The Beauty of Restoration

Sometimes a story is put into my hands and it just has to be written. Especially when it is repeated more than once during  a day..this is what happened to me and I want to share with you what I experienced.

Yesterday I went by one of my favorite little shops, Agora, to pick up a lady head vase that she had found for me.  Well, it was actually two but this is about one of them in particular.

I love these vases and they are kinda hard to find so I get excited to  get a new one.  When I picked them up, I realized that one of them had been badly broken and glued back together..she said is it okay?  I thought for one second and said yes...I brought them home after a day of running errands and unwrapped the broken one..it is beautiful and has been lovingly glued back together..done very nicely..and from a distance it is not very noticeable..
But on closer inspection, you can really see the places where she was broken and put back together.

I had seen a post earlier in the day on facebook and I was reminded of it as I looked at my lady...
"When God repairs us He makes us better; don't believe the lie that you are still who you used to be"
wow...there is a theme today about what is being said to me..I need to pay attention here...

You see..I am/was/still am a broken woman..Life has not always been so kind to me..let alone the people on this planet that are living life at the same time as me.....BUT...and I say a real BIG but...

I have been restored by a LOVING CRAFTSMAN..He knew exactly where the pieces needed to go to put me back together..He  used super glue or maybe even Gorilla glue cause I am telling you this...I AM put back together and from a distance, you probably can't even tell there was a broken in a million pieces woman here....but if you take the time to get up close, you will see the cracks where I was mended...Still wearing my lipstick and my pearls, I am whole again..but not without scars and chips and all of the little irregularities that make me less than perfect..I want to be real rather than perfect and restored rather than never having known brokenness.  Like a bone that has been broken; when it mends, it is stronger in that place than before the break.  This is the woman I have become.  I am no longer really soft, but I have a resolve that came from being broken..Here is the key...I brought ALL the pieces to God and He put me back together again....He put this lady head vase in my life to remind me of the beauty of restoration....Thank You, Lord...love never fails...

Something Red

Good morning to you all.  I just thought my blog needed something red for Valentines Day.  My tables are all set and flowers are on the coffee table....Just a few pictures to show you something pretty...and red.....

The table is set with red and white this year.  red roses, silverplate trays for chargers and Johnson Brothers red and white plates... I embroidered some fun napkins and got out my Chantilly sterling.

I hope your Valentines Day is romantic...

Love,

Mona

11-12-13

I am hoping my life lines up like today's date...LOL  I seriously doubt that it will though.....It seems like the clock hits overdrive as soon as November starts...and there is so much I want to do but absolutely not that much time in a day....soooo.. I must slow down and THINK!  about what is really important....and what  really matters....  You know, the things that make a difference.....

Like sitting down to supper with my husband and discussing our day...and truly listening to each other.....

and taking the time to peel enough apples to make apple crisp from the apples we bought last week from Barber Orchard Fruit Stand.....

Remembering to savor the moments of life is sometimes difficult when the business of holidays is upon us..

Priority.......sitting around this little light at dusk..sharing a meal with my beloved..and remembering the important things in life.....there was a time I did not have this love in my life...

To have it now, I am very, very thankful.......

So glad you stopped by today.....

Love,
Mona


Come visit this party where I am sharing..

Inspire Me Tuesday

Joy in the Pea Patch

Oh the joys of having my very own pea patch.....southern peas....

For years I was sad that I couldn't find any good quality southern peas to buy....and then...about 2 years ago...I envisioned my very own pea patch...just till up a few rows alongside the garden fence and sow some seeds....it would be easy...and I am telling you..it has far outdone my expectations....  and the joy I get while I pick peas is amazing....one of the best and most favorite parts of my whole garden is this silly little pea patch......I grow them because I WANT TO!    I LIKE peas!   lots of peas and it is very rewarding to grow my own food........

Is there something that you like or want to do but you keep putting it off or not thinking it is possible?   like the old saying..'where there is a will, there is a way'...it works..truly it does....if you have the desire for something, you can usually find the way to make it happen.......

so

HAPPY PEA PICKING!!!!!

in whatever area your desires are

I love the whole process.....shelling peas is so relaxing to me...and I really really enjoy doing it.  it brings back memories of when I was a little girl...sitting in front of the TV watching I Love Lucy (not the reruns, mind you)
in the air conditioned family room in the morning at my house......

My Mama wouldn't let us watch TV during the day but this was one way I could get around that rule...if I was shelling peas or butterbeans......

So I developed my love of shelling early in life....anything to stay in that air conditioned house...LOL..and it didn't turn me off to gardening..it actually trained me in a lot of ways...

There were a lot of things that I was made to do around the house , but I love making a home so it was more about giving me a chance to do what I would eventually do on my own....but most of my friends thought I had to do too much of the household work......maybe I did...but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise...I still do NOT like to clean house though...I like the pretty parts...the artsy things about homemaking...well, enough about all of this.......

aren't these a beautiful sight?  ended up with about a quart of shelled peas from just a few short rows in my garden...next year, I am planting even more......

JOY, JOY, JOY

thanks for coming along with me to the pea patch today..

I hope you will come again soon..

