~Una Mas~

(Spanish for one more time...why do I know this? It's the name of a restaurant chain in California! LOL)

One more post for today! My goodness, I've posted quite a lot today!

Today I went to church alone. My poor honey is sick with a stomach virus or food poisoning. I feel so sorry for Kevin when he's sick. It's hard to see a big, strong man ill!

Church was very good, as usual! This morning's service was on prayer--a very timely message. Tonight our pastor continued his series from the last half of Ephesians 6. Tonight's message was from verse 14--truth.

Today has been very restful for me. This afternoon I knitted and did my little sewing project, and had a nice phone conversation with my mother-in-law.

It rained all the way home from church this afternoon. The rain was nice to get for our lawn and flowers, but not so nice for the estimated 25,000 people across our state who lost their power! I'm glad our power didn't go out - today is hot and muggy, and all Kevin needed was to add "hot" to his miserable condition.

I've been reading through Proverbs 31 each day, for 15 days now. It is good to read over and over. One verse that sticks out to me each day is verse 26, "She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness." Yes, something I need to work on! In reading the whole chapter, instead of just verses 10-31, it reminds me that this chapter is a mother's instruction to her son on various things; and then in specific, what to look for in a wife. So, not only should these principles be taught to young girls, but to young men as well!

Since Kevin has been sick today, I guess I haven't used up my quota of words for today! LOL I could make this post really, really long, but I'll stop here.

May the Lord bless your week!

~Buttons!~

I have always loved buttons. It just might have something to do with the fact that sewing buttons onto a piece of fabric was my very first project! I always save buttons off clothing that can't be used any longer--I can always find a use for a button!

~Yard and Garden~

If you've been reading my blog long, you already know that I am totally enthralled with my garden this year. I am enjoying the plants that the Lord made as part of His creation, and rejoicing that He has allowed me to grow them in my yard!

Kevin snapped this picture the other night when I went out to pick green beans:


And guess what? My very first tomato!!!

~Flower Pin Cushion~

I have seen these flower pin cushions on quite a few blogs, so the idea is not new to me. They are so fun and easy to make! I made mine this afternoon.

Here's how I made mine:

Draw a circle pattern (I used a 4" circle, which made a small pin cushion).

Cut out two circles:


Sew them together, and then zigzag around sewing*, leaving a small opening to turn:



Turn, stuff, and sew opening shut.

Using embroidery thread, and starting from center, form petals by pulling stitching firm:


Sew a button in the middle. All done!


*If you zig zag around the seam, there is no need to clip the edge. This same little trick works wonders with collars, neck edges, and anything that is curved. Simply stitch, zig zag close to seam, and then trim close to zig zag edge.

~Tour of Homes~

(Click pictures to enlarge)

Knock, knock, knock...


Here's where I blog. Yup, that's me...blogging! This is our home office, decorated by my husband. (Yes, I do have feet! The chair is tall for me, and my feet were crossed in front of me.)


Two shots of our living room:




Our dining room, which is open to the living room:


My kitchen:


To see more pictures of my home, visit my photo album here.

Thank you so much for stopping by my home! Head over to BooMama's to complete your tour.

~Handbag~

Tonight I finished a handbag. I've seen bags like this all over the place, but I never could figure out a few of the particulars for making it. Big hugs to Rachel, who sent me detailed instructions on how to make it!



I enjoyed making this handbag. I gave the other two I made to Holly and Shelly, to thank them for the flowers they bought for me while they were visiting me. I plan on keeping this one. It looks like it will be handy to carry my knitting in! :)

"The Bomb" Butter Rolls

Here is the roll recipe that is just so fantastic!

The dough is made in a breadmaker.

Put ingredients in order listed, or in order recommended by your bread machine. Put on "dough" cycle. When dough cycle has completed, shape into rolls, squeezing bubbles out. Spray tops of rolls lightly with non-stick spray so they don't dry out as they rise. Let rise for 20 minutes. Bake at 375* for 20-25 minutes. Brush tops with butter after baking.

*I used regular flour.
**I used a packet of yeast.

