Where I've Been...

No where! I've been right here, just have had so many other things to preoccupy my time...

Even now I have what feels like a gazillion things to do before Christmas arrives, but with only 14 days till then, I felt like posting something here.

Last night I was briefly looking at my feed on Pinterest and saw this great baby quilt...

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Which then lead me down the page to some more great inspiration quilts...

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Now I just need to get sewing! :)

Merry Christmas!
"Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us." ~ Matthew 1:23

Amanda

Our 10th Anniversary...

Today is our wedding anniversary, so, I put together a short video that highlights our past 10 years together.


10th Wedding Anniversary

Chad... I love you very much and look forward to many more years together serving God faithfully!
Amanda
"His mouth is most sweet: yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend..." ~ Song of Solomon 5:16

Lost Art...

When I was in high school, I loved art class...shocked, right? LOL!  Well some of the projects I did I've kept over the years, among them was one particular favorite pastel drawing that I thought I'd lost...

Well, yesterday I was thrilled to find it in the back of a picture frame I was getting out to use for Chad's Father's Day present.

Here it is...a pastel drawing I did about 18 years ago!

I still like this picture a lot...I don't really wear hats much, but I like this one :) maybe it's the scarf around it...I may need to try that!

And although I put the picture back into the back of the frame (for safe keeping) I'm happy to know where it is and that it was not thrown out or ruined!

Amanda
"And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:" ~ Philippians 3:9

Reusable Kitchen Supplies...

Typically when I make bread or cookies or muffins, I store them on the counter in plastic bags. But for a little while I've been thinking that I could make some fabric bags and save a little $ on not having to buy the plastic bags, especially since I seem to be making bread and cookies/muffins more lately. The fabric is much easier to reuse than plastic...makes the washing and drying simpler! lol

So yesterday, I was finally able to spend a little time whipping out a few reusable kitchen supplies...

A set of napkins:

A cookie bag and baggie:

A bread bag:
This is made from a vintage flour sack from Chad's grandma! Love it!

I need to make couple more of each so that I have one available if the others are in the wash or I make a variety of items, but they are pretty fast items, so maybe today...

Every little bit of reusing items helps...and my counter is prettier too!!!

Amanda
"She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands."
~Proverbs 31:13

The Power Source...

I was working with my glue gun on a project this morning...I took a short break and when I came back to the project, I had a issue...the glue gun seemed like it didn't want to squeeze out any glue. I looked a little closer and felt that the temperature seemed to be cooling down.

There is no on/off switch on it...so, I look at the candles in our windows. They were off....hmmm.

Our top outlets in our living room all run together and can be controlled by a light switch...and I was using one of these top outlets. Well, my oldest girl thought she was being helpful in turning the candles off since it was daytime!

My power source was turned off! Made me think of how, if we are turned off and not learning from God, our power source, we can be ineffective in our work. Reading the Bible daily and going to church regularly are the best ways to stay plugged-in...

And we also have to make sure our Power source is working... Although my daughter was trying to be helpful, she hindered my work till I got the power to the outlets turned back on. Sometimes people and things that seem helpful can actually turn us off or distract us from doing our best work for God or learning what He is trying to teach us.

Make sure we are plugged into the power source and allow God to empower us to do His work!
Amanda
"He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength." ~ Isaiah 40:29

Soothing Scene...

Looks so peaceful!

on a different note...
I'm thankful for my husband. :)

Amanda
"Give ear, O Lord, unto my prayer; and attend to the voice of my supplications."  ~ Psalm 86:6

Real Quick...

Seems I haven't been around here much lately :) the crafting has been at a minimum, however, seem to be picking up again, so hopefully I'll be back soon with some crafted creations to share... however, till then, here is a cute picture I saw on FB this morning.

Thanks!
Amanda
"For thou, Lord, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands."
~ Psalm 92:4

Pin Picks 5...

(Disclaimer: These are pictures that I have placed on my pin boards and they are inspiring and interesting to me...however, that does not mean that I have visited or endorse the sites that the original pin may take you to if you follow the pin back to it's source. These pictures are linked to the pin on Pinterest.)

Crafty Time:

Get well card

Good Eats:

Frosted Berry Hand Pies

Enjoy the View:

Relaxing

Cool Clothes (or accessories):

T-shirt Upcycle

Homey Spaces:

Bookcases lining a staircase

Variety Mine:

Hanging garden

These are only a few of the pins on my boards...if you are interested in seeing more of my pins, here is a link to my Pinterest boards...or you can get there from the button the side my blog site

Hope you were inspired too!

Amanda
"Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength and my redeemer."  ~ Psalm 19:14

Creation Museum...

