~JUST TO LET YOU KNOW~

I had a completely different POST for you all today.  Something fun and inspirational that centers around CHRISTMAS in JULY!  I'll save it for tomorrow or Friday when I'm thinking a bit clearer.  I hope you'll return then or visit my website in the next couple of days for more information...

I woke up early this morning to the news that my older sister has been in a serious accident involving her car.  She is expected to fully recover, although at present she is pretty banged up, stitches, contusions, etc. Her car ended up in a ravine and she ended up in the middle of the street.  This is the same sister I visited in Tennessee last April and the one whose young hubby suffered a stroke last summer.

This family has experienced so much trauma over the past twelve months that it makes my head spin.  Thank you in advance for your prayers for my sister and her family.

Love to you~

~OKLAHOMA ESTATE SALE SHOPPING...with Miss K in Tow~

Last Saturday proved to be a busy, busy day for me here at my La Chaumière de Briarwood.  I've been working on new product for my booth space and website, had a house to clean and some gardening I really wanted to do.  That makes for MORE than a full day and it doesn't leave much time for Estate Sale Hunting!  I don't remember a Saturday when I didn't seek out and find at least ONE sale to attend!

It's a ritual...

and

Estate Sale Shopping in the beautiful state of Oklahoma is a fabulous experience!

Anyway, I had our Miss K from 8AM on and I had PROMISED her we would go to the next local sale together.  She of course was itching to carry that COOL Hello Kitty Purse and spend the money sent to her from sweet Julie Marie of Idllyhours.  Sooo....I quickly scanned the newspaper and found a Tag Sale very close to home and off we went.  This one was in a fairly new neighborhood and truthfully NOT my favorite kind of sale to attend.  I sort of prefer the junky ones because they continually prove to have the most amazing stuff!  The homes where people have lived for 40 or more years are rarely purged of their keepsakes and this slummin' gal loves to dig deep...

Now...I'm one of those Nana's who admit to being tightly wound around the pinky finger of their only grandchild.  I loved perusing each and every room with this amazing little girl and she was so well behaved (and that made me sooo proud)!  One rarely sees children at Estate Sales for obvious reasons so you can imagine our Miss K got LOTS of attention.  The pink HK purse slung over one shoulder didn't hurt her popularity either...

Anyway, after going from room to room to room she settled a bit at the table you see above.  Sitting amidst a sweet offering of old china she found a darling little teacup in Robin's Egg Blue.  "I want to get this for my Mommy" she said.  With a price of $4 it was the perfect choice for her tiny budget!

 Off to the check-out table we went....  

The lady you see working the table was helping a friend out for the weekend.  While talking to her I found out she is actually a sitting Judge in Family Court.  Do I need to tell you how happy she was to see a child so loved and cared for?  I imagine this lady has seen a lot!

After we arrived back home and unloaded all our goodies from the SUV...

 (Great finds for ONE sale!)

I settled down for a day of chores while Miss K went about doing her own thing...

An hour or so later she brought me a little booklet she had made me as a present!  

(I edited the front and removed her full name)...

On the inside I found this...

This is what it says~

"Sachet pillows are nice and soft.  My Nana makes pillows perfect.  She is a good pillow maker.  She sales (sells) pillows and other stuff, too.  Her birthday is in December.  She is a great Nana to me.  She is so much fun.  My Papa is too!!  I love spending the night at their house two days or more.  I love my family."

When I think about my life, and all the blessings from The Most High, I can't imagine living my days any differently than I do.

 

Blessings to you as you make lasting memories with those you love...

Love to you this beautiful Monday~

~THOUGHTS ON A SUNDAY MORNING...How Great Thou Art~

The ever lovely, Susan Boyle, does a beautiful version of this much beloved Hymn, How Great Thou Art.  It's first on my PlayList if you'd like to listen to it.

There is no better way for me to start a new week or a Sunday Morning than to thank God, The Most High, for His Goodness!  May your day be blessed!

~HOW GREAT THOU ART~

O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder,

Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made;

I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,

Thy power throughout the universe displayed.

Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to Thee,

How great Thou art, How great Thou art.

Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to Thee,

How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

When through the woods, and forest glades I wander,

And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees.

When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur

And see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze.

