Snippets of my life...

The nippy breezes of end of November have blown away the remainder of the golden leaves, but the ornamental pear is still wearing crimsoned tones—exquisite garments of silent kings and watchers of the garden. I am standing in the core of time; dancing amidst seasons and hoping that autumn will linger yet a little longer…

I’m craving the vivid colors of summer; the happy yellows of sunshiny days. So I have added some touches of yellow to the bedroom’s white palette.

…and I was remembering that a summer or two ago I had a pink cake with pink frosting on my table…

The thought of it has stirred in me the desire to bake—bake in the colors of summer pastels, although I know I should really be thinking of autumn and winter and pumpkin pies and breads and Christmas pecan pies, but I can't help it....

Are you the types that like to bake according to seasons and traditions?—like the usual apple pie in the summer and the pecan or chocolate-peppermint pie for Christmas? Or do you bake according to your heart’s content? I really don’t mind a pretty cake with cascades of yummy pink frosting on my Christmas table… weird, I know… but ever so lovely... like colorful tutus.

Cakes in pastels; like cotton candy pinks and sea foam greens and baby blues and the soft purples of fluff tulle tutus are on my mind…

Some of you had asked about our trip to Florida a few weeks ago… it was a special trip that I should add to my chest of most treasured memories, as we traveled with our daughter and her family to introduce little Averi to the rest of the gang…

I'm so madly in love with this incredibly adorable sweeter-than-sweet most divine dearest little darling... I am I am!!

…and spent precious time with mom and dad, and dear Lissette by the ocean and the rhythmic soothing sound of waves gently crashing against the shoreline—cherished precious moments that I wish I could gather with my hands; like jewels, and keep in some sorts of magical chest where they’d be kept safe for evermore.

The days are visibly shorter around here now. By the time I get home from work it is already dark and murky mornings are taking longer to awaken from their early winter slumber… I love this time of year and almost walk around the house in a silent reverie; thinking about life, thinking about how fortunate I am to be just where I am and be who I am… I move in some sorts of magical lethargy, turning a soothing light here, lighting some candles there, illuminating some shadowy corner of the house with dim lights of wee lamps. I like these early morning hours and the quietness that accompany them… they call for the strong Cuban coffee in my tiny yellow Cuban ceramic cups, and they call for some fluffy comfy pjs and reflective time in the settee out looking the sleepy garden.

Life might not be perfect but it is good. And I’m going down memory lane this evening through my collection of photographs… long after the flowers of spring and summer are gone, this garden is still blooming with treasured memories collected in snaps. I delight in going through them during the winter months when the weather keeps me inside and I get so impatient for the garden… a sweep of sweet Williams, roses, foxgloves, lupines and delphiniums marks memorable hours of passed delights as well as those to come… Oh do forgive me, I have so much to say; my soul is made out of words and I'm walking and dancing in languages and dialects made out of symbols and words… can I continue? ;)

Last evening I discovered a very interesting website and microblogging platform called Tumblr…have you heard about it before? Tumblr lets you effortlessly share anything. The interesting part is, people can post your photographs on their Tumblr page without your permission and you'll never get credit for it either. I almost fell over when I discovered the following photograph in at least 10 Tumblr blog with links to a number of unknown entities as the source; I even got a “Mrs. Robinson’s ghost” as source to this photographs... can you believe it? ;)

Well, I hope I haven't bored you... I promise I'll write less next time... for now, may you have the sweetest evening, and may you find your rainbow at the end of your dreams.

See you soon!

Life in the garden

The dragonflies have all disappeared from the garden by now. And so have the fairies. As you may well know, fairies like to fly with the dragonflies since they look so much alike and won't be discovered by people who don't believe in them… but no dragonflies have been in sight lately; not since the first winds began to blow cold air; anointing the garden with white frost-like icing sugar… but there have been definite signs that they’ve been here… A month or so ago I spied some very mysterious dragonfly fluttering around in the most curious and marvelous of patterns. Were they really dragonflies? I wonder...

On that very same day the fairies left me a branch of pussy willow. I was delighted. Then a few weeks ago they brought a very mysterious looking cat with them. A very special fairy whispered his name in my ear the other night: “Watcher”—she said… “Watcher is his name because he watches out in the garden keeping you safe.”

Now, how sweet is that? I truly love the name, I do! Thank YOU! I also want to thank those of you who also suggested all sorts of awesome names for the kitty.

The garden looks so changed these days. From vivid greens it turned to colors of golds and reds to muted yellows and grays… seasons certainly have its way of making all sorts of changes in the anatomy of things; and it feels as if I’m walking upon another time and another garden; still lovely in its own right and stillness, but somewhat strange and faraway from my heart.

