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y’all!! guess what! it’s really happening, a hand lettering class!! i’ll share my favorite pens, pencils, markers and water colors, along with worksheets & how it all started. y’all will be able to letter or paint your own journal, print or canvas!
sips and snacks included! y’all don’t need to bring anything, but you!!
saturday, may 4th
2pm-5pm
$40
all things acres, 2758 fm 389 brenham texas 77833
Jesus, Pie & Coffee with Stephanie “Honey”Holden, does it get much better than this?? We don’t think so!! Guess what?! It does, she's bringing her sweet mom Loni!! Honey and I met nearly 2 years ago…a complete divine circle. We were holding a Soul Restoration retreat in Round Top, but we didn’t have any sign ups & a few months out, God told me to cancel it. So, I did & guess what He did!? He had Meg Duerksen of text me an amazing question, “hey, wanna teach a pie baking class at The Whatever Craft House?” Are you kidding me? Of course, it was the same weekend I was supposed to have my own retreat. So, I said heck yes!! I met Honey there and we knew we were cut from the same cloth. Last year we had an event together & All Things Acres was raw land, Honey came & we saw the vision & prayed over the Holy Land. I’m beyond excited to have our first gathering at All Things Acres with Honey and her mom. It’s perfect, just as God intended.
Join us on Saturday, April 13th, 4pm-6pm
All Things Acres, Gathering Place
2758 FM 389 Brenham, Tx
We will gather together, face to face, laugh, share about Jesus in our lives, eat lots of pie & coffee.
We can’t wait to sit next to you!!
$40
It all started as a dream. a gathering in round top. It's an amazing place, full of creatives, makers, sisters, brothers and dreamers. GOD has truly been building a tribe. A place for men & women to encourage one another. to support one another. To love one another. we picked during the ANTIQUE SHOW because so many gather in our small town and try to see each other, and we know hard it is to get up and down 237, so why not create an event to bring us all together. And it ended up being so good, that we decided to do it twice a year!
An evening under the clear skies, during ANTIQUE WEEK, fabulous swag bags, AMAZING PRAISE & WORSHIP & yummy dinner, snacks, drinks & lots of surprises!
Book signings start at 5pm & everything else kicks off at 6pm!!
March 29th, 2019 5pm to 10pm
Royers Pie Haven 190 Henkel Circle, Round Top, Tx
HERE'S THE LINE UP, IT'S A GOOD ONE!
Our theme this year is 1 Corinthians 1...that our lives our designed for His glory and our lives are dependent on His good, we can't But HE CAN!!
Wayne Kerr Band will be there to lead praise & worship, we are so excited!! we love Wayne!
Becky Kiser of Sacred Holidays! her book came out last year and is wonderful to savor Jesus in all holidays!! less chaos and more Jesus. She will be out early to sign her amazing books!
Jeane Wynn of Wynn Wynn Media! We have never met in real life, but i can't wait to hear what God lays on her heart to share! Jeane and her husband, Tyson, live in Oklahoma and run their publicity company! Representing the best of Christian authors.
Meredith King , founder of True to Life Ministries, in Lake Jackson & a recent author of, Immovable! She loves Jesus and wants everyone to know HIM!! She will be out earlier to sign her amazing book!
Cindy Jaeger of Cindy Jaeger Designs CIndy hasn't missed a single gathering!! She lives in Tomball & is an amazing artist. She will share a special story to celebrate Jesus and Easter.
there are so many more exciting things, but i want to keep them a surprise!!
follow along on Instagram for details, @graceupongracegirl & @royerspiehaven
bless,
tara & the grace gang
PS...if you'd like to donate to this event or have any questions, email tara@graceupongracegirl.com
Early Bird tickets available 'til March 1st! Then, tickets will be $50 each.
eventually you have to stop & rest. the kind of stuck i’m talking about here is in our daily routine, where we keep pouring out and don’t stop to be filled back up…or we keep going through the motions and know this is not who we were created to be. or relationships. oh boy, can they get me stuck…so, here are some of my fav things & hope they work for you!!!
brain dump…nothing that makes sense. don’t worry about punctation either!! just spill out 3 pages of randomness. thoughts. frustrations. praises. get it all out!! phew that felt good.
do you have a quiet space, in your home, just for you? a place you can go & be still. a comfy chair, blanket, diffusing peace & calming. quiet music in the background? just you, your bible, journal and pen. no phone!!! well, that’s just is best for me, i love the bible app but the phone is a distraction and i can’t stay focused. oh, if you don’t, won’t you create it? it doesn’t need to be big. ask The Lord to tell you what to write, watch the words just pour out. or type out.
