New Hutch Look

I love my new hutch look, hubby added beadboard to the center to add interest and trimmed it out in some thin moulding.  I decided to put a skirt on the bottom and leave the doors off. I do plan to put the doors back on the top, but it would look cute with them off also. I just never thought I would add a skirt and I really love the look. I will be on the hunt for some black and white dishes to display, the blue and pink do not blend well, but it will be fun looking.

Frenchy Burlap Blender Cover

I got this graphic from graphicfairy.com I printed it on material with freezer paper on muslin and then sewed it to burlap. I really like it.

Another Dress Apron

I am having a lot of fun making these easy aprons out of dresses, sorry that I did not take a pic of the dress before refashioning it, I cut it shorter added a ruffle that is about all I did except cutting out the back and adding a couple of ties. This one is for Grandma Joe.

Thimble Pin Cushion Necklace

My very best friend, Celeste sent me this adorable pin cushion necklace she made. Isn't it sweet. I just love it.

Baptism

Sunday was a happy day, we had a baptism in the cold Nooksack river. Baptism shows the church, believers in attendance that the Spirit of God has been received into the heart of the person baptized. Jesus has been received into the heart and life of the believer.  The person has realized that they are a sinner and has trusted what Christ did on the cross two thousand years ago for the forgiveness of sins. All sins can be forgiven, God can forgive any sin. The only sin that will never be forgiven in this world or the next is to deny what God did on the cross, if a person dies in that state they will have to pay for their own sins in Hell for all eternity will all bitterness and suffering.
There is not one small shred of salvation connected to a person's baptism, it is done in obedience to God.  It is by the spirit of God being received in a person's heart that brings salvation.  Water never saved anyone and never will only that faith that God works in a person's heart brings Salvation.   Put your trust in Jesus alone and his precious blood that he shed for you. The thief on the cross trusted in a perfect saviour, along with a repent heart and that recipe made him acceptable to God to enter God's Kingdom.  He never touched water, Jesus never even mentioned baptism to him, baptism is not required for salvation, faith is.  It is so simple.  We must believe God not man if we are to have the right doctrine and a saving faith. Many will be in Heaven that were never baptized, many will not be in Heaven that were baptized.

Still remember this, God commands us to be Baptized, so do not neglect what God commands. This is the first thing one should do after being saved.

Be at Peace Do Not Be Anxious

http://utmost.org/the-dilemma-of-obedience/

I would like to direct anyone who is looking for a good devotional to one  of the most excellent devotions this world has to offer by a Christian man named Oswald Chambers. It was my first devotional given to me by my first Christian women mentors  in a MOPS group that I served in when my children were young. I have since found that it is still my favorite among many that have been written. 

As I was reading my devotion this morning, above link, it got me thinking about the times when God has spoke to me, when I hear his voice most clearly. I have noticed that when I am feeling anxious I am sure to find out that I am in the flesh and not in the spirit. My body at my age reacts and I cannot ignore it, it waves a red flag and I must stop and change my thinking or suffer the physical consequences.   My anxiety has got me into more trouble than I would dare mention here this morning. I strive to live in the spirit of God, and in that way I can have peace and good health for as far as I am able.  Living in the spirit means obedience to do that which is not normally what we as people are prone to do. It means putting the word of God first each day, reading his word, memorizing his word, and talking to God in the most honest and sincere way we know how. Giving everything over to God and not be anxious.  I have lived three fourths of my life so far and one thing has become very important to me, peace.  Not peace as in peace in quiet although I love that too of course, but peace of mind, peace of heart, a good conscience, a calm spirit and resolve that what I am doing has purpose and I am not in charge of it all, but God is. Everything will work out perfect if I am in the right step with God. 

I would just like to encourage you if you are reading this to spend sometime telling God you love him and thanking him for this very hour of his mercy and grace, no matter what your circumstance.  He is the God for your storms. For he has given us all the grace we need to lead a peaceful and purposeful life. We need to live in today and not worry about tomorrow, for Jesus told us there is enough evil in one day, today, let us not waste today worrying about tomorrow, tomorrow will come soon enough. Rejoice in today, today is the day the Lord has made, I will be happy in it. We can find joy in today if we put our thoughts on the Lord Jesus. He will give us the joy we need and settle our restless hearts. 

For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.  Matt 11:30

Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.  Proverbs 16:3

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.   Phil 4:6

- King James Bible "

Have a wonderful day, remember God is for you and God loves you, and he will take care of you. He is God. Trust the Lord. 

