"Let's just sit a minute......"

Tuesday was a productive day. A very productive day. About time, I say!!

My days over the past several weeks have been kinda long and kinda tedious. AND kinda depressing.

I just hate being sick and not feeling energetic.

You know how it is. When you want to get some things accomplished. I can even "see" myself accomplishing much....

But the ability is just not there.

And so...I would just try to keep on pushing...keep on trying.

And then fall back into my nest on the loveseat and "regroup" for a while.

Finally -- I just gave in, stopped fighting the feeling and decided to just "go with it".

Just sitting and "going with it" (when "it" = feeling bad) just goes against everything

in me. BUT, I really sensed the LORD urging me to stop, just stop already!

Do you ever get going so fast, accomplishing so much, checking things off the list so well that you just forget to take care of the most important things first?

Boy, I do!

I guess that is evident when I think back over my activities of the past few weeks.

Lily Kate, my little granddaughter, goes full tilt almost all the time. She is a very busy little girl - full of energy. But recently, Lily Kate has started saying, at the most "inappropriate" times "Hey, let's just sit a minute."

I mean, Dana would be picking her up from school and hurrying out to the car on their way to somewhere else and Lily Kate would ask to "just sit a minute" on the bench outside.

Or

We'd be out playing in the backyard and she'd say "Pie! come here! sit a minute!" and

we'd lay back on the outdoor chaises and just rest -- and discuss things....

the sky, birds, ants, airplanes, trees and the God who made them all --

the REALLY important things.

So cute! But, so perceptive.

Lily Kate sees the value in just sitting and listening and

talking and being still.

And isn't that what I hear the LORD say to me sometimes??

"Gwyn! come here! sit a minute!"

I'm ashamed at how many times I've said "But, I've got a list to check off,

things to do, places to be, people to see."

I believe the LORD will let us run. And let us run at our own crazy pace. BUT He will always, always !! rein us back in when we start putting

other things, other interests, other pursuits

in front of Him.

He is jealous for us!

He desires time with us!

He desires to be the author of our plans,

not just our sidekick.

He desires our fellowship with Him.

He wants to spend quality and quantity time with us - not just a "devo".

I'm very convicted about how busy I can get doing the "fun stuff" and forget about the really fun stuff. How DOES that happen anyway???

SOOOOO - yesterday I gave my day, my self to the LORD. I asked Him for His desires for me that day. I told Him what I felt like I needed to do.

And I listened to what He felt like I needed to do

and together we set some goals.

My Tuesday was blessed so profoundly!

so amazingly!

I accomplished so much -- not crazy stuff -- just the things

I actually NEEDED to accomplish

in order to maintain my home (and my sanity).

I would hope and pray this is a lesson learned.

But, experience has shown me -- I'm prone to wander.

The words of this great, old hymn sum it up pretty well and becomes a prayer for my day:

"O to grace how great a debtor

Daily I'm constrained to be!

Let thy grace, Lord, like a fetter,

Bind my wandering heart to Thee.

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,

Prone to leave the God I love;

Here's my heart, Lord, Take and seal it,

Seal it for Thy courts above."

(Come Thour Fount of Every Blessing, Robert Robinson, 1758)

Blessings,

Gwynie Pie

Frodo No More

Frodo No More -- I think that's Latin for "Hey, look at that, my feet are soft again!"

I laughingly have referred to my horribly cracked dry feet as

Frodo feet -- and they've really taken a beating this winter

with the extreme dry weather we experienced.

Of course, it doesn't help anything that I go around barefoot

almost year round (hillbilly).

Ronnie had told me about Heel of Approval and how good it is. And then I saw

it "featured" on two other blogs right after that. So, the other

day when my feet cracked so badly I could almost

not walk, I decided to get some and give it

the "acid test". William graciously ventured into Bath and Body

in the mall and bought for me Heel of Approval and another product that

was highly recommended called Tough Love.

It was on a Thursday night when I first used the products

and by Saturday morning, my feet were completely healed ! For reals!!

This is monumental !! Right up there with jeans that fit and a bra that doesn't bite! This is a real "find"!!!!

THEN, a few days later, William brought me a

Ped Egg on a stick with a little pumice buffer pad and

WOW !!! My world, as I have known it -- changed!!! As I said in an earlier post -----it's "my precious".

