Sunday Blessing

Jesus, my King, my wonderful Savior,
All of my life is given to Thee.
I am rejoicing in Thy salvation;
Thy precious blood now maketh me free.

Refrain

Wonderful Savior, wonderful Savior,
Thou art so near, so precious to me!
Wonderful Savior, wonderful Savior,
My heart is filled with praises to Thee!

Freedom from sin, O wonderful story–
All of its stains washed whiter than snow!
Jesus has come to live in His temple,
And with His love my heart is aglow.

Jesus, my Lord, I’ll ever adore Thee,
Lay at Thy feet my treasures of love.
Lead me in ways to show forth Thy glory,
Ways that will end in heaven above.

From: Wonderful Savior
by J. M. Harris

We sang this song Saturday evening in our revival service. I think it's a good reminder of what a wonderful Savior we have. How great to know that we can be freed from sin and be washed clean!

I hope everyone has a good Sunday. I am looking forward to a good (and busy!) week. Who knows? Maybe I'll get some sewing done this week! :)

Many Blessings!
Charity

Finished Object Friday

I wasn't sure if I was going to get this finished... especially since I haven't had much time this week to work on it. But I just finished the toes! :)



Many knitters don't like grafting the toes. I guess this is why toe-up socks were invented. I enjoy it though... "Knit, slip, purl... purl, slip knit..." Knittinghelp.com has a great video teaching Kitchener stitch. Besides, grafting the toe means you have finished the sock!




There were a couple of different ways to do the heel. I like the pattern repeated down, gives the sock a neat look! Love, love the color!! It is so very rich and plummy!



I do like the pattern for the most part. I memorized the stitch pattern, so the next sock should be faster. :) However, I think it is a little big. I like my socks to fit a little snugger. Even though my feet are narrow, this sock tends to slouch way too much. And I drastically shortened toe. (My toes are long, but not THAT long!) Blocking may help some... maybe quite a bit. Now to finish the twin!!

It's been a couple of weeks since I did a FOF! I think I like the every other week shedule. It gives us all a little extra time to work on our projects. :) So I'm excited about seeing yours! The guidelines can be found here, if you need a refresher. Happy Sharing!!

Finished Object... Wednesday???

Whew......

If you change your blog much, you know it's hard work! (and frustrating, and time consuming!) I don't know about you, but I was getting a little tired of the old look. Unfortunately, I don't change things enough to remember how I did it the last time! :) Anyway, I finally figured some things out. I hope you enjoy the new look. (If you are reading this in a reader, you may want to stop by!) :)

The blog look isn't the only finished object today... I had two visiting little crafters (or two crafty little visitors - however you want to look at it!) :) Kidding really, they are the sweetest girls! and two of my "adopted nieces."

Hard at work:

The finished product: Two purses - one with one handle and one with two!


Faithie is more process over product... or maybe I'm just not as into abstract art. :)

I watched the two eldest for a little while today while their mommy ran a few errands in town. I've been cutting out some things to sew soon and Gracie wanted to play with the scraps. Of course Faithie wants to join in as well. :)


I hope everyone is having a good week!

Blessings!
Chari

Sunday Blessing

Would you live for Jesus, and be always pure and good?
Would you walk with Him within the narrow road?
Would you have Him bear your burden, carry all your load?
Let Him have His way with thee.

Chorus
His power can make you what you ought to be;
His blood can cleanse your heart and make you free;
His love can fill your soul, and you will see
'Twas best for Him to have His way with thee.

Would you have Him make you free, and follow at His call?
Would you know the peace that comes by giving all?
Would you have Him save you, so that you need never fall?
Let Him have His way with thee.

from His way with Thee
by Cyrus S. Nusbaum


So many people fight against God's will for them. Why can't people see that God only has His best for them... that God's best is far better than anything they could imagine... that God is the answer to everything they've been looking for? Does it mean that all our problems are over when we do surrender to God. Of course not, but with God on our side, we can face anything.

