I am a vintage all the way type of girl…no big surprise there. I love the old, the worn, the rusty and the tattered. I think my Grandmother would have been very amused by my collections and was wonder why I would decorate with all the old junk she could not wait to upgrade in her day.  I do love my vintage treasures , but I am also very, very glad they serve only as an aesthetic purpose in my home. I do love my modern conveniences, this I can admit

Can you imagine making your own butter each day in this churn? I guess I can, however, I enjoy the large selection available to me from my local market…and no aching arms and shoulders. 

Just the thought of dragging all my areas rugs outside to beat them with this contraption makes me want a long nap…but to be honest the thought of pulling out the vacuum sometimes has the same effect so perhaps the issue is mine. 

 I remember all the curling iron burns from my High School days…the 80’s were brutal to my hair follicles…but imagine the damage I could have inflicted with these curling tongs from the 1920’s? Follow this up with a pointed instrument to buckle up my shoes and it is an Urgent Care visit in the making.  

As for the Princess this week…she clinched her true Marylander status with her choice of favorite snack…she is thankful for the convenience of Old Bay ready-made in a jar!

Let’s Party…

The Art of Homemaking.  Monday of Many Blessings.  Show and Share.  Inspire Me Monday.  No Place Like Home

Tuesday at Our House.  The Scoop.  Inspire Me Tuesday.  Thrifty and Vintage Finds.  BTTCG@Berideen’s. 

Make it Pretty Monday   Titus 2 Tuesday.  Wow Us Wednesday.  Talk of the Town.  Let’s Talk Vintage.  Share It


Tuesday With a Twist    Vintage Bliss. Work it Wednesday    Share Your Cup.  Share Your Style.  Home and Garden

Welcome Home Wednesday.  Thursday Favorites.  Wonderful Wednesday.  Moonlight and Mason Jars.                                    Inspire Me Wednesday.  Thoughts of Home.  Vintage Charm Party.  Your Inspired Designs.  Shabbilious Friday

Friday Features. Home Sweet Home.  Feather Nest Friday.  Sweet and Simple Friday. Making Broken Beautiful 

Tada Thursday.   No Rules Weekend.  Friendship Friday.  5 Star Fru Fru.  Morning cup of joe.  Home matters 

Friday Favorites.  Sweet Inspiration   Best of the Weekend.  Vintage Chic.  Sunday at Home.  Share it One More Time

Peace Love and Link.  Funtastic Friday.  Amaze Me Monday.  Busy Monday.  Inspiration Monday.  Digging it

Little House Links.  Finding Silver Pennies.  Inspire Me Monday

Sometime, in the early stages of our adoption journey, my husband and I had to make the difficult decision as to what special need child files we would be open to review. With the average wait of 6 years and climbing for  “healthy” girls from China, the special needs program offered a shorter wait and often included very minor or correctable needs. 

 After much prayer we listed the needs we felt we could manage and waited for God to put his plan into action. Flash forward about 6 months and we received that highly anticipated phone call and email file! As I gazed at that beautiful face I noticed her big brown eyes and smooth skin, her adorable ears and her gentle hands…I did not even notice her unrepaired unilateral complete cleft…it just did not matter, she was our baby.  

Our Princess was 20 months old and living in the remote mountains of Northern China. 

But what is a cleft palate/lip?  A cleft is a gap in the mouth that didn’t close during the early stages of pregnancy, and this kind of birth defect happens more often than you may realize. It is estimated that, worldwide, a child is born every 3 minutes with a cleft — about one in 500-750 births. Sometimes a cleft condition can be easy to see because it’s an opening in the lip. Sometimes it’s harder to tell if someone has a cleft because it’s an opening in the roof of their mouth (called the palate.)
There are many risk factors that can increase the likelihood of birth defects. While some causes are still unknown, genetics and family history, pre-existing medical conditions, poor nutrition and exposure to harmful environmental substances can affect the healthy development of a baby. As a result, these factors could also be the cause of a baby born with a cleft lip or cleft palate. We will never know why it happened but we will never know where her outstanding fine motor skills came from either…and that’s OK.  

 Our Princess after we met her in China, already charming her Mama and Baba

 Cleft lip and cleft palate can be repaired through a series of surgeries and orthondontics.  While it can be corrected, it really is not an “easy fix”…despite what you may see in Operation Smile advertising.   Our brave girl has had 3 major surgeries and some pretty extensive speech therapy with quite a few more surgeries in her future…continuing into her young adulthood.

