Travel.....

Hello FRIENDS! I have been traveling the past week and a half helping to re locate my daughter Shelly to southern California! She has amazed me with her skill of adjustment! She is a grounded and special young American woman...educated, chic, happy, large in personality, and sweet sweet sweet! I have been blessed as have all our family to watch this time in her life unfold. We have discussed, laughed, exercised together, gotten lost more times than imaginable and realized JOY is in the journey. I hope for her all the happiness and success in the world! The day she was born changed our lives forever and now she is adding her changes to the world.

Packing for a move across country has been interesting for her because the climate and weather are so different but in a good way. She found a great apartment and soon she will be adding her touches to every space. Can't wait to share! I have so many photos to share and blog about....have a great weekend! Enjoy every moment!

The SWEET Life!

To live in a PINK HOUSE would be living the SWEETEST LIFE!



When it comes to life, everyday should be accepted as a glorious gift! You know the feeling when you wake up happy and rested......feeling like you can accomplish just about anything! Honestly, most mornings I wake up that way! The years that we are living through in our lives are good ones. Our responsibilities as parents are not as strenuous from a physical standpoint. We enjoyed the blessing of having our children relativity young, I was only 21 when our first baby came along and 32 with the fifth and last one, so the sweet life has continued just in a different way. I loved being a mother to so many little ones...a sweet life!

As they have flown the coop, I have developed my skill of sewing and it has been a great blessing for me personally. I enjoy creating gifts for them and their children or others with my hands and using the creative side of my brain and if something doesn't work that I am creating, I can begin again.   New beginnings happen all the time in life and also in a creative project. The main purpose is to just move forward....don't allow yourself to get stuck!   Sometimes we have to sort of rip out what is not working! We can get stuck in jobs we don't like, relationships that do not work, and attitudes that rob us of God's great blessings. Take a quick inventory of your life. Are you happy? Are you a  kind and loving person? Do you treat others the way you want to be treated? Do you look for the best in your husband or your wife or your children or your friends? May I urge you to begin to look.....look up first to The Cross and then humble yourself and ask The Almighty God to restore the sweet life you once enjoyed! He will do it for you...it is called a walk of faith, taking one day at a time, enjoying what happens as He allows your day to unfold! A simple prayer I find helpful is..."create a clean heart in me O God and renew a right spirit within me!". Let me tell you, the prayer works,  it works....EVERY TME! Ah! The sweet life....of knowing God is in control!  Such a precious thought and TRUTH....enjoy your week my sweet friend!

A Holiday at Rosemary Beach.......

Rosemary Beach is a gorgeous coastal community! It is a destination I had passed through several times before actually deciding to stay there for a few days with all my family for my husband's birthday!  The homes and townhouses are right on the gulf! The entire area has a European feel and style, which I've come to love and around almost every corner there are courtyards and beautiful fountains spilling over to create an ambience that soothes and calms the soul! If you are on the gulf coast go for a day and walk around.....you will see what I am talking about!

I hope you enjoy the photos of Rosemary Beach!  Summertime is fast slipping away and I hope you are finding time to enjoy the lazy days of a summer holiday.  It could be in your own backyard! I love to create a place for a quick dinner outdoors in my own yard!  Just find a time to rest and restore!  Rest is good for all of us from time to time, just getting out of our own environment can help us let go and enjoy the greatest gifts that truly matter......the people in our lives.  Being with people we love allows us to let go and just "be"!  Being with the Lord is like that if we have developed a realtionship with Him....during the day if we go often into His presence, we can relax our mind and find peace and calm in the storms of life.  We can let go of trying to figure out every situation and find that HE is trustworthy and able to handle everything!  Go on a holiday for sure and  may you always also welcome Him into your family, your marriage, and life!  Look to Him for how to live and wait for Him to bring you the wisdom that you need to deal with whatever you are going through in your life.  Be willing to hear from Him in prayer and celebrate with thanksgiving! 

A beautiful home is even more beautiful when the Spirit of the Lord is dwelling in the people who live within the walls.  Our homes can be the very dwelling place of God.  You will find that others sense the Spirit of the Lord and will sense love and peace. I know I have when I've entered a home that is peaceful and warm.....it just beams with love!  Start today to make your home a beautiful beaming place!! 

