Thankful for You this Thanksgiving

Dallas Arboretum 2014

Happy Thanksgiving Day

Dallas Arboretum 2014

I am feeling overwhelmed with a thankful heart for all of you who have visited my blog once or many times.  Thank you for the comments you've left and the pins you've pinned and thank you for the many ways you bless me with your visit here.

May your Thanksgiving be filled with joy and the presence of our precious Lord and Savior, Jesus.

Come, let us sing to the Lord!

Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.

Let us come to him with thanksgiving.

Let us sing psalms of praise to him.

For the Lord is a great God,

a great King above all gods.

Come, let us worship and bow down.

Let us kneel before the Lord our maker,

for he is our God.

Psalm 95:1-3, 7a

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13 Years and Growing

Today we celebrate 13 years of Marriage.  From our first blind date our Junior year of high school we have stuck together through the hard times and the fun times.  So much wrapped up in these 17-1/2 years and boy how they have flown by when I look back on them.  He has made me so happy and has been the man and husband I most need and want.  

Here's to many more years together my one in a million!

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Christmas Gift

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"Christmas Gift" my Grandad would say or whoever said it first on Christmas Eve.  Sounds silly but it was a game my family has played on Christmas Eve ever since I can remember.  I think it must have come from my grandparents because I can remember him yelling it loudly to me as soon as I saw him.  Whoever said it first was owed a gift by the other person on Christmas day.  Now that I'm older I remember it and we all try hard to get it out of our mouths fast enough to beat the other person.  I know it's strange but it's fun and always gets a laugh or a sigh if you lose out.  We never get a person a gift because we already have them one for Christmas!

Gifts are always fun to unwrap and the anticipation and joy of receiving a gift and seeing what it is, is what Christmas is all about right?!?!  You don't have to feel guilty to say yes.  I think it is.  There are so many gifts out there to unwrap, sitting under the tree Christmas Eve with the lights from the tree dancing across the packages and the gifts shinning in delight to be taken.  We are all children at heart and know how special it is to receive a gift.  Gifts come in different shapes and packages and some are useful and some not so much.  So I wanted to ask you this Christmas Eve what gift you most anticipate to unwrap tomorrow?  Is it jewelry or clothes, a kitchen gadget, tool or great book?  Is it something you will use tomorrow or put on a shelf that will soon be forgotten about?  We all hope and expect gifts to satisfy and meet our needs but if we are truly honest with ourselves we would have to say that no gift has really met our full needs or satisfied us for more than a few minutes, hours or months.  Can you even remember the gifts you received last year and where are they now?

Well, what if I told you the perfect gift really does exist and is waiting to be unwrapped?  What if I told you there were closets and storage rooms of gifts waiting to be found and unwrapped?  You see, this Christmas the perfect gift is right in front of you but it must be seen, anticipated, unwrapped and taken to be used and enjoyed.  Because over two thousand years ago this gift came in a form least expected in a stable for animals in the least of all places by the least of all people for us in the form of a baby.  Jesus is his name.  Before you stop reading, and I know many will want to but just take a few seconds to allow this thought to sink into your mind.  We are all looking for that gift that will satisfy but nothing EVER does.  Think about it, we have closets of gifts all over our homes and we still look around thinking we need more or need another one.

We live in a world that does not stay new and clean and perfect but a world of struggle, brokenness, and constant failure.  Try all you want but nothing on this earth stays in perfect condition.  There is only one thing that does and that is found in God that came in the form of a human man to save us from this pile of trouble and messiness.  The world offers its closets of goods, it's dazzling images of technology that change the minute we receive them, those new shoes that wear out, that kitchen coffee maker that breaks.  They all attract us and entice us but disappoint in the end or should I say they bite us in the end.

