Monday, Monday......

Home is...

Where you can be silent and still be heard.

Where you can ask and find out who you are.

Where people laugh with you about your self.

Where sorrow is divided and joys multiplied.

Where we share in love and grow.—Anonymous

I am a person of tunnel vision. I get caught up in whatever is currently going on in my life and throw myself into that. So if some of you that have known me for awhile are wondering why I am pulling out stuff that I have done in the past and I am rehashing it...it is because I have been off track for awhile and need to bring back order to home and life in general.

When we opened the store, it just consumed everything!!! Not only was I working with my partner to run the store...but I was looking for vendors...doing the computer stuff at home....working with the constant new layouts in the shop...and my pay check was simply what items of my own that I made that sold. So to pay for all the extra things I was wanting to do...I had to produce lots of stuff for the shop. With all of that going on....add John's illness to the pot...Zack trying to figure out what he wanted to be when he grew up....life has been "crazed" to put it mildly.

With the gas crisis...business slowing down for now...and making some decisions about handling that. I am looking for that comfort and normalcy of home. Of wanting friends to drop in...and it not cause a major anxiety attack because of things that aren't done. And during this chaotic time, I haven't taken very good care of myself or my family and I am feeling alot of guilt about that too. This whole balancing act of life can be so overwhelming at times!!!

We get paid once a month...so this week I am planning some new things for the month..or to pull out some old things and dust them off to use in our house.

Household:
We are going on the Dave Ramsey budgeting plan. I took this class forever ago and it just makes good sense. We didn't do it cause I couldn't get anyone else on board here at home.....now they are seeing the error of their ways!!! LOL

One thing that we have started to do well here is to eat at home. And that was a big thing. With us on the road so much, it was just easier to stop and grab something. So I am pulling out my Freezer Meal books...just taking a weekend to make ahead some things can be a huge help. **One thing I learned was to buy good ground beef in bulk when it goes on sale. Brown all of it....some of it I browned with onion and green peppers....some with taco seasonings......some with italian seasonings. Each bag is marked and ready for quick soups, casseroles or taco nights!!!
Also, I am checking out "e-mealz" I have heard good things about them..they menu plan using the grocery store that you select and use the store sale flyers to plan it.

Outdoors:
I want to work on a patio garden...a few flowers, some veggies for a table garden (tomatoes, onions, lettuce, peppers...) Hey any ideas for easy plants to work with....let me know your favorites!!!!

Craft:
Aprons....ok, reading these blogs have given me a new addiction!!! LOL
I have been in love with the Amy Butler fabrics for awhile and these will work really well with those.

Etsy/Craft Shows...I opened my etsy shop and sold two things in the first day or two...I was shocked!!! LOL I just thought it would take awhile for people to know I was there and for things to begin to move. I want to concentrate on getting more up there and it allows me to start getting inventory ready for some fall craft shows I want to do.

For Me....
I have been looking at my wardrobe and getting really depressed!! I wear just old jeans and try to do a "decent" top for work because I am moving displays and such so much that I would ruin anything dressier to wear. But now my wardrobe is pitiful and I truly have the bug to sew again. Teresa from Plumwater Cottage had turned me on to some Taylor Made Design patterns forever ago, and I have pulled those out and will be working on those. Geez, I don't think I have actually sewn for myself since my "Stretch and Sew Fabric" teaching days!!! We taught classes on everything from lingerie to fur coats...but it has been so long ago, it is like starting all over again!!!

Ok, if you have read through all this meandering of thought....I owe you a huge skillet cookie!!! LOL I guess part of writing this today was to sort my own thoughts and plans out. So thanks for "listening"....

Have a great Monday!!!
Debbie

It's Friday......

Good Morning....
I love stepping outside to see these beautiful blooms at my front porch. Just one of those wonderful "nature" pictures that God paints for us each day. I am always thrilled with anything growing well in my house or yard....as frankly, I don't possess a green thumb. The joke in our house is that healthy plants scream as they enter our home because they know the "end is near" for them!!! LOL

Also, I am amazed at the lavendar and rosemary that has thrived in our yard. The scent of the lavendar is so wonderful!!! I have thought about stealing an idea from Brin. She has a wonderful idea on her blog about making flower cans with just simple cans filled with garden flowers to give to friends and neighbors. Simple idea, but what a special surprise to give to someone that needs to know that someone is thinking of them. It has me thinking about planting more flowers out front...not only to make the house look good, but to have to do these cans. (And believe me this is HUGE from the gal that hates working in the yard!!! LOL)

My mom always had a garden when we were growing up....and I hated working in it. There were no redeeming qualities about it for me then. But while I know myself well enough not to head out and plow up the entire back yard...I am going to work this year on at least having a patio garden on our deck for tomatoes and such that we can use.

And I think I want to try canning this year. Another huge thing for me. My mom's health is fairly good...but I have begun to think about there coming a time when I won't have her to help me learn to do these things and I want to spend that time with her now. Time is something that is so fleeting....and there have been some huge reminders of that in the past year and I want to be concious of that.

