To be Pink, or not to be Pink....that is the question

Today I am linking up with Beverly and the Pink Saturday gang to share my daughter's bedroom, and the debate on whether to change this room or not, or.....perhaps I'm even asking more for advice on, how should we change this room? Anna has a beautiful room right now. How about stepping inside.....

Gotta tell ya girls....it's pretty pink:)

Let's walk on in and take a look.  I really do think it's pretty cute just like it is.

 Why do little girls have to grow up?

 This is my favorite picture of Anna w/the verse from Psalms "....that our daughters be as pillars, sculptured in palace style."

 Sweet little bed with all her handmade pillows.

 Electrical entertainment area:)

 And....the pink powder room.

 I don't know....seems to me, she has such a lovely little space.

 Trinkets from sweet friends.

 Old pink cabinet bought for $10.00:)

The closet had no doors, so we fashioned this curtain made from eyelet fabric.
Now.......Anna just turned 13 and is very much wanting a change-a-roo. When we bought this house, the whole thing, and she's a big girl, was covered with wall paper. Very much in vogue for the 70's and 80's, but it all HAD to go.....except this room. I just felt like it was a perfect little girl room. We plan to put our house back on the market in the spring, so I suppose painting it a more neutral color would not be such a bad thing. We found a most gorgeous inspiration from Miss Gracie's House, and have somewhat of an idea on SOME things. I need some advice though. Anna has said she could go with a neutral color on the walls, but, then she's really wanting lots of contemporary elements. One thing we are definitely doing is the Music Speaks stencil Renee and her daughter used....just not sure what color background to use. Anna would love to have purple....but wouldn't that get old? We plan to make it portable so we can take it with us when we move. These are the colors she loves......electric purple, lime green, and solar blue:) Hmmmmm....just can't quite get a picture for it. Well....I would LOVE it if you could give me some input. Promise....I'll share the after pictures too. Blessings...Shine

Slow down

Today has been an awesome day. The busyness of Christmas almost gets overwhelming sometimes, but I always try to keep my eyes focused on the true meaning and just hold on:) Yesterday and today I have actually been able to sit down, hug on my children and just take in the beauty and abundant blessings from the past few weeks.
It is good dear friends. Good to be able to sit and reflect. I am so grateful. Blessings too numerous to count, and I feel very humbled. I hope you all had as lovely a Christmas as I did....and I hope the new year brings joy and peace, blessings and happiness to you all.

With much love and affection,
Shine

I made MERRY!!!!!

With so much to do and so many projects biding for my time, I am generally pretty picky about the things I try to tackle this time of year, especially for myself, but when I saw this cute banner....I felt like it was well worth my time. I happened upon an awesome blog, and this is what I saw! I knew I could do this in a reasonable amount of time and I already had all the things I needed in my scrap booking stash. Thanks so much Jennifer for all your wonderful inspiration. Here's my version of Jennifer Rizzo's Merry Banner.

Merry Christmas sweet friends!!! Two quilts down and two to go :-O.......Well...I'll do my best:)
Blessings~~~Shine

Ho Ho Ho...here we go!

Merry Christmas sweet friends!

 You know it's Christmas when the gingerbread houses are made:)

                                            Have a blessed and lovely evening~~~Shine

Christmas Mantle

Hello sweet friends! This is my first year with a real and proper mantle! Yes...I have been married almost 30 years....lived in many lovely, cozy homes and always managed without one, BUT...I  always wanted a mantle. We always found somewhere to hang our stockings, but I just dreamed of a "fairy tale" mantle:) Last winter my dear hubby finally gave me my heart's desire.....so now, without further adieu.......my beautiful Christmas mantle.

I do believe I'll hook this post up with Sherry's Home Sweet Home.
Have a lovely evening sweet sisters! ~~Blessings~Shine

Early Giving

A while back, a sweet friend of mine asked if I would like to have some of her "mismatched China". Well...I could never say no to China, of any sort. I LOVE all China. In actuality, I truly thought she was talking about "just a few" pieces. She had told me that she had sold a lot of things, but had held on to these as they were some of her favorites. When she brought them to me, I felt like the box was really big for just a few pieces. When I opened it up, I was in for a fabulous surprise:)

I still can't believe it. Six different complete place settings.

Plus a few added treasures:) LOVE these  beautiful plates.

Each setting is unique and gorgeous. No wonder they were her favorites.

I bet you're saying "That's Amazing!"........ I still am!

Every day, I choose a different "favorite".

And every day I have tea on a different set:)

Rita is one of those rare people that has a gift of giving. Very rare in this day and time indeed.

Every time I see Rita she is making something for someone else. 

She has always put other people before herself.

I never have felt like I can say "Thank you" properly.

I mean, really...this is such a blessing.

If you're able to read this Rita, I am SO thankful for your gifts....AND for your friendship. YOU are such a blessing in my life.

Look at this sweet heart cup and saucer.

I must confess...I have to share this with Anna....she loves it so:)

 I'm not the only one blessed by Rita's generosity....she donates to many good causes every year and like I said before..she's always busy making something for someone else. Do you have angels in your midst? I believe I truly do.
Have a blessed evening sisters~~~Much love to you all~~Shine

Serious sweetness!

Do you love hot chocolate? I mean really LOVE  hot chocolate? If so.....you must take notice and try the following recipe. If you choose to ignore this post.....well you've missed out on some of the world's most incredible yumminess:) It's really simple, but unbelievably fabulous. ENJOY Sweet Friends!!

Rich and Creamy Hot Chocolate
Makes 10 chocolate balls, enough for 10 1-cup servings.


1 (12 oz.) bag (2 cups) semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon salt

Microwave chocolate, cream, and salt in large bowl, stirring occasionally, until smooth, about 2 minutes.

Stir until smooth.

Cover and refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours. Roll 3 TBLSP. chilled chocolate mixture into ten 2-in. balls.

Individually wrap balls in plastic wrap and transfer to zipper-lock bag. Refrigerate for 5 days or freeze for up to 2 months. (They will NOT last that long:)
To make 1 cup of hot chocolate, combine 1 unwrapped chocolate ball and 1 cup of milk. in a large mug and microwave about 2 minutes, or drop ball in milk and heat on low heat on stove till melted . Whisk for frothing.

Have a most beautiful evening! With much love, ~~Shine~~

Two months....really????

I am absolutely amazed at how fast the time goes by. Two months since my last post... unbelievable. Well, you girls know that with the changing seasons comes my "busy season". So since I am so busy with birthdays, recitals and the like, I will simply post a few pictures of some of my favorite autumn vignettes.

                             
Have an absolutely lovely and blessed evening sisters.
Much love~~Shine~~