His Flower Girls Turn 1!

Be still my heart. 

This morning was our one-year anniversary of His Flower Girls.  

When Donna and I conceived of this "decorating class" last year, we really weren't sure what would come of it.   Maybe a few friends would indulge us and show up.  Maybe we'd hold a class or two and then like so many other things, it would fade off into oblivion.   I think we're both pretty surprised that we actually taught 12 consecutive classes -- and that I was healthy for all 12!  Gotta love it!

In the beginning, we called this a "decorating class."  A way to share with others how I display my faith throughout our home and garden.  We figured we'd have a little lunch, chat a bunch as only girls can do, and then call it a day.   Well.  So not the case!  This little class has turned into a ministry.  A sweet little ministry.  Not only do some girls leave with some decorating tips, they leave with hearts changed.  Maybe they're inspired to spend more time with God, maybe they're inspired to open their homes to others, or maybe they're open to using their gifts in a way they've never done before.  Regardless, it's a beautiful thing to be a part of.

(JoEllen, Tori, Susan, Jonna, Tracy and Chris shared our one-year anniversary with us.  Their fingers are saying, "Class No. 12!")

And I have some shout outs I must shout out!

I thank God for bringing Donna, my teaching partner/best friend, into my life.  I met her as a result of speaking at church about the storms in my life and how I needed God to carry me through them.  He knew that Georgia girl who loved Charles Stanley (like me!) would be out there in the audience on a similar path as myself.  His perfect timing brought us together.  Thrilled that He did.

I thank God for using my home to glorify Him in the lives of others.  (I still get giddy as I know this is such an answer to prayer!)   And I thank God for all of the women I've met as a result of opening our front door.  As I recently read, "My cup runneth over.  So I drink from my saucer."  Well, I'm a drinkin' from my saucer, alright!  God continues to lavish me with His blessings in the form of amazing women I'm fortunate to meet.  And for that I am so very thankful.

I thank my family.  They know what it means when I tell them, "We're having class on Thursday!"  That's code for, "Better clean up that room and everywhere in between by the time those girls get here!"  I thank my daughter for making our tortellini pasta.  She nailed it today!  And I thank my husband who, at 7 am every month, drops off Tucker to day camp so he doesn't eat all of our tortellini.  Or bark at squirrels during our heartfelt testimonies.

And a special shout out to Marti Anderson who attended our very first class.  She continues to bless us with her servant's heart and helping hands each and every month.   From the moment the girls walk into our home, Marti makes sure they all have something to drink and a full plate of food.  She then blesses me by cleaning up our kitchen after our class ends.  When Marti leaves, it looks as if no one was ever here.  I'm able to rest and reflect on all of the morning's beautiful memories -- without having to clean one dish!  Thank you, Marti!

(Me in my "Cindy Crawford" wig and Donna with her real hair!)

So, Lord, what do you have in store for the next year of His Flower Girls?

We wait with bated breath...

Come See What You Missed...

Well, yesterday was the big day.  We didn't have a huge turnout, but we had a nice turnout.  Thank you to all who spent a part of your Saturday with us.   There's always such a wonderful kinship with women who LOVE homes.  So fun to be around all of you!

I wasn't able to run over to Susan's house yesterday, but I know I missed out because everyone who came from her home said it was just beautiful.  I had seen it Friday morning, but all of the final touches were lavished on it Friday night.  Wanted to share a few pictures with you...

Love, love, love this vignette!

Guessing this is a vintage table cloth used as a slipcover.  Charming!

By the way, we were ALL in love with her beach-inspired cottage floors.  We all want them!

Simplicity at its finest...

One of Susan's many cute sitting areas in her yard.  

I may need to stuff that pansy pillow under my shirt one day and hope she doesn't notice!

My parents arrived on Thursday at 3pm.   They worked tirelessly until we opened our front door on Saturday morning.  Who knew I still had that much to do!

