Strong Roots

"He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth it's fruit in it's season, whose leaf shall also not wither, and whatever he does shall prosper". Psalm 1:3. It is incredible to believe and trust this analogy that we can be sustained by God, just like a tree by water. No matter where you are or what happens in your life, God is filling you with the power as you trust Him to do so and to stay close to Him. That is right, He will use His power to help you live a miraculous life! Everything you go through happens for a reason and trusting Him through prayer helps you to be steadfast and strong......like that tree! Yes, keep your roots by His stream and He will produce lasting fruit in your life! It's a promise!!!


Fruits from the roots are always beautiful when watered from the vine!

Location:Grand Tetons, Wyoming

In The Home......

In the home, we have three basic ministries. If we are married, the first ministry is to our mate. We are to love them, appreciate them, and encourage them. Our second ministry is to our children if we are blessed to have children. To me, this begins with prayer "on bended knee" with a sincere dependence on the Scriptures. Our third ministry is to our church and our community. Over a lifetime these unfold. It seems these days everyone has a plan, a calendar, a goal. These are good but we are encouraged in scripture to live day by day. May I encourage you to live one day at a time with a daily filling of the Holy Spirit. You see, it's not a onetime event this filling of our spirits, it is a daily surrendering to the Lord and seeking His wisdom and guidance. When we take the time to live in His presence and draw near to HIM our lives and our ministries just happen. Our lives are peaceful and our days are fruitful as He lives through us guiding our ways and our days. So many times we try to live out our lives with a reliance upon the truths from the Bible that we already know or have learned but it just doesn't work well that way. The Lord wants us to come as often as possible and be encouraged and taught through the words He has for us building fresh insights for each day and each season. His desire is to dearly love us and clothe us with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. [Col. 3:12] These are virtues needed in our relationships in the home and the community. When we combine these virtues with love, they are bound together in perfect unity. It is then, that we can lay these efforts of our lives before the Lord and know that He will make something beautiful out of it! I do enjoy making my home beautiful BUT without preparing my heart first, it would be just a cold place when family and friends come in.


My daughter Kristen and I drove for eleven hours on Friday with her four children back to her home in Texas. When we arrived, her sweet husband had created a dinner party for her and his children. He did it with love and with kindness. He ministered to his mate, his children, and his mother in law. :-) You see....it doesn't take much to make a house a home and fulfill a ministry of love! He had clothed himself in LOVE! Each of us were touched and loved!!!

Summertime and cool outdoors spaces.....

This is the time of the year.....summertime.....when we are all looking for a refuge from the heat! It seems for many areas in our country, America, and around then world, heat waves are at an all time high! I am sharing above a few pretty photos of spaces decorators have created on porches and places to escape the heat and enjoy refuge and revival! The last one is another photo of our outdoor party last weekend under the stars and twinkle lights. Thankfully, we planned the party near dusk so it was cooler. We all need a place to retreat when we feel the need to revive and restore. Heat is real and can alter our mood quickly but there is another kind of heat that can cause us to need a refuge. The world today is not much different from the times of ancient Israel when Moses lived in the world with his own family. Many of the great men of God whose positive blessings and strong confidence in God came as they sought refuge and retreat before a mighty God who rode the heavens to help when they called to Him in prayer. Today He continues to ride the Heavens to help us in our needs when we turn to Him in prayer. He is an eternal God whose everlasting arms are never exhausted and who is our refuge and safety. Deuteronomy 33:26-27 declare just those words! "There is no one like the God of Jushurun, Who rides the heavens to help you, and in His excellency on the clouds. The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms". I just love that verse so full of promise!!! In times past, churches held revivals and these services were meant to revive Believers and bring the hurting in and show them the refuge of peace and renewal that God is able to be. He is MORE than able to make all grace abound and revive the weakened spirit. You see, God in His wisdom knew the world had the ability to hold us in bondage and heated situations but...... when we turn to Him, we are shown His grace and He opens our eyes and gives us a measure of revival. Where do you go for refuge and revival from the heat of this day, of this hour, of this minute? Dear friend, as beautiful as these rooms and spaces above are there is a Throne Room with ONE whose beauty is unsurpassed and His Name is JESUS! Psalm 90:1 joyfully announces to us that "Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations". May you seek refuge and peace sweet friend and find it today! Blessings of love on your day!!!

