Oh, How I Adore Shiny Objects!

I also adore shiny comments which you so kindly sent my way for both Cecelia's birthday...



And mine (the details of which I want to share with you in a future post)...



Please accept my heartfelt thanks for your kindness. Each comment was like a special gift, and I have savored them over and over again. You are dear hearts, and I appreciate you SO much! :-)



Now, on to some blog wins and more deserved thanks.

This adorable tag came with something that was very, very shiny indeed...



And the person who sent it, Kathy of the blog A Spectacular Mess HERE, is nothing like the Red Queen...



No, Kathy is the soul of generosity...



And creativity, as evidenced by the way she packaged this gift that I won in her giveaway for the Mad Tea Party event...



Aren't you dying to know what this sparkly bauble is guarding???




Well, take the key and, just like Alice, let's open the door...



To reveal a delightful pendant on a silk ribbon! :-) And don't you love the fact it came wrapped in a sewing pattern. It reminded me of childhood and watching my grandmother make some wonderful creations of her own...



On one side of the pendant is the Hatter himself...



So cute and oh so mad...



And on the other side is fair Alice, the belle of Wonderland...



With a tiny little key and a pearl of wisdom...



And you better believe I've worn this whimsical pendant and received compliments on it, too...



And just in case you think that's all Kathy sent, think again...



Kathy is also a bit of a magpie, and she loves to surprise people...



So she surprised me with these cute little nursery rhymes from a very old book. I can remember saying "A Diller A Dollar" with my mother...



And I adore what this next rhyme says:

Bonnie lass, pretty lass, wilt thou be mine?

THOU SHALT NOT WASH DISHES,

Nor yet serve the swine;

Thou shalt sit on a cushion and sew a fine seam,

Thou shalt eat strawberries, sugar, and cream!



I'm going to frame this one first! ;-)

And Kathy also included these sweet flowerettes, another special token of friendship for which I am so grateful. Thank you, Kathy, for this fun and generous giveaway. Loved it ALL!



Now in addition to those shiny objects, I also won another giveaway from Velvet at the blog VVB32 Reads HERE. Look at this cute, tiny Alice on the note from Velvet....




And here's what Velvet has to say...



And here is the wonderful book I won from Velvet! It's a critical look at Wonderland. And if you've ever been to Velvet's blog, you know how much she loves to read and how creative she is, so I want to thank her for this very kind gift...



A book is the type of gift that keeps on giving. It can be enjoyed over and over for yourself or passed on to others for them to enjoy. And since magpies are curious creatures, I will enjoy anything that is "curiouser and curiouser" like this book...



Thanks to both of you, ladies, for these treasures! I appreciate the gifts and the thoughts behind them even more. Now, I believe I'm going to have a spot of mad tea...



And spend some time enjoying these very...



Shiny...



Objects...



Actually, I might need something a little stronger than tea to handle the following NEWS...



You see, I have been away from home for the week and so has Mr. Magpie...



When he returned home, he discovered that our new yard man (whom we both adore) had literally SCALPED part of our yard. And when I mean scalped, I mean he was given a directive to "tame" the jungle in our side yard (complete with photographs of the way it was before it became a jungle), and now the jungle, including our hosta beds and some other plants, is BARREN EARTH! LOL!



A huge new vista has opened up, and we are going to have to figure out a way to shield our patio in what USED TO BE our "Secret Garden" from the street...



I love it when a man listens, don't you? So I can't be too upset. Still, I have got to be on guard as "we" try to clear another section and then re-landscape the yard...



There is also a list of house projects as long as my arm and yours combined, and I have three important research/writing projects to complete. So my blogging is going to be sporadic at best. I just didn't want my blog friends to worry if I'm not calling on you or posting or returning emails as I normally do. It's just that life is calling my number over and over and over again!



So I will be back, but in the mean time, I am going to give you more chances to win the Birthday Giveaway found HERE. Now don't get all squirrely on me and stretch it by leaving a dozen responses hoping to up your ante because that won't work...



But since some people left more than one response on the Birthday Tea Party post and on the Mad Tea Party post as well, I figured it was only fair to give you a chance to do the same on THIS post! I think there was someone who left about six total. So no more than seven will be counted, and that's a total for all three posts. Does that make sense??? I hope so! :-)



You don't have to follow or tweet or do any of that jazz. I just want to give you extra chances because I like to be fair when it comes to who walks off with the nuts...



I'll be busy hiding them in this tree until time for the drawing...



In the mean time, I'm sending you all good wishes for all that's best. You deserve it! Mrs. Nutkins thinks so, too. Isn't she cute? She visits me every day and chatters...



Warmly,


Mrs. Magpie, the Merry Mad Housewife and Keeper of all the Prizes for YOU! ;-)

*****PLEASE NOTE THAT COMMENTS ARE CLOSED AS OF September 5, 2010, 1:37 PM (EST)for this giveaway. Thank you so much for your sweet comments. Winner TBA soon!****