Long Distance Happy Halloween

Here is Princess Lea and Darth Vader! No, they really aren't in "Star Wars" but they are in Mississippi! I received this today of my brother and his daughter Anna and couldn't resist sharing it.

Hope everyone has a very safe & Happy Halloween,
Kaye

The Fruit Of The Spirit

This is a personalized kitchen tile I have been engraving for some time now but was recently asked, "why isn't it on the website?" So yesterday I did get this added to the website and thought it would be a good time to show this on the blog also.

Makes a great personalized gift for any occasion! The engraved tile shown is on an 8" x 8" Porcelain Tile.

Have a safe and Happy Halloween!
Blessings always,
Kaye

Drum roll please.....

And the winning comment using Random.org is from: ~D

"I love your tiles and will be ordering some for the holiday season! My favorite verse has to be 1 Corinthians 13 :)"

Please go here to congratulate Danielle!

Danielle, please contact me to let me know what you would like your personalized engraved 8" x 16" porcelain tile to say! Sincere Congratulations and have a wonderfully blessed day.

Thanks so much for entering. All comments were 'pleasing to the eye' and I appreciate the very kind comments and sharing of favorite Scriptures more than you know. Check back often for another give-a-way coming up soon!

Many thanks to The Nesting Place for allowing this 'bloggy shopping spree'!
Kaye

"But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."
1 Corinthians 15:57 RSV
Give us the grace to fight wherever You choose to place us, Lord. Only You can see the battlefield completely; we see only one small part of it.

Please pray for Mckmama, her family and the medical staff today as Stellan enters the world!

Happy Birthday Zachary!

Wishing Zachary a VERY Happy Birthday!
I am so very proud of you and wanted to share some great memories of wonderful times spent with you this past year.
I am so very thankful you are such a sweet grandson who loves his Church, loves his family, loves his school and classmates & teachers, who is too cute and is:

• Adventuresome (An Understatement!)
• Kind and Considerate
• Loving
• Intelligent
• A Hard Worker-He says he 'owns the business' and I work for him'!
• A Planner
• A wonderful Big Brother to Trent
• Wise beyond his years
• Soft-hearted

And so much more....to all of us.

Love you Zachary....a whole world full,
KK

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9

I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.
John 10:28 NIV
"Verse of Birth"

Happy Birthday Mary Katherine!

I want to wish you a Very Happy and Blessed Day! You deserve nothing but the best!

The past several days I've jotted down notes of things I thought about concerning you and the years we've been a part of each others lives; some long ago and some rather recent. As you'll see, these are in no particular order, but hopefully they'll give you time to reflect on special times, special things about you and also hopefully make you realize just how very special you are in my life and in the lives of so many others.

"You Are Special"

-Your love for Jesus, your Church & CBS
-Your love for family & friends
-You're a wonderful 'mommy' to your precious boys
-Your quick wit
-You are a great personal shopper (sometimes at cost+)
-Your leadership ability
-Your honesty
-Your loyalty
-Your workout ethic
-Your marketing expertise
-Your determination, especially when you see the finish line ahead!
-Your love for black clothing (Yes I know, brown is the new black)
-Your teaching ability (Hey, I can blog, sort of)
-Your determination to help find O. J. innocent (still?)
-You're so pretty:)
-You are sweet to surprise me with tea from Hershel's
-Your persistence ("K K K K K K......" did I EVER answer you on video?)
-(Sorry, that was rude)
-You liking the same music I do (did?); Amy Grant, Chicago, etc.
-LOVING the fact Beth Moore's daughter showed the birthday cakes Beth baked for her on her blog, since some I've made for you looked just as good, unless they were shipped to Waco:(
-Your organizing abilities and help with same when I let this get WAY out of control.
-Your consistency for buying me really special gifts, and having to wear or use them BEFORE wrapping them and giving them to me.
-Your multitasking abilities
-Your ability to gracefully manage college graduation, graduation parties, moving home from BU, your brother's rehearsal dinner and wedding, all of which was done 'with stint' and while in pain caused by a kidney stone.
-You don't fuss 'much' when I don't have tea made
-You cleaning pantry's for me and fussing every minute while daring me to NEVER buy another cake mix EVER!
-You starting my blog for me.
-You loving ambrosia after giving birth to 2 beautiful sons.
-You borrowing jewelry, and if no compliments are given, you kindly give it back. This is something I'm sure you learned from your Mother's Mom!
-You loving the 'new' chocolate cake and comparing it to your Dad's Mom's:)
-Your love for tortilla soup. Is this the reason you wanted me to visit you while away at college, or could it have been a 'time to shop'? Never was sure about this.
-You being taught to keep score while playing tennis: "Love Love" Yep, that is how the game begins!
-You picking on me is alright. One day you'll be old too and probably want a Pee Wee Herman bike just like mine!
-Your Dad's favorite quote while you were in college: He said, "Quit calling so often and just write us a letter." And your answer to him was, "Dad, things are moving way too fast for that."
-While being our Personal FEMA Director in 2005, you called us to say, "I found your Dream Home". Then while ordering necessary bed pillows for our new "Dream Home" you put in quantity 100 (at least). Oh yes she did:)
-You setting certain priorities as FEMA Director by calling American Express 1st to make sure we had this on hand to pay for the 100+ pillows!
-You being introduced to 'one step' fingernail polish remover by my Mom and thinking 'this is BIG TIME'.
-You 'loving' a 1st Class Seat to North Carolina so we could 'vacation' in Hickory, NC. Is that really considered a vacation spot?
-Your first time to drive in Waco....scary!
-You sitting in Trace's booster seat, while driving my car, because it was FULL!

