Its Been A Little While

Oh, my goodness, where do I begin! 

I had to step back and just take a break. To enjoy the holidays and all joy that they bring! I'm sorry I should have made you aware that I was going to take a little break. Sometimes we need to be able to clear our hearts, minds, and to do lists.

So we can enjoy the moments we are in. It's okay to focus on being present! To take time to just be, to rejuvenate, and make memories!

We had a quiet Christmas with just our immediate family.

Sickness once again kept us all apart.

So I tried not to focus on it, yet again, I wouldn't get to see my Mom on Christmas.... I focused on the fact I would be making more memories this year to make up for lost ones.

My girls and I got together and had a candy-making and baking day! My older sweet lil guy got to make sugar cookies and decorate them with icing, sprinkles, and candy! 

He had the best time, there is something truly magical about coming together and making the most beautiful memories. We will set around talking about it for years to come. This will be the year we talk about, the year it looked like a bomb went off on in her kitchen! We just laughed about the mess and kept going till we finished!

We had the best day! I love making adult memories with my kids! No one told me they would be just as much fun as adults!

               Grandkids are the icing and sprinkles on the cake! 

Jody and I decided to do Christmas for each other, a little differently, this year. We decided to go away for a few days and invest in each other! So we booked a condo at the beach that had a beautiful view.

I know you're needing a good laugh! So I am going to help you out by getting a good one! I was looking out the balcony window because the night before someone had their balcony all lit up! So I was trying to find the one that had all the beautiful lights!

Then I turned toward the ocean and as I was about to walk away, Something caught my eye. It was a much wiser gentleman in age asking me to flash him!

He was literally pulling his shirt up! Waving me to do it too and saying come on, do it!

I laughed so hard I couldn't breathe even with my oxygen on! My sweet hubby said I should be flattered! I laughed and said well I am a mixture of flattered and appalled!

We had one day when we just stayed in all day. My lupus makes travel hard, so I knew I would have to rest. We went down and got in the hot tub, thankful for the hot water on my body was amazing!

The next day we went shopping and went to see Christmas lights. I am such a kid when it comes to doing those things! There is just something about lights that make my heart smile!

The fact he had planned that part made it even more special!

Here are just a few of my favorite, I am sure you didn't want to see all 136 of them!

We finished our trip with a stop at my new favorite beach restaurant ever! It's oceanfront and has beautiful views! 

The Wicked Tuna was outstanding and will definitely be visiting when we return!

We had a wonderful time making precious memories, being intentional!

I look forward to many more trips to be present and not distracted!

Our Family Christmas was incredible, one of my favorite things to do is to be together making memories, having the time of our life! Our grand boys helped make it so special!

Both are in that I'm in awe of everything phase! My oldest loves choo choo trains and Santa! So we took him and his little brother to ride the Polar Express. 

He cried when he had to leave and go home, he wanted to stay, lol! However, they both loved it!  Their smiles and excitement were the best presents! We had a big family dinner with exchanging presents. All the while celebrating the whole reason we celebrate Jesus Birthday!

Just like that, my favorite time of the year passed! I love Christmas and what it is all about! Celebrating Jesus's birth is so very important to me! 

I always hate to see it end!

However, there is the promise of another Christmas to come! 

It also helped, Jody agreed to let me keep my tree up all year!

As the New Year approached, It was time to reflect on things to improve, try harder to reach new goals, look back on the things that I didn't reach and why I didn't. 

Then it was time to set the things in place to help reach this year's goals! 

One of my favorite goals I set for myself was to be more intentional with the gifts my heavenly Daddy had given me! 

I am a very creative person! I love to craft, sew, paint, do stitchery and just create for hours,

I am about to enter into the Cricut world!  I can't wait to see what all I can create with that!

When I was diagnosed with lupus. I was scared that I would lose all the things I truly loved to do. I noticed though when I crafted I would lose myself for hours pushing through unbearable pain. I felt like the old me, even if it was just for a little while!

Not only that, but I would always tell my husband as I wobble out of my craft room that it was worth it. 

I plan to open an online store on my blog offering primitive crafts, vintage shabby chic crafts, stitchery, and so much more!

I recently sold my American Girl collection, so I could stock my craft room with the things I need when I start a project. Now there will always be trips to Hobby Lobby or the antique store. For those special touches. I am completely redoing my room to make room for new storage and a much better workspace! A place for everything and exceptional light 

I cannot wait to open it! It will be called Lil Grannys Prims and More. 

My beautiful friend Stacy Duncan over at Seeking Simple

Was recently asked to be featured as part of an amazing blog hop! Stacy is a wonderful blogger! I have admired her writing for years! When she told me, she had been chosen to share her blog about the home! I was super excited for her! She will be debuting today on 

You will be able to check her out there every Monday with a new blog in the blog hop!

Go and check out all the incredible bloggers over there!

If you are not familiar with blog hops it's a place where bloggers come together and post links to their blogs in one place!

Angie has a breathtaking blog and seems to be incredibly sweet as well!

You can find her @www.godsgrowinggarden.com

That I can't wait to get to know better!

Guess what, your girl will be featured there starting next week, as your creativity blogger! I will be there every Monday! Thank you, Stacy, for reaching out to her and telling her about me! 

It was Like Jesus knew how to keep me going! Well, He did one of the best things ever!

Thank you for letting me catch up with you guys!  As I do look over 2021 and look forward to better things in 2022.

My word for the year is Hope. 

Hope is a big word for me. Sometimes hope can be hard, It's different from faith.

Hope is a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.

I have High hopes for many things this year!

I have great faith in the one who can make those hopes come to be!

Thank you for stopping by and sharing a part of your day with me!

I know your time is precious, and I don't take that lightly!

I hope you know I am praying for you always!

If you are on Facebook or Insta 

Follow me on Foot Steps of Grace there!

Until next time< I hope you will be walking in the footsteps of grace with Jesus and me!

Prayerfully  Yours,

~Shellie~