A Easter Garden

This is not a picture of our exact garden just one like the it.  Hubby and I made this Easter Garden last year and displayed it in our yard at the next to the sidewalk. Lots of people walked by. Some stopped and stared, others bent down and praised it. One although one young woman had a disturbing reaction. She exclaimed how can you put a tomb in the yard, please remove it, as she covered her mouth and gasped. She pleaded that it was against her religion, that she was so offended, the display was very offensive to her.  She did not want to look at it as she passed by. I told her Jesus died for our sins, it was Easter, and no I would not remove it, it was staying.    It has to make one ponder, how one small  display, in the sand, outside her fence,  could cause so much disgust. I nicely told her Jesus died for our sins, it is a empty tomb, Jesus is alive. 

Notice the tomb is empty, Jesus did not stay inside the grave, he rose up and conquered death. Sin and death have no more hold on us. The cross and empty tomb is a wonderful sight for those who believe. It is a picture of hope, and not a blind hope, for we have reason, built on a sure foundation with many eyewitnesses that Jesus in fact died and rose again.

Jesus is Lord, he is Lord of all and worthy to be praised!! Let the righteous say so. They day has come in high places in America to hush the voices of freedom. Only his Holy Spirit will give us the strength to remain faithful, let us speak freely now while we" are free". Many have died to give us the right to speak, let us not pass up every opportunity while there is yet time. 

1 Corinthians 1:18-31

King James Version (KJV)

18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

Hide God's Word in your heart and it will never be taken from you. I have memorized the following verses this last week, now they can never be taken from me. They are glued in my mind and my heart and they belong to me. God has given them to me and all those that believe. Let me encourage you to memorize something out of God's Word today. 

John 1: 1-18

John 1

King James Version (KJV)

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

2 The same was in the beginning with God.

3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.

7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.

8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.

9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.

10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.

11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

15 John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.

16 And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.

17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

18 No man hath seen God at any time, the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

Sweet Little Stool

Here is our little stool redo, I bought this stool for a few bucks and painted it white, then mod podged a graphicfairy rabbit to it. I really like the rabbit, I think his eyes are sweet.

Cabinet and mantel re do

This is a cabinet and a mantel, cabinet was black with doors, mantel maple color, I covered that up with Martha Stewart (Tailor's Chalk). I ordered rose trim from doityourselfchic.com . Sewed a skirt instead of putting back on the doors, I really like the look.

Apron from a Dress

This was so fun to sew and also extremely easy. I got the idea from apron from a man's shirt I saw on Pintrest. I had bought this dress the other day to wear, it was only 5 dollars at the thrift store, but when I got home and put it on it was a bit small. So I decided to experiment, so glad I did, I plan on making more of these. I had plenty of material for a ruffle along the bottom edge and added two ruffles in the front also. I really like it.

Piano Bench Coffee Table

I wanted a coffee table that was a bit higher than average height, so I found a used piano bench and put a graphic on it from graphicfairy and painted some flowers around it. I then added a pleated skirt and it is perfect for hubby and me for eating a snack or meal and watching tv. I painted the bottom a expresso brown and then put a dark stain over it. 

Happy Valentine's Day

Yesterday Hubby and I made Valentine bags filled with chocolate and  Bibles and Love Story tracts. I love Valentine's Day, no one loves us like Jesus does. 

This is Buddy Bear, my Grandfurdoggie, he is my pride and Joy, he came to visit Grammie and Grampie.

Chalkboards

Hubby and I found some old frames and made them into chalkboards, I rubbed chalk on the opposite side of what I wanted to write and wrote on top of it so it came off on the chalkboard, it was fun and easy.

Love Seat Glider

Tonight Hubby and I drove over to pick up a cute glider from a gal who just wanted to get rid of it, the price was cheap, just 25 bucks.  It is maple and made well. I also received my resin roses from doityourselfchick.com and so I glued one of them on the top.  Doityourselfchick has some really great accents.  I took off the old gray one and used it for a pattern and made a new one. Although I did not have quite enough material so I plan to make another one soon.  It has a back cushion also not shown here, but I cannot see the pretty wood  back with it on so I just leave it off. I will not be sitting in it much anyway.

Devotionals

I gave these to my daughter for Valentine's Day, these are two good devotional books. I love Oswald Chambers, he has such a deep perspective on the spiritual life, and he really gets to the heart of the matter. The other by Francine Roberts is good called Come Away My Beloved.

 I use the King James Bible, so it is very hard to find devotions that use the Original King James, all other versions play extremely loose with God's Word and it is a shame.  Watered down Scripture is not for me. I want the pure words of the Lord. I need to get fed, and need all God has given, for he has given it once and for all to all men. I believe that would be recorded for us in our own English language Bible the King James Version from the Textus Receptus.

