Pink Paper Peppermints ♥ Life is Sweet ♥

Free Embroidery Pattern Series--12 Things God Wants You to Remember--May--I Will Heal You

 

 

Hello Friends!

It's time for this month's Free embroidery pattern!

 

If you're just joining in, here is the link to the overview page:

12 Things God Wants You To Remember

 

 

12 Things -- #5 "I will heal you." 1 Peter 2:24

 

 

If you need healing whether it's physical, spiritual or emotional, I pray that you would seek God today and that He would hear you and answer you.

 

I love this song by Michael W. Smith that talks about God's healing rain:

 

 

 

 

Here is the pattern:

 

 

Download the free pattern here: May Embroidery Pattern

 

There is a copy with the fifth thing God wants you to remember, "I will heal you" and a blank copy for you to fill in your own phrase or scripture in the frame if you'd like to use it again. 

 

(it's a pdf so you'll need Adobe Reader installed.  Get it here for free)

 

I used a silver metallic embroidery floss for the "steam" and twisted it with a plain white floss to make it a little easier to use.

The stitches this month are:

♥ Lazy Daisy

♥ French Knot

♥ Back Stitch

♥ Seed Stitch (I used this to fill in the heart)

 

I'd love to see your work if you're stitching along with us!  Send me a link or a photo to be featured on the blog!

 

Grace & Peace,

♥ Melissa~
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"...for it is time to seek the Lord, that He may come and rain righteousness upon you."  -Hosea 10:12

tuesday morning sunroom love

There is nothing sweeter to me these days than sitting in our sunroom, with my little guy in my lap and reading our science books as the morning sunshine streams through the windows.

We are studying zoolology at the moment, (Apologia, Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day) and more specifically birds and eggs and nests.

In the perfect little gift from the Lord we have had not one, but two pairs of wrens build nests in the eaves on either side of the sunroom.

 

(Having God for a Superintendent of your school pays off...He can arrange field trips like no other...heh-heh)

We are beside ourselves with joy at the thought of lots of little baby birds chirping outside our school room soon.  I hope I'll be able to capture it in pixels for you (is that what we say now instead of "capture it on film" ??)

 

Hope you're having a wonderful day of spring sunshine yourself.

 

Grace & Peace,

♥ Melissa~

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"Look at the birds in the sky! They don’t plant or harvest. They don’t even store grain in barns. Yet your Father in heaven takes care of them." -Matthew 6:25

Free Embroidery Pattern Series-March "12 Things God Wants You to Remember"

The March pattern is here!

 

One of my favorite scriptures (which is silly, because they're *all* my favorite) is Romans 5:8,

"But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

The Message puts it this way:

"Christ arrives right on time...He didn't, and doesn't, wait for us to get ready. He presented Himself for this sacrificial death when we were far too weak and rebellious to do anything to get ourselves ready.

And even if we hadn't been so weak, we wouldn't have known what to do anyway.

We can understand someone dying for a person worth dying for, and we can understand how someone good and noble could inspire us to selfless sacrifice.

But God put His love on the line for us by offering His Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to Him." -Romans 5:6-8

I think that was God's way of saying, "I believe in you". 

Not in the, "I think you're so great you can do anything" way, but in the, "I see value and worth in you, you were worth dying for when there was no indication that you would return that kind of love to me."  way.

So the next time you're feeling not that great about yourself...remember how valuable you are to God, the Creator of the Universe.  K? 

And then go work on your embroidery.  :)

And listen to this song...

 

The Stitches:

Split Stitch- I used the Split Stitch for the cloud, bird, kite and string as well as the lettering.  As before, I only used 2 strands of floss because some of the lines are so tiny. (a little french knot for the birdie eye and wing)

 

Scallop Stitch-  On the little scallops around the kite, I thought I actually made up this stitch based on the lazy daisy, but I found a tutorial on how to do it, so clearly, I did not make it up. heh-heh 

I couldn't find a video but here is the tutorial I found at Crafty Daisies.  She's great!

 

I used a Satin Stitch to fill in some of the letters and the heart.  You can find info on that stitch in the January Pattern Post

For the Kite Tails I just snipped little tiny rectangles of co-ordinating fabric.

Next I pinched them in the middle and took a couple of stitches through the fabric (where I pinched).

And finally, I attached them where the X's are on the pattern.

 

 

March Free Pattern Download

(it's a pdf so you'll need Adobe Reader installed.  Get it here for free)

 

 

If you're just joining in, here is the link to the overview page:

12 Things God Wants You To Remember

 

Lots more stuff coming soon.  Still playing catch up (and playing with my iPhone!).

Hope you are all doing well!

Grace & Peace,

♥ Melissa~
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"But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." -Romans 5:8

My notebook, My quote book, My look-what-I-wrote-book - Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!

I found this spiral notebook at Hallmark one year and have always loved it. (I heart the Cat in the Hat!) It gave me the idea to create a little mini book with a Seuss-ish theme.

I started by sketching out a template reminiscent of a certain cat's hat .

Then I just cut the template apart creating a paper-piecing pattern (tutorial & pattern below).

Next I glued everything together and attached it to a folded mini-book.

I think this would be really fun to use in a lapbook for homeschoolers, for journaling or a tag for scrapbookers or even a little book in which to collect favorite Dr. Seuss or other quotes. 

Since Dr. Seuss's birthday is this month, I thought I'd share this tutorial from my ezine a few years ago.

 

What you'll need to get started:

-Hat Pattern (download here- you'll need Adobe Reader - available for free here)
-Red & White construction paper or cardstock
-20 lb copy paper (if making a mini book)
-Black or gray chalk and cotton balls (optional-to add dimension)
-Adhesive
-Pencil
-Scissors

 

Step One

The first thing you’ll want to do is print the pattern and cut it out.

Fig.1

 

Step Two

The next step will be to trace the pattern on white cardstock in order to create a “base” for your design.

Fig. 2

Cut this out and leave it blank as in Fig 2. We’ll be cutting the pattern apart so we want to have backdrop to simplify putting it back together.

 

Step Three

Now we’ll cut apart the template to create six separate pieces (as shown in Fig. 3).

Fig. 3

 

Be sure to number each piece (as shown in Fig. 3a).

Fig. 3a

This makes it much easier to put the pieces back together, especially if you get interrupted while you’re working (but what are the chances of that happening, right? heh-heh).

 

Step Four

Now we’re ready to start creating our pattern pieces.

Using red & white cardstock trace three alternating pieces on white cardstock and three on red cardstock.

Fig 4

Flip the pieces over backwards to trace (Fig. 4) so that when you’refinished cutting them out, the pencil lines will be on the back, and you won’t have to erase!

Again, be sure to number the pieces so that you’re able to easily realign them.

When you’re finished cutting out all of the pieces you should have something similar to fig. 5 below.

 
Fig. 5

 

Step Five

Next cover the backs of your pieces with the adhesive of your choice and attach them to the base you created in step 2 (Fig 5a).

Fig 5a

 

Step Six

Make a Top-fold Card or Tag

To make a card, folded tag or journaling flap simply fold a piece of cardstock in half and lay your design on the paper with the fold at the top (Fig 6).

Fig. 6

Trace and cut out being sure not to cut the fold and attach your hat to the front.

Fig. 6a

Fig. 6b

Make a Mini-Book

To create a mini-book, fold several sheets of 20 lb copy paper in half (depending on how many pages you’d like your book to have) and trace your pattern on the side fold.(as in Fig. 7).

 
Fig. 7

Cut out your book and attach the hat design to the front. (as in Figs. 7a & 7b)

Fig. 7a

Fig. 7b

 

Step Seven

As a finishing touch you can add depth to your project by rubbing a cotton ball in a little black or gray chalk and running it lightly around the edges of your hat.

Fig. 8

You're finished!

 

Hope you have fun and make some of these this month!  (If you do let me know, I want to see!)

 

Grace & Peace,

♥ Melissa~

PS  Thank you all so much for all your comments and emails about my slideshow woes. It was so encouraging and I could *feel* your prayers.  I was able to finish the slideshow that day with minimal tears and I'm really happy with how it turned out.  Love you all!
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"So speak encouraging words to one another. Build up hope so you'll all be together in this, no one left out, no one left behind. I know you're already doing this; just keep on doing it." -1 Thessalonians 5:11

Free Embroidery Pattern Series-February "12 Things God Wants You to Remember"

 

   

 The February pattern is ready! And it's still February! Yay!

This one is a little love note from God.  I wanted it to look like He carved us a note in a tree of luuuve. :) 

 

(Although if He had I think His handwriting would be way better than mine, but that's ok)

I thought a fun addition to the monthly reminders would be a song to listen to while we're stitching! 

This month's song is by Kari Jobe and is all about her discovery that God is *for her*. 

If you haven't heard it before you should take a minute and listen.  There is something supernatural about this song.  It will move you. 

February Song - "You Are For Me" by Kari Jobe

(the actual song starts at 48 seconds in if you want to skip the intro.  The song is * a. ma. zing.*)

I've also made a page dedicated to the "12 things" so we can have everything  more organized.

I put a little map of what the finished project will (hopefully) look like as well as links to all the patterns and photos and more.  If this is your first month to join us, you'll want to check it out!

12 Things Page

 

I've received lots of questions about the finished size of the project etc.so these should all be answered there.  If not, please email me or leave a comment and let me know what I can help you with.

 

And of course I had to make a button:

<a href="http://kindawonderful.typepad.com/pink_paper_peppermints/12-things-god-wants-you-to-remember-a-series-of-free-embroidery-patterns-and-encouragement.html.html" _mce_href="http://kindawonderful.typepad.com/pink_paper_peppermints/12-things-god-wants-you-to-remember-a-series-of-free-embroidery-patterns-and-encouragement.html"><img border="0" src="http://kindawonderful.typepad.com/12%20things.jpg " _mce_src="http://kindawonderful.typepad.com/12%20things.jpg "/></a>

which you can snag for your blog by copying the code in the little window above and pasting it in your blog's code.

And now for the pattern!

This month's pattern really only has two stitches to practice.(tutorials are linked in the stitch titles)

Stem Stitch -  I used the stem stitch for the tree and the heart.  I think I still need some work on this one, but I like how knubby and tree-ish it looks. 

I only used 2 strands of floss for this because the lines are so small and I didn't want it to be too bulky

 

Backstitch - I used the backstitch for the hearts, leaves and words.  I used 3 strands of floss on the larger hearts and only 2 on the small hearts and leaves.

I just took one long stitch down the middle of the leaves with a darker green floss to give it some depth.

If you wanted to you could fill in your hearts with the Satin Stitch like we learned with the Penguin pattern.

