Red, White and Blue Outfit and A Lake Retreat

 Styling and Retreating!

Hey there, everyone!  It's Friday of Memorial Day Weekend and the official start of Summer. So, what better time is there to share some red, white and blue style with you along with a beautiful lake retreat I attended recently? 

I wore this outfit to a Memorial Day service held at the local Veteran's Village here in Asheville. It was a meaningful service and The Mr. was invited to play "Taps" on his trumpet. My heart was remembering those who have served and who have given their all in the military. I was also remembering family members who have served in the military over many years dating back to World War I, World War II, Vietnam and more.

 The newest addition to this red, white and blue outfit is the white blouse covered in strawberries that I discovered recently at Hamrick's, a local clothing store. This is one of those pieces of clothing that just "calls" to you when you see it. I saw this blouse and instantly thought of warm, sunny, summer days and the sweetness of summer strawberries! And it pairs so beautifully with blue jeans and a sweater. I know that I will get lots of wear from this blouse. I don't own a lot of clothing that is specifically "themed" for a particular season so it was kind of fun to add this strawberry piece to my wardrobe.

And speaking of "fun" I went on a fun retreat last weekend with several other women to beautiful Lake Junaluska, NC. 

This group of women has been gathering together and going on annual retreats together for 19 years! We offer Christian support, prayer and sisterhood to one another and these women are precious to me. This is the house at Lake Junaluska that we stayed at this past weekend. What a lovely house and such a peaceful setting, as well. 

This covered front porch with the swing, might have been my favorite spot of the weekend! I enjoyed morning tea on the swing while soaking in the views of the lake and the surrounding mountains. I find swinging to be therapeutic and relaxing. Maybe I need to put a bug in The Mr.'s ear about setting up a front porch swing at our house?! 

It was just a short walk to the lake from the house and I enjoyed passing by some beautiful flower gardens like this one along the way. 

And I was really excited to see some old fashioned "Sweet Pea" flowers that I remember from my childhood. My Mom had planted Sweet Peas in our front yard and they grew all around and over a large rock on the hillside. When I was little I loved to pick these flowers and take them to my Mom as a "gift." Not sure I was supposed to pick her flowers but she always seemed happy when I brought them to her, lol! She had this special little clear glass vase, probably four inches tall, that had pretty purple flowers painted on the front that she would place the Sweet Peas in with some water and then would set the vase in the kitchen window. I always thought that the vase filled with the Sweet Peas made the kitchen window look so pretty! Isn't it interesting the memories from childhood that stay with us? And how simply walking by some gardens can bring these memories flooding back? Such sweet memories. My Mom has been in my thoughts frequently recently. If you missed the Mother's Day tribute to her you can catch up by clicking on the link. At any rate, the weekend retreat was a special time of spiritual growth, prayer and deep reflection. I'm so grateful to these women who journey through life with me!

Above you see our SOS group standing on the front porch of our retreat house and standing/sitting at the foot of the cross at Lake Junaluska. Such a precious group!

So tell me....have you been doing any styling or retreating lately? Hope you will share about your life in the comments. Take care and have a good Memorial Day Weekend!

Until Next Time,

Debbie, This and That

Preaching at Pleasant Gap UMC

Remembering My Mother for Mother's Day

 A Tribute To My Mother

Hi everyone! Today's post is all about my Mom in honor of Mother's Day this Sunday. I wish my Mom was here to celebrate with me. But, unfortunately, she has been gone now for 30 years. I was around 37 when she passed and I have missed her so much over the years. She never got to see me in my 40's, 50's or, now, my 60's. The above picture of her was taken when she was in her 60's, I think, and it's hard for me to believe that I am around the same age as she was in this picture.

