What'll I Do?

I'm not speaking of Irving Berlin's beautiful lyrics~

Gone is the romance that was so divine.

'Tis broken and cannot be mended.

You must go your way,

And I must go mine.

But now that our love dreams have ended...

What'll I do

When you are far away

And I am blue

What'll I do?....

Or the movie that made me fall in love with Robert Redford,

linens and bunches & bunches of roses for Daisy and guest houses 

and the little tiny freckles on Mia Farrow's face and  (oh I've lost myself already....)

(I won't even begin to comment on F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel, ahhh...)

Now, this isn't a pretty sight and I need some assistance~

What'll I do...

With all the decorating magazines that I have, but cannot bear 

to part with?  I have not caught up for two months now.

I know there must be many of you out there - I would appreciate

suggestions... and throwing them away is not an option.

I have another huge basket upstairs but did not want to

carry it downstairs, I am not into weight lifting at the moment.

I would appreciate ideas, I think my husband may turn me

in to the hoarding magazine police...

Did I mention I have three boxes of the original Victoria magazine

in our garage, I've been told they will not "move" with us

one more time (they've made two moves so far!).

I'm off to get prepped for Chandeleur Day, seems there are a lot of francophiles

out there in Blog Land preparing themselves for crepe making.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

What Do You Do?

xoxo, Tracie

Calling All Saints

Okay, okay!  Here they are with pleasure ~ Because You Asked...

I aim to please.  It's just in my nature (for some reason, I wish

I had a very witty joke to go with that comment...)

For now, they've got their own little corner

~yes, they've moved since Saturday night

I've suddenly become addicted to Joan of Arc

items as well, my list of favorites is growing every day

Well, there they are ~ I've collected these over time

(except the last two - how fun - I couldn't decide

which one I liked more, hmm indecision ~ I said I'll take them both, please!

I'll leave you with this for the week, it spoke to me this morning

while on my walk in the rain with my precious Zeke...

Life is beautiful 

for those who 

believe in their dreams

Happy, happy week!

xoxo, Tracie

Peaceful Sunday

Wishing You a Restful ~Peace of Mind~ Kind of Sunday 

to enjoy with family (two-legged or four-legged), friends 

and of course, all the things we love to do (or not do)

over the weekend~

Here are a couple antique Saints I picked up Friday

(I will take a better lighted picture later, but we were enjoying the 

candle light so much, it looked beautiful in the cottage Saturday evening)

and EVERY Friday, fresh flowers to savor for the weekend ahead, 

the sweet fragrance wafts its way throughout the cottage...

Think I'll re-light the candles tomorrow morning since

it's supposed to continue with the rain throughout the day~

Hoping you're savoring your weekend too! 

I Must Go Out

After five long days under the weather,

I must make my way outside...

 ... At least, to pick up my finds from last week~

(by the way, thanks for your understanding, Diana!)

I'm getting all dressed up (even make-up, hair, etc.) and 

going out Friday...

Then catching up on rearranging, straightening, taking photos~

oh yes, I better clean up a little

 (a lot) first!

So looking forward to doing that and being back in 

the pink once again

Thanks for all the get well wishes, I visited many a blog 

while home during the last few days and thoroughly 

enjoyed visiting with you.

What are your plans for the weekend?

xoxo, Tracie

Are we there yet?

On the Road to Recovery...

Are we there yet???

I've got a new journal I picked up a couple months ago (I love what it says on the cover -Love Who You Are), a brand new pen that looks like a jeweled lip stick that my kindred-spirit friend, Jeannette gave me.  We've called ourselves that since Anne of Green Gables, and neither one of us remembers just how long we've been friends ~ so many life experiences.  You know, the person you go to when you really need someone to talk to...

 

I've got lots & lots of magazines.   I never have time to read them and I haven't touched one today, I have a pretty, sparkly watch thanks to my daughter, so I can "while away the hours" (in style) quoting the Scarecrow from The Wizard of Oz.

~A bit stir crazy though... 

Most of our pets are wondering what's happening, except Giles since he and I watched Harvey today.  If you haven't had a chance to see this old movie with Jimmy Stewart, give it a try, it's a real joy... Looking at life through rose colored glasses for a change, just for a couple of hours.  I think I will add this movie to my list of when I'm down movies to watch, it'll do the trick.

AND...

I've got this beautiful birthday cake waiting

in the "ice box" for me

Black Forest Cake with Sour Cherries Soaked in Cognac, yum.

I have arrived at my destination!

Under the Weather

~ QUARANTINE ~

The flu bug has arrived at My Petite Maison

the birthday girl has it bad ~

the party's off  (for now! Unless she makes

a triumphant recovery!)

And no one's happy about it!  Not one little bit.

I had such great ideas (really) , but the flu fairy had something else in mind.

Luckily, I make a great patient - where's my bell?

I've got my staff at my side -  lucky me.

xoxo, Tracie

What's for Dinner?

I Really Thought I was a Princess Last Night ~

Starting to celebrate early for my birthday Monday~

Hmm, what shall I have for dinner?

