Praying...

I have been thinking about my circumstances more often of late.
I am so blessed to have a happy, comfortable home and people to love me.
My heart aches for the the people that were hit by the tornadoes recently.
Losing their homes, their friends, their families. It brings tears to my eyes hearing the countless stories of devastation. It gives me hope when I hear the miracles.
It makes me thankful for all that God gives me.
It could have been my home.
It could have been my friends.
If could have been my family.
It could have been my life.
I should never take for granted what God blesses me with.
I'm counting all of the miracles I have to be thankful for. I am praying for the strength of those who have lost so much.

I'm praising God for the lives that were saved.

( My miracle sister Essie is doing great! She is healthy and happy and very cute.)

2 Corinthians 1:5
For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.

Easter Sunday

...Tissue paper flowers.....

 ....and bright colored eggs are such fun to create,
       but not compared to the price that our dear Savior payed.


On Easter we remember and celebrate the rising Christ our Lord. His awesome acts shine bright and we praise His glorious deeds!

 

See what a morning

See what a morning, gloriously bright,
With the dawning of hope in Jerusalem;
Folded the grave-clothes,
Tomb filled with light,
As the angels announce Christ is risen!
See God's salvation plan, wrought in love, 
Borne in pain, paid in sacrifice,
Fulfilled in Christ, the Man, for He lives:
Christ is risen from the dead!

See Mary weeping, 'Where is He laid?'
As in sorrow she turns from the empty tomb;
Hears a voice speaking, calling her name;
It's the Master, the Lord raised to life again!
The voice that spans the years,
Speaking life, stirring hope,
Bringing peace to us,
Will sound till He appears,
For He lives, Christ is risen from the dead!

One with the Father, Ancient of Days,
Through the Spirit
Who clothes faith with certainty,
Honour and blessing, glory and praise
To the King crowned
With power and authority!
And we are raised with Him,
Death is dead, love has won,
Christ has conquered;
And we shall reign with Him,
For He lives, Christ is risen from the dead!  
Keith Getty & Stuart Townend
Copyright © 2003 Thankyou Music

 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.
In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 
 Romans 6:8-11

Skirts.

If you know me in person you'd know most often, I'm wearing a skirt.
Some people live in jeans, I live in skirts. :-)
 And most often the only place I buy my skirts are thrift shops. Buying used saves a lot of money and often you can find some very stylish clothes for half the price.

Rarely do I find a skirt cheap enough and pretty enough anywhere, but thrift stores.

But I can dream.

I just recently discovered J.jill apparel and have window shopped online, sighing over their clothing.
With summer on the way they have added some of the cutest outfits to their store. Despite the price of a lot of their clothing I can't help but at least look at their outfits... and share a few with you!

  One of my favorites... The floral pattern is beautiful.

                                                   They have this in several colors...

 The length of their skirts is also a plus. Modest and pretty.
                                                      

 Sigh... I love the ruffles.

                                     Darling hat!

                                      
 Window shopping is so much fun...!

...In like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel...
 1 Timothy 2:9



Where do you window shop?...

Esther is Home!

                                                 Esther Joy

 We found out the results of the MRI yesterday and her brain looks normal with no problems! She came home yesterday.We are so thankful to God to have Esther here at home! She is eating and doing very well. She is a little miracle. Only when your holding her do you fully grasp the gift she is. She is beautiful in every way.

Some of my family came down with a stomach bug this morning and we're praying, praying, praying that Esther does not get it. We're resting up and will hopefully feel better soon.

Thanks for your constant prayers. We are so blessed and amazed that just a week and a day ago Esther came into the world. It has been an amazing week with tears and joy. God is has been so good.

Praise God!

Baby Esther is Born!

 Our baby sister was born on the 5th! ( Our Dad's birthday!)
Unfortunately the birth had to be an emergency c-section. Our mom was induced on the 4th and she was having contractions and then (we think) she had a uterus rupture. She was in a lot of pain and had to be given 3 units of blood after and surgery.

Esther was without oxygen for about 16 minutes after the uterus ruptured and because of that had to be given oxygen and went through cooling treatment for 72 hours.
The cooling treatment helps reduce any brain damage that might of occurred, because of the lack of oxygen. Her treatment went well and we are praying that there is no serious problems.
Esther is breathing on her own, she is moving all her limbs, sucking on a pacifier and at this point we can't tell if and how much damage was done.

Our Mom was able to try breast feeding today with Esther and within twenty seconds Esther latched on and started sucking!  They will be doing a MRI, Monday on her brain. (Later on an ear and eye exam.) It has been a difficult, faith growing, experience and God has given us much hope and comfort. Our mom was in a lot of pain and is slowly recovering from the rupture and surgery.

