FRIENDS ARE THE BEST!

Yesterday was the best time - I spent the afternoon having tea and "show and tell" with my niece, Karen, and good friend, Deborah Burnham. Karen had a delicious lunch and then we spent the rest of the time, indulging in all the goodies, YUM! Hubby was kind enough to drive the 7 hours round trip, so I could enjoy this wonderful afternoon - thanks Neil!

I find genetics fascinating. Karen and I have always had extremely similar taste - we even used the same wallpaper without realizing it (when wallpaper was "in" LOL!) and we picked the same colour schemes and almost identical floor tiles, when we were buying new houses, while totally oblivious to what the other one was doing. Heck, I couldn't pick out something I was sure my daughter would like, but I could definitely pick something "perfect" for Karen. On the other hand, my daughter is much more like my sister, Karen's mum. Someone must have fun shaking up the genes! Karen is also a talented decorator and has such a gift with restoring old fabrics and toys to their original beauty. She has an Etsy shop called "Ciderantiques", that's full of wonderful things. If you have time, check it out.

Deborah is an incredibly gifted artist in so many areas. She makes the most fabulous bears under the name Bearhaven Bears. She also makes incredible altered art jewelry and ATC cards and is now experimenting in larger pieces, as well as taking the most incredible photographs. I got to see all the new things she has made recently and it is just so exhilerating to be with people that have the same interests. Deb also has an Etsy shop called "Landofnodstudios", so if you have time, drop by.

I also got to see Cider, Karen's dog. She was so excited - even came to greet us at the front door (where she isn't supposed to be LOL!) Cider has had a difficult time this spring, after having a cancerous growth removed from her leg, so it was wonderful to see her. I will confess, I was greeted second, after my hubby, Neil. Cider has always loved Neil and it's funny to see her go "gaga" when he visits. So, while it is great to be able to see our grandson more often, I truly wish we could do tea a lot more often. Thanks Karen and Deborah, for a truly magical afternoon - I really miss you guys!