Life With Benefits.......

Imagination can bring a smile to the face.  Hopefully, we all have a few moments each day to imagine something outside the box of an ordinary routine day.  We can learn to appreciate these ideas by putting them on paper, if we are writers. However an artist or a photographer is especially blessed because their imagination can come to life on canvas!

Each person who is born has a specific purpose designed by a loving God, just for them!  When my children were little and sometimes things were not going as I had hoped and planned, I would quote the verse in my heart, found in the Bible in Psalm 138:8, "The Lord will fulfill, his purpose for me; Your love, O Lord, endures forever~do not abandon the works of Your hands."  I would substitute the "for me", with the child's name giving the prayer a personal claim to God's involvement in my child's life.  It always helped!  God stands ready to intervene in our lives in miraculous and amazing ways.  He has a timetable and a divine purpose for each precious life.  His desire is to give us a life with benefits.  Benefits are anything that helps our life be better and fulfill our destiny.  We are asked to pursue righteousness and love if we want to find this life  that He so, so, so desires to give us according to Proverbs 21:21.  There are actions we must take as we walk in His ways and The Lord encourages us to write them on the tablet of our heart-WOW!!!  He knew we would need to keep His words deep within our souls.

Now....to my picture of Clay.  On the day of our daughter, Kara's wedding, Clay was one of the Ringbearers.  The photos from the wedding arrived and when I saw this one that the photographer had snapped, I knew immediately that life does indeed come with benefits!!!  This photo is one of those assurances that says, "LIFE IS GOOD!"  ~ especially in the smile and eyes of a precious eight year old boy.  It was a spontaneous moment.  Dear God~give us all, I pray, more spontaneous moments in our days!  Yes, dear friend, life can and does have benefits!!!  Trust God to give you a good and happy life.  Happy Labor Day weekend to you.  I hope you find time to use your imagination and to do something spontaneous........

An Angel......from my Prayer Garden

Praying today for some special people.  Most all of us know people who have or are presently suffering.  Suffering is painful, perhaps the most difficult type of pain, for  both the heart and soul are involved.  Truly, those are the saints and angels we are honored to know in this earthly life.  All of those people teach us many truths about our Mighty God and how His Hand moves in difficulty!  Every day there are people who suffer and are in situations dependent upon God's hand to move. Their lives teach us how praising God and waiting and watching for Him to turn things around can become part of our own personal prayer lives and draw us nearer to Him as we seek His answers in their situations.  "We......have to remember that His timing is not ours.  God's timing is perfect.  Praising Him helps us to rest in that."  Stormie Omartian

God has promised in Psalm 31:15 that our times and our lives are in His Hand.  "Oh, how great is YOUR goodness which you have stored up for those who fear you, which you have prepared for those who trust in You in the presence of men."  Yes, earthly angels are those who suffer, reminding us that when "You pass through the waters, I will be with you."  Isaiah 43:2..... Both blessing and refreshing!  God cares for those who suffer.  "But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen and settle you."  I Peter 5:10  Let us remember trials are temporary in light of eternity!  Looking forward to Eternity with the Savior!!!

Home.....

An idyllic country garden provides a beautiful backdrop for this afternoon lunch!  It inspires us all to get out of our comfort zone and invite someone over for a peaceful and relaxing visit!  We can enjoy being at home, after all it's where our soul is restored, refreshed, and renewed!  "Home is a spa for the soul.  Where else can we feel this happy, where else can we putter about among our favorite things while enjoying our family?"
Alexandra Stoddard

Love and Kindness

This beautiful house is just down the street from where our precious daughter Kara  and her groom, Phil, live!  Can you imagine just walking down the street each day and passing this beautiful place on the River Wensum in Norwich?   It was in the heart of someone to build this home in the 1700's and even today, 200 years later,  people pass by and are in awe of the beautiful surroundings.  It is named after John Pull, who operated a ferry and Inn there from1796-1841. 

What is in your heart today?  I hope some love and kindness creating lasting moments of influence for someone your life will touch.  Since it is Sunday, truly our thoughts turn to the Lord of Glory!  It doesn't really matter what is behind us or before us, because the encouraging words found in Ecclesiastes 3:11 in the Bible assure us, "He has made everything beautiful in its time."  Those words include every circumstance and every situation you are praying about!  Each one!