 As I've mentioned before on the blog, I am the youngest of five girls and I arrived quite unexpectedly and was a big surprise to my parents and sisters. I was one of those babies that appeared after my Mom had her tubes tied! It can happen but is very rare. I guess I was determined even back then!! (wink) In the above picture, I'm holding my Mom's hand standing on the railroad tracks that we used to walk yearly, making a trek to the remote graveyard where my Mom's parents were buried. She lost her parents at a very young age-she was 3 when her own Mother died and around 10 when her Dad died. That must have been so difficult for my Mom and her brother to go through. 

My Mom worked at many different jobs in her lifetime. When I was little, she worked in food service and then later at a sewing factory. But the job I remember most was when she became a department head at Hills Department Store. She worked in what was called "soft lines" which was the Ladies Ready to Wear Department. She had a good eye for quality pieces and enjoyed her own personal style in clothing and jewelry as well. She even took classes to create jewelry and really enjoyed doing that. She always liked to look nice with her hair styled nicely, manicured nails and coordinating pantsuits like the one you see in the above picture.  Pink was one of her favorite colors! She loved Mary Kay Makeup and Estee Lauder perfume. I still have one of her old bottles of Estee Lauder. 

Although my Mom dressed up to go to work or church, once she was home, she loved to put on one of her many "lounging gowns" to wear around the house. She had a collection of these gowns and I can still picture her so clearly wearing them. I have kept a couple of her gowns as keepsakes and have used parts of them to create a pillow, a skirt and a doll's dress. These items are precious to me. In the above picture, my Mom is holding her birthday cake. I think this was a "Texas Sheet Cake" which was a delicious chocolate confection!

My Mom didn't get to travel a lot in her lifetime. But she did go on a few trips like this one to see the ocean. This was in 1979 and it was the first time I had seen the ocean, at least that I could remember. What a vacation that was! Here, Mom is enjoying being in the water. She had such a lovely smile! She enjoyed traveling around our home state of West Virginia and also traveled some to Maryland, Florida, Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania. 

She and my oldest sister also typically made a trip down to North Carolina every year to visit The Mr. and me. Sometimes, some of my other sisters and brothers-in-law would come too. These trips usually included some gem hunting. My Mom was a "rock hound" and loved to look for gemstones. She had a rock tumbler and would go home with rocks that she would "tumble" to see if there were any gems to be found. Usually not, but she still enjoyed the thrill of the hunt and kept the rocks as souvenirs. 

My Mom dearly loved her five daughters, her "girls." She could be strict and definitely let us know that she was in charge as the mama, but we also always knew that we were loved and cherished. I treasure this picture of all of us together, all dressed in pink, at a family celebration. My Mom also loved her sons-in-laws and grandchildren. 

The skirt I made from one of my Mom's lounging gowns.

My Mom was a strong Christian and loved to talk about "her Jesus." She was an adult Sunday School teacher for many years and studied the Bible throughout her life. I can honestly say that she was the biggest influence in my Christian life growing up. She had a wicked sense of humor at times, loved coffee, the Smurfs and the California Raisins (she had stuffed ones), and made the best chocolate fudge, potato salad and pumpkin pies you've ever tasted! She couldn't carry a tune in a bucket and said that when we were all little we would ask her not to sing to us! She instilled a love for reading in me and some of my favorite memories are of her taking me to the library for my first library card and to used bookstores to buy books. We both shared a love for mysteries and the "Cat Who" series of books by Lillian Jackson Braun. I bought her many of these books and now have her collection of them.

My Mom enjoyed flowers and I planted Coral Bells in my cottage garden several years ago because I remember her talking about these flowers. They really took off and are thriving. I wish my Mom could come visit me this summer like she used to. I don't think you ever get over needing your Mom no matter how old you are. I sure do miss my Mom and love her dearly and think of her often. 

Happy Heavenly Mother's Day Mom! I love and miss you! And Happy Mother's Day to all of my readers who are Moms and women of influence to others. 

Until Next Time,

Debbie This and That

Butterflies and Blooms on the Foyer Table

 Welcoming May with Butterflies

Hello everyone! Happy May Day! I'm welcoming May with butterflies and blooms on the Foyer table. How many butterflies can you count on this lovely display?

