In His Presence

A Gentle Spirt

I have blogs that I enjoy going over and visiting. This evening, I was enjoying reading a few different posts. I came across a post on one particular blog that has pierced my heart, like a mother's heart aches when her child is ill. I am sure that many here know that feeling. This particular post had to do with Catholics. Here I must state that I am Roman Catholic. I was born to a father who was always Catholic and a mother who was Luthern but became Catholic herself as an adult after she married my father. The greates gift, I firmly believe, that parents can give their children is that gift of Jesus. That is what my parents did for me, my sister and my brother. They gave us the gift of Jesus. On this particular blog, this woman has condemned Catholics comparing the Catholic faith to Mormons and Jehoviah's Witness's and stating that Catholic's are not Christians. Yes, indeed, Catholic's ARE Christian's. Any pastor or priest will tell you that a Christian is someone who is baptized and believes in God, the Father; God, the Son; and God, the Holy Spirit. I find that those who do not understand something in life are quick to judge others. One who judges here on earth will also be judged in Heaven by Jesus, too. I apologize if it seems that I use harsh statements here. I prefer to show that I am a Christian by my love for God's creation, in the way that I act towards people, by the way that I live my life with the fire of His Love that burns within my heart. I, indeed have a deep and personal relationship with Jesus. I read my Bible to grow in knowledge of Him. I say my Rosary in honor of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, so that I may follow her example of motherly love towards all. I ask the angels and the saints for guidence and wisdom. In no way do I, or any Catholic, worship Mary, the saints or the angels. We worship only Christ, Himself. The Catholic Church is a religion that is richly drenched with traditions, much like you and your family has traditions. No religion is ever "perfect". Only God, Himself is perfect. I live my life according to the way Christ lived His life. I love my neighbor, I forgive those who inflict insult and injury. I clothe the naked and feed the hungry. In a world where there is so very much anger and hatred, we should tear each other down. Often I will say, "Encourage each other today, while it is still tomorrow." We are all on a personal journey to live our lives according to our faith. But, we are here to be a model, an example to everyone of what a true Christian is to be instead of tearing each other down. My prayer is that in my own life and in my own home and on my own blog, there Will be Peace, Joy, Love and Happiness and it is called Christ and I am letting it begin with me as I bear lovingly this cross of hurtful words from another "Christian" just as Christ bore His cross from the weight of all of our sins so that they could be forgiven. I pray that each day will be a truly Godly and glorious day that will bear much fruit in maknig this a world that is truly Christ centered.

~Blessings and prayer

A Difficult Decision

This may sound extremely trivial to many of you ladies. Some of you may even laugh. I have an addiction, an addiction to yard sales. It goes back to my grandmother on both my father and mother's side of the family, to my mother, to me and I can see tendencies in my niece. I particularly look for kitchen items. They are my favorite. I love the idea of saving money and trying to get the greatest value for my money. Also, reusing and repurposing an item, especially at a yard sale or thrift shop is great for the environment. Unfortunately, it has gotten a little out of hand. I have not yet been blessed with a husband nor children and I am still home with my mother, sister and niece. So when I do go to a yard sale and purchase something, I tuck it away in my chest. Well, that chest has overflowed into my closet space and 3 of my dresser drawers. I have been thinking that it is not a good thing for me to be so attached to these items. I was thinking today of maybe going through my things, such as kitchenware and books and really giving it a good go through and having a yard sale of my own. I was even debating on putting my good dishes from Lenox on ebay. My mother and sister have been working so very hard and even my niece with her schooling. The entire family has been making sacrifices in this tight economy, with the prices of gasoline, heating oil and food going up. At times, I want to do so much more for my family to make each day a little more special for them. How they have given up and cut back on so much of what they enjoy. I though that with the money I could make at a yard sale and from the Lenox I sell on ebay that I could tuck it away and maybe take them on a day trip. I am even going to the most shocking and weed out on my cross stitch, books and DVD's. After I have gone through my items, I will post somethings here for any lady that may be interested. Hopefully, over the next few days.

