In The Blink of An Eye

Lawsy Day, Pitty Sakes, Good Grief Charlie Brown!  In the blink of an eye 4 and a half years have passed and not a single jot or tittle has been posted on my blog!  I didn't really expect it to post on it's own, I'm just so surprised that so much time has passed so quickly!  Of course being saturated with weddings and events is a pretty good reason for such a drought.  After being totally consumed with weddings and events I've decided to do a little revamping so hopefully soon I'll be back at blogging and visiting my favorite bloggers in the near future.  I've been able to squeeze in a little personal time and have some fun things to share with you soon.  Stay tuned I promise I'll be back shortly!  In the mean time here's a sneak peek at a make over project I didn't a few weeks ago.  I could see past her rust and dirt and just knew there was a gem waiting to be revealed.

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Versatile Cheese Ball Recipe

Here's another yummy recipe you might want to try for your next party or family get together.  It is easily adapted to suit your taste.   Be creative and add your own twist to either recipe,  have fun and ENJOY!

Pineapple Pecan Cheese Ball

2 ~ 8oz blocks of cream cheese (room temperature)
1 ~ 8oz can crushed pineapple (drained)
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup finely chopped bell pepper (a combination of red and green is nice for Christmas)
2 Tablespoons minced onion
1  cup chopped pecans (1/2 cup mixed into the cream cheese, 1/2 cup for the outside of the cheese ball)


Mix together the above ingredients and shape into a ball or log.  Roll in the chopped pecans, cover and refrigerate until chilled thoroughly.  Serve with assorted crackers, toast points, celery sticks or pita chips.

Dessert Cheese Ball

2 ~ 8oz blocks of cream cheese (room temperature)
1 ~ 8oz can crushed pineapple (drained)
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 Tablespoons Kraft Marshmallow Cream
1/4 cup chopped maraschino cherries
1/2 cup shredded coconut (save 1/4 cup for the top)
1/2 cup chopped pecans



Mix together the above ingredients and shape into a ball or log.  Roll in the shredded coconut, cover and refrigerate until chilled thoroughly.  Serve with vanilla wafers, gingersnaps, shortbread, graham crackers or graham cracker sticks.

Tomorrow......A Treat for Our 4 Legged Friends

Recipe For Fun

From mid November to January 1st, there are many occasions to celebrate a host of holidays.  It's a time to get together with family and friends and reflect on memories of  the past, rekindle  and mend relationships and simply enjoy the company of one another. As the old year draws to an end and a new one is about to begin, we begin to reminisce, we become aware of how quickly time goes by and how important it is to make the most of each day and focus on the things that are the most valuable.  So, we plan parties and get~togethers and luncheons and dinners and before you know it we've filled our plates so full that we're exhausted and too tired to enjoy the simple pleasures that we were trying so hard to embrace, we're stuffed with preparation and hustle bustle and have no room left  for dessert or the sweetest part of our celebrations.  We think our homes need to be decorated to the hilt and look like the cover of The Ultimate Southern Living Christmas Book and everything we serve must be made from scratch and served on Lenox, Royal Daulton or Vietri.   Just to set the record straight, I'm not saying your home "Can't" look like the cover of The Ultimate Southern Living Christmas Book or that everything can't be made from scratch and served on fine china.  I love The Ultimate Southern Living Christmas Books and glean a lot of inspiration from them, I have a set of Royal Daulton and much I make for gatherings is from scratch.  Let me also say, I have been guilty of thinking everything has to follow those guidelines or it just isn't good enough.  All of those perceptions are a fallacy, the most important thing is the fellowship enjoyed, them time you spend together, not the decoration, the food we eat or what we eat it on.  If you are gathering together for the right reason, none of those things should matter, if they do, you've missed the reason for gathering together.  So, I'm encouraging you invite someone over even if it's for a bag of lays and a carton of French Onion Dip and celebrate the season together.  I know you and your guests will be glad you did, but in case you have the time and want to make some homemade goodies instead we'll be posting some simple and delicious recipes  we hope you'll try and enjoy. 

