Merry Christmas and Happy 2014!!!!

Christmas comes and goes so quickly, at least it did for me.  There is so much preparation of food, and making hand crafts for loved ones, then it is over before you know it. But, the special memories that we keep in our hearts are of family being together and watching those grand children opening up their gifts, the smiles on their faces are priceless.  But foremost is celebrating Jesus birthday, he was sent to this world as a baby to die for us and bring salvation to the world, that is so amazing to me!  The love God has for us is beyond anything we could ever imagine or explain.  It's a lot to take in, but how grateful I am for Jesus and for His birth and Christmas.  It's what it's all about isn't it? 

I wanted to share a few pictures we took on Christmas, the first one is of my daughter and me holding the quilt I made for her.  She asked for one and I wasn't sure she would like the colors, but she loved it!!! That was so special.  This quilt wouldn't have been completed if it wasn't for my sweet daughter in law Mandy,.  See my sewing machine broke and she came to the rescue bringing her machine for me to use after my desperate phone call one evening, how grateful I am to her! The other photo is of our family, at least the ones that could be here this Christmas.  I love them all so very much and just wished that we all could have been together.  My oldest son Ken and family is in Virginia getting ready to move to Fallon Nevada later on this month, so he will be closer for us to visit.  It never is the same when all my kids and grandkids cannot be here.  But they were in our hearts!!!

This will be a short post today,  the new year also crept up on me pretty quickly, I still can't believe it's 2014!!! Wow, it's time to regroup, refocus on the new year and what God has in store for me.  I know it will include making things, creating patterns and loving those grandbabies of mine.  I want to wish every one of you the best year ever - just keep looking up and know you are loved by an awesome God, he is there for us no matter what we do.  His mercy is new each and every day, what hope that gives me!  Also the fact that I know that His plan for my life is better than anything I can plan for myself.  God Bless you and Happy New Year all!!!

I am thankful for so much this year - how about you?

Happy Thanksgiving, I know I am a day late and a dollar short!! We are having our Thanksgiving dinner tonight, so that my daughter Michelle could join us from Seattle.  We don't get to see her very often so it is going to be a treat.  I do hope that all of you had a wonderful dinner and gave thanks for the many blessings that the Lord has bestowed upon you and your family.

I know I have so much to be thankful for it's hard to begin.  But I will with the fact that no matter what comes my way I am so thankful that the Lord is with me to go through it.  No matter how disappointed I maybe about a situation, he is there with me.  That is so comforting to me.  Also thankful for my family that I love dearly, the grandkids all 9 of them, some I get to see often, others live far away.  But I lift them up to the Lord each and every day so I know they are in good hands - Praise God.  I have their photos in the front opening of my "Grandma Bible" that my dear friend Caroline gave me a few weeks ago, she is such a sweetie. There are prayers in the bible for each day to pray for your grandkids and their salvation, spiritual growth, talents, courage, etc.  It's very cool and I love it.

Thankful for my friends and sisters that love me and listen to me even when I am rattling off or go off key in one way or another, especially my friend Caroline. We have coffee every Tuesday and she is such a great listener and has so much wisdom it's hard to explain. She is truly an angel sent to me from God.  Thankful for my husband who loves me unconditionally, listens to me and just nods his head at times, and laughs when I do something really stupid.  He is my rock and I thank God for him each and every day.

Thankful for my daughter Michelle who is my friend and makes me laugh when I need a good one.  She is so witty and fun and is a blessing from God as well.  Thankful for my two sons, Sean and Jason and their wives, Krista and Mandy, respectively, who are such awesome caring and talented men.  The Lord has blessed them with such beautiful children who are all so talented, gifted and favored by God. 

The other thing I am grateful for is to have a part-time job this Christmas season for a little extra spending money.  I am working at "A Knot In Thyme" for the month of December in the gift shop.  It is such a fun and beautiful place to work, they sell beautiful Christmas Trees, Holly Wreaths and so many other items in the gift shop that include; candles, tea blends, dips, ornaments, ceramic birds, jewelry, handmade soaps, and so much more.  They are even carrying my handmade "Seashell Angels" this year. 

 

Noel Seashell Angel 

How to Listen to God the book by Dr. Charles Stanley

Greetings everyone, today I wanted to share some information from a book that I am reading called "How to Listen to God" by Dr. Charles Stanley.  He is one of my favorite authors and when I began this book I just could not put it down.  Ever have that happen to you?  When you are reading a book filled with so much "meat" if you will, you just cannot get enough, at least I can't.  Be sure to check out his book it is featured in the Amazon books section on the right hand side of my blog.

