Sunday Blessing

O for a thousand tongues to sing

My great Redeemer’s praise,

The glories of my God and King,

The triumphs of His grace!

Jesus! the name that charms our fears,

That bids our sorrows cease;

’Tis music in the sinner’s ears,

’Tis life, and health, and peace.

From: O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing

by Charles Wesley

Finished Object Friday

Happy Friday everyone! I'm glad it's Friday, how about you? This is a special Friday for me (and my family) because my Grandma got in from Idaho last night!! We gals have a fun day planned! :) But as for here, let's share some of our projects!

I finished the "object" back in December, but I wanted to give it a while for a "test run" before I shared! :)


Laundry soap!! I've heard of several different recipes for making laundry soap. This recipe appealed to me because it is dry, just stir together and it's ready to use! :)  (Thanks for sharing, Shelley!)

2 bars fels Naptha or Zote

1- 4 lb box Borox

1- 4 lb. box Arm & Hammer wash soda

4 lbs. Baking Soda

grate soap: add all ingredients together,

mix well in large container.

(I added some Oxyclean as well... about a cup.)

use 2-3 tbl. per load

 

Here is the bar soap after I got it grated... fun, huh? :)  

I used Mom's big hand crank grater - it sure helped! :)  

So what's my opinion after using it a couple of months? I really like it! It's cheap - although I didn't keep a tally of the costs - I'll try to do that next time I make it. I did discover, when washing on the cold cycle, that there was a white residue on my clothes before they went in the dryer. I now start the load with hot water to dissolve the powder, and I haven't seen it since. My clothes smell great, and I don't have any complaint about cleanliness. And besides, it's prettier than regular soap! My next thing is to find a pretty jar to store it in my laundry room. I did find a fun scoop as you can see in the top picture. :)

So have you be up to anything "crafty" recently? I can't wait to see all of your projects!

It's starting to feel like spring!!

... or is it just me? :)  Well, if you are in Texas, it certainly is spring!! I'm so glad... this has seemed like a long winter to me! I think all that cold weather was getting to me! But it certainly has been beautiful the past few days! And so many things are starting to bloom! I just love East Texas in the spring!! :)

With all the "springy-ness" going on outside, I wanted to bring some inside! I have been wanting to redo my mantle decor for quite a while, and haven't exactly been sure of what I wanted to do. Well, the past couple of weeks, I finally figured it out!



I am loving it! For reference, this is what my mantle looked like last spring:

I have been tired of the clock/candle combo and I was soo ready for something different!! :)

Here is my "think about it" picture... trying out sized etc...

I liked the size of the mirror, but there wasn't enough contrast. I priced some mirrors and had the sudden revelation that I had the right mirror for free!! I just used some paint I had on hand.

I really like the depth that the layering gives it.

Now to get the rest of my house ready for spring... :) Oh, and to put OUR picture in the small frame! heehee!

A special day

L-R Grandpa, Mildred (sister) and Henry (brother)

Today my grandpa would have turned 86. My dad's dad was an incredibly Godly man with a great sense of humor. My grandpa was the oldest of nine ten (oops! I miscounted - sorry!) :) children. He grew up in the Depression and went to war in the Pacific in World War II.

After his return, he met my grandmother at the local drug store where she worked and they were married not long after. They have three children - my Uncle Bill, my Dad and my Aunt Teresa - four grandchildren and two great-grands.  We lost him in 1996 at the age of 71 to diabetes.  He had asked God for 70 years, and God gave him a little extra time. It hardly seems possible he's been gone almost 15 years!

I have many fond memories of my Grandpa: of him cooking hot tamales (family tradition) and many other yummy things - he was the cook of the family, his joke telling, his special little song he sang just for me (usually first thing in the morning... and I wasn't entirely awake and ready for music yet!) :) I remember how he always had some kind of animal around, usually dogs even though he said he didn't really like dogs. He gave us our very special pet, Scamp, one of his dog's, Suzie, puppies. I remember how he loved to egg my grandma on and called her "Gertie." (Growing up in my family, we know how much we are loved by the amount of teasing we get!)

One of his favorite films was "Sound of Music." He loved the song "Edelweiss." So in memory of him, I wanted to share this version of the song sung by Julie Andrews and John Denver.



Oh... and I've heard it said that in his younger years, Grandpa looked like Desi Arnaz. What do you think? :)

Sunday Blessing

How deep the Father's love for us
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give his only son
To make a wretch His treasure
How great the pain of searing loss
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the Chosen One
Bring many sons to glory

Behold the Man upon the cross
My sin upon His shoulder
Ashamed I hear my mocking voice
Call out among the scoffers
It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished

I will not boast in anything
No gifts no power no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection
Why should I gain from His reward
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom

"How Deep the Father's Love for Us"
By Stuart Townend
Such a beautiful melody! (Listen here.)

I hope you have a blessed Sunday!!