Thank you so much dear friends!

Thank you all so very much!!!! For your prayers and good thoughts, sweet comments and kind wishes....you have been so wonderful for my spirits, Noah's and our entire family ~

The surgery went just great and now it's just a matter of healing. They placed two metal rods inside of his bone that will expand and grow with him. They even closed the opening with a type of skin glue! His pain is better because at least his bone is repaired now. We may get to come home tomorrow or Friday, the sooner the better as I believe there's no place like home to recover.

He was so precious tonight....I told him that so many people were praying for him all over the world and two big crocodile tears just ran down his face, he's so very thankful, as am I.

A photo of Noah in the hospital when he was born ~

Roasting marshmallows in the back yard ~ look at that grin!

At Panama City Beach.....

Thank you again for caring and praying sweet friends!!

Hugs and love to you all ~

xxoo, Dawn

Thank you sweet friends ~

The birth of a precious child, a wedding or another special event are the things that make our lives so wonderful. But to share it with sweet friends is truly the icing on the cake!!! A dear friend and customer of The Plum Tree works at the hospital where Clara was born. Deborah reads the blog and had been keeping up with all of the news and she knew right away when Emily came to the hospital!! She's such a sweetheart and continually checked on her progress.

Today was going home day and after I showed up to pick them all up, Deborah came by the room bearing the sweetest grandmother gifts!!! A pretty brag book and a beautiful bird in it's nest!! She knows how I love them and I'll have to find something neat to place inside of it.

Thank you very much Deb....you are so thoughtful and it was wonderful sharing this special time in our lives with you!!

Clara had a great day at home today (Wednesday). Emily has been amazing, as has Brent ~ they've remained calm, loving and are going to be wonderful parents.

Tomorrow I'm back in the studio to begin cleaning, organizing and getting everything placed where I want it!! I can't wait....hopefully I'll be able to put it together quickly because I am SO in the mood to create a little artwork ~

Please forgive me for not responding to each of your wonderful comments and wishes ~ but just know that to have shared this with each of you on my blog as been the biggest blessing to me!!! You all are such a blessing to me! Thank you sooooo much!


Wishing you an amazing Thursday sweet friends,

xxoo, Dawn

Precious Clara ~

Do you know the kind of love that makes your chin quiver? The kind of love that makes your heart swell like the Grinch on Christmas Eve???? THAT, my sweet friends, is the love that I feel for this precious little girl ....... we all feel this love for our new baby Clara ~

And you were all right dear friends. About this grandmother gig........my heart is full, and I'm so very proud of my son Brent and sweet Emily. They are feeling the same exact feelings that I felt 26 years ago when my first precious son was born (Brent). The surreal feeling that you're in a dream and can't believe that it's you....having a child and falling so deeply in love in just a few short hours.

These are the precious moments that make life worth the living ~

Noah is in love too! And an uncle at eleven years old.....

I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.

Psalms 139:14

Thank you my sweet friends for each and every comment you've left here......I'm am always astounded at the love that is shown here in this land of blog......and you wonder why I love blogging??? It is because of YOU dear friends!!!!

Have a wonderful Wednesday ~
xxoo, Dawn

Such generous blessings ~

I really feel that way....that these gifts from friends are such blessings ~ I'm so amazed at the goodness here in blogland. It is running rampant and overflowing!! Sweet, kind Madai of Forget-Me-Nots from Wren Cottage sent a wonderful package and it arrived today!

The gifts inside are so wonderful....some for Clara and Emily and some for myself....what an angel Madai is! Look at the beautiful princess banner for Clara's room! And the grandmother book, lavender soap, speckled eggs, sweet carrots, baubles and tags, and another beautiful book about babies with gorgeous antique images. And one of the sweetest gifts of all?? A CD that Madai made for baby Clara....with lullabyes and sweet, relaxing songs. I love it so much I'm going to get Brent to make me a copy of it!!

Thank you so very much Madai, we love each and every gift so much....I can't wait to read my book!

And this dear friends, was in my Grandmother book that Madai sent....and it is so very wonderful and EXACTLY what I wish for YOU! (Click to enlarge and read a little better)

I have the most amazing news......I'm just about to bust with excitement!!!! Our 22 year old, Brad, told me that he's planning on moving to a loft apartment in the next few weeks to be closer to his college and do you know what that means???? The garage that he converted will be my NEW STUDIO!!!! I'm so excited!! Brad will make a loft apartment look incredible and he will love being back out on his own ~ I'll be sure to keep you posted on the progress of my new room!