3. favorite music to worship to. bethel spontaneous worship, christy nockels lullabies, steffany gretzinger, the undoing. sit in your quiet space you’ve created and worship Him. don’t worry, you can dance and scream, nobody is watching.
4. make it a priority. put the time on your schedule every day, on your phone calendar or planner, set an alarm, just like you do for getting a pedicure!!…put you first, you’re worth it…you need it to do the rest of the day & be the best for you and your people. when i get up and spend time in the word our morning goes so much smoother!! put your oxygen mask on first!
get still to get unstuck...xo
i’ve always baked a pie with crisco. always. there isn’t a why, except, we didn’t have a recipe & knew nothing about pie crusts when a friend from church gave us her grandma’s recipe 30 years ago. pie is what started us on this path & no need to fix what’s not broken. ok, but the one ding dang thing i hate about it is the dirty measuring cup! haha. i hate cleaning greasy measuring cups! yes, i’m the girl that doesn’t love lotions on her hands. i have no idea why and i haven’t done enough therapy to figure it out. anyways, here’s a little taste of one of my favorite pie hacks, line the measuring cup with a paper towel, scoop the crisco on top of the paper towel and it plops right out!! clean measuring cup. the funniest thing about this whole story is, i learned it at a wilton’s cake decorating class when i was 10!
y’all enjoy and go bake a pie!
my goals for 2019 are different this year, i’ve realized that i have to put these first and know that God will do the rest.He’s been faithful to us and 2018 was a year for huge growth.Learning a new schedule of life & still working on that, that some relationships weren’t meant for forever & a learning season, to lean into HIM at all times, PATIENCE AND WAITING!! putting this goals list together helped me to pick my word for 2019, still, the common thread. here’s to being still so we can thrive in all He is doing!! #2019goals #2019word #wordoftheyear #lessonsfrom2018
This is the beginning of a story about perfect circumstances…
no wait, this is a story about answered prayer…
nope, that’s not exactly right either…
this is a story about grace, and about healing and about just believing way down deep in your gut…
or, did this all actually start because I was hungry???
Seriously, I suppose that I am not exactly sure when all of this goodness really started, but I do know that it originally began with PIE.
I mean…who doesn’t like pie? Yep, it was my absolute love of a truly good tasting pie that led me to follow “The Pie Queen” on Instagram a few years ago, and it was my love of the fabulously delectable pie specifically sold at The Pie Haven that kept me there. This particular situation is living proof that God always has a bigger plan than we may realize at times, and one way or another, if we just SHOW UP, He just works things out…because He always knows exactly what we need, and exactly when we need it. This is a story about Divine Intervention.
Two years ago last November, I could not even walk up a flight of stairs in my own home. It took the leading neurosurgeon in Houston exactly 4 back surgeries within a six month period to finally fix me. Over the next year, as I was beginning to slowly heal, the doctor had suggested that I stay away from sugar… it is not good for my autoimmune issues or the degenerative arthritis symptoms I will continue to deal with for the remainder of my life. I immediately went through my Instagram feed, and got rid of all posts having anything to do with baking and sugar, except one…
Tara Royer Steele.
I had noticed that Tara’s Instagram postings were taking on a slightly different direction, so it was not a big deal for me to keep on reading about pie…
and then truth…
and then some darn good pie…
and then dumb lies…
and then, of course, another beautiful pie…
and then all about doing something just for yourself that was really important and so so brave. Tara talked about going to a camp where you could work with others to let go of all of those old lies . You know, the lies that have been living inside of our heads for years and years and years. The ugly lies that are basically taking up so much space in our brains that there isn’t any room left for more beautiful stuff…like the truth. The really good stuff that God originally gave to us when we were born, because we honestly are each beautifully and wonderfully made.
Hmmmmm…my curiosity was totally peaked and I wanted to know more about what this pie maven was talking about.
