Happy Valentines sweet friend!

This morning as I looked out my front door I was viewing a cream french door on the porch that is awaiting us to bring into the shop this week and my thoughts were about all the fun we would have with it in the shop for display.
There was a stray barn cat peeking its head out from the one broken window and I smiled at it. It's cold here.
I noticed on the bench behind one of the window panes a pretty aqua wrapped packed tied with red ribbon.

Hmmm, what's that?

   Tied on was a paper heart sewn around the edges in red thread with the words "Brenda, Happy Valentines sweet friend, love ya Dix"
Opening the box I KNEW would not be ordinary inside, not from Dix (former owner of Lavendar house).

The sweetest handmade altered art paper heart with edges sewn in red with a button cut from an old button card lay on the top of many packages wrapped in vintage pattern papers and pink dried flower petals mixed in.

Like made "just for me" kind of thing.

   Can I just say...I started to cry, for over an hour there was no way I was able to open those sweet little packages waiting for me to enjoy. It was like this box of Valentine presents released a flood of tears that were bottled up inside of me.

   And can I just say Motherhood and a cold contributed to emotions...January has not been an easy month for me. I don't like to use the word stressful, seems negative to me, but as I look back... now that it is over, it was stressful (imagine a shop keeper thinking January stressful after going  sept. thru dec!) and with these tears seemed to just wash that January stress right away.

 Thank you to a thoughtful friend who realized that Valentines does not need to come on Feb. 14th is not enough.

   It can come when someone feels inspired to send a friend  something to cheer them up. When that friend is in tune with their thoughts and takes action. When that friend who has enough physical pain to deal of her own to practically cripple her  but has so much creativity inside her that her hands cannot stop creating for those she loves. I know that I am not the "only" receiver from Dixies hands of love.
 Just one of the lucky ones.

   Something kind of weird. I took a picture of the pretty package, the handmade hearts of all styles all wrapped up and then I carefully displayed them to share with you. I tried to blog them and they would not download, so I took them again, still...would not download on the blog. NEVER has this happened.

   Maybe, just maybe I was suppose to share this story with you today and this loving experience with no pictures. (You know some bloggers have talent to pull off stories with no pictures!)

   So for me, my Valentines are going to be thought & given out starting Feb. 1st, to heck with Feb. 14th when your "suppose to" and then maybe you don't even get around to it kind of thing.

So let's "get around to it" this year early. The weather is super cold & gray, cheer your loved ones up.

Lessons learned and friends like Dixie we need to get us through some days (with us it's years.) ha!
Thanks a million Dixie!
Love you always and forever friend!

WELCOME FEBRUARY...love looking forward to you!