Somebody Smack Me!

It is not scientific doubt, not athiesm, not pantheism, not agnosticism, that in our day and in this land are likely to "quench the light of the Gospel". It is a proud, sensuous, selfish, luxurious, church-going, hollow-hearted prosperous man. (Crazy Love by: Francis Chan)

This one smacked me! I have been so convicted over the past few years and months.....this would be too much to post, but God has been challenging me to give more, to live a more radical life. I am convicted that if my life does not make unbelievers ask "why" then my service and lifestyle are far too similar to the unbeliever. Anyway, one of the books (in addition to God's Word) that the Holy Spirit has used in Crazy Love.

In response to an awesome, faithful, loving God....my worship will be so intense that it may even be perceived as "crazy".

Flea Market Time....

If you have never experienced the Hillsville Flea Market, you are really missing out on some fun! There is the famous "quilt man" and his $3 salvage bins, clothing, antiques, fabrics, rugs, plants, every imaginable odd material and the best fried food you can find. It covers the whole city....check it out!

Get This Book.....for free!

"Revolution in World Missions" is a book written by a man from India who is a believer,teacher & missionary. He is also a preacher who is challenging the "Western World" to see the rest of the world for what it really is.... I can't explain to you how amazing the descriptions are. You truly need to read it for yourself. This book may change the way you "do life".

AND, if you jump over to Money Saving Mom....you will be able to get it for free! Make sure you watch the clip after you request your free book.

The Sealed Tomb-Easter Ideas Part II

A whole Sunday paper, and a bottle of glue later, moss from our Garden of Gethsemane "walk" and some weeds (I mean flowers) from our yard and...voila. Here is our version of the tomb (sealed today because it is Saturday when I took this picture). There is even a little table for Jesus' body inside. There is a lot we would change if we did this again, but it was fun. The girls had a blast (glue and paint, hello!) and it raised a lot of great questions...conversations.

I added a few things to the ideas for the Passion Week. They are as follows:

Sunday-Jesus Triumphant Entry into Jerusalem
Craft palm branches, reenact the entrance to Jerusalem (Daddy's make great donkeys), or use the donkey from your nativity set

Monday-Cleaning the Temple
We read a cooresponding book (several times) and held and easter egg hunt with the resurrection eggs.

Tuesday-Preaching
Work on Tomb-paper mache

Wednesday-Quiet time with Disciples
Special quiet times with each child, reflecting, talking and listening

Thursday-Passover, Jesus Washes Disciples Feet, Garden of Gethsemane, Judas Betrays Jesus
We're having supper on the floor (elbow on a pillow) with hand made bread, goblet style glasses of course, then a trip to our own Gethsemane Gardens (a trail near our house...actually named Gethsemane Gardens), and feet washing when we return

Friday-Trial and Crucifixion
Complete and Prepare our tombs (both girls are making their own)

Communion-at our church

Saturday-Jesus Body in the Grave
We gathered live Dogwood branches/flowers for a display (see the Dogwood story)
We'll make Easter cookies....

Sunday-Jesus Resurrection
Enjoy our Easter Cookies and Celebrate Jesus with our family at church and home

He is Risen, Like He Said

We just had to have an empty tomb in our house for Easter....so we're making one. The above picture is the elaborate version my parents helped my sisters and I make when we were very young (wiring and paper mache). The below picture is the humble beginnings of my 5 year old. I'll have a final product to show you soon.

Here's a reminder of the events of Passion Week and some ideas that we have planned in our family....

Sunday-Jesus Triumphant Entry into Jerusalem

Craft palm branches, reenact the entrance to Jerusalem (Daddy's make great donkeys), or use the donkey from your nativity set

Monday-Cleaning the Temple

We read a cooresponding book (several times) and held and easter egg hunt with the resurrection eggs.

Tuesday-Preaching

Work on Tomb-paper mache

Wednesday-Quiet time with Disciples

Special quiet times with each child, reflecting, talking and listening

Thursday-Passover, Jesus Washes Disciples Feet, Garden of Gethsemane, Judas Betrays Jesus

We're having supper on the floor (elbow on a pillow) with hand made bread, goblet style glasses of course, then a trip to our own Gethsemane Gardens (a trail near our house...actually named Gethsemane Gardens), and feet washing when we return

Friday-Trial and Crucifixion

Complete and Prepare our tombs (both girls are making their own)

Saturday-Jesus Body in the Grave

We'll make Easter cookies....