Two weeks ago today our family headed out on a weekend trip...the first trip in a long time and a much needed change of pace for a few days! We went to the Cincinnati area to meet friends that were going that way to finish up their vacation...so we could all go to the Creation Museum together! GREAT FUN!

It is an amazing facility! The management at Answers in Genesis have developed a great museum to communicate how the accounts of the Bible are evident in the world around us. We all enjoyed our visit!

An unexpected item on display...a quilt! :) It is a greatly detailed quilt representing the 7 C's of History.

Here's what was probably my favorite part, the miniature replica displays of the Ark and the life inside the Ark. The great detail that was put into them made them fascinating to look at!

We headed outside for a bit on Saturday (it was a little warmer than Friday) to see the petting zoo...

It was great to go to an educational museum that reinforces the same things we are teaching at home! Looking forward to planning another trip out that way after the Ark Encounter is open! That trip may have to be a whole vacation! :)

Amanda
"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." ~ Genesis 1:1

Pin Picks 4...

So, instead of coming back with some "original" content for some posts last week, I just didn't come back at all! However, I'm here today with my 200th post featuring some inspiring pins from around Pinterest. Enjoy!

(Disclaimer: These are pictures that I have placed on my pin boards and they are inspiring and interesting to me...however, that does not mean that I have visited or endorse the sites that the original pin may take you to if you follow the pin back to it's source. These pictures are linked to the pin on Pinterest.)

Crafty Time:

Sewing Tool Caddy

Good Eats:

Teriyaki Chicken Quesadillas

Enjoy the View:

Isle of Mull, Scotland

Cool Clothes (or accessories):

Reverse Applique Flower Handbag

Homey Spaces:

Modern Farmhouse Kitchen

Variety Mine:

Garden Care

These are only a few of the pins on my boards...if you are interested in seeing more of my pins, here is a link to my Pinterest boards...or you can get there from the button the side my blog site

Hope you were inspired too!

Amanda
"Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God."  ~ Hebrews 12:2

Pin Picks 3...

A couple days late on this this, but I saw some fun stuff so I wanted to post them :) and I hope to get some fun, "original" material posted next week!

(Disclaimer: These are pictures that I have placed on my pin boards and they are inspiring and interesting to me...however, that does not mean that I have visited or endorse the sites that the original pin may take you to if you follow the pin back to it's source. These pictures are linked to the pin on Pinterest.)

Crafty Time:

Contact Print Pillow

Good Eats:

Lo Mien

Enjoy the View:

Great Wall of China

Cool Clothes:

Scallop Trim

Homey Spaces:

Lots of Book Space

Variety Mine:

Make your own Popsicles

These are only a few of the pins on my boards...if you are interested in seeing more of my pins, here is a link to my Pinterest boards...or you can get there from the button the side my blog site

Hope you were inspired too!

Amanda
"And ye shall be holy unto me: for I the LORD am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be mine" ~ Leviticus 20:26

Desk Accessory Set...

Last week I made this desk accessory set for a family member's birthday... I had to make them on my old Jenome machine as my newer, fancier :) Singer was in the shop getting fixed. I got the Singer back yesterday...so I hope to be able to see how it is running some time today! But the Jenome did a great job filling in!

As for the Desk Accessory Set, it included a key board wrist rest (with the option of using it as a heat pack too!), reverse-applique leafy branch mug rug, pen cup, and a paper clip cup, which also had some mini post it notes in it...

Beautifying a desk makes the work seem less blah, right?! :)

Amanda
"A little that a righteous hath is better than the riches of many wicked."
~ Psalm 37:16

Pin Picks 2...

Welcome to the second week of my sharing a small sampling of recent pins that I found inspiring on Pinterest. During the past week I logged more than 3,000 pins...so glad this virtual filing cabinet is easier to use than a real filling cabinet!

(Disclaimer: These are pictures that I have placed on my pin boards and they are inspiring and interesting to me...however, that does not mean that I have visited or endorse the sites that the original pin may take you to if you follow the pin back to it's source. These pictures are linked to the pin on Pinterest.)

Crafty Time:

Autumn Disappearing 9-Patch

Good Eats:

Hawaiian Sweet Bread

Enjoy the View:

Olympic Flags

Cool Clothes:

Maxi Dress

Homey Spaces:

Rustic Kitchen

Variety Mine:

Pallet Bed Swing

These are only a few of the pins on my boards...if you are interested in seeing more of my pins, here is a link to my Pinterest boards...or you can get there from the button the side my blog site

Hope you were inspired too!

Amanda
"The children of Israel brought a willing offering unto the LORD, every man and woman, whose heart made them willing to bring for all manner of work, which the LORD had commanded to be made by the hand of Moses." ~ Exodus 35:29