{ caroline, annie and tim }

my week will be consisting of 

this

and this

and this

which used to look like this

a couple years ago

when i brought this lovely lady home from

my friend's antique shop

she was lovingly repurposed by hubby and me
to hold our television set in the living room

she is currently wearing a pretty coat of pale pistachio green

called "sweet caroline" by benjamin moore

i fell in love with that color because it coordinated with the linen pillow slips 

i used to have in the living room

which i still love to this day

(and are now tucked safely away for the time being)

but i noticed during the evening hours when the living room lights were turned on

that pretty "sweet caroline" took on a limey green cast

which i just can't look at anymore

and since my serious hemp-linen grain sack addiction kicked in last summer,

it's been all about these beauties

creamy white with pale red

very french country farmhouse in my mind  ♥

poor sweet caroline just doesn't go with anything in the room anymore.

she has to take a hike

so, this week miss annie armoire is getting a pretty dress of creamy white

to coordinate with the creamy white grain sacks with the pale french red stripes.

but...

she's not the only one that will be wearing a new frock of white

this beautiful primed piece of furniture will, too...

can you guess what room she'll be residing in...?

stay tuned for the reveal!

it's time for me to get busy....!

{ hugs }

{ oh, and many of you inquired about my wednesday water aerobics class

which will now be officially referred to as 

"the evil noodle class"

the morning after class

which

need i remind you

was the morning of my thursday afternoon class

i found myself walking like tim conway

doing the little old man shuffle

i was one sore old lady

but i will be back for more noodle torture this week

because i've lost four pounds in that pool somewhere...

woot woot! }

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 linking with the four linky parties 

posted on my sidebar

see you there!

~ flip flops, frozen yogurt, and a typhoon ~

you're thinking

"what in the world do all of these things have to do with each other?"

here's a hint...

and another hint...

one more...

why did i pack these things in my beach bag?

(sadly...no....it's not for some tropical vacation)

but it's as close as i'm going to get to one for a while!

i'm spending three afternoons a week here.

google image

well....not exactly THERE ~

more like here...

google image

i'm taking water aerobics classes at a local school!

when i walked in to the class

ALONE

(because my friend did NOT show up....

and you know who you are..................

georgina.... 

*wink*)

the warm humid air hit me like a summer embrace.

the smiles from the 10 other people in class warmed me even more.

(i should'ave known better...)

after sliding in to the 90 degree water

(which was seriously delicious)

i was passed around from person to person

like some novelty item

as they introduced themselves to me.

yes....i was ONE of the youngest students in the class

(not the ONLY one, i'll have you know!)

and i was immediately warned that they were NOT going allow me in the pool

if i was skinnier than they were

SO THERE.....!

then i caught the winking, side glances, and elbow jabs,

and laughter erupted from all of them

like a bunch of adolescent troublemakers.

you know the type ~ 

the ones that always end up in the back of the classroom

disrupting everything the instructor is trying to teach?

there i was

smack dab in the middle of them all.

what in the dilly did i get myself in to....???

i was quickly warned by connie, who is a pastor's wife,

to keep my distance from larry,

who evidently was either an undertaker

or just had a severely demented sense of humor.

i couldn't really tell which 

as he proudly informed me 

that he drove a hearse with a coffin in the back

that had some type of body laying in it

and when he stepped on the brakes 

the eyes lit up out the back window.

hmmmm.....i'm going for demented here.....

"BUT....", he added, holding his finger high above the pool and the water dripping from his full white beard,

"i make a killin' off of the frozen yogurt that i sell out of the casket!"

yup...demented.

(thanks for the warning, connie.) 

linda chimed in and told me to watch out for virginia

who was a total workout fiend

and had a tendency to not watch where she was going

(as the tiny white-haired wonder practically drowned me 

as she typhooned her way across the pool.....

ummmm........backwards.)

so, while the teacher was making us do this

punches, kicks, swirls, and jabs

and ALOT of this

jogging....and no, that is not larry next to me...

no, no, no!! 

none that THAT!!!

are you kidding me???

(we're not THAT good....yet.)

*snort*

wednesday IS "noodle" day, however

"...a much more intense workout..."

from what corina told me

MORE intense?????

oh boy.....

so after an hour and a half of

laughing

huffing

puffing

groaning

sweating

and steering clear of typhoon virginia

i crawled out of the pool

dragged myself to the locker room

(as i heard larry bellow to me "so how much yogurt do you want..???")

hauled myself to the car

and once home

collapsed on the sofa

all because i want to morph into this

by march.....

yikes.....

