Our girl Susan Boyle gets 2nd Place~Bravo!

I was just catching up a few moments ago and saw this headline~"Boyle Finishes 2nd on 'Britain's Got Talent'". For those who have not yet heard Susan's voice and her story...please just take a few moments to treat yourself. She is a Brillant example that dreams do come true!

http://talent.itv.com/videos/video/item_200287.htm

Here is an article on Susan too....http://talent.itv.com/finalists/finalist-detail/item_400003.htm
I can't wait to be able to buy/download her 1st album...and will want to keep this final video for quite a long time...Thank you Susan for your bravery to just.do.it!

My New Banner from LuLu!!

A few days ago I won my first giveaway ever!! LuLu of LuLu Kellogg was giving away one of her Spectacularly Gorgeous Banners and I won!! She very graciously gave my current banner a makeover....adding some little magic and a beautiful font~~PLUS an extra little gift for later!!

LuLu is such a sweet lady and I am so grateful to have 'met' her, through this bloggie-world. I am continually surprised, elated, touched and profoundly grateful at the sheer kindness and giving of hearts in the ladies that I have connected with since my first blog post on Feb 14th of this year.

There IS so much goodness in this world... we just have to open our hearts and take a brave step to meet it.

Hugs,
Lynn♥

A beautiful Gift just arrived~~

I am so excited~~I just received this gorgeous tag from Blanca MagicMoonlightStudio. It was a Thank-You for entering her giveaway!!! Such a Sweet lady and I was thrilled to receive this little gift! Everything she makes is just so unique and pretty!

I first read about Blance on Dawns's The Feathered Nest blog. Dawn is the "mama bird" to so many of us that have ventured into the Bloggie-world! She is amazingly talented and so giving to everyone. Make sure you take a peek at her beautiful blog, too!!

Here is the most recent photo of our little kitten, "Bella", sitting on Daddy's desk~~She is growing so much, but still 'squeaks', instead of 'mews'~~so cute! She and Sammy usually have at least one daily play session that includes chasing each other, jumping and a little wrestling, too~ So much fun!

New Blog of American Patriotism and Pride

I am so Proud and Happy to promote this new blog. My friend Linda just recently started her second blog *America The Beautiful~1776* .
Every Proud American needs to read her blog....absolutely incredible, moving, educational, exciting, uplifting, and makes you SO PROUD TO BE A FREE AMERICAN!

Thank you Linda, my friend and fellow American and Patriot!

A most Beautiful GIVEAWAY~~~

Don't you just LOVE parties...and Giveaways?? My sweet friend Sharon of SharDon Exclusives is celebrating her One Year Blogging Birthday, 100th Post with a GORGEOUS Giveaway!! You just have to see this....
While you are there, make sure to look at all of her stunning Beaded Jewelry~~just another treat for you~~

♥Makes My Heart Smile Award♥

I was so happy to receive a comment from sweetie-pie Yvette of The Charm House letting me know that she had given me an award! I was just so excited and very thankful to get this award from her...Thank you SO much Yvette!! YOU make ME smile♥!

Ok, so here are the rules for this ♥ Award~~~


1. The winner may put the logo on their blog (just right click on the image and copy, then paste to your blog post)

2. Put a link to the person who sent you the award

3. Nominate 10 blogs

4. Put a link to their blogs

5. Leave a message for your nominees


Ten Blogs that make my Heart Smile~~~~

1).Sharon~~ shardonexclusives

2). Marcie~~The Rustic Victorian

3). Kimberly~~serendipit-us

4). Deborah~~The Painted Nest

5). Linda~~America The Beautiful 1776

6). Kathleen~~Kathleen Ellis

7). Terry~~Lady Liberty Patriot

8). Dixie~~French Lique,Texas

9). Barb~~Bella Vista

10).Laura~~Verbena Nested Treasures

Thank you ladies....each of you have added a smile to my heart!
Hugs,
♥~Lynn

Thank you to our Heroes...

As we honor all of those servicemen and women who have served, are serving and will serve our beloved country...

A couple of years ago I had to take our younger son Chris to the doctor. It was a school day, Thursday I think. Our doctor's office is only a couple of miles from our house and we have been going to him for almost 10 years, like family.

We were sitting in the waiting room~ Chris was looking at a stack of magazines and I was crocheting (gasp~~shock, I know, lol!). Through the front door walked a man with very short hair,jeans and a sweatshirt.

After he signed in, he came over and sat down right in front of Chris. I believe he was wearing a cap or something that indicated he was in the military. Now, my first thought was "Oh Lord, how many seconds will go by before this poor man is deluged with at least a million questions from my son?" It was about 10 at the most...lol!

I was hoping the questions would not be tooooo personal. Chris has always been very inquisitive and that is a major plus for him, since he is developmentally delayed. He asked the man what branch of military was he in. The man graciously told him. The converstion went on from there...
He had just flown in the night before from Iraq and would be home for 6 months. He was married and had a daughter that was in Special Ed at the middle school Chris had previously attended. Small world... He had been in the 1st unit that was sent over to Afghanistan immediately following Sept 11, 2001.

