Where in the world is.......???

Wow, two months have gone by with no word. It is easy to become invisible sometimes. Family issues arise that one is not prepared for, but must deal with nonetheless. Things at work, things at home....before you know it, two months or more have passed.



I am also locked out of this website at my work, and without a computer at home, has made communicating with the outside world rather difficult. I am locked out of my favorite blogs: Curious Sofa, A Feathered Nest, Cathy Penton Designs, and Elizabeth House....just to name a few. I highly suggest taking a look at Elizabeth Maxson's latest entry. She has just lived through a very scary ordeal, but one that will no doubt make her so, so strong. I am such a softy....cried through the whole read.



So what have I learned during my two-month hiatus? That family is so precious. That new family members that we weren't expecting can have such a positive influence. That the only person we have control over is ourselves. That people have to be left alone to live their own lives and suffer their own consequences, even though we (or I) wish to fix it for them. Some of these are tough lessons for me, but I'm learning.



I hope to be back on my blog soon with more interesting information and pictures from projects I am finishing....Dottie's beautiful new kitchen, powder room, and a new niche turned computer cabinet (soon to be finished) and Denise's most beautiful and elegant master bathroom. I am very proud of both of these projects. Finishing touches to be added still, but the majority of it is finished. Hopefully, I will have a few new projects coming up in the new year.



I truly wish that my blogging friends have had the most blessed of holidays. It was a very different holiday for me this year as my mother and grandmother moved a year ago and this was my first Christmas without them nearby. My son was also away. So it was quiet for us, but we made it special by spending some good times with other family and friends. And as for my mom.....well, I am writing this from her house in Georgia. I just couldn't stay away, I guess.



Wishing you all the most precious of life's experiences and blessings in 2008!!



Carol

Musings

Thank you for your lovely comments regarding my new, my one and only, precious little grandson. I will be visiting him again tomorrow and am looking forward to covering him in kisses.
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It's interesting that I have my list of blogs that I take a look at daily and have totally neglected my own. Somewhere in my mind today, I thought, hey, what about your own blog?? So here I am.
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It's a rainy day here in South Florida today. I couldn't help but wish this rain could be transported to California to give all some relief. It is another reminder of just how little control we truly have over so many things. What I have been hearing though, is an incredible perseverance. The human resolve is incredibly strong. God truly made us into wonderfully strong creatures. I don't think we even begin to tap into what we are really capable of being.
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I have had this urge to challenge myself lately. I think it is because of this line of thought. I know He challenges my inner strength.....sometimes daily. When I make it over a hill that I thought I couldn't climb (and I mean emotionally), I just say, "WOW! You are incredible Lord. Please don't give up on me!" So I guess now I think, well if I can do it emotionally, I bet I can do it physically. This line of thought is forming.....ideas are coming to mind.....I haven't followed through yet. The bud of this flower is just starting to open. I'm going to do something!!! I just don't know what, yet. More on this to follow.
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This is the book I have been reading for the last couple of days. I will finish it today. I'm enjoying it and recommend it. It is a memoir really, but I am gaining insight from this woman's journey. And of course, I am loving what I am learning about horses. I love them and would love to own one some day. I'm wondering if at 44 I am too old to learn to ride. Did anyone just catch that? Could this be the challenge I've been searching for? Hmmmmm.......
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I have a busy weekend ahead of me and am really hoping to fit in a visit to the Lincoln Road Antique Collectible Market in Miami. It's about an hours drive away.....not bad. I was surprised to learn about this in Country Home magazine and to find out it is basically in my own back yard. It is now the season for this show that runs every other Sunday. How exciting! I'm not going down there with any preconceived ideas, but am hoping to bring back a few treasures. I'll blog some pictures next week.
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Have an enjoyable weekend. Find your own peace and waller in it!!
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Warm wishes. Sweet dreams.
Carol

Safe and Sound....

Here is my first little grandson, James Lee Keller. He made his arrival into this world at 11 p.m., Wednesday, October 3. He weighed in at 8 pounds, 7 ounces and is 21 inches long. He is almost as big as his daddy was. He is absolutely the most precious things I've ever laid eyes on and wish I could carry him around all day long!! I have to keep reminding myself that I am his "grandmother" not his mother. This is really great!!! He is our precious little angel and I just love him to pieces. He better get used to being kissed on, because I plan to due a lot of it!!!

He is such a little blessing to come into our lives. I just can't get enough!!

Warm wishes...... Sweet "lullabye" dreams.....

Grandma Carol

Office Halloween

I know I've said it before, but we truly have to imagine the seasons down here. So.....at my "real" job (the one that pays the bills and insurance), I played around with my window sill. I have a tiny little office at the end of the hall on the third floor with a great window and deep sill. I lovingly grow some great plants and even an orchid there. My orchid has bloomed twice since I placed it there over a year ago. Amazing!! Today I brought the camera to work to play around with it a little bit.

