A Portrait of Love!

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails.

These are our friends, Tommy and Tamesa. They are brother and sister and they are special. I was thinking about them after I took their picture following our last t-ball game of the season. Seeing them at the ballpark was always a highlight for us and we are sad our frequent visits are winding down for another year. Anyway, back to what I was thinking...

Tommy Berry is a portrait to me of 1Corinthians 13. He is patient and kind. He is not rude, self-seeking or easily angered. He always protects Tamesa. He trusts, hopes and perseveres and I know his love for his sister will never fail!!

Many of you have never had the pleasure of meeting Tommy and Tamesa and I am sorry you have to miss out! They are something special!!

We love you guys!

Repurposing!

I saw a mirror at Cottontail Cottage the other day and I loved it. I don't really have need of a mirror, but the frame was amazing. My creative juices started flowing and this is what came of it...

Isn't it pretty? It is hanging in the kitchen and I decided to christen it by celebrating the graduate. I think it's going to be fun to come up with things to write on it!!

Very Last First Time!

Yesterday was the very last first time that I will have a child lose their first top front tooth! I know it is sappy to get my panties in a wad over it, but it is yet another reminder of the passage of time. So yesterday I pulled his tooth...

and tomorrow she graduates!

Where's the Kleenex?

Garden Glimpses

I have been working outside most of the week and have had so much fun! I have repurposed, painted, planted and placed numerous things and thought you might like a glimpse at what has been going on!

This is an old pan I had and I hammered holes in the bottom for drainage. I painted an orange stool I got at a second-hand store for $10 with paint I had in the basement. Voila!

First hydrangea bouquet of the season!
Old pan, fresh flowers...BLOOM!
Gardenia blossom! Mmmmm...
Hydrangeas...
hydrangeas...
hydrangeas with a friend!
Bird bath from Cottontail Cottage!
My perennial garden!
Bigger view of stool and pot of flowers! (Should have hammered the bottom a tad flatter! Oh well...)
The hydrangeas must have enjoyed the cool wet, winter! They are huge this year!
The chair I got out of someone's garbage (much to my children's dismay) painted and an enamel bowl I had with holes hammered in and flowers planted! I love it!
And, of course, no trip to my house would be complete without a glimpse of the back porch! I got a new small pillow on the love seat at Cottontail Cottage for $4!These pillow shams I got at Cottontail Cottage for $3!! I love them. I also got all the little throw pillows there, too!
A close-up of the shams! Aren't they pretty? :O)
I realize I am going to have to do a blog post about Cottontail Cottage. It is my favourite antique store in Bethlehem, GA and the people there are amazing! I know Mary (the owner) and I must be kindred spirits because many of my finds are hers!

Well, that's all for today! I am sure as I putter around, I'll have some more glimpses for you soon!

Art With Meaning!

I had 2 handkerchiefs that were my Granny's that I got when she died. I love them, but I hated that they just sat in a drawer. The other day I was in an antique store and saw something that started my creative juices flowing. Look what it led to...

(The bell in the second picture was my Granny and Pop's and is in my kitchen!)

I love how they turned out! :O)

They're Blooming!

My gardenias are blooming and, combined with all the jasmine, they smell heavenly!!

Intoxicating!

The view of the jasmine winding up the porch!

It's no secret, if you have read my blog at all, that my back porch is my sanctuary! I have a sign over the bed out here that says, "Come away to a secret place and rest for a while." As I sit out here this morning, the smell of the jasmine winding it's way up the steps is intoxicating! It hits you as soon as you walk out the door or around the corner of the house and it fills me with great joy and leaves me wanting more as I go throughout the day.

2 Corinthians 2:15 says ~ "Everywhere we go, people breathe in the exquisite fragrance. Because of Christ, we give off a sweet scent rising to God, which is recognized by those on the way of salvation—an aroma redolent with life."

That is the ability we have if we are grafted into His vine...the ability to give off a scent that draws others to Him and leaves them wanting more! Casting Crowns wrote a song and these are some of the words...

Your love is extravagant
Your friendship, it is intimate
I feel I'm moving to the rhythm of Your grace
Your fragrance is intoxicating in the secret place
Cause Your love is extravagant

It is in the secret place with Him that we take on the fragrance of Christ. As I sat here this morning contemplating Him and singing to Him, I become a little more fragrant to those I will come into contact with. Some, who are unfamiliar with the fragrance, will not be able to identify what it is, but they will be forced to acknowledge it none-the-less.

Thank you, Papa, for creating within me a desire and an awareness of the fragrance that comes from spending time with You in the secret place. Would my life always be a fragrant offering that draws others to You...

Can you smell it?

Prom 2010

Rachel had her prom tonight and I made a slideshow of some of her pics. We had a luncheon first with some special people in her life, then the transformation and then the reveal. Her dear friends and mentors did the beauty work and came armed with a whole arsenal of stuff! She went with her good friend, Isaac, and they met a group at the park for pictures!

My little girl is growing up! *Sniff**Sniff*

Customize a free digital slideshow

Letting Go!

Tomorrow is another day. I'm letting go of what today wasn't and enjoying what it was.

I read this quote this morning on my friend Karen's blog. Karen and I met years ago in Toronto after I became a Christian. I was friends with her sister-in-law and got to know her casually the few times we were able to hang together. We became reaconnected on FB and then today the Lord used her to stop me dead in my tracks.

You see, I am feeling overwhelmed lately. It truly rarely happens because I am pretty laid back, but with 3 boys playing ball, a daughter graduating in a few weeks, proms, parties and then just the usual homeschooling 3 children still at home and taking care of my household...Calgon, take me away! Karen's simple statement in her blog really did minister to my tired body, frazzled mind and less than hydrated spirit.

My days are a long list of "to-dos" that are impossible to realistically accomplish well. And then, the things I LIKE to do...like puttering in my garden...end up having to take a back seat to the litany of "squeaky wheels" that make up my days! I am snappy with my kids and long to just sit staring blankly into space rather than answer their hugely long list of questions as they try to decipher what today holds for them!

Reality is, though...I have the choice to enjoy today for what it is (or will be) and to embrace what comes and what gets done as Papa's divine plan for me right now. So as the sun rises and the birds start chirping, I take a deep breath, commit what I do today to Him and embrace what the day may hold!

I feel the weight lifting and my breathing deepen and I thank Him, once again, for using what I least expect (an old friend from Toronto) to remind me of what is important to His heart! Thank you, Papa, and thank you, Karen! So thankful this journey involves you both!!

P.S. And now, as the day comes to a close, I am thankful for what it was and realize that what it wasn't will still be there tomorrow! ;O) \O/

He's 6!

Yesterday was the last day I will ever have a 5yo child! I admit it was a little traumatic, strange as that may sound! I told Caleb I had been particularly fond of 5, but he was convinced that turning 6 was a good idea.

Caleb, or KK as we call him, is such a good boy. He plays by himself, only stays mad for a minute and loves to snuggle. He also calls me "Princess", "Angel" and "Sugar Lips" so what's not to love? ;O) He is engaged to Gracie and says he is going to marry her when he is 20 and she is 22. He figures by then the age difference won't matter too much!

Happy Birthday, Caleb Mac Cash!! You fill my heart with joy!!

Smell-O-Vision

I wish I had smell-o-vision so you guys could smell how wonderful these smell! I have 4 peony plants that are loaded with buds and blooms...like 50-60 on each plant! They make me happy!! :O)