Gift Giving –Baking Set

My cousin’s birthday was yesterday, and so I thought I would give her something fun, yet useful. I used one of the aprons from the shop and added a pocket. The wooden spoons are from the dollar store.

I made some oven mitts based on a small pair in the cupboard, using some quilt batting so they are insulating.

I had a bit of extra doughnut fabric, so I created a bag to not only hold the whole set, but also so I didn’t have to wrap it!!! :)

All set and ready to be given!! :) Happy Birthday Daniella!!

Gift Giving –A Little Man’s Outfit

My cousin and her husband had a little boy a couple of weeks ago, and I wanted to give them something special. I went for partly handmade, partly store-bought. I know, I should have gone all the way handmade, but sometimes it is just easier to buy part of it.

I gave them a pair of my Light Grey Tweed Pants. They are super cute, and super comfortable, as they are fully lined with blue, white and grey plaid flannel. I bought the shirt at H&M. She already bought the blue bowtie from me before the baby was born. :)

All wrapped and ready to go!! Because the wrapping is all part of the fun. :)

Gift Giving –Purple Ruffle Dress

A little friend of mine LOVES purple!! :) So, just for fun, I made her a lovely purple ruffle dress.

This dress is based off of a couple of ideas from two dress Tutorials. The asymmetrical bodice comes from Jess over at Craftiness is not Optional. Her Emma Dress planted the idea in my mind, except that I accidentally put the buttons on the wrong side. Oops. :) The pattern I used for the bodice came from the Spring Fever Dress from Me Sew Crazy. I used the size 4, and took it in slightly, keeping the length.

I added small flowered buttons down the asymmetrical front and larger pearly buttons down the back.

And then I headed over to Bonnie Togs and found a cute cream onesie with a peter pan collar and small black dots.

Cherishing the Moments

Some days are just special. The day someone says “I love you” for the first time. The day that your first child was born. The day you graduate from college or the day you receive the news that you just got your first job.

There are smaller increments of time that are special too. Hours. Moments. The first smile. The fluttering of eyelashes belonging to someone who is sick. A look of love. A conversation. A tear.

And hour spent with your Oma talking about life. About the past. About the future. About our heritage. About God. About the things that count. Tears are shed in love and in sorrow, but also in thankfulness.

Those are the moments that count. Those are the words that you keep in your heart forever. Words that bring tears, but also bring joy.

Cherish those moments, and remember that God is there. He has given you those moments, those hours, those days. Those memories. They are for a reason.

Take time in like to stop and pay attention. Take the time to visit with those who are special. Soak in each memory you can with everyone around you. Create memories for yourself, but really, create them for others.

Life is a rat race, but remember that first smile, that first “I love you”, those last words, those tears shed.

Cherish those moments.

Skirt Re-Fashion

I made a gift for a little girl I baby sit. I had this skirt from somewhere in a size 8, she is a skinny size 3/4. :) I simply followed some basic skirt re-fashion steps, and voila!!! :)

Here is the original:

I cut a number of inches off the top (leaving enough fabric for the new elastic casing) and an inch off of each side. It did end up a tad big, but that can always be fixed. (sorry for the blurry picture)

And Finished!!! :)

  

Add a sweater and you have a cute half-homemade outfit for a special little lady!!! :) (again sorry for the blurriness) 

Simply Said...

With GOD all things are possible!!!!

Book Review: It's (not that) Complicated

I am going to warn you.... This is going to be the strangest book review you have ever read... I haven't even read the whole book yet. But hear me out would you? There is something to this that I want to share.

I read a book a couple of years ago entitled So Much More, written by Anna Sofia and Elizabeth Botkin. This book changed the way I think... I would argue that it was the beginning to my change of thought on so many issues. I think I was in grade 11 or 12 at the time. I won't go into it now, as I want to focus on these girl's most recent book: It's (not that) Complicated.

The over-arching question this book asks is, "What's a girl to do about boys?" Good question right? I think we, as girls, ask this question daily. And how we answer this question determines how we view relationships, guys and essentially all relationships in our lives. And, yes I said ALL RELATIONSHIPS, for our view on relationships with guys stems out of our view of the family, the roles of men and women, etc.... and the relationships in our families, i.e. dad and mom, brothers and sisters, comes out of that as well.

That is why I am writing a book review of sorts before I have even read the whole book. I was strongly convicted at this point, and felt I couldn't keep reading before I gave this topic some good thought and application in my own life.

The first couple of chapters lay the ground work for the proper, biblical view of relationships. And then we arrive at chapter 4: Relationship Boot Camp - Back to square one: How to be sisters to your real brothers. I find this is the hardest thing to do. Our families seem to get all the moodiness and unpleasantness. We don't help out at home near as willingly as we help out at someone else's home. We tend to hold more resentment against our family. Yes, we know them better, but that doesn't give us any excuse.

Our home is to be our training ground. It is where we learn to get along with others, ignoring their quirks and learning to  deal with their problems. Where we learn to serve others and share the love of Christ with them. How are we to someday serve our husbands and family if we can't even make do in our own homes right now?

Our brothers are also place in our lives (if we have brothers that is) to help us 'practice' on them. I won't go into tons of detail, you can read that on your own when you get the book. ;) I do want to highlight some principals that the Botkin sisters share in interacting with our brothers, as well as other boys and men in our lives. They call these principles the "Five Habits of Highly Effective Sisters".

1. Demonstrate Respect: How are our brothers and other men around us going to respect us if we don't give them due respect and (lovingly) demand respect out of them?

2. Let them assert themselves, lead and teach you things: Give them opportunities to lead. Allow them to teach you things, even if you are older than them. Yes, they might fail, but encourage them and allow them to learn as well.