The blooms are located on the pretty faux light candle. The candle gives off a lovely soft yellow and flickers. It's so pretty in the evenings. 

Nothing points to Spring like butterflies, in my opinion. I love watching them fluttering on plants and observing their brilliant colors. I was so very pleased to find this butterfly cloth on a recent thrifting adventure. I just knew it would be the perfect addition to my butterfly foyer table display. The butterfly bag and bottle were serendipitous finds at another store as was the deep purple ceramic butterfly. And how about that colorful fan? This whole display allows me to bring pretty butterflies and blooms indoors!

And speaking of blooms, we have some beautiful rhododendron blooms on our property right now. 

I'm so grateful that these shrubs are blooming once more and coming back after being beaten down during the hurricane 1 1/2 years ago. Last summer they didn't do well but this year they are growing and blooming much better. 

We also have some lovely honeysuckle blooming in several locations on our property. I snapped this photo from our dining room window. 

And The Mr. snapped this photo of my stone walled cottage garden in our backyard. As you can see, the coreopsis, impatiens and coral bells are thriving as is the ivy on the stone wall. We have to regularly trim the ivy as it will rapidly take over if left to its own devices! I really enjoy my little garden all Spring and Summer. 

And before I go, let me share this little black dress and lace cape that I sewed for one of my Barbies. The dress is sleeveless underneath the cape. I need to find some black heels for Barbie but, for now, the gold heels will have to do. A girl's shopping is never done, right?!

Hope you are enjoying butterflies and blooms in your own yard (or home) and that some fun fashion is on your horizon as well. Be sure to share in the comments! 

Until Next Time,

Debbie This and That

Do You Trust Yourself? Decision making as a Highly Sensitive Person

 Trusting Yourself As A Decision Maker

I'm continuing to learn about myself everyday. How about you?

Hello everyone! Today's post begins with a question to ponder. 

Namely, do you trust yourself? 

Specifically, do you trust yourself as a decision maker?

Maybe this seems like an odd question. And maybe being a decision maker comes naturally to you and never gives you any second thoughts. If so, I am really happy for you. 

But, for me...this is not the case. Making decisions has always been hard for me. I tend to ruminate over my decisions, second guess myself and go back and forth. I can see many sides to each choice and basically.....I can drive myself crazy while making a decision. And even once the decision is made, I can re-think and wonder to myself....Did I make the right decision??

Can you relate?

This whole post came about when I was recently trying to make a decision about something that should have been relatively simple. It wasn't a life and death choice but rather something about a weekly routine that I had previously enjoyed but had gotten away from and I was pondering if I should return to that weekly routine or not. Simple decision, right?

Except, if you're me......sigh.

In doing research on decision making for this post, I learned about people who are called Highly Sensitive People (HSP's) who tend to have trouble making decisions and tend to ruminate and consider all aspects of a situation many times over before making a decision. I have to admit that this sounds a lot like me! However, I also learned that, once a decision is made, HSP's tend to have a higher rate of making a correct decision. If I am, indeed, an HSP then this is reassuring news!

I have known for years that I am an introvert and have learned so much about the characteristics of introversion because of reading I had done online at a site I frequent named, Introvert,Dear. If you, too, suspect that you are an introvert and/or an HSP, then this is a great site for you to explore!

Have you heard of the term "Highly Sensitive People" before? HSP's are folks who tend to also be introverts (although some HSP's are extroverts) and who have the following four main traits (according to the Simple Practice site):

HSP's process thoughts and emotions deeply, become overstimulated by situations easily, show increased emotional responsiveness and empathy for others and experience sensitivity to subtle details and stimuli. 

According to Elaine Aron, PhD., in an article from Psychology Today, HSP's can have "decision trauma" due to having difficulty accepting that the decision they make could be the wrong one. It is actually painful for the HSP if they make a wrong decision. This may seem simple to many people....realizing that there are always two choices in a decision and one could be the right choice and one could be the wrong choice. But for an HSP, having the mindset that choosing the wrong choice could happen is especially problematic. And, Aron goes on to say, that sometimes the choice is between two things that we really want. And, I think that this was the case with me trying to make my recent decision. 