 

I only pinned my pattern on one side when I was tracing it, so you may notice some of my leaves and hearts are a little too close together, compared to the actual pattern, because it slipped without my knowing it. *ugh*  Next time I will pin both sides for sure.

Februray Free Pattern Download 

(it's a pdf so you'll need Adobe Reader installed.  Get it here for free)

I hope you have fun stitching this one!  Please send me links if you post photos, cause I would love to come visit your blog or flickr and see!

In His Love, Peace & Grace,

♥ Melissa~

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"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."  -Jeremiah 29:11

My Sweet Valentine Secret

 


"The secret of the sweet, satisfying companionship of the Lord have they who fear, revere and worship Him, and He will show them His covenant and reveal to them its deep, inner meaning."     --Psalm 25:14


Happy Valentines Day Friends!  Hope yours is full of love and blessings!

 

♥ Melissa~

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"We love because He first loved us." -1 John 4:19

Free Embroidery Pattern & the first of "12 Things God Wants You to Remember"!

 

I'm so excited about today's post!

This is the first in what (Lord willing) will be a 12-month series of free patterns with the theme "12 Things God Wants You to Remember".  (I posted more about it here if you're interested. Scroll to #4)

This is January's pattern...um...in February....because well,  I had *no* idea what I was doing and it was a little harder than I anticipated.

I had so much fun and learned a lot so I think it will get easier as I go along.  February's pattern should be up soon. :)

Edited to Add: It's up here!  Also there is an info page with all the current patterns here now.

What you'll need to get started:

-A copy of the pattern (see below)
-Transfer pen or carbon paper & stylus
-Some type of fabric to stitch on (I used muslin, but you can use any fabric or even recycle a pillow case or piece of clothing)
-Embroidery Needles
-Embroidery Hoop
-Embroidery Floss (It comes in six strands, but I separated out 3 strands to use)
-Scissors

 

This month's pattern has four stitches to practice. 

I'll link you to some super, awesome embroidery stitch tutorials so if you're learning along with me you can have someone "show" you via the magic of  the internet.

Backstitch 

-I used the backstitch on the snow hill, snowflakes, wind, and penguin outline.

-It's pretty easy and one of the basic stitches you'll use a lot for outlining.

-I also tried to use some metallic thread for the snow, but couldn't get it to work very well, it was really wiry.  (This could be user error.)  So instead I used one strand of the metallic with two strands of plain white and that gave me the sparkle I was looking for, but also worked more smoothly into the fabric.

Chain Stitch

-I love this one for the texture it creates. I really wanted his scarf to look like a warm, fluffy, crocheted scarf so I used the chain stitch in multiple colors to create stripes. I changed the direction of the stitches on the knot part of the scarf so it would look tied.

-At the end of the scarf I didn't like how the little ribbony ends were looking so I just stitched some loops and then cut and frayed them to look like fringe.

-I also used the chain stitch on the lettering. I just love the texture, doesn't it look like icing made of floss?!

Satin Stitch

- Satin stitch is used to fill in areas.

- I used the Satin Stitch on his head and wings and a padded satin stitch for his beak.

- The tutorial linked above is from Jenny at Sublime Stitching.  She is amazing!  And the tutorial comes with it's own free pattern so don't miss it! But if you need a video, this one is good.

 

French Knot

- These scared me, because I have never been very good at them, but I knew I needed to practice so besides his eyes, I filled in the heart with lots of little french knots!

- The tutorial I linked you to is so fantastic, I learned it pretty easily from that and didn't feel scared of French Knots anymore after making the heart!

So here is the pattern!  I inlcuded an extra one that is blank, so that you could add your own verse or quote if you like. :)

 

  

Click here to download the pdf of the pattern (you'll need adobe reader)

 

There are lots of ways to transfer a pattern to your fabric, but I found that good old fashioned carbon paper worked best for me.

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(You may think that disappearing ink paper used for dress pattern transfer, would work well.  In fact you may say to yourself, "hey, it would be great if it disappears when I'm done", but guess what? 

It won't wait until you are *done* it will disappear in 24 to 72 hours, so when you go back 24 to 72 hours later to work on your embroidery....your pattern will be bye-bye and you will be sad.

I'm just saying that this may happen to you...I don't know from experience or anything.  So you know..go with the carbon paper.)

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Another thing that worked really well for me was to use the stylus from my old palm pilot instead of a pen or pencil.  I was able to control the weight of the lines better this way and also didn't accidentally go through the paper.  You could also use an embossing stylus.

Next week I'll share some of my favorite embroidery links!

I hope you'll join me in working on these every month!  And I would *love* it if you show me a link if you do.

Hope you are having a fantastic week.

Grace & Peace,

♥ Melissa~

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"The LORD will always guide you; He will satisfy your soul in drought." -Isaiah 58:11

brrr & paper & embroidery & a little Christmas shame

 

 The view out my kitchen window yesterday morning.

~

Seven on Wednesday  

(or something that sounds clever and involves some sort of alliteration)

 

One

  

{that's me trying to impersonate Susan Branch...not happenin'...but it's fun to try.}

 

Two

It is entirely too cold here in Texas. 

I think winter may have lost it's way.  I'd like to hand it a map back to Wisconsin.

"Here you go little winter.  I think your mama is looking for you.  Scurry on back up north now, k?"

Three

I've been working on some Valentines day ideas.

I bought some doilies and made a little "10 things I love about you" mini book for my sweetheart. 

Still have to finish it, but I thought I'd show you how I put it together in case you'd like to make one.

I'll be posting the how-to later this week.

Four

I'm also working on some embroidery ideas.  I've had a magnet for years that says "10 things God wants you to remember."  It's always encouraged me. I actually posted the text from it awhile back.

I was thinking it would be so cool to do an embroidery sampler of a different thing God wants us to remember each month to practice some stitches. So I sketched out some ideas.

 

I had to add a couple of things to make enough for 12 months and I changed a couple and added scriptures.  I'm still working on it but I've already made my own pattern for January and started stitching it! 

I thought I'd share that with you too.  Maybe one each month and we can learn embroidery together! 

And those of you who know embroidery could maybe help us along! What do you think?

 

 

Five

I often get questions about how I achieve certain effects on my photos.  I use a combination of things, but recently I found a fun site called Be Funky. 

Here is a before and after of the window photo above. 

   

 

The first one is the original photo.  The second is the one I edited in Be Funky.  I used the "Vintage Colors" effect.

Give yourself time if you go over there...you won't be able to stop playing!

 

Six

I  have a pile of Christmas stuff *still* sitting in the corner of the living room waiting to be packed away. 

I think by posting this here I might shame myself into finally doing it today. 

I'm not sure though because I'm getting quite comfortable with you as friends and sort of think you wouldn't judge me at all for it so I may need a new strategy....wanna come over and help me?

Seven

This post is really just a creative way of saying, "I have a lot to show you that isn't ready yet."  heh-heh.

 
Hope you are staying warm.  We are off to a homeschool group day.

Grace & Peace

♥ Melissa~

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"Let's just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren't." -Romans 12:6

it's gonna be ohhhh kaayyy

 
photo credit: Pete Zarria

Trust in the Lord with all your heart

(no matter what your real estate agent says)

And lean not on your own understanding

(or that of your mortgage broker)

Acknowledge the Lord in all your ways

(including packing, house hunting, hiring contractors and freaking out making decisions)

And He will direct your path.

(oh thank you Lord)

-Proverbs 3:5&6 (umm...paraphrased)

Grace & Peace,

♥ Melissa~

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"When we trust in Him, we're free to say whatever needs to be said, bold to go wherever we need to go." -Ephesians 3:12

adventure awaits

Ack!  We are moving!  Hubby got his dream job and I have to pack ten years worth of happiness into 2 pods and a u-haul and get out of here, sell the house and find a new one in two weeks!

Pray for me!

(got the tie chairs done though and they look awesome!  more later.)

♥ Melissa~
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"Mortals make elaborate plans, but God has the last word."

-Proverbs 16:1

Chicken Scratch Embroidery Tutorial, Free pattern and Stitch Guide!

I've had so much fun working on this Chicken Scratch (also known as Gingham Embroidery) tutorial for you.  I even designed my very own pattern!  (Which is why it took me so long to post it.)

I was going to make an Easter Egg Pattern, but let's face it, no one in their right mind is going to make fabric, embroidered Easter Eggs three days before Easter, right?

(Well the "in their right mind" part is open to interpretation for most crafty people now isn't it?...heh-heh) 

So maybe we'll just save that for next year.

Instead I made a little cottage pattern which I thought would be fun for Mother's Day and we have over a month to make this into a cute little apron or pillow for our Mamas (or for your daughters who are mamas)! Yay!

Right click above and choose "save link as" to download the free pattern.
(It's a pdf so you'll need the Adobe Reader software you can get here)

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I also made a little stitch guide for you, because when I was first learning how to do Chicken Scratch embroidery I got a kind of confused about what color thread to use and on what color squares the stitches belonged, so I thought this might help you.

Right click above and choose "save link as" to download the free stitch guide.
(It's a pdf so you'll need the Adobe Reader software you can get here)

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There are really only a couple of basic stitches for Chicken Scratch Embroidery and the gingham fabric makes it so easy to see where to stitch.

First I'll show you the Double Cross Stitch.  This one is used to outline your design and also as part of the Lace Stitch. 

When you're outlining you'll use the dark color of whatever color your gingham is and three to six strands of floss on the white color squares.  So in this pattern I used a dark pink and three strands of floss. 

When using the Double Cross Stitch as part of the Lace Stitch you'll use white floss on the dark squares.

(See how this can become confusing when you're first learning?  That's why I made you the Stitch Guide.  Just print it out and look at it as you're practicing and you won't have to remember all this!)

Double Cross Stitch

• Bring your thread (dark if you are outlining which we are here) up at point A and down at point B diagonally across a white square if outlining (a dark square if making the Lace Stitch)
• Then bring your thread up at point C and down at point D crossing over your first stitch.
• Now you have a cross stitch
• Next  you'll bring your thread up at point E and down at point F horizontally over your cross stitch.
• And finally up at point G and down at point H vertically.

It's kind of like a little asterisk that you're making.

It's best to do the design the same each time unlike my example.  I usually go vertical and then across but forgot when I was making the sample.  It just looks prettier if all your stitches go the same way.

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Next I'll show you the Running Straight Stitch.  You use this one in combination with another to create the pretty lace effect.  It's worked on the medium shaded square on your gingham, usually in white.

I used two strands of embroidery floss with this small gingham print, but if you were using a larger one you might use three or even six.

