The Enchanting Rose - Guest Post

Hello, sweet readers of

She Graces Her Home In God's Beauty!

I am Stephanie and I blog over at

The Enchanting Rose.

I am quite honored to be a guest here at my mother's blog

and I feel very privileged to be with all of you today.

In case you did not realize it. . .Debbie is my mom
{for which I thank the Lord because she is the best}.

She is currently taking care of her parents and her days have been rather full

so she asked if I could fill in for her today - I hope you don't mind :)

As I thought about what I would share 

I kept thinking about how my mom speaks to the heart - she has such a gift for writing.

Well, I decided to follow in her beautiful footsteps and share my quiet time with you. 

I hope the words and photos refresh your soul and bless your heart.

I think we should start things off right by enjoying a hot beverage.

Please, let me pour you a cup of tea. . .

Would you like a delicate lemon bar to go along with your tea?

Now, simply relax, be still, and enjoy, my dear ladies. . .

In the midst of many duties and distractions 

it is rather difficult to find quiet time and rest,

but we must let the peace of God rule in our hearts.

Slow me down, Lord!

Ease the pounding in my heart by the quieting of my mind!

Steady my hurried pace with a vision of the eternal reach of time!

Give me, amidst the confusion of my day,

the calmness of the everlasting hills.

Break the tension of my nerves and muscles

with the soothing music of the singing streams.

Help me know the magical, restorative power of Thy touch.

Teach me the art of taking minute vacations,

slowing down to look at a flower, to chat with a friend, to pat a dog.

Remind me each day of the hare and the tortoise,

so that I may know that the race is not always to the swift,

there is more in life than increasing speed.

Let me look upward into the branches of the towering oak,

And know that it grew great because it grew slowly and well.

Slow me down, Lord! 

Inspire me to send my roots deep into the soil of life's enduring values.

Amen.

- Author Unknown -

My precious mom loves to sing.

Ever since I was a young girl my mom would sing
when she was working in the home, driving in the car, walking down the sidewalk.

She often woke me up in the mornings with a new song and

she has always had a habit of creating her own songs. . .

some good and some. . .well, you get the idea :)

{You know I love you, mom}

To me, singing praises unto the Lord is quite beautiful and honoring.

It's also a perfect thing to do while enjoying a quiet and relaxing moment in the day.

We don't have to verbally sing, but our hearts can sing and praise our Heavenly Father.

A song can put a smile upon our faces, a skip in our step,

and bring joy to our weary souls.

. . . Sing A Song . . .

When you are tired and weary,

With the daily cares of life,

And you feel need of something

To help you win the strife.

Just sing a song!

When loved ones have left you - lonely

You wander, sad and distressed,

When heaven to you seems distant,

Don't feel, my Friend, depressed,

But sing a song!

When the peace of God is upon you,

The joy of salvation is real;

Let the world know of your blessings,

Their thrill be glad to reveal.

O sing a song!

Perchance, when you meet someone,

Someone in need of God's love,

Point him to Jesus, the Saviour,

Point him to heaven above.

And sing a song!

When you behold God's creation

And you feel to adore the Most High,

O praise Him in exaltation,

Our Maker who lives in the sky.

Praise Him in song!

Then when at last we will meet Him,

When the Lord shall gather His own,

We will sing in sweet adoration

With million's around the great throne.

Heaven's sweet song!

- Ethel Davis -

My dear friends, may we sing while we work and while we rest,

when we are happy and when we are sad,

let us sing in the morning and at night.

Take a few moments out of your day 

and be still, be quiet, be at peace. . .

and sing a sweet song.

I want to thank my mom for allowing me to share a post on her lovely blog.

I also want to thank each one of you for joining me today.

I hope you were richly blessed and encouraged.

Stephanie - The Enchanting Rose

Love and hugs to you!

* * * * * * * * * *

I appreciate my daughter and her willingness to fill in for me
while I am away caring for me parents.
My dear Stephanie. . .I don't know what I would do without her.
Joy to you, my friends!