I really wanted to do both choices, which was an impossibility. Hence, the dilemma.

Aron discusses that it's important to accept the fact that the decision one chooses could be the wrong choice. But, you know, it could also be the right choice as well. And, the only way to find out is to go with the choice and see. Writing down the pros and cons of each choice can be a helpful exercise in decision making. And also, as Aron states, having an exit plan can also be helpful. In other words, if the decision you make turns out to be the wrong one for you, then what can you do to make a change to a different choice?

For me, as I have pondered my own indecision recently, I have found that a question keeps popping up in my head...

Do I trust myself to make decisions that are the right choices for me?

Interesting point, right? In some of the reading that I have done on this topic, I have learned that, again, many HSP's have a tendency to doubt themselves. Especially, when it comes to decision making. 

Can you relate?

But, here's the thing; if we can't trust our own self...then who can we trust? Who else knows us as well as we know ourselves? (Except for God, of course. He definitely knows us). 

James 1:5 says,  "If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you."

Some decisions are bigger than others. My recent decision about a weekly routine doesn't compare to life altering decisions like moving, marriage, or a new job. 

However, all of our decisions, big or small, are important to God. So, going to Him in prayer about all of our decisions is important, in my opinion. 

So, for me, praying about the decisions I make and listening for that still small voice of God is important. And, in addition, it's important that I need to trust myself, and my inner intuition, about what is best for me. And to also realize, that a choice that goes wrong does not mean that all is lost. Most choices can be adapted, revised, reworked and other choices made. 

So, how about you? How do you cope with decision making in your life? Do you think you are an introvert? Or an HSP? Do you pray about decisions? And most of all...

Do you trust yourself?

Hope you will share in the comments.

Until Next Time,

Debbie This and That

Happy Easter and Spring Blooms

 A Blessed Easter To All!

Hello everyone! I want to wish each of you a very Happy and Blessed Easter this Sunday! Our Sunday looks to be a bit rainy which isn't the sunny forecast I always hope for, however, since we are in a drought situation any rain is welcome right now. 

I took a walk around our property the other day and captured a few pics of some lovely Spring blooms. Thought I would share them with you. We had several daffodils in bloom here and there. These yellow blooms are always the first signs of Spring that pop up in our yard.

I am so pleased to see these azaleas coming into bloom, as well. They were beaten down pretty hard during the storm but they are coming back which is wonderful!

We have red azaleas popping into bloom as well. 

And I call these "bluets" although I'm not sure that's their official name. I love their tiny little blue blooms, though, whatever they may be called!

Spring is such a time of renewal and it always makes me feel happy when it arrives. Easter is also a time to reflect and remember about the amazing sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross for all mankind. I pray that you know how much you are loved by God in sending His son to die for you and for me. 

And on Sunday, we will remember that:

He is risen! He is risen indeed! 

Thanks be to God!

Until Next Time,

Debbie This and That

Happy Birthday Barbie and Daily Life Lately

 Happy 67 To Barbie!

Hello everyone!  Did you know that Barbie had a birthday this week and she turned 67?!  It's hard to believe that we are both the same age. She looks good for 67 don't you think?

My doll family has expanded from one to three. This is the first Barbie I purchased. I created the bridal headpiece and veil for her. She was a special Christmas gift from me to me! If you missed that post, where I explained about my new doll hobby, you can catch up here. 

I found this second lovely Barbie at Walmart. I also ordered some more clothes online for my Barbies, even though I am sewing some outfits as well. I'm an ameteur at dressmaking but I'm trying. 

I sewed this dress a couple days ago. I love the color and fabric. 

This is one of the outfits I purchased. Cute skirt, top and tennis shoes!