I can't imagine facing any of it without knowing that God has everything in His control - my past, my current issues...even when I become fearful of the future (and believe me, I have quite the imagination - one reason I am so picky about what I watch/read) I remind myself that God will work all things for my good. (Rom. 8:28) I want to have that "peace that comes by giving all" in my heart. How important it is to allow God to have full control of my life!

I hope your week is off to a good start!

Blessings!
Charity

PS~ The flowers are at a local park, but they grow wild all around here. Most of the time we call them "Buttercups." I know the flowers aren't yellow, but rub the flower against your skin and you'll know where the "butter" part comes from! :)

Sanctuary on a Shoestring - Just a little green!

I wanted to join in with Company Girl Coffee this weekend. The small thing for yesterday was to share a tip on saving money. I thought I would share my tip here for my readers as well as Company Girls. :)

I am not big into "saving the earth" stuff, I feel that God has put the earth here for our use. However, I feel that we are stewards of our resources and should take care of the earth as we can. I do like to reduce the amount of plastic in our home, especially when it comes to bags from the store. That's why I have started using the bags below for the bulk of my grocery shopping.

So where does the tip come in? :) The grocery stores I do most of my shopping at (a chain owned by a local family) for the last couple of months or so, pay 5 cents for every shopping bag I reuse... eventually the bags will pay for themselves! Yesterday, as I finished at the checkout, I received a free bag with my over $25.00 purchase! (It's the new green one on top!) :) Oh, and I really enjoy using these, they are a lot neater and easier to carry than little plastic ones, and you can fit more in them.

Speaking of bags... I do like to get plastic shopping bags occasionally ... white ones, like at Wally World. I use them to line all our small trash cans like in bathrooms. I don't buy small can liners! :)

Thanks to those of you that gave your opinion on the Swiffer last week. I did buy the starter kit - with my coupon (another great way to save $$$) I only spent around $15 - $16 for it. I will be saving money on the pads by knitting some like these, or even using a microfiber cloth as Brittany suggested.

I hope everyone has happy Saturday... It's laundry, cooking and cleaning for me! Our church starts revival services tomorrow, next week will be a busy one!

Blessings!
Charity

Show and Tell: Spring Bunnies

Every now and then I enjoy taking part in Kelli's Friday Show and Tell. This Friday, I wanted to share my rabbits with you. I know it is past Easter, but I enjoy my rabbits into the summer. I do have a few of what I call "cutsie" rabbits, but my favorite ones are much more realistic. (I am also including a quote about a rabbit from Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder.)

And sometimes there'd be a great gray rabbit, so still in the lights and shadows of a grass clump that you were near enough to touch hime before you saw him.

His round eyes stared at yours without meaning anything. His nose wiggled, and sunlight was rosy through his long ears, that had delicate veins in them and the softest short fur on their outsides. The rest of his fur was so thick and soft that at last you couldn't help trying, very carefully, to touch it.

Then he was gone in a flash and the place where he had been sitting was hollowed and smooth and still warm from his warm behind.

I hope you have enjoyed my Show and Tell. All of these bunnies were bought at my favorite store in recent years. (I am just waiting for the Easter stuff to be marked down more... there are a couple of bunnies I have my eye on!) :) Drop by Kelli's blog to see more Show and Tell and just have a look around, she has a beautiful blog!

Have a good Friday!

Blessings!
Charity

Sunday Blessing

Christ, the Lord, is risen today, Alleluia!
Sons of men and angels say, Alleluia!
Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia!
Sing, ye heavens, and earth, reply, Alleluia!

Vain the stone, the watch, the seal, Alleluia!
Christ hath burst the gates of hell, Alleluia!
Death in vain forbids His rise, Alleluia!
Christ hath opened paradise, Alleluia!

Lives again our glorious King, Alleluia!
Where, O death, is now thy sting? Alleluia!
Once He died our souls to save, Alleluia!
Where thy victory, O grave? Alleluia!