Sunday-Jesus Resurrection

Enjoy our Easter Cookies and Celebrate Jesus with our family at church and home

THE POINT....So, what is our response to this Easter Season? Are we like Martha (in John 12 Martha was busy serving Jesus and the disciples a meal), working and spending time on good things? Or are we like Mary (in John 12 Mary is at Jesus feet, adoring Him and worshipping Him). I want that attitude of abandonment to this world, and I want to be so drawn to my Messiah that any other responsibility holds its place in the background.

Easter Cookies & Resurrection Eggs

Here's an idea for some Easter Cookies that I plan to use this year. I haven't baked them before, but the description is great, and it sounds like a great visual. I don't remember where I found this, but I'm excited to try it.

Easter Cookies: To be made the evening before Easter

You need: 1 cup whole pecans, 1 tsp. vinegar, 3 egg whites, pinch salt, 1 cup sugar, zipper baggie, wooden spoon, tape, your Bible

Preheat oven to 300 degrees (this is important-don't wait until you're half done with the recipe)!

Place pecans in zipper baggie and let children beat them with the wooden spoon to break into small pieces. Explain that after Jesus was arrested, He was beaten by the Roman soldiers. Read John 19:1-3.

Let each child smell the vinegar. Put 1 tsp. vinegar into mixing bowl. Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross, He was given vinegar to drink. Read John 19:28-30.

Add egg whites to vinegar. Eggs represent life Explain that Jesus gave His life to give us life. Read John 10:10-11.

Sprinkle a little salt into each child's hand. Let them taste it and brush the rest into the bowl. Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus' followers, and the bitterness of our own sin. Read Luke 23:27.

So far, the ingredients are not very appetizing. Add 1cup sugar. Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us. He wants us to know and belong to Him. Read Ps. 34:8 and John 3:16.

Beat with a mixer on high speed for 12 to 15 minutes until stiff peaks are formed. Explain that the color white represents the purity in God's eyes of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus. Read Isa. 1:18 and John 3:1-3.

Fold in broken nuts. Drop by teaspoons onto wax paper covered cookie sheet.Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus' body was laid.Read Matt. 27:57-60.

Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven OFF.Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door. Explain that Jesus' tomb was sealed. Read Matt. 27:65-66.

GO TO BED! Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus' followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed. Read John 16:20 and 22.On Easter morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie. Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies are hollow! On the first Easter, Jesus' followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty.Read Matt. 28:1-9

I also LOVE the resurrection eggs. For those of you who have not invested in a set of these, please do. There are twelve eggs in a carton (you can hide them or whatever). The important thing is that there are items inside the eggs that tell the story of Easter...well, the entire story of our Messiah. Some of the items are a a cup (fromthe last supper), praying hands (Garden of Gethsemane), a nail (the nails from the cross)....and so on. There is a book that explains each of the items and gives verses for reference.

$3.00 Silk Drapes

I found the quilt man a few years ago at a Flea Market Extravaganza in Springfield Ohio. He sells the most beautiful quilts around, and he has discount bins as well. These discount bins, my friends, are where the treasures are. I dug through these bins to find several $3.00 duvets that were in a color I adored. They are a natural brownish copper or bronzed color and I had no particular plans for them at the time of the find. They are a fancy-silk (I had seen some in Pottery Barn for a small fortune). I later decided to turn the duvets into window treatments, and I did some minor re-working (I cut the duvet down the center and sewed a hem, then I attached the classic rings by clips and slid the on the curtain rod). A cream "Cinderella" bow makes them match my girls rooms. Once I discovered how much I loved them, I searched for the Quilt Man, and found that he also frequents the Hillsville Flea Market in North Carolina. Wouldn't you know...I found several more of these gorgeous duvets for $3.00 each. My whole house has beautiful drapes!

More Treasures...

