Dear Santa

The Jolly old elf, controversal in the church, yet with origins of and by the church. I have a very different perspective of him and feel the need to share. Isn't the very essence of St Nick, if you think about it, very christian indeed? If your good and you believe, you get rewarded. He loves all the children, even the naughty ones. His colors are (at least here in America) red and white, significant when you think of his sacrifice (although not as brutal as Christs for sure) and his purity. I'm not saying he's an icon to be worshipped, however when there's so much evil in the world can we think of something other than exhibiting that awful emotion of hatred towards an innocent ancient old man who's only pleasure is to bestow hope and joy on the world? (even if it's only for one night.) He has lived his entire life struggling to keep the spirit of Christmas alive, to keep the children in their innocence, to bring a little happiness to us all.I'm proud to say that my family believes! We believe that God can and will do a little gift giving to us all during our lifetime. We believe in the spirit of Father Christmas as well. As the true St Nicholas believed, why not bring a little good into the life of children when they're surrounded by so much bad.
For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him, shall not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16
For I so love my children that I will teach them about God, and let them have a little hope in humanity as well. I grew up thinking the world was on it's way out, I want my children growing up thinking theres always hope in this world. (But first you must believe.)
Okay here's something that a sensitive Christian, God fearing person might take offense to but I'm going to say it anyway. Fact: Most "Christian" holidays got their origins from pagan rituals, and Christmas is one of the biggest. So get over the fact that a cookie filled elf twinkles briefly in the eyes of so many children. Teach them the truth about God, but let them believe in a little magic. The hardest thing most christians struggle with is faith in miracles, and guess what, if they have no background in believing in magic they probably will only believe in what they can see, touch, taste and smell.
So we'll put the fire in the fireplace out, and hang our stockings with care and wait anxiously for St Nicholas to take away our despair. If only for one night a year.

Star Light

Good Morning everyone. Here I sit another long day at work keeping on eye on the computer and doing crafts like mad. I'm doing a spin off of the star decoration I did back in October. This time I glued two stars back to back and used my favorite craft supply...GLITTER!!!!

Now that I have a few of those done it's on to the next craft. But before I go here's a blast from the past. Collapsible travel cups, before there were water bottles you kept this handy dandy thing in your purse. Put a few tylenol in the lid part and your prepared for the next time you need a little drink. Found a few more on ebay, and even etsy. This one I got on a trip to the Smoky Mountains when I was little.

Here's hoping that you all take time to enjoy some good memories and add a little glitter to your lives....ok,  not a little....a LOT!

The Christmas Rush

Had to post a little Thanksgiving shot, and shout out to my family in Detroit! Loved getting to spend some time there. Thanks Mitch, Lynn and Trace for housing us.

Just checking in on my blog. I see I have someone looking in from Alaska. Hey there! Love your state! Wouldn't mind moving there I tell ya. I'm blundering on in the blogfront today because...well....I'm up at 3 am, working, and bored out of my mind. So I did a little reading on what the Dalai Lama's been up to lately and here's what he says. "By implementing the practice of love and compassion, we will naturally live a non-violent way of life. Helping others and not harming them is the work of non-violence. We need to develop love, compassion and forgiveness to develop inner peace and that naturally gives rise to non-violent conduct."  So in closing while I'm cranking out a workweek of 55 hours and trying to get ready for a craft show this weekend, here's some action shots of "Preparing the Feast". LOL  Love you guys!

His Plan

Today I'm being thankful for the peace I have in the Lord, knowing that, ...he's got this. Leaving me to do what I need to do in life to get to the next door. You know, believing that he has your back and is guiding you daily to do what you have to do, is the hardest thing for some people? You can't sit in a house and go through life on autopilot. You'll never get anywhere, and you'll never feel happy. You have to get out and move! Enjoy! Help people! REJOICE in the Lord and his Love daily, by giving back, paying it forward, being an encouragement to others. It's not all about you, it's about what you can do for others in His name. Stop asking will it all end, and find something you love. For in that love you will find peace.
Even as I type this I feel the Holy Spirit guiding me, so it's something someone other than myself needs to hear.

Hearing and doing are two different things, believe me I know. As I cram for this 5k coming up with an injured worn out knee sometimes I lose focus. I think, oh I can at least do the "Mashed Potato Mile" then I think forget it I'll never be able to do it, then, oh heck I'll go ahead and walk the 5k, what I really think I'll do is turn it over to God and let him decide. I'm not giving up on this, somewhere it's symbolic and I'm anxious to see how it all unfolds.

As I finish up this post I can't close it without saying fairwell to my Aunt Jackie. You fought a battle you knew wasn't about winning, it was just about the fighting. At times we know you wanted to give up, but the love of your family kept you going. Your race is complete, you've crossed the finish line and all the Angels in heaven rejoice that you have come home. We will all be together in the end, and oh what a time that will be!

Persevere.

On the road to success!

1st organization thingy done: Coat Closet - it's part of my pantry but I split it into two parts, next project...the rest of it. Forgot to take a before picture, but imagine as much crap piled on the shelves as it would hold. ;)

Now it's nice and neat. All ready for winter accessories! A seperate bin for everyone, and a basket for extra pet items.

Pretty tags let everyone know there's a system not to be messed with!

Training for the 5k is still going on. I'm confident that I have the mash potato mile licked. Can't run the whole 5k, but Walk/Run is done. Walking a lot more than I like but I may have it under an hour.

Today I'm thankful for that peaceful feeling I have after I walk/bounce. Not to mention all the wonderful uplifting support I'm getting from friends and family as I try to attain a healthier body.

hem hacks

Today let us be thankful for.....  Okay, so this is going to sound really strange, but it just goes to show you that God is ever present in your life. I get inspirations from the weirdest places. So I'm watching American Horror Story Asylum. (not a very good show for Christians). But there in the middle of this very inappropriate show is God, talking to me...Nun relays a story of her childhood. About how she prayed and prayed for hours over this dead squirrel. She cries to her mom, "God didn't answer my prayer!" Her mom replies, "God always answers prayer, most of the time the answer isn't what we expect." Isn't that the truth!

Wanted to share with you a trick my cousins fiance' showed me. Do you get frustrated because you hem your jeans and then they look tacky? You can't ever get that factory hem look. Well now you don't have to! Check it out.
Step One: Have the wearer put pants on, then cuff them to where the back of the heel is barely touching the floor (or table cause I don't want to sit on the floor). Pin and then have them carefully remove pants. Iron where that line is to give you a strong guideline. It helps to have a ruler and put the ruler on the inside of the cuff, matching the existing hem to the same spot on the ruler all the way around ironing as you go.  

Step Two: Pull cuff out and refold to your guide line. I put the very bottom of the hem to the right of the crease as seen in the photo.

Step Three: The picture below shows the jeans inserted into the sewing machine with the exact same fold and sides as the above picture. Place the needle above the bottom of the hem, the rest of the leg and crotch are to the left of the machine. I can't stress enough this is exactly as the above picture shows just inserted into the machine. Make sure the leg is around your machine so that your not sewing the leg closed.

Step Four: Now pull the bottom of the hem down, put the extra material up into the pantleg, you'll be cutting off the extra after the final fitting. The bottom picture shows (left to right) the original guideline, the new hem, the original stitch line, and the bottom of the hem.

Below see the finished result, have your wearer try it on for a final fit, better to be safe than sorry, you can take the stitches out but it's a lot harder to reattach the cut off fabric. Happy Sewing!



In the month of November

There's a bunch of people I know who are doing this challenge thingy, apparently your supposed to say what your thankful for everyday. Today, I'm thankful for that little button up in the top right that lets me exit an area when it's creating stupid stress in my life. I'm still baffled that people can read what you write in a chat room and just pick out a few words and then act like they're all offended. I am choosing to ignore ignorant things, life's to short to try to figure it out any longer. Stupid is as stupid does, and as far as I'm concerned they can play with each other for eternity. Now with that said, breathe in...breathe out.
Before I hyperventilate though, let me tell you what's been happening.  We went to state competition for the marching band and placed a very respectful third. Then my soon to be cousin reminded me that I was supposed to run the turkey trot with her on Thanksgiving in downtown Detroit. Not the actual turkey trot, there's a 5k also. So now along with all the other projects I'm doing add training for a 5k in there.
http://www.theparade.org/turkeytrot/index.php
Then there's my project organization going on, day one is "The Coat Closet" pictures to be posted tomorrow. Great ideas from a pin on pinterest I'm going to follow within my choosing of course.
And last but not least, I'm trying to get things prepared for the Woodland Shores Baptist Church's 2nd Annual Holiday Arts & Crafts Fair.
Gotta quit sitting around here and hit the bricks. Catch ya later's.

Marching Band has taken over!

We're back! Marching Band is officially over, tonight is the band banquet. My kids, by blood and the other 173 were so wonderful. Their talent just astounds me! If you ever have the chance to go see a marching band competition, go! You won't be disappointed. So at the conclusion of this years competition Lakeshore Marching Band has placed 3rd in the state for their flight, and the score was the highest in school history, I'm told. My heart and head just burst with pride. Congrats!

Side project for my Christian bowling team. Love hanging out with my friends and trying to act like I know how to bowl! Mwa ha!

Marching Band season is in full swing and that's why my blog hasn't been updated in a while. Next weekend is IT. State Competition at Ford Field! Good Luck to some of the most wonderful young adults I have the priviledge to know. I love you all and am so proud! Tera and Cody, you continue to amaze me daily with your talents. Definately one proud band mama! 

Ok Amanda. Since I couldn't reach you on facebook, I posted this for you! This is just the mock up tee, ours are more of a khaki and it's printed on the back, I'll run them over to you maybe tomorrow or Thursday. ;)

The Secret Project

Okay so I wanted to post some of the things I like to do, but I have a conflict. I don't want to really post all the details about them because they're sort of my own creation. I will show you a portion of them of which I am pretty proud of, if I do say so myself. There's probably 10 million ways to do it better, but this is what I had on hand. I make these snow ladies with pretty hats, this is one of the hats I'm creating special for my Mother in Law, a pretty special lady herself. ;) Love ya Mom!

 Let me tell you something if you ever endeavor to do anything like this, stock up on bandaids those little wires can draw some blood! ouch!

 

Still not complete, but i'm expecting it to be finished by today. Will update my post then, in the meantime...

Remember: God is Good!

3d Stargazing

Hello all! I don't quite know how long I'm going to make it today, 230 am is awful early. Luckily I only work til 530 am then I get a 3 hour break for a quick nap. So my star project was quite a few trial and errors. If you follow the instructions on the pinterest project, you'll be having a heck of a time. It's not all as easy as it looks and her template is way to skinny. Don't ever use scissor to score a fold line, especially on cardboard you end up with cut lines that aren't very appealing. Invest in a scoring tool. I have one that is a paper cutter and you just switch out the blades to turn it into a scorer. All my trials were for naught once I used the right tools. A fatter star template, and a scorer not a cutting blade. So now I'm going to see if decoupage is a cool addition, for some fall type decorations. So here's some pics, the cardboard with the cut lines and my better version waiting for the glue to dry. Don't know if I'll be back today so have a blessed one my friends!

Tuesdays inspiration, Wednesdays project!

Ok, pinterest, I found a cardboard country star. Driving back from the store an inspiration hit. The star with mod podged halloween/fall paper! Keep an eye out for it.

Update for today: I was looking for something to put some seeds in that I am giving to a friend, and decided to revamp an old useless tin. Here's what it was, and is now.


The Beginning




The Middle



 



The End!



Good morning to you! Do you know that God made this day just for you. To show you how much He loves you he made all the beauty in nature. Be thankful, it's so much better than being bitter.
Today I'm going to do some catching up on crafts.

I have some chicken door stops to make. Here's what it looks like,

Not bad for my first one, I used left over material for it. It matches the chicken even if they are in seperate rooms. So looks like I'll be reading today, working my job, and making.....refab tins to hold some okra seeds I'm giving to a friend!  Will post my results! Have a wonderful day everyone! And remember that it is YOUR decision to be happy, mad, peaceful, repentant, helpful, or an ass, let's all choose to be God's child, and to love one another. Case in point, I saw this little two yr old in Aldi's yesterday, and she looked soooo tired, then I saw her again in the next aisle and she started fussing, I smiled at her mom, and suggested she give her a piece of cheese that she had just put in her cart. She was dumbfounded and not getting it, so I grabbed a package of string cheese, opened it and gave her a package out of what I was going to buy. She smiled, brightening right up. The mom was delighted, and very relieved. So be aware of your surroundings and make someone elses life a little brighter.

Wanted to post this for my friends. It's a very powerful thing.

Thank you http://www.fathersloveletter.com/

My Child, You may not know me, but I know everything about you. Psalm 139:1 I know when you sit down and when you rise up. Psalm 139:2 I am familiar with all your ways. Psalm 139:3 Even the very hairs on your head are numbered. Matthew 10:29-31 For you were made in my image. Genesis 1:27 In me you live and move and have your being. Acts 17:28 For you are my offspring. Acts 17:28 I knew you even before you were conceived. Jeremiah 1:4-5 I chose you when I planned creation. Ephesians 1:11-12 You were not a mistake, for all your days are written in my book. Psalm 139:15-16 I determined the exact time of your birth and where you would live. Acts 17:26 You are fearfully and wonderfully made. Psalm 139:14 I knit you together in your mother's womb. Psalm 139:13 And brought you forth on the day you were born. Psalm 71:6 I have been misrepresented by those who don't know me. John 8:41-44 I am not distant and angry, but am the complete expression of love. 1 John 4:16 And it is my desire to lavish my love on you. 1 John 3:1 Simply because you are my child and I am your Father. 1 John 3:1 I offer you more than your earthly father ever could. Matthew 7:11 For I am the perfect father. Matthew 5:48 Every good gift that you receive comes from my hand. James 1:17 For I am your provider and I meet all your needs. Matthew 6:31-33 My plan for your future has always been filled with hope. Jeremiah 29:11 Because I love you with an everlasting love. Jeremiah 31:3 My thoughts toward you are countless as the sand on the seashore. Psalms 139:17-18 And I rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17 I will never stop doing good to you. Jeremiah 32:40 For you are my treasured possession. Exodus 19:5 I desire to establish you with all my heart and all my soul. Jeremiah 32:41 And I want to show you great and marvelous things. Jeremiah 33:3 If you seek me with all your heart, you will find me. Deuteronomy 4:29 Delight in me and I will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4 For it is I who gave you those desires. Philippians 2:13 I am able to do more for you than you could possibly imagine. Ephesians 3:20 For I am your greatest encourager. 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 I am also the Father who comforts you in all your troubles. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 When you are brokenhearted, I am close to you. Psalm 34:18 As a shepherd carries a lamb, I have carried you close to my heart. Isaiah 40:11 One day I will wipe away every tear from your eyes. Revelation 21:3-4 And I'll take away all the pain you have suffered on this earth. Revelation 21:3-4 I am your Father, and I love you even as I love my son, Jesus. John 17:23 For in Jesus, my love for you is revealed. John 17:26 He is the exact representation of my being. Hebrews 1:3 He came to demonstrate that I am for you, not against you. Romans 8:31 And to tell you that I am not counting your sins. 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled. 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 His death was the ultimate expression of my love for you. 1 John 4:10 I gave up everything I loved that I might gain your love. Romans 8:31-32 If you receive the gift of my son Jesus, you receive me. 1 John 2:23 And nothing will ever separate you from my love again. Romans 8:38-39 Come home and I'll throw the biggest party heaven has ever seen. Luke 15:7 I have always been Father, and will always be Father. Ephesians 3:14-15 My question is… Will you be my child? John 1:12-13 I am waiting for you. Luke 15:11-32 Love, Your DadAlmighty God

Update on my bag organizer

It's done and I never posted the final picture. So here it is! I used left over fabrics from my door weight project which is coming up tomorrow.

Cool huh? I'm so glad I ran across that how-to page. It's working out fine too, although it never leaves the pantry. The tabs and buttons at the top allow for it to be taken with, in the car, on the grocery cart. Have to make one of these for my friend Lisa, our favorite store to shop is Aldi's and these are handy dandy for there.

I realize today that I'm falling way behind in life. What have I been doing with myself...I have no clue. How can you work so hard to exhaustion and not get anything accomplished? Why do people who are running late, get mad at me? I didn't have anything to do with their decision to be late. Unless they were sitting here reading my blog instead of dialing in for their teleconference. Fat chance! So as far as I'm concerned they can bite me! Ok, ranting over. New direction, onward! Did you know that to repent, means to change your direction.  So I suppose I am repenting, my fibromyalgia (if that's really what I have) has been flaring up lately and I've been in a lot of pain. I think it's the change in the weather. My joints ache, my muscles scream, and still I carry on. A body in motion stays in motion after all. The chickens are doing well. I've been taking care of them this week. Poor Ven, I don't think she'll ever grow her feathers back. Maggie the shepherd did an awesome job of, guiding without biting, everyone back into the coop after they escaped the other day. My jaw hit the floor! I was thinking oh my, what a smart dog you are, and then I woke up the next morning to her pee stains on my bathroom carpet. I was thinking stupid so and so, but then thought again, brilliant! I mean really everyone else goes pee and poop in there, it's not her fault she doesn't know how to sit on the toilet.
Today I'm going to continue on with my processing of our harvest, Okra and maybe jalapenos. I have got to get downstairs and do laundry, clean out the fridge down there, and unpack a box or two. I totally had a lightbulb moment when I ran across a picture of a refabbed dresser. Check it out!

So then I thought, Cody's Room! Of course! He want's to join the NAVY and I have all this Navy memorabila from our time in. What better way to get it on display! Ten times better than trying to figure out a dirtbike theme.

Well it's time to head off to work. See ya soon, and thanks for stopping by.

Easter Preparation

"Today is the day the Lord has made, may we be glad and rejoice in it." As spring is busy springing, the birds are busy chirping, people are busy hustling and bustling. Let us pause, take in a deep cleansing breath and give gratitude that we are here. That we are not slaves to God, and that he lets us choose freely how to serve him and love him. Free will, it's a wonderful thing.

As we prepare our houses for our Easter celebration, let's not forget the only reason there is an Easter. Celebrate Jesus' sacrifice. Don't let extremists tell you painting a bunny is defiant, for if it reminds us that God loves us, what does it matter how we celebrate his love?

Monday again! Good Morning. Wow what a great morning. The kitty is purring, the dog is sitting anxiously waiting to go let the chickens out of the barn. I want to let anyone know that visits me here, that I love my God, and I take comfort that he takes care of me, leads me to where he's working, and uses me to complete his plan. If you have a different view of powers-that-be, that's fine with me. I don't judge people on their beliefs, the most important thing is to have one. If you'd like to read about mine here's a really helpful site to go to.

http://www.biblegateway.com/

Great Idea!

Plastic and reuseable grocery bag holder! Like it, definately gonna make it!

I just found the cutest Easter Egg pattern. I hope it's okay to share this blogger with you! Fiona Carters eggceptional-eggxtravaganza from 2009
She's on pinterest too. I'm following her so go check out mine ;).

House on Ashwell lane: Easter Centerpieces for your kids table

House on Ashwell lane: Easter Centerpieces for your kids table
More Cute Easter ideas!

Hello Friends

This is just a quick hello for anyone who runs across my blog. I own 17 chickens, hence the name. I love quilting, crochet, knitting, painting, homemade crafts, canning, cooking, playing games, and raising my kids. I wouldn't be able to do any of it if I didn't have the undying love of God, and my husband.