The first title I almost always think to call my posts is “Little Things.” Apparently that’s what I like to write about and today is no different. What other way can I say it? Wee Bits, Small Units, Hardly-There Stuff, Trifles, Diminutive Moments? Whatever they’re called, they go really good with MUSICA, and I have lots of them for you today!
First off, we’ve been hearing from our girlfriends who’ve been using the photo of my house in the snow as their computer wallpaper — they’d like a springtime view! Me, too, so here we go! Pink weeping cherry trees bloom out back here in April; it doesn’t get more spring-like than this! If you’d like to open your computer every morning to this scene, it’s really easy; take a look at our free computer wallpaper. We have several for you to choose from; we have Jack looking at the bug on the floor too! (Don’t be afraid of it, nothing will be permanent; you can change it anytime; push the buttons and it will just happen like magic.) ♥ Hope it’s what you had in mind!
Utterly enchanted!
The next little thing is Really Little! You might remember that Judy and Kellee discovered this miniature book in an antique store and gave it to me for Christmas? So darling! Such a perfect gift! How could I not fall in love with it!?
And the first thing I think when I fall in love with something is, “I bet the girlfriends would love this too!” So we went on a hunt to find the creative detail-oriented, artist woman who makes these books, by hand; one at a time; no two exactly alike; fat little darling books! They’re the real thing, with color pictures and everything; and not even one inch across! Perfect if you have a doll house or a Peter Rabbit room! Or if you just love tiny things. So, as of yesterday, they’re in our web store (if you click on it, scroll down, it’s in the 3rd row)! We didn’t get a million of them because you can see the work involved in making them, and not everyone wants a tiny little book! But, for as long as they last, if this is your cup of tea, here you go girls, from me to you with love.
I sort of put my little book wherever I am; sometimes it lives on a shelf in my studio where I can see it every day (just out of the way of my CAT who would dearly love to play soccer all over the house with that little book before eating it); but here’s where it is right now — in the Peter Rabbit Room. (Because my BFF Elizabeth Nordlinger is coming from California today; the room’s all fixed up, clean sheets are on the bed, we opened all the windows yesterday for freezing clean air; it’s perfect now, with flowers and cozy for HER. Hi E! xoxo)
The next little thing is this: Krista contacted me from her home in California; the Betsy-Tacy Rose Chintz teacups are in a box on their way to her. She wanted me to tell you how touched she was by all your interest and support! Me too! Loved this giveaway and all the great comments it spawned! ♥
Here’s another little book you’ve asked about; it’s my Dinner Party Diary; only 5 ¼” x 3″ — it’s the one I told you about last week. I’ve been writing in it for almost twenty years! I suppose if I would have thought about how long I would be keeping this book, I might have chosen a different style or size for it; but I really didn’t plan it! I just started, and then I just kept adding to it. Over the years, despite it not being the most beautiful book in the world, I’ve grown attached to it. The first entry is dated Sept. 23, 1993 — it was an autumn party in the garden under the rose arbor where I wrote that we had lemon chicken with mashed potatoes, and “leaves fell on the table.” (My darling wonderful knitting friend, Debbie Ware was there! Must show you, prepare to die of charm overload when you see what she makes!).
Not sure if my paper is more “breathings of heart” or demonstration of skipping stone gathering no moss.
I never tried to make this book perfect . . . I love stickers, so I used stickers; it turns out I always used a black pen, so there’s a cohesiveness to the look of it. I didn’t care if my handwriting was perfect, it’s not a book for publication (who knew there’d be such things as blogs and I would end up showing people!?! Should have made it cuter!!!); it’s been just for us and for the memories. And you know, it would be a wonderful thing for someone to find in an antique store in fifty years, is what I’ve always thought. ♥
I tucked in a few memories such as this leaf place card I made for my mom; there’s also a supermarket receipt for food for one of the parties (interesting to see what things cost), some tiny cards I got from people and one funny food-oriented comic I keep in there from Joe.
The little things that make life sweet are worth their weight in gold; They can’t be bought at any price and neither are they sold. ♥
I always tried to include the names of my guests, describe what we had to eat and drink, what flowers and table settings I used . . . any little details that I wanted to remember. Country Living Magazine still has a few photos from this shoot on their website! If you’d like to see the food! My scalloped potatoes with cut-out purple and gold potato leaves is there! (If the MUSICA has stopped, click if you want it to start again!)
Sometimes, like in the photo below, I didn’t have the perfect sticker, so I would draw and paint a little something . . . the cocktail glass for instance. Like I said, nothing fancy. Just breathings is all . . .
I’ve felt the need to leave strict instructions in some of my other diaries!
I shouldn’t be reading about baked bananas and ice cream right now. Or grapefruit and avocado salad! It’s too early, and I’m holding out for a bowl of hot Cream of Rice cereal with fresh blueberries when I get done here!
