Sewing and Crafts Tutorials

Thanks to Debbie Klinect in Florida for this link!

  http://blog.betzwhite.com/p/tutorials.html

"I Spy" Mat

A cute craft for parents and grandparents to do with children!  This looks easy and would be a great idea for traveling with kiddos. 

 /www.icanteachmychild.com/2010/12
/easy-gift-for-kids-i-spy-mat.html 

 Thanks to Barb Campbell in Mississippi for this tip!

Precious Gems

2011

"Savannah, drink your milk, because it makes you healthy and then you don't get sick easily."  Savannah (3) replied, "Actually, Mom, sanitizer does that." ~ Lauren in Virginia

Karlie (2): My nose is running!

Mark (Daddy): Where is it running to?
Karlie: To Nina and Papa's house! ~ Meagan in North Carolina

Mark (Daddy): Do you like the blue team or the white team?
Karlie (2): White team!!
Karis (3): I don't like the blue team or the white team; I just like pink!! ~ Meagan in North Carolina

Sam (5) said, "I don't need to have birthdays anymore ... because if I don't get bigger anymore, then what's the point in having a birthday?!?" ~ Tiffany in Colorado

I was working outside and Eva (3) said, "Mommy, I've got a job to do."  I asked her what she had to do and she said, "I've got to tell people about Jesus." ~ Elizabeth in Virginia

Tonight Eva (3) said, "Mommy, I know how to get rid of stage fright.  You go out on the stage, close your eyes, take a deep breath, then blow, and it blows the stage fright away."  I love being a parent! ~ Elizabeth in Virginia

Parenting Tip: A Game to Raise the Awareness Level

This tip comes from the book Say Goodbye to Whining, Complaining, and Bad Attitudes in You and Your Kids,   

by Dr. Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller, RN, BSN. 
March 28, 2011 

Here’s an interesting and enjoyable game that can be played over several hours or a few days. You may choose to play this game on a car trip or when hanging out at home together on a Saturday afternoon. The game is the "Whoops" and "Ahhh" Game. Playing it can be a lot of fun and it helps you recognize common forms of speech that aren’t very honoring. Choose a few hours when you'll all be together interacting.

Announce the beginning of the game and explain how it's played. "We will look for five types of dishonoring speech: arguing, boasting, whining/complaining, talking too much, and being bossy. Anyone who hears dishonoring speech from children or adults says "Whoops!" Everyone then tries to guess which type of dishonoring speech they heard. The family then works together to offer honoring suggestions.

When Bill says, "Aren't we there yet," in that whiny voice, his sister, Karen might say "Whoops!" You can identify that as whining and suggest that Bill ask his question in a more honoring way.

At the same time everyone is on the lookout for honoring speech that includes praise, gratefulness, compliments, and affirmation. If Karen says, "Thanks Dad, for taking us on this trip." Dad can say, "Ahhh."

To keep it fun, you might occasionally say something dishonoring on purpose to earn a "Whoops!" You might say, "I sure am a good driver." This will earn you a "Whoops!" for boasting followed by an interesting discussion of your alternatives.

Be sure to set an end time to the game. Although the evaluation can be helpful for a time, too much analysis can get irritating and loses its fun.

By the way, if you try this game, let us know how it went. We enjoy the responses from these tips and like to hear what things work best.

What are some ways you've been able to teach honoring speech in your family? Click here to tell us about it. 
 
This tip comes from the book Say Goodbye to Whining, Complaining, and Bad Attitudes in You and Your Kids,   
by Dr. Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller, RN, BSN.  

If this tip was sent to you by a friend and you'd like to continue to receive tips yourself, you can sign up at www.biblicalparenting.org.  Used by permission

Trust the Father's Heart

When you turn a corner in your life and questions rage inside, and no one gives you answers, trust the Father’s heart.
Such simple trust is not a thing to take lightly.
Sometimes, it sounds too easy.
Sometimes, it sounds too hard, just to trust the Father’s heart.
But the One who gives the sparrow a nest, and knows when each one falls,
the same One who clothes a lily when it pushes up through the sod,
this same God – we can trust our Father’s heart.
He is faithful toward all His creation and has a plan unlike our own.
The future may seem uncertain and the path unclear at times,
but He alone knows how to bring beauty from ashes,
if we can but trust the Father’s heart. 

-Rebecca Barlow Jordon

Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him:

but I will maintain mine own ways before him.

Job 13:15

Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice:

for the LORD will do great things. Joel 2:21

I Choose

by Max Lucado in his book When God Whispers Your Name

Thanks to Annamarie Kresge in Virginia for sending this!

In a few moments the day will arrive. It come roaring in with the rising of the sun. The dawn's stillness will be exchanged for the noise of the day. The calm solitude will be invaded by decisions and deadlines. For the next twelve hours, I will be exposed to the day's demands. 

