Wit and Wisdom from Wee Ones

This is a wonderful, fast-reading book by Eileen Rife that you will most certainly enjoy!  I did! Eileen has been receiving the Heart to Heart Newsletter for many years.  Her book is a great read!  As Eileen says, "Kids can take us right to the heart of God, one way or another."

http://www.amazon.com/Wit-Wisdom-Wee-Ones-col…/…/152286010XT

Wit & Wisdom from the Wee Ones: A whimsical collection of endearing quips & quotes

Kids can take us right to the heart of God, one way or another. When they provoke frustration, we breathe a silent prayer for grace. When they incite giggles, we hear…

AMAZON.COM

To Soar Again

 On a rocky mountain outcrop

Far above the sleepy world

In the misty, morning stillness

Perched an eagle, feathers furled.

Other birds began their chorus

And the air was filled with praise,

As the fog was ushered elsewhere

By the sun’s persistent rays.

On the sunbathed rocky summit,

Warming air began to rise,

Beckoning the waiting eagle

From the mountain to the skies.

Gracefully he soared and circled,

Slicing through the crystal air,

Far beyond all earthly clamor,

Wild and free, without a care.

Are you blanketed by darkness?

Are the joys of life obscure?

Do you wonder if you’ll ever

Know the life you knew before?

Use this waiting time for trusting—

God is working out His plan.

In His time you’ll feel His current

Lifting you to soar again.

by Jalisa Wenger
Used by permission

The Vow

I might not ever scale the mountain heights
Where all the great men stand in glory now;
I may not ever gain the world's delights
Or win a wreath of laurel for my brow;
I may not gain the victories that men
Are fighting for, nor do a thing to boast of;
I may not get a fortune here, but then,
The little that I have I'll make the most of.
I'll make my little home a palace fine,
My little patch of green a garden fair,
And I shall know each humble plant and vine
As rich men know their orchid blossoms rare.
My little home may not be much to see;
It's chimneys may not tower far above;
But it will be a mansion great to me,
For in its walls I'll keep a hoard of love.
I will not pass my modest pleasures by
To grasp at shadows of more splendid things,
Disdaining what of joyousness is nigh
Because I am denied the joy of kings.
But I will laugh and sing my way along,
I'll make the most of what is mine to-day,
And if I never rise above the throng,
I shall have lived a full life anyway.

-by Edgar A. Guest

Add Some *Light* to Your Living Room!

Used with Permission by Carmen Jorissen of Crafty Queens
Please see website for full tutorial and pictures:  http://craftyqueens.nl/2012/12/29/add-some-light-to-your-living-room/

(Please go to the link above to see a photo.)

When looking for the lights, make sure that they are LED-lights. As far as I know, these don't heat up, so there's less chance of fire hazard. They are safer and energy-saving!

I understood that I would have to crochet in the round a few times, until it would fit the inside of the lights.. um..  cord? Anyway, because the cord is very stiff, it would not curl up small enough to work it into the crocheting from the beginning. I crocheted 8 SC in a magic circle, and then 2 SC in every SC, before I could start working with the cord. 
 
It's kind of tricky, but you'll get the hang of it. For the first few rounds, keep crocheting with *1sc, 2sc*. Crochet very loosely! After the 3rd round, I noticed that if you just crochet loose enough, you don't have to increase that much. When you do need to, just chain 1 in between stitches. ( I did this every 6 stitches) I found that doing 2SC covers the lights too much. It would still shine through, but I thought it was nicer to leave larger gaps. If you need to increase in the last round, however, use 2SC instead of chains, as it makes for a nicer edge.

Mine turned out to be smaller than I wanted it to be, so maybe I'll put it on the table instead. The lights cord I used was 6 meters long.

When you've come to the end of the cord, crochet some SC without the cord in it (see pictures on website.)

Then, crochet 2 slip stitches (1 per stitch), to make a nice circle.

Weave in the ends. You'll need an extra large needle for this. If you don't have one, maybe a crochet hook will do the trick too.

And it's done!

Compiled by Lois Breneman

Thanks to all who contribute to Precious Gems! 

