Hello all, Welcome! I hope you all got your WILLARD (if you didn’t, don’t worry, you will, it’s going out today but it takes three days for them all to go). I wanted to have everything ready for you when you got here, so yes, in the vernacular of the day, I’ve been “tidying up!” I have lots to show you, but let’s start with the little things that make life sweet with background MUSICA perfect to energize us for the job ahead . . . 
I love this time of year! Time has slowed down, a lovely long January is gone . . . our Island outside my window is cold blue sky, leafless trees, old houses, quiet and colorless (except for the cardinals, our flying Valentines), and in complete healing-mode from the Summer onslaught. No cars going by, no one on our walk in the morning but us. 😁
If you read my last post, you’ll see my sideboard looks very different than it did over Christmas! I’ve been putting my house back together. It was fun decorating with all the holiday stuff 🎄, I was a little sad to see it go, but then felt huge relief to have it all gone! It’s usually around the 5th of 
January, when suddenly all the sparkly, pine-needly things I LOVED in December, begin to drive me crazy. The wreaths on the kitchen doors block the light and drop needles every time we go in or out, then leave a Hansel and Gretel pine-needle trail from the kitchen to the studio. Time to say goodbye to the old year, and hello to the new. The tree came down (we don’t drag it through the house because then vacuuming takes forever ~ Joe takes the branches off to keep the mess confined, and tosses everything out the window!), ornaments were boxed up, bows and ribbons are back in the attic, dusty mistletoe is gone from the doorways, my house is peaceful and quiet with only the sound of wood falling to ash in the fireplace, joy is sparked to the nth degree! 
So, in case you can’t tell, we’ve been watching Tidying Up with Marie Condo. Have you seen it? It’s about a woman who loves to organize, she wrote a book about it, I think more than one, and now has a show on Netflix where she comes to people’s homes and teaches them how to de-clutter their things. Watching someone else clean is inspiring ~ and it’s catching! It makes you want to jump up and get organized ! My eyes suddenly see the chaos around us. How can we live this way!!! If you need help getting going I highly recommend it. Even Joe’s gotten into it and that’s saying something!
She has all sorts of tips ~ she teaches people how to fold things into tiny packages (something I will never do because I choose speed over neatness), and file them on their sides in boxes in drawers to make them more visible. Which was thrilling to see, because it meant I was doing something right!! I’ve always done Joe’s shirts that way (except for the tiny-package folding!) . . .
. . . filed them in a row so he can see the logos and know what he’s getting into without unfolding. It’s not perfect or tiny, but Joe loves it!
I don’t know if it was Marie, or if it was because it was January, but as I was cleaning up the Christmas things, suddenly I couldn’t stand to see boxes or bags parked conveniently next to a wall, did not care for piles of books anywhere but in the bookcases, didn’t want to see folded market bags piled on my little red kitchen chair, or any little bits and pieces dropped here and there that added up to clutter. 🚫 I needed clean walls I could walk up to like a starving man needs a ham sandwich. I couldn’t even work until I got this house under control!
I did it! Everything’s in its place (well, not everything!) with sunshiny face . . . now it’s February (rabbit-rabbit💛) and I’m back to work! Of course, now my studio is a complete mess because as you know creating is not neat, but the rest of the house is heaven. All my best intentions fulfilled, lightheartedness returned!
Most of my table tops have barely anything on them! It won’t last long, but right now I see this and go “Ommmmmm.”
Candlesticks & votives, glass, wood and brass, are sorted and put away, Christmas 
books are back in the hutch, tablecloth and napkins are starched and ironed, on hangers, in the front closet, floors are swept and vacuumed, we’re dusted and ready for the next event. I think of my house sort of like a movie set . . . once Christmas is put away, everything is organized, I leave it smooth and plainly cozy until the next season or event, then I change the throw pillows, add flowers, bunnies, bunting, garden books, and voila! It’s spring!
There’s a big difference between clutter, and decorated. I do not see these shelves as cluttered! I think it’s because everything up there gets used on a fairly regular basis. I could never be a minimalist and hide everything away. Serious minimalism looks heartless to me. Life is too short not 
to set out my Beatrix Potter figurines, hang my teacups on hooks, fold cute dishtowels over the handles of my stove, or put a paper calendar on the wall in my kitchen. Real life is not going to allow me to hide away our family photos, or baskets of rosy apples, or old quilts just for some crazy fashion that will change in an hour anyway!
