WHAT MORE COULD A GIRL ASK FOR

I always said I wanted a volvo, and for the last two weeks this is what has been waiting for me when I came home from work. Not quite the volvo I had in mind but never the less a volvo. The city has been re-laying water lines on my street and have decided to use my driveway for their over night parking place!!! Oh well, life goes on....and I must say that besides the fact that I have this huge tonka toy parked beside my house, my rose garden looks quite lovely.....I think I must have a thousand blooms..... and yes I have been going out and staring at them every chance I get..and cutting them and bringing them inside to enjoy .... Ever since I was a little girl I wanted a rose garden and a house with a white picket fence, well Allen planted me a rose garden and built me a white picket fence....what more could a girl ask for??
as I have been taking pictures lately , a whole lot more than I ever have so that I have something interesting to blog about, I feel like my camera is a window to my soul.....all the things I take pictures of are the things I love, that inspire me, and that make me soulfully joyous!!!

BEING THANKFUL

This weekend I went to visit Mckinsey and her “boyfriend” Whitney. I put boyfriend in parenthesis because I usually get in trouble for calling him her friend,so I wanted to make it clear that he is her “boyfriend”……anyway I went to Dallas to see them and see Mckinsey in action at her new job. She is going to be teaching at a preschool in Frisco, Texas and is most excited about it…….it is a brand new multi million dollar facility called Crème De La Crème if that tells you something about how nice it is…….since she was working all day I drug Whitney with me on an all day shopping adventure…….first we went to Sam Moon Home, then Sam Moon luggage and then Sam Moon jewelry …..he was not too impressed nor was I, and probably the most exciting thing there was that we feared for our lives in taking the last know parking place!!!! ….next we went to Sample House , where if I owned my own store that is exactly what it would be like……lots of good stuff!!! Then on to other girly stores……( I had no idea as I was dragging him all over that he would have probably rather been at home watching some basketball???? Playoff???or something like that.) He was quite the trooper as always , and I appreciate that.
On Sunday we went to IKEA . If you have never been you need to go. It is quite an experience, lots and lots of good stuff. Mckinsey bought her a bed frame, and some other trinkets. Shopping has become a new experience for us. It’s kind of nice to go shopping and all she wants is my opinion and not my credit card. I never dreamed that day would come!!
Then I started home….on my long quiet drive home I began to think of all the things I was thankful for…
To God for….. The sun which lit my way….. for the wildflowers along my way , for my eyes that allow me to see all His beauty around us….. for my eyes that allow me to see when the car in front of me slams on his brakes for no apparent reason….. The air we breathe, the cows in the pasture… the Starbucks at Exit 343 …..And I could go on and on….
To Allen who pays all my bills especially my gasoline bill so I can go see the kids whenever I want to….. And for not caring that all I left him to eat was Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches…..
To Whitney for being the shopping trooper and for loving Mckinsey and for calling her “Babe” …..
To Mckinsey for growing up and becoming who she is and for calling me Sunday night to see if I had made it home yet, and for telling me thank you for coming and she had fun…..
And then last but not least back to God for getting me there and back home one more time…..
Always giving thanks to the Father for everything.--Ephesians 5:20

HOME IS THE BEST PLACE TO BE

My home is my haven, no matter where I go, home is always the best place to be. There is nothing like a long, hard day and walking up my sidewalk and having my flowers greet me. They are standing all tall and proud, just screaming "look at me and what I did today". Actually I am known for just wandering around in my yard staring at my flowers. I think my neighbors wonder what I am up to. But really I am just staring. My kids used to ask me why I stared at my flowers and I told them they make my heart smile... and someday they would stare too...... Then once inside is my "sitting spot". I start my day here early in the morning with my cup of coffee and end my day here reflecting over my day..... I can sit and look out my window ...... open my screen door to hear children playing..... listen to the birds singing..... enjoying the smell of my neighbors fresh cut grass and just be...... This is my time when I can do and think whatever I want.... It is my safe haven and I am grateful to have this little "sitting spot" to come home to..... I know I am forever saying I am grateful and thankful and blessed and I only say that because I truly am!!! ..... Home is my refuge where I can gain strength for whatever may come my way....Its is truly my safe haven and where I can just be me..
My prayer today is for Melinda to get to go home, to her refuge, to her own safe haven, to the smell of her own sheets and the softness of her own bed....so that she can hear the birds singing, dogs barking, Jeff snoring(did I say that) or whatever makes her heart smile. This is my prayer.....

I am home with the Lord by my side..... Safe at home in His love to abide..... I will praise your name precious Lord.....Oh Lord please be my guide.

HOW QUICKLY WE FORGET

Realizing that my youngest child is 23 now, I have been out of the baby mode for quite sometime now. Yesterday was the highlight of my weekend, getting to keep my great nephew Carson. He is 3 1/2 months old. The 3 hours went by way to fast. I told his mom when she came to get him "dont you need to go somewhere else" ? and she quickly said that he could come back and so I am going to hold her to it. You know , how quickly we forget:

When they smile , they smile with their whole being from their eyes down to their toes. Its like they are about to spontaneously combust from the inside out ! How sweet it that.

You forget how intent they are when they are drinking their bottle. They are very serious and looking right at you studying every movement of your face and when you smile at them they stop sucking and smile so big milk drools down their cheek to the back of their neck ! How sweet is that .

You forget how good their skin and head smells. Something indescribable only a mother would know about. , and for some strange reason even baby formula smells good.!! How sweet is that.

