It's Christmas in Fairhope!!!!

It's Christmas in Fairhope where three of our daughters live and from the decorations in their homes, it is promising to be a holiday that entices everyone to settle in for joy and gladness. This lovely entrance is in Kristen and Brian's home where the house is filled with warm sunlight and a very cozy feeling. It was just the right spot for their family to host all of us for a small party honoring our daughter, Kara Ann and her engagement to her boyfriend, Phil. Phil is from England so his gentlemen ways and proper ways caught even Kara off guard on a recent stroll through Central Park in New York City. Phil dropped to his knee and made a very sweet proposal to Kara. They were able to share the Thanksgiving holiday with us and we all couldn't be more excited for them! They have dated for three years and met while both were students at The University of Reading in the UK.
Celebrating the season in style with a brand new shiny ring on a very special left finger! Congratulations Kara and Phil! We look forward to sharing the months ahead as the two of you plan your wedding! May God bless you both as you prepare your hearts to honor Him in this most special engagement period. Our prayers are with you both!

A Thanksgiving Table for Sharing........

This beautiful book COME TO THE TABLE was a gift to me last year by a dear friend. It is a book about food, fellowship, and a celebration of God's bounty as the cover so beautifully details. If you have a few extra dollars this season, it is a book you will enjoy all year! The writers' celebrate the goodness of God and the special ways that He brings forth food on the earth....which strengthens mans heart.


"Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers." III John 2 This is a beautiful time of the year when our hearts begin to turn closely to home and to family and friends that we love and care about. One of the glorious attributes that God has graciously bestowed upon a woman is the joy of nurturing and loving those around us. The result of spending time alone with God results in a quality of life, commitment, dedication, and action that is in line with His Word. He is there to help us on the road or succeed in each task that is before us. Thanksgiving and Christmas give us many opportunities to love and encourage those in our lives. I want to encourage you to celebrate God's bounty and make your table lovely for all to enjoy. We are blessed to be alive and to have another day and another Thanksgiving season to celebrate God's bounty and prosperity in our lives. May you know that God loves and accepts you as you come to HIS TABLE and He is there to listen, listen, and listen and He fully offers acceptance, blessing and refreshment and forgiveness. He is a God of goodness and GRACE! "Oh taste and see that the Lord is good: Blessed is the man or woman who trusts HIM!" Psalm 34:17

LIVE EVERDAY DAY TO THE FULLEST!!!!

Birthday Girl......Ava Grace

I could say many wonderful things about Ava but she has LIFE! She is artistic, bright, quick, happy, perceptive, inquisitive, athletic, "wild", and just an all round bundle of energy. She celebrated her birthday on November 11, turning five years old! She is such a special girl and I would say little girl, but Ava Grace is pint size but enormous in personality. She totally lights up a room with her personality. Ava was ALL about what a birthday should be~HAPPY! She woke up happy and her Mom, Kristen, had her breakfast ready! Ava enjoys eating her boiled eggs (at her request) European style in her egg cup, cracking her egg and then delicately eating it with a spoon. She brings so much joy to our lives and our family! She had a very special day! Her Dad purchased her an American Girl Doll named Julie and she was SO thrilled and suprised when she opened her gift! It was a joy to share in her special day! I believe GREAT experiences will come to her in her special life. Thank you dear Lord for sharing this special child with our family! HAPPY BIRTHDAY AVA GRACE!

Decorating for Comfort......

Both of these rooms are all about function, comfort, and living life. As I plan window treatments for clients, I try to listen and create something both functional, and with a touch of warmth. In both these rooms, one is my own home and the other my daughter, Kristen's home. We both wanted to create a space where family and friends could really enjoy just being together. This time of year our homes are busy places with family and friends gathering for the holidays and just dropping by for a visit. It's not so much about the decoration for the holidays as the mood that you want to create which can be accomplished with inexpensive items. I hope that when someone comes to your home that they arrive happy to see you and leave feeling loved and accepted for who they are. I hope that you can turn your home into an inviting place by making it a place of comfort. So......as you decorate your home for the holidays, give some thought to how people connect with one another. People connect better in a circle or a more intimate placement of furniture where they can look at each other and talk and connect.

Enjoy the days and weeks ahead......organize your time and your efforts will pay off. I will leave you with some precious thoughts as you prepare........

"Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God's kindness." Mother Teresa

"To speak kindly does not hurt the tongue."

"You can preach a better sermon with your life than your lips."

"We've got to build a better man/woman before we build a better world."

Blessings to you this lovely fall evening!!!!

A Very Special Place.......

This room holds many treasures. It is one of those rooms that is just for the treasures that it holds. It is meant to be a place that is familiar to those who come and go. The bedroom furniture was purchased 23 years ago at an antique market which was being held outdoors at the fairgrounds in Charlotte, North Carolina. We had just recently moved there from California and I found the beds and loved them! I asked my sweet husband to go and try and buy them for two of our daughters' and he came home with the beds, a dresser, and a high boy dresser! I was so excited. Today the room has sort of turned into a place where our kids come home to stay when they are in town. It has been a comfortable place to be. Most recently, when my grandmother passed away at 99 years of age, she left to me a beautiful quilt on the bed on the left made "before 1880" by my great-great grandmother, Virginia Bradley Murphy. On the right bed, she had given me this quilt in 1982. It was made by my great-great grandmother Harris in the late 1880's. I feel very blessed to have these in my home. The shell mirror was made by my daughter, Shelly, from sea shells she collected in one afternoon on the gulf coast of Alabama. The mirror is perfectly aligned. It is like a work of art if you look closely. I just love it!!! Needless to say.....this is a special room. There are books of the travels of our children and special photographs of their lives. The little cowboy boots were Steven's. He wore them....out! Literally! Life is meant to be lived and enjoyed and who would have dreamed that five generations ago when my great, great grandmothers were sewing, I wonder if they knew the love and admiration that I would have for their work and love would be felt and cherished in my home 130 years later. Yes....love does matter. Love and enjoy your family.......it matters!