Things I have learned about Jesus this year.

I may be slow on the uptake, but there are things I have learned about Jesus this year that I never knew or, perhaps, never thought much about. Just goes to show that you never can learn enough or too much. There is always so much more to know and love about the Savior.

1. Jesus didn't heal people using a particular method. This is so important because if we read that Jesus healed using one specific thing, we would be tempted to think it was the method and not Jesus who did the healing. Jesus is always the source.

2. Jesus knew what it was like to lose a close family member. The Bible is silent on what happened to Joseph, Jesus' earthly father. However, we do know that Jesus had younger siblings and did have a father for some time and had learned carpentry from him. So, it is safe to assume that there was a loss of relationship that would have been profound. He knows what it is like to lose a parent.

3. Jesus knew what it was like to be rejected. I don't mean rejected in the sense of not being popular, but rejected in such a way that he at one point even asked his disciples if they were going to leave Him too. Rejection that yelled, "Crucify Him!" No one will ever experience the type of rejection He experienced.

4. Jesus received a "No" from His Father in answer to His prayers. If you feel sorry for yourself because you don't think God will give you what you want, just remember Jesus the unique and only Son of God prayed with sweat running with blood down His face asking God if there was any other way to accomplish salvation without experiencing the cup of wrath that we deserved. The "No" He received accomplished our salvation.

5. Jesus fought temptation with the same tools available to His followers. He did not use His divine power. He used the Word of God and prayer. The Word is power! We ought to use it too.

My Testimony tonight on 1 to 10

What is my only comfort in life and in death?

That I am not my Own, but belong body and soul, in life and in death to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood, and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil. He also watches over me in such a way that not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my Father in heaven: in fact, all things must work together for my salvation. Because I belong to him, Christ, by his Holy Spirit, assures me of eternal life and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him.

For the past few years, the Lord has been re-ordering my life. There were things I said I would never do – live in the South (done that), be a secretary (done that). There were things I thought I could control – my fertility, my time.

Proverbs 16:9 says, “In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.” Or in other words, “Life happens while you're making other plans.”

I believe I am like most of my peers. I like to plan ahead. But God doesn't give us a view of the future. And if He did I'm sure I would try to change the areas in which God wants me to grow.

When my children were two and three a friend invited me to Bible Study Fellowship. After a year I was asked to be a children's leader in the childrens department. I asked a lot of people what they thought I should do. Surely I must have enough to do raising two preschoolers without being asked to teach other people's preschoolers. It seemed God was telling me to stop asking people what I should do. Then God reminded me of the interchange between Jesus and Peter who asked whether John would remain alive and Jesus' reply “What is that to you? You must follow me.”

I prayed for a month and still didn't know what the answer was. Then at Tuesday Bible study we were reading in D. Martin Lloyd-Jones' book “Studies in the Sermon on the Mount.” And the words “the man who hungers and thirsts after righteousness is the man who never misses an opportunity of being in those certain places where people seem to find this righteousness. And then, of course, he seeks the society of people who have this righteousness.” When I walked into BSF then next day I saw the assistant childrens supervisor and felt the Lord was telling me that if I hungered and thirsted after righteousness, this was the person to spend time with. Then I knew my answer.

Since then I have been so blessed. The women I have met have challenged and encouraged me. My life has been so much richer because of that “Yes”. A little over a year ago I felt the Lord wanted me to do something different but not outside of BSF. When the teaching leader called to ask me to be an assistant childrens supervisor I knew the answer was yes.

Almost every year there is a theme for my times of growth. The year we moved back from Georgia the theme was “God is GOD!” Consequently wherever He told us to go we should go.

The years of infertility and miscarriages where the years I learned that “Control is an illusion.” We cannot really control anything. A loving and faithful God controls it because he is sovereign and all the days of my life are numbered already. And He has a plan for me to give me a future and a hope.

The year my father died the theme was “The seed is never wasted.” I had given up praying for my father years ago because I doubted a heart like that could be turned to the Lord. I didn't know that my father was in the last year of his earthly life. But my Heavenly Father knew and he prepared me by convicting me for not praying for my father. My father died within 3 days of hitting his head and I don't know whether he is with the Lord, but I do know that my Heavenly Father is sovereign and am grateful I had the opportunity to be faithfully praying and witnessing.

