A grateful gardener...

This is what has been going on in our own backyard

Right under our own noses!

Do you ever fear missing what is going on right in front of you?

I am thinking today of how quickly time goes...school is almost out for the year, birthdays are coming quickly...I want to hit the stop button...I like it right here! My Children still listen to me (well most of the time), they still want to sunggle and play....they really like us...we are still cool (well most of the time)...

I know that with growth comes pain-it just is-we can't escape that...

I also know if I focus only on the growth...I will miss the beauty!

I know it's profound for 8 in the morning...just trying to get through this...

 don't want them to grow any more!

I get it...the whole purpose is for them to grow up, and be who they are called to be.

My husband and I are simply the gardeners...watering, watching, pruning...loving, encouraging, disciplining...

Jesus-help us!

Teach us to be the gardeners we need to be, let us love our little blossoms the way you care for us!

Give us the strength to let them be who you would have them to be.

Lord let us never ever be too busy to see them growing...and all the beauty that goes with that!

Love-A grateful gardener-Tracey

Cottage by the sea dreams.....

Dreaming today about my cottage by the sea...It has been a dream since I was a little girl. We lived in Massachusetts and we would vacation on the Cape (Cape Cod) often. One time we rented a tiny little shack up on a bluff overlooking the ocean. It was bare bones...but beautiful. I think I was in the third grade, and the "cottage bug" was born. I cannot count the days I have spent sitting, playing, reading, collecting walking on the beach...my dream is that it is everyday....someday!

This is an old piece of music I found while looking for cottage pictures one day...I would LOVE an original...but may have to simply print it onto a piece of watercolor paper and make it look old...then of course frame it and hang it in my cottage wannabe home!

Growing up near the Cape, Marthas Vineyard and Nantucket...one cannot help but love these pretty hydrangeas...which sprinkle the whole Cape every spring and summer! It is a beautiful dusting of lilacs, purples, blues and greens... like driving through a watercolor painting...breathtaking!

One of my "other" dreams is to own a little place like this! These flower and farmer market stores dot New England...you never know when you will drive up on one, and you never know just what you will find!

I literally dream of what would be in my store...flowers...

chippy painted old things...cupcakes...fruit...buckets&baskets....pies...lots of white pitchers...lolipops...penny candy....the list goes on...I already have the name...just waiting for the store!

It is good to dream!

You never know where a dream and a prayer might lead you one day!

What is your dream today!

Love and dreams, Tracey

You light up my life....Love and Lanterns.

I love light! I love natural sunlight, and candle light...

These new images from Pottery Barn make me smile, make me happy, and make me want to spend money! I WILL be hanging some great lanterns this summer with these amazing ropes and knots...love the knots!

I am an avid shell collector...I have buckets, and it is the very first thing I do when I get to any beach...hunt for shells. My family lived across the street from the ocean for years. Every day I would walk and, pray and search for shells and pray for the searching of shells:). I also prayed for my future husband...who years later purposed to me on that very beach (have to tell you cause it was so sweet and so ""me"...there were 94 stairs straight down to this beach, and he had left me an alarm to wake me up (my parents were in on it)...the note by my bed said to head to sunrise...so I did and as I stood at the top of the 94 stairs looking down I saw a huge question mark-the size of the beach-in the sand with one handsome prince as the dot...with a very shiny ring...dreams do come true!))...back to the lanterns and shells...all of that to say that to combine two of my favorite things as in these pictures makes me smile, and want to surround myslef with what I love!

Lanterns light up life, they warm your heart and home! I am so glad I was ahead of the times...last year-I made and gave http://tarahlowry.blogspot.com/...one of these flags for her birthday! Now this year I will need to get her a lantern to go with it!

....do you think when I remind my sweet husband of how special our engagement day was he will let me go buy ALL of these great lanterns?

...even if I sing him my own version of  "you light up my life"...(he might just say yes so I will stop singing).

Lanterns, shells, chunky knots...they sing summer, warmth and love to me!

oh...he's home from work....here I go...Youuuuuu light up my life....you give meeee hoooopeee (laughter is breaking out in the house....if I keep going he might just drive me to PB today:)..

Have a great day girls! May Jesus' light fill your day today with love and laughter and His peace!

Love and lanterns, Tracey

Refreshing!

I love lemonade...

