Cat Hearts, Random Thoughts and A Little Valentine Decor

This And That For February

Hello everyone! Today's post is a random assortment of "this and that" to share with you so I hope you enjoy. First up is my meager Valentine decor. I haven't done a lot with Valentine's Day this year but I like what I have done. Since I moved our large blue Blenko vases to the foyer table I haven't been putting seasonal decorations on that table and instead I'm putting little vignettes on the dining room corner shelf and the living room side table. Above you see my pretty pink heart that I have placed against the tobacco basket. I think the basket is a great backdrop for the heart wreath. 

And on the first shelf of the cabinet I placed my "with all my heart" wooden sign alongside snow bears, snowmen and a wooden snowman mitten. You can only see a bit of the stuffed snow lady but she is is wearing a red hat and a purple boa which I think is so cute!

I still have this flower arrangement on display on top of the dining room pantry. I love the color combo of these faux flowers against the whitewashed look of the box. The box planter, by the way, was purchased at A.C. Moore and is one of those boxes that are used at weddings to put cards in. I just removed the slotted top and am using it as a planter! I also won't be buying anything else at A.C. Moore as they are closing! I was dismayed to learn of their closing but this seems to be happening with so many stores these days. Will we eventually have no stores to actually shop in and everything will have to be purchased online? I am not a fan of that idea!!

And here is my little vignette in the living room. I kept out my favorite wooden snowmen and added a Valentine wreath around the flameless candle. I also still have the little round candle holder sitting on the table. At night it is so pretty to light both of these candles and see the glow of the winter scene shining through on the little round holder. 

And that's about it for my Valentine Decor. But, I did want to share this picture of our cat, Garden, with you. I was sitting at the kitchen counter this morning and looked down at Garden and realized, for the very first time, that her black splotches look like hearts! I quickly grabbed my camera and snapped a pic. Perhaps she is a Valentine cat? Maybe we should have named her "Cupid." (wink) Cassie says that is a stupid name for a cat and she, personally, doesn't see what all the big fuss is about! Garden says that Cassie is just jealous that HER picture didn't make it on the blog this time. Sigh.....cats!!

The snow we had here the other day has given way to torrential rains! It is so very dreary and there is flooding going on in nearby areas. We may have a couple of partly cloudy and/or sunny days coming up and then....more days of rain! I'm ready for some sunshine folks, how about you? It's hard to keep up one's spirits when it is so dark and dreary outside, but I am trying not to let it get me down. I heard that the groundhog did not see his shadow which means Spring will come early. To be honest, we haven't had much of a winter, but we have had a lot of rain. And so it continues....

On the reading front I am enjoying two good books right now. I'm back on a "Maisie Dobbs" kick and am finally reading all of, "A Dangerous Place."  I had started this book a long while ago and then put it away because it had some "sad" parts in the series. I actually read books in the series after this one and am just now coming back to read this book. Sometimes, you just have to be in the right frame of mind for particular books and I am enjoying reading this book now. 

I also found, "Our Endangered Values," written by former President Jimmy Carter at our local used bookstore and am enjoying it immensely. It was written in 2005 but has much to say that is relevant to today's world, in my opinion. I have always greatly admired Jimmy Carter for how he has lived his life beyond the presidency-teaching Sunday School, sharing his Christian faith with others and using his time to build housing for Habitat for Humanity. He lives a humble life and is a good man and I am so glad to be able to read this book. I hope that I can continue to find ways to use my retirement for good as he has. 

So, that's about it for my random thoughts and goings on. What are your random thoughts? Hope you'll stay a moment and share them! And remember...

Keep your red hat and your purple boa ready because you never know when you might need them!

Until Next Time,

Debbie