So the blog world won't call 'security' on me for making this too long, I'll try to close this birthday roast of sorts by telling you I cannot imagine life without you being a part of it. Thanks for the memories! I am thankful you are back 'here' and hopeful you feel the same.

I am very thankful your Mom & Mark have moved into their new home, and that you girls are going through things that have been packed away for years. It would be very difficult to express my appreciation for the things you & Christy have found these past several weeks. Photographs and memories I thought we'd never see again.

The photo is of Mary Katherine when her Dad and I were married. She was 5 years old and she seriously thought our wedding was 'her wedding'. Since 1983 this photo had been beside my bed, as it is once again, and I am forever grateful.

Please go here to wish Mary Katherine a Happy Day!

Love,
Kaye
Revelation 21:5
Philemon 1:4

"Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching."
Hebrews 10:25 NIV
"Your Birthday Verse"

**A Great Giveaway**

I am very excited to join the handmade "Holiday Party" over at The Nesting Place which starts today. I am joining several other "handmade businesses" in an effort to jump start the 'handmade holiday season'! This is a great opportunity to do so and I'm giving away one of my custom engraved 16" x 8" Porcelain Tiles!

It is very simple, please leave a comment here on my blog of your favorite Bible Scripture.

At the end of the giveaway, next Wednesday, October 29, I will use a random number generator to choose the winning entry and notify the winner by email and here on my blog. You should receive your winning tile within a week to 10 days following the winning announcement.

Enjoy shopping at each of the shops listed on The Nesting Place and please visit "The Nesters" blog often as she offers wonderful tips for your home. You will L.O.V.E. her blog, I promise! Thank you NESTER for allowing me to enter your "Handmade Holiday" giveaway!

And, please visit my website to see countless engraving ideas. My work is limited only by your imagination!

Happy shopping and good luck. Hope you have a wonderfully blessed day and many thanks for stopping by.
Kaye

"....blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!...Matthew 21:9 NIV

**Please visit here for an opportunity to win a monogrammed "Market Tote" by Faith!**

Meredith Andrews~The Invitation~Kairos

Several months ago, my sister who is very involved with The Kairos Ministry of Mississippi told me the song You're Not Alone, sung by Meredith Andrews had ministered to so many of the people during Kairos meetings. She told me I had to hear this song and once I found it, I was blown away, just as she told me I would be.

About this same time, Meredith got married so I wanted to send them an engraved wedding gift, along with the lyrics to this wonderful song engraved on a tile. The ladies from Kairos mailed a letter to include in the package explaining to Meredith what this song meant to them.

My sister later told me they needed written permission to play this song during the upcoming Kairos Outside #8 and asked if I would try to find a way to get permission for them. So not really knowing where to start I commented on Meredith's blog this past weekend and received an email response from her today!

Here is Meredith's sweet email:

Hi Kaye!
I received the lovely tiles/engravings just last week and I'm pretty
sure my jaw hit the floor. They are beautiful. What exactly do you
call them? Thank you so much, Kaye! That was really sweet of you to
make those for us! We will have to find the perfect spot to put them
up in our place.