And when I think, that God, His Son not sparing;

Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;

That on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing,

He bled and died to take away my sin.

When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation,

And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart.

Then I shall bow, in humble adoration,

And then proclaim: "My God, how great Thou art!"

Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to Thee,

How great Thou art, How great Thou art.

Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to Thee,

How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

Love to you~

~PINK SATURDAY...The Thrill of the Ride~

~CAN YOU DATE THIS PINK CAR?~

Happy Pink Saturday to all you PINK LOVIN' PEEPS out in Blogland.  Thank you to Miss Beverly of How Sweet The Sound for hosting our get-together every single week!  I hope you will make time to check out her sweet Bloggie for a list of all the participants.  You are sure to get a dose of all things PINK and LOVELY!

Now...when I was about ten we owned a PINK CAR.  We did.  It was a 1959 Plymouth Station-Wagon and it was truly tacky divine.  I didn't think it was anything special back then I can assure you!  I hid my face when riding inside of it for fear I might be seen by all my stuck-up cool friends.  I didn't want them thinking I was some sort of weirdo princess or something...

I found out from my vintage-car-crazy-bro that the old piece of junk  classic vehicle is now worth about as much money restored as my house was the day we purchased it in 1992....  Hmmmmm

~HOW ABOUT THIS ONE?~

When you are ten the color of your car matters...  It does! It also helps if you have a floorboard!  Our pink Plymouth did not (I'm not kidding).  I've still not recovered from seeing the pavement whirling past from underneath my feet...:(

Pink or not, that was SCARY!

  ~1956 PONTIAC~

Now...this is a cool car.  I would soooo love to drive around my town inside this pink and gray beauty!

1957 Lincoln

What a sight!  Be still my heart!  I NOW THINK PINK CARS ARE COOL!

~1958 CHEVROLET IMPALA~

I was born in December of 1958.  Great year...GREAT CAR!  My hubby owned a 1967 Chevy Impala when we were dating.  She sure didn't look like this!

~1957 OLDSMOBILE~

Now peeps...this car is a KEEPER!  Wowzers is all I can say!  YUMMO!

~1956 CADILLAC~

This looks like one 'boat-of-a-car' to me!  But I'd pal around town in it if I could.  Everyone would stare though and that would make me nervous! :)

~1955 LINCOLN~

This fabulous pink Lincoln came out the year my parents married.  I didn't know they had such neat cars that long ago! :)

~AN EARLY BUG~

(I'm nearly faint!)

When my big sister and I were growing up we dreamed of owning a little Beetle Bug.  She never got hers and I'm still longing for mine!  One day I'm going to own one.  Even if I'm 85 and my hair is gone, bumm has dropped and my teeth have all fallen out I'm still sure to look fabulous driving this...

 

 ~TOO COOL FOR WORDS~

Pink Cars, no matter what year they were made, just rock!  Don't you think?

Thanks for stopping by today!  Have a wonderful, pink lovin' day!

Love to you~

~I'M IN A RUSH...BLOGGERETTE SORORITY SISTERS~

This week I'm joining over 150 girlies for the very first "Sisters in the Bloggerette Sorority" PARTEE hosted by none of than Karen at "Some Days Are Diamonds".  Miss Karen asked all who were interested to take the picture you see below and create SOMETHING fun with it.  The only requirement was that we needed to take a picture of ourselves WITH our creation...

You MUST hop on over to Karen's place where you'll find a list of all the participants!  It's sure to be FUN FUN FUN and betcha it will be inspirational, too!

 ~THE SWEETEST VINTAGE PHOTO~

Now...I'm a creating fool.  You probably know that by now.  But, truthfully...I almost backed out because I've had two crazy-busy back to back weeks.  Still...this little gathering seemed like too much fun not to attend and so I set my cap on creating something different and OUT OF SEASON.
(If you left click you can enlarge the pictures!)

 ~VINTAGE LACE STOCKING~

(and Matching Hang Tag)

Here is my contribution!  I opted to copy the little photo and after a bit of Paint Shop Pro Manipulation I layered it on top of an old love poem.  I colorized some of the florals in the picture and then printed out the image on photo quality cotton.

  I then built a vintage lace Christmas Stocking around it! :)  Oh...and just for an added bonus I made a matching Hang Tag...  I know it sounds NUTSO since we are in a Heat-Wave here in Oklahoma, but I LOVE to make Christmas Stockings...and so I did! :)

Here's an up-close view of the top...