I wrote about it in my Girlfriends Book. How when I was 11 or 12 I would try and get my girlfriends to play, “Let’s go home and decorate our bedrooms.” A game I mostly ended up playing all by myself! I still redecorate the way I wrote about here . . . and put back one “joy bringer” at a time.
Marie suggested that as we sort, we shouldn’t be looking for things we want to throw out, instead we should look for things we want to keep! It does make it easier! Gather everything into a pile, keep just the things you love and get rid of the rest! She sees organizing as a spiritual endeavor … believing there’s a divine spirit in everything. It feels like that to me. A sort of gratitude for all we’ve been given. It reminds me of a quote I put in my Autumn book by Joe Friday (respected elder of the Alaskan Yup’ik Eskimos) . . . who’s gone now but should should be remembered for this lovely thing:
So glad to the wood. Everything is related. Touch one thing, you touch it all. I say thank you as I oil my wooden cutting board, imagining the people who made it, remembering all that chopping for all those dinner parties, as I oil the wooden handles on my old pots and pans,
and my wooden cooking spoons (my dad made the one with my name on it 💞 ). I want them to last forever. I starch and iron my curtains, shine my windows, make my stove sparkle with plain hot water, refold my old quilts, and dust my bookcases. Because things we use every day have character. Makes me happy.
These things aren’t just merchandise, part of a throw-away world. They’re gifts. When my Grandma died, the only thing I asked for, since I had always gotten her very best when she was alive, was the old wooden spoon she used to scramble her eggs and mix her cookie dough. Because that spoon had her in it. That spoon and my grandma had cross-pollinated their DNA, while alone in the kitchen, beating brown sugar, butter, and walnuts, a long time ago.
It’s why I love old things and that includes this old house of creativity filled with kindly ghosts of the past. As I was tidying up, it was easy to know which of our things “sparked joy” as Marie says, and which ones made me sing out, 🎵 Yaaaard Saaaale 🎶 as I packed up boxes to go. Our busy lives and this modern world do not naturally provide us with the peace and sustenance we need to grow, space for creating, a gentleness for our families. But we can make it for ourselves. We have all the power. As the Chinese proverb says, “Outside noisy, inside empty.”
One more thing, in case you find yourself in a cleaning-emergency on a day when deep tidying and tiny folding is not going to be possible, with possibly just ten minutes to clean your house for guests, here’s what you do:
So, in-between the tidying up, what have I been doing in my studio? Lots. I guess I should say, “we.” We’ve been busy!
Here’s the other half of “we,” my partner-in-crime who plunks his righteous self down in the middle of my art table any time he wants and gives me this look. Like, “What?” Requires belly rub, many kisses. Petty pet of my dreams.
I made a soft little embroidered doll of Jack. Put his heart on the outside. Gave him a little quilt all his own. He’s only 6″ tall (extremely gentle, for children) ~ he and his quilt will come in a sewing/embroidery kit. We’ll have the kit in the web store soon, so some little child out there, maybe yours, can put Jack to bed someday. ♥️
And a quick update, for all of you who pre-ordered and are waiting patiently for your little vases, butter dishes, tea bag holders, and all the others, we are being told to expect them soon. I keep asking, when, when, when, they keep saying soon, soon, soon 😜 . . . so have faith and know the SECOND they arrive, yours will be first to go!! We won’t forget! Soothing MUSICA to make you forget. 🎵 And this:
And, despite kitty distraction in the Studio, new cups are on the way! At the end of the last post I asked everyone what cups they’d like to see and did the best I could to make you happy! So here we go: Four new cups, Fine Bone China, made in England, coming late March! This one, the large 16 oz, is “Bella Luna!” For all you moon-watchers like me! 💛
Every time you use it you can wish on a shooting star! I never painted a shooting star before!
The moon and constellations in a sea of stars . . .
And here is brand new Cup #Two, “Home Sweet Home” . . . this is for you who love the smaller, 11 oz. size, a bunting-draped celebration of . . .
Here’s the side, says it all.
Here is the other side…. a little house of my own . . .
And here is the cute handle! These are only paper mockups, I promise the real things will look much better!
And #3, You all asked, so Yes! A great big 16 oz. Birthday Cup! Because everyone has a birthday and what would be a better celebration than “Having your cake and eating it too?”
There is singing . . .
. . . balloons, a hat, and suggestions for fun!
And another perky handle! Happy Birthday Girlfriends! 🎈
And one more large, 16 oz. cup, due to popular demand, it’s the “English Corgi” cup . . .
