Sunday, August 8, 2010

Sunday Blessing



O Love that wilt not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in thee;
I give thee back the life I owe,
That in thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be.

O light that foll’west all my way,
I yield my flick’ring torch to thee;
My heart restores its borrowed ray,
That in thy sunshine’s blaze its day
May brighter, fairer be.

O Joy that seekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to thee;
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
And feel the promise is not vain,
That morn shall tearless be.

from O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go
by George Matheson

Friday, August 6, 2010

Finished Object Friday

For some strange reason, recently I have developed a liking for sheep. Maybe it has to do with the fact that I love natural fibers, wool is a natural fiber and sheep grow wool. Hmmm... :) Lorie is heading up our Sunday School class this "term" and our theme is Psalm 23/sheep.

One of the crafts the kids did was so much fun, I had to make one myself!! :)



I had actually seen them here a while back and wanted to make them. We just used a black marker for the "feet" and faces instead of paint. I may add something else later - ears or ribbon or bell. But I am enjoying him! I used Lion Homespun yarn - which I can't stand knitting with anymore, but it makes a great sheep! :)

Here are the kids finished sheep:


Isn't that the cutest little flock?

I hope you enjoyed this fun little FOF!! I am excited to see what you all will share. :) If you are new to FOF, see this post to find out what it is all about.






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Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Book Talk


Maybe you've noticed. If you've been around my blog for, say, two weeks, you probably have. I like books. Nope, no surprise.

Are you a reader? Gladys Hunt defines a reader like this:
By readers I mean those whose eyes grab words wherever they appear, which is why people find themselves reading the same words on the cereal box morning after morning.

Umm... so I guess I'm not the only one who grabs the cereal box so I'll have something to read while eating? :)

It feels like it's been ages since I've done a book post... but really it's only been a couple of weeks. But I guess I really just mentioned some books, I didn't tell you about them. I talked a little about my reading habits, but not really WHAT I've been reading. Here's my current list:
Yes, I'm reading them all right now... I have books all over the house! :) So a little more about them...

I am really enjoying Boundaries - I know it's been around for a while, but this is my first time through. It's really great stuff. Boundaries are so important in life - knowing how much you can handle, and how much to put up with in others. Knowing that you are in charge of how you react to situations even though some may not agree with you.

Jesus Calling is a great little devotional I read before going to bed. It has been very encouraging.

Messie No More: Now, I'm not quite sure if I consider myself a "messie" or not. Lets just say, I have some of the characteristics. I can tend to hoard things - especially books. One of the good things about my working at a library, is that I'm realizing that it isn't necessary for me to own every book I run across that someone might need. That's what the library is for. :) Anyway... this book is inspiring me to get rid of some of my clutter. I try to read it when I have time to declutter. :)

I'm about halfway through Reflecting Beauty. It's written by a lovely lady and pastor's wife, Valorie Quesenberry. It is a small book, but packed with thought provoking stuff. In a society that places such a high value on superficial beauty, it's a wonderful reminder of why God thinks we are beautiful. (Incidentally, I got to watch the new Veggie Tales recently, and it has the same message - perfect for little girls. They are facing the demands of the culture earlier and earlier.)

I heard about Honey for a Woman's Heart a while back (I think I read about it in another book...) :) It's really a book about books and reading. The author spends a couple of chapters talking about the importance of books and what makes a good book. Then she discusses different genres and gives recommendations.

This is my second time reading Tailor-Made Bride. I got it from the library shortly after I entered it into the library. :) I liked is so much that I ended up buying it, knowing that it would be one I would revisit. It hasn't even been out that long. :) It's a fun story about a seamstress who sets up shop in a small Texas town in the late 1800's. Yes, it's fiction and it's rather light and fluffy, but that's how I like them! :)

In my last post I mentioned the Lauren Holbrook series. I finished the last one this week and I wanted to share a little about them. I really enjoyed the series - a fun light-hearted read (Are you seeing a pattern in my fiction reading?) and sortof a spoof on Jane Austen's Emma. You will find her books in the teen section, although I would think most women who enjoy this type of book will enjoy them. They aren't really "teenish" like some books. The main character is a little older. I really like the values in these books as well. I am excited to read the new series that Erynn Mangum is writing - the Maya Davis series.

I've also got a "to be read" stack... but we won't go into those today. :) (You're welcome.) Don't forget to come back on Friday for Finished Object Friday!! :)

Monday, August 2, 2010

A little more decorating...

Friday I shared the little changes I have made in our bedroom. Now I want to share a little of what I have done in our family room. This has been a fun room to decorate. I still have lots of ideas of things I would love to do. :) I have tried to keep it fun-friendly - in other words, breakables to a minimum. However, when I have little ones over, I realize I'm not quite where I want it to be yet! :)

One of the things I've been wanting for a while is some sort of coffee table. A little while back at Hobby Lobby, I found these crates/cubes for half off!



Hmm... it's amazing what you can see when you take pictures. (Sometimes things aren't as obvious in real life.) How do you like that plant peaking over the edge? :) The futon is much higher backed than the other (temporary) couches I have had there. It's hard to tell from the picture, but it's actually angled and there are some boxes with an arrangement of ivy, Coke bottles and a Coke tin. Oh, well. Time to rethink that....

But back to my new crates. It's great having something in front of the futon. Before, if you were sitting in the middle, you were out of luck to have a place to set something like a drink. However, if the drink were to spill on the crates, the liquid would go right down on top of whatever is stored underneath. So I solved that problem (I hope!) by making use of my trays.



Speaking of storage... look at what I've got in this one:

Yay! Roving for my spinning wheels. :) The lining in the crates is just attached with velcro, so it's easily washed if necessary. Love that! The crates are also easily pushed out of the way if we need the room.

This room has been getting a lot of use, and has become a favorite hang out. The futon is really comfy. The room does get cluttered pretty easily, though. I need to work on that....

Hope your week is off to a great start!! :)

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Sunday Blessing



I have found a friend in Jesus, He’s everything to me,
He’s the fairest of ten thousand to my soul;
The Lily of the Valley, in Him alone I see
All I need to cleanse and make me fully whole.
In sorrow He’s my comfort, in trouble He’s my stay;
He tells me every care on Him to roll.

Refrain:
He’s the Lily of the Valley, the Bright and Morning Star,
He’s the fairest of ten thousand to my soul.

He will never, never leave me, nor yet forsake me here,
While I live by faith and do His blessed will;
A wall of fire about me, I’ve nothing now to fear,
From His manna He my hungry soul shall fill.
Then sweeping up to glory to see His blessed face,
Where rivers of delight shall ever roll.

from The Lily of the Valley
by Charles W. Fry