A Cozy Nook and Small Blessings

 Our blogging friend Myra over at "Respice, Prospice", had a great post today about "Simple Pleasures", and she included a list of "Reasons to be Happy"...which was a fun kind of list...nothing too deep, but "simple pleasures". It wasn't her own list, but she asked us to try and figure out which three would be on her own list, and then to also name our own three favorite things from the list. It was difficult to narrow it down to just three, but I said that for me it would be "going outside, taking pictures, singing and making new friends" (I obviously can't count...that's four), and then I added "taking hot showers and writing a story". 

If you read further into her post you will see a link to a great article by Sean Dietrich of "Sean of the South", entitled "Things I Love". I loved that little story too, and highly recommend it for your reading enjoyment this morning.

So, since it is Friday and I really don't have any new photos to share today for Friday Foto Friends, perhaps this little exercise is in order. I may throw in a few photos here and there because, well, taking pictures is one of my favorite things to do...and why take pictures if you aren't going to show them to someone?

The other day on my "Wednesday Treasures" Post, I talked about creating an "Island of Calm" in the midst of the chaos of our world. I shared a picture of my little "office space" where I create these posts, and said that office space sounded "so stark and busy and unfriendly", and I asked my readers for some better ideas to call this space. There were several great ideas:

Sandi from Dandelion Tea suggested that I call it a "nook". I liked that thought, and looked up the word "nook" to see what else it suggests:

synonyms, antonyms, idiomatic expressions, and related words for nook, like: hole, niche, recess, angle, cavity, corner, cove, crevice, glen, hideaway and retreat.

Interestingly, my friend Mildred, formerly of "Laurel Wood", suggested that I call it a "Sweet Retreat"...which goes along with the "nook" idea above, and also is reminiscent of my "Dream Home" story from my Tuesday 4 post this week.

Myra, from Respice, Prospice, suggested "Pam's Nest", which again is kind of a little hideaway nook...

Terri, from "Your Friend From Florida", thought "Island of Calm" would be a great name...

And Sparky, from "My Thoughts Exactly", seemed to agree with Terri.

Thank you all for your wonderful suggestions and ideas. I love them all and am still thinking about this, and perhaps as we move on in this post we can come up with the exact name...This little "nook", or "nest", or "Sweet Retreat", or "Island of Calm", is definitely one of the places that makes me happy each day when I come here to visit with you and share what's going on in my little world... I just took a few pictures of this space to add to the full picture of where I am:

Besides this picture that I already shared with you the other day:

Here are some of the things surrounding me here in my little "nook" (that word keeps returning)

These are some of my favorite wildlife photos that I took at our last home in the forest:

Of course you are all familiar with "Pamela's Victorian Cottage"....it sits right beside me so I can keep track of our little family and make sure they are all behaving throughout the day. Once in a while they inspire me to write about them:

Above them is this lovely shelf that my son the woodworker made for me several years ago when he was just getting started in his woodworking business. I love it! It has my "child's tea party" and "Buster Brown's Tea Set" on it...

On the other side of my desk is this bookshelf (that my son also built!) with cookbooks, books about teatime, and special mementos. The photo at the top is of "My Three Sons". I love this photo because it was the last picture taken of them together before they started branching off into their own worlds...marriage, college, and life in general... "My Three Sons" with no other attachments. 

Behind my desk is this wall of "treasures"...the hutch my son the woodworker built for me, and "Nanny's Hoosier Cupboard"...

And also behind and beside me is "Nanny's China Cupboard" and this antique rocker that a friend gave me after she found it by the road somewhere. Wish we knew the history of who had rocked their babies in that rocker and then why was it put out in the trash to be taken by just anyone? 

Speaking of loving to take pictures...this year I did something special for Christmas:

I ordered "My Pastbook" from Facebook, and this one was pictures taken from my Facebook timeline and photo albums over the past 10 years. They randomly selected pictures and I did change a few and edited some, but I wish I had taken the time to go through it more carefully and delete a few that were repetitious, but all in all I am VERY pleased with it.  My reasoning was that I never print my photos anymore and someday there will be no photo albums to look at. It did cost a bit of money, but not terrible...depends on how many pages you want, and to me it was worth every penny.

There are many of my nature photos with the captions that I had added to them on Facebook.

And it also included many family photos:

It makes a great "Coffee Table" book for our home, and I may do this every year from now on and select special pictures from the year to highlight. It is a lovely hardbound book, and well worth the money, I think.

Well, I hope you are thinking more about your favorite things... I guess I got kind of hung up here in my little cozy nook and didn't get much farther. My list of favorite things could go on and on and on, so it's best I come to a stopping point because hubby is getting anxious for breakfast and my tummy is growling as well...just like that bear above. LOL.  

Oh, I just looked up from my desk and noticed these two pictures that didn't get mentioned:

The one on the left says "Be Thankful for Small Blessings", and the other is the theme picture for this blog: "When God Closes a Door, He Opens a Window".     This kind of sums it all up and expresses what I am feeling most...I am VERY thankful for small blessings, including this small "cozy nook" where I am writing to you, in front of the "open window" that God has provided that connects us together.  

Be thankful for the "small blessings" in your life today...Have a wonderful Friday!

P.S.  AFTER posting this I noticed one more thing I should share in this room, and I think it will answer the call for what to name it:

Our dear blogging friend Barbara, from Sweet Tea and Sandals, gave me this lovely tea towel when she and her dear "Beloved" came to visit us in our previous home.  I have hung this towel in this little room ever since we moved here, because it is "My Room with a View"...and so that is what I think I will call my little space, "My Room with a View"...as I look out my "open window" and thank the Lord for His "small blessings" and my friends out here in blogland.  I will also remember to pray for Barbara as she misses her recently departed dear Beloved when I look at this little tea towel.  

So that is that...welcome to "My Room with a View"!