Wedding Bells for Steven and Sara......to follow!

Over the weekend we celebrated in our backyard the exciting engagement of our son Steven and his fiancé Sara! We are all so happy for them and excited to assist in any way with their wedding plans. We started our weekend toasting them and praying for much joy and happiness as they begin the steps to marriage! The girls and I decorated the backyard, making a canopy of lights amid the trees and enjoyed an Italian themed dinner party two evenings in a row! Everyone was happy and the joy ahead in our our lives is looked forward to with thanksgiving! It is so fun having everyone together! (we missed Shelly and Jeremy).


Thank you Kacie and Kara for all your help in preparing our celebrations!

Entertaining Southern Style.....

It's summertime here in the SOUTH, doors swing open, visitors are invited up on the porch or into the courtyard and iced tea is served! Southerners have always been known for their southern hospitality as it is a way in the south. Come on over and enjoy a glass of tea. That would be sweet tea with lemon and a sprig of mint from the garden. Entertaining is usually more formal around holidays, weddings, baby arrivals, and anniversary celebrations but, the BEST celebration of all is a casual get together for a glass of iced tea and perhaps a slice of cake on a summer porch.


Southern iced tea is made by bringing five cups of water to a boil, adding two family size tea bags and let steep for ten minutes. Remove tea bags and add 1/2 to 3/4 cup of sugar[depending on your sweet tea taste]. Pour into pitcher and add another 3 to 4 cups of water. Fill your glass with ice cubes, lemon, and a sprig of mint. ENJOY! Better yet, put on a tea party for a few friends......that is the Best southern style! Friends instantly appreciate a cheerful Southern hostess! I hope your day is truly blessed and you find a gracious way to stay cool in the hot summer sun!

Beautiful Gate.....

I love reading God's words from the Bible and I am always blessed when I do. My spirit is changed, I repent. I repent about things I had forgotten about. It's refreshing to be healed and cleansed for repentance restores our broken fellowship with God. It's turning from our own way and following HIS. It is healing and powerful to be whole and cleansed. In Acts 3 there is a true story of a place called the BEAUTIFUL GATE where people would enter the Temple at the hour of prayer. Beggars would be carried or laid there who were in need, begging for alms. [money or food] Can you imagine being so broken or in such need? I can. We have all been broken before over something. Perhaps it is something we did to another person or something another did to us. What matters though is that pain, of any kind, emotional, physical, or spiritual, can make of us a beggar.

God has an amazing merciful heart toward beggars because He wants to act on their behalf. As the story unfolds in the passage, Peter and John were entering the temple by The Beautiful Gate and a man was sitting there who had been lame from his Mother's womb. He laid daily at this gate called Beautiful to ask alms from those who entered the temple. Peter and John, strong men of faith, asked him to look at them and then Peter said something boldly that changed this beggar's life. "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: in the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk". Peter took him by the hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. He was leaping, singing, and praising God. This man who had sat at that Beautiful Gate could have never walked if John and Peter had not shared the POWER of Christ with the man. These ordinary men, who the Bible describes as uneducated and untrained simply shared what they knew to be true from their time spent with The Lord. People marveled at the Beautiful Gate most likely for sometime. Times of refreshment come from the presence of the Lord! These men of faith had brought a fresh touch. It was beautiful what they did.

 If someone comes to your beautiful door or your beautiful gate ailing in their hour of need, may I encourage you to share what you have and the love and compassion of Jesus. Both of you will change and rejoice! It's a promise! Be blessed my friend this June day!!!

Location:Hertfordshire, England, photo by KARA...thank you :-)

England's Celebration of Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee.....

Buckingham Palace

Kensington Palace

Gardens around Kensington Palace

The Tower of London

Tower Bridge
Completed in 1894, is hailed as one of the great engineering marvels of its age.
The bridge consists of two towers tied together at the upper level by means of two horizontal walkways.  The River Thames flows under this beautiful bridge.

