The Ramos House Cafe~1881

 ~This tasteful little display was on our table~

Fresh Rosemary in a white vase, their famous cookbook, brown sugar cubes, and a topping!

 ~The guest are greeted to this lovely New Orleans style courtyard, even though you're in  San Juan Capistrano, California!~

From the Cook~book:  "Dating back to 1794, Los Rios Street is the oldest remaining neighborhood in California!  More than 200 years ago, the street was founded and occupied by the soldiers and the families that oversaw the construction of the mission, San Juan Capistrano."  Beautiful indeed!

Today it is home to many cottage industries which are extremely popular and amazingly profitiable!  As the french would say as your meal is about to be served..... bon appetit!  These people know how to savor life and eat well.   The owner is still hands on and has created a place, along with his employees,  that is both beautiful and inviting!  It was such a treat to go there and enjoy a delicous meal with Brigitte, my friend who gets the treat of living nearby 365 days a year!  Southern California boast year round fresh fruits and vegtables!  Our meal was a combination of both the sea and the land!  Below I am offereing you this wonderful recipe from the cookbook:  The Ramos House Cafe~1881!  Bon Appetit!

SPICY CRAB CAKE SALAD

Serves 6

1 lb dungeness crab meat

5 small pototoes, peeled, boiled and mashed

1/4 cup of mayonnaise

1/4 cup eggs

Pinch cayenne

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 tbsp Colemans's mustard

1 bunch scallions, chopped

1/4 cup basil, chopped

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp salt

Bread crumbs or panko flakes, as needed

Method:

In a large mixing bow, combine all ingredients except for bread crumbs, until thoroughly mixed.  Mix in bread crumbs until bound.  Form into 3 ox. patties.  Roll in panko flakes and fry in olive oil (he uses bacon grease) until golden brown on each side.

Serve crabe cakes over salad greens dressed Chipotle Chile Remoulade and finely diced tri-colored bell peppers.

Chipotle Chile Remoulade

Makes 3 cups

1 1/2 ox chipotle chilies, pureed

1 cup Zatarains Creole Mustard

2 cups mayonnaise

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp fresh ground black pepper

2 tbsp honey

Method:

Blend all ingredients in a mixing bowl with a whisk until incorpaorated.  Sauce will keep refrigereated for up to 2 weeks.  Enjoy!

Their website:  www.ramoshouse.com

 

California.......

~Beach Umbrella's in vibrant gold for rent on the beach in Santa Monica, California~

~They even come with chairs and towels~

 ~The view from Casa Romantica in San Clemente, California~

I was blessed to spend a few days with my dear friend, Brigitte at her beach condo!

So fun!~

 ~San Clemente has beautiful, clear, pristine beaches~

It is known as the Spanish Village by the Sea

~The pier at San Clemente~

A view from Casa Romatica!

The blessings of the past two weeks have been numerous.  I am a far richer person in my soul for the gift of time that I was honored to spend with one of my daughter's, Shelly. I am honored that God would allow me to be her mother, her friend and that He entrusted Steve and me to rear her and nurture her gifts and talents!

You see, when a child is born, little do we comprehend at the moment, the hours, days, and years, if we are blessed, that will go into helping shape their lives.  So much could, I guess, be left to chance unless we seize the time given to us as a treasured gift.  Children are born with all sorts of possibilities and it is up to us as parents to guide them into the way they should go.  The Bible speaks of this as training them in the way they should go.  Training takes discipline and dedication to get the job done in a way that brings joy, happiness, and balance to a little child's life.  I believe that when we meet a child's needs early in their development we are laying a solid foundation for their lives as they grow and mature.  We know what is happening each day because we are involved in the shaping.  Our goal as parents hopefully is to be less and less involved in their personal choices as they reach maturity, giving them room to make their own decisions and room to flourish!  There is no definite time table and as wise parents we have to know when the time has arrived to begin letting go.