BUT, there is a closet, a home full of gifts that do not disappoint, gifts that keep on giving and satisfy, bringing joy and satisfaction.  They don't break or rust or fall apart.  The Great Gift-Giver never runs out of money or time or love but is waiting, just waiting for us to sit under His version of the Christmas tree (His Son on the cross) and take what He died to give us.  He loves to give good gifts to His children (Matthew 7:11 and Luke 11:13) and this very night He gave His best gift of all.  Will you take it and unwrap it?  Even if you are curious or even meet this thought with apprehension and disdain will you not just look at it and look into it?  You see, the more you look at the baby the more you see the man and the more you see the man the more you see God.

So as you are enjoying the gifts and the food and the family just remember to take the gift the Father has put under the tree for you.  And if you have already unwrapped that gift years ago, remember that that gift is to be opened daily because in it is a never ending well of joy for the taking.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Love,

Trisha

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23

Oh, how great are God's riches and wisdom and knowledge!  How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!

For who can know the Lord's thoughts?  

Who knows enough to give him advice?

And who has given him so much that he needs to pay it back?

For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory.

All glory to him forever!  Amen.

Romans 12:33-36

But there is a great difference between Adam's sin and God's gracious gift.  For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many.  But even greater is God's wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ.

Romans 5:15-16

So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.

Romans 5:11

New Living Translation

HOPE YOU ENJOY THIS VIDEO…

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Christmas Wish List

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I had so much fun sharing my Birthday wish list with you that I thought I would put together a Christmas wish list.  

1.  I've always wanted the classic Burberry quilted coat.  It will never go out of style and in the Texas winter it's very practical.  

2.  Pearls are my favorite maybe even over diamonds and I love this cluster pearl necklace.  

3.  Ina Garten cookbook - I don't even have one of her books and spent an entire year watching almost every episode when I was pregnant with my first.  My good friend Amy is the best cook and she says you can't go wrong with Ina's recipes - she is right!

4.  This J.Crew polka dot shirt would look so great with the booties I have on my list and kelly green skinny jeans.  

5.  LLBean totes for carrying everything (monogrammed of course).  

6.  Read number four.  

7.  These monogram earrings are so cute and come in different colors.  

8.  Red transferware to mix with my wedding china and tartan for my Christmas table.  

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Christmas Cards

Gotta love Christmas cards, right?!?!  It'a always a big deal to me to have just the right card.  It's like anything I do, I have something in mind and try to find it, no one makes it so I have to have it custom made.  This year I was so excited to have my good friend, former TCU classmate and fabulous Interior Designer create my Christmas cards.  Sarah Branum is her name and she not only has 3 beautiful children and runs an Interior Design business but she also owns the adorable etsy shop Plaid and Bows.  After a friend from Bible Study Fellowship took our pictures for us (thank you Lindsey Fusch), I thought of Sarah and asked her if she would help me out.  Sarah is amazing because she was 40 weeks and 3 days overdue with her 3rd child when I asked her and she said YES!  I couldn't be more happy with the cards.

So, if you're needing stationary, birth announcements, christmas cards, invites, coasters, iPhone covers, nursery art, and more then check out Plaid and Bows HERE.

Thanks Sarah!!!

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Birthday Wish List

It's that time of year again!  

No, not Christmas...my Birthday.  Anyone in my family will tell you I make a list every year and everyone will tell you how annoying I am about my list(s).  I don't just make one, I tweak it and end up with several revisions.  Not something I'm proud of but it's true nonetheless.

So, I'm hoping my family will look at this blog post and take some hints on what to get me...or maybe I'll just dream away and share with you!

Tory Burch Metallic Reva
Because I always need a silver shoe

Essie's Licorice

Because I love Black and this is pure black

Bamboo Flatware

Because it goes with almost any china or everyday dishes

Monogram Notecards

Because I'm always running out

J.Crew Factory 

Because I need a pair of jeans that aren't white

The Flexx Jet Set Bootie

Because I still don't own an ankle boot yet

Mrs. Meyer's Iowa Pine Hand Soap

Because this will get me ready for Christmas

New Living Translation Study Bible

Because a BSF friend sends me scriptures from the NLT and I love this version now

Champion Jacket

Because this is perfect for wearing on those cool fall mornings

Sam Edelman Black Paradox Boot

Because I don't have a black riding boot

Tory Reva Flat

Because I would love a nude flat

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The Ultimate Architect

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Are you like me, always wishing and hoping for a home of your dreams to build and live in one day?  Do you collect and contemplate what it will look like, feel like, be like to live in?  Where will the home be - for me I'm not so sure and I'm not sure it will happen but I am for sure about one home and that's the home I'll be in forever.

