a secretary. My mother made the same suggestion. The only other acceptable family push was to attend a "Christian college" and find a husband, which I did. My secret remained and I worked in offices until I had children.

I would design and make clothes for myself and my two children.

As I was approaching 40 years I asked myself what do I still want to do. My children were more independent. I finally let the secret out and told my husband I wanted to go back to school. After much hard work I graduated with a degree in Apparel Design. The illustrations you see here were done during my time in design school. I hadn't looked at them in a very long time. 

Yes, that is me in those snap shots!

My mind has a bit of an engineering thought process and I ended up working for Jantzen, Inc. as a patternmaker. It was a good career choice and I loved it. When I retired I was working for Nike as a technical designer. A technical designer needed the patternmaking background and good writing skills. I worked with an amazing design team to develop street clothes, making sure the garment fit correctly and the quality was up to the standards of the company. I was the final approval before it went to production. My career makes me very proud of myself.

One of the 100's of sportswear outfits I worked on at Jantzen, Inc.

Now in writing this I was thinking we must acknowledge our dreams and gifts in every step through life, not just our careers. I have heard it said "what do you want to do with your one, beautiful life?" It is so important for our hearts to do the big things, but also the little things.

It's also important to encourage those around us to follow their dreams.

She doesn't look happy, but she shines. In shining and following her dreams, she is happy. She puts on her sparkle and shines, she dances.

I danced too, which is a story for another day.

The spirit of creativity still sits in the center of my heart. Each time I do something creative, even writing these posts, it satisfies my heart. It makes me happy. 

Just a little peak of my past dreams come true, living the dream.

Sending love,

Marilyn

Sitt'n and Dream'n

 

I adore a pretty Adirondack chair to sit in and dream in.

Recently I had an email from the magazine, Bella Grace. They send me encouragements to subscribe. The magazine is gorgeous, but expensive; so I just enjoy getting their ad emails. Now in most cases I unsubscribe, but this is one I look forward to. They always have a link to something fun and free.

Recently they had a list of 35 Joyful ways to settle into Spring. I thought I would share a few with you to think on when you find a few moments to sit in a pretty chair.

1. Refresh your closet with a burst of cheerful paint.

3. Line a windowsill with pots filled with herbs.

8. Keep an eye on the sky for migrating birds.

13. Practice the art of strolling.

15. Visit a flower market and splurge.

20. Put lemony bar soap in your drawers as sachets.

23. Eat a decadent breakfast.

24. Paint your toes like a spring bouquet.

28. Stargaze.

33. Take note of the change in light.

35. Start taking the stairs.

All three of these chair pictures I found when out and about this past Spring.  I love finding them and dream'n too.

Books finished this week are the first in the 3 part Timeslider series by Santa Montefiore called Shadows in the Moonlight. I always love a time travel adventure. A gift from a friend was Lessons from Cats for Surviving Fascism by Stewart Reynolds. A very quick book to read and made me smile with the comparisons to cats in our society today.

What would you add to the list of Joyful Ways to settle into summer?

Oops! I just noticed I forgot to post this in springtime, but summer works too.

Sending Love,

Marilyn

Queen for a Day!

 When I was in high school there was a show on TV called Queen for a Day. During that time I traveled with my aunt, uncle, and cousins to Southern California where my aunt went on the show to tell her hard luck story and why she should be Queen for a Day. She didn't win, but it was a real eye opener for me. I learned that everyone has a hard luck story, life can be hard at times! It's how we learn to live with it, how we tell our story, and how we carry ourselves. Do we walk with our head down, defeated? Or do we hold our head up high and rejoice at the little things?

When I saw this sign at the antique mall this past week I just started thinking we all deserve to be treated like a Queen for the Day, each and every day.

These dresses at the antique mall reminded me of my mom. It was the era of the "house dress". She wasn't treated like a Queen, but she still knew how to laugh, smile, and love her neighbor or friend. We each deserve to dance.

What she and all of us deserve to wear and dance in is the following.

We are the Queen of Dreams and Reality too.

The yellow dress above doesn't show up well in the picture, but when I saw it I thought I would feel like a princess or a queen if I wore this. I would dance the night away, just floating on a cloud.

 I might not tell you my hard luck story because I know that is just the way life goes, but I can dream of being that Queen for a Day any day. I buy myself flowers because I deserve them. I take myself on adventures because I am my own Queen for the Day.

Remember to treat yourself with love and be your own Queen for the Day. And if we are very lucky, we will be treated by others like a queen or at the very least a princess. We deserve it!

Sending Love,

Marilyn

Word Magic

 

The word this week is French, joie de vi·vre

noun French. a delight in being alive; keen, carefree enjoyment of living.

 

The yellow chair sitting in my garden makes me think of this word. It sits there beckoning me to sit in the garden and just delight in the day.

 

The flowers in this field do the same for me. They just make me smile.

 

In writing this post I am realizing for me the color yellow and the outdoors give me that feeling of joie de vivre.

 

And going to places where I can dream of adventures.