Speaking of Canning.....while at the shop this week, I pulled out the Sizzix that has been sitting in a drawer for "forever". I just haven't played with it at all. It was one of those things that my friends had and were doing all these great things with and I thought I would too. Not! But when I pulled it out, I found I had a die for making these cute canning jars. DUH!!! they would make great tags for many of the things I make...they would be adorable attached to those flower cans I was talking about....or even attached to can goods used for gifts!!! Ok, so I am alittle slow at this sometimes...but I LOVE these babies!!!! I will share some pictures later as I used them.


Have a wonderful Friday!!! I am heading off to "housekeep" a bit here and then off to the studio to organized a bit.

Visit my new Etsy shop when you get the chance.... Let me know what you think!! I was surprised to already have some sales on it...WHOO WHOO!!!

Hugs to you all!!!
Debbie

That Monday Hum.......

As I said in an earlier post...I have always been the girl that needed the tv on or the radio...some sort of noise as I cleaned and worked in the house. But after this last week, I am finding I love having quiet Mondays (my ds offered to work for me today so I could stay home---yes, there was an alterior motive--he had a chore list for today too!! LOL). So today I have all the household machines running, I have pulled out my wonderful household organizing card file and things are coming together.

It has also given me some quiet time and I found a bible study online, one that you do at your own pace through CWO. You will see a button for it on the right hand side. I have just started it this afternoon and I think this is exactly what I need right now. If you have done it, or would like to work through it with me, let me know!! I want to post on here some of the questions and thoughts as I go along.

I hope you all are having a wonderful start to you week. You are in my prayers today!!! That has been another benefit of the quiet time....time to listen and time to talk to the one that matters most.

Hugs,
Debbie

Sidenote: Ok, I have a new quote I love...I stole this one from:
www.michellescreativetreasures@blogspot.com

If God doesn't make junk, why do we "trash" people who are different from us?"
My Mom

Sweet Fragrance.....

Perfume and incense

bring joy to the heart,

and the pleasantness

of one's friend

springs from his
earnest counsel.

Proverbs 27:9

There is just something about finding a scent that defines your mood or sets a stage for your home. I thought I might use Sundays to share some "home comfort" things as I strive to truly remember that Sunday is the Sabbath and a day of rest.
And if through the week I have put in place things that make my home a warm, inviting, and a no drama zone...it makes "resting" in it much easier!

Here a some tips that I have found over the years....
Find a scent for your home for the month or for a season. I look to find something that compliments my home in some way...then I purchase candles, tarts, potpourri..whatever works!! I use these throughout the home...it connects it. It is much better to have one scent or a group of the same type of scents in your home. This makes for a calming flow when you go from room to room, and not a jarring to the senses that can occur when you go from one extreme to the other.

Next....when I can...I love to buy a box of tarts of whatever scent I am using. I place these in a decorative glass bowl or a crockery piece in my entryway. Then after friends come for a visit...you can send them home with a delightful reminder of your time together. The "fragrance" of you home.

You can find many inexpensive ways to scent your home....recipes abound online for linen sprays, room sprays, soap-candle-potpourri making. I have played with many of these and have had some great results.

Since I am working to redo and reorder my home....next Sunday I will do something about the Bedroom and share my bed linen powder recipe...SOOOO easy to make and a great gift idea.

Have a relaxing, worshipful Sunday!!!
Hugs,
Debbie

Simplify.....

A few years ago, a friend dropped by with her daughter. As they were looking around at something new I had done to the dining room (things are always "on the move" in our house...so who knows what the big change was that time...lol).....the daughter noticed a sign I had above my dining room window that said, "Simplify". She remarked, as only a teenager can..."doesn't it defeat the purpose when you have to buy stuff that says what you are trying to do?"

Ok, so maybe it is alittle counter productive to buy stuff to remind you to get rid of stuff...LOL

But I think we all need reminders at times....that note on the refrigerator to remind you that you really don't need another serving of pie, notes to the kids to remind them to do their chores, notes on the mirror to remind us to do those checkups that we would like to forget about...just reminders of what is important for us.

Thank you for the reminders that I have received the past day or two from several of you....reminders of God's grace, of friendships, of prayer warriors. Those are the reminders that lighten the load of all the daily stuff that comes into our lives. It is good to get those reminders....because it is amazing at times how easily we forget.

So this is your reminder from me....I want to remind you that your friendship is cherished and that you are all in my prayers, as I am so thankful for each of you.

Hugs,
Debbie

"I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus." 1 Cor. 1:4

Sanctuary....

Expect to have hope rekindled. Expect your prayers to be answered in wondrous ways. The dry seasons in life do not last. The spring rains will come again
~Sarah Breathnach

This has been a different kind of day for me.... I can't tell you when was the last time that I was home alone. I mean really alone, no one here, no one on the phone...just quiet.....

We received some more bad news about my hubby's health today, and frankly I needed the alone time. As I said in an earlier post, when I sense changes coming in our lives, I long for home time and to "nest". So this day marked a time for change for me and for reworking my priorities....