Other notes: My oven is hot, so I bake them at 350* for 15 minutes. Don't overbake--you don't want the tops and sides to be hard.

~The Fair~

Last night, Kevin and I went to the fair. It is a much smaller fair than we both grew up with. However, it gave us enough to look at and do.

The first thing we did upon arriving was to find something to eat, since it was dinner time. Kevin found something, and went and sat down while I got something else. Well, I realized that I’m not picky—I’ll eat just about any vegetable and real food—but I’m picky when it comes to junk food! So I walked up and down the midway and finally settled for a basket of freshly made French fries. Yup, that was my dinner! (They were good and must be a regular feature because the line was long!) Meanwhile, Kevin had finished his dinner and was getting worried about me.

We walked around and enjoyed the different exhibits. We watched horses being judged. They were all fancied up with bells and bows and fancy harnesses, and the people showing them rode behind them in a two-wheeled cart. They pranced so beautifully. The blue ribbon winner was not the one we thought would win, but they were all so beautiful it was hard to choose a favorite!

The exhibits were small (Kevin was thankful that the handcraft section was very small! Hehe) Kevin got some super-duper-soak-up-a-flood-of-water cleaning cloths for me. I have been running low on rags anyhow, and I’m sure they will come in handy! I also got a jar of lemon sugar scrub. It smelled so good, and after I tested a sample, my hands felt so smooth and soft. That was the extent of our purchases.

Here’s a picture just for my family:

Hehe...love to my family. xoxoxo

I did it again!

One of my things to accomplish on my 101 List is to read a book from start to finish without reading the end first.

Well, my current book won’t count. I’m reading a Grace Livingston Hill book, called White Orchids. It’s a typical GLH book—a rich young man attracted to a poor working girl, with a furious rich society girl looking on and trying to take the two from each other. There is something very compelling about GLH books even though a lot of them have similar plots.

Why doesn't White Orchids qualify for my list? You see, I’ve read it in my typical fashion, which is: read the first half of the book word for word, sentence by sentence. After finishing the first half, and noticing the late hour, but still needing to know what happens before I can go to bed, stick a bookmark in, skip through the last half and skim the chapters and read the interesting parts. Then, read the last few chapters word for word, sentence by sentence. There! I know what happened, and I can go to bed! The next day or so, I go back to the bookmarked spot and pick up where I left off reading word for word. But there is no pressure now—I can read a chapter here, a chapter there, and it really doesn’t bother me to put the book down. And I will finish reading the book! I always do!

Truly, that is the way I read most books. It drives Kevin crazy that I do that. LOL But me, I’m quite happy to read a book that way. So why did I put that goal on my list? Hmmm…good question!

Image from http://users.tellurian.com/bksleuth/GLHInfo.htm

~The Goldfinch~

My favorite bird is the goldfinch. God used goldfinches in a special way for me. We were going through a hard time, and it just seemed like everything was wrong. One day when I was out shopping, I looked at the birdfeeders and picked out a goldfinch feeder. I put it out, and that very day I saw a goldfinch at my feeder! I was so excited! I loved my little "Tweety Birds", and felt like they were God's special gift to me, to bring cheer to my life. I would sit at my kitchen table and watch the goldfinches and other birds that came to my feeders. We had at least three pairs of goldfinches that would come to our feeders. They became used to me, and would even come up to the feeder if I was out on the porch right next to the feeder!

When we moved, I was very glad to be moving, but so sad to leave my little goldfinches! I almost cried thinking of them coming to get food and the feeder being gone! At our new house, I put my goldfinch feeder up, and soon had a little visitor. However, I don't have as many goldfinches at our new house, and rarely see them at the feeder, though I know they must come, because the food keeps going down!

My heart still sings when I see goldfinches! I told Kevin that God surely sent those birds to me as His messengers to tell me that God loved me!

Picture taken by Kevin

~Peach Cobbler~

Here is my recipe for peach cobbler. When Kevin was in college, I took a few classes as well. One of my teachers gave out this recipe one day, and it has become a favorite! Since it's not really all that healthy, I don't make it that often - usually just when we have company, or perhaps for a potluck.