This brings me back to the past two weeks of my time with Shelly. She long ago left the "nest" but needed a little help to get her car out west for a new job. Steve worked round the clock to make sure her car was ready and prepared for the trip. With his blessings and prayers, we drove across country to California....in three days.  The first evening we arrived in Austin, Texas to spend with Kristen and her sweet family!  Shelly enjoyed seeing Kristen's new home and the children!  We left early the next morning and stopped in Fredericksburg, Texas, a small town settled by German immigrants.  We enjoyed delicious pastries and coffee and even a winery and chocolate shop!  We had a rather long day but made it to Tucson, Arizona.  We talked, laughed, and experienced driving the desert together!  A beauty all it's own for sure.  Our final day was clear and beautiful arriving in Los Angeles around 4:00 pm! After checking into our hotel, we began our adventures! We had dinner the first evening on Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica.  This beautiful area offers everything you could imagine. Over the next few days, we found an apartment for her, shopped for new work clothes, shoes, and even found time to relax a little on Sunday and enjoy the beach! We enjoyed wonderful conversation and special times just walking around Santa Monica and the area where she'll be living.  Shelly is such a special person!  Her heart is big, her personality is captivating and she has always been open to life and all its opportunities.  Her travels have taken her so many places throughout Europe, North and South America and the United States, and her life is a sum of each experience. She is Shay~Shay to her nieces and nephews and so special to each one of them.  God gave us all an interesting, creative, fun, and beautiful  person inside and out when she entered our lives! She enjoys learning and she enjoys giving and sharing from what she has experienced!  We all hope for her so much success and joy in this new LIFE chapter!

 ~Saying goodbye for now to her siblings.....but looking forward to their visits to southern California!~

~For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord..."  Jeremiah 29:11

"You are my sunshine....!"

Travel.....

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

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

The SWEET Life!

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



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

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

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

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

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

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

A Summer's Dream......

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

Especially on a holiday like the 4th of July!

The Surfboard adds just the final touch!  Love it!

This beautiful photo is from House Beautiful.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Enjoy your weekend!

Happy 4th of July!

End the day with a Bocce Tournament!

Gracious Words......

Gracious words are beautiful words!  Gracious words flow like a fountain out of lips that are thoughtful, kind, wise,  loving and good.  In the book of Nehemiah in the Bible, the Word speaks of a kind of patience that God had (and still has) with people who would not listen to HIM.  Even though, they did not listen, God did not forsake them because the Word says...."For you are God, gracious and merciful."  Nehemiah 9:31  Merciful and gracious words  are able to spill out of lips graciously because God is able to change a person's words into a sweet aroma that can fill a room!   He has given us beautiful words to follow and live by.  Everyday HE IS ABLE to pour into our lives living words of TRUTH that can penetrate....... even the not so soft places in our hearts.


We all love to hear words that lift up and encourage!  Encouragement is a gift and the person whose heart is filled with it cannot help but let it spill out.... blessing whoever walks into their world!  God is gracious in placing these people everywhere!  Recently, my husband and I had the honor of attending a beautiful wedding for a friend's daughter.  Truly the entire wedding was a blessing for me because I love my friend so much and to see her happy for her daughter and the love that I know went into the planning of every single second of the wedding day.  Her love was gracious for her daughter and her countenance radiated with joy.  Love spilled out of her lips for everyone who attended!


As I was thinking about that special day, I thought about how everyday,  gracious and loving words should spill out of our lips for others.  Sort of like a fountain that spills water out so beautifully  that we stand in awe!  We remember the sight (or sound) over and over again.  Beautiful words have a way of lingering long after they are spoken.....like the first, I love you!  Remember when you first heard those words. 


Our days are filled with many things.  Many things that are necessary to do such as preparing meals, cleaning our homes, working at our jobs, running errands, paying bills, etc. but the day is better and the burdens of the day are lighter when we spend time on what matters. The time we spend with God.  May I encourage you today to fill your heart with what truly matters!  The value of filling your life with spiritual truths is to reach the highest human potential, to have abundant life. For us there is a promise if we do and it is to  "Rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ!"   I Peter 1:13  HE has a great and gracious day planned just for YOU!  Enjoy!  

