hoping and wishing

Hoping you and yours had a wonderful Christmas....Wishing you and yours a blessed New Year.

hope

As I wake up this morning to yet another foggy, overcast day I realize that the weather suits my mood.  This happens every Christmas season ... at least all of them that I can clearly remember. Every Christmas season I struggle and fight to find hope.

After Friday's tragedy I struggle even more, but for me the struggle would be there even if the tragedy didn't happen. 

You see, my most significant losses have happened during the Christmas season.  I've lost both my grandfather and my dad just a few days before Christmas (30 years apart).  As a teenager my parents separated during the Christmas break.  As an adult I know that there were many years of problems but as a kid I just saw my family falling apart at Christmas.  I've lost two babies between Thanksgiving and New Years.  And to compound things, the days are super short and dreary this time of year...and I'm one who needs light.

However, it was during the Christmas season when I was 21 that I realized that my life was hopeless and pretty meaningless.  So I began the journey to find Hope.

Hope wasn't talked about in my family...other than, "I hope I get an Atari for Christmas".  But true Hope, life giving Hope and Comfort was not something my family knew about.  We just dealt with life as best we could and moved on trying not to cause too much pain for others.

A few months later, over spring break, I met the Hope of the World.  He came into my life and I realized that He was there all along, waiting for me.  He's waiting for you, too.

Jesus Christ is the Hope that has come and is coming again...and still comes to us each day. 

Some people say that believing in Christ is a crutch.  Maybe so, but I'm wounded - just like everyone else - and wounded people get well when they have "crutches".

If you're struggling this Christmas season I want to encourage you to seek the One who came when the world was at it's darkest and brought Light.(John 8:12)   The One who elevated the view of women for all time. (John 4:7-20)  The One who loved children so much that he reprimanded his followers. (Matt. 19:14)

The One who loves you so much that He died to bring you eternal life, hope and comfort. (John 3:16)

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33

creative messes

There's something about this life we've chosen, something that we can't get away from and I just have to be okay with.

What is that something? you ask

messes

I walk in the door from grocery shopping and this is what I find...



 

the beginnings of wood working right on my living room floor...

...and at the dinner table...

...and at the front entry way.  (This was my first sign that my house may not be in quite the same condition as I left it.)

But you know what, I'm actually ok with these kinds of messes.  We can easily clean up and put our stuff away, sweep and vacuum the floor and the porch and wipe down the table. 

Before you begin to think that I have some kind of super power that helps me overlook all the mess and be just excited that my children are creative let me let you know that I don't.  I felt disappointment when I came home and found my house in disarray. 

What you don't see in the pictures is the drill press on my kitchen floor and saw dust all over the floor (and in the air waiting to land on all of my furniture).  We've since banned drill presses and sanding in the house.

I know the business of creativity is messy.  And while I would love to have a dust free home without projects all over the place what I want even more if for my children to have the freedom to be creative with whatever medium inspires them at the time.

And maybe a little help in dusting every once in a while...

first cold snap and hot cocoa recipe

We had our first cold snap of the year.  For the last 2 nights we have been below freezing for a couple of hours.  I know, not cold for most of you, but for us it's really cold. 

 

Since we garden year round we have to take care when it's supposed to freeze or frost...



 

We picked all the lemons off our tree.  We'll continue juicing them and dehydrating the zest to freeze.  Gabriel has been making the most amazing lemonade lately...about 1 quart lemon juice to 3 quarts water and 1 cup sugar. 

We covered all the citrus trees except the large lemon tree.  We used dog food bags and chicken feed bags to cover the really small ones.

 

A farmer friend gave us some ag bags to put over some of our beds.  I got tarps for the rest.  With instructions to the males in my family that these are only for the garden.  They are really lightweight and so I don't think they will be good for anything else.

I uncovered the beds this morning and all the winter crops are doing fine...

The basil is another story.  Apparently just covering the basil isn't enough to keep it alive in a light freeze. 