Peach Cobbler

1 stick butter
1 can (29 oz.) sliced peaches in heavy syrup
1 cup milk
1 cup sugar
1 cup self-rising flour
brown sugar

Pre-heat the oven to 350*. Place a medium baking dish with the butter in the oven. (The butter melts in the oven.) While the butter is melting, mix together milk, sugar, and self-rising flour. After butter has melted, pour flour mixture into baking dish. Arrange sliced peaches over top, and pour in all syrup. Bake for 25 minutes. Sprinkle brown sugar on the top, bake for 5 minutes longer, or until done (slightly browned on top).

ENJOY!

~Company~

Our company Saturday afternoon and evening was fun! We had a couple from our church over. Kevin and the husband played tennis, and the wife and I took a walk with their 1 1/2 year old son. While on our walk, we stopped by a playground area, and her son had fun on the slides and swing.

Dinner was fantastic, if I do say so myself! :) It was a joint effort: Kevin grilled the steaks to absolute perfection--the best steak I've had in ages! I made rolls and a vegetable, and the wife brought twice-baked potatoes. Then we had peach cobbler with vanilla ice cream for dessert. Delicious!

Note to self: buy some toys and keep on hand for little ones who visit! I've been meaning to do this for years now, and I simply must stop procrastinating and do it soon! The little guy soon got tired of the toys his mom brought for him, and was finding more interesting things (such as our stereo, TV cabinet, etc.) to entertain himself with.

Then, while we were talking, Kevin brought up a quilt that his grandma made him, and I got it out to show the couple. As soon as I unfolded it, it attracted the little one like a magnet. I left it on the floor, and he played on it the rest of the evening!

I'll post the recipe for the rolls and the cobbler later on. The rolls are "THE BOMB"--so easy to make, and deliciously good! I got the recipe from a friend at church, and have made them three times now, with fantastic results each and every time!

Have a great day!

Laser Lemon

This week's color: Laser Lemon.

Of course, lemons are the first thing that came to my mind:


Lemon-scented dish soap too:


Whenever I see Joy dish soap, I always recall the verse, "The joy of the LORD is my strength."

Next time I think I'll take my pictures elsewhere. I felt odd taking pictures in the grocery store! LOL

~A year of color~

Both Dawn and Deb have joined "A Year of Color" and I thought I'd join in on the fun!

This week's color was white. Below is the picture I submitted. It is the center of a tatted doily that my sister gave me, photo taken on my porch steps this afternoon.

~Have a sunny Saturday~

1 Corinthians 10:31 Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

Have a wonderful Saturday! My day is going to be busy, how about yours? We're having company over this afternoon and evening, so I need to go shopping and finish cleaning my house.


The sunflower pictured is the one that grew from my birdseed!

I'm Anne...

...of Green Gables, of course!

Find out which L.L. Montgomery character you are by clicking here.

When you click to see your results, it tells you, and at the bottom it says, "If you can't stand your results, go back and take the quiz again until you get an answer you like." I liked my results just fine! :)

I always loved Anne, another instance of reading the book before watching the movie. I can't say that I have the penchant for talking that she does though!

HT to Mrs. Blythe.

Comments on Comments

Remember my little comment problem? Apparently it's something that is getting out of hand across the blogging world. I regularly read Yarnstorm, a very lovely knitting/sewing/quilting/embroidery/cooking/baking/gardening blog. This post from today surprised me. Because I read the blog from bloglines, I rarely comment, so I rarely see the comments. Yarnstorm is almost never controversial--certainly I didn't expect that she would be getting negative anonymous comments! So far the comments on that post are up to 120, and they are all positive!! It really is too bad that there are others out there sowing seeds of *unkindness* around the blogosphere!

Similarly, Annecourager wrote a post regarding trolls. Let's all do our part to make blogging a fun experience for others! I don't want to be guilty of leaving unkind comments behind me! My mother always said (and I imagine yours did too), "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all."

