Oh Happy Day! Spring is springing! The sun is beaming and the leaves are beginning to burst from the sleepy gray trees! Birds are chirping their merry little songs.  It’s like the earth is waking up and yawning, getting all bright eyed and bushy-tailed, ready to inspire us with God’s glory!

The robins are busy setting up housekeeping, building nests and preparing for new life!

That is what Easter is all about…new life!

 

It’s a time to Rejoice!

Rejoice! That God loved us so much that He gave His only Son to die on the Cross for our sins that whoever believes in Him would get to go to Heaven one day!

Rejoice! That Jesus, the Lamb Of God, was willing to sacrifice His life for us! To wash our sins away! You see, sin separates us from God. The Bible says that “the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” ( Romans 6:23). That is why Jesus died, to pay our debt so we could live!

He could have called ten thousand angels ……

“He could have called ten thousand angels
To destroy the world and set Him free.
He could have called ten thousand angels,
But He died alone, for you and me.” ~Song by Ray Overholt

Jesus was in complete control of His death on the cross. It was His decision to become the Passover Lamb….because He loved us so much…He could not bear the thought of living without us forever. Jesus is our rescuer!

“Oh how He loves you and me,

Oh how He loves you and me,

He gave His life, what more could He give?

Oh how He love you, Oh how He loves me,

Oh how He loves you and me!” ~song by Kirt Kaiser

“The next day John saw Jesus coming to him and said, Look! There is the Lamb of God, Who takes away the sin of the world!” ~John 1:29

Rejoice! Jesus is alive! He rose from the dead three days after being crucified…just like He said He would and He is preparing a wonderful place in heaven for those who abide in Him and call Him Lord and Savior. And the great news is He is coming back for us someday!

This  chalkboard message is my little reminder! Whenever I get discouraged or overwhelmed I always tell myself  “No matter what happens in life, I  still get to go to heaven!”….and heaven is going to be AwESOmE!  That hope fills my heart with joy and strength to handle the hard things that come my way because I know the best is yet to come!

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” John 14:1-3

My relationship with Jesus is what gives me joy, peace and hope! He is everything wonderful! It truly brings me joy to honor Him in my home! For without Him, my home would just be a house.

Come take a peek at the rest of my Easter decorating ideas.

I had a lot of left-over straw from fall so I decided why not use it to decorate farm-girl style! Here, I filled  up a glass cookie jar with barn straw and “sugared” eggs.

Did you know….that you can buy chalkboard contact paper and cut it into any shape? It is so fun! I love it because you can stick it anywhere on most anything and when you want to change it or remove it, it peels right off! You can find it here on Amazon! Think of the possibilities! You can cut a piece to fit a cabinet door…. make placemats…. tags…. cut a large heart shape and put it on your kid’s bedroom door and leave love notes and reminders…or a small heart on your bathroom mirror to write a scripture, affirmation or a note to your sweetie!

This beautiful oval shape is also chalkboard paper! I found it on Amazon also. It’s called Wall Candy! It just sticks on the wall and won’t damage paint. It’s a good size too: 31 1/2 x 18 1/2. I’m thinkin’….. put this on a flat door to write inspiring quotes or important reminders! Or above your daughter’s bed on the wall with a note of sweet-dreams! AdOrAbLe!

It’s a good thing to decorate for the seasons. Even if it’s just a little spot. One little table. It takes so little and yet adds such joy! It also sends a message to our family that we notice God’s goodness in each  fresh season. Decorating is part of the celebrating.  It shows we appreciate the beauty that the Lord blesses us with. It also lifts our spirit to find fresh beauty in the corners of our home!

“Into all our lives, in many simple, familiar, homey ways, God infuses this element of joy from the surprises of life, which unexpectedly brighten our days and fill our eyes with light.” ~ Samuel Longfellow

Eggs in a cookie jar….is that silly? Adding a bit of whimsy is like sprinkling glittery joy into the hearts of our family.

“What will your children remember? I will do something special or silly or unexpected with a child today. The child may use it to make a better world tomorrow.” ~ Gloria Gaither

Our family tradition is to hide an Easter basket inside the house for each child…even adult children and their spouses! My hubby is real good at hiding them! We also hide plastic eggs with surprises inside throughout a couple rooms. I think my hubby and I have the most fun of all watching the kids hunt for the goodies! And of course we look forward to our Church Easter service!

Every house where love abides and friendship is a guest is surely home, and home sweet home; for there the heart can rest. ~Henry Van Dyke

“You have to look for the joy. Look for the light of God that is hitting your life, and you will find sparkles you didn’t know were there.”
~Barbara Johnson

Twigs….vintage music….golden straw….farm-white eggs….music to my ears.

Thank you all for your warm and wonderful comments for my son J.J. and his fiance’ Tiffany on their engagement!  They so apprciate your kindness! In fact JJ left a sweet comment himself….

“Thank you mom for posting that special day. No doubt in my mind you are the BEST mom in the world. I love you. Thank you to all for your best wishes for me and Tiffany!”

Some of you may have missed seeing this photo…it was taken at the exact moment that JJ proposed! A nice couple was driving by and took a picture, promising to email it.  I got it a few days after I posted my blog about the engagement…I just had to share it! JJ is just beaming! (Oh Honey!!) I am too because he is coming here to Missouri from California for Easter! Yay! I get all four kids back home for the Holiday!

May all of you Sugar Pies be blessed this Easter!

Lot’s of hugs!

Aunt Ruthie

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26 miles across the sea, Santa Catalina is awaitin’ for me…..Santa Catalina,  the Island of Romance! Well, this was our destination last week  to share in the engagement celebration of our son J.J.! It was a surprise proposal that he planned for his sweetheart Tiffany, which also happened to be on his birthday (that way, he figured, she would not expect it).

