My angel in heaven. . .

my mother, Ressie Roween Russell Smith. . . She was and is my greatest encourager. . .not a day goes by that I don't think of her and the influence she had on my life. . .I have always said if I could just be half as good a mother as she was, I would be a tremendous success! I love you momma!!!

The roses above are from my cottage garden, picked with love and "given" to each of you as we celebrate Mother's Day this weekend. Thank you, God, for our mothers and the wonderful influence they have in this world. God bless each of you!!!

Grandma's Apron. . .

worn to protect the dress underneath because she only had a few . . .

served as a pot holder for removing hot pans from the oven. . .

was wonderful for drying children's tears. . .

was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven . . .

wiped many a perspiring brow bent over the hot wood stove . . .

carried all sorts of vegetables from the garden and apples fallen from the old gnarled apple

tree. . .

When dinner was ready, grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the men knew it was time to come in from the fields for dinner . . .

Yes, that old time apron served many purposes. . .

but mostly for me, it was a symbol of love and devotion. . .May you have a blessed and happy day, dear friends, as we reflect upon our past and the cherished traditions we all hold so dear!!

With God. . .

all things. . .

are possible. . .

Dear Lord, help me to have the faith to realize that with You all things are possible. Amen

May we each realize the possibilities that are in store for each of us when we trust in Him.

*the beautiful tags and journal were created for me by Maria of "Under the Night Moon" on etsy. She is certainly seeing the possibilites in her life as she uses her wonderful talents to create beauty.

Texas. . .

Where the tea is sweet, and accents are sweeter. . .

Summer starts in April, front porches are wide and words are long. . .

Macaroni and cheese is a vegetable, BBQ is the state food, ya'll is a proper noun. . .

Chicken is fried, biscuits come with gravy, everyone is "honey". . .

Someone is always getting their heart blessed, and we are all "fixin" to do something. . .

A big Texas "howdy" to all my friends today. . .Have a blessed Easter, too!

Blue skies. . .

Blue skies. . .

Smiling at me. . .

Nothing but blue skies. . .

do I see. . .

Wishing blue skies and happy days to you. . . May you have the best of days, dear friends!!

Bunny Cottage Spring Garden. . .April 2011

"He who is born. . .

with a silver spoon in his mouth. . .

is generally considered a fortunate person. . .

but his good fortune is small. . .

compared to that of the happy mortal. . .

who enters this world. . .

with a passion for flowers in his soul."~Celia Thaxter

Happy spring and happy gardening, dear friends. . .Hope this finds everyone enjoying life and the many blessings of each and every day.

Grace for this day. . .

Oh, God, give me grace for this day.

Not for a lifetime, nor for next week, nor for tomorrow,

Just for this day.

Direct my thoughts and bless them. Direct my work and bless it. . .

So that for this one day, just this one day,

I know the gift of grace that comes from your presence.

Wishing you the gift of His grace today and always!