Gardens around Buckingham Palace

Celebrations Abound for London

Westminister Abbey

Founded 960

Westminister Abbey is one of the world's greatest churches.

"The coronation of Kings and Queens has taken place here since 1066, and many of the nations Kings and Queens are buried in the Abbey." ( from The Abbey site)

The greatest day of Queen Elizabeth's life is about to begin as the celebrations go on all weekend and Monday and Tuesday as her 60 year reign on the throne of Great Britian is celebrated highlighting her Diamond Jubilee!  At just 25 years of age, she became the Queen on the British Throne.  It is quite a thrilling celebration in London and all over England and even around the world as we watch the celebrations here in America!   She has ruled as Queen in grandeur and majesty!  For Americans we cannot quite understand the pagentry, but if we were British, it would be a part of our lives. Our son in law, Phil, is British and I have enjoyed learning first hand from him what it means to be born British and embrace the Queen.  It is a jubliant time for all and a time for celebration of Queen Elizabeth's II coronation 60 years ago! 

 Last year as I visited Kara and Phil in England, I enjoyed the visit to Buckingham Palace and many other places all over England so I can just imagine the excitement there this weekend! I hope they all have a special weekend! 

A few facts about Queen Elizabeth:

Queen Elizabeth II has ruled Great Britain for 60 years, longer than any other monarch, except Queen Victoria, who at age 77 ruled for 63 years.

She speaks fluent French.  (no wonder I like her)

During her reign, the Queen has received 3.5 million letter of correspondence.

Her Royal Majesty is worth an estimated $525 million. She earns about $50 million annually.

Queen Elizabeth II has met 6 Catholic Popes, 12 United States Presidents, and 12 Prime Ministers have served under her reign.

The Imperial State Crown that Queen Elizabeth II wears at the state opening of Parliament includes 2,868 diamonds.  The St. Edwards crown she wore at her coronation in 1953 weighs 4.9 lbs.

She is quiet a lady and I celebrate her today!

May we all enjoy a cup of tea!

My girl Kara enjoying her tea in England!

  All photos above were taken by me on my visit to England while visiting Kara and Phil.

Life is About Sharing......

My visit to Wyoming is on its last full day as I will be leaving tomorrow afternoon to return to my home in Mississippi.  The blessings abound in my heart and I am taking them ALL with me.  I love to travel and see new places, find new experiences to broaden and these experiences fill me with gratitude.  On this trip to visit Kacie and her sweet family  I have certainly been given more reasons to be grateful for life and the gifts that God brings in the little things. Thank you Josh and Kacie for sharing your lives with us over the past two weeks!


"It's the little things we do and say that mean so much as we go our way."  Willa Hoey


Kacie's kitchen above is where all our meals have been prepared!  To understand the full scope of it's beauty, you would have to see before and after photos as Kacie and Josh made it's renovation a priority before they moved into their home.  Their home is relaxed, beautiful, warm, and so, so happy!  Luke and Isabel are growing up in such a loving home! (Thank you, Lord!) I thank them for all the places they took us, all the laughs, the fun, the experiences!!!  

It is surreal to think this was taken on Memorial Day but we rode to the top of the mountain at Teton Village and we were in a Snow Cloud!  It was amazing and gorgeous!
I am so glad I came and that they are here.  It helps me to realize how beautiful the world God has made truly is!  These are the moments that make up a gifted life spent with a kindred spirit, one who we can cherish what we are going through.  Someone who cares, in the good times or the bad.  Across the miles, and down through the years, family and friends are not always together but never apart. I will always keep these moments with family deep within my heart.


Zephaniah 3:17  "The Lord your God is with you, HE is mighty to save.  HE will take great delight in you, HE will quiet you with HIS love, HE will rejoice over you with singing."

Dreaming Big......

