Author: RefreshHer

accessories · home · Uncategorized

No-Sew Pillow Cover

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Watch the video below to :

  1. See a simple no-sewBolster Pillow cover that I made recently.
  2. See the coolest (as in temperature) way to wear a scarf in summertime
  3. Hear about a fun activity I’m participating in this weekend!

 

Here’s the tutorial about how to braid a scarf.

Check out my finished pillows in the picture below:

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The fashion show in Jonesborough is on the back patio of Type A, 123 Main Street, Jonesborough.  If you’re not busy come over and see the cute things that will be modeled.  It’s free and it will be so much fun! It starts at 11:00.  Amber, who owns Type A will also be talking about Closet organization – something most everyone needs a little more of!  Come early so you can get a seat!

Stay refreshed,

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home · Motherhood

Don’t Wander

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Look what I found in a bedroom window one spring…

I’m referring only to the nest.  The empty egg was found in the backyard.  This nest was abandoned.  Never did I see the momma that build it.  There are all kinds of interesting things in this nest – mud, twigs, even a piece of scotch tape!  The builder of this nest did some work to gather items to build a home for her little family.  I wonder what happened to her and her babies?
A read a verse in Proverbs 27:8 that the Lord spoke to my heart about yesterday.  It said,
As a bird that wandereth from her nest, so is a (wo)man that wandereth from his (her) place.
A bird that flies off and hops from bough to bough is exposed and unsafe.  A person who consistently wanders instead of staying home is also leaving their nest unprotected.  Matthew Henry said about this verse:

Those that love to be abroad leave their work at home undone. Let every man therefore, in the calling wherein he is called, therein abide, therein abide with God.

What about your little nest?  Are the eggs (your children) under your watchful eye, your listening ear, your teaching tongue?  They will do best that have their momma there to love and care for them, rather than frequently flying to be somewhere else. Even if you have your children with you, if you’re constantly on the run, it makes teaching much more difficult.

A nest is a secure place in which to consistently gather your brood.  Don’t abandon the nest; it’s God’s gift.   It’s a thought to ponder.

With love,

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Uncategorized

Celebrating With Our Favorites

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If you’re planning a special anniversary or birthday it’s a great idea to first come up with a theme.  The theme for our day of celebrating our 35th was, “Our Favorite Things.”  Our day was full and overflowing with just that!  Let me tell you about it and share a few pictures.

I  am blessed to have a husband who is a romantic at heart.  He loves to surprise me with thoughtful and romantic rendezvous!  He is the best at planning fantastic events to create memories for special days.  Even after 35 years he still comes up with ideas and trips that blow me away!  Our 35th anniversary was no exception!

We decided that we’d just like to go away for the day and come home that night.  Beautiful places to stay the night are great, but when you love home as much as we do, you don’t care about spending a fortune on the luxury you don’t feel you need. Home is our favorite place, so with that much being decided, we planned to have a really special supper out in the evening in a favorite nearby city – Asheville.

We started out from home before 10:00 in the morning and headed to Wheeler’s Bagels for breakfast.  We ate at a table outside – which is our favorite thing to do!

From there we headed towards Asheville.  We went to another favorite place – Grove Park Inn and went inside the inn and simply  sat and enjoyed the view and enjoyed time to chat and relax.

Next came the Biltmore Gardens.   We sat in the shade on a favorite bench and were amazed at the quiet and the beauty.

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Late in the afternoon, we changed into our dinner clothes and made our way to the Inn at Biltmore where we would enjoy a scrumptious meal!

 

I wish I could describe our meal, but it was all so unique, I’ll just sum it up by saying, there was nothing we didn’t love about it!  We each chose different items for each of the three courses, so we could sample one another’s choice!  The salad pictured above was the chef’s take on the Caesar Salad – really different, but it was outstanding!

The dessert I chose was Raspberry Lemon and Mint – there was a shortbread cookie, lemon curd, sponge cake, Raspberry sorbet and blackberries and fresh mint.  I couldn’t finish it, but it was heavenly.

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Through the day we also shared favorite memories, using 35 words I’d written down. Oh, to think back on our 35 years and the wonderful times we’ve shared.  We also talked about some hard things, and how the Lord brought us through those as well.

It was a day of tears, laughter, remembering and creating new memories at all of our favorite places, enjoying all of our favorite things – the greatest being time together!