Yesterday I discovered a curious thing in the garden; left by the fairies I suppose… So they've been here after all. Do you have any idea what that might mean? A teacup hanging from a tree branch? A tea party with the fairies, perhaps? That sounds delightful, doesn't it.

I’m going to close my eyes and ask the fairies in my garden for something truly special… an owl!

Owls fascinate me. Have I already told you that? And have I told you how I often dream of seeing one up close in real life some day? Yeah—“in real life”, because in dreams I see them all the time… And every day and every night I would close my eyes and make a wish upon a dream—that there will be an owl waiting for me out there; in the garden.

Of course, it would have to be in my garden for the magic to transpire. Any other place would lessen enchantment. It would not be the same. So I go out to the garden every day at dusk and hope and wait for “La Lechuza” to make presence… As the wind come rustling through the lasts of russet leaves I listen to the tree’s songs; and listen to what amber leaves sweeping down from trees bring and to that what they have to tell me. And thus, slowly, magic unfolds…

I am sure I can hear the mystical hoo-hooing of the owl being carried out by evening breezes. And there… over there, I can even detect a shape flap onto a branch in the nearly dark at the end of the garden. A bird with human-like, forward facing eyes and presence so fascinating I’m almost drawn to my knees.

I often wonder where these feelings arise from being that the owl was the anathema of my childhood—the phantom that marred the peace of my nights. Folks in our little pueblo believed the owl was an ill-omened bird; they were not really owls, but some evil spirits contained in the form of an owl. Owls were the souls of the dead crossing the night sky; witches prowling the night carrying children off. How strange the way fear is conquered as we grow in soul and years. And how the owl now invites me to peer into the dark as they can and they give me courage to accept and come to love all that I find there...

I can’t really tell what it exactly is—awe, amazement, pure enchantment perhaps?… whatever it is, the owl represent so much… their peaceful energy, the mystery they posses; posing as quiet mediators between the material and spiritual worlds; hiding some inexplicable message known only to themselves and perhaps to the shadows that nurture them.

To be truthful, I believe my admiration for these birds comes from fear more than anything else. Fear attracts; it pulls you to face it; to conquer it whilst waiting and hoping. And maybe that’s what it all is? Even so, I’m still waiting and dreaming of the day I’d see this magnificent bird sweeping off the floors of the garden in a mythical and mysterious swooping of wigs. I cannot think of anything more special or magical.

Do you have any tale of your own you'd like to share? Any strange, funny or curious occurrences in your own enchanted gardens or world? Do share.

Wishing you a magical week,
whether shimmering with stardust or just your glowing selves!

Show Off Your Cottage Monday

Welcome to "SHOW OFF YOUR COTTAGE MONDAY", a blog party I host at the beginning of each week to celebrate the things we love about our homes and how we live.

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Few things appeal more to my senses than the vision of a country house surrounded by roses—the rustic life of the countryside, open spaces, fresh air, trees everywhere, birds singing, wildlife all around and stunning natural beauty. I often dream of leaving behind the hectic, fast-paced city life and escaping to a place where fresh breezes and clean air invigorate and refresh; a place where I can relax and enjoy each precious moment; a place where life is simpler, where I can hike at my leisure, pick berries for breakfast, or get up early to walk. Maybe I'll stay up late for a bonfire or to see the northern lights, and watch an eagle circle high above in the sky, or catch glimpses of the erratic flight of bats at dusk. Dreams…

So here are few of my favorite images of the country life…

(image source: first two photographs - Erase una casa, rest from Pinterest)

I wanted to say welcome new party goers as well as say thank you to all my party friends for taking the time to come over and share your wonderful links each week!

THANKS SO MUCH…

If you're linking, please link back to the house in the roses. Sharing with these lovely gals!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

We’re often so taken up with the affairs of the present that we hardly have time to give thanks for blessings of the past. On this Thanksgivings day my heart is overflowing with gratitude and thankfulness for precious moments shared with dear family these past few days in Florida… I am grateful and blessed by so much, by so many, by so little too… grateful for all the little things! There are way too many of these to count!

I must also give thanks for you—the spectators of my life, the friends, the companions of my days... May you all be blessed with all things good... AND

May your stuffing be tasty


May your turkey plump,


May your potatoes and gravy


Have nary a lump.


May your yams be delicious


And your pies take the prize,


And may your Thanksgiving dinner

Stay off your thighs!

~Author Unknown

HAPPY THANKSGIVINGS!

Christmas Home Tour

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

I hope that you all have a great day today!

I just wanted to post my Christmas Home Tour.  These pics are from last year but I never actually showed it as a tour so I thought I would this year.