And this beauty is my newest doll and I found her at Dollar Tree! Yes, they were selling a true Barbie doll at Dollar Tree. It has been so much fun to choose my own Barbies that "call" to me somehow. I love their hair colors and faces. This is another one of the purchased outfits. It's rather glitzy and mod looking! I'm finding that not all of the shoes fit each doll the same but that's the way it goes. Each doll is just a little bit different in terms of body size and proportions. I have ordered extra doll stands which should arrive today so my two newest dolls will have their own stands soon.

I've been doing some Barbie research and did you know that the largest Barbie collection contains 18,000 dolls?! Can you even imagine? For now, I'm happy with three. As I mentioned earlier, I don't have room for tons of Barbies. But my little collection is fun for now. I do have my eye out for a "Clairol Misty Doll" which was actually my first fashion-type doll back in the late 1960's. The Misty Doll came with three hair color markers that you could use to change her hair color from the platinum blonde color to true blonde, brunette or red head. I have found some of these dolls available on Etsy and am thinking of adding one to my collection in the future. We'll see.

As I did research on Barbie's birthday, I also learned that she has an "official" name and birthday which I didn't previously know. She is officially, "Barbara Millicent Roberts" and was "born" March 9, 1959 when she was first presented at the American International Toy Fair in New York City. She was created by a woman named Ruth Handler and was introduced at the fair as a teenage fashion doll. There is also a lot of other "official" info about Barbie that I won't bore you with but found out in my research. That has been a fun aspect of this new hobby of mine. It adds to the knowledge base of what I know about Barbie for sure!

So, please join me in wishing her a happy birthday for this year! And now on to other news. 

                               *******************************

The Mr. in orange hat talking with the crew

We've been having tree work done on our property again to clean up fallen trees from Hurricane Helene. It's been 1 1/2 years since the storm and cleanup seems to be a never ending way of life. I know we were so blessed during the storm to keep our house and lives. But, our property was severely damaged and we lost hundreds of trees and shrubs when the hurricane force winds and, then, a tornado, tore through our area. It still brings tears when I think about all of it!

The Mr. surveying some of the work

At any rate, The Mr. has been working on debris as he can and the crew we had come over the last couple days did a great job adding to the cleanup. 

Getting this debris cut has made a big difference to the way our land looks. Large open spaces exist now where there was once lush forest. It makes me sad to think of what was lost, but grateful that, through it all, we survived and still have our home and property. Many others lost so much more than we did. 

And, I'll end on a happier note with this picture of the three furry amigos laying together in the hallway! River, Cassie and Garden join me in wishing you all a happy weekend and week ahead!

Join me next week when I will be back with another blog post. No dolls this time! 

Until Next Time,

Debbie This and That

The doll stands arrived!

Early Spring/Easter Decor

 Table Vignettes for Spring

Hello friends! Are you as happy as I am that March is finally here? I'm not so naive that I think that winter is well and truly over with yet, 

however, when March arrives I know that it isn't too far away! At least, not as far away as it was back in December or January. 

I have begun doing a little Easter/Spring decorating starting with some cute table vignettes. These vignettes are all quite simple and took mere minutes to pull together. My favorite kind of vignettes! The Mr. brought me home the pretty plate you see above when he was out thrifting the other day. I love the colors and the hearts along the edges. This plate will work for multiple seasons and occasions and I'm so glad he bought it for me! I used my ceramic Easter rabbit figurine and some small wooden bunny figurines to simply sit on the plate for a pretty vignette displayed on the middle of the kitchen table. 

The foyer table is also decorated. I found some cute Easter egg picks at Dollar Tree and they look festive in a bud vase surrounded by colorful eggs and bunnies. 

Underneath, on the bottom shelf, is my wooden tulip bunny I purchased last Easter. I still think this bunnie's expression is just so happy and joyful. 

It is less than one month now until Easter Sunday so it's time to get out your Easter decor and enjoy your displays! I hope you will share your decorating in the comments below. Have a wonderful week!

Until Next Time,

Debbie This and That