Bon Appétit

Garlic Feta Cheese Spread

4 oz Crumbled Feta Cheese

4 oz Cream Cheese (1/2 of an 8oz block) softened

1/3 cup mayonnaise

1 clove of garlic minced

1/4 teaspoon dried basil, crushed

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed

1/8 teaspoon dried dill weed

1/8 teaspoon dried thyme crushed

Fresh thyme or basil ~ optional

Assorted vegetables and crackers

In a food processor bowl or mixing bowl, combine feta, cream cheese, mayonnaise, garlic and dried herbs.  Cover and process or beat with an electric mixer on medium speed till combined.  Cover and chill until time to serve.  If desired, garnish with fresh thyme or basil.  Serve with assorted vegetables and crackers.  Yields 1 1/2 cups

Out With The Old.....In With The New....Sort Of

Before & After

Transformed!

2 Corinthians 5:17

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

In this disposable world we live in today, people are getting rid of the old and getting new without thinking twice.  Granted, there are times when it's time for something to go, but more times than not they just need to be tweaked a bit and shown a little TLC.  There was a time, not so very long ago,when people planned and saved before making a new purchase and repaired and restored things and kept them as long as they were useful.  Today, not so much.  We live in a world of MORE, MORE, MORE and instant gratification and don't think twice about discarding a perfectly good item and purchasing new.

  I love going to thrift and antique shops to look for treasures and I always wonder what the people were like who owned  those treasures, the stories behind the items and how many memories were made with them and while I could go out and purchase new, I love giving new life to something old yet still useful.  I love taking something I already have and transforming it and that just what I did this week.  

Old wreath undergoes transformation.

  Year before last I purchased 3 new wreaths for our home in South Carolina to replace the much smaller wreaths I'd had  for many years (approximately 13 years).  Before purchasing the smaller wreaths I'd always had "a" Christmas wreath or some type of decoration on our front door, but that was about the only outdoor decoration that I had.  After moving to North Carolina  and having 6 front windows and a door I thought it would be nice to have a wreath for every window and the door, so off to the craft store I went  to purchase 7 standard pine wreaths and 7 VERY basic red velvet bows.  I fluffed the wreaths, attached the bows, hung them up and Voila! within no time the house looked like a picture from Currier and Ives (minus the snow).  A few years later my daughter and I decided it was time for something with a bit more pizazz , so after scouring a myriad of magazines and the latest Southern Living Christmas book we had our inspiration and were off to the our local discount store for some embellishments to give new life to our demure little wreaths that had served us well, but were in much need of a makeover. We filled the cart with a few spools of the perfect red, green and gold stripped ribbon and several boxes of very basic glass ornaments in a variety of colors and a paddle of floral wire.  After we arrived home with our treasures we spread them all out on the dining room table and got to work.  We removed the old bows, fluffed the wreaths and began attaching hundreds of shiny glass ornaments to them and then topped them off with a dazzling new bow.  Our little wreaths that only a few hours before were looking a bit drab were now spectacular! Now instead of looking like a picture from Currier and Ives our house looked like the cover of House Beautiful ~ December issue!  The little pine wreaths had been given new life and adorned our house for several more years, not only in North Carolina, but for 4 COLD and SNOWY Decembers in Massachusetts before returning to sunny South Carolina.   After spending 4 years in the snow many of the glistening bulbs had lost their luster and some had cracked from the cold so I tweaked them a bit by removing the cracked and lack luster bulbs, added a few new ones and hung them back up for 2 more years.  That's where the 3 new, larger wreaths came into the picture.  The new house in South Carolina had 2 VERY large front windows and one door and the little wreaths looked lost so they were on their way to live with my sister in Tennessee to adorn her house, that is until we got our His and Her's houses (see previous post)  so one of them returned to North Carolina from whence it came and underwent yet another transformation.  As you can see, the little pine wreath was given new life once again and is all gussied up in her newest Christmas attire and ready to deck the door, or in this case the fireplace with grandeur.  Not only do I have a beautiful new wreath (for very little money) I've had a lot of pleasure regenerating them and lots of memories from the Christmases the little wreaths welcomed family and friends to our home.  