Such as spending some time on the back deck with a cup of coffee....breathing in the view. Taking time to be grateful for the quiet.....and to really look at the intricate picture of nature that God hand painted just for me.

To listen to the quiet hum around the house as all the appliances were set into motion, getting order into my day.


And finally this evening to end the day in a relaxing tub...taking the time to count my blessings. Even in the face of the "bad stuff".....there are still so many things that we can be grateful for. If we focus on those gratitudes...it allows us to put everything in it's proper perspective. And further...if we can pry our fingers off of what is going on in our lives and place it in the hand of the One who is in charge anyway ..... That is when the miraculous can take place.

As the song says....sometimes He calms the storm, other times He calms His child.

Hugs,
Debbie

Home Comforts......

Ah! there's nothing like staying home for real comfort.

---Jane Austen

I was looking over my past blog posts and realized that I have been on here for about two years...and yet, there are only a handful of posts. Part of it is figuring out what I am using this for...who the heck is reading it and just how open can you really be?

The last week or so, I have been rambling around the web, looking at some great and not so great blogs. The blogs that I have truly enjoyed and can't wait to go back to are those that are the honest, from the heart posts.....not necessarily about earth shattering discoveries...but mainly about sharing the simple, sacred everyday "happenings" in our lives. You know, the things that you share with your best girlfriends......recipes, work, home ideas, family, heart stuff.... Those are the written conversations that I enjoy. I actually started out that way, drifted off and now I am wandering back.

At this time, I find myself longing for more home time....to get back to the basics.....order, hospitality, cooking/baking......things I have let slide until recently. It is funny, when I feel there are "changes" coming in my life...I tend to long for home and nesting there.

I want to share with you the fun things I find online, in favorite books, through friends....and hope that they touch you too.

Hugs,
Debbie

So What Have I Been Doing.....

So what have I been doing lately, you ask??? DOLLS!!! Lots of dolls...with more patterns ready to be traced...and ideas for original patterns too.
This is what keeps me busy and off the streets.....or that is what I tell myself!! LOL
This sweet doll is from Sweet Meadows Farm..I really love Maureen's patterns. Great designs and easy instructions.

And just who couldn't love these sweet faces!! Now I know, I love, love, love the grungy prim dolls.... But I am also developing a love for this type of "in between" doll too. They all have a place.....

Funny, but I have friends that these dolls scare!!! LOL Something about the "no face" thing that they can't quite get. I just like them for their simplicity.....there is just something sweet about them too.

So there, you have seen what I am working on this week. And new patterns from Sweet Meadows have arrive along with some from Ruby Moon and more....so the sewing machine will be getting a workout for the next few days.

On another note....just because occasionally, I like to share whatever life lessons that I am either learning, going through and something that I am having to put in to practice.....
A few years ago, I heard Maya Angelou make the comment that ... when people show you who they are believe them!!! Took awhile for that to truly take hold...but once you get it, you begin to see things a bit differently.
Many times we have placed people in certain roles in our lives and may not be seeing the real picture of who they are...and what part they really have in our lives. Then there comes the moment when you witness....true grace, extravagent friendship...or the other end of the spectrum.... malice, hautiness, and sometimes just behavior that slaps you awake. The good, the bad and sometimes the really ugly.
There was a time when some of these were a big surprise.....but now, while I still can be taken off guard when something comes from left field...I look at it now as God giving me a glimpse into someone's true heart...and from there I know better how to deal with the situation. Be it take a few steps back.....or know when there is a friend for heart.
Just a glimpse of the workings of my brain at times....LOL
Hugs to you all!!! and Sweet Dreams...
Debbie

Cookie Night!!!

Last night, my son and I had a "sweet attack" and thought we should make some cookies. Sadly, it has been awhile since I have made any..... We pulled this recipe from the web and then tweeked it with some of our favorite things....turn out great!!! A recipe that we will use again...and soon!!!

Zachary and Debbie's Favorite Cookies

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup butterscotch chips
• 1 cup baking M&M's

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt....then stir into the creamed mixture. Mix in the remaining ingredients by hand.

Drop by Tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Share these with your "favorite" cookie monster.....and let me know how you like them!!! Or share with me your favorite cookie recipe... send to: Debbie at dailygrace@bellsouth.net

Have a great evening!!!
Hugs,
Debbie

Treasures.....

Ok..I realize this shopping bonanza may not excite some people..but these were the treasures I found when we went to Knoxville shopping this week. Where I live we have a crafting and fabric drought...so every once in awhile I have to sneak away and find fun stuff to work with.

The boxes are something new for me..I want to cover them with fabric. Some will have beehives on top from a new pattern I picked up online...some will be filled with spiced eggs for a fun kitchen display and others...well, who knows!!!!

I also found birthday fabric to make one of Sweet Meadows Farms new Birthday Girl Dolls...LOVE that one!!! When I ordered the pattern this week...Maureen wrote me back to tempt me with two other adorable patterns she just added....all three are headed here...I am a happy girl!!! LOL

Looking forward to a weekend of major doll making and other fun crafting!!!
Hugs,
Debbie