Let Love Guide

I love coming home {in fact, the older I get, the more I desire to be at home above all places.} Surrounded by my family and the years of memories the walls of our home hold inside, home is where I exhale. At home there's room for my soul; I can breathe again; rest. At home, all is well {and my heart tells me "all will be well." In the book, Captivating , there's a quote by Julian of Norwich that concludes: "And all manner of things will be well." That is what beauty says: All shall be well. While our home might not always be Pinterest-worthy, I do strive to keep my home as a reflection of God and His Word! I have a bit of scripture in each room of our home {yes, even in the bathroom}, mingled with photographs, pictures the boys have painted, mementos from travels, birthdays, holidays. These items of beauty reflect {and remind me of} God's beauty and creativity. I want each room in our home to proclaim God's goodness and His truth. I desire ou...

Happy Columbus Day! Reminds me of the childhood poem we learned in school: "In fourteen hundred ninety-two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue." Today has been a day of work, errands, rest {and play!} Enjoying a sweet day with the boys and thankful for: being the LAST car to get breakfast biscuits at the drive-in this morning {the man at the restaurant was literally pushing the button to convert the order menu from breakfast-lunch} seeing my sweet friend, Sarah, who's getting married this Saturday. I am honored & privileged to sing at her wedding! getting to talk with my Mom & Dad this morning. Even though they live in TN, we talk frequently & I'm thankful for their love {and advice}. Blessed to have two parents who are still in love after 44 years of marriage! a sweet time of prayer this morning. Woke up early to pray for a friend who had a procedure this morning. Praise Report {all is well!} laughter ... the boys inherited my wicked sense of ...

On July 1 of this year, I was blessed to post the following on my Facebook page. It was a celebration of my anniversary. "Four years ago I became cancer-free {yesterday was my hysterversary}. While I'm blessed by this milestone, I'm more blessed by my friends & family {and especially my hubby}. Our wedding program {which we designed and printed ourselves the night before our wedding} had a quote on the back that beautifully sums the love I have for Scott {he is amazingly strong in every way and I love him with all that I am} "Love feels no burden, thinks nothing of trouble, attempts what is above its strength, pleads no excuse of impossibility ... It is therefore able to undertake all things and warrants them to take effect, where he who does not love would faint and lie down. Love is watchful and sleeping, slumbereth not. Though weary, it is not tired; though pressed, it is not straitened; though alarmed, it is not confounded." On Sunday, Octob...

I ♥ giving gifts! I am blessed to come from a very giving family. Growing up we shared our love & time freely with one another. We gave presents for birthdays & Christmas, but it's more the gift of time that stays in my heart. Many weekends & summers were spent visiting with my Grandmother & Great-Grandmother {whose farms were just down the road from one another}. We would spend Saturday's at my Mamaw Ayers, playing in the barn {or across the street in the apple orchard.} I spent many hours swinging on the big old swing in her front yard {and the lunches she served!} She would declare "I don't have much to feed you," then produce the biggest 7-course meal you ever had! {love it!} Many Sunday afternoons were spent at my Great-Grandmother {Mamaw Bible's} house, enjoying a BIG Sunday lunch with all my aunts, uncles & cousins. The men would eat first {then retire to the living room to "watch the game"} <--- although t...

This print is near & dear to my heart. It was hand-stitched {with much love & thoughtfulness} by a lady from Geneva's Wonderful Women Project. This group provides women in the village of Githioronii, Kenya the opportunity to learn skills to produce handmade items such as baskets, purses, embroidery & jewelry. I have the print on the piano in our living room as a reminder for the boys {and myself} to remember how important it is to protect our heart, thoughts & character. The Five Watches Watch your thoughts, they become words Watch your words, they become actions Watch your actions, they become habits Watch your habits, they become character Watch your character, it becomes your destiny {powerful!} I love, love, love this message! Geneva & the other wonderful women gather weekly to create, support, encourage, strengthen {and love} one another. They also pray for each other, for God to provide their daily bread ... they listen {and obey} God...

When I was little I always dreamed of having a house with a different color in every room. So, when Scott & I bought this house, the first thing we did was paint the living/”dining room” <— this is our office/music room {although I am eating Captain Crunch Berries in here, so I guess it’s also the dining room} We painted the top part of the wall in both rooms {and down the hall} a cute yellow color called Lemon Sorbet & below the white chair rail we painted a dark chocolate called Chocolate Sparkle {I guess we were hungry when we picked out the colors}. Actually, we had a five-year-old & I was WAY pregnant when we chose these colors & painted. {TRUTH: Scott pulled an all-nighter & painted all the rooms {and this is why we still have these colors to this day}. It was just him, Red Bull, Radiohead & paint ♥ bless him! ♥  The dark color on the lower walls has been great to hide little handprints. We’ve lived in our home for 12 years but just ...

Lately I've been {obsessed} with this song by Laura Hackett.  The lyrics speak to everything God has been working in my life the past 3 months. You satisfy my soul You satisfy my soul You satisfy my soul With Your love You make my heart sing You lift me on eagles wings Just when I thought that my heart it would faint You take the darkest night and turn it to shining light Just when I thought that the night had won Hallelujah, You make all things beautiful Hallelujah, trials and testing prove there’s gold Hallelujah, You turn mourning into joy This past summer was probably one of the loneliest times of my life {Although I now realize it was one of my best times of growth.} Have you ever had a time in your life where God set you apart from everyone & demanded your attention & heart? That was this summer for me. My "love language" is quality time, so it was difficult to be "alone" with only God as my companion & confidant. And yet...

“But God doesn't call us to be comfortable. He calls us to trust Him so completely that we are unafraid to put ourselves in situations where we will be in trouble if He doesn't come through.”  Francis Chan {9.11.2001} None of us will forgot this date {ever.} It's a day that shook all of us to our core, shook our faith, bonded us together. It changed us. {9.10.2001} The day before ... this is the date I'll never forgot. This was the day my marriage of four years ended. I spent the morning listening to Sinead O'Connor's "Last Day of Our Acquaintance" {and praying.} On this day I would cease being a Mrs. and become part of a statistic. At the age of 27 I would be a single mother of a precious three-year-old little boy {our Noah}. I felt devastated by this outcome. I was raised in a Christian home, my parents were happily married. My grandparents, great-grandparents, great-great {...} all happily married. And, I was saddened by the fact we broke ...

This is it ... after a year of praying {many starts/stops}, a miracle {more prayers ... more starting/stopping} I'm finally posting! I just updated my "About" section {which I will probably rewrite over time} and in that section I explain my reasons for creating this BLOG. Truly it's a work only God could do {and full of miracles!} My journey into this brave new world actually began about two years ago when one of my cousin's posted a BLOG giveaway on her FaceBook page. The items were beautiful and I was intrigued what store was offering such a beautiful arrangement for free. I clicked through her link and like Alice through the Looking Glass I was transported to the beautiful world of Emily Jones I fell in love with her beauty, her creativity and how open and honest she was. Even though she lives {very}far from me, she felt as close as my closest friend. And, the art prints she created resonated with me. I bought {literally} every print she offered and sign...