Straight Running Stitch

 
Bring your needle up at point A and down at point B crossing over each medium shaded square according to your pattern.  (When creating the lace you'll do this vertically and horizontally)

When you're finished with your running stitches for the house pattern it should look something like this:

 

Next you'll do what's called a Lace Stitch or Woven Circle Stitch.  You'll go around twice or you can double your thread and just go around once. (I always go around twice, because...well...it's fun. ;P)

Lace Stitch

• Bring your needle up under a running stitch at point A.
• Weave the needle under the next running stitch at point B, being careful not to pick up any fabric.  You're weaving the thread between the fabric and the stitch.
• Weave the needle under the next running stitch at point C.
• And then again at point A going around twice (unless you've doubled your thread, then just go around once)
• Finish the stitch by going into the fabric where you started at point A.

 

Now your little house will look something like this:

 

To finish off your lace stitch you'll want to fill in the dark squares with a white Double Cross Stitch.

Like this:

 

The door and window are just more of these same stitches we've learned!  So now you know how to make Chicken Scratch Embroidery!

I would love to see your pretty things if you make something with the pattern!  If you have any questions just drop me an email or ask in the comments and I will answer there.

Have a fantastic Easter weekend!

Grace & Peace,

♥ Melissa~

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"God loved the people of this world so much that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who has faith in Him will have eternal life and never really die." -John 3:16

hello friends

It's a lovely spring day and Teen-O is at grandma's for spring break, Little-O is with daddy at work and I am sitting in a quiet house, (I could not spell quiet for the life of me.  Took me three tries. Must be my unfamiliarity with the word...heh-heh) so I thought it would be a good time to get back here and catch up with you all.

I must admit the last few months have been...well...difficult.  But there have also been some wonderful moments.  All-in-all the Lord has been faithful and kind and I am stronger than I was and maybe a bit more humble.  It's interesting what challenging circumstances will do to your perspective if you let them.

I want to thank all of you, so much, who wrote and asked about me and prayed for me and encouraged me without knowing the details of what was happening.

It's humbling and comforting to receive such kindness from those you've never met in person.  I wish I could bring you each a batch of chocolate chip cookies and give you a big hug.

I hope you'll understand that I don't feel comfortable sharing the details here, but I would be so grateful if you continued to lift me up in prayer when you think of it.

Now that things are starting to slip back into a routine, I've been crafting right along and have lots of fun things to share with you. I am really looking forward to visiting your blogs and twittering away and just generally wasting too much time on the computer again....heh-heh.  

I've mostly been crocheting lots of little things.  It is such a nice craft because you can pick it up and take it with you anywhere.  There are so many free patterns online that I don't think I'll ever run out of things to crochet.

This is my most recent project.

 
A spring garland, banner, bunting type of thing made from round crochet granny circles.  I found the pattern here at the Royal Sisters blog and just fell in love with it. 

I already have quite the crush on granny squares...so now...granny circles?! Love!  Be sure and visit the blog with some time on your hands because you'll find lots of other wonderful crochet patterns there as well, and wonderful pictorial tutorials too! (I like pictorial tutorials...even the words sound nice).

I just folded the circles in half over some bakery twine to make my garland. (I had to take a little stitch in the bottom so the circles would stay folded in half.)  I really love it.  I made some extras to use as coasters too, they work up really quickly.  Now I'm trying to think of what else I can do with them.

I'm working on some bunny eggs that I will share with you next. 

I hear the pitter-patter of  Little-O feet so I think my quiet time is over.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend.  Thank you again for your kindness.

Grace & Peace,

♥ Melissa~

PS The scripture above is a high res graphic that I made into a little poster to encourage myself.  Feel free to click and print the larger version and hang it on your fridge if you need some encouragement too. :)

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"...but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us..."
-Romans 5:3&4

october rain, mushrooms and crafty fabric leaves

It's been very rainy here for the past few weeks which is a welcome relief from the Texas heat.  We are getting somewhat settled in to our new school routine and I have already baked two batches of Pumpkin Gingerbread!  I love the Fall.

I'm working on a fabric leaf garland right now made from fabric and felt scraps from another project and it's turning out pretty cute.  I'll share the patterns and tutorial with you when I'm finished.

Little O has been having so much fun playing in the rain.  I wrapped my camera in a zip-loc baggie, grabbed an umbrella and snapped these photos:

 

Because of all the rain we've been having some super size mushrooms grow in the front yard.  We had lots of fun measuring, snapping pics and imagining the little fairy people that might live in them. :)

 

How is your Fall going?  I'd love to hear about your Fall traditions!

Grace & Peace,

♥ Melissa~

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"I lift my hands to you in prayer. I thirst for you as parched land thirsts for rain."
-Psalm 143:6

five happy things

ONE

My sweet husband just brought me orange juice in a pink glass. 

orange and pink, sweet husband, healthy drink.  happy.

TWO

I just took a photo of my pink glass of orange juice with my cell phone, sent it to twitpic and uploaded it here, all without getting out of my seat. 

happy.  (although my rear could use more getting out of my seat, not less..heh-heh)

THREE

I am finally getting back into the swing of things after a long, lovely summer. 

routine, cooler weather, school with my boys. happy.

 

FOUR

I discovered the 5 Minutes for Mom community.  

moms, blogs, chatting, twittering, sharing, laughing, praying. happy.

FIVE

I'm crocheting pink and orange granny squares.

crochet, pink, orange, granny squares. happy.

 

Five happy things.  Hope you have some happy things today.

Peace and Grace,

♥ Melissa~

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"Day and night I'll stick with God.  I've got a good thing going and I'm not letting go.  I'm happy from the inside out-- and from the outside in, I'm firmly formed."

-Psalm 16:8-9 (msg)

summer crochet & such

Well hello there.  I thought I'd pull the dust covers off the furniture and open up some windows here and say hi again.  How are you all?

I've been busy, busy with wrapping up school, church activities, learning new craftiness and all sorts of fun things.

You may remember me learning to crochet awhile back. I'm completely head over heels for it now.  I want to crochet *everything*. 

I found a blog by a lovely lady named Lucy called Attic 24 that is just the most fun, eye-tingling, inspirational place you can imagine. 

The colors she chooses for her pretty crochet-y things are fabulous and she has lots of *free* patterns and tutorials!  She has such a fantastic way of explaining how to do the stitches that I feel like I can tackle the most complicated pattern now! 

I'm in the middle of finishing several of her patterns right now. The most wonderful, amazing, colorful, yarny bag (I'm not quite finished with it yet, but you can see it in the background below) and flowers and flowers and a little granny square pillow!!  It's crafty heaven, I tell you, working with all these beautiful, bright colors!

 

 

 

 

If you've never tried to crochet you have to pop over to Lucy's blog and read through her instructions you won't believe how easy (and addicting) it is once you get going!

Well, I'm busy packing for our summer trip to Wisconsin and looking forward to lots of summery, lake-y, road trip-y fun.  {I'm especially looking forward to another visit to the amazing Red Lead paper art store!)

I need to load up the ipod with lots of crafty podcasts and some good faith-building ones too as it's a long two-day drive up.  Any suggestions of favorite podcasts??  I'd love to find some new ones to listen to.

O-man & Little-O in Wisconsin last summer.

These last few months have been very busy and at times quite trying and I really need the rest.  Some time away to think and pray and visit with far away family that we love so much and see so little...it will do me well I think.

What are your plans this summer?  Have you learned any new craftiness?  I would love to hear what you're all up to.  I've missed you!

Grace & Peace in Him,

♥ Melissa~

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"Jesus said, "Come off by yourselves; let's take a break and get a little rest." For there was constant coming and going. They didn't even have time to eat. So they got in the boat and went off to a remote place by themselves." -Mark 6:31-32 (the message)

old things are passed away

i am running into a new year
and the old years blow back
like a wind
that i catch in my hair
like strong fingers like
all my old promises and
it will be hard to let go
of what i said to myself
about myself
when i was sixteen and
twentysix and thirtysix
even thirtysix but
i am running into a new  year
and i beg what i love and
i leave to forgive me

  

--lucille clifton, from Good Woman: Poems and a Memoir 1969-1980

My one goal as I look back over the last year is to let go of  failures and mistakes, release my grip on regrets and instead embrace lessons learned. 

I want to, as Paul so eloquently put it in Philippians 3,

"focus on this one thing: forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."
 -Philippians 3:13-14

Happy New Year friends, can't wait to see what God has planned for 2009!

His Grace and Peace for you in abundance this year,

♥ Melissa~

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"We are careful not to judge people by what they seem to be, though we once judged Christ in that way.  Anyone who belongs to Christ is a new person. The past is forgotten, and everything is new. God has done it all! He sent Christ to make peace between Himself and us, and He has given us the work of making peace between Himself and others."
-1 Corinthians 5:15-18

three minutes that will change your life

Wanna get plugged in?  For three minutes that will change your life, watch this:

If you'd like to hear stories from Brian Welch, Jason Castro, Stephen Baldwin and others who've been plugged in go to:

I Am Second

Happy Christmas Eve!

♥ Melissa~
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"They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. After seeing Him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this Child. All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often."

it's the most wonderful time of the year

I'm a little late for the Christmas Tour, but this is what Christmas is looking like around here (mouse over the photos for a description)...

   

 

 

 

 

I'm baking Italian Cream Cake and Chocolate Cream Pie and making macaroni salad and wrapping presents like crazy (even though I told myself I wouldn't wait 'til the last minute this year) and listening to Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra sing Christmas carols and having a very merry Christmas...how about you?

Happy Christmas Eve eve...

His Grace and Peace,

♥ Melissa~

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"And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”
-Luke 2:9-12

a Christmas letter from Jesus

An email has been circulating with this letter.  It makes me smile.  Thought you might enjoy it too. 

Dear Children,

It has come to my attention that many of you are upset that folks are taking My name out of the season.

Although I do appreciate being remembered anytime, how I personally feel about this celebration can probably be most easily understood by those of you who have been blessed with children of your own.

I don’t care what you call the day. If you want to celebrate My birth, just get along and love one another.

Now, having said that let Me go on.

If it bothers you that the town in which you live doesn’t allow a scene depicting My birth, then put a small Nativity scene on your own front lawn. If all my followers did that there wouldn’t be any need for such a scene on the town square because there would be many of them all around town.

Stop worrying about the fact that people are calling the tree a holiday tree, instead of a Christmas tree. It was I who made all trees. You can remember Me anytime you see any tree.

Decorate a grapevine if you wish: I actually spoke of that one in a teaching, explaining who I am in relation to you and what each of our tasks were. If  you have forgotten, look up John 15:1-8.