The next thing I knew, I was vectored in on The Brave Gathering site reading all about Soul Restoration, and making art, and the possibility of healing from the inside out…
and did I mention that there was a slight chance we may even get some pie? One piece of pie is fine! The camp would be held at The Wander Inn, a place run by the super cool Junk Gypsy’s, which was a smidge over an hour away from Houston. This location was awesome because I could easily justify travel costs to Big Daddy. Besides, my sweet hubs is always the first person in my life to remind me that I am totally worth taking care of myself. I am the one who struggles the most with doing something for me.
I eagerly sent Tara an email asking if “regular” people could come…I am not sure what I meant by that…because I am certainly irregular, but that is what I asked her, and she answered right back telling me she still had room. She also told me all about the fabulous Melody Ross curriculum and how it had impacted her life for the better. It sounded perfect and I was going to sign up right away. However, my darling daughter had her third beautiful baby girl, and I honestly did not think twice about camp again for at least another week. All was good in my world, and Nanna Danna was happy staying at my daughter’s house with all of my precious grand babies …snuggles are the best!
Late one night, I was saying my prayers, and that “mystery happy lady truth camp” popped right back into my head…along with that giant feeling that I really needed to go, or I would be soooooo sad.
I swear, it was a “Kevin Costner” kind of voice hearing thing from his movie, Field of Dreams… “if you build it, they will come”, but more like…
if you go to camp, you will get to eat pie!!!
I really did try to sign up again the next day, but my granddaughters were not cooperating at all, and by night time, I could not hold my eyes open long enough to sign on to the computer. Babies make you so tired, and every time I laid down, I fell asleep, but I could not stop thinking about camp.
Honestly, It was the most interesting thing the way this silly camp, that I knew nothing about, called out to me and my heart, and I had zero idea why! I just knew that I had to go to camp, and I knew that for some reason… God wanted me to go. I also knew that I needed to get in touch this girl, who I had never ever met in person, and give her some money ASAP to hold my place. I tried to log on again, and again, but the little girls always needed my attention…everyone always needed or wanted Nanna! How in the world could I possibly get this “Tara girl” real dollar bills to hold my spot? I picked up my phone to call her again…the girls were chasing me around wanting my cell phone, and I had no choice but to leave her a really intelligent extremely professional message…giving her all my information, along with my credit card number. I told her “Just sign me up! I have cash money to give you!”. She called me back laughing, but it was done! This girl was going to camp!
Three days later, Hurricane Harvey came viciously barreling into town, and took away so many many things representing the last 23 years of my life, my marriage, of my children’s lives, and of my family’s lives. If I had not already signed up for Soul Restoration before the storm hit, there is absolutely no way that I would have done it. I was truly in shock and totally devastated over the destruction that nasty horrible flood water had caused to my world.
Thank you Heavenly Father for knowing me and knowing what I needed, and knowing how desperately I needed it. Thank you Jesus for placing Tara, and Soul Restoration, and Brave Girls, and Melody, and all of my new beautiful sisters into my life exactly when you did. Thank you God for loving me the way that you do. I put all of my trust and faith into your big glorious hands, and YOU held on tight to me and gave me the courage I needed to TRUST THE PROCESS.
I needed to hide this pie! Lordy, add some ice cream and you have breakfast!!!
oh that oatmeal and cinnamon topping gets me every time!! don't over heat the butter!
Brayden couldn't wait to get this in his mouth!!! hurry up mom and take the picture!!!
y'all enjoy!
I'm so excited for the Fall Gathering at Round Top! So many wonderful changes, first one, we moved it to a Friday! hopefully more of y'all can come!!!
don't y'all just love the line up?
For where two or three are gathered in my name, i am there. matthew 18:20
It all started as a dream. a gathering in round top. It's an amazing place, full of creatives, makers, sisters, brothers and dreamers. GOD has truly been building a tribe. A place for men & women to encourage one another. to support one another. To love one another. we picked during the ANTIQUE SHOW because so many gather in our small town and try to see each other, and we know hard it is to get up and down 237, so why not create an event to bring us all together. And it ended up being so good, that we decided to do it twice a year!
An evening under the clear skies, during ANTIQUE WEEK, fabulous swag bags, AMAZING PRAISE & WORSHIP & yummy dinner, snacks & drinks.