I didn't intend to bring this subject up again. Truly, I am not upset about the matter. I'm just puzzled, more than anything. And I can't tell you how one semi-unkind comment on my blog just made me laugh and laugh. I laughed every time I thought about it. I really did! LOL I'm a dork, I guess. I'm even laughing now.

Oh, and by the way, I want to thank all the sweeties who leave such nice comments in my comment box! I try to respond, but don't always do the best job at it. Please know that your comments are greatly appreciated!

Just Stuff

Well, I feel completely idiotic, but did you know that if you click on the time of a post (in Blogger, anyhow), it directs you to the permanent link to that post? I just figured that out today! LOL I guess you learn something new each day!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tonight I asked Kevin if we could do something "fun". It's been a while since we've done something just to have fun together. We went mini-golfing and drove go-carts. We had a very fun evening together! (That makes something I can cross off my 101 list!) I have never driven a go-cart, but found it quite fun! Oh yeah, Kevin beat me at both racing and golfing. *Grin*
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have a sunflower growing in my side flower bed! I have kept my front flower beds and my garden weeded and tended, but I haven't done anything to the side flower bed this year. However, some of the bird seeds that were dropped are growing. I'm just letting them grow, for two reasons: I'm curious as to what they are, and since I haven't weeded the bed, why take out perfectly good plants? =P
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This post has been quite a rambling post. *Smiles* I hope you all have a wonderful day!

Sewing

I love to sew. There is just something that thrills me to take a piece of flat fabric, and make it into a garment or something.

When I was four or five, I learned to sew buttons onto a piece of fabric. That was my first sewing project. I was so proud of my accomplishment!

My first "real" sewing project was a blue gingham apron that I cross stitched on. I did all the "x's" across the bottom, and I got to sew on the sewing machine and really make it. Of course, my mom did most of the work, but I believed I had made it all by myself! :)

When we visited my grandparents (my mom's parents), my grandma's sewing room was "the" place to be! My grandma did alterations for a bridal store, and the sewing room was just so much fun! I remember seeing a pattern piece and asking Grandma what it was for, and when she told me it was a sleeve, I didn't believe her--how could that odd-shaped thing be a sleeve? But she showed me, and then I believed her! :D

I progressed little by little with simple garmets, and when I was 11, I started Sewing Lessons with my grandma. My grandma has more patience than Job, or so it seems! Every Tuesday morning, I went for my Sewing Lesson and learned how to sew and follow patterns. Some of my mistakes were even ripped out by my grandma, because she didn't want me to get discouraged.

When I hit my early 20's I really began to enjoy sewing. I spent many hours making dresses for my sisters. I had an old typewriter stand, and I set it up in my bedroom, turned on the Christian radio station, and sewed and sewed and sewed! I came out only for two things: food and to use serger!

I haven't sewn much in the last few years. Life has gotten busy for me. However, when I do take the time to sew, I thoroughly enjoy myself. Unless, of course, the project is a comlete dud--which does happen from time to time!

~Two Projects Finished!~

After much procrastination on my part, I have finally finished two projects!

Capri-length pajama pants for one of my sisters:



and a nightgown for another sister (the project I started on Monday).



But...shhhhh...don't tell them they're finished! ;-)

Just for kicks, here's a picture of my messy sewing room. I'm messy when I sew!

Countdown

I saw this over at Mrs. Blythe's blog, and thought it looked fun.

Ten things you've done today:
Ate breakfast from McDonald's
Did my hair and makeup at work because we didn't have power at home
Exercised during my lunch hour
Too much work at work, didn't have time to eat much of my lunch
Answered three lines all at once. Ok, they were ringing all at once, and I got them one right after the other! :)
Picked my first "crop" of green beans
Watered my hanging baskets
Weeded and harvested my herbs
Made Baked Tomato Spaghetti for dinner
Wrote two blog posts

Nine things you need to do tomorrow:
Make my bed
Make breakfast! (no McDonald's!)
Answer some e-mails
Go to church
Get more laundry done
Water my flowers
Do my dishes
Pick up around the house
Finish my project, if I don't finish tonight

Eight items always in your pantry:
Rice
Flour
Sugar
Dry milk
Salt
Pepper
Spaghetti noodles
Tea

Seven things you need to feel "at home":
A book
A cup of tea
A snuggly blanket (in the winter)
A project or two or three or four or maybe more (the more the merrier!) *Grin*
Access to e-mail
Comfy slippers
Several more books!

