A Winter's Day Needlebook Project

During these cold, cold days of winter, it is nice to have a little project that doesn't require us to get out of our nice warm perch! (where ever that may be!)




Perhaps you would like to make a needle book to store an assortment of your needles. Especially if you travel, it is nice to be prepared with plenty of handwork projects, but they often require different needles.

All needlewomen need to keep their needles organized! I picked the little book up at Hancocks Fabrics a few years ago and thought it would make a great base for the "book".



When you open it up to the inside of the front cover, this is where you find all those big darning needles! It was fun looking up all the information about needle organization and sizing.












Here is the center fold of the book. I cut a piece of paper just a little smaller that the cover to be the "pages". You could easily add more pages.



This is my favorite section because I love to embroider!

The blue fabric you see is pieces of velveteen. It is not clean finished. I may have put a bit of fray-check on the edges. The velveteen hold the needles tightly so they never fall out.

This would make a great gift for someone who does any hand sewing.

Hymn For The Lord's Day: Satisfied

My oldest son is sometimes priveledged to lead the singing for our little congregation at Cold Springs Chapel. Last Sunday evening he chose this hymn for us to sing. What a blessing the lines of this piece is, as it so accurately describes the emptiness of the heart of those who do not know our Lord. Like the prodigal son, who tried to satisfy his empty stomach with the swine's husks, we can instead enjoy the banquetting table of the Father.

SATISFIED

by Clara T. Williams

All my life long I had panted
for a draught from some clear spring,
that I hoped would quench the burning
of the thirst I felt within.

Hallelujah! I have found him
Whom my soul so long has craved!
Jesus satisfies my longings,
thro' his blood I now am saved.

Feeding on the husks around me,
till my strength was almost gone,
longed my soul for something better,
only still to hunger on.

Hallelujah! I have found him
Whom my soul so long has craved!
Jesus satisfies my longings,
thro' his blood I now am saved.














Poor I was, and sought for riches,
something that would satisfy,
but the dust I gathered round me
only mocked my soul's sad cry.

Hallelujah! I have found him
Whom my soul so long has craved!
Jesus satisfies my longings,
thro his blood I now am saved.

Well of water, ever springing,
bread of life so rich and free,
untold wealth that never faileth,
my redeemer is to me.

Hallelujah! I have found him
Whom my soul so long has craved!
Jesus satisfies my longings,
thro' his blood I now am saved.

Inspiration From an Old Book Case

Some years ago, my husband ran across this old bookcase. It has an unusual system to adjust the shelves. You notice, the notches and the shelf supports that you move up and down in the notches. Rather clever!

My oldest son, Trevor, who is 21, along with my husband and other sons, Tristan and Collin, have working on an addition to our home. The new addition includes a sewing room, laundry room, entry way, and pantry.

When we began considering the shelving system we would like to use in the addition, we just couldn't find what we were after. We LOVE old houses; we love the old custom wood work that is in them. So we started thinking about our old book case.

Why not do a custom wood adjustable shelving system in the new pantry like that? HMMM!

So here is the pantry finished, yet in the raw.
Trevor just finished it this afternoon, and he is quite pleased with it. It is his brain child!


















He added a lovely arch at the top of each of the two shelves.









Here's a close-up of the adjustable shelf supports. They fit like a dream!

The whole pantry will be painted in white woodwork, with yellow walls. I can't wait to show it to you when it is finished!






This is the carpenter's apprentice. He's pretty cute, but he will soon require his own set of tools! (Many of the Carpenter's tools go missing!)

So Much More

When I was a very young woman in my teens, I began collecting pictures from magazines and other sources of women wearing pretty, feminine clothing. Many of them were from the Victorian era. At that time, in the early 1970's long dresses were "in style" and many advertisements featured young ladies in flowing dresses. I cut pictures out and assembled them in my own version of a home-made scrapbook. I loved looking at my book, as it seemed to be a sort of reference for me that reminded me that femininity exists ~ if only in my own heart.

At that time, the ERA amendment was a hot topic. Feminism had arrived. I had no idea what it was all about, I just thought it only sounded right that women get paid fairly. Since that time, our culture has undergone devastating change, and most of us never realized what was happening.
I kept my scrapbook and my ideals. But I did change, I'm sorry to say, along with the culture. But deep in my heart, I still loved all that "feminine stuff".

Dear reader, perhaps you also are drawn to femininity, but just don't know what you are supposed to do with "it". How does it fit into our modern lifestyle? What does God think of it? After all, His thoughts are what really count!

I have recently finished reading a book that just might interest you. It answers so many questions pertaining to young women in particular, but can help all of us as ladies, to understand how we are so off track.

This book is titled "So Much More" by Anna Sofia and Elizabeth Botkin. They were at the time of writing 17 and 15, but don't be put off by their age. These young women are wise and noble beyond their years! They have had a life that has put them in company of dignitaries and great people, and have learned the great art of self-possession.

I would like to quote from two passages in the first chapter.