J.J. invited my hubby and I, one of his best friend’s, Brian,…..

…along with several of Tiffany’s girlfriends from College, her mom and dad, and aunt and uncle. We boarded the Islander Express and headed 26 miles across the sea to the charming Island of Catalina.

J.J. and Tiffany took an earlier boat over and we took the another about an hour later….(remember it was a surprise for Tiffany!).

Just before we arrived, J.J. had rented a golf cart to take Tiff on  a scenic drive overlooking Avalon Bay….

He was searching for the perfect romantic spot to ask his sweetheart for her hand in Marriage….as he rounded the curve he came upon the Bell Tower landmark and lookout point….ahhh, perfect!

It was here that J.J. got down on one knee and ask Tiffany to be his wife…

The long awaited sweet moment made even sweeter when a very nice couple was driving by and took a picture just as J.J. was proposing and offered to email them the photo…that is so awesome! 

She said YES!

Meanwhile, we arrived and walked toward town to meet them later at a restaurant. The view was breathtaking. The town is so charming and full of family memories of  so many summer vacations spent right here….

It doesn’t seem that long ago that J.J. and his brother Dusty and sister Ashley, along with their cousins, played on this very beach, building sand castles, wiggling toes in the cool wet sand, and splashing at the water’s edge. My father-in-law, known as Boppa to my kids, owned a vacation home with Grammy Sue,  right here in the hill above the beach…..a home that was previously owned by Mrs. See of Mrs. See’s Candy Company (no there weren’t stashes of chocolates in the cupboards…I looked!).  We spent our 4th of July’s here for several years with my hubby’s extended family. We even participated in the Independence Day hometown parades each year. We always had a theme and decorated our golf cart accordingly…one year our theme was “Gilligan’s Island”, I was dressed up like “Maryann”, wearing gingham and carrying a pie…my hubby was the “Professor”. Those were the good old days for sure!

It seems so fitting that J.J. would choose this romantic place, that is so dear to our hearts, to ask his beloved to spend the rest of  their lives together….a beautiful place to begin their love story.

This Victorian Cottage was built in 1889 by Peter Gano, it is the third oldest building in Avalon. Unfortunately, it took him two years to build it for his fiance’ and by the time he was finished she found another love. Poor Peter! The story is told that Peter felt so scorned that he vowed  “no woman shall ever step foot in my cottage”. I heard this tale during a tour of this house many years ago….and there was a lot of women walking through the rooms…good thing Peter wasn’t there!

The Wrigley Mansion sits on top of the hill…the owners were the Wrigley Spearmint Gum family.

Back to the “Engagement Story”……Tiffany called her mom to tell her the exciting news “Mom! J.J. proposed! I’m engaged!”. Little did she know her mom and all of us were  just minutes away from congratulating her in person…

Mama Rose did not let on that we were all there…..

This is the whole crew,on our way to the restaurant to surprise Tiffany and celebrate  this wondrous occasion. In this photo we are saying  “Show us your bling Tiffany!”.

We all gathered here at  Antonio’s, our old hangout, and waited for J.J. and Tiffany to arrive….

There was a whirl of emotions as they walked in….

The happy couple! (Tiffany’s daddy smiling in the back ground)

Mama Rose swooning over the ring..

..

Mama Ruthie, so proud of her son! (you did good honey!)

Tiffany’s parents, Rose and Jim…I could not ask for more wonderful and loving in-laws for J.J., they love him like their own son, I’m so thankful for that!

Tiffany’s friends made these buttons for her and J.J……so cute!

Girlfriends admiring the bling!

Me and my future daughter!

After lunch we played our traditional round of miniature golf. Gary, JJ and I had an advantage since we’ve played this course so many times through the years!

We were ready for some refreshments and decided to stop at Jack’s Cafe’.

Ahhhh! Sweets for the sweet!

There were lots of nostalgic art pieces on the walls at Jack’s, this one summed up the day perfectly!

We are so thankful that the Lord brought Tiffany Rose into J.J.’s life! She is a dream come true and an answer to our prayers.

(Oh honey!)

Ever since J.J. (Jason James) was just a wee little boy we began to pray for his future and the girl he would someday marry. We prayed that the Lord would bless her, protect her, and raise her up to be a loving, compassionate, and joyful girl.

(Oh honey again!)

We prayed that she would love the Lord with all of her heart. Of course we also prayed for our J.J., that he would become a man of honor, of strong character, responsible, loving, respectful, with a good sense of humor and a heart for the Lord.  God has definately answered our prayers!

It’s a wonderful thing….they are so good for each other…their future home is going to be filled with lots of love and laughter!

The Island of Romance…..a place of wonderful memories…old and new!

A funny thing happened during my trip to California….I bumped into a dear blog friend! Maryjane from The Beehive Cottage! We had never met in person, only on line.  I was at In ‘n’ Out Burger (the best hamburgers EV-AH!) and she recognised my hubby and thought I must be there too…sure enough!  She came up to me and said “Ruthann! I’m Maryjane from Beehive Cottage!”  Wow! how fun was that! She is a doll! Her blog is just as adorable as she is…please go say “Howdy” and tell her I sent ya!

I also got to spend some time chatting with my other dear friend Sara from Sweet Magnolia Farm. We used to chat at a nearby Antique Mall, this day it was Barnes and Noble. She is one creative gal, oh my goodness she creates the most adorable farm-inspired goods for the home!  You know I LoVe anything farm-y! Please stop by her farm and have a look-see at all of her fabulous farm-girl goodies! Yee Haw!

Thanks Sugar Pies for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed my little tour of Catalina Island!

Blessings and Hugs!

Aunt Ruthie

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