This home is made by an Architect who has already drawn the plans and rolled up the drawings with his professional stamp labeled "Sealed by God" on them.  From the beginning God created man and woman to live in a beautiful place in the presence of His company.  But with the sin of man came a change in that physical location and connection to Him.  His throne room then became exclusively accessed by Priests and a Temple made by man but designed specifically by God with exact measurements, materials, and instructions.  Throughout the Old Testament of the Bible are examples of God's earthly temple plans and the construction of them by His people.  Examples of this temple are of the Tabernacle in Moses day in Exodus 26-27 or King Solomon's temple 1 Kings Chapter 6. With the arrival of Christ to this earth and His death, the physical temple once again changed from an earthly location to a spiritual location that lives inside those that believe and put their trust in Christ and what He did so they can now have full access to their Heavenly Father, access that is not reserved for Priests alone.  Matthew 27:50-51 says that when Christ gave up his spirit, the temple curtain was torn in two which signifies that His death rolled back the curtain to the throne room of God so all who enter by the blood of Christ can access His presence.

This is the home, the temple, the dwelling that I am referring to, the one that will never change based on my location, condition, financial status or lack of, etc.  This temple, now dwelling in me, is the home of my Savior, My God and His Spirit.  1 Corinthians 3:16 and 2 Corinthians 6:16 says we are the temple of the living God.  This is the home He has designed for you and for me before the world began.  This is the mansion I should put my hope on, my trust in, my time in.  And He promises that when I get to that Heavenly place He has promised me, this temple will come to full fruition.  Jesus said He is preparing this place for me in John 14:2-4.  I'm not sure what it will look like but I do know it will not be lacking in beauty or quality.  I will not be disappointed or say "I wish I had done this differently" as I might if it was an actual earthly home I was building.  Nothing built in this earthly sphere is perfect and nothing makes me 100% happy but one day, that glorious day, 100% will be achieved.

This is His plan for you and for me, to work on this temple until it is complete.  He has already designed it and drawn the plans and He asks us like a builder to meet with Him to get our questions answered, to find out how to construct the detail He has drawn for us, to find out what's next because although God has already designed it He doesn't give us the entire set of drawings at one time or we might be overwhelmed so He gives us what we can handle at the moment, step by step He walks us through it and tells us how to build.  He even gives us a worker, the Holy Spirit, to help us do the work, the actual physical, hard labor that it takes to construct a building, a home, a temple.

Not only do I now possess this dwelling place but God Himself lives inside me, because you see this temple is not for ME it is for HIM.  It is so He can abide in me and have an everlasting relationship with me, a friendship with me that is unlike any friendship I will ever have.  John 14:23 says God makes a home with us.

So whether or not I get that home of my dreams is not for me to say or for me to even put my hope or time in because that home is just temporary.  What is most important is whether or not I am building and working on the temple He has planned out for me.  Am I investing in it with good materials or poor materials?  Am I building it on Christ, The Rock, or on this world that is like shifting sand, never stable or reliable?  Will it stand the rains, the storms that come its way, will it be ready for His return or will I have been too busy building this earthly dream home that I never got around to paying much attention to the dream home that lasts forever? (Reference from the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Builder in Matthew 7:24-27)

Who is your Architect?  Who do you put your trust in, to build the home of your dreams?  Is it an eternal home you are investing your resources and time in or an earthly home?  Abraham was looking forward to his heavenly home (Hebrews 11:10), are we?


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Atlantic Beach, North Carolina

I've missed you all.  My drop off to the blog world started when I went on vacation with my husband and son to visit our friends at their family beach house back in September.  I'm also 12 weeks pregnant and haven't felt so great so I apologize for the lack of posts. 