I am so thankful for how the Lord is using You're Not Alone, and give
you wholehearted permission to use it however you need for Kairos! I
am honored that you would share my song with these precious ladies. I
pray that it blesses them immensely and reminds them of the promises
of God that are for them, no matter what they go through. The Lord is
by their side!

Thanks so much!

Meredith

Please go here to read about Meredith Andrews and listen to her wonderful music. Her talents are truly a gift from God. Thanks again Meredith for your kindness and consideration and for sharing your many talents with the World!

Also, I ask you to please pray for Kairos Outside #8 and everyone who will be involved.

The Kairos Outside #8 drawing, which was scanned then engraved is taken from the 'prayer sheet' and was drawn and distributed for this weekend. Please say a special prayer for Cary Shepherd as she is preparing to lead this weekend, and please pray the ladies in attendance will 'feel HIS love' and feel loved by all of these wonderful men and women who volunteer their time to make this a very special weekend. May those on the 'outside' feel Jesus' love surround them always.

"Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching."

Hebrews 10:25 NIV

"Happy Birthday To You"

Hope you have a great day! You deserve nothing but the VERY best!

Have a wonderfully blessed birthday Miss Debbie!

Many thanks for being a wonderful friend, for all that you have done for Trace, and for being one of the sweetest ladies I know.

Love,
Kaye
Philemon 1:4

Aerial Photos Of Some Local Businesses

Instead of the ole 'Sunday drive', it has become the ole 'Sunday fly' for us the past few weeks with camera always in hand. Today I took several photos of local businesses and wanted to share these with people not familiar with our Northeast Texas area.

Mt. Pleasant is called "The Trailer Capitol Of The World" and after seeing these photos, you'll no doubt understand why.

Pictured are Big Tex Trailers, Parker Trailers, Diamond C Trailers and our neighbor, Best Fender Products.

Thanks to these and other local businesses for the employment they offer our residents!

Trust "HIS" Word

Like Mother Like Son x 2

To borrow a quote from Mary Katherine, 'we don't remember not being a part of each others lives', and one thing I remember very well is I never bathed alone after she became a part of my life. Not only did she & I bathe together, she had to do everything I did while bathing, so shaving our legs became a daily ritual, as well as using Neutrogena Rainbath, which we all remain 'addicted' to!

While keeping her boys earlier this week, I showed them what she would do, but we made the change from shaving legs (a girly thing) to shaving their faces (the man thing to do)!

I got them a plastic razor blade holder, since that is what she would use as a little girl, and then I gave them a can of shaving cream...and they LOVED it!

They were sweet brothers to shave each others faces very carefully as I explained to them there is no way to know how much shaving cream their Mom and I had wasted through the years. Therefore they too wanted to see if they could 'empty the can' before they were both completely 'clean-shaven'!

Now, if I can only cut out faces, arms and legs out of cardboard, so they can learn to lay their clothes out on the floor, (yes, right beside the bathtub), and using these cut-outs to lay out their clothing for the day! This ritual included shirt, underwear, bottoms, socks and shoes, so they will be 'oh so ready' to dress themselves, once they are clean & clean shaven!

At least with boys, laying out the 'perfect' bow' to coordinate with their clothing won't be necessary, when using their life-size paper dolls each time they bathe and shave!

Needless to say, we had some good 'clean' fun together!

Cancer Awareness Week

For those battling Cancer:

"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10

For Cancer Survivors:

"But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Isaiah 40:31

Congratulations Trace!

I had the privilege of eating lunch with Trace at school this morning.

While waiting on his class to come to the cafeteria I was able to take photos of his picture on the bulletin board for being named "Student of the Week"! Now the next assignment is teaching the school to spell his last name correctly.

We are VERY proud of you Trace! Keep up the great work.

Philippians 4:13

God says, "Trust Me"

Do you believe I am the Son of God and that I died for all men and women? Then why do you continue to be distracted and anxious about your loved ones? Do they not also belong to ME? Could it be that I could somehow refuse to work in their lives while performing wonders in your own? I have not put you in charge of saving anyone! That is My job. Nor have I charged you with changing them. I will do that. Yours is the task of forgiving, loving and interceding in prayer. Come closer to me for the grace to accomplish this, and I will do the rest. TRUST ME, My children----I will never fail you!