The trouble that I am having is that I find it hard to part with things. I know that it is not god to be attached to things so. And it would make me so very happy to do something nice for my family. It was just that I had gotten these items at yard sales over the past couple of years in the hopes of one day of having my own home and family and I even gotten some books and movies in the hopes of maybe homeschooling and using these to help with learning. But, now it has gotten to where it is overflowing.

How would you ladies handle a situation like this? I would love to hear your ideas and suggestions.

Thoughts from the Heart

What a wonderful day it is today! Every day is just beautiful because it is the day that the Lord has given. The home is rather quiet now until 2:45 when my niece comes home from school. As I stood at the kitchen sink washing dishes by hand, the window just above the sink was open and there was this gentle breeze blowing. The cool air was so very refreshing as it was scented with the faint scent of the lilacs that we have in the back yard. How I just love open windows, especially on a cooler, overcast day like today. I could hear the birds just singing away. How peaceful it is. I have a chocolate cake in the oven almost finished baking and homemade meatballs just waiting to go in. I work as a nursing assistant at a local nursing home from 11pm to 7am. It was on of the aides birthday on May 1. On the small unit that I work on, we started celebrating our birthdays to just celebrate that person and how thankful that we are for each one of them. We have a pot luck meal. It is so very funny. There are 3 aides and 1 nurse on the unit that I work on and 1 nurse and 1 aide on the other unit at the end of the hall. No one else knows how to cook or cares to. I try to understand about the nurse that I work with because the nurse is a man. It is just that the 4 aides and the other nurse are women and mothers'. I wonder what they feed their husbands and children? One aide has told me that she cannot cook and her husband does the cooking. Granted I am not a chef, but I am a very good cook. It is something that God has blessed me with and is something that I enjoy doing. Usually one can make some of the foods that their mothers had made when they were growing up. To get back to the story, though. Every time someones birthday comes around, every asks me what I am making and usually someone makes requests. I am so happy that they enjoy homecooked food. Well, I was talking with my niece, who is 10, this morning on her way to school. I was telling her how I was going to be making a chocolate cake and meatballs for sandwhiches for work tonight, she started to plead with me to leave some meatballs home for supper tonight. How she "really, truly" wanted to have a meatball sub sandwhich tonight for supper. I guess my plans for a London Broil and corn on the cob will have to wait for until tomorrow night. I do have the London Broil in the crockpot now.

After lunch, I am going to work on copying some more of my mother's recipes into a 3 ring binder that I have. I have been slowly having my mother show me how to make some of our favorit meals that she does not have the recipe written down for and then copying from her recipe box the ones that she does have. My idea was to eventually have them printed into a nice recipe book or a cookbook scrapbook for each of my mom,. brother, sister, myself and for my niece to have when she is older. It is part of our family history these foods. We all have our favorite foods that our loved ones make and unfortunately, when they are no longer with us, we do not have those recipes. What a wonderful way to remember our mothers, grandmothers, sisters and aunts each time we make one of their recipes for supper. It is like having them with us each time we eat together as a family. A funny stroy of sorts I must tell. One day, I had made a large pot of homemade chicken noodle soup. My mother should me how she makes it and took me step by step as we made it together and I was writing down the instructions. It tastes so yummy, just like she makes it. That evening for supper, my niece wanted some for supper with grilled cheese sandwhiches. What a nice mea and easy meal. My niece just devoured the soup and wanted some more. She had said that grandma's soup was delicious. I looked at my sister and we started to chuckle. When I told my niece that grandma did not make the soup but that I did following the directions grandma had showed me, my niece corrected herself by saying that the soup was good but not as good as grandma's chicken noodle soup.  When I chuckled againd and said to her that she just got done saying that "grandma's soup was delicious" , and then when she found out that even though it was her recipe but I made it, it was good but not as good as grandma's, what changed? My niece firmly replied, "grandmad puts MORE LOVE into HER soup and her cooking". Well, I guess I stand corrected.