Ministering Spirits.......The Wounds of an Angel

Look closely at this Angel.....his wounded arm makes him even more beautiful!

I have always been fascinated by angels.  Dr. Billy Graham calls them "God's Secret Agents." The beautiful descriptions found in the Bible give us all a keen awareness that God  has lavished His beauty on these glorious creations!  He wasted nothing in making them symbols of  beauty, goodness, and purity. In Luke 24:4 angels are described as "two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning."  They spoke words of hope and of life, "Why do you look for the living among the dead. He is not here; He has risen!"  Yes, angels are present if we take the time to look around us in the world in which we live.


Ministering spirits are people who are angels among us.  Most often, I have found, they are the ones who are the most wounded.  They hurt.  They have experienced pain. Sometimes, they are still hurting.  Yet, miraculously they are able to reach out and touch others in their serviceable labors and assistance, continually active today in advancing goodness on the earth.  In unexpected ways, they often give of their love and their time and their resources, when we least expect it!


In Hebrews 1:14 the Lord's words declare "Are not all angels ministering spirits, sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?"  Yes, they are God's messengers of love and life!  God is raising up a new generation of people who He is calling to minister in the next generation. They have a future, that is for sure.  God has ordained every day of their lives from beginning to end.  He sees their future and wants it to be good.  If you are a parent, you can do your part by just loving them, unconditionally.  Encourage them.  Love their friends. Be understanding.  Be compassionate.  Listen.  Wounds do not mean that one is useless, most often it means they've arrived just in time to be crowned in all HIS glory as a "ministering spirit"!  God has a way of making "All things work together for good."  Even the wounds!  A new day gives us all new opportunities to serve the Lord with gladness...wounds and all!  Blessings to you dear friend!

Outdoor Party........Cherished Times!

 ~Luke always brings a party joy!~

~Love is in the air~

"You are cherished!"  Those are words that uplift and words that we all desire to hear and hopefully give away each and every day!  The Bible speaks with words about dwelling and being sheltered in a love that protects and cherishes the people in our lives.  "He who dwells in the shelter of the MOST HIGH will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.  I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust."  Psalm 91:1~2  When we go into His presence, we can relax our hearts and minds and see that being with Him brings us peace as Believers.  We can let go of trying to get everything just exactly right because He is there to help us and cherish us just as we are.  Our homes should and can be that same shelter for those who dwell with us or those who come our way. 

The photos above are of a little party I gave on the spur of the moment seeking to create a refuge and fortress of peacefulness.  This weekend, being Father's Day, is such a special weekend!  I cherish my husband and so do our children and grandchildren.  They've always had fun with their Dad and Pops!  I wanted to capture the charm of an outdoor room for some special guests we invited to our home in celebration of an early Father's Day!  So......I went to work!  I began with an "old" card table, found a vintage tablecloth, a lantern from my porch, silver goblets we had received for our 25th wedding anniversary, a few antique glasses from the cupboard, our silver, and plates I had picked up inexpensively!  And oh yes, the white linen napkins!  In just a short time, the party started, the guest arrived and the dinner was served!  There are so many ways to show the ones you love that you cherish them and love them!  The rewards are the love and smiles returned to you ten~fold!  Simply beautiful......time slows down when memories are made!  I hope you are able to enjoy some cherished times and make beautiful memories with your family and friends this weekend!!  Happy Father's Day to all the Dads!

Photos and Memories of France......

