{Highly Fragrant 1939 Sweetness Daffodils}

Due to my severe back pain, I just recycle this 2012 post of January 28...

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• Yesterday we had two big nosegays of fragrant 1939 Sweetness Daffodils. One for a dear friend and one for us to fill a white ceramic vase. What a bliss for having those in January. That is extremely early. Do any of you have bulbs blooming right now? 

• 1939 Sweetness Daffodils and china from the Daffodil of Royal Albert Friendship series...
• This china pattern can be found at Replacements Ltd, click the above link.

• Fragrant Sweetness Daffodils; Sunshine and Tea...

• Dark chocolate Pomegranate from Costco.
• Amaretti cookie hearts from Mariette's Back to Basics

• Teapot is a French Pillivuyt

• The ceramic spoon to the right is an American Favorites Porcelain Spoon from Avon. It is the 1988 pattern with Daffodils.

• The sterling bon bon or nut spoon is a H44 H J Howe with daffodils.

• 1988 Avon Daffodils spoon

• Matching cocktail napkin with daffodil embroidery.

Sorry that you cannot smell their fragrance...

Related links:
{DAFFODIL OF ROYAL ALBERT FRIENDSHIP SERIES} | Previous post by me

{Cheerfulness and Contentment are Great Beautifiers and are Famous Preservers of Good Looks ~Charles Dickens}

Since I'm having severe back pain (upper/center/left) there is no chance for doing much.

After the flu and a lingering bronchitis I worked really hard for having the house clean and laundry done and cooking a dinner for 12 for Pieter's Monday Night Club.

Guess that was too much; too soon.

As I already mentioned to Giga in a comment, I did serve a Polish Red Cabbage for which I got lots of compliments. A Lowell Red Cabbage Salad from World Market.

Their sugar content is 0 and also their sodium content is very reasonable with only 13%.

Together with pork loin strips and red skin potatoes pre-cooked and stir fried, it made for a good winter meal.

A healthy salad from Costco and I did make Tiramisù for dessert with Dutch Douwe Egberts coffee.

Also today the 27th is the 1st Anniversary of Mom being in Heaven...

It is a very dreary and rainy day.

'Cheerfulness and contentment are great beautifiers, and are famous preservers of good looks.'

~Charles Dickens

Hope you all stay warm and well, wherever you are!

{Architecture is Frozen Music ~Goethe}

LOVE Goethe's quote: ARCHITECTURE IS FROZEN MUSIC...

HUSBAND PIETER against the beautiful Architecture of Willemstad, Curaçao during one of our vacations.

Like music, this lifts up our spirit and memories are often music for the soul!

{Antique French Léonard Bernardaud (1856-1923) Limoges Table Lamp}

A very rare and unique find from France... being only available at my Zen Cart powered on line boutique Mariette's Back to Basics: Antique French Léonard Bernardaud (1856-1923) Limoges Table Lamp ←click hyperlink.
FREE SHIPPING WITHIN USA: spectrenoir just click it.
You will not even find one at CHRISTIE'S or 1stDibs.com...

This is a beautiful piece of antique, fine white porcelain Limoges table lamp with high glaze from the famous Léonard Bernardaud who lived from 1856-1923.
In EXCELLENT condition and it has been wired by my husband and handyman Pieter.
This in order to change it from French to American wiring.
An Energy Saving light bulb, for going green, has been placed in it, together with a brand new white fabric lamp shade with harp.
Undoubtedly you all know the modern day Bernardaud Lithophane lamps.
The porcelain pattern is called 'VINCENNES' and Replacements Ltd. <(click) does have this in the color purple in their china listing. 

Château de Vincennes is a beautiful Castle in Paris, France. 

Showing you the lovely details of this cobalt blue pattern. At my on line boutique: Mariette's Back to Basics (see link at top of post) you can also find the measurements of this beauty. 
A true French Country Style 19th Century TREASURE!

Such a romantic design...

It absolutely makes an elegant statement!

Detail of the Bernardaud Limoges Porcelain Marks 

See above Théodore Bernardaud porcelain B & Cie marks sale from Christie's <(click it) and check the value for comparison!

Bernardaud marks

History link

On page 96 in the Collectors Encyclopedia of Limoges Porcelain you will find all the info, history and marks of Bernardaud.
Also the book: Living With Limoges is a very helpful source.

Sold out...

Do you personally own some valuable antique Limoges porcelain?

{Friend Celia M. ~ Living My High Heeled Life - Beauty Bag GIVEAWAY}

Long time friend and a blogger I admire, Celia M. is having a FABULOUS Beauty Bag GIVEAWAY! 
Her vision is to create a virtual world, where women can come together to support and inspire each other to live their Resilientista Life. Just enter FREE, by signing up tot the top/right for RESILIENTISTA's VIP by clicking on this link.

The Goodies: Mascara Volume - Yves Saint Laurent; Orchidée Impériale The Cream- Guerlain; Base Coat - deborah lippmann; the cream - Clé de Peau; tinted moisturizer - laura mercier; Gold Dust transformative mask - Oribe; fruit and flower acids mask - Chantecaille; Custom-repair serum - Clinique; perfume - Hermès

Great value!
~ 
See link below post about this incredible lady that survived a near fatal accident and recovered from brain injury. 
Such a feisty girl and she must have been brilliant before as she still leaves many of us behind; the way she is now. 
~
One to admire - no doubt!
Let's support her in her efforts for getting where she is now and doing so much for others that face(d) the very same...

All goodies arrive in this adorable beauty bag!