~LOVE'S FAIR EXCHANGE~

Now......

I KNOW I'm cheating doing this...but, snapping a picture of my little creation with ME IN IT stumped me.  So, I included one instead that was taken of me and my Mr. AGPMan in September 2008 on our 30th wedding anniversary next to the Stocking and Tag.  Does this count?  

Say "Yes!" :)

~TAH-DAH~

One Christmas Stocking down and 100 to go!

(Did I just say that?)

Now I'm off to visit my brand new Girly Sistas!

Thanks for stopping by today!  I'm sure you'll be seeing this little Stocking again one day very soon!

Love to you~

Rebecca in Oklahoma USA

~AND THE SHABBY COTTAGE CHIC WINNER IS.....~

~OH THE SUSPENSE~

Boy Oh Boy! This giveaway was a challenge for me to get under control! :) Soooo many new Followers, Fun Comments, Links and Posts to be included!! Let me tell you this Giveaway took me a bit of time to get organized!!!  I had my Mr. AGPMan again do the honors of pulling the "winner out of the hat!" A number was assigned to every follower of my blog, giveaway comment, post-link and button-link!  More than 1,000 of you!  OMGOSH!  The winning number was #104...

And for those of you who just SKIPPED the paragraph(s) above :)....

The name assigned to #104 and the WINNER of the hand painted pink rose

Vintage Sewing Machine Drawer

and the

dainty pink

Sachet Pillow

is:

KIM

from

My Domestic Bliss

Congratulations, Kim!  I'm happy for you!  I hope you'll pop on over to Miss Kim's place and tell her congrats, too!

Now...don't fret!  Another sweet Giveaway is coming soon!

Thank you all for playing along!  Thank you for the GREAT COMMENTS, LINKS, POSTS, etc.  You bless me.

Love to you~

~GIVEAWAY WINNER ANNOUNCED LATER TODAY~

Good Morning, Peeps...

Just a quick note to let you all know I'll be announcing the winner of my Giveaway later today.  With all the entries, links, followers, etc., it's taking quite some time to get it all together!  FUN!  Can't wait to reveal the

PINK ROSE LOVIN' WINNER!

More soon!

Love to you~

~MONDAY MONDAY and a Bit of This and That~

 ~THANK YOU~

"My love is great my heart is true

And both I offer now to you!"

After a super-full weekend of total FUN I'm back in my studio today and focused on WORK!  I use that expression fairly loosely as creating NEVER seems like "real work" to me.  I'm mean, truth be told it's not like I'm digging a ditch or repairing a water-main break or something! :)

Thanks to ALL of you who visited my two little workshops and for leaving such nice comments.  I still have TONS of you to visit for the Where Bloggers Create II Party but I'm making some headway!  What I've seen so far has been FABULOUS!  Thank you again to Karen from My Dessert Cottage and Jo Packham of Where Women Create  for making it all possible.

NOW...DON'T FORGET ABOUT MY GIVEAWAY!  IT ENDS TOMORROW AT MIDNIGHT (that is June 22, 2010 at 11:59PM).  The winner will be announced sometime on the 23rd!  I've stayed on top of those of you who have blogged about the Giveaway as well as those of you who put the LINK on your sidebar!  And...can't forget about those of you who follow along!  SOMEBODY IS GOING TO WIN!!!!  EEEK! :) :) :)

Now...I'm  taking part in the SOME DAYS ARE DIAMONDS Sorority Party and hope you will stop by on Friday the 25th to see my little contribution!  Want to know more about it?  Just click the link above!  Thank you, Karen, for the fun!

JOIN THE SORORITY

Now I've gotta get busy and restock the shelves of my website (EEEK AGAIN!  It's gettin' empty) and finish up some very special CHRISTMAS STOCKING ORDERS (not kidding) that were placed earlier in the year!

Blessings for a fabulistic MONDAY!

Love to you~ 

~REMEMBER ME~

~MY FATHER~

Around the age of 8

My father, William Edgar, was born in Conroe, Texas, in  early March of 1930.  He was the fourth of five children, the second son of three.  Like many children birthed during the great depression he did not have an easy life.  His family was extremely poor and his own father was, by my grandmother's account, a very hostile, angry man.  He died before my father celebrated his 16th birthday.

