Daddy's Hands

This is my daddy's hands.  They are "hard work" hands.  Hands that have caressed a rough piece of wood and crafted it into something beautiful.  Hands that have taken the materials of his trade and built a cabinet, remodeled a room, built a home.  Hands that have corrected me and consoled me. Hands that have directed me and defended me.  They are beautiful hands.  Olive toned..much like my own..and yet they are wiser and more experienced, all of which is earned with age and adversity.

My daddy's hands are special. 

 They hold they hands of our children...and dance.

And bring back memories of when we were young and I would work side by side in his shop

building things..

The smell of sawdust still evokes the best of times..when it was just me and my dad.

Sanding wood

Staining furniture

and making memories.

 

 

My daddy's hands embrace me and let me know that I am special to him..as he is to me.

 

Right now my dad's hands are dressed in needles and tape..connected to IV poles

pouring antibiotics into his body.

He's had a rough 3 years.

Dialysis isn't an interesting way to spend 12 hours of your week

Or the extra few it takes to recover.

His body is raging with fever tonight

and he is in pain..

And so am I

but not physically.

His chest tube continues to drain fluid

delaying the procedure he needs...

and all he wants is to

make it home in time for

Christmas.

 

If you're the praying type...

 

I'd appreciate it.

And I'm sure he would.

 

He has plans to cook a ham and a turkey...

and have us all there with him.

 

And that's really what I want as well.

That's what I pray for.

Sharing at Savvy Southern Style

Sharing at Flower Patch Farmgirl MSM

Sharing at My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Sharing at Brambleberry Cottage

 

Favoured One

Isn't she gorgeous?

 

 

 

Luke 1:30-34

 

 

 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.

And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus.

 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:

 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. 

 

Amen

Coffee Station

I've been scouting out something I could use as a coffee station for months now.  Nothing really caught my eye.  There are only two of us in our house that even drink coffee so I wanted to keep it simple.  I think the Keurig machines are cool but not really worth the expense (for me.)  Not trying to be a frugal snob but with only two of us drinking the stuff and one of those not even home most of the time, it isn't worth the cash to me.  I don't want to spend that much money on a coffee maker nor the pods that go in it..I still want to be able to buy my other treasures after all :) 

 

 

 

I found this tiered serving piece at an anitique mall this weekend while we were visiting Franklin, TN ......again.  I loved the scalloped edges and the creamy color. What I didn't love was the gold colored handles..so I spray painted them and took some of the paint off with my finger nail after it had almost dried.  I love the new look much better.

 

 

 

 

 

These sweet little Pfaltzgraff cups, I found at the GW....  4 of them for 2 bucks :)  They fit perfectly on the first plate.  They are wide and just the right height to work here.  I'm drinking out of one of them now as I type.  Wish I had taken a picture of this carmel colored deliciousness!

 

 

 

 

 

I snagged this coffee canister at a yard sale this fall and purchased the small red canisters this weekend from DG to put sugar and cappuccino in.  The little snow flake adds a winter touch to this  corner of our coffee station counter area.

 

 

 

 

I add two of these little sweethearts in my cup.  They don't even need to be refrigerated so that means they can sit on the top of the station and be handy dandy.  This girl loves some cream!  Coffee-mate makes some splendid flavors too.  Carmel Macchioto is one of our absolute favorites.

 

 

 

If you have non-coffee drinkers in your house like we do..there's always hot chocolate.

 

Happy Holidays Folks!

 

Hope you're snuggled in like we are enjoying a warm cup of coffee and admiring the lights on your tree, and most importantly reflecting on a baby in Bethlehem.

 

Partying at My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

 

Partying at Coastal Charm

 

Partying at Alderberry Hill

 

Partying at Home Stories A to Z

 

Partying at Flower Patch Farmgirl

 

Partying at Between Naps on the Porch

 

Partying at Savvy Southern Style

 

Partyingat Brambleberry Cottage

For the Love of the South

I love the south..have I mentioned that before?  It has a beauty reserved only for those who truly get the southern lifestyle.  Dirt roads, sweet tea, yes mam, no sir, porches, hot temperatures, fried chicken, gravy, farm land, and specifically.. y'all.  There are so many things about the south that I love... but the people, the hospitality and the love for our southern landscape is what makes me most proud to live here in this beautiful portion of the world.  I live in Arkansas but every now and then we escape for the weekend to one of our sister states.  One of my favorite places is Middle Tennessee.  Franklin to be exact.  It's a few hours drive for us but so worth the trip.  It's very close to Nashville but I'll forgo Nashville for this particular paradise.  This is Carnton Plantation.  A civil war home that was used as a field hopital during the Battle of Franklin, which is thought to be one of the bloodiest 5 hours of the Civil War.

 

What captured my heart was how John and Carrie McGavock, the owners of this plantation at the time, designated two acres of their land to bury 1500 confederate soldiers that died during the Battle of Franklin.  They maintained the cemetery themselves until the times of their death. I'd say that's a fine example of true southern hospitality...even for the fallen.  

 

 

As we toured this home, I was deeply moved by Carrie's story and her tireless efforts to maintain a record of the soldiers buried on her property.  Many of these men, both Union and Confederate, left and went to war and never came home.  Their families never knowing where their final resting place was.

 

 

The history of this home and the McGavock family is so much more complex than I can share in one post.  But being here will leave an impression.  As you tour the home and see the blood stained floors, hear of how the family's linens were torn and used to dress the wounded and walk through the cemetery where the brave men of my southern heritage are laid to rest, something inside of you shifts and you can't help but leave changed.