  Isn't this what the Lord does with us?  He keeps the old and breaths new life into it to make it a thing of beauty and just like the little wreaths we occasionally need to be tweaked and shown a little TLC.   There are times when we are affected by the elements of the world and start to show some wear and need to be fluffed, enhanced and given a new commission. He finds pleasure in restoring and seeing the beauty of His handiwork.  
  What do you have around your house that could be transformed?   I hope you will look for something that you can give new life to either for yourself or someone in need.  And remember, He is the Reason for the Season, He came to transform the old and make it new and He never tires of renewing.

Growing Pains and a New Name

Miss Caroline helps Grandmomma and Mommy make a Christmas wreath.

I can hardly believe it's been nearly a year since my last post when I told myself I would start to post regularly.  I suppose annually could be considered regularly and that's a schedule I might just be able to keep up with.  We've experienced a lot of growing pains since my last post in January.  Five days before my last post, our little Miss C turned 2 and in April her family grew by 1 and she became a BIG sister!  

Meet Master Jacob

In addition to Jacob we added a new grandcat, Sebastian to the family in August, our precious Wicket became a sister when Packer adopted us in October and our youngest son moved home in the spring bringing  with him another of our granddogs, Momma.

Sebastian helping Grandmomma choose linens for a wedding.

Packer and Wicket

Me and our Boston babies.

Momma, one of our 3 granddogs.

Yes, we now have a zoo, maybe I should start charging admission. Then to top it all off, if that wasn't enough growing, we added an additional residence when my husband accepted a position in NC in February.   His and Her's towels are one thing, but His and Her's houses are quite another and since the Lord has continued to bless my business we've decided to expand to NC so hopefully that will be growing in our new location as well.  With so many changes I decided to revamp my blog and rename it, Cre'me dans mon cafe' or, Cream in my Coffee and Other Simple Pleasures in Life and hopefully starting sharing some of the new happenings around here as well as some of the simple pleasures in life that I enjoy, so Cheers and Christmas Greetings!!

To Everything There is a Season

To everything there is a season... Ecclesiastes 3:1

The current season is winter, not my favorite, but one that the Lord created so it must have a purpose.  Every year right after Christmas when the Christmas wreath comes down off of the front door and gets stored back in the garage I'm left with an empty front door in desperate need of something cheery that says "WELCOME" to our home!  Here in the South where temperatures rarely drop below the 20's and we have  a variety of evergreens and pansies that bloom all winter, it's still difficult to come up with something that doesn't look too Christmasy or too Springy and that is fitting for the season.  So this year I was determined to find a perfect and fitting solution.   I had my old standby red berry wreath, but wanted something with a bit more pizazz so I decided to look around my yard and see what "wintery" things I could discover.  Of course red berries were everywhere as was Spanish moss and ivy.  Although our magnolias aren't covered with the gorgeous white blooms they are known for this time of year they do provide interesting pods in the winter which were perfect to add interest and texture.  If you haven't "murdered" your Crepe Myrtle yet, they too have some very interesting little pods that look like fluffy brown blossoms that are perfect for filler.  We are not at a loss for branches and vines that can be braided or twisted together and used for a base, but I cheated a bit there and used a bare grapevine wreath I already had.   With some new elements and ideas in hand I went to work and put together the new focal point for my front door.  All I was in need of now was a bit of whimsy and since we don't have snow, snowmen, snowflakes or icicles wouldn't work, but there is one thing that we always have plenty of and is very fitting for a "beach" home.......shells!  I chose starfish and a beautiful ribbon bow to top it all off.  I am very pleased with my new "Winter" wreath, what do you think?  If you're in  the same quandary then bundle up and take a stroll around the neighborhood and don't forget to take a basket to collect all the treasures you will find.  If you decided to take the wreath challenge, please leave a comment and let me know where to go to see your winter wreath masterpiece!  Happy hunting and designing.  