As parents, we talked about having children in Special Ed, their disabilities, triumphs and struggles. Above all, we talked about how much we loved our children.

At that point, I turned to Chris and said, "Chris, ---- is one of the many, many brave soldiers that is protecting our country. Why don't you let him know how much that means to you...by shaking his hand? My son immediately did and I could tell that it really made an impression on him. That this man, this daddy, a former policeman, had made this choice in 2001 to go far away to help keep us safe.

Then our name was called and as I was getting up to leave, I turned to him and said a simple "Thank you".

May God Bless you and Keep you all....

One Lovely Blog AWARD!!!

Just imagine my surprise and happiness when I received this award from Terry (Lady Liberty Patriot)
THANK you so much, Terry!

So after receiving this award, I am to do 2 things~~~
* Accept this award and

** Pass it on to 15 blogs that I have recently discovered

So here they are~~~

1~ White Linen-Lavender Field

2~ My Good Life in Nebraska

3~ Wings of Eagles

4~ Molly's Country Memories Home Place

5~ Magic Moonlight

6~ LuLu Kellogg

7~ Flour Power

8~ Just a Little Bit Pink

9~ Rock Candy

10~ Elizabeth:Plain and Simple

11~ Elena's Garden

12~ English Cottage in Georgia

13~ Zaroga's Nook

14~ Heart of a Cowgirl

15~ My Heart's Ease


Hugs,
Lynn

Show and Tell Friday

Today is Show and Tell Friday hosted by Kelli. Make sure you stop by and visit all of those who are showing and telling today...so much Fun!

If I were in School today, this is what I would bring today for Show and Tell. The newest member of our family and my only 'Girl'~~~~Bella! We adopted her on April 23rd so she has been with us almost a full month!

She is a girly girl...see her 'eyeliner' going out from each eye (like Cleopatra) and 2 little reddish dots on each side of her nose is her 'blush'. Who knew a little 2lb ball of fluff could bring so much joy, laughter, fun and even more love to all of us? After losing our beloved KittyBoy last November, we were ready to welcome a new little baby to our family...Even Sammy, though still really not sure what Bella will do, has warmed up to her..lol!

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday with Dixie at http://frenchlique.blogspot.com/ Visit her and others~~the theme today is 'Bloggers Choice'.

New Lavender Sachets~Thank you gifts for Teachers

Each of these extraordinary teachers have been there for Chris and us (especially me) these past few years. Their guidance, knowledge, dedication and love cannot be described or ever forgotten.

These are the four sachets I have been working on for several days. Each sachet is filled with fresh English Lavender buds and made to coordinate with favorite colors or home decor. It is but a small token of my profound appreciation to each of you.


Georgia Bulldogs with a Victorian Flair


French blue, cream and old gold


Rich Jewels~Navy,Garnet,dark Violet


Luscious cream, soothing sage and a punch of Poppy


There is a 5th Teacher that did not receive a sachet. Mainly because He is a He. Coach was Chris' very first high school teacher. Yes, he is also a football Coach. I know God brought him to us, because he was exactly what Chris needed. And what I needed, after a very trying middle-school experience. Coach is still at the school and sees Chris quite regularly. I know Chris will always be one of his 'kids'!




I am tearing up as I write this because there are no words to express my gratitude, admiration and yes, I know....I am a sap! These five very extraordinary people are the epitome of what a parent of a Special child could ever ask for...

Love, Lynn

New colors, New Look~

Don't we all just LOVE pretty colors? What do you think about the new background?
So much fun! Have a great day~

School is almost OVER!

Next Wednesday is the last day of school for Chris. One of my previous posts explained that he has been in public school in the Special Ed program since he was 3 years old. He will be 20 next month. While he will be in a work program next year that is still part of Gwinnett County Public Schools, he will no longer be in a 'classroom' setting. No more bookbags,school supplies,changing classes. Everything will be different, except getting up early (4:50 am)~LOL! This is a Major moment in his life and ours.

Thursday was the 2nd Honors Program for the Special Ed Dept at our high school. The students were recognized by their teachers, parents and students for their accomplishments of the school year. They were each presented a very nice certificate given to them by their teacher on stage in the Theater. How awesome is this???
Steven, Michael and I went in addition to Chris' best friend, John, his mom and sister. They each took time out of their morning to come and support Chris in this very important moment. Afterwards, there was wonderful food provided by one of the Family & Consumer Science (Home-Ec) teacher and her students. Absolutely outstanding!




Chris asked that I make his teachers gifts for the End-of-the-Year. So the past few days I have designing and making Teacher's gifts for Chris' 4 teachers. I will post photos when they are finished and have been given on Monday...

Raindrops on Roses and Whiskers on.....Bella!!

Sorry I just could. not. help. myself.....LOL! I hope you are not getting tired of these...