 

 

 

  Carnton and its cast of characters have been forever engraved on this southern girl's conscious.  Specifically as I strolled thorugh the cemetery and ended up here.

 

 

104 men gave their lives from my home state.  They rest here in Tennessee, not too far away from home...but still..they never made it home. 

 

 My beloved Arkansas, you gave birth to many brave hearts and in true southern style our neighbors stepped in when we needed them to care for our own.  Carrie McGavock, you were a true southern lady..and your legacy lives on.

 

 

 

For more information on the Carnton Plantation click here:

http://www.carnton.org/carnton_history.htm

 

You may want to check out this great novel:

http://www.carnton.org/widow.htm

 

If you end up in Franklin, TN make sure you look up these fine folks:

http://franklinonfoot.com/

 

And whatever you do..make sure you eat here:

http://www.puckettsgrocery.com/

 

And here:

http://merridees.com/

 

We may see you this weekend if you're attending this:

http://www.historicfranklin.com/events/dickens-of-a-christmas

 

And if not, make it a point to visit soon!

 

All photos in this post I personally took while touring this plantation.

Feel free to PIN :)

 

I am not being paid to advertise here..I just wanted to share a great place to visit if you are looking for a great southern gig!

 

Sharing over at Savvy Southern Style

 

Sharing at Flower Patch Farmgirl

 

Sharing at My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

 

Sharing at My From My Front Porch to Yours

 

Sharing at 53 Mantels

 

Sharing at Brambleberry Cottage 

 

 Sharing at Beyond the Picket Fence

 

Sharing at StoneGable

Sacred Sundays; The Lord that healeth thee

The season has arrived where we are all bustling around trying to find the right "gift." We are so blessed...we have no real needs at this time in our lives.  We lose sight of the real meaning of Christmas with all the commercializing and plans and parties.  Those things aren't bad but they can serve as distractions.  The real  meaning of Christmas is Jesus.  He is the gift, and very often....and not just at Christmas time, I am reminded of a special gift he brought into my life.  It is a gift of life and I am certain, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he is the reason for the sustaining of that life.  See, there was a time in my life back in 1992 that I had a real need.  I needed the Lord desperately.  Like I had never needed him before.  The need was for the Lord to heal my son.

 

Blake was born a month early and whisked two hours away to a neonatal unit because he couldn't breathe on his own.  I never held him before he was taken.  I could only reach under the oxygen tent and stroke his struggling, tiny, little body. He was our only child.  We had waited a long time for this moment and suddenly I found myself faced with the realization that I might not bring him home.  I was so afraid, so frustrated, as he was in Memphis alone and I was still hours away due to my own complications.

 

 

I'll never forget the first day I was released and went to see him.  He looked so vulnerable and I had no reassurance that he would begin to breathe on his own.  The doctors simply said "We are doing all we can."  "All we can" is a very scary place to be.  I needed hope.  I needed reassurance that my baby was going to be alright.  As I arrived home that afternoon there was a room full of family and friends there to greet us, and yet for me one important person was missing...and it hit me hard.  I was so desperate and heart broken that I bypassed every good intentioned person and went straight to my bedroom and cried out to God.  I clung to my bible and begged the Lord to show me, to assure me that he was going to save my son and that he would be whole.  Can I just tell you that he is FAITHFUL.  I randomly opened my bible to Isaiah chapter 12 verse 2 and this is what the Lord spoke into my fearful, broken heart..."Behold, God is my salvation,  I will trust and not be afraid for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song."  He has also become my salvation."  In that moment..I knew.  The Lord gave me that peace that surpasses all understanding.  A peace that the world can't give.  "We are doing all we can" turned into... ‘"With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."  We went to many appointments through the next few years..would the hole in his heart close?..with God all things are possible.  Would he have brain damage or his eye sight be compromised from the oxygen?...with God all things are possible.  Would he grow up to be a healthy, strong, kind, saved by the grace of God young man?  I think you can see for yourself that he did.  I am so very grateful that the Lord proved himself to be Jehovah Rapha- "The Lord that healeth thee."

 

 

He's grown into a wonderful young man and I am so privileged that the Lord chose me and blessed me with the honor of being his mother.  He's falling in love with a beautiful young woman that has a heart for Jesus...and for my boy. Her name is Carrie.    He made his momma happy this weekend when he made it a point to help put up the Christmas tree and spend some special "memory making" time together as a family.

 

 

 If I could go back and tell my 25 year old self that he would be where he is today..completely whole, healed and living a blessed life...I would.  But the Lord was taking me on a faith journey and when you are trusting your greatest "gift" to him..you just have to take a deep breath and remind yourself that he loves him even more than you do.  He loved him enough to hang on a cross so that he could save him for all eternity.

 

A Beautiful Mess

Christmas decorations are slowly going up around our house.  My living room looks like elves delivered nice little totes full of Christmas decor........and then a bomb went off.

It's a little stressful for things to be in such chaos but such is the creative process.

You have to make a mess to make things beautiful. Or at least that's what I keep saying to myself.

Don't you just love "twiggy" things.  I couldn't get this little $2 tree I scored at a yard sale to speak to me...and then I added gold twigs and walaa...it was just the thing that made me smile.

Ornaments on a silver serving tray are a simple way to add beauty to your vignettes.

I hope you're making progress around your house!

Thanks for stopping by :)

Partying at Fox Hollow Cottage Pinterest Party

Partying at Savvy Southern Style

Partying at Between Naps on the Porch

Partying at The Dedicated House

Partying at Debbiedoos.com

Partying at Coastal Charm