…and the beginning of another.  My Hero has proudly served since the first day of Plebe Summer at the United States Naval Academy and,amazingly, his journey with the U.S. Navy bought him right back to where it started. Enjoy some special moments from his retirement ceremony…although the Princess really did steal the show.
The beginning…

…and the end!

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Home and Garden Thursday

Ending one adventure and starting a new one this week! My Hero celebrates his retirement from the Navy after 30 years…starting as a Plebe at the Naval Academy. I hope for some free time soon…the homemade wind chimes I Featured look like so much fun to make.  

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Will their sibling rivalry get in the way of these two sisters’ chances at life and love? Find out in Kate Lloyd’s new book, A Letter from Lancaster County. When a letter arrives from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, Angela and Rose decide to visit their mother’s Mennonite sister in the heart of Amish country. Angela and Rose discover surprising family secrets that add to their strife and threaten Rose’s romance with a new beau. Through it all, the two sisters must find the faith necessary to face their personal problems and allow God to restore hope and healing to their hearts and relationship as only He can.

Celebrate the release of Kate’s new book by entering to win her Two Sisters, Two Winners Giveaway!

One grand prize winner will receive:

• A copy of A Letter from Lancaster County
• A Kindle Fire

Another grand prize winner will receive:

• A copy of A Letter from Lancaster County
• A queen-size Amish quilt

Enter today by clicking the icon below, but hurry! The giveaway ends on July 27. The winner will be announced July 28 on the Litfuse blog.

 

My Review!

I love surprises, and this book was certainly a very sweet surprise.  Expectation at first glance…a romantic lightweight set in gentle Lancaster county. City girl falls for a buggy driving Amish hunk and sets aside all her sophisticated ways to embrace life on the farm.  A nice read for the beach. What I discovered was a story about estranged families, facing past mistakes and looking for the hope in the future.

Rose and Angela, two sisters long separated by past issues, come together in rural Lancaster to visit an aunt they have not seen since childhood. Through the gentle guidance of a loving Aunt and her eclectic group of friends, a trunk of old memories of their mother and a handsome man, who is still on the fence about the Amish church, they argue, scheme and eventually find peace with both the past and the future.

An easy to read summer book which offers the beautiful romance of Amish country and a story that offers enough twists, turns and complete turn around to keep you invested until the very last page

* I was graciously given an advanced copy of this book by the publisher but the opinions are all mine*

Pretty busy celebrating the end of one adventure and the beginning of another adventure here in Annapolis! Congratulations to my Hero on his retirement after 27 years of service in the United States Navy. See you next week when the whirlwind subsides!

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I love to collect! This should not come as a surprise to anyone who has ever stepped into my house. When I mention this “hobby”, however, in a new circle of friends, thoughts drift to expensive oil paintings, scary dolls or beanie babies in little plastic boxes and I am sure my hero gets a few sympathetic glances over a perceived draining of the family resources…let me set the record straight! It is posssible to have unique, beautiful and thoughtful collections without spending the kid’s college fund.  Let me share one of my favorites with you today…Victorian trade cards.  Easily found on eBay or in antique malls, these colorful cards can add a whimsical addition to your decorations at a modest cost.

Victorian trade cards are an early form of collectible advertising. Businesses began to offer the colorful cards after the Civil War. Because the cards were collected and often saved in albums, much like sports cards today, many have survived and offer a diverse look at popular culture and society in the late 1800s. Orginally printed in black and white, the advent of lithography made mass production in color possible. Trading cards exploded in popularity!

Trade cards usually had a picture on one side and an ad on the other. There were custom cards printed for specific products, and stock cards which could be used for any product. Trade cards were popular for medicines, sewing, and farm equipment, and a range of other products. Some rare Victorian trade cards are now worth thousands of dollars, but most can be snapped up at less than twenty dollars!

With so many available, it can be confusing to pick just the right ones. I found it helpful just to explore the different cards available online and see which ones always seemed to catch my eye, like my collection of Soapine cards. I was drawn to the French inspired illustrations.  The whale was their trademark and it did take a while to find a reasonably priced one.

Some remind me of happy times. This Hires Rootbeer card was found on our honeymoon to Maine.  His face just made me smile.

The Asian inspired cards are a recent collection….maybe a little Princesss has a thing or two to do with it!

N

Show and share. Inspire me Monday. Tuesday at our house. The scoop inspire me Tuesday. Make it pretty. Art of homemaking. Made by you. Metamorphosis. You’re the star. Tuesday with a twist. Let’s talk vintage. Wonderful Wednesday. Share it brag about it wow us. Talk of the town. Moonlight and Mason jars. Share your cup. Share your style. Home and garden. Welcome home. Thursday favorites. Waste not. Vintage charm. Friday features. Home sweet home. Feather nest. Friendship Friday. Funtastic Friday. Grace at home. The gathering place. Morning Cup of Joe. Home matters. Sweet inspiration. Vintage chic. Best of the weekend. Create bake grow. BFF Sunday at home  snickerdoodle  Simple Saturday vintage show and tell  silver pennies inspiration Monday  create with joy  DI&DI  amaze me

 

So excited to have my berry recipe featured on these wonderful blogs…

Morning Cup of Joe

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Trying to stay cool this hot July afternoon. The watermelon lemonade recipe I selected to feature is sounding better by the minute.  My garden is doing well!

Please support and follow our lovely blog party hostesses:

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Amy at A Day of Small Things – Pin

Penny at Penny’s Passion – Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst

Kelly at Under a Texas Sky – Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst | BL

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What a wonderful 4th of July we had this year in Annapolis. Nothing beats the beauty of patriotic decor and touches of red, white and blue in a summer home. I tend to leave my Independence Day treasures up until later in the month, in other words, my house hasn’t really changed since last week. It is a great time to share some more treasures from my adventures overseas. I hope you are as intrigued as I was when I first spotted them!

Yes the quilts are pretty and just look at that bread board….but may I point out the Korean painted screen above the bed. Good thing it folds because it was my carry-on on the flight from Seoul to Okinawa…no one said a word.

This beauty was spotted in a French Flea Market. I can’t believe how much they cost now! I should have bought more.

I have several of the German glass scoops from an old Hoosier Cabinet ( I am in search of an actual cabinet to put in my someday kitchen!). They are great in the bathroom to hold soap and makeup, and look lovely with simple arrangements of herbs.  My lavender is just starting to bloom!

This German potato wagon just steals your heart…at least mine was.  It was an impulse purchase at an Officer Wives gift shop in Germany. I am so glad this beauty is on my porch to help celebrate every season.

Speaking of beauty…how cute is this little patriotic Princess!

show and share. Inspire me Monday. The scoop. Inspire me Tuesday. Make it pretty. Art of homemaking. Made by you. Metamorphosis. You’re the star. Tuesday with a twist. Wonderful Wednesday. Share it. Brag about it. Wow us. Talk of the town.  Share your cup. Share your style. HI ome and garden. Welcome home. Thursday favorites. Waste not. Vintage charm. Friday features. Home sweet home. Feather nest. Friendship Friday. Funtastic Friday. Grace at home. The gathering place. Morning cup of joe home matters. Sweet inspiration. Best of the weekend. Create bake grow. Sunday at home snickerdoodle Simple Saturday. Vintage show and share. Silver pennies. Create with joy. Inspiration Monday. DI&DI  amaze me.  Moonlight and Mason jars