Hi, all! This is a quick invitation for all of you who live near me ... Remember when I told you about Displaying the Wares at a women's luncheon last Spring? It was my first "big push" toward downsizing my overflowing shop inventory. Then, a couple of months later, I shared pics from my big Porch Sale benefiting Hope Unlimited for Children ... and told you that what was left over was headed to auction. Well, the auction house has finally worked my huge stash of stuff into their sale schedule, and everything will find its new home FRIDAY NIGHT. I can't tell you how nice it was to get those boxes out of my garage although I'll admit to a few brief moments of wistful goodbyes. If you live ... Keep Reading...
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A Theme of Gratitude
Happy Thanksgiving, my friends! Even if you're not here in the U.S. celebrating Thanksgiving with the rest of us, I'm thinking of you today ... and thankful that you stopped by. Gratitude is the theme of the day. Quite honestly, ever since reading Ann Voskamp's One Thousand Gifts, gratitude has been my (always try to) focus every day. If you aren't familiar with Ann, do yourself a favor and check her out. Really ... do yourself a favor. As I share with you pictures I've taken during this Autumn season, I'll also share a few of the things I'm most grateful for this year. I hope you'll leave a comment and tell me what's on your gratitude list. This pansy was photographed on a whim and texted to Little Man ... because ... Keep Reading...
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Creative Caring … WATCH FOR IT!
Welcome to My Place to Yours this Thanksgiving week! I hope it's a great week for you whether you're busy with the hustle-bustle of preparing your home for guests, fighting holiday traffic, or looking forward to a few quiet days of relaxation. I realize your time is at a premium this week, so I'll just share with you a few quick examples of creative caring I've noticed lately. Some have links. Read as much (or as little) as you like ... Hurricane Sandy response: Some of you posted on your blogs or sent me emails telling how you weathered the storm. There were many examples of neighbors helping neighbors ... phone charging, clothes washing, meal cooking, tear sharing, "being there" for each other. Then ... Keep Reading...
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A COLLISION … and Thanksgiving
It happened five years ago ... only two months before Thanksgiving. Renaissance Man and I experienced a collision from which we've never really recovered. I pray we never do. We made our first trip to Brazil. The comfortable life of a college administration career we'd been living for 17 years had recently been turned upside down, and we felt God leading us in a different direction ... but we were still reeling from the sudden changes. What we thought was a world of increased opportunity and hospitality had turned overnight into one of shock and searching. COLLISION What now? In Brazil, we saw poverty beyond anything either of us had seen in Mexico, our closest point of comparison. We heard story after story of ... Keep Reading...
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Some days …
Not long ago, Little Man and I counted these while riding in the car. FUN A short time later ... this bumper sticker Some days you're the top dog. Some days you're the hydrant. FUNNY I hope today's a "top dog"day for you! Happy weekend ... from My Place to Yours ... Keep Reading...
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Second Time’s a Charm … I hope!
Another Sally List project accomplished... What's a Sally List? Read about it HERE. I told you HERE that Renaissance Man and I had a date to spend Friday night at an auction. I even invited you to tag along! Well, as I begin this post, I'm sitting at the auction. I've been watching treasures that once graced my spaces now finding their new owners. What an interesting peek into my emotions I'm getting! At the moment, they're selling rusty old tools, so it's a good time to tune out the prattle of the auctioneer for a few minutes ... As I look around the room, I see items from my past spread before me. A mobile of three ducks that was on my wish list many Christmases ago when I had a country kitchen. (Thanks, Mom and Dad! ... Keep Reading...
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Festival of Tables History: I NEED YOUR HELP!
The history of the "tablescape event." How it all started ... and where. It's something I'd love to know! You, too? I've decided to try to put a few of the puzzle pieces together ... but first I have to find them. PLEASE HELP! Here's how ... Think about your earliest tablescape event memory. Any event you know of ... even if you didn't participate. Please leave a comment -- or send an email w/ Tablescape History in the subject line -- and answer these questions as thoroughly as you can. (I'll include my answers so you'll have an example. Date of the event (approx. 1997) Location of the event (Emmanuel Baptist Church in Alexandria, Louisiana) Who hosted it? (civic group, church group, etc.) (church) Was ... Keep Reading...
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ARE YOU PROGRESSIVE?
We all want progress, but if you're on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; in that case, the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive. – C. S. Lewis This is what the Lord says: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’ Jeremiah 6:16 My friends ... what will we say? What voice will we Americans have on Election Day? Please don't think no one is listening. Your voice matters. Speak up! IF my people, who are called by My Name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from ... Keep Reading...
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The Lone Christmas Plate …
Click HERE to see tablescape My prayers continue for distant neighbors affected by Hurricane Sandy. I'm sure many of you could say the same. So much devastation. People looking for courage to face the future. Some are finding it in the most unpredictable places. Did you hear this story? Click HERE to see tablescape Staten Island was one of the communities hardest hit. One man interviewed said his home is completely gone; only the floor boards remain. He and his wife, along with their two young daughters, are blessed to be staying with relatives. Click HERE to see tablescape According to news sources ... In the rubble that was once his home, he found one clean, intact ... Keep Reading...
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BEYOND OURSELVES: Day 31 of 31 Days of Creative Caring
Wow ... We've made it to the final day of this 31-day series. I hope you've found a few new ways to care creatively. Thank you to those of you who have left comments or sent emails to say this series has encouraged or inspired you. I couldn't be more pleased! After all, it takes every one of us reaching beyond ourselves to care for those around us. Beyond ourselves ... That's my topic on this 31st day of Creative Caring I had an unusual experience about a year ago. The morning began like any other, but as I stood before the bathroom mirror applying my makeup, I felt strangely compelled to take $200 out of the checking account. Hmmm... Was there even $200 IN the checking account? As I finished my morning ... Keep Reading...
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TABLE FOR TWO: Day 30 of 31 Days of Creative Caring
A few years ago, I made plans to provide a romantic Valentine's Day table for two dinner for an elderly couple in their late 80s. They were dear friends, and I knew their declining health often kept them from doing the "little things" they wanted to do for each other. With their daughter's approval, I began preparing the surprise. Plans were to arrive unannounced at their home carrying white linens, china, crystal, sterling flatware ... floating heart-shaped candles ... and a red rose in a bud vase. I would also bring a favorite, easy-to-transport meal of smoked pork tenderloin, wild rice with cranberries, salad, rolls ... and a decadent dessert. After serving my guests, I would leave, returning later for ... Keep Reading...
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ORPHANS: Day 29 of 31 Days of Creative Caring
By the most common definition, an orphan is a child whose parents are both dead. We sometimes call these children biological orphans. Their parents died from illness, accident, tragedy, war, etc. The highest numbers of biological orphans can be found in countries where war or AIDS are present. There are also social orphans: children abandoned by their parents or whose living situations have necessitated their removal from the home. The cause may be as sad as a parent overcome by alcoholism, drug addiction, or psychological impairment ... or as heinous as a parent who walks away without ever looking back, leaving a child (or multiple children) alone. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is ... Keep Reading...