With the perfect T.S. Eliot quote surrounded by blue forget-me-nots:
An empire of imagination!
And the side . . . complete with Union Jacks, lamb and castle.
And would not be complete without an English rose on the handle.🌹
And, extra exciting news, guess what? For the first time, the actual BBC website is going to carry one of my cups, this one! For their print catalog and web store! And also my book, A Fine Romance, Falling in Love with the English Countryside! So honored! Secretly extra-thrilled as it is one step closer in my diabolical plan to get to the National Trust. Would love for them to carry my book someday. At least now we’re in the same neighborhood! 🇬🇧 👍
They’re already in production in England, and up for Pre-sale now… as you know, I try to make sure there’s enough for everyone, it helps so much when you pre-order, that way, when I give the factory final numbers, I’m fairly sure everyone who wants one will get one! I usually add on some extra for those who forget, but sooner or later they’re gone. So if you have a special birthday coming in September, be sure to think about it now!
Movie News: I keep promising you an update on the “movie” ~ the project in the works to get my book Martha’s Vineyard Isle of Dreams onto the big (or even little) screen … and every time I think I will just blab what I know, the person working to make it happen sweetly warns me not to!!! 🎬 Grrrr. So all I can say is that it’s still a possibility. Which is better than saying it isn’t! Seems so easy! Movie about starting over, woman and three cats in darling cottage in woods? What could be better? Just say Yes!
Okay, back to the drawing board, 🎨 but before I go . . . I was thinking, what would be a really special giveaway for today? I thought of the perfect thing, then another idea popped up, then another, I didn’t know which to do! I finally gave up and decided to do all three! It’s almost Valentine’s Day! 💖 All you have to do to enter is leave a comment at the bottom of this post (click at the tiny word “comment”), and you’ll be automatically entered for all three gifts! In a few days, Vanna, our resident “Random Number Generator” will draw the names of three lucky winners and I’ll announce them here. So, here’s giveaway number one, very rare . . .
A brand new copy of Girlfriends Forever! When I find out the winner’s name, I’ll personalize it before I send it. They’ve been out of print for a long time, but during my “Tidying Up” phase, I found a small pile of these books in the back of a closet! Buried treasure! And timely, because what could be better for a Girlfriend’s Valentine than a book about best friends! You may have one, but perhaps a special Valentine girlfriend of yours doesn’t! So anyway, this one’s for YOU, and Sheri put the others in our web store for however long they last!
And then I was walking by my newly decorated stove shelf, and was suddenly reminded of this timeless Valentine . . . charming old words I found carved on a stone on a dovecote in England.
Here’s a closer view! Giveaway #2, Love Stays!
And, last but not least, this luv-lee 16 oz, fine bone china cup that asks, “Have I told you lately that I love you?” Is there a better Valentine Message? This one will be going out to some lucky winner in honor of our Girlfriend Dee Lamphear and her husband Brad 💞, to celebrate their forever love and happy marriage.💖
This is the back . . . it says it all, cup-wise, winter-wise and love-wise.
So don’t forget to leave a comment! Remember, you have much better chance of winning here than if you played the lottery!💖
Last but not least, here’s a delicious recipe to help keep your house warm . . . I wish I could send out smells from my computer, so when you opened my page on a freezing cold morning you’d find the cozy smell of baking biscuits. That’s how you would know it’s me. I wish someone would invent that. Unfortunately, under the circumstances, you’ll have to make them for yourself!
Make them in heart-shaped pans and they’re the perfect Valentine gift.
Cut them in half, toast them, add orange marmalade or yummy Christmas Jam and bring them to a lucky Valentine near you. For more Valentine’s ideas, plus a link to get a Valentine Bookmark, go HERE.
If you haven’t signed up to receive my Blog in your mailbox, and you’d like that, or you’d like to surprise your mom, sister, grandma, or best friend, please go HERE.
Winter is king of intimate delights, Enjoy the quiet, light the candles, make a fire, pull on toasty socks, feed the birds, eat hot biscuits. Life is good. Have a wonderful day Girlfriends, kindred spirits. Bake and stay warm! More surprises in the next blog!
Reading your posts always make a cold winter day seem friendlier and bright! You remind us to enjoy the details, no matter what the season. Can’t wait to hear more on your movie project. Thank you!
This is exactly what I needed on a gloomy day. I so enjoy your illustrations, cheery quotations, and newsy blog. I hope spring comes soon for you on your lovely island!