In big and small ways the Lord goes before us. This summer our cat had to visit the vet about a week after our garage sale. Things were tight because of extra expenses. But we made $96.50 at the sale and a few days later sold a piece of furniture for $100. My Heavenly Father knows what I need before I ask. Our vet bill was $196.91.

A month ago we met a Bulgarian student who was selling books in Tacoma for the summer. We liked him and enjoyed his company. And we bought a couple of books. A couple of weeks ago he called because the person who was gong to drive him to make his deliveries of books could not make it and it was the night before the books were to be picked up and delivered. Uncharacteristically the things I had to do by Tuesday were done the night before he called and I was free to help him out. The children and I made deliveries with him in the afternoon. We had him over for dinner in the evenings and Mike took him for deliveries at night. We estimated we spent about $75 in gas. But my Father in Heaven knows what I need before I ask and an unexpected reimbursement check arrived that week for $78.

God is showing me that He is faithful to provide what we need when we are asked to help others. This summer I walked into the wrong bank branch to turn in a safe deposit box key and ended up talking to the right banker who facilitated a nice refinancing on our home saving us a nice little sum of money. A month after the refinance we had an urgent need in our extended family which a month before would have been difficult to take care of, but which was able to be paid for the same day because my Heavenly Father knew what we needed before we asked and providentially connected me with the right banker that day a couple of months before.

Along the way, God brings to mind hymns of encouragement. Hymns like “It is well with my soul” come to mind when I have experience a loss. Especially the loss of my first baby inutero. When my grandmother died it was “For all the Saints”. When my father passed away, God brought the hymn “Father, I know that all my life is portioned out for me.”

The past few weeks have been exhausting and overwhelming. And I'm just taking one day at a time. My sister-in-law suffered a bleeding stroke 7 weeks ago and should have died but didn't and miraculously she is back home. My brother-in-law has been encouraged by Paul's words “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” And I have taken that verse too as my theme.

The challenges of parents getting older and children still in the home make me cry out to the Lord. And two hymns are giving encouragement to me these days: How firm a foundation” and “O God, Our Help in Ages Past.”

How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent word!
What more can He say than to you He hath said—
To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled? .

“Fear not, I am with thee, oh, be not dismayed,
For I am thy God, and will still give thee aid;
I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
Upheld by My gracious, omnipotent hand.

“When through the deep waters I call thee to go,
The rivers of sorrow shall not overflow;
For I will be with thee thy trouble to bless,
And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.

“When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie,
My grace, all-sufficient, shall be thy supply;
The flame shall not harm thee; I only design
Thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine.

“The soul that on Jesus doth lean for repose,
I will not, I will not, desert to his foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no never, no never forsake.”

Our God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home.

Under the shadow of Thy throne
Thy saints have dwelt secure;
Sufficient is Thine arm alone,
And our defense is sure.

A thousand ages in Thy sight
Are like an evening gone;
Short as the watch that ends the night
Before the rising sun.

Time, like an ever rolling stream,
Bears all its sons away;
They fly, forgotten, as a dream
Dies at the opening day.

Our God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Be Thou our guard while troubles last,
And our eternal home.

Birthdays!

Special birthday requests come to me this time of year. Sadie, with one exception, every year has teacup cupcakes for her class.


Sam, who in years past has always had dirt cups with gummy bugs, has decided to go for jello fish bowls for his treat for class.

This weekend I get a chance to participate in a Christmas Boutique at my neighbor's home. I'll be selling my sock monkey hats and drink cozies.

NEW! Book Club Companion Set!

Inspired! I was making a coffee cozy and kleenex holder for my sister-in-law Mia when I thought it would be fun to do a bookmark too. Then the thought occurred to me — what if I combined the three and sold them together as a set targeted toward book club members. I doubt I would have thought of it without the realization that Mia goes to book clubs. (BTW: I'm not selling her set, shown above.)

I may market them on Etsy as a set. And, since the bookmark is my own pattern, I think I'll market the bookmark pattern for $1.00 on Etsy as well. 

