A Return To Saturday Scriptures

 

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Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

I Thessalonians 5:11

Hello friends!  I am excited to announce that I am returning to doing a "Saturday Scriptures" post at least during the summer months. We will take it a few months at a time and see how it goes. Today's scripture from Thessalonians really speaks to my heart as I have had a week that has brought physical pain from a rib injury and with it came an overwhelming feeling of discouragement. Have you ever been in a similar situation? It might not have been a physical injury but, perhaps, a hurt of another kind that just seemed to cause the day (or days) to be cloudy and gray and you just felt like sitting down and crying. 

That's how I have felt this week. 

I was looking forward to doing all sorts of things around the house and, instead, I have been sitting around feeling pain and wondering if I am becoming "old" before my time. My feelings of discouragement came to  a point yesterday when I finally reached out to ask for help, calling on friends to pray for me. Their kind words, prayers and texts and emails helped to lift me from my gloominess and gave me hope that better days are ahead. And, indeed, today has been a better day not only in terms of pain relief but in terms of my mood and how I feel about myself. Hope is there today that wasn't there yesterday. 

I Thessalonians 5:11 tells us that encouraging others is important. And you know what? Encouragement can come in many forms and it doesn't have to cost a cent. Calling someone, writing them a card, note or letter, sending an email or text are all ways to reach out to someone to offer them words of love, healing and hope. Of course there are other ways to offer encouragement that take a little more time, effort (and money) such as sending or taking a person flowers or preparing them a meal. The key here is to think about how one can offer encouragement. It can mean the world to others. And, I believe that offering words of encouragement in addition to praying for the person is very important. 

I certainly know that the encouragement and prayers I received this week has meant the world to me. 

I feel like there are dual blessings to be found when we encourage each other. The person who gives encouragement is as blessed as the receiver. It's a wonderful feeling. And it's wonderful to follow the will of God in such a beautiful way. 

So, when have you given encouragement? When have you received encouragement? I hope you will share in the comments. I love hearing from you!

Be Blessed,

Debbie

Casual Top, Pants and Jewelry for Spring And Summer Fashion

 Casual Fashion for Spring and Summer

Hello casual fashion lovers! Today, I've put together a styling for you to show the possibilities of looking put-together and stylish for all of your Spring and Summer activities. Whether you are lunching with friends, running errands or having a fun shopping afternoon, this outfit will take you there!

Nothing I'm wearing here is super expensive. The top is a casual tee by Chico's that I bought on sale a few years ago. I love anything pink and the little gold sailboats on the top give it a little something extra. V-necks are also universally flattering on women, I think.

The off-white pants were thrifted and are by Land's End. They are sort of a brushed, soft corduroy style and are my go-to pants for comfort. They have an elastic waist which also adds to the comfort factor. I am wearing lots of elastic waist pants these days as they are comfy and forgiving. 

The sandals I'm wearing are new and I bought them for a song at Hamrick's, which is one of our local outlet type stores. The brand is new to me (Ingaro Sport) and I am really liking them. I love the interesting bands and the white color goes with anything. I wore them to church this morning with this blue skirt and white top and they were perfect! They are also very comfortable and are not high arched. I have noticed that a lot of sandals have the arch really high and located in the wrong place for my type of foot. These Ingaro sandals are perfect. 

If you're out and about, you might want to add some pretty jewelry to accent your casual outfit. I chose a light pink stretchy bracelet and this lovely lovely gold with purple bead flowers bracelet that I purchased years ago from the lovely Katherine of katherinescorner.com. The pink bracelet is one I bought from a trip to Colorado several years ago. I love pink and purple together!

And of course some pretty earrings complete the look. These polka dot round padded post earrings reminded me of the seventies/eighties when I found them in a local shop and thrifted them. I'm wearing more post-type earrings lately and these give such a fun retro vibe to this casual look. 

So, what tops and pants are in your closet that you could wear to put together a casual outfit for Spring or Summer? What shoes are on the floor of your closet that would match well with that top and pants? And now, head to your jewelry box and find some fun pieces to accessorize. You're ready to head out the door and have a fun afternoon! 

Be sure to tell me all about it in the comments. Can't wait to hear from you!

Until Next Time,

Debbie

A Rhododendron and Azalea Tea Party On The Foyer Table

 Rhododendrons and Azaleas Have A Tea Party

Hey everyone!  Are you looking for a simple vignette for a small table or center piece in your home? You may need to just take a walk around your yard to find the ingredients for a lovely tea party themed vignette. 

We are very lucky to have some beautiful rhododendron and azalea plants blooming right now on our land. I took a cutting from each of these plants on a little walkabout today and thought about how I would like to style them. 

The idea of creating a tea party using this beautiful tea pot and a white tea cup came to mind. The tea set became the perfect vases for the azalea and rhododendron blooms. 

And the little violin playing angel seemed like the perfect final touch to this vignette. 

This is what the top and bottom shelves of the foyer table look like together. It's lovely to see a new vignette on the foyer table for Mid-May. I hope these lovely blooms last a long time. 

Are you creating any vignettes in your home? Are you enjoying beautiful Spring blooms? Be sure to leave a comment. 

The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. Isaiah 58:11

Until Next Time,

Debbie

Flowers, Inside and Out

 Time For Flowers

Hi friends!  I'm back from my travels and I've got my gardening gloves on and am ready to enjoy some flowers both inside and outside of our house. You' re invited to come along as I choose flowers, bring them home and get them planted. 

The Mr. and I decided to do a "trial run" starting with a few plants and seeing how they do with our bear and deer visitors to our backyard. 

The Mr. is also working on getting the little lawn we have to look a little greener. We got plenty of soil for our projects. 

And here is how this arrangement of planters looks. I like how The Mr. put the round planter on top of the square planters for a bit of an artistic arrangement! As you can see I went with orange/pink and white lantana, purple coleus and one container of an orange impatiens. Last year I was able to have huge impatiens plants without the deer eating them. We'll see if this year is the same. Impatiens are my favorite outdoor plant, especially the New Guinea variety, so I would love to plant more of them this year! So far, so good!

And, on my recent trip to see family, I had occasion to visit a lovely store in the mall that sold all sorts of home decor. I decided to buy this pretty candle ring and it is now in our living room gracing our side table. I love the yellow flowers for Spring and Summer. It is so cheerful. 

And continuing with the yellow theme, I wanted to share these pretty yellow mums that The Mr. gave me. They are starting to look a little spindly but are still oh so pretty. I like the yellow and white plaid wrapper, also!

So, that's it for flowers both inside and outside of my home! How about you? Are you planting any flowers or bringing any flowers into your homes? Be sure to share in the comments about flowers, or anything else, you would like to share. And Happy Mother's Day on Sunday for all you lovely Moms and ladies who have loved and mothered others (including fur babies)!!

Until Next Time,

Debbie