God has been so good to us and we are so blessed to have our precious baby Esther!

Our friends and family have given us lots of support and prayers, which helps so much.
We keep counting all the beautiful blessings God has showered upon us through this trial.



  Commit everything you do to the Lord.
      Trust him, and he will help you.
                 Psalm 37:5


This bible verse has been a great reminder to our family. This is a true statement of our faith.
With every situation we should commit to Him, trust Him with the results, and He will help us.

A sheet, a saturday, some sewing, and a skirt

I once again I used a bed sheet-bought of good will-for my sewing project. My inspiration once again came from Marie-Madeline.


A skirt this time.

 I didn't have the pattern and decided to make up the design, with lots of gathers and ruffles. :-)
It was some what a challenge, but very fun. I sewed most of it on Saturday and was able to finish the same day. It was rainy and some what gloomy, so it gave me lots of time to stay inside and do some happy sewing.

 It is constructed of three very ruffly ruffles, three panels underneath and an elastic waist band. The only difficulty was coming up with the measurements. It came out almost as I had expected. I was actually surprised how poofy it turned out.

Definitely a learning experience and very enjoyable. I have to say the fabric was not the most ideal pattern for a bed sheet, but it worked out well for a skirt. :-)

The weather has been very gloomy and I was happy for today's beautiful sunshine.

 How is your weather?

Made Alive With Christ

Colossians 2: 13-15
  When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.


 What a beautiful passage.
This is an awing picture of what Christ has done for us.
We were dead in our sins and God made us alive in Christ.


I, for one, often take life for granted too often; but when I step back and see how dead I was,
it makes everything I've ever lived for fall to the shadows.
I see the light Christ illuminates, and I know He's is my true life and light.
All that I am looks so small compared to the greatness of our Savior.
What a precious life He has given us.
We need to live it well.

Saturday Mornings.

 This is what we had for breakfast....

Saturday mornings are when my mom makes a special breakfast treat. She's made oatmeal, cinnamon rolls, donuts, coffee cake, and most often : pancakes.
I usually get up after she has the batter made and then we cook them.
The smell is wonderful.
And the taste...
Even better. :-)




What did you have for breakfast?

Brightening a home

There are so many ways to make a home brighter and homey-er.

When blooms start to bud find a jar and bring spring inside.

Cute little jars and fresh flowers....

A perfect table accent. 

Put your jars of flowers near a window, on a table, in a bathroom, a bedroom, anywhere!

My mom finds so many cute little jars at thrift shops. 

They really are darling.

Organize with stylish baskets. Our house is filled with baskets!

They look nice and are practical.

Colorful dishcloths add so much fun to your kitchen. 

Dish cloth making is also a great way to practice crocheting when just starting out.

Even in the cold months of the year adding tissue paper flowers to a room can spark up a home.

Making them is so much fun. I have been making these flowers ever since we had a party last year. It is a wonderful way to pass the time. They are an easy craft, beautiful table decorators, and fun gift decorators.

Do you have any tips for making your home brighter?

Strawberry Shortcake

After my Mom found a sale on strawberries, and bought 8 pounds, she asked if I'd make strawberry shortcake. I have never made a cake from scratch. (Only the occasional cake mix)
I looked up shortcake recipes on this website  and found THIS recipe and decided to try it.

It was not as difficult as I thought it would be, but still some what of a challenge. I am not what you would call an experienced baker and cook. :-) It was a fairly simple recipe and very yummy.

It is even better with a more than generous amount of strawberries and whipped cream.

The cake was consumed and only one piece remained after all my family had their fill.

 It is somewhat healthy...right? It does have strawberries!
Okay, okay.
Not that healthy.
But a recipe that is definitely worth a try.
 My sweet tooth was content with the semi-healthiness of it.

Do you like strawberry shortcake?

A Wedding...

Yesterday my dear Aunt got married. It was a beautiful ceremony and reception. It was held outside and the reception was in a large tent.

Friends and family arriving...

I was able to play a few songs on my violin with my teacher while every one arrived.
My teacher played for the ceremony. She did a wonderful job.

                                          My aunt walking down the "aisle".

After the vows...

The table settings were beautiful. We were at "table two".

The happy couple.

The yummy cake.





Click here for the full post on the family blog.

Silhouettes

 Unique branches.Elegant limbs.
Trees' beauty is obscure, artful and....

...even more beautiful when flowers starts to bud and bloom.
 

The graceful silhouettes of each tree compliment each bouquet of blossoms.

Don't you just want to grab your camera and snap a photo, every time you see a glimpse of spring?

 Well. I do any way. :-)

Has spring sprung where you live?