The Wedding Dress....Worthless or Priceless?

The story starts many years prior and only one of the ladies gathered at the meeting knew the story, at least in part, of the wedding dress before us that hung limply from the ceiling. With tears in her eyes, she listened as the portion of the story fresh from Saturday was recited, by her friend, and the Bible Study leader.

The church had a garage sale on Saturday, to raise funds for a missions project in Guatemala. The Pastor has asked for good, usable products to be donated for the cause. One of the ladies, aforementioned, had a new wedding dress that had been in her possession for a number of years hanging in her closet. She brought it to the sale with the instruction of 'get what you think it is worth'. Deb, one of the organizers, and the leader of our study, took the dress and noticed the $699.99 price tag dangling from under the arm area. "What is this dress worth?" was the question that burned in her mind, "What is the value that needs to be placed on the dress?" She placed a sign of "$100.00 Never Been Worn" on the wedding dress and hung it proudly up for all to see. As the sale went on, a 13- year old girl asked her father to purchase it for her. Upon inspection there was a small amount of dirt from perhaps trying the dress on, or just time in the closet, over the years. The man said "The only way I will take the dress is if the two zero's were removed" The dress had now been de-valued all the way to a $1.00.  Deb stood resolved, "No, she could not let that beautiful dress go for a dollar". Due to the discovery of the small amount of dirt on the dress, another lady there scratched off the "Never Been Worn" and waited to see if there would be a reasonable offer for the dress-- but by the end of the days sale, the beautiful white wedding dress still hung in its original spot. Deb brought the dress lovingly home, and placed it in her house. The question plagued her "What is the value of the dress?" and that is what brings us to today.

A small group ladies from the study gathered at Deb's house to read Chapter 7 of the summers Bible Study, of 'Chosen & Cherished', a book we had been studying about the tradition of the Jewish wedding and the intimate intertwining of God's love for His bride. How appropriate to see the wedding garment hanging from the ceiling, but we all wanted to know why, and who did it belong to? The other leader of the study, with tears in her eyes, would only reveal that it belonged to a girl who had been many times abused, first by her father then by other men and had a few years ago purchased the dress to get married, then ran off and aborted the unborn child she was carrying. When the past of the dress was revealed, another opinion came in that it would be deception to sell the dress without revealing the past that the dress held.

We all sat speechless around the gown, feeling the weight of the pain this girl would have gone through. The joy of picking out the dress, the hopes she would have had as she twirled around in the lightweight taffeta and chiffon, looking at herself from every angle. The pearls and the detail showed she, with great care, chose a beautiful wedding dress for herself, obviously with desires for a wonderful new start. The story stops there, as far as the details of the girl, her dress and her future, as we know it--but it was where we all stopped to value the dress from our point of view.

The dress was just material valued by some down to a dollar. The real value was the heartbeat behind the dress--the girl. Why did this dress come to us at this time, such an appropriate time as we were studying the tradition of the wedding garment and the depth of what it really means. The dress had some wear, some dirt just from time--but isn't that like us all. We start out fresh and filled with dreams, and over time we get worn down, abused, and people value us by what they see on the outside--the smudges and the cracks. We soon have a de-valued price of our worth and even feel we are being "deceptive" as we try to cover the pain of our past to others.

After listening, talking and deciding among the group we found the value of the dress not the important factor, but the value behind the dress.......priceless, because it served as a reminder that there are people (including this girl--name withheld) that we can do the most valuable thing for--pray. No one is too far God's grip, too past His love and forgiveness. He can take His original creation and remove the soil and stain this world has left and make something beautiful and unique.

Don't let people put a value on your worth--because to God who created you.........you are priceless.

Half way thru January.....

Well, life has been very relaxing in January thus far. The snow was gentle and pleasant this year, not the overload we had last year, lasting from November to April. We hope to get a number of jobs done this year on the house....the roof, the siding replaced with Hardie Board...in addition to finishing the right side of our fence, making my Rose Garden a very safe place indeed from our night time visitors. So far we have had numerous deer, a flock of turkeys and a very persistent female elk that view our back yard as their home. Fortuneatly it is in the far back, away from my precious roses!

I am looking forward to 2010...praying for the best and hoping for Peace.......

Happy New Year 2010......

