What a special day for England today! The Royal Celebration of Queen Elizabeth's 90th Birthday.  Her actual birthday is April 21st but the Queen has a second Birthday celebrated in June as the weather for the outside activities is usually better. Ah yes God Save the Queen and please don't let it rain! :)  I for one love all the Pomp and Circumstance!
      Acutally my husband calls me the Queen of our house, so I think we all should celebrate two days a year for our Birthday's.. Right!  For me it would be simple.....one with the Family and the second in the month of September in England in the English Countryside. I would return to the Cottswold region and the town of Burton on the Water. It was there we stayed in a lovely Bed and Breakfast, The Cranbourne House. We have so many wonderful memories of walking through the fields on a path to Upper Slaughter and Lower Slaughter. We walked by the Old Mill as well as visited a little Museum and an adorable gift shop.  As an avid reader of English Home and enjoying so many beautiful photos of sites in England,  being there was absolutely incredible. I still close my eyes sometimes to visualize that amazing day. Ok back to reality!
       In keeping with the Celebratory mood across the Pond ,  I will get some fresh yellow flowers for the table and later make a cocktail of Dubonnet and Gin with a slice of Lemon under the Ice! That's said to be her favorite cocktail, so Cheers to the Queen!
       Here are a few of my favorite shots of England......We were fortunate enough to be visiting in Sept of 2014 and the Palace was open to the Public for 6 weeks. We enjoyed the tour and was sorry she couldn't be there for Tea but felt quite Special to be in her hallowed halls! ;)
     

       Over the past few weeks I have been attempting to step up my game and become  more acclimated to the land of Cyberspace. You know the cutting edge platform where stating your opinion to every conceivable thought you have throughout the day regardless of interest, demand or actual validity becomes a necessity.  I thought that I was up for the match but now questioning my ability not to use the word  amazing over and over again and be a big Bore to the obvious super people that speak every breath everyday to impress.
     First off, I think Facebook should have the name changed to FaceOff. Certainly a better forum for the group of people whose ideas, opinions and Soul Searching are put to task each day for the purpose of recognition and gaining impressive votes of solidarity from other Facebookers in the form of Likes.... Right!!!  What is truly Amazing to me is the competitive debates and smart answers that could possibly become a new Olympic Sport around the World!  Wow we wouldn't have to even meet and sell Souvenirs as the masses could hold the games on the Net!!! An amazing Concept!  There I go again two amazings and headed toward the third. Well here it is ...
     I am truly Amazed that the upcoming election shatters all records of shame for this Country. Possibly our Forefathers might say ok lets find a new place and start again as this is getting old. The criticizing of all who run, compete, sell news and complain that the Government is corrupt is actually becoming funny to me.  It's sad with all our advances in Medicine there is no cure for this epidemic. The compulsion of these "netters" is to reek havoc and have no set idea, because as the weather there is no control. Just when you think you've got the world beat with critical thoughts, there is yet a new challenge.
     The conclusion to my two minutes of rambling is this....... people can't connect dots because that would show a simple approach and one that wouldn't amaze everyone with Sensational doubt. So plain and simple my motivation is to create with an ingenious attitude. It is not to conflate the ideas of others, in a reenactment that might confuse even the originator that is being emulated in the first place. Translation: sharing personal fun exchanges with the only concept as being entertaining.  ​

      This past week I decided to start a new project and sew a white eyelet skirt for myself. Sounds simple until you take into consideration I have never made clothes!  I actually have not sewn in years and even back then made curtains and simple home items. With everything I attempt, comes a saga and yes this one actually reads like a Romance novel  that takes us from Florida to SanFrancisco to Sicily to England and then back to Florida. Ok ... Hopefully I have you hooked and you'll read on.
      Let me start from the beginning.....I purchase a simple pattern, beautiful white eyelet fabric, elastic for the waist, thread, and receive lots of well wishes from the girls at Joann Fabrics. Next I come home and set up the sewing machine on the kitchen table and lay out the Pattern . This project is so easy, theres hardly any instructions. Im already envisioning wearing the skirt to Dinner that night! That is till I realize my scissors aren't sharp enough to cut butter!  I call my nieghbor Addie and she says come over and we'll look through her stash of sewing supplies. Thus starts the travel in this excursion.
       I walked next store and she's in her Garage taking out boxes and going down Memory lane. You see her Aunt was a Seamstress who had lived in San Francisco.  When her Aunt passed away she brought her sewing supplies that had been at her station where she had worked, back home to Florida.  We looked at her scissors, and an extra set of eyeglasses that were in there as well as assortment of pins, needles, markers, etc. that brought back happy  memories of how creative she was.  Of course a few more minutes of conversation ensued about Sicily (where her Aunt was born) San Francisco and the magic of simply sewing in such beautiful places and how desirable it must have been.
      At this point we walked back to my house and she helped help cut the pattern. Well again, being that it was so easy makes it that much funnier that we kept second guessing everything we did. You create problems when you rethink everything believing it has to be more involved.  We finally cut the pieces and I'm ready to sew when I lose the thread from the bobbin. Next comes out you tube for a video of how to rethread the bobbin and the saga continues. Ok done... and I stitch the sides. Im thrilled and next open my sewing basket for needles to pin the hem. I immediately look at all the pkgs of hand sewing needles I have that had been my Grandmothers and all of them were made in England. Of course this led Addie and I into another round of memory lane for me talking about my relatives in England and how we both could'nt get over the pride and detail even in the pkg of simple needles.
I also shared with Addie the memories of when I was growing up and all the beautiful curtains and items my Mom made for our house. Now you are getting the picture as Im weaving so many details of this story and one of two things has happened:
1) Many people have clicked off out of OMG this one has too much time on her hands!
or
2) Some are praying that the conclusion is coming fast....Right ;)
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Well.................Im happy to report Addie pinned the hem for me and I finished it today!   But wait...............one last thought
     In closing......  Im so happy that a simple summer project to sew, led to a special memory for Addie and I to enjoy. A[place in my mind was able to go back in time and feel like an afternoon spent with those who meant so much to us. Thanks, Grandma Charlotte, Mom and to Addie's Aunt Connie!  We were blessed to be in great company!