I wish I had photographed these guys on a nicer background before I gifted them away. Oh well. I'll just have to get busy making more asap.

I need to give credit to Skip to My Lou for the coffee cozy and kleenex holder patterns. It's a great site.

Another great inspiration...

SOCK MONKEY COFFEE COZIES! 

Why didn't I think of it before? There are so many on Etsy, but I think this little guy is especially cute. And I have orders for four already from friends. And of course they match the sock monkey hats. So one can match his/her coffee cup. What fun!

I can credit others for the inspiration, but not the pattern. It is my own.

IMAG3366

IMAG3366, a photo by tamarafrog on Flickr.

Gluten Free Black and White Cupcakes!

A couple of weeks ago I was asked to provide a gluten-free cupcake alternative for our GF ladies at church for our Women In the Church (WIC) kickoff dinner. I knew I would do chocolate because: 1. Sevierly Gluten-Free makes a wonderful mix that is so easy to use and 2. they are women after all.

But,what do do about the frosting? I was thinking chocolate again until I came across my inspiration for a black and white cupcake started when I found these lovely baking cups. 

 

Reynolds black and white
damask baking cup

I always clean my counters thoroughly before baking anything gluten-free.
One-eighth of a teaspoon of gluten can cause a sever reaction in anyone with
Celiac's Disease.

 

Most Awesome Teriyaki Sauce

I just have to share this. It turned out so well. Perhaps the same recipe exists out there. I don't know, but I improvised and I was happy with the result.

Hawaiian Teriyaki Sauce
(That's what I'm calling it.)

1/4 cup soy sauce (I use tamari because it is gluten free)
1 cup water
1 cup brown sugar (or to taste)
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 cup pineapple juice
2 1/2 tbsp. corn starch mixed with 1/4 cup cold water

In a small sauce pan, pour the soy sauce, 1 cup water, 1 cup brown sugar, garlic powder and ginger. Bring to a boil stirring frequently about 5 minutes. Add pineapple juice and continue stirring.

Turn heat to low. Let sauce simmer for 5 minutes. Add corn starch and 1/4 cup cold water mixture to the pan and whisk together. Let the sauce continue to simmer on low heat, stirring occasionally for another 10 or so minutes. I like to let it thicken a little.

Great with chicken, on burgers (with grilled pineapple) and wherever else you like to use teriyaki sauce.

Enjoy!

Growing

When faith was new I presumed
I knew Thee in every way
I had no inkling what I'd find
And how much beyond me lay.

When I was young Thou smaller seemed
But older now am I
And Thou much bigger art to me
The longer time goes by.

How simple then my thoughts reveal
How little I did know.
Thou art beyond compare to me
And how Thy mercies show!

I used to ask Thee for my wants
With no regard to Thee
Confused I was when what I asked for
Was not given me.

Why what surprise to know Thee better.
Thy will is better still
Than all my wants and cares and dreams—
All that I thought would thrill.

And so to me Thou bigger grow
And I grow smaller yet.
More do I learn how little I know
Till faith and sight are met.

By Firelight

By firelight we warm our faces,
Holding sticks the fire embraces,
We enjoy widen-open spaces
as the day dies down.

Dirty feet and dirty clothes,
Sooty hands by ember glows,
Isn't that the way it goes
When camping thing turn brown?

We made new friends and played at spy
And watched some bugs go crawling by.
Tomorrow we'll pack up and sigh
As we head back to town.

Pack the clothes and stow the goods
Make sure to not burn down the woods
Viewing all the neighborhoods
Around the Puget Sound.

"Will we go there again next year?"
"i don't know. Perhaps, my dear."
I hope the skies will all be clear
And not be full of clouds.

Until next year we'll wait and plan,
Remembering who and what and when.
New memories we'll make again
To camp again we're bound.

The Making of Mossy Passage

At a park in Snohomish spotted I
Some fluffy, plentiful moss near by.
With brotherly help I chanced to try
To make my mossy passage.

With twigs and holly, moss and tree
I hung my objects carefully
And named my spot most artfully
The name of Mossy Passage.

So continued I to build
And made a place for all to thrill
Those who appreciate my skill
At making Mossy Passage.