Now I must make a choice. Because of Calvary, I'm free to choose. And so:

I CHOOSE LOVE...No occasion justifies hatred; no injustice warrants bitterness. Today I will love God and what God loves.

I CHOOSE JOY...I will invite God to be the master of circumstances. I will refuse the temptation to be cynical, the tool of the lazy thinker. I will refuse to see people as anything less than human beings created by God. I will refuse to see any problem as anything less than an opportunity to see God.

I CHOOSE PEACE...I will live forgiven. I will forgive so that I may live.

I CHOOSE PATIENCE...I will overlook the inconveniences of the world. Instead of cursing the one who takes my place, I'll invite him to do so. Rather than complain that the wait is too long, I will thank God for a moment to pray. Instead of clenching my fist at new assignments, I will face them with joy and courage.

 
I CHOOSE KINDNESS...I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone. Kind to the rich, for they are lonely. And kind to the unkind, for such is how God has treated me.

I CHOOSE GOODNESS...I will be broke before I'll take a dishonest dollar. I will be overlooked before I will boast. I will confess before I will accuse.

 
I CHOOSE FAITHFULNESS...Today I will keep my promises. My debtors will not regret their trust. My associates will not question my word. My spouse will not question my love. And my children will never fear that I will not come home.

 
I CHOOSE GENTLENESS...Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle. If I raise my voice may it be only in praise. If I clench my fist, may it be only in prayer. If I make a demand, may it be only of myself.

 
I CHOOSE SELF-CONTROL...I am a spiritual being. After this body is dead, my spirit will soar. I refuse to let what will not, rule the eternal. I will be drunk only by joy. I will be impassioned only by my faith. I will be influenced only by God. I will be taught only by Christ.

 
LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE, KINDNESS, GOODNESS, FAITHFULNESS, GENTLENESS AND SELF CONTROL Gal.5:22,23

 
To these I commit my day. If I succeed, I will give thanks. If I fail, I will seek His grace. And then, when this day is done, I will place my head on my pillow and rest with the peace that passes all understanding.

Lace to Transform a Bedroom Window

http://www.faithtap.com/6063/she-uses-lace-to-transform-her-bedroom-window/
 
What an awesome idea to give privacy, but allow natural light to shine into the room.

She Brushes Cornstarch On Her Windows. Her Next Step Makes Them Absolutely Gorgeous

Just because her bedroom faced a window, London-based blogger, Annabel Vita, didn't want to lose the natural light in order to have some privacy. So she thought…

www.faithtap.com

 

 

 

Go to this link for detailed instructions:
http://www.faithtap.com/6063/she-uses-lace-to-transform-her-bedroom-window/

Repurposed Jars of Clay

Used with Permission by April White
http://redchairmoments.com

"I have become like broken pottery." (Psalm 31:12, NIV)

Recently I spoke with friend and writer, Patty Luellen Nichols. Knowing I am in a broken season, she shared this idea with me. I love craft projects.  But even if you aren't a craft person, you'll find this project therapeutic especially the smashing part.

Here's what you will need:

1. Clay pot
2. Permanent marker
3. Super glue
4. Hammer
5. Cookie sheet
6. Small candle
7. Safety glasses

What to do:

1. Before you begin, put on your safety glasses.
2. Begin by placing the pot on the cookie sheet (to contain the mess).
3. Using the hammer break the pot into several pieces, leaving the bottom in tack (very therapeutic!)
4. On the inside of each broken pottery shard, write a word that represents a broken area of your life (be honest).
5. Superglue the broken pieces back together (Don't worry about cracks or missing pieces).
6. Allow to dry.
7. Insert a candle and let the light shine through the brokenness.

The prophet Isaiah reminds us "We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand" (Isaiah 64:8, NIV). This concept of being in the potter's hands is of great comfort to me during a period of chronic illness and suffering.

There is a glitch in my genetic code causing my muscles to short-circuit. I've often joked about needing a fuse replaced. The truth is I am a marred pot. The same God who knit me together in my mother's womb (Psalm 139) has known about this quirk. Why is it showing up now? I do not know.

For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God's glory displayed in the face of Christ.

 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us."(2 Corinthians 4:6, NIV)

God allows His light to shine through the broken areas of our life, displacing the darkness.

Paul's words possess rich implications for those in Christ. We are treasured jars of clay whose purpose is to display the light of Christ through our life. If our jars are perfectly intact a light placed inside the jar cannot be seen. If pretend our lives are perfect, no one can see God at work in us.

Ahh! But if our jars and our lives are marred, cracked, and broken, then the light of Christ can be on full display and shine though our brokenness for His glory!

The same hands that knit me together at conception are wrapped around me on the potter's wheel.

