Sunday Blessings - Revised

This week I am doing a little different Sunday Blessing. I wanted to share the blessing I wrote for my sister, Angis's 18th birthday.

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Dear Angie,
How exciting for you to be entering a new stage of life – adulthood! There are many things I wish for you as you continue your journey through life. One of those things I wish for you is that you may build your home and have joy in hospitality. This home for now is in our parents’ home, someday it may be a college dorm room, a small apartment, or a family house. The important thing is that it becomes a home.
Proverbs 14:1 says that “Every wise woman buildeth her house.” In chapter nine, the wise build their house with purpose and design, preparing a table to serve others. In making a home, you will need wisdom. You will need God’s leadership to make it a true home, a place that draws others to Him. I pray that your home will be a place that points others to Christ. Designing your home will take thought and care. A home doesn’t come about by chance, but on purpose by careful planning and by prayer.
I pray that your home will be a place of peace and refuge. When people enter your home, may the worries of the world slip away. May all who enter know of the peace that serving God brings. May it be a place of encouragement for others, when they have been weighted down by struggles, or torn down by those that seek to harm them.
I pray that your home will be a place of joy. May you have a consistent inner joy that spreads throughout your home. As the “Lady of the House” you will be the one to set the tone and the mood of your home. You will have that responsibility. May the tense times be eased with a generous dose of laughter.
I pray that your home will be a sanctuary for you, and hopefully someday for a husband and children. It should be a sanctuary from a troubled world, but also a sanctuary for worship to God. May your family altar be strong and may God’s Word be taught each day. May it be a holy place where God is always glorified.
I pray that your home will be a place of order. You will be the one to bring this beauty and order to your home. This also takes care and planning. One important part of order is learning to create beauty around you by bringing things into your home that add to the beauty. Another important part of order is removing the things that bring disorder.
Building your home will take discipline and hard work. It won’t always be easy, and you may not always have all that you desire to create your home. In those times, you will need ingenuity and creativity. May you find joy in the challenge. Sometimes creating this home will become habitual and mundane. May you have discipline and keep the end result in view, though sometimes the path seems hard.
I wish you beauty in your home. May you seek to build your home and your life on the foundation that God has given in his Word. I love you very much and am so proud of the Godly woman you are becoming.
Love,
Chari

Happy Birthday...

to my favorite little sister!!



I can't believe you are 18 already!!

Bake these muffins...

Your taste buds will thank you!! :)

Banana Muffins
1) 1/2 cup softened butter
2) 1 cup sugar
3) 2 eggs
4) 3 ripe bananas
5) 1 1/4 cup flour
6) 1/2 teaspoon soda
7) 1/3 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Mix ingredients in order. Bake 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Makes 12.

YUM! I got this recipe from a family friend when she was through for a visit! They are soo good, I might not make banana bread again.... :)

Sunday Blessing

Under His wings I am safely abiding,
Though the night deepens and tempests are wild,
Still I can trust Him; I know He will keep me,
He has redeemed me, and I am His child.

Refrain
Under His wings, under His wings,
Who from His love can sever?
Under His wings my soul shall abide,
Safely abide forever.

Under His wings, oh, what precious enjoyment!
There will I hide till life’s trials are o’er;
Sheltered, protected, no evil can harm me,
Resting in Jesus, I’m safe evermore.

from Under His Wings
by Will­iam O. Cush­ing

Finished Object Friday

I didn't give you all much warning this week, but today is Finished Object Friday! :) My project is the second of the two I referred to a couple of weeks ago. (The lamp was the first one.) I am happy to have this one finished! :)

The curtains!

Mom and I found these at a local thrift store:

With a little spray paint (of course!) they look a lot better and fit in with my living room. Thanks, Brittany, for the curtain idea!

If you look closely, you will see that the mantle has also received an upgrade. Here it is before:

I got some little shelves to accent (and add some needed support)! I think they really dress it up, and help make it look part of the wall. Here's another current picture:


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What projects have you had up your sleeve? I'd love for you to share! If you are new to FOF, find out more about it here. Happy Friday!

