Creative Spaces.....and Inspiration!

 ~The desk to the left and the bookcases in our library are filled with books that inspire~

 ~A board filled with magazine clippings, fabric swatches, and dreams always lead the creative spirit, igniting ideas and hopes for what we want to creative~

~As a complusitve reader (every chance I get) there are never enough books for me and this lovely library from Traditional Home Magazine really inspires~


Creativity is something I believe we all possess......but in the busy world in which we live, often the senses that yearn to create are snuffed out by the busyness of our lives! Woman or man we are blessed by our Creator to have within us qualities that inspire us to appreciate beauty, the artistic talents of others, music, good food and drink......YES someone created all these lovely things we enjoy!  Do you create for your family?  If so, where do you create?  Your kitchen table?  A sewing or craft room? What ignites your creative spirit?  For me, there are a few places I like to visit.....

1. Outdoors~give me a beautiful day in the yard, on a walk, or a drive and I am truly inspired!

2. A good book~There are many books I am inspired by,  with beautiful images created by others,  but my best inspiration comes from reading!  Reading about quaint villages, towns  or cities where real people live and laugh!

3.  Travel~I love to travel!  This can be down the road to another little town, a big city, another country, the mountains, the oceans and all in between. National parks and gardens hold much natural beauty that we have been blessed to enjoy! In our country we have the National Park System, in England, they have the National Trust Homes and Gardens.   I love learning  how others live and what inspires them as  people.  I enjoy learning about families in other cultures and their values. Families who LOVE, inspire!

4.  Those wiser than me~this would be those special women in my life who have served as mentors before me inspiring me by the way they live out their daily lives. Education falls into this category because an education of the mind and spirit continue throughout our lifetimes!  My grandmother so inspired all her family in our educational pursuits.  She was an advocatge of life~long learning!

5.  Fashion~I love a pretty dress, I love a lipstick, I love perfume.....I love being feminine and being a woman!  I am inspired by fashion that has stood the test of time!  Classic to the bone!

6.  My Family and Friends~I am inspired by the creative talents of my husband and each one of my children!  Everyday they surprise me with their talents!  Friendship is truly a gift! Our friends help us daily to be better people!

7.  My faith~This is the time of year, when I am most inspired!  Spring intersects with The Easter Season and the beautiful Scriptures in the Holy Bible  which share the TRUTHS of how Jesus gave His life on a Cross so that those who choose to BELIEVE in His saving grace could live eternally and forever with Him in a beautiful place called Heaven!  The Holy Spirit inspires me to look to The Father for inspiration and creativity! 
This ignites my passion for all that I do in life!  Living for His Glory!  I pray that as you prepare for this Spring season of Easter when so much is new and life is busy that you will reflect on the joy of knowing The Creator of The Universe......who breathed LIFE into all that is living on this earth! 

Joyous Easter!

Norwich Catherdral, Norwich England

Easter 2011

Peace.....attaining it!

A peaceful place.....to ponder......

Happy Friday!  In just two weeks, we will be celebrating Good Friday and even though for Christians it is a difficult day in some ways, it is a most glorious beginning to the promise of hope in repentance, forgiveness, and new life found in Christ. New life brings peace to the spirit, the soul!   Peace within and peace about our position in life.  I hope if your life isn't "perfect" [like most of us] that you will look to the One who can give you His peace and His hope in a glorious tomorrow! It can begin, if offered in a humble prayer asking for guidance.  Yes, Easter brings the Believer in Jesus Christ a new hope and a new peace!  "And the work of righteousness shall be peace: and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance forever.  And my people shall dwell in peaceful habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places."  Isaiah 32:17~18

Mother's Beauty Routine......

Most Mothers want to look their best!  I remember as a little girl, I thought my mother was the prettiest of all the other mothers I knew.  She was stylish at the time, wearing heels and matching purses.  She had really beautiful clothing.  I wonder if she wore much makeup.  Probably less than I do today but I do recall she used Merle Norman products!  As mothers and grandmothers :) we want to look our best. 

