In Praise of Water.....

Undoubtedly the most wonderfully inexpensive relaxation ritual we may do as women is bathing. It is essential in every culture and, each culture it may seem, has its own bathing rituals. In Exodus 2:5 the Scriptures say, "Then the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river. And her maidens walked along the river-side." It was while bathing that God brought a whole new purpose to her life with the discovery of baby Moses in a basket made of reeds. I doubt our times of relaxation will be quiet so dramatic but, depending on the time and the surroundings that one might find themselves in, often determines the amount of relaxation time that one has. Perhaps your schedule could allow you once or twice a week to make a habit of taking time to ease away the stress of your day. Perhaps your evening just once could be an unhurried luxury, and if you have a small baby or children, then I know that is very difficult and you might say, "are you kidding?" That day will come dear one....I promise. But, if you find that you can empty your mind and fill the bath, relax your body and cleanse the soul and lift your hands in PRAISE to the One who made the day for you, then you will find that a soothing effect will come upon you. Women of all cultures for centuries, the wise ones at least, have added natural ingredients to their bath water for a way to survive. Sparkling eyes, healthy sparkling bodies, need rest and restoration. I hope this week you might find the time to be restored! "O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water. So I have looked for You in the Sanctuary to see Your power and Your glory!" Psalm 63:1-2

The Beautiful Starfish......

This beautiful STARFISH washed upon the seashore and the timing of it was brilliant.....A perfect backdrop for the photographer. It was not me, so I give the credit to some unknown person who beautifully captured a Sea Creature in all his glory.....perfectly placed on the sand. Just this summer, my husband and I were walking along the beach in Hilton Head, South Carolina and a young boy walked up to me and offered me a starfish! Little did he know my fascination with them but the starfish was alive and I did not think it was my place to take him from his natural habitat. Timing is everything....God has a due season for all of our lives and the seeds that we plant along the way. God has a timetable for every seed we plant. His timetable is not always our timetable. Sometimes the "due season" means a quick return. Sometimes it means a process or a slow return that may take years--even a lifetime. But we can count on three things. First, God will cause a harvest to come from our seeds. Second, God is never early or late-He is always right on time with our best interests at heart. Third, our harvest will have the same nature as our seeds sown: good seeds bring good harvests, bad seeds bring a not so good harvest. During this growing season of waiting for seeds to be grown into their fullness, be encouraged that God has a timetable, determine to keep faith alive and active through prayer and reading of God's words from the Bible, give and keep on giving, love and keep on loving. Know this--His harvest is guaranteed. Continue your life always in an attitude of expectancy. Enjoy the journey! "And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith. Galatians 6:9-10

Fresh Ideas and A Serene Bedroom

Coral is a beautiful piece of nature to bring into your home.  Reefs of coral are found in tropical seas. It's beauty is amazing and can be used in places in your home to bring a touch of perhaps a time remembered on a trip to the sea this summer.  Each piece is unusual and unique! Next time you are at the beach, pick up a piece at a shop that sells sea shells and use it for a paper weight! Stunning!

Simple Roman Shades are practical and attractive option for this bedroom that has a trio of windows to let light in....

Beach Living

Living just a mile or so from the beach definitely has it's advantages!  My recent weeks have been spent assisting my sweet daughters and just being with them.  Life is good!  In our lives, we are given the choices to make our lives lovely or meaningless by how we choose....we just have to "realize what I just realized.....take time to realize......." as the song goes. " This hour can pass you by....didn't I tell you?"  No one can spell it out for you but if you listen to your heart, you will know!  Always follow your heart, even if others don't understand or meet you half way, you will know that someone will be there for you!  Always remember that God loves you and celebrates you each new day.....live life to the fullest.  Embrace those in your presence......that is your wonderful life!  Reach out and touch those you love!

Pouring Out Love

Left to Right:  My Mother, Claire, my sister, Pam, my Great Grandmother, Nancy Elizabeth, my Grandma, Mary Virginia, and me many years ago.

At my daughters home with my Grandma, in May of this year.

