Infinite Blessings That Fill the Soul

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over  ~ Ps 23:5

"My cup runneth over" is a quotation from the Hebrew bible and means simply that I have more than enough for my needs. Today, as most days, I am feeling overwhelmed with the blessings in my life. Truly, I have more than enough for my needs, infinite blessings, and for this I am eternally grateful. Thank you, my King.

Family Photo Session!

Just a real quick post to ask you to travel quickly over to Allison Hilyer's photo blog to see beautiful photos of our daughter Jenny and her family. Allison, you did a beautiful job and captured the heart of this family we love. Thank you so much!!! Now, to decide which ones I want!!!

While catching up on my blog roll tonight, I came across this at Freckled Laundry. Like her, it grabbed my heart strings and I wanted to share this with my readers as she is doing with hers.

Tomorrow, March 18th, I will be participating in the Bloggers Day of Silence. I feel it is important, far more important than anything I would normally make a post around. You will find me back here again on Saturday. I know you understand and I would love for those of you with blogs of your own to repost the above notice and participate with us. Japan needs all the prayers and donations we can give.

A Loving Pa

I have to hand it to John. He is the sweetest grandfather I have ever know. One of my grandfathers scared me to death. My sister was the only one he liked, the rest of us tried not to be around him much, preferring instead to play outside in their awesome-to-a-kid terraced Birmingham backyard. The other grandfather just made me feel uncomfortable, for a number of reasons. His temper being one. My own father had three favorite grandchildren. The others got the brunt of his fussing and bit of cussing about the door being slammed, or the coming in and going out, or any other reason that messed up his day. So when we first became grandparents, I truly expected John to be the same. He had a quick temper, he was the baby of the family so he'd never been around real young children. Even with our daughters, he felt uncomfortable until they were pretty much high school age. The moment he held our first, Austin Brett, a look came over this face that remains to this day. The man truly is in love with each and everyone of our five grandchildren. And it shows. I have never heard him raise his voice, and not once does he hesitate to babysit them alone if it's where I cannot be there with him. He is the ultimate. And I am so grateful for this. The photo you see above was taken this past Sunday. We had just left Las Casitas and Noah said, "I hold you, Pa". He's four but John says he'll carry him, and any of the others, until their legs drag the ground {smile font}. And I bet he will.

And simply because it's St Patrick's Day, here's a beautiful, restful bedroom with soft hints of green. I noticed driving in this afternoon that the roses are beginning to bloom, and the leaves are coming back out on the crepe myrtles, not to mention the flowering shrubs already in bloom. The Park has THE most beautiful landscaping and in a few weeks when it's at full bloom, I'll show why I've said this!

It's a Brand New Week!

"Being happy doesn't mean that everything is perfect. It means that you've decided to look beyond the imperfections." I found this saying today and just love it! I also love how my Father, the King, takes the things that would pull me down to sadness and turns them into learning experiences that bring about brighter and more beautiful days. I am so blessed to have seen the Garden, and to know my Father. I pray that you, too, know the Lord and if not, I'd love us to email and discuss any questions you might have.

Simple Things Make Me Happy

This Master closet was an unorganized mess. Because the bedroom and closet are smaller than the ones upstairs, we chose to make one of the upstairs bedrooms the master. However, with time we began sleeping downstairs more and more and somehow, John's clothes began appearing in the closet. You can go here to see the, what I called, a disaster area. We rent this townhome, so I didn't want to put much money into more shelving and other ways to utilize the space. I purchased the two smaller shelves

and look what a difference an afternoon can make! The top photo is looking straight into the closet. The one just above is to the right. The other part is behind the door. Yeah, small area but now it works! Well,

as long as we don't try to put my clothes in there. I still keep mine upstairs and love having the larger closet. When I get the nerve I'll show you that one. The reason I don't now is that I also store seasonal decor in there at this time. Let me get the floor a bit more organized and I'll share at that time.

This is what used to be the photo below. I still haven't gotten to Walmart or Lowe's to get a small green plant to grow in water in the thin glass jar. When I do that, I'll remove the silk fern behind the ceramic birds. Here's a hint to those of you with a wall outlet in the middle of your wall. We have an entertainment area, complete with surround sound, etc at The Park and we love it! BUT my sweet man did NOT want to hang his large screen on the wall, so I was faced with placing a shelf over the outlet. Which wouldn't have been difficult had you not had wires hanging from below the shelf. (Yeah, the cable outlet is in the middle of the wall, along with another necessary outlet.) While painting the wall, I merely painted the wiring and it blends in so well, you don't see it unless you're looking for it!

We had three adorable munchkins with us for a bit recently and here's some photos from that day. Have I told you before how much we love our grandbabies. I had no idea love could be so wide and so deep.

