What I mean when I say "Happily Ever After"

While he is not especially a fan of romance novels in general, my hubby is a fan of mine in particular. So, to celebrate the book deal and the agent representation, he has given me a series of gifts that I cannot resist showing off.  I can't help but crow a bit not because of the gifts themselves (although they are spectacular) but because of how wonderful he is.

Here are the "celebration day" gifts with which he surprised me on the day I received my author-agent contract:

• a glittery and sweet card of Congratulations
• that shiny golden Congratulations sign
• a bottle of Veuve Clicquot
• a decadent chocolate cake

But wait! There's more!

Since then, he has secretly been on a buying spree for items to inspire me, items that are connected to my writing. 

Here are the newest additions to grace the wall above my desk, which is an antique turn-of-the-century desk he gave me a few years ago as an anniversary present:




This framed engraving (left) is from Gleason's Pictorial Drawing-Room Companion, an American 19th-century periodical.  Dated September, 1851, the engraving depicts the entrance to the Great Exhibition.




 


This framed engraving (right) displays much more of the Crystal Palace. This was printed in the Ohio Cultivator in March 1851, before the Great Exhibition opened.



Both of these pieces are far more impressive in person than in these photos (taken on my Smartphone). They are the original printings from 1851.  The larger print from the Ohio Cultivator certainly shows signs of age and damage.  And, to me, they are breathtaking.  Hubby says there's another on the way.

How can I look up from my writing desk and not be inspired by them? And how could I not be inspired by the thoughtfulness and care and love with which they were selected?