In this book Dr. Stanley gives us an insight as to the methods that God uses to communicate with us.  Some do not understand that just a feeling in your spirit sometimes, or a thought in your mind is and can be from God. Then the big question is what do we do when we hear those things, do we listen or do we just blow it off to - well, that can't be God.  I know because I have experienced that small voice numerous times in my life.  I now pray every day for the Holy Spirit to show me and help me to act upon what it is God is trying to do in my life in and through me. There have been many times when I acted and was so blessed by doing so, blessings came to the person God placed in my thoughts and to me in different ways later on.  I am connecting the dots now and can see how God works and it's so awesome!

There is a particular way that God gets our attention that we are not excited about and that is "tragedy". If you remember in Numbers 21:4 the Israelites were on their journey from Mt. Hor by the way of the Red Sea, they had to go around the land of Edom.  It was during this time they became very discouraged along the way.  They were so discouraged they began to speak against God and Moses, saying "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no food or water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread." So the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, and many of them died.  Then the people came to Moses and said: "We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord that He take away the serpents from us." So Moses prayed.

We can't always view tragedy as a sign of God's disapproval, but it helps to take a closer look at each tragedy and situation through a spiritual filter.  That can be very difficult at times.  As in the case of a young lady named Joni Eareckson Tada.  She is living evidence of God's sovereign design in calamity.  When she was a teenager, full of God's vibrancy, Joni's life was radically altered one summer afternoon when she dove into a pool of shallow water.  In the twinkling of an eye she was introduced to the numb world of quadriplegics.  She was hospitalized for months on end with little hope for her now-shaky future.  We then ask the question: "How can God allow this?" I am sure she thought this over and over in her mind day and night.  Then slowly her faith in God began to surmount her anxious and sometimes bitter queries.

Later in years, she developed the remarkable capacity to paint with a brush gripped in her teeth. Her heart for God grew by leaps and bounds and a ministry to millions began.  A ministry birthed and nourished by tragedy.  Her books, movies, lectures, and special outreach to the handicapped have made her overcoming life a familiar story to most Christians worldwide.

If you walk with God every day and obey his teachings and His word we are assured that He is with us, through the good times and the bad.  He turns the bad into good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.  But when a tragedy comes your way, that's a good time to examine our actions and our obedience to the God of the Universe who knows all things and loves us so very much.  I encourage you today to read this book and get a better insight as to how important it truly is to "Listen to God".

Be blessed!

Today I want to also introduce to you my hub where I share some of my favorite Mexican dishes that I grew up eating and loving.  They are chicken tamales, pumpkin empanadas and penoche.  Yummy, here is the link to the hub.  Enjoy and God Bless!

God's love is more than anything we could ever hope or ask for!!!!

Greetings, so good to be back.  My husband and I took our annual RV trip this year to some of the national parks in Utah, that was amazing.  We have been gone for over a month and visited Arches, Bryce and Zion along with the Mormon Temple in Salt Lake City, Utah.  So many beautiful cities and scenes along the way, but it's so good to be back home where we belong on Whidbey Island.  Now on to the post of the day!

In the bible 1 John 3 (verses 3- 10) says, see how very much our heavenly Father loves us, for he allows us to be called his children, and we really are!  But the people who belong to this world don’t know God, so they don’t understand that we are his children.  Yes, dear friends, we are already God’s children, and we can’t even imagine what we will be like when Christ returns.  But we do know that when he comes we will be like Him, for we will see Him as He really is.  And all who believe this will keep themselves pure, just as Christ is pure.

Those who sin are opposed to the law of God, for all sin opposes the law of God.  And you know that Jesus came to take away our sins, for there is no sin in Him.  So if we continue to live in Him, we won’t sin either. But those who keep on sinning have never known Him or understood who He is. 

John also says that “God is Love”, not “Love is God”.  Our world with it’s shallow and selfish view of love, has turned these words around and contaminated our understanding of love.  The people in this world think that Love is what makes a person feel good and it’s ok to sacrifice moral principles and others rights in order to get such love.  But that isn’t love at all.  It is the exact opposite – selfishness.  God’s love is selfless not the selfish kind.  Real love is like God, who is Holy, just and perfect.  If we truly know God, we will love as he does.

See, love explains why God creates, why He cares and why we are free to choose to love him or not.  It also explains why Christ died, because God loved us so much he wanted us to be forgiven of our sins and so he made a way through his son Jesus Christ who gives us eternal life.  God’s love expresses itself to us forever. 