Six things that sum up your childhood:
Summer fun in sprinklers
Dolls
Playing house
Babies (real life dolls!)
Fun at grandparents houses
The "Make and Do" book from the set of children's encyclopedias - oh how I loved poring over that book!

Five items of clothing you wear again and again:
Black skirt that I made
Navy skirt
Blue/yellow striped shirt
Two blouses I bought in Chinatown, San Francisco


Four places you've lived:
A parsonage out in the country
An apartment in a smallish city in California
Two different apartments in Santa Clara, California
A house with my family, in a small country town (That was five places, wasn't it? :) )

Three books you've loved reading recently:
Beverly Lewis' latest book (I loved it so much, I don't even know the title. LOL But I really did enjoy reading it!)Image from www.housenumberconnection.com
I can't think of any other titles! I haven't read much the last month.

Two heart's desires:
To be a mother
To live more for the Lord

One thing everyone reading this can pray about for you:
Not for me, but for a missionary family who has just lost their 2 year old child to illness, and their 4 year old child is sick as well.

If you do this meme on your blog, let me know! :)

Babies no more!

My wee little green beans have grown up. And now I sound like a cannibal. LOL



I picked a good-sized handful of green beans today, and we'll have them with dinner tonight! Yummy, I can't wait!

Thunder and Lightning!

Last night we experienced a good 'ol midwestern summer thunderstorm! Once everything got into full gear, the sky was lit with intermittent flashes of lightning with no breaks in between. The thunder claps were so very loud! And then, of course, our power went out. At least we weren't alone--an estimated 250,000 homes in West Michigan were without power as a result of our storm!

I was right in the middle of a sewing project when the power went out. Wouldn't you know? I procrastinated and put off that project for over a year, and when it was nearly finished, I couldn't work on it any more! LOL

Our power was still off this morning, and as we rode in to work, we heard on the radio that it would either be restored by noon or next Friday. That's a pretty big time gap! Kevin called home mid-morning and our answering machine kicked on, so we knew the power had been restored to our house. I feel bad for the people who might have to wait until Friday! The heat and humidity have been high this week.

Image from National Weather Service.

My Salvation Testimony

I realized after I posted my mom's article that I have never shared my salvation testimony here on my blog.

I had the wonderful privelege to grow up in a Christian home. I thank the Lord for parents who prayed for me even before I was born. They prayed not only for my salvation, but for my future mate, and many things in between. My mom always quoted Bible verses to me (and my siblings) when she laid me down for bedtime. My parents always prayed that their children would get saved at an early age.

Well, I guess you could call almost four years old an "early age"! During family devotions, I had learned about Jesus coming back, and I knew that in order to go with Jesus, you had to be saved. I knew that I wasn't saved, and I was scared about that. My parents had been teaching me that I was a sinner.

So one night while my mom prayed with me before bed, I prayed and asked the Lord Jesus to come into my heart. He saved me!

When I was 12 years old, I got baptized. I knew it was the right thing to do, but I was scared to go up to my pastor and ask him to baptize me! My younger sister, Holly, wanted to get baptized too, so we went together to ask the pastor.

When I was a teenager, I dedicated my life to the Lord, for Him to use me however He felt best.

I praise the Lord for His great salvation!

From My Mother's Heart: The Gift of Salvation

It was a simple thing. We took a pie to the people across the street. Neighbors do things like that. But a while later as I was working in my yard, the little girl from that house came to me and reached out her hand to me. “Here,” she said. I looked up to see some folded bills in her hand.

“What’s that for?” I asked.