This refinish was the perfect size furniture for my entryway space, and it was my husband's baby furniture. That's right, my mother-in-law mentioned to me that she hated to get rid of it since she remembers the phone call (while she was in the hospital delivering my husband) saying that her furniture (which she loved) was being delivered, just in time.

It was golden wood and rather dry, so it was actually my easiest refinish yet. I barely sanded it, rolled on black paint, scuffed off the corners, replaced the hardware and added some poly.

I placed it in my entryway hall, and we use the drawers for storing those items you want to drop when youwalk in the door....keys, wallets, change, gloves, the girls purses etc. Each family member has their own drawer (or two), and the entryway stays tidy because of it. It is extremely practical and a family treasure.

Trash to Treasures

With the yard sale season on the horizon (whew hew-thanks for the reminder Jen), there are tons of make-over projects out there just waiting to be invisioned ( I mean spray painted....).

A few years ago, I began to "shop" my family. Yes, I invisioned my family's trash (uh hum, I mean my family's heritage items) as the treasures I needed to complete my home. My mom had several old pieces with great bones, my mother-in-law had an incredible piece, and my grandmother had some treasures as well. I'm going to show some of my favorites over the next month or so....these are the "after" pictures.

My absolute favorite is this sewing table that my grandmother used to love. Not only did she sew family projects, but she used her talent to serve the Lord (only the Lord knows all the "jewel bags" she sewed). The original was golden brown and the handles were the swirly type (not the pretty vintage ones, just the cheap ones). I painted the surface, added some vintage staining detail and sealed it (my youngest actually painted the legs by herself...my 3 year old that is). We love to talk about Grandma as we use it, which is often. Not only does the finished product match my decor (which means we can leave it out and enjoy it), but Grandma would have loved that we use it so much.

Snow Day

In addition to two amazing snowmen (Thanks Ter-Ter) and the fastest sled in town (Thanks Ryan), our family participated in the World Championship Pecan Cracking Contest. I was showing off some of my home making from this week.....shelling fresh pecans. I was excited to hear that my very own Grandfather had been a Pecan Cracking Expert. In fact, he and my Dad had Pecan Cracking Wars where a "Champion Pecan" would be forced upon another pecan until one of them cracked under the pressure. The remaining pecan would be the Champion and would remain thus until beaten by another pecan, who would then take the title of Champion (Yes, my Grandfather and Father crack pecans with their bare hands...). As of today, my Dad was the..."Pecan Cracking Champion of the World". What fun!
Our family has always taken pleasure in the simple things. We enjoy nature and worshipping God through all of his many gifts to us. It was so nice to laugh and talk (and shell pecans) with my family today. I am so thankful for the snow, for its beauty and for the simple gifts God has given us that make life rich and enjoyable.

Home "Making"

Doesn't everyone make home made bread in a strapless, velvet dress? If you are hungry for the home made Asiago bread....check it out here. My mother-in-law said it tasted like the asiago bread from the bread specialty store she frequents.

My girls love to cook and it has been so amazing to watch them. Last night, they baked home made (well the crust was store bought...for 40 cents) TACO PIZZA. They rolled the dough, added leftover salsa, seasoned taco meat, mexican cheese and some Taco Bell sauce packets leftover in the fridge. For good measure, we dipped the finished product in sour cream! Not only were they proud, but it was good.

Home "Making"

Upon the advice of my friend, Breezy, I gave the girls their first sewing box. It was complete with all the necessities, needles included...and they were thrilled. After I carefully taught my five year old to thread the needle, stitch from the back, add a bead in the center of a flower etc...my three year old asked for her turn. I prepared to repeat the lesson when she informed me that she could do it herself, and she did.

This is a great gift both because they love it and because it will nurture the art, the thrill of creating, and the love of home making that I want for my girls. While they were sewing today, I sat their plates of cookies and a glass of milk on the table for them to enjoy as a special treat. Neither of them looked up from their work. After a moment or two (the completion of a thought), they looked over, graciously took a bite and offered a thank you. These are precious moments. My Prayer: Oh God, please romance the heart of my children for your kingdom.

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a

workman that needeth not to be ashamed......II Tim. 2:15

I hope you are having a wonderful Valentines Day. We have the day set aside for all kinds of Family Fun. Check out my favorite Valentine's Day story.

