Dear Reader:

While reading May 31’s Simple Abundance narrative for today I grew excited. It was all about creating homes filled with whimsy, wit, and childlike dreams of fantasy. Author, Breathnach, used artist/illustrator, Mary Engelbreit’s home as an example.

Engelbreit found some old children’s book classics belonging to her mother and grandmother and decided to begin her collection and decorating renovation (of her “Letter Cottage“) with that starting point.

Actress Candice Bergen once told an interviewer (who commented on how cozy her house was) that “she liked houses to be cozy, comfortable, and personal…not cluttered, but filled with interesting objects and toys and as many jokes as I can get away with.”

My favorite HGTV series is Fixer-Upper starring Chip and Joanna (Jo) Gaines from Waco, Texas. They make their living selling rather broken down homes to customers for a low price and then turning them into whimsical homes of beauty with personal mementos created by Jo for the new homeowners.

By now I have seen just about all the episodes….so I turn it on (on Tuesdays) and look for new episodes. One that really touched me was this pitiful little looking home with just a few hundred square feet in it that the Gaines miraculously turned into this adorable cottage.

When Chip brought their four children in to see mama (as he always does) before Jo pulls an ‘all-nighter’ to surprise the homeowners the next day…the youngest little girl started squealing and clapping her hands….it looked like a fairy cottage she screamed in delight…this is my favorite home of all. The tiniest house that the Gaines had ever renovated and the favorite of all the children.

I do get tickled when I watch first time house-buyer episodes. They always say something like “We want a house with character.” What they don’t realize is that the home can only have “character” if they, themselves, have it within them.

I love it when the grandchildren come to visit and one or another claps his/her hands excitedly to be here at Boo Boo’s….they all love climbing the steps leading up and down to the sunken den and kitchen while exploring through boxes of “junk” and (old Hess trucks) in magic closets that I keep put up for them.

*If children love your home…and feel comfortable in it….I, personally, think we have won the highest “seal of approval.”

Mary E. keeps her trademark black and white checked borders and bold red cherries mixed in with other colorful patterns. Hand-painted touches abound on stair railings, furniture, and floors. Across her living room heart she’s painted her personal philosophy of life: “Be warm inside and out.” 

So until tomorrow…like Duke Ellington sang: “It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing.”  Let our lives be seen through other’s eyes as a touch of adulthood mixed with a “Peter Pan” flair.(After all don’t we all stay God’s Children, no matter our age?)

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

*While walking around the garden yesterday and remembering the importance of Memorial Day I “shot” a photo of a red hibiscus bloom, a white gardenia bloom, and a blue hydrangea. 

*Happy First Memorial Day our sweet Caleb! A lot of people made a huge sacrifice for you to grow up in a country where freedom is considered a birthright! One day you will understand the significance of this sacrifice. But for now….just enjoy your first Memorial Day!

*Congratulations to my daughter-in-love Mollie for making Senior Consultant in her first month selling safe beauty products with no harmful chemicals-Beauty Counter Momma. This message appeared on Facebook yesterday..

Do check Mollie out on her webpage: Beautycountermomma.

*Because my skin so sensitive to break-outs from the sun…I ordered the healthy sun screen and lotion. It’s a nice feeling to feel confident in the safety of a skin product.