God’s love is the source of all human love, and it spreads like fire.  In loving his children, God kindles a flame in our hearts, in turn we love others, who are warmed by God’s love through us.  Isn’t that the coolest thing – to have God’s love in us so we can share it with those around us.  I get such a warm feeling in my heart when I think of the greatness of His love for me.  It’s what gets me up every morning and sustains me each and every day. 

If you want to get closer to our Heavenly Father and experience more of His amazing love, get in the word, and spend time with Him on a daily basis.  What you will find when you do this, is more joy and peace in your life, even in the midst of a hectic and chaotic world.  Blessings to you!!!

Now, it’s time for the “free knitting pattern”.  Today I want to offer to you a beautiful knitted checkered afghan pattern that is easy to do and looks amazing when completed.  If you would like to download the pdf file of the pattern, click here.  Will make a warm and cozy gift for anyone on your Christmas list! Also check out my newest hub Holiday handmade gifts on a budget, where I feature this cozy afghan along with two other cool handmade patterns to make this Christmas!!!

Can God use little old me to draw others to Himself?

Greetings everyone, as I near the end of the book I mentioned in my last post “Lead me, Holy Spirit”, I find myself feeling a bit sad.  I enjoy my morning devotionals and looking forward to the next chapter in this amazing book.  I will give it back to my friend Carolyn next week when we meet for coffee, since she is the one who lent this book to me to read.  I know she too will be blessed by it as much as I have been.

In the last few weeks I have noticed that the Holy Spirit is truly alive and well in me, I find myself praying more, even during the day while I am trying to get things done around the house.  I find that my attitude about housework has changed, which is very unusual because I clearly do not like or enjoy housework.  But, now I am doing it unto the Lord and believe it or not, that changes things.  I am more aware of my actions and words.  See, when the Holy Spirit comes to reside in you, your life will never be the same.  I am experiencing it first hand and I can honestly tell you that is something to sing about and give God praise!

The last part of the book talks about how God can use us all.  Even if we are not that well educated, can speak in front of a large crowd, or have great social skills.  The book says not to be afraid of what the Holy Spirit might do in and through you.  Be afraid of what your life will be like if God’s will is not done.  That is a very sobering statement which truly makes us search out motives, actions and how we view God’s will in our lives. See, the Holy Spirit will always lead us toward wholeness and spiritual maturity.  The main reason God does that is not only for our greatest good, but also to bless others.  God wants to use us to help others and point them to Christ.  But because we think we are not fit to do that, we will make all kinds of excuses like “I can’t speak that well in front of others”,  or “I am shy”, “I don’t want to offend anyone”, or the best one which I know I have used myself is “I am not comfortable talking to others about spiritual things”. Forget all that, God is going to equip you for anything that He has for you to do, did you hear me I will say it again, He’s going to equip you, isn’t that awesome!!! Can I get an Amen anyone?

If you truly want to be used by God and be led by the Holy Spirit, I want to again encourage you to keep in the word, and to possibly pick up Stormie Omartian’s book or other books out there that speak of the leading of the Holy Spirit and how to listen to God.  It will straighten your faith and encourage you to be bolder in your sharing of what He has done in your life.  If God could use the Apostle Paul, who was Saul and he was an executor of Christians, he can certainly use us – now can’t he?

Today in the craft department I want to share a very cool pattern of my adorable re-cycled Diet Coke Angel ornament.  She is made from a leftover diet coke can that you cut out and then hot glue together.  She has heart shaped wings and holds a bright star in her hands.  You will love making her so check out the hub with all the detailed instructions and make lots of these for family and friends.  Blessings and until next time – God Bless!

 

Anyone want to be led by the Holy Spirit?

Good day everyone! It's Saturday and I really meant to post this yesterday but it just didn't happen. Oh well, better late than never I suppose.  I am very excited about a few projects that I have been working on and a few of these are now for sale on Etsy, thanks to Angie who created this adorable crochet bag dispenser.  I got the idea from that and created a cute crochet wine tote!  They are nice and are a great way to take your favorite beverage over to any Holiday festivity or summer party.  So thank you Angie for that, I have consulted with her about my idea and she is cool with it.  Here is the link to her website which has the "free crochet bag dispenser pattern".  Her pattern is featured on a very cool website called "Desperate Houselife", you also should check that one out as well. We are grateful for her contribution to us crafty people.  You can also find some of my crochet "wine totes" on Etsy for sale at very reasonable prices.  So do check them out when you get the chance. I've included some photos of  some of these cuties for your pleasure below!