Well it has been an interesting year.....God has blessed us with health, a home in the country and peace in our hearts. Mom and dad got to live near us for 11 months this year which was a wonderful experience and now they have a lovely new home (although it has and con't to have its challenges!....). The goal is for mom and dad to get everything that needs fixing on their house to get done and to move up to Creston and we cover that in prayer and God's protection.




The 2009 year seen Michael & I working on a garden which was a 50% success, not bad for novices! It also seen us fill in the garage for the shop and decorate the house in my new French motif. The winter lasted till April and we really had no spring, but we still managed to build our deck and one fence. They are very well done and I am happy to say 100% success. My rose garden too, seen the planting of 17 roses all put in late fall, along the side fence and rock front bed in front of the deck. We also had a wonderful year in respect to our fruit trees. Our apples we are still using (just made 2 apple pies for New Years Day dinner) and our raspberries and blueberries were the best we had ever had. I think the biggest surprise was our little plum tree--planted on the other side of the garden and really it looked so small and non-descript, but it produced the sweetest, nicest plums that I was able to make lovely desserts with, as well as eating!



I think one of my biggest pleasures was having the time to cook. I made dishes I had never attempted such as cabbage rolls and a turkey (made once before 16 years ago!). All in all it was a good year. My parents were a blessing to have living so close, as well we hope to find them a home here permanently next year.

 

Christmas Day 2009

It was a beautiful, wonderful, magical Christmas in Leavenworth, Wa. We had sleigh rides, a candle-light Christmas Eve service and living naivety at the Nazarene Church. It was a old-fashion Christmas of yesterday, and we were blessed to experience it. We had Christmas Dinner at JJ Hills Restaurant in Leavenworth

Christmas Buffet Menu

Start with crisp vegetables to dip into our house made ranch dressing and
enjoy fresh baked breads with sweet dairy butter.

Add a salad of delightful baby greens
topped with our secret recipe dressings or
warm your pallet with a puree of pumpkin and squash soup.

For the main course
our special traditional roast turkey or
spectacular glazed Black Forest ham or
marinated slow roasted prime rib of beef au jus
carved to your request and accompanied by
baked Idaho Russet potatoes,
savory walnut sage stuffing,
glazed harvest sweet potatoes,
cranberry sauce, creamy horseradish sauce,
roasted garlic creamy whipped potatoes with our
traditional recipe giblet gravy and
sweet winter squash.

Visit the specialty dessert display select from the chefs specialty
pumpkin custard pie with sweet Devonshire cream,
decadent chocolate silk pie,
J. J. Hills famous chocolate peanut butter pie,
creamy cheesecake and
more tantalizing selections.

Coffee and tea service, soda, or milk.

Pricing per person:
Adults: 26.95
Children six to ten 15.95, three to five 9.95, two and under are free
State sales tax and gratuity not included.

 

Well it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.....

 Leavenworth, Wa

Can you believe it is almost Christmas 2009! I can hardly believe this year has flown by this fast--and I am glad in many ways, as it has been a tough one! Mom and dad are now settled nicely back in Maple Ridge, the house is lovely--however they are now getting involved in a legal battle to get the rightful roof & garage replaced. I pray that God will overshadow their efforts and 2010 will be an adventure and blessing!

I am looking forward to spending Christmas in Leavenworth,Wa with mom and dad--and I pray we have an enjoyable Christmas to make up for the mother of all bad Christmas' last year! Nothing says disaster like a house fire 3 days after Christmas, and a huge phone fight for Michael on Christmas day with his family. It has been several years of not enjoying Christmas' due to family competition and fighting.

This year I pray God will bless us with a lovely, quiet, peaceful year.

Hello World....

Well October has been quite a busy month. I haven't had a chance to write much at all. I finally got the fence painted, the roses planted the Walnuts started falling and we had probably 1,000 on the tree this year verses a few dozen after the squirrels raided it while we were moving in. The first main snowfall of the year occurred Monday and I started to panic! So much to do--still need to plant my 8 Climbing roses, all along the newly painted fence line. I also was hoping to get the garage finished with Hardi Plank and Smart Trim before the winter sets in--we will see! November is moving month-- mom and dad back to Maple Ridge in their newly re-built home and finally maybe...we can finally relax...augh, what a two years this has been....... 

More New Roses for the Rose Garden......