 I have enjoyed facials now for two years and using Obagi products and I can certainly tell a difference.  I am able to use less makeup than before, which I like!  For foundation, I use Bobbi Brown products because they match my skin tone well.  Recently, I asked my daughter in law, Sara, who sells skin products about BB cream that everyone is talking about.  It was a lesson that was helpful!  I also have the concealer listed above by Laura Mercier.  Here is the reason I have decided my routine must change.....I was putting the concealer on first and this step is STEP 3!!!!  No wonder, I am looking older!  But truly, is this what makes a woman beautiful?  Is this what makes a Mother beautiful?  

Scripture clearly states in Psalm 34:5 "Those who look to Him are radiant, their faces are never covered with shame". When one is filled with the love of God this LOVE is shining and vividly bright, glowing with happiness and joy! Yes, these products we mothers purchase are helpful but they can only improve our faces so far......then the real woman comes out. It is my prayer for The Lord of Light, who is the source of all light to shine on me and on you! May He fill every dark corner with His bright and radiant love! I KNOW I need Him to do this in my life! Wherever He leads you or me today, it really won't matter the order in which We applied our skin care products! This is a TRUE blessing!

 Enjoy your day sweet beautiful friend!

Thanks CoCo

Lovely~I might add what we fill our spirits with!

To check out Laura Mercier click here:

www.lauramercier.com

Traveling.........with Purpose!

Travel with my family was always so much fun......and still is.  These days the travel together is less but just as fun when I go somewhere with one or more of them! When your children grow up, your highway of travel is sort of elevated (not as many theme parks......SMILE)  and you become more selective, but just as ardent in the planning of a trip together.  Currently, I am in the planning stages of two trips with family which are in the near future.  Vacations are as important for the Mother as the child because the routine change can be a wonderful and fun blessing! Little ones can have the opportunity to plan what they will wear each day and then organize and pack accordingly!  This can be a valuable learning experience in organizational skills!  We should never miss a learning experience!  Even taking a mini vacation to visit friends can be so much fun and memorable!  Vacations do have to be planned in advance and the money needed must be set aside in advance but these times of refreshment build memories with our families and share life events that bond us in a positive way!  I hope, if you are a Mother, you are busy making plans for your child's future.  I am humbled that Almighty God led me to see the importance of mothering my children when they were small.  There is truly no higher calling. We didn't have everything we wanted but we did have everything we needed.  The path ahead is unknown but what we do know is that God has given us His Presence to travel with us.  As you plan, setting aside a time to pray and seek His wisdom and the fruits of the Spirit within you will make the travel do much smoother!  As the saying goes.....above, often Mother has wisely traveled the way you are going before.  Enjoy your journey!!!

A Mother's Heart

"Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life". Proverbs 4:23  It has been said that we LIVE from our heart.  In other words, actions follow what is in the heart of a person.  I like to think that all mother's heart are tender toward their child, loving and patient, attentive, and wise. This is hopefully the kind we desire to be or become!  But the truth is, not all mothers are this way.  Some do not enjoy being a mother at all.  Their lives are filled with the cares of the world and the activities at hand,  they are just too busy to see or understand the difference.  The scripture above wisely imparts to us that we must "watch over our heart".  I see this as a sort of protection or covering.   How do we do this?  For some, there is the wonderful example of a Godly mother who mentored you just by their life lived for others, it may be another older woman who nurtured or presently nurtures your heart, a woman who cared enough to see what was actually in your heart and helped you see the joy of filling up your heart with the truths and promises of the Scriptures.  You see, just like a beautiful home, our hearts must be filled too with beautiful "treasures" that overflow with qualities that make us become a good mother.  "I will bless The Lord who has given me counsel; my heart instructs me in the night seasons.  I have set The Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.  Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; my flesh also will rest in hope."  Psalm 16:7~9 A wise mother gains wisdom when she learns to think God's thoughts after Him.  Learning wisdom is gaining a perspective that results from adopting God's values and rejecting the values of the world.  Every generation has its vices and must deal with the culture.  Mothers have a powerful influence in the world!  Our hearts are the starting point where God can do some of His most powerful renovations!  As your day begins, remember that man looks at the outward appearance but God looks at the heart!  May I encourage you as a Mom to prayerfully begin your day asking for help from Heaven!  HE always stands ready to do great things in your life and to do it joyfully!

