Its A Leaf...It Is Love

  Sometimes, you come across something that strikes a chord with you or tugs at the heartstrings for no other reason than it is there.   It is almost as if the item was specifically placed for you to find.  My hikes about the Bayou often present me with such treasures...treasures that most would pass over without a second thought but for some reason stand out as special to me.  This morning's "treasure" was nothing more than a leaf but, for some odd reason, it "spoke" to me.  (Not actually but you get the idea.)  

  Son and I were out getting more firewood early this morning.  He was running the chainsaw and I had hauling duty.  Even though toting the wood up the hill, around the side of the greenhouse and to the wood bin is tiring, I would much rather do this than the other part.  I am getting too old to be wielding the chainsaw!  It was on one of those walks with an armload of wood that I nigh on stepped onto the leaf.  Although it was noticed, the leaf did not stand out as anything miraculous until about the fourth trip past it.  Suddenly, I saw the leaf in a whole new light...literally.  The sun cast a single beam of light through the leaves of the old oak tree and brightened the leaf.  By the time I retrieved the camera from the house, the sun had moved on its merry way but the new found interest in the leaf remained.  It was gorgeous...a perfect red heart!  The leaf was photographed and toted back into the Little Bayou House.  I knew exactly what I was to do with the leaf!

  For years now, I have often given a "heart" to my sweet niece when she comes to visit.  It may be a heart-shaped stone, a leaf or flower petal but never anything bought.  Sweet Eva was coming today so I feel the leaf was placed especially for me to present to her. Yes, it seems silly but let me explain. This young lady has held a piece of my heart ever since she was a child.  She would often come stay when she was nothing more than toddler.  Now that she is grown, visits to the Bayou are special to me.  She is the type who would rather have a simple, from-the-heart gift than the most expensive present that money can buy and fully appreciates even the tiniest of gestures.  I knew when I saw the heart-shaped leaf that it was meant for Eva.  Not that a leaf, itself, was worth anything but, still, it was priceless.  The hearts that have been given to this sweet girl show that, even though the items themselves may fall the wayside (leaves whither, you know), the love this old aunt has will hold strong through whatever may come.

  Gracious as she is, Eva accepted my tiny offering with a profuse amount of gratitude.  She understands.  She knows that even though the leaf was simply plucked from the ground, that it represented the fullness of my love.  Oddly to say, she and I are kindred spirits.  We both understand.  

One of a kind!

One of a kind gifts..those astonishing presents that knock your socks off..the lovingly, handmade gifts that make you think "Wow!". In the past two days, I have received two of those "one of a kind" gifts. Two incredibly awesome gifts that were each handmade..one by my daughter and son-in-law and the other by my niece. I am so impressed with the talent and love that was involved in creating these gifts!

First, I received a cookbook! The masterminds behind this lovely gift are none other than my daughter and son-in-law. These two seem to have the best time working together on things! My daughter created the cover for the book and my son-in-law took time from his job to do the inside. The recipes are dishes that they have cooked in the few months that they have been married. I have already had the honor of eating some of these dishes and can vouch for the tastiness of them! The cover of the book is so darling! My daughter chose denim and plaids to cover the book. She knows that I am a denim sort of person and would much rather be clad in jeans and a plaid, flannel shirt than any other clothing. On the front over the denim and plaid, she stitched a heart. On the inside of the back cover, there is a pocket that holds two pencils so I can add recipes. (She informed me that the pocket came off of a favorite pair of jeans.) They even added extra blank pages! I am thrilled to have this new addition to my cookbook collection..it is delightful!

The other gem of a gift came from my very, talented niece! She created a gorgeous Christmas ornament! The ornament is quite large and heavily jeweled. In making this, she recycled some old Mardi Gras beads, carefully cutting and gluing each in place. It is such a beautiful piece that come time to take down the tree, I am going to have a difficult time storing it! It might just find a place to reside for the entire year and not be stowed away! This sweet niece also made a wonderful initial wall plaque for my soon-to-be craft room/green house/herb house. This, she painted and decorated to be the happiest "B" in the world! I love it!

The time, effort and love that are put into gifts of this sort is what makes each so unique. Again, I am impressed with the immense talent involved in the making of each of these. I believe that I will be hard-pressed to find any gift that can compare with either. They are amazing and I truly love them! I am so blessed!

Work of Art!

There is a very talented artist in this area that made me extremely happy today! I acquired one of her original hand painted pieces of furniture. I have been pining over her pieces since the very first cabinet that I saw. Several months ago, she finished a beautiful small cabinet that I was truly in love with but could not get. So I waited..and waited..this time when she first announced that she had a new piece about finished, I spoke for it! Now, there is a beautiful china cabinet in my dining room! She is amazing! To have my very own "Eva Black" piece thrills me to no end. At first, I was going to put it in the living room as I already had a small china cabinet in the dining room. My son and I moved furniture while my husband went to pick up the new piece. After much shoving and pulling of furniture, we decided that the space was ready. Now all we had to do was wait! Then the big moment..the truck was backing into the yard! Oh! The anticipation! I could hardly wait! My husband and son carefully unhooked the cords that were tying it down and took off the blankets. Oh my gosh! It was so gorgeous! Then hubby looked at me..and asked "Just where is this thing going?" When I informed him that it was to go all the way into the living room, he shook his head.."NO!" I shook my head.."No???" I asked. He then proceeded to tell me that this was the heaviest piece of furniture he had ever moved.. (oops). My husband and son were none too happy when they saw they had to move it up the steps and into the house. They lifted it from the truck and stood it in the yard. I held my breath. They rested for about eight hours..or so it seemed. I watched the clouds..they seemed to be ominous. I just knew those fluffy little white clouds would suddenly turn to a storm and drench my prize. They can be deceiving like that, you know! In reality, the guys only rested long enough to remove the protective wrapping the Eva had carefully place on it. But it seemed like hours..I wanted it in the house! They hoisted the cabinet..it tilted to one side and I thought my heart stopped. Geez, guys..get it inside already! Up the steps, they struggled. Through the entryway, they groaned. Finally into the dining room, this time they glared. But I had not made a space there.. so I meekly and sweetly crooned.. "Are you sure it cannot go into the living room?" NO!!!! Ok..Ok..I would settle for here. I moved furniture from the dining room to make space. Now you have to understand ..my house already looked as if it was an auction house. I have an overabundance of furniture. (My son says our house will never blow away..it is too heavy with all of the stuff in it.) I needed another piece about as much as I needed a hole in my head, but I WANTED this piece. I really wanted this piece! After much transferring of furniture my trophy piece was in place! It looks absolutely fantastic in this room..I am so glad that I did not listen to my husband and son and put it in the living room. MEN..they have no idea how to arrange furniture!

I have to admit this is not my first "Eva".. I have one of her paintings also! I would love to fill my entire house with nothing but her artwork. Her work fascinates me to no end! Eva Black..a most talented artist, and a very wonderful niece!