A Visit With My Heart Sister

Karen and Jana, June 2013

 I recently spent a wonderful little vacation in Georgia with my dear friend Jana.  Although my family adores her and would like to come, as well, I go alone and soak up the goodness of being with someone who is one of the sweetest, most thoughtful, people on earth!  We have been friends since we were in ninth grade and she knows my entire life story almost as well as I do.  This little 'retreat' is a gift we give each other every summer that we can.

We don't schedule very much and just take each day as it comes.  In fact, we make sure that we have time to nap every day and the 'tea parties' begin as soon as I arrive.   I usually schedule my flight to arrive just before lunch time and Jana has all kinds of goodies made up ahead to put together a quick gourmet organic luncheon when we get to her house.  But first, we have tea...beautifully brewed loose black tea that is perfectly timed so that no trace of bitterness can be found.

We talk...a lot...and then it is time for a nap under quilts and flannel sheets and pillows with hand-embroidered pillowcases.  On the bedside table is a lamp, a small vase of flowers from the garden, a stack of books and magazines that Jana thinks I might like (some with pages marked), and copies of things that she has read/researched that she thinks that my family or I might need/want to read.  There are often little wrapped presents on the table as well (dark chocolate candy, tea themed note cards, notebooks, etc.).  To put it simply, Jana spoils me rotten!  When it is time to get up, Jana brings in a pretty tea tray with tea for two and we prop the multiple pillows up at both ends of the bed and talk some more.  Now, I must tell you that tea comes to me on a tea tray in the morning, too.  Yes, I know....VERY spoiled.

We do go out on errands and often have one lunch and one dinner out at a fancy restaurant.  This time we ate dinner at a middle eastern place that was amazing.  We ordered seven different dishes and they arrived on little serving dishes to serve ourselves and share.  Wow!  Very yummy.

I made the Christmas stocking below to match the one I made for Jana last Christmas.  (See HERE.) I had made her stocking and filled it with little things for her present.  She was tickled with it and suggested that I make one for myself but leave the decorations of the stocking to her.  I was to bring this stocking with me on this visit and return with the one I made her last year.  We will now have a new tradition:  filling and sending the stockings to each other.

The stocking is made from two different (damaged) hand-made small tablecloths, linen for lining, and a holiday print for the back of the stocking.  Aren't those scallops on the edge of the finer linen tablecloth beautiful?  Every stitch was hand done!

Jana gave me her waffle maker when I told her that I had some wonderful Belgian waffles at a P.T.A. breakfast the last week of school.  Oh, my!  Who knew waffles could be so good?  I have already used it twice!

The waffles are very pretty, too, with roses on one side.

 It makes a very large waffle.  (It fills the center of a dinner plate.)  We had ours with fresh fruit, butter, and maple syrup.  Delicious!

One of the things that we make time for every year when I visit Jana is an afternoon of visiting antique shops.  I always come home with lovely vintage linens to use in my home and in my sewing creations.  The photo below is a small sample of the things I found on this visit.  (I'll be doing another post on my 'finds'!)  Aren't the two sets of matching pillowcases pretty?

Just click on the photo to enlarge.

Needless to say, I always feel that time has flown and that our visit is too short.  I look forward to this time with Jana all year.  I leave the end-of-the-school-year madness and stress and take deep, rejuvenating breaths, basking in a precious friendship with a cherished friend.  

Thank you, Jana!  

Linking up with Thrifty to Nifty Thursday at:  http://www.ajennuinelife.com/2013/07/thrifty-to-nifty-thursdays-24.html