Friday favs…”vintage unsolved mystery”

I’d been looking for something “interesting” to hang on the wall in the stair landing right above my antique trunk.

On the same day I found my Goodwill trunk, I found the “something interesting”.  For a mere $4.99 I brought it home, cleaned it up, and rubbed it smooth with some furniture wax.

I hung it on the wall above the antique trunk and draped a small red, white and blue quilt on it in keeping with the upcoming fourth of July holiday.  Then I took my first cutting of lavender from my very own home grown lavender plant and hung a small bunch on it to dry.  I’m lovin’ it!  But for the life of me, I really have no idea what it is! Do you?

 

Happy Friday everyone and have a blessed weekend!

Elizabeth

 

When you feel unnoticed…

 

As a pastor’s wife and a part of the pastoral team I’m very aware of people’s needs.

God helps me to sense the broken hearted in our midst.

In my heart I want everyone in our church, or those visiting, to feel loved and cared for.

I want them to know that they are significant, important, special.

I’m also very aware that sometimes people walk out our doors and don’t feel that way.

We are finite and aren’t able to get to speak to every individual, to look them in the eye and let them know we care. 

It always grieves my heart when someone feels that they’ve slipped through the cracks and gone unnoticed.

I feel the same way about this blog.

I wish I could look every follower, every reader, every commenter in the eye and say, “you matter”.

The only way I know to do this is to respond to comments and get around to other’s blogs the best that I’m able.

However, the reality is that some days, even weeks, are too busy, and while every comment is read and appreciated, while I have every intention to comment back, sometimes I just get so far behind that I know I’ll never catch up.

I wish blogger had a “respond to all comments” button, so I could make sure everyone sees this.

Sometimes I sense your broken hearts, your loneliness.  If I could, I’d look you in the eye and say I care, but even better, God cares.

You matter. 

You are God’s favorite.

He smiles when He thinks of You.

He has a plan for you.

Don’t give up.

Don’t quit.

You are loved.

Still following,

Elizabeth

My take on decorating with plates…

Lately I’ve found so many lovely English ironstone pieces when I’ve been out thrifting, and all of them have been incredibly inexpensive.  YaY!

Recently,  I had a creative idea using some of my thrift store find ironstone saucers.  When these creative ideas randomly come to me  I just have to make. it. happen. right. now. (Anyone else like out there like that?)  Thankfully, I had every thing I needed already…some ironstone saucers, a large empty frame, some burlap, and a glue gun.

I simply removed the picture, mat, and glass from the frame and attached burlap to the cardboard backing using the hot glue gun.  I then decided how I wanted the saucers to be arranged and hot glued them onto the burlap.  It was that easy, but I absolutely love how it turned out. 

 

Still following,

Elizabeth

Thank heaven for little girls…

Since Mama’s death in January, life has continued on for those of us left behind. 

Just this month another great-granddaughter, and another great-great-granddaughter have been born into her family.

And now our youngest granddaughter, (Mama’s great-granddaughter), has an announcement to make.

“I’m going to have a baby sister!”

Mama’s family seems to be having a run on girls! That’s okay, we think girls are pretty great.

Anyway, the Hubs and I are off to a little family reunion with my brothers and sisters, and as many of our kids and grandkids as can make it.

Mama would have loved this. 

She would have sat in a comfy chair, listening, watching and grinning big as all of us talk and laugh together. 

Who knows, maybe she still is.

My continuing gratitude list #1199-#1209

-youngest daughter safely back to her home from her trip to Chicago

-how God’s ways wonderfully confound the human mind, like when we give away more, we end up with more than enough

-a good report on a recent follow-up exam

-we are having another granddaughter! Oldest daughter’s pregnancy is going very well!

-all the beautiful flowers in bloom in the neighborhood, especially my favorites, peonies and roses

-how God meet not only my needs, but so many of my wants

-His mercy and lovingkindness are forever!

-the way God wants voluntary lovers, and yet when I ask Him to help me love Him more, He does

-Friday morning pancakes

-our son in law’s birthday, and the blessing of having sons-in-law that love Jesus

-a really great neighborhood barbecue/outreach by our church, and the wonderful volunteers who made it happen

Gratefully yours,

Elizabeth

Finding time…

I knew I wanted to do a photo and verse about time this week.

I was blown away at Ecclesiastes 8:5.

You can’t get much more plain spoken than this.

I know in my life, I manage to find the time for the things I really want to do,

so I know that there is time, and that there’s a way to do what is right.