My dad took my fountain completely apart and cleaned the inside and the outside.  Who does that?

This crazy guy does!

One of my favorite vignettes in our backyard...

One of my most favorite things to do among all the flowers and beauty.

And what's a spring home tour without an ample supply of cookies and lemonade?

  Thanks, Mom!

I spoke with Laurie from Vintage Garden & Bloom at the end of the day and she said that her store was filled with new customers.  Yay!  That was the plan.  So glad more girls have discovered her cute little store.

So I had prayed that God would direct my steps regarding this day.  Should I or shouldn't I invest my energy (or lack thereof some days) into this home tour?   Does He want me to do this?  Does He have other plans for me?  You know my motto -- not my path, but His.  

Well, I was flooded with peace even despite an emergency ultrasound for a possible blood clot.  Blood clot, shmod clot!  

He very easily answered my prayers by leading me to Susan and her willingness to open her home after another friend of mine decided not to.   He blessed me with an abundance of energy and good health leading up to the event.  And though we didn't have as many girls as we did at our Christmas home tour, I know seeds were sprinkled yesterday.  That was His plan.   

Well, as I look out my back window as I type this, I can see that the many flower pots sitting out in the sun are in need of a drink.  I'm going to grab my hose and go.  

Again, thank you to all who supported our "can't do cancer without God" spring home tour.  You are the best!!!

Home Tour Reminder...

Well, the spring home tour is only two days away.

And come hell or high water, the show must go on!  I was just telling myself that yesterday as I was brought to the hospital for an emergency ultrasound after waking up with a knee so swollen I could barely walk.  My doctor wanted to rule out a blood clot.  They did.  Thank God.  It's just a big, ol' swollen knee cap.   But aint no swollen knee cap going to keep this girl down!  Well, technically, I am down as I'm on ice and crutches.  But God has blessed me with two amazing parents who hopped in their car this morning in Arizona and are headed here to help me get ready for the big day.  Gotta love those two!

Well, thankfully, it's not 104 degrees anymore.  My hydrangeas were wilting terribly last week and I was almost crying.  I had Jake go out in the backyard for me every night and water them.  About an hour later, we'd both look at them and I'd say, "Look!  You saved their lives!"  Their leaves perked right back up after a big hit of water.   My hero!

As I've been adding the final touches to things here and there, I've been praying that you see God in our homes.  That you feel His warmth.  That you're encouraged to draw closer to Him.  That, my friends, is worth driving to the Do-It Center one too many times and hobbling around on crutches.

So, the weather report calls for a beautiful 72 degree day on Saturday.  Perfect.  (As it looks now, I could put my fireplace on!)  But I trust it will be a beautiful day.  Susan, Laurie and I can't wait to see old friends and make new ones.

Again, the time and addresses can be found at 

http://thechristiangirlscottage.blogspot.com/

See you on Saturday!

Spring Home Tour!

 

Well, I can’t seem to stay inside these days.  I find myself in the backyard.  Again and again and again.  I think my backyard is my favorite room of the house.  Spring does that to me.   I love planting more and more impatiens, moving things from here to there and then sitting back and marveling at God’s handiwork.  I’m amazed at the beauty of His roses and the colors on His birds' little chests.  Wow, do I sound like a grandma or what?  Actually, I sound like my grandpa.  My mom’s dad loved all things roses and birds.  I think I got his genes.  Lucky me.

Well, if you love all things backyard, roses and birds too, then please drop by the Christian Girl’s Cottage Spring Home Tour on Saturday, May 18th from 10 am to 4 pm.  Picture our Christmas home tour, but with an emphasis on our gardens, and as always, our faith.   Opening her home this spring, along with ours, is Susan Yokoi, a His Flower Girl alumna, who has an adorable little “cottage” in North Ranch.  You’ll love her garden and I know you will love her kitchen (and her too!)  I could have gone over there and taken pictures to tease you, but I’ll tease you by making you go over and see it for yourself.  It's darling.

