I wonder who???

Whom might these new knitted gifts belong to????

Hmmmmm........

   
Well.....just a hint....they will definitely be in someone's Christmas stocking. Hope you're having a wonderful holiday season. MANY CHRISTmas blessings sent your way....
Affectionately~~Shine

He Could Have Anything He Wanted

Well.....it's true! Yesterday was my sweet hubby's birthday, and as tradition has it, on your birthday in this house, you get to pick what ever you want for your birthday dinner, whether it's dining in or out....so guess what hubby dear requested? You got it....FRIED CHICKEN.

Yummy? YES! Fun to cook? NO!!!!! I DO NOT like frying chicken....it's just too messy and smelly:(

He enjoyed it very much, however. And since it WAS his birthday......I was happy to please him! Now, guess what? Today is MY birthday!!!!! What am I having for dinner you ask??? Well, I haven't decided, but I can tell you it will NOT be fried chicken:)
Blessings sweet friends~~Shine

Some Think Us Strange

Well, I must admit...we are a little different. By some standards...extremely different. We just never did feel inclined to follow the status quo, therefore, standing out as a bit odd. Oh well.....I like the thought..."whatever floats your boat" :) Sometimes, I feel like the world looks at us almost as a spectacle. Some people are curious, interested, but never of the mind that we are normal. I must disagree!!! I think us very normal indeed. Normal is different for everyone, and the way we live is absolutely normal for us. If something interests us, we delve right into it~~~learning and experiencing all we can.
For a long time, we have loved English tales. Novels, movies, poems, etc. We read and study, but guess what? Through another decidedly "strange" group of people, we got wind of an English country dance....right in our neck of the woods!!!! So, what did we do??? Well...we went straight away and ordered an eighteenth century gown.....broke out the long evening gloves, came up with the loveliest up-do we could think of, and off we went!

Now, I don't know about you, but I think a contra dance on a Fri. night is about as "normal" as it gets!!

I was so delighted that Anna loved it as much as I did....she thought it perfectly fine that her first dance as a teen-ager was of the "English" sort:)

Funny thing.....about 200 other people thought it was "normal" as well!

So happy we have like-minded friends:)

Great experience for mother and daughter.

Wondering what may be coming up next week-end?

My sources tell me a formal Christmas Ball is in the making:)

Have a lovely evening sweet sisters.

~~~Shine~~

Who knew??????

I truly never realized there were so many weddings this time of year! The kiddos have played at two weddings and had to turn down two, due to schedule conflicts! Both weddings they played in were most beautiful. Such an awesome gift....to a able to be part of such special occasions.

Always learning....meeting new,wonderful people, and sharing joy.

So yes! Sept. is a busy wedding season!!!!
LOVE IT!!!
Blessings~~Shine

Latest

Here is my latest obsession:)

 Knitting. You know I HAD to learn how, so I could do something with all that yarn I'm spinning!

 I actually did this as a test knit for a friend...so....I did it in record time....for me that is.

 From start to finish.....about 2& 1/2 weeks.

 I love how it turned out. I actually started a Margaret Dashwood shawl that I'm still working on, that is identical in color!......And it was NOT planned that way!!

 I haven't carried it yet. Still quite smitten with it...just in the "admiration" stage:)

 Just wanted to share!!

Have a MOST blessed evening girls!!!
Blessings~~Shine

Summer's End

Summer is going by mighty fast girls. 

                              Seems like it just began, yet here it is, time for school to start again.

That's the way it is with life. Time keeps moving...cycles keep turning. The flowers are so lovely,but soon they will turn colors...fall and then be bare...again.

I do love the changes. I love each season....and I am so thankful when each one comes in it's turn...just as was promised so many years ago.

Tomorrow I'll pull out the new school books and new stories will unfold. New beginnings....new cycles.....new challenges. I do believe I shall cut some summer flowers and take in the summer smells inside..
Blessings sweet friends~~Shine

To My Sisters

I know. It's been soooooo long. I almost could not bring myself to do a new post. I didn't want to see the beautiful pictures of my sweet son's wedding move on down memory lane. Alas...time moves on. Since my son's wedding, many things have actually happened. One thing of most importance is, "sister week" has come and gone again. I cannot explain how much this time of year means to me. I have 4 beautiful sisters (blood sisters, that is:) ). This year, my sisters, and as is customary, my mother, my daughter....one of my nieces, and one of my mother's sisters, took time away from their families and their responsibilities to dedicate to spending some quality "girl time".

We all headed back to Arkansas, where most of us grew up. That's my sweet mother on the bottom stair. Next (moving up), my sister Carol (all wise and knowing:) , sister Shelia (who is also very wise indeed), special sweetie Terri, me myself and I, then, the youngun' Cindy. I still cannot believe we stayed in this gorgeous plantation.

We had the ENTIRE thing to ourselves!!!!! We had TOO much fun ladies! These beautiful young things  actually taught THREE generations how to line dance!!!!

Just let me tell you though......they might can dance...but I have never been so spiritually inspired by anyone as much as I have by this dear middle child. She is a model and inspiration to MANY. Love her so much. That sweetie on your left....she has my heart forevermore, and that one on the right....well just let me tell you....God has big plans there:) Truly, we had so much fun.......the memories are so sweet......I can't explain. I am blessed. So blessed, I almost feel guilty. I do not deserve all I have.

I wish all my sisters could be here right now. I'd give you some coffee beans and candles so you could make this sweet venue.

I'd sit you on my porch and bring you tea and scones:)

I'd bring you to my table and serve you dinner. Ladies...God has blessed me dearly. He has given me more than I ever dreamed of. Most importantly.......my friends and family. I love you all and I will forever treasure your importance in my life.
May God be with you. May He shine His face upon you, and may you always know how dearly your are loved.
Many blessings~~~Shine

A Beautiful Day

Hello dear friends! Well....today is my first day back to the real world. I kinda feel like sanity is in the foreseeable future, but, that is really quite questionable at this point. Any way, now I can show you a little more of my oldest son's wedding. His bride knew in her mind exactly what she wanted, and it truly came together in a miraculous way. Neither the bride or groom wanted anything fancy......just the closest of friends and family. Unfortunately, the most of my family lives far distances, and with a family reunion right around the corner (as in this past wk-end) only a few could come. The bride's family was so accommodating. We really came to love them during this time. They did everything possible to make this day so special. The bride wanted a couple of things a certain way and would not budge on them. One was her dress, and the other was her photographer. Both of those choices were absolutely excellent. When you see the photos, you'll see what I mean:)

Here's the dress....and I LOVE this photo of it.

My beautiful new daughter in law. Gorgeous.

Me, trying hard to prepare myself to let my son go.....forever. It's a very bittersweet moment in a mother's life when her oldest child weds.

My Zeb. The first child to completely own my heart. Now a man, and he still has it:)

All of my boys. From left to right, my second son, Coy. Next, my nephew, Justin. My oldest son, Zeb. My third son, Benjamin, and last, but not least, my husband of 29 years Tony.

From l to r. My daughter Anna. Amanda's aunt Debbie. Amanda. Amanda's sister, Amber. An lastly, Amanda's niece Kyla.

Musicians.

Table w/fans Amanda made for the guests (it was HOT!!) and lavender cups to throw afterwards. Also cute sign made by the bride. And now just a bunch of shots I won't blab about.....I think they speak for themselves.

The end:) AND......They lived happily ever after:))
Thanks so much to the awesome photographer Alex Bee.
Blessings to you all~~Shine