 There is a app on google books by Oswald Chambers that you can read on your smart phone that is very good also. It is nice to have it with you when out and about. I love it on my phone.  God is not meant to be put into a box for just a certain morning devotion time, but is meant to be thought of at all times when possible.

A Vintage Tray

This was a fun craft to do. Many years ago I bought several beautiful sheets and starched them to the walls of our bedroom, made a beautiful comforter and drapes to match. The same starch works so well with lots of things we can make. I printed this graphic out from the graphicfairy.com website and printed it on fabric, using the freezer paper technique and then starched it on burlap to my tray after painting it white. I found this lovely wood tray in a second hand store for five dollars. When it gets soiled after all those breakfasts in bed my hubby is going to bring me. ha ha ~smile~ all I have to do is remove it and wash it and starch it to the tray again. Or I can make a variety of different tops to attach. Fun

Luna Pic

I found a great photoshop online, it has lots of effects and mirror images that you can make with your photos. It is called Lunapic.com and it is free of  course and very easy to use.  I have been making lots of fun pictures, the one above is my two adorable granddaughter's. How sweet they are.

Running into my Daddy's Arms

This picture is so sweet of my Daddy and me. I believe he had it colored because everything back then was black and white when it was taken. I love my little shorts and red tennis shoes. This picture was taken in Big Bear where my Grandparents had a cabin, my Dad told me he would put me on a picnic table in the woods and I would run as fast as I could and jump off the edge and trust he  would  catch me. He used to laugh and tell me he almost did not get back to the end of the table to catch me a few times, he said I had perfect trust that he would catch me, never a fear I might "splat".
Last Sunday night our dear preacher was giving a sermon about running into our Father's arms and trusting that he will catch us."Trust" that is the key. I know God will always catch us just like my Daddy did if we are in his will, and he is such a good God and so merciful he even catches us when we are being rebellious, if we are his child he promises never to leave us.
I have been told that I have a lot of faith and trust in God, if I do it is because of God not me, also it is because God gave me a good Daddy that I could always trust and would always be there for me when I needed him.  I have so much to be thankful for.

My Boarder Collie, Socks,  lived to be 19 years old, he was 16 in this picture and even at 16 years old pranced around like a pup. He followed my children home one day he must of been only a year old, we tried to find his owner but to no avail, and after a few weeks we knew he was part of our family. He was smart, loyal and so much fun. He never took vitamins or had fancy food, he just had lots of good care and love. His intelligent brown eyes could melt your heart.

Thin Pancakes

I made these great tasting pancakes this morning. I bought a mix at the Dollar store, put it in the blender and poured them right from blender to cast iron skillet. I made tiny ones and they cooked fast and tasted great, so easy and very little clean up. I think kids would love them as good as my hubby did.

Hummy

I call this sweet little bird Hummy, he came and sat in my Cherry tree each day last summer at the beach. I believe he fits the description of a Anna's Hummingbird. The tree at this time had lost all its beautiful light pink blossoms and was green for summer. I could see him each day from the porch. I just love this picture of him. I did not realize that little Hummingbirds lived so long, some of them for 12 years.

Tiny Tears

When I saw this picture of Tiny Tears that someone had posted it really brought back memories. I was given this doll when I was about 5 or 6 years old. My grandparents gave her to me at Christmas. She was pretty special then and I know I would still have her if I would of done as good a job keeping her safe as my Grandmother did, but I have no idea now what happened to her. My Grandmother and mother were amazing at saving and taking care of old things, they did not throw things away. The picture is nice to look at though, glad someone did a good job at taking care of her.

Leg Warmers out of Old Sweaters

It is cold up here in Washington and my only leg warmers were getting pretty worn out. I wanted to sew something creative so I bought three nice sweaters at the second hand store and cut them up, I was amazed at how much stuff I could get out of them. Two sets of leg warmers, one for my granddaughter and one pair for me, hats, purses and trim. You also get all the buttons and some of those sweaters have some pretty fancy buttons on them. It was sure fun making them.

Picture Lake

Hubby and I tood a beautiful drive in early October up to Picture lake, in Washington. What a beautiful place. We were told that it is one of the most photographed lakes in the world. Many people were there this day but the picture looks like we were the only ones.

Off to the State of Washington for the Winter

 Most people leave the State of Washington for the winter, but we are excited to arrive, saying good bye to beautiful Seal Beach. We have been here this time since January, working this time. Time to spend some good quality time with family. Going to find a little cozy cottage to rent under some pine trees by the sea and call it a season.  I found a great site for playing with our photo's called lunapic. It is so easy to use. I do lots of crafts and needlework and needed a mirror image. I like that you can do so many things with your photos with little effort. The picture above I took on a beautiful day on the beach.   I even printed it on material and washed it, came out great.