In the journey of my life, I have been blessed so much more than I could have ever dreamed. Growing up in a small town, in a somewhat broken family, I did have hopes and some dreams. My dreams were about leaving and becoming a better person, being a true friend, having a husband, a family, giving more to others, and sharing my faith in the Lord. Broken homes have a lot of pain, I admit, I wanted to block this out.... the pain. So as I began my simple journey just two hours away from that small town I enrolled in The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Looking back, my grandparents were such a stable force and I am thankful for them and their giving hearts for us and helping me begin college. My first year in college I met my husband, Steve. His vision for life is similar to the celebrated Christian author, Dr. Henrietta Mears. In her book DREAM BIG, she shares her faith and her vision of winning others to Christ and living large and dreaming big dreams! The Lord used her mightily in her lifetime in Southern California for a much bigger dream HE had for her life than she could have imagined in teaching and training young adults for lives surrendered to God. Such an amazing testimony!!! For Steve and I, as our journey began together, we accepted God's call on our lives. We did surrender together, we were even baptized by our Pastor while we were living in Southern California in the same baptismal at the same time!! We accepted the teachings of the Bible and spent lots of time learning and living for and about our Savior. I am not the same person I was in that small town. I am a new creation in Christ and HE is STILL shaping my life. I am so thankful. I am still learning what it means to be loved and to share and give love. The journey has moved us several times, given us a precious bunch of children and now grandchildren to love. We also have some amazing son in laws. I pray each day the LORD will open each heart to receive the blessings HE has for them as they fully understand that JESUS paid it all for them to have the lives they now have. Yes, we saw to it that they had the material blessings but only JESUS can give them the spiritual blessings to fill their souls. 


 I am now blessed by their journeys! The most recent journey has given me the blessing of being with sweet Kacie and her family! Josh is such an amazing father and husband! His family devoted their lives to making him into a wonderful man. He has wonderful parents. He actually was given excellent training by his Dad for the current job he now has in WYOMING! Josh found a beautiful home for his sweet family and they have decorated it and brought it to life!!! It is beautiful and such a happy place! In the Bible in JOHN 4, Jesus was traveling through Samaria on his journey when he stopped at a well and was offered water by a Samaritian woman. It was here that she was blessed by the gift of Living Water that Jesus offered and Jesus was blessed by her gift to bring him water for refreshment. 


Every journey has a blessing my friend! My journey here to visit with my beautiful daughter and her family has renewed my faith in dreaming, dreaming big, for God has surely blessed my small dreams beyond my wildest imaginations! To see HIS blessing upon others, upon those who you have prayed for in your own journey is indeed a gift from God! Enjoy the photos below of their beautiful home and their journey to Wyoming!

Another delicious breakfast at Kacie's.....Greek yogurt, berries, fresh mint, and a healthly bagel!!!

The guest room is lovely!!! Sleeping peacefully each night!!!

Play room, family hang out, beautiful sofa is from Restoration Hardware!

Interesting books are tastefully displayed!

The living room has a beautiful view of the mountains!

I made these window treatments and they are used tastefully in their kitchen!

A gift from GOD in the journey of life!!! A radiant young woman whose life has blessed mine beyond my biggest dream! Love and laughter all in one! May your day be blessed my friend for the glory and goodness of the LORD!

Breakfast at Kacie's

In the wonderful film, BREAKFAST AT TIFFANYS, there is quote by Holly Golightly that I love! Here it goes:


 "Holly Golightly: Did I tell you how divinely and utterly happy I am? Paul Varjak: Yes!" That would be me this morning after the wonderful breakfast my daughter Kacie prepared!





Isn't this amazing and she whipped this out effortlessly and served it beautifully?  She poached the egg, placed it on an English muffin, topped it with two generous slices of fresh tomato and sliced basil! I also love her dishes and her straws! Kacie's kitchen is an amazing place to view as she has all the appliances, the small kitchen tools necessary to perfect and,  the colorful pots for cooking! I think what amazes me most though is the enthusiasm that she puts into her adventures of cooking nutritional meals for her family. She shops at Natural Grocers for almost all her ingredients! I learn from her each time I am blessed to be in her lovely home! She has a talent with kind words too! Their beautiful and graceful impact upon those she shares herself  and her words with are indeed better! She is so, so, so real!