A Mother's Legacy

Happy March!  It's a gorgeous day where I live and I am truly thankful for each and every blessing of this day!  I hope YOUR day is full of blessing and beautiful moments!  This month, I have decided to devote my blog to the joy of being a mother!  A MOTHER'S LEGACY  is a wonderful Bible Study I did several years ago on my own.  It was during the time of rearing my children and time was limited as far as being out of the house [ you know the feeling if you've had had small children]. I hope you will be encouraged on this journey with me!  Today, the world in which we live offers many choices to women.  Becoming a mother seems to be one of those choices.  In my time of the child bearing years, it was not so much considered a choice.  The Scriptures teach us that children are gifts from Heaven that God sends into our lives at just the right time.  I choose to believe that each one of ours came at just the perfect time.  Age is not really a factor when we become mothers because God has a perfect plan about this also.  Some children come right away, some have to wait years.......but all in God's timing! Mothering requires nine months most often to prepare our hearts for these little ones.  The deep appreciation for this time doesn't actually come until later when we see our baby for the first time and then it seems impossible that we shared in such a miracle!  Yes, motherhood is a time of miraculous events!  I hope as we journey together that you will enjoy the miracle of each and every day with your child or the one you hope to have one day!   Nothing matters more than this blessing God has given......your child!  I want to leave an imprint for good!

Window Dressings

Such a lovely way to dress the windows! Sunshine and flowers.....two wonderful gifts! I hope your weekend is fabulous! xoxo

Beautiful Joy.....

The gifts of the season....fresh tulips!

Several years ago we were living near an area where The Passion Play was performed professionally and whole-heartily in a beautiful outdoor setting.  It always amazed me each time we went how the actors were portraying with JOY their beliefs.  I often wondered where they all came from because there were at least two hundred actors.  It was really beautiful and always touched my heart deeply.  I know these actors were acting but many of them were acting out what they truly believed.  They brought the JOY of The Lord into their profession.  Another time, two years ago while in a small village in France on Palm Sunday I witnessed something similar.  The Believers in the village were walking to church, each one of them carrying branches or bouquets of lavender bundled together beautifully.  I was amazed at how many people were attending worship.  The church was in the center of the village.  People of all ages which included sweet children who were carrying their bundles of lavender.  These villagers possessed JOY!  It was beautiful to behold.  Afterwards, my daughter and I saw how they had placed their lavender bouquets under the railing going up the steps to the sanctuary.  It is a picture forever etched in my mind.  

These are memory banks tucked away, and even now encourage me as I think about the blessings of other Believers that God has allowed in my life.  I hope you have people in your life who point you to Jesus and show you the JOY that can be found in knowing HIM and worshipping HIM!  He is JOY!  Full Joy!

A quote by author Dallas Willard confirms this....... "Having one's joy "full" means there is no room for more of it.  Full joy is our first line of defense against weakness, failure and disease of mind and body.  But even when these break through in our life, "the joy of The Lord is our strength".

   In our daily lives, I think most of us desire to impart JOY!  Joy for me begins in preparing my heart and my home for those who will share Easter with me.  Even a simple breakfast table setting like the ones above can be brought before God with blessing and JOY!  Bring what gifts God has given you to Him and He will receive them and make something beautiful out of your life!   Blessings of JOY to you my friend!

 ~St. Remy de Provence, Palm Sunday 2011~

Just inside these doors.....the lavender was placed along the railing!

~Chateau nuef de Pape~Palm Sunday, 2011 

Beautiful JOY!

Early Easter Ideas......

It's hard to believe Easter is just six short weeks away!  This year Spring will be early because Easter is March 31.  There is a song from the early 70's that I love by Carole King...."Winter Spring Summer or Fall......All you've got to do is call.....And I'll be there.  Yes, I will...you've got a friend."  Every season of the year our friends and family who share our lives are such special gifts.....doesn't really matter the season as long as they are near!  I love planning for any holiday celebration way in advance and thinking about what I will prepare in the way of flowers, table decor, and especially the menu but most importantly where each person will be seated and by whom (and hope that those I love will be able to share it with me)!  I think of the sparkling, zesty fragrances of the Springtime fruits like strawberries and blueberries!  I think of the spring flowers like the ones in the photograph above that meet me on my morning walks and provide a sort of spiritual pick me up during the day!  Yes, I love each new season but there is something about Easter and the spring that rejuvenate both body and mind and soul!  Over the next few days, I hope to share a few ideas for Springtime table settings.  The first one is for a Easter Sunday Lunch! 