You forget that they think you are the most wonderful thing ever. That all you have to do is make funny faces, talk in a goofy voice, tickle their toes, kiss their cheek, pat their bottom, rock them , love them. You realize that you are their world. How sweet is that.

You realize that they are one of Gods' greatest gifts... He is a little ray of sunshine .....and for that we will be forever grateful.

Hoping everyone has a blessed week.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MELINDA

Today my sister in-law Melinda celebrates her 52nd birthday. My brother and her may kill me for posting this picture, but I did it anyway.!! For the last two and a half years she has been fiercefully fighting the fight of her life. The "monster" that invaded her body rears its ugly head on a daily basis, but faithfully Melinda fights back every second of every day. She is the strongest person I know, and I am proud of her. So Melinda this is hoping you have a great day, and remember we will always love you.
"Instead of telling God how big our mountains are, we will tell the mountains how big our God is."

Joy, Joy, Joy

Joy is not in things: it is in us. Hoping everyone has a beautifully Blessed and Joyous weekend. I get to keep my great nephew Carson on Saturday and for that I am Blessed and Joyous!!!! Provided we don't have a big West Texas Dust storm, I will be out in the neighborhood showing him off!!!

Time for a facelift

Five years ago our youngest child left for college. We have finally accepted that she will probably never come home to live again, we have decided to take over her room. It is a great attic space converted to a bedroom with lots of nooks , crannys and angled ceilings. We have painted the walls robins'egg blue ( which happens to be my new favorite color ) .
So this weekend we spent ripping out the old carpet and pad and the millions of nails to prepare the floors for new hardwood floors. I think this is going to be my new favorite room. Its funny I say that after every room gets a facelift!!!


By Sunday night we had layed 5 rows. We only have a zillion more rows to do. Progress is usually slow around our home but we eventually ( or maybe I should say Allen ) gets it done. We will keep you posted . I plan to use a bunch of white chippy old furniture and some ideas that are swarming in my head from Round Top. Hope you have a great week.

DONE

Magnolia Pearl is another famous must see in Round Top/ Marburger Farms. She also has been written up in just about every magazine around. She lives in Bandera , Texas. Robyn has a brother that is a preacher in my hometown., so I had a little in with her. She graciously agreed to have her picture taken with me. Thanks Robyn. Oh, and by the way she makes wonderful clothing and bags out of vintage lace and trims. There were ladies in her booth buying everything in sight and it was a sight to see!!!!
My friends and I beside a wonderful vintage truck filled with flowers. Had a great time girls. See you in October.
These are my baubles I came home with. They may not seem like much to you, but they just fill my soul. Did I mention how tired I am... yes I had a great time but my mind is mentally exhausted..... so much to look at and so little time. I was wondering , Do you think the we will ever run out of all these vintage things?? something to ponder..... I certainly hope not. By the end of the third day all I could say was " I am DONE"....that is until October!!!!

Round Top Architecture

Architecture?? Probably not like my architect dad thinks of architecture but its architecture to me. It is all in the eye of the beholder!!!! He tried to teach me ,at a very early age, the different styles of architecture, as most of my young life was spent driving around looking at buildings, his or somebody elses....so I guess thats why I come by it naturally. thanks dad. I do appreciate all kinds of architecture. I really do!! and I am proud of you making our hometown a prettier place.

Food for the Soul

They say you cant go to Round Top without going to eat at Royers Cafe. It has been written up in about every magazine around, so we decided to experience it firsthand. I mean a girls gotta eat, right?? or so we think. That we did , right down to the cherry pie!!!! It met all of our expectations and more!! We will be back.

Flea Market Finds

Just a little eye candy for the soul!

A Little Bit of Heaven

After years of dreaming of going to Round Top Texas to the flea market, I finally did it.!!! I loaded up in my new slugbug convertible (which by the way was a well deserved 50th birthday present to myself ) and headed down the road. Did I mention it was "mellow yellow ", love the name. It kind of just sets the mood back in the 1970's. Enough about that. It was a long 5 hour drive, but the wildflowers were out in full bloom and were a sight to behold . They blanketed the pastures along with a few longhorn cows and made the drive a little more relaxing. Thank you God for embellishing our landscapes everyday. I met up with some friends from Dallas and off we went to see what treasures we could find. And boy did we find treasures. I had always heard this event was huge but had no idea how big until we got there. There are miles and miles and miles of white tents out in the middle of fields filled with treasures and trinkets galore.
Our first stop was Zapp hall. I had been invited to meet some other bloggers there. I started not to go because I could not wait to shop but a little voice inside me told me I should go. I am so glad I did. I ran into a group of very creative hometown girls, Jana, Cindy and Roxanne. And then there I saw Heather Bullard. I was so excited, I read her blog everyday and have ordered things from her online store, but is was so exciting to meet her in person. She is truly one of the most passionate women I have ever met, and it was truly an honor to have met her. She is one of those women who you feel like you have know forever !!

This is Roxanne, one of the hometown girls. Another one of those very passionate women. She has just started a blog too, and if I knew how to link it here I would but that is high on the technical ladder and better not try. I would probably wipe everything out. Sorry Roxanne! These are all the fellow bloggers that met at Zapp Hall. Do we know which camera to look at??!! It was by far the highlight of my trip. Women not in blog land just wouldn't understand.
This is Jana , another passionate hometown girl , along with Myself and Heather Bullard. Jana , cant wait to see what treasures you brought home !!