 A young family with two daughters (ages 5 and 7) went to both the viewing and memorial service of the beloved grandma.  At the memorial service as the girls saw their grandma for the second consecutive day, lying in her casket, they asked their mother, "Why is Grandma wearing the same dress again today?" ~ Jeri in Illinois

I had to laugh the other day when our granddaughter, Ryan Elizabeth (8), came bouncing down the stairs while we were visiting, then said, "Now what was it I came downstairs to get?" ~ Lois in Virginia

We recently spent a week with our daughter's family and I helped our granddaughter, Ryan (8), with sewing projects she had bookmarked to make from a book we gave her earlier, "My First Sewing Machine Book."  Her daddy said I should teach her how to sew clothes for her American Girl Doll, but I told him I thought that might be a little difficult for her since smaller clothes are more tedious to sew.  Ryan told her daddy, "I need to learn the basics first." ~ Lois in Virginia

A little girl was in a submarine with her family, looking at the underwater fish, when she very seriously asked, "Where's the mermaid?" ~ Jeri in Illinois

Two little boy cousins were playing together during our annual family get together.  The older cousin was rather puzzled about why his younger cousin kept calling him "Table."  When asked, the little boy told him he thought that was his name!  The older cousin told him, "No, my name is Trey!" ~ Barb in Ohio

Savannah (8) came home from school yesterday and said she had to borrow a recorder in music. I was surprised because I had made sure she had hers in her backpack. She said, "Yeah but when I pulled it out to play it, it had Playdoh stuffed inside it." Well played, Brooklyn (5), wrecking your "Type A" sister's life since 2010. ~ Lauren in Virginia

This girl...I sure do love her! She blocked the sun from my eyes this morning and I said thank you!  She said, "Just doing my job, Mom." ~ Meghan in Texas

Today Mia (7) was talking about her new baby sister (that she alone knows about) and she told Carter (5), "When my baby sister gets here I am going to share a room with her, so you can just start sleeping in the basement." ~ Elizabeth in Virginia

This evening Mia (7) told me she didn't think she was going to eat supper tonight. Why? I asked her. "Because it's white rice and I only eat brown."  Mia, this is brown rice, I replied. "Ohhhhh! Well then, I'm eating supper tonight!" ~ Elizabeth in Virginia

Savannah (8): "Mom, dad was going to get you these other flowers and I was like "Dad, her favorite is yellow roses and you should know this so let's shop over here." Bahaha I love my little clone. (I got yellow roses, for the first time in 10 years of marriage.) ~ Lauren in Virginia

Mia (7): "Mommy I have a bug bite." Where Mia? "On my leg."  What part of your leg?  "The fat side."  What?  "Well, the top is the skinny side and the back is the fat side."  And now we know! ~ Elizabeth in Virginia

God's Leading in My Life

Used with Permission by Cathy Dudley
 

I'm a retired Physical Therapist ... and although I don't remember asking God what I should do, clearly He was directing me.  It turned out that my education and training had prepared me well to be a good candidate when our church needed a teacher to begin a Special Needs Sunday School class.  You see, class members had various physical and mental disabilities.  Yes, God had gotten me ready for this future opportunity.  And Wow - did I love it!  Working on their lessons often required simplifying the Gospel message so it was easier to understand.  I didn't realize it then, but some of these simple spiritual nuggets would pop up again.

Now I am a Grammy to 6 precious little ones!  With retirement, I have had more time for personal devotions and just sitting quietly with my Lord.  I bought a new Bible, called the Grandmother's Bible.  Sprinkled throughout the scriptures were printed little stories and prayers from over 100 well known Grandmas, all emphasizing the importance of sharing your faith with the next generation.  Well, before long, God had me excited about writing a book for my grandchildren.  It's entitled "TODDLER THEOLOGY Childlike Faith for Everyone." God totally gave me the format, written in first person, as well as the unique way of describing His gift of salvation.

As Mothers, there are so many things we want our children to "know." Topics range from correctly naming colors and counting to 100 ... to playing well with others and respecting adults.  We want them to be successful in school and in life, and they learn an incredible amount in their first few years.  But, when it comes to what matters most, I think you'll agree with me, let's introduce our children to the Savior of the world!  

The book, "Toddler Theology : Childlike Faith for Everyone" is available on line through Amazon and Barnes and Noble.  It is also carried in a few local stores in the Roanoke, Virginia vicinity. Please visit me at www.facebook.com/toddlertheology, I'd really like to hear from you!
Thank you and BLESSINGS! 

Lessons Learned in a Conflict Zone

Used with Permission by Angela Flowers

Last summer our family lived through another war, and it was one of the hardest seasons of my life. For over a month, there were missile attacks launched against most of the country with violence and terrorism in the city we live in. Practically speaking, it meant trips to the bomb shelter with our kids, avoiding certain parts of the city, and one scary time on the highway with my family when a rocket exploded in the air overhead. When people realize where we live, inevitably the comment will come up: "I don't know how you did it." Others ask, "How did you live through the war?" Some beloved counselors pressed us more for answers, and when my husband and I discussed it further, we came up with several things that helped.

