ramblings of my heart

 

Have you heard the common Bible verse, “Let not your heart be troubled…”?  I have wondered before how one could “let” their heart not be troubled… like flipping the ‘worry’ switch to ‘off’.  Impossible, right?    The verse is found in John 14, and goes on to say, “You believe in God, believe also in Me.”  Jesus was speaking to the disciples, telling them he was leaving and they could not go with him.  The disciples were confused and distressed and Jesus’ words were calling them, and are calling us still today, to have confidence in Him and in God’s plan.

Recently, some dear friends were getting toward the end of their apartment lease, and needed to relocate closer to church and better schools, but they were not going to be ready to do that yet when their lease ran out.  We gave them a ride to church for a couple months and would cook a meal (I use the word “we” very loosely here – Sandy is a far superior cook than me =) and fellowship with them every Sunday.  After dropping them off every Sunday, I would pray that God would prepare us to help them however we could and to use us for His work; even though we didn’t really have extra money, and I wondered how we would be any help at all. 

Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”  A while back, Mark started sleep walking and I was afraid he would fall down the steep stairs, so I moved him downstairs into Susie’s room.  Hmmm.  Sandy and the girls needed a place to stay and we have an empty bedroom.  We forged on without hesitation and five people crammed into our extra bedroom.  God had answered my prayer and prepared our hearts; even though people around us were warning us that this was crazy, we couldn’t afford it, or it might ruin our relationship with our friends. 

But since God prepared this work for us to do, He worked it out.  Our hearts were not troubled.  They moved in.  The girls started school.  We cook together, eat together – live together. Sandy probably just thinks we are helping her, but she is the strongest, most hardworking and faithful woman I know and I am sure that she is helping me grow as well.  I hope a lot of her qualities will rub off on me.  =)  And with Sandy closer to our church family, she has been surrounded by help and support as God’s love flows through His people.

Even though your mind may worry and fear and tell you to shy away from something, pray for His will, and pray for him to prepare your heart to do what it is that He has prepared for you to do. 

lately… on a Thursday

 

Haha, just kidding, I am not doing a Thursday Latelies video like Leah does.  I HATE being on that side of still OR video cameras alike.  But, I do have a great find to share with you.  Actually, I just thought of another one, so TWO great finds to share with you.  Sorry, I am YELLING a lot today. I’ll try to tone it down some.  =)

I used to use a mainstream mascara which I will allow to remain anonymous, which always stung when it got in my eye, when washing it off or rubbing my eyes.  Well last year my MIL got me Clinique high impact mascara for Christmas…

Not only does it not sting my eyes, but it has somehow allowed my lashes to grow longer!  No, I did not use Latisse… does anyone besides Brooke use that stuff?  No, my hypothesis is that it doesn’t stick so bad to my lashes and doesn’t break them off or make them pull out as often.  Seriously though, my lashes are longer now.  True story.

Secondly, I picked up my usual cheap old shampoo last week.  I’ve used Pantene Pro-V for like a million years.  I’m not picky about hair products.  I use their Frizzy to Smooth formula, which I kinda figured probly didn’t work but at least it would try to tame my beast.  Last week when I picked it up I noticed they added “90% humidity control” to the label.  Yeah, right.  I thought.  I wish.  But, low and behold it worked!  I straighten my hair, but I run around at work and it was hot last week, so I get sweaty start to glisten and my hair wigs out.  Every day.  With this shampoo: straight as a board.  I thought it was a fluke.  I didn’t wash my hair and touched up my bangs with the flat iron the next day.  Hot again.  Still straight as a board.  Three more washes now, and now we have switched from hot/muggy to damp/raining and even though I run through the rain between buildings all day at work: straight as a board.  What a lovely surprise.  This is what it looks like…

It is still new; Target didn’t have the conditioner version yet, and I can’t find either one online to buy or link you to. 

There you have it.  My non-Thursday Latelies post about products I love today… which just so happens to be Thursday.  =)

fragments from this week

 

so far this week I have repaired and finished what I broke last week; the sweetest little pin cushion you ever saw in your life…

 

I told you so.  ;)

These little footed milkglass bowls (and a larger size as well) are at thrift stores pretty frequently… I am on them like a blood hound so I can make some of these for my sale.  This one is all mine.  That globe in the background; I got it at a yard sale for $1… a score for my sale?  Not so much, I made the mistake of putting it in my bedroom.  I think it has to stay.

In rare homeschool news, =) I came up with a daily schedule!  This is miraculous for me.  I got a curriculum and didn’t really love it, especially since we’re only in preschool.  Here is my format…

The letter craft looks like this today because I was lazy…

 

The idea is to familiarize the child with the shape of the letter. I usually do something like glue scraps of paper to fill in the letter, or something like using macaroni noodles to fill in the letter “M” for macaroni, or build a letter out of straight and curved lines.  When lazy = coloring it in works just fine. 

The word for the day was “good” so we sounded that out and he copied it down and drew a “good” thing; him sharing his helicopter toy with a friend.  =)

I also added in building.  Every day we are going to build with blocks, play dough, toothpicks and gumdrops, etc., focusing on all the letters for review.  Mark made some great letters…

O, A, M, T, P. 

