LIFE BEGAN IN A GARDEN...

  

The kiss of the sun for pardon,

The song of the birds for mirth,

One is nearer God's Heart in a garden,

Than anywhere else on earth

Dorothy Frances Blomfield Gurney

Frances Gurney was born October 4, 1858 outside London to parents who were both Anglican priests. When she married, she and her husband converted to Catholicism. 

Deeply religious, she spent her life writing poetry and hymns. Her best known poem (above) is entitled "God's Garden." It was inspired by Lord Ronald Gower's exquisite garden at Hammerfield Penshurst. 
 

AN ENGLISH GARDEN

FRANCES GURNEY

A handwritten copy of her poem (circa 1925) was discovered in a book on the Church of England's Liberal Evangelicals in 2010. These little lines have been copied, engraved and written on walls in gardens all over the world. 

 

I am looking forward to my annual "family yard work day" when all my children and grandchildren come to help. I just can't do it myself anymore. We will be planting some flowering cherry trees, some Oklahoma Redbuds and hopefully getting the veggies in the ground. It is such a reality check to grow your own food.  I love it!

Even as I'm typing, there is a pretty big storm howling outside and the heater just kicked on. Spring is so unpredictable!

I'M CRAZY FOR BORDER PRINTS!

I love this border print dress from Nordstrom. I would pair it with a light weight 3/4 sleeve black jacket and it would be perfect for summer. 

NORDSTROM.COM



Found this gorgeous skirt at Dillards. Keep it dressy with a soft orange underpinning and a well tailored jacket in beige. Throw in some gold bling and WOW! 

I see she's wearing her "kate" pumps. 

DILLARDS.COM








Also from Dillards, a perfect cool sleeveless blouse or underpinning. Wear it with white pants or your favorite pair of dark wash jeans. DILLARDS.COM



It's getting warmer... a reason to shop!

..

THE ELIMINATION DIET

FOOD is a very controversial subject. We can't live without it but pretty much it is killing us. Getting older has its perks but physically, I would say its all down hill.  I heard about this diet that made a lot of sense to me. It's not about weight loss, its about helping your body to feel better.

Step 1 - Eliminate ALL these food items for three weeks.  I know, you just might starve to death but try it anyway.

SUGAR - this is a "no-brainer"... its lethal!

WHEAT - this is the "biggie"

DAIRY - that yogurt you're eating might not really be helping

CORN - read your labels, corn syrup is in everything

roasted tomatoes

Step 2 - After the three weeks, add one thing back at a time. If you don't experience any adverse symptoms you get to keep it in your diet.   That's pretty simple. Basically you are looking for food allergies and sensitivities.                                                                 

  cauliflower soup

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             This begs the question... what can you eat? Lots of fruits and vegetables, oatmeal, rice and rice products (there are some really good rice crackers out there) quinoa or lentils. Check out your local health food store, they can help you find items without wheat or gluten.  

My daughter in law makes a berry smoothie with a handful of kale and spinach.  It is yummy!  I have also found some really good recipes by doing a search on pinterest.

There are many kinds of flours for baking but to make this work I would just keep it "simple" for the first three weeks. If you do turn out to be gluten intolerant there is a fabulous cookbook called AGAINST ALL GRAIN!  

This is the "bible" for anyone who struggles with wheat.

Here's to an interesting week of eating and not eating... good luck! (I'm going to need it.)

THE HOPE OF SPRING 

When the crocus pop their little heads out of the nearly frozen ground it is the first sign of Spring. What a thrill to see the world awakening and to have hope for sunnier skies and better days. How appropriate that is when we consider the real reason we celebrate Easter.

The savior of the world, even Jesus Christ, brings the ultimate hope for our lives and gives all of us "second chances."  Because of Him we can forgive each other and try again, we can look forward to being re-united with our departed loved ones and we can feel the "peace" that only his love brings.

I am just a tiny speck in this vast universe and so are you, but somehow we matter enough that he sacrificed all for us. As I look forward this Spring I intend to be a little kinder, a little softer and to love my fellow man more fully.

HAPPY EASTER

"Even the slightest blade of grass bears witness that there is no death."   Walt Whitman

www.lds.org



REMEMBERING VICTORIA MAGAZINE... 

Last week I heard someone mention Victoria Magazine. 

I was a little startled since I hadn't thought about it for a couple of years. I went up stairs to my guest bedroom and there they were... every issue from the beginning until the time Nancy Lindemeyer left as editor in chief.

 

The first publication was released the winter of 1987/1988  The second came the following October. 

