How about some flowers to wear? Faith from StitchPrincess whips up a wonderful Pink Roses Apron, in addition to many other wonderful clothing items, and shares them with us in her shop. So when your done with your gardening magazine, grab this apron and your cookbook and whip up some homemade soup and bread. (Another Besteam member Annie loves to bake bread!) You'll find Faith here... Etsy / Blog / Facebook 
Roxanne from WatercolorsNmore is in a lilac mood today. She just listed this very pretty Wisteria note card and Amethest wire wrapped pendant. One of my favorite things about living in the south is the sight, and smell, of the Wisteria in the spring. It just covers everything, I wish it would last all summer long!
Gloria from needlepointnmore will wake you up with this bright yellow dishcloth, a set of 3 to brighten your kitchen. And you'll find these one-of-a-kind original artwork thank you cards from the shop of EarendilCollectibles. They are offered in a set of 6 cards.
Here's our girl Hannah (on the left). She got an e-notebook for a gift, so this was the last we saw of her till dinner. heehee. And on the right is our other girl Amanda. She was not feeling well, too many hours at Walmart for the past 3 weeks (plus the cold bug) finally caught up with her. On Christmas Day! Yuck! 
Notice the pretty place setting. I bought a place setting for 4 new at a store years ago, but then I found the rest at one thrift store in NC and one thrift store in NY. And the glasses came from a little antique shop in town. The man on the left is Amanda's hubby Brandon, Chuck is on the end, and then there's my cousin Susie and hubby Gary. 
After dinner, Hannah took the kids to the boys room to play. (I blurred the edges because I can't show to faces of our foster children). Hannah had set a headlamp to strobe, and they were taking turns singing and dancing. And yes, jumping on the bed. Stupid Santa put candy in their stockings, hahahaha.
Speaking of a sugar rush, holidays are the only time my kids can get away without "cleaning" their plate, and still getting dessert. Now this is how to eat a cupcake! Owen likes to eat anything frosted from the top to the bottom. When he was done, I had green frosting on the chair, tablecloth, and me!
Poor Pee Wee, after a day of being carried, and stepped on, (that's why I carried him), snuck food too, stole food from, and generally played till he dropped. That was exactly how I felt by the end of the day. The kids woke us up at 7am, and we finally went to bed at 1am.
...kind of like Owen trying to eat one of those frosted cookies you can find at the mall. He likes to eat the frosting first, so he just plasters his face in the cookie top. This is what I have a video of, but can't share it. Owen loves sweets, but hates to get sticky, and he had green frosting everywhere, and he was trying his best to pick it off his fingers. I couldn't get him to lick his fingers, and I got laughing too hard when he got green frosting up his nose! Ok, back to Nancy...she is married to a Denver Bronco's coach...knows nothing about football, and loves the Beatles. Like her I know nothing about football, but Owen loves to watch sports. We are Buffalo Sabres fans here (hockey) and Owen will shout "HE SCORES!" complete with some arm pumping. Of course, he doesn't care which team is scoring, lol.
Nancy also has a 2 dogs and 8 canaries...and her love for birds could explain this wonderful birdhouse! This is now on my favorites list, and come spring....I may be placing an order myself. So if you want it, get it now. And how about this sock monkey chair for Owen's time out chair? Or would that just make time out too much fun, hahaha.
My wonderful husband, and equally wonderful daughter got me a new phone for Christmas. Ok, it was actually a "new" used smart phone that Amanda "won" on Ebay...but I love it, I just can't figure out how to use it, lol. It's a MyTouch4G, and I'm enjoying just running my finger on the screen and watching the little icons slide around, hahaha. I can twitter and facebook on it, but I haven't figured out how to re-tweet. I guess I'll try to take some time today to google the user guide to learn what all those little symbols at the top mean. So if you have tried to call me, or text me, or chat...I'm not ignoring you, I just haven't totally learned how to answer back yet. hahahaha. Merry Christmas to me....Merry Christmas to meeeeee!!!!! Hey, does anyone know how to make a case/cover for this?
Now to make the tea. This Tea Time Victorian tea infuser is a new addition to the shop Poison Garden. This shop is the dream child of 3 amazing women, Suzette the butterfly queen, Crystal the pumpkin tender, Melissa the toad catcher. (I have a feeling there is a wonderful story behind Melissa's title). It was when they joined our team that I first "discovered" steampunk, and I LOVE IT! Now you may not think that this infuser is steampunk, and it's not, but it is definitely Victorian, which is another style that these woman create so well. See for yourself by visiting them here.
