Love this verse!

You will be a crown of splendor in the Lord's hand! Isaiah 62:3

This I love today!

I have no clue as to how I came across this image. Probably from one of my daily reads. However, I think it is brilliant and would look so great in a loft.

Friday Beautiful: End of Day Addition in Pink

From such an introspective morning, there is a definate need for light, happy, pink, and fun souflée end of day.

Stars and heaven:

A little girl was camping with her dad one evening and got to see a
sight city-folk rarely get to witness. As the sky got pitch black, the
stars were absolutely brilliant. The little girl looked up and said,
"Daddy, if the bottom side of heaven looks this beautiful, what must
the other side look like!"

...must be brilliant and perfect!

Images: My favorite illustrator: Sophie Griotto, House Beautiful, Blossom Chandelier Swarovski, and a pretty souffle from my keep file.

Friday Beautiful

Can I title this a "Introspective journal moment to find well, Friday Beautiful?" Thank you for grace...ahead of time...smile. I woke up at 4:30 a.m. this morning just as a Rozerem sleep-aid commercial came on....what is that about? 4:30 a.m. has become a typical wake up time for me as of late as I seem to be sleeping like princess and the pea. Too tired from work and freelance that I haven't been much on my quiet time when I need it the most and sleep! So, I got out of bed and turned the TV channel to Beth Moore, then Joyce Meyer as if to absorb some Godly wisdom, sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall with my cup of coffee, big floor pillow and my bible (closed, but my hand is gently laid across it, as if to absorb through my hand to my heart....HA). Just quiet/simple prayers from my heart this week for people I love and for God to please equip me for my tasks ahead in my moments of work. So much work to be done over the last three weeks that I haven't had time to think, and my prayers have been narrowed down to moments in the shower, just talking to God about my heart and questioning the if's of whether I am opening my heart to be used in some way as His vessel and praying, "God, please, please be with and protect my people/your people". Do I praise you Lord with vivre? Do I simply love people with acceptance (with the pure simplicity like our dogs love us without judgement.)? Do I listen to understand God, before requesting to be understood by Him? Do I offer the world a happy place and a gentle hand to hold? If one was to look through my eyes into my soul, would God and the world find good within as time passes? Anthony calls me "Bergs". It is short for iceberg. I often thought it meant icy because I can have walls of protection up and have times of being quiet and insightful. He finally explained himself recently, to say that "What you see in an iceberg is striking beauty above the water, but what you have to offer Kristin beyond the surface like an iceberg that has much more below the surface than on top of the water. So, an iceberg is likened to your soul, deep, meaningful, and as you turn each corner the light shines through amazingly and even the inclusions are beautiful." I thought, that is nicest compliment anyone has ever given me, but is that something to share with people? In humbleness, I don't think I live up to that, but it came from his honest heart, so it is gently worthy of sharing. So, "Bergs" came across my mind this morning in prayer in the shower. God, please be in my soul to make me worthy of being in your presence. Please make me the kind of "Bergs" that is deep and brings meaningful, good and smiles to people. Please be a gentle chandelier of your unique light to offer people hope to pour out of my soul. Please allow me to absolutely accept people with love and bring them incredible smiles...Amen.

In simply asking God to get me out of this introspective state as that is so exhausting and not the way God wants it to be. I want to giggle and just be happy for the day. I prayed for God to simply be, so I could look out of my silliness and bring peace, and remove myself so God could occupy within and allow His shine to come from my soul...again with a sense of happy. In that, I pray you a day of peace, hope, smiles and light all over you today. I pray you a safe and happy weekend. I pray the peace that transcends all understanding will mount guard in your hearts today and I pray you a complete day of Friday Beautiful!

Images: Happy Pills co., Ashes and Snow, EmmaLynne, Starbucks.

Pumpkin Pretty

Image: Martha Stewart

Holiday Fun

Silly to be excited about this. However I love Martha's, Blueprint Magazine and any mixture of Martha's imagination (or her employees imagination to possibly be more exact) and holiday is just fun. Looking foward to getting this magazine and just enjoying the season coming.

Jake and Sarah Homecoming 2007

My nephew, Jake and homecoming date, Sarah.

What a doll he is in heart and is the spitting image of his father, R.J. Kelly says that Sarah is such a sweet heart too.

Fruit of the Spirit

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Against such things there is no law - Galatians 5:22-23

Poof!...Your a Diamond!

He who finds diamonds must grapple
in mud and mire because diamonds
are not found in polished stones.
They are made.
-- Henry B. Wilson

...and so in our hearts is this desire for integrity within and above all a soul that is faceted in the image of our creator. --Me

A friend of mine wrote me and stated in kindness that I am like gold. Is my friend looking at the me I see? I graciously smiled and in humble doubt, said "thank you" and then silently talked to the one who knows me best, God. "God, I am really not that refined and pure. How does this person see this in me? I should tell them this." God smiled in my heart, reminded me that I am human and gave me a different answer. I stated to my friend that I wish to be a diamond instead because I feel more like a soul that is still being chipped away to find glimmers of beauty, hope and integrity in character within. I stated to my friend that it is my prayer that hopefully God finds a way to use me as his vessel to shine through big even with inclusions and imperfections. You see, I stated "I know the real me inside, that isn't so pretty at times and gets in the way of His light." My friend then wrote me back and stated "Poof!...Your A Diamond!"

