I am moving!!!  Yes… I am so happy…  Those of you who have been through my neighbor from hell saga know how much this means to me… those of you who havent … all I will say is you have never lived a nightmare as crazy as mine … with a neighbor as crazy as mine…  and my friends who have been with me through it all can attest to the fact as to just how crazy this has been for me…. … well I am moving to the country … to a house with some acreage and my excitement cannot be contained….  I am a bit behind though… goodness this has been the strangest three weeks I have ever had…  in between setting up for my move… I got an ear infection and the dr put me on antibiotics two weeks ago … lo and behold Sat I ended up in the emergency room covered in a rash or hives or whatever you want to call it…  seems I am now allergic to penicillin…  go figure… I was lucky it showed up the way it did though as opposed to some people whose throats close… and swell…  it still was not fun… talk about one big itch and being as irritable as ever… snappy… woooo!  you name it… that was me…  starting finally to feel better … which I am thankful for because I have to get packing!! 

Looking forward to my new adventure… wondering what surprises nature will bring.. ie.. racoons.. possums… deer…  beautiful birds… I hope I get at least one snowfall… that doesnt knock out the power so I can enjoy the beauty of it…. and  PJ will have her own fenced back yard so this will be a fun thing for both of us..

Next month will be the anniversay of my sisters passing… I have good days and bad… I will honor her memory ….  I miss her … I have come to terms…  but it is not easy ….  a daily struggle but also a learning experience about grief…. 

Look for new products to be launched… and a surprise … following soon…

Hugs.. and  … CIAO FOR NOW !!

A bowl full of sun drenched goodness…

I love making bread salad with my tomatoes… fresh garlic… fresh mozarella… red onion … fresh basil from the garden… and of course crusty Italian or french bread cut into chunks… add olive oil…. splash of lemon juice … sea salt and fresh gound pepper to taste… HEAVEN!!  Another goody is to take your romas and slice lengthwise into thin strips … place on a cookie sheet lined with tin foil and drizzled with olive oil and sea salt before placing the tomatoes on top… then drizzle with more olive oil and sea salt (to taste) and bake slowly in a 200 0 oven until they become somewhat cripsy… makes the best snack …..  great in a salad too for a wonderful oven dried tomato taste… yuuuummm… even better when the tomatoes are from your garden….

Now this beauty below is an old vintage tablecloth that belonged to my mom… check out the colors… isnt it gorgeous ?

Alas it has seen better days as you can see below….. and I have been trying to figure out what besides pillows I can make with this lovely …  if anyone has any ideas then I would love to hear your input … you all have been so helpful with suggestions…  in case I havent said so ….thank you for the help with the furniture and the china cabinet (no decision about the cabinet yet) but … the end tables are halfway there ….they have been stripped … will show if/when I get them finished… (probably another one of my UFO’s) …  so bad with procrastination .

Ok… so I have to show you who seems to rule the roost in this household… and its certainly not me….

Yep you guessed it… little miss silly girl… you see that green cover?  yes… that is supposed to be her space to lay on … the part without the cover is moms space … or so mom thought…

Miss priss….goofy little girl… she steals my heart ….

So … thats it for me … I have some exciting things coming up soon…

Before I go however … I must …..thank you all for your friendhsip and support… and well wishes on my daughters loss…  its been hard… I have my baby to comfort me…  my daughter is now without hers and it breaks my heart to see her hurt so…. 

HUGS AND CIAO FOR NOW!  JO

BRANDY (left) AND BANDIT

Hi All,

Bit of a sad night for me… above is a photo of my grand puppies Brandy and Bandit… Brandy is my oldest daughter Andreas puppy… she has had her for close to 15 years…  Bandit is my youngest daughter Renees puppy…  Brandy came to stay with her aunt while mom was away and unfortunately she passed away today…  its been rough ….  she loved her aunt Nay Nay and was always happy to have a sleep over with her cousin  Bandit … so at least she was in a happy place when it happened…

Her momma rescued her … this sweet little buggar was running wild when her mommy patiently sat for hours with a piece of meat … gradually coaxing Brandy in the door of her home where she ended up living a full and most happy life …

Animals become such an important part of our lives…  they are family to many of us and their loss can be so  difficult…

Gammaw shall miss her so much… she was such a good little girl and a sweet little grand puppy…

HUGS AND KISSES SWEET BRANDY… GAMMAW IS SAD …

RIP SWEET BRANDY GIRL

HUGS TO ALL MY FRIENDS… I will be back soon with a new post and some … what I think to be exciting things to tell

JO

In a land of Angels wings ….

 Laden with all kinds of things ….

There is a place  where you may roam ….But fear not …. it wont be far from home….

Filled with wonderment …. spells …. and dreams    …….There is magic in the air it seems  …….

So fiddle dee dee … fiddle dee dummm …A Mad Hatters party has just begun….

Decked out in their finery …….Pretty as one could ever be   …Faeries will frolic …..So Happy you see……To join you for a spot of tea ….

With treasures to find ….And goodies to eat … Oh my …. such a special treat…

As fate would have it … dont despair …There are parties everywhere….

So join Vanessa ….. her friends … and  me….

As we follow the links….. and laugh with glee  ……

But before you go…… check to see ….there is a special recipe ….

And I know you will agree ……Its the best with your pot of tea!

By the way we are finally adding inventory to our boutique all week so check back for art ….  vintage treasures and more…

(Link for Vanessa at the end of the post)

RECIPE COURTESY OF LAND O LAKES

I MADE THESE COOKIES FOR CHRISTMAS …  USING CHERRY INSTEAD OF RASBERRY … THEY ARE FABULOOUS …. CLICK ON PHOTO AND THEN CLICK ON PHOTO AGAIN TO ENLARGE …   ENJOY!

www.AFancifulTwist.typepad.com 

CIAO FOR NOW

HUGS

JO 

I just wanted to share some photos of a piece of furniture that has been in our family forever and has been passed down from generation to generation…

It has been through a lot of dings… bangs … bruises… but it is gorgeous all the same ….

I actually need some advice …..

Look at the photos … look at the glass on the right hand side…. and dont mind the relfection those are the lace curtains I am putting up soon…  in the meantime … see the glass window on the right hand side… the decorative trim is missing…. my question is this…. would you ?… see if you can find someone who can duplicate the trim…. remove it from both windows … try to make both windows look the same ie … cut the right side to match the left….  or leave as is? 

Would love everyones opinion on this  …..  Any input would be most welcome…

Photos below:

Click to enlarge:

Perhaps one day I shall paint it but I truly love the beautiful wood grain in the piece…

HUGS AND CIAO FOR NOW!!

JO