I believe the photo you see above is the only one in existence of my dad as a young boy.  The original is not much bigger than a postage stamp and when I enlarged it I was surprised to see tiny freckles across the bridge of his nose.  How this photo has survived for so many years I will never know.

To avoid being teased and taunted for not owning a pair of shoes, my father quit school in the eighth grade.  After a severe shoulder injury at the young age of fifteen ended his dream of becoming a boxer,  he lied about his age and went out to sea working on a small tugboat.  At seventeen he enlisted in the Navy.

My dad loved the ocean and for his entire life talked of it with profound longing and deep affection.

When just a young man he believed God was calling him into full time Ministry and began to make plans to become a Servant of the Word. He would go on to become the only child in his family to attend, and then graduate from, college.

~ NAVY CHAPEL SERVICE~

1955-1956

My father pastored several churches during my childhood and made only a meager living doing what he felt called to do.  He organized and conducted more religious services for shut-ins, nursing homes and convalescent centers than I can count and routinely ministered to the downtrodden in the skid-row missions of Los Angeles.  He did this because he loved sharing God's word.  He was never paid a single cent for his services.  My dad was a lover of great poetry, a huge fan of country and western music, and although he couldn't carry much of a tune, he loved more than anything listening to each of his four children sing.

~PASTOR OF THE WORD~

How I Remember My Dad

1976

It is important for me to tell you that I did not always understand or appreciate my father's ministry until I was well into adulthood.  With a firm, deep voice, he remained a strict, but loving, disciplinarian and I eventually grew to love and respect his unwavering faith in the Most High. I'm so grateful today he taught me about a healing, loving, merciful, forgiving Jesus.

Several years ago our family began to notice a steady decline in my father's mental health.  Once an avid thinker and writer, we began to see changes that eventually led to a diagnosis of Dementia.  Little by little the disease has chipped away at the father I've known and loved for many, many years. Seeing him in a weakened physical state and his brain in a fog of mental confusion is sometimes more than I can take. 

I miss our deep conversations.

I miss his advice and encouragement.

I miss his hand upon my shoulder...

and the stories of his youth.

I miss hearing his earnest prayers...

and his impassioned preaching.

I miss him telling me that everything would be alright...

and then

believing him.

~CHRISTMAS 2009~

"Remember Me"
(Mark Schultz)

Remember Me
In a Bible cracked and faded by the years.
Remember Me
In a sanctuary filled with silent prayer

And age to age
And heart to heart,
Bound by grace and peace.
Child of wonder,
Child of God,
I've remembered you,
Remember Me.

Remember Me
When the color of the sunset fills the sky
Remember Me
When you pray and tears of joy fall from your eyes.

And age to age
And heart to heart,
Bound by grace and peace.
Child of wonder
Child of God,
I've remembered you,
Remember Me

Remember Me
When the children leave their Sunday school with smiles
Remember Me
When they're old enough to teach,
Old enough to preach
Old enough to leave.

And age to age
And heart to heart
Bound by grace and peace
Child of wonder,
Child of God,
I've remembered you,
Remember Me.

Age to age
And heart to heart
Child of wonder
Child of God
Remember Me.

~*~

"I remember, Daddy.  Thank you.  Bless you.  Miss you.  I love you.

Happy Father's Day...Becky Sue"

(Listen to the lyrics above on the first song on my PlayList today)

Blessings to you as you remember the things your father did right....

 

A GATHERING PLACE IN THE MAKING ~Where Bloggers Create II~... Pink Saturday, Too~

 ~WELCOME~

Hello Bloggers both near and far!  Can you even believe it's been about a year since we last gathered together for this fun event?  Who knew such a 'little party' would turn into something so fabulous?

It's with great excitement I welcome you again this year to the

"WHERE BLOGGERS CREATE II PARTY!" 

  Thank you, Karen, from My Desert Cottage, for hosting this fabulous event for all of us peeps in Blogland!  Karen is one amazingly talented lady and has blessed so many of us with her creativity and vision!  I hope you'll follow the LINK to her place and visit as many of the participants as you can!  It's sure to be an amazing experience full of endless inspiration, excitement and fun!  Also, since I’m combining my WBC Party Post with my weekly PINK SATURDAY Post I must give a shout-out to Miss Beverly, from How Sweet The Sound, for hosting our PS get-together!  I'd just LOVE IT if you could make time to visit a few of these Bloggers as well! Thanks again to both of these awesome ladies!  You rock!