Pam, Van, and My Grandmother

A life that is filled with love and a life that can generously lavish love on others usually has had real LOVE modeled in some way by some one else in life. For me, that lavish love was bestowed upon my life and into my life and heart by my Grandmother, known to me as Grandma. She passed away last week, living fully until she was 99 and 1/2 years old. On her birthday, she would have turned 100! She was the Rock of our family in human terms. She was a remarkable person, a teacher in the public school system, and a countless motivator to hundreds of people. She made it her personal legacy to encourage all of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren to earn either a bachelor's degree and many have either earned two degrees or a master's degree. She graduated from Austin Peay State University in Tennessee in 1956. She was generous, kind, and knowledgeable about most every subject. Every day of her life, she got up, dressed neatly and beautifully with her pearls, had her breakfast, read the newspaper, watered her flowers, read or did beautiful needlework with her hands. She gave to others every single day of her life. She traveled to all fifty of the United States, seven European Countries, the Panama Canal, and South America and Mexico. She was ahead of her time! In the late 1950's when she decorated her home, she purchased beautiful, stylish, and modern looking sofas and chairs, which today might be found in a gallery of Jonathan Alder. She was a cool lady in every way! She collected beautiful antiques that were handed down to her by her aunt and her mother in law. She enjoyed collecting sterling silver and then gave most all of it away to her daughter and granddaughters. If she knew there was something that you might desire, she would give it to you. She was a selfless person. She left a legacy to her family that will live on. A scholarship fund has been established in her name at The Pinnacle Bank in Ashland City, Tennessee to be awarded each year to a student entering a university or college who desires to become a teacher. I know that the hope of seeing her again one day in Heaven awaits me and my family. "And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." Romans 5:5 Our Lord describes a kind of love here in this verse known to us a agape love. Agape is an undefeatable benevolence and unconquerable goodwill that always seeks the highest good of the other person, no matter what he does or does not do. It is the self-giving love that gives freely without asking anything in return, and does not consider the worth of its object. Agape is more a love by choice. Agape describes the unconditional love God has for the world. Go out and love someone in that way today......the world will be a better place because you did. My Grandmother made the world a better place. I love her and will treasure her memory forever! I hope you will enjoy these beautiful pictures of her visiting Jackson Square in New Orleans just three months ago with me, my sister, Pam, and my brother, Van.....what a blast. Also a picture of me with my daughter, Kristen, and two of her children. Loving us to the end.......Thank you Grandma for a life well lived. Our children certainly have a lasting legacy in you~

The Shepherd

"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. he makes me to lie down in green pastures; He lead me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake." Psalm 23: 1-3 Daily restoration for a weary soul is a major human need. The key to God's provision for restoring one's soul is the presence of God. This awesome thought causes us to pause and look heavenward to Praise! "For You meet him with the blessings of goodness; You set a crown of pure gold upon His head." Psalm 21:3 We really don't have to look far to be refreshed and receive an unexpected blessing. Recently, in our travel over the weekend on the Georgia Coast, we happened upon this beautiful and refreshing prayer garden and couldn't believe in the middle of what seemed like nowhere, Believers had taken the time to cultivate a beautiful place for anyone to come and meet with the Lord! We paused to think upon what really matters in life and to offer prayers for family and friends that have needs. Praise and prayer bring us into the very presence of God. His presence will take up residence in our lives! He can be trusted with the needs you might have today! Just trust Him.....He loves you! As the mighty warrior Joshua said in Joshua 1:9 "....for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." May you go into a green pasture.........and be courageous!

SPLENDOR IN THE YARD.....on Memorial Day!!!!

A Recipe for a Fun Day

Take two darling toddlers
Make them a red, white, and blue outfit.
Dress them up all cute
Give them a flag to wave
Open the door and out they go
Smiling, waving, and loving life!
Mix it all up and what do you have?
A Joyful and Happy Memorial Day!

It is so fun to have play time with the little ones in our lives....it's encouraging to teach them to PRAISE, to wave the American Flag and to sing and just be happy with them! Praise can be taught to our children and grandchildren. The Bible encourages us to raise a generation of praisers. We have to find creative ways to encourage them to grow up and desire God. We have to be careful. Whatever we possess of God's blessing and revelation can be lost in one generation. We teach by example as well as words, so our children and our children's children will do the same. What a blessing! "Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; And His greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall praise Your works to another, and shall declare Your mighty acts." Psalm 145:3-4

Elegant, Comfortable, and Classic

This beautiful family room is one of my favorites! The client chose the fabric and we designed the window treatments to be full, while simple. Well designed window treatments can drastically improve the proportions of a room! These draperies hit the floor with a one-inch break. The fabric is a wonderful silk......