Well 8 more roses are on their way into the Rose Garden Front Bed--David Austin "Bonica", 5 Climbing Rose~Climbing Peace (3), Climbing Rhonda (2), and 2 Flowering Carpet Roses--one in white and one in pink. Bella!

I also got the fence stained & painted--so I can plant the climbers in front of the trellis fence~I can hardly wait till next June when they start to bloom!

New Roses For The Rose Garden




I went to Cranbrook on the weekend and got some Roses for my back Rose Garden--and they are lovely!

Lambert Closse

Sweet Sensation

Morden Centennial

The Lambert Closse are huge, full, hardy pink roses that smell heavenly, I got 2 of them. I will be putting in the back rose garden this week and getting it ready for next years beautiful blooming season.

"My Petite French Guest Room".....

Well I finally got my French Doors in place! It took time, but it was well worth the wait~I have my Bathroom complete, my Guest Room needs the "Etched Glass" effect added, and the Master Bedroom needs the knobs & etched glass done...but it is almost complete! The glass knobs are "to-die for" they bring back memories of my Aunts house in Burnaby, where we used to go every Saturday for lunch. As a child I would just stare at those glass knobs and for years the architecture of her 1940's home would fascinate me,  as I was growing up in a "modern" 1970's house!

Here are some photos of my Guest Room, which was set up since to move, but was used as the "spare room" for my art supplies, so now it is cleaned out and ready for my last set of guests at the end of the month~

The Room is very small so I couldn't put the screen I got from HomeSense in a great display position--but it works!

 The bed I got of Craigslist down in Bellingham and it is pine with wrought iron inset. I love it, you feel like the book "princess & the pea" when you are laying on top of it, I will have to custom make the skirt fit and I want to have a petite chandelier hanging from the ceiling to complete ma petite pièce d'invité française ("my petite french guest room"~ Ohh LaLa.....

I finally got one of my tapestries in place, this one is made in Italy 

Fall is in the air.......

Well we don't know if mom and dad will end up with the home I blogged about last post. It has some beautiful points, but it also has an issue with 3 small (very small) bedrooms. Really the 3 would be one regular master bedroom size. We are waiting for another price on the remodel estimate, as one fellow quoted $150,000 for a 900 sq. ft addition--crazy!!!!

 Otherwise our second guests from the Coast have come & gone--Sharon & Randy--we had a wonderful time, really discovering how wonderful company is! Our third set arrives in just over a week.

We washed the deck down today & it is drying and I can stain it this weekend--I will be most pleased to have that job done, once and for all--after all, we had the thought of building a deck in April and now it is mid-September!

Our pears are starting to drop, as well as the apples~the raspberries are bearing again and the grapes will be ready soon for harvest--as long as the squirrles don't beat us to them! Many critters call this property their home and it is a competition to see who gets to the food first ......

I am starting to walk again and enjoy my books on CD~life is starting to relax and I really am enjoying the Kootenay lifestyle.

It's House Shopping Time....

....For my parents that is!!!

Beautiful Wrap Around Deck with a Hot Tub....Lovely BBQ and Sitting Area.....

Kitchen To Die For with SkyLights......

Did I mention the view.......

Very Exciting Time for them, we went this morning and looked at 3 houses, and this one was almost perfect~nothing a contractor and $30,000 can't fix anyway!!! The Master Bedroom was a bit small, so I recommended a wall removal clause and we will see what the contractor says....

The second bedroom will become "one with the den" if they accept the offer on the house, and the cottage down on the end of the property will be the "Guest House"~Very cool!

Mom and dad have gone to put an offer on it--subject to their house selling and the contractor approving the moderate changes. If it is meant to be, it will be theirs--if not, there will be something better coming their way--but it is very exciting to "start the process!"....

French Doors, Crystal Knobs, and hopefully finished soon....

The Master Bedroom has not had its door replaced for months now. I had taken it off in a vain hope it would be so annoying it would force us to replace the door with the beautiful single French Door purchased for it. Alas, manipulation rarely works on yourself. Yesterday & today I have endeavored to paint the 3 replacement French Doors all black, going on the Master Bedroom, the Guest Bedroom, and the Main Bathroom. You may wonder, as did my husband, "French Doors on the Bedrooms & Bathroom?" Yes, I have discovered a wonderful peel and stick privacy film that will make my doors tres chic, yet...private. I love the thought of having yet another project off my (forever adding) list.

