Delicious Days of Joy

These days are filled with such joy! A special packaged arrived from our beloved grandmomma who lives tucked away in the mountains of Colorado! Our hearts long for her, miss her desperately! The package was not intended for Christmas, it was sent just because I love you! Inside were some new chef's outfits...in the perfect "signature" colors of my girls. Emily...always my "purple girl" as we call her....shrieked excitedly as she donned her apron and her chef's hat! Reaghan, always my pink princess...found hers and also tied it on, pausing a moment to pose in front of the mirror to examine just how adorable she must look! I smiled, grabbed my camera and of course seized the moment for capturing some sweet memories! How is it that grandmomma's know just what will ignite the hearts of their babies? She knows them sooooo well!!

Tender memories began to fill my mind....myself a tiny girl with long brown hair, pulling up a chair next to my momma in the kitchen! She had carefully found and woven together a set of recipes that would bless her own family, and unknowingly be handed down to generations after her! We would gather the bowls, the ingredients, and work together in the kitchen creating these delectable cookies and treats together. Her careful instruction, her sweet patience with my childish attempts at cookie making. I smile. Memories of a kitchen filled with the fragrance...of cookies, but mostly of love. Love that has blossomed into a beautiful friendship!

I look around my own modest kitchen. My girls delighting in their spoons, bowls, and myriads of cookie ingredients! So with tender heart I pull down a couple of the recipes passed down from my own momma. I read them over to my girls...telling them of my own memories of these exact recipes. And we embark on our own cookie making day! Laughter fills the room, tiny voices chattering with joy over kitchen tasks...memories flood in. Measuring, Mixing, Creating....and of course the stolen nibbles here and there! I am grateful today, for my momma....for her love...for her legacy! I see a little of her in each of my girls, and I know that one day, they will be creating these same cookies, in their own kitchens, filled with love....and a heart full of sweet, sweet memories!





(Photos: Cookie Making in Chef's Outfits)

Handmade Burp Cloths

Two precious friends recently had babies...one a delicious and long awaited baby boy, and the other a tender and sweet, much celebrated, baby girl! In a labor of love, I created a gift that would be both practical and decorative....beautiful handmade burp cloths. Really, it was a gift in itself, I had every intention of putting away the sewing machine and not thinking about it again. And yet in the creating of these small gifts, I found such peace...such celebration. As the machine hummed gently along, and I watched these sweet gifts emerge right before my eyes, I found myself praying for and celebrating these tiny souls!

My thoughts drifted to my dear friends, envisioning them holding these tiny loved ones...these new, precious members of their families. Awe...celebration...and with every stitch of the machine, these thoughts and prayers were tucked inside these humble gifts.

Two other friends happened to see my new "creations", and asked if they could order a set for themselves. I was humbled, and blessed by their interest and gladly filled their request. This time I had more fun, as I embellished a little more, added a little ribbon trim and let my creative juices flow just little bit. I was finding such joy in making these little trinkets! The recipients were thrilled and thus began my tiny, home enterprise...Iva Rose Creations.

"Iva" was my dear great, grandmother who held every bit of grace and strength in her wrinkled hands. Hands that snuggled babies, and wiped tears. Hands that cooked and cleaned tirelessly for a large family and anyone else who happened to stop by. Hands that opened her home to all who needed a quiet refuge from the storms of their lives. "Iva" Robbins, a simple, ordinary and delightful woman whose very presence enriched the lives of generations of children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and even great, great grandchildren before her passing. Leaving behind her a legacy of rich memories, it is with tearful eyes that I christen these little treasures with her name...

And so I gather my fabric and quietly putter at designing something simple, but beautiful. I do not know where these new creations will eventually find their home, but I know it will be on the lap of a loving momma, as she tenderly celebrates this precious new life that she's been graced with. And as she reaches to wipe up the ordinary "messies" of this new little one, my prayer is that she may find celebration and beauty in every moment spent in the presence of her tiny angel.

Please visit Iva Rose Creations for ordering information or email me directly at

ivarosecreations@yahoo.com