Back to our vacation...

This beach house is not an ordinary one...it comes with a long time family history that's rich in tradition, faith and a good measure of fun.  This house is called Papa's Palace, located on Atlantic Beach in North Carolina.  Every year the Harrison's host a house full of friends and family.  This was our second time to visit and we all had a magical time at the beach.  The weather was perfect with sunbathing temperatures in the day and cooler nights.  I especially enjoyed getting up early and walking the beach.  Watching the birds come in to catch their breakfast, the fisherman setting up their nets and of course, I loved taking pictures of the homes. 

Here's more than a few homes I enjoyed looking at and wanted to share with you.  I just imagined what it would be like to call one of these my summer home.  I loved all the shingle style homes with lots of windows, balconies to soak in the ocean views, beautiful landscaping, and the quaint and unique features that each home possessed.

The top picture is the home we stayed at.  Built by our friend, Stuart Harrison's great great grandfather for his dying wife as a gift to her, this home is full of history, rooms, a screened-in front porch my son tended to gravitate to, a generous dining room for everyone to eat in and a great living space that we enjoyed evening Bible studies in along with games and reading.  What I loved the most is the back porch with rocking chairs, a swing, a sunbathing deck and plenty of space for lots of people to sit outside and enjoy the sunset.

The number of windows and porches on these homes are amazing

 

Always love a black and white house

Great arrangement of the porches and I love the railing layout and details

This home was one block from the ocean but I loved the landscaping and cute front porch

Great views must be seen in every room of this house

Shingles, Shingles, Shingles (love the contrast)

One of my favorites

This house was adorable with its low key appearance and almost hidden porch with the hanging swing, french door and octagon window (all somewhat hidden behind the ivy).  Definitely also one of my favorites - I could live here year round.

One of the newer homes on the block - this home is big!

Perfect Symmetry

Grand and beautiful

Also one of the newer homes on the block - the driveway is a gorgeous basket weave pattern

This home sit up high on a hill - there's a lot more to this house on the opposite side but it had a private drive so I couldn't get any pictures.

Love the window box

I would take 3 stories and screened porches

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Thankful

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Today I am thankful for so much in my life!  The fact that I was chosen to live and breathe and be apart of this wonderful and yet sometimes super difficult thing called life is a gift in itself.  God is so good!  He made us for Him - to experience a love, an adventure, a friend unlike any other we will find on this earth.  The best gift of all, He gave us His son, Jesus, to believe in so we can one day experience everlasting life that far exceeds our greatest joys on this earth.  So as I reflect on what God has given me - a husband and son, a child to be (I'm expecting the end of May), my extended family and friends and you as my readers...today I am thankful and I hope you are too.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Hoping your day is filled to the overflowing with God's blessings and love!

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Fredericksburg Homes

Fredericksburg is a cute little small town in the Texas hill country.  My husband and I just got back from our 11 year anniversary trip where we spent a few days at a relatives cabin in the Fredericksburg area and then headed to San Antonio.  The last day in Fredericksburg I drove around taking pictures of the adorable homes in the area.  Very quaint and very old, some of these homes start to look alike after awhile but each one has its own unique characteristics.  Not sure if I could live in a house like this long term but it was fun to drive around and capture the feel of the town and imagine the history behind the homes.

shutters and trim are a nice contrast to the stone

Favorite house - I know it's not historic looking but I love the clean lines and that round architectural feature (this may have been a side shot)

Probably my least favorite but worth showing

Beautiful landscape to greet you with a white picket fence

This home deserved two shots so you could see how quaint and cottage-like it is

This was another one I liked a lot

I like the small windows on the second story

This home had character.  

Another double porch

Like the double porch here and the clean lines with white trim.

We actually stayed in this bed and breakfast a long time ago.  It's for sale at the moment so if you want to take a further peak inside visit this website here.

The kitchen was really cute and it had a ton of rooms inside but the pictures don't do the home justice.

Last day in Fredericksburg with my husband.

Hope you enjoyed the homes!

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