New Year Changes

Hello blogger friends!  I've tried repeatedly to keep up with my blogging, but have been very unsuccessful, but it's a brand new year so I figured I'd try once again.  For starters I decided to give my blog a brand new look by changing my background like I had done so many times before, but this was one time that change was NOT a good thing.  As you can see, it definitely has a new look, but not the look I was going for.  I don't know what I did and I have been unsuccessful at changing it back to the way it was, SO, please overlook the mess and if you can offer any kind of help or pointers as to how to get my old layout back I would greatly appreciate it!

Other than the blog design mess I just made we are enjoying a very blessed year so far.  Our little Miss C will be having her 2nd birthday this Saturday, which seems impossible and she has a baby brother on the way, set to arrive in April.  I am going to attempt once again to be more regular with my posting and hope you won't give up on me and will visit me.  I hope all of you are enjoying a wonderful brand new year.  I look forward to visiting you soon and seeing all the creative things you've been up to.

Happy New Year!

Light at The End of The Tunnel

Good morning friends! Just a quick note to say hello and to let you know I've missed visiting you and seeing what you've been up to. The Lord has blessed my business this year and because of that I've been busy as a whole swarm of bees! There have been months when I felt like the Little Engine That Could and kept saying, "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can" and remembering, I can do all things through Christ who gives me the strength. He's the one who brought me the brides and He's the one who has given me the strength and ability to plan and orchestrate the over 30 weddings so far in 2010. With only 8 weddings and events left, I can finally see the light at the end of the 2010 tunnel. I'm looking forward to a little break before entering the 2011 tunnel, but excited to discover all of the exciting things the Lord has planned for next season. Hopefully during my "down" time I'll be able to do a little blogging and get to visit my friends in blogland. If you'd like to see just a portion of what's kept me busy this year you can visit my Grand Occasions Inc. Facebook page and see pictures from some of my recent weddings. Happy Autumn!

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/Myrtle-Beach-SC/Grand-Occasions-Inc/305937087832?ref=ts

Stop and Smell The Jasmine

It was a long time coming this year, but springtime has finally arrived in the sunny South! One of my favorite things to do is enjoy my first cup of coffee on my patio listening to the birds sing, the bumble bees bumble and smell the sweet aromas that fill the southern air in springtime, but because I've been as busy as a whole swarm of bees I haven't gotten to take advantage of those kinds of mornings very often. When we bought this house 3 1/2 years ago the yard had been lacking some TLC, but little by little it's starting to take shape. We started with the front yard and worked our way to the back. Last year we completed Phase I of the backyard and are getting to enjoy some of the fruits of our labors with our beautiful and fragrant Confederate Jasmine. We hope to get Phase II started within the next week and I'm trying to stop for at least a few minutes each morning to smell the jasmine. I hope you are enjoying a glorious springtime where ever you are and hope that are are finding time to stop and smell the roses, lilac or whatever sweet blossoms are blooming near you.

Meet Chopper

As most of you know I am a wedding planner and am blessed to say, business is booming!! Wedding season has officially started here in Myrtle Beach and this weekend I will have my 5th event of the season. Last weekend however, I had my first of the season, a doggie ring bearer. Meet Chopper, the English Bulldog who very carefully carried her mommy and daddy's rings down the isle. Chopper took her job very seriously and was one of the most well behaved ring bearers I have ever had the pleasure of working with. I have 3 other doggie ring bearers this year and if they do as good a job as Chopper the weddings will go off without a hitch.

Where we love is home. Home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts. ~Oliver Wendell Holmes

My Home Sweet Home

Every house where love abides

And friendship is a guest,

Is surely home, and home sweet home

For there the heart can rest. ~Henry Van Dyke

Home is where your heart is.........