Each day, we are given twenty-four hours of time and depending upon our age and individual circumstances, determinations are made on how we will use those twenty-four hours.  There are responsibilities we have and must complete and often there are limitations we must accept if we have others who require our attention throughout the day.  Some things we cannot control, but thankfully, we are given the control  over our thoughts and influences throughout the day.  We can determine to seek to please God in all we do, say, and believe and truly, each day can be like a Sunday when our thoughts are focused on HIM!  This can start each morning with PRAISE!  Just by speaking the words, "I praise you, Lord of Heaven and earth!"  When our thoughts are focused on the Lord of Glory and the realization that He is the Light of Glory, it's going to be a good day!  In Luke 18:27 Jesus spoke the words....."The things which are impossible with men are possible with God."  Psalm 63:3 says, "Because your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You."  Go ahead, try it and see, even lift your hands and see.....He will pour out His blessings on your day!  Look expectantly for gracious and goodness in your day and trust Him at His Word that "He will make everything beautiful in its time."  EVERYTHING!  Such an awesome promise to you and me!

A Beautiful and Simple Change

The Lord knows our names, the number of our days, and where we are to spend each one of them!  Sometimes it seems He just gives us too few days to spend with someone dear to us.  "The Lord is our Shepherd, we shall not want.....He guides us in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake."  Psalm 23

I admit, I am a sentimental person.  It's hard for me to part with people I love and care about and it is hard for me to let go, but I do and usually, it's finding something productive in my life that helps me to move forward and exclaim....."everything will be okay."  Change is good for all of us in our lives.  The ocean is a wonderful analogy of change......it is constantly moving and the tides and waves roll in and out and bring a freshness and a calmness that change can be beautiful if we take the time to stop and look and especially listen.  It's almost soothing and can lead us in those paths of righteousness that David was speaking of in the 23rd Psalm.  There is a renewal that accompanies change.

Change brings me to this picture.....someone needed a change and decided to part with this table!  Can you believe it?  My husband has an eye for vintage and antique furnishings that he knows I will bring back to life, of course with his help.  When he first brought this table home, it was cracked across the top, two legs were broken and it looked like it had seen it's better days and where it would spend its future, discarded...... While furniture comes and goes......it seems it rarely does with us!  We find something, and decide to  try and make something beautiful out of it!  Swedish furniture is often times painted and it seems that we have really been into painting furniture lately!  Painting does cover the unsightly blemishes of something with a bit of age, plus it gives the piece depth and detail. This is exactly what we found with this table and every detail appeared as we painted it for the ultimate dinner table for entertaining.  I've prepared the table for an early dinner with a wonderful friend.  As you see, it doesn't have to be an elaborate production to be a beautiful evening.  Something small and modest can be very nice.  Yes, simple can be lovely.  Entertain your family and friends for truly, we do not know how long they will be in our presence!

I leave you with a beautiful thought by Mother Teresa. "Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier.  Be the living expression of God's kindness."

Goodness

Today I have been thinking about many things......good things.  Goodness is described in Websters as a condition of being good and goodness is described as being better than the usual or average kind.  Something in good condition is pleasing or satisfying...... at least a little more than ordinary.  In the Bible, when God created the earth in  Genesis 1:10 the words read, "God saw that it was good."  Men and women have been described as good and God even goes on to tell us, "That every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning."  James 1:17  People can do many good things.  We can prepare a dinner for a new mother and this is a very good gift.  We can share good words of encouragement and hope with someone who going through a difficult journey.  The Bible even says that sometimes we can suffer for doing good......now that is a thought.  But I love the words of Exodus 34:6-7 "And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, "The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands , forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin....."
In other words, because of God's goodness, He never throws us out!  He is merciful and patient with us and forgives us of our sinful nature.  He is able to make something new, out of a tattered and torn life, daily!  Psalm 31:19 declares "Oh, how great is Your goodness, which You have laid up for those who fear you, which You have prepared for those who trust in You in the presence of the sons of men!"  God's love for you makes His face to shine upon you daily and His spirit draws you close to His heart to learn of this goodness that He desires to share with you and with me.  This brings me to share this picture with you.  An old chair, discarded, ready to be thrown out and trashed but I saw the beautiful lines and possibilities!  So I waited until I had some extra time and began to sand it down, tested just a teensy dribble of paint and a whisper of a brush stroke.  I continued to paint it, it was good, I blessed it too.  I found some discarded fabric, decided how I wanted it to look and begin to create!  So you see my finished project below.  It is such a privilege to be made new again~daily in the presence of the Mighty Hands of God.  Often we take goodness for granted.  I hope tomorrow that I remember "God is great, God is Good, let us thank Him......."  Have a blessed and wonderful weekend~may it be GOOD!

