Birthday Give-Away Winner ~

 Hello my sweet friends!

♡

Have I told you yet...

How thankful I am for you...

Have I told you yet...

About all the happiness and joy your visits here bring!

Have I told you yet...

What blogging has meant...

Just in case I haven't...

I want you all to know...

My heart is grateful for YOU!

Have I told you yet...

God's the reason we have met.  ♡

♡ ☆ ♡ ☆ ♡ ☆

When I was in High School one of my English classes was taught

on writing poetry and I fell in love with it!

Unfortunately, I allowed critics to end something I so enjoyed.

I threw out a number of notebooks that I had written my poetry in.

Sometimes we do crazy things that we may one day regret, don't we?

My brother, who was my encourager 

cheered me on, in fact, he went to bat for me

and saw that some of my poetry was published in the school paper. 

My brother is now with the Lord in Glory, 

and I've often thought how I need to pick it back up just for him. 

We shall see...

♡  ☆ ♡ ☆ ♡ ☆

I'm now officially 60 years old!!

You know, I really am doing the HAPPY DANCE!

Growing older has never been an issue with me

and maybe it's because I belong to Christ 

and I know that one day I will be in Glory with my Savior?

Maybe it's because God wants us to grow old gracefully, 

not complain as each year goes by?

Maybe it's because I find the elderly beautiful in many ways

and I want to be lovely just like those who have touched my life

in some way or another?

Maybe it's because God's Word speaks to us on growing old?

As a Christian, I desire to grow Spiritually and press on

to the ultimate Christian experience.

But I'm not there yet ~ 

I long for my life to be totally committed to following after Christ Jesus. 

To be more like Him ~ To think like Him ~

To act like Him ~ To love like Him ~ To look like Him ~

Even as I grow older (I pray God grants me many more years) I do not want to miss

the glorious JOY of following after Christ. 

When God is ready, He will call me home, until then, 

my prayer is that I will strive to live out every day of my life

bringing glory to God, my Savior!

Walking with God is not always easy peasy, and I fail miserably

many times over, but the race that I'm in isn't finished yet
and by Gods grace I will run so as to finish well.
Don't we all desire to hear those words ~
"Well done thou good and faithful servant."

♡

"Wherefore seeing we also are composed about with so great a cloud

of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin 

which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race

that is set before us. 

Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith;

who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, 

despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand

of the throne of God. "

~ Hebrews 12:1&2 ~

♡ ☆ ♡ ☆ ♡ ☆

My birthday was amazing, something I least expected
and I'm still in awe walking in the clouds.
My husband gave me a three night stay at the Hotel Colorado
in Glenwood Springs, the historic 145 year old Hotel
that was enchanted!
My husband wanted me to enjoy some "Debbie Time"
surrounded by girlie stuff ~ a Spa day ~ facial ~ pedicure ~ 
and time spent in the Hot Springs Pool.
Chocolate covered strawberries awaited me in my beautiful suite
on the Penthouse floor, what a room!
I received 60 red roses from my husband!
60 gifts from my dear Stephanie and her family!
These gifts ranged from practical to fun and some were heart felt memorable treasures.
Each gift was individually wrapped with purple ribbon 
representing my birthstone, amethyst and each with a quote indicating 
what the gift was.
Oh the FUN of it all!
I enjoyed trying to guess what the gift was by the quote,
the "clue" was in italics.
I am still humbled and overwhelmed at the love that went into these delightful gifts.
For instance ~
The first gift I was told to open was ~
"You're 60! Let's get the party started"
The gift was a tube of confetti 
"Age is like a doily, its delicate and beautiful"
The gift was a gorgeous doily
"The pieces of your life have been put together in a 
precious and beautiful way"
The gift was a beautiful garden scenery puzzle
in pink tones no less!
"Look in the mirror and see how beautiful you are, inside and out"
The gift was a gorgeous mirror for my purse
"You outshine every pearl"
The gift was a darling jar that Stephanie designed with her embellishing creativity
filled with pearl buttons ~ she knows I collect buttons
"You are an extra special person"
The gift was a pack of Extra chewing gum
You're 60, shoot out the lights"
The gift was bullet casing magnets from Stephanie's husband
"At 60, you should have wisdom to impart...
Penny for your thoughts?"
The gift was a key chain with a number 60 charm and a penny with the year of my birth
"You are one hot 60 - year old"
The gift was a box of hot tamales ~ (candies)
"At 60 - you are as fresh as a daisy"
The gift was a purple flowering daisy plant
"You are radiant at 60"
The gift was a bottle of "Rose Glow" by Revlon. 
Oh ladies...I will be buying this awesome stuff by the case loads!
This delicate cream with tiny pearls gives your face a slight glow
and feels like satin on your skin.
I could go on and on with this fabulous, not to mention fun gift idea, but 
a couple of these 60 gifts were memorable in a very special way.
"You wear 60 beautifully. Here is to 6 decades of loveliness "
The gift was a beautiful silver necklace with 6 rings representing each year of my life
with my birthstone (Amethyst) in the middle.
After 60-years of life you have one awesome story to tell.
Share it with those you love.
The gift was a beautiful lifetime journal ~ 
A keepsake of personal memories that I will record 
and my name is engraved on the cover making it very personal.
Are you as overwhelmed as I was?!
♡
The day after my birthday was spent at the spa and
while I was enjoying my "chocolate cherry" body wrap 
I began to ponder over the lovely night before
 when my dear husband stood at my hotel room door arriving to take me out for dinner
 holding a HUGE vase with 60 red roses;
Then my dear Stephanie and my grandson 
 stood there with my husband, each holding a box filled with pretty little gifts,
and as I pondered these lovely thoughts in my heart
 tears of JOY began rolling down my cheeks 
but I could do nothing about it as I was wrapped like a mummy.
I felt like I was crying tears of chocolate.
It was a gentle cry, just slow flowing tears of joy... 
 My heart was and is full of gratitude for the love of family, friends and strangers
who helped in making my 60th birthday very special!
Thank you ALL for those lovely Birthday wishes, for your visits and
for your gifts, cards and love.
My cup runneth over and over again.

You made my special day all the more wonderful.  
Thank You!

♡
I so enjoyed each one of your memorable birthday comments,
so many different stories and all colored by God's grace and goodness.

Now for the winner of this beautiful devotional book & journal set ~
My husband was so kind to draw the winner ~

Connie who crafts over at Connie's Crafty Creations is the blessed winner.
Congratulations Connie!

Take Joy!

Debbie