Once Upon a Starlight Wedding...

Kelsie & Adam...
who was quite small...
and had to look way up... because he was very tall!

They took some wonderful pictures and then decided on a summer wedding...

When they were married...

TRULY...

THE END...

peg dolls, doll, little peg people. peggies, wedding cake toppers, cake toppers, cupcake toppers, birthday, decorations, painted, anniversary, available in love boxes shop...

Vincent van Gogh... Lust for Life..

Kirk Douglas does an amazing job of looking like Vincent van Gogh and Anthony Quinn is also amazing as Paul Gauguin, but I didn't love this film. I far prefer the book by Irving Stone. In fact, I love the book and I love van Gogh and I thought his treatment in this film was a little harsh.

I know that he was a passionate man and that he could fly off the handle, but I think that his worst qualities were a fault of the lead paint that he used to create his timeless masterpieces.

He was tactile. I know that he used his fingers and hands to mix his colors. I know that he's had paint on his face, in his mouth, I know I have and I'm not a van Gogh. I believe that his exposure to lead and some of the other environmental conditions that he either couldn't help, or didn't know about affected his health in many ways.

He had an irrepressible drive to create and yet could not see clearly why. He only sold a single painting in his lifetime. And, yet, it makes me cry to think of the beauty he left us. His tortured heart was wrung out in paint on canvas. He helped us to see those who lived in poverty, the holiness of work, the yearnings of his heart, the brilliance of God's creations.

The only real comfort that Vincent ever had was his brother Theo who loved him and believed totally in his gift and in his brilliance. Without Theo, we wouldn't have Vincent's paintings.

In the year 1889, while van Gogh was trying to recover at at the asylum at Saint Paul-de-Mausole in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France, he painted these beautiful Irises. There is no sketch for them, they were meant to be a study. But, Theo loved them and took them to an exhibition.

Vincent van Gogh died the following year. He died unrecognized for a lifetime of beautiful work. In 1987, this painting sold for $53.9 million dollars. Adjusted for inflation, it is still one of the top 10 most expensive paintings ever sold... but to me, it is priceless.

He was the white Iris in this painting. He was always apart and never understood and all of that complicated by his terrible illness. But he was a beautiful man and I am forever grateful for the talents that he worked so very hard to earn and for the riches he left to inspire us.

I love THIS tribute to Vincent set to the beautiful song Starry, Starry Night... Enjoy...

Queen of the Big Time...

I really enjoy Adriana Trigiani's books. Lucia, Lucia is my favorite, but I love this one too. It's about an Italian immigrant family and their hard life becoming established in this country. It's really an American Dream story and I love those. It's also about un-requited love, faith and what love really means.
I listened to this book on tape while I painted brides and grooms which was really fun. I loved listening to the reader pronounce all the richly beautiful Italian names.
This is a great escape book.

Dave & Erin...

LoVE BoXeS SHoP...

peg dolls, doll, little peg people. peggies, wedding cake toppers, cake toppers, cupcake toppers, birthday, decorations, painted, anniversary, available in love boxes shop...

Little Leprechaun...

In the...

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peg dolls, doll, little peg people. peggies, wedding cake toppers, cake toppers, cupcake toppers, birthday, decorations, painted, anniversary, available in love boxes shop...

Shop Update...

There are seven new bears & and a Leprechaun Hat in the...

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Black Beans...

My dilemma is this: I store a lot of dried black beans in my storage. I love black beans, but my thought was that I hoped to never have to use them. I was going to buy cans at Costco instead because that's easier.
Then, came the very popular Black Bean Soup Recipe. What I thought was a six month supply of black beans disappeared in a big hurry.

Revelation: Stephanie over at A Year of Slow Cooking has written careful answers to all my bean questions including careful measurements like, "1 2/3 cups of crock pot beans = 1 can store bought." And, the helpful information that I can store my beans in the freezer (in the same amount as the cans) for 6 months. Cooking Dried Beans in a Slow Cooker is an amazing post. I learned so much. I can do this. Thank you Stephanie!