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!

Blessings

I love this picture......my sweet girls!(Shelly has on very high platforms :)

Another Pretty Room

This room says....calmness, serenity,quiet, still...... a really beautiful place. It is beautiful and it's one of those pictures that look like the furniture has been acquired over several years, here and there. I like this kind of room found in the March issue of House Beautiful (my favorite).  Just sit down, have a cup of tea, read a book, think, dream, read my Bible and pray............just wait for directions!  I especially like the window treatments!  Natural colors are appealing this time of year!

  Most homes are lived in with toys on the floor, here and there, a book on the table with a book mark in it, a piece of thread on the carpet waiting for someone to see it and pick it up.  You know, the houses that say real people live here!  "Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it;  Unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows; for He gives to His beloved even in His sleep!"  Psalm 127:1-2  Oh yes, He does!!!  It's a promise!  Our homes can and with grace and humbleness are able to honor God!  We can enjoy pretty pictures without expecting perfection in ourselves or others.  We'll  be a lot happier and have a whole lot more fun in life........

My Heart

I post this because it captures my HEART!  The dresses that Olivia and Isabel are wearing were designed and hand sewn over a three month period.  I made them over the course of  three months as I had time,  hand stitching the laces together on the bodice of each dress.  The sleeves and body of the dresses are organza.  I didn't use a pattern, I just knew how I wanted the girls to look and so I began.  To quote from Dr. Zivago....."then it's a gift!"   God has blessed me with many blessings of which I am grateful and when time is something He's allowed, we can turn it into nothing or we can turn it into something lasting!  Invest in others and you'll be rewarded.....example......someone sent me this adorable picture. They took the time to snap it, print it, and send it to me.....how it blessed to receive it!  Victoria, my niece, is the little girl to the left of Kara.  We found her dress in New Orleans and it was beautiful on her.  Ava's dress was worn in Kristen and Brian's wedding almost twelve years ago by Brian's niece.  We just made a few alterations.  Clay's suit came from Dillards (thank you Dillards) and Luke's outfit, I had planned to make but found this one and he looked so sweet in it!  Perfect color for his beautiful skin coloring!  It just all worked out for this lovely picture!  I am planning to use it as a postcard for my Children's Wedding Clothes brochure.
Stay tuned!  Off to sew...........

A New Entry

A Beautiful Entry Foyer

Such a beautiful home!  The elements and colors of this entry are well balanced and the gray/blue color scheme is calming and soothing!  Love it!!!  I love colors and styles that are calming, a fountain in the background with water trickling down......just saying all is well!  Peacefulness.  Isn't that what we all hope for in our lives?  Peace does come...... but often times it's after a storm or an event that we would gladly wish away.  The Bible says, "Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.  You come to the help of those who gladly do right, who remember your ways."  Isaiah 64:4-5  There are other Scriptures that remind us of those times when things are difficult in the life of someone we love.  Trust me, I know, I've been there too. Romans 8:28 encourages us that God truly is working all things together for good!  Even the not so calm places in life's path.  When I was young, at church we sang a song THE LORD KNOWS THE WAY THROUGH THE WILDERNESS......all we have to do is follow. Wilderness experiences are not that pleasant.  They are tough places where ones feels lost and without clear direction. Websters defines it as a waste land or overgrown land with no settlers.  Honestly, I do not believe that God waste any wilderness experience but I do believe that He doesn't want us to settle there.  He wants us to learn the lessons of those times of waiting and trusting on Him to guide us through safely to the promised land!  Looking ahead is good when we know the One who is guiding our journey and making us whole in the process.  Often He takes away the rough places within our hearts and makes them smooth and calm.  I don't know what is going on in your life today but I can pray if you read this,  that you will allow God to guide you to a place that He has already entered.  His Entry Foyer is open and He is inviting you to come in and share and fellowship with Him.  In Luke 1:46-47 Mary said,  " My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior."  Amen to her words!!!  Have a blessed day and ENTER IN!!!