3. Talk with them: How are you to cultivate a relationship with someone if you don't even talk to them about both the insignificant and the great things in life?

4. Become part of their world: Take interest in what they do. Don't dismiss their likes and dislikes because you think they are 'dumb' or simply don't get it because you are not a guy. For example, don't say fishing and hunting are boring and dumb because you don't get why they like them and you think they are extremely boring. Take interest and ask them questions about it, no matter what you think.

5. Repent of past wrongs: We need to forgive each other to have a proper, healthy relationship with them. It doesn't matter who they are, but it is especially important to forgive one another when you live under the same roof. And don't let things fester. Forgive one another right away, as to not hinder your relationship with that person.

I found these five principles really, really helpful and very convicting as well. They are practical, and so very important.

*** I have now read the entire book, and it is just as good as the beginning is!!! I encourage every girl to pick up this book and read it. Even if you just get to chapter 4, you will still have learned so much, you will not regret buying it!!! You can get it online from the Botkin Families publishing company, the Western Conservatory as well as from Amazon.com. I got my copy from Reformed Book Services and Brantford, and it was cheaper there than even on Amazon!! :) ***

Lowell Lake Lodge 2013 – Part 6

Part 6 – Family

And I don’t even have shots of everyone. Oh well…

 

And this just makes me laugh!! :) I have recollection of taking this picture, and I have no idea what Josiah is doing, but it is funny anyways.

Feminine Wiles - Part 2

Last time we looked at examples of how women in the bible used their feminine wiles to influence those around them both good and bad.

Now, what about the HOW part? There are a number of ways in which we can influence others, particularly men. I would like to focus on our words and our bodies (which encompasses, our actions, dress and so on).

Words:
As we read in the book of James, the tongue is a fiery little part of our bodies that can get us into a lot of trouble, as well as do a lot of good. Over and over we read about and see how our tongues are one of the most influential tools we have. The tongue can whisper, spreading rumors and hurting others. It can yell, and convince others. It can be very deadly, yet so terribly sly. The tongue can also do good things. It can encourage and praise. It can lead others in prayer and singing to the glory of God. It can influence even the hardest of hearts.

How can we use our tongues to influence others in the right way then? Start off by praying for them. If there is someone you know, guy or girl, who you know needs to change their ways, start by praying. You can also gently reprimand or give suggestions, but do this in love. You can praise people on their strong points and inspire individuals to lead. The key is to be tactful, and do all in love. And truthfully, if you cannot do it in love, then please keep your mouth closed. Cutting people down is a whole lot worse than saying nothing at all.

And then we women always go back to the question of guys... How can we influence GUYS with our tongues? What I wrote in the paragraph above stills applies. Encourage, take interest, praise them on their strengths and inspire them to lead. If they are erring or need to step it up in a certain area, let them know that. But, only do it kindly, as a sister in Christ, and please, do it appropriately. I know, the balance is hard. I truthfully have not mastered it yet. I am no professional on this, I am just going by what God's word says, and am learning right along with you.

Your Body:
The biggest messages are sent with our body, our non-verbal communication. Our hand gestures, facial expressions, the way we carry and present ourselves, and so on. We can be seductive and fake. We can appear to be one person on the outside, but on the inside be someone completely different. We can lure others in to sin by simply dressing with our own interests in mind. We can also be genuine in with our bodies. We can show respect to ourselves and others around us by what we wear. We can act sincerely and, I believe, even inspire others through our actions and example. Christ does say that we will be known by our fruits, which are essentially, our actions.

Influencing others in the right way? How is that suppose to work? Well, present yourself for who you are, don't be fake. Dress so as to respect yourself and others. Dress so that you are not causing a fellow brother or sister to fall into sin. Act appropriately, calmly, and respectfully. Act in such a way that your example clearly shows that your worship the One and Only True Lord and King of all, GOD, not man. Be truly humble in your actions.

Now, for the application in regards to the men in our lives. Dress modestly, respecting yourself, yet not causing a fellow brother to stumble. And guys to appreciate beauty; don't wear a huge hoody all the time, that is now what I would consider respecting yourself!!! Act appropriately and be an example of Christ. Don't be loud and boisterous. Don't be in their face all the time. Be humble and kind towards all others around you. Be someone who guys want to be around. Take interest, and keep your body language open.

This doesn't all start today... it takes time to 'know what you are doing'. It takes practice and patience, and yes, you will mess up. But, this should be your goal: inspire guys around you to be the men God created them to be through your actions and words. Inspire them to be leaders, to respect others, and most importantly, follow after and strive to be like Christ. I know of men who were sent to their knees in prayer because of the influence of a woman in their lives. Do your words and actions inspire the men around you to seek a deeper relationship with Christ?

As women, we have a HUGE responsibility!!! God has created us with the ability to greatly influence the men in our lives for both good and evil. This is a daunting task, that we can only complete with God's help. But, don't give up!!!

My question for you, ladies, is: What are you doing with this ability?

Lowell Lake Lodge 2013 – Part 5

Part 5 – Snapshot Project

This year I wanted to focus on taking random shots that are part of our time there every year, but that we don’t necessarily ever think about. Moments, little things along the path that are ignored, things like that.

Knots on the deck wood and screws holding the dock together

Forgotten shoes

A good book

Boats, forgotten until they are needed again

An empty dock waiting for everyone to fill it again

 

Fishing gear left behind

Empty dishes

A couple of forgotten blueberries

A Bible left on a picnic table

An empty fire pit and a lawn chair waiting to be filled

Water skies enjoying a Sabbath Rest

Empty egg shells leftover from making fish batter. Steam rising from fish caught and cooked by the boys

A row of lonely clothes pins

A plaited head of hair

An intense game of Settlers (photo credits to my sister) and the evening sun’s rays