If you'd like to pop over to Dawn's blog Art of Humungous Proportions, I completed a little interview with her yesterday and it's on THIS POST ~

Wishing you a great Friday sweet friends!

xxoo, Dawn

There are angels among us ~

There are certain people that you come across in life that truly inspire you. Sometimes they are not likely candidates either. They are not those people that possess everything wonderful and that have perfect lives. They are the individuals that have been through much, that have struggled through their lives and yet kept their faith in the Lord above, that have loved through hardship and still smile through the rain. Those are the people that inspire me.

I say this because Nita of Red Tin Heart is one of those precious souls. She as endured much but still continues to smile, encourage and lift others up. She's recently had major surgery and was so very ill but is now back home and healing, slowly. She lost her precious husband last year after a tragic paralyzing accident....yet she still keeps going. Her sweet daughter Elizabeth has been having health problems as well...

If you would, send a prayer up for Nita and Elizabeth for their health to be restored. For sunshine to beam down on their lives and for the clouds to blow away.......

Nita is amazing. She's even having a giveaway of her wonderful handmade jewelry as she's recovering from her surgery.....Please click HERE to enter to win ~ my only wish? As you enter her contest, say a prayer for her and her family to be blessed!!!

When you visit her blog please read her post "We are not replaceable" ~ it's so precious ~

I'll post my treasures that I found at Scott's Antique Market soon ~ it was such a wonderful Valentine's Day gift.....just as wonderful as the year Dennis gave me lovebirds!!

hugs and love to you all ~ Happy Monday!

xxoo, Dawn

Friends are the flowers in the garden of life ~

I am constantly amazed at the pure sweetness of the wonderful friends that I've made here through my blog ~ and today was no exception!! A package arrived today from Andreea in Texas and it was filled to the brim with gifts for baby Clara and for the baby shower!

Oh. my. goodness.....do you see those precious, tiny pink booties??? They are so beautiful ~ and Andreea sent a cozy velour outfit for Clara to stay warm in!! Handmade charms, delicious cookies (yummmm, they were so good!) and tea, beautiful flowers and to top it all off handmade loofa favors to go with our soap favors!!!! How sweet of you dear Andreea!

Thank you so, so much for each and every gift ~ I am so touched by your kindness!

My dear friend Tammy (we've known one another almost thirty years now!) dropped by the house this evening on her way home to bring me a big bucket of gorgeous flowers for me to arrange in the old baby planters that I had.

Well, she was so wonderful and insisted that she sit down and put them together for me!!! She's said, "Oh, it'll only take me about 15 minutes!" She's a professional floral designer. So she started and I made her a dinner plate and assisted by throwing away her trimmings.....what an artist she is!!!

We laughed and talked and enjoyed her visit so much and all the while she was turning these little planters into showpieces ~ Now, they're all sitting in our extra refrigerator waiting for the shower!

I hope you have an amazing Friday sweet friends!!

xxoo, Dawn

Never underestimate the dollar store ~and sweet baby gifts from a friend!

I've been meaning to get to the dollar store to check out what they might have to help me with supplies or with decorating for the baby shower. It's coming up fast, Feb. 7th, and I need to be getting things pulled together!

I found sweet pink plates, napkins, forks, balloons (I think I'll have them filled with helium that day), toothpicks because I'm dying to make cupcake picks (we'll see if I get it done :) OH and look at the little blue and pink frames, both for a dollar and I want to put Emily's baby photo in the pink and Brent's in the blue! The baby socks are because I want to make a corsage for Emily to wear ~ I've made one before but I'm a little rusty!

I bought the tissue just because and I love those little tin containers for holding favor candy but I didn't buy them for the shower.....don't you think they would be wonderful to alter for artwork?? 3 for a dollar, you just can't beat it!

So at least I've gotten started now and tonight at Michael's I found a cupcake decorating kit and picked it up with a coupon! Now I need to get busy with all of these things that I want to make!

Today I received the sweetest gift from Charlene of My Heart's Ease......goodies for the baby shower, games and cards for writing advice for the new mother and just look at the precious baby hat!!! And also a wonderful grandmother book, I look forward to reading this....

Charlene I just love it all, thank you so much! And Clara is going to be beautiful in this sweet hat!

Such sweet friends I've found here these last two years. Each and every day I look forward to sharing things with you. Thank you for visiting me!!

hugs to you all and happy Wednesday ~

xxoo, Dawn