None of self, and All of Thee

Those are the words to the last verse of the song we sang on Sunday in preparation for the Communion. 

In singing them, I reflected on the whole meaning of the LORD’s Supper.   

I think of it as believers, being welcomed to a feast where the food nourishes us, heals us, restores us, and makes us partners in mutual love, in giving and receiving of self-sacrifice and servanthood.   

Tip Talk: Save Money by Making Your own Laundry Detergent

Even our 10 year old son can make Home Made Laundry Soap with a bit of assistance!

It saves SO much money, this batch cost us 71 cents and filled up 3 regular-sized

liquid Laundry bottles (at 64 loads each).

Follow these easy instructions:

Ingredients:

Fels Naptha soap:  1/3 of a bar

2 Cups of water, boiling

1/2 cup Washing Soda

1/2 cup borax

6 cups water

1 tsp essential oil

 

Instructions:

Begin by putting a big pot with 2 cups of water in it on the stove

to heat to boiling while grating soap (saves time).

Grate Fels Naptha soap: 1/3 of a bar

(I buy my Bars at True Value Hardware Store.

I usually buy 3 at a time and they last me for about 4 to 5 months of Laundering).

We use the Metal Shredder/Grater that one would use to shred cabbage.

Just be sure to wash it well for next use (if using for food prep).

Pour the shredded soap into the water pot.

Boil the shredded soap until it is completely dissolved. 

 Stir frequently to speed up the dissolving process.

You will need "Washing Soda", and 20 Mule Team Borax.

I purchased the Washing Soda at True Value

The Mule Team Borax is readily available at Walmart.

1/2 cup of Washing Soda

Mix well, then add 1/2 cup of Borax

See how easy it is?

Now add the water...

6 more cups

Keep stirring

The solution will get bubbly and smell really clean!

Now add  - more water... 2 cups

next add 1 tsp. Essential oil- any fragrance you like

This is optional, but I love to add essential oil to the mixture.

I like "Orange oil" best, but this day we were out, so

we added Linen Essential oil (Purchased from the candle department at Walmart)

That's it... Now remove from stove and let it "gel" (harden) a bit for 24 hours

before you pour it into used empty Laundry container bottles.

We made this batch in our Cabin in Arkansas.

We generally made some about every 2 months,

and did so on the weekend when we had more time to spend working on it.

I Smile and Thank God the Father every time I

wash a load, knowing that it costs me less than 2 cents per load.

And I love the way the clothes and towels smell!

An Audience of ONE

"Let us strive to make each moment beautiful."

Saint Francis DeSales

      I am beginning a Bible Study for the High School Girls' Sunday School Class at our local church.  The theme is:  "Living A Life."  

 As I dig deeply into my soul with Bible in hand, I too often feel like a hypocrite.   This morning, while studying the lesson on being more concerned with what GOD thinks about oneself than what others think, I was pierced to the heart.  In reflecting inwardly, I see that I clearly care too much what other people think of me... my cooking, my housekeeping skills, my comments in Sunday School, and the list goes on.  I have measured myself against society's standards, and they seem impossible.   Consequently, I feel miserable about myself, and that shows in my tone of voice, my choices, and many other ways. 

     As I meditated on the meaning of all of this, I thought of my life in the past year...  no area was left unscrutinized:  Health, Beauty, Career, Physical Fitness, Possessions, Relationships...  all areas were found lacking when held up to the world's standards.  On the treadmill of perfectionism, I was left winded, and Joyless at the end of 2014.  How sad, because I KNOW there is MORE to life than this.

Thomas Kincade, Artist

     In 2015, I am going to live my life for an Audience of ONE.  In doing so for these first 15 days of January, something remarkable has happened in my life.  Suddenly, the things I desperately sought after do not matter at all anymore, and unexpected things that truly matter to me bring DELIGHT to my soul!   Joy has been dropped into my lap at just the right time!  My new "Agenda" has left me little time for worrying.  

Photo by Maranda Hawthorne
Friend and Fellow Nurse

  

     How about you?   May I challenge you to take a moment sometime today to stop and thank GOD for His presence in your life?  This simple act of remembering who my Audience is has led me to the most delightful adventures in the past two weeks.   I pray that I will keep this focus on the things that Matter Most for the whole year.  I want to be a "GOD-Pleaser" and not a "people-pleaser." 

"Our aim is to please HIM always in everything we do, whether we are here in this body, or away from this body and with HIM in Heaven." ---- II Corinthians 5:0 (TLB)

Thankful Thursday: A Life In Pursuit of Pretty

 

 

 

As I seek to create a calming oasis in my home, my husband reminds me that I am outnumbered (1 female, 2 males in our home). Even so, we all want the same thing from our home: to find a tranquil place for ourselves, and make that place as beautiful as possible.