Fun News-The girls got THREE new rabbits this past week (male rabbits), and we already had two female ones. The rabbits run free in our fenced in back yard, so I absolutely love them. The one pictured above is "Puzzle Piece". On a sunny day, they will stretch out underneath the trees and lounge....

Leah

For those of you who are always looking for great resources, I thought I should share a new one we just got for the girls'.

The 100 Bible Heroes book is an awesome suppliment to our Bible study. The book comes with two cd's of songs. The short-to-the-point stories are of 100 Bible Heroes, then the songs corresponds with the Scripture from that story. The girls are excited each morning to "do a new song" with their Bible Lesson. We play the song, on repeat, while we color a picture that I print off for them. These songs are great (they are repeating Scripture) and the catchy tunes keep the girls excited. Thanks Aunt Emily for the best Christmas present EVER!

The Coupon Queen and her GIFT CARD

Not only were our candy bars free, they actually PAID my child to shop....Yes, after the cashier scanned the items and the coupons, she looked at the "Coupon Queen" and said...."this has never happened before, it appears we OWE YOU money". The manager was actually called over to complete the checkout...a giftcard to my Coupon Queen for the overage! She was quite proud of herself, and once we were in the car I commented on her being the "Coupon Queen" (she had worn that crown all day and it had nothing to do with shopping until now). She smiled and said..."but I'm not the real Coupon Queen" (I immediately began to swell with pride, knowing that she would probably hail me as the real coupon queen and I would graciously accept the honor!)...she proceeded...."Angela is the REAL coupon queen". UGH! Oh well, it's true. So, check out the real coupon queen, and tell her I sent you!


BTW-Here are some of the items we got FREE just this past week.... 6 Hershey bars, 2 Reece's bars, make-up, 4 tubes of toothpaste, bath soap for the girls, Frank's red hot buffalo sauce, Ken's Spritzers (spray salad dressing), and so much more for dirt cheap (the only way to shop).


For more information about how I shop, see this previous post.

Money Money Money (sing it please)

Ok, so at first I am chuckling about this picture...but how are we "investing"? This week I was totally encouraged by a fellow homeschooler, Leigh Bortin when I went to hear her speak. And while her words were encouraging and amazing, her actions spoke much louder. You see Leigh had personal money in a huge handful of evelopes. Each envelope had anywhere from $1-$50 in it. We earned these envelopes throughout the night, and at the end she asked us to "test" God. You see the Scriptures (in Malachi) encourage us to test God in area of giving (this should be above any tithe). It is supposed to be an adventure! Let me tell you, Leigh is on a major adventure. She is traveling (12 cities in 14 days) around giving out these envelopes and challenging us to give them back to the Lord. What a cool adventure, and what a great example of trust in God. My envelope will be "given" on Sunday. Thanks Leigh for letting us be a part of your adventure!

The "Cliff Notes"

I am not a grocery expert, but after attending a class and surfing the web, I was encouraged to get organized.

I organized my coupons in a notebook with baseball card holders (suggested by Angela's class), and I have since seen this done with returned check holders from Office Depot. The above picture is of my coupon book.

Be patient. You probably will not become an expert overnight, but it is worth the effort. It will be second nature (and the time will be insignificant) once you get into the swing of things. And, you'll save more and more once you get really good at it.

Use the expertise of others...Here are my favorites (I check them nightly).
Money Saving Mom
Coupon Mom
Money Saving Madness
The Money Herder
Balancing Beauty and Bedlam
The Grocery Game

Trust me, it is worth it....We could live off our pantry and freezer for months without visiting the grocery store (because we have stockpiled), AND we've cut our bill by about 70%.

Half Priced Living

How does FREE salad dressing, FREE toothpaste, and FREE sauces sound? Here is what I bought tonight for a whopping $51.00.....and yes, there are two bags of chicken that you can't see, Loreal shampoos, deodorant, several salad dressings, sauces, cereals, to go cereals, yogurts, bread, water, capri-suns, soups, veggies, toilet cleaner, tub of butter, ramen noodles and more.

How is this possible? Well, visit my friend, Angela, on her website to find out how you can learn how to save money (lots and lots of money).