“It’s for the pie.” She responded. I assured her that I was not selling the pie to her family, that the pie was a gift. But she said her dad insisted on paying for it. We went round and round, and finally she jammed the money into my hand, and I knew that if I didn’t take it, I would be insulting her father. My heart sank. What was supposed to be a gift became merchandise. Rather than blessing this family, I became a peddler to them.

Then it hit me. How must God feel? He sent His Son as the perfect sacrifice for our sins. He freely offers us salvation, a home in heaven. The Bible tells us it is a gift. And what do we do? We try to pull out our wallets and pay for His free gift. Oh, it may not be with money, but we try to pay for a home in heaven by doing good things. By being nice to our neighbors, by going to church. You name it. Nobody really wants to go to hell, and many of us try to come up with our own way to pay for our sins so we don’t have to go there.

I don’t know why it was that my neighbor wanted to pay for the pie. Maybe it was pride. After all, he was not a charity case, and he could pay for the food his family ate. Sometimes people get so proud they think they have a better plan of making it to heaven than God has. But until we accept His free gift, we simply can not make it. That is the only way for anyone to get to heaven.

I have met people who say they pray everyday for God to save them. You are not saved by repeating prayers over and over. That can become your way of doing it yourself. You can not save yourself. What would you do that would be enough? How would you know when you had done enough? How then can you be saved, and sure that you are on your way to heaven when you die?

Realize you are a sinner. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” Romans 3:23.

Realize there is a penalty for your sins and that God wants to give you the gift of salvation. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” Romans 6:23.

Realize that you do not need to do anything to clean up your act for God. He wants you to come to Him just as you are. “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8.

Do what I wanted my neighbor to do with the pie. Just reach out and accept it as a gift.

“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” Romans 10:13. We accept God’s free gift of salvation by calling out to Him in prayer, believing He alone can save us, thus, accepting His free gift.

John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

If you believe that you have ever sinned, that you can not save yourself, and that Jesus has paid for your sins on the cross of Calvery, as the Bible says, pray a simple prayer like this:

“Dear Lord Jesus, Thank you for paying for my sins on the cross with your shed blood. Thank you for proving you have power over death and hell by your raising yourself from the dead. I accept your free gift of salvation. Please come into my heart and life and save me today. Thank you, Jesus! Amen.”

Mere words do not save you, but remember Romans 10:13. It says “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” God can not lie. His Word is true. Accept His free gift today, and then you can know for sure that you will spend all eternity with Him in a wonderful place called Heaven!

Does that seem too easy? Consider this verse. “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” 2 Peter 3:9. God did all the work, all we have to do is believe Him and accept Him. Won’t you trust Him today?

~By Mrs. H

Growing, Growing, Growing...

I praise the Lord for how well my little garden is doing!



Today I counted 41 tomatoes on my plants. There are still many blossoms as well.



Here's a wee little bean. This little fellow is a tad longer than one inch.



My flowers have taken off as well. We've had higher humidty the past few weeks, and the impatiens seem to like it.



Next year I'll make sure to plant both sides at the same time. This side is one week behind, and there is quite a difference.



Today was quite warm, and I spent about an hour weeding. Even though I was working mostly in the shade, I was quite tired afterwards. The heat really saps your energy!

E-bay update

Hurray! My last item was paid for. She paid today. No explanation, she just paid. At least I got my money, and I don't have to deal with the hassle of the non-paying bidder report.

So, what would you do regarding feedback? When I sell something on e-bay, I always wait till the buyer has left me feedback anyhow.

Peace Lily

While out shopping today, I bought a small peace lily for my hallway. I bought a small plant for a good reason: if I kill it, I'm not out a lot of money! *Grin*



I just need to keep it alive, and then I have another item off my 101 List. But how long does it have to stay alive to count as keeping it alive? If I keep it alive for over a month, that would be better than any other houseplant I've had! (With the exception of aloe vera plants, which I have managed to keep alive.) We'll see how long it lasts!

Bloggy Tour of Homes

BooMama is having a "Bloggy Tour of Homes". Click here to read all the particulars about this one-time event. It all happens on Friday, July 28th.

Here are a few particulars:
1) First picture--your front door.