"God doesn't call us to "find our place in the world" but to wage war with a worldly culture that has declared war on God's design. That is why our father has inspired us to be as different as we need to be in order to be obedient to God's design."

"Maybe a warning is needed. Don't read this book at all (I would rephrase:"You won't like this book. ...") if you have a bad attitude toward your father and if you are trying to keep your distance from him. Many girls enjoy having "space" away from their fathers. That space is dangerous."

The book is written to daughters. It is direct, but very kind and gracious. It gives background information on feminism that reveals the "real" issue, which isn't feminism at all. Very thought provoking.

The ladies show us very compelling evidence from scripture that we Christians are not living up to His standard for women. I hate to say this, but many of us are Christian feminists!

This is truly an eye-opener, but more than anything, the reader is left with great hope. We simply need a new "vision". We need to see that there are better choices for Christians women than the choices our Godless culture says are right.

If you would like to get a copy of "So Much More", you may get one at http://www.visionforum.com/search/productdetail.aspx?search=So+Much+More&productid=57882

I strongly recommend you request a catalog from Vision Forum http://www.visionforum.com/about/catalogrequest

Even if you don't read the book, I hope you will begin your own "scrapbook"!

This and That

The past few weeks have been full. Here are some highlights.

This is Sayre's ginger bread church. It is "Cold Springs Chapel". He made it with his friends, Luke and Samuel, who also each made one .

The Christmas season would not have been complete without a visit to Liset's. Here she is with one of her precious daughters. Would you believe this Lady is a grandmother?



The Franco's made a lovely gingerbread home.



We were priviledged to have my dear Mother-in-law with us for a week. It made Christmas even more of a family event!



We also had our friend Chelsey with us for several days. She brought her several rabbits and three goats, two of which she bottle feeds. They were really cute!

Times of Testings

We read in James "count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations". Temptations: trials, testings. What are these temptations? Are they real obvious when they happen? Will I recognize the temptation when it happens? Will I have time to think through my choices when the temptation comes?

I've been realizing that these temptations are not solicitations to do wrong. In verse 13 we read "Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man." Instead, they are actually tests. Trial runs, if you will.

They are opportunities for US to see the real condition of our heart. They are things that happen which ellicit a response from us, and they are almost always unexpected. They often involve an emotional response from us.

I remember the illustration that Jim Berg uses ~ the tea bag illustration. When you pour hot water over your tea bag, what's inside comes out! When the boiling water of a trial is poured upon us, our response is determined by the contents of our own heart! If our heart is lacking virtue, or the fruit of the Spirit, well ~ we can be rather ugly. But if the fruit of the Spirit is developing nicely through the grace God gives us, we need not worry about biting our tongue, or making and effort to be kind when the test comes.

Often, the Spirit is working in us, showing us our sin and need to become more like Christ. If we are in Christ, he will keep us informed about sin. But sometimes we get discouraged, thinking we will never "get over" this particular problem! Oh how deep are the roots of these sinful bad habits! But these trials are opportunities to practice making right choices; "knowing this that the trial of our faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing."

So what trials will you and I face today? Unexpected interuptions? Spilled milk under the refrigerator? Rebellion of a child? Sickness? Let's remember to "count it all joy when . . ."

A Hymn for The Lord's Day

This time of year, many people may wonder about the significance of Chritmas. Why would a culture go to such extremes to celebrate the coming of a round elderly gentleman in a red suit? I would ask, "Why would we?".
I would like you to know the real significance of Christmas. The meaning is in the very name: Christ mass. The celebration is Christ.
But why is He important? Because He is God. He came from Heaven to make the one sacrifice for our sins that would be enough to pay the penalty for our sins. Unless that sacrifice was made, we would spend eternity in Hell after our life here on earth is over.
Maybe you don't believe in spiritual things. Maybe you believe there is no life after death. Many have been in the same state of unbelief. But the subject warrents very serious thought. Many have spent their lives searching for the meaning of life.

The hymn for today is not a Christmas hymn, but it has been on my heart. It is from my heart to you.

No One Ever Cared for Me Like Jesus

Charles F. Weigle 1871-1966


I would love to tell you what I think of Jesus
Since I found in Him a Friend so strong and true;
I would tell you how He changed my life completely-
He did something that no other friend could do.

No on ever cared for me like Jesus,
There's no other friend so kind as He;
No one else could take the sin and darkness from me-
O how much He cared for me.

All my life was full of sin when Jesus found me,
All my heart was full of misery and woe;

Jesus placed His strong and loving arms around me,
And He led me in the way I ought to go.

No one ever cared for me like Jesus,
There's no ther friend so kind as He;
No one else could take the sin and darkness from me-
O how much He cared for me.

Ev'ry day He comes to me with new assurance,
More and more I understand His words of love;
But I'll never know just why He came to save me,
Till some day I see His blessed face above.

No one ever cared for me like Jesus,
There's no other friend so kind as He;

No one else could take the sin and darkness from me-
O how much He cared for me.


You can become a follower of Christ and recieve pardon for your sins.
"But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness." (Romans 4:5)