~ALREADY MONDAY?~

 Is it already 3:00 on Monday?  No way!  Ugh.  

Isn't it crazy how some days just slip away from you?  I have a tendency to gauge the success of my day by how much I've gotten done by noon.  

Well today must be an EPIC FAIL DAY because except for letting my Miss Mollie Dog out and going to physical therapy NOTHING on my growing to-do-list has been scratched off.

I remember when my children were young and we were always hustling and bustling somewhere.  Sometimes I miss those crazy days when I truly understood my role as a "MOM".

Gosh...I miss them a lot sometimes...

Anyway...my bed is unmade (got up late!) and I haven't even thought about dinner.

I love that eating out is always an option excuse for ME when my days spin out of control...

But...since my Mr. AGP Man and I are back on low-carb eating dining-out is difficult for us.  The steroid injections I was given late last year assisted in helping me pack on about 20 pounds (inactivity too!).  My guy has gained about 15 [elle bees].  He said it was from 'sympathy eating'.  (ERRRR...)   Anyway...my goal is to lose it all by mid summer.  We'll see!  Either that or I'll have to purchase new clothes.

  Yesterday I did finish the sign you see at the top and was thrilled when one of my long-time customers (going back to the old eBay days!) purchased it.  Thank you K.L.  Signs are all the rage right now, no-doubt because of the Fixer-Upper Show.

I'm bummed it's coming to an end.

Aren't you?

One last thing...I've been away for so long I'm wanting to join in some link-parties.  Can any of you tell me the best or most informative/exciting ones going on right now?  I'm having trouble navigating all the changes that have taken place in the blogging world since I've been gone.

Big hugs and huge thanks!

Love to you...

Rebecca

   

 

~WHEN CHILDREN BLESS and New Easter, Too~

 ~SIMPLE ACTS of LOVE~

When my children grew up and left home, in my heart I felt as if I was waving goodbye to the very best part of my life.  I loved everything about my home and family when my babes were little and even though I've gained much pride and joy in seeing them both reach adulthood, inside I'm still lonely for their daily presence.

I miss their voices.  Their endless (and often loud) chatter.  Their angst.  Their simple (?) demands and certainly their laughter.  I miss cooking and baking their favorite foods and...

well...

just feeling needed, I guess.

What I didn't realize during their first early years away from home was that a lovely change was taking place within their own heart's and lives.  As the two of them sought out and found their own true loves my Mr. AGPMan and I began to see things come to pass than any mother and father would surely be blessed by.

  ~A SWEET NOTE FROM ADRIENNE~

This morning the doorbell rang and when I opened the door a pretty bowl of fresh flowers were immediately placed within my hands.  I wasn't expecting anything.  I mean, it's not a 'special day' and so I had no idea who the bouquet was from.  Imagine my surprise when I read the loving card you see above.  The flowers were from my precious, beautiful girl.  No doubt a recent conversation reminded her that I will never get use to her being gone.

Not ever.

Despite the fact my life is blessed and constantly filled with love, laughter, excitement and a whirlwind of activity, my heart will forever long for the days when the tiny hands of my children were held tightly (and safely) within mine.

For Valentine's Day my talented and incredibly gifted son, Brandon, sent me a beautiful bouquet of flowers...  Now~this may not seem like a big deal to some mothers, but for this "over-protective-sometimes-makes-her-son-nuts-Momma" I was filled with joy.  My father told me once that when a son has 'proper raising' he will be around when all others have left...  Not sure I feel comfortable taking any of the credit for the man he is today, but I'm blessed by his tender offerings of love just the same.

Life is good...and I'm so thankful to God for two amazing kids.

 

 ~LAST YEAR'S BUNNY~

Now...if you've followed my blog (or even more-so, my work) you know I love bunnies!  Every year I seek out new, fresh styles for cottage makeovers and I was thrilled to snag the three sweet ones you see below (before the new paint job).  The last couple of years it's been 'slim-pickins' so I was over-the-moon-happy to even find these.  This week they will be completely transformed using pinks, creams and whites and will include hand painted roses!  Look for them to be offered in a few days on my website! 

~TRANSFORMATION COMING~

I'm back in my studio working today and busy as ever.  Hope you are having an awesome Saturday...

Love to you...

~A LOOK BACK IN TIME - I HOPE YOU DANCE~

MY SWEET MISS K

BEFORE HER FIRST DANCE LESSON

I took a little step back in time today...

For as wonderful as my life is (notice I said WONDERFUL, not perfect!), there are moments that sometimes come my way that just overwhelm. Not in a bad way, mind you, but overwhelm none-the-less.

It was just a flickering thought that blazed across my mind. A tiny snapshot of a single day captured in my heart long ago that caused me to remember the best kind of memory...

SMILING FOR NANA
(with Mollie Sneaking into the Shot)

Maybe it's because I've been sick and not quite myself for a bit that helped to usher in my melancholy mood. Maybe it's the change of the seasons. Summer to Fall does that to me. Not sure. Still, when I saw my sweet little Miss K all dressed up for her very first dance lesson I knew I'd seen that same sweet look of excitement and wonder before~

"You remind me of your Auntie Adrie, Miss K!"

She giggled and then pranced about for a bit. That's what six year old girls do...they prance about (and I love it!)...

MISS K and Teacher, ANNIE

After tagging along to the Dance Studio I snapped a few extra pictures for Miss K's scrapbook before returning home.

