Welcome

I would love to invite you into my home to have a cup of tea with me. We could sit in my sunny kitchen and talk about all the things that are going on in our lives. I could share with you the news I hear from my grown daughters. How my grandkids are growing. We could laugh together over the funny things that they have said. It would be fun to share the ins and outs of our family life, and talk about our latest creative projects. We could share what God has been teaching us, in our personal lives, and encourage each other on this walk of faith. We could pray together, laugh together, and even cry together. Since most of us will never be able to sit down together face to face, I would like to invite you to join me here. So come on in and have a cup of tea with me.

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Joy

Joy

About Me

Crossville, Tennessee, United States
I am a 61 year old, wife, married to my best friend for 40 years. We have been blessed with 6 children, & 13 grandchildren. I love mentoring women in their spritual walk & in the everyday. I have a diverse background, having spent over 30 years living and ministering in a small South American country. Now my family resides in a small town in the lovely state of Tennessee. We have experienced the blessing of adoption, but also the hard of dealing with a child with RAD and other mental health issues. You can live life with the cup half full or half empty the choice is yours. I choose half full.

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Wednesday, February 15, 2023

Behind the Scenes...

Have you ever scrolled through social media, and seen all the different photos posted of other families celebrations and thought, "Man, they are amazing!  I don't know how they have it so together!  I wish I could be more like that... they even have decorations, and everything!" 

I have always been one that likes to make a "big deal", about any celebration, holiday, birthday whatever.  Yesterday when I posted our little family Valentine's Party, I got a few really nice comments, and some "wow" faces.  But, I got to thinking as I was looking through my "photo album" last night, that it only told "part of the story".   

Today, I'm going to give you the other side.  
When we went to Ecuador back in 1991, (yeah, I'm that old!)  I took some "party decorations"... paper table clothes, "Happy Birthday" banners, etc.  Holiday napkins...  you get the picture. Everytime, I used the table clothes, I would cover them with clear plastic, and when we were done, I would carefully, fold them up and put them back in my "drawer of holiday/birthday decorations".  

As the years, went by, we started being about to get more and more things in Ecuador, but I would often, still bring in decorations, and if they could possibly be re-used, even better.  Because of this, I always had a "stash" of stuff, (including cookie sprinkles for the different seasons...  We have been back in the US for almost 5 years. (that in itself is hard to believe! But that's for another post) I still find myself "forgetting to get things in time"... I went to get Valentine stuff for my Sunday School class 2 weeks ago and saw they were putting out Easter decorations, etc.  I thought then, "you need to get out and figure out what you want for the family".  But, of course other things happened, and I totally forgot to do that, until I was making my Grocery Pick-up order on Monday evening!! I realized, there was no more "Valentine Candy", no more "Valentine napkins or plates"...  I purchased some other candy, and food for a pretty simple, normal meal, and Tony picked it my order yesterday morning.  I then went looking in my "junk closet" through the bin, labeled, "other holidays, etc." Sure enough, I found 8 Valentine napkins, I had saved from last year, or the year before or the year before that! LOL!  I found a pack of un-opened dessert plates... I found 3 little Valentine balloons, and a couple red and pink clear glass bud vases, I had picked up at Dollar tree one year, along with a plastic heart shaped bowl...  I also found used, Valentine gift bags... (see that missionary, living in a 3rd world country, who says, " you know that is still in great shape, I can use that again"... still comes in handy! LOL! 

My sweet hubby braved the store, (30 feet in, to grab me some flowers and a balloon, for my Valentine)... 

The dinner was a joint effort with my Husband, daughter and myself.  The cake was a cake mix I had before and store bought frosting... (yes, homemade is better, but honestly no one noticed or cared. :) I spent about an hour or less, playing around with the table decor, grabbing flowers from vases around the house, to match... Fixing up "valentine gift bags or candy".   (the most expensive things I bought for the party, was probably the candy! LOL!) 

I just wanted to share, that it's not about having it "all together" or "being perfect"...  we literally threw that together yesterday, and I did other stuff, too.  It's about looking around at what you have, what can you do with it and how can you turn, the "ordinary" into something special.  

One of my daughters, shared about how she turned a dinner of French Toast and deli ham into a special Valentines Dinner when she was a new mom and didn't have extra... BUT, that has become a traditional Valentine dinner for them.  

Does it take some creativity, yep, you bet.  BUT, don't tell me you couldn't do it because you aren't creative.  Most of my ideas come from looking at Pinterest. (years ago it came from looking through magazines) I hardly every do what I see there, but it gives me ideas... I love trying to use what I already have, or if I need to purchase something, my favorite place for decorations, etc, is the Dollar Tree! LOL!  I'm not a person, that can go into a Dollar Tree, and get "inspired"... but if I've already been looking at different ideas, I can go in and find things, that I can make work.  Hope that made sense. LOL

So as you scroll through social media, and see other peoples fun celebrations, remember that there is always a "Behind the Scenes".  :)
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