Gone All Day Beef Casserole...

You know this is going to be good because all the ingredients are yummy. It took me 10 minutes to prepare! Love this one!

1 cup uncooked wild rice, rinsed and drained
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrots (I like carrots, so I added 2 cups)
2 cans (4 ounces each) mushroom stems and pieces, drained (I used fresh)
1 large onion chopped
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup slivered almonds
3 beef bouillon cubes
2-1/2 teaspoons seasoned salt
2 pounds boneless round steak, cut into 1-inch cubes
3 cups water
Place ingredients in order listed in a slow cooker; do not stir. Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until rice is tender. Stir before serving.

More easy crockpot recipes here..

Spring Bears...

Sing an Irish Song...

Liberty Forever...

Boxes and more photos are in the...

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Liberty Bears...

Right bear is spoken for... But left and middle will be in the

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Tomorrow...

Lavender Bear...

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Ike: Countdown to D-Day

For some reason, I didn't expect too much from this movie, but it was brilliant. Tom Selleck's portrayal of "Ike" as Supreme Allied Commander was truly inspiring. I'm afraid I don't know enough about Eisenhower to know if the film is historically accurate, but the way he deals with the politics and the egos and thinks all the time of the fighting men seemed to me a study in great leadership.

So, it wasn't a romance for Valentine's Day, it was a war movie... But, I had a very solid cry in the end. Kudos to Tom Selleck who has long been one of my favorite cowboys and is now one of my favorite generals too. Great film!

Franz Ignaz Beck 1734-1809

Music for my Valentine:

I heard these beautiful Violins on the radio the other day. Beck's Sinfonia in D Major is brightly beautiful.

Beck lived during a crucial part of history and was right in the middle of things, dueling and hauled out at night in front of revolutionary courts... He wrote Opera and his life would have been a great one!

I don't know why, but I found his violins some of the prettiest ever and I wish I knew a lot more about when and why he wrote Sinfonia in D Major. Click over here...

and you can have a bit of a listen... 4-7

Dial M for Murder...

This was the Netflix pick for Friday night. It's not as good as Rear Window or To Catch a Thief, but we hadn't seen this one. The set is beautiful and the costumes are amazing. It was just scary enough for c, but not too scary. We all loved it!

Love Un-CLAimed...

These 2 love boxes are ready for a custom Valentine's Greeting or even a declaration of devotion... whatever you'd like me to write in the lid... Then they will be finished to a high shine and shipped to the destination of your choice...

Let me know ...

LOve BoXES SHoP...

Finding Courage in Faith

This is what I have found about religion. It gives you courage to make decisions when you must in a crisis, and then the confidence to leave the result to a higher power. Only by trusting God can a man carrying great responsibility find repose. ~Dwight D. Eisenhower

This is a man who made a lot of tough decisions in his time. I thought this was inspiring. I found the quote in the book Ye Are the Light of the World by Harold B. Lee a book that I am enjoying almost as much as Standing for Something (my favorite). President Lee was a very optomistic and positive person. His words are comforting and inspiring.

Love Boxes Valentines...

2 inch by 1/2 inch hardwood hearts...
have been painted and painted and painted...

and primed and glittered and glossed and waxed...

into a holiday extravaganza in true red....

Find them...

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One Amazing Thing...

I have to admit that I purchased this book for its beautiful cover. Well, I picked it up for the cover anyway. I had been meaning to read something by Chitra Divakaruni though since I had missed reading a collection of her stories in one of my book clubs.
This book is also a collections of stories. Trapped in the aftermath of a terrible earthquake. Nine maybe survivors tell each other one amazing story from their lives.
Each survivor seems to choose a story that will best explain them... why they have become the person they are. They tell their stories from the perspective of little hope of survival with nothing to lose.
I thought that seemed like an interesting premise. And, it was gripping reading. I devoured the book. Then, I wondered if faced with the same situation what kind of story I would tell.