If you want to give Me a present in remembrance of My birth here is My wish list. Choose something from it:

 1. Instead of writing protest letters objecting to the way My birthday is being celebrated, write letters of love and hope to soldiers away from home. They are terribly afraid and lonely this time of year. I know, they tell Me all the time.

 2. Visit someone in a nursing home. You don’t have to know them personally. They just need to know that someone cares about them.

 3. Instead of writing George complaining about the wording on the cards his staff sent out this year, why don’t you write and tell him that you’ll be praying for him and his family.

 4. Instead of giving your children a lot of gifts you can’t afford and they don’t need, spend time with them. Tell them the story of My birth, and why I came to live with you down here. Hold them in your arms and remind them that I love them.

 5. Pick someone that has hurt you in the past and forgive him or her.

 6. Did you know that someone in your town will attempt to take their own life this season because they feel so alone and hopeless?  Since you don’t know who that person is, try giving everyone you meet a warm smile; it could make the difference.

 7. Instead of nit picking about what the retailer in your town calls the holiday, be patient with the people who work there. Give them a warm smile and a kind word. Even if they aren’t allowed to wish you a “Merry Christmas” that doesn’t keep you from wishing them one.

 8. If you really want to make a difference, support a missionary– especially one who takes My love and Good News to those who have never heard My name.

 9. Here’s a good one. There are individuals and whole families in your town who not only will have no “Christmas” tree, but neither will they have any presents to give or receive.  If you don’t know them, buy some food and gifts and give them to the Salvation Army or some other charity which believes in Me and they will make the delivery for you.

10. Finally, if you want to make a statement about your belief in and loyalty to Me, then behave like a Believer. Don’t do things in secret that you wouldn’t do in My presence. Let people know by your actions that you are one of mine.

 Don’t forget; I am God and can take care of Myself.  Just love Me and do what I have told you to to. I’ll take care of all the rest.

Check out the list above and get to work; time is short.  I’ll help you, but the ball is now in your court.

 Do have a most blessed Christmas with all those whom you love and remember:

 I Love you,

 Jesus

Hope you're having a Merry Christmas.

His Grace & Peace,

♥ Melissa~
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"Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are My disciples—when they see the love you have for each other."
-John 13:34-35

a sweet peppermint angel candy cane crafty craft

This is a super sweet little Christmas craft I came up with for the kiddos to make & give to friends at church, homeschool group, etc.  It's so quick and easy! (my favorite kind of craft)

 

What you need to get started:

 

the angel pattern (download here)
paper (we used scrapbook paper, but you could use wrapping paper, construction paper or even fabric or felt)
scissors
pencil/pen
candy canes
embellishments if desired (sequins, glitter, stickers etc.)

Step One:

Print out the pattern and cut it out. 

 

The pattern should be about 7" long when you print it out.  If it's not, you may need to enlarge it (choose: file: print preview: scale: 125%).

Step Two:

Cut slits on the dashed lines only and fold back the paper.

 

Step Three:

Fold your patterned paper in half with wrong side facing out and trace the angel on the fold.

 

 

Step Four:

Cut out the angel that you traced on the patterned paper.

 

When you cut the slits for the candy canes, only cut the sides of the slits as shown above (not the top part).

Step Three:

Open the angel up and write a message on the back if it's for a special friend.  Or decorate it with glitter and sequins.

Or just leave it plain.

Step Four:

Insert the candy cane from the back in an "over/under" pattern as shown below.

 

Step Five:

Delight friends and family with a sweet treat. :)

(and take photos so I can see!  I love it when ya'll send me photos of the projects you've made with my patterns and tutorials--

Hey, I was just thinking, maybe I should start a flickr group for all the photos you guys are always sending me?  I will work on that tonight & post when it's done!  I did it!  We have our own flickr group now, so if you make the angels go an upload them there--or if you've made flowers or turkeys or any projects featured here upload them to share with us all! yippee! I'm so excited!  Here is the link:

Pink Paper Peppermints -- Readers Get Crafty

---

We're on our way to a *very* busy Christmas-y weekend of decorating and church activities and visiting and a ladies Christmas brunch...

{I'm teaching the ladies how to make a little fabric ornament that I'll show you next week.}

Sneak Peek:

Have a wonderful and blessed weekend!

Grace & Peace this lovely Christmas season,

♥ Melissa~
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"May my meditation be sweet to Him; I will be glad in the LORD."
-Psalm 104:34

are you brokenhearted today?

"The LORD is there to rescue all who are discouraged and have given up hope."
-Psalm 34:18

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“The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.”
-Luke 4:18-19

a super fun kids craft -- make a scrapbook paper, thanksgiving turkey, place card favor-wahoo!

We've been making turkey place cards and favors over the last few days and having so much fun that I thought I should share.

 
mama's scrapbook version

 
Little O's paper plate version

It looks a little complicated at first, but it's really simple once you make one and they go together pretty quickly so you still have time to make some for thanksgiving! 

Here's what you need to get started:

turkey pattern (download here)
scrapbook paper (I used almost all Elsie's from her adorable Zoe collection.  It's double-sided so my turkey looks just as cute from the back as it does from the front! The brown paper is Over the Moon Press)
paper plates or construction paper
plain white paper
scissors
adhesive
ribbon
crayons

Step One

For little ones who are using a plate you'll want to draw a square in the center of the back side of the plate that is about 2.5 x 2.5 inches.

Then draw lines from the corner of each square, out to the edge of the plate. These are your cutting lines.

If you're using scrapbook paper or construction paper for your turkey then you'll need to trace the paper plate on the back of your paper first and then create the cutting pattern.

Step Two

 

Next, cut your paper or plate on the four lines, stopping when you get to the square.

Step Three

(I'm switching to patterned paper  in the photos for better visibility but the steps are the same for paper plate or construction paper)

Now fold and score each section of paper on the square lines as above.

Step Four

Next you'll want to fold and score each of the four sections in from the corner of the square as in the photo above.

It should look something like this when you're finished:

Step Five

 

Now begin to fold the sides up to form the cup.  The right and left side flaps should be inside the cup.

 

The front and back flaps should be on the outside.

Use your favorite adhesive to attach the back flaps to the inside of the cup.

The front flaps will only be attached on the inside to create wings.

Step Six

Now cut out and trace (or color) and glue your feathers, face etc.  (well not *your* face, I mean the turkey pattern face...heh-heh)

I have to say, I especially fell in love with these turkey legs because it looks like he has the word "art" tattooed on his thighs, heh-heh.

My little guy created his own design on the feathers and plate and then colored them.

(we're learning about the five senses right now, so that's the mat you see under his work surface)

I found with the feathers, that it was easier to lay them out, arrange them, glue them together and *then* glue them to the bird rather than trying to glue them individually.

Step Seven

Now you can make name cards and attach with ribbon...

Or make a little sign with a favorite Thanksgiving scripture or quote for him to hold:

The cup is fairly large and could hold candy corns or snacks (maybe line it with plastic wrap first) or napkins or any number of things you might want on your Thanksgiving table this year.

You could also just make one and use it as a centerpiece.

I think these would be really cute made from felt or fabric too and then you could save them to use each year!

Have fun making these and send me links if you post photos!

Grace and Peace,

♥ Melissa~

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"...singing a song of Thanksgiving, telling of all Your wonders."
-Psalm 26:7

my banner will be clear

I’m part of the fellowship of the unashamed.  I have Holy Spirit power.

The die has been cast.  I have stepped over the line.  The decision has been made. I’m a disciple of His. I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still.

My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, my future is secure. 

I’m finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, cheap living, and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. 

I don’t have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded.

I now live by faith, lean on His presence, walk by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by power.

My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions are few, my Guide is reliable, my mission is clear. 

I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded, or delayed. 

I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of the adversary, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.

I won’t give up, shut up, let up, until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, and preached up the cause of Christ. 

I am a disciple of Jesus.  I must go till He comes, give till I drop, preach till all know, and work till He stops me. 

And when He comes for His own, He will have no problem recognizing me -

MY BANNER WILL BE CLEAR.

--Anonymous (said to be written by an African pastor)

Grace & Peace,

♥ Melissa~
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"His banner over me is love."
-Song of Solomon 2:4

when fear knocks let faith open the door

"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."
-2 Timothy 1:7

"I sought the LORD, and He heard me,and delivered me from all my fears."
-Psalm 34:4

"Then he said, “Don’t be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come in answer to your prayer."
-Daniel 10:12

'But when Jesus heard it, He answered him, saying,  "Fear not, only believe."'
-Luke 8:50

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"We walk by faith, not by sight."
-2 Corinthians 5:7

applique, embroidery, and inexperienced tote bag sewing

I'm working on a tote bag right now and I truly have no idea what I'm doing.  I'm bold like that.

(actually I'm usually afraid to try new things with pretty supplies, but I'm trying to get over that)

I've been wanting to try applique (but not the nice, neatly stitched applique, the raggedy edged, "rustic" applique, because you know "nice and neat" is not my gifting.) and I had these tea towels that I bought on clearance at Target for .74 cents (uh-huh, that's right) so I started thinking,

"Hey, I could make a tote bag out of these and try some applique and embroidery on it."

Oh did I forget to mention that I want to learn to embroider too?

So anyway, ask me if I know how to make a tote bag? 

No. I do not.

And do I like to (or even know *how* to)  follow a sewing pattern?

Um...also no.

But I really want to make a tote bag with applique and embroidery on it.  So here I go. 

Let's re-cap, I don't know how to sew, applique, embroider *or* make a tote-bag.

heh-heh...fun stuff.

I just said a little prayer and started cutting fabric and sewing and trying things...

and it was *so* fun!

It's not nearly as cute as it looked in my head.

But that's ok (I tell my mean, perfectionist side) because I'm *having fun.*

Here's what I have so far:

I need to wash it to get the edges of the letters all fuzzy & cute and it's pretty wrinkly right now, but I'm kinda liking it.

For the embroidery part, I picked the chain stitch to learn first and it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be.

I really like writing with fabric and thread.  There is something so cool about that, especially when you're writing theWord.

(even if it is all crooked and uneven)

Now I have to figure out how to...you know...turn it into a tote bag...

I want to line it and put handles on it

(oh, handles...aug..ugh...my head wants to explode just thinking about it, measuring and ugh...)

and you know do tote-bagish things to it...

And I'm gonna say another prayer and be brave and just try it.

So hopefully that's what I'll be working on this weekend. 

And some Thanksgiving craftiness too.

Hope you have a fun and crafty weekend!