Her first surgery at Johns Hopkins 

  She is a spunky bright little girl who charms everyone she meets. She is very determined to speak clearly and has made huge strides with her speech therapy.  The only real struggles we have with her are probably universal to every family with a three year old….Does the phrase “I do it myself” sound familiar? She is our joy and we are humbled and honored that God has entrusted her into our care.  It really is a miracle.  

Once upon a time, on the faraway island of Okinawa, a Pre-school teacher and a Naval Officer, met, fell in love, and were married…

…Life was busy and full of adventure but they both knew someone was missing from their home.  So, they began a long journey to find her…a long journey indeed. Often they felt discouraged on this journey …holding on to faith alone and one day…

                             
…They opened an e-mail and fell in love! And traveled half-way around the world to bring her home…

…They became a party of three on December 15, 2014…and a new adventure began…

And they have never been happier or more complete.  Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

Sweet Inspiration@Repurposing Junkie

5 Star Fru Fru@A Tray of Bliss

Silver Pennies Sunday@Finding Silver Pennies

Inspiration Monday@Our Southern Home

Busy Monday@Pinch of Joy

Proverb 31 Link up@Proverb 31 Wife

No Place Like Home@Rose Chintz Cottage 

BTTCG@Bernadeen’s Blog

Inspire Me Tuesday@A Stroll Thru Life

Wonderful Wednesday@Oh My Heartsie Girl

Titus 2 Tuesday@Cornerstone Confessions 

Make it Pretty Monday@My Dedicated House

Wow us Wednesday@ Savvy Southern Style

Talk of the Town@Knick of Time

Welcome Home Wednesday@Suburban Simplicity 

Home and Garden Thursday@A Delightsome Life

Share Your Cup Thursday@Have a Daily Cup of Mrs Olson

Share your Style@Essence of Home

Favorite Things@Katherines Corner

Thoughts of Home@Poofing the Pillows

Home Sweet Home@The Charm of Home

Love Peace and Link up@Twenty Something

Share it One More Time@Shabby Fru Fru

Sundays at Home@Thoughts from Alice

Best of the Weekend@21 Cottonwood Lane

Dishing it and Digging it

Monday of Many Blessings

Although not technically selling this book, I am quite privileged to be on the official launch team! 

  It is very easy to think you have the author, Heather Nelson figured out when you meet her…beautifully restored turn of the century house, adorable twin girls, a devoted, mission minded pastor husband. Add to this a successful counseling practice and book deal and it starts to get much easier to listen to that voice….the one that insists….you will never measure up. Just like that,the voice of shame becomes stronger than the soft whisper of God’s assurance…”you are perfect in my eyes”.

Shame, the thief that robs us of the glorious freedom and contentment is no stranger to most women…every human being if we are honest. But even more insidious, it convinces us we are alone and the only way to function is to push it down, cover it up and deny.  If no one spots that shame at least we can appear to have it all together. 

 Heather bravely steps up and pulls the curtain back to exposure the lies of shame and helps us through the steps to acknowledge and face our “secrets”. Only then are we to experience true joy. By sharing her own story Heather breaks down her own outer shield of protection but you also see how God replaced it with joy…and you find you love her even more. 

What others have to say…
All this time I thought I struggled with guilt, but to put words to it … it’s shame. I felt like I was reading the response to many prayers and questions that have been in my heart.” 
“This has been so enlightening. I think after reading this that I have areas of shame but I called it something else. I look forward to reading this again later and with others that I can discuss with.” 
“Reading the book this sentence has struck me deeply, ‘no one who feels shame experiences true joy.’ (p. 32) That one sentence has been so good to sit and ponder with. As I wrestle with my own story and child hood of origin it’s leading me to Investigate why I feel shame and how I simultaneously feel robbed of joy.” 

Heather’s book will be available from Crossway publications on June 30, 2016.  It is available for pre-order through Amazon.  Just follow this link. 

Get to know Heather at her blog Hidden Glory

Titus 2 Tuesday@Cornerstone Confessions

… the word sampler is derived…simply meaning “example”…a demonstration in skill. Needlepoint samplers were mainly school exercises during the 18th and 19th centuries, when stitching of samplers was believed to be a sign of virtue, achievement and industry, and girls were taught the art from a young age. Often these lovely and imperfect works were used as household rags and lost forever but others were tucked into trunks and dressers to save and cherish.

My heart beats a little faster when I spy one of these beauties in an antique store. Some are WAAAY out of my budget but some are manageable with a little time spent in layaway (always form a friendly relationship with your local antique dealer…you won’t be sorry). Let me share some of my prized pieces….cherished and loved in my household now…

Susan Combs, age 12, completed this wonderful sampler in 1823, everytime I walk by it I am blown away that it survived almost 2 centuries. I hang this work  in awe and wonderment.