Pa and Ian were involved with Animal Planet. Normally, it's PBS Kids or a network that shows the older cartoons like Jetson's, Pink Panther, Yogi Bear. We are trying to get him interested in other genres and the Animal Planet is working. For about thirty minutes, then it's "Pa, can we find a kids station?" He and Pa share the same depth of concentration, too. They hear noone, NOONE, when they're watching TV.

Five Question Friday

I'm linking in with Five Crooked Halos. Come and play along!

1. Do you know what your REAL hair color is? Yes, a dark blonde that I keep highlighted. Oh to have that soft, light blonde color I had as a child.

2. Do you plan ahead for summer, or fly by the seat of your pants? Pretty much fly by the seat of our pants, it's more interesting this way. Our vacations are not filled with itineraries. We pick a place, then get up when we want, go when we want, eat where we want, and just let our day create itself. Drives some our friends crazy, though.

3. What is your favorite meal to cook? I do not cook as often now that we are empty nesters, but my favorite meal to cook when our daughters were home was roast beef with veggies, rolls, and lots of sweet tea. Normally an apple pie with ice cream for dessert. Yummy! Wish I had a plate right now!

4. Do you get offended by not receiving thank yous? I do not waste my time wondering and worrying and fussing when I don't get thank you's. When you give a gift, it's to be obligation free. I know of one person that kept a notebook with gifts that had been given to her children and the app. price so that she would spend that much/that little on them. Horrors. I give freely and without another thought.

5. How did you meet your best friend? Which one?! I have best friends in every facet of my life and love them to death. I don't have any best friends from high school that I see anymore, but do from my college days and of course, throughout my teaching career and the congregations we worshipped with over the years. I am also blessed to have three daughters that I feel are three of my best ones. God has been good in placing special women in my life exactly where and when they are needed.

Prayer Request

Please remember in your prayers those that have been affected and will continue to be affected by the earthquake and tsunami in the west. The news reports have been horrific and will continue to hit our state of Hawaii and the West Coast of our nation.

Beautiful Homes, Beautiful Ideas ~

You simply must go over to Willow Decor and see the numerous photos of this gorgeous brick home in north Georgia. Not only is it beautiful but the surroundings make it regal, yet cozy. Elegant, yet classic. I would love love love to be the owners wrapped up in this winter's snow. There's an amazing fireplace. While I was reading through some of the comments, I noted that the owner of this home had comments on the electric bills. You might find that interesting as well. Again, "Wow, what a home". 'Nuf said.

How would you like to live in a Post Office?! This family does. It's transformation can be found at one of my very favorite sites, Hooked on Houses. I was surprised at the decor and the size of the rooms and amazed that I didn't think they looked cold or lofty. It all flowed well and I could see myself living there. Well, after I've had time to live in the brick home in north Georgia. That one's still got my heart.

Now for some home decor. This is a nightlight and you can find the tutorial at Life {Sweet} Life. It's easy directions and well written.  You'll find yourself decorating to fit the theme of your little one's room. A cute idea and one that is also very useful. We are empty nesters now but I still have little lights in most of the rooms and hallways. They're useful but also set a nice ambiance.

Last, but not least by a long shot, is the fabulous wreath Kristen at Kristen's Creations has made. AND she's giving us the directions. Directions so easy I can even follow them.  I haven't made it to Hobby Lobby yet to get the items needed, but plan to by the weekend, so our door will be dressed for the season.

Take the time to explore all four of these blogs. They are talented women and love to talk of their ideas for design and home decor.  I always find something new to try and learn various ways of changing up the vignettes you've already set out. These four ladies are very talented with what they do. Hooked on Houses will get you indoors to just about any home you've wondered about. Have a grand time looking around!

We had some much needed rain today and the Hubs and I slept in until almost noon. Felt soooo good and then had three of our grandbabies here this afternoon for laughter and giggles. Pizza rounded it out when the parents came in and my heart is just running over with His infinite blessings tonight. Almost time for sweet slumber. I pray your week has been a good one and that the rest of the week smiles upon you ~

Through the Eyes of a Camera

This is part of an arrangement you see as you enter our living area. I thought it looked nice, until I took a photo of it. Ahhh, that's what we need to do to make sure it does look as it should. For instance, I find that I don't like the flower arrangement with the colors in the plate and the hanging picture. Somthing different needs to be done, such as a statue or at least a floral arrangement with the colors in the plate.

This arrangement looked totally okay with me, until I took the photo. The book looks out of place. The spiral topiary looks lifeless. Somethings need to be taken away and something different brought in.

I saw this arrangement on a favorite blog, but cannot remember for the life of me which one it was. What I didn't do here, as far as a photo, it so make sure I had the place settings visible. The one photo I did take of one of the settings showed the salad plate off center. Little things like that you don't see on blogs where the author is not only an awesome decorator but seems to have such a knack with a camera!

This vignette? I like it {smile font}. In fact, I love it. And it's the colors I want to be bringing into our home for the Spring and Summer season. The photo is one of my favorites ~ our son in law chasing his first born. I really can't say that I want to do anything different with this area.