Seriously, in case I ever have to quickly evacuate that little Ped Egg on a stick is comin' with me!

Just wanted to share this earth-shaking info with ya !!

Happy Feet!!

Gwynie Pie

Back on Line

Hey friends !!! I've been out of commission for almost two weeks now. I was sick with some wicked bronchitis and then when I got feeling good enough to blog again, my computer completely and totally crashed! We had to take it to the dr. and get it cleaned up and now we are back in business.

Dana and Lily came in this afternoon, followed by Ronnie and Colin, so we are just going to have a fantastic weekend playing, visiting, eating.....
I'll post again very soon....I've so much to tell you....

Soon,
Gwynie Pie

Life Happens

The other day, while taking the pictures for and writing one of the previous posts on decorating, I asked myself this question: "You aren't being arrogant in your decorating opinion of yourself, are you?" And I've given it much, much thought since then. THE VERY LAST thing I wish to do on this blog is to discourage or frustrate you. AND I never want you to think that I think I am the "goddess of good taste and fine decorating" and that I'm going to teach you a thing or two !!! And I so want you to know this : all the good stuff I do in my decorating, ALL the really good stuff, you know? I stole it!!!! That's right! I saw it somewhere and stole the idea. I may have embellished the idea and made it my own somehow, but the original thought????? NOT my own !!! I have had only a very few original decorating ideas in my whole life. But, I know a great idea when I see it and I can run with it. So there! OK then ! I'm better now having said that...... I just so want to share my great "stolen" ideas with you, show you how they worked out (or didn't work at all) here in the laboratory (my house). And then.....I like to know if you used the ideas and how they worked out in your lab.Okay, so the above --- NOT a stolen idea -- this is an original! Tuesday morning!!!! after Easter. Exactly NO progress has been made since Sunday p.m. By this morning, however, there has been some small headway. It'll happen !!! Not to worry.....I'm making a comeback.

Oh lawsy, there on the loveseat and coffee table -- my lair -- surrounded by everything a sick girl needs (except for the Dr. Pepper which I seriously wanted but gave up cold turkey about 3 months ago and haven't had one since but have asked for and my man says "NO! I'm being a Grinch about this!, I won't bring you a Dr. Pepper!" - oh well) At least I have my quilt, a pillow, my Lubriderm, my Bible, my journal, my tissues, various pills and capsules, some nice pink Easter grass minus the big fat yellow duck, and my Ped Egg....my precious!!!!! (stay tuned for future posts about said Ped Egg)Pile of dirty clothes, waiting to be sorted for washing.....still waiting on me today......just lovely. Nice touch!! I'll get to it. It'll happen!! Not to worry.......I'm making a comeback.

Just wanted you to see some pictures of "real life" here in the laboratory and not just the glamour shots. I'm pretty much laughing hysterically at this point. And you know what they say -"laughter is good medicine" ---and it is cause I'm feeling better already.

Have a Great Day !

Gwynie Pie

We had a really wonderful Easter !

We had 11 people here for lunch after church Sunday and the meal was great !

William was in charge of the brisket and it was

superb! I made potato salad,

deviled eggs and fruit salad

and some bread and

some other stuff. Don't really remember now.

OH, and some de-lish-us ! coleslaw!

I had no clue what I was doing, coleslaw wasn't even on the menu but when I went to the fridge to gather everything

up I grabbed a bag of shredded cabbage and

made some "killer coleslaw". Mind you, no one else even commented on it.....SO, it may have been yuck

BUT ......I loved it !!!

I was a bit delirious though, so my "facts"

might be a little off.........

Here is where I should tell you that I have been pretty sick for

the last 6 days, complete with fever, chills and all that

super exciting stuff that totally missed me back in the

fall and winter. And here is the thing with me

and fever --- a little

fever goes a long way.

Even a small amount of fever makes

me kind of loopy, goofy, a tish bit delirious --

just not thinking straight !!

(and THAT explains the random bag of cabbage!)

As soon as I spray painted those paper mache eggs Weds, I knew I was in trouble.

By Weds. night I was in full blown bronchitis mode, sucking on an inhaler, downing the Airborne and Mucinex

and praying, praying, praying I hadn't really just messed up

the whole Easter weekend.

I missed church, which I just hated to do, because I especially love Easter services!!

AND prior to that I had a pretty good fever brewing and THE WORST coughing you have ever heard !!