My mother, sister, niece and I have been going to many yard sales lately. I, like my mother and both of my grandmothers before me, look for kitchenwares and charming classic books like Heidi. This past Saturday we found a yard sale and I purchased this charming pink mixing bowl that reminded me of one that my mother had when I was younger, except her's was a light lemon color and this one is pink. I asked the man how much he was asking for it and when he asked his wife how much, she didn't hear him because she was too busy talking to someone and not paying attention so he made a price of $1. What a bargin for me. I hope that it was alright for his wife that he sold it so cheaply. But it is such a treasure for me. One can find many treasures at yard sales. About 2 Sundays ago, my mother and herfriend from Conneticut went to Kentucky for a quilt function. Around 11 that morning, my sister, niece and I were out and passed this yard sale on our way out to lunch. There stood to my amazed eyes a roll top desk. It is not a big one. It is a smaller one, like for a lady. They only wanted $8. I am looking at it, thinking that surely something must be wrong. I walked over to my sister and asked her to look at it to make sure and nothing was wrong. It is in beautiful condition. I had to make room in my bedroom for it, because my room is so small. My niece told me that she would put it in her room for me. I laughed. Seeing how much my niece liked it, I quietley asked my sister if I could get it and put it in her room for her. My sister said no because she knew that I hade been wanting one for some time now. It seems that even though my niece is 10 now, she tries to be like me in her own way. She likes a lot of what I like and will want what I want. I remember in the move Anne of Avonlea when Anne is teaching at the girls school and she is the house mother for the girls who board for the school. Anne is getting ready for the fundraiser ball that the ladies group is having and a few of the girls who are not old enough to go to the ball are watching Anne get ready. One of the girls says to Anne that she wants to wear hear hair like Anne when she gets older. Anne then replies, "Imitation is the best for of flattery."  This does get me to think of how impressionable children are and how they learn from the things that WE do. Even though I do not have children, I do have a niece and her friends are over our house frequently or I will be helping with something at her school. It is so very important to be a positive role model for children because they may not know now, but maybe one day they will remember how kind an adult was to them.

Frugality

I watch very limited television by my own choice. I am very picky to also what I watch. The little elderly woman that I help for a couple of hours throughout the day loves to watch the news in the evening. I have heard a great deal from the news about how bleak the economy is doing, about all the foreclosures and the price of gasoline and oil going up across the country. I don't need television to tell me that. We have all seen the prices of gasoline when we fill our cars with gas, and I know what our oil is (and we keep the house at a cool 60 degrees all day and night during the winter to conserve) and the price of food, my GOODNESS!! All this has gotten me thinking about how to manage. I wanted to share in a post for some time now on some very simple and practical ideas that I am sure that many of you already know and maybe even use yourself, but nonetheless, maybe there maybe an idea you overlooked.

The first big thing that comes to mind is finances. From experience, I know that credit cards ar bad. At one point in my life, I had 4 charge cards and they were ALL maxed out. I started of with the charge card with the least amount on it and while making the minimum payments on the other cards, I plugged away at that one until it was paid off. THat freed up a little money that I applied to the next card, and so on. Now I am down to my last card. But also, as I paid off each charge card, I cancelled it. For me personally, I would eventually like to have no charge cards and use a cash only was of living. If I need to purchase something off line, my debit card from the bank that I use has a Visa logo on it and it can be swiped as a debit or charge and it automatically comes from my checkings account anyway. The same principal can be applied to car loans and mortgages. Even if we put an extra $5-$10 in with the payment, that little extra goes directily towards the principal.

Gasoline. Are you able to carpool to either work or doing errands. Do you have a neighbor or relative or friend who you could doe this with? If you are going to the local food store, offer to see if they need anything while you are there. If they are going to the drug store, maybe they could pick up that cleaning solution that is on sale for a great deal for you. To combine errands and such save not only on how much gasoline you use, it also saves on wear and tear on your car.

