A Patriotic Welcome....

It's almost time for my favorite holiday of all...

4th of July!

No gifts or stress... just a wonderful day to enjoy friends and/or family,

 relax and celebrate this great country filled

with unimaginable blessings for all.

Of course a little decorating is always fun...

and reminds us of the special day.

Here  are some front doors with simple understated decorations to
 mark the holiday.

Which one is your favorite?

#1

#2

#3

Stay Cozy,

Carrie

Some Cute + "Time"ly kitchen pieces....

It's difficult for me to resist a cute kitchen timer...

especially if it is red and has a chicken or cherries...

Here are a few of mine!

 There was just something about this sweet little clock I couldn't resist either...

It must have been her little ponytail-buns!

Stay Cozy,

Carrie

Coffee rituals...

 

It has been said that waking up ten minutes earlier than you normally would just to sit in bed and drink your coffee is one of the most worthwhile things you can do to get your day off to a great start.

Sitting in bed with a cup of coffee and zoning out, watching TV, or scrolling through social media can put your mind at ease - even

 if only for a few minutes.

My friend's husband brings her coffee to her in bed and she does this exact thing. My husband enjoys his coffee on the back deck during his devotion and prayer time. 

I enjoy my morning coffee too, however; it is not until I have showered, readied myself for the day, and prepared it in my "to-go" cup...that I start sipping my latte on my way 

out the door!

What is your coffee routine? Do you have one?

How's it working for you?

Staying Cozy and "Coffeed-up",

Carrie

A West Elm "steal"

I was soooo excited to find this table at my Goodwill Store the other day...

I knew I wanted it the minute I saw it. My husband was with me - but he wasn't so sure. It was marked $19.99! I told him if it didn;t work out in the kitchen we could use it outside for a potting table at that price.

 (although I knew it would be perfect lol) 

We had to go back and pick it up the next day and as my husband and the store employee turned it over to take the legs off to fit in the car...there is was...

a "West Elm" sticker!

Funny how my husband's opinion of the table immediately changed...haha...as he whispered,

 "Shhh don't say anything" ... as if they might notice and take it back from us.

Well needless to say it works beautifully in our kitchen and we both love it!

When we got it home I, of course, looked to find it on the West Elm website!

And sure enough there it was...

The lower shelf was missing - but that was fine with me as it gave me room to push my stools underneath. On their website the description reads :

What a steel. The stainless-steel surface of our Rustic Kitchen Island pays homage to zinc-topped counters from Parisian bistros, while sturdy legs in acacia wood warm things up.

 It's just as ideal for slicing and dicing as it is for mixing and mingling.

 $599

A "steal" indeed - for us!

Stay Cozy,

 Carrie

Not forgetting to count my blessings....

I realized today is the the 2 year aniversary since I had to have a partial nephrectomy.  Long story how it was discovered...a story in itself...but I had to have a portion of my left kidney removed along with an "angry" tumor that had grown on the side of it. I was told  there was a good chance it was cancer - an 85% chance - but then right after surgery it went down to a 10% chance and as it turned out there was no cancer at all! It was truly a miracle for me. The recovery was certainly a challenge - but so much sweeter knowing how fortunate I was.

Prayer was my best friend - especially during the long waiting and wondering time before the actual surgery. God showed himself to me in so many special ways - during my times of doubt and tears and during the days of " why me" and "why not me". I am so grateful for my faith then and now - I cannot imagine my life without it.  My hope...to continue to remember what a gift my life is and to keep striving to live the purpose He has for me.

Happy Healthy Anniversary to me!