The Weekend of Crafts

So...I can't post pictures just yet, but this weekend I was able to spend some time craftifying! I made my own vinyl, removable wall art. I made planters from baby formula containers...aMAZing! And a chalkboard message board out of an old picture frame.
I'll show pictures soon!

Wallpapered Bookshelves

I love this idea! I've been thinking about doing it for awhile, but I haven't been sure which bookshelves or what colors. But Centsational Girl had a great inspirational post Friday that has gotten me thinking. And I'm pretty sure this will be my next project. (After my try at DIY wall decals of course! :)

The Excellencies of Light

Photo originally uploaded by klaus72 on 09/20/09 - Flickr

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

- 1 Peter 2:9-10

 Have you ever known someone that just radiates light? That proclaims the truth, walks in freedom and lives in confidence because of the mercy and grace they have received?
1 Peter 2:10-11 is one of my favorite passages in Scripture. It refreshes my soul.
This past week has been rough. Physically. Emotionally. Rough. Nothing extraordinarily bad happened, and actually a lot of great things happened. But I found myself coming home last night stretched to my limit. Craving time for rest, artistic expression, family connection and a pervasive sense of serenity.
I don't know how this expresses itself, but my husband seems to intuitively know what questions to ask and how to communicate with me. I feel loved!
This warmth starts to creep over me and then...ooo! "Did I even ask him about his day?" I realize that while these craving needs are there in my stretched to the limit being, I often become myopically self-centered. Maybe it's because I don't feel like I have the energy to look any further, but regardless of the reason. It's still wrong.
Evan is a person that radiates light. He's not the most naturally vivacious person you'll ever meet, but when my little world starts to get dim, I come home and he's there. With a loving look and often a run to the store for my favorite snack. There is no one else that I would ever choose to light up my day with his love. And there is no one else that I would want to raise our son and demonstrate how to walk in the Lord's love and His ways. "This is my lover, this is my friend."
So I ask you again...Have you ever known someone that just radiates light? That proclaims the truth, walks in freedom and lives in confidence because of the mercy and grace they have received?
Tell them that you love them, express how grateful you are that they are in your lives. And who knows, maybe through God's power and grace, you can be that person for them too.

Anyway...

The Paradoxical Commandments
by Dr. Kent M. Keith

People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered.
Love them anyway.

If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Do good anyway.

If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.

The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.

Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.

The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds.
Think big anyway.

People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.
Fight for a few underdogs anyway.

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.

People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.
Help people anyway.

Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth.
Give the world the best you have anyway.

Pump Up the Jam!

Okay...So I like Jock Jams...Don't judge me! ALSO...I made jam for the first time! We've got this plethora of ripe raspberries at Victory Acres, so I went and picked a few the other night and grabbed my pectin (I think that's a funny word), to give it a go.

The great thing is! It's sugar-free. Instead of sugar, I used 1/2 cup of honey and a heaping tablespoon of organic stevia leaf powder. It only took about 20 minutes...if that. And it is great! Here's how to do it...

Raspberry Freezer Jam

Ingredients:

3 cups crushed raspberries (crush one layer at a time with a potato masher)

3/4 cup Apple or White Grape Apple or Cran-Raspberry Juice

1 pack Ball No Sugar Need Fruit Pectin

1/2 cup honey

1 Tbsp. Stevia Leaf Powder (if you have "Truvia" you could use about 4-5 packets for the same effect. if you don't have either, just use 3/4 cup honey instead of 1/2)

• In a saucepan, combine pectin and juice and stir until the pectin is dissolved. 
• Bring to a rolling boil and stir continuously for 1 minute
• Remove from heat and IMMEDIATELY add smashed fruit
• Stir energetically for one minute
• Stir in honey and stevia
• Put into jars and refrigerate for 24 hours

THEN EAT IT! :) You can store this in the freezer for up to a year and in the fridge for 3 weeks. It makes about 8 oz.

My Nutriously-Minded Son

I'm sitting here eating a casual dinner at our kitchen table. Elliot is on dinner #2, because he wasn't really very interested in dinner #1. They consist of the same things- milk, grapes, green beans, whole wheat crackers, and some raspberry yogurt. The only thing he wanted to eat during dinner #1 was the yogurt and a cracker. Then it was off to play and read and dance. Now we're back, his chair is turned so we're facing each other. The kitchen table has various non-food related household items on it. You know, books, a purse, mail, and a bright pink water-squirting fish. Oh yes, and one food related item, just within Elliot's grasp. A bag of chips.
He's finishing up dinner #2 - the crackers are gone, the grapes are gone, he's working on the milk, and he's eaten one...yes one, green bean. He sees the chips (which we do not let him eat), looks at me, looks at the chips, reaches for the chips, looks at me, picks up the chips, dumps them out on the table, looks at me, stops...sighs...picks up a green bean, looks at me, smiles, takes the green bean off his high chair tray, puts it on the table, and trades it for a chip. I'm guessing in his mind he figures this is a fair trade. Because he does the same thing four more times. And I just sit here and stare at him.....He thinks I'm hilarious.

Haha...Happy Fall!

So...today is the first day of fall (I hear it officially starts in about ten minutes). So here's funny story and a fall recipe.
Today I drove over to my classroom because I had left it a mess yesterday afternoon and knew that some more people were teaching in it today. I had left posters on the wall, bandanna's on the counter and chairs scattered about. As I got out of the car, I thought, "What is the world is that smell?" Oh well, I was on a mission, so I cut across some "grass" to get to Center Hall. "SPLUCK!" Yes, that's the sound that I heard, as I pulled my foot out  my shoe mid-stride, the shoe remained stuck in the mud and my foot was covered up to the ankle in gobs of mud. And guess what the smell was...yep! The mud! Gross, huh? So I walk to the classroom holding my white pants high above my muddy ankles, drop my shoes at the door and go in (where people are already starting to gather for class), grab one of my bandanna's and wipe my feet off. Then I come back to my office to make sure I don't have any meetings...barefoot. Grab a co-worker's tennis shoes and head off to Meijer. Meijer's cheapest pair of shoes were $20...ridiculous! So I went to Walmart. I scored a $7 pair of shiny bronze shoes and came back for a productive work day.
Happy fall! Go grab yourself a pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks and try some Autumn Tea Butter on some scones or biscuits.

Autumn Tea Butter
Blend 1 stick softened butter with 2 tablespoons store-bought apple butter, 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and a dash of nutmeg.

Enjoy!