Still following,

Elizabeth

photo edited with Kim Klaussen’s golden texture, opacity 50% linear light

Friday Favs…Goodwill find vintage trunk

It was 50% off anything with a blue sticker day at the local Goodwill.

This vintage trunk had a blue sticker, which made it so cheap that I knew if I got it home and didn’t love it,

I would have no trouble reselling it for more than I paid for it.   

So I brought her home, cleaned her all up and brought her inside for her trial run as a coffee table.

She’s adorned with stickers from Stephen’s College, a woman’s college in Missouri.

I love the old stickers.

I wonder about the girl who packed this trunk full of her belongings and went off to school.

The lock on the front is broken, but it is inside the trunk, so I’m hoping it can be soldered back on.

Also inside the trunk were some newspaper pages from 1945, and a hand written recipe.

I’ve always hoped to find the perfect wooden blanket chest or storage chest to use as a coffee table,

or maybe even a unique old bench.

In the meanwhile, what do you think of the old gal?

Hoping you all have a Happy Friday and a Great Weekend!

Elizabeth

 

Treasure…

In the closet under the stairs is a box full of treasure.

No one would guess that a plastic storage box is really a treasure chest.

When I’m dead and gone and my children and grandchildren sift through all my worldly goods, I hope they don’t pass it by for it’s humble appearance.

Inside they will find yellowed pages and bulging journals, the treasure maps of a sojourner stumbling her way through this life, seeking the Kingdom where lies eternal treasure that moth and rust can’t touch.

I hope they’re not disappointed that I’m not leaving them more of this world’s gold.

I hope when they stumble upon the tear stained pages filled with prayers for them, filled with God’s promises for them, that they realize this was the best inheritance I could give.

I hope when they read the cries of a young mama who needed Wisdom from Above to know how to be a mama, that they realize His help, His wisdom, made all the difference.

I hope when they read the pages with scribbling about my doubts and fears, hurts and anger, disappointment and frustration, that they don’t stop there, that they keep reading long enough to realize I kept walking through the slough of despair and came out on the other side, came out and stood on Solid Rock by His grace, only by His grace.

I hope they understand that mixed with the words describing ordinary days, and the highs and lows of an ordinary life, are prayers and promises and communication back and forth between me and an Extraordinary God.  I hope they understand the inseparable weaving of the threads of the natural and the Supernatural in the life of a Jesus follower.  I hope they know, beyond a shadow of doubt, that this mortal has put on immortality, and that I am forever with the One I love, and that their hearts burn with twice the passion for Him as mine.

When I’m dead and gone, tell my children and grandchildren that in the closet under the stairs is a box full of treasure, the pages of my life.

Still following,

Elizabeth

Hummingbird {cup}cake{s}…

I’d never heard of Hummingbird Cake before until I heard about it on an episode of the t.v. show, Cupcake Wars.

I guess it’s a popular cake in the south. The batter has mashed bananas, crushed pineapple, and chopped toasted pecans in it.

A few days after hearing about Hummingbird Cake,  I clicked over to call me cupcake and there was a recipe for it with the most mouthwatering photos.  I swoon over lovely food photos.

I decided to make Hummingbird Cupcakes for Father’s Day dessert.  I used the recipe on call me cupcake, minus the banana filling.  For the frosting I made a basic cream cheese frosting, (1/2 cup butter, 8 oz. cream cheese, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 2 lbs. powdered sugar), except I used a few tablespoons of pineapple juice to get it the right consistency instead of milk, which is what I would normally use.

The Hubs and I both thought this cupcake was absolutely FANTABULOUS!

On another note, I received my lovely giveaway items from the beautiful blog A Rosy Note, and its sweet author, Tricia…four Anthropologie mini café au lait bowls, two heavenly smelling lavender sachets, some French postage stamps, and a vintage skeleton key.  I love it!  Thank you Tricia!

 

Still following,

Elizabeth

People pictures with texture…

 

Our challenge this week for Kim Klaussen’s Texture Tuesday is to use texture on photos with a person or people.

My first photo is of my two oldest grandkids, taken last summer.

I changed it to black and white then added Kim’s luminous texture at 100%.

Here’s a photo taken a couple of weeks ago with the Hubs and my grandson.

On this photo I used three layers of Kim’s mayzee texture at 100%.

This photo of youngest granddaughter was taken a couple of weeks ago as well.

I brightened the photo +30 then used Kim’s portrait texture at 100%.

I did not remove texture from the face.

I am so appreciative of Kim’s free textures and all that I’ve learned from her.

I still have a long way to go and am still learning of course!

 

Still following,

Elizabeth