Can you picture just sitting at the end of this dock and dangling your feet in the water? Would that delight you? On Pinterest I have a folder for pictures such of this, it is called "Sitting and Dreaming too". This is where I would do just that with Joie de Vivre. I would be dreaming of adventures, soaking in the late summer sunshine, and watching the birds swim by.

Where is your dreaming place?

Where or what gives you that feeling of Joie de Vivre?
 

Happy new week, dear friends!

 

A Secret Place, A Home

 Walking with a friend not to long ago I found this secret place in the tree. As a young child I loved finding secret places and this one would be high on my list of places to hide and dream. I would imagine it was the home of trolls or maybe even a ladybug family. I had a wild imagination playing by myself.

 

This week I received the Spring issue of Victoria magazine. Do you receive Victoria in the mail? I have followed along for a long time. Each issue is like a mini-vacation or escape. When I was reading it I found the question "Reflecting on all of the abodes where you have lived, which house truly holds your heart?"

 

Secret places of girlhood dreams definitely hold my heart. I had an adventurous heart and  traveled alone to imaginary worlds. Most often it was when my mom, sister, and I lived with my grandpa. A time when I was free to run, as long as I was home for dinner or when it got dark. There were friends in the neighborhood too and we could be found in the surrounding area playing hide & seek, softball, roller skating, or riding bikes. When the milkman came by on a hot summers day he would let us hop in his truck with chunks of ice and ride a couple blocks while sucking on pieces of ice.

 

The picture above is me on the left with two cousins and my sister while standing in front of my grandpa's house. There was an apartment above the garage in the background and I would dream of moving in there to live, it was like a tree house.

So I think it isn't so much about a particular abode, but about how it makes us feel. For me it was the freedom of adventure and friendships, a time to dream.
 

Now it is about just sitting on my back steps with a good cup of tea,

observing the day, and dreaming.
 

Do you have a house or place that holds your heart?

 

Happy weekend, dear friends?

I See the Moon and the Moon Sees Me

 When I was a young girl growing up in California there were many evenings as the sun went down that I laid back on the grass and watched the sky. I loved seeing the moon and the stars. I still watch many nights and will step out on my front porch just to watch for awhile.

 

 There is an occasional evening I will say to my "live-in gardener", "let's drive to the river to watch the moon come up".  Looking the opposite direction along the river I see the sunset.

I often watch for stars too, but in the city it is hard to see them.

“I See the Moon” song

by Meredith Wilson

Chorus
Over the mountain, over the sea,
Back where my heart is longing to be,
Please let the light that shines on me
Shine on the one I love.

I see the moon; the moon sees me
Down through the leaves of the old oak tree.
Please let the light that shines on me
Shine on the one I love.

I hear the lark; the lark hears me,
Singing a song with a melody.
Please let the lark that sings for me
Sing for the one I love.

I kiss a rose; the rose kisses me,
Fragrant as only a rose can be.
Please let the Rose that comforts me
Comfort the one I love.

When I spot a full moon from my kitchen window I smile and run for my camera. The view isn't always clear, but I can't stop watching. On Susan Branch's blog each year I print her bookmark that gives the full moon dates for the coming year. There is one for me and one for my D. I thought you might like to print one too. Here is the link:https://susanbranch.com/  Look for the November 30, 2021 post and find the link for the full moon bookmark about 2/3rd the way through the post. Enjoy! And join me in watching the moon.

This picture makes me think a large mouth is wanting to gobble up the moon. I wonder how it would taste, maybe like a moon pie? Savor each sighting! And if you find yourself on a warm summer night and a full moon in sight lay on a soft bed of grass and dream awhile.

Happy Weekend, dear friends!

The next full moon is January 17th.

When Dreams Come True

 The Biltmore Estate had been on my bucket/dream list for a long time. I wanted to visit there at Christmas, but knew with family obligations that wasn't possible. As we entered to tour this amazing place I said to my "live-in gardener" how I wished I could see it at Christmas. What a dream come true, for I soon learned they were decorating and were more than half way finished. I was thrilled! This for me was a dream come true!

More than a century ago, George Vanderbilt created Biltmore as a country retreat for his family and friends. It is an 8,000 acre estate and the largest private home built in the US. It is still owned by the family, but is on the National Historic Landmark list and open for tours. I loved that it was a self-guided tour and we could take our time walking through the rooms. On another day I will share the garden, but with taking over 180 pictures it was hard to pick the pictures to share. This will just be a glimpse of Christmas at the Biltmore. I hope you enjoy seeing many pictures.

The pictures are not in a particular order. This first picture was taken in my favorite tapestry room. The tapestries were amazing.

Merry Christmas!

Back to the tapestry room.

 One more glimpse of the tapestry room. Oh sigh! How I would love to sit by a fire in that green chair.

The dining hall

Decorating the library

The atrium

The billiard room

A bedroom for guests

I just couldn't get enough of all the Christmas trees. I love it!

The dining room for the servants.

And we finish in the kitchen.

Hope your weekend it extra special!

If you ever have the opportunity to visit the Biltmore, it is definitely worth it.

I hope this puts you in the holiday spirit.