MORE photos of my roses (just cut this morning with raindrops on them) and MORE photos of Bella. Bella pic were literally taken within 5 minutes of each other..!
She just cracks me up!! She had her "1st Kitty" visit with our vet last Friday. Everyone got to meet her and of course just fell in love! She was so sweet, mewing all the way to the Vet and all the way home...Awww!

The BEST gifts for a Mom~~

Now as Women and Moms, we all know the best gifts are not the material ones. Though they are nice and I would Never,Ever refuse one (tee-hee), material 'things' come and go.
As a Mom of 2 boys, I have learned to always be prepared for the unexpected. That's just the way life is. Holidays can be a real challenge for most parents~traditions,expectations,etc. There is a whole new twist thrown in when there is a special needs child in the mix.

So after being a mom for 22 years, I finally am getting 'it'. I do have a fantastic husband who makes every effort to make "my day" as calm, fun, easy as he can. So Saturday, Steven and I went to "Bonefish Grill" for an early dinner. I had wanted to go there for a while, and was not disappointed. We got a table immediately, which was perfect timing at about 5:30pm.
Our waiter, Kevin was fantastic~ knowledgeable and interested. The meal was absolutely delicious, the wine was wonderful and I now have a new favorite white wine~ Martin Codax Albarino (I wrote it down~lol!)

Sunday morning Steven and I went to church. It was a lovely mass and the priest honored all the Mothers there with a special prayer. Chris goes to church with his best friend, John and his family. They live 2 doors down from us and have been such a blessing to Chris and to us, as a family. While this may seem a bit unusual, this is very important for Chris to have some independence from us. He loves getting dressed up (always has) and going to church.
When we got home, I read the beautiful card Steven had given me~~of course there were some tears there. Chris came home from church and went to his room. Michael was at work. Quiet, calm afternoon.

Fast forward a few hours....Michael purchased a movie for he and I to watch, "The Pianist". We started watching the movie about 10:30 and I was in heaven, spending time with my first-born child! I would have watched just about anything, because the 'gift' was the time spent together. Looking at my baby stretched out across the bed as he watched the movie. He loves movies,is a history buff, taken 4 years of German so this was a great mix.

~~Michael holding Bella a couple of weeks ago~~


This morning, another 'gift' was given to me. Chris had left a handmade card at my place at the kitchen table. All the things I have wanted to hear on Mother's Day or any day....My gifts are priceless.

Happy Mother's Day

Show and Tell Friday

Today is Show and Tell Friday hosted by Kelli of KellisHouse . This is so much fun because it is a chance for all of us to share with each other something that we treasure in our lives. Just like when we were in school and wanted to share with our friends, something that means alot to us.

Since it has been really rainy here in the Atlanta area, I wanted to take a photo of some very special roses that are just about to bloom. My Beloved gave me this rose bush a few years ago on Mother's Day. We picked it out together and the name is "Joseph's Coat". We planted at the front door and it is truly one of my treasures! What makes it even more special to me today, is that these are the very first blooms of the year~~Just in time for Mother's Day!







As the bloom gets bigger it turns darker~ just look at all the different colors that are on these roses....

The Power of Prayer....

Today has been unbelievable...several prayers have been answered.

~A medical test today came back A-OK, Perfect!!
~I met some awesome women who may be interested in my crocheted work for Breast Cancer patients. Even if it doesn't pan out, I am deeply honored to have met these ladies!
~My son got a job, after losing his a little over a month ago! He wants to go back to college asap and this would be perfect!
~I sold 2 items from my Etsy shop this afternoon, one being one of the 4 Lavender sachets I just blogged about less than an hour before!

With all of the negative there is in the news~~~this has been a day of Celebration and answers to prayer! Thanks be to God! Time to Dance~~~!

Ribbons,Pearls,Lace,Lavender ....and Bella!

This is one of the projects I have been working on lately....handmade Crocheted Lavender sachets. Pretty to hang from a lamp, doorknob, hook, dresser knob or in your closet, the delicate and soothing lavender scent will delight your senses. Ideal for Victorian, Shabby-Chic, Vintage-mix decor and even the baby nursery. I will be adding alot more styles and colors very soon.
Never to be one to do anything the easy way....these are completely made by hand. Yes, I could have bought the pre-cut, pre-made muslin or organza bags and just crocheted around them. But, Noooooo, I wanted to make them completely from scratch~~tee-hee! Well, not the lavender buds, I purchased the delicious little English lavender buds from Lavender-Love.
These are just the first few I have made and are available now in my Etsy shop. The back is made from New Zealand Wool and lined on the inside with ivory tulle.

I have many other colors I will be making and of course will take custom requests.
Here are a couple of close-ups and back views. I remember my Great Grandmother Annie Mae telling me when I was a little girl, that the underside or back of your work was just as important as the front.










Bella checking out Chris' backpack~~~

Ya'll think she is spoiled????