~COME IN~

First...for those of you visiting for the first time let me first tell you my name is Rebecca Suzanne and I own a cottage style business called A Gathering Place.  After owning a local brick and mortar store in the mid 90's  I moved to eBay where I enjoyed a successful run as an online seller. That partnership has lasted now for over eight years and I've enjoyed it more than I can say.  Last September I re-entered the retail market and opened a sweet little booth space in an Oklahoma City Antique Mall called French Quarter Antiques.  In April of 2010 I relaunched my own website and I hope you'll visit when you can.  It is there you will find the things I love to create the most...

Are you ready?  Here goes!  I have lots of pictures for you!

(You can just LEFT-CLICK and the photos will enlarge!)

  ~REORGANIZED and LOVING IT~

My studio is dressed just a bit different this year!  I now have the pleasure of working out of two separate spaces in my home.  I have one room designated for sewing and one for painting!  First I'll be showing you photos of where I create soft goods...sweet things like cottage and image style pillows, romantic sachets, etc.  And it's in this very room that I continue to re-purpose vintage train cases!

~CENTER STAGE~

My fabulous JANOME Sewing Machine rarely has a day of rest.  She sits on top of what was once a crummy computer desk that was dark and foreboding! :(  It was an ugly old thing, a mission style newby, that truthfully I couldn't stand.  After trying to sell it give it away for six months I finally decided to keep the big ol' thing!  Now I'm soooo glad I did.  Refashioning it into a sewing table was my guy's idea!  Brilliant!  Now I can't believe I ever wanted to part with it!  Underneath the gathered skirt are shelves on each end.  It is there I store things I need but don't use every day!

~Antique 1920's CHEST~

Every Single Drawers Holds Vintage Laces

Even with two rooms I have limited space.  To be able to work smart I need to be able to get my hands on what I need in a moment's notice.  Keeping lace in big plastic bags just didn't work for me.  So, I moved two vintage chests of drawers into my workroom.  They are both filled to the brim with vintage laces of all kinds...Venise, Crochet, Cluny, Filet, Machine, Bobbin, etc.  You name it, I bet I have it!

~OLD SPIEGEL CUBBY~

I showed this amazing cubby last year.  It still holds my favorite old laces.  

 ~KILLER CHILD'S WARDROBE~

Last January I moved this fabulous wardrobe into the position you see it in now.  It's full of more ribbons and laces and higher-end finds I only use on VERY special pillows, etc.  No more TV inside it for me!  The stress and drama of the daily News wears me out...I opt for great music instead!  See the little chest in the corner?  It's full of vintage laces as well!  Yummo!

~WHERE FANCY WORK IS DONE~

As much as I LOVED the sweet little table in my studio last year I had to replace it with one that was bigger.  This one is large enough to hold my Serger.  In the left closet I have two other machines.  One is dedicated to gathering fabric (Johnson Ruffler) and the other one is a mid-line machine for making things like buttonholes, etc.

~FINISHED PILLOWS and FABRIC IMAGES~

~CUSTOM LABELS GO ON ALL SOFT GOODS~

~SPARKLY STUFF - CHARMS - LOCKETS~

~NEW PICKET DOORS ~

My Mr. AGPMan added these sweet Picket Doors to my Ribbon Cabinet!  I LOVE how they came out!  Helps to keep things tidy!

I love LOVE being ORGANIZED!

~BAUBLES - LACES - BEADS~

Now...I am just about done showing you room number one!  Below is a picture of the fabric I've collected over the years.  I still use MOST of it!  But, it's hard to part with material you dearly love!

~LOVELY FABRICS and MILLINERY FINDS~

Now...if you're still with me I'm going to take you into the workroom where I do the hand painting on all those fabulous new and old Finds.  It is also in this room where I do the detail work on the sweet new line of Altered Art Cards and Tags I sell on my website.

 ~WELCOME...AGAIN~ :)

  Now...I do NOT base paint my Finds in this room!!  All that is done in my Mr. AGPMan's workshop out back!  

