Thanksgiving

In this season of Thanksgiving, we are reminded of our blessings and what we are grateful for in our lives. But I believe that there is more to it than that...much more. It is more than just being thankful for what we have been given…it is being thankful for the blessings bestowed on others. And more importantly the grace to be a blessing for a soul in need, whatever or however that may be.

I truly believe that the grace that God bestows on us is not just for us to hold on to…it is to be shared…for it is not what we have that matters... it is what we give.

So let your grateful heart thank someone, show mercy, forgive, be kind, unconditional, generous…a reflection of God’s grace.

This…this is Thanksgiving.

And in that spirit…I want to thank all of you for sharing with me your souls and your hearts…I am truly grateful.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and all those you love…

Photosource: MarthaStewart.com

Merci!

There was a knock on my door this afternoon...a box arrived

with my lovely gifts from winning
the giveaway at FRENCH LARKSPUR.

I opened it up and everything was wrapped

with beautiful paper

and had the most precious seals.

I opened them up and I received...

2 Metal Letters which I selected - M and D which
are the initials of my husband and I...

2 Oven Mits with French Text on them...

And my favorite of all of these lovely things...

A Washed Flax Tablecloth with French Text on Both Ends....sigh...

I am one lucky lucky girl!

I feel so very fortunate to have received such beautiful gifts...

Tracey... you have such a generous spirit
and I will think of you every time I look

at these inspiring beauties that
make me want to redo my kitchen....

FRENCH LARKSPUR....MERCI!

Firing Up The Oven

As the climate changes I am getting into my winter nesting mode...which includes lots of baking.

I LOVE to bake...and today I chose to make something that my husband dearly loves....Babka.

My husband is Polish and since his mother has passed away this bread has been made by his sisters. The recipe has been passed down from generation to generation. They were kind enough to share the recipe with me....and I make it on days when I think my husband needs a little comfort.

To my husband - Kocham cie! (I love you!)

I am a Winner!

I had a very sweet and shocking surprise this morning....I won the giveaway that FRENCH LARKSPUR had showcasing some of her VERY fabulous wares.

I am still pinching myself...is it real....yes....

FRENCH LARKSPUR is a MUST SEE on my daily blog routine...her blog is inspirational....her shop is divine...and Tracey well she is a wonderful blog friend...a person with grace, kindness and an enormous heart!

Please stop by and see her...you will be forever changed and inspired...

Sentimental Friday

I'm feeling very sentimental today...not in a sad way...but I am tearing up at just about anything and everything. Not sure what this is all about...hormones perhaps...but I am just taking it all in and taking stock of all of my blessings...which far outweigh the incidental and inconsequential that happens as it does in life.

I am thankful for my faith
my ever loving and comforting family...
and inspiring friends...especially the blogging kind....

This is what can reach my heart and fill it with love...warm my soul when it needs comfort and give me hope...which leaves me with breathless anticipation of what each new day will bring.

I wish for each of you a day filled with the kind of things that wrap their arms around you and leave you feeling safe, loved and filled with joy.

Welcome To The World!

Today is a very special day....I am a great-aunt for the first time, my sister is a first time grandmother and the most precious thing of all is that my niece is a first time mother.

This is little Tatum...born today a very special day in so many ways..especially for her father who is in the Army and has served in Iraq...born today on Veterans Day.

There's nothing like a baby to make us stop and reaffirm how wonderous life is....Welcome to the World Tatum!

The Queen is at The Backyard

I would like to start out by saying that I am so grateful for blogging. In a short period of time I have found a source of inspiration, uplifting moments and have seen how beautiful that blog friends can be.

My friend Julie...introduced me to blogging...Thanks Kitten! But it was meeting Tricia of Backyard Candle Company through her blog and ultimately going to her shop that had a HUGE impact on me. Not only did I get to make a new friend, but she made me want to create again. She is a lovely person inside and out! Well..to make a long story short...Tricia invited me to put some of my things in her shop....so I have...

This is Tricia at her Open House last night!

If you have never been to Backyard Candle Company...you are totally missing out on a great experience. The shop is filled with inspiration from top to bottom and her candles...you can't find any better! Please visit her at http://www.backyardcandle.blogspot.com/

Here is a peak at a few things...

Thank you to ALL of you for your inspiration! Here's wishing you a weekend filled with magical moments and blessings abundant! Blog friends are the BEST FRIENDS! (Tricia said that to me last night as I left and I think she is absolutely right!)

SMACK!

Ever have something happen that makes you take a real hard look at your life? Well - I'm there!  Do I have things in order if something happens to me? What is it that I am supposed to be doing? Am I doing all of the things that are important to me or am I merely thinking about them....and are those things REALLY the most important things. I do think that it is normal to feel this way in some small degree....but I have hit the proverbial wall! SMACK!

I'm having an internal "WAR"  and I think it's incredibly difficult to share my true self with my family which makes it difficult to talk about it to ANYONE. I do hide alot from my family...how I am feeling...things that have me a little on the edge and in tears....stuff like that....I don't want to burden them in any way. I am the one that takes care of everyone's boo boos...literally and figuratively....I am the glue.

I need to RELAX and sometimes it helps to

Take a scenic drive....

Take a long bubble bath....

Or a biggie...take a vacation somewhere like this...

But the one thing that gives me true relief of any kind...especially in matters of the heart is to pray....

It's the one and only thing I have that saves me from myself...the only thing that opens my heart and the one thing that can lead me home.....