The window, itself, did not allow for an overall picture due to the glare. This little upper corner shows just a piece of an old window frame taken from a 1920's house, sans the glass, but lots of chippy paint in about 3 colors. The iron piece was on the top of an old gate (I think). It is very heavy, but I think it is very cool. I was glad to find a place for it.

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These two birds are from two pictures that hang on another wall. You know my love of birds. I couldn't resist these two prints that I picked up at SunFest a few years ago and had framed. They will be with me wherever I go.

From the wise old (and dearly departed) Ralph Waldo Emerson...."Make the most of yourself for that is all there is of you."

Warm wishes. Sweet dreams.

Carol

"September"

From the poem "September" by Helen Hunt Jackson.....


"The goldenrod is yellow;
The corn is turning brown;
The trees in apple orchards
With fruit are bending down."



I hear so many say that this approaching fall season is their favorite time of the year. I will include myself in that group. The words above do not express what fall feels like here in Blazingly Hot Sunny South Florida, however, but I like to read those words and conjure up the image just the same. The picture below was taken by my sister-in-law a couple of years ago when we were touring the Great Smoky Mountains with her daughter and my other niece. What a great time it was. We were actually there running away from hurricanes that year. What we found was a great change.....of scenery, of atmosphere, of thoughts in general.

This picture has become my screen saver. If I look very closely at it, I can hear the water running and feel the coolness one can only experience here. I know if you've ever been there, you know exactly what I mean.

I've been longing for this place of late. Maybe it is because of the peace and calm that overcomes me in this park. Life is interesting. I say that to myself many times a day. We never know what the next day or even minute will bring. We can't control it....only roll with it. What comes our way is not always what we wish for or expect. Life has been interesting to me lately. I learned many years ago that the control of it all lies within the hands of Our Father, who I keep saying must think I'm a very strong person....that I can handle a lot. If He believes in me that way, I need to also. It's the giving it up that makes us stronger, don't you think? That sounds like an oxymoron, but it's true. So.......like the water that endlessly runs in the mountains above, I will continue to have faith that life will run over some rocks on some days and flow smoothly on others.

Wishing you all......warm wishes and sweet dreams,

Carol

Time Flying By....

My, how time does fly. I didn't realize it had been so long since last I blogged. We've been busy, busy, busy.... My husband's son and wife are in the process of moving into their new home and we've been assisting with updates. We are working on procuring a new home ourselves whose projects will be all-consuming for a long time. However, we love putting our mark/style/touch to our space. We should know for sure in a few weeks. It's such a strange time in the housing market these days, don't you think?

My design projects are still in full swing. One is coming to a close and one is just revving up. I will post pictures soon. I'm so pleased with how things are coming along.

Well, this is just a quick note today, as I'm off and running again. Thanks for checking in. I'd love to hear from you! What are you all up to? Is it starting to cool off anywhere in the country yet??? It's still sweltering down here.....

Warm wishes. Sweet dream.

Carol

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."

Eleanor Roosevelt

I Just Meet the Nicest People!!

Well, I'm back in the swing after having taken a little get-away weekend to visit family in Georgia. I have family in Smyrna and my husband's family is down in Forsyth. Guess what town is smack-dab in between? That would be McDonough, home to The Plum Tree Antiques. I have a link to their store's blog under "Favorite Places to Visit." I could not pass up the opportunity to stop in to see one of the places I love to visit online and to meet Dawn. I had a wonderful time and was so proud to walk in and say hi, and to tell her I have her link on my little blog. She was precious, as was her store. Take a look at some of the pictures.

I love this picture. It's so charming. I'm on the serious look-out for a bike like this to add to my own garden. It looks like the same bike I learned to ride on so many moons ago. Such memories....scraped knees and all.

I enjoyed so much talking "shop" with Dawn. She and I both commented on the wonder of the kinship and network this blog thing has become for so many women-run businesses. It is great. And I just can't say enough for how sweet she is. Truly, Southern Hospitality abounds at The Plum Tree. It is worth the trip for sure. Here are some more pics....

I can only imagine what her place must look like come the Fall. I will have to visit again. I know we all were wishing for some Fall-like weather as it was a scorcher!!

I left Dawn and The Plum Tree feeling so wonderfully full and rich in the warmth of new friendship. Thank you, Dawn, for making us all feel so welcome. Your store is truly a treasure that I will visit many times over.

And one more little mention here -- Thank You! I have received some very nice comments from people I am only just now meeting and from those who have visited past shows. Your words are very heart-felt ,and I appreciate you and your comments. Sometimes I think these blogs become public diaries of sorts and we don't realize who might read our inner most thoughts. To have others take the time to send well wishes....well, I am truly touched and say thank you again.

So for now....I wish you....

Warm wishes. Sweet dreams.

Carol