Grace and Peace,

♥ Melissa~
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"I am the LORD your God.  I am holding your hand, so don't be afraid.  I am here to help you."
-Isaiah 41:13

don't let a suitcase full of cheese become your big fork and spoon

There are some days when I only have a minute and really want to post something clever and creative and well...it's just not happenin'...ya know?

Nothing.

So here's something interesting I saw this weekend.  I can't decided if it's the coolest thing ever or a colossal waste of time and resources...what do you think?...

(I'm leaning towards cool)

This lady got tired of looking at this old gas station so she got some people together and they stitched a giant "gas station cozy" for it and the pumps.

The whole story is here, including tips on how to do this yourself if you want to.... heh-heh... I can't even finish the bible cover I'm working on so I'm pretty sure a *building cover* is not in my future... you never know though, it's all about God's timing isn't? 

(I know exactly what building I would cover up in my neighborhood too, only it's not abandoned...heh-heh...)

Off to spend the day in a very stinky, sweaty gym with my boys for homeschool basketball. 

I'm taking pink crochet to work on so I think I'll be ok.

Have a terrific Tuesday my crafty friends.

Grace and Peace,

♥ Melissa~

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"Just at the right time, the Lord will send showers of blessings."
-Ezekiel 34:26

it ain't over 'til it's over

"You are of God, little children,
and have overcome them,
because He who is in you
is greater than
he who is in the world."
-1 John 4:4

"I can do all things through Christ
Who strengthens me. "
-Philippians 4:13

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"Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him Who loved us."
-Romans 8:37

thank goodness it's over

Well, no matter what your political preferences I'm sure you'll agree with me that it will be a relief to not turn on the tv and see ad after ad about some senator who likes to torture puppies and tazer seven-year olds in his spare time (Brian Regan fans will get that - click here to see the bit - so, so funny).

I read a quote this morning that sums it up for me:

"As disappointed as I am that we have lost the election, I can't help but feel that many courageous leaders of the civil rights movement look down from heaven tonight with a smile that the day has come when a man is elected without regard to his color."
-Mike Huckabee

Me too.

As for the rest of it.  Well, God is still on His throne and as Psalm 37:25 says,

"The steps of a righteous man are ordered by the Lord.
 He delights in every detail of their lives.
 Though they stumble, they will never fall,
 for the Lord holds them by the hand.

 Once I was young, and now I am old.
 Yet I have never seen the godly abandoned
 or their children begging for bread.
 The godly always give generous loans to others,
 and their children are a blessing.

 Turn from evil and do good,
 and you will live in the land forever.
 For the Lord loves justice,
 and he will never abandon the godly."

And the best part is now I can quit thinking about politics and get back to crafty stuff! 

(Not that I ever stopped doing crafty stuff.)

Last week I checked out the book, Sock and Glove by Miyako Kanamori, from the library and I love it!  It has so many fun easy projects in it.

Meet my little glove bunny:

 

Isn't she cute?  Seriously, now I am like a crazy person looking for socks and gloves on sale everywhere. 

I just want to make every little animal in this book.

And guess what?  I found some free patterns for the bunny and the doggy on Martha Stewart! 

So you can become obsessed with socks and gloves too if you want!

Here's the link:

Sock and Glove on Martha

If you put "sock and glove" into google image search you'll find all kinds of photos of the cute things people have made from this book!

So forget about politics for awhile and go make a glove bunny, k? 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance
through the knowledge of God
and of Jesus our Lord,

♥ Melissa~
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“But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.  They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought.  Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit."
-Jeremiah 17:7-8

joy unspeakable and full of glory

   "The people the LORD has rescued

   will come back singing

   as they enter Zion.

   Happiness will be a crown

   they will always wear.

   They will celebrate and shout

   because all sorrows

   and worries

   will be gone far away."

-Isaiah 35:10

Have a blessed Sunday my friends.



Grace, Peace and Joy,

♥ Melissa~

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"The joy of the Lord is your strength."
-Nehemiah 8:10

reason # 5,711 that God is so cool - Caddo Lake

As promised here are some photos of our camping trip to Caddo Lake.  If you think there are too many you should have seen them before I edited...heh-heh. (I took 464 photos this trip,a small number for me really.)

This place is so gorgeous!  In the mornings this ethereal mist rolls across the lake and you feel like you're in a movie.

Makes me think of this hymn:

How Great Thou Art (second verse)

When through the woods and forest glades I wander
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees;

When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur
And hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze;

Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee;
How great Thou art!  How great Thou art!

Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee;
How great Thou art! How great Thou art!

Snapped a pic of an early morning canoe-er here.

 

What a way to wake up Starbucks and this view!

The fall colors this time of year are spectacular.

 

We saw lots of wildlife on our weekend adventure including this mama & baby turtle with their mossy backs.

 

I tried to use my digital zoom to get a close up of this woodpecker that we heard while having coffee around the fire one morning.

It came out a little blurry, but look at that red head!  Doesn't he look just like Woody?

 

We took a tour of the lake on this amazing steamboat called "The Graceful Ghost"

The boys loved it and learned that Caddo Lake is a protected wetland ecosystem. (yay, homeschool...uh, campschool.)

I crocheted by the campfire every night! Super crafty, campy-ness!

And of course we had s'mores.

 

All in all it was a pretty wonderful weekend. 

 

Hope your weekend is lovely and peaceful.

His Grace and Peace,

♥ Melissa~

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"We look at this Son and see the God Who cannot be seen. We look at this Son and see God's original purpose in everything created. For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels—everything got started in Him and finds its purpose in Him. He was there before any of it came into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment."
-Colossians 1:15-16

ten on tuesday

ten random thoughts on tuesday (on thursday)

*I'm thinking maybe I should change the name to just "time for ten" or something, huh?*

one
Remember this post? and this one?  According to sitemeter I had visitors from Fannie Mae and Target Corporation on those two days.  Weird, huh?

two
I think it is time to give up the ghost on these little turkey candlestick holders, what do you think?

I love them so much because they were some of the first holiday decorations I ever bought when I was first married.  I have such a warm feeling and fond memories when I look at them.

Well, I did until they became headless and tail-less.

I think the head may be rolling around in the thanksgiving box somewhere. 

Maybe I'll glue it back on and give them one more year.

three
I was right about the candy problem.  Right now there are three different bags of candy in the kitchen. 

The orange slices are calling my name.

four
Sometimes when I pray I think I must sound like a five year old little girl to the Lord.  I can just manage to get out, "oh please, oh please, oh pleeeeeasseee Lord."  

I don't think He minds though.  He did say we're supposed to come as little children.

five
I'm not telling you what the above prayer was in reference to.

six
I've been working on a really fun project this week.  I'm a member of the Christian Paper Artists group and every couple of years, 52 of us get together and design a deck of cards around a scriptural theme.

Last time the theme was "proverbs".  Here's my card from that deck:

The edges are square when we send them in, but the card company prints them on rounded cards. 

The deck came out so, so pretty last time.  52 little works of art.

seven
This year the theme was love.  I chose Romans 8:39 as my scripture.  One of my favorites:

I printed the scripture on the back of a pink ticket. I have to say I was pretty excited when it worked without jamming up my printer...heh-heh.

eight
We also vote on our favorites for the back of the card.  I entered this design:

It's a compilation of all the love scriptures that everyone chose.  Just reading those all in a row will bless your socks off!

nine
If you're interested in purchasing a deck of these cards let me know and I will get you in touch with our group leader.  She's taking orders right now.  I gave some out for Christmas last time and they were a big hit.

ten
Finally here is a fun freebie for crafty types and homeschoolers! 



DJ Inkers is giving away a "Vote 2008" set of clip art and borders!  One of the sheets would make a great notebooking page. 

Here's the link:

DJ Inkers Freebie

Hope you're all having a blessed week.

Grace and Peace,

♥ Melissa~
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
"And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.

No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord."
-Romans 8:38-39

ten things God wants you to remember

I will give you rest.


I will strengthen you.


I will answer you.


I believe in you.


I will bless you.


I am for you.


I will not fail you.


I will provide for you.


I will be with you


I love you.

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"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."  -Jeremiah 29:11

even more stuff about me

100 things part 3

71 I'm not really a "pet" person, but maybe I will be when my boys are grown.

72 I took ballet lessons, tap lessons and piano lessons as a child.

Me (in the center) during a ballet recital in the seventies.

73 I can't dance or play the piano now.

74 I'd like to try again with those lessons someday.

75 And the samba. (it just looks fun)

76 In junior high my mom wrote me a note to get out of school early so I could come home and watch Luke and Laura's wedding on General Hospital.

77 I may occasionally still watch General Hospital (especially if Laura is making a guest appearance), but I will never admit it.

78 I was a "wench" at medieval times for a very short time.

79 It was one of the hardest jobs I've *ever* had (and in a somewhat demoralizing costume no less).

80 I'm a very visual person.

81  I can read something a thousand times and not get it, but show me a picture and voila! (I know...don't say voila)

82 I ♥ photography

83 I love love love trees

84 I have pale skin, green eyes and freckles from my Irish heritage and straight, thick black hair from my Cherokee Indian heritage.

85 My first job was teaching preschool in South Africa.

86 Those kids are in their twenties now.

87 That cannot be true.

88 I swore I would never get married when I was a teenager and now I cry when my husband goes out of town and have an overwhelming urge to go stay with a friend 'til he gets back. I guess I like being married after all. :)

89 I was home skipping school and watching tv when the news broke that President Reagan had been shot.  My dad called the house looking for my mom and we talked about it and he never asked me why I was home.

90 That combined with #77 makes it sound like I skipped school a lot, but really I didn't.  Junior high was just a nightmare...and then in high school I became a homeschooler...and there is no skipping when you're a homeschooler...*LOL*

91 I am not very good about writing back to people, keeping up with email, etc.

92 It's something that I really need to work on.

93 I have an obsession with old black & white photo booths.

94 I just think they are so cool.

me in a photo booth at Amy's Ice Cream in Austin, TX

95 I would love to have one in my living room someday. Wouldn't that be the greatest?

 

96 I love my morning coffee, very, very strong with cream and sugar.

97 I love my husband & kids more than anything else in this world.

98 I once was lost, but now I'm found.

99 His grace has set me free.

100  I love my life.

----

Whew, so a hundred things you now know about me.  I hope we're still friends.

Grace & Peace,

♥ Melissa~

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"Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, "The Lord knows those who are His,"  -2 Tim 2:19

more stuff about me

100 things part 2

34 I used to teach scrapbook classes; first in my local store (which is now closed and still makes me sad to think about) and then at conventions like CKU, GASC and ME.

