Thursday, June 18, 2009

Sweet Surprises

If you know me in real life, you probably know that I love mail. 


Well, lets back up the boat.....

I like fun mail. 

Especially fun mail in the form of packages.

Not only do I enjoy fun mail but I also have a bit of an obsession with paper, most specifically pretty stationary.

Allison from Slice of Heaven sent me eight of the the sweetest hand stamped cards. They were so beautiful that I had to show you how talented she is:
Thanks Allison! This was the first "contest" I ever won on the internet (and I've been here awhile) and I didn't even have to "enter" in this one! 

Since we are talking about things that are sweet...

The magnolias are just gorgeous right now. 

They are so southern; So incredibly hearty, and yet beautifully delicate. 

At church Tuesday night a friend gave me the one pictured below. At first I wasn't sure what to do with it because it was all close up and looked kind of like a light bulb with foliage. She told me to put it in some water and it would open up. Sure enough, come mornin', it looked like this:
I was so surprised! I hadn't realized that they were so fragrant but when I walked into my kitchen, filled with dishes and a crazy mess, it smelled citrusy and fresh. So I closed my eyes and pretended it was as clean as it smelled, and it made me feel happy for the privilege of waking up in North Carolina. 

This morning while I was running I would catch a whiff of that lemony scent and just knew I had either passed a magnolia tree or was comin' up on one. I'll miss that smell when the blooms are gone.

This morning I took our dog out for a walk and realized we have some sort of wild blackberry/raspberry bushes in the woods across from my house. I wonder if I could actually pick them? Do any of you southern girls know if raspberries could actually be growing "wild"? That would be VERY cool! 

(Could I sound more like a city-girl?)

OK, I must get laundry and the house tended to today or I will be forced to work on the weekends, and I make it a point not to do work on the weekends (as much as possible, anyway).

Happy Thursday! 

18 comments:

really.truly said...

I love fun mail too! I love when book orders...or any order comes :)

We have some raspberry bushes growing wild. My husband was going to trim the weeds so we could eat them...I know in NY you can eat wild raspberries ( I hope!):)

Unknown said...

Gorgeous prize :)

Tiffani said...

I LOVE STAMPING!!!

I used to work at home for a stamping company and it's really so fun to do and such a great gift. I know you'll enjoy those!

Girl, you know this southern belle ADORES magnolias and all that they encompass..their beauty, fragrance..

So happy for your sweet surprises!

meh said...

Growing up in Oklahoma we had a big field with some wild blackberry bushes that we would raid as soon as they were ripe...they were oh so good. You could possibly go online to check out what kind of a berry it is by its foliage.

Anonymous said...

I knew someone who had her bridesmaids wear live magnolias on chokers for her wedding. They looked gorgeous, but not one of those girls could take the fragrance ever again after that day! :)

Raspberry bushes can grow wild, but so do mulberries. We've got a wild mulberry bush/tree in our backyard. Unfortunately, the groundhogs, squirrels and bird get to them before the turn ripe enough for us.

Oh, and the cards! Beautiful. I recognize those as Stampin' Up! I was an SU! demonstrator for 8 years. Just quit this year, actually. It's so fun. I wish I still had the time to do it!

Anonymous said...

oo very pretty cards! Love the flower.. I could almost smell it through the screen :-)

Carpool Queen said...

I love all things stationery related. Let's go to Papyrun the next time we hang out!

Gretchen said...

Beautiful cards. Very nice to get real mail.

Blackberries and raspberries and logan berries grow here and at least the raspberries are about due around here, so it would make sense to me that you might have them, too. But don't go eating them until you do a quick Google. :) Don't want any Snow White situations.

My mom wore a magnolia as her corsage for my wedding.

Go git your laundry done so you can play.

And may I say, one of my favorite passages in this post: "but when I walked into my kitchen, filled with dishes and a crazy mess". Thank you.

lisa@littlesliceoflife said...

We've got dewberries growing wild all over the place here. They're kind of a cross between a blackberry and raspberry. I made a cobbler with them.

Anonymous said...

Oh, I love mail, too.

Beautiful prize you have there. I love stationery and yet never sit down and write letters.

Candace said...

Thanks for the sweet comment this morning! I'm looking forward to reading more from La Vida Dulce. :)

Such The Spot said...

I've been on the receiving end of Allison's sweetness too. Isn't she great?

And Kellie I'm so jealous of your exposure to the magnolias. I love them. Even wrote about them in my book. LOVE them.

Michele said...

I'm a mail lover too. I had all the bills over to Jon and grab the good stuff and run:) Those cards are BEAUTIFUL!!! So is your magnolia. What a sweet, thoughtful gift. . . those are the best kind!!

Kristin said...

My husband cut a bunch of magnolias for me from his parents' house the other day. My kitchen smelled so good! ( a nice change! haha) I'd bring kids, a bucket, and a camera over by the berries. Then snap some pics of stained, messy faces! :)

Kendra said...

Thought I'd come over and say hi, too. LOVE the blog design! And LOVE the handmade cards. I used to be big in to stamping and paper crafts. Before kids! Isn't real mail fun!

Michelle@Life with Three said...

I love new stationery -- I've always had a bit of a paper obsession. :)

Can you believe I've lived in Georgia for nearly 10 years and have never "knowingly" smelled a magnolia? I need to find one and watch it bloom in my kitchen too!

Jackie said...

Real mail rocks - especially when you get something as gorgeous as this!

I don't know that I have ever seen a magnolia. But I bet they just smell incredible. Another reason why I need to visit NC!

The Buntens said...

Oh how beautiful! Hubby wants to plant a Magnolia tree in our yard and we don't have a spot. I guess if we ever buy a new house maybe we could!

Love those note cards - very talented indeed!