I think we have a loooooong way to go! It’s okay, I need to be a writer, and spring gives me unbearable wanderlust!
Happy Winter, Susan!! Looks like you are busy as always and are tidying up just like me! We are hoping to move to the west coast in June and have been in the same apartment for 10 years! Any inspiration I can get to keep me motivated and on task is welcome! (And since I’m getting rid of so much, I will have room for any treasures that come my way!!) Have a wonderful February.. Spring is near!!
How fun, you’ll get to decorate a whole new place!
Thanks for the sunshine, Susan. Always a joy
That moon and stars mug is gorgeous!
Love your art, can’t look at it and not feel better
Your posts always make me smile. Looking forward to Spring
Love all that you do!
Thank you, Susan, for everything 🙂
Susan your art, recipes and words have uplifted me since my very first gift of Heart of the Home, Notes from a Vineyard Kitchen, back in 1986. I was in the military then (served 24 years) and your voice was the “balance” I needed. You have touched so many lives and made a difference.
Well, I’m sure you have too Laurie, thank you for your service. xoxoxo
Hi Susan, getting ready for lots of snow. Stocked up this morning cause the PNW is about to be hit! My poor daffodillers! Thanks for the blog. Debby
Hi Susan….I sat down at the computer this afternoon with the intention of working on a poem I am writing for my “grown-up sleep-away camp,” a writing retreat in Taos, NM. But then I checked my email and “Oh boy! There’s a Willard!” and I drift away into Susan Branch Land. And you’re tempting me again with adorable teacups…the Corgi one just jumped into my basket…impossible to resist! If we were neighbors, I’d never get anything done…Love you lots…Now back to reality…
Just love reading your posts. Can not wait for the new Enchanted book! So exciting!! I ordered the birthday mug, since my birthday did just pass!!! So it was a gift to me!! Happy Valentine’s Day to you and your honey!!!
I love your blog and I would love to be a winner! Thanks for the chance to win!
I tried to sign up to receive emails, but I’m too old + don’t know what my “Reader” is. Oh, well, I’ll just remember to come past for a daily look-see. I’d love to have a birthday mug! I just devoted a blog post to you, Susan. Love you!
Love your always cheerful and newsy blog!! ♥️🏠☀️
Your love of hearth and home inspires me always. We could be twins separated at birth. I thought housecleaning and decorating the most fun I could have and was not usually able to convince anyone else to join me. Happy Valentines Day soul sister!
The other night I was watching “It Happened in Brooklyn” with Frank Sinatra, and I thought of you…I love the old movies and old standards too.
Thank you, thank you Susan, for the untold hours you devote to your “girlfriends” through this blog.
So happy to see Willard in my mail box today,, just what I needed.
I woke up finally able to breathe clearly today after a miserable 4-day sinus infection. I could even taste my tea today, although I never stopped drinking it for health reasons! I think the aroma of your biscuits is coming through loud and clear! Your post is giving me the energy to get back to the real world. Thank you so much, Susan!
Thank you for brightening an otherwise gloomy, rainy day. Love your blog!
This post brighten up a cold dreary day. Thank you
Your posts are always a welcome bit of sunshine.
Lol, I always giggle when I see other people say Rabbit Rabbit. My family and I have always said it, but hardly anyone else does. I get questions about it nearly every month!
Hi Susan…well, I tried very hard to follow your instructions in order to be in sync with all your new things, but afraid I failed. I could blame it on old age, but after trying several times, I think I just don’t follow instructions well. Let me just say that I want to be in touch with everything you do, so if it didn’t register, I do hope you’ll assist in helping me keep in touch with all your wonderful letters. I turned 80 last year, and since then, it seems like everything is going downhill ~~~
Thanks so much…
Sharon in Houston
No worries, I asked Sheri to do it for you… now all you have to do is open the email you’re going to get to confirm it!
xoxoxoxo
Susan, Am sending blessings to you, because your joyful and encouraging words and art are always such a blessing to me…and also to others, because trust me, I SHARE ALL THINGS SUSAN with many good friends. God bless you!
How timely…I have been ill all of January, and, this was some well needed sunshine! Thank you, Susan, and may you be blessed in 2019!
I love the moon and stars cup, something about being moon-struck on a full moon night! I can’t stop looking at the moon, so I see the moon and the moon sees me is so perfect! Thank you for the delicious biscuit recipe. Can’t wait to make them.