35 Because of the above I attend some crafty trade shows which really was one of the funnest things I've ever done.

36 My friend and I saw the guy from 24 at the JFK airport on the way home from one of the trade shows (the NY stationery show).

37 It was right after 911 and he was getting frisked.  He was wearing all black and looked very annoyed.

38 That's pretty much my only brush with fame.

39 My most favorite holiday in the whole wide world is Christmas (I also love valentines day a lot).

40 I don't really like wearing make up, never wear it at home, but if I'm going somewhere I'll put a little on.

41 For extra self-indulgence on a rough day I will go for a Wendy's Chocolate Frosty Root Beer Float (sounds gross, but oh so good)

42 Speaking of self-indulgence, I have never had a massage.  I'm not sure I would like some stranger's hands all over me like that.

43 My brother and his wife are both police officers I am so proud of them.

44 I normally don't watch the news, but during the elections I have watched *way* too much of it.

46 I love to go camping with my family (with qualifications, we have an air conditioner in the camper and campground bathrooms have to be semi-clean and bug free, the second doesn't always happen).

47 I think tivo and air conditioning are two of the best inventions *ever*.

48 I love going to the movies, but rarely go because they're mostly garbage (expensive garbage at that).

49 Favorite non-garbage movies: Singing in the Rain, Mr.Smith Goes to Washington, It's A Wonderful Life, (I'm sure there's more but those are the ones I can think of right now).

50 I enjoy reading, love books, my favorite all time fiction series is the Black, Red, White series (aka The Circle Trilogy) by Ted Dekker. Changed my walk with God. seriously. read them.

51 Madly in love with my husband after ten years of marriage.

52 Absolutely love going to thrift stores and garage sales and flea markets.

53 Love anything from the forties.

54 Chips & salsa is my all time favorite snack.

55 I got on an airplane eleven days after 911 to teach at a scrapbook convention in Denver, Co.

56 It was one of the eeriest and yet strangely unifying experiences I've ever had.

57 I've never seen so many determined people being so quietly defiant in all my life.

58 There was just this feeling of, "go ahead and try something." in the air. I don't think I'll forget that day.

59 I have a love/hate relationship with spell check (see #31)

60 My greatest desire is that people would see Jesus for who He really is and get to know God in a meaningful way.

61 It's the main reason I keep coming back to blogging.  Because I'm able to reach out to people who I would never meet in person.

62 I love reading the Bible so much.  It's amazing how God will show you something different every time you read a passage. 

 

A picture I took of my Bible while camping last year.

63 When I gave my life to Jesus, it was like I was handed this special decoder ring that makes the Bible make sense in ways I never expected. 

64 I wish *everyone* would give their lives to Jesus and get that ring! It is so cool!

65 I love anything and everything crafty.

66 I'm learning to sew and crochet and embroider.

67 I want to learn to knit and quilt next.

68 I love to cook, but I'm still learning.

69 I'm not very good at housekeeping, but I'm working on it. (thank goodness for flylady)

70 I absolutely *love* homeschooling my boys and wouldn't even consider any other option.

             

----

Stay tune for the final installment tomorrow.  (If you can stand it)

Grace & Peace,

♥ Melissa~

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"Before I shaped you in the womb, I knew all about you. Before you saw the light of day, I had holy plans for you"  -Jeremiah 1:5

more than you ever wanted to know

In honor of my 100th post (which went by many moons ago):

100 Things About Me

1 I love Jesus and have for 25 years. Before that I just didn't know Him, but I would've loved Him if I had.

2 I met my husband thirteen years ago in a christian chat room called "net central" .

3 I feel awkward telling people that.  It sounds so cheesy.

4 I haven't been in a chat room since shortly after we met.

5 I lived in Africa with my family for almost four years when I was in high school.

6 It was absolutely some of the best memories of my life so far.

My brother and me at a church service in Africa.

7 I spent the summer in Italy when I was 16.

8 I had a 110 camera and still cringe when I think of the missed photo opportunities.

9 It was so beautiful though and I hope to go back with my husband someday.

10 I won a coloring contest when I was in elementary school and the prize was that I got to be in the Ringling bro circus. It was pretty cool for a little kid.

11 I don't enjoy the circus now and will probably never take my kids to one.  I think it's mean to the animals. It makes me sad.

12  I used to teach cake decorating and make elaborate cakes. I even owned a cake decorating business for awhile.  You cannot believe the amount of money some moms are willing to spend on a birthday cake.

13  I was a preschool director for a few years.  It was not an easy job, but I loved those kiddos so much.

14 I was an elementary ed major, but if I could go back (when?) I would (will?) be a photography/graphic arts major. Is that a major?

15 I would rather be cold than hot.  If you're cold you can always get warmer.  You can snuggle with someone, put on a jacket, start a fire, wrap up in a warm blanket.  When you're hot you can pretty much just get naked and then you're still hot...and naked...which in itself could be uncomfortable.

16 I graduated from bible school, Christ For the Nations Institute, before I went to college.

17 I feel like I should know more scripture due to number 16

18 I'm also a homeschool graduate (and shockingly I'm not socially stunted or inept at life).

19 My family and I lived in Memphis when I was five and I have been told that my two best friends were the mayor's daughter and Jerry Lee Lewis' daughter. I can't really remember that though.

20 I love a hot chai latte, even homemade with *egad* a mix.  There is something so soothing about a cup of warm spicy tea.

21 The style of decorating that I love and the way my house actually looks in most rooms are worlds apart.

22 Sometimes I get sad about this, but then I just remind myself that it's a process and everyday and every trip to an antique store or flea market brings me a little bit closer to my vision.

23 I am not a mall person.  I really just like being home, but if I'm going to go somewhere the mall is absolutely my last choice.

24 I overuse exclamation points and ellipses (and apparently the words "just" and "so")

25 I am not a grammar fan

26 In spite of what the two above may imply I love the English language and words.

27 I love the color red

28 I love the color pink

29 I really love pink and red together (and sometimes orange and aqua blue)

30 I refuse to pay money to watch a movie with a sad ending (actually I won't watch a sad movie for free either -  ha!).  I mean isn't life sad enough for a lot of real people without me paying to cry about a fake person's fake life??

31 I hate when I misspell a word so badly that the spell check offers me choices that aren't even *close* to the word I was trying to spell.

32  I could eat Mexican food everyday for the rest of my life. Fajitas are my favorite.

33  I love being a stay at home mom, more than I ever dreamed I would

---

Stay tuned for part 2.  (or if you are bored beyond belief just come back Monday...heh-heh)

Grace & Peace,

♥ Melissa~

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"You have looked deep into my heart, LORD, and You know all about me. You know when I am resting or when I am working, and from heaven You discover my thoughts."
-Psalm 139:1-2

I used to lie and cheat and step on people's feet

Oh my goodness this is fun:

(the song starts at 59 seconds if you want to fast forward)

Off to the new church!

God's Grace & Peace friends,

♥ Melissa~
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"Anyone who belongs to Christ is a new person. The past is forgotten, and everything is new."
-2 Corinthians 5:17

ten on tuesday - let's talk crafty

ten cRaFtY thoughts on tuesday

(wednesday morning - but it's still tuesday somewhere isn't it?)

one

Well, first of all I'm pretty excited to have been featured as an "Honorary Cr8tv Diva" at Cr8 Everyday Crafts! 

The interview was actually done a while ago and went live while we were on vacation so I haven't had a chance to mention it until now!

If you haven't joined Cr8 Everyday Crafts yet you should!  It is one fun and crafty place to hang out.  There are tons of how-to videos and lots of crafty eye candy plus so many other crafty "peeps" to chat with!

Visit Cr8 Everyday Crafts

You can read my interview and tell me how dorky I sound here.

two

Another crafty thing that happened while we were on vacation was that I discovered the podcast CraftSanity by Jennifer Ackerman-Haywood. 

I downloaded *every* episode before we left and listened to hours and hours of them on the long drive to Wisconsin and back.

It is so much fun to listen to my favorite crafty bloggers talk about how they got crafty and what they are up to now.  Crafters and Artists like Emily Martin, Amy Carrol, Amanda Blake Soule, Claudine Hellmuth and more!

And I just *love* Jennifer.  She always asks the best questions - some that I never would've thought of and always the exact questions I was thinking at the moment! 

If you haven't listened to Craftsanity yet then head over there now and start downloading!

And Jennifer if you're reading this, thanks for helping me keep *my* sanity for 36 hours in the car with three boys!

three

Wordle is my new favorite online/crafty thing to play with. 

oh. my. goodness. 

If you are a visual person and like playing with words then you are going to *love* Wordle.

In fact I feel bad telling you about it because you probably won't get anything else done for the rest of the time you're online now!  (but hey finish reading my blog first, k? heh-heh)

You can play with words a few different ways.  One is to just plug your blog address in (what I did above) and you'll see what you talk about most.  The larger the words the more those words appear in your blog.

I apparently say "just" and "really" way too much and O-man was mildly disturbed that "paper" was the same size as "God". 

I do like paper.

I was puzzled by the words "butter" and "toast" showing up as large as they did.  Do I talk about toast and butter a lot?? 

I do like butter.

You can also just put whatever words you want in to create a neat art piece.  I can't wait to play with this. I'm going to try all of our family's names.

You can experiment with different colors and backgrounds and changing the maximum word count changes the way it looks as well.

four

Here are some others I created (click on them to see them larger):

I put all the names of Jesus in for this one:

Crafty Words:

Cooking words:

As you can see Wordle can be dangerous but oh so fun! 

If you make one, leave me a comment with the link so I can see it!  I know there are a thousand more creative things that could be done with this cool tool!

five

One of the highlights of the trip for me was when I walked into the library of a tiny town in Wisconsin and saw a sign on a table of books that said, "Free to a good home".

I glanced at it casually and didn't really see anything that caught my eye at first and then suddenly there it was, a giant collection of crafty magazines from the seventies!

six
It was huge and covered and dust and just calling my name.  I was so excited.  You should see all the wonderful photos in these magazines.

And the kitschy craftiness! It's heaven!

Actually you will be seeing them, because I'm going to be posting them in the weeks to come, they are just too good not to share.

seven

Again I have to apologize to you (and possibly your neglected children-heh-heh) in advance for the following links.

I found two great blogs that are nothing but craft tutorials!  Can you imagine? 

Well you don't have to!  Just click on over!

Craft Tutorials

30 Handmade Days

eight

Love this one!  It's a search engine just for crafty blogs!

nine

A sneak peek of something I'm working on:

(any guess as to what it is?)

A little sign I made (inspired by a greeting card) to hang on the fridge and remind me of my blessings.

 

Remember those ad magnets?  I just glued one to the back of this.  I think it would help if you mounted your sign on chipboard first for stability.