I have a plan to request from my dear husband a favor this weekend, to help finish this project once and for all, by cutting to fit, grinding out the hinge detail with his handy-dandy dremal, and installing those precious E-bay crystal knobs that have been longing to be put to use for a year now, yes--that is when I found these beauties on E-Bay and it took till July of this year to find the hardware to complete the ensemble.

Note to self: Beware of things that look great sold incomplete.....

Getting There....

Well, after what seems like months the backyard is finally starting to feel like we are making a dent in the job. The deck is almost complete, the fence and gate on the left side are almost complete, it still needs to get the Pergola Top put on the entry.

The matching right side is still to be done and the back Rose Garden bed needs to be designed and built. Sigh.... I had hoped to get started this Fall on the cottage...but it just may have to wait till Spring.

Pass The Kleenex It's Chick Flick Time......

OK, I am a typical female when it comes to chick flicks, it all starts when I allow one little tear to slip down my cheek, and the next thing its all out war with trying to hide the fact I have started to blubber.

My latest tear-jerker is a 2006 Cheryl Ladd movie called "Though none go with me" it is a wonderful faith-based movie of how life does not always go in the direction we plan, and when life does make those detours, how we choose to handle them.

It is a wonderful family show for all ages and it makes you realize that there are still movies out there that actually makes you stop and think about what is important in life, and to re-prioritize choices and decisions while you still have the ability.

OK--This is just too much fun......

I LOVE this new collection I have found! I was reading all my favorite blogs and as one blog leads to another...I found out about this wonderful Florabella Texture Collection & I can't wait to play more....

My "New" Favorite Magazine.....

When on the Coast, I got to visit a London Drugs ~ and there it was a Photoshop magazine to get anyone's creative juices flowing. The price tag almost made me put it back, but I changed my mind at the last minute and shelled out the $20.00.

All I can say is I am in love.....and looking at purchasing the years subscription which will bring the price down considerably.

I know its no big deal to the average person--but to me I can't believe a melon & a Zucchini Squash (in my garden) is actually growing! I planted a dozen melons and these are the only faithful soldiers to work their way up thru the dirt and actually produce--something!! We will see just what in a few weeks!






We are on our way to the Coast to do the final paperwork on our condo sale--and then we will be free.






I will be back on Friday, to Blog some more....

Its a Blueberry Pancake kind of day.......

It's Sunday!
It is the most wonderful day of the week, and its a lovely warm day today. I never really appreciated Sunday for most of my life--it was just another day. But, in fact it is the one day that we were commanded to "rest" because our Creator knew we needed to rest our mind, body & spirit.

My husband a while ago, decided we were not going to work on this day--a very hard thing for me, as I always seen it as a "catch-up" day--I love working, I love creating and I really struggle to "rest". But in the last little while I have really started to enjoy the "nothingness" of this day--in this day and age, it is something we are not trained to do. We have music, TV, computer and any other distraction we can stuff into our day, to keep or mind "busy". But to walk outside and hear the babble of a creek, the birds signing in the trees, the chattering of a chipmunk--is indeed a very good thing.

My husband likes blueberries and since we now have 7 Blueberry bushes, he has been able to go out and pick a handful whenever he likes.

Today he gets a favorite combined- Blueberry Pancakes!!!

Our Backyard...

Our lil' Visitor.....






We have many critters that call our 5 acres home, the cutest may be the littlest chipmunk. This lil fellow came and cheered us on, as we were putting the final touches on our deck railing.




We made the deck (16' X 16') from Western Red Cedar and made the railings from 2X4's and aluminum balusters. It took us a long time, but it was enjoyable and a learning process... Our first deck!




These photos were taken before staining and the railing top cap is installed.

Raven Rose Cottage...

I look forward to when I have my Art Cottage built. I will name it "Raven Rose Cottage" and work on my many different passions in my lil cottage. It will be painted white and I will finally have my own space to design and paint. I love Oil Painting, and Watercolor but hope in the future to get a kiln and do China Painting.

I also love working with Photoshop and designing my pictures that I will paint. I am still learning many of its benefits and I love downloading different brushes. Here are some I am learning: