Uniquely YOU!!

Good morning, and Happee Saturday!! Thought I'd share a little goodness from a lovely book with you! I hope your day is filled with JOY!!


Artwork and excerpt from: "Love in Every Room" by Karla Dornacher

~Do you ever feel inadequate?
~Do you ever compare yourself to others and feel like you don't measure up?
~Do you ever feel that no matter how hard you try, you won't be good enough?

Karla has this to say:

~~~God made you one of a kind!~~~

~He knit you together in your mother's womb.
~There is no one on the face of the earth like you.
~No one else has your combination of personality, gifts, and talents, strengths and life experiences.
~There is a path before you that you alone can walk.

~~~There is a purpose that you alone can fulfill.~~~

We all need to learn to celebrate our own uniqueness. God surely does!! Nothing gives Him more pleasure than the YOU He created!! You are the crown of His creation...so be true to the "YOU" He desires you to be, and find your value in Him alone.


Celebrating Wonderful YOU!
Becky

A Very Unique One-of-a-Kind

It's Friday so that means show and tell at Kellishouse! Click here to visit Kelli and other show and tells, too!

Short story: My Mom attended Orlando Senior High School. When she was a young mother, the school was torn down. People could purchase fixtures and even the real slate chalk boards before the school demo.

An artist bought the slate chalk boards and made and sold a variety of carvings.

My Papa Sammy bought this one for my Mama Rose, and it was one of my Mom's favorite things in her Mother's home. My grandmother was an interior decorator with real flair and loved unique pieces. When Mama Rose passed, my Mom got it, and in 2004 when my Mom passed, I got it.

It is one-of-a-kind, and is one of 4 priceless treasures from my Mom. It will soon have it's place of honor in a lighted niche in the living room. I can't wait!!
I'll post a pic when it's hung!

It's about 2 1/2 ft. tall and about 18 inches wide. A piece of Orlando's history and a piece of my history, too!!

The artist's signature

Hope you enjoyed my slate "Girl With Flowers".

Thank you for stopping by for a visit!

Fondly,

Becky

It's Paper Crafting Thursday!!

Hope you'll visit our host for this event, Kelli , and see her beautiful paper crafts and some of the others who are participating, too!!

This is a pretty card made by my daughter Maddy (10 yo). She is so creative and comes up with all of her own designs. She may not be done with this one yet, but it already looks so pretty!


This is a smaller gift card and I just love what she did with it

When you open it, hearts pop up!! I've never made a card with pop-ups!!

She cut strips of paper, folded them accordian style, adhered little hearts, and then glued them to the card. So clever!!


There are all sorts of ready made embellishments available. I bought these in the Target $1 section for our Keepers club to make Valentines with.

Come on...give this a try!! You might just love it!! ;o)

Joyfully,

Becky

WE DID IT! WEDNESDAY

I'm very excited about this new event!!

And it will be beginning next Wednesday!!

What do you think about the logo?? Edie, a wonderfully warm new friend at Rich Gifts Graphics and Blog Design created this custom design!! I use her free scripture tags in my sidebar, too! Thanks again, Edie...just LOVE it!!

WDIW's are something God put on my heart and are designed to promote and encourage quality one-on-one time with our children and grandchildren; thus building into our family's future and rich heritage!

It is a way to share ideas, inspiration, treasured moments, and to motivate us to regularly carve out time for these special people God has blessed us with.

You can post about pretty much anything you have done together, and of course, photos always make for a better post! Be creative!!

Even if you are an empty-nester you can contribute photos from your past or things done with adult children!!

There is no age limit at all!! I will be sharing things done with my married daughter, too!!

I will post Mr. Linky Tuesday night and you can sign up then or Wednesday.

I hope you will all join in!

Please feel free to take the smaller button for your sidebar and begin to spread the word. Just link it back to here. The more the merrier!!

Now to just get this Mr. Linky thing figured out!!

Have a joyful day!!
Becky

HEART OF THE HOME

GIRLS...Can we talk??




Let's face it...it's no secret that the woman of the house is the one who sets the tone for the home. In other words, we as women are the "Heart of the Home". So, when you think of your home, what pops into your head first? Joy, peace, ease and comfort, OR chaos, clutter, irritation and frustration?? Is the heart of your home beating rhythemically, or is emergency CPR needed??


Honestly, more often than I'd like I find myself in the second category, although most who know me view me as someone who "has her act together". Believe me, there are still cracks in this pot...but God is good and cracked pots are His specialty!! :o)


I am diligently working on simplifying our home, and organizing everything! My Tuesday posts are going to be dedicated helping us make our homes the havens and sanctuaries they should be for our families.