Matthew 21:22

Engraving Tumbled Marble For Home Installation

These 4" x 4" tumbled marble tiles were engraved for installation in our home. As you can see, the tumbled marble engraves white, instead of dark, because of its chalky texture.

Christy wanted to install engraved tiles when they remodeled. I engraved western brands for Trace's shower on 6" x 6" tiles and 4" x 4" tiles were engraved at a 45 degree angle, using the words Faith, Hope & Love around her bathtub. She also installed an engraved 12" x 12" tile using artwork from her existing kitchen cabinets and "The Hart Home", which was used over her stove-top.

This obviously requires "pre-planning" but adds a unique 'personal touch' to a home.

Kids draw the cutest things!

All drawings by kids are 'keepers', but some are worthy to be 'etched in stone'!

Have a wonderfully blessed weekend,

Kaye

Philippians 4:13

Hours Of Operation

The wording engraved on this leather square hanging outside of the shop came from a wood sign in front of a store in New Orleans.

I think it describes my 'Hours Of Operation' pretty well! Needless to say, it is advantageous having your work in a shop beside your home.

If I had been so inclined to come up with this on my own, it most likely would have read: "Catch Me If You Can".

When Trophies Just Aren't Good Enough!

The picture above shows what was engraved for 1st, 2nd and 3rd Place Winners of the 5K Run in the 1st Annual Cancer Crusade In Mt. Pleasant, which was held last month. For the children, the event offered a Trike-A-Thon and all participants were given stickers throughout the trails during their ride. There were several comments from winners saying they would proudly display their winning tile when normally they wouldn't display their trophy, plaque or ribbon!

Congratulations to Amanda, NJ and MK for organizing a great event for a great cause.

Continuing to pray for Amanda.

Matthew 21:22

Fundraiser Ideas

Recently a local elementary school purchased engraved tiles as one of their fundraising efforts to build a new playground. The tiles were installed beside an outdoor walkway and will continue to be added to, as new tiles are purchased from businesses and individuals. They used 12 x 12, 6 x 12 (both vertical and horizontal) and 6 x 6 tiles for their walkway.

The first local fundraiser using my engraved tiles was completed by the Safe-T Shelter last year. They installed their personalized tiles on walls inside the new Safe-T Shelter facility. You can view these tiles here.

Enjoying the crisp cool air!

Blessings today and always,

Kaye

Personalized Baby Announcement Frame

Recently I engraved a frame which included information commemorating the birth of a new baby boy and wanted to share this with my readers.

You can see more engraved wood items on my website.

Praising God for every drop of rain today in Northeast Texas.

Have a great day!

Kaye

Surprise Visitor

This precious little one came walking through the door early this afternoon to see if he could stay with us for a while. How could anyone ever turn him down? Trace enjoyed eating lunch with us and he loved seeing our new addition, the new kitten properly named "Kitty".

Kitty showed up at our back door a couple of weeks ago. Zachary immediately gave him this name, "in case he doesn't work out". Out of the mouths of babes!

We enjoyed our time with Trace. He is however growing up too fast. We are very proud of his excellent grades and also proud he is still just as affectionate as he was when he was a baby!

As you can tell by the pictures, he is very comfortable in front of a camera. I'm just curious if anyone else sees 'pink' in one of his eyes, since these kids have definitely been passing 'the pink eye' around lately. Sure hope it isn't what I thought, for every ones sake!

Family Collection

A very special lady wanted an engraved tile for her family, then individual tiles for each child and one to commemorate their wedding date. She chose Scripture and artwork close to her heart for each of these.

Post #1

In an effort to add new items to the website, I found these Leather Photo Envelopes in yellow, pink and blue and loved them! Anything can be engraved on these, from initials, to names, to Scripture of your choice. The other uses for these suggested on the packaging were; Gift Cards, Coupons & Receipts. These were made by Hallmark and have a snap closure.
Thanks MK for the 'crash course' in Blogging 101!
Hope everyone has a wonderfully blessed weekend.
Kaye
Matthew 21:22

Blogging 101

It's official. I have taught KK how to maintain her own blog and she's on her own!

Be patient with her...I am not a very good teacher and I think she may be a slow learner!:)

Leave her a comment to let her know you're reading!

MK