My brother Sam did with deftness dare
To find the moss I hung with care
The trees that are no longer bare
Around my Mossy Passage.

My mother took a picture of
The place I built with so much love
And wrote the poem you see above
About my Mossy Passage

Thoughts of Death and Life

People usually say, "It's a matter of life and death." So why do I list death first? I've been thinking a lot about death. Not morbidly. Just pondering death and the life after.

During communion last Sunday I observed two young men in my congregation who suffer physically in this life. It touches me to see the sweetness of their love for Christ. It encourages me (and I hope them) to know that there is a life after this brief mortal pilgrimage where they, and all Christians who suffer in this world, will be whole in body even as Christ is making them whole in their spirits.

What a great hope we have! When we shed this "mortal coil" there is new and better life awaiting us.

I wonder what we will look like. How will we relate to each other? How will we all feel that Christ is physically near us at all times? What will the new heavens and earth look like? What work will we do? So many questions that will only be answered on that great day. But one thing I know is all suffering will be done away with.

"For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth,and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind." Isaiah 65:17

Mountains of Monkey Hats in the Making

My neighbor is participating in a craft fair next month and has asked my to make a bunch of hats to sell. My goal is to make at least a dozen, even two dozen if I can. I'm getting close to the minimum number I want to make. (See photo left). Pattern from All Free Crochet which I don't follow exactly.

As part of the preparation I need to come up with a company name and pricing. Charging money is always hard for me. I feel guilty asking people to pay me for anything I do.

Another thing I might do is these nifty kleenex holders. I found this pattern on Skip to My Lou. They are fun to make and could sell cheaply. The ones pictured here are made for full-size tissues. I changed the sizing to 11x11 pieces of fabric and it worked like a dream. Since I like to keep my hands busy, these projects have been very enjoyable and the prospect of making a little money is icing on the cake.

Speaking of cake, since the kids have been selling lemonade this summer, I plan to make some strawberry lemonade cupcakes for them to sell some Saturday soon. What a great thing to pair with strawberry lemonade. See Half Baked Cake Blog.

The wash basin is filled! I decided to go with blooming perennials -- honeysuckle (climbing), kobold gayfeather and butterfly blue pincushion flower (mounding) and periwinkle (trailing). In time I'll find out if I made the right decision. I usually figure out my planting mistakes in a year or two.

Progressing...

I already had so many projects in mind to do around the outside of the house. However, with this sewer project over, other projects have made their way onto the list and have even reordered the priorities of the previously planned projects.

One of the new projects we have begun is the paving of the "back area" of our house. Using concrete molds bout at Lowes, we are pouring pavers using a terracotta colorant at half strength for a softer hue. The mold is a cobblestone pattern.

Another outdoor project that should be fast and fun is filling this wash basin which used to be in our basement. Mike cut the broken half off and now it stands next to our porch filled with top fill and peat ready for planting.

Meanwhile, there are so many areas of our yard which are empty now because of the sewer digging. It's been a good opportunity to sift through and get rid of as much ivy and morning glory is possible. But trying to decide what to plant in these empty spaces is a bit overwhelming.

Indoor projects abound as well. a neighbor friend needs monkey hats to sell at her craft booth next month and I'm busy crocheting for that. Old buttons are always in demand for eyes and I just got a bunch form an ebay seller. The seller actually had buttons that were separated by hue. Of course, I opted for the earth tones.
And I could not be more pleased with the selection of buttons. So happy!!!


I haven't been out to my mother's in a couple of weeks, so progress on the trailer as been at a standstill. However, I have great new curtains for between the bedroom and the kitchen. I found them at Kmart at a BOGO 50% off. And they are perfect. All I need to do is sew on the tabs and hang them. I hope to do this early next week. This will make a big impact.

Now to find a good (cheap) bedspread. Bargain hunting will begin soon. We'll really need to take a trip in the trailer once it is done so we can really enjoy the changes.

The Swedish Room is my inspiration for the trailer since it is a newer trailer with the same type of layout. It's encouraging to see that newer trailers can be just as charming as the vintage ones.