There's no place like home. ~Dorothy

Home is a place you grow up wanting to leave and grow old wanting to get back to. ~John Ed Pearce

The light is what guides you home, the warmth is what keeps you there. ~Ellie Rodriguez

Not too much time these days for blogging, but thought I'd share our Myrtle Beach snow with you. It was beautiful and a sight you don't see here often and the best part was it was gone in less than 24 hours.

Happy Monday! Hope you all have a good week.

Memory Lane

http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

Visit Susan @ Between Naps on The Porch for more Before and After

A Stroll Down Memory Lane

Before

After

Well, try as I might, I'm just not having much success at blogging on a more frequent schedule, but I'm not giving up. I like to start decorating for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving, but like my blogging, I'm a little behind this year. I did re-arrange furniture the week before Thanksgiving and set up the Christmas Village before Thanksgiving so maybe that will give me some bonus points. I thought I would share a before and after with you of my Christmas Village.

I LOVE my Christmas Village, it reminds me of my childhood and a much gentler time. There were not cookie cutter malls in my childhood. Each shop had it's own personality, it's own unique smell. I can still smell the delicious scents coming from The Peanut Shop and the dapper Mr. Peanut welcoming everyone in. I love imagining walking on the snow covered streets and going from shop to shop. I can hear the chime of the bell ringer's bells and the tinkle of the coins as happy shoppers drop them in the big red pots. I can hear the cheer in the voices of the people on the streets and in the stores as they wish everyone a "Merry Christmas"! That time and place is only a memory now, but oh how I love to relive them every chance I get. This Christmas Season I hope we can all take a step back in time if just for a moment to remember what this season is all about and enjoy the simple pleasures.

Tropical Tablescape

TABLESCAPE THURSDAY Hosted by Susan at Between Naps on the Porch

Beautiful and delicious beach cake is displayed on a gorgeous dimensional display of crushed shells, driftwood, starfish, shells and moss.

Cake by Incredible Edibles, Photography by Chris and Cami Photography 

CLICK ON PHOTOS TO ENLARGE FOR MORE DETAIL

I was so excited when I first began my blogging venture, but shortly after I began I got buried in weddings. That isn't a bad thing, in fact is quite the opposite. I've been blessed to be able to profit from doing what I love most. The downside of it is, I don't have the time I used to have to plan my own events....I actually haven't had time to have any of my own events. I'm hoping to be able to squeeze a few in in the next few weeks, but in the mean time I thought I would share some of the beautiful tablescapes from some of the weddings that I have had the privilege of planning.

Just as there are no two couples exactly alike, there are no two weddings exactly alike. Even if you have a dozen beach themed weddings they all have a different twist. The tablescape I'm sharing with you today is one of my favorites. When Deana and Will chose the South Carolina coast as their destination wedding venue they knew they wanted their special day to carry a low country theme and be filled with Southern Charm. You won't find a place filled with more Southern Charm than DeBordieu Colony. The elegant Georgian style clubhouse was the perfect setting for their casual yet elegant low country reception. From the exquisite Low Country cuisine to their one of a kind "grit" send off, the evening was filled with casual elegance as well as low country Southern charm.




Alternating high and low centerpieces consist of birds of paradise, cymbidium orchids, ginger and pincushion protea. Low bubble bowl arrangements sit on a squares of bamboo fencing and monstera leaves. Three foot tall cylinder vases are wrapped in bamboo fencing for uniformity.

To Everything There Is A Season

Outdoor Wednesday At A Southern Daydreamer

The family is one of nature's masterpieces.

~George Santayana

I love Mary Engelbreit's art. Her pictures depict such happy, whimsical scenes that remind you to be thankful for the little things in life that are often overlooked. Things that are the true treasures and make life worth while. So often we get caught up in the hustle bustle of life and are so busy in making a living that we forget to live. While I am not a fan of cold weather I am a fan of fall. I love the beautiful jewel tone leaves, the rustle of leave beneath your feet, sweet smell of hot apple cider and the sweet taste of caramel apples...........oh, and you can't forget the pumpkins!! Pumpkin pie, pumpkin scones, pumpkin lattes, pumpkin rolls, and just pumpkins in general! Every day, every season we are surrounded by little miracles that make life worthwhile if we'll only slow down long enough to catch a glimpse of them. Hope you are enjoying your fall and anticipating the wonderful holidays that are just around the corner. Take a minute to step outside today and while you are there, stop to smell the pumpkins!

