Sunday Reflections

Great is Thy Faithfulness

text: Thomas O. Chisholm Music: William M. Runyan

"Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father,

There is no shadow of turning with Thee;

Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not;

As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.

Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest,

Sun, moon and stars in their courses above

Join with all nature in manifold witness

To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,

Thy own dear presence to cheer and to guide;

Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,

Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

refrain:

Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is thy faithfulness!

Morning by morning new mercies I see;

All I have needed Thy hand hath provided-

Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!"

Lam. 3: 22-23---Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.

Blessings to you today :),

Stacey
ps. The above pic was taken in the Smoky Mountains of TN...what a Creator!

A is for Autumn

I've loved seeing some other blogs and the banners they've created, and decided to make my own! I love how it turned out!

Give me a : A-U-T-U-M-N!!!

I made this with scrapbook paper, photocopied sheet music for some b&w, and glitter letters from walmarrt. I was smiling the whole time...I love being crafty and creative. It truly makes my spirit happy!

It's so lonely hanging on my mantle...it wants some pumpkin friends to join it! I was going to go to the store today (no fresh pumpkins here for awhile--keep forgetting I'm not in the midwest!) to get some faux/fake pumpkins & bittersweet, but Tropical Storm Hanna has us staying inside. We just got rain & wind, but not as bad as the coast. No power loss or anything. But it's windy enough I don't feel like driving around. So the rest of my mantle decorating will have to wait! ;)

Have a great Saturday!

Blessings,
Stacey

ps--Do you think I should change the ribbon to a black & white check ribbon?? I might, let me know what you think!! :)

Creating A Welcoming Home - 5

Good morning! It's Thursday & time for Creating a Welcoming Home! Today I'll give you some welcoming tips based on the sense of TASTE!!

PLUS, a yummy recipe for Zucchini Bread:

3 c. sugar

1 1/2 c. oil

4 eggs

3 c. grated zucchini

3 c. flour

2 t. baking powder (small t = teaspoon)

1 t. baking soda

1 1/2 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. salt

1 c. chopped nuts

1. Cream sugar & oil together
2. Beat in eggs
3. Sift dry ingredients & mix w/ sugar/oil/eggs mixture
4. Add zucchini & nuts (use wooden spoon for this step)
5. Grease & flour 2 loaf pans

Bake @ 350 degrees for 1 hour, or 325 degrees if using a glass pan.

(To make recipe GLUTEN-FREE, just substitute white rice flour cup for cup, and for flouring the pans! Super easy!)

This is the recipe my family used since forever, and we enjoy it with butter & powdered sugar on top! But "any way you slice it" (HA!) it'll be yummy-yummers!!

Tips for using TASTE to create a welcoming home:

So often people gather together to enjoy one another's company over food! It's such a large part of entertainment & hospitality, and mealtime can be special family time as well. Make mealtimes special at your house. Plan to eat together as much as possible. It lets everyone relax from their busy day and fosters communication.

Master a few simple dishes, and invite someone over to share it with! Hold a "get-to-know-you" or "haven't seen you in awhile" neighborhood barbeque or potluck. Our block has several block parties a year, usually for July 4th or Labor Day, and are planning a Halloween parade & treats. It really lets the neighbors connect! While living in TX one year there were lots of us with no family to share Thanksgiving with, so a group of my work friends did a pitch-in (potluck) and it was one of my best Thanksgivings ever!

Use fresh ingredients when possible. Many towns have lovely Farmer's Markets that sell local & super fresh fruits & veggies. Or if you planted your own backyard garden you are able to enjoy delicious foods only a few steps away! Foods in season have the best color & flavor, and add so much to your dishes. I love to add fresh herbs to our foods for the best flavor.

For older kids, provide a kid or teen friendly place for your kids and their friends to hang out. Have a cookie jar with "open access" during group times. My best friend's house was the one everyone wanted to hang out at. Not cause we could get away with anything, quite the contrary! Her parents were always there and friendly with the kids. But her home was comfy, the mom was welcoming, and she had the MOST AMAZING brownies & cookies that she put in a jar on the counter for everyone!! Yum!

Give a tasty meal or treat to someone who needs some love in their life. Maybe someone just had a baby or surgery and could use the extra help! Maybe someone lost a loved one and is too overcome to think about grocery shopping or cooking a meal. Maybe an elderly neighbor or co-worker could use a cupcake or treat (tie 3 cookies with ribbon) to feel important. You can do this as an act of love for someone, and they'll never forget your kindness!

That's all for today, folks! If you want some more lovely ideas for a Welcoming Home you should also check out Emilie Barnes &/or Terry Willits fabulous books. They are Christians who make a welcoming home their focus.

Don't forget to visit The Inspired Room for more fall nesting ideas!

And of course I'll be back every Thursday for "Creating a Welcoming Home"!

How do YOU use Taste to create a Welcoming Home?

Blessings,

Stacey

Fall Dining Room

Okay, folks, here's some dining room decorations I did this morning! Sorry that some of the pics are a little dim...the light just bounces off the house next door, and so you might have to click to enlarge! I might also say that general decorating isn't done in here yet! We are planning to paint above the chair rail a cafe' color (I might have to check out the Tobacco Road that everyone is raving about!), and below the chair rail add wainscot molding and paint to match the trim.

I already had the black chandie shades with a champagne-golden lining. Very dramatic in the evening as it softly diffuses the light. Also had the black chandie cord cover. I love those scrunchy cord covers! All I had to do for fall was add these cute little garlands. Guess what they really are? Candle rings!! They go around the base of a larger candle! My mom & I thought they'd be perfect on a chandelier, and I always get lots of complements on these!

Next, I put together my fall urn arrangement! I took a large black urn and added lots of moss inside to hold all the things I would be placing in it. There's branches, birds, and fall looking faux greenery. I know the Nester & HGTV say you gotta use the right faux or none at all, but I like these and think they look pretty realistic! I got these orange-glittered branches and acorn branches at a local boutique last year, but you could get branches out of your yard and spray paint and glitter to get a similar look for less!

I placed all the branches in and added little fall birdies with browns and golds! Don't be afraid to go big with your arrangement! Turn the urn as you go to make sure it's balanced and looks good from every angle. Do this especially if your fall urn arrangement will be on your dining table or a sofa table that people will be viewing from all sides.

My daughter found these HUGE leaves, and we placed them in a crystal bowl on the "buffet", which is really a 1920's dresser! I love the sparkly crystal next to the natural faded leaves!!

Here's a fuzzy close up of the birds in the fall arrangement!

Trying to get a clear, bright shot, but the lighting isn't the best.

Well, that's a start! I'll be showing other projects I've been working on other days this week!

Thanks to everyone who's been leaving me little comment candy lately!! I just love those kind little comments--they make my day! It's been especially fun to hear from my "lurkers" & get to visit their blogs in return :). So leave me a little sumthin' sumthin' in the comments section & say "Hello!"

Blessings,

Stacey

September Days -- It's Fall!

By all these lovely tokens

September days are here.

With summer's best of weather

And autumn's best of cheer.

-Helen Hunt Jackson

Yay--it's fall!! At least to me it is...must have something to do with years of starting school at this time...seems like a new beginning...a season of change. I LOVE FALL!!!

Join me over the next few weeks as we gear up for the fall season :). I plan to share decorating ideas, recipes, and other special things as we continue making our homes and hearts "welcoming"!

Now, my favorite time of year is fall-Christmas. Just love it! But as much as I like it, I'm not quite ready for the full-blown she-bang yet :) -- this is the HOT south, and as much as I'm willing the seasons to change, it's just not ready to down here. But I CAN plan and start the decorating and project process going. That way I can enjoy what I love to do longer! If I get it all done today, then what will my little creative side DO for the next 2 1/2 months!

Let's get started by looking at our homes color scheme. Mine happens to be: white, cream, chocolate, black, sagey-mossy green & pale grey-blue. All of them neutrals in a way. Love me some neutral colors! Why? Cause then you can put seasonal pops of color in!

Whatever your home's "colors" are, you can find 1-2 seasonal "pops" to throw in there. (Or if you think your home clashes with fall colors, use some neutral decorations to bring in the season. There are beautiful creamy-white pumpkins, tan/brown branches, faded leaves, dried flowers from the garden...all could complement your decor.) I personally chose to use oranges as my "pop" color this year.

Since I'm planning to start slowly--well, as slowly as I can anyway!--I decided to get some lovely roses (from Wal-Mart, no less!) to bring in a touch of fall color (above pics), and to dry some hydrangea blooms from my garden to use in fall/Christmas decorating (below on my mantel).

Next, let's take a look around the house to see what you ALREADY HAVE that would work for fall decorating. I collect brown transferware....(detail of plate below)

....and these candles in antique oil lamp holders could use some fall "bling"!...
...my display on top of the china cabinet brings in fall neutrals and pop of orange in dishes stacked on a cake plate. A creamy frame dressed with an old skeleton key and brown satin ribbon. Pheasant feathers from me & dad's hunting day last fall are in a silver pitcher found at the thrift store. I will polish them later on...for now I love the silvery-blackness of the tarnish! As fall progresses I'll add fall leaves to the rusty chip clip stand. Fun, and I already had everything!

Look what else I already had...Carnival glass that belonged to my Grammy! This will mix well....

Now, it's time to mix your household finds with the fall decorating items you might have in storage. Spread it all out on table or floor and mix & match items till you have some that speak to you. Below are items going together on a table display. Don't get it yet?

You'll have to see in a few days!
Had this scrapbook paper & ribbon...pulled out some in my "colors", and we'll see what happens! A frame...banner...???
This birdcage belonged to my sister...now it's mine, all mine! Wait till you see this transformation!


More goodies to decorate with! I may not use it all, but at least I see what there is to work with!



Yay! The first steps are done...hope this inspired you to get started with your fall decor! The rest of the week we'll go over decorating and putting creative displays together! Don't worry though, crisper air will be with us soon, and then pumpkins and corn stalks from the farmer's market we'll see!

Check out some other great Fall Nesting Ideas with Melissa over at The Inspired Room!

Blessings,

Stacey