Who can guess what's wrong here?! Butterflies and birds. We don't have a mantel to decorate in this home and instead have a large shelf (Hobby Lobby) over the flatscreen TV. From where I'm sitting, I can see that it needs a 'bird' picture and maybe some live greenery spilling from the glass bottle. The card you see is a postcard that, in reality, has an old time charm. You don't notice the bright gold colors that popped out in the photograph.  Now, let's see what can be done to these arrangements! Stay tuned! Now that my sweet man is coming off this shift, I can make noise during the day!

Blessed Beyond Words

This morning I am feeling, simply,

blessed beyond words.

Play Along!

Rules for Five Question Friday:  Copy and paste the following questions to your blog post, answer them, then go to My Little Life and link up!  OR you can simply answer the questions in comment form to me! I'd love to see what your answers are!

1. Have you ever forgotten your child in a store or at school? No, but once our youngest daughter was left at church. He thought I had her and I thought he had her. Turns out her Sunday School teacher took her under her wing when the parking lot emptied. I was majorly embarrassed.

2. Where did you go on your very first date? to the Montgomery Mall, walked around, ate at Krystal and did a lot of handholding and smiling

3. What's your "silly" fear? (We're not talking water and heights.) Not so much now that we live on the second and third floors, but I was silently terrified that a snake would find its way into our ground level homes. Come in a door left open or follow a mice through a breathing hole in the brick exterior, get into the walls, and then into my home. Eeeewwww

4. Confrontation: do you cause it, deal with is as it comes, or run far far away? I do all I can to avoid confrontations, as normally the other party isn't acting rational or open minded.

5. Wood floors or carpet? Wooden floors throughout the house with layers of rugs that are soft and dreamy to the touch.

OkieDokie, your turn! Remember, you can link HERE if you want to join the party. OR stay here and answer the comments in my space!  HeY pEOpLe, IT'S FRIDAY!!!

It Can Look Like Ballard's!

I love Ballard Designs. There are items I order from Ballard Designs. But not many. Mostly, I just copy them. If you are blessed, as I am, to have not only a Michael's and a Kirklands, but a Michael's, Kirklands AND a Hobby Lobby, you can recreate any page in the Ballard catalog. Take for instance, the above console. I love it! You can find it at Kirkland's for at least, depending on the sale that week, $1000 less than the one shown above. The one at Kirklands is a bit shorter but you have the choice of a distressed black or a deep distressed red. Gorgeous. Functional. Cheap. CheapER.

The next idea I've shown before, when I was featuring other blogs. This is in the Ballard Design catalog. Yeah, you have to buy it. Old books with the cover torn off, tied with string. MaKe iT. It's cheaper!

Who doesn't love to see flowering trees and shrubs this time of year?! You can buy these at BD, too, but guess what?! I got 5 stems at Hobby Lobby for $1.99 a piece on sale! And they had yellow forsythia if you like the yellow color.

I took a tall skinny candle holder, put some sand and rocks in it, and told Mr. Hood NOT to water them. (The small lamp may not be staying there. I like the light during the evening hours, but during the day it looks a bit busy to me. What do you think? Should I move the lamp out?)

I haven't seen them in Kirkland's lately but we bought a huge square faux tufted leather ottoman for less than $100 two years ago.  Still have it, still looks good as new, still love it. One of my girlfriends was looking for a table to go between her two sofas, so guess who drove her to Kirklands?! Muah. She chose this one and stores her soft coverlets for those nights you need something fuzzy to snuggle up in.

Pictures. Have you noticed how much money you can spend on one framed picture?! Good 'ole Kirklands. Good 'ole Hobby Lobby.  Now, you have to wait for HB to have their framed pics at 50%, but that happens at least once a month.  They are still a bit pricier than Kirkland's but I shop both stores.

Just be careful when you go to spend hard earned money on sets such as this.  There are blogs, like The Feathered Nest and The Graphics Fairy, that love to give away free prints! Wally World sells frames like this for $2. HELLO?! Betcha could find a matching mat while you're at it. Oh, and while I've got The Graphics Fairy on my mind, she also gives out free backgrounds for your blog! You can find her in the list on the lower right hand side of my blog under 'Dress Your Blog'.

Think how easy this would be to go through the aisles at Michael's and Hobby Lobby, choose nine of your favorite scrapbook papers, grab nine small canvases, some spray adhesive and you're set to go. And saved a bundle of money.Notice how they didn't hang one of the corner squares. They've propped it. Cute!

It's this size framed art that I look for at Kirklands and Hobby Lobby. OR grab some paints, a plate, two brushes (one to use, one to hold in your teeth), a spray bottle of water, and 'paint, brush, and spray' like David Bromstad on HGTV. He AmAZeS me with the way he whips out a painting. He laughs a lot, too. Maybe that's another reason I like to watch him.

His theory? "Just take off with an idea. You can always paint over it." I've held that theory for years.