The potter is reshaping my heart and repurposing my life for His greater purpose.

Perhaps my glitch displayed at this time was His plan.

Even though I don't know how all this will turn out I am in the Potter's hands. Therefore, "It is well with my soul."

Recipe for a Happy Marriage

Recipe from the Kitchen of I Corinthians 13
Serves 2

Ingredients:
4 cups Love                                   
2 cups Loyalty                      
4 qts. Faith                   
2 Tbsp. Tenderness       
3 cups Kindness                        
3 cups Forgiveness   
3/4 cup Understanding
1 cup Friendship 
1 qt. Hope  
1 barrel of Laughter  
                   
Take love and loyalty, and mix thoroughly with faith.
Blend in tenderness, kindness, forgiveness and understanding.  Add friendship and hope.  Sprinkle with laughter.  Bake in the Son-light of God's love.  Serve generously daily.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

An Excellent Article on Marriage:
Beware of Quicksand: How One Stranger's Comment Changed My Life - by Becky Thompson 

A Marriage That Soars

by Eileen Rife - Used by permission

Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.  Isaiah 40:31 (NIV)

We've been married almost 35 years, and we love each other in a deeper, more satisfying way than the day we said, "I Do."  But that love has not always come easy or without cost. 

In order to truly love someone, you have to experience the deep places of pain and agitation. Times when you feel so bewildered and frustrated you could just scream. Times when you want to walk out the door and not look back. Times of great loss. Times of disagreement when the solution is cloudy and you see no resolution in sight. This is the stuff of life that God uses to mold a marriage made in heaven. Indeed, marriage will test every fiber in your spiritual fabric.

The struggle to grow a godly marriage can be downright wearisome at times. But God promises the time invested is well-worth the effort. He promises to renew our strength, to mount us up with wings like eagles, if we will commit ourselves and our marriages to Him.

It all begins with the mating ritual. The eagle is a beautiful example of lifelong commitment. In search of a worthy mate, the female eagle flies upside down to capture the eye of a prospective mate. The male eagle who will fly over the female and grip her talons, not letting go, even as she plummets toward the ground below, is the one who has proved that he will remain with her for life. As they both almost crash to the ground, the female releases her hold and flies upright. She is satisfied that her hero has risked everything to prove his love for her.

In the same way, a woman needs to know that her man will lay down his life for her if need be. And a man needs to know that his wife will surrender to his lead.

Furthermore, the eagles are equipped with a six to eight foot wingspan that enables them to fly long distances, as much as three to four thousand miles at a time. In the same way, mates need to know that the other is committed for a lifetime, for better or worse, in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, until death due them part.

Like the eagle, godly marriages go the distance.

Copyright © 2011 Chuck and Eileen Rife - Lifetime Growth Publications
www.guardyourmarriage.com

www.eileenrife.com www.eileen-rife.blogspot.com

Butterflies Are Free Entertainment

by Lois Breneman - 2011 - Heart to Heart http://heartfilledhome.blogspot.com

I am so glad God gives us richly all things to enjoy!  Birds, flowers, and butterflies are such fascinating and beautiful creations that the Lord gave us as His free entertainment, if we just take the time to enjoy them.  This last year I've especially enjoyed the beauty all around me, with my camera in hand!  Capturing a butterfly in a photograph has taken my breath away many times, as minute features I had never seen before are now visible.  As I have zoomed in on the detailed features of flowers, birds and butterflies, I have been blessed during many sacred moments of worshiping my Creator.

If you want to attract butterflies to your yard and garden, here are a few suggestions.

Grow purple and white flowers.  Purple is the favorite color of butterflies, although they will certainly sip from flowers of other colors as well.  I found they also love white, red, yellow, and orange.  Marigolds seem to lure large yellow and gold butterflies.

Plant white clover instead of ordinary grass, even in a small section of your yard, for a fragrant lawn that butterflies will find irresistible.

Butterfly bushes and hollyhocks attract a variety of colorful butterflies.  Garlic chives produce white airy flowers in mid to late summer, which I found loaded with butterflies and bumblebees that didn't chase after me while photographing within inches of them. 

Butterflies love to sip from a stream or puddle, so if you don't have a stream nearby, fill a shallow white or purple bowl with fresh water, so they can stop by and sip.  I found and photographed as many as fifteen yellow tiger swallowtail butterflies huddled together in a shallow part of our backyard stream, and later read that this ritual is called "puddling."  They do this to sip minerals from the water and soil.  Isn't it amazing how God builds into butterflies exactly what they need to survive?

           Spicebush Butterfly puddling in our stream

 

Yellow Tiger Swallowtail Butterflies puddling in our stream

If you do just one thing to attract butterflies, plant a purple butterfly bush.  They are inexpensive, grow quite rapidly, are extremely hardy, and the butterflies love the elongated brilliant purple blossoms!  And so do I!