 Blessings shared with others always bring us the greatest joys.  Making memories together with loved ones bond us not only in the present but create bonds for our children and grandchildren in the future.  These memories tie the lives of little ones together with family and bind for the days ahead in their young lives!  Yes, these are the days....the best of days!  Enjoy each one!

 This antique English flower and herb china is perfect to bring out for the Easter Season!

Add fresh flowers, pressed linens, and a few candles and you are set!

Candle~light always sets the mood!  It's like saying "I am so glad you are here.  It helps me to realize how beautiful my world is."  Rainer Maria Rilke

 Gracious Father, thank you O Lord for this beautiful time of year!  Thank you for giving your Son, Jesus, to show us how to live.  Thank you for Your Word which reveals to us your plan for our salvation.  Thank you, O Lord, that it is through You that we truly can recieve New Life and the gift of the Holy Spirit and that we can truly celebrate this beautiful season of LIFE everlasting with You!  Thank you for blessed JOY that is found in YOU!

Amen!

Life Is Beautiful.......

This room just inspires me!  I see the color first.....of which I am still trying to determine.  I believe it is a room that perhaps changes color according to the time of day and the position of the sun.  The art reminds me of pieces I have seen in France or in galleries and art museums.....lovely and again depending upon the time of day the reflection of the sun determines what the eye sees.  I see the back of the sofa, its curve, its stability, its beauty.  Last but not least I see the brilliance of the chandelier and can just imagine when it is lit how it must illuminate the room.  It is a work of beauty and art also for someone took the time to skillfully design and create it from crystals, and other precious metals. In our lives,  we must seek to look for beauty in everyone and everything.  It shouldn't be an afterthought but a good thought first as we encounter someone or something.  I am inspired by nature, by being outdoors and looking for beauty in God's creative and majestic hands!  His world and all the spaces and places He hath created just inspire me.  Each walk or journey is like a room from the mountains or to the seas.......these are God's dwelling places....His rooms so to speak. He is the grand designer and in wisdom and creativity created this beautiful world we live in!  The Scriptures teach us that His Spirit also dwells within us making a dwelling place within our soul that He is able to daily fill and  to transform us into His own image! The goodness of The Lord, in His timing, does this in my life and in yours [and your child's too]!  I hope you enjoy each day you are given......don't worry about tomorrow, just seek to fulfill the duties of this one day.  Like the beautiful room above that inspires......God places people and circumstances in our pathway each day to refine, restore, and renew until ultimately LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL!

 I pray we can all be the kind of person that helps others become more beautiful.....that we say and do things that inspire and build up, not tear down.  You know, it's really true, people will remember how we make them feel long after we're gone.  I hope we prayerfully can become beautiful in thought, word, and deed!  What a beautiful rooms our souls will be! 

 "He hath made everything beautiful in its time". Ecclesiastes 3:11

Romance, Real Love and Spontaneity........

What defines your life?  I am inspired by people and places where beauty dwells!  For me, personally, life began when I met and married my husband.  He is full of spontaneity!  He loves to make others happy and he is the most self-less person I have ever known.  I do feel extremely blessed as I know all of my children would say also for having him in our lives.  We together gave our lives fully to Christ in 1983.  My husband had a boss who loved The Lord and incorporated into his work ethic his beliefs.  He was a very successful man from North Carolina.  He witnessed to my husband about how to be a better husband, father and business man and after dinner one night, my husband knelt in a hotel room in North Carolina and gave his life fully to Jesus Christ.  This gentle man also gave my husband $50.00 [which was significant at the time] to enable him to purchase a good leather reference Bible.  Within two months, our lives began to change, rapidly. My husband received a promotion and a move to California.  We joined a church where the Pastor taught the Bible and our children were involved in study also, it was a growing and wonderful time. 