I would like to share them with you, because even though you may not be going through a physical war, we are all still fighting in a battle that is not against flesh and blood. These were not things that we planned beforehand or consciously thought about. However, in looking back, they really helped.

1. Continue with a "normal" life and ministry as much as possible. We decided that if we were going to stay, we should continue to minister. That meant traveling to our congregation from a city with a couple of rocket attacks a week to a city with several per day. It helped to continue in our ministries as much as possible, and we were continually reminded of the bigger picture and why God had called us to this place.  Also, in times like these you grow very close to your national friends and partners.  
2. Do a project as a family. We planted a garden. It was really a family undertaking from buying the seeds in the store to digging up the soil to plant. It gave us such joy to teach our kids about gardening and how things grow. Every day we would water and watch things begin to sprout. It was a small thing, but it went a long way. It was fun for the kids to compare the sizes of the watermelons every day.    
3. Teach yourself a new skill.  My husband is an avid outdoorsman and has always wanted to learn to fly fish. He ordered a fly rod, watched videos online, and went to the neighborhood park to practice his casting. I am a musician and have always wanted to learn guitar. We took advantage of a ceasefire to travel to a mall, where I bought a cheap instrument so I could teach myself how to play.     
4. Take a Sabbath and give yourself some extra margin. Not long before the war began, my husband and I decided to start taking a Sabbath day off. During the conflict, we took more down time than normal. We guarded our one day off per week and took extra time to play with the kids, get wet in the kiddie pool on our terrace, watch more movies, and be silly. We were very intentional that summer about our margin time and gave each other permission to take some extra time to do fun things.  
5. Set boundaries for yourself. For my mental health, I had to set boundaries. I could not go on websites and read the news because it was too distressing. I relied on my husband to tell me things that were pertinent. Instead, I had to focus on things that were in my sphere of influence like my house, children, spouse, and different ministry opportunities.  
6. Recognize that even though you are healthy and political situations can improve, there are still effects on your mental, emotional, and spiritual state.   Although my family and I are physically in good shape, we are not completely unscathed from all we have been through.   When there is a siren drill, I hate that my small children run and hide under a desk. It is important to recognize these effects in ourselves and in our children and counter negative attitudes with appropriate Scriptural responses.  I continually take a personal audit of where I am, spiritually and mentally. What this looks like for me is a weekly meeting with just myself. I look over my calendar for the coming week, plan out what is required of me, ask myself questions, schedule intentional down time, and then give myself and family lots of grace.  
7. Most importantly, trust God for the peace that passes understanding and rely on Him. There were times of crisis, and the only thing I could do was recite scripture. When sirens went off and we had to make decisions, I always had a sense of peace that could only have come from God. We leaned on God and truly came to understand that Jesus is our daily bread. He is enough. We serve an amazing God, and sometimes life is really hard. But when life is hard, he is still good. Always.

Our city and country are once again going through some very turbulent times, and I am constantly reminded of the goodness of God. I take it one day at a time, sometimes one hour at a time, and rely on His grace and sustainment for me and my family.  Despite the hardships, we acknowledge that there is One who is bigger than all of this. And His faithfulness is great indeed.

Angela lives in the Middle East with her husband and two children. They have served overseas in ministry for three years. Angela teaches music at two different schools and leads worship at their congregation. She enjoys reading, writing, making music and spending time with friends.

Household Tips I Discovered Because of Specific Needs

by Lois Breneman - 2016 - Heart to Heart
                               Soaking Produce
I like to soak my produce as soon as I get home from the grocery store.  Either I use white vinegar, grapefruit oil, or a purchased produce spray - as natural as possible.  

Problem: When soaking fruit, it pops to the top, and is not covered with the natural cleaning solution! 

Solution: Putting my cutting board on top to immerse all the fruit for at least ten minutes before rinsing everything solved the problem. 

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The Kitchen Sink

There are two things when standing in front of my kitchen sink to wash dishes that I wanted to avoid when we remodeled last year.

Problem#1: A very deep sink because it increases back pain.  My sink was too deep to prevent lower back pain, however, it was impossible to find one that was not too deep for me.

Solution#1:  I set a plastic drawer from an organizer inside the deep side of our sink as shown below.  Next I placed a basin inside, but tipped it forward.  That makes washing dishes so much easier and more comfortable for me!

Problem #2:
A wide section (4 inches) between where I stand and the inside of the sink front increases back pain.