I was planning to post the menu since it said "Happy Birthday Tracie"

but now, this "Princess" that eats yogurt, granola and the like

is feeling a little tired - I really over did it (not drink wise, but food wise)

Have you ever done that???  Silly me, I asked for a side of the

richest polenta in town...  And when they said

Let her eat cake, I did!

 I must have energy, energy, energy tomorrow to 

shop, eat cake from Costeaux Bakery and go back into "Princess" mode!

Off to crawl under the covers and watch a good old movie

with my nurses snoring by my side and at the end of the bed (for Zeke!)

If you get a couple moments, go over to Magnolia Street Style 

for Connie's beautiful eBay selections, 

she has a link on her blog and such lovely items.

Golly gee, that's what I'm going to do after my nap!

Be Cozy Yourself and Happy Sunday!

A Little Find

I found such a treat today ~ A Sweet Memory...

A little tin of biscuits from Pyrenees, 

Notice the Little Mountain Dweller and his trusted companion 

watching over the sheep?

The tins were placed perfectly on "the" huge chunky farm table at our local gourmet store.

That table, that store, why do I always round that corner?

Because they have such wonders like this, makes me feel like I'm 

back in Marseille (La Cure Gourmande), now all I need is a passion fruit gelato and a cafe

(well a girl can dream, right?)  It's my version of Calgon Take Me Away...

Can't wait for my morning cappuccino with a little biscuit from Zeke's homeland, yum!

Then off for a whole day of treasure hunting to stock up my already

brimming little store, my idea of Heaven~

just a short drive with my husband to scour the countryside.

May have to take some biscuits for the trip...

In case you're a Francophile like myself.  I'm quickly becoming addicted to this beautiful blog. Click here to check out Chandeleur Day, it's almost arrived!  We're all planning to celebrate & best of all, it's on a Saturday!

Hope to hear from you when I return and share my finds~

Thank you so much for visiting

Happy Friday!

The Bluebird of Happiness

This is how my morning started, a cup of cappuccino waiting for me under a tea towel with a pretty cake on it!  Yippee, my birthday's next week, my husband is starting to treat me like a princess early (lucky me and I know it!).

Next, my Zeke runs in letting me know it's time for his walk saying good morning with a wag~

After that, I take my long workout walk, I pass a lovely gate~ the house has been there for over a hundred years, would love to know the stories it could tell.

Walking down the street, a white dove flies in front of me, lands in the street, looks at me and coos once, then flies away~

I continue my walk past a soon to be open boutique, I've been pressing my nose against the window for weeks waiting for her to open, she's got a cute piggie with a positive message posted, quite uplifting~

"Creativity

Transcends

Anger

and

Violence"

I find two lucky pennies on my way home...  My daughter comes home from school and asks what she can do to help around the cottage (she needs extra spending money for the long weekend with her friends and they all help sweep the long pine needles from the front & sideyard)~

Next, I received a thumb's up from the ever talented Cathy of Avalon Rose Design.  Cathy, thank you, it's  just what I wanted, a dream come true~

I feel like I've been touched by angel and hope you do too.  The Bluebird of Happiness is truly in our own backyard (per Shirley Temple).

Hope the feeling is contagious ~ thank you for sharing in my day...

I've Only Just Begun ~ Again

Hello and Welcome to my brand new blog, My Petite Maison ~

I have been wanting to start this for so many months now and am so happy to have finally be on my way. I have had so many thoughts in my head of what I want to do, all the different topics I'd like to cover and the joy of hearing back from wonderful people that are full of encouragement. I thank you for that - I've had people comment back on their blogs about my starting a blog and that's really spurred me on ~ thank you! There are so many inspirational, creative, caring ladies out there and I can hardly wait to start this new phase of my blogging chapter.

Chapter 1

Back in the old days (not long ago at all) I worked in Corporate America, sort of... I can now say, it was definitely not for me, my husband told me that long, long ago ~ don't know why I didn't listen. The ones who love you, know you, and many a person that worked in "the field" saying what are you doing in an office? Okay, you were all right, I should have listened to my heart & soul. Do what you love!

Well now, I am trying something new, something I love. I have always, for as long as I can remember, loved decorating. There's been a joke at our house not to come home in the middle of the night ~ you WILL trip over something that's been moved. I love to rearrange furniture, complete rooms, you name it - mostly in the middle of the night, Friday or Saturday work best for me. I also absolutely love to shop. Shop antique, shop vintage. Shop for myself, husband, daughter, friends, anyone. Do you know someone who's looking for something special? I'll be in a store and remember that my best girlfriend's sister loves mermaids - next thing mermaids are on their way to Arizona pronto!

We live in what is considered a homestead style house built in the late 1800s with one thing that's a necessity, a porch for our dog and cats and a short walk to town, but enough for some good exercise.

Here's my new favorite buy for the week, yay and it's only Monday. I can use it for the grocery store or for decoration, so pretty! Sorry, it's a bit (well more than a bit blurry), but you get the idea. Maybe I should work on getting a new camera, hmmm...

Here's another try in natural light, turned out much better and yippee the beautiful sunshine's out today! The cats can walk in and out to their heart's delight.

Thank you so much for joining me here at My Petite Maison!

xoxo, Tracie