Even as a 42 year old, I smiled and hoped that God heard that....(smile).

So, Poof, you are a diamond too! Hope your day is filled with wonder.

Becoming Real

You become. It takes a long time. That’s why it doesn’t happen often to people who break easily or have sharp edges or who have to be easily kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and are very shabby. But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real you can’t be ugly except to people who don’t understand.
--The Velveteen Rabbit

Monday Thought - Legacy

Many people spend their lives trying to create a lasting legacy
on earth. They want to be remembered when they're gone. Yet,
what ultimately matters most will not be what others say about
your life but what GOD says. What people fail to realize is that
all achievements are eventually surpassed, records are broken,
reputations fade, and tributes are forgotten." -- Rick Warren

Love this quote!

"There are many ways of going forward,
but only one way of standing still."

-Franklin D. Roosevelt


Image: Frolic

Simple, Peaceful, Quiet Moment To Come.

I desire to be up and completely full of amazing energy and have my home and personal items in order. There is absolutely no truth to that presently....HA! Over the last month, God placed me in two very emotional, tragic, and stressful situations with friends that are dear to my heart. Can I state that I would not have wanted to be anywhere else except with these people. It was an honor that they would want me there. It was God alone that held my hand and mind to hope in the midst and truly showed himself in both situations. He taught me more about how to love others, to trust and hold tightly to him. I place my trust and hope in Him alone and believe that He works all things together for good according to his purpose. It's so true that I am absolutely nothing without Christ in the center of my life! Stack on a upper respiratory infection and finally starting on a antibiotic yesterday, to just being so very busy and yearning for one hour of simplicity and a moment to rest my head and find peace. I am claiming an hour of my own this Saturday to be like this Great Dane pictured on a chair....right after I go to yoga, possibly meeting my niece for brunch for her birthday (14, yikes...already?!), meeting with a realtor about a home-site, work on a freelance job for an international oncology marketing company and clean up my place that I call home for the moment. Yippee to this Great Dane rest moment to come...smile.

Image: Looking for source origination. I will post once I find.

Yummy Marshfellow Monday!

Just looked like a yummy and cozy image for a Monday. My niece, Peyton Angel Grace used to call these treats, MARSHFELLOWS. Memories of her saying this still makes me smile. She called me yesterday just to say hi. I love more than anything in this world, the sound of her sweet 6 year old voice bringing a smile and hello to any day. She called, we giggled about nothing and it was like having a great big cup of Starbucks while sitting in the sunshine breeze. So, I wishing for you Marshfellows for your day too. Thank you God for another day, another moment to breathe and just to be grateful.

Image: Keep file

A Basket Full of Comfort!

Writing about light, beautiful and happy is bittersweet. Tender hearted about my friends little girl passing and it is just challenging on my heart to state the least. I feel often like I am handing them an empty basket, but the truth is that God is using the holes in the basket to fill with light full of comfort to shine through. Through this, amazing women surrounded my walk. My Mom, Sisters (Kelly, Wendy and Gretchen) and my life long friends. Paige, Karen, Jami and Lori. Out of all of these women, four have lost people they love. My mom a son (David), Paige a husband (Gregg), Jami a son (Levi) and Lori her twin sister a nephew (Levi) which was basically like a son to her too, as Peyton Grace is like a daughter to me. My Mom has been never ending with her listening ear to me, asking the right questions and showing me the way in wisdom along with each of my sisters and friends who are each just amazing. They have used their pain for something really good and I want to thank each person from the bottom of my heart. Each time loss of sweet people has occurred, this kind of pain does not lack in force in my heart, but God is still bigger, sweeter and more gentle. I am just praying to keep moving forward and walking with my precious friends Angie and her husband Don. I pray through each tear and pain a light on the other side. I am trusting that God wins anyway and His glory will be a testimony to this tragedy. I want to say thank you to each of these women and people that I am honored to know who have each used their life walk to pray for someone that lost someone dear. They have each just been an incredible beaming light of hope and strength for Angie, Don, their family and me too. I pray big that I can be used in some way to comfort for such a time as this and shine brightly in the midst. I pray to be as much of a blessing as they have been to me. Because of who these women are and seeing how God can still make wonder of tragedy, I look expectantly for the blessings to come and His light shine even brighter.

Image is just a sweet image that seems to be more of a winter image. However we roasted marshmallows over the fire on Saturday. The image made me think of a sweet time with my family and how grateful I am for those precious moments. The basket is just so full of comfort that it seemed to go with my gratitude for these friends and family of mine.

Image: Country Living: English version