I will never forget this party. It was the middle of a dark winter and I asked everyone to wear bright colors: lime green, hot pink, orange and turquoise! No black! No matter how cool you were. One of my girlfriends wore a small-brimmed straw hat; she had completely covered the round-hat part of it in fresh, real, pink rosebuds, baby’s breath, blue bachelor buttons and other tiny flowers, glued on, very tightly, in concentric circles. It was gorgeous. She made everyone happy with that hat! It was such a dark, snowy afternoon, I lit every lamp, and candle I could find and filled the house with flowers; I was on a mission to give us all a time-out for the unrelenting stream of dark days! The music was perfection! We had a piano player; he played Polka Dots and Moonbeams on the piano! I listened sitting in front of the fire. Just me and the fire. Ahhhhhh. Yes, other people were there, but it was just me and the fire and the piano for a moment. ♥
And here is my latest entry, the one I showed you the other day. It’s a little thing to do, this kind of diary, but as years go by, it turns into a big thing. You can see how much fun it can be! And it’s never too late or too early to start writing down the breathings of your heart. If you’re one of the members of the Daring Girls Club (whom I’m apparently going to be speaking to on the phone this weekend) . . . I’m sure you’re way ahead of me on this!
♥ ♥ ♥
OK Girls, off I go . . . I made Banana Fritters yesterday, I’ll show you how I did it if you come back tomorrow! Love and Kisses, me xoxo
the one that feels like the winner! I love all your wonderful stories, but especially I’ve been having fun hearing where everyone is from! Suddenly this small world got even smaller! Thank you! Keep doing that! 
how to leave a comment, but please, oh please, I want to get my name in for the rose chintz tea cups. I have a really, really good reason. I’ve been wanting to tell you about the 
I think I have to tell the story from the beginning. We have so many new readers since we got Jack! Jack is the kitten we got last fall. This isn’t him, this is our other cat, Girl Kitty who was part of the inspiration and reason I thought it would be a good idea to get a new kitten. I had put my name in at our local shelter for a 
On the way over, we talked about what we might name this kitty, if by any chance we decided to take him home. I’ve had two sets of Girl Kitties and Man Kitties. I’ve never been any good at naming cats! I think of good names, I think of ten thousand good names; I just can’t pick ONE. So they end up being named what they are. Girl. Cat. Man. Cat. I was tired of my boring name choices; someone else needed to choose! I told Joe I didn’t want to name him Man Cat. He said, “Why don’t we call him Jack?” “Jack,” I thought, “Jackie, Jack Hammer, Jackie-Boy, Jackster, Jack O Lantern,” yes, this could work. I would have taken any name Joe suggested as long as it wasn’t Man Kitty, but my dad’s name is Jack, so why not name him after my dad? So that was the whole conversation about his name; we pulled into the driveway, parked out front and went through the glass doors of the shelter. We left the carrier in the car, because really, we weren’t sure we even wanted a kitten!
Less than a half hour later, we were on our way home with a kitten! When they showed him to us, all tiny and cute, we were a little bit shocked to see that he had a mustache! It took a minute to get used to it; it looked kind of like a splatted spider tattooed on his face at first, it took maybe four days after we got him home for me to actually like it; but the personality that goes with it is so sweet, that now I LOVE it. The thing was, when they handed him to me, all cuddley and soft, he moved his head and I could see the collar they’d put on him there at the shelter — and it said “JACK” on it!!!
His mustache was so interesting; everyone thought we should call him Jacques; he looked like a French movie star. My personal favorite came in from one of our younger readers, who ignored the mustache and just called him Jack Kitteh.
They went to breakfast one day before work and took Jack-stashes with them.
He wonders why we would be calling him the maniac! He saw this silly eraser Joe left for me on my desk. He wants to know if we are mocking him in some way. Oh noooo, Jack, we have fallen in love, you are our mascot.
The other day I came in to find Jack’s favorite toy in Girl Kitty’s food bowl! A small token of his great affection? Asking her on a play date? He drops it in my watercolor paint water too; which I really love. He takes it upstairs to Joe early in the morning, while he’s still in bed, and deposits it near his chin. He’s under my desk, playing in the trash can right now. The person getting the exercise is not Girl Kitty, it’s me. He is 
I make tea, he makes tea. He likes a bird cup.
This is my all time favorite photo of Jack. I love Jack’s loony eyes! On Mondy, I’m going to ask Kellee to make 
At almost six months old, Jack is part of the family. Girl puts up with him, I even woke up and found him sleeping in our bed one morning, which is a first, and still the only. She usually runs him right out of there. As well she should. Her house first! So it’s all working out, in it’s own way. Let me see, is there one more photo of Jack to finish this off . . . Let me look at the ten and a half million I have taken so far . . .
Here’s Jack, watching our most recent snow fall. He is my best new decoration for our front window!
To close, if, after all of this, you find yourself craving a 