 Glorious God, bless her home, her kitchen, her life, her family. Each of us should embrace the place God has us for the day. HE alone is able to bless us with joy to fulfill our hopes and dreams. As a mother, I hope this for my own children and others I love and care about. As parents, we only are able to cradle our children for a short time in our arms and then they are off.......fulfilling their own dreams. We parented our children whole heartily and then set them free with our blessing and love. I am so proud of who they are and yes, I am divinely and utterly happy to have breakfast at Kacie's ANY morning!

You might enjoy adding some colorful cookware to your kitchen too!

Her cookware is Le Creuset, made in France! Ahhhhh!  No wonder I love it!

You can find it at Williams Sonoma!

Enjoy your beautiful day!

May it be a Glory to God!

How To Throw a Picnic.....

You know by now that I love a party! Any kind, any day, any where! I can think about how to decorate, what to prepare, the table settings, the centerpiece and more for hours! I get excited about this type of situation! I realize not everyone does but I enjoy celebrations! Recently, along with my sister in law, Mary Alice, we put together a very successful Mother's Day picnic for our sweet Baba, our mother in law! In my head, I was thinking about how to make it fun for the guys and fun for her. I found festive plates, napkins, and plastic wear all inexpensively which set the mood! We prepared chicken salad, orzo salad, a citrus salad and served bottled water, white wine, and croissants. Some delicious oatmeal cookies were served for dessert! We searched the day before for a covered picnic table in case of rain and it did rain on the day of our party but we celebrated anyway! It didn't matter because our reason to celebrate was full of love and happiness........that would be Baba! Stress doesn't have to be a part of party planning if you keep the thought close at heart of why you are having the celebration! You would have thought we were entertaining at a five-star restaurant! Everyone was happy and then rain only added to the ambience! Our day had been blessed because our motives were pure. That is what truly matters in any celebration of life! I hope you get the chance to plan a party soon! It's always a treat for me!

More Thoughts on Mothering.....

In the sweet little children's book, THE LITTLE LAMB, the story begins with a little girl, Emmy, visiting some newborn lambs. As the story begins Emmy becomes an adoptive mother! "Mother sheep usually keep their babies close to them. But one little lamb wandered away from the flock. He seemed to be lost. Baa-baa-baa, he cried. Mrs. Wetherbee asked Emmy if she would like to take care of the lamb until he was big enough to come back to the flock. He had a twin brother and his mother did not have enough milk for two babies. Emmy was so happy she bent over and kissed the little lamb. Then she carried him home". This my friend is precious. The meaning is even more precious behind the words because we do not all come to be mothers in the same way. Emmy was the adoptive mother of this little lamb, but the mother lamb who gave him away was just as much a mother. She trusted another with a most precious gift. These women are priceless, the mothers who give AND the mothers who receive. In the Bible, in the old testament, there is a beautiful and loving story of sacrifice of a Godly woman, Hannah. Her story is found in I Samuel 1-2. The culture of this time in Biblical history allowed Elkanah, her husband, to have two wives. The other wife provoked Hannah cruelly because The Lord had closed Hannah's womb. Year after year this continued to the point of Hannah not eating and weeping to the point of bitterness of soul and weeping in anguish over being barren. In all of this, she continued trusting God through prayer and poured out her heart before the Lord for a child. At long last, she did conceive and receive a child and made a vow that she would give him up to the Lord as a minister, even as a child to be reared in the temple. Because of her faith and trust, this child grew in statue and favor both with men and the Lord. God used him mightily as a prophet during that period of world history. Hannah did have other children whom she mothered later, but her release of her child was to allow her child to live his destiny and purpose. I believe that birth mothers and adoptive mothers are very special before God. Children ARE the fruit of the womb and to be loved and to be treasured......this is what Moms do EVERDAY all around the world.....love children! If you are one of these special people God bless you and keep you and may His grace and His goodness give you everything you need to succeed in this most magnificent profession! Enjoy Mother's Day assured that your little lamb was chosen for you and is precious in God's sight no matter how he or she arrived in your arms. Bless you!!!

Our daughter Kristen's newest little gift, our sweet grandson John Brian!