SPRING MAY BASKET SWAP - I SENT OUT MY BASKET!

WOO HOO!! I got my Spring May Basket all decked out for my sweet swap partner, Hilary, and actually got it in the mail on time!! I think I was made to participate in swaps! LOL
I filled the precious basket will all kinds of wonderful spring things and then I put the "overload" (overloads are a good thing in a swap! hahaha) in the sweet bunny box!
You can't really tell how many treasures are in the basket but trust me, it's packed! I'm so excited for her to get it!!
See the side of the basket?? "It's all about you cupcake!" - the shred is pink and has "it's all about you" printed on it - so darling.
The sweet bunny box was filled with wonderful pink and scented gifts along with the vintage lace that I fashioned into hair on the bunny!
I sure hope Hilary likes everything she gets in this swap! I had so much fun filling up the basket for her.

Why don't you do something kind for someone today? Some little random act of kindness - a kind word, opening the door for someone, letting someone in line in front of you if they have less in their basket, pay the toll for the car behind you in the line of the toll road.....those are just a couple of ideas.

Random acts of kindness, they're a good thing.

xoxo,

SPRING MAY BASKET SWAP - MY VERY FIRST SWAP!!

I am so excited to tell y'all that I am involved in my very first swap! Terri of Pumpkin Seed Primitives invited me to take part in a swap she was hosting through Swap-Bot. The swap theme was Spring May Basket and each participant is to fill a basket full of spring-time goodies - things that make you think of spring.
Oh, it's been so much fun shopping, junking and scouring for my partner, Hilary!
I've had the best time!

I am the partner of Sherri of Annie's Cupboards and I received her basket in today's mail - my first swap box!! Oh, it was so exciting!!!

And look at all she gave me! She was so generous, so thoughtful! Just look at all of these pictures of all she gave to me!!Thank you, Sherri!
Y'all have a fabulous Sunday, remembering to rest in the Lord and to thank Him for all of your blessings!

XOXO,

MY HOPE FOR YOU

In a perfect world we would all have mothers that we cherish.
In a perfect world we would all have mothers that we adore. I know we don't live in a perfect world - that's why the title of this post is "MY HOPE FOR YOU" because to title this post any other way would be to assume that everyone that reads it has a cherished relationship with their mom and I know that's not true.

I have to tell you, however, that I do cherish, love and adore my mom {that's her above}.

I live in Texas, in fact I have lived in Oklahoma or Texas since I left Michigan for college in 1971 {yes, I'm old} and my mother has continued to live in Michigan all these years.

I get to see her at least once a year - more than a lot of family gets to see each other - but our family is extremely close and we make it a priority to see each other as often as possible.

I tell people that's why I've never traveled extensively - because all of my travel is to Michigan, Indiana and Ohio where my family lives!

Vacation?
Going to see family or having them come to the ranch!
The best kind of vacation as far as I'm concerned.

This spring I drove to Michigan, grabbed my mother and brought her back to the ranch for six weeks. Then I took her back to her home in Michigan, visited my sisters and brother and drove back to my home in Texas.

We had the most fabulous time! The drive to the ranch, the stay at the ranch and the drive back - all fabulous.

Oh, how blessed I am! To be able to have six weeks with my mom as an adult....I'm 54 years old and she's a very young 80....we had the best time!

She was a huge help to me {ie. post hospital stays}, she cooked amazing meals from my childhood, she made our "family birthday cake" FOUR times for my dear 17 year old who adores that cake, she sat with me while we watched "our shows" on T.V. and she cross-stitched while I worked on my computer, she did her CCS in my studio while I worked, we hit junk shops, ate out lunch, and laughed HARD every day.

It was amazing - such a blessing. And now I'm having a hard time. I miss her so much. I'm so sad every day because she's not here. And I know that I'm the blessed one because I do have a mom that I cherish.

That's probably what makes it so hard - I need for you to add me to your prayer list - pray that God gives me the kick in the butt that I need so I'll get dressed tomorrow!

I sorry for unloading - that wasn't my intention. I really did think, however, that if I wrote all of this down that it would help me.

But my underlying intention was for you to take a moment to thank God for the mother that you have.....and if you don't have a mom that you want to thank God for, then I'll be your mom - just email me.