Solution#2:  When we had our kitchen remodeled last year, I insisted on a space of 3 inches if at all possible before the granite was cut.  The granite company was able to stick pretty close to that, and it helps immensely.  When I wash dishes where there is a 4-inch space between the front of the sink and myself, it doesn't take long for the back pain to increase.

A plastic drawer inside sink, turned horizontally, helps to raise up the basin and tilt it forward.

     A basin was placed inside the plastic drawer (also turned horizontally and tipped forward).

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Adding Cooked Eggs to a Recipe

Problem: It takes too much time to hard cook eggs for a recipe when I'm in a hurry.

Solution:  I cooked the eggs in a pan, and pureed them in my Nutra Bullet before adding them to chicken salad.

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     Washing a Scarf (or Skirt) that Is Crinkled


Problem:  How do you wash crinkled fabric and not remove all the crinkles?

Solution:  Wash by hand, and wring it as you would a dish cloth.  Allow to dry in that position to retain the crinkles.

Shown below:
1.  The scarf before washing.
2.  The scarf, after washing by hand, and being wrung out, forming a twisted effect.  It should dry in this position to retain the crinkled effect.

I hope these household tips will help others and make life easier for them.

"Papaw Pillows"

by Lois Breneman - 2016

It is always so difficult to lose a loved one.  
 

In December, a year ago, my sister, Nancy, lost her dear
husband, Ed, just two weeks shy of their fiftieth wedding 
anniversary.  Months later I sent her a photo of a great idea 
I had seen to transform shirts into pillows.  While we were 
visiting her, she asked if I would make pillows like that, 
using some of Ed's shirts to give to their grandchildren.  
I was happy to do that for her, and took a box of his shirts 
along home with us.

I made the shirt-pillows so a 14-inch pillow form would fit 
into each one.  Some of the shirts needed to be lined with a
solid cotton fabric for added thickness.  If the shirt had 
buttons down the front, the buttoned front was used as the 
opening to turn the pillow right-side-out after sewing the 
other three sides.  If there were no buttons, I sewed in a 
zipper.  

These buttoned shirts were now ready for a pillow form.

The other four shirts were sewn with a zipper closure, so 
a 14-inch pillow form could be added by my sister after 
she received them in the mail.

 

In making the tags Nancy used a special photo of each 
grandchild with Papaw.  She laminated the tags and 
punched a hole so she could attach the tag with twine to 
the zipper tab or button on each pillow.  

I thought these tags were such a special loving touch! 







The grandchildren were so happy upon receiving such a 
special and meaningful gift from their dear Memaw - a 
gift they will always cherish as they remember the many 
wonderful times they had with their beloved Papaw who 
loved the Lord with all his heart and lived a godly life 
before them.






Another photo of the youngest grandchild, Samara...





                                                   ...and Timothy!  



One year after their Papaw's graduation to heaven, they 
were all so happy be able to still hug him (in a way) with 
their "Papaw Pillows!" 

The 10 Most Important Women of the Bible (and why they matter to you)

by Daniel Colston - Used by permission

This short list of the ten most important (and some of them, infamous) women of the Bible helps us grasp at some of the aspects of God’s plan for biblical womanhood. It’s exciting, scandalous, instructive, and real. I hope you enjoy reading these snapshot biographies of ten of the Bible’s most important women.

Eve kind of goes without saying. She’s the mother of all humanity (except Adam). She was the first woman to ever experience childbirth. She introduced the world to sin. She and Adam could literally say that they were “made for each other” (Genesis 1-3).

Sarah had Isaac when she was 90! She was the matriarch of Israel, God’s chosen people. She laughed at God’s promise at first (the name “Isaac” literally means laughter”), but then she stuck with Abraham through thick and thin. She was faithful to God (Genesis 21).

Rahab. No list is complete without a rags-to-riches story, or prostitute-to-promised land. Rahab was a ritual prostitute for the Canaanite gods in Jericho. When she discovered two Israelite spies she hid and protected them. So when Jericho came tumbling down God protected her and her family. She chose to believe in God and become an Israelite. She ended up being the grandmother of Kind David and is listed in Jesus’s genealogy in Matthew (Matthew 1:5)!

Deborah was a judge in Israel who had more courage than her captain, Barack. She feared the Lord and led her nation well, even defeating the army of Sisera (Judges 4).

Esther is known for her beauty, courage, and cunning. She risked her life in order to save her people from the hatred of Haman. Her success is celebrated every year during the Jewish feast of Purim (Esther).