No kidding !!! So painful I thought I might have

cracked ribs or punctured lungs or busted arteries!!

I'm laughing now, BUT

I have learned my lesson about spray painting ! and here it is:

ALWAYS

wear protective breathing gear when

spray painting !!!

ALWAYS

I have felt pretty awful, but I'm recovering today.

If I was a braver woman, I'd take pictures of the absolute "carnage" in my kitchen and dining room !

It's a far cry from the cutesy, neatsy, sweetsy

(well-staged) pictures I usually post of the house.

William wanted to do the dishes last night but I whined and cried (whoo-boy, I'm rotten when I feel bad!)

until he came and sat down by me for a while.

I needed him beside me far more than I

needed or wanted the kitchen clean.

It'll get there !!

When all was said and done -- it was still a really Great Easter!There's nothing anyone could ever do to

mess that up.

Happy Tuesday, y'all !!

Gwynie Pie

The Handiwork of God

I pray you are all having a very blessed Good Friday !! Seems like the perfect time to share a Spectacular sunset as we enjoyed it from our front porch

Absolutely breath-taking !

The handiwork of GOD !

Gwynie Pie

Kinda CRAZY Easter Craft

"Kiwis or eggs?" that was my husband's question. "Eggs!! what would I be gonna do with a dozen kiwis?" Sooooo, what am I gonna do with a dozen paper mache eggs???? Why, I spray painted them with black chalkboard paint, of course........

AND then decorated them with colored chalk. Placed on a bed of hot pink grass in this old tarnished silver bowl, I think they look pretty cute.

I found this idea while browsing some of my favorite blogs (this one from Joys of Home) and couldn't wait to try it. I found the eggs at Hobby Lobby, on sale through Sat., for $2 a dozen (actually 50% off 3 for a $1). You could use paint-on chalkboard paint and have it tinted any color you wanted and that could be really cute. I already had a can of black chalkboard spray paint that is usually around $3.50 a can. The pink grass I found at Wal-mart -- about 50 cents. So cost for the entire project was about $6 and I know we will have at least that much fun with them. I'm planning to use them at each person's plate and set out little bowls of chalk so that after the meal, while we sit and visit, we can all doodle on our chalkboard eggs. Cheap fun !! I think the little kids will really like this.

Sometimes a little CRAZY is a good thing ----

Gwynie Pie

EASTER WEEK

EASTER'S Coming !!!!! I love Easter! It is my very favorite celebration. I sure do hope you have your own Easter celebration plans in the works.

There's been a whole lot of Spring Fluffing going on here for the past few weeks - deep cleaning, rearranging, painting and decorating, lightening-up - in anticipation of Easter, spring and all that it brings.

I'm making lists today (I know, I know --you're shocked !!) and thought I'd just share my plans with you, in hopes that you will share your plans with me.

GUEST LIST -- We are the host home for Easter dinner, so yesterday William and I figured out "the guest list". There's nothing formal about this, it just means who is likely to be here on Sunday. We are figuring there will be between 6 and 19 people here. As the week goes on and everyone knows their plans, we will have the final count.

PLAN MENU -- Pork Loin
Brisket
Potato Salad
Broccoli Salad
Baked Beans
Hot Rolls
Cream Cheese Pound Cake with
strawberries and whipped cream
Tea/Lemonade
Everyone will bring something to add to the table, so there will be lots, lots more before we are done

MAKE GROCERY LIST -- Knowing my part of the meal, I will make a very complete list of everything !!! I will need and then plan to shop as early during the week as possible in order to avoid the crowds. A complete list!! because I can't count the times I've had to have William go by a super-crowded, crazy store and pick up just one thing that is absolutely necessary to a recipe. A complete list before the shopping event sure does relieve some anxiety. AND makes for a happy hubby!!!

DECIDE TABLESCAPE --
Colors I want to use (OR already have available)
Dishes, glassware, silverware
Serving dishes
Tablecloth/napkins, napkin rings
Centerpiece and other table decor

OTHER DECORATIONS --
Front Door -- Welcoming wreath
Flowers for serving table, coffee table

CLEANING AND FLUFFING -- On another list I write down every single cleaning chore that needs to be done before the "deadline" on the day it needs to be done. This year, I want to be completely finished with the inside of the house by 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. That way, when William gets home we can have a relaxing start to the long weekend, IN a clean house. And then Friday and Saturday we can spend outside tilling and planting the garden and working in the yard.