 

A cold snap wouldn't be complete without hot chocolate.  I've held off making the mix until now because that's all my children want to drink. 

Here's the recipe just in case you want to make some, too.

1 box dry milk (8-10 qt size)
1 bottle dry creamer (16oz)
1 box Nestle Quik (15oz)
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
Mix in order given in a large bowl.  Store in airtight container.  To make, fill cup about 1/2 full of mix and add hot water.

This recipe is very forgiving so don't get too hung up on the sizes given in the recipe.  Also, I like mine really rich if you don't like yours super rich just put less mix in the cup. 

This makes a great gift, especially paired with some monogrammed mugs.

educational dvds

Since this isn't a deal blog I rarely post sales on here.  But occassionally I come by a deal that I just have to share. 

I love the Magic School Bus series.  My older boys watched lots of them growing up - that was our science curriculum for a long time.  But then our library got rid of all their vhs tapes and went to dvd and unfortunately they only have a few Magic School Bus dvds. 

Amazon has a complete 52 episode pack for $26.99

 

My older children used to have a computer game of Where on Earth is Carmen Sandiago.  They loved it.  I never knew there was a 40 episode video series.  But there is...

Complete 40 episode series of Where on Earth is Carmen Sandiago for $5.99

While I was poking around Amazon (a dangerous thing for my pocketbook)  I also saw the complete set of School House Rocks.

30th Anniversary of School House Rocks for $12.49

The links in this post are affilate links.  If that bothers you, that's ok, don't click on them, just go to Amazon and do a little search. You'll still get these great deal.

the gift making begins

In dance company that Phoebe is involved in they pair the junior company members with with senior company members so that each girl has someone specific to go to when she has questions or needs help.  It also helps the older girls to reach out to the younger ones and really builds a sense of unity among them.  They call it big sister/little sister.  The name fits nicely.

Phoebe's big sister is a friend of ours and from the start has gone out of her way to help Phoebe feel included...even before she was Phoebe's official big sister.   I will forever be grateful for this very sweet young lady. 

For a Christmas gift Phoebe made her this great silhouette using the same method that we've always used.  But this time she added elements of the girl's costume and covered the frame in this great fur fabric.

Her big sister actually has two little sisters so Phoebe made one for the other sister, too.

I love the way they turned out.  Phoebe did all of the silhouette by herself and I helped with the frame. 

Here's how we made the frame...

Supplies:
fun fur fabric - we purchased 1/3 of yard and can probably do 5-6 picture frames with it
frame - we used frames that fit a 4X6 photo (make sure to get on that when it is covered you can still get the back on)
black scrap booking paper for silhouette (other colors for embellishing)
white paper for background (you can run it through your printer to print names on it)
glue (for the paper)
spray craft glue (for the fabric)



Lay the frame right side down and measure the fabric over it.
Make sure that the edge of the fabric just touches the inside,
you don't want a lot of bulk.

Cut the fabric to fit.  I used an acrylic ruler and an xacto knife.

Cut corners out the sides.  As we did this we flipped them up
to see if we needed to angle them a little so there wouldn't be
much overlap. 

Cut an X down the middle...don't go quite to the corner.

Cut the inside.  I used the lip of the frame as my guide.

Spray each corner with a little glue and add a tuft of
scrap fur to each corner.  This is to make sure that the
corners won't poke out.

Lay the frame face side down on the fabric and spray the
inside with some glue.  Carefully lay the fabric into the
glue and pat down.

Now, spray some glue around the rest of the frame and the
fabric.  Lay the fabric onto the glue and pat down.  The
fabric should do all the way into the crease where the
photo will be.

Turn over and fluff up the fur.

This post is shared at Made By You Mondays, Barn Hop #91, Show and Share, What I Learned Wednesday, Fun in the Functional,

this moment

Inspired by SouleMama...