  At the moment, my "space" exists only in my dreams as our house walls are being stripped of wallpaper and re-sheet -rocked. The room in my dreams has a cushy, plush chair for reading, a collection of soft sea-shore type prints on the wall, and fresh hydrangeas or roses daily.

 I.Will.Get.There! Until then, I will keep learning many easy ways to bring a "little pretty" into my life. My teachers are my friends, church sisters, family members, and creative women who write decorating magazines.




I recently visited a friend who lives in Philadelphia. Simone has turned every surface of her home into a chance to showcase something beauiful and useful (from shapely french jars where she stores flour and sugar, to the vintage chandelier over her bed). Did I mention that she does it all on a shoestring? Simone's kitchen tablecloth is Dollar-a-Yard Burlap, but it looks like a million bucks. She says she never knows where or when inspiration for decorating will strike.

  Thriftiness is essential for my family these days. I love to draw beauty out of the humblest objects! I use the backs of  junk mail envelopes to scribble quotes or decorating sketches on, stapling the papers together and making "inspiration notebooks." I currently have several of these journals going. I love to constantly dabble and tweak my accessories, pulling things together and moving things around in the house.

  Mike says my style is one of a tumbled-down French Chateau. Well, maybe, but I would say the house of my future is a romantic mix of old-world French and Italian influences, from a New Jersey Shore perspective.

And I am so grateful to Mike for helping me to make this happen.  He does not care if we live in a cardboard box... does not give a lick about decorating.  And yet he allows me to go wild with my colors and decor.

And so, on this Thankful Thursday, I shall Thank God for Mike, our Home, and our Future together. 

In Everything, Be Thankful!

for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

I Thessalonians 5:18

As I go about the cottage, making ready

 the things I would like to be

decorating my home for our

Traditional Thanksgiving Dinner,

I am mindful of the scriptures which

command us to strive to

demonstrate a grateful heart.

 

 
“And the Lord,
He it is that doth go before thee;
He will be with thee,
 He will not fail thee,
neither forsake thee:
fear not, neither be dismayed.”

Deuteronomy 31:8

Lyrics I Repeat on Days like this...

 I will challenge myself to the following:

That I will become so

strong in Jesus that nothing

can disturb my Peace of Mind,

That I will talk Health,

Happiness, & Eternal Life 

 to every person that I meet,

 That I will make all my friends

 feel that there is

“something very special”

in them,

· That I will think only of the Best, expect only the Best, & be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as I am about my own success,

· That I will forget the mistakes of the past, and press on to greater achievements of the future,

· That I will wear a cheerful countenance at all times, & give every living creature that I meet a smile,

· That I will give so much time to the improvement of myself that I have NO time to criticize others,

· That I will be too calm and stable for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, & too happy to permit the presence of trouble.

These are my goals.
This is my Scripture for which I aim my life: 

25She is clothed with strength and dignity,

and laughs at the days to come.^*

26She opens her mouth in wisdom;

kindly instruction is on her tongue.

27She watches over^* the affairs of her household,

and does not eat the bread of idleness.

28Her children rise up and call her blessed;

her husband, too, praises her:

29“Many are the women of proven worth,

but you have excelled them all.”

30Charm is deceptive and beauty fleeting;

the woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.^*

31Acclaim her for the work of her hands,

and let her deeds praise her at the city gates.

From Proverbs 31

Come for a Dress Up Tea Party

 

 My Creative, Talented sister, Natalie and I decided it was time to treat our darling friends who happen to be young ladies to a Real Tea Party.  It began with a session in her upstairs bedroom, included a Fashion Show, and ended with all kinds of delectable yummies. 

Each participant chose a hat to round out the outfit

Pick a necklace and some jewelry

 Special touches included new pillows and a pink quilt to make the event even more special.

I LOVE this lovely Quilt, made by an Amish lady in Lancaster, PA



Heart Shaped Bells ring upon each entrance
to the Front Door to signal
that it was time
for another Welcoming

 Toile Curtains embellished with hearts for the Sweet Hearts


The Chocolate Fountain was so unique, and the most popular food selection.
This was a Buffet of Fruit, Marshmallows, and Cookies to dip into the
Chocolate.

 A Picture of my sister's Dining Room.  I love her Chair on the wall décor!  She has no fear when it comes to creative ideas!

And here is some more of The Food:

Fruity Punch



Of Course, we HAD to serve Cucumber Sandwiches!

Rice Crispie Treats are a
little girl's favorite



Dreamy Party Food

The Fashion Show-

After Dressing up, each girl was announced and descended down the steps into the parent-filled Living Room.  We cheered them on, and they felt treasured.   It was the highlight of my day to see the smiles and pride on each young lady's face.

 

The party ended with Decorating Sugar Cookies to take home...

Little ones added colors and sugar to plain
sugar cookies.



The day was exciting and the girls enjoyed the experience to the brink.