Then of course reading. 

I even put the books on the wall in the homeschool area, and still forgot to do reading every day, so now I have it written down.  I need lists.  For vocabulary, I plan on just pointing out the meanings of words in the reading, as needed.

So that’s my new homeschool schedule.

In other random news… I got bright yellow rubber boots and I love them…

I even wore them to a wedding last weekend…

I happened to be shooting at the wedding and it happened to rain most of the day, otherwise that would have been super weird, instead of just weird.  =)  That photo of me is courtesy of my pastor, Ron Sallee.  Thanks, Ron!  I can’t wait to share the photos with you all; I am still sorting through about 700 images and editing.  Fun stuff!

Last but not least, my Shadow came back.  Almost a year ago, I leased out my horse, Shadow, because I wasn’t giving her the time she deserved.  But a couple weeks ago, the girl leasing her broke her knee and will not be able to ride again, so I am finding Shadow a new home again.  I had to share this shot from the other morning…

Peace!

new creations, a print, and a treat

 

Okay, so here are the new creations I mentioned in yesterday’s post…

Firstly, Leah showed me these beaded bracelets last time she visited, and I have wanted to make one ever since.  I had one pinned on Pinterest, and it linked to this tutorial.  I got ‘er done during an hour of streaming LOST...

I love it.  I never want to take it off and I want to make many more.  Leah, if you were going to have one which color/colors would you want the beads?  Hypothetically speaking, of course.  ;)

Secondly, how sweet is that little milk glass coffee cup pin cushion!?  I love it.  I love mixing vintage finds with modern fabrics.  I have another milk glass one in the works, but I had a little accident…

It needs a little super glue love, and then it will be the cutest stinking pin cushion you have ever seen in your life.  And that one, my friends, will NOT make it to the sale pile, let me just go ahead and admit that right now.  Well, of course it won’t because it is broken/repaired, but even before I broke it, I knew it would need to be mine.  In fact, I already moved my own personal pin cushion to the sale pile to make room for the sweet thing.  Must buy superglue.  And I am fiercely hunting for more of the footed milk glass bowls at thrift stores everywhere!

Oh, and I have had a little love affair with the quote “keep calm and carry on” for some time now.  I finally created a file I am happy with, and will offer it as a print at my sale and possibly in my {currently empty} Etsy shop soon…

Isn’t it fun?!  The crown was from an old English book.  LOVE IT.

Lastly, you need to make this.  Now.  Like Ryan says, they don’t look like much at first…

Oh, but they are much… so much!!!

I recommend making a double batch of sauce, and adding half of it with the bread when you bake it, and save half for drizzling on top when you serve them.  We called them Monkey Brains growing up, in youth group.  They take me back.  This is Pastor Ryan’s recipe {via PW} which is pretty close the recipe we used in youth group.  Make sure you have some people to help you eat them or it could be dangerous.  Very dangerous.

Peace!

thrift junky chronicles no. 13

 

Haha, can you tell I have been working a lot?  Now that the kids are back in school, I don’t shoot senior pictures in the mornings or midday anymore, so I hope I can get back into a most-days blogging groove again!  Today is attempt numero uno.

Some recent Goodwill finds…

I love collecting random juice glasses at goodwill.  They’re like $0.49, and I think it’s fun to have a variety. 

Also, I buy any silverware with the dot borders, that way mine all look like they match but I can spend $0.25 each, and not have to drop $30 on a set all at once.  Since I started doing this I don’t run out of silverware anymore! 

Also, I’ve had a few decent finds at the jewelry counter lately.  This time I got three bangle bracelets for $1.99, a yellow necklace for $3.99 and two wooden-bead blue and green necklaces for $4.99.  Not as cheap as I hoped it would be, but still cheaper than retail.  Oh, and the wooden ones – a best friend had them.  I put them in a cute dish when we organized her bathroom once.  She had them at our co-garage sale.  I didn’t see them.  She donated them to G-will.  I bought them.  She said, “Hey I like your necklaces, did I give you those??”  I said, “I got them at Goodwill, but I thought they looked like yours!”  There were originally three, but she kept one of them, so they must be hers!  True story.  Crazy!!!

Back to the finds… I like to look for bread pans and small baking trays; they’re good for food prep and organizing!

The weird test tube thingy was a shot in the dark at making a cute vase with my mattress spring from Farm Chicks…

It was a fail.  It was a good try though, right?  So close and yet… not close enough.  Maybe I will label it as a “wonky vase” and try to sell it.  ;)

I found a cute yellow vintage Pyrex dish (it was just sweet), and a stack of sweet little plates, straight from 1989.  Remember the pin cushion I made out of a bowl just like them here?  Yeah, had a project idea, went back for more, and these plates were the last of them, sadly.  I got them all.  And also one last candle stick I needed for the same project…

I made a couple sweet mini cake stands for my sale.  What do you think?  I am having trouble physically moving them to the sale pile, but I must.  Right now they are displaying two recent creations…  this post is getting too long and I should actually get out of my pjs sometime today, so I will share my creations with you tomorrow!