I have for years cleaned my house most effectively in this one way ...yes, a crazy way, but it has always worked!! ---nutty as it sounds -- I figure out how many minutes it will take to do a job that's on my list. Then I gather up the cleaning supplies it will take for that job, set the timer and RUN !!! I fly through the room, doing each job listed and crossing it off when finished. The key is to KEEP MOVING !!!! Bad things could happen if that bell sounds before the job is done -- bad things, man!!! I finish one room, move to the next room, reset the timer and move, move, move !!!!
Very effective ! And really kind of fun, too ! And very satisfying when the space gets cleaned and things get marked off the list !!! I am all about marking things off that list !!

BUT ABOVE ALL --- Easter is so much more than eggs and chicks, carrots and rabbits. It's so much more than Spring Fluffing. More than pretty new dresses and white patent Mary Janes. It's beyond good food and fellowship with family. Easter is all about the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It is celebrating a love so pure, so deep, so intense for me and for you -- that a man would die in our place and pay the debt we owed. What a great love -- beyond anything I have ever known apart from Him. That's worth a celebration !!!

Well, that's the PLAN here at my house. What kind of Easter week preparations do you do? Are you hosting Easter meals OR do you go somewhere else? AND if you go somewhere and take a dish -- what's the "signature" dish you always take? Comment and tell me about your Easter plans and your family traditions. I'd love to hear about it.....

EASTER'S COMING !!!!
Gwynie Pie

FUN PARTY last night !

Last night I was blessed to host a ladies group from Kerrville, on their way to Canyon for a Retreat this weekend. My cousin is the pastor's wife at their church there and I always love being with her and hers. I had so much fun -- we just ate and talked -- yep, that's it! What more do you need for a good party ???

Piles of old, old books that have been stripped of their covers, leaving all those wonderful colors and textures and bundled up with strips of torn muslin, serve as little candle stands. The little pink trays were a great buy at Ross - $2.99 for 6; and the tea lights - vanilla scented and in glass holders (so I can pop out the used up candles and replace with new tealights as needed) were 8 for $1.99 !!! In a rare moment of personal creativity (more about this later) -- I came up with the idea of actually using some of the probably thousands of buttons I have collected over the years. The candles are surrounded by buttons -- all in similar colors for more eye-appeal !

Here is the break down of the tablescape --

Plates (birthday present from my kids) - Priceless

Antique crystal glasses (my grandmother's) - also Priceless

Silver (also grandmother's) - again, Priceless

Black & white paisley coffee mugs - Dollar Tree - a dollar

Black & white kitchen towels (serving as napkins) - also Dollar Tree

Pink damask tablecloths - $4.00 at Big Lots

Tiny individual salt & pepper shakers - set of 12 - super cheap !!! also at Big Lots ----These, by the way ...... one of the best buys ever ! I bought them because they were so cute. I've used them hundreds of times. Keep your eye peeled for them and snap 'em up --- you will love them !!!Butcher block turned beverage center held water, tea and coffee with the add-ins on the silver tray. I used plain, cheap little "garage sale" tags, the kind with a string, on the little glass pitcher handles to designate "cream" and dulce de leche for the coffee.

FOOD -- Chicken salad on rolls, Greek pasta salad, fruit with poppyseed dressing or brown sugar dressing and I tried a new recipe for Lemon Cake !!! WOW !! I love really lemony lemon so I really loved this cake. It's a great cake for Easter ! Notice the black & white candle holders ??? They are $2 bowls from Ross, turned upside down and topped with a saucer.....thanks Elaine.....great idea !!!! I'll be using these a lot !!! AND I'll be looking at cereal bowls a whole lot differently from now on ...........

Here's an up close of that cake !!! Yum !!! I'll be glad to share the recipe with anyone who asks. Just comment at the end of this post or e-mail me, and it's yours.

By the door -- a bowl of beautiful iced Easter cookies. I found these on the Easter aisle at Walmart. And I thought they would make lovely party "favors" at the end of the night.

I had a fantastic time, seeing old friends, making new friends and visiting, laughing, eating -- just a grand time !!!!! Thanks friends, for stopping by.

Come again anytime !

Happy Friday,

Gwynie Pie