The local grocery store. I had to laugh this week. The local grocery store had beautiful strawnerries on sale this week. A 2 pund container of strawberries is on sale for $2.99.  But you could also get  (2) 1 pound containers of strawberries for $5.00. I had to laugh that didn't they think that people would catch on that it is better to get the 2 pound container because you are saving $2.01 over getting the (2) 1 pound containers. We must watch our sales. Use coupons and rebates. Never overlook warehouse clubs and drug stores and places such as Target or Walmart. I get my pet supplies, cleaning supplies and I use to get laundry supplies at Target because they were cheaper priced for the same brands and same sized packages. Target, Wal Mart and the CVS all accept coupons. They may not double them, but they do accept them. And I found that with even not doubling the coupon, it still works out to be  a better bargain. Does your food store have a clearance rack like mine does? You may find something perfectly fine and even have a coupon for it.

As for warehouse, such as BJ's, Sam's Club and Costco's. If you decide to use these warehouses, maybe a friend, neighbor or relative would also like a membership. Spilt the cost and I know atleast Sam's Club gives a free second pass. Give them the extra pass. Even on your membership, you are allowed to bring a guest or so with you when you go. If there is something in a bulk quantity that you both would like, spil the cost of that item and equally divide the product. Big savings.

Farm markets. I just love these. There is a local farm market just down the road from me. All year, the food store charges 54 cents a pound for bananas. For some reason during the summer, bananas go up to 79cents to 99 cents per pound. Durin the summer months, I go to this farmers market and get bananas for 35 cents a pound! When fruit is in season, buy, buy, buy. It is not only healthy and good for your family but the prices are at there lowest. Better yet. If you have a little extra space in your yard, how about growing some fruits and vegetables. Strawberries, watermellon, lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, squash and zuccini. And if a friend, neighbor or family member has a little extra space in their yard, maybe they could plant some fruits and vegetables and both of you share and exchange. I know that I would be happy to trade some fresh starwberries and zuccini for some lettuce or fresh eggs if you happen to have chikens.

Yard sales. I can never say enough about yard sales. They are great all around. I have found and received many gifts from yard sales. I love to get second hand items. It is not only better for the environment to reuse and recylce, but the items usually come from a time when things were made better and something about the item just has charm and character.  The way children grow these days, it is a crime to pay all that money for store clothing. Yes, many times I have gone to a store and paid full price for clothing. But there is nothing wrong with yard sale clothing, or purchasing clothing from a consignment shop or off a clearance rack at a department store. Maybe you could even have a yard sale yourself. What a great way to declutter your home. Maybe you could organized with  your block to have a block yard sale or maybe if your town is like mine, in the spring and autumn, they have a town wide yard sale. You will get more people to your yard sale if you have more people having a yard sale.  Maybe that is a good idea for me to blog about : tips on how to have a good yard sale.

Another good idea is if you have chickens who give more eggs than you need and I am a good sewer, maybe in exchange for a dozen eggs  for x amount of weeks, I could make you a few new workshirts for your husband. Or how about exchanging services with friends and family members. Maybe your sister will watch the children for a couple of hours so you and your husband can have a date alone and you could do some gardening and weeding for her. Never pass up the possibilities of exchanging your talents with others.

These are just a few touches on how to be frugal without much effort or strain. One could go on for ever with all the endless possiblities. Maybe I will start a new section called "Frugal Fridays" here to give some tips and suggestions. Stay tuned..... And if you have some ideas and tips, please post them here. We are all learning from each other.

Lavendar Olive Oil Soap

To continue on my love of lavendar and all the time I have been spending looking on how to grow and care for lavendar, I came across what seems to be a fairly simple recipe on how to make your own lavendar olive oil soap.

Tools needed:

candy thermometer                        cheese grater

double boiler/crock pot                 molds for soap

rubber spatula                               small plastic needlepoint canvas

wooden spoon                              a quality scale (a digital one if possible)

Ingredients for soap:

16 oz. grated pure olive oil soap ( use castile soap if purchasing)

12 oz. distilled water or rain water

 2 oz. powdered goats milk

 1 oz. cocoa butter, melted

small handfull lavendar pods

lavendar essential oil

1. Place grated soap, water, goats milk and cocoa butter into double boiler or crock pot. Slow cook ingredients until the thermometer reads 150-160 degrees.

2. Mix in the lavendar buds/pods and essential oil (put in as many drops as desired for a scent plus a few extra drops as scent fades a little while drying) begore putting into molds.