2) Second photo--show us where you blog.

3) Third photo--your main living area.

4) Fourth photo--your kitchen.

5) Fifth photo--your choice.

Oooh, this sounds like so much fun! I can't wait! If you plan on participating, spread the word on your blog too!

HT to Lindsey.

Embroidery Site

I just found this marvelous site for embroidery patterns! My 101 List has an embroidery project on it, and this set of patterns would be just perfect!

E-bay thrills and frustrations!

Back in April, I posted about a blog article called Adding Beauty to Your Life. What it boiled down to was how stuff doesn't necessarily add beauty to your life--especially if it's all crammed into a tiny sewing room!

Well, I still had a stack of things I wanted to sell on e-bay, but hadn't gotten around to listing. I listed 12 lots, and sold 6 lots. Five of my six buyers paid almost instantly. The other person? It's seven days later, and I still haven't heard "boo" from her. The thrilling part was that I was able to make a little money off of some books that were previously stacked in my sewing room. The frustration is over the person who hasn't paid yet! Not only did she win the bid, but she bid against someone who probably would have paid, and bid the item up way over it's value. I've listed quite a few things on e-bay over the last few years, and this is my first non-paying bidder. I guess it was just bound to happen sooner or later!

Now I just need to find a home for the six items that didn't sell (thrift store? Freecycle?) and get the stack of things out of our home office. Have you noticed that when you have a pile somewhere, that after a while you don't notice it anymore? Unfortunately, that's what has happened with this little stack! I need to finish my decluttering job!

A Film for Friday: Sarah, Plain and Tall

Sarah, Plain and Tall is a book that was written in 1985. I received this book as a Christmas gift when I was young, and thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

Several years later, when I discovered that Sarah, Plain and Tall (1991)was made into a movie, I was thrilled! The movie closely follows the book, and Glenn Close as Sarah is totally believeable.




I recently watched Sarah again. It had been quite a while since I'd seen it. I love the costumes and the setting. It feels as though one is stepping back in time, not watching a movie--it's very realistic!

While Sarah does not promote a submissive spirit, it tells a tale of one woman's fight for survival on the prairie. I'm looking forward to watching the sequels to the movie as well.

Picture of book: www.gpschools.org
Movie poster: www.amazon.com

Guess who I just saw?

Mr. Hummy! Yes, that's right--I already have my hummingbird named! I was sitting out on our front porch talking on the phone and who should fly up? Mr. Hummy, of course! He doesn't know that I'm his friend, so he was a little afraid to come up and get his food. But I'm sure he and his buddies, and all their wives will get used to me. Can you tell I'm excited? *Grin*

Pictured is my feeder, waiting for lots and lots of Mr. and Mrs. Hummy visits!

God created so many different, very interesting birds! I love to watch birds, and I'm so thankful that the hummingbirds are being attracted to my feeder!

Bad Hair Day!

Well, the newscast for today predicted a BAD HAIR DAY! The weather reporter honestly said that! LOL

This morning my hair was very uncooperative! Because of all the rain we've gotten, it was pretty humid today. My hair doesn't respond well to humid weather. Just think frizzy, fly-away hair! Yup, that was me!

~Comments~

After receiving several unkind anonymous comments, I have decided to disable anonymous comments. If you do not have a blog, and would like to post a comment on my blog, or someone else's blog, you can set up an account with Blogger, without setting up a blog. It's simple. If you need help setting up an account, send me an e-mail, and I'll be glad to help you.

I can take constructive criticism, but attacks on my character are not appreciated.

To my anonymous commentor today: a blog is a web log. It is an online journal. Of course I'm going to be talking about myself. If I had a paper journal, I would write about myself too. I initially started this blog to keep my family and personal friends up to date with my daily life. However, I realize many others besides my family and friends now visit my blog, and I'm absolutely delighted with the many ladies who comment here and have become my friends.

Specifically in response to the comment today, my post regarding the children's books was not meant to puff myself up. Rather, I was sharing a teaching tool, and shared how I have been able to use it.