I showed you How I Decorate my Mirrors for Christmas

I decided to do something a little different.

I wanted to decorate some of my mirrors.

I found some beaded and mirrored garland and snowflakes and decided to hang them over my mirrors.

I really like how it turned out.

I think that it was a great final touch for my white and sparkly theme.

I also liked to see the reflections on the mirror.

The mirror on mirror looked great!

You can do this with just about anything…garland, beads, popcorn, Christmas cards, handmade snowflakes, ribbon, etc.  Just look for what you already have.  Remember, you don’t NEED to buy anything.

For my other mirror, I just hung a really huge ornament.

It’s white and sparkly…perfect!

  I think it fills the mirror nicely.

I have two mirrors over my couch and I had two matching smaller snowflakes to use.

I am really liking snowflakes this year.

Plus, it matches my tree!

I think it adds just a little something to the room!

Again, you can use anything you have or  your kids can make homemade snowflakes and glue sparkles on.  (We usually do that for the windows and they LOVE it.)

I LOVED my tree last year!

We decorated our tree with white, silver and sparkly ornaments!

I am really happy how it turned out! :)

We did get a real tree  year but I saved a lot of money on our ornaments.

I bought MOST of them from garage sales like this Pottery Barn star.

I also bought a lot of them on clearance from Wal-Mart last year for 50 cents each like this one.

Others I bought as souvenirs from a family vacation a couple of years ago.

I am really loving the sparkly ones!!!

I tried to squeeze ornaments inside the tree so there are ornaments EVERYWHERE!

I seriously tried to put an ornament on almost every branch.

The more, the better!  (for me anyway)

I took some pictures of some of my favorites.

I know… I take a lot, heehee!

I love the words!

Gracie really likes this one.

The kids seriously had a BLAST helping me decorate it!!!

They each have there own special ones too!

Here are some pictures at night.

I also made A Simple Christmas Vignette.

I wrapped this cute Merry Christmas sign around a candle holder.

I decorated with picture frames and already had and pinecones.

I just filled the frames with wintery pictures of the kids!  I love doing that!!! :)

I LOVE the nature look.  I just took a candle holder that I had and filled it with acorns that the kids picked and added a couple branches from our tree.

This tree is from a garage sale.

The greenery is not real but it looks real, doesn’t it?  I also bought that from a garage sale.

That’s it….simple, festive and free…except for the pictures but those were cheap and they don’t count because I need them.

I LOVED my Wintery Christmas Tablescape!

I am excited to show you my Christmas tablescape!

I am really happy with how it turned out.

I only used what I had.

I placed cute ornaments in the bowls.

These would make great little gifts for your guests to take home.

I LOVE the silver accents.

This is my candlestick that I spray painted.

I showed you my obsession with pinecones in glass here.

I wanted a simple one.

It might look like a lot but it is just a grouping of bigger items.

I LOVE big!  I love this big star!

Of course, I love the sparkle!

I seriously love this tree!

I did place little ornaments around to add bling!

Ornaments in a glass….easy!

Here is another view.

Here is another candle I painted.

I am really happy with this room! :)

I LOVE this tree too!

I showed you what I did to the mirror here.

Here are some more random shots, lol.

Here are some shot pics at night…because I am crazy with pictures, lol!

I have told you all about my obsession with white, silver and glitter this year but I also love good, old fashioned nature!

I love using natural materials mixed with silver, glass, etc.

Here I used different kinds of sticks in a silver vase (that I spray painted silver a while ago) and I threw in a turkey feather that my husband found in the woods.  Next to that, I just placed some pinecones in a glass vase.  That’s all FREE and great all winter long.  I was able to use silver, glass and nature altogether and I love it.  I really like mixing!  You can group together all of your favorites things…you cannot go wrong with items you LOVE!

Here I used pinecones in a glass vase again.  I just love doing that!

I also LOVE acorns in glass.  (These are the same acorns from my fall tablescape.)

I also used cinnamon sticks (from my fall tablescape) and placed them in another glass vase.

Here is a cinnamon broom that my husband surprised my with from Trader Joes.  This thing smells AWESOME!

Here I added some acorns and a couple branches from our tree to a candle holder.

I like the nature look!

More pinecones!

Can you guess what is next…pinecones in a glass vase, lol!

I added that to the bathroom.  It is simple and nice looking!  And…EASY and FREE!!!!

LOL, here are some more!  This is seriously the easiest thing EVER!

Last thing,  I added a real wreath to our front door.  I did not buy this, again, my husband surprised my with it from Trader Joes.

You can’t forget about the most important thing…

I hope that you all have a great day and have fun putting up your Christmas decorations this year!

Have a blessed day!

Bonnie :)