Backhoes, Fountains, and Sewing Projects

BACKHOES

The last few days have been eventful. I could not bear the sight of the 10-foot hole right next to our house, so I fled to my mother's place with the kids for a couple of nights.

This is how our house looked yesterday according to the photo my husband took. I'm glad I didn't have to look at that.

The upside to all of this is that the contractor found that we had awful soil under our house and replaced some with good solid stuff. So our foundation will be the better for it.

Today the holes are filled in for the most part and the kids and I are home again. One more day of construction and we'll be normal again.

Another good outcome is that all the weeds in our back section (6-feet) are gone! And they leveled the area.

It's crazy how little of a back yard we have. Just look at the middle of the picture where the little cement wall is. From there to the house on the right is our "backyard." That's life in the Northend of Tacoma, baby.

FOUNTAINS

In the meantime, my mom, the kids and I had a great time in Bremerton yesterday. We took the foot ferry from downtown Port Orchard and landed in Bremerton in the early afternoon and spent the rest of the day there.

The fountain park there is fantastic. It is filled with very shallow pools (five in all) which contain structures reminiscent of submarine stacks. Every few minutes the stacks spray large amounts of water out the tops much to the delight of the children hovering around the bottoms of them.

It is beautifully landscaped and there are many places to sit and eat or enjoy the view. Mom and I found a shady spot and it was lovely.

I'll be taking the kids back there this summer again. The place feels like a resort in a way. It was like being on a vacation for a few hours. I highly recommend it.

SEWING PROJECTS!!!

Yesterday I tore down parts of the decor in the trailer and felt quite triumphant, taking pictures and planning. This morning I woke up thinking, "WHAT DID I DO?" Nevertheless, progress has begun for real now and there is no turning back. (Well, there is if I undo what I've done today, but I'm not going to.) It's onward and upward. I spend most of the afternoon sewing, stapling and screwing decor. There is more to do, but I'm happy to report that things are changing and so far I am quite pleased.

I have more sewing to do. Before leaving my mom's house (where our trailer is kept) I made more measurements and hope to bring more curtains and such back to her house when I visit next. You can see how far I got in one afternoon. I'm pretty happy tonight. Especially because one corner of my house doesn't seem to be ready to slough off at any moment now.

New Projects in the Works

I am currently obsessed with the idea of updating our travel trailer's interior. I was happy with it just the way it was until my friend Nicole shared a link to a blog (http://vintagecottagecamper.blogspot.com/) and ever since I have been thinking about the possibilities of changing out the decor in our own.

We bought the trailer after a tenting trip when my children were almost two- and almost one-year-old when I saw a Casita trailer parked in the next site over. A quick tour of our camp neighbors' Casita was all it took to start me on the path to travel trailer ownership.

For years I was happy with our trailer just as it rolled off the assembly line. But after exploring a few blogs, I'm filled with excitement to get this project underway.

Before I make any changes, I want to show the before pictures. Our trailer is by no means a vintage trailer. But that shouldn't stop me. The way they come decorated is, according to my sister-in-law Mia, "geriatric." After much pondering, I've decided a French country look is what I'm going for. And I have already purchased fabric with that end in mind.

The first of my projects are the dinette and the bedroom curtains. Both will use the red gingham. The dinette, naturally, will use the rooster fabric. The bedroom will use the toile.

This should be fun. I'll post pictures of the results soon.

There's a Backhoe in My Yard!

Remember the "Mad" magazine feature called "Scenes We'd Like to See?" Well, this is a scene I didn't want to see. There's a backhoe in my yard and it's digging up our old sewer line as well as the neighbor's and our plants.

We came home from the tenth anniversary of our kayak event to find out our neighbor's sewer line was backing up and that our line (though not affected yet) connects up to theirs before connecting to the main line.

Work began last Wednesday and will, hopefully, conclude on July 5. However, I'm not expecting everything to be finished then as we are still not sure whether our line from the kitchen will be involved in all this and if so, we'll lose whatever bit of driveway we have in front of our garage.

The tension is mounting...

Here I go again

This is my second attempt at blogging. Life is short and the days are going by so quickly. There is always something going on and something to do or make. So, before I forget what I'm doing, where I'm going and what I've been making, I'll try to get them recorded.