Too Cute! IMHO!

I can't resist preserving these memories. It seems like it was just yesterday that I saw tiny school buses and match box cars lined up like this.

I hope your day has been filled with fun memories!

Love, Rachel

It's Just Around the Corner! Well sort of?

It's cold...15 degrees. Snowy. Dark before dawn. Too cold to take kids to school and do all the other things that have to be done today.
But I know that we have to have the cold before we have this...and we will have THIS. So I will focus on that today.

I hope you find something wonderful on which to focus!
Love, Rachel

Focus!

Christmas is over! Do you have your decorations taken down and put away? Now I'm excitedly looking for Spring. I can tell it is staying daylight a tad bit longer each day. I learned to observe that fact from my mother. Today is her birthday. She is timeless in my mind, though she is gone from my physical presence.

This week I am using the word "focus" to guide me in my to do list. We've had some curve balls thrown in and some changes in plans, so since it is Wednesday, maybe I need to re-evaluate the list and see how I am doing?

How are you doing?

I hope you are wonderful!

Love, Rachel

Today's Thought

" We have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

New Testament 2 Corinthians Chapter 4 verses 7, 8, 9, 16,17 and 18

Well now, I couldn't have said it better myself!

What is your focus today?

Love, Rachel

January 2009 Featured Porch!

For the month of January, I am pleased to feature the porch of Carolyn's guest cottage. I have enjoyed her blog for quite some time now. She hails from Prince Edward Island. After visiting Martha's Vineyard several years ago, my hopes are now set on visiting Prince Edward Island someday. I suppose I visit there vicariously through Carolyn's blog. Carolyn thank you for your hospitality to us each time we visit your lovely home, cottage and garden. Carolyn writes, "Our little cottage has been used in the past as a little retreat for our children in summer and a garden storage shed in winter. However, when it was no longer in use in the summer I had some fun decorating it as the gardeners retreat in summer and the Christmas cottage in winter. On our garden tours it is very popular and has been photographed many times. I think it is a very romantic little hideaway!"

Well Carolyn, I think it is too! Thank you so much for giving me the privilege of posting your photos on my blog. I know that people will enjoy visiting you.

Love, Rachel

Just Playing Catch Up!

Do you have everything back in order from the holidays?

There are a few little extra things I need to get done. Well, OK not just a few...a lot!

I have been "blogging" for one year now. I've made great friends, found others who were long lost to me and I loved your emails, calls and comments. Thank you so much for making this a wonderful blog year.

Karla, thank you so much for setting it up, Martha thank you for telling me I should, and Daisy Cottage, thank you for encouraging me to start when the time was right for me.

I have some catching up to do. I've been tagged four times that I can remember, and I've had several awards passed along also. I have very limited time to spend on my blog each day, so I just haven't been able to get the cutting and pasting or transferring and linking or chasing and tagging passed along. I am SSSSSOOOOOOOO sorry and hope I haven't appeared ungrateful for your kindness to me to include me in the games.

Across this year, I remember Tatting Chic and Heart of a Mommy and Country Liv and one other blogger, ask me to tell 7 random or weird things about myself. Debi at "What's Cookin' in Junk, tagged me just yesterday. Oh my y'all, I'm honored that you would want to know such randomness about me, little ole' Rachel. I'm laughing! If you are reading my blog and included me in one of the random tags and I haven't mentioned you, please forgive me. I have a new way to keep track of them, if I will just do it...maybe a good resolution. Hhhmmm, let me see.

So in the spirit of not boring you to death with 28 or 35 or whatever it is, random things about myself, I will just list 7 and maybe that will appease the guilt that I bear! How 'bout that?

1) I have brown curly hair.

2) I realize how hard it is to "tell" (I can think of all kinds of weirdness) 7 random and weird things about myself...did anyone say confession?

3) I am not scared of mice, but I DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT want them anywhere in my house.

4) I would rather not read out loud. It just seems like it would be boring to the listener.

5) I enjoy learning something new each day...like yesterday...well, I can't remember what it was, but I did learn something new!

6) I enjoy "reading" body language.

7) I have been creating things with needle, thread, fabric and scissors since I was four...yes really! Wow! What a patient mom I had!

Well, that about sums it up for today, and I will enjoy getting to visit with you again later.

Have a wonderful day...gotta scoot and get some things finished up. This year is just flying by! Isn't it?

Love, Rachel

Happy New Year!

Today is a new day. Many people view the new year as a chance to start over, to set new resolutions, to turn a page in their life experiences.

Yes, a new year, 2009!

Can you believe it?

What changes do you plan to make?

Embrace it!

Love, Rachel