A BEAUTIFUL SOUL

At the end of January I posted about my aunt Macy & uncle Dick who have occupied a large piece of my heart since I was born.  (You can read that post  here.)  At the time of my post my aunt was in the hospital after suffering a brain bleed.  With a very heavy heart, I now have to write that we lost Macy last week.  She was laid to rest on Sunday with standing room only in the church.

This is such a huge loss for all of my family, including my uncle & their daughter, my mother (Macy was her last living sibling), and my many cousins.  I can honestly tell you that if you had had the privilege of knowing Macy you would have loved her….everybody that knew her did.  She was truly one of the gentlest souls you could ever encounter.  She was extremely dedicated to her family, especially my uncle to whom she was married for 67 years.  To me and all who have known my aunt and uncle, their marriage has always been the most outstanding example of the kind of Christian marriage that God intended.  I don’t know if they ever even had an argument.  They found such joy in each other, in their children and grandchildren, and in their many nieces and nephews.  They made each of us feel so very special in our own individual way.

The world will not be nearly as sweet without Macy in it, and I know my uncle is going to have a huge adjustment not being able to see and talk to his “baby” on this earth ever again.  I don’t think he will ever again find true happiness until he is reunited with her in heaven.  Dick has always been such a blessing to me in my life, someone I have always adored and looked up to, so my heart just aches for him.  He will now have to make some decisions for his own future, and I am praying each day that God will guide him and Lori to make necessary changes that will bring him peace.

Thank you to any of you who said even one prayer for these precious people.  It was time for God to take her home, but our family surely will feel the void.  Thank you, God, for giving me such a wonderful aunt and uncle to bless my life in so many ways.

Rest in peace, Macy, and enjoy your new heavenly home with your mama & daddy, your precious son who went on before you, and your brothers & sisters that were waiting for you.  We will look after Dick and love him for you until God joins you together once again.  I love you so much and will miss you terribly, but I know Heaven is just a little more beautiful with your arrival.

All the Colors of the Rainbow

“I prefer living in color.”  --David Hockney

I agree with David…I love color!  I often see magazine pictures of rooms decorated in all white, and though they are beautiful I know I could never live without color.  As a child, when I would color a picture, I made sure to use every single color in the crayon box😊

(My granddaughter asked me recently what my favorite color is.  I told her I really didn’t think I had a favorite because I just love them all.  She pressed me a little further and so I said, “If I just have to choose, I guess it would be red.)

Did you know that the Color of the Year for 2019 is…..

L I V I N G   C O R A L

at least according to the PANTONE COLOR INSTITUTE.  According to their website:

          “The Pantone Color Institute is the business unit within Pantone that highlights top season runway colors, forecasts global color trends, & advises companies on color for product & brand visual identity.  Through seasonal trend forecasts, color psychology, & color consulting, the Pantone Color Institute partners with global brands to leverage the power, psychology, & emotion of color in their design strategy.”      (Whew!  That’s a mouthful!)

About Living Coral Pantone says it “symbolizes our innate need for optimism & joyful pursuits.”  Well, our society right now sure could use a double dose of optimism!  I’m not sure why they chose to name it “living” coral, but Pantone describes this color as “an animated, life-affirming shade of orange, with golden undertones.”  Coral is not a color I have often worn (I think I have only one thing in my whole closet that color…a sweater), but if I’m going to be on trend this year I guess I’d better go shopping!  I do think coral is a pretty color, but with my hair and skin tone, I would definitely need one of the darker shades….pastels are not my friend.

So…I decided to look around the internet and see what I could find that might inspire us to add at least some shade of coral to our lives.

I really like these pants from Belk…they would look great for spring with a crisp white shirt.  I do love a skinny-leg pant!

Belk

This shirt would look great with a pair of white jeans.

Belk

And if your favorite fella is into bright colors (like mine), here's something for him.  My hubby loves this type of shirt.

Belk

If you aren’t into wearing such a bold color or perhaps think it’s not a “good color” for you, you might try an accessory like these:

TJMaxx...only $14.99

New Balance @ Zappos  (New Balance is so comfy!)

 TJMaxx

Zappos 

One of my favorite color combinations is coral & turquoise, especially in jewelry.  Here are just a couple I’ve drooled over!

Etsy

Etsy

Some other coral jewelry you might prefer:

Alex and Ani

Belk...on sale

Although I’m really not ready to think “swimsuit” quite yet, this one is really pretty and would look great with a little suntan on your skin…just be sure to wear plenty of

sunscreen😊

TJMaxx

Now for those of you who really do love the look of those white rooms, think how pretty a splash of coral here & there would look!

I absolutely adore this flamingo pillow!!!  Wouldn't it be soooo cute in a sunroom or a beach-side cabin?

TJMaxx

Pretty Planter - TJMaxx

Do you have a Yeti yet?  If not, you definitely need to get one.  They are wonderful for keeping your coffee hot on a cold winter day or your favorite summer drink cool and refreshing…for hours.  I wish I had gotten this one, but since they are so expensive I will probably just stick with the one I have.

ebay

And for the person who has everything….or is really into the color of the year…you can even get this Kitchen-Aid mixer.  (I think I’ll just stick to my plain white one!)

Crate & Barrel

I love all colors, and each year I look forward to seeing what color Pantone has chosen to whet our colorful appetites.  What is your favorite color?  Do you think you’ll be into Living Coral?

Update on my aunt:  sadly she is no better, basically worse.  She has still not been responsive and things are looking very grim.  I’m just praying that God will have mercy and take her home to be with Him and with her son, her mother & father, and her many siblings there waiting on her.  It has been a very grueling time for my uncle and cousin.  But God is good and His will is to be done in His time…and I trust Him.  Please continue to pray.  You can read my post about this here 

H E L P!!! What is Google+?????

Blogger Friends, I am indeed in need of help.  I had an email explaining that Google+ is going away and along with it will be any photos, comments, and other things (not sure what all).  Well!!!  I have no clue what Google+ is!!!  I have read and read but don’t understand 99% of what I’ve read….yes, I am very technology-deficient! 

I did find somewhere in the SETTINGS of my blog account that it said I am not using Google+ for comments…didn’t even realize I had a lot of unpublished comments (Google+ evidently) that I was supposed to have approved before publishing.  Most of those though were crazy ones from ANONYMOUS that sounded very very fishy!  I am hoping this means that I won’t lose my blog, but I am still very nervous.

I have emailed a couple of my readers for help, but thought I’d post here too.  Can anyone tell me if I am going to wake up one morning and my blog will have disappeared into cyberspace never to be seen again????  I WOULD BE DEVASTATED.  (I know I should perhaps try to back it up someway, but again I don’t know how to do that!!!)

Any help would be GREATLY APPRECIATED!!!

Update on my aunt:  No change, no improvement, still unresponsive.  My heart is breaking…all my cousins are so upset, and my mother is beside herself with worry.  PLEASE continue to say a prayer for her and my uncle when you think of it.