Now, today I want to ask that question - anyone want to be led by the Holy Spirit?  You may think it's a silly question but I do not believe everyone believes in the Holy Spirit.  I certainly do and  I am presently enjoying a book my friend Carolyn lent me the other day called "Lead me, Holy Spirit" by Stormie Omartian.  This book is from the Billy Graham Library and comes very highly recommended, at least so far it is.  I am only on the first chapter and I cannot put it down.  I read it in the morning right after I get my coffee and begin to spend time with God.  I usually go into my guest bedroom to read which has a huge window where I can enjoy the scenery.  I get to watch the wildlife outside, it's great therapy and I highly recommend that to anyone who needs to find more peace in their lives.  It's awesome!

There is a prayer in this first chapter that I wanted to share with you if you are interested in becoming closer to God, and want to experience more His Holy Spirit in your life.  She states that when you clearly recognize God's voice speaking to your heart, your life will never be the same.  The Holy Spirit is an amazing gift from God who was sent to comfort, guide, bless and protect us in our every day life.

Here is the prayer:  Lord, I ask You for a great outpouring of Your Holy Spirit in me.  Enable me "to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge" so that I "maybe filled with all the fullness" of You. I don't ever want to take lightly the fact that You have sent Your Spirit to dwell in me, to guide and help me live the life You have for me. Teach me the deep things You want me to know from Your Word.  Help me to hear the leading of Your Spirit telling me the way to walk.  Give me understanding about all You want to do in and through me.

Thank You, God, that You are always with me.  I long to know You better every day, so I ask for a fresh and ever increasing flow of Your Spirit.  I pray that You, Holy Spirit, will be at home in my heart.  Keep me from allowing anything into it that would quench or grieve You.  I don't ever want to hinder Your work in my life.  I invite You to move powerfully through me, for I know that Your Spirit in me is how You touch the world around me.  Keep me ever mindful of that as I go about my day and I am around other people.  I want to always be sensitive to Your leading.  In Jesus' name I pray.  Amen.

Many blessings to you and enjoy your summer!!!!

Mauve crochet wine tote with sunflower!

Navy blue crochet wine tote with small flowers!

Angie's adorable bag dispenser!

Do you have a void feeling in your spirit?......look to Jesus!

Greetings to you all.  What a wonderful summer day we are experiencing here on Whidbey Island.  The sun is shining and it’s going to be in the high seventies possibly eighties today.  When summer arrives on Whidbey it’s such a great time to be outdoors and just enjoying nature.  I am posting a photo of some little visitors we had in our backyard this morning, what an awesome way to wake up in the morning to find these adorable fawn grazing in the yard.  We are so blessed to live here because we see God's beauty each and every day. 

So today I also wanted to share something with you that I personally have experienced and wondered if perhaps you had as well.  It’s an empty feeling, a sense of void in your spirit, that I have felt from time to time and not known what exactly it was.  This happened to be before I encountered Jesus and now I realize just exactly what it was. But back then I sure didn’t, and felt such an unsatisfying empty feeling it’s very hard to describe.

It's like standing standing in front of the refrigerator and you take a peak inside and you are trying to find out what you would like to eat.  Ever had that happen? Sure you have, we all have.  You are not looking for anything specific but you know that you are hungry and want something that will fill the longing in your stomach.  Seems that whatever you choose, it won’t take that feeling away, because it’s not the emptiness in your stomach that’s really bothering you,  it’s the emptiness in your soul.

Whether you are looking for satisfaction of food, career, possessions, even relationships, our souls are constantly trying to get satisfaction.  But the bible says that nothing in this world can fill that void.  God created us to love Him and to have a relationship with Him. He also placed a deep yearning within us for Himself.  We may not understand what it is when we are feeling dissatisfied in our inner souls.   That is why we sometimes seek fulfillment with worldly substitutes, but disappointments and disillusionment are sure to follow.

We have two choices of menus here, one is Satan’s menu and the other is God’s.  Satan’s menu of course is long, filled with lovely enticing things that seem to promise gratification and pleasure.  Included in these things are instant gratification, riches, prominence, relationships, acceptance and recognition.  It certainly looks like the good life but do not be deceived, it’s a deception.  On the other hand God’s menu is simple and short, with only one item on the menu “Jesus”.  He is the only one that can fill that void. 

If you have not found that satisfaction yet, and are still seeking something to fill that void, turn to Jesus! Make Him your highest priority and spend time getting to know Him.  He is the only one that will satisfy – believe me I know first hand!

Blessings to you and enjoy your summer!!!