HERE'S THE LINE UP, IT'S A GOOD ONE!
Debbie Forrest Byrd will be there to lead praise & worship, she's been with us since the start!
Bailey Jo Simpson, oh sweet Bailey Jo, one day she reached out and asked if she could share her story, of course!!! she is soft, gentle and has a servants heart. I know she will bring so much goodness for us.
Bud, The Pieman, Royer well, i'm pretty excited about this!!! it's my dad and we have a beautiful story of restoration.
Jeanne Oliver oh i love this story! i've followed Jeanne for a long time, we meet in the real world a year ago and i'll let her share her story of coming to Round Top, the main thing is, JESUS alll the way!
Alisha Munden-this sister! well, you got a snippet of her last gathering, and i can't wait to hear the word God gives her!
Barbara Collins-we met through pie, pie opened the door for love, encouragement and support!! can't wait to hear what she has to share with us!!
Plus come early and stay late for a book signing with Jeanne Oliver!!
tickets are $38 through 8/15 then are $42 after that. here's the link!
Follow along on Instagram for details, @graceupongracegirl
Bless,
Tara Royer Steele
PS...if you'd like to donate or sponsor this event or have any questions, email tara@graceupongracegirl.com, we would love for y'all to partner alongside us!!
Brayden has been learning how to cook and loving it! his favorite thing might be learning to cut vegetables, but he sure does love his sweets. so we made our take on a dreamsicle and we think it's amazing!!! so, here are the details...
FILLING
3/4 cup of fresh squeezed orange juice
2 eggs
1/4 cup soft butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1/4 tsp salt
3 tsps of orange zest
preheat oven to 350. combine dry ingredients 'til thoroughly mixed. add wet ingredients 'til combined. we used a hand mixer and liked it best! pour into your favorite pie crust and bake for 45 mins or set. while that is cooking, make the topping and refrigerate. once the pie is ready, refrigerate 'til cool.
1 pint of heavy whipping cream
2 cups of powdered sugar
1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
1 Tbsp of orange zest
beat cream and sugar 'til thick, about 10 mins, fold in orange juice and zest. once the pie is cool, add topping and fresh blueberries. if you can't wait, go ahead and eat it all or let it set over night and enjoy!!!!!
y’all! i’m a tad giddy about this evening, of course, the podcast is one of my fav things God is doing right now!!!
and, now we want to gather at the table with y’all! we want to create a safe place for y’all to come and connect, be fed physically and spiritually!
won’t y’all join us on june 16th, at 7pm, in brenham!! we can’t wait to be with y’all!
tickets are $30 and include dinner, time of connecting and sharing and other goodies.
space is limited, grab a girlfriend & snag your tickets on eventbrite!
love!! tara, merritt & kristi
a new week and a new idea...i have this clear slate to talk about what happened last week, a recap of all the blessings. a way for me, to go back and see alllll the goodness.
monday was not fun. let's just start there. 5 shots in my mouth for a tooth. GOD BLESS. why don't they offer laughing gas anymore? rick was in the waiting room and i texted him about the shots and that i was shaking & wished he was with me. so grateful he came along to drive me home and spend a little quality time together in the car & some tortilla soup. life has changed a lot over the last 2 years and drastically in the last year. we used to ride to work together, stand next to each other at the grill cooking food all day, but now we go in separate directions, fulfilling God's plan for our lives. my love languages have changed over the last few years too & quality time is now up at the top. do you know what your love language is? gifts, words of affirmation, quality time, physical touch or acts of service (that's still mine!!!).
well, tuesday was a great day of meeting with shannon hemmitt, she's the new catering director at the cafe. this was my first week of not having that title. it was a big change, but know that God has a plan. pretty sure it's even better than i can imagine. later on i had lunch with my favorite podcast girls, kristi and merritt. we hadn't seen each other in 3 weeks and it was like a high school reunion. we caught up on allllll the crazy goodness & started to plan our first brave dinner. it's june 16th, y'all keep watch. it's going to be the best!!!!