I will be sharing tips, ideas, timesavers, photos, my befores and afters, dreams and schemes, and anything else I can get my hands on from where ever I can get it!! There are already some wonderful women out there with great ideas and I will be sharing them as I find them, too.


Here's an HGTV pic of my dream homeschool room!! We school at the breakfast nook table!




Isn't this a delightful space? Just looking at this craft storage area gets my creative juices flowing!! (HGTV pic, too)



Donna Smallin of the "One Minute Organizer" makes these suggestions for multi-tasking and time management:

While popcorn is popping-3 minutes (mmm!)

In the kitchen:
~Organize the day's mail — toss the outer envelopes and inserts in bill statements along with junk mail.

~Organize a drawer; if there's not a lid for a container, toss it.

~Be brave as you open the fridge to play "leftover roulette," popping open mystery containers to see what's still edible, suggests Donna. Also, check out the expiration dates on condiments and half-full jars of spaghetti sauce.

~Rifle through that overflowing coupon box and toss the expired ones. Then file new ones by category and date.

~Take out the trash, and make sure the recyclables are in order.

~Empty or load the dishwasher; wipe down a shelf while you're at it.


So, ladies, if the heart of your home is in need of CPR or just a little tweaking, come back next week for HOTHT~~~Heart of the Home Tuesday!

Have a sunny day!!
Becky

JOY FOR OUR JOURNEY MONDAY

THIS IS THE DAY THE LORD HAS MADE; LET US REJOICE AND BE GLAD IN IT ~Psalm 118:24





How does this new morning find you? Are you happy, content, on top of the world, or tired, sick, feeling overwhelmed? Did you want to throw the covers over your head and stay in bed?



Well, it is my prayer this morning, friend, that however you feel, however difficult your circumstances may be, or how heavy your heart, that you will be able to find a glimmer of joy in today.


We have been given the gift of TODAY!! Today is a fresh start, a clean slate, a new page to be written upon in our lives, and we hold the pen. What will you write on your clean page?


I am still learning that more often than not, I choose what goes on each page, if not by what I've done...by what I haven't done, mishandled, or by a less than desirable attitude.


My cold is in my chest now, I don't feel well, my home is in dire need of attention, I have reorganizing projects left half done, and have all the normal daily duties, including homeschooling my sweet daughter yet to accomplish.


Honestly, I am feeling somewhat overwhelmed. But overriding that is the knowledge that TODAY IS A GIFT, and I can choose to focus on the not-so great stuff or choose to find the good in it. I choose the latter!!


So take heart, and be encouraged, and go out and make it a great day!!

With love,
Becky

A Great Goal!!

My friend, Lois, at Walking on Sunshine, has made it her goal to apply the Biblical principles found in Proverbs 31. Coincidently, I am memorizing this chapter with Beth Moore's blog, and began applying these truths to my marriage about 3 1/2 years ago. What God has done in our relationship is wonderful! And I thought it was good already!!

If you would like to join in, go to her blog and leave a comment! The following is copied from her blog:

God’s will for every Christian wife is that her most important ministry be to her husband. (Genesis 2:18) After a wife’s own personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, nothing else should have greater priority. Her husband should be the primary benefactor of his wife’s time and energy, not the recipient of what may be left over at the end of the day. Whether her husband is a faithful Christian man or an unbeliever, God wants every Christian woman to be a godly wife -- an excellent wife.
~ Martha Peace~

Have a joyful weekend !
Becky

WE HAVE A WINNER!!

This is my first giveaway, and I have had so much fun shopping for little things to put in with the wreath! Thanks to all who participated! My 10 yo Maddy was delighted to draw the winning name!!

AND THE WINNER IS...


PAT!!!! FROM BACK PORCH MUSINGS!!!

Pat is a very sweet and talented lady! If you haven't visited her blog before you really should! You'll love her decorating befores and afters!!

Pat, just send your mailing address to holidayinthesun_1@yahoo.com and I will have it in the mail to you on Monday!!

Have a joyful day!!

Becky

Sweet Tweets!!

It's Friday!!! Time to head over to Kelli's and check out all the neat show and tells!!

These are the windows in our family room, and are probably my favorite feature of this house! The middle one is home to some of my birdy collection...my new fascination!!

I love that when you sit on the couch the trees are all you see...kind of makes you feel like you're in your childhood treehouse! I loved being in the trees and still do! This is the sitting view. Sorry these are a bit dark, but so much light comes in it was hard to adjust for.