It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS. Lamentations 3: 22-23

Miss Caroline's Very First Halloween

It seems like just yesterday that I was in Tennessee visiting my sister for her birthday and shopping for my daughter's baby shower which we were planning for Thanksgiving weekend. Well, it's been a year ago now and Miss Caroline is 8 months old and just celebrated her first Halloween. My sister, who is a Halloween baby (I told her she was the best Halloween treat I ever got) loves dressing up for Halloween and making creative and unique costumes, has decided that that would be her and Caroline's special bonding activity. She will be her personal costume designer. Once she's old enough to make her own requests all she has to do is let Auntie M (she's also a HUGE Wizard of Oz fan so we thought the name was only fitting) know what she would like to be and she will have a one of a kind custom made costume. This year her mommy put in a request for an Indian costume so Auntie M. got to work and even included the authentic suede moccasins. As you can see Miss Caroline had a very happy first Halloween.

Oh! It's an Apron

Hello to all my blogging friends. I've missed you! Things are starting to slow down a bit and I'm hoping to start blogging again. As many of you know, I'm a wedding and event planner and thankfully the wedding business is still booming which is a blessing. For a few months I don't have an actual event taking place so I'm hoping to plan some events for my friends and family at my home.

Today was the first time in a long time that I've been able to check on my blogging friends to see what you have been up to. The first place I started was at Just A Little Something For You......my dear friend Judy's place and to my delight found a brand new post of the adorable aprons her sister in law has been making for the past few months. I happen to be one of the VERY lucky recipients of one them. I hadn't planned on doing a post today, but when I saw Judy's post I decided I had to do a quick post to let you see me in my haute couture as well. I love wearing my very special apron (I'm an apron girl anyway) and as Judy says, just slip on the apron and you're ready to go. Last month when my oldest son and his girlfriend came to visit I had this picture taken of me with them and posted it on Facebook. One of my friends was commenting on my cute sundress and then realized, OH! it's an apron!!! They are the perfect accessory for any dinner party. You can get them to coordinate with any theme and not only are they practical, they are adorable and you won't have to worry about what to wear. With the holiday season just around the corner I might just have to get a few more for all my parties! You might want to contact Judy to see how to get your very own haute couture apron as well.

I'm looking foward to catching up with all of you. Please come and visit with me as well (bear with me while I get back in the swing of things).

Happy Fall Ya'll!

Blue Monday, but No Sadness In Sight

Congratulations Lynette & Mike

Hello dear friends in blogland!!! I hope everyone is having a wonderful summer. I think of you often, I just haven't had a spare moment to get a post written much less published. As most of you know, I'm a wedding planner and this is my busy season. I am blessed to be able to have a job doing something that I love. Somehow we have been able to accomplish a few jobs around the house and have even had some landscaping done in the backyard, but I'll have to post about that when I have a chance to take some pictures. For now, it's another "blue" wedding. Blue seems to be the most popular beach wedding color, but just as every couple is completely different so is every "blue" beach wedding. This happens to be one of my favorite ones yet. This happy couple from Ohio decided to tie the know while on vacation and make it a small, intimate, family affiar.

Memorial Day Memories

As many of my blogging friends know, our children don't live in the same state as we do and our times together are definately not as frequent as we would like. This Memorial Day was a special time for us as we got to enjoy having our daughter, our granddaughter, one son and two sisters (which our granddaughter made great aunts) here to make memories with. It was also our little Caroline's first trip to Grandmomma and Granddaddy's house and her very first beach trip. As you can see, she's growing like a little weed (or kudzu in the south).