Easter

You will find a great amount of Easter information from all the previous Heart to Heart newsletters on the blog.  It is too much to send by e-mail each year, so I hope you will be able to access whatever you need by using a library if you do not have Internet at home.   http://heartfilledhome.blogspot.com

You can find "Easter" quickly by two methods:
Use the "Search Bar" on the top left - OR -
Use the "Categories" list in the sidebar on the right. 

A Solution to Bluebird Predators

by Sue Huey - Written for Heart to Heart
Used by permission

 

We had a special bluebird house that my father-in-law had made for us. It was used by quite a few bluebird families and we enjoyed watching them.  One day I noticed that the hole was quite a bit larger than it used to be!  It kept getting a little bigger each day, and I finally I caught the culprit!  

A squirrel had decided that was his new favorite thing to gnaw on!  After that, quite a few birds continued to check out the house, but no one wanted to make a nest in there anymore. 

My father-in-law went to heaven a few years ago, so he couldn't make us a new house.  My husband took it down and figured out how to make a new front for it, but I was afraid that a squirrel would destroy it again.  Then I remembered that I had shared a picture on of the squirrel "showing off his handiwork," and Lois had commented that there were metal protectors available to prevent that. 

I did a quick search on Amazon and came up with this handy affordable device:

http://www.amazon.com/Songbird-Essentials-SE617-Portal-Protector/dp/B0016KGSFE?ie=UTF8& ;psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00

It was here in two days, and attached very easily with two screws which were included.  Now our bluebird house is safe from the destructive rodents, and a new bluebird couple is happily building a nest in it.

Honoring the Husband God Gave You

by Lisa TurKeurst -
Used by permission from Lisa TurKeurst and Family Life Today

http://familylifetoday.com/program/honoring-the-husband-god-gave-you/?utm_campaign=SN-FL-FBpost&utm_medium=social-facebook&utm_source=FLT&utm_content=link-FLT160310&adbsc=social733341&adbid=10153266661616249&adbpl=fb&adbpr=39717321248

Air Date: March 10, 2016


If you are having buyer’s remorse about the man you married, Lysa TerKeurst has some simple yet profound advice. Stop focusing on your own dissatisfaction and start building him up. There is power in humble encouragement. Recorded on FamilyLife’s 2016 Love Like You Mean It® marriage cruise.

Download Transcript
 

Recipe for Immensely Happy Children

Thanks to Nina Graff for sharing this
photo and recipe!
Nina is a fabulous artist, photographer, and friend!
You can see her breathtakingly beautiful work at

http://back40fotos.com/

Take one large grassy field, half a dozen children, three small dogs, and walk along a narrow strip of brook, pebbly if possible. Mix children with dogs and empty them into field, stirring constantly. Sprinkle the entire with daisies and buttercups, pour brook gently over pebbles, cover all with deep blue sky and bake in a hot sun for several hours. When children are thoroughly browned, they may be removed. They will be found right and ready for setting away to cool in the bathtub.
---Author unknown

Note from Lois:
Nina and I were discussing the many fun things we used to do as kids - before all the electronic devices were invented and stealing outdoor fun from the latest generation of children today. 

Just a Few Fun Outdoor Activities:
Hide and seek
Tag
Catching Lightning Bugs
Catching Frogs
Jacks
Hop Scotch
Jumping Rope
Playing in a Stream
Lots more (Indoor and Outdoor Activities):
175 Things to Do with Your Family, Photos, Proverbs Book 

Mosaic Tray

by Nina Graff
Nina is a fabulous artist, photographer, and friend!
You can see her breathtakingly beautiful work at

http://back40fotos.com/

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!  Or when life gives you broken dishes, make a mosaic!

So--- I bought this mid-century 'Salem North Star' dish set at an estate sale years ago, just because I liked it's funkiness. When we moved  ALL the dinner plates were broken. (bad packing job on my part), but I couldn't throw them out, of course.  

Then I found a 50 cent metal tray from a rummage sale! I hope the paint doesn't chip off.  I think it will need to be handled carefully.  I'll look for some wooden trays for the next project!

I finally finished the tray I had in mind.

The pieces were glued on with tile adhesive.  It was allowed to dry for a day, then grout was applied over the top and wiped off (bit by bit) with a soft damp cloth.

There are enough broken pieces left over for another project or two.  The tool shown below is called a tile nipper!   If you decide to work on a mosaic, these are quite helpful to get pieces nipped to the right size!  It's like building a puzzle!

  This quote is from Holley Gerth:
"We're all a wild mix of broken and beautiful."
She posts really good stuff! http://holleygerth.com/