Inspirations

Who or what inspires you on a daily basis?  Is it your family, your job, your friends, your fitness routine, traveling, or your love for the Lord?  Scripture encourages us in Jude verse 21 to "Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life."  It is certain, that our lives truly are short on this earth when we stop and think about eternity.  We are truly blessed in our nation with freedoms and choices that other countries do not possess.  One of our freedoms used to be called "the American dream", buying a home and then furnishing it over a lifetime.  Today, more than anytime in the past few years, people are spending more and more time at home.  Our homes are arranged for comfort, for rest,  for workspace, and for entertaining after we finish our work.  In a nation, where many people are striving to make ends meet because of job loss or cutbacks, it is important to find something we can do that brings us happiness apart from just making and spending money.  Those things are short-lived.  Our life doesn't consist of just work, although that is an important facet of who we are as a nation and as a people.  I have had jobs outside of my home.  I taught school, I worked for a non-profit cancer foundation, I worked as a coordinator for a large school district assisting in training volunteers to work with children who were behind their peers in reading skills.  All of those were important jobs for me personally, but my greatest rewards have come from helping and serving others in whatever the need might be, especially in my own home.  Development of what one is called to do in life can be attained through many avenues.  Some of those might be actual educational pursuits, such as a teacher or a business professional but other skills are learned in the daily living of life.  Regardless, the feeling of a familiar and comforting home at the end of the day is emotionally fulfilling.  Coming  home after a long day is wonderful!  My husband has long been the provider in our home and he has shared with me many patient moments as I have sought to find what I really want to do!!!  So.....with that said, I am enjoying the decorating skills that I've developed over the years.  We are now offering these beautiful French Trumeau mirrors that my husband is making, finding old mirrors and then fashioning them into ones similar to the ones found in antique shops for $2000 or more.  His re-created ones are much less expensive, but just as beautiful.  They are going out of his shop as soon as he makes them! This started as a hobby for him and he enjoys creating them in the evening after his regular "job"!!!!  I am also offering pillows to add a change for any room.  A blend of quiet hues and a mix of shapes and textures create a comfortable and stylish touch to any sofa or bed!  Enjoy your home and be wise with your time and your talents. Learn something new........it can be lots of FUN!

Missing This Girl

I miss this girl on several levels!  Her beautiful face, her infectious laughter, her sweet snuggles, her listening ear, her wise counsel, her cooking, her "wine" downs, her magazines, her fashion statements, her exercise routines, her encouragment and just having her walk down the stairs and smile............ 

Even though I miss her, I am so happy for her that she was blessed to find her soul mate in Phil, the love of her life!  I do wish that he had been on this side of the pond but one of the gifts we gave our children beside the investments of their educational goals was their love of travel and the love to travel the world if possible!  I know that she is brighting up her corner of the world! 

A Sweet Fragrance

"Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.  For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing."  II Corinthians 2:14-15

Hopefully, our lives have a fragrance that spills open each day and is full of pure motives, transparent honesty, genuine purity with nothing to hide.  Spending time with the Lord and allowing His Words to fill our empty jars or vessels.....our hearts, we can actually become someone who is full of God's love.  Our homes are the easiest place to protect and diffuse this fragrance.  I've had this diffuser, pictured above,  that I purchased at Pottery Barn for a while now and it still fills the rooms with a lovely aroma, each time that I stop and turn the wicks over in the jar!  It won't be long though, before it's empty and the fragrance is gone and I could just refill it with water and it would still look pretty, but it would not do what it's really intended to do... send out an aroma.  Sometimes our lives can become like that, not really what God meant for them to be. There is a word in the Greek, called eilkrineia and the word literally means "judged by sunlight".  Centuries ago, the Oriental bazaars where pottery was displayed in dimly lit rooms some pieces were patched up to cover defects with wax.  Intelligent buyers would hold up the pottery to the sun and judge its quality by the sunlight to see if it was genuine.  When sunlight enters our homes, it is like the world is just a better place to be!  Sort of like that sweet smelling aroma from the diffuser when it's fresh and full.  I hope that as we journey through our day, that we will take the time to allow the Living Word to hold our lives up to the sunlight and examine our heart and allow His Words to guide us to places we must surrender to His care.  Sometimes it is difficult-uncomfortable, but if we yield with grace......I believe He will bless that time with Him and hopefully be a vessel fit for our Master's use!  I hope we can all remember what a privilege it is:  To be a vessel filled with His sweet fragrance!