♥

(and i'll pass on the yogurt, larry...

unless of course, it's fat free/sugar free.....)

~ a huge, simple thank-you ~

i was recently given a couple of sweet awards

by a couple of sweet friends

michelle at shells shabby shack

and

cindy at custom comforts

they both awarded me this

how sweet are they??

thank you so much, my new friends!

♥

now....to be perfectly honest with you

i really don't see myself as being a stylish blogger

just a simple one, really

just a christian gal who wants to share 

a little of her life

her loves

and

her rooky-ish crafts

with her friends

while lurking

stalking

envying

drooling over

and

be crazily inspired

by you awesome blogging friends out there

my cup runneth over with gratitude!

 in order to accept this humbling award, here's how it goes:

• thank and link back to the person who awarded you this award

• share 7 things about yourself

• award 15 recently discovered wonderful bloggers

• contact these bloggers and tell them about the award!

7 things about myself

1.  i have vacationed twice on a tiny little island, called caye caulker, located off the coast of Belize and loved the bohemian, 1970's, hippy feel to it.
i would still love to travel to Australia, and Prince Edward Island, Canada someday.

2.  i fell through the ice on a lake many years ago while riding on a snowmobile with my hubby.  

we were in 8 feet of water. 

do you know how cold that water can be 

and how heavy a snowmobile suit becomes once waterlogged?

i've never been snowmobiling, skating, skiing, or walking on ice since.

3. i am an only daughter

thus

i am spoiled

and will readily admit that

4. i played piano for 8 years as a young girl, taught myself flute for a year, 

and have always always wanted to learn how to play the guitar

(i'm just a renegade hippy at heart...)

5.  some foods i love:  thin crust veggie pizza, creme de mint ice cream, crab legs,

diet sierra mist, caramel skinny lattes, mashed potatoes and gravy, 

and chocolate-covered cherries

6.  some things i love:  playing volleyball or tennis, porch swings, mowing my 3-acre lawn,

vintage 1940's pick up trucks, writings by Thomas Merton, 
spending 'gad-about days' with my hubby,

and, of course... shopping

7.  i have always wanted to design and build a house.

i have the design already imprinted in my mind

and can see it completely finished

right down to the cupboard pulls

and doorknobs

7 1/2.  i had a beautiful arabian/thoroughbred gelding when i was 18-22 years old 

and learned how to barrel ride 

which was so much fun!

(sorry....just had to add #7 1/2....) 

now i must choose 15 blogs

which is next to impossible for me
 because

i am inspired by so very many of you

not only because you 

teach me

but because you

bless me ~

so here is a special shout-out to some of my favorite recently discovered friends!

1.  tricia at a rosy note

2.   donna at an enchanted cottage 

3.  jane at blondies journal

4.  ginger at cottage on rosewood

5.  erin at erin's art and garden

6.  leslie at feathers in my nest

7.  elizabeth at just following jesus

8.  jennifer at keswick country

9.  tootie at sanibel toots lazy days

10.  hilary at sweet as june

11.  cindy at the heart of your home

12.  susan at writing straight from the heart

13.  alicia at time worn style

14.  elizabeth at my tattered rose

15.  laura at my summerhouse

be sure to check each of these fabulous bloggers ♥

they will open your eyes to beautifully styled homes

wonderful crafts

and

yummy trinkets and treasures

now....scoot!

go do something crafty, 
then take a break and and pay a visit to my new friends!

{ grateful hugs }

~ there's no place like home~

debbie's home!

i just spoke with her on the phone

{it was sooo good to hear her voice....}

the first thing she said was how glad she was to be home

for some odd reason

one doesn't get much sleep in a hospital

go figure....


so she's really looking forward to sleeping in her own wonderful bed tonight

photo houseatthelake

she is feeling good

tired, of course, but good

she wanted to thank you all so very much for your prayers and cards

your love is overwhelming to her

and you really helped get her through some days of fear and uncertainty

she will go back next week for a check-up

and to receive more test results

so.....our battle is not yet over, my beautiful warriors!

we must keep praying that the test results come back clean and clear
and that the cancer was contained and removed entirely~

armor up, girls!