Originally referred to as Decoration Day, Memorial Day, is a day that has been designated as a day to remember those who have died defending our nation. In recent years it has become not only a holiday to remember our fallen soldiers, but a day to remember and decorate the graves all of our loved ones who have gone on before us. It is also a popular day for families to gather together and enjoy picnics or barbecues. In a sense we are creating memories with the loved ones that will one day be remembered on Memorial Day in the future. Time goes by so quickly and special times with our loved ones are at times far and few between. Let's make the most of anytime that we can spend with family and friends and make all the memories we can to fill our treasure chest with, for it's our memories that keep our loved ones close to us no matter where they are.

Such an Honor

Attitude of Gratitude Award

This is an award for people who know how to make lemonade out of the lemons that life sometimes hands you. It is also an award for blogs that have a good Attitude and plenty of Gratitude. Your attitude is not determined by circumstances, but by how you respond to your circumstances. It’s how you react to events, not the events themselves, that determines your attitude.

When I started blogging in January I intended for it to be a blog for my business, Grand Occasions and offer tips and advice on weddings and events, but I quickly discovered many delightful ladies with the same interests as me, so my Grand Occasions turned into a personal blog and a place I come to relax, get inspired, pick up clever ideas and meet new friends. I have gotten to know some very special ladies and I'm looking forward to meeting many more. I've learned they are very patient and understanding friends and continue to visit even when I'm a little slow in publishing new posts.

I would like to introduce you to one of those friends, Sherri at Sharing with Sherri. I was deeply touched when she gave me my very first award this week. It's the Attitude of Gratitude Award! I feel so honored and excited to have been given such a special award. Now, she tells me I have to share what has given me that attitude of gratitude and to be honest, I'm not exactly sure I know except by the grace of God. I don't know if it's something that's been developed or if that's just the way the Lord made me. I was raised by parents that didn't take anything for granted and who expected us to be thankful for and take care of what we had and were given. If you didn't show appreciation or respect for whatever it was, it was taken away and sometimes given to someone else who was in need of it or who would appreciate it. We never felt like we were entitled to things as so many children and adults are today even thought looking back we had more than most. Our parents were older and worked hard for what they had and what was given to us. My mother died when I was 10 and my sister was only 5. Even thought that was very young I had a solid foundation and lot of determination. The Lord provided us with an abundance of godly women to give advice, make costumes, take us shopping, provide a bed or whatever else we were in need of at the time. We loved being with our Daddy and especially loved going to work with him (he owned a beauty salon), but there were just some things a daddy didn't know how to handle like a woman did. As Sherri said there were good times and bad times especially after our daddy re-married, but somehow by the Lord's grace I came out unscathed and ended up with a whole lot of knowledge about a whole lot of things. I think life is short and even though this world we live in is not what it was intended to be it's filled with amazing beauty and a lot to be enjoyed. I'm a people person. They interest me, they are all different, they all have their own unique story and I'll let you in on a little secret...none of them are perfect and every single one of them no matter where they come from, how much they have or don't have, has a problem or two. I am thankful for all of those godly self-less ladies the Lord put in my life and the times they shared with us that sometimes weren't convenient. If I could go back and change things I honestly don't know how much I would change. I've learned valuable lessons that I would otherwise never have learned. The trick is to put into practice what you've learned. Of course you always wonder what if, but remember this, nothing will ever happen in our lives that the Lord doesn't allow. He knows all about it even before it ever happens. He's promised to never leave or forsake us so take hold of His hand and enjoy the stroll. He'll do the leading so you can enjoy the scenery. He didn't promise us a life without lemons, in fact He's told us there would be lots of lemons and He's given us the recipe to make lemonade with them. So if you have bowl full, a bag full or maybe even a whole house full of lemons, start squeezing them and add plenty of sugar you will find that it's very refreshing!

Sherri is a brand new blogger as well, please stop by her blog for a visit and get to know her http://sharingwithsherri.blogspot.com/


Thank you Sherri for this very special award. I feel very honored and blessed to have met you!