Big Top Circus Treasury...

See the entire collection HERE...

& LOVe BoXeS SHoP... HERE...

The King's Speech...

Interesting, inspiring and the best ever movie to watch with good friends.

Just a few interesting side bits. The Duke of Windsor would have made a terrible king. He was amoral and lazy. His instincts about just about everything turned out to be wrong in the end including the fact that Mrs. Simpson would entertain him for life. He began to think of her as a great bore after not too long.

Speaking of the Duke of Windsor... I am certain through him permanent friendly relations could have been achieved. If he had stayed, everything would have been different. His abdication was a severe loss for us. ~Adolf Hitler

That Albert ascended the throne and became a leader to his people during the dark days of WW2 is a great blessing to the world and makes this story all the more inspiring.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett...

This book is a breeze to read in one way. You are so engrossed, you can't put it down. Stockett has a talent for writing dialogue that is entirely engrossing. You can hear the soft, lilting accents in your head as you read them on the page. And, you love these maids. Who doesn't love a person who makes the best out of an awful situation, who acts with courage and friendship when the world seeks to tear them down?

But, the character of Skeeter has so many problems. She's two dimensional. She misses Constantine, her former maid and starts this writing project seemingly w/out any clue about the dangers to those involved. She gets involved with a guy.. almost engaged to one who has no idea about her political views and constantly lies to him when she knows that he's been seriously heart-broken by another honesty challenged woman. She doesn't seem the least bothered by any of that.

There were editing problems.. like Skeeters dry, brittle and frizzy (pubic more than cranial is the term she used) hair that she grows long and straight in the end... The entire character of Celia is fleshed out just to be dropped in the end.

Then, there is just this feeling that the story doesn't come close to telling what it was really like. I think of Billy Holiday singing Strange Fruit.

What this novel does really well is show what entitlement does to character. Those who profit from what they have not earned and services that they have not paid for suffer in kindness and compassion, have an over-inflated sense of self and a general lack of good will. It reminded me of this verse from Moses...

Moses 4:25

25 By the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, until thou shalt return unto the ground—for thou shalt surely die—for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou wast, and unto dust shalt thou return.

To me, that's a commandment to contribute. Does that mean you can't hire a housekeeper, get your car detailed, your lawn mowed, your hair cut etc... ?? No. You just can't do those things while you keep the housekeepers, detailers and hair dressers out of the libraries and public schools while teaching your children that they are dirty and ignorant. You have to recognize honest labor, pay for it and honor it.

I once went to a restaurant with a good friend. Everything she ordered was sold out. The waiter was new and inexperienced, overly talky and less than polished. But, my friend refused to be unkind. After she ordered something for the 3rd time and found the item unavailable she said with a big smile, "Just surprise me!" She refused to be unkind. How do you treat the people who wait on your table or change your oil? My friend was once a waitress and so was I. It's good to know what it's like on that end. It changes your perspective forever.

The book shows that nothing is free for everything has an exacted cost, that even as we contribute as much as we can, we are still in debt and doing our best in helping each other is the only way to peace of mind and integrity.

Tesla: Master of Lightning...

I have to admit, I fell asleep in the middle of this film (due to extreme exhaustion and not the film). But, what I saw was interesting and inspiring and tragic. C and c both LOVED it! It is fascinating to know a little about the personalities who are responsible for so many of the comforts and conveniences we enjoy today.

More than a biography, this program explains some of the science behind cell phone technology and other things. Very interesting.

Nanny McPhee Returns...

I just adored this little film. It was very sweet and when you consider the pigs that "swim stylishly" and the baby elephant then I think this one trumps the first one. See it!

Lily of the Valley Postcard...

Love Boxes Shop...

Women's Shelter...

Love you dear friends...

A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter; he who finds one finds a treasure. ~Sirach 6:14

Rabbit Foot Fern...

I love to have plants and flowers in the house. This is one of my favorites. It's called a Rabbit Foot Fern because of "the furry rhizomes that hang over the side of the container. These light-brown, creeping rhizomes are covered with hairs that look like a rabbit's foot." It's probably the easiest houseplant to take care of and one of the prettiest. They do well next to an east or west facing window. When the sun shines in on the fronds, you can see a hundred shades of green. So pretty.

We Were Soldiers...

This film is brilliant, but not for the faint of heart. It is really a tribute to the men who fought in Vietnam in that it tells the truth about what these men were up against as they fought and the courage they showed. Whether the government was in this war for the right reasons or not does not matter here. Most of the soldiers were fighting for liberty for the people at home and those they didn't know. They received little thanks. Their government had a difficult time deciding the objective and how to achieve it. The lives of many talented, well-trained, valiant men were simply wasted . They had wives and children and parents and friends who loved them and grieved for them then and now.