3. Molds can be small yogurt containers, old tupperware or whatever you would like. Make sure that it is flexible and easy to pry out soap.

    *Hint: put molds into the freezer to speed up coolings and easy release of soap.*

4. Place solidified soap in a warm, dry space, making sure there is proper ventilation underneath the soap by using the needlepont canvas under the soap.

5. Turn soap daily to help keep its proper shape.

6. After a month, the soap should be ready .

I thought that this would make a great gift idea or for personal use. The ingredients are all natural and the tools we already have on hand or are easy enough to get. Enjoy!

~Blessings and prayers~ 

Scrapbook Cookbook

How my heart strings are constantly tugging and drawing tighter! My heart aches for simplicity and to grow closer to His teachings in being a godly woman. I enjoy cooking and baking with great passion.  It seems that in today's fast paced life-style, many times people do not gather together for a cooked hot meal, a truly homecooked meal, something like our mothers and grandmothers generations befor use have made. I have been wanting to gather favorite family recipes of ours that my brother, sister and I just love from our mother's cooking. When I went through my mother's recipe box, with those index cards that have stains all over them (a sign of loving use with all the times that card was taken out to read from), that many of the food we love were not there. I have asked my mother if she could show me how to make many of the meals that she has made, even to this day. Every weekend, we make something different and as we lovingly make these foods together, I write down the ingredients and how to make them. Slowly, I am gathering a collection of recipes that were not written down.

I have a plan in mind for these recipes. For Christmas, I love making homemade gifts for family and friends. Last year, I made hand-made cross stitched stockings for each family member. Each one was different, according to that persons personality. For instance, I have a stocking with a cat cross stitched on it, for I love cats. My mother's stocking has and ornament on it with a quilt pattern design on it because she quilts. This year, I thought it would be a wonderful idea to give each person/family a copy of collected family recipes. These recipes would be gathered in one book using scrapbooking paper and adornments. I will also tuck between the pages photographs of family members and poems about family. Also, I can add funny and loving stories from our lives to make it more personable. Stories are already coming to mind.  I remember the time I was making my first roasted chicken following my mother's directions. The house smelled so yummy and delicious, our mouths were just waiting for this chicken. I brought out the roasting pan from the oven and took the lod off. I started to cry. I looked down as saw a hole in the chicken. I had no idea what happened. My mother started to laugh uncontrolably. I put the chicken in upside down (breast side down) and through the cooking in the oven, the chicken collapsed. It still tasted mighty delcious and finally, after all these years, I can now laugh.

Maybe you, also, have recipes scattered all over. Or you may not have recipes of mom's delicious apple pie recipe or grandma's stuffed cabbage recipe that everyone raves about. Or maybe you do have the recipes and would like to gather them together in a homemade book to give to family members. This is something I am starting to do. Yes, it will take time to gather the recipes, type them onto scrapbook paper, learn the recipes of those that I do not have. Put that is the joy in this journey. When it is all complete, each time any of us opens the cookbook of family recipes, we will be cooking a meal with our family with us, of those that have gone before us and with those who are miles away.

~Blessings and prayers~

Lessons on Lavendar

How I am thinking spring already!  Here in New Jersey, we have had some unseasonably warm days. I love gardening.  It is a beauty from the Lord that I thoroughly enjoy and find it a great reaxation for me.  I have made the raised flower bed in the back my iris garden.  It has a shepards crook that can hold two hanging baskets and a mosaic iris pattern bird bath. In the other little flower bed in the back are brown eyed susans and on either end are more purple iris'. 

I have always wanted lavendar.  Unfortunately, I do not know much about growing or carring for lavendar.  I found a wonderful site, Cape Cod Lavendar Farm, that offered some wonderful information on the care for not only growing lavendar, but also caring for freshly harvested lavendar. I would love to share what they have written about this.   

Tips for Growing Lavendar:

   1. Plant your lavendar from March until late October. (Fall is the best time to plant).

   2. Once your lavendar has bloomed, you may start to harvest when the first bud starts to open.  This way, you will capture the best color for drying. You may continue to harvest lavendar until the flowers start to pass because they become more fragrant as they mature.