Fresh Ideas and A Serene Bedroom

Furniture is an investment, so when you have something functional that is a little outdated for your style you might try paint! These painted pieces are now fabulous!


This room needed a fresh touch....check out our results for the client by just painting the wooden pieces and going with neutral linens. The room has so much natural light that it seemed perfect to keep the window treatment simple also. It's a beautiful room with a fresh feeling. Basic pieces of furniture can be painted for a whole new look in a room! Have fun with your decorating, it doesn't have to be expensive to be a serene retreat away from the rest of the world! Your home can be the very dwelling place of God. "When home is ruled according to God's Word, angels might be asked to stay with us, and they would not find themselves out of their element." Charles Spurgeon

Angels

Anyone that knows me well, knows that I have always had a desire to know more about angels. In my own home, I have angels in most every room, not real of course, but a real reminder than angels do indeed watch over us and care for us as instruments of God's goodness and grace. "Bless the Lord, you His angels, Who excel in strength, who do His word. Heeding the voice of His Word. Bless the Lord, all you His hosts, You ministers of His, who do His pleasure." Psalm 103:20-21 These verses show God's purpose for angels. Angels exist to serve God in five ways: to bless the Lord, to do His word, to heed the voice of God's word as it is spoken through the saints on Earth, and to minister on God's behalf and to do God's pleasure. Angels are found throughout history in art, statues, and other representations of how people see them. In my gardens, though meager, I have statues of angels and one of the sweetest experiences is seeing my wee little grandchildren hug them or pat them, sort of becoming a familiar friend with them. My wonderful son-in-law, Brian gave me a beautiful crystal angel for my birthday one year that he bought while in New York. It's a treasure and his gesture of love meant the world to me. Most recently, my daughter, Kara, sent me a beautiful and glorious photograph of a statue that she photographed while in Prague! It is worth sharing here and also notice the statue next the the large angel! Angels in Heaven, we are told rejoice over one who comes to know the Lord! "Glory in His holy name; Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord! " Psalm 105:3 Bless you as you minister to others whether it be in your home or where ever your life may lead you. "Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels." Hebrews 12:2

Favorite Things

This lovely bedroom provides this busy customer the perfect place to relax and unwind after a long day or night at work! The colors chosen are soothing and the fabric is a beautiful silk. The accent pillows add just the right touch to the bedding. The window treatments were made with an inter lining and a quality outer lining that makes the draperies hang beautifully. They are hung on a simple iron rod, chosen by the customer. The bathroom window treatment to match gives just the right finishing touch to this beautiful retreat. This home is surrounded by lovely, colorful gardens and the stunning colors in the bathroom wallpaper also add just the right touch.

A Trip To Paradise....

Beautiful things can be felt with the heart or seen with the eyes and that is the best part of what I do! For my new adventure and in response to a change in finish on a clients furniture, I have been offering a new service of painting furniture! One of the styles I like is the swedish style because it has a lot to do with light. All of us love light! It doesn't have to be white to be light, one can be as bold as you want to be. I call it the Seaside style or just a classic beach style. A home is a place of comfort where memories are made new each day! Oh to live, love, laugh, and Believe!!!!!! Enjoy life's blessings!

Inspiration....What inspires you?

I've always said one should follow the heart and go with the ideas that inspire and bring you a feeling of accomplishment! When my children were young, I enjoyed the daytime activities of play, playground, play groups, play dough, playing in the yard, and play time with Dad right before reading a story and tucking our children into bed. So...most of the time I have been playing and in many ways I find that inspiration comes from the play time now with our grandchildren. Creative ideas, designs, and patterns for a sweet springtime outfit came about when my precious granddaughter Ava Grace found this fabric on a shopping trip to a fabric store with her Mommy and me! She picked out all her own fabrics! Sewing for children has taken on a whole new world of playtime and fun! Enjoy the pictures!

Simplicity

A House as Soothing As A Sea Breeze....


The Front Door of This Beautiful Home Opens to Serenity......

Much of our time seems to be spent balancing our lives to accommodate all our responsibilities. We go through seasons in our lives and with each passing season, if we'll listen more we will find we are wiser and joy comes naturally. A beautiful mind and spirit comes when we humble ourselves and accept the season that we are traveling through in our life. One hardly knows what is around the next corner! Each season has it's own beauty!

In these two rooms, there is a simplicity of color which is soft on the eyes. An immediate sense of calm and peace are felt upon entering these rooms.