Finally sharing in this brand new year!

 
Happy New Year!
My goodness y'all, the years are flying by like lightning!

I will tell you one thing we can ALL count on in this life

is

CHANGE!

Yes, over the years my family and I have experienced all kinds of change.

It just seems that the older I get, the less I want to experience.

Losing my mama was the biggest change I've ever had to go through.

And truthfully...I'm not "through" it and never will be.

She was my precious mother and my very best friend.

This coming May, it will be two years since she passed.

My dad has grieved for her so much and then this past fall

he finally realized how terribly lonely he was.

He met a sweet lady, they dated a few months and BAM!!

They were married!!!

The best thing? I love her too!

She as sweet as pie and just what daddy needed.

Dad moved to her home and we've been adjusting around here.

It really is a good thing though.

I miss him but am so very happy for him too!

SO, we've been rearranging furniture and

moving into my parent's living room.

It's not what we planned in the beginning but that's okay.

I'll share some photos of our new living room space soon.

We're turning our den into an office space

as my husband works from home!

I hope the new year is being so good to you!!!

Thank you always for checking in on me...

Hugs and love,

Dawn

A precious gift ~

That's what it is you know.

A new year is such a wonderful gift!!!

And it's up to us to decide what we will do with this precious gift.

On this new year's eve I am so very thankful.

I'm thankful for the gift of each new day...week...month and year!

This new year is given to us to do with what we choose.

We can make this coming year wonderful, positive, healthy, productive,

loving, artistic, lucrative, caring and so much more...

IF we choose to, it's up to us.

What a precious gift this is!

So what shall we do with this brand new year???

Wishing you such an amazing year precious friends!!!

hugs and love,

Dawn

The wonderful gift of a new year ~

Have you ever stopped to think about that?

Time is a gift.

A gift some are not blessed with.

My precious friends Tammy and James lost

their 18 year old son a few days after Christmas

and it has rocked my world.

Not to mention how it has devastated theirs....

I met Tammy and James when I started college in the fall of 1979.

We were all going to be art majors. I had a full load of classes and

then this amazing 2 hour art class that was THE BEST!

The teacher was the most wonderful man, Tommy Daughtry...we all loved him.

Tammy and James met in that class and fell in love.

The rest is history.

I have to tell you a precious story though.

All of the art students gathered together for a Halloween party at

someone's apartment, I don't even remember whose it was.

But we were all so excited to go!

Tammy was going as a baby....A BABY!

She wore baby doll pajamas...

had a bonnet, pacifier, bottle, THE WORKS!

Well, she'd been flirting with James (a guy in our art class) and well,

he decided to go to the party as Groucho Marx!

He had the suit, painted on mustache...

he looked just perfect for the part!

I went as a cowgirl...boring.

I wore jeans and a plaid shirt.

Big deal. I probably didn't want to mess up my hair...

Well, the night was going wonderfully, we were all having the best time!

Then James and Tammy emerged from somewhere and she had the

BIGGEST black smudge all over her sweet mouth from where 

Sweet Groucho had gotten a hold of her!!!!

And truly, the rest is history!!!

My husband and I were the Matron of Honor and Best Man in their wedding...

and she's one of those friends that if you don't talk to for six months,

it doesn't matter.

We pick up where we left off...just loving seeing one another.

She and James rented a room at The Plum Tree when we had

our antique store because

they love antiques just like we do.

Dennis and James worked together for a few years too...

Tammy has created beautiful floral bouquets

for my in-law's 50th wedding anniversary,

Clara's baby shower...

and even Emily's wedding bouquet

when she married our oldest son Brent.

I'll stop.

But I just wanted you to know how wonderful they are

and that they need your prayers.

They have two older daughters Becca and Alex

but the Saturday after Christmas

their youngest son Jonah was in a fatal car accident

and they lost him.

Please pray for this precious family and let's all count our blessings

and thank the good Lord above for the gift of this new year!!!!

hugs and love to you all,

Dawn

A New Year's Wish ~

It's time!!!!

Time for a new beginning...a fresh start!

My wish for you dear friends is that this new year

will hold so much goodness and love for you ~

That you will see dreams come true,

you will stay happy and healthy and

that we all will be blessed beyond measure!!!

Happy New Year precious friends!!!

hugs and love,

Dawn