Greetings Susan! I’m remembering way, way back when I wrote you a handwritten letter about how much I loved my Book of Days to journal in each evening. You actually wrote me back!!!! Eeeeek, I was sooooo excited! Now I have yearly journals dating back to 1990. I still journal each night, it relaxes me! I absolutely LOVE slipping into my crisp clean sheets heated by my warming blanket and journaling about my day! It’s the little things! xoxo
It is Dana, love hearing from you!
Oh, Susan. I have loved your creativity since I was old enough to be aware of it. Your artwork and quotes always make me smile. How happy I was to stumble across your social media presence. My fingers are crossed, hoping that I am a winner, thought just reading your blog is a gift!
My oh my, dear Susan – I write to you from beautiful Whidbey Island off the coast of Washington state. We are hunkering down for a forecasted enormous snowstorm, on top of one which we had early this week. I just went to the grocery store and the produce man told me it’s “just like the 3rd of July, but we always know what to expect and prepare for!” I’ve been on your fair isle in the autumn and know how crazy it gets there. I was dealing with “locals” at the store today, and yet they were absolutely happy and kind. The checker yelled out that she would sure like a “margarita, hold the salt.” Even in Winter, life is so grand! I hope you are cosy and enjoying these lovely days. I’m hyggeing away here, with a London Fog tea by my side, a sweet dog on the couch, exhausted from playing in the snow, and a fire keeping us so warm and happy!!! Happy Valentine’s Day to you, dear Joe, and darling Jack!
Luv-lee, all is well! xoxo
So cheering as always….facing a big winter storm in the northwest after a mild, “maybe we can start planting our gardens early” January. February is sometimes a sneak here. So….I resigned myself to winter, but your post helps me remember to celebrate and live it…..not just be resigned!
Need to get a heart shaped cookie cutter!
We already decided whoever shovels the walks gets to eat chocolate.
Thank you for all your effort and sharing it with us.
I was so thrilled to receive a Willard today, and thought it so strange that I had just finished ordering two more of your books moments before, bringing my collection to 5. Perhaps a sign? Or perhaps this artic blast in Canada is making me look for all things to help me hibernate happily.
i love when you write about your home and weather and surroundings. it reminds me of Christmas in Connecticut when she is typing her column in NYC and her fur coat is delivered. except she is making it up but i love a setting. your home sounds a great historic charm. i love you are adding to it’s happiness!
Ha! “I love a setting” too!
I always am excited to see an new blog or Willard has arrived in my inbox.
Thank you Sue for brightening my day !!!
Love your posts! My life is full of daily challenges and sometimes it’s hard to keep my spirits up but reading your posts is so uplifting it always gives me joy that lasts the rest of the day. I will always look forward to your beautifully interesting, artful blog and posts!
I’m so glad for this new format because despite how many times I thought I’d signed up to receive things from you, I never seemed to get them on any regular basis. So now – I hope I do!! When I finish my tea I’m going to turn on the oven and whip up a batch of the yummy sounding and looking biscuits! Thanks!
Fingers crossed, let me know if you don’t get it and we’ll see if we can help!
A new book! ENCHANTED! I cannot wait!
What a lovely bit of sunshine found in my email today! Susan your words have made this dreary day bearable. Thank you, thank you, thank you ❤️
I just love that corgi cup-gotta have it! Put the kettle on luv
for a cuppa tea
Oh, I wish I could get motivated to tidy up like you did! Thanks for the Valentine’s contest!
Always enjoy anything from you. My 98 yr old Mom (who doesn’t usually read books ) enjoyed reading “A Fine Romance”. You are an inspiration! Thank you
I’m so excited about that little mug! I’ve got three of the four season (I broke my fall mug) and would love to have another so as not to have such an odd number. Love it! Also, love you! Thanks for the cheer!
Larkin, remember how I commented on your pretty name? Well, doing my family tree, I found I have a Larkin gg grandmother! Isn’t that amazing?
That is amazing! I was named after my great Grandfather.
Mine was in a small town in Iowa . . .
It’s even cold here in Texas today! Love seeing you’re sweet Jack and other domestic bliss. Stay warm!
Did my comment really make it? It said it was a duplicate post but I don’t want to miss out on the goodies so I’m trying again just in cases. Love you!
It’s here Larkin!
It is a great day when new communications arrive! I love MV and your posts are a vicarious island breeze…an armchair vacation. Thanks ever so much!
