Pure Grace...

Last night, I was sitting thinking about the events of the day. I accomplished a lot. I was cleaning house...in more ways than one. I scrubbed blinds, washed windows and baseboards, and vacuumed carpets (even though we only have a few, as most of our house is tiled).

Cleaning house also helps me clear my head. I thought about the relationships in my life and the friends and family I love so well. Both near and far away, they sustain me when times are difficult. I'm not going to bore you with the details, but suffice it to say that I had a lot of stuff rolling around in my head yesterday!

So, as I was sitting and thinking last night, I notice my legs were dry (yeah, well). The name of the perfume and cream that I currently use - and love - is called Pure Grace, by philosophy. I have about five products in their line and what I used last night is the body butter. (Don't we all love butter in all its forms?) I grabbed a container of cream that I've used many times before, but for a change, I read the label. I want to share with you what I read. It's something that brought me great comfort at the end of a long day of cleaning and thinking.

"One of the best tools for longevity and good health is not just taking a walk outdoors, but taking your walk while holding the hand of God. When we walk in gratitude for each and every moment, we empower ourselves by empowering our spirits. When we breath in nature through our eyes, ears and lips, we become certain that not only are our souls eternal, but that God knows how to manage our lives, our troubles, our worries and our days better than we do. So today and every day "let go and let God".

Was it a coincidence that I now read this message? I couldn't believe that God was speaking to me through a body cream! (But don't we know that He's always where you least expect Him to be?) It was a perfect way for me to end my day, but as I write this to you, my friends, I see that this message is a perfect way to start my day, too.

I hope you find comfort in these words as I did, and that you have an empowered and blessed day. I'm going out for a walk now. We'll chat again soon.

Morning On The Estate...

The tour started at ten this morning, so Amy and I arrived at about 9:45 to beat the rush. As it turned out, we had the sole attention of our knowledgeable Sarasota County tour guide, Priscilla.

We were at the Edson Keith Estate, located on 60 acres of prime Sarasota property nestled on the banks of Phillipi Creek. The main estate house is 9,000 square feet of hardwood floors, spacious rooms and beautiful blue ceilings. Painted to emulate the Florida skies, the purpose of the blue paint on all the outside eaves was to fool wasps and hornets into thinking that they were seeing sky - instead of protected places to build their nests. Clever, indeed.

All the interior paint colors, floors and interior fixtures are original to the house, with the exception of the elegant, Italianate chandelier hanging from the ceiling of the dining room (a donation from a local resident). Priscilla even shared the secret to cleaning it with us. (and I don't mean "Have the servants do it"!)

After our tour of the house, we thanked her and walked outside to survey the grounds. Amy and I headed to the path that would take us to the beautiful oak hammocks that lead right down to Phillipi Creek and the Intercoastal Waterway. There is a canoe launch site on the grounds, as well as gazebos for weddings and family picnics. We were also told of the Indian "midden" beneath the lawn to the west of the house and rock formations located to the east of the house.

Middens are thought to be prehistoric landfills used by the tribal members to dispose of broken tools, animal bones and other artifacts from life in their villages. When their landfills reached capacity, the tribe simply moved to a new location. Great care is taken when these sites are located, as much of the prehistoric debri is, in many cases, within inches of being exposed. This particular location has not been opened and explored, however a midden located south of here in Osprey, Florida at Spanish Point, has been extensively researched and is open for viewing by the public. (We'll have to make that one of our next outings.)

After leaving the estate, we went to a local nursery and chose the plants that are going to go into my beautiful blue pot next to the entry to our home. I can't wait to show you what it looks like with our choices! I'll save that for another day.

We had lunch at the Madfish Grill and chose much more intelligent meals...and there were no cameras (except mine) this time. Wish all of you could have joined me today. It was truly a perfect day for a morning on the estate.

Click on the title of this post to go to my Flickr album with more photographs of our day at the Edson Keith Estate.

It's Official...

I now have a "domain". Doesn't that sound positively regal?

I decided to protect my name - Brynwood Needleworks - which I've used for my sampler designs for the past nineteen years. So now you can also find me at www.brynwoodneedleworks.com.

I'll be busy setting up the website, which currently welcomes you and then redirects you here, and I'm working out the bugs for contacting me through the site. I've also got a new email address, which I'll activate as soon as I get the links to my computer worked out.

Currently, my schedule is to launch a new line on my Brynwood Needleworks site as well as on Etsy, and I'm very excited to be working on all the components for an August 1st debut. Until then, you can follow my progress right here as I give you the inside scoop.

Don't worry...I won't be expecting any special treatment when we visit. You can still call me "Deece" and there's no need to curtsy in my presence. I'd just giggle anyway.