So this is the plan for the day.  Start at Susan’s home, then head over to ours and then head over to Vintage Garden and Bloom.  Laurie, the owner of the store and my sweet, new friend, has a treat for you.  For any of you who bring her an old terra cotta or ceramic pot or anything in which you can plant flowers in on the day of the tour, she will take 15% off anything in her store.  And, trust me girlfriends, you’ll want everything in her store!  I blogged about her store  
here.

So mark your calendars for a day of fun and faith.   

Here are the details:

Susan’s address is 4659 Tam O’Shanter Drive, Westlake Village.

Our address is 1608 Brentford Avenue, Westlake Village.  

Vintage Garden and Bloom’s address is 1696 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks.

If you get lost or have any questions, call me on my cell phone at 805.402.9360.  

Can’t wait for you to “stop and smell His roses” with us!

Mark you calendars - Saturday, May 18th.  And feel free to forward this invitation and bring a friend or two!

xoxo

Bloomin' Blooms...

Can you believe my front door is behind all of these flowers?  I can't.

I walk outside to the curb, turn around and say, "This is amazing.  Our garden has never looked like this."

Enrique (the gardner extraordinaire) has got the touch.  He tends the garden around the corner from me, and when I got cancer, I realized I probably wouldn't have the time or the energy to devote to my garden anymore.  So we hired him.  Good move, wouldn't you say?  Another bonus of having cancer. 

I just planted a six pack of daisies above the mailbox.  They will soon spill out over the wire basket.  I love overflowing flower baskets.

These roses line the driveway where I park.  I keep a pair of scissors in my car so when I get home, I can immediately clip a few and bring them into the house.  Because if I wait until I get into the house to grab the scissors, I'll say, "Now why did I need these scissors?"  You know that drill.

These are Eden roses (one of my favorites) that I planted about two years ago. I wanted to train them to grow along the picket fence.  And I think they've mastered it!  This time last year, I think there were about seven blossoms.  As of Saturday night, I think there's now about 100!  Enrique apparently knows how to use a bag of fertilizer.

Count all these buds!

This is another view.  I can hardly even see my fence anymore.

Here are a few of the roses clipped and placed into my thrift store finds in the dining room.

And in the downstairs bathroom.

This is one of my favorite vignettes.  I made the "stop and smell His roses" sign a few years back.  I love how the sun and the rain have given it it's chippy look.

Well, I just couldn't resist taking a few photos of the front yard and sharing them with you.  I haven't posted on this blog in awhile as I haven't done much of anything around the house to share with you.   However, I did submit photos of our home to Fifi O'Neil, the author/editor/photographer/stylist, and she'll be coming out in June to shoot our house as well as the homes of two other friends of mine.  That's pretty crazy 'cus we're all in love with her books and the magazines she writes for.  I told her I hope she captures my faith in our home.  Now that's what I want to see in a magazine!

And in case you're wondering about my new treatments, they kind of stink (not very "rosey").  The drug I'm on (Taxol) is appropriately named as it's quite taxing on my body.  I've had high fevers and muscle aches again.  Today was my third treatment (of way too many more to come) and we decided to hydrate my body for four days following each treatment which helped rid my body of the fevers and the pain in the past.  Praying it will do the job again this time.

What fun it was before to have cancer, not feel like it, go through treatment, and have not one side effect.  As my son likes to say, "good times."

  Funny story.  As I was having treatment this morning, the wife of a patient looks over at me after listening to the nurse and I talk.  After the nurse leaves, she says, "I have to ask what kind of cancer you have.  Because you're too young and too pretty to look like you have cancer."  I pointed out all of my wrinkles and my nice, new turkey neck and said, "Well, I think you need to take a closer look at my face and maybe get a new prescription for your glasses."  Here's to hoping that sweet, "blind" woman is there again next week!

Well, these new treatment days aren't filled with running all over town like they used to be, but for now, I'm up for simple things like walking outside and marveling at God's handiwork that is abundantly blooming in my front yard  -- with a little help from Enrique. 

Let There Be Light...

Ahhh, see that beauty up there?  It just replaced the fan we've had in our bedroom for the past 14 years.  But shhh - don't tell my husband.  He'll probably notice it in about six months. (God bless him --he's not real observant!)  He "thinks" he needs the fan.  He doesn't - he needs the air conditioning.  Trust me, it will not be missed!

But isn't she pretty?  I layed eyes on her last Saturday afternoon.  I stood there, gazing up at her, thinking, "I don't need you.  But I want you.  Badly."

I came home and asked my daughter if she would like a chandelier in her room.  To my amazement without blinking an eye, she said, "Yes."  Well, that just meant a trip back to the store first thing in the morning.  At 9:01 I arrived.  I bought it, rushed home, walked into her room, chandelier in hand, and we both said, "Nope.  Doesn't look good in here."  Bummer.  Now what?  Since it can't be returned, I had to find a place for it.

As I walked down the hall and past my bedroom, I stopped.  I peered in and saw that awful, but familiar fan.  "Wait!  Maybe it can go in here!"  As I stood up on the trunk at the end of my bed, I got this huge Cheshire cat grin.  "Oh, yeah, Momma likes it in here!"  

Good ol' Gregg hung it up yesterday.  I love it!  And guess what, someone by the name of Ed didn't even notice it!  Aren't men funny?

Here are a few of my finds from yesterday.  I had an hour to kill before my treatment, and what better way to waste an hour than to run up to the Salvation Army!  And be still my heart, it was "25% Off Day" to boot!

I have a thing for enamelware.  Found this baby for $5.99, plus 25% off.  I picture it filled to the brim with hot tortellini soup.  Or, knowing me, come summer, filled with white daises in the backyard.  

This Ironstone teapot.  Only $4.99 with 25% off!  

Tea anyone?

My kids and I love having our own carafe of water at dinner time.  These were $1.25 each.  

I had an old chippy chair here for last few years.  One more rain drop, and it's gonna break.  Picked this guy up for $3.75!  Given how heavy it is, I think it can withstand the elements really well.  And I love that it's already black - as it balances out our black shutters from the other side of the house perfectly.

So that's it!  So fun!  I spent a grand total of $21.67 (bought a few things for a friend too).  

Now get out there and be good stewards of your money -- go thrift!

  

Vintage Garden & Bloom...

Hi, Girlies.

Guess what I just found?  An adorable store that is so stinkin' cute, 

I can't stand it.  

I introduce to you...

Vintage Garden & Bloom (I just love the name!)

If I were to own a store, I think this would be it.

It's decorated for Christmas.  Vintage syle.

It's filled with all things farmhouse, cottage and yummy.

Lots of vintage floral accessories.

(Really love this green metal candle stand -- shoulda' got it!)

I really want Santa to bring me this green wicker table, but I have no where to put it!  But it's sooo me!

And there's a charming little patio in the backyard...

Filled with old patio sets, fountains and birdhouses...

And this wall filled with old slate chalkboards is adorable, but my photo doesn't do it justice...

I met the owner Laurie Turner just a few days ago.  We started chatting, and I promised to blog about her new store as it's only been open for one month (Shocking, actually, because it looks as if it's been there for years!)  It's located smack dab in the middle of Thousand Oaks Blvd. and Erbes, but it sits back off the street quite a bit and it's very hard to drive by and not see.   Laurie has a great eye for display and it's simply charming at every turn.  

Laurie is a retired school teacher.  One day she asked herself what her passion was.  "Gardening and vintage junk," was her answer.  So she mustered up the courage to open up her own shop.  Once everyone finds her, I'm sure she will be a hit.  She's warm and sweet -- and even thinking about getting a store cat!  Is she my kind of girl or what???

I know I've blogged three days in a row, but I wanted you to see her store and pay her a visit in case you need any last minute Christmas gifts for your friends (or yourself!)

Vintage Garden & Bloom

1696 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd.

805.379.1418

She's in between Lupe's Mexican Restaurant and Nothin' Bundt Cakes.

Here are her hours:

Why pay for a sign, when you can make a cute one?

Enjoy!!!

A Fall Table for Him...

Even though it's still in the 90s in Southern California, I know fall is right around the corner.  And that means pullin' out those fall dishes and amber colors and making it all warm and cozy.

I used to go crazy and decorate every nook and cranny when the kids were little, but now I just focus on the dining room and a few tables here and there.  But this fall means more to me because this dining room table is actually being used every month for His Flower Girls classes.  I used to have the table set every day as if I were always expecting company.  Now, we are!  I love it!

After I set the table this morning, I looked at it and realized pretty much every thing on this table was less than $10.  Probably less than $5.  Get to those thrift stores, girls!  Let me show you why...

I just found this soup tureen (it also came with a platter underneath) for $8.  And to think I walked by it twice, looked at it, admired it, saw the price tag, and still said, "No, don't need it."  What a fool.  I've actually never had one.  But given that I'm trying to learn (yes, I said learn) how to make soup this year, I know it will come in handy.

Several years ago while up in Mammoth, I found these cute little chrysanthemum urns at Rite Aid for $2 each.  Who needs skiing when you have sales at Rite Aid?  The etched glass vase holding the candle is from Cost Plus from many moons ago.  The brown "stuff" in the vase?  Hot cocoa mix!  I needed something brown to pick up on the brown transferware plates and since I don't drink coffee, I searched my pantry for something that would work.  Don't tell Ina Garten, but I used her hot cocoa mix that's probably been in the cupboard for 10 years.    

I found  a set of these floral napkins at HomeGoods ($14.99 for 8) during the summer.  I loved them even though I had no plans for them.  While setting the table this morning and looking through my drawers for napkins, I spotted these.  I forgot I had them.  Don't you love that?  It's great sometimes having a terrible memory.

And while Rachel and I were at Paper Source last weekend, I bought this spool of thread ($7.99) to wrap up our cancer books with.  I love the brown and cream colors and thought they'd look good tied around the napkins.  

 See here's the deal with all the plates:

The chargers were $2.99 for six!  Yes, you read that right!  

The swiss dot plates were $5.99 at Cost Plus.

The brown transferware salad plates were from Marshalls, $2.99 each.

And these amber salad plates were $1 each that I picked up yesterday at a thrift store.  I bought all 12.  How could I not?

Oh, and the silverware?  Found yesterday at a different thrift store.  The 6 knives were $8 and the forks were $10.  They have a beautiful "D" inscribed on the handles.  Do I have a "D" in our name?  Nope.  Don't care.  I love them!

And notice the runner?  I was going to grab 2 yards of burlap and lay it across our pine table.  But because they're both so similar in color, it wouldn't have worked.  Instead, I ran to Jo-Ann's and bought 2 yards of cream quilting fabric at $9.99 yard.  While standing in line, some nice woman behind me handed me her 50% off coupon.  (By the way - here's an awesome tip I learned from her.  Sign up for the free Jo-Ann's app on your iphone, and ALWAYS get 50% off every day when you show them your coupon on your iphone.  How great is that!?)  Now if only my 10-year-old daughter will show me how to do that...

So the table is set.  And our next class is scheduled for October 11th.  Can't wait.  I love that all of the things I love (pretty dishes, setting tables, girlfriends, etc.) are now being used to share my love for the Lord.  

It doesn't get any better than that.

So what if you love all these things too?  Well, how about inviting some girlfriends over and enjoying your pretty table together.  Why meet at Starbuck's in the morning?  Instead, gather around your table and enjoy a cup of coffee or tea and all the warm accessories that say "come on in and stay awhile."  

Try it.  

I bet you they'll never want to leave.