I have enjoyed Kon-Marie-ing my home as we are getting ready to sell it in the spring. I love all the sweet things on your blog, and the recipes. I collect recipes by the dozens and dozens. 🙂
Absolutely love your blog and have followed you since your early days. (70’s ?) I used to have almost all of your books but sadly passed them along when trying to “downsize”!!! BIG mistake – I miss them and would now like to replace each one. I love your creative mugs, and have purchased your calendar every year for as long as I can remember. It’s the only thing my sister asks for every year too!!! You have such a gift – thank you for sharing it with us! Happy almost Valentine’s Day!!
Susan, reading your blog and your books is like going on vacation every day. I am so grateful for your work! A
I have enjoyed your Willard for years! One of my favorites was your story about pancakes. So excited to join your blog. Hope I’m the winner!
It’s cold here today in Wyoming.
I love your happy posts and look forward to reading them, especially your adventures. Thank you for brightening my day!
Do hope you receive this – thank you for cheering me up in So.Cal. after so many heavy rain days! We so need rain this year but not all at once please!
Have a lovely Friday tomorrow. We’re buckling down for winter to finally arrive here in Washington state. They’re saying 14 inches of snow in the next week! I know it doesn’t compare with what so much of the country is experiencing, but that is way, way more than we practically ever get here.
Did I follow the instructions correctly? I don’t see my comment.
Dear Susan…Your blogs are like getting a letter from a special friend. Now you’ve encouraged me to tidy up and clean up. What a great time to take care of everything! I love your new cups, especially “Home Sweet Home”. And how exciting that the BBC website is carrying your book and adorable cup!! Keep warm and stay well, Pauline
I was hoping you wouldn’t tidy up too much! I love see your posts of pretty decorations illuminated in candlelight, with watercolors in progress and paint brushes poised, ready to delight! But what I couldn’t see in your home were the grocery bags on the corner chair and perhaps a stack of papers ready to shift into the biscuit dough. Then it would look just like my clutter!
I’d love to see a mug or something, with the colors of Raspberry Sauce, pg 43 from Sweets to the Sweet, which is a book that always sparks joy in me! Maybe you can direct me to something special in your shoppe that I have overlooked.
Anyway, thanks for the delightful Willard, and I’ve signed up for your blog posts, so I’ll never be without!
I’d love to win any one of these sweet treasures! I have 2 dear girlfriends, in different states, and they both are simply the best!
Blessings!
Hi Susan,
Wow! I think this makes me the 1,746th girlfriend to comment on this blog, or not. Life has kept me very busy since you were kind & patient enough to sign all 9 of my SB books at your book signing in Falmouth last November. Thank you again!
I loved this post about tidying up, especially since I am such an organizer at heart. When my Dad passed, my Mom asked if I would take on the task of cleaning & organizing his garage. It was a privilege to accept, and as I began the task, I silently promised Dad that I would give the tools and equipment to family and friends who would appreciate and take care of them. It was a dirty, messy job but it was also very rewarding given that I felt Dad’s presence every time I picked up a tool or turned around to move something out of the way. Over the course of several weekends when all those tools & equipment were neatly organized, my 5 siblings and I chose which items to keep and which to give away. My sweetest find was tucked away in the far corner of the garage atop his work space . . . the silver wrapping of Hershey kiss hidden from Mom and the rest of us. Dad loved his treats, but he wasn’t supposed to eat them. That simple wrapping brought me such joy . . . as if he were letting me in on his little secret by giving me a “kiss”. I carefully pressed out the wrinkles and tucked it in my journal that night. That was definitely a red-lollipop day.
It’s always a treat to see all of the new things you are creating. The new mugs are lovely! Thank you for another drawing and for your generous heart.
Franny
Beautiful Dad story. xoxoxo Thank you Franny!
oh, my goodness. Franny, your story brought tears to my eyes & smiles to my heart. what a wonderful treasure. on a cross-country road trip my hubby & I made last year, I “asked” for a “sign” that my Mom & Dad were happy & doing ok in heaven…after a meal @ a little diner, the waitress brought our bill on a tray…beside the bill were 2 little “midgie-tootsie-rolls”…one of my Dad’s favorite treats!! I nearly fell off the bench!! you just don’t see those lil midgies very often!! soooo, I know JUST how your “kiss-wrapper” felt to you! thank you for sharing a lovely memory! chris xo
OH! The best!
Hi Chris, I have never had another SB girlfriend respond to one of my SB comments so thank you. I am happy that my story resonated with you. I truly believe my Dad is watching over me, just as Susan’s Dad is watching over her and just as your parents are watching over you. Happy Valentine’s Day! Franny
Thanks for the wonderful post. Like you, I’ve been tidying up. Feels good to get things accomplished. Looking forward to spring. I have daffodils coming up in the yard.