I called upon the Lord in distress; the Lord answered me.  ~Psalms 118:5

I love the Lord, because He hath heard my voice and my supplications.

Because He hath inclined His ear unto me, therefore will I call upon Him as long as I live. 

~Psalms 116:1-2

{ hugs }

xoxo

~ update ~

photo by Secret Garden Cottage

first of all i want to thank all of you for your prayers of

comfort

strength

trust

healing

and encouragement

for debbie

 

you are awesome

 

 i know that debbie would want to wrap each and every one of you in a 

great big hug

and thank God for you...

i received a call from her hubby late Tuesday evening

debbie is doing well

 

 

she went in to surgery about 1:30pm on Tuesday afternoon

the doctors did a complete hysterectomy along with taking some lymph nodes

they also ended up taking a few inches of her small intestine

due to scarring from her crohn's disease

so surgery took a little longer than they expected

and she'll be in the hospital a few days longer than planned

 

she is in some pain ~ but is on some good pain meds

 

her wonderful husband is by her side 

along with her loving daughters

 

 

the prayers that she needs now is for

complete and pain free healing

and that the tests for the lymph nodes come back clear

 

 

heavenly Father

we lift debbie up to you today

we thank you that her surgery is safely past

let her now rest in your abiding presence

relaxing every tension

releasing every care and anxiety

receiving more and more of your healing life into every part of her being

 

you are the only source of health and healing

 the spirit of calm and peace in our hearts

 

Lord, you know how debbie is feeling today

her thoughts, her fears, and her pain

we pray for healing in whatever way you know will help her

 

 

look upon her with mercy

and rest your healing hand upon her

let the test results come back clean and clear

 

send your life-giving power flowing through every cell in her body

and into the depths of her soul

cleansing

purifying

and restoring her 

to wholeness and strength for service in your kingdom

 

grant her a tremendous consciousness of your indwelling and surrounding presence

so she will permit you to give her complete healing and strength

 

in moments of pain help her turn to you for strength

in times of loneliness let her feel your loving nearness

in a very tangible way 

 

we trust completely and totally in your healing power, Father

in your name we pray

Amen

{ grateful hugs }

 

 

~ in His grip ~

When our faith is strong,

we believe the everything that happens is part of some vast plan

for cosmic good.

But then there are times when we wrestle with God.

We ask the hard questions ~

sometimes repeatedly.

There aren't always answers

but out of that wrestling

comes blessings.

Beautiful memories

deeper relationships

thanksgiving for what has been

insight into what is yet to be.

None of this makes the hurt go away.

But it can temper it to the point where living can continue;

where the work that God continues to put before us can get done.

Our Debbie is wrestling with God right now.

I know I am wrestling with God right now.

And you may be wrestling with God right now, too.

But it also means that we are all firmly in his grip.

God's is the hand that holds on - even when we don't.

Or can't.

I am holding fast to that promise for Debbie...

"Peace I leave with you,

my peace I give unto you.

Not as the world giveth,

give I unto you.

Let not your heart be troubled,

neither let it be afraid."

~John 14:27

He gives the deep

enduring

tranquil peace,

the inward quiet of acceptance;

the mind stayed on God ready for anything

because anchored on His eternal Reality -

indifferent to its own risks,

comforts or achievements,

sunk in the great movement of His life.

"Do not be anxious about anything

but in everything by prayer and petition

with thanksgiving

present your requests to God

And the peace of God

which transcends all understanding

will guard your hearts and your minds

in Christ Jesus."

~Philippians 4:4-9

Dear God,

Let your hand of loving calm be upon Debbie,

bringing rest and peace into her mind and body. 

Bring to her remembrance the skills of her physician and his attendants, 

who have been prepared through the years by the gift of your Spirit.

Help her to recall the history of your grace in her life -- 

all the trials and dangers, both seen and unseen, 

from which you have been her Rescuer through the years.

Enable her to know you now,

for you have been trustworthy in all your doings. 

Take away all anxiety from her and those who love her.

Lord, look upon her with eyes of mercy.

May your healing hand rest upon her.

May your lifegiving powers flow into every cell of her body

and into the depths of her soul;

cleansing

purifying

restoring her to wholeness and strength

for service in your Kingdom. 

This I pray in Jesus precious name,

Amen

{ grateful hugs }