Thursday Text: Sure On This Shining Night

I know it's a day late, but I wanted to post about a poem that we heard recently in the form of a song by Morten Lauridsen. The poem is called Sure On This Shining Night, and it's by James Agee. Beautiful.

Sure on this shining night
Of star made shadows round,
Kindness must watch for me
This side the ground.
The late year lies down the north.
All is healed, all is health.
High summer holds the earth.
Hearts all whole.
Sure on this shining night I weep for wonder wand'ring far alone
Of shadows on the stars.

My posting may be a bit sporadic over the next week, but I do have some ideas for things to come!

Ralph Lauren Olympic Collection

I LOVE the Olympics, and I love Ralph Lauren - so it's interesting that the two have been joined in the past couple of years. It's all so classic and all-American. (More expensive than when Roots was the outfitter, though...)

Olympic Victory Bouquets

I am really enjoying watching the Olympics - as always. Since I'm taking a floral arrangement class, I really noticed the victory bouquets. They are always lovely, and this year they are entirely green. I love monochromatic arrangements, and these are really great.

Pre de Provence - White Gardenia

On Saturday we spent some time in Galesburg. They have a fun historic shopping district on Seminary Street. I can't resist buying Pre de Provence soap squares wherever I find them, and this time I found some new scents! I got lime zest and white gardenia - and look at the cute packaging. Lovely.



I'm going to take a couple of days off blogging, but I hope that everyone will have a super Valentine's Day! Back next week.

Book from France

The other night I woke up as I was talking in my sleep. It rarely happens, but when it does I almost always know it immediately. I'm usually half-awake and realize that I'm about to say something really stupid, but I'm unable to stop. So I woke up to myself saying something about a book from France. I have no idea. I don't own any books from France. So I went to the French Amazon site, and this was the first one that I saw. It looks lovely.

Crowns

A while back in House Beautiful, they did a little article about crowns and how they're everywhere. I really love the trend. Here's a votive and a hook. See them all here.

Friday Featured Art: Les Andelys, Côte d'Aval

For the third week in a row I'm going to share a picture that I discovered on our most recent trip to the Art Institute. This one is by Paul Signac and is called Les Andelys, Côte d'Aval. The fields are so beautiful and reminded me of Scotland and Wales (but this is obviously somewhere else...). Lovely.

Thursday Tunes: Mushaboom

I know it's a few years old now, but I really love Feist's Mushaboom. I put it on my iPod, and it's great for washing dishes when it's snowy and 15 degrees outside...

Helping the kids out of their coats
But wait the babies haven't been born oh
Unpacking the bags and setting up
And planting lilacs and buttercups oh

But in the meantime we've got it hard
Second floor living without a yard
It may be years until the day
My dreams will match up with my pay

Old dirt road,
(mushaboom, mushaboom)
knee deep snow
(mushaboom, mushaboom)
Watching the fire as we grow
(mushaboom, mushaboom)
o-o-o-o-old

I got a man to stick it out
And make a home from a rented house oh
And we'll collect the moments one by one
I guess that's how the future's done oh

How many acres, how much light
Tucked in the woods and out of sight
Talk to the neighbours and tip my cap
On a little road barely on the map

Old dirt road,
mushaboom, mushaboom)
knee deep snow
mushaboom, mushaboom)
Watching the fire as we grow,
mushaboom, mushaboom)
o-o-o-o-old
(mushaboom, mushaboom)
Old dirt road rambling rose
(mushaboom, mushaboom)
Watching the fire as we grow
(mushaboom, mushaboom)
Well I'm Soldddddddddddddddd

Beginning Floral Arrangement

Since Tony teaches at a community college, I get free tuition for any class that I want to take. This semester, I'm taking the Beginning Floral Arrangement class. It's been fun so far. Here's one of the arrangements that we made in the second week. I don't really like statice, and we seem to put it in everything. This is pretty cheery, though.

Burleigh Plates

You may remember when I posted about Burleigh Pottery. Well, when we were in England last summer, we stayed in Winchester for a couple of nights. Lucky for me, the college bookstore was carrying Burleigh Pottery! I bought two plates, which they wrapped in huge bubble wrap, to bring home with me. The first is the Felicity pattern. The second is the Burgess Chintz, which is especially dear to me because my last name was Burgess before I married Tony. I may have to shop their web site to add to my collection...

Mercury Glass

Finally - here's the mercury glass light that I bought from Richard Saunders as we were moving from Rocheport. It holds a tea light in the bottom. I haven't tried it with one yet, and I'm really not sure how to hang it up. It has a hook at the top. Any ideas? I really love it and would like to use it!