The scripture is Psalm 124:7 and says,

"My soul escaped like a bird, out of the snare of the fowler."

We used to sing a song with those words in Bible school that I just adored.

I love how poetic the Bible is...an escaped soul is such a beautiful picture.  I want to do more art with that...

ten

It's very hard to blog about crafty things where you have to insert links because

when you go to get the links

you get very distracted

by the new crafty things.

very.

distracted.

I actually started this blog post yesterday.

God's Grace & Peace,

♥ Melissa~
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"She loves to work with her hands..."
-Proverbs 31:13 (NIRV)

Just Run To Him

Click Play for a beautiful reminder.

Have a Blessed Sunday!

God's Mercy, Grace and Peace,

♥ Melissa
 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean He no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?

(As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”)

No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, Who loved us.

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.

No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord."

-Romans 8:35-39

ten on tuesday {vacation edition}

 So it's finally time to get back to ten on tuesday!  I can't guarantee how fun this is gonna be though because it's midnight and I've been in the car for four days. (well, ok, not really but it feels like it)

one
It takes ten hours to drive from Dallas to St. Louis.  13 hours if you make your family stop at "The World's Largest Gift Shop".  

 
two

This picture is not the gift shop because I couldn't find a picture of it and didn't think to take one.  This picture is the "world's largest basket" which I thought was funny. (It's the Longaberger headquarters...isn't that funny and so super creative? I love it!)

three

We stopped in St. Louis for a night to rest before heading to Chicago.  I got to visit the coolest art paper & stamp store ever called Red Lead. 

four
I took some photos, but haven't been able to download them yet.  Here's one from their site and I'll put mine up later this week.

five
Isn't if gorgeous?  If you live in St. Louis you are *lucccckkkeeeee* to get to shop here. It is so inspiring!  Take a peek at the fabulous shop and blog for lots of yummy crafty goodness!

six
We are in Chicago now.  Our hotel "ran out" of non-smoking rooms so we are in a stinky room until tomorrow.  We have all the windows open and fans going and I'm sucking on peppermints to keep the smell from gagging me, but other than that it's great.

seven
The next couple of days we'll be headed to museums, Navy Pier, Little Italy and Chinatown!  I can't wait to take lots of pictures!

eight
After that we are on our way to Wisconsin to spend time with the O-fam.  Looking forward to a nice relaxing week of doing nothing!

nine
I will try to stop in here and post once or twice though.  Especially if anything crafty happens...heh-heh.

ten

That was my lamest ten on tuesday ever, but it's 1:12 am now and it's smokey in here!

Grace & Peace,

Melissa~
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"I said to myself, "Relax and rest. God has showered you with blessings...soul..."
-Psalm 116:6-8

Word Flowers | 31 Crafty Flowers in 31 Days - Day 28

Day Twenty-Eight - almost to home plate!

It's a word flower tutorial for today's 31 Crafty Flowers in 31 Days ! 

 Here's what you need to get started:
 

-Watercolor Paper
-Watercolor Pencils
-Pencil
-Brush & water
-paper, ribbons, bakers twine & flowers (optional - to create card)

Step One

Lightly sketch out your design on watercolor paper.

Step Two

 
Using the watercolor pencils, write the words you want to use on the lines of your flower.  I used the scripture,

"The grass withers, the flowers fade, but the Word of our Lord stands forever." -Is 40:8

You could also write poetry, someone's name or just a little love note!

Step Three

With a damp brush go over the watercolor pencil lines to smudge them a little and create a painted look. 

Once the flower is dry you can go in and erase the pencil sketch lines, but I kind of liked how this looked so I left it.

Step Four

  

Cut out your flower and mount it on patterned paper for a handmade card. 

I attached ribbon and silk flowers to some bakery twine to decorate the spine of the card.

Have Fun!

Grace & Peace,

♥ Melissa~
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
"He sent Me to give them flowers in place of their sorrow, olive oil in place of tears, and joyous praise in place of broken hearts. They will be called "Trees of Justice," planted by the LORD to honor his name."
-Isaiah 61:3

French Toast Flowers! | 31 Crafty Flowers in 31 Days - Day 27

Day Twenty-Seven-We're still in flower heaven!

Today's flower tutorial for 31 Crafty Flowers in 31 Days  is fun and yummy and a perfect way to celebrate the arrival of summer! 

I think it would be so fun to make these from French Toast, but for simplicity in the tutorial I just used regular toast which is a little quicker and turned out cute too!

 Here's what you need to get started:

-Whole wheat bread
-Butter
-Decorative Sugar
-Flower shaped cookie cutter
-soda bottle cap
-knife
-French toast recipe & ingredients (if making french toast)

Step One

While bread is toasting (or french toast is cooking) cut a 1/4 inch pat of butter for each toast flower you will be making.

Step Two

 

Use your soda cap to make little round pats of butter for the center of your toast flowers. 

This works best if the butter is firm but not rock hard, so let it sit out for a few minutes before beginning.

Step Three

Once your toast is ready, center the cookie cutter over it and press firmly. 

Before you lift the cookie cutter, pull away the scraps of toast on the outside. 

Tip:

Don't throw these scraps away!  Throw them in a baggie and store them in the freezer.  The next time you need bread crumbs for a recipe just toss the scraps into the food processor and you've got homemade bread crumbs! (You can do this with the heels of the bread as well.)

Step Four

 

Now add your pat of butter to the center of your toast flower!

Step Five
 

For a special treat, you can sprinkle sanding sugar or decorative sugar on the butter centers.

Step Six

 

Cut freehand leaves with your knife.

Step Seven

 

Now put together your toasty flowers! 

This would make a fun birthday or holiday breakfast treat! 

For dad, on Father's Day, you could use a fish or sports themed cutter!

Have Fun!

Grace & Peace,

♥ Melissa~
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"His cheeks are like beds of spices, with sweet-smelling plants. His lips are like lily flowers giving off drops of perfume."
-Song of Solomon 5:13

ode to a hubby

Today is O-man's birthday.  He is really and truly the most amazing person I've ever known. 

If you are married I am sorry, but you are married to the second-most wonderful man in the world because I got the first most wonderful man. heh-heh

Not a day goes by that he doesn't do or say something kind to/for me and his children.

He is funny beyond words.  (I often come close to spitting out various drinks in laughter - which sounds like a bad thing, but really it's not)

He has taught me about mercy and grace in a way only someone who truly practices it can. 

He loves God, he cherishes his children.  He understands sacrifice and lives it everyday. 

He will not say no to a "play with me" request no matter how tired he is.

He will wash dishes, fold laundry and cook dinner. 

He makes coffee most mornings and holds my hand every night until we fall asleep. 

He is what Paul meant when he said, "love your wife as Christ loves the church".

And I can't imagine what I did to deserve that, so I am just so thankful to the Lord for the grace He has poured into my life by giving me this man to love.

Happy Birthday Sweetheart.  I love you!

♥ M~

---------------------------------------------------------------
"Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her..."
-Ephesians 5:25

He holds us all together

This is so neat and *so* God. 

I {heart} science and Jesus. 

Take a minute to watch it and you will be blessed!

Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.
      He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation,
  for through Him God created everything
      in the heavenly realms and on earth.

   He made the things we can see
      and the things we can’t see—
   such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world.
      Everything was created through Him and for Him.
  He existed before anything else,
      and He holds all creation together.

   Christ is also the head of the church,
      which is His body.
   He is the beginning,
      supreme over all who rise from the dead.
      So He is first in everything.

   For God in all his fullness
      was pleased to live in Christ,
   and through Him God reconciled
      everything to Himself.
  He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth
      by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.

 -Colossians 1:15:20

I pray for Grace and Peace mixed with Faith for each of you reading this,

♥ M~
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"We also pray that you will be strengthened with all His glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need.

May you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father.

He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to His people, who live in the light.

For He has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of His dear Son, Who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins."

-Colossians 1: 11-14

the adventures of the cereal box boys

The boys had a blast cutting up giant cereal boxes (we have to buy cereal by the cubic ton) and making helmets out of them the other day. 

One of the millions of reasons that I am so appreciative of the ability to homeschool (no matter how I spell homeschool spell check doesn't like it??) our boys. 

They would never get the opportunity to be so close if they were both in an institution all day.  One would be in kindergarten and one would be in high school and they probably would never even see each other, never mind enjoy each other's company.

Teen-O is so sweet with his little brother and Little-O just adores him.  It blesses me so much that the main role models in my little guy's life are his brother and dad, kind, loving, men of God.

   

I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the life God has given me on a day like this, watching them laugh and play and learn together.  And I am humbled that God trusts me with this. deeply humbled and grateful.

Who knew cereal boxes could elicit such introspection?

♥ M~
----------------------------------------------------
"I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength to do His work. He considered me trustworthy and appointed me to serve Him...Oh, how generous and gracious our Lord was! He filled me with the faith and love that come from Christ Jesus."
-1 Timothy 1:12 & 14

ten on tuesday - art and paper and the you-know-who

ten random thoughts on tuesday

one

Happy Earth Day! 

Thank you Lord for this amazing place you created for us.  Please help us to be better stewards of it while bringing glory to Your name. amen.

two

I realize you are all probably tired of hearing about the dentist (thank you so much for your well-wishes and commiserating by the way) but I have one more visit this week that will involve "a little pressure" as the dentist likes to call it and some more heavy medication.  In the meantime I have a short:

Floss your teeth people.   I'm just sayin'.  Floss.

three

Remember this post about the artwork I experimented with by one of my favorite artists Claudine Hellmuth? 

I really wanted to try and not be a big, gigantic goober about this, but it appears I have no control over that so I have to tell you that Claudine commented on my post! 

Isn't that cool?  (I really hope she doesn't read this and realize what a goober I am)

four

Yesterday when I got home from the dentist and was feeling really yucky I got the best package in the mail from one of my bloggy friends.

It just couldn't have come at a better time and it makes me smile how God uses people in your life to do small, sweet things for you.

The very generous package included a beautiful handmade card and was filled with goodies from another one of my all time favorite artists Jenni Bowlin.

What an incredible treat it was to open that package (which was wrapped in gingham ribbon!!) and see all those lovely, papery things.  Thank you so much Tammy!

six

It's been forever since I've done any impulse art so I thought I'd try it this morning with my new goodies. 

I just love the scripture in Hebrews 4:12 that says,

"For the Word of God is alive and active and sharper than a double-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, joint and marrow and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart."

seven

I am currently enamored with spelling numbers, graph paper, circus fonts, paper lanterns and of course flowers. You might notice some of those in my collage.

