Thank You Sarah!

My Dears,

Happy Spring! Okay..maybe for some of us, it still doesn't feel like Spring. In fact this morning we had snow, rain all afternoon, and just moments ago we had thunder and heavy sleet. Did I mention it's 35 degrees? I think I'm going to get some firewood ready and have myself a cozy eve sitting by the hearth while thumbing through a couple of fabulous decorating books!

...Which brings me to my topic for the evening. Recently the lovely Sarah from My Yellow House hosted a book giveaway. I took a chance, commented and added my name, then voila! Twas my name which was drawn as the winner! Tis the first time I've won anything in dear ol' blog-land. Sarah made my day!

So this past weekend I received said decorating books..sweetly wrapped with a lovely note.

So pretty I didn't want to unwrap it.

Such sweet detail. Pretty ribbon & bird.
I know the perfect spot to display the birdie!

Voila! Les livres!

Such lovely interiors!

Beautiful ideas on every page!

Can you tell I really like these books? This is what I call eye candy for the lover of beautiful homes. So again, I thank you Sarah for the gift of reading. After all..we all know I cannot get enough books to suit me! I may need another bookcase real soon! *smiles*

Now I ask each and every one of you to visit Sarah's lovely place "My Yellow House". It's not only a visual treat, but also a delight to read.

Sarah, I hope you've gotten over the flu bug and are all well again! Hugs!

To all of you I send blissful tidings!

xoxo

Miss Sandra

From Where I Sit...

My Dears,

From where I sit I can see the world outside of Harmonie House. It's from this view that the seasons play a most beautiful visual melody. Just weeks ago, the branches on my rhododendron were encased within ice...a most lovely glass-like image. It's amazing to see them now, not long after, showing signs of Spring's kisses upon the once weather-beaten foliage. The browned lawn seems to sigh in relief..breathing in the changing air and taking in the rain...knowing full well that in a month or so, it will spring forth in a blanket of green so vivid and so lovely. No longer will it crunch underneath my feet. Instead it will lovingly cushion my steps and give off its sweet scent of fresh verdure upon being mown.

Most of you who have followed me for quite some time know that I'm a Winter gal to the core. I love snow..I love the crisp cold air upon my face. I love the comforts of Winter. I must say..we did have quite the blustery season this time around. My wish for a blizzard was granted the day after Christmas and topped off with loads of more snow almost on a weekly basis. What more can a snow bunny ask for? *smiles*

Am I ready for Spring? I believe I am...for with that lovely season of new promise and renewal comes a most amazing display of nature's palette and scents. Yes I will say it...bring it on!

Magnolia in bloom.

Mountain Laurel, Pachysandra, Hosta..and more.

Deutzia growing over my swing/bench.

I love the rain..have I ever mentioned that? I so love a rainy day in Spring, but also those fabulous summer storms. Yes, I'm a gal who enjoys a rainy day sitting with a book or snuggling with my fella. *smiles playfully*.

Bring on the rain! I have my wellies and raincoat all ready!

...snuggling with my fella.
This shot was taken for our 1st Anniversary.

As you may have noticed from the picture at the intro of this post, I have moved my desk down to the library/sitting/music room. So from where I sit, I can listen to my old 78's playing on my 1915 Victor Victrola . I can also take a break and sit at my piano. Heaven knows I can use the practice! *bites bottom lip while pouting* That's one childhood wish I've yet to make come true...becoming an accomplished pianist.

I love my victrola.

I love my piano too!

From where I sit, I can turn to my right and look past the French doors into my living room, towards the stairs, to the landing by the stained glass window. Tis there I have made a cozy little sitting area where I can curl up and read or just sit and reflect.

A favorite spot..just because.

From where I sit I can look into the beautiful green eyes of my sweet Mr. Knightley, for many a time he will jump up on the desk and keep me company while I write. His soothing purrs provide me with a most blissful calm. There is such comfort to be found in the company of a most beloved pet.

