You were right.  That little time away did me so much good.  I got in yesterday so refreshed and filled to the brim with ideas in my head.  I am on inspiration overload and it feels so good.


I have so much to share that I don't even know where to start.  Ideas for my home, ideas for projects, ideas for gifts, ideas, ideas, ideas.


I even took out a notebook on the plane back yesterday and started sketching.  I haven't felt the urge to do that in months.


Now where to get started...


Missed y'all (in my best Texas twang) and I will be back tomorrow with my project list.

xo, Patty

I am in a blogging slump.  There's just not much happening here that seems worthy of sharing.  Does that ever happen to you?  I just haven't been feeling very productive lately.  Life is good and I am enjoying the down time but exciting it aint'.


I've been playing around in my craft space some...

I've been thinking about tackling our downstairs bathroom...

I have been baking and eating way too many sweets...

I have been kicking myself for not starting all those Christmas gifts that I wanted to have finished by July...

I have been planning a little artful gathering for a few crafty friends I met at my retreat...

I have been contemplating some new fall flowers...

I have been sitting on my bum in front of my computer screen way too much...


Playing. Thinking. Baking. Eating. Kicking. Planning. Contemplating. Sitting.

That's my life right now in a nutshell.


I am on my way to my sister's place in Texas for a mini vacation with my mom.  We will be gone for five days and I am leaving my computer at home.  (Yikes, you know it's bad when I even got the shakes just typing that!)

I will be taking my camera and my phone so I won't be completely out of the loop.  If you want to see what I'm up to you can find me on Instagram under PATTYMARKER61 but other than that, I will talk to you all on Tuesday.  Hopefully, I will have something interesting, pretty or fun to share with you then (that or my bum will be even bigger).  Hopefully the former not the latter.

Have a wonderful weekend.

xo, Patty

Happy Wednesday!  I am just popping in to share that sweet Mica of Frolicking Freckles is featuring my little cottage on her home tour this week.


If you been following me long, it's not stuff you haven't seen already, but it was fun putting it all in one post.  Stop over and tell Mica hi if you have a minute.  If you've not been to her site before, it is charming and I know you'll enjoy your visit.


The sun is just peeking through the clouds and it looks like a picture perfect fall day ahead.  Enjoy your afternoon.

xo, Patty

The cool temperatures have me in full nesting mode and that usually means a little baking is bound to be going on.


I have been trying to bake on Sunday or Monday so that I can share my sweets with my Tuesday morning bible study ladies.  I am the biggest sweet eater at home so I know if they are in the house all week then I am the one who'll snack on them until they are all gone.



This week I headed to pinterest (I added a button on my side column if you want to check out my boards) for a recipe and settled on these peanut butter chocolate bars.

Dangerous. and. Delicious.


My good friend Beverly over at My Sew Sweet Studio has started posting Pinterest Try Tuesday highlighting things she actually makes from Pinterest.  If you are like me, you do a lot more pinning than the actual doing, so I thought I would try and join her as often as possible and actually try to use my boards for more than just dreaming.

Are you just a pinner?  Or are you a pinner and a doer?  Or have you wisely stayed away from the fun and addiction of pinterest?

xo, Patty

I woke to a beautifully cool and cloudy morning today. 


Pulled out my recipe for the Pioneer Woman's Chicken Tortilla Soup and got busy dicing and chopping.


Nothing like sitting inside on a drizzly autumn day, stack of magazines by my side and a bowl of hot soup to keep me company.

How was your Saturday?

xo, Patty

"Commit your actions to the Lord and your plans will succeed." Proverbs 16:3

I have been feeling a little over committed lately.  This is nothing new for me but in light of the new direction I find my life going, and in order be available to say yes to the prompting of the Holy Spirit at a moments notice, I need to simplify my life.  Part of that is learning when to say no...even when what I am saying no is something that I enjoy doing...even when saying no means hurting someones feelings...even when saying no just plain hurts.


"When you need to take action, I will guide your clearly through My Spirit and My Word.  The world is so complex and over stimulating that you can easily lose sight of your direction...As you look to me for guidance, I enable you to do less but accomplish more."  Sarah Young, Jesus Calling


Before saying yes or no, before taking on a new project or volunteering for one more thing, I need to seek Gods counsel, wait on His directions and obey the prompting of His Spirit.  Even good things are not necessarily the right things to spend my time on.  If I equate my time with God's time (which it is) then I need to be more selective in how I spend it.  God knows more than I how much energy I have to devote to service and when my mind and body need rest.  I  need to seek His counsel first and always.