So don't wait: click an the above RESILIENTISTA link and enter.
~

GOOD LUCK!

Related link:

{"A Blogger I Admire" - Celia from High Heeled Life} | previous post mentioning her near fatal accident and healing from brain injury

{'A loving heart is the truest wisdom' ~Charles Dickens}

Because we are having a very hectic week, this time only a Quote inside a photo from some budding Exochorda 'Pearlbush' macrantha The Bride flowers...

'A loving heart is the truest wisdom' ~Charles Dickens

{1950s Handmade Silk Roses Framed in Gilded Wood under Bubble Convex Glass}

Such a unique and very romantic, gilded wooden frame with dark pink roses that are handmade out of silk. 

They look so realistic atop the burgundy velvet. 

The bubble convex glass makes it into a very rare and special wall hanging. 

Quite large with 12.5 x 16.5 x 2"

Please visit my on line boutique for more information on this vintage French Country Style piece. Spectrenoir ← click on link.

Just an enlarged corner of this beautiful piece which I got at a Dutch Estate Sale.

Due to the bubble convex (domed) glass it is extremely hard to capture on camera without any glare. 

 The photo below shows the flash that I used, but less glare...

This one shows more the true color of the silk roses and the burgundy velvet on which they are mounted.

The photo below, taken from the side, gives a lighter color of the velvet but that is just because of the

nap. 

Photo below pretty much shows the true colors of the silk roses.

Don't you love something timeless romantic?

{Our Camellia Sinensis Tea Plant Blooms in January}

Just like the early blooms on our Japanese Magnolia, in mid winter, also our beautiful Camellia Sinensis Tea Plant showed its early blooms!

Today is a wet and rainy day so the blooms turned brown from rain damage...

Using some earlier photos for you.

Looking so lovely against a blue sky!

It is a huge blossom, see my fingers to compare its size.

Nearly impossible to have those blossoms pure white without any damage from heavy rain!

But it sure is a very welcome sign of new life during this time of the winter.

Hope you enjoy something blooming in your surroundings as well!

{3 French LINEN Embroidered HEARTS Amitié - Bonheur - Tendresse}

AMITIÉ - BONHEUR - TRENDRESSE or FRIENDSHIP - HAPPINESS - TENDERNESS

3 Perfect all linen French Country Style hearts in a large size with two-sided embroidered names, as written above in French.

These special Home Décor items are available at my Zen Cart powered on line boutique Mariette's Back to Basics: Three Large French Country Style Linen Hearts.
They measure 17.5 x 19 cm or 7 x 7.5 inch without the loop!
Perfect Gift for Saint Valentine's Day!

To give these three virtues freely, is a gift in itself!

Even more so in the form of these meaningful heart pillows...

These hearts are to be hung from their linen twine.

Amitié - Friendship

Bonheur - Happiness

Tendresse - Tenderness

{January 11 Angel Sister had 1st Birthday in Heaven together with Mom...}

My thoughts have been very much with my Angel Sister who had another Birthday in Heaven and this time her very 1st together with Mom...

It was on January 11, last year that I talked for about half an hour with Mom; my actual goodbye to her as I did not get any chances later.

That phone call I will cherish for the rest of my life. I congratulated Mom first on the Birthday of her Angel daughter.

We did chat about a lot of things. 

Mom had not slept all night... so scared.

But knowing that she could call on all the ANGELS she knew by name, she did calm down.

She also was speaking so sweetly about my Dad. She said: 'I still LOVE him very much!' 

Almost on her death bed and still worrying about him!

When I told her that she had to focus on herself now, that all would be well with Dad, she accepted her fate and has been very brave.

On January 27 of 2015 Mom joined my Angel Sister...

MISS them both very much! 

But I know they are very close to my heart and in Faith we are forever united.

Related links:
{R.I.P. Dear Mom} | previous post by me

{ANGELS We Know By Name} | previous post by me

{Feeling Pampered with Silk/Wool Cap from Blogger Friend}

Oh my, on Christmas Eve, I was for the last time out of the house and than a very bad flu floored me literally.

Did not even notice that 2015 ended... it went past me.

Only on my Dad's 95th Birthday I managed to be up in the late morning and call him in The Netherlands.

From than on I improved, but did not want to be out in the nippy, windy weather as the warm temperatures from Christmas had suddenly dropped, even getting some night frost.

What a surprise when on Thursday, January 7, the mail delivered a parcel from France.

A sweet hand knitted gift from Anett from the blog: Faden Stille whom I follow since 2010. We have become virtual friends!

Friday, January 8, I did join Pieter for Rotary lunch and afterwards I did wear my silk/wool cap for taking a walk. Wearing of course my coat as well!

Spunky girl looks fluffy during the cold weather.
Me, showing off my crows feet from a great smile...!

Driveway is still damp and the weather dreary looking...

But our Verbena continues blooming inside the fiber glass window boxes from Flower Framers of Cincinnati!

Enjoying my Chanel boots; bought from tip money for consulting work in California!

You can read more about that here: {My Favorite Boots}

My silk/cashmere Jodphurs from Bergdorf Goodman 1994 still fit me perfectly and I love wearing them in winter time.

Matching cables in my Escada silk/cashmere sweater from December 26, 1993 - actually my very first Outlet score bought at Potomac Mills in Prince William, VA. We were traveling by car to the funeral of our Jewish friend in Delaware when we stopped at this Mall for lunch.

Thanks a lot Anett for so much WARMTH!

It warms the heart and the ears on a nippy winter's day...