I am always on the lookout for cute table decor. A centerpiece can make a huge statement on a table and bring an otherwise boring menu up to a fun food party! Here is a cute idea I ran across the other day. It would be perfect for a cook-out or even for a child’s party!

Simply use a jar or vase and place a rubber band around the center. Carefully slide colorful straws underneath the rubberband…covering all of the glass.

Add water and flowers…and tie some matching ribbon around the rubberband to hide it! There ya go! A quick and easy centerpiece. Well, actually, you will probably need several of these to go down the table, but, you get the idea! Enjoy!

Yesterday, I finally went back to school, and got my stuff together. Of course, I had already brought a car load home before school was out…and then things got so busy there at the end, that I didn’t have time to get the rest packed up. So yesterday, I went and separated my stuff, from the school stuff, and filled the back of my car with what was left. And, it is still sitting there today. UGH! Now the job is finding somewhere to put it all. I’m such a book collector, and I happen to love children’s books. And, I can not bear to part with any of them. Now one day that will be great for my grandchildren, but for now, it’s a lot of children’s books! I’m fortunate to have a library now to store them in…it’s just finding the energy to do it. Maybe they just need to rest in the car for a few days.

There are still alot of things to organize with the new music teacher, and we’ll tackle that when she is ready. But, I did get the desk drawers cleaned out and organized and the storage cabinets. So, when she gets ready, there will not be so much to do. We can just work on files, etc.

So, my stuff is out of the school, but part of my heart will always remain!

I have always loved the peaceful, thoughtful atmosphere that is made by beach chairs looking out to the sea. I think, personally, that the mighty ocean, and its many moods, is one of the more glorious of God’s creations. The many people that sit and rest and gaze out to the sea, have many thoughts. What do the rolling waves bring to your mind? Do you wonder how far the sea shells that you see next to the shore have come? And, if by chance, you are lucky enough to come upon some sea glass…what do you think it was before it was broken apart and polished by the sand and the sea? As you gaze out to sea, do you feel very small and insignificant in this universe? Or do you feel energized by the constant in and out and in and out of the waves? I confess, it makes me feel like a tiny speck of sand in comparison to the world we live in. It is mesmerizing, though, isn’t it? To watch those waves go on and on…to see the tides rise and fall…to see the palest of blues, and the teals, and the greens…deep and almost black fading into emerald and a beautiful, crystal clear green. And the white caps of the waves adding just the right highlight to the whole scene.

I particularly like to sit on the beach at night…when it is dark enough to see the stars in the sky. I love how the moon highlights the sand…it almost glows. And, the moon shining across the water makes such an enticing pathway, you almost feel as if you step on it and visit with the man who lives there. I like the way other groups of people move into and out of the area you have lain claim to…they seem to just disappear and you are alone again. Just you and the sea.

So, the sight of beach chairs gives me pause to remember the great God of the sea…the creator of this masterpiece…this playground He so richly provides for us.

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This is a summer beach tablescape I have in my home…Note the little beach chairs, and the picture in the shadowbox of more beach chairs!

I’m afraid some one would get wet here….maybe that is why they’ve all gone inside!

The sea turns to diamonds this time of day…

I love these chairs, they look very comfortable. Can you see how many shades of blue and green there are in this pic?

The straight back chairs make a colorful picture, but I am not sure I could sit there long enough to do much pondering…

This is a picture I have on my mantle…and I actually bought it at Target. It is a wrapped canvas, and it gives me a very peaceful feel.

OH,MY! This is gorgeous…but I do not even think I could get out to it. It looks to me like it is on a sand bar…and that would require swimming in pretty deep water…so I am sure I will only visit this from afar.

A beautiful sunset…a chair built for two…a place for cold drink…quite romantic, don’t you think?

These chairs seem to be put here as an afterthought. Notice how they are facing the sun. Perhaps they were dragged down to the water’s edge for a couple to take in the sunset. I love the fact that the chairs have a place for your legs to rest also.

And, these are the chairs I’d most like to sit in. Something about the materials and the style of them…they look as if someone lovingly crafted these chairs by hand. I just know that these would be MY chair!

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“…be still…and consider the wonders of God.” Job 37:14

This collage is for my sweet friend,my hair stylist, my favorite singer, Tina’s daughter, Amy.

Today is her birthday and I put together this collage of words that describe her. She’s very special to me and I am very proud of her. She has grown and matured into quite a woman. She deserves only the best in life…and she is trusting God for that!

Happy Birthday, my dear, and many more!

On my last post, I showed you some hydrangeas from my yard. I had them in a vase like this one in the pic below. I wondered if anyone would notice it, and comment. And sure enough…my eagle-eyed friend, the newest California girl, Teresa, noticed it and commented.

These (I have 2) are my new favorite vases. Here are the components.
I found these at that greatest of all stores…TJ**XX. There they were, just sitting on the shelf, waiting for someone to appreciate their wonderfulness. And I did! And I took them home with me. When I checked out, the cashier said,” What ARE those things, and what are you going to do with them?” I told her they were for arranging flowers. And that they were called ‘frog jars’. She said that they had all been wondering what they were…and nobody knew. Then she said, “Well, how did YOU know what they were?” Now how would you answer a question like that? We have all seen ‘flower frogs’ like this… I mean, how hard would it be to figure out? What else could it be? What else would you ever stick through those holes? And, whatever you stuck through those holes, why would you need them to go into a jar…that could hold water? If you put those 2 clues together…what else would you come up with? Well, she called together all the other cashiers at the checkout, at registers #1, #2, #3, #4, and #5 to come and see what she had discovered. This did not make me a very popular shopper with the l-o-n-g line of people behind me who were waiting to check out, either. Oh, well…at least I did my part to educate the masses that day, because everyone behind the counter and in line knew all about my 2 flower vases!

I have never seen any more for sale there or anywhere else. I liked these because they had a rusty, antique feel to them. However, I did ‘google’..flower frog jars..and came up with this site that lists several places to buy them… www.thefind.com/kitchen/info-flower-frog-jar. Some of the ones shown there were in colored glass, and had a newer look to them. I know nothing about any of these businesses, I pass this along simply FYI.