hump day. oh it was a doozy. like started in carline doozy. i had set the day aside to do my first, real writing assignment & had asked God for clarity and what he wanted to say through me. oh boy, there might have been bouts of sobbing, face plants on the ground in prayer and more bouts of sobbing. let's just say that by 8:30pm my eyes still burned and just wanted to close. the words for the bible study poured out and God used that morning to spread his goodness. can't wait to share more about this with y'all!! stay tuned. the girls came over for bible study and it was the best. we are almost done with lisa whittle's, put your warrior boots on, it's a good one. it's hard work but a great study to follow! go grab your friends and just start.
thursday, was a day we had been waiting for!! soul book for kids! 125 4th graders from krause elementary gathered to make soul books. books that they can put things they always want to remember in. if we could get truths in front of kids at this early stage of life, i believe it would be life changing. life is hard and it's only getting harder with relationships and social media. so many distractions and layers that the world adds. it was an amazing time for the kids to engage in truths for 2 hours!! can't wait 'til the next one. if you're interested, please let us know!!
friday came and i wanted to just rest. i see so much to do, but i need to be alone. sit in quiet or do something to fill me back up. so i cleaned my car. really cleaned my car and it felt so good, ya know? what is something that you can do for you to fill back up? what feels like self respect? painting my toe nails could be next.
sunday i had an opportunity to go help some friends reach the homeless on the streets of houston. i met linda and she was so tired and weary, and just wanted to end her life because she saw it as easier. she said she had planned on going to the highway and just end it. we prayed and i knew that's exactly where i was supposed to be. then there was jill. sweet jill just wanted someone to listen to hear her story. she's so excited about the chance to have a place of her own, she's hoping the city housing authority will approve her today. i told her i would be back and she said she was going to write her name on the column if she had gotten her place so i could see. oh what a beautiful time. thank you Father for these sweet ladies.
the week was full of hard, hard stuff & i got stuck a time or two, i grieved some of it and need to grieve a bit more, but i'm not going to stay stuck, because that's not who i am. i'm a child of God and i CANNOT fail because of that.
xo,
tara
we are so excited about this!! soul work and art is one of our favorite things. first, we must take time for us and we know that going to a camp for a week isn't easy, but you can definitely make it happen for one day! a day to invest in you. to remember what your soul needs to hear. come with your husband or kids, we can order ones that are specific to them too! make it a family day of loving, sharing and connecting. march 3rd, from 10am to 4pm we will gather at our home and share, encourage, love and build each other up, instead of divide. we will provide all needed to make your own soul book, art supplies, lunch and snacks. we have a very limited space and can't wait for y'all to come. when you sign up, we will send the address. cost $75
visit our website, thebravegathering.com to sign up!!
xoxooxox,
tara
for where two or three are gathered in my name, i am there. matthew 18:20
it all started as a dream. a gathering in round top. it's an amazing place, full of creatives, makers, sisters & dreamers. GOD has truly been building a tribe. a place for women to encourage one another. to support one another. to love one another. we picked during the ANTIQUE SHOW because so many wonderful women are all together in one place. everyone tries to see each other and it's so hard, so why not create an event to bring us all together. and it ended up being so good, that we decided to do it twice a year! won't you join us for our first ever spring gathering??
an evening under the clear skies, during ANTIQUE WEEK, fabulous swag bags, AMAZING PRAISE & WORSHIP & AWESOME eats & drinks.
here's the line up...
the robin wymer band will be there to lead praise & worship.
lisa whittle, emily gray, cathy robinson hutton, & merritt johnson will be there to share their stories.
plus come early and stay late for book signings with jamie ivey and lisa whittle!!
please go like, follow, share & COME!
facebook-the gathering at round top
instagram-@thegatheringatroundtop
bless,
tara steele
PS...if you'd like to donate to this event or have any questions, email thegatheringatroundtop@gmail.com
the other day i heard this awful noise coming from the tail end of my car. we had just traveled to colorado & thought, the mountain must have done a number on her!! so, we ran the car by the mechanics and they were too busy to look at it 'til the following week, but took the time to take a quick ride to make sure i could still drive it. we drove around and he heard it and said, "let me just look and see if anything is hanging down or unattached." well, he found the culprit. a rock. the rock pictured here. a rock so small that i started to think the worst. "oh my goodness, the wheels and axel are going to fly off while i'm driving". "how the heck are we going to afford fixing this?". a little rock caused me to slip off my foundation. how easy something so small causes us to be distracted, off track or stuck. it doesn't take the enemy much to push us off the rock, cause us to doubt or forget our solid rock. stand firm on the rock & keep our eyes on him. he's never wavering or slippery. he has us. always.