 A time, looking back that clearly and firmly led us down the path for our family. God had intersected with the people and places He knew would best help us to grow and develop as Believers.  Yes, inspiration is found where beauty dwells! The Bible teaches us about the beauty of love, real love.  We just never know,  but we can trust and have faith that LIVING  brings bountiful blessings when we allow God to have His way in our lives.  I love Valentines Day because it is a day inspired and devoted to sharing the love found in our hearts!  There are no secrets about how we feel when we share LOVE! 

 A person in love glows, they are happy and spontaneous ........for what is within them spills out to others.....just bubbles over to husband or wife, family, and friends!  We know in this life, we certainly have days that are numbered and known only by God......why not begin today, light a candle, seek The Scriptures and learn  what God has for you about this life and of all eternity!  It is one of beauty and romance....one of love and destiny.  "For God so loved the world that He gave His only SON ,that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life."  John 3:16. For generations to come, Your love story can be a lasting one!  Have a blessed and beautiful day!

French Dreams.......

On a recent trip to one of my favorite antique shops I ran across an old sofa just waiting to be loved! The problem was it was extremely dated and worn out! However since I am always dreaming in French, I saw the loveliness of its form and all the grace of its hidden treasure. I looked lovingly at it, got down on my knees and looked under it, looked at the back and thought "okay I will think about it". I asked the shop owner to hold it and called back the following day and said I would be there on Friday to buy it. I remembered in my purse (somewhere) there was the name of a wonderful upholsterer nearby that I could call. As luck would have it, he was Irish and perfect for the job. He even went and picked up the sofa for me! I selected my fabric and delivered it to him and a week later it is sitting in my house! Looking at it, it is a beginning to my dream, my shop, Bevilaqua Interiors. I hope to have a shop one day to display my wares and my talents "For Sale". In the meantime, it will sit quietly and dream with me! I paid $150.00 for this investment. I did invest in the upholstery but I think my return will be greatly increased. He recommended French tacts and he had the fittings and materials necessary for a professional job. It has a French aesthetic that now inspires me even more to follow the dreams yet to be! The last photo is of our guest room that we've painted and furnished with new bedcoverings. So....as you can see, we've had a busy January alreadly and today we are just twenty days into the new year! Do not be afraid to cultivate your dreams! You have talents, God given talents and that is where you should always begin. Ask yourself..... What are my strengths? What are my talents? What do I truly enjoy? I confess I have a spirit of dreamer in my blood and my true calling is to combine my love of sewing with making others happy with beautiful touches! My new French sofa will be a good place for my clients to be inspired! I am confident each one can say....."dreams really do come true!" I dreamed of this sofa and there is was, right before my eyes! Have a beautiful Sunday!!!!

A Door and A Cleft.......

France (where I snapped this pic) is very much a country filled with milk and honey for those who have sought and found treasures there! Its people, the language, the villages, and oh yes, Paris! I am happy and thankful to be an American but I enjoy this beautiful country and its treasures! The lovely door above reminds me that behind a closed door there are treasures. I enjoy thinking what could be there. A courtyard? An entryway? A fragrant garden filled with fragrant flowers? It is so fun to imagine what could be found behind those closed doors, certainly something secret and meant to be hidden behind such massive doors. Lately, I have been on a study of a passage in the Scriptures that is filled with blessing. There are certain times when God hides us in the "cleft of the rock" to protect us and cover us from things we do not fully understand or are prepared to see just yet. Have you ever been in a spot like that, where you wanted the next door to open so you could see what is behind it but He has placed you in "the cleft" because He is not quiet ready for you to see. The passage is so beautiful......."And The Lord said, Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock. So it shall be while my glory passes by that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand, while I pass by." Exodus 31:21-22. It's beautiful that the Lord placed Moses in the cleft in a place so very, very close to where His glory was passing by. In times of uncertainty and change, God is very present and always protecting until we are safe to proceed out of "the cleft" or through an open door. You see, He Divinely protects those He loves, He covers us and He is always a refuge for us. His truth shall be a shield and a buckler for those who put their trust in Him. When we are placed by Him in this "cleft" it is up to us to make Him our refuge and habitation by trusting Him~taking our cares, fears and needs to Him by seeking His counsel, spending times of refreshment with Him, and by loving Him and walking closely with Him through every day. When we do this, we enter into a sheltered place of promise. It doesn't mean that we will be free of all our problems but behind this closed door while in "the cleft" we are able to find renewed fellowship with God and discover more of His glory as He passes by with His all encompassing love and mercy. Allow Him to close and open doors in your life. He so graciously is offering to be by you in "the cleft." Have a blessed and special weekend my friend! xoxo