A Summer's Dream......

 

This time of year in July is a favorite of mine! Why? We celebrate the birthday of my husband and usually spend it at or near the beach! Our children grew up loving the water and being near the ocean almost every summer. We packed the car summer after summer and made our journey near the water somewhere. We have swam in the Atlantic and the Pacific but I would say we are most at home when it comes to the Gulf  Coast waters! They are just so beautiful and azure blue this time of year.  Of course I loved the Mediterranian Sea on our recent holiday to France! Beautiful shade of soft blue water still lingering in my mind. Our world is a fascinating place, brimming with seas, rivers, and lakes....perfect for summertime fun!

What is it about the ocean that calms and soothes the soul? It might be the gentle waves rolling in to shore steady and sure or the sand we can see for miles and miles as if there is no beginning or end. I love the seashore and the glistening rising sun and the beautiful sunsets, the seashells and the little sea creatures sometimes found still in the shell!  But, a favorite reason is the atmosphere that embodies a holiday where the focus is togetherness! Just hanging out, building sand castles, listening to music, reading a new book, catching up on what has been happening in each others lives.....this is what a beach holiday is to me. I love my family being all together! I am thankful as the years have passed our children have continued to cherish each other and can break into laughter at any given moment! Our family has energy! Everyone is upbeat and positive (most of the time)! They work hard and play hard! They have style too, even at the beach!  I often wish I could bottle it.....I would be a rich woman!

More thought has gone into this year's trip and birthday planning for a new decade is about to begin for my husband. If the way the decade has ended is any indication of the future then I am excited! We still have a great marriage,  we have our joy in the Lord, our children are either married or in relationships with people they love and care about. We have been blessed with five beautiful grandchildren. We are blessed with family and friends who we love too! You know, the simple things of life really do make for a summer's dream come true, especially when it involves a birthday celebration as significant as this year. Big dreams are still ahead for my husband!  We should all have big dreams for our future.  May I encourage you to dream big? I always have! "Each of us are born with a great capacity for knowledge. We cannot make capacity, but we can cultivate that which God has given." Dr. Henrietta Mears.....She was always reaching for more, dreaming big!  

A few years ago, we rented a beach house and right before we turned the key to open the door, we looked up and there was a sign that said......"DREAMS REALLY DO COME TRUE!"   What a great way to begin a beach holiday! I hope all your dreams come true too!

Red, White, and Blue......

 Red and White Decor'....who doesn't love this?

Especially on a holiday like the 4th of July!

The Surfboard adds just the final touch!  Love it!

This beautiful photo is from House Beautiful.

 This red and white room has a modern allure all its own!

Just add some drinks, tapas, a few napkins and friends and the party can start!
Photo from House Beautiful

This look is a bit more simple but I like it and you still have time to create it!

Martha Stewart gave this demontration on the TODAY show and I caught the

end of the demonstration!  She used "painters tape" for the stripes and then painted between the stripes for a quick 4th of July table cloth! CUTE!

The month of July opens with a holiday that Americans love!  It would be unthinkable not to enjoy the 4th of July!  Most all of us have memories of this special holiday!  We've always had a party at our house!  Barbeque, hamburgers, hotdogs, baked beans, slaw, and all the trimmings!  Watermelon, brownies, homemade ice cream......and anything else a friend or neighbor might contribute!  We've celebrated with swimming, bocce tournaments, bike decorating contests, parades, and always end it with fireworks!!! 

Our great country honors our soliders and all those who serve in the military to protect our freedoms and privileges that come with being American!  Many churches hold special summer freedom celebrations and programs with patriot music and messages.  Children dress in red, white, and blue and wave their minature flags!  Early in their lives they are beginning to understand what it means to be born in the greatest country in the world!  We should all cherish this time with our families for memories are being made.  Traditions are the ties that bind us to family and friends. Long when the celebrations are over and it just seems be an ordinary day.....we can pull these glorious moments out of our memory bank and celebrate all over again!  Your decorations can be simple and handmade ~ the important part is that you take the time to celebrate!

Enjoy your weekend!

Happy 4th of July!

End the day with a Bocce Tournament!