SOUL THERAPY

last weekend my sister and I headed out for a little soul therapy....we hit an estate sale and a couple of garage sales and then decided we needed more flowers.....can you ever have too many flowers.....dont't think so!!!! so off we went .....we wanted to hit a few places around our area instead of the typical Abilene garden centers.... Our first stop was Reeds Farm Store in Clyde , Texas...where they have an abundance of fresh homegrown fruits and vegetables, a few flats of flowers and loads and loads of firewood.....dont need that right now but the vegetables and flowers were a big hit. Paula got a huge bag of already shelled black eye peas and snapped green beans and a few flowers....I was holding out for Hardwick nursery in Cross Plains , Texas so off we went......down the road the wildflowers still out.....
here we are at Hardwick nursery in Cross Plains, Texas. Their main location is in Rising Star, Texas which is another 15 miles down the road....but as you can see they have more than enough beauty for lots of soul therapy..
More goodies at Hardwick Nursery in Cross Plains and then across the street...
we found the Taste of Texas,another flower, herb , vegetable store (by the way I love the old scale)...we bought more flowers and lots of great smelling herbs....then we headed home to plant, plant , plant and to stare!!!!

plant a seed. Plan a garden. Poke a hole in the ground, stick a seed in , and watch it grow. It doesnt matter if you have a tiny pot or a big old fashioned garden, watching things grow is the best therapy for the soul. It reminds us that there are forces deeper and stronger than us...and for Him I am soulfully thankful....

hoping everyone a blessed weekend. Go plant a seed!!!!!

KNOWING WHEN TO LISTEN

This has been a strange 24 hours. I had a couple of days off and decided to head to Canton Texas to the flea market. ...so I left thursday afternoon and headed to my friend Gails' house. She has a great house near Flower Mound and opens it to me whenever I want to come and stay. She even cooks me breakfast in the toaster when we remember to turn the toaster on......anyway I got to dallas at about 7:30 last night and met her at Jasons deli for a salad and headed to her house. We stayed up late talking and decided I probably needed to get ahead of the traffic in the morning because traffic stresses me out...and even more , rain and traffic are double whammys. ....so off to bed we went....5 am came early with a bolt of lightning and a heavy downpour and I layed there in bed and thought great. ...so with the high tech computer world we live in I checked the computer and found it to be a small but strong line of storms heading east exactly where I was going.....oh great again!!!!so I got up got dressed and was packing my things up , reached into my purse to get my glasses and NO WALLET.!!!!another great....how could this be happening, traffic, rain, no wallet.....we searched high and low and no wallet.....so we drank more coffee and decided the last place I had it was at Jasons deli....so we called....not open yet.....called and finally got an answer...NO WALLETT!!!
OK maybe I forgot my listening ears, but was someone trying to tell me I shouldn't be going to Canton...surely not....so we drank more coffee....and visited and watched the news and weather....then we heard "tornado near Canton trade days" oh my, this couldnt be....I would have been smack dab in the middle!!!...so I sat and listened and decided I needed to come home...and that I did....with gas money from Gail I was on my way....do you know how strange it is to be on the road by yourself and NO WALLET , no money, no credit card , no drivers license...all the way home I made up stories what I was gonna tell the Highway patrolman when he pulled me over. .... what I was going to tell the bank when someone stole my identity......but thankfully that did not happen.....so do you ever think God is trying to tell you something and we are to distracted to even take the hint???...I THINK SO.... I got home safely one more time and am thankful for that....I cancelled all my credit cards....and when I got home I called Jasons deli one more time...the nightime manager was now on duty and said yes maam we DO HAVE YOUR WALLET....I tucked it in the safe so no one could find it....apparently so!!!!!

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 !!

After a long hard work week, I came home and decided I would try to creatively embellish my blog. I was able to get the background changed, and when I tried to load pictures on the post, well that was a different story!!! I was sucessful for a moment and than lost it with a touch of a button.!! I am so not technical. All I want to do is have fun and have a cool blog. Is that too much to ask for??? I will keep trying.

I hope everyone has a blessed weekend.

I am off to Round Top , Texas to the flea market, hoping the weather will be nice. I cant wait to take pictures of my adventure and hopefully post my treasures next week. Until then.........

This is my first attempt to post to my blog. Up until 3 months ago I did not even know blogging existed. Over the last couple of months I have been inspired beyond belief from women all over the world whom I don't even know and will probably never meet in person. I have been truly blessed by their stories, sweet and sad, and am looking forward to this new journey into blogging. I hope I can inspire you the way these women have inspired me.

As soon as I can figure out how to add pictures and embellish my blog spot I will do so. This is going to be a very big learning experience . A computer tech I am not!!! So be patient with me and check my progress in a couple of days