 Phrases like "Autumn... A Sentimental Journey" and "Come Gather at Our Table" only peeked my appetite for what lay inside. Beautiful photography, travel, recipes, fashion and regular features such as "favorite things" and "Children's Corner" allowed me a sense of anticipation that was never met with disappointment. 

Toshi Otsuki's artistic eye produced photographs that took my breath away. I wanted my home to look like his pictures.

Carefully chosen artists and writers in residence allowed personal glimpses into their private lives and passions. 







The year they photographed Christmas at Tasha Tudors, we got to see her light real candles on her tree. Nancy, Toshi and the crew kept a fire extinguisher close at hand. 

Reading Victoria Magazine transported me to another place and time, one where I was engulfed in all things feminine and beautiful. 

I planned my children's weddings with Victoria magazines and books as my "bible".  We even built a maypole for my daughter's reception. We literally had ribbons dancing in the breeze.

Nancy Lindemeyer was the heart and soul of the magazine and when she left in the year 2000 it was a sad day. The magazine continued for another two years but it was never the same.

Not wanting it to end, I held onto all my issues. I re-read them from time to time and I always find something inspirational. It is a decade I cherish.

Here's a link to Nancy's current journal...

http://nancylindemeyer.blogspot.com

The complete collection of the original Victoria Magazine are available to purchase on DVD.  The cost is $99.  Follow the link... http://www.hoffmanmediastore.com/victoria-complete-collection-dvd.html

A REMARKABLE WOMAN AT ALMOST 80

This was posted on the Today show this morning. Thought I would pass it along.  What a cute lady!

Paddy & Nico

Britain's Got Talent 2014

MADAME C J WALKER...

the first self-made female millionaire and truly remarkable woman

 (1867–1919)

Madam C J  Walker, born Sarah Breedlove, created specialized hair products for African-American hair and was the first American woman to become a millionaire through her own business. She would come to be known as the greatest benefactress of her race.

Born into difficult circumstances, Sarah's parents were poor ex-slaves who worked on a cotton farm in Louisiana. . She was orphaned by the time she was seven, a wife at fourteen, a mother at seventeen and a widow at twenty.

At the turn of the century there were few options for a black women to earn a living. Sarah became a washerwoman and then a cook. At thirty-three she began to lose her hair. Desperate to find help she claims...

"One night I had a dream, and in that dream a big black man appeared to me and told me what to mix up in my hair. Some of the remedy was grown in Africa, but I sent for it, mixed it, put it on my scalp and in a few weeks my hair was coming in faster than it had ever fallen out. I tried it on my friends: it helped them. I made up my mind to begin to sell it."

The first product she made was called Madame C. J. Walker’s Wonderful Hair Grower. She used her own “before and after” pictures to demonstrate the products effectiveness. It focused on a clean and healthy scalp.

One side benefit was that the product also straightened the hair and made it more manageable.

She began by selling her product door to door, gaining a fiercely loyal clientele. An ingenious marketer and saleswoman, Madame Walker placed her system of hair care in Black colleges all over the United States. She advertised in Black newspapers, and eventually it became available in drug stores. 

Letters began pouring in from all over the country... women attesting to the benefits of her products.

Sarah developed the concept of  a "Beauty Culture" and emphasized cleanliness and professionalism with a strict outline for appearance, moral conduct and character.

At first she set up a correspondence course for her "Beauty Culture"  but she revolutionized the industry when she opened a Beauty College in New York City. Young black women were taught three things...

1 How to be neat, clean, properly attired and well mannered.
2 How to use Madame’s hair care system on customers.
3  How to sell Madame's hair care products.

She raised the black woman’s self-esteem and confidence about their own beauty and intelligence, empowering them economically.

The most revolutionary thing Madame Walker did was to recruit a sales force. She held public meetings and put on demonstrations in order to recruit women to become "Walker Agents."

Eventually she organized a National Convention for her "Walker Agents" giving away prizes and incentives to motivate her troops.

(Does this sound familiar... Mary Kay, Avon, Amway... Madame Walker definitely blazed a trail.)

At her passing she had recruited over 25,000 black women from the US, Central America, and the Caribbean. This was the grass roots of direct marketing.



Madame Walker lived in a 32 room mansion in Irvington, New York called Villa Lewaro. She left it as a monument to her name and as an example of what hard work can do. 

Her home in New York

"I am a woman who came from the cotton fields of the South. From there I was promoted to the washtub. From there I was promoted to the cook kitchen. And from there I promoted myself into the business of manufacturing hair goods and preparations. I have built my own factory on my own ground.  I had to make my own living and my own opportunity. But I made it! Don’t sit down and wait for the opportunities to come. Get up and make them. 

Madame C J Walker

Two-thirds of all her fortune was left to African American charities.