Category Archives: Blog Carnival

Show & Tell ~ Wedding Shower Favors?

Ellen b. is not known for being one to sit around making crafts. In fact I have a reputation for being not so crafty. That however does not mean I never get inspired to try to make something “cute”. I was inspired by Vicki at Windows to My Soul when she posted a great Christmas gift idea. A whisk stuffed with candy kisses wrapped in cellophane and tied with a pretty ribbon. On the card she wrote “Whisking you a Merry Christmas”.

I decided I wanted to do the same thing but with smaller whisks and for a New Year’s Gift for my Mom, Sisters and Nieces since we weren’t together on Christmas but we are having dinner together this week. These would also make great party favors for a wedding shower. Here’s the process I went through to make these.

 

The whisks were purchased at Business Costco in Washington State. They were very reasonable ($2.25) for the small ones.

You gently pull apart the whisk and gently stuff the head with Kisses.

You can use food wrap to seal the head of the whisk or you can buy that fancy cellophane that you use for making gift baskets.

Tie the bow on with a gift card and you have a cute gift or party favor. Fun all around…

Here’s how they looked at the place settings for our dinner.

For more Show and Tell head over to Kelli’s!

Thankful Thursday ~ Grace

John 1: 16-17

“And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”

I am thankful today for God’s grace given to us because of Jesus Christ.

I am thankful for my 3 children who are all celebrating birthdays from December 27th to January 19th. God blessed us with 3 very unique individuals who are a gift to us and their friends.

I am thankful for my brother Tim who will be celebrating his 50th birthday with us this weekend.

I am thankful for a new niece or nephew who is due to my brother and his wife on January 19th! We’re excited to see when he/she actually arrives!

I am thankful for my family who I got to spend time with this week at my parents senior apartment. We laugh and enjoy each other till the neighbor bangs on the wall because we’re making too much noise at 7:30 PM. Some people grow old too fast, not my parents!

I am thankful that Iris is back. Welcome back Iris!

Blessings and may God’s grace be poured out on you…

For more Thankful Thursday visit Iris at Sting My Heart.

WFMW ~ Backwards Day

So it’s January and all minds shift to eating less and getting into shape. I got confused over the holidays and thought I was a bear getting ready to hibernate. Needless to say I put on a few! So it’s high time to stop watching people exercise and to exercise myself. My 5# weights are all ready to go.

 

I would like someone out there to recommend a good workout video to me. Nothing too strenuous. I don’t have any equipment and can’t fit any in my condo. So a workout DVD without needing equipment other than weights. Something easy for me to follow along with. Anyone, anyone???

For more Backwards WFMW click here.

8 in 2008

Play Along…It is easy to play along. Just pick out 8 things you’d like to see, do, feel, or experience in 2008! Your list can be spiritual, physical, or emotional, but hopefully not too material! If the Lord leads you, dream big as you share your heart’s desires with Him along with a willingness to see His work accomplished in you and through you in 2008.

So I’m joining in with others at Extravagant Grace and considering 8 things I’d like to see, do, feel, or experience in 2008. ~

Here are my Eight…

1. I’d love to see some of the people I’m praying for who aren’t Disciples of Christ respond to God’s call this year. I realize that my responsibility in this is to keep praying diligently for them…

2. I want to try to walk at least 6 days a week. I’m over 50 now and my body just needs an extra push in burning calories. I don’t eat excessively (except at holidays, birthdays, every 3rd Tuesday, etc. ) I need a lot of help in keeping my weight stable as opposed to gaining…

3. I want to Abide in Christ and here’s a great quote that I saw at “Of First Importance Blog” that describes abiding well. “In a nutshell, abiding in Christ means allowing His Word to fill our minds, direct our wills, and transform our affections. In other words, our relationship to Christ is intimately connected to what we do with our Bibles!”– Sinclair Ferguson, In Christ Alone (Lake Mary, FL: Reformation Trust Publishing, 2007), 114 ~

4. I want to spend more time with my parents and family. ~

5. I’d like to cut down on some monthly expenses and try to pay down some debt this year. Along with this I’d like to convert to on-line bill paying. ~

6. I’d like to call and write our older surviving Aunts and Uncles more this year. ~

7. I want to keep learning new things by reading and traveling. ~

8. I want to honor my husband more this year. I think I’ll need to come up with something more specific to accomplish this, like listening better, etc. To see more 8 in 2008 click over to Extravagant Grace.

 

Photo Hunters ~ Delicious!

Delicious or as we like to say with a Russian accent Duhliscious!

 

This is the delicious baked treat we had over Christmas and New Years. I will be posting the recipe in the future for my Russian friends who don’t have this recipe (Roolyet) handed down to them.

For more Photo Hunters go see TnChick!