Snapshot from my day

I watched the girls for a little while this morning. They love for me to do their hair (and I love to do it!) :) I did crowns, and they are both delighted!

Unreedemed

I fell in love with this song the first time Angie posted it on her blog several months ago. The cd just came out, and I will be buying it soon.



As with many songs, this has a special meaning for each person who hears it. I hope it touches you as it has me.

PS~ Sorry it's a little big, hopefully you won't have trouble viewing it.

This little light...

I found this little lamp a while back at a garage sale. I love the style, but it needed a new shade! So I came up with this: (which of course, matches the curtains!)

The black fabric seemed like it could be a little dark, but when I put it on the lamp and turned it on, the flowers popped out! :) It is just right!

It was a very easy project! I bought a self adhesive lamp shade at Hobby Lobby. And (per instructions) used the cover for a pattern, leaving a bit around the edges to work with.

Here's a tip they don't tell you, but it worked well for me: I started covering it by lining up the center of the shade with the center of the fabric - the seam of the shade facing up, and rolled the shade one way, then the other. It gave it a nice smooth finish - no need to iron!

I then trimmed the excess off the bottom. (The instructions say to glue it under, but it won't be seen anyway.)

And then glued my trims on. I started with this for the top, then decided I wanted a little more for the bottom.

Here is is again: I think it turned out pretty good!

It was an easy project, one that I would definitely do again!
hmmm... come to think of it, I need to straighten that fringe! Any ideas?? :)

Sunday Blessing

Standing on the promises of Christ my King,
Through eternal ages let His praises ring,
Glory in the highest, I will shout and sing,
Standing on the promises of God.

Refrain

Standing, standing,
Standing on the promises of God my Savior;
Standing, standing,
I’m standing on the promises of God.

Standing on the promises that cannot fail,
When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail,
By the living Word of God I shall prevail,
Standing on the promises of God.

From Standing on the Promises
by R. Kel­so Car­ter

A little decorating...

I've been doing a little here and there to our guest bedroom. I still want to get it painted in the near future, but I've been more focused on other projects at the moment. :)

The theme of this room is a cross between gardening and nature. These pictures were my inspiration. It was love at first sight when I saw them.

The rack on the left was a gift from my sweet mother-in-law. The top holds a bird's next that I found in my yard - it had fallen from the tree - and some neat looking plastic eggs. She also gave me this awesome galvanized watering can.

Last month I found some little watering can figurines by my (new) favorite artist - less than a dollar for both!!

Can you find Peter in the picture below?
He looks quite at home in my little garden room, provided Mr. McGregor isn't anywhere around! :)

(Hint: On the bed, peeking out!)

The room is coming together! The next steps should be paint and curtains. I'm not in a big hurry, though. :) Thanks for coming on the little tour of my guest bedroom! Drop in again to visit!

For more great show and tells, visit Kelli's blog! :)

Knit's Flop

The man who makes no mistakes does not usually make anything.
~Edward Phelps~

**Disclaimer***This is the post with pictures that I vowed I'd never share! (Be prepared for openness and honesty.) When I took the pictures, it was merely for my own record. I like to share pretty things on this site, but this ain't pretty!

Ok, lest you think that I am the perfect knitter that never made a mistake, and each knitting project turned out perfectly, and helped me learn something new, allow me to share this picture with you from about three years ago:

Before you look, just know you've been warned!

This is the hat that couldn't. It is a monstrosity. I think it was the first hat I made - before circulars. Not totally beaten, I even made this one:

One of them I even totally reknit. (I don't remember which at this point.) But to no avail! The pattern came with the yarn. I guess that's why I'm a little skeptical of patterns on yarn labels. :)

It's just HUGE!!

So now you know... but I guess a few failures are part of the learning process, right?

When we can begin to take our failures seriously, it means we are ceasing to be afraid of them. It is of immense importance to learn to laugh at ourselves.
~Katherine Mansfield~

Oh, and the title of this post is in reference to a certain radio drama - first episode. Avid fans will know it without having to click the link. :)

Sunday Blessing

There's not a friend like the lowly Jesus.
No, not one! No, not one!
None else could heal all our soul's diseases,
No, not one! No, not one!