Well, we have our guests and our tea, it's time to head outdoors with our handmade leather bound journals from The Orange Windmill. Yes, of course I picked the orange journal, you silly. Now, inside these journals you can keep your thoughts and ideas, but for the purpose of my story, in your journals are poems written in the style of the novel "Jane Eyre". And with so many styles and sizes available, you can find the perfect journal for you, and meet Shirley here. Etsy / 2nd Etsy / Blog / Twitter / Facebook / Pinterest / Tumbler
Ahhhh, I can see it now. My friends and I have thrown a blanket on the ground, we're sharing our poetry, and sipping our tea....and getting HOT! It's a beautiful summer day with the sun high in the sky, and we're drinking hot tea. Do we give up our tea and switch to soda? Of course not...we just whip out our wonderfully Victorian Parasol by KC Dragonfly. My niece used parasols in her wedding, and they were beautiful, and when I was a little girl, I had a small one my mother got me at a local fair. I felt like a storybook princess walking around holding my parasol over my head. And you will too if you let Kristine make the perfect one to fit your own unique style. You can find her here.
We have a horse. Well, a Shetland pony. Actually he's more like a big dog, since he won't let anyone ride him (he's thrown Hannah 3 times, once into his water bucket, and yes I laughed), and he likes to just follow me around the pasture and check out my pockets. We share a pasture with our next door neighbor, plus we have the area behind and next to our buildings fenced in. And our fencing is electrical wire, which is pretty normal. My neighbor has a full grown horse who is also what is called "a pasture pet" because he is just too old to ride. If you get on him, he just stands there and thinks "this person must be crazy if they think I am going to walk around with them on my back. Forget about running." (Yes, I have these conversations with all my animals.) Now Owen loves the horses. When his mom and dad pull into the driveway, he first yells for Poppa, then runs into the workshop. Then he will say, "go see tater and pete?" So, of course, we go. And then I spend the next 20 minutes reminding him that they have like 1100 pounds on him and he can not go into the pasture. A few weeks ago, Chuck and I noticed that he would walk up to Tater in the pasture behind the shop and touch the bottom wire. He would shiver from the shock and rub his hand on his pants. We figured one or two shocks and he would stop, (don't worry, it's a low voltage) but after a while he would still touch the wire but not rub his hand. A few weeks ago, Chuck watched him walk up to the fence, grab both the top and bottom wires, and step thru them into the pasture to go see Tater Tot. (Remember, Owen just turned 3). Chuck figured the fencing had broken somewhere along the line, so he went and got his tester to check the electrical flow thru the fence. IT WAS ON!!!! Owen had built himself a tolerance to the currant, and now we don't worry about the horses getting out, we worry about Owen getting IN! And then last week, I was just inside the gate filling the water buckets, with Owen standing outside the gate talking to me. Tater was back farther in the stable. All of a sudden I hear the gate open! Luckily I got to it before Tater. Owen had figured out how to work the latch on the gate! I am so glad God gave me a little cowboy, but that boy..........
Her newest creations are cute little cuddlie pets for kids. (I know some adults who still have stuffed animals...me). Charlie the caterpillar is her newest addition, and he joins lots of other friends already in her shop. And in keeping with kids, I love this Toddlers Sunhat! I wonder if she can make it in my size???? Check out all her items, and find her in all the following places.
Her newest item is this Simple Blue Beads and Budda necklace. You know the old saying, sometimes less is more. Or, if you like more....this Chinese Chop Suey bracelet has more, so it will go with pretty much any outfit. In Claire's shop you will find less, and more, and everything in between. While Claire has lived all over, she was born in the USA, lived for 9 years in Thailand, and now in South America, you can also find Blue White Jewelry Wear all over the internet at the following places.
These Pink Lady Rose Quartz earrings are so delicate and pretty. Cindy uses sterling silver and unique gemstones in most of her pieces, and they come in a beautiful box ready for gift giving. This Sunrise On the Lake Turquoise and Pearl bracelet is... just awesome. If you like Claires creations, you can find so much more in her shop, and elsewhere on the internet.
Her newest item is this Flower Cell Phone Charm. I would most certainly never lose my phone with this. And the beads are just the perfect touch! Then there is this Sand and Tan Area Rug. At approximatly 3 feet across, what a perfect accent for a hallway, or any area that just cries out for a special touch. It is created with a double strand of cotton yarn, so it is sure to stand up to use. And it is machine washable...us grammas think of everything. And you should see all the other great items in her shop, jewelry, bags, bottle covers, and so much more. You can find her here...
Ok, now we're talking, lights you eat! Imagine yourself hanging lights, which takes a lot of energy, and you start to get a little hungry. Well, just reach into your box of lights and pull out this strand of mini Christmas light cookies from Crafted Cookies, and before you know it, you're ready to get back to work. And speaking of work (actually this is more like play) peruse your shop, or your friends shop, and it's time to link up!!! Christmas lights, or ornaments, or....whatever. lol. Then invite your peeps to join us at our linky party!