Playing with "ipods"...

how to make a grocery bag holder

When I was making the cushion for rocking chair I thought the fabric would be great for a grocery bag holder.  The one I have matched the old house but not this one. 

So while I was making the bag I thought I'd do a little tutorial...

Materials needed
20" X 27" piece of fabric
20" X 6" piece of fabric
2" X 20" piece of fabric
13 inches of 1/4" elastic

Start with the 2"X20" fabric.  Fold in both of the long edges to the middle.  You can iron this to set the creases.

 Now fold the the fabric in half so that both raw edges are tucked nicely in and  pin.

Stitch along the edge....I stitch along both sides...you don't have to, I just like the look.

Now, take the 20"X6" piece of fabric and zigzag along one long side.  This will keep the fabric from fraying.

Put right sides together and stitch the short sides together.  Now you should have a tube that is 6" long.

Put aside.

Lay out  the large piece of fabric with the 20" side up top and the 27" side on the sides.  Pin the handle about 5" in from each side at the top.  Stitch the raw ends of the handle to the fabric.  Also, pin the handle lower so that it stays out of the way.

Fold the fabric in half  right sides together and sew the long sides together.  Now you have a tube that is 27" long.

Turn  the long tube right side out. Put the short tube over the long tube matching raw edges.  (this is the side with the handles).  Pin all around and stitch together.

Turn lining into bag and topstitch around the top.

On the bottom, make a casing and insert elastic.

 voila, you have a snazzy bag to keep all your plastic grocery sacks.

gracious receivers {guest post on Money Saving Mom}

With Christmas just around the corner I have been thinking about not only giving but receiving. Many moms have said that they want their children to realize that this holiday season is about giving not getting. And I totally agree with that.

But I’ve been thinking that part of giving is receiving, not in the sense that if I give you something then you have to give me something, because giving is not necessarily reciprocal. Rather, I’ve been thinking about the fact that if everyone is giving — which most people are this time of year — then someone is receiving. Most likely those “someones” are our children.

click here to read the rest...

finishing works in progress

In an effort to help you guys feel better about yourselves, I'm going to share a little something with you. 

I haven't finished unpacking from our move a year ago. I know, it's terrible, but true.  We have boxes and boxes of stuff in the garage that's "organized" but not unpacked.  Do you feel better?  You should.

The problem is that I don't want to bring anything into the house that doesn't have a place.  To compound the problem we need more shelves and organizing things.  But I'm too cheap, I mean frugal, to actually spend money on things to store stuff in. 

So half my sewing stuff has been in the extra closet in my bedroom (I think it's supposed to be the husband's closet but we just share the large one because we're nice like that) and the other half has been in boxes in the garage.  This has made sewing a little challenging.  Each time I need something I have first remember where it is and then go dig and look for it. 

But no more!  Friday was the last straw.  I brought in the last four boxes of sewing stuff out of the garage and spent several hours going through them.  I pulled out all the mending, works in progress and Christmas fabric and projects.  I put them in a bucket and have started working through them.

Remember this rocking chair that I painted blue and mentioned that I was looking for the right fabric for a cushion?  Well, guess what I found in one of my boxes... just the right fabric.  I made an envelope pillow cover which is my favorite way to cover pillows.  That way I can wash the fabric and in this case I didn't need to put in any zipper or snaps. 

Buried deep, deep in the closet was Esther's doll stroller.  The fabric broke and would no longer stay on the frame...I think to many life size dolls have sat in it. 

I found some fabric and some small single fold bias tape in my stash.  (see I'm trying to conquer the clutter).  I used the old fabric as the pattern.  It only took about an hour - I'm not sure why it's taken so long to take care of this.

Esther's been strolling her babies around a lot this weekend.  It's been fun watching her.


I used my binding foot. It only does the very small bias tape. But it made the
project go so much faster.  I really need to look for one that can use the larger
bias tape.

I still have more to do to get rid of the pile but it's coming along.