A Gift For You...

" The Lord has abundantly blessed me all of my life.

I'm not trying to pay Him back for all of His wonderful gifts;

I just realize that he gave them to me to give away."

                          Lisa Welchel

 

this came from my daughter's devotion book.

it's FULL of good things like this.

she wrote this down and brought it to me one morning.

every day there is a practical lesson, 

verses to live by

and many words of encouragement.

something they need...

and us Moms do too.

simple words of common sense...

simple words to live by.

like "the golden rule starts at home but it should never end there."

Hmmm...simple...true...should've thought of that myself.

maybe it's just me...

I've often said I need to keep things simple:)

but when a 13 year old comes out and says 

"I really liked my devotion this morning. it just made sense."

then I know we're on to something:)

So that's my gift to you today...

a reminder that we ALL have gifts to share...

with 

someone...somewhere...someplace.

Happy Monday!

XOXOXO

Trading Teacups AND Valentine's Day...

don't you just LOVE this day?

it's such a SWEET Holiday!

 lots of HUGS

 KISSES

 FLOWERS

 PINK heart shaped pancakes for breakfast and

PINK mashed potatoes with dinner,

and those Valentine notes...

 whether I'm 5 or 75,

I think I'll always LOVE Valentine's Day.

only  a few things could make my day better...

and they came in the mail from

THE GILDED CHERUB!

yes, Lorene was my special partner in the teacup trade 

hosted by Sharon, another sweet lady who lives at

FAITH, HOPE and CHERRYTEA

(now you know how clever she is by the name:)

anyway, my teacup package came a week ago at least...

 because Lorene followed directions.

I didn't read them clearly so I ordered her a teacup from the UK...

meaning she won't get her package until today...

Valentine's Day.

but I hope it will make her as happy as hers made me!

I opened this BIG box to find the sweetest, shabby chic teacup...

 I couldn't have picked it out any better myself:)

then, she had so many other goodies for me...

like this BEAUTIFUL vintage apron...

 these adorable little stickers,

 the PRETTIEST handmade card...

 talented lady here, you know!

there was also everything I could possibly need for Valentine cupcakes...

cute heart pics and cupcake liners (my girls LOVE these:)

 and a lovely silver heart ornament

that already has a place of honor in my home!

Lorene, you spoiled me...

 and I LOVED IT!!!

thank you so much!!!

if you haven't visited Lorene before, 

today would be a good day to start!

and the only way you get to see what I sent HER is to start paying her visits so...:)

and then there is Sharon from 

Faith, Hope and Cherrytea to get to know, also.

don't be shy...they are LOVELY ladies!

BUT WAIT...

I'm not done!

I received another package from one of the most loyal blog friends you will

EVER have...

Linda at A LA CARTE.

she is so sweet and always pays me visits, encourages me

and CHEERS ME UP!

she had a drawing for 2 books from her favorite author,

one I had been wanting to try anyway.

so I entered...

and didn't win.

but miraculously, this kind lady had TWO sets and sent me the second place

prize.  Hmmmmm...what a fabulous coincidence she had two:)

and how lucky was I to win!

 Linda, you made my day when you told me this,

then when I received your package and started one of the books that very night,

you made my night.

you make me happy EVERY time I see your comments. 

you HAVE to get to know Linda too!

but be warned...

if you go today, you will wish you were sitting at HER Valentine's table instead of your own:)

she just has a gift for prettiness!

so my friends,

I hope you GET and GIVE a little LOVE today!

if you don't have a special valentine,

remember this...

XOXOXOXOXOXO

Suzanne

SEA GLASS Makes Me HAPPY so...

so my new accent color for this coming Spring/Summer is

none other than the beautiful shades of

faded greens and blues.

SEA GLASS.

now remember...this is just an accent color so I will have a few hints of it here and there...

 but my overall color scheme will still be creamy white, tone on tone:)

I've mentioned how much we LOVE sea glass...

the way we feel when we find a lonely place down here in south Florida...

so excited...like it's sure to be a GOOD day.

 In fact, I recently thought of naming my blog something related to sea glass.

(you know how easily bored I am...even with blog names:)

I haven't done it yet...but don't be surprised if I do!

and as my girls were growing up. we LOVED anything relating to mermaids.

just kind of fun for little girls.

and big ones too:)

some refer to sea glass as

Mermaids Tears.

Awwwww....

 some call it beach glass.

whatever it's called it is LOVELY...

soft, pretty.

 the colors are soothing, calming...

SERENE.

just what I need.

so I'm on the hunt for a few pretty additions to my home.

Check out these photos to see what others have done to add a pop of color in the same hue...

I love the fact that when I googled "sea glass", THIS photo came up...

 

this was taken last summer in Kennebunkport, Maine...

my HAPPY place.

I posted it on my blog and the title was
"Sea glass, Whoopie Pies and God".

In looking at my tracking statistics,

this post was the MOST read of all on my blog by a long way.

that made me VERY happy:)

If all else fails, maybe I can just paint my house like this...

leaving you with this thought...

and I hope your day is filled with many happy moments or as we call them

SEA GLASS MOMENTS!

XOXOXOXOXO