A closer view. These little beauties are stone and came from Kirkland's two springs ago

I absolutely LOVE these little cardinals!! The are only about 2" tall. I got them before Christmas at one of my favorite local shops "Uppity Women" Don't you just love that name??

They had 5 in the shop, and showing reasonable restraint as usual (A-hem!) I purchased 3. For the following weeks I wanted to hit myself for not getting all 5!! So after Christmas I went back and after scouring the shop, I came up empty handed...or did I? My wonderful Maddy looked down on one of the bottom shelves and found me this one!! I was elated!! I think they like their new home!!

Here are a few more. The little green one in the front was a Christmas gift from a sweet friend;I bought the other 3. The one with the cutwork is a night light I keep on the kitchen counter. $4.99 from Kirkland's. Aren't they such fun?

This little piggy doesn't have wings, but he's holding my heart, and wants to thank you for being such great bloggy friends, and for adding so much to each of my days by sharing your lives, and leaving such SUNNY THOUGHTS!

YOU ALL ARE THE BEST!!

LAST DAY TO JOIN IN THE VALENTINE GIVEAWAY!! CLICK ON PHOTO IN SIDEBAR, SCROLL, AND LEAVE A COMMENT TO PARTICIPATE!!

You must comment by 12:00 tonight to be eligible.

P.S. There will be other surprises tucked in with the wreath!!

Have a great weekend!!

Becky

Handmade Cards/Paper Crafting Thursday!

Kelli hosts Paper Crafting Thursday! You can go to her blog here to see some other paper crafts!! You will love her blog and what she makes so stop on by!

Today I'm sharing a couple of cards I made.

This one is a Valentine card

Pale pink cardstock for the notecard, celery green cardstock, floral paper, pink organza ribbon, specialty scissors, pop-up mounting squares, and a pretty premade heart embellishment from Michael's (made by Jolee)

I measured and cut the pieces

Trimmed the edges with the scissors for a little touch of fancy. Glued down printed paper piece.

Applied the heart to the green piece

Punched holes with a small hole punch to make a bow

Threaded ribbon through, tied bow


Applied mounting squares to back


Applied green piece w/heart to printed paper

All Done!!

Here's one I made for a friend


The pretty embellishment is from JoAnn

Have a joy-filled day, and thank you for stopping by!!

Blessings,

Becky

A Time For Tea!

Well, I woke up this morning with a sore lump in the back of my throat, so, since I usually only drink tea when I'm not feeling good, today is the perfect time for tea!!

This is the only actual "teacup" I own. A friend gave it to me a few years ago. I think she thought I should drink more tea!! We bought the tea ball thingy at a tea shoppe in Texas at Thanksgiving, along with some wonderful tea!

I can't remember the names of these, but this one is very cinnamony and delightful...the one I'm drinking now.

If tea could party, this is what it would look like...very festive and fruity in flavor

It froze overnight, so I had to cover up my babies outside!

But I'm inside all toasty and warm...thanks to my handy dandy gas fireplace.

Never thought I'd enjoy having one that didn't burn wood, but since it warms me up, gives nice ambiance, and doesn't have to be cleaned, IT WORKS FOR ME!!

Hope you're staying warm and cozy!

Happy Day Wishes For You,

Becky

Beautiful Blue Springs!

Florida is loaded with freshwater springs, and this is one of two in our local area. Manatees, very large mammals, also referred to as Sea Cows, migrate to this spring to warmer water during the winter months. The spring is 73 degrees year round. The day we were there last week, they counted 145 Manatees in the spring run! Quite a sight to see!


This is a picture of the "run" or the waterway the spring spills into. The run feeds the St Johns River, which oddly flows south to north.

The water is crystal clear as you can see. The turtle is swimming in a large school of gar that just sit in the run waiting for food to come by

A smaller manatee comes up for air


They look like gray logs, but these are resting manatees. They are all through the run. The water is beautiful, isn't it?

Here is a look at a mother and her baby. The baby is riding on her back. Sooo cute! We saw a baby nursing up close last year!

Can you see the bird in this picture? Click the photo and you will! Most of those dark shadows are manatees!

The walkway that goes from the spring head to the river. It's a beautiful walk!

If you take a picture underneath these palms it looks like a huge asterisk or flower!

Another bird! Do you see this one?

A little fun for daughter and granddaughter!

Hope you enjoyed Blue Springs!

Have a sunshiney day!!

Becky :o)