"the Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. he is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior." 2 Samuel 22:2-3
stand firm on the rock friends....
tara
y’all, i’m so overjoyed to share one of God’s biggest dream!! i’ve been talking about a podcast for quite awhile, different ideas, chatted with different friends about what it should look like. i believed that there were plenty of podcasts out there and no room for me. well, God lead us here. let me tell you a little about these two sisters on the brave collective. first, never saw this coming.second, i’ve been in circles with these girls but truly didn’t get to know until the last two years. about when God started shifting my life. anyways, kristi & i had always wanted to meet but we never were in the same place or believed the lies that we weren’t the same people and couldn’t be in the same circle!!! you’ll have to listen to our first podcast to see how we met!! on to Merritt, oh man. she is that sister that can pray. she has lead prayers at all The Gatherings at Round Top & that truly was the extent of our relationship. i believed she was too smart for me & definitely knew more Jesus than me, so we couldn’t be close. Lies again.(that’s another story, The Brave Gathering is where i learned to smooooosh lies). anyways, Merritt approached me about a podcast. me. someone i didn’t think i was good enough to be around. isn’t God awesome??? ok, these episodes are raw and real. haha!! Abbie is the best & makes us sound good! sooooo, head on over to itunes and subscribe and enjoy gathering in a circle with a group of sisters that only God brought together. and, if you want to leave a review we won’t be sad!! xoxoxoxoxox
merritt, tara and kristi
i'm ready for a bag of lettuce, and this chicken margarita pizza pie goes perfect with it!!! when we opened the pie haven we wanted to have more than sweet pies, so savory pies were added to the mix. this was our first and the most popular!! it's my favorite. enjoy y'all!!! p.s. make a couple and put them in the freezer and pull out for a friend who needs dinner or a neighbor who is hurting. peace through pie. love through pie. meet people where they are & serve pie. it's healing. promise.
pie & blessings,
tara
recently i had the privilege to teach a pie baking class at susie davis's home. she has been such an encourager to me. we met through pie. she emailed the cafe in 2016 about catering her daughter sara's wedding and through that i was able to get to know her. to have a deep relationship. one of truths, love and encouragement. the night (nov. 16) of the wedding i stood at the on the grass watching will davis (the daddy) dance with her daughter and turned into a blubbering mess. susie came and asked if i was ok, and i pretty much threw up a lot of words, feelings and snot. (ps my dad and i have the best relationship we have ever had now!!) through that vulnerable moment a connection was made. she invited me to be on her podcast & then to be the first to gather and teach in her new home. what a gift. she brings wise knowledge and helps me grow deeper with Christ. all because of pie. i hope that y'all enjoy this recipe, it reminds me of my granny's cranberry bread. be sure to add some whipped cream or ice cream, it cuts the tartness. merry christmas!
love,
tara
i doodled this earlier in the week and wasn't sure what i was going to write about, until last night. last night, love came down from heaven in the form of snow. it stopped the whole state of texas. something so small as snow, but so BIG from our GOD. he rescued our tired and weary souls. kids screamed with excitement as most had never seen snow. a first for so many. kisses from loved ones above. parents stopped and were still & filled with joy. thank you Lord for reminding us that you have washed us white as snow and we are always yours. you are always with us. even in the snow.
i doodled this earlier in the week and wasn't sure what i was going to write about, until last night. last night, love came down from heaven in the form of snow. it stopped the whole state of texas. something so small as snow, but so BIG from our GOD. he rescued our tired and weary souls. kids screamed with excitement as most had never seen snow. a first for so many. kisses from loved ones above. parents stopped and were still & filled with joy.
the definition of joy...last night
a feeling of great pleasure and happiness.
"tears of joy"
synonyms:delight, great pleasure, joyfulness, jubilation, triumph, exultation, rejoicing, happiness, gladness, glee, exhilaration, exuberance, elation, euphoria, bliss, ecstasy, rapture;
thank you Lord for reminding us that you have washed us white as snow and we are always yours. you are always with us. even in the snow.