Random Bits and Pieces

Hello friends and Happy Thursday to you!  Where in the world has this week gone?!  Friday's almost here, and I've still got a bunch to do.

I hope you're all having a good week.  I want to say "Thank You" to those of you who read my post earlier this week.  As I've said many times, I'm grateful for your interest and your visits.  I especially thank those of you who took the time to leave me a comment this week and for being classy about what you wrote.  Emotions are running high right now, and it's always risky to write something about political, social, and cultural issues.  I just hold my breath and hit the publish button when I write these pieces (not that I've ever written many).  May I just say that you've once again proven my faith in you because you've expressed your opinions honestly, but civilly, and that means a lot.  You all are the BEST!!

First  Edition, 1902

Moving on, I just discovered this morning that today is Beatrix Potter's 150th birthday.  She died in 1943, but her spirit lives on in the wonderful characters she created in her "Tales of Peter Rabbit" series, and also in the beautiful land and farmhouse in the Lake District of England that she left to the National Trust for everyone to enjoy.  I have some Peter Rabbit treasures that I hope to share in a few days; a belated tribute to Beatrix Potter's birthday.  In the meantime, I've seen some wonderful things online that you can enjoy; if you haven't already seen these posts, be sure to check them out.

Our incredibly talented Mary, of Home is Where the Boat Is, has a beautiful post today in celebration of Beatrix Potter's birthday Here.  Mary puts together the most amazing creations at her home and in her potting shed.  Yesterday, I read Ellen's post, at The Happy Wanderer.  Ellen has a wonderful collection of Peter Rabbit figurines; I'm going to have to re-visit the Replacements.com® website and see about purchasing at least one of those figurines.  ;)  Be sure to read Ellen's post, too.

One of the British blogs I follow is Jacqueline's Bunny Mummy, and she and her family recently traveled to the Lake District.  You'll love her beautiful photos of the Lake District, as well as Hilltop Farm -- where she was even able to take pictures inside the house!  You can read her post Here. Betsy, who blogs at Estelle's, showed us some charming Peter Rabbit tins and others goodies back in March.  Check out her post Here.

Lastly, we were proud to help our son last night with a down payment on his first, like-new car.  My parents kindly gave us money to get him a car when he was in high school, and we bought him a much older car with lots of mileage on it.  It served him for nine years, but it was definitely time for an upgrade.  In addition, both sets of his grandparents helped him with the down payment, for which we're so grateful.  We're blessed to have such wonderful parents; their help and guidance, and love for their grandchildren, has been invaluable over the years.

Will is so proud of this car; it will be his first time to make car payments.  ;)  We're almost as excited as he is.  :)

Thank you all for your visit and have a wonderful day!

Denise