~VINTAGE SLANTED DESK~

I really do paint in here!  I love the natural light that comes streaming in the window during the morning hours!  Again...I have to work smart because my space isn't that large.  Inside both the closets I store paper, my printer, paints, towels, brushes, etc.  Inside the chest are small finds that are base painted but are awaiting their artwork!  The small closet next to the desk use to be a desk-cubby.  I really disliked the look of it so my guy transformed it for me! :)

~STURDY OLD CHAIR~

A few weeks ago I showed you a picture of this neat old chair!  It's one I hauled home from Tennessee!  Did it come out sweet?  

Below are some things that remind me of how far I've come, including the very first sign I painted in 2002.  It's sort of a sad little thing but I just can't seem to part with it.  It says "Always Kiss Me Goodnight" and it is a good example of the journey my painting has taken me on...  I had the lettering down pretty well but those DARN ROSES!  Argh!

That said...I can't create in a space that doesn't inspire me!  I did that once for an entire year.  I rented an off-site studio with a huge working area and attached garage.  It was the worst year of my life.  It was dark...had no windows...was drafty and I had loud neighbors...  

~2002 GATHER YE SIGN~

~I LOVE "Roses" SIGNS

~ALMOST DONE...A Work In Progress!~

~MY GIRL TALKED ME OUT OF THIS ONE~

~CARD DETAILING~

I purchased this darling vintage desk when my daughter was only ten years old.  The top sides are slanted and open up making it the perfect place for holding all sorts of supplies.  Every Altered Art Card and Tag I sell travels right across this desk.   Yes...I really do work here!  And if that darling little bench gets tooooo hard for me I just grab a pillow (Hey Sweet Tea...wanna send me that cushion back???).  :)

~TWO OF MY FAVORITES~

~A PLACE TO READ and REST~

I found this neat old Tell City Bench at a thrift store a few years ago.  When (not if!) I get tired during the day I never crawl into my bed...No Sir-Ree!  I snuggle up on this soft and comfy couch thingy  for a short little nap and then I'm SEW Good!  I love to read and that little rocking chair is my favorite place to sit while devouring my favorite mags! :)  That little cabinet on the far right holds finished product that is listed for sale on my website...the closet next to it holds the same thing.  Christmas is coming, you know?

 

~AWAITING THEIR MAKEOVER~

OK Peeps! That's just about it for this year! Thank you sooo much for visiting. I hope you enjoyed yourself and will visit me again very soon! Just as I shared with you last year, whether your space is as big as a ballroom or just a tiny nook in your kitchen, I encourage you to find the passion that lives deep within you and carve out a place to call your very own. I promise you, it will change your life.

Just a LITTLE NOTE of THANKS to those who've helped me realize my dream of creating full time...

Thank you to my Mr. AGPMan, my Baber!  Thank you for everything and for continuing to be my unpaid partner and constant encourager.  Thank you for the years of junkin' and slummin' and for not totally FREAKING OUT when I ask you to do things like crawl into a dumpster to retrieve an amazing chair and for not complaining too much when you missed working in YOUR shoppe for the fourth Saturday in a row!! You will always be my hero!

Thank you to my Mom!  You are the most talented person I've ever known.  Thank you for buying me that "Rings and Things" kit when I was 10. That junky toy helped to change the course of my life.  Thank you, Daddy.  I miss your words of praise... but mostly I just miss you.

Thank you to Adrienne and Brandon, my children.  Re-purposing your old bedrooms into two working Studios brings me great joy.  Each room holds the tender spirit of your childhood within it's walls...and that helps me to never feel too far away from you.

Thank you to Lin, Jen & Bill.  Having a sister who constantly had JUNQUE everywhere must have made you nuts while we were growing up.  I owe you all more than I can say.

Thank you to my Bloggie Friends and both my old and new Customers.  You know who you are and at night I thank God for each and every one of you.

Thank you, God!  Thank you for seeing me through the times when I was too frustrated to paint and for grace and patience when I fell short of my goal.  Thank you for the joy You have placed in my heart when I've succeeded and for Your comfort and peace when I made a big mess of things.  Please help me to remember all good things come from You.  I hope one day to be all You planned for me to be.

Love to you all~