The Sanctuary

The Church at Piddlehinton

When I last visited Kara and Phil in England, they were gracious host and took me many places, Phil was driving while I soaked in every ounce of beauty of this glorious country!  Many of my favorite photographs that I took were of churches in villages and great Cathedrals in the cities. 

Phil's parents are both English "bell ringers" and while I was in England, we went to one of his Dad's bell ringing competitions and we heard the bells ringing.  There were a group of six to eight ringers in each group. They use ropes attached to the bells and the harmony is skillfully learned and the music is glorious!  We stood outside and listened, it was beautiful!  The bells ringing, ringing, ringing!

I learned that the bells are used as a call to worship.....a call to the Sanctuary on Sunday mornings in the villages and other times of worship.  It would be amazing if our country still did this, perhaps more people would be reminded that in order to know God, we must seek Him.  When we seek Him, He will find us.....no matter where we are.  Tomorrow is Sunday.  I hope you will be reminded through these lovely photos of His blessings in your life and that He is calling you to know Him and to worship Him in the sanctuary of your soul.  He is offering to fill your heart with His love, His goodness, and His glory!

Psalm 63:1~3

O God, You are my God, earnestly will I seek You; my inner self thirsts for You, my flesh longs and is faint for You, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.  So I have looked upon You in the sanctuary to see Your power and Your glory.  Because Your loving-kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You.  So will I bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name!

This beautiful Abbey is in Somerset County, England, within walking distance of Phil's grandparents home. 

 

Vision and visionaries.....

Each one of us have had people in our lives who made a difference.  Some for good, some not so good and it is up to us as individuals to decide what we hold on to and what we must let go of.  Someone told me years ago to hold on to people and things with an open hand.  I treasured this advice and through the years, I have often had to let go of people, places, and "stuff" that were not meant to be in my immediate presence.  Difficult?  Yes, but in trusting God, I have found the surety of the words of Romans 8:28 that "all things do work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purposes." These words suggest a deliberate plan, a proposition so to speak, an advance plan, an intention, or a design. 

 For me, personally, growing up without loving parents, made me want even more than life itself, to have and enjoy a family, and one that was well loved and cared for.  Boundless energy would go into my plan.  That was my intention.  I had a vision for goodness and decided early on, to go into the mothering full time once children began to arrive.  I had a university degree to help me with this in early childhood education.  This degree served me well because I understood the value of my presence in my children's lives.  God in His providence, because He is a God of comfort and patience granted me to be like minded toward other mothers who were on the same path.  There were a few times I worked outside of my home as the children were older but because I had been given such a large family, being available to get them to their activities,  meeting their emotional and their spiritual needs and  etc., was best accomplished by being able to share in these needs each day and was best for us as a family.  God has a beautiful vision for the family.  His desire is for us to receive the gifts of children and then He will take hold of us and release the grace to set in motion the powers to help us fulfill His vision.  When His power is allowed to work in a family, it will transform the lives of each family member into beautiful lives.  Receive the blessing and the vision God has for your family.......I promise you will not be disappointed. 

 In my early life, I was blessed with a loving Grandmother who stepped in to love me and care for me as a mother would.  She was rarely ever too busy for us, even though she worked full time as a teacher.  She gave tirelessly of her time, her finances, and her worldly goods to give me and my siblings a better life.  She was a visionary and she had a vision.  She took us to church.  God's grace met with her willingness to give.......yes, the vision took hold.   Do you have a vision in this new year?  One for your own life and one for your family?  Perhaps today would be a good day to bow and ask God for help.  He will be faithful to guide you and your family.  His vision can be trusted!  May our hearts be filled with goodness and grace!