I love cute lemonade too...this rasberry lemonade is so cute with its skewers, lemon stars, and colored sugared rims...so sweet and refreshing...

A great way to serve lemonade iced-tea...keeps you coming back for more...

Sweet little glasses...to serve maybe your littlest rasberry lemonade sippers...

Watermellon, kiwi, and lemons a perfect trinity of refreshing!

My son said recently..."Mom ya know that saying about lemons and lemonade...I think Jesus does that for us...he takes lemons and makes lemonade!"

What is you little theologian thinking?

I am refreshed by the love of Jesus today and the little theologians in my life!

"I will sing of the Lord's unfailing love forever!

Young and old will hear of your faithfulness.

Your unfailing love will last forever.

Your faithfulness is as enduring as the heavens."

Psalms 89:1-2

Love and refreshment- Tracey

Project Day!

Today is project day! I am painting 4 pieces...

this color...Cottage white...so appropriate!

Our cat Putter...sleeps through it all! Nice!

Will be back at the end of this project day to show what we have done!

I LOVE a god project day with my man (the husband not the cat)!

Love and paint brushes-Tracey

This is me today!

This is a puffer fish...

This is a close up of a puffer fish.

I am bloated today...and maybe even a little grumpy about it!

You were probablly looking forward to some decorating or...cooking pics. Sorry not today!

I have started an organic...vegan...cleansing diet thing.

Please I know call me crazy...I just might be!!

I have wondered if the "whole" eating really makes a person feel that much better...so I am trying it!

For today I feel like a puffer fish! See the mean teeth of the close up of the puffer...ya I feel like that...bloated and wanting a pizza...not a vegan pizza!

Praying that Jesus will not fail me now (cause he certainly never has).

We took these photos on a great boat tour on vacation....these little creatures puff up when they are threatend...that's me...my yummy foods are being threatend and I am puffed up.

Really I just think all the veggies and fruit must be bloating me....I know more than you wanted or needed.

Here let me make up for my puffiness....

feeling better....

better....

maybe less bloating....

now this will work for sure!

Love and Puffers...Tracey

A kiss and a memory!

Yesterday http://tarahlowry.blogspot.com/ featured me...and the "cottage'....can you tell I am still so excited!

I wanted to tell the story behind a few of the things in our home. This amazingly chippy, old, used door came from an antique show...but there is a story...there has to be with something that looks like this!

I had been searching for a door for over my couch for a year! I wanted the perfect one...not to wide...white...hardware still on it...

I walked in to this antique show and, it was the very first item in the show...like you walk right into it. I LOVED it...but was struggling with committing so soon into the 1,000 dealer show...you know the struggle..."what if there is a better one....""

Soooo we moved on (we being my husband and our children C and M).

About 30 minutes and 12 booths later...I could not stop thinking about the door...It had all that I was wanting and more. My grandmothers door to her freezer room (where she kept homade ice cream sandwhiches-which are still my favorite)...had the same glass as this door.

I sent them back down the long hill (the door was at this point out of sight).

In a moment of regret and want all at the same time I yelped..."RUN...GO GET THAT DOOR!"

(the innocent by standers looked dazed and confused and sorry for my husband)

They ran..really ran (which I really didn't expect but was so sweet).

When they (husband and son) came back-they did not have the door and had sad faces.

My son said "Mom I am so sorry it was gone...we ran as fast as we could..." and then

beacuse thank God he can't lie well-I saw his little grin.

He was so excited and yelled "We got it mom...we ran and we got it for you".

It was such a sweet moment for our family we literally jumped up and down together as if we had won the lottery! Unknown to me the quest for a door would create a great family memory! Now it fits in even better than I imagined over our couch in our Family Room!

The sign that is above the door that reads "Its a wonderful life"...there is sweetness in that too.

I painted that sign for my husband because our first kiss happened at the end of watching that famous Christmas movie! A kiss and a memory all above the couch! Amazing what you can hang on the wall!

Love and memories-Tracey

Feature of me... the "cottage"...and 15 minutes!

Tara and her beautiful family!

Today my friend over at Between You and Me is...

da..da..da. dahhhh.....Featuring me!

I am really happy for a few but specific reasons...