Doing this with a loving heart and a tender spirit will hopefully gain me grace from those who I've always said yes to in the past. 

What about you?  Is it hard for you to say no or have you learned the importance of this already?

xo, Patty

I am off to buy my first pumpkins of the season today.  The weatherman promises me (ha, ha) that we have seen the last of our record breaking heat and I am having serious pumpkin envy with all the gorgeous pumpkins you all have displayed.


Quick question...How many pumpkins are too many?

Do tell...

xo, Patty

Good morning!  My husband has a few days off so we will be heading out on a couple of day trips to enjoy, instead of lament, this sunshiny weather we are being blessed with.


Today we are off to Balboa Island to ride the ferry, take a little walk in the sand and grab an ice cream cone on the Pier.  Doesn't that sound wonderful?


Then it's off to the desert for a couple of days of golf (for him) and down time (for me).  And if we are feeling like one more get away we may head to the mountains on Saturday to ride the chair lift up to the hiking trails and lunch in the clouds.


When I complain about the weather in California I need to remember that most places don't allow you to travel from the ocean, to the desert and then to the mountains after only an hour long car ride.

I am not sure when I will have a minute to check back in this week.  I hope your week is filled with lovely destinations, too.

xo, Patty

At the risk of sounding redundant...it's hot here again.

I mean really.hot.again.


The summer flowers I cut back have all gotten new growth and are ready to bloom.


Fall has once again been postponed due to bad weather.


With the month of October half over, the Halloween decorations cannot be put off any longer.  I cleaned the front porch yesterday and stocked up on enough spider webs and plastic spiders to spookify it just enough for our little trick or treaters.  My favorite four year old assistant has decided spiders and bats are okay but skeletons and scary zombies are not. 


So, decorating the porch is on the agenda for this afternoon.  I'll pretend we are in sweaters and boots instead of shorts and flip flops and wait on mother nature to get the memo and send us some consistently cooler temps before the month is out. 


In the meantime I will live vicariously through those of you who have put away your summer clothes and started raking leaves and drinking hot chocolate.  Would you add a few extra marshmallows for me?

xo, Patty

"Trust me enough to let things happen without striving to predict or control them...When you project yourself into the future, rehearsing what you will do or say, you are seeking to be self sufficient: to be adequate without My help...The alternative is to live fully in the present, depending on me each moment."  Sarah Young, Jesus Calling


I hate to admit it but this is exactly how I have lived my life, even having complete conversations in my head over future events.  Nine times out of ten I have envisioned worst case scenarios that never come to pass.  All that wasted energy worrying.  All the wasted day to day moments spent fretting over what might happen in the future.


I shared earlier in the week about my cleansing weekend retreat.  I had such a time of renewal and acceptance, finally coming to terms with what is not in my control and nailing those areas of my life to the cross.

"Trust in the LORD and do good.  Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.  Take delight in the LORD and he will give you your heart's desires." Psalm 37:3-4


Really trusting the Lord...what a burden that's been lifted.  How much easier it is to live fully in the moment.  Accepting the good and the bad in life one day at a time.  In the past my mind would default to whatever my crisis of the moment was.  If there wasn't one, then the enemy had a playlist of favorites that he could replay as needed.  The trick now is to occupy my mind with thoughts that are pleasing to God.  It is definitely a work in progress...old habits die hard, but I am committed to living life fully in the present.

xo, Patty

Today was the first chance I've had to pull out some stamps and paint and play in my new craft studio.  I am not sure what I'm doing, but it sure is fun.  In fact, I am actually feeling brave enough to venture our and try something new.


I just signed up for this art workshop and cannot wait to get my fingers messy with paints.  It is something I have wanted to do for a long time and thought this would be the perfect time to just go for it!


I am so excited.  It doesn't start until the end of the month so that gives me a little more time to experiment with what I have on hand.  With pinterest just a click away, inspiration is easy to find.


When was the last time you pulled out some crafting supplies just for fun?  If it's been a while...I double dog dare you to give it a try!

xo, Patty

I spent some time cleaning up a portion of the back garden yesterday.  I could feel a gentle breeze on my face as I watched my grandson ride his bike, the dog enjoying a nap on a cushioned chair and my husband lazily swinging his golf club on the lawn. 


Nothing unusual in any of it but the feeling of savoring the moment permeated the late afternoon air.


Sometimes the very ordinariness of my life seems the most worthy of celebration.  Life has a way of teaching you how fleeting those moments can be.