An Invitation

" Sharing a cup of kindness with treasured friends "

Emilie Barnes

~*~

 My daughter Stephanie, 

is having a tea cup and mug exchange

over at http://theenchantingrose.blogspot.com/

and I would love to extend an invitation for you to join her.

~*~

This is a beautiful way to meet new friends

from all around the globe.

You will grace someone with a teacup and or mug,

and someone will bless your heart with the same.

What a joy it is, as we have the opportunity

to share with others.

~*~
This little prayer is from the book
"Friends Forever" By Karla Dornacher
~
Dear Jesus,
Thank you for my friend and the cup of blessing
that she has poured out into my heart.

Her life is like a teapot, Lord, You have filled
her to overflowing with Your love, and with a
servant's heart she pours out a drink to others
that is more refreshing than the sweetest tea.

I pray for her today and ask that you would
refresh her as she refreshes others...
that you would cause her cup to truly overflow!

In Jesus' Name... Amen.
~
May we, as ladies, be refreshing in the lives of others.

~Be Lovely~
Debbie

Joy In A Book Exchange

" May you be blessed by the Lord,

the maker of heaven and earth. "

{ Psalm 115:15 }

~

This was the beautiful verse on my card

that was sent with my delightful

care package from Diane

through the book exchange that was 

so beautifully arranged by Stephanie at

http://theenchantingrose.blogspot.com/
~
This was Stephanie's first book exchange,
and what a wonderful way for us ladies to meet new friends.
Diane graciously blessed my heart
with three delightful gifts.
"A Woman After God's Own Heart"
By Elizabeth George
has been one of my all time favorite books
that God has used to change my heart in many ways as a woman.
I look forward to reading this
"Updated and Expanded" version.
In fact... prior to receiving my gift package from Diane,
I had nearly pulled my old tattered book
off of the book shelf to read again,
so it was the perfect book.
~
Diane also blessed my heart with the little book
" A Woman's Journey... With God"
By Mary Prince
A celebration of the Christian life
from childhood to maturity.
Doesn't that sound just wonderful!
Here are a few of the chapters
to give you an idea of the beauty in this little book.
*The journey of trust
*The journey of Strength
*The journey of contentment
*The journey of relationships
~
The work of her hands...
I received a beautiful hand stitched sachet
filled with an aroma that has left my
"little space" with a fragrance that is soft and feminine.
What a delight!
~
Thank you again, Diane, for your sweet kindness.
~*~
I had the joy of sending my care package to
Deborah Montgomery at
http://thebeautifulmatters.blogspot.com
~
I want to thank my dear Stephanie,
for all the love and care she has put into
this wonderful book exchange.
Such a lovely idea!
~
Our Precious Heavenly Father,
thank you for Your goodness to us
through the lives of others.
May our hearts desire be to love others,
as long as You give us life.
Amen.

~Be Lovely~
Debbie

My Beautiful Mug

Stephanie, my daughter, over at The Enchanting Rose

blessed us again with a mug exchange.

I am not normally one to use a mug

as china tea cups are my delight.

But I wanted to participate in the exchange,

because each and every time I join in on these exchanges

I meet the loveliest ladies, and a friendship begins.

I love making friends, and I love being a friend.

There is such joy in friendships, isn't there?

~

I was blessed to share a gift package

with Ida at Wishes Dreams & Other Things.

I prayerfully put her gift box together

knowing that I knew nothing about her,

but God did.

What fun I had searching for that special mug!

~

For me... Betty blessed me with a beautiful colored mug,
which by the way, is perfect in size.

The funny thing is, this color has been the color of my choice

in many articles I have bought for myself this year. 

It's bright~fun and youthful, at least that's what I think. :)

Along with my mug was a beautiful

hand stitched tea towel.

The work of dear Betty's hands is quite lovely,

and the pattern is one of my favorites.

Betty does not have a blog, but oh what a delight to have met her

through this mug exchange.

Thank you again, dear Betty!

~

Thank you Stephanie, for all the work I know you do

in putting these exchanges together.