My dear pet..Mr. Knightley.

From where I sit I can lose myself in this contraption of communication...the computer and the internet. It's here where I can view a world far, far away from my own. It's here I lose myself in dreamy images of beautiful landscapes, hone my culinary skills through cooking sites, and dream of blissful getaways in settings like the one below.

I cannot recall where this image is from so I cannot credit it.
...but isn't it absolutely dreamy?

Yes...the internet has provided us all with quite the getaway at our fingertips. It has also provided us with the bonds of friendship with people we've never met. It has closed the gap of distance merely through a screen. Tis here I can reach out to each and every one of you and share my world. Tis here I can give you a personal view...from where I sit.

I wish you bliss..and more bliss!!
xoxo,
Miss Sandra

Woman, Pamper Thyself!

from here

My Dears,

"Self-nurture is not about being selfish. It is about self-care." ~Alice D. Domar, Ph.D

I've been reading one of my all-time favorite comfort books "Romancing The Ordinary" by Sarah Ban Breathnach. You may be familiar with her ever popular books including Simple Abundance.

In this book she takes on each month of the year and invites us "women" to treat ourselves and our senses to the simple pleasures. I will now take her advice on pampering and share it with each one of you.

The Soulcraft of Pampering

Most women think that pampering is self-indulgent. Actually, pampering is a sacred soulcraft because pampering is self-preservation. Have you ever noticed how you feel on the fourth day of a vacation? You wake up well rested and your aches have disappeared or diminished. You realize that your emotional equilibrium is back - once again a glass of spilt milk is just that; something to be wiped up, not screamed about. You break into a grin more easily, have more energy, and are as spontaneous as the weather. If it's rainy, you'll read; if it's sunny, you'll play outside. Doesn't matter. You're back in touch with a warm, witty, wonderful woman who is fun to be around all the time, and it feels like a happy reunion.

Unfortunately, everybody's favorite gal is only around when she's been pampered-charmed, cajoled, and coaxed out of hiding...but it doesn't have to be two weeks at an expensive spa. A few days of tuning out the wants of the world and a little attention is all a blissful babe asks. It's not much.

Oh yes it is...but stay with me. Most women think of pampering as recuperative, after they've crashed and burned. I know I did. In reality, pampering is every day's most urgent need and the best preventive medicine. "Losing touch with ourselves is easy to do these days. We are conditioned to ignore the warning signs that protect us from becoming ill," Barbara Close reminds us in her soothing guide to sensory self-care, Well-Being: Rejuvenating Recipes for Body and Soul. "Instead we push ahead to meet deadlines and live up to our responsibilities and commitments until fatigue or sickness overwhelms us and forces us to stop." Barbara believes in simple, restorative rituals that engage all our senses. Pampering from the inside out helps us "reestablish a sense of connection to ourselves."

In the beginning, introducing small moments of pampering into your daily round is going to feel strange, unnatural, and forbidden....but persevere, one small, kind gesture at a time. Pampering is really Life's most natural remedy for whatever ails us physically and psychically. So when those guilt feelings start to creep close, remember that pampering is not selfish or frivolous. Pampering is soulful. Pampering is how you reach out and touch your essensual self. Pampering is the spiritual secret to becoming self-possessed.

~Sarah Ban Breathnach - Romancing The Ordinary...A Year Of Simple Splendor

Losing myself in a good book....a lovely way to pamper my mind.

Simple pampering.

from here
Oh how I love a foot massage!

Blissful slumber...

Have I mentioned how much I love tulips? They make me smile.

Heaven knows I have many ways to nurture my body and spirit through pampering. Sweetly scented body creams, a foot massage, and a room full of tulips are just a few of my favorite pampering treats. Even the simple things like music, a hot bubbly bath, a favorite meal, and a soothing night of deep slumber filled with the sweetest of dreams can contribute to one's pampering..... after all, it's about what makes us feel rejuvenated and blissful.

How do you pamper yourself?

xoxo,
Miss Sandra