The Love Dare

After viewing the movie Fireproof, our church is reading the Love Dare book together. It is intended to be read as a daily dare for you to complete and thus fireproof your marriage (they do not contend that this book will keep marriages from being faced with difficulty, they only suggest that the activities will leave you prepared, fireproofed, so that you will be able to withstand the fires). And it has certainly generated some fun conversations and some extremely rewarding advertentures with my husband. I am resolved to also "do" the Love Dare on my kids (after all it is a dare to love better, and I want to love my kids better too). I haven't completed the book, so there may be some days that need adjusting, but that should be fairly easy.

Come on, take the challenge. After all, it's a "dare".

Discovering the Word

This is a man (posing for his missionary pastor as an example of his nightly routine) whose family and country do not approve of God's Word. In fact, he could be persecuted if he was discovered reading God's Word. His response?? He wakes up in the middle of the night, and reads by flashlight. You could say that I was challenged this past Sunday, by my pastor and the Holy Spirit, to "re-discover the Word". It was a reminder that God's Word was written to us, as a love letter. I want to study His Word less like a student and more like an art lover who appreciates the works of his favorite artist. I want to search and thirst.

While I was in Jamaica this past Summer, I was amazed at the children and their dedication to memorize scripture. SO, along with reading and devouring it....I want to commit it to heart. Here is my attempt to organize my scripture memory. I cut some scrap scrapbook paper and attached them with some leftover chain from another project. I'm writing the verses on the back. I've carried it in my purse this week so I could grab it whenever I practiced the verses. It's always nice when a practical need turns out a pretty product!

Trash to Treasure

Rhoda, at Southern Hospitality, has invited us to her before and after pictures party of our top projects from 2008. I'm only including one for now...enjoy!

BEFORE

BEFORE

AFTER

AFTER

This was one of my recent projects. I know, the drawers were falling down (no drawer runners), falling out and covered with stickers. There are no sides or top and the project will take "forever". Well, some braces, wooden drawer runners, paint, sandpaper and several hours later....It has become our trusty office credenza. Now it is amazingly sturdy, and the fact that it replaced my husband's plastic cheap-o drawers made it worth every minute.

Personalized Notebooks

This idea came from the extremely creative Vintage Girl, and I've adapted it to the "junk" I had available to use. The whole idea was to personalize without spending money. So, I used notepads that I already had, and I cut them down to the desired sizes. Then I used links of a leftover chain (from who-knows-where) and bent them to open, slide the pages in, and bent them back. The base of the covers are made from a piece of chipboard that came with a calendar to hold it stiff in the store. The decorative parts of the cover and the page dividers are various crafting/scrapping remants. I added leftover flowers,stickers, ribbons and feathers from previous projects as well. Thanks Vintage Girl!

To see the complete instructions, please visit http://www.simplyvintagegirl.com/blog/index.php/2008/09/08/notebook-easy-to-make-easy-to-use/

Now What?

With Christmas decorations tucked neatly in our crawl space and every surface dusted (whew that felt great!), the house looked.....less warm. I was determined to warm up the place so I went "shopping" in my yard. I looked for items that would attach to my .99 Goodwill wreath (the kind made of linbs/sticks and nothing else), and I ended up clipping large handfuls of my side shrub to create this wreath. I was pleased that the wreate looks so full and like a fairly expensive one at that. I know it will only last about two weeks (I used some of the same shrub for my Christmas wreath and garland http://nestingplacenc.blogspot.com/search/label/seasonal), but I love it just the same!

Homemade Christmas

I worked to create several hand crafted gifts this year, thanks to my inspiration over at http://simplyvintagegirl.com/. As a result, I have an enormous appreciate of any hand crafted gifts that I receive. One of my favorites was actually given to me by a friend. It is a "conversation starter jar". Now, my kids are little so we're calling it a talk time jar, and we are using the conversation starters at supper time. The jar was store bought, but the cards were printed on business cards with a cute embellishment to make them look special. The questions were the result of hours of editing (there are many versions online, but some questions are questionable). So, for all you planners....start collecting jars for next year. I figure there is a size and shape to match every friend out there, and Goodwill is the place to look.

Happy Jar Hunting!