Mona

Grandsons and Grandmothers

Is it possible to miss them even more after every visit?  I think it is......

I am so much enjoying being a grandmother..sometimes I think it is my highest calling.......

they came, they loved, they left...........here are a few glimpses of our visit.....

It's all about the memories they store in their little selves....I make a conscious effort to do something EVERY time I am with them that will constitute a memory..this tunnel is probably one of those things....it doesn't take much..it is the little things that I remember most about my grandparents..the main thing is...do they remember that they were loved unconditionally????   I remember that above all....



I am knee deep in tomato seedlings and not enough energy to get them in the ground..  I will be reaching really deep within to find some motivation..hope it's down in there somewhere...  LOL  need to finish planting my garden so it can grow...weird growing season so far.I have baby tomatoes in April this year..a gardening first for me...

thank you for stopping by today..  and I hope you come again soon...

Happy Monday..

Mona

Being a Romantic

I enjoy romance........I think most girls do.....but mine is real and not a mask or an act......knowing who I am as a woman has helped me to define this.....my mama used to accuse me of being in love with 'being in love' and I felt like I was 'less than what I should be' when she said it...Over the last few years, I stopped running from that accusation and started to look at my life and my desires....and YES, I am in love with being 'in love'...We have a love story that God orchestrated....we let Him write our love story instead of our fabricating one.....and I think a lot of my life is the fruit of that love story written by the ONE who is LOVE..
so for the sake of romance everywhere, I am sharing some of the things that make up the romantic side of our home....and NO this is not X rated...  grin..

Lighting.....so important to romance.....

captured during the blue hour right before sundown

When we put up these lights in the backyard, it automatically felt romantic to me....easy and very inexpensive...


and cut glass goblets.....another element of romance.....even if just for the way they reflect light...

 I found these at Dollar Tree while shopping for Easter baskets..another beautiful addition to romancing the home.

and last but definitely not least......FLOWERS...roses to be exact..what can say romance more than roses?  and these came from Antique Rose Emporium...easy and long lasting.......

So there you have it.....lighting, cut glass, and ROSES!  just a few of the things that speak ROMANCE....that reflect the feelings of 'being in love'.......

Yes, I am a romantic at heart....and a lot more than I ever realized before releases that in my home...a romantic home...I like the sound of that......

Add some romance to your home..it is not difficult..the main thing is to begin with LOVE in your heart..and the rest just follows.....

Thank you for stopping by today...and I hope to see you again soon...

                                                                               Mona

Chocolate Dipped Strawberries....and Mama.

We have a tradition at our house...it has been going on for more than 10 years and I don't even know how it got started....maybe that romance bug bit me way back when and hasn't let go....maybe I caught it from my mama...after she died and as the years have gone by, I realize just what a romantic dreamer she was...and I know I am most definitely, certainly a romantic at heart...but I digress.....maybe on down this post i will show something my mama did for Valentines many years ago...

Here is my thing...my bid to romance EVERY Valentines Day......

Strawberries dipped in chocolate......

you can find a recipe here..I didn't put the chile in mine...

And here is a really special Valentine that I found in my Mama's things after she was gone..when I was going through an old chest in her garage....a Valentine she made for my Daddy.....

Enjoy it...

I hope you put a little bit of effort in what you do for the special person in your life..it doesn't take much but the rewards are tremendous..they will feel special and you will feel good for making them feel that way....Everybody needs to be loved...so express your love...Let the people in your life know that they are special to you....

Happy Valentine's Day y'all......let that romance awaken in you!!   it's in there somewhere..  :-)  I promise...

thank you for stopping by this morning....I hope to see you again soon...

My Bonnie

Today is my dog, Bonnie's birthday.  she is 9 years old..that is 63 yrs old in dog years....she was a most wonderful gift from my sweet husband almost 6 years ago.  I had always had small dogs and just was not sure I would like a dog that was this big.  LOL   He assured me that I would like her.  well, he was right.  I love this dog.  she has been my constant companion....but just one thing...she STILL barks at Bryan EVERY time he comes home....NOTHING, I mean NOTHING has worked to make her stop...I have just accepted it!  a small price to pay for such a good dog.  we have bred her 2 times.  the first time we only got one puppy.Tula.........the next time, we had 8...One little puppy didn't make it but the other 7 are stars...  2 have gone on to be in the show ring.  one is agility expert and 3 of them live with us...so we have ended up with 5 dogs....all because of this gift from my husband....

I hope you enjoy looking back over her life.  she has taught me many things...mainly about being still and KNOWING that my Master loves me...and wants to be with me.......

she is a good companion..thank you Bonnie for all of the fun and the memories...I hope you live many, many more years...

Bonnis with Daisy..sorry for the blurriness

Bonnie and Will

Easter finery

first litter...Tula and Bonnie

Second litter...

my girl

our crew....

spitting image of Bonnie in red..this is Bo

here is where she stays most days now..in the AC..LOL

Thank you for reading about my dog..she means a lot to me...I have always had a dog except for a very short few years....I don't ever plan to be without a dog again...she is truly this woman's best friend..  I am glad you stopped by today.....