   3. If you have chosen to harvest the lavendar on your plant then you may trim your plant a bit as you harvest to keep it shapely.  If you choose to enjoy your slowers on the plant and not harvest them, then you should rim your plants back in the fall (mid October) by 1/3. Keeping your lavendar cut back prevents too much woodiness and enciurages new growth.

   4. Plant your lavendar in a well drained location with plenty of sun.  You will need to sweeten your soil with lime if it is too acidic.  Lavendar likes a ph of 6-7. Lavendar only needs to be watered until it gets establishe (about 2 weeks).  After that, let Mother Nature take over unless there is a severe drought. 

Tips for Caring for Freshly Harvested Lavendar:

   1. Approximate drying tume is two weeks.

   2. There are many varieties of lavendarand they differ in some way. Longer stems, plumper buds, different shades of color (lavendar, pink and white), their frangrance and flavor will vary as well and they will dry a little differently.

   3. Do not place in water.

   4. Place your fresh lavendar in a container or hang upside down to dry. For better color, make sure your bunch has dry air circulation and is not in direct light (a bedroom clothes closet or linen closet works well and will leave a nice scent on clothing or linen).  Humid air promotes mildew.

   5. Some of the buds will wilt. This is natural. Hanging upside down will help keep stems straight.

   6. Gentle "tickling" of the buds and stems as they are drying will help keep moisture out.

   7. Your fresh lavendar will keep for up to a week in the refrigerator. You may lose some of the small buds, but they can be saved for a sachet.

   8. As the lavendar dries, its flavor and fragrance will increase. To renew scent, just gently pinch buds.

   9. Use fresh sprigs as garnish for desserts, salads, main dishes, or for crafting for sachets or soap making.

For more information about lavendar or for purchasing lavender, go on line and vist Cape Cod Lavendar Farm.

Homemade Laundry Soap

My mother and 10 year old niece tried this recipe yesterday as an experiment.  How my niece loves science experiments to try. She is very much into nature and science.  My mother received this recipe from a quilting friend who is an ecologist and economist, meaning that she makes this that are good for the environment and inexpensively.  What more can one ask for when on a budget.

Ingredients:

                  1 bar soap

                  1 cup washing soda (Arm and Hammer)

                  1/2 cup Borax

                  5 gallon bucket with lid (we used a scoopable cat litter bucket)

                   3 gallons tap water

                   measuring cup

                   knife or grater

1.  Put almost 4 cups of water into a pot and heat until almost boiling.  Scrap or grate soap into very small pieces and put into water.  Do not let water boil.  Stir until soap is dissolved and you have very soapy water.

2.  Put 3 gallons of hot tap water (you can use an empty milk jug if you have one) into the bucket.  Mix in the hot soapy mixture from Step 1.  Stir for awhile until mixed.  Add 1 cup of washing soda.  Stir for a minute or two. Add 1/2 cup of Borax.  Stir for a couple of minutes.  Let sit overnight until cool.

*It may be slimey or a little thin depending upon the soap that you used, but it will work well either way.  1 cup of this will do a load of laundry.  You will not need bleach.  Makes 48 cup.