From: Christ, the Lord, is risen today
By Charles Wesley

What a wonderful day to celebrate! Jesus is risen victorious!! His life work was completed. He paid for our salvation through His death on the cross. This day is just as important at Christmas, maybe more for Christians, because this is the day that we celebrate the completion of the Salvation plan. The work is finished and we can now go to Heaven!

One of my favorite Easter songs is on the top of my playlist, Rise Again by Dallas Holm. I love the phrase that says "Go ahead and mock my name, My love for you will still remain." There are so many today that mock the name of Jesus, but He still has such great love and compassion for them. His greatest desire is that each person accepts His gift of salvation paid for by His Blood.

He is Risen!!

I hope each of you has a wonderful day of celebrating Christ's victory.

Blessings!
Charity

Easter Eve

I know we aren't the only ones to have been getting ready for Easter tomorrow! I thought I would share just a little of our preparations.

My family has a tradition of coloring the eggs after they have been peeled! :)

I dissolve food coloring in water and put the peeled eggs in it. After they have turned the color I want, I then slice them and make deviled eggs. Yummy! :)

We were going to do a Peep cake, but Mom decided that cupcakes would be easier to serve. (Great idea too!) Why don't we do cupcakes more often... they are so fun! :)

After looking around a little on the internet, I'm kindof wishing we had done green icing...these are really cute! Oh, well. There's always next year! :)

Blessings!
Charity

What is Truth?

Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice. Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all. John 18:37-38


So many people today are on a quest for truth. They want to know what is real. Unfortunately, many of them don't believe that there is such a thing as absolute truth. They feel that all things are relative. Jesus said that He is the Truth. (John 14:6) If we don't seek Him as the source for truth, we aren't going to find truth at all.

Pilate wanted to know the truth. However, he didn't even stay around long enough to let Jesus answer his question "What is truth?" I believe many people are afraid of the truth. Maybe Pilate didn't want Jesus to tell him what truth was, because then Pilate would be held accountable. If there is Truth, than nothing is relative. Pilate would be held to a standard other than his own. Many people today are the same way, they may want to know what is true, but are afraid of Truth. Knowing the Truth might change their way of life. Truth might require them to hold to Someone else's standard - God's.

When we seek truth, from the Source of truth, we will find it. Jesus said, in the verse above, that His purpose in coming to earth was to bring Truth. Not only was Jesus on trial in Pilate's hall, but so was truth. The fact is that truth remains on trial today. Many people aren't willing to commit to the truth.