This blog *is* about me. Just look at the blog title! *Smiles*

Teaching Children ~ A Useful Tool

When I was 18-20, I had a pre-school/Kindergarten Sunday school class. One of the ladies in the church gave me a whole stack of books like the one pictured. At the time, they were still available for purchase in the Christian bookstore, but I'm not sure if they are still being published.


I have used these books over and over again, in the various places we have been. For example--in Sunday school, junior church, vacation Bible school, while babysitting, when I taught school, and subsituting for various Sunday school and junior church teachers. These books have large pictures on one side of the page, and on the back of the picture, they have the story for the teacher to read.

Tonight Kevin and I did the children's class for a couple who is on vacation. Having these books on hand made it easy to prepare for a lesson--just grab the book and go! I'm familiar enough with the story that I can read it and look out at the children as I read, so it doesn't feel as though I'm reading it.

As I read, I try to use good expression, and really get into the story myself. The children all sat very quietly and listened--even the "big kid" 6th graders.

Materials like these are wonderful to have even if you don't teach a class every week. If you have oportunity to purchase similar stories, do, and see how God can use them through you!

P.s. I changed the name of the boy in the story to "Tommy", that way the kids who might know my husband's name don't get all goofy. *Grin*

My Wee Little Garden

My garden is growing so well! We got home late tonight, so the lighting wasn't very good for pictures, but I now have baby green beans! Hurray! *Smiles*

It's a bit blurry, but here's one of my baby beans:


And I have three peppers growing on my two plants. I hope that the plants produce more than just three peppers! I don't know which plant is which, but I planted one yellow pepper and one red pepper plant.

My "toddler" pepper:


My onions and tomatoes are growing fast too! I have a lot of tomatoes! I hope I get enough to can!

The weeds are growing just as fast! I need to get out there and do more than take pictures! LOL

It's Raining, It's Pouring!

I love a good summer rain! It has been steadily raining since late this afternoon, and it is now almost 9 p.m. I have always enjoyed rain! I know that some people feel depressed when it rains, but there is just something about rain that makes me feel all "snuggly" inside! =)

When we moved to California I was 9 years old, and it was at the beginning of a drought. The normal average rainfall for the area where we lived was 10 inches per year, so it didn't rain much for the next 5 or 6 years. I really missed my rain!

Here in Michigan, the average rainfall for our area is 35 inches per year, with an average of 71 inches of snowfall! That's a lot more rain than I was used to--it's a good thing that I like rain! (And a lot more snow than I was used to--can't say that I love the snow, but there is still an element of enjoyment there.)

Find your own average rainfall (and many other statistics) here. Tip: if you don't live in a large city, search by the nearest large city.

A look back into history

I came across this fascinating diary, of a man named Alvin C. York, a soldier in World War I. He was a Christian, and gives God all the glory. It is a long read, but it is worth the time! Alvin York had the equivalent of a third grade education, as shown by his grammar and spelling.

For a shorter account, you can read Wikipedia's version here.

When I was little, my parents got a Christian periodical which published Alvin York's story in one of their issues. His story impressed me then, as it still does today!

From my Mother's Heart: That's not a Bible verse?

When my older children were young, they would do unkind things to one another from time to time, as children sometimes do. I would knowingly tell them, “The Bible says to ‘do unto others as you would have them do unto you!’” Then one day, I was writing an article, and I wanted to use that verse of scripture. I searched high and low and couldn’t find it, so I called my mom and asked her if she knew the reference. She said, “Well, I don’t know that that is in the Bible. It’s the Golden Rule.” Oh...I had been telling my children it was a Bible verse! They will probably not remember any of the other “real” verses I taught them, but they will not let me forget that one!

Well, the good news is that even though those exact words are not in the Holy Bible, the truth taught in those words is a Bible truth.“Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.” You can look it up for yourself! You will find it in Matthew 7:12. I have memorized this verse to teach my younger children.

And here it is again.
“And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.” Find this verse in Luke 6:31.

Can we know our Bible too well? No, of course not. We must always be studying, learning, and growing in the Word. “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).

By Mrs. H