presents, antiques and other lovelies

Firstly, I owe some thank yous! First up: blogless Annie, who is no longer blogless, has moved to the land of the free and the home of the brave. I haven't mentioned it because I was secretly hoping that she would have returned by now and that it would turn out to be a sad dream. Alas, she is in New York. Right now I don't feel so terrible, because of the great goodies she sent my way. (That's only partly true.) Those are wool buttons. Wool buttons. Brilliant, and painfully cute. I have no idea what I'm going to use them for, but it has to be the perfect project. Any suggestions? (And no, I haven't gotten around to any of my other crafty projects. I've been super busy with work lately and haven't made the time. Soon enough!)
Annie also sent this fantastic print (I LOVE it!) by Etsy seller (and street vendor, apparently) Kristiana Parn.
And some fabric! Any store that has a glass jar on their card is my kind of store. Now I must visit you, Annie!

The other thank you goes to F.G. in SJ, for the sweet hankies! (I think that's what they are, although they would make great cloths for cleaning glasses...) They're so beautifully made that I've just been enjoying looking at them.
Graff Brothers Salvage in Weymouth is a fantastic place, with everything you could possibly imagine. Unfortunately, every time I've tried to stop in so far this year, they've been closed. For future reference, they're only open on weekends. I'm hoping to be driving by on the weekend sometime soon, just to see what there is to see.
Also in Weymouth is Grandma's Collectibles, where I picked up this crock. It's right on the main highway (the 101) through the village, and she has a great assortment of old stuff - furniture, dishes, tools, pictures, and on and on. It's where I found that cute marmalade jar, remember?
I just couldn't resist another picture of the yard, this time in the fog. Ahh, June!

outtakes of an almost-birthday boy

I was looking through the pictures I took with P a few days ago, and some of them made me chuckle. So I thought I would share.
I love how he is clasping his hands in this one.
This was his response when I asked him to smile.
He was running in for a hug in this one.

And this is what he does when he's really, really excited about something. In this case, it was in anticipation of running down a small hill. It's similar to what he used to do when he said "strong".
This has nothing to do with outtakes. I found these fun wooden fruit at Frenchy's last week, and P likes to play with them. His birthday is coming up on Tuesday (hence the gifts in the photo), and when asked what he wants, he says only one thing: "Pasta and MEATBALLS!" So the meatballs are all ready in the freezer for the big supper party on Tuesday with the grandparents. The gift in the photo is from P's aunt and uncle. He hasn't paid the slightest bit of attention to it since it arrived.

white

There are literally thousands of lily of the valley in our yard right now. I love bringing them inside to enjoy the delicate fragrance.

Some blossoms from a shrub I found in a ditch while driving for work. (I really am a shameless ditch-scavenger - my red berries, willows, forsythia, and now these.) I've seen lots of them along the roads I travel, but still don't know what they are. The leaves are coming out as the blooms are finishing, and the flowers have a light, sweet scent. I think they're adorable.

happiness is...

A cherry tree in bloom, a sunny afternoon, and the sweetest boy to share it with.