I started dinner, chatted a bit with my Mr. AGPMan, and still the look on Miss K's little pixie-shaped face just kept nagging at me...

MY SWEET DAUGHTER, ADRIENNE - 1989

It didn't take me long to locate the scrapbook I'm making for my daughter, Adrienne. I flipped open the book to the very page that held the familiar look of joy and expectation I'd seen earlier in the day. Although her hair was lighter in color and she was a bit younger, the expression and sweetness on Adrie's face was exactly like the one I'd seen on the face of my granddaugter.

Could it be that 20 years have passed since the day I snapped the picture of my dainty four year old daughter? Twenty years since my girl cried out softly that she was afraid to be alone? Twenty years since she begged me to stay by her side while she danced?

"Don't leave me, Mommy...don't ever go..." she said...

MY DANCING PRINCESS

"I won't, Adrie Girl. I won't!"

Blessings to you as the memories flow...Rebecca

TAKING TIME TO PRAY

Every morning when I wake up I search my tiny library of favorite books for an encouraging read. It’s become a habit of sorts. I find if I do not take a few minutes to arouse my slumbering spirit, the calm of the dawn ends up being replaced with the chaos of the day. More often than not the remaining 23.5 hours spin helplessly out of control and I’m left with a mountain of half-finished projects when the clock strikes midnight…

I read a little today about Susanna Wesley. I learned she was certainly no stranger to suffering! She lived in the shadow of poverty, illness, and hardship. She gave birth to nineteen children but only nine would survive! Even with such heartache (can you even imagine losing 10 babies?), she stayed faithful and committed herself to teaching her children the things of God. Though her huge family was squeezed into a tiny cottage, she valued quiet time with the Lord AND she made sure she carved out time in her day for it! When she sat down and pulled her apron over her head, her children knew not to disturb her (she was praying). Her faithfulness had huge rewards, too! One of her sons, John, went on to found the Methodist Church. Another son, Charles, wrote over nine THOUSAND hymns...

So…as I thought about Susanna and her faith I couldn’t help but wonder if I prayed enough for my children when they were little…or more so, pray enough for them now that they are grown?

Asking myself that question also gave me the answer….

“Teach your children to choose the right path, and when they are older, they will remain upon it.” Proverbs 22:6 NLT

Blessings…Rebecca

AND SO LIFE GOES

I woke up this morning with the following email on my computer:

“Can you believe it's been twenty-seven years ago, that you were 2 weeks away from giving birth to your first born?

I bet you had no clue the challenges that were going to follow, did you?

I love you Mom,

Brandon”

Indeed, I did not. Nor could I possibly comprehend back then the love and joy the journey of raising our son would bring... or, just how much it would forever and always change my life.

The early fall of 1978 found me an adoring bride. Like many young women of the day, along with the excitement of being a new wife I carried deep within me an overwhelming desire to become a mother…and right away. Despite the fact that my handsome husband and I had no money, low paying jobs and very high school debt, I still wanted to start a family. Silly girl…I’d make different choices today. But that was then and this is now...

After years of trying unsuccessfully to conceive, I found myself growing discouraged during my daily prayer time as it focused more on negotiating with God for a child and less about His plan for my life. Still, He was there. Always willing to lead and guide and of course, listen. Our doctor had no answers for us and each passing month brought deep disappointment. My hubby on the other hand was full of faith. He knew someday we’d be blessed with a child and that our most fervent of prayers would be answered. It was fitting, I suppose, that on a bright and cheerful Sunday morning, Mother’s Day 1981, I would discover I was finally “expecting”.



My long awaited pregnancy with my son proved a difficult one. I will spare you the details and will only say that after nine months of carrying him he was unwilling to emerge from the slumber of my protective womb without assistance. Painful labor (is there another kind?) and fetal distress, followed by chaos and panic filled my hospital room and I recall only a pale look of concern upon husband’s face and a masked surgeon. I would awaken two hours later to a sea of endless tubes, loud machines and the words “It’s a miracle your baby is alive! Congratulations Rebecca…you have a son!”

The first time I saw my baby his soft brown eyes were barely open and a faint twinge of blue lingered on his tiny lips and noticeably swollen face. He was beautiful and all I had imagined him to be and more! It was nearly impossible to reach out for him as my arms were too weak to raise, the result of trauma and surgery I suppose. It was his daddy who placed him on my right side so we could bond... I remember clearly how it was his tiny hands that pulled me close… as if to say “Oh, I know you! I’ve been waiting to see you for so long now! Were did you go? Where have you been? I’ve been missing you!”

With Divine help, I had managed to safely deliver my cargo and we would call him “Brandon”. Nothing since that early February morning ever was, or would be again, the same.

My son is grown now with a babe and life of his own. With a breath of fresh wind he grew into a loving and kind man, one not unlike father. On the rare occasion we are able to spend time alone, really alone, I can still see within his face the dip in his bottom lip and the same soft brown eyes that first cried out for me. This time it is I that pull him close…as if to say “Oh, I know you! I’ve been waiting to see you for so long now! Where did you go? Where have you been? I’ve been missing you!”

And...so life goes….

“Happy Birthday beautiful man-child of mine! My heart is always with you and even after all these years, I’m still so proud!"

"Thank you, God."

Blessings…Rebecca