You do an amazing job in matching ladies up.
 Such a gifted talent that you are using for the glory of the Lord.
~
Thank you Heavenly Father,
for the opportunity we, as ladies have
through these beautiful exchanges,
to meet and share with one another.
As friendships grow, I pray that You
would be glorified in and through them.
~
~Be Lovely~
Debbie 

A Mother's Joy

A Mother's Joy

One of my joyous roles is that of a mother,

graced in God's goodness with two very beautiful daughters.

As I celebrate Spring I also celebrate the birthday of my youngest daughter,

Stephanie, from The Enchanting Rose

Happy Birthday, Dear Stephanie!

"The garden of God's little girl-how grand!

It began with a dream, a prayer, a plan.

Nothing this splendid just happens, we know:

It takes time and care for flowers to grow."

       -Elizabeth George-

This blog is in honor first and foremost, of my God. It belongs to Him.

In His perfect leading and design this blog was created.

"For without Him, I can do nothing." (John 15:5)

For without Stephanie, I am helpless!

Over the last two years I have watched Stephanie touch many lives through her blog.

I have met ladies around the globe, both young and old,

through The Enchanting Rose that I have become dear friends with.

This post - my first - is in honor of my dear daughter,

my little girl who grew up to be my friend.

I thought it was perfectly fitting to begin my journey in "blog land"

on her special day, as she has been my inspiration and encourager every step of the way.

Mother,

"I never tell you enough how much I love you and how thankful I am for you.

You have truly been a blessing and joy in my life, and you always will be!

You labor to make your home a place of comfort, happiness, warmth,

and most importantly, LOVE.

You rise early in the morning to spend time meditating in God's Word

and you prayerfully seek the Lord in every direction of your life.

You are not ashamed of Christ and what He has done for you,

but rather you proclaim His love and joyfully tell

others about Christ.

His light is always shinning in and through you.

You may be my mother and you may be 27 years older than me,

but you are my very close and best friend!

You will forever be in  my heart as my Mother and Friend

who is always there for me with her arms wide open with love

and who always has a caring and compassionate heart.

A mother and a friend who always has a gentle and meek spirit,

who willingly humbles herself before the Lord.

A mother and friend who desires to teach her children

and grandchildren about Jesus Christ and His Holy Word.

A mother and friend who always has a listening ear

and encouraging words to help me through my struggles.

The list could go on, but to sum it all up,

you are a Proverbs 31 Woman, and my prayer is that as I grow older

I will be just like you!

You are my role model and I thank the Lord everyday

for giving me you as my Mother and as my Friend.

Thank you for being such a wonderful example in my life!

I love you With All My Heart!

Stephanie

This was a gift from Stephanie placed in a frame

and surrounded by photo's of herself in her growing up years.

I received this precious gift for Mother's Day when Stephanie was 17 years old.

"You are a Proverbs 31 Woman and my prayer is that as I grow older

I will be just like you!

You are my role model and I thank the Lord

everyday for giving me you as my Mother

and my Friend.

Thank you for being such a wonderful example in my life!"

These were Stephanie's heart felt words to her mother.

She had a desire to follow the example of whom she saw as a Proverbs 31 Woman

(I fall short by the way)

She desired to be a woman that God teaches us we can all be.

Stephanie allowed the hand of God to mold her and make her what she is today.

What an honor as her mother to see her life reflect Christ.

I chose this as my first post as I begin this new journey,

"With purpose of heart" (Acts 11:23)

because it sets the stage, if you will,

for the purpose of this blog.

As women, the Bible instructs us to "teach the young women" (Titus 2)

to be godly role models as we live out the Word of God.

Is it an easy task? Not at all.
But it is attainable through the grace of God.

He is the one who works in and through us when we allow Him too. (Philippians 4:13)

As we reflect Christ in the lives of others,

He receives all the honor and glory due His name.

Thank you Heavenly Father,

for the gift of Your Son, and the salvation we can have through Him.

May we as women desire to follow after You,

and live our lives for Your glory