As we pause on this Good Friday, let us be grateful for Jesus's sacrifice that we might have salvation and be brought into the Truth.


~~~~~~~~~~~~
This post was also published on Time to Bloom. I wanted to share it here as well, in honor of Good Friday.
Image Source

Finished Object Friday

Wow! It seems like it's been ages since we did FOF! The last few weeks have been so busy...

I've made another cake... This one was fun, and different from others. It was an ambulance!

(Mom did the writing for me. I need to work on that, but I don't like my handwriting!) :)

Here is the design. (My thoughts on paper!)


I did a thin layer of chocolate frosting to help seal in the crumbs and make it easier to decorate.

I was really excited about accomplishing this design because it has the possiblity of becoming so many things... a dump truck, a semi, or even a fire truck.

Andrew is a friend from church who is also an EMT. He leads a small group meeting on Mondays. We are doing the Truth Project. We wanted to do something special for his birthday and to thank him for his dedication. I believe we surprised him! :)

Think he liked his cake?
It was just perfect that he wore his uniform that evening. Before we did the cake, one of the guys asked where his ambulance was. I said "Here it is!" and handed him his cake! Perfect timing.

Mark and I went up to visit his family last weekend. Sunday they have kids club at church and needed to have a snack for the kids. They wanted to do something special for Easter (they aren't having kids club on Easter day.) With all our heads put together, we came up with this idea out of cookies and I decorated it.

I don't know if you can see the "stone" to the right. We cut it out while the cookies were still warm and shaped it. These were just frozen cookie dough. (Oh, and this is an example of my writing... I need a little more space between "He" and "is!") I thought it was a good idea for a fast Easter dessert for kids! :) Fun too.

I'm excited for this FOF! I can't wait to see what you've been up to. :) In case you've forgotten how, the guidelines can be found here. Don't forget to check back to see who all has joined in, and to drop by their blogs.

Does it work?

I have been contemplating buying a Swiffer Wet Jet for a while. I'm not sure I want to spend the $$$$ for one, however. So, I am coming to you, my bloggy buddies. :)

Question: Do you have a wet jet? Is it worth the investment? Does it save you time and make cleaning the floors easier than with a mop and bucket?

I think that it would make life easier for me. In fact this book recommends it to supplement the mop and bucket. There are ways to save money after the initial investment. This webpage has a few suggestions. And I have seen a few knitted Swiffer cover patterns. (Make that several patterns... I love Ravelry!!) :) And I have quite a bit of cotton yarn. Oh, and I have $2.00 off coupon. :)

Thoughts?

Sunday Blessing

Take my life, and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee;
Take my moments and my days,
Let them flow in ceaseless praise,
Let them flow in ceaseless praise.

Take my hands, and let them move
At the impulse of Thy love;
Take my feet and let them be
Swift and beautiful for Thee,
Swift and beautiful for Thee.

From Take My Life and Let It Be
by Frances R. Havergal

How beautiful is the life that is entirely consecrated to God! God has the power to take even the darkest life, enlighten it and make it beautiful. And what wonderful freedom we have when we give all all to Him.

I hope you are each having a wonderful Palm Sunday! What a wonderful day to rejoice. May we each remember through the next week, Jesus's great sacrifice for us.

Blessings!
Charity

PS~ Wisteria is one of my favorite springtime flowers around here. I like the purple best, but I didn't get a close up of them. :) Happy Springtime!

Snapshots

It is so hard to believe that March is already over. We had such a good time in March because my Grandmother was able to come down. She is flying back to Idaho today and I miss her already!

Here is Grandma with most of her "Southern" grandkids! :)



Us gals enjoying East Texas spring flowers.


Wednesday, Grandma and Angie came over and helped me plant my "garden." I had a few tomato plants and a banana pepper plant I needed to get into the ground. We worked up a bed next to our shed where the plants can get lots of sunshine!


Here are my two helpers and our completed bed. Grandma also planted some seeds that she had sent a while back from her own flower garden. I hope the marigolds are up soon!


In other bloggy news, I have finally updated my other blog! You are welcome to drop in over there! It was a tough post to write, but I hope it is helpful.
Well, I hope everyone has a great weekend! Next Friday is FOF week! :)

Blessings!
Charity

My Tree

There is a tree out in my yard that is one of my favorites.

Underneath it's branches is cool mossy shady. It is the perfect place to sit and read a good book or to enjoy some tea or lemonade.

It is the most lovely color of green. (Don't you love the blue sky peeking through it's branches?) All I need is an Adirondack chair. (Don't you just love those chairs? I've wanted one for ages!)

For those of you wondering, it is an elm tree.


Zelkova Elm to be exact.




It's also about 8 inches tall! :)

Perfect for my Boyd's Bear to enjoy a bottle of cola!

I have been wanting a Bonsai tree for ages! Mom found this one at a local plant show and picked it up for me. It is an actual tree in miniature. I find them fascinating! It is more common to find the evergreen varieties, but I have wanted a deciduous, although this tree isn't supposed to shed it's leaves. (For more info on Bonsai, click here.) I am so excited about this one. It will live outside most of the time. It doesn't like to be indoors for long. (It really should have a name... I don't like calling it it all the time!) :) Oh well.

Happy April Fool's Day!!