Jezebel was both important and infamous. She is known in the Bible for her outspoken neglect of and rebellion against God. She was a Phoenician princess who married the spineless Israelite king Ahab. She usurped his power and promoted idol worship throughout the land, killing hundreds of God’s righteous prophets. Even Elijah was scared silly of her. The result of God’s curse was that she fell from a window and died, and dogs ate her flesh (sorry for the graphic nature—but I can’t exactly edit the Bible). Her name is used as a figure of speech to depict evil in the book of Revelation. And you’ve probably heard people use the colloquialism “that Jezebel” to describe someone they don’t like (I and II Kings).

Gomer. Isn’t that supposed to be a male name for that funny guy on the Andy Griffith show? Yes, but Gomer was also an infamous woman of the Old Testament. God commanded the prophet Hosea to marry a harlot named Gomer. Why? Well, that’s a good question for another blog post. Anyway, Hosea married her, had children with her, and was constantly emotionally torn because she cheated on him. This is a picture of God’s pursuit of us, who don’t deserve His love or blessings. We cheat on Him all the time by chasing lesser things (Hosea 1-4).

Mary, Mother of Jesus. She had such great faith at such a young age. Everyone’s heard of her. It’s hard to imagine how she could give birth to God, watch God grow, and then watch God, her Son, die, rise again, and ascend into Heaven. Her faith was so severely tested. She watched a thousand miracles before her eyes. What did she consider normal (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John)?

Lydia was a God-fearing lady who lived in the city of Phillipi. She was a rich clothing designer who traveled and had a big house. She determined to host a Bible study down by the river one day when the Apostle Paul came by and converted the whole crowd. Then she invited everyone who needed to come stay at her house and she helped finance Paul’s missionary journeys and found the church at Philippi (Acts 16:14-16).

Mary, the sister of Martha, sat at the feet of Jesus and worshipped Him while her sister was too busy with the chores and hosting responsibilities. She teaches us that our time with Jesus is the most necessary aspect of our lives. Everything else will fall into place, just spend time with Jesus (Luke 10:38-42).

This list of the 10 most important women in the Bible instructs us about faith, destiny, and playing our part in writing the stories of our lives well. God has a plan for your life just like He had a plan for these women. Some of them followed well, others didn’t. What about you? Will you follow His plan for your life well?

 http://www.amazon.com/Unstoppable-Chasing-Dreams-Achieving-Finding-ebook/dp/B019UQRFIE/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top?ie=UTF8

Daniel Colston is a youth pastor in Roanoke, VA. He recently wrote a book that tells you how to find and chase God’s will for your life. It’s called Unstoppable: 40 Keys for Chasing your Dreams, Achieving your Goals, and Finding God’s Best for your Life. He blogs at http://www.danielcolston.com/.

7 Genius Uses for Your Leftover Coffee Grounds

http://tiphero.com/7-genius-uses-for-your-leftover-coffee-grounds/

 

After you’ve brewed your morning coffee, what do you do with the grounds. If you usually toss them, then you’ll want to take a look at these ideas for inspiration.

1. Help Your Garden Grow: Coffee grounds mixed in soil can help make flowers and plants, like roses, in your garden grow and flourish. They can also make your compost much more productive.
   
2. Buff Out Dings on Wooden Furniture: If you’ve got dings or scratches in your wood furniture or floors, grab some coffee grounds and a q-tip. Just apply the grounds straight to the problem areas, then let it sit for about 5-10 minutes before you buff the area with a cotton rag.
   
3. Treat Cellulite: Mix in some coffee grounds with your normal moisturizer. Then once you’ve washed your body in the shower, massage in your scrub, then rinse skin with warm water. Over time, this should help to reduce the appearance of cellulite.
   
4.  Enhance Your Hair Color: Brunettes and redheads – simply add 2 tablespoons of coffee grounds to your shampoo to enhance the color of your hair. If you want more dramatic results, you can also saturate your dry hair with brewed coffee or espresso and cover your hair with a plastic shower cap for 20 minutes before washing.
   
5. Eliminate Odors in the Fridge: Use coffee grounds just like you would baking soda in the fridge. The grounds will absorb odors and keep your fridge smelling fresh.
   
6. Dye Fabrics: Just boil a pot of water and pour coffee grounds in and steep. Now you have a base for dye. You can also give paper an antique feeling with coffee grounds!
   
7. Clean Your Fireplace: Tossing some coffee grounds into your fireplace will actually help to clean it. According to Real Simple, just sprinkle a handful of grounds onto the ashes to prevent flyaways.