Charlotte
Greetings from CT just across the waves😁~~~👋LOVE, LOVE, LOVE hearing from you which always brings sunshine to my gloomy day here. This Willard/blog was so chock full of things to comment on but will try to keep it brief…first, after passing over the guilt of my own need for tidying up, your Grandma’s spoon touched my heart- I inherited my grandma’s large yelloware bowl she used to make homemade applesauce after I helped her peel the apples 🍎
I am awaiting your ring dish, designed so sweetly! Always love your new creations, and sure hope to win the lottery of your sweet gifts. Let’s hope the groundhog was right!
Pulling into his own driveway after a short or long trip, my Dad never failed to call out
“Home Sweet Home”!! How I miss hearing those words from him. He passed away
at the good old age of 94.
I’m planning on getting a few of your “Home Sweet Home” mugs for family as a
happy memory. Thank you, Susan.
Susan-you make me see the beauty in winter days and the joy of the spring to come!
So good to see you Cozy and Happy on the Vineyard!
Thank you for another wonderful Blog. 💗
Warmly,
Kitty
Your posts are such a joy! Love the pictures of your beautiful home.
I like Valentine’s Day! I’m so glad it comes during colder weather for what better day to curl up and snuggle! ❤️😊. Thanks for your tidying up blog. It is inspiring to put away Christmas and get out the hearts. 😊
Hi Susan,
Thank you for another blog! Just wanted to say congratulations for having your mug and Romance picked up by the BBC! I believe that makes you officially posh.
And I love your Bella Luna. As a kid I read a prayer and to this day I recite it every time I’m out in the moonlight: “I see the moon and the moon sees me. God bless the moon and God bless me.” I love thinking of the moonlight spreading this blessing to us all.
Cheers and have a lovely Valentine’s Day.
Hi from the coast of North Carolina!
Love all things Susan Branch for many years. May 11 marks my 70th birthday! You have inspired me to have a tea party celebration with all my girlfriends this year. I’m already getting excited about it all!
I hope your movie comes to fruition…you have had quite a journey!
Cheers to 70 years!
Jerri Ellen
What sunshine your blog brought on another day of freezing here in Buffalo, NY. Enjoyed your observation that cardinals are like flying valentines. Thanks.
I will be ordering the Bella Luna cup. It’s just wonderful! Speaking of the celestial skies, according to the Washington Post, the Harvard University Astronomy department chairman has theorized that an extraterrestrial spacecraft may be flying past the orbit of Jupiter at this moment. More mysteries to ponder while I drink cocoa soon in my new Bella Luna cup.
I hope they are coming to save us. Bringing extra pretty gardens with amazing beautifully fragrant flowers we’ve never seen before.
What a treasure you are!!! When I saw your Bella Luna mug it made me smile and remember when my two grandsons were young. The boys would always ask me to sing the moon song to them at nap time. So, thanks for the memory. 🎶 I see the moon, the moon sees me, God bless the moon and God bless me and shine on the ones I love🎶.
Oh, wait! *This* is where I have a chance to win something amazing! (I first commented on the wrong post.)
Hi Susan!!! Oh my gosh! I was so excited to see Willard in my email!!! I’ve missed you! I will read and re-read your blog today……I’ve already signed up to receive it now. I love the way you think, the way you write, and your inspiring way of telling stories!!! Thank you for including me!
It’s always a happy day when you post a new blog!
I’m curled up with two quilts and missing my cat. Have promised myself a new kitty after spring cleaning…… I think I best get moving and follow your example!
Lee who cooked on the Bill of Rights and said Hi! to Joe in Cedar Rapids!
Happy almost Valentine’s Day! Wonderful post! I agree about a starkly decorated home is B-O-R-I-N-G! But, I’ve slowly been going through my stuff, and what doesn’t spark joy-goes. My gazillion books spark a lot of joy, and I have one hundred times the thirty Marie Kondo recommends. These I will go through last. I do love her idea of expressing gratitude for our homes and everything within and without it! And that everything that sparks joy should have a home. She is just so sweet! Thank you for being so inspiring Susan.
Books are one of my mainstays of decorating. Books, flowers, throws, kitty . . . the basics.
Love Willard’s and your Blog!! Makes my day!
