Jen Bowles Design

Memorial Day

"I have been shown in the files of the War Department a statement of the Adjutant General of Massachusetts, that you are the mother of five sons who have died gloriously on the field of battle. I feel how weak and fruitless must be any words of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming. But I cannot refrain from tendering to you the consolation that may be found in the thanks of the Republic they died to save. I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours, to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of Freedom." ~Abraham Lincoln, "Letter to Mrs. Lydia Bixby" (November 21, 1864)

Coming Up for Air

Packing and loading of all our worldly goods in nearly complete which leaves some time for eye candy.
Enjoy!
1. Marshfield, MA beach, 2. cupcake display, 3. mermaid in the garden, 4. Vintage Boston Sharpener, 5. School of Fish, 6. Made by Maralyn - Her crown, 7. edith nettles, 8. New fabric store!, 9. Fabric House, 10. SCOTTIE vintage xylophone dog assemblage art 1000 PIECES no.39, 11. Untitled, 12. Domino

Bubble Fun

Isn't this such a fun bubble wand?
I've never seen anything like it.  It's pewter and available here from Craftsbury Kids .
I love bubbles.  Every year that I've taught preschool (ok, twice--which is every year) I've done a unit on bubbles.  Bubble art, making different wands, reading bubble books and of course blowing all sorts of cool bubbles.  When I was pregnant with the boys I remember sitting out on a bench in the garden with Ebby, blowing bubbles in the warm May sun.  It was all I had the energy to do.  I still love blowing bubbles.  And so do Ebby, Will and Cuyler. 
{pictures are of Cuyler and Ebby, Summer 2003--Will really likes blowing bubbles too, just not as easy to find a picture of him doing it : ) }                         

I Do My Best

Just popping in to show you a book I came across while packing up more of my stuff.  This book was mine as a child and I always loved the illustrations.  It was published in 1965 by Western Publishing Company.  The author is Norah Smaridge and pictures by Trina Hyman.

The packing still continues but there is light at the end of the tunnel.  Happy Monday!

Honeysuckle

I went with Will & Cuyler's class today on a walking field trip to a nearby park.  Even though the  20 kids in the 2nd grade class are 7 & 8 years old, it was still a bit like herding cats as we walked in a long two-by-two line along the sidewalk.  A sidewalk that was lined with honeysuckle bushes.  They are in bloom right now and smell so nice.  There were lots of little hands surreptitiously reaching over and plucking honeysuckle blossoms as we passed.  Very cute as they tried to suck the honey out of them.
On the way back it was just me and the boys so we were able to linger around the bushes.  I love the curve of the blossoms and the delicacy of the stamens. 
Ah, spring.
Now back to filling boxes--only 7 days until the movers arrive!

Some People Like Dogs

Like say, my husband and my children.
Me, not quite as much.
I like dogs a lot more than I used to.  Which was not at all.
However, I have no desire to collect dogs.
I have started a collection of dog art however.
My latest addition, purchased at a fund raiser for the local animal shelter on Saturday:
The artist is Sharon Dowell .  It was reasonable and whimsical and even though I don't usually like greyhounds, I decided to scoop it right up.
I must admit, there were some pretty cute pups at the event. I especially loved the two wearing t-shirts ; )

Vera Bradley magazine

I don't own anything remotely Vera Bradley .  Though I think my mom does ; ).
No matter, a friend gave me a lovely little publication/catalog/advertisement called Vera Bradley magazine.
It's sort of like an infomercial in print--but enjoyable all the same.  I scanned a few pages to share.
I love the trike.  My grandmother used to ride one of these babies around her retirement community in Florida.  Not with hundreds of dollars of bags on the back though.
I love decoupage.  Hey, that reminds me, my other grandmother (and my mom) used to decoupage things.  Somewhere I still have a box she made me, it's painted red and has a blue cat decoupaged on the front.  I have all of my $2 bills in it along with my Kennedy dollar coins.  Or are they half dollars?  Hmmm, I wonder where that thing is.  I could be rich and not know it.
Oh and look, another bike.  The basket full of daisies is what got me.  Does anyone (in the U.S.) actually ride around with a bike basket full of flowers?  They probably do but not anywhere I've ever seen.  I really need to get out more.  Then again I could just get a bike basket and head to the farmer's market myself.  Anyway, the image really said "spring" to me.
And now for something completely different.  A ski room at a lodge in Montana, also from Vera Bradley magazine.  Typically I'm not a big fan of rustic decor.  Or giant animal heads.  Or skiing for that matter.  But I do like the organizational solutions they've used in this room.  Maybe our next house will have a mud room that will need to be organized.  It's best to be prepared for these types of things.                                          And finally, check out these cool ideas for updating the monogram concept.  My favorite is monogramming the airport code to your guest room towels.  I can't wait to get a cottage on Nantucket so I can have towels that have ACK emblazoned on them!

Signs of Spring

in Boston anyway--soon to be our new-old hometown...
The swans returning to the lagoon at the Public Garden.
From the Boston Globe :

With Jazz and Storytellers, Swans Return to the Public Garden

The sun shimmered this morning on the lagoon at the Public Garden, where storytellers, face painters, politicians, and a four-piece jazz band heralded the return today of the city’s storied swans, Romeo and Juliet.

The ceremony began at the Make Way for Ducklings statue near Beacon and Charles streets, where park rangers read from the 1941 classic children’s book written and illustrated by Robert McCloskey that inspired the sculpture.

A lilting tune from a saxophone and trumpet led a winding parade through the Public Garden, past the George Washington statue, over the pedestrian bridge, and to the lagoon. The swans rode in white carriages festooned with flowers.

Mayor Thomas M. Menino and others spoke, and then the swans were released into the lagoon after spending a long winter at the Franklin Park Zoo.

"It's really a sweet, sweet thing," said Mary Hines, a spokeswoman for the Department of Parks and Recreation.  (Source)

You just don't get that kind of pageantry here in Charlotte.  At least not for swans.

Maybe for NASCAR...

Favorites...it's been a while

1. Illustration Friday (Seed), 2. Stones and bokeh in a row, 3. Handmade Mini Journal, 4. four birds, 5. chalkboard thoughts, 6. Strömming, 7. Untitled, 8. Itty Bitty House Swap, 9. My new Bike-love

The Eyes Have Fishy Love??

Less than a month until our scheduled closing on our house, so packing has kicked into high gear.  Sort of.
Last night I packed a few boxes of books and every issue of Mary Engelbreit Home Companion magazine.  I also had a stack of other magazines and catalogs I've been saving for...years?  Could be.  You never know when you might need the Pottery Barn Kids catalog from Winter 2005--they discontinue stuff all the time.  Anyway, I tried to whittle down my magazines even further than I did a few months ago by making a  pile of old issue of home decorating and Family Fun magazines to go through.  Pictured here are a few of the assorted scraps I salvaged.  Someday they hope to be an art journal page or two.  For now they are just scraps of inspiration or fun graphics that caught my eye.
I ripped out several projects and room ideas as well and may post some of those this week.
I figure that's much more interesting than pictures of brown cardboard boxes : )