I am being more careful to acknowledge the times of gentle peace in my every day life and making sure to pause and count my blessings.


What ordinary blessings are you counting today?

xo, Patty

I am sitting here trying to remember the details of the weekend.  The one filled with tears as well as laughter...the one that tore my heart in half and yet somehow made me whole again. 

I recall words of healing and restoration. 
I remember long time bondage being severed by blood stained nails. 
I think of flesh and blood new friends that feel like lifetime soul mates.


I know that I left home with an ache in my belly and returned home over flowing with grace and mercy and love.


The memories are embedded deep within and yet naming them specifically alludes me.
Of one thing I am certain...I like this new me and I will fight to hold on to her.  I will sacrifice whatever threatens to swallow her...to overtake her...to return her to living a settled for life.  Even as the mountain top high gives way to life's valley I will hold on.


I am so thankful for the gift I have been given and I hope never to take it for granted.  Thank you Jackie and Melissa and Meech and Cecy and Kathy and Stacey...you were Jesus in the flesh to me this weekend and I will treasure it forever.

"So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor.  Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you."  1 Peter 5:6-7

xo, Patty

I am off for a weekend retreat with the ladies from my church.  To say that I'm ready for this time of reflection and fun would be an understatement.  I think everyone needs at least one weekend a year to get away by themselves...to leave the ordinary circumstances of life behind for a day or two.


So I am off to the Hot Springs to learn how to "live in the moment".

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of it's own." Matthew 6:34

See you all on Monday.  Have a wonderful Autumn weekend.

xo, Patty 

"We're insecure.  You and me and every woman.  Lately I've been realizing more and more that chronic insecurity is a cultural epidemic, but almost no one is talking about it.  And it ticks me off.  We're insecure about everything from our looks to our worth as women, from our relationships to our futures, and everything else in between.  You name, and we're probably insecure about it."  Beth Moore, So Long Insecurity

Are you a book addict, like me?  I buy way more books than I will ever have the time to read.  I am getting better about it but every once in a while I can still throw one or two in my shopping cart.


I purchased Beth Moore's, So Long Insecurity, a couple of years ago with every intention of reading it and finally addressing some of my own insecurities.  I even placed it at the top of my reading pile last month but only cracked it open this morning.  


The quote I shared is from the jacket cover and I used it because I think it addresses a common misconception that insecurities have only to do with our looks and self esteem.  That is just not true.  Our insecurities are any area of our lives that we are unsure of and that causes us to worry obsessively over.  It could be our finances, our spouse or lack there of, our children, our health and the list goes on and on.  I think it's time I address some of them head on and begin unpacking them for good. 


If you have a copy of the book I'd love your input.  If you want to grab one from the library or Sam's Club, I'd love to have you take the journey with me. 

The weather has finally cooled a bit. I think I'll brew a pot of tea...my reading chair is calling me.

xo, Patty

I was hoping to get this post out yesterday but this week has turned out to be busier than I thought.  A good kind of busy, but busy none the less, so this post may be heavy on pictures and light on words.  Which just might be a good thing.

First off the space I am now using is the original room that was designated as my craft room when we moved in nearly five years ago.  We had the white carpet replaced with a faux wood floor after a pipe burst shortly after moving in so that if (when) I got paint on the floor the guilt would be minimal.  When my daughter moved out last year I quickly took her larger room upstairs but as the boomerang flies, she is back for a while which prompted my moving to a corner of my grandson's room. All of which you can find here.



So now we are full circle and I am back in the office/laundry closet room which is in all actuality, the best place for my craft studio to be.  (Did I say this was going to be short on words?  Sheesh...)

Okay, now on to the details of my new, old craft space...


I found this old farm table at Goodwill a couple of weeks ago.  It was marked $44.00 but was tagged with the half off color of the week so I scored it for $22.00.  I have wanted one to craft on forever, so this was a major thrill for me!






These built in bookshelves are filled with all kinds of storage containers and holds the bulk of my crafting supplies.


The large frame has cotton batting as the center and is used as a design wall for quilting.  The smaller one is a piece of foam board covered with canvas and is for pinning inspirational things on.


This red basket is filled with my basic sewing supplies and can be moved to the table as needed.









So there you have it.  I am truly blessed to have all this at my disposal.  I don't take it for granted for one second and when you add these cute tootsie warmers...I am one lucky girl. 

xo, Patty

edited to add...the cute black and white furball is on loan from my mom while she takes a much deserved vacation with my brother.  You are coming back for her, aren't you mom?