HOW COLD IS IT TODAY? MINUS 8˚F RIGHT NOW-A HIGH OF MINUS 1˚F- BUT MY HEART IS WARM!

  It is COLD COLD COLD here.

What do you do on a cold day?

Well,

because I am too lazy 

to go out and walk

my usual 3 miles,

I decided to go through

some of my old magazines

and came across this one from

January/February of 2015,

Sadly, they have stopped publication

of this magazine.  

I had all of them from the first

issue forward.  

When I got rid of most of my old magazines,

I just could not bear to part with my

ROMANTIC HOMES MAGAZINES

but, finally, I donated

my whole collection to an old friend.

She told me she now wants to redecorate

her whole house.

Please pray for her husband

he kind of hates me now-lol

She loves romantic and so do I.

Romance is just kind of timeless,

isn't it?

Anyway--

Let's talk about the next holiday

VALENTINE'S DAY.

February is all about Valentine's Day  but-

I don't think you have to wait for 

Valentine's Day to make this for someone special.

 Pink Pearl Lady Cake

HERE is a similar recipe.

The Baking Bible-Rose Beranbaum

Ben Fink-Photographer

I thought the cover was just lovely.

Got your cake mess cleaned up from

baking that heart cake above?

Good!  Now then

 you can see the

PINK HOUSE

owned by 

Malla Ruutiainen

It is softly sweet and livable.

You can find her on Pinterest by clicking on her name.

by-Jo-Anne Coletti

 Here's a little sneak peek at the Florida estate 

of a New York couple.

This home was designed by

Guillaume Gentet

By:Sarah Yoon/Mark Roskams/photographer

It looks like Florida, doesn't it?

You can find more 

PINK FLORIDA HOMES HERE!

Okay-Now-Doesn't the home of

Carolyn Westbrook

just make you dream of warm summer days?

Even though we are freezing our butts off here.

I found her on Facebook.

You can find it by clicking on her name above.

Prepare to  have your mouth hang open for a while.

While your mouth is hanging open....

purse your lips a bit and 

BLOW HARD.

Then you can blow up balloons to put together

this beautiful garland

styled by  

Selina Lake

photography-Shirlie Kemp

So-There you have it.

A few things I love in the old

2015 January/February Issue of

Romantic Homes.

Know what else I love?

You!

Thanks for following along here.

Here's how I am feeling about you this morning....

Lips still puckered up from the balloon blowing

are they?  Good!

Here's to you!

REFLECTING ON THE PAST-LOOKING FORWARD TO THE YEAR -2025

 Yesterday as I was thinking-

about this New Year I found

my mind wandering back to

the place where I was born

and raised,

Bradford County, PA.

I don't have many pictures

of my time there,

but I came across some

photos that stopped me in my 

tracks.

Someone working for Google Earth

took stunning photos from our

farm setting and they are posted

for the world to see.

This is taken right in front of

our house- headed North.

Our farm house would have

set to the left about 150'

from the road.

You can see the shed my 
father and neighbor built
in the 50's on the right-hand
side of the road.
I remember playing with the
cut off pieces of wood and
sifting the sawdust through
my fingers.

I walked that road many a thousand  

and one times.

I remember when my father planted

the elm trees on the left and

they were just saplings.

My brother owned the

 old farm property

until he passed.

From our kitchen window this 

is what we saw....

Our Lady of Perpetual Help

and

the graveyard I wandered in

just across the road to the right.

To the far left and just out of sight

are mountains and there

are seven counties visible on a clear day.

There used to be fences on both sides

of the road and the cows would be

pastured on the left side....

another road I walked thousands of

times as a child...one I only walk

in my memory today.

The old church is beautiful.

It's a replica of a larger European church

copied to the most minute detail inside and out.

I didn't go there because we were not

Catholic-but several members of the

families attended mass there.

I have many relatives buried in the

grave yard to the right.

You can never really go home again,

can you?

Yet, I do....in my dreams...

I remember the smell of ham in the

oven on a Sunday morning and

fresh baked biscuits on the sideboard.

There was always a pie or two

for dessert and 

GINGERBREAD for my father.

I remember laughter and love,

 flowing free and easy 

and covering us like a warm blanket.

But....there were also some sad times,

and trials and tribulations.

My parents have both

"gone home" now, 

as has my only brother/sibling.

leaving only myself 

to relive the farm memories.

Leaving me to create my own memories

for the children that will follow me.

Someday they, too, will

"remember when"

and I hope their memories

are as happy as my own.

Happy New Year 2025

to all of you-.

I hope you, too, can look

back and remember the 

good parts 

and that time has

dimmed whatever heartaches

and disappointments you have

encountered along life's path.

I wish you a year of 

Love and Sweet Memories.

I will be back soon with an

update on hubby's trip to 

Mayo and the results.