And yet, we continue to give up our liberty in this country for a little security, for hollow bribes and empty promises. Half of us don't vote. Half of us don't pay taxes. Some of us don't even know there was a war in Vietnam. And, when I watch something like this film, I feel that the blood of those who payed the ultimate price will one day ask for an accounting of how we squandered the freedom they provided and protected.

To all those who have served and continue to serve now. ... Thank you. May God bless you.

Bill & Connie Anniversary Peg Dolls

Happy 41!

More little peg people available @

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...

Lily of the Valley...

All, everything that I understand, I understand only because I love... ~Leo Tolstoy

Thank you so much Sarah.. I love the flowers so much!

When There's Love at Home... Hand Painted Trinket Box

There is beauty all around when there's love at home... ~John Hugh McNaughton

Hand Painted Love Boxes Trinket boxes are available

LoVE BoXes SHoP...

Escape by Carolyn Jessop

After discussing this book with friends today, I feel kind of at a loss for words. I must have said most of them already. But, this is one of the most bizarre and chilling books I've read. It was interesting to read part of the tale behind all the headlines. And, after I finished the book, I felt so incredibly grateful for my life. I can't imagine having so little control over my own life. But, literally, it seems that as AG Mark Shurtleff put it.. we have the Taliban in our own backyard.

I've read as much as I can and still am reading about the Founding Fathers of the United states that I found this comment in the book quite touching, "Dan was telling me (Carolyn) about the crimes he was hearing about in the FLDS and said I was right to get my children out. 'I never knew what this country's Founding Fathers fought for until I left (the FLDS)' he said quietly. 'Even so, it took me years to grasp what it really meant and how deeply it mattered." Yes. It matters so much.

It interested me how many times she talked about liberty and freedom, and it saddens me to think how many live in a free country in bondage of one kind or another. I found it devastating at the end when Carolyn's daughter chooses to go back. Very sad.

I had a real problem in the book with the idea that a child's education could be so random and so halting. Children have a right to be educated. They must be prepared to do the work of the world and to be able to think for themselves and provide for themselves as adults. I think that was one of the saddest parts of this real story.

This is just kind of an aside. But if you read the book, you have to see this clip I found on the Huffington Post about the HAIR..., probably the least bizarre thing about this story, but still. Sadly, it reminded me too much of my own senior picture. I also found it interesting that the women in this clip all seemed to have new dresses cut from the same pattern all in pastel colors and no prints. That picture confirmed some of the things Jessop said in her book.

Garden Season...

My garden is getting started. I love this time of year.

One of my all time favorite trees. .. Bechtel Crab
In bloom.. Korean Lilacs.. I forget which...

The sweet woodruff is finishing off, but still smells heavenly..

My garden is granny chic :) I love petunias, lilacs, tulips, roses, dahlias, peonies... and I LOVE PINK. This bed doesn't look like much but in July you won't see dirt, it will be a froth of pink.

This Bacopa: Snowstorm Giant Snowflake is something new that I'm trying out in a part of my garden that stays pretty dry no matter what I do. The flowers are supposed to keep coming even when the plants are drought stressed. We'll see. :)

The tomatoes are in.. except the cherry variety. I can almost taste them. Yum. Lots to do in the veggie garden still. We follow the square foot gardening plan and it's beautiful and produces plenty for our family over the summer. We also keep fresh herbs in pots, and they often come back on their own... which is why they are in pots. We don't want a yard full of peppermint as much as I love it.

I have several varieties of crab tree. They are my favorite. This is Prairie Fire.

There is still so much to do, but this is my favorite time of year in the garden, once it gets over 80 degrees. I'm out only early in the morning putting the Preen down and then going back in. But, I loved being out in the rain today. It smells like heaven and everything is clean and beautiful.

Jacquelyn M. Voice Studio..

My beautiful sister Jackie is in the middle of a Master's Degree at the Cleveland Institute. But, she is home for the summer and teaching voice lessons for a very reasonable price. If you are local and interested.. let me know.

This is her Facebook Page... which has prices and other info.

Pass it on...

A Tale of Two Cities... by Charles Dickens

Yes. I'm still obsessed.

see the treasury HERE...

purchase music cd HERE...

and now available on Amazon HERE..

sheet music or sing it to yourself.. HERE..

Red River...

The hero can not be a murderer. That doesn't work. The only reason to watch this film is because Montgomery Clift is so handsome. That's not really enough. This is why I have a love/hate (mostly hate) relationship with John Wayne films. The good guy can be flawed. He doesn't have to be perfect, but he can't be a spouse abuser or a murderer or we'd just as soon have him hanged in the end.

Who writes these scripts??? SHeesh!

Don't waste 2 hours on this one... unless you are a fan of Montgomery Clift.

Infant & Baby... Peg Dolls

LoVe BoXeS SHoP...
little peg people. wedding cake toppers, cake toppers, cupcake toppers, birthday, decorations, painted, anniversary, available in love boxes shop...

Something so pretty...

all the gold I care about is right here...

Serene Senorita Collage...

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

LoVE BoXeS SHoP....