The Good Smells of Home

Mmmmmmmmmm.......the house smells so yummy.  My mother has be lovingly showing me how to make some of our favorite dishes and soups.  Yesterday, she and I made salisbury steak, potato soup, chili, and stuffed cabbage.  Usually, my mother uses her preassure cooker for cooking the stuffed cabbage.  It is the same preassure cooker that belonged to my grandmother. After about 60 years, it has finally given up after it has made many, many yummy meals for 3 generations.  We now are cooking the stuffed cabbage in the crock pot.  Yes, the crock pot.  We started it yesterday late afternoon and this morning, I put it back in the cros pot to finish.  Ohhhh, how it smells just delicious!  I also have my McIntosh and Peach Yankee candle burning.  Today, the house is rather quiet.  I have so traditional Christian hymns playing and hear the humming of the washer going.  The dishes are drying in the dish drain.  In a few moments, I will work a little on my cross stitching.  I am working on angels now.  Slowly they are coming along.  But, I have a huge project I want to start today that will take some months to work on.  I love making gifts, wspecially for Christmas.  Last year, I made everyone in my family a new Christmas stocking done in cross-stitch and filled them with little goodies inside.  It was such a thrill to see everyones faces that now, my family has requested that for their gifts this year, they would love their stockings re-filled.  I do not know which I enjoyed more, making each person a stocking that is personal to them or finding little trinkets throughout the year to fill them with.  That is one mission this year for me.  But, the gift that I am going to make for each family member is a cookbook full of family favorite recipes.  There is a company, Morris Press Cookbooks, that will piblish your recipes for you.  The prices seem reasonable.  I would not need many and there are so many options to work with.  I am working on gathering recipes from my mother's recipe box and having her show me how to make things that there are not a recipe card for.  I have to copy her recipe cards when no one is home because I do not want to spoil this surprise.  It was ironic because last weekend, my family gathered together over my brother and sister in laws home for my brothers birthday for a belated birthday meal.  My brother and sister in law enjoy entertaining and my brother asked my mother for her chicken noodle soup recipe and my sister in law has occasionally askend my mother to teach her how to cook.  I had to chuckle to myself because of the project that I am working on for Christmas. 

I pray that all who visit will have a blessed day.

A Lesson for Religion using Sand Dollars

My sister has a degree in Early Childhood Education. She came across this short poem that she is going to use for my niece to bring in for both 5th grade classes at the Catholic school she attends for Easter along with a sand dollar. It can be used for Easter time, Christmas time or anytime you are wanting to teach on Jesus for children of all ages.

The poem goes as follows:

There's a pretty legend

     That I would like to tell

Of the birth and death of Jesus

     Found in this lowly shell.

     If you examine closely,

You'll see that you find here

     Four nail holes and a fifth one

Made by a Roman's spear.

On one side; the Easter lily.

     Its center is the star

That appeared unto the sheperds

     And led them from afar.

The Christmas poinsettia

     Etched on the other side

Reminds us of His birthday,

     Our happy Christmastide.

Now break the center open,

     And here you will release

The five doves awaiting

     To spread good will and peace.

This simple little symbol

     Christ left for you and me

To help us spread His gospel

     Through all eternity.

                           ~Author Unknown.

My sister found this Sand Dollar poem from Zonderkidz.  Their website is www.zonderkidz.com  It was just something so very simple and yet it was touching to my heart.

~Blessings and prayers.

A New Year, A New Beginning

As one year draws to an end and a new year is just about to dawn, many of us, myself included, will make all sorts of resolutions. Mine have typically included the standard to lose weight, to be nicer, and the such. This year after some prayer and thought, I have come to use NEW resolutions coming from Galatians 5:22-23. It goes as follows:

     The Fruit of the Spirit

     Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-Control

What are New Year Resolutions and why do we make them. For me, New Year Resolutions are something I try to do in order to better myself in some way. But why I only try to do this starting January 1st each year, I do not know. I could very well as easily try to grow and change at any time during the year and usually I set unrealistic goals or expectations on myself or after a few days, I give up.

If on reads this passage from Galatians 5:22-23, The Fruits of the Holy Spirit are the idal things that any Christian desires and should mold their very being after. After all, Jesus, Himself had all these qualities. Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control.

May I Love all people and all creatures for we are created in His image. May I have Joy in my heart that will sing of His Glory and Goodness. May there be Peace of my heart and soul so that I may be a living witness to others. May I be Kind to all, especially where there is hatred. May there be Goodness in my life so that Christ may manifest Himself through me to others. May I be found Faithful to Christ, first and foremost, and then to every area of my life. May I have Gentleness of spirit and of soul. May I have Self-Control in order that I may decrease and He may increase in my life. In everything that I am and everything that I do, I want Christ to be the center of my being. I want Him to be my heart so that others may see His works and His fruits in my life.

As you sit and reflect on your resolutions for the New Year, consider how you can change yourself to include the Fruits of the Spirit into your life. 

With His blessings and love.