If you could use a theme for your next special date with your spouse, what theme would you choose?

Thanks for coming by to read and share in our celebration!

With love,

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Uncategorized

An Anniversary Celebration Peek (and more to come)

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Happy Tuesday, Friends!  A well-ordered life is about priorities.  Yesterday’s priority was celebrating  our 35th anniversary all day long!  We got home late and crashed, so this morning I’m sharing the above photo with the promise of some more special pics to come…tomorrow.  This dessert photo was from our spectacular dinner in Asheville where we ate at The Inn at Biltmore.  Oh. My. Goodness.  It was perfect!

I cant’ wait to share the rest of our meal, and the events of the day, but in the meantime, there’s VBS to prepare for tonight and a mountain of laundry that awaits.

Choose the most important of priorities today and leave the rest for another day!

Until tomorrow,

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Marriage

Blessings and Lessons From 35 Years of Marriage

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It feels surreal that today my husband and I are staring our 35th anniversary in the face.  Of course all the math plays out perfectly – the ages of our girls, the number of years we have lived here and there, and our years in ministry.  It’s just that it seems to all have happened while we had our heads turned, if you know what I mean.  Nonetheless here we are, and to say that it’s a HUGE blessing would be an understatement.

When Andy on The Andy Griffith Show asks Floyd what he knows about love, Floyd retorts,

“What do I know about love?!  You can’t cut hair for 30 years and not learn something!”

Well, neither can you be married for 35 years and not learn something!! As I pondered our years together, I’ve thought about what I’ve learned.   Here are some of my lessons:

  1. Being in love is a choice that a person makes each day.  You might not always feel in love, but the choice is made in your head, not your heart.
  2. Marriage is each spouse giving 100%.
  3. The best marriage is the one where each one tries to out-serve the other.
  4. The best thing I can give my husband is respect (I wish I’d understood that years ago!)
  5. The best way to change my husband is to let God do it!  That means I must simply pray and let God deal with him!
  6. The best thing I can do for my children is to love their dad.
  7. After God, my husband is to be my first priority.  He’s above children, friends, work or my plans.
  8. I cannot take one day, one hour, one minute of time with my husband for granted.
  9. Life is too short to carry a grudge against him.
  10. Lack of forgiveness for an offense will do far greater damage than humbling myself and letting the grievance go.
  11. Marriage should be enjoyed every single day.
  12. Physical Intimacy in marriage is God’s plan.
  13. The physical relationship is not sin; it is not disgusting.
  14. Intimacy in marriage  must be important to me because it’s important to my spouse.
  15. Departures should always be sealed with a kiss – whether it’s for an hour, an afternoon, a day or a week away.
  16. My spouse is for me!
  17. My spouse was created for me!
  18. I was created for my spouse!
  19. I have the choice (and power) to encourage or discourage my husband.
  20. Little annoyances are more a problem in my heart than they are in his life.
  21. It’s better to have real, genuine love than to have things.
  22. You don’t need material possessions to have a happy marriage.
  23. Prayer is the remedy for all marriage struggles; at the cross all “issues” seem really insignificant.
  24. I’m as needy of a Savior as my spouse.  No matter what he does, we are equal at the cross.
  25. Married life makes joys doubled and sorrows halved.
  26. Marriage is God’s wonderful design and plan, and I should enjoy it because God created it.
  27. As we age, if I expect my husband to love me as I am, I need to love him as he is!
  28. This is the only time we can enjoy marriage (there is no giving in marriage in heaven), so have fun!!
  29. I set the atmosphere in our home.
  30. If I’m not praying for my husband, who is?
  31. A smile, a kind word and a kiss is the best way to greet my husband.
  32. Good words from me encourage his heart.
  33. Keeping myself fixed up and looking my best is an important way to show him I care.
  34. Little things are big things in keeping a happy marriage – a small gift, a wink, a hand squeeze, a note on the pillow – they strengthen your relationship more than the big things.
  35. You’ll never have this moment, this hour, this day, this anniversary ever again. Enjoy right now.  It’s creating a memory for tomorrow.

I am blessed beyond measure with the gift of Dale.  How thankful I am for God’s graciousness in giving me such a wonderful, loving, husband.  I am a better woman because of him in my life!

Refresh you marriage today, friends!

Celebrating 35 years,

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