Frugal Friday!

My sweet daughter has been water coloring more paintings than I could possibly keep! I thought I'd cut them into stationary cards. I might gift them to eager grandparents or I might use them myself. I thought it was a great choice for Frugal Friday! Nothing is wasted and everything is cherished!

I happen to have a bunch of assorted envelopes, that I got for 10 cents at a garage sale last summer. If you don't have extra envelopes you can make your own. Click this link to see a good video tutorial.

Some of the paintings are a bit wrinkly from mass amounts of water....so you might need to lay a heavy book on them for a bit to flatten them.

Checking In for January...

I Samuel and II Samuel-
-I love Hannah's prayer in chapter 2. I was interested to learn it has been called the Magnificat of the OT--compared to Mary's prayer song in Luke 1:46-55. I think it is also similar to David's prayer at the end of II Samuel. Both talk about being delivered from disgrace to a position of honor and strength.
-Have you ever noticed...that Saul tried to skewer David, not once, but twice! I Sam. 18 & 19 hold and account.
-Anybody else feel bad for Uzzah in II Samuel 6? It seems like a harsh punishment...especially in connection with some of the rotten stuff David did...but the point is that he shouldn't have had the ark on a cart in the first place. God doesn't like irreverence.
-I LOVE the accounts of the mighty men, which is strange to me...since I can't stand watching gory war movies with my hubby! I had never noticed II Samuel 23:39 mentioning Uriah the Hittite among the thirty!

Proverbs-
I have read it through in its entirety...and will do so every month. I like the habitual...it's easy with 31! Check out the sidebar for some of my favorites.

Philippians-
In case you're wondering...check out Memory Monday. That's one of my favorite parts!

Daniel-
-I was very interested in the insult of changing their names in chapter one. The first meanings are Daniel-God is my Judge...Hananiah-the Lord shows grace...Mishael-who is what God is...Azariah-the Lord helps. They were changed to Belteshazzar-long live Babylon...Shadrach-command of Aku the moon-god...Meshach-who is what Aku is...Abednego-servant of Nebo (god).

Tube Tuesday!

Latin
Pie Jesu
Qui tollis peccata mundi
Dona eis requiem
Agnus Dei
Dona eis requiem sempiternam

English
Merciful Jesus
Who takes away the sins of the world
Grant them rest
Lamb of God
Grant them everlasting rest

Source: Jos van Geffen

When I was in my teens we had a video collection of Webber songs, mostly featuring Sarah Brightman. This one is hauntingly beautiful. I couldn't remember all the words in English, so I looked it up for you. I also discovered that he wrote this around the time of his father's death...so it did not coincide with any war like the video might make you think. The voicing of this is what makes it so gorgeous...with the soprano, boy soprano and choir behind!

Memory Monday...Phil. 3:7-15...

But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you;

Next week I'm doing something....much, much shorter!

Frugal Friday!

I've finally filled a journal! HA HA HA! I love journals and usually start them but don't fill them completely. I have a short attention span, what can I say! This Vera Bradley journal has been my prayer journal...and I'm happy to say it is full of prayers! So...I needed a new one...

Being Little Miss Cheap, I googled DIY fabric journals and came across this tute. I followed it...mostly. I didn't have spray adhesive...but could see that it would work better, probably!

So, I gathered my stuffs....and

Anyhoodle, I'm very happy with the results. Now I have a "new" fabric journal made out of stuffs I already had. Just like Joanne said, "Nothing is wasted."

I must be texturally conscious or something cuz it is important to me how something feels as I hold it in my hands. I feel this way about fabric journal and very old books with yellowed pages. Simple goodness!

A Mother's Prayer...

A few years back, my Mom decided to go to quilting "full time" and not keep her cross stitching stuffs. Therefore, I happily inherited all her DMC colors, patterns, aida, and the like! I even got half finished projects--wah hoo! Truly, it was one of those wonderful gifts! So, recently I decided to hunt through my "new stuffs" for a new project...after all it's wintertime! I came across this slip of notebook paper with this poem written on it. My Mom must have come across it at some point and put it in as something good. I graphed it out and put it on my devo. table...the best place for me to see it as a reminder. It fits my life so perfectly right now!

An observation about my blogging self...

...when I am going through stressful times I post more poems and songs. This makes perfect sense because they comfort me, soothe me, and help me express myself. Sometimes my own words fail to fit that spot. When you see lots of songs and poems...you are pretty safe to assume I could use some extra prayers. Thanks!

Tube Tuesday!