Susan, I love the wooden spoon from your Grandmother. I totally relate. I have my Grandmother’s crockery bowl she kept rubber bands in – was in her kitchen junk drawer! I have it out on my microwave and it is still the rubberband locale! Thanks for bringing back the memory of seeing her hand reach for the bowl. She was so lovely – just like you.
I’m honored! xoxo
Hi Susan
Thank you for such a fun Willard; as always…
I think the girlfriend book may be the only one I don’t have!
Looking forward to your newest book; in fact I can’t wait. No pressure 🙂
Stay warm and tell us about rabbit-rabbit!
Not from the West nor from the East; just an inbetweener in a little town in CO.
I have been a “fan” since you began.
Mary
Wonderful blog! Thank you
Please send some of that cold fresh weather out to me here in Arizona!! I need it to sweep the cobwebs out of my brain and to freshen up my house. How I envy you living near the ocean and all the scents that come from it, you are so lucky! Missing all the Ipswich goodies I used to take for granted (snow, clams ,ocean and friends) but trying to adjust to the Southwest way of life. Happy Val’s Day to you all especially lover boy Jack.
Thank you for your inspiration to tidy up!
While the winds are howeling and the snow is flying outside, I too, have decided to unclutter my home. It’s very satisfying to find order after the busy holiday season!
It has been snowing all day here in northern Wisconsin. What a wonderful time to receive your latest Willard. My Tom and Alice [brother and sister cats] also love seeing Jack. Thank you Susan!
Oh I hope I get the cup! It’s so pretty…
I absolutely love your blog! Everything about it and your beautiful artwork is perfect!!!
dear Susan
I always look forward to your posting – so much joy, good ideas, and uplifting sharing! ive read your books at least three times each and pick them up whenever I need serious me-time ….thank you so much for being who you are …an inspiration more than you can know!
Blessings, Bindu
Love it all! And remember- “You can’t win if you don’t play!” Good Luck to all!
Oh, I dont know if I am ready to sell or stash all my lovelies…hmm …maybe some of if , some day..Just love to look at them all, LOL…I do love all the new cups..well done! My birthday (and it is an old one) is the 13th…My Mom called me her Valentine and I will always, always remember that on my birthday..miss her….Thanks so very much for the wonderful ‘give-a-way”…hoping Vanna finds my number!!
Love, love, love to read your blog! Thank you for taking me into your world for a little while. Thank you Susan!! 💕💕💕
Happy February, well, Happy New Year in fact! I hope the calendars are finished soon and spring planting takes over your thoughts. Thanks for designing the cups and other sweet items – – treasures like thoughts of roses in winter.
Always a delight to read your posts and see your charming artwork, photos, and quotes. You’re a creative inspiration and I want to thank you so much for that. I’m re-reading Isle of Dreams because it’s just a wonderful, cozy winter read. Sending good thoughts and blessings.
Dear Susan,
I love reading your blogs. They are so uplifting and filled with warmth. Thank you so much for sharing your wisdom with all of us! Oh, and I just noticed Willard is in my email! Very excited! P.S. I love, love, love your cups!! 🙂
Always love reading your blog and seeing your beautiful illustrations
I see you, in my mind’s eye, when I read your blog, the way you looked when I met you at Conner Prairie in IN, a few😉 years ago.
Those were the cute days! xoxo 😁
So happy I found your blog! Feeling stressed as I am getting ready for hand surgery on Monday but ready your blog has given me inner calm. Thank you.
So nice to hear that Grace. Don’t forget what GENIUSES will be working on your hand. Brilliant people whose entire mission in life is to make you better. xoxoxo
Happy Valentine’s Day🌹
❤️❤️Love love me do …you know I love you ….so pleeeaassseee Love me Do💕
My comments aren’t making it I don’t think. Happy. Valentine’s Day 💐
I always look forward to your blog and the latest did not disappoint. I wish you could head to Northeast PA on your next tour.
We just lost our beloved kitty, and seeing photos of Jack warmed my aching heart. Thank you for your always uplifting words, art and pictures.
I’m so sorry Susan!
Your blog always brightens my day but especially now that I have been forced to stay at home due to a fractured patella. Reading about all your cleaning makes me so envious. I am sitting here looking at dust bunnies and can do nothing about it😩!
They will wait. You first! xoxo
Happy Valentine’s Day! Such a great surprise to see your blog post in my mail today. Always brightens my day.
You make me feel like cozying up by the fire and drinking more tea! You paint lovely images in my mind (and lovely images on paper also!). Thank you for all your reminders to celebrate life!