The beautiful new GREEN Heritage canning jars and a GIVEAWAY!

You may remember that last year I was taken with the blue Ball Heritage Collection jars.

Well, this spring I was delighted to learn that Jarden Home Brands, makers of Ball brand home canning products, is introducing a new limited edition of Ball Heritage Collection jars in a new color--spring green!  Available in both regular-mouth pint size and wide-mouth quart size, these are "Perfection" jars,  celebrating the 100th anniversary of the the Ball brothers' "Perfect Mason" jar.

Aren't they gorgeous?  These jars pay tribute to the original jars created in 1914 in Muncie, Indiana.  Of course, these jars meet all modern standards for quality and reliability, and after 100 years they are still 100% made in America.

Here are a few ways I'll be using these lovelies in my home this spring.

Of course they make wonderful drinking glasses, and doesn't the green color look great on my front porch?



 For my next party, I think I'll use them to hold cutlery.



And as a simple flower vase, these can't be beat!

I'm in the process of making some changes to my kitchen, including painting my island--you guessed it!--green, so these green jars arrived just in time for me!



Best of all, these green jars look gorgeous mixed with last year's blue jars.  Just look:

Aren't they lovely sparkling in the sunlight?  So pretty that I just had to create a Waterlogue from the photo:

I know you're going to love these as much as I do, and I'm thrilled to be able to give away a case of these jars to one of you!

Here's what you can win:



Just follow the simple instructions and enter via Rafflecopter.  If you're reading in an email, click over to my blog to enter.  Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


**Disclosure: Jarden Home Brands provided me with a case of these jars to preview and will provide a case to the giveaway winner.  I received no compensation for writing this review, and all opinions are strictly my own.

Sunday Soul Care

Today I am thanking God for spring and all that it signifies. Won't you join me?

With love to you, my friends--

Not your typical Spring Break

I could have titled this post "A mom's gotta do what a mom's gotta do."

Or "What it looks like when a mom gets to do something really special."

Or "Why I'm still not over my jet lag."

No matter what I called it, this is what I would show you:

That's one of my favorite photos from Spring Break.  As you can see, it's taken in a modest restaurant.  But this modest restaurant is in East Asia, where I went to visit my oldest son.

The last time I saw him was August 13 of last year.  Here we are just before I put him on the plane, when I was valiantly fighting back tears:



Truthfully, I didn't go all that way to see more of the world.  I wasn't dreaming of international travel.  I didn't need to rack up frequent flyer miles.  I just wanted to see my son.  I wanted to catch a glimpse of what he's doing, to share a bit of his life.

Somehow it doesn't seem like that's it's been too long ago that my son and I looked like this:



But as you might guess from my floral pajamas, this was taken was 1991, and at that time Will was utterly dependent on me for everything.  I'll be honest: during my time in East Asia, I felt almost as though our roles were reversed.  Since I knew nothing of the language or the locale, I was pretty much dependent on Will for everything.  And God bless him: he took awfully good care of his Mom.

The end of my week in Asia brought a big treat.  Before I came home, Will and I got to fly to Beijing, China, where neither of us had ever been.  The very best part of that trip?  Driving out to the countryside and taking a little climb:

And here's my favorite.  I instagrammed this photo with the caption: "Hard to beat climbing the Great Wall of China with your firstborn." 

 

Later, Will instagrammed the same photo.  His caption? "Great Mom. And a wall."

For that, my friends, I'd fly a long, long way.

Have you ever traveled a long distance to spend time with a loved one?  I'd love to hear about it!

Soul Care Sunday

A photo from my travels, and just a little reminder of God's love and care:

Have a wonderful day!

Soul Care Sunday

Weary from a long winter, I found hope this week in the two great books: the Bible and the "Book of Nature," God's creation.  My heart needed it!  Perhaps yours needs it, too.

A blessed day to you, friends!

Making changes in my kitchen

When we moved into our home in 2005, one of our favorite things about the house was the kitchen.  Here's how it looked back when I started blogging:

Over the years I've changed a few tiny things here and there, but not a lot.

We still love this kitchen, but it's time to make some more substantial changes. Now, some things won't change. We can't change the cabinetry, and we can't change the countertops. That's okay: the cupboards are custom-made solid maple and the countertops are thick granite. But I want more of a farmhouse look in my kitchen, so I'm making some changes.

 Of course, we've all heard this many times, but it bears repeating: one of the the biggest ways to make changes to your house is also the one that gives the biggest bang for the buck: PAINT.  Last year I changed the kitchen wall color to a brighter apple green, but now I've decided to go much lighter with the wall color. I still wanted a green kitchen, but I went for an old-fashioned color (Sherwin Williams Liveable Green). Here's a good look at the new wall color:

And now for the change I'm most excited about--another paint change. As I said, our cupboards are custom-made solid maple, and my family decided that painting all these cabinets is not the way to go.  But that doesn't mean we can't paint any of them, does it? Look!



I realized that when I looked at my kitchen all I saw was a sea of brown. No more! The island color is another Sherwin Williams color, Oakmoss. I think I'm in love.

I left the hardware on the perimeter cabinetry alone, but I changed the hardware on the island. The new knobs and pulls are "Gilmore" from Restoration Hardware. They're very heavy and so old-fashioned looking, don't you think?

I have several more things to do in this room and hope to have my updated kitchen finished before Easter. I keep telling myself "slow and steady wins the race."

What do you think? Do you like the green island?  Have you ever painted kitchen cabinets?

I'm joining these parties:

Inspire Me Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life

Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

Weekend Bloggy Reading at Serenity Now

March meditation

March is here, and in my hometown it's coming in like a lamb.  I suppose that means it'll go out like a lion, right?

Whatever the weather, here is my prayer for this March:

And as I consider both lion and lamb, I take comfort from these verses from Revelation 5:

Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals.  And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice: "Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?" And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it.  And one of the elders said to me, "Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals."

. . . Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice,

"Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might
and honor and glory and blessing!"

And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them,  saying,

"To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!"

Amen!

**Joining the Soli Deo Gloria party at Finding Heaven.**

SPECIAL NOTE:  I've created a version of the artwork above that can be printed and framed.

Click here to access a 4"x6" version.
Click here to access a 5"x7" version.