"A Study of The Little Child"

I have an adorable little book that I found in an antique store a few years ago entitled, "A Study of The Little Child" by Mary Theodora Whitley.  It is a small book, like a little child and that is why it caught my eye!  It was published in 1921 but the wisdom in the book is both practical and current!  In 1976 when I earned my degree in Early Childhood Education at The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, I had no idea what was ahead in my life.  My grandmother always told me that I had "grown my own classroom".  However it takes more than a mother to rear children, it takes a Heavenly Father that the mother can seek guidance from, a loving husband, and caring grandparents if available.  The home though, is where children really are guided in those first few years of their lives.  Dr. Burton White, in his book, "The First Three Years of Life", says that the first three years are the most important in a child's life.  Vocabulary development alone, is acquired in these precious years when children are learning to talk.    Ms. Whitley says "that a good way to take stock of the children is to find out all you can about their parents.  No child is exactly like either father or mother of course, but nearly nine tenths of his/her intellectual power and temperamental peculiarities comes from his/her ancestry."   She also says that environment affects behavior, but common sense tells us this.  Physical, mental, and spiritual nurturing all pay important roles in the life and development of a child.  Love is the key ingredient that helps a child grow and........ unconditional love offered to a child gives him or her the confidence to go out and conquer the world!

I love children, I love being around them, I love their noise, their attitude about life, their honesty, their talents, their laughter, their smiles, their joy, and most importantly their pure hearts~

Much of my sewing over the years, has been for children and I enjoy constructing a garment that a child can wear and feel special in.  This little dress is for Mary Isabel!  She is so precious and so sweet that I decided to place a little flower at the waist because of her delicate nature, only a little flower would do for the finishing touches.  I am also sharing the pattern that I used from The Children's Corner in Nashville, Tennessee.  They have a wonderful collection of patterns that are traditional and make a little girl or a little boy look their age.  I just love them........Proverbs 22:6 promises us great hope for the future of our children....."Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it."  Training a child in the few short years we have them in our homes will help him or her in the long run of life when they have to make their own choices and decisions.  A promise, that if you lay a solid foundation  in their lives, theirs will be full of promise and possibilities! Enjoy the day!!!

A Happy Kitchen....and Home!

Marimekko Fabric was used to brighten and cheerfully welcome this family into their kitchen.  The fabric used is a classic Marimekko print that can be found on many items throughout their stores and in catalogs that carry Marimekko fabrics and products.  It's a company with corporate offices in Finland and was first made popular in our country when Jacqueline Kennedy was about to move into The White House.  She had been to Europe on a trip with her husband, the soon to be President, and purchased several Marimekko dresses and the rest was history!  Kara, our daughter, worked as the store manager on the Upper East Side in New York City until recently and I am including a few photos from that store.  When you enter the store, immediately,  you are greeted with the bright and cheerful colors in their fabrics.  It's a happy place and the longer you browse around, it's easy to forget your troubles (if you have any) by all the "bright" colors and fun products.  I could stretch it a bit and say it's sort of like being encouraged by a friend who brightens your day.  The friend that I made these curtains for, is a friend of Kacie's and their friendship brings strength and encouragement to each others lives by their kindnesses toward one another and their sharing of mothering tips.  I wanted to make these for Becky, Kacie's friend,  because she has been a true friend to Kacie sharing her love and her faith in the Lord.

Strength and Courage are used in the Bible in a way that is interestingly different from our human way of thinking.  We think of a man or woman who does something courageous for someone else when they use their physical strength, which is a good thing, but Christ speaks of using our lives to strengthen and encourage others in our faith.  The text I am referring to is found in I Thessalonians 3.  Timothy, who was a friend and brother in Christ to Paul was sent to missionaries  (those spreading the gospel of Christ) to strengthen and encourage those who were sharing their faith. He may have taken food or other supplies but his real presence in their life, and probably the words he spoke to them, were encouraging.  Giving out daily, whether it be to a family or a job, a Christian has to be refreshed in order to stay strong and courageous.  Love plays a big part in this refreshment.  The love of Christ is constant and full of encouragement for us.  God's love is compared to a father's love in the Scriptures....."encouraging, comforting and urging us to live lives worthy of God, who calls us into His kingdom and glory." I Thessalonians 2:12   Whatever you may face in your day, I hope that you can find strength in the Name of the Lord! Draw Near!  Search for ways that you can encourage another today.  Truly, when we encourage others we ourselves are encouraged!  Listen to someone today for really it's better to listen and ask some questions than to know all the answers!  Maybe, you will be strengthened and encouraged.  I hope so! Have a blessed day!