Such a Wonderful Treat!

Today we were blessed to be the guests of some very dear people...actually people that some of you here in blogland may already know, or will certainly recognize:

Yes! We were the very happy guests in the lovely new home of our dear hostess at Sweet Tea And Sandals, none other than our friend Barbara and her Beloved Husband Tom.  

If you have been following Barbara's blog, you know that she and her hubby have just recently made a very big move from one part of the state to another, to a wonderful newly constructed home in a marvelous retirement community...which happens to be within an hour's drive from where we live!

If you are like me, you have been watching the progress of them settling into their new home with much interest...and you can imagine just how thrilled my hubby and I were to actually be invited to come and enjoy a delicious lunch and tour of their new home today!!

Actually, this is not our first meeting...if you have followed my blog, you will remember that our friends visited in our home a few months ago as they were passing through from their "old home" to their "new home in progress"...(Click HERE for that story!)...so now we are feeling like we really are "old friends"!

 Barbara is woman of many talents, one of which is quilting.  There were many beautiful quilts throughout her home, and I wish that I had taken the time to photograph every one, but I didn't want to be too overly nosy and zealous...however this quilt above graces the entry hallway to their home, and I found it to be so interesting, with little extra "trinkets" attached  all over the quilt, which each stand for some of Barbara's specific interests and hobbies.

I asked permission to take this picture of her little computer nook, which is just off the kitchen area, and is so very handy and compact...a perfect spot to check emails, write her blog, check new recipes, visit on Facebook...all while keeping track of what's cooking in the kitchen... So very clever. Her hubby built the desk specifically for this space, and it is perfect! Such a great idea!

Now, if you have been following Barb's posts, you know that this master bathroom shower is the main attraction for all guests to their new home! Even before the house was completed, anyone who came to view the progress had to have their pictures taken inside this ginormous shower stall!!

So, of course, I told Barbara that I would not leave her house until we had this same opportunity and privilege...and she was only too happy to oblige us!!  We discussed the fact that since they are living in "horse country", apparently the builders thought their homes should have a shower large enough to give a horse a shower!!  And it certainly could!!! 

 Giddy up...let's move on...

I'm sorry this photo is a little blurry, but I wanted to take a picture of this particular quilt, as Barbara calls this her "moose in the woods" quilt...You will see there is a moose in the middle of all those trees.  Since we have lived in moose country before (New Hampshire and Maine), anything regarding a moose always catches our attention.

I love this Word Wall...with many interesting messages.

Barbara and I both seem to  love signs...so that was a good sign that we would be good friends!

Here's another "sign" that we would be good friends:  Below is Barbara with her "staff", as she calls them...her cute dolls and teddy bears and furry friends who supervise her work in the sewing room.

I don't have a sewing room, but I do have dolls and other kinds of "staff" who keep watching me too.

Probably a good thing...I always need help staying on task.  I would love to introduce Barbara's "Staff" to my "Staff", but they may all conspire together against us and who knows what kind of pandemonium might happen! 

After our wonderful tour, we had a marvelous lunch and a nice long visit.

Thankfully, we remembered before we left that we still had not taken a picture of us together!

So here we are:

One of the other things that makes us have a special connection is our love for the Lord. Perhaps I should say that is "the main attraction".

These verses came to mind as I was thinking about this:

Philippians 2:1-2

"Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, 

if any comfort of love, 

if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy,

Fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind."

Oh, one more picture on the way out the door.  This is what they call their "mud room".  I can assure you, there was no sign of any mud in this cute little hallway leading out to the garage...just a very clever arrangement of cubbies and a hat rack and storage bench.  What a wonderful idea! 

There were so many beautiful features in this home that I wish I had taken pictures of, but if you visit Barbara's blog you will see different aspects as she welcomes you to visit.  All I can say is, their home is very lovely and so lovingly decorated and designed with family and fellowship in mind...and we were welcomed so kindly and graciously...Barbara and her "Beloved" Tom have certainly mastered the art of southern hospitality in record time!!

Thank you, Barbara and Tom, for this delightful day today.  Now I know everyone out here in blogland will be waiting for their invitation...I may have started something here...but knowing Barbara, she would be more than happy for you to come visit!

This is one of the reasons I love blogging...I have met such wonderful people here...most are still friends through our connections here in "cyberspace"...but what a great joy when we are able to actually meet face to face and realize that we like each other even more in person!! I hope that we will each have that opportunity to meet in person someday.   God bless you each and every one!!!