~A French side-walk cafe~

While in France, like most who visit there,  I fell in love!  I fell for the people, Paris, Avignon, St. Remy de Provence, and other villages.....the food, the wines, the chocolates, and truly all things that the French enjoy!  I loved when you entered a shop or a cafe, I was warmly greeted with Bonjour! (hello)  If I would purchase something it was Merci! (thank you) and as I would leave it would be, Au revoir (good-bye). The cafes and the relaxed way of enjoying a meal changed my life forever! Why hurry?  France is home to a number of different peoples.  Most are descended from settlers and invaders of ancient times.  The Gauls, Romans, and Scandinavian adventurers known as Vikings.  Other settlers included Germanic peoples.  Most of the French people live in cities and towns or small villages and their standard of living is high compared to many American towns.  French is spoken by almost everyone.  All people seem to have a respect for one another. Lots of young couples and beautiful French men and women but I noticed elderly men and women almost everywhere that we traveled.  Elderly men were playing pentanque along with the young under shady trees.  This is a game similar to Bocce', which the Italians play.  France is a beautiful country and I hope to go again!  There are so many beautiful villages to explore!  Enjoy the photos of France and the quaint little man, who must be someone's French father, I am sure, strolling his way through town early on a Sunday morning! I can just imagine what is behind the shutters and their faded colors that I photographed in many of the photos!  We traveled by TGV Train to Avignon and then we rented a car and drove to smaller villages!  I brought back beautiful memories and a love in my heart for all things French! Enjoy and please make your travel plans!!!

A Frenchman, making his way through the village with his basket!

 Bonjour! Come in!

 Or maybe here......

There is little need for window treatments here! 

 A favorite color!

 Beautiful doors.....everywhere!

Finish with a coffee! Americano no doubt!

Latte!

A Father's Love......

The Lord's Table

Our Heavenly Father invites us all!

This coming Sunday it will be a day to honor FATHERS!  I love this day because I am full of gratitude to be married to a wonderful Christian man who loves and adores children!  He loved ours before they were born and everyday he truly devotes himself to others who are important in his life.  God smiled on our children to give them such an amazing father.  He was there when they were born, he was there when they learned to walk, he was there when they learned to ride a bike, he was there to dry their tears when they fell or were hurting, he was there to show them how to live, he was there everyday of their lives and still is!  He is a gift! I am truly grateful! My own father was not present much in my life.  That is one of the reasons that I treasure so much the love I see my husband have for our family.  Sometimes, one has to wait and be patient to see how God will restore what is lost.  But be sure, HE WILL!!!


A father's love is such a special kind of love.  It is modeled after our Father in Heaven who loves and cares for His own children, created and fashioned in HIS own image.  In the beginning of creation, His sole intent was to create a perfect place for families to live and grow and be nurtured by His love and tender care.  He provided everything that they would need for a happy and wonderful life.  Those, blessed to have families know the value of a loving Father in the home.  A shepherd so to speak.  One who guides and provides for his family and sees his role in that light.  A Godly home can be a haven for those who dwell within it's walls.  God provides for families, according to the size of each one.  In the book of Genesis, in the story of Joseph, when Joseph's brothers came to him in need of food during the famine in Egypt, "Joseph provided his father, and his brothers and all his father's household with food, according to their little ones."  states Genesis 47:12  For us also, there is a Heavenly Father who provides for every need that a family has.  So whether it is one, two, three, four, or five, or more......God will provide for the size of a family.  It is a loving attribute of a Father's love.  Prayer and faith working together builds strong families.  The foundation that is built upon a belief in God as our Father opens our lives to blessings.  Showers of blessings!


One of the most special examples of a Father's love and the blessings of a Godly father is found in Chapter 15 of Luke.  It is the story of the Prodigal son.  It's the story of a certain man who had two sons and the younger son asked for his share of the inheritance early.  He gathered all his belongings and went off to a distant country and he squandered his estate with loose living.  He found himself at the worst possible place.....without work and without food.  It was at that point, he remembered the "father" who had loved and cared for him and graciously had given him his inheritance.  Perhaps the Holy Spirit brought this loving thought of his wonderful father into his mind.  It doesn't matter how it happened but the truth is, the Bible says it did!  He quickly set out to go to his father's house and while he was still a long way off his father saw him, and felt compassion for him and ran and embraced him and kissed him.  The son told to father that he had sinned against heaven and in his sight and that he was no longer worthy to be his son......the father just was so happy to see his son, nothing else mattered....his son was home!  He called for the fattest calf to be roasted and the dancing and merry times to begin.  What an amazing evening that must have been!  Tears, embraces, forgiveness, unconditional love abounding and abounding.  It does not matter, my friend what you've ever done.....A Father's Love is ready to embrace you.  I just imagine that father, on his knees, praying everyday for his son to come home.  A Father's love intercedes for his children.  There are times when one doesn't know exactly what to say or how to pray.  It doesn't matter.  The Heavenly Father's love is available to take your words and fashion them in a way that will be presented before a Throne full of grace and love.  Know for SURE.....God loves you!

