~~~~THOUGHTS ON A SUNDAY MORNING~~~~ Safe and Sound

 ~THANK YOU, GOD!~

Early Saturday evening my daughter Adrienne, SIL Michael, my granddaughter, Miss K (son's daughter), were involved in an automobile accident.  Although our girl's car is probably totaled, somehow the three of them escaped serious injury.  Adrienne's a little banged up but she's going to be fine.  You may remember a year ago our son, Brandon, was in an accident where his SUV was flipped over and he had to crawl out the hatch...  He was also unhurt even though his vehicle was totaled as well.

~TOWING CAR AWAY~

After meeting up with my little family at the accident site I called my Mr. AGPMan and together we decided to go to a local restaurant for dinner.  While I was out shopping he'd been busy working on our kitchen remodel and was ready to take a break. Just after the five of us sat down and ordered our food his cell phone rang.  Incredibly it was our local police department informing us our aging pickup truck had been hit while parked in front of our home.  It was hit head on and knocked so hard that it jumped the curb and landed onto the sidewalk...

Two vehicle accidents in one day...totally unrelated and miles apart.

 ~HUBBY'S 3/4 TON TRUCK~

This morning I'm incredibly grateful my beautiful girl, her hubby and our Miss K were uninjured.  I rejoice over their lives being spared in the T-Bone accident.  Although I'm sad over our pickup being heavily damaged (remodeling needs a truck!), I'm thankful the driver wasn't hurt or killed.  Apparently he had some kind of seizure and blacked out.  If the 3/4 ton truck hadn't been parked where it was he easily could have crashed his car into our home (he was taken to the hospital but we don't know anything about his condition)...

Last night I couldn't escape the thought that none of us know the mind of God, or why He allows what He does.  I only know in my most difficult circumstances, I will miss the peace of his presence unless I continue to trust that He is always faithful and always good.  Cars and trucks can be replaced...it's just stuff.  But, not my family.

"When you go through deep waters, I will be with you.

When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown... 

For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior."

(Isaiah 43:2-3)

~~*~~

Blessings as you rejoice in His goodness!

Love to you... 

~TRAIN UP A CHILD~

 How can it be that today my oldest child turns thirty?

I should still be thirty...

(At least no more than thirty-five...)

The years have sped by

And in it's wake a lifetime of memories

Have been formed.

 Every once in a while in my son's

~running-everywhere-childhood~

I'd see him slow down and get quiet...

And I'd catch a glimpse

Of the man I knew

One day he'd become...

When the time came for him to spread his wings

I was totally unprepared for his flight.

It came too fast...

Too soon.

Fly away he did...

 I've heard it said that if you love someone

You must let them go.

If they return to you

They will be yours forever...

If not they never were.

 Today I'm grateful for the courage it took to let go.

For in doing so the tiny baby

That turned into a little boy,

Who evolved into a man

Returned to me...

 Amazing human being!

Loving husband to Sarah...

Incredible daddy to Miss K...

Trusting brother of Adrienne

Beautiful son of Steven and Rebecca...

"Happy Birthday, Brandon Kent.  You bless me.  You bless our family.

Love you most~~xo Mom"

"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it."

(Proverbs 22:6 KJV)

~~*~~

Blessings as you celebrate LIFE with those you love...

 

~~~~A TIME TO PAINT and a TIME TO SEW~~~~ Time To Freshen Things Up

~FRESH NEW PILLOWS~

As I worked my way through

 creating

 and

 designing

 this past year I knew one thing to be true...

 I was changing.

As I waved goodbye to 2011 and ushered in the

New Year

I felt my life and business were about to be

 shaken up

 and

 tossed about.

(Boy was I right!)

 ~DO YOU SPEAK FRENCH?~

(Linen Postcard Pillow)

Over the past eighteen months I've really struggled with moving beyond

PINK ROSE EVERYTHING

and if I can speak truthfully here some of those

feelings have really

 freaked me out.

 I've done a variation of the same thing for a decade now

and I've just grown tired of making

 the same old, same old.

This is no more apparent than when I look at

pictures of my own home.

It's easy for me to see

how my own personal tastes have

evolved over the past few years.

As I shared with you last week the

time has come for me to

 regroup

 refocus

 and begin to

 really listen

  to what my own heart is saying.

I need to pay attention to my inner voice and move beyond the one prevailing (and erroneous) idea that

 cottage and pink

 must always go hand in hand, side by side.

It doesn't...they don't.  Not for me anyway...

Whenever I'm confused and not sure which way to go or I'm afraid of the twisting and turning of the road ahead, I always go to the Father and ask for His help...  

(And then I call my sister...)

There is just something about the simplicity of  honest prayer that calms me.  Something about going to the Creator of the world and asking for discernment and then knowing, believing He will not fail me.

(Thank you, God)

And...there is something about

talking to a sister~ 

And how I know when I pick up the phone,

she'll be there.

(Thank you, Lin)

That said...

This weekend I've decided to put my

A GATHERING PLACE 

website on a little hiatus for a few weeks.  Two of my favorite men (hubster and son) are going to do their magic and freshen things up with a new look and feel.  While they are doing that I'm telling them what to do I will also be working at restocking my practically empty shelves with lots and lots of new things.  Hand painted Signs, French Farmhouse Complements, Cottage Pillows, Sachets, Cards, Tags, and so much more!  I'm going to be revamping nearly everything and hope to be back up and running by early to mid March. I promise to keep you updated as I go along!

In the meantime I will continue to sell lots and lots of my overstocked fabric (new and vintage) and trims on eBay and maybe even Etsy.  Be watching...more stuff is coming up over the next couple of days.

As I've shared with you before I will still be working with the softest pinks and I'll never stop hand painting roses...  I just want to do more of other things, too, and no longer want them to be the only two things that define my work or garner my focus.

Thank you for your encouragement and faith in what I do.  Your friendship and love and support mean the world to me.

 "There were times when I thought I

couldn't last for long

But now I think I'm able to carry on
It's been a long, a long time coming
But I know a change gonna come, oh yes it will"

(Sam Cooke)

Love to you...