A New Facebook Friend

In 1957 I was asked to be a candlelighter in my Aunt Rita's wedding. I remember being thrilled that she'd found a job for me. I was worried because, at seven years old, I was beyond the age of a flower girl and that was before Martha Stewart invited junior bridesmaids. I was so happy I would be a part of her wedding when she married Uncle Ed.

I wanted to be a part of anything that involved Rita. She was one of those people who could have been written up in Reader's Digest's "Most Unforgettable Character." She was lots of fun, the life of the party, and always had a twinkle in her eye. She made everything an adventure...so I figured this wedding would be, too.

In my memory, there were thousands of candles and, as you can see from the picture above, there were hurricane covers on the candles on the pew markers that had to be removed, candle lit, and then replaced. I was so afraid of dropping and shattering the glass, and out of the corner of my eye I could see that my fellow candlelighter, who was eleven and much taller and faster, was way ahead of me. And I remember playing with her when I would go to church with my grandmother and always thought her name was Karen.

A few weeks ago I received a message on facebook asking if I was related to Rita. The woman had seen my picture and thought I resembled my aunt, and because Rita and I had the same maiden name, she thought there might be a connection. I've never heard or thought that I looked like my adored aunt, so I was thrilled. She explained that she was Uncle Ed's neice. After exchanging a few emails, we discovered we were both candlelighters in their wedding! She was totally surprised when I told her I had a picture of us in action. The pictures above were in with lots of others from my grandmother that I somehow inherited.

We lost Rita years ago from breast cancer. She was so young and full of life it's hard to understand. But I have such fond memories of her. Thank you, Cheryl Kincaid, for prompting me to pull out these photos and remember a beloved aunt. It's just one more great Facebook connection with a story!

Manly Wrap

There's nothing I love more than a beautifully wrapped gift. It's the thrill of anticipation while admiring the beauty of perfectly creased corners and the ribbons and the tags...oh I love it all!

Back in May my son Brian had a birthday and even though his idea of a perfectly wrapped gift is a picture of a president wrapped up in a small wad of currency, I did find him a little gift to go along with the aforementioned bill.

After finding some houndstooth wrap in my paper closet, I wrapped the box and tied it with black satin ribbon. It was nice, but just nice. I wanted it to look stellar...after all he's my only son and he has only one birthday a year.

I found these cigar label stickers I'd bought from Kate Jones Gifts in Rockport a few months ago and found one to coordinate with the colors I was using and slapped it at the bottom across the ribbon and...tada...I loved how masculine it looked. So now I'm all over the idea of unusual stickers to add the finishing touch on a gift wrap.

If you want to see some really beautiful wrapping ideas, go to this blog...one of my favorites:
www.agiftwrappedlife.blogspot.com
Enjoy!

Where in the World Have I Been?

Wow...where does the time go? I can't believe I took such a long break from this blog. I didn't really intend to, but it suddenly wasn't a priority for me because since early Spring we've had lots of houseguests, weekend roadtrips, and that pesky stuff that always gets in the way of fun--work!

And I can't say I haven't been piddlin'...simply because I always piddle. But I haven't taken pictures of much. There are a few things I could tell you about, and I will. But I really need to know you're out there. Nobody ever leaves comments and I feel lonely...very lonely. So if there's anyone still around, let me know and we'll get back in the groove.

I've been told leaving comments is difficult, but other blogs have them, so it can be done. I know you have to set up some type of account in order to do that. I have a Google account with a password and the whole ball of wax just so I can leave comments at the many blogs I visit. And, believe me, if I can figure it out, so can you...or call in some little people to help...they always know their way around Computerville. So, do what you have to do, but let me know you're with me. If nothing else, send me an email at invitickles@stx.rr.com or find me on Facebook. Just say hello so I know I'm not all alone on this side of the keyboard.

So...you have an assignment! And I'll get started on this end...