XOXO,

MY HEART BREAKS

I see it every day.
I've lived in the middle of it every day.
I've driven past it every day.
I've read about it every day.
And every day my heart breaks when I take the time to really see the poverty that is all around me.
I just returned from a road trip to Michigan and as I drove the back roads I would see homes like you see in this post and they would be right next door or across the street from beautiful homes.
They're everywhere -
The poor.
The disadvantaged.

On my trip, when I was in my brother's home (and my mom's home, my sister's home, my other sister's home - get it???), in his neighborhood, in his part of town, I was surrounded by gorgeous homes with no hint of poverty anywhere we drove if we stayed in "his" area. If I allowed myself I could have forgotten that there was indeed poverty just down the road a few miles.
And as I sit here typing on my laptop, I've got my feet up on my ottoman in the sitting area of my master bedroom, with the temperature set so I'm perfectly comfortable, plenty of light from the four lamps that surround the room, my cute little convertible sits in the garage safe from the elements, my children are all safe, Clay down the hall in his bedroom and his two brothers safe at college. And their daddy is resting comfortably in the living room watching some {ridiculous} debate show.
My point?

My point is this.
It's wrong. It's just wrong.
And I'm not saying that it's wrong because I'm not doing anything to fight povery because I am.
My husband and I give to the church, we support a missionary, we often give money to those in need and I feel certain that you, too, are doing something to help fight poverty.

But, y'all, none of us are doing enough. We need to do more. For the children.

I've done some research and have decided to add World Vision to my list of giving. (www.worldvision.org) As a child sponsor, you can help save a child from a life of poverty. When you make a gift, your contributions are pooled with that of other sponsors of children in the community where your child lives. Your child receives health care, education, nutritious food, and the entire community benefits from access to clean water, agricultural assistance, medical care, and more.

There are so many ways that each of us can make a difference and I offer this blog post as a place to brainstorm, give others information on ways to help with child poverty, anything that you think will help us all become more aware of poverty in the life of the children not just of the world, but of our own cities and towns. AND, ways to fight it!

Thanks, y'all, for listening to me. I am so blessed and I have not been giving back enough.

Those days are over - God has laid this on my heart in a big way and I don't plan on shutting up about it for a very long time. Please let me know if you would like to join me in this fight and give me/us your ideas and specific plans!

XOXO,

THE GREAT BACKROADS ADVENTURE, POST #10 - SHREVEPORT REVISITED

Hi, y'all! have you wondered where the heck I've been???
Sunday afternoon of Post #9 I started getting really sick - I had a flare-up of my rhuematoid arthritis that sent me to my knees! It was so funny because I thought I was "sick" sick, ya know? But, as Sunday turned into Monday and Monday turned into Tuesday, and I added everything up, I realized that that was what it was - I think it's time for me to go see my R.A. doc again!
I'm home from my Great Adventure and I feel fine except for being exhausted from driving home and plan on unpacking my trunk, well, real soon!

Before I show you the amazing pics I took on the way home, let me tell you how God took care of me during this R.A. flare-up......
First, my sister-in-law, Eileen, where I was staying when it happened, was so wonderful to me. She rubbed my shoulders at least four times - working on knots that were like bricks and it helped so much!
My other angel is my cousin, Melinda. She lives in Texas like me and when she called on Monday and found out how bad off I was, she flew to Ohio and drove back with me. She, with her wonderful husband, Emil's, support, dropped everything and flew up on Tuesday evening and we started driving home on Wednesday.
God takes such good care of me!
As we drove home, I told her all about one of my favorite places on the drive up and that was Shreveport, Louisianna. . .this cemetary in the inner city, to be specific.

Isnt' she beautiful???
See the wee bird on the top of the headstone?

A row of late 1800 "cottages" in the slums of Shreveport.

Shreveport Revisited is more than pictures of the cemetary and some 1800 "cottages" set down in the middle of the slum area, but I'll leave that for my next post.

Let me leave you at the end of this, The Great Backroads Adventure, with this little pearl of wisdom.....

Life's short.

Make sure you're loving what you do, being nicer than necessary and embracing your family.

xoxo, Jan