Waiting

I wait for the LORD,

my whole being waits,

and in his word I put my hope.

Psalm 130:5

Source

Top Posts in 2011

Hello!

Last year I enjoyed some of the top posts of the year parties and thought it was so fun to see all the projects!  Everyone listed their favorite or most viewed posts with links attached.  So this year, I'm joining in too.  Here are some of my posts from 2011.  Since the top 10 viewed posts are listed in my sidebar, I thought it would be fun to list the posts below in order of the most comments received :)

Thanksgiving subway sign.  This was my #1 viewed AND commented post of 2011… Wows!  Guess I’m not the only one who loves Thanksgiving!

Love Never Fails Valentine’s Box.  A simple old oak sewing drawer filled with handmade hearts, flowers and doves, along with some vintage Valentine lovelies.

Scarecrow Crunch – a jumble of crackers, cereal, pretzels and Reese’s Pieces, along with both candy and caramel corn. . . need I say more?

Pumpkin Spice Coffee Creamer was a big hit this year… a fun fall treat that you can enjoy more affordably (and more often) when you make it at home.

Embroidered John 3:16 Valentine.  The favorite verse is arranged to spell the word “Valentine” and embroidered on a pillow.  But, it’s not limited to embroidery.  This verse is so sweet to use in many different mediums and Valentine’s Day projects!

Americana Flag Placemats.  These grand old flags got a lot of views and comments, as did the patriotic star table runner in the background. . .

Clay pot wreath.  Not only did it get a lot of views and comments, this is the one I still get the most email questions from.  Start collecting your clay pots now to make a wreath this spring :)

Ranch Corn Salad.  A quick and easy comfort food that’s an especially yummy compliment to summer grilling menus.

Luke 1:49 Christmas Collage Art… My first attempt at collage art and a follow up to the Thanksgiving subway sign, it was a fun learning experience!

And {finally} my solution to the candy corn cookie dilemma :)

It's hard to believe how fast the year has gone by!  Many thanks to all of you who visited, commented and followed this year.  You all are a huge bright spot in my day!

xoxo

Shelley

Creamy Crockpot Hot Cocoa

Tried this recipe for hot cocoa I found on Pinterest, but it was a little TOO creamy for us.  Also, it doesn’t make very much.  Or maybe our mugs are bigger than the ones used for the recipe.  Any who.  I changed it just a bit and it solved both problems nicely!
Here’s how I made our slightly less creamy hot cocoa :)
CREAMY CROCKPOT HOT COCOA
1 cup heavy cream
1 can of sweetened condensed milk (14oz)
2 cups milk chocolate chips
8 cups of milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Stir all the ingredients together in your crockpot.  Cover, & cook on low for 2 hours.  Whisk occasionally. 
I used my immersion (stick) blender before serving to froth the cocoa a bit.  It makes it lighter, but is definitely optional.
When it’s smooth and heated, ladle the hot cocoa into mugs....

and garnish with marshmallows or whipped cream.  Or just plain is fine, too!

Now relax with your family and enjoy your cocoa :)

Are you a “take it downer” or “keep it upper?”

Via

I am definitely a keep it upper!  I love the bright and happy décor of Christmas and enjoy it even more after all the stress rush of Christmas is over.

Once New Year’s Eve has come and gone and Christmas is all packed away, my winter wonderland theme will take its place… it helps make cold, drab and windy January a little more bearable!

Source: etsy.com via Prairie on Pinterest

But whatever your packing style, as we put it all away, may we keep the wonder, love and joy of Christmas in our hearts…and may His light fill our ordinary days.

Happy Birthday!!

 

 

 

I hope you are enjoying a wonderful day with your family and friends, celebrating the most wonderful birthday!

May you know the beauty of salvation this blessed Christmas day and may you experience with fullness the sweet gift of Jesus.  May your soul feel it’s great worth because of his appearing so many years ago.

Merry Christmas!

Linus knows what Christmas is all about…

 

joyful, patient, faithful

 

 

 

 

 

 

Source: etsy.com via Prairie on Pinterest

“Be joyful in hope,

patient in affliction,

faithful in prayer.”

Romans 12:12

the Mighty One Christmas wall art

So.  I wanted to make a collage art piece, using this verse: 

Only here’s the thing.  I had a general idea of how I wanted it to end up, but not a clue how to get from idea to finished painting…

Started with a board and used gel medium to glue old phone book pages all over the top and sides of the board:

After it dried, painted it with gesso and added some shading around the edges with brown:

 

When I got to the actual painting part, I realized, hey, I have NO idea how best to go about this.

And thus ensued a massive amount of trial and error. 

At which point I decided it would be best to leave the art tutorials to the um, actual artsy type peoples of the world.

So just picture lots of:  a) painting and b) repainting… mmkay?

Anyway.  This is how it ended up:

It was fun trying something new and I will give it another shot sometime :)

Merry Christmas!

The Nativity Story {digital style}

Reflecting today on the perfect gift that God has freely given us… the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ.

my strength

Source: etsy.com via Prairie on Pinterest

Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks,

and send some to those who have nothing prepared.

This day is sacred to our Lord.

Do not grieve,

for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”

Nehemiah 8:10

Toy Memories Christmas Tree

I started this tree when my oldest 2 (who are now in the 20’s) were toddlers! A coworker had one and I thought it was such a great idea.  Even with just 2 kids under 3, we were amassing a huge amount of dolls and stuffed animals.  We had weeded out a few that they weren’t fond of, but most of them were much loved and they didn’t want to part with them.

The problem was solved with the stuffed animal tree…

Their beloved friends were saved from the goodwill box.  My kids still are filled with wonderment every year,  seeing their long-loved animal friends again!  So cute! 

And the rest of the year, the animals are neatly stored in Rubbermaid boxes…

Smaller animals and dolls go at the top, gradually getting larger toward the bottom,  Save the biggest to go around the trunk.  Double knot the yarn around the neck and keep stacking those animals onto the tree. 

If you use lights on your animal tree, make sure they are LED lights, as they will be resting against the stuffed animals in some places.    

My coworker had an elaborate wood and chicken wire, cone-shaped structure that her husband made.  It’s really heavy and nice, but it doesn’t collapse and we don’t have room to store one!  Our animals are simply tied onto a cheapo 5 foot artificial tree.

 

 

The teddy bear toy soldiers presiding over the top of the tree are the oldest toys in our collection and my favorite…

My Grammy tied them on our Christmas packages many years ago and they’ve been a part of Christmas ever since!

When you are ready to pack it away, just clip the yarn and repack the toys in their boxes. Simple!

 

 

So.  If you have room to store them, consider saving those cherished animals and dolls for a toy memory tree…

Merry Christmas!