Outdoor Furniture and It's Beauty....

 ~This beautiful chair is by Pierce Martin~

~from Veranda~

~This lovely setting of Sutherland's Peninsula Chaise is by designer Terry Hunziker~

~Photo from Veranda~

 These two handsome and beautiful beach babies belong by the Ocean for sure!

After a long day of swimming with Nina and Pops there is nothing more relaxing than to lay out by the pool and have your favorite boxed beverage in a comfortable chaise!!!  To spend time with a child is a beautiful way to REFRESH!  They see the good and the beauty in everyone.....as should we! 

Shopping for outdoor furniture today is a bit like shopping for a new sofa!  There are many styles and many colors and oh for sure many price ranges!  These beautiful designs above caught my eye for their simplicity and their curves.  Symmetry gives the look a sleek, relaxed feel, with clean lines.  Before the season is out....I would like to find a couple of nice chairs for our patio!


How do you relax?  How do you restore?  How do you refresh?  For sure, today everyone seems to lead such a busy life.  It is still important to have those times of rest and restoration.   In the beautiful little book  Gift from THE SEA ,  Ann Morrow Lindbergh writes how at the beach as one begins to relax, " the tired body takes completely over. As on shipboard, one descends into a deck-chair apathy. One is forced against one's mind, against all tidy resolutions, back into the primeval rhythms of the seashore.  Rollers on the beach, wind in the pines, the slow flapping of herons across sand dunes, drown out the hectic rhythms of city and suburb, time tables and schedules.  One falls under their spell, relaxes, stretches out prone.  One becomes, in fact, like the element on which one lies, flattened by the sea: bare, open empty as the beach, erased by today's tides of all yesterdays's scribblings."   Isn't that what we hope for? To let go is good. She goes on to say as the week at the seashore progresses," we are able to lie open, choiceless as a beach~waiting for a gift from the sea."  Who really knows what God will bring you today?  Let today be a gift!


It is my hope than you have times to relax and restore.  It is important.  It makes one sweeter inside and out!  Here's to a sweet day for you dear friend!

In the Bible, God speaks of repentance also as a way of refreshment.  We all need to repent of sin in our lives, you know things we do or say that do not reflect God's best for us.  It's a hard place to be.....to see....that we need to turn and ask God to help us start fresh so that we can be a vessel as beautiful as a seashell found as a gift on the seashore.  Acts 3:19 encourages us to "Repent therefore and be converted, that yours sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come form the presence of the Lord."  Enjoy those precious time that come from the presence of the LORD!  You are a special treasure!  Amen!

Dreamy White Room......

~Photo from Victoria~

There are days when an all white room would be perfect!  The heat in south Mississippi is already pouring down on us here!  White rooms, white furniture, white flowers, white towels, pure thoughts, pure motives, pure heart!  Those are what I wish for you and for myself today!!!!  Enjoy the day that God has placed before you! 


AT HOME WITH white   is a fantastic little book by Atlanta Bartlett, an interiors stylist whose trademark look is best described as accessible and easy-going.  In the book she shows you how to keep white contemporary using different textures and shades of white.  The book is divided into sections, each sharing about a particular mood one might want to create in their home.  I love the section on romantic white.  She says, "Romance comes in many guises, from fairy tale to boudoir, and can therefore be adapted to suit a variety of tastes.  it is not a look anchored in practicality, but a means of escape to whisk you away from the humdrum of everyday life."  I like that!  Here's hoping to do away with humdrum lives!!!  That is my goal at STARFISH DESIGNS!!!!

 Who doesn't love a white seashell?

 I found mine on sale!!!!  

order from www.amazon.com

 ~The Jekyll Island Club Hotel off the coast of Georgia~

The scene of great "WHITE"  memories!!!!