Friday’s Feast #13 ~

Appetizer
When was the last time you received a surprise in the mail, and what was it?

 I  got a late Christmas gift in the mail of the new ESV Literary Study Bible.

Soup
If you could have a summer and/or winter home, where would you want it to be?

Interesting question because my hubby and I without any master planning on our own part do have two homes right now. We have our family home that we love to spend definite seasons in Washington State and now surprise to us we have a lovely little condo in Southern California because “Dear’s” job is located here right now.  We have seasons whenever we want in the great Northwest and summer most every day in our condo in Southern California.  The hard thing is being divided and paying two mortgages. We are waiting and trusting on the Lord to make us content wherever we are until the day we are finally in the best place…heaven!

Salad
Pick one: pineapple, orange, banana, apple, cherry.

Oh my this is hard. I love all these fruits. I love them all together. But I’m suppose to choose one so I’ll choose the versatile banana that is available all year long for about the same price!

Main Course
Describe the nicest piece of clothing that you own.

Whoa! I don’t own many fine pieces of clothing. These days I prefer to shop second hand and I hate to spend full price for anything. I have some nice pieces of clothing (great labels) that I have bought at Goodwill. The most versatile nice practical piece of clothing that I own right now that I did not buy at Goodwill is a great Gortex raincoat that keeps me dry in the great Northwest rain or the Great Britain rain! I bought that coat at REI!

Dessert
If you could forget one whole day from your life, which day would you choose to wipe from your memory?

Wow just one? There are so many from my junior high days. Then there are those from High school. Ugh those early days of dating. Yuck all those mistakes in early marriage and early parenthood. Sorry there is not one day that stands out from all the rest. Thanks be to God that He has mercy on me and that I can leave these days/mistakes behind and move forward in mercy and grace!

For more Friday Feast participants click here.

Thankful Thursday ~ A New Beginning!

Lamentations 3: 21-25 ~

But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion, says my soul, therefore I will hope in him.” The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.”

I am thankful for a new year, each new day that the Lord extends his love and mercy to me and my loved ones.

I am thankful that He is the faithful one and nothing that I do changes who He is.

I am thankful that He continues to teach me through His Holy Spirit.

I am thankful that He gives me the desire to continue to seek Him and wait for him.

I pray that we all grow in His wisdom and grace this New Year.

For more Thankful Thursday posts head over to Lynn’s who I am thankful to for hosting again!

WFMW ~ Persian Salad Dressing

This Dressing Recipe that I got from a cookbook I own called In My Persian Kitchen is fresh and good and always works well for me.

 

1/3 C. Olive Oil

3 Tblsp. lemon juice

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/2 tsp. sugar

1 clove garlic crushed (pressed)

Whisk these ingredients all together and pour on salad greens or a nice cucumber, tomato and onion salad! Enjoy and Happy 2008 everyone!

 

Fall Reading Wrap-up

So here we are at the end of Fall and it’s time for true confessions. I did read some of the books on my list.

Holy Bible ~ year long ~ I’m moving along in my yearly reading. I’m in Ephesians right now and I’m being blown away!

Hood ~ Stephen Lawhead ~ This is going on my Spring List

The Documents in the Case ~ Dorothy Sayers ~ Fabulous! I highly recommend it.

The Dean’s Watch~ Elizabeth Goudge ~ I thoroughly enjoyed this and Goudge is on my new favorite author list! Here’s something I wrote about it when I finished it.

“I just finished the last page of this book and I’m so sad that the story has come to an end. Elizabeth Goudge is fast becoming my new favorite author. She has a great descriptive style. The same appreciation I have for George MacDonald and how he weaves a true loving relationship with God contrasted against a cold religious relationship is growing as deep for Goudge’s fiction. I love MacDonald’s Scottish Countryside settings and I love Goudge’s English countryside settings”

Faithfulness and Holiness ~ J. I. Packer ~ Meaty and I will be reading this one again.

Peace Like a River~ Leif Enger ~ This is going on my Winter list…

Taste and See ~ John Piper ~ I’ve just started this…

The Tale of Beatrix Potter ~ Margaret Lane ~ As usual the real story is different from what you saw in the movie. I’m looking forward to going back to Lake Country in England to check out some of the inspirations for her stories.

Pierced by the Word ~ John Piper ~ I really have a huge appreciation for Piper but this one isn’t one of my favorites…

Books added along the way…

The Scent of Water~ Elizabeth Goudge ~ I’ll be trying to get my hands on more of Goudge’s books. I am thoroughly enthralled by her writing…

What I learned this time around is that there are authors out there that I still need to discover. I’m so happy that the bloggy world has introduced me to some of my new favorites.

Thank you so much Katrina for hosting this great challenge! To see more wrap ups head over to Callipidder Days on Friday.