This one is unsigned but seems to be the work of a very young girl still challenged by spacing. When I walk by it I am reminded that life is a process. We need to enjoy the journey and forget the notion of perfection. There is beauty in imperfection. I hang this work in gratitude.

What happened to Caroline Smith , age 12 ? Why is her sampler unfinished? Why was it kept in pristine, immaculate condition for almost 175 years? Her life, perhaps cut short, remains a mystery.  When I walk by it I am reminded that life can be sobering, fragile and often taken for granted. I hang this work in remembrance.

Not every sampler in my collection is old, or even vintage, but they do commemorate life changing events in my life…becoming a wife and becoming a Mama…they were completed by my own mother and will be cherished and loved for many generations. I hang these works in love.

 

Thank you for the visit but I must be going…

I have an invitation to tea.

 

As much as I enjoy exploring the antique stores and flea markets, sometimes I just want to sit on my couch, watch HGTV (for inspiration of course)…and shop.  The beauty of it…you have the whole world literally at your fingertips. Those flea markets in Paris…or Round Top TX are right there waiting! Here are a few of my favorites!

Bella Rosa Antiques-In addition to an amazing blog and weekly link up party, Jill has an amazing online antique store. Her prices are awesome and packaged well…I will be a repeat customer.

Time Washed-Another Gorgeous blog and store. A highlight of my Fall is the opening of her pumpkin patch, but beautiful things are available all year.

Cedar Hill Farmhouse– If rustic French farmhouse is your vibe you will find treasures here…another inspiring blog as well. Plus one of the biggest weekly link ups available!

Marie’s Maison-French at its best…right from the source.  Beautiful, elegant and classic French farmhouse antiques at super good prices.

As summer approaches and you are organizing your trips and reading lists I would highly recommend placing “Un-Ashamed” by Heather Davis Nelson at the top of the list. I just can’t seem to put it down…Thank goodness the Princess found nap not to be optional this week..it speaks to a subject that ,unfortunately, seems to hinder most woman from truly experiencing the fullness of God’s holy plan…shame.  Heather’ s book will be available from Crossways beginning June 26, just follow this link to Amazon to pre-order.In the meantime, get to know Heather on her inspiring blog Hidden Glory.

Happy shopping!

Sharing at Kelly’s Korner-Show us your Life

 

So, this book seems to be EVERYWHERE.. and because I can always use a bit of tidying magic I placed myself on the. Looooooong list at our library , 3 months long, and dove in with good intentions when it was finally available . My take away….put it away when you are done and if you are not using it, get rid of it. Also, I am suppose to thank my purse each evening for working so hard. Not a life changing book but it did make me more aware of some of my own routines that seem to keep my household sane. This household consists of slightly ADD me, a husband with an unusally high tolerance for clutter and a three year old who’s sole purpose in life seems to be dismantling my house bit by bit each day.

Here are my top five tips for sanity…

1. Every Sunday I create a weekly to do list…I list everything from Doctor appointments to gymnastics to laundry. Then, I fit it all into my calendar. It seems to ease my mind to see it is possible to get it done.  Then, I give myself permission not to get it all done, because things happen.
2. When we are done with something we put it away in the correct spot in the correct room…everyone…even the toddler.
3. I forgo Valentine flowers, birthday gifts, and expensive anniversary celebrations for a cleaning service…it works for us.
4. Each night I QUICKLY go through the following day in my mind and try to stick to a consistent routine…this one benefits the 3 year old
5. I try to find the joy each day.  Yesterday was hard for many reasons but look at this view from our front porch! There is my joy

Sharing at Kelly’s Korner

…there is hope.

Thank you God for this magnificent reminder…right outside our front door.

Share it One More Time@Shabby Fru Fru

Busy Monday@Pinch of Joy

 

 

I have always been a “grass is greener on the other side of the fence” kind of gal when it comes to beauty products, but when all is said and done I always come back to my tried and true…

If there is a better cleanser than Cetaphil, I have yet to find it…although the “compare to Cetaphil” store versions work just as well…

A twice a week scrub with Origins Modern Friction is what skin needs to loosen dead skin cells and reveal healthy new skin. No more than twice a week however, too much will irritate skin.

This night cream is the bomb! It also comes in an oil free variety…I find I need the”oil” as I grow older…my skin is getting drier.

My daytime essential, a perfect world day cream with SPF 25…

 

But first apply this serum…it makes your skin feel heavenly!

 

 

Lastly, two simple items, eight glasses of water daily and a soft washcloth to remove make-up at night… Every day and night.  Your skin will thank you!

Sharing today at Kelly’s Korner