1. I have never been featured (guess the 17 followers kinda gave that away).

2. I think it might be my 15 minutes of fame...I have been wondering and waiting for it my whole life.

3. I can tell my husband that a blogger "featured" me...maybe that will convince him I need a Mac.

4. (Seriously now) I really do love doing this and will keep blogging forever for myself and my faithful few...but honestly would love to share the love with a few more followers...you get it I know you do...cause I know you have more than me..."you" being anyone reading this right now!

5. Most importantly...my dear and true friend is doing the feature! She is as real as they come and I am so thankful for her friendship and presence in my and my famlies life. I gave Tara a wall hanging it says

"Friends are the people who let you to think out loud." (and who still love you anyway).

We do a lot of thinking out loud. Our husbands say the atmospheric pressure changes when we are talking...they are probably right.

Tara got me started blogging and it is a world that has enriched my life!

I think of our friendship as one of those white chipping pieces of furniture, where you can see the layers underneath and you know there are stories to tell! Heres to many more layers, and stories and fun of our friendship...

truly beautiful in its imperfection...!

Love you girl...thanks for the great feature and photos!

Love and friendship-Tracey

Yard sale, a cupcake and a kiss!

OK. So every once in awhile you score at a yard sale! This is a SCORE! On Saturday morning

My mom, Tara and myself woke up @ 7:00 and set out for fun! We stopped at this house that had

the above dresser. As I stood and pondered the dresser from afar, I knew I loved it, but didn't neeeed it for my daughters room. As I started talking to the owner 2 other people started in on the conversation negotiation as well. As Tara lay across the dresser she made it very clear it was ours and she in her tiny little frame would wrestle them to the ground and win...if they dare! All 15 people at the sale stopped and watched the negotiation. As I walked over and inspected the dresser I quickly noticed 2 things...1. The drawers were lined with brown velvet and 2. There was a bronze tag inside the uper left drawer with a tag that said "Disney Princess Collection"....I knew I had scored and bought it for 70$...yes 70$!!!!

As soon as I got home I searched online and found out brand new this piece sells for 700$!

It looks brand new! WOOHOOO!!! Score! It works perfect in my daughters room, and now has made

wall space for a few new wall pieces...hummm what will I make!

I also bought this crate which will get paint and antiquing this week, maybe a few words or numbers aged on the side...and will use it for backpacks!

This really cool desk (for 5 dollars!) It has a paper roll in the desk! This will get a creamy coat of paint,

and I will antique it! It will go on the back porch for the children...maybe mom too!

I love that this was on the desk...even though I will cover it up...

it brought me peace, love and happiness to find it!

This wii game was only 5 dollars as well, and my son is an avid fisherman! He played it all weekend! 

 I much prefer this game to the shooting loud ones! Try it for your wii boy players!

This is what my son does when he reels in a fish live or on wii! So cute...his little tounge sticking out!

I do the same thing when I paint!

We found these great little flower hair pretties at one of the yard sales, a lovely lady makes then and bows too...I know what you are thinking...those are so easy to make...yes but will I?...so I bought them from the sweet lady!

My daughter wore it all weekend!

After the yardsale was over...I baked my famous chocolate coconut cupcakes....

with swiss buttercream frosting....a lick...

and a kiss for daddy...to end the weekend! So much fun!

Linking up with http://tarahlowry.blogspot.com/...wrapping up my weekend!

I love finding someone elses trash and turning it to family treasures! From the dresser to the fun on the wii!

Truly trash to treasure! ...and all with great friends and family!

Love and treasures...Tracey

Fruity Friday

I am working myself up for Monday...

Monday I am starting an organic.. healthy...no perservatives...all the good stuff month of eating. I know-ugh!

I am not the type to do this kind of thing-it is so far from my nature or even my convictions. However I have felt physically yuck for awhile and I am going to try it! (Secretly I am hoping it does nothing so that I can continue eating pizza and ice cream...my guess is however that it might really work-so I am doing it)...

I was searching for some fruity inspiration and I mean literal fruit-cause I know it would not take me long to find some "fruity" folks who eat only nuts (which would drive me nuts). OK so if you are one of those people please don't be offended...I am grieving here!

I don't actually think I will be able to have the cream or the pastry part of this tart...just the strawberries-

but they look so much prettier in a tart!

If I could do this cleansing food thing sitting here....

or here...

or here...I might enjoy it a little more! Pray for me...I mean it I need it! I will let you know how it goes.

Just one more little one of these first....hey there is fruit on it!