I really love the way numbers look when you spell them and it seems to help me memorize scripture references when I see the numbers spelled out.

eight

In case you were wondering I am still working on  the April edition of the HeART & Soul ezine.  It's a little delayed because of the visit to the you-know-who (trying not to mention it again) but it's going to be lots of fun, the theme is one of my favorites, Birdies!

nine

The you-know-who is getting blamed for this too. My lack of Fitness Friday fitness. *sigh*  Oh well, try again next week I guess (I did do the stair stepper twice last week though and drank lots of water for what it's worth).

ten

My hubby brought me a big basket of red geraniums over the weekend.  I just love red geraniums.  Aren't they beautiful?

When I went to the quilt show I found this fantastic company, My Sampler, that sells embroidery kits that are so sweet. 

They have one that I really want to do for my kitchen called, (what else?) Red Geraniums.

Actually, I want to do them all, especially the scripture ones, they are so cute!

Hey, that's ten already!  Be sure and comment on my giveaway post for a chance to win some goodies!

♥ M~

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"...for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask Him!"
-Matthew 6:8

the God-colors of one happy family

My new favorite thing to play with is Mixwit.  So fun!

This is my new favorite song! 

Loved, loved, loved The Clark Brothers on American Idol the other night.  Weren't they fabulous?

This is the same song, but a little different version.  If you want to get happy listen to this:

Or if you missed the AI performance and want to see it click play:

A photo from the Chuck E. Cheese photobooth:

We are one happy family. I am blessed.

Hope you're having a terrific weekend!

♥ M~
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Jesus said,

"You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept...Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven."
-Matthew 5:14 (the message)

you say it's your birthday

New banner for Little O's birthday.  It was really, really hard to make because I was *crying* the whole time...*ugh*...

I thought I'd re-run the Little O pregnancy story today for those who haven't heard it.  We are off to do fun birthday things.

You might need some tissue for this.  I'm just sayin'.

-------------------------

Three of the most agonizing days of my life happened in September of 2002.

O-man and I found out we were pregnant in early August of that year. I was so incredibly happy to be expecting again.

I immediately started picking out sweet little baby outfits and looking through baby name books with hubby. We had to do so clandestinely because we hadn’t told anyone yet, not even Teen-O (who was then pre-teen-O). It was such a special time, I loved that we had this little secret treasure just between us.

Six weeks later we made the announcement to family and friends and had scheduled our first appointment with the doctor.

We arrived at the office early Monday morning on September 23^rd. We were thrilled to find out that she would be doing a sonogram.

Human fetus at six weeks after conception.

While I knew not to expect more than a tiny blip on the screen, it still meant seeing the reality of the little life we’d already fallen head over heels in love with and just the thought of it gave me butterflies.

I remember lying on the table, hubby holding my hand and smiling down at me, the doctor adjusting the machine and making small talk…

And then the tone of her voice changed slightly, and she began to ask more pointed questions about how I had been feeling.

and then she was just quiet…studying the monitor…

and then she stopped,

and reached over

and turned the monitor off

and began to tell us

that we had lost our baby.

I don’t recall her exact words; it was all a blur of emotion…first absolute denial…

I told her she was wrong,

I had taken three pregnancy tests

I was having morning sickness

and every other symptom that comes with early pregnancy.

As I was explaining all this she reached into a drawer and pulled out a black & white pamphlet that had been photocopied so many times the text was starting to disintegrate. There was a sad couple on the front and a title that included the word “miscarriage”.

I felt my face get flush, hot tears stung my eyes and I heard the doctor’s voice as if she was at the end of a long tunnel…

telling me the symptoms were most likely from residual hormones

telling me it wasn’t my fault,

these things happen,

we could try again right away…

There are really no words to describe the next three days. The anguish of beginning to call friends and family to tell them we’d lost the baby. The devastation of packing away the tiny outfits we’d already purchased and the baby name books I’d circled names in. The grief and sorrow of losing someone we loved with all our hearts though we’d never even met.

On Wednesday morning the nurse called and said she wanted me to go to the hospital immediately. Based on some lab results they had reason to be concerned that instead of a miscarriage I may have had an Ectopic pregnancy. This is when the fertilized egg settles in the fallopian tube. There is no chance of survival for the baby in this situation and the possibility of hemorrhaging and death for the mother.

We arrived at the hospital, pre-teen O in tow and began filling out mountains of paperwork as we waited for the next available sonogram technician to call me in.

While we were waiting we received a phone call from a local florist letting us know that they had a flower delivery and asking when a convenient delivery time would be. My boss had sent a sympathy bouquet.

Finally my name was called. We had decided that since our little boy was with us, hubby would stay in the waiting room with him.

O-man squeezed my hand and gave me a sad but reassuring smile and I walked into the back room ready to hear the worst.

I lay on the table staring up at the ceiling while the technician began adjusting knobs and asking me questions. I was biting my tongue to try to keep myself from crying and wishing that my husband was in the room with me when suddenly she said,

“Ok, everything looks good here, your baby is about….

After the word baby I didn’t hear much. I think she was telling me how many centimeters he was or something…all I could hear was my heart pounding in my chest.

And then I began to sob, loud, guttural, elated sobbing…and somehow between the sobs I managed to say, “the baby?…there’s a baby?” and freaked the poor technician completely out.

She started saying, “Are you ok? I’m so sorry; I thought you knew you were pregnant. I’m so sorry.”

It took a few minutes for us both to calm down and me to explain the story to her, that I thought I’d lost my baby and that she had just told me the most wonderful, amazing news of my life.

She turned the screen toward me and let me see that glorious little blip.

Then we were both laughing and crying and she said, “Oh I should go get your husband and son!” She brought them in and slipped out of the room quietly while I told them the miraculous news.

I will never forget that moment, telling them I had seen the little blip we had so desperately wanted to see a few days earlier…crying and laughing and crying again.

Before we left the hospital, that sweet, sweet technician came back into the room and gave me what looked like a small x-ray. It was a copy of the sonogram.

They had run out of the paper that it was normally printed on, but she wanted me to have it so she printed it on x-ray film.

Here it is:

 

We found out that apparently no one had informed her why she was doing this sonogram; she wasn’t even looking for an ectopic pregnancy, just a healthy baby, and she found him.

She said given the baby’s position it would have been impossible for the doctor to see him with the equipment she had.

All the way home we were both on the cell phones calling those we had told the bad news that it was good news after all (and being so thankful that we hadn't even told everyone yet).

Shortly after we arrived there was a knock at the door; it was the florist with the bouquet from my boss.

I don’t know why, but that stands out so strongly in my memory. How those flowers were sent from sorrow, but arrived in joy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So that’s my pregnancy story with LittleO.

I’m sitting here crying again as I type this (even though this is the second posting of this story), just so thankful to the Lord for getting us through that. He is so faithful.

The rest of the pregnancy went pretty normally (if you don’t count Little O deciding to come a month early!).

And now my little blip is FIVE years old and learning to read and explaining to me exactly how legos work and talking and talking and talking and talking (he talks *a lot*).

And I love every minute of it.

♥ M~
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"No one's ever seen or heard anything like this, never so much as imagined anything quite like it— what God has arranged for those who love Him."
-1 Corinthians 2:9,10

a celebration of His lavish gift-giving

What a lovely, happy Easter we had.  And we are still having...on our way to grandma's today.  Here's a few snaps 'til tomorrow....Hope yours was lovely and happy too...

More tomorrow....

♥ M~
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"How blessed is God! And what a blessing He is! He's the Father of our Master, Jesus Christ, and takes us to the high places of blessing in Him.

Long before He laid down earth's foundations, He had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of His love, to be made whole and holy by His love.

Long, long ago He decided to adopt us into His family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure He took in planning this!) He wanted us to enter into the celebration of His lavish gift-giving by the hand of His beloved Son."
-Ephesians 1:3 (the message)

He's Alive

"And every fear I'd ever had just melted into peace..."
                                                -He's Alive, Don Francisco


A powerful Easter video...be prepared to cry tears of joy...

                                      

Happy Easter Sweet Friends

♥ M~
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"Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in Me, though he may die, yet shall he live."
-John 11:25

the saddest day

(I'm out and about doing Easter-y things with my family.  This is a re-run from last Easter)

--------------------

I woke up this morning and the first thing I thought was,

"This must have been the saddest day in history."

The second day.

The day that Peter and John, Mary Magdalene and Mary the Mother of Jesus, woke up and remembered what happened.

That Jesus was dead.

dead.

I just started crying.  I don't know why I've never thought about *this* day before.  The second day.

You know, I've often thought how amazing it must've been to be one of Jesus' disciples.

Imagine, getting to walk next to Him,
Hear His laugh.
Give Him a hug.
Ask Him questions.

And then this morning I realized that they also had to go through this day.  The in-between day. The not knowing day...

...the heartache of thinking that the Man they believed was not only the future King, but God Himself...had been crucified and was laying in a dark, cold tomb.

...fighting the gut-wrenching fear and doubt...

I'm so glad this is just one day in history.

I'm so glad that Jesus didn't stay dead.

That death couldn't keep Him.

That He arose victorious over death, hell and the grave.

I love the relationship that I have with Him now.  Even though I didn't get to hold His hand and walk down the beach with Him while He talked about the love of God for me....

I get to do that everyday now.  Every. day.

I get to experience a *relationship* with GOD.

Because of what He did.

Taking my guilt and shame and washing it away with the blood of His Son.

Redeeming and restoring my relationship with Himself in only the way He could do it.

He did that for you too.

He wants to know you. To laugh with you and listen to your heart and share His with you.

You can have that if you want it.

Just ask Him.

Not that there won't be "second days" in your life anymore.

We still have those.  The days in-between that we don't know what's going to happen and we're afraid.

BUT

when you have that relationship with Him you can call out to Him on the "second days" in your life

and He's there

with comfort

and peace

and grace.

It is an amazing experience to meet God and walk with Him daily.

I hope and pray that every single person that reads this experiences it.

"Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."-John 20:29

"For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." -Romans 3:23

"...the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." -Romans 6:23

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." -1 John 1:9

"For Christ also has suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:" -1 Peter 3:18

"Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if anyone hears my voice, and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me." -Revelation 3:20

Grace and Peace,

♥ M~

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"God didn't set us up for an angry rejection but for salvation by our Master, Jesus Christ.

He died for us, a death that triggered life.

Whether we're awake with the living or asleep with the dead, we're alive with Him!

So speak encouraging words to one another. Build up hope so you'll all be together in this, no one left out, no one left behind. I know you're already doing this; just keep on doing it."
-I Thessalonians 5:9 (the message)