Chorus
Jesus knows all about our struggles,
He will guide till the day is done;
There's not a friend like the lowly Jesus,
No, not one! No, not one!

No friend like Him is so high and holy,
No, not one! No, not one!
And yet no friend is so meek and lowly,
No, not one! No, not one!

Did ever saint find this Friend forsake him?
No, not one! No, not one!
Or sinner find that He would not take him?
No, not one! No, not one!

from No, Not One
by Johnson Oaktman, Jr.

Finished Object Friday

Well, I started two projects today, hoping to get them both done. But, alas, they are both at various stages of completion. One project needed someone's input. Mom came over, gave it just a little tweak and there it was! Unfortunately, it still needs some sewing, though it won't be as complicated as I was trying to make it. Go figure. The other project would have been finished, but I decided to go a different route, and I will need supplies. Thus a trip to Hobby Lobby - bummer. ...but really, do I need a good reason to go? :) Hopefully both projects will be finished soon, and I promise to share! :)

Sooo... my FOF today is a couple of bonnets. I delivered the newest one to my neighbor today. She is due in the next couple of weeks.


The other bonnet I showed in the beginning stages back in June. Melanie is a good friend long-time friend - she married our pastors' youngest son.

This bonnet has become one of my favorite patterns - so quick and fun. I like the lace work and the short row back. It makes such a delightful little gift.

We've had an extra week for projects. If you are new to Finished Object Friday, welcome! Be sure to check out what FOF is about.
Happy Posting!

Salad Surprise

Or I could title this post Surprise Salad. You see, I was working my little garden today. I pulled out my yellow/brown cucumber vine, and what do you suppose I found?

Why a cucumber, of course!

I had been lamenting the fact that I didn't get many cukes this year, (They were SOOO good!) and already planning MANY more plants for next year. So fun to find one I didn't know I had! :) Look at the inside:

Tiny seeds

So I made a little salad:

Fresh cucumber
Fresh tomatoes
A little sweet onion
Fresh basil
Fresh Ground Pepper
And a vinegar/olive oil dressing! (Vinegar, a little oil, salt, and sweetener)

YUM!

I'm enjoying it now... in between typing of course!

Fun Weekend

So how was your weekend? We had a very nice extended weekend. Friday we drove up to church camp in Tennessee. The camp grounds were beautiful! We crossed the bridge over this creek on the way to church services.

It was so much fun to meet up with friends!
Here are a couple of my blogging buddies!
Connie and Brittany

There were a lot more blogging friends there, but we didn't end up getting a big group shot.
Next time, y'all! :)

It was so much fun visiting with Joy.
I think we've convinced her and her husband to stop by on their way south!
"Hi" to Joy's mom, who I found likes to read my blog.
It's so fun finding out who my readers are. :)


It seems like ages since I had seen Rachel.
So fun to catch up! :)

We had so much fun visiting with everyone - many that I didn't get pictures of!
I want to go back!
This is my dream vacation:


A clear trickling brook away from the crowd...
I could have curled up beside it with a good book for hours, sticking my toes in every now and then.
I would only add one thing - flip flops - those rocks were sharp! :)

Don't forget FOF is this Friday! See you then! :)

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Post Script

One more picture for Margaret! :)

Sunday Blessing

There's within my heart a melody
Jesus whispers sweet & low
Fear not I am with thee, peace be still
In all of life's ebb & flow


All my life was wrecked by sin & strife
Discord filled my heart with pain
Jesus swept across the broken strings
Stirred the slumbering chords again

Chorus:
Jesus Jesus Jesus
Sweetest name I know
Fills my every longing
Keeps me singing as I go

Though sometimes He leads through the waters deep
Trials fall all across the way
And though sometimes the path gets rough & steep
I see His footprints all the way

From There's within my heart a melody

by Luther B. Bridgers