2011

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...."

Could anybody else sum up their year this way?

For the past two days my google reader has been choked with post, everyone summing up their year. Giving statistics, their 30 favorite things, and the best of anything and everything of 2011.

My year? It was rough. Harder than probably anything I've ever faced. But it was also good. Because I have a big God. A God who can heal and help and hold when your entire world crumbles.

My stats? Let's see. There are to date 17 of ya'll who have been brave enough to push that follow button. :) Thank you.  There has been quite a number of you who are still lurking in the shadows.Thank you for sticking around, reading, and commenting.

Wanna hear a story?

We went hiking today. On a dirt trail. A trail that had been recently rained upon and was, literally, a mud path. The steepness of the path, made our slogging difficult. Most of the time we were forced to stay off the path. Sticking to the slippery but safer, leaf covered, forest floor. It was scary, and an adventure but we all loved it.

Anyhow, I slid and slipped along about half way before I discovered a thick, straight branch obsructing my path.  I grabbed it eagerly, well actually more like the drowning man and the straw. And, with the help of my trusty stick, I made it down as far as my family dared to journey. All the way I leaned on my stick. Stuck  hard into the mud, it held me steady, saving me from several slides. Without it, I would have been muddy, and perhaps hurt.

 I had to lean on that stick. I couldn't make it across that trail by myself and still keep my footing. I had to lean, to allow myself to trust in a rugged tree branch.

There is another fad going around this year. It consists of choosing one word, just one, to live by in the new year. As we reached the top of that hill I knew what my word was.

Lean

Just Lean.

I could struggle, slip and crawl through this next year. Trying to do it alone, and getting nothing but dirt and bruises to show for it. Or I could lean. Allow God to hold me. And   trust Him, He won't let me fall.

The path will still be hard. But I have a strong God to cling to. I don't have to go it alone in 2012. All I have to do is Lean.

A very happy New Year to you all. May you each have a year of growth in your knowledge of our great and glorious God.

Amanda

Fine Print: Image are not mine. And yes, I would love it if you pushed that follow button. : )

Christmas

It's all so big and beautiful.

Christmas - the festival of Christ. God becoming Man. The Creator born. But not born to live, but to die.

I've been trying to somehow wrap my mind around it all. To try and put myself back in Israel, with the shepherds, as they walk trembling to the manger. Or with the wise men, as they with their entourage enter Israel in search of the highest king. A king even they, the king makers, would bow to.

But I can't, it's too big.

It's a bigness that calls for a response from us. A soul who truly sees, must bend in awe.

Because when you glimpse this awesome sacrifice, this amazing love. All you can do is whisper, "Hallelujah".

May God be praised.

In hopes that you Christmas is/was filled with a glimpse of the greatness of our God.

Merry Christmas,
Amanda

Self in the Focus

I got cranky today. Cranky because someone wasn't listening to me. She was self absorbed, self focused. 

And I was mad. 

Because she wasn't paying any attention to me. 

Couldn't she just see how self- interested she's being, I thought. Couldn't she quit being all about herself and think about me. 

She was self focused. And I wanted her to focus on me. 

I wanted what I wanted. I thought I needed attention. I wanted a listening ear. I craved for someone to notice my awesomeness for just a little while. 

Do you see the problem? 

We are trained by our sin nature, by the culture around us, by everything logical to the human mind, that we are number 1. That we deserve a long list of things. That we are the greatest, the best, the epitome of humanity. 

But we aren't. We're self deceived little humans, deserving nothing. Called as children of God to abase ourselves and love others. 

Self focus is natural, but it's a remnant of our sin nature that needs to be thrashed and tossed away. Who's with me? 

Christmas Decorating

Sparkling lights.

Retro gold trees. 

A Christmas Carol.

Vintage Tablecloths.

Baskets.

Blankets.

Torn Book Page creations. 

Vintage bottle brush glitter tree, rescued from the dirty floor of a warehouse. 

I've been decorating for Christmas. 

These little book page trees are so fun and easy to make. Want to make your own?

Take an old book. Preferably something that's not worth reading (don't cut up a dear friend). :)

 Draw your basic Christmas tree on top of a stack of 11 (exactly 11) pages. Just like this. As you can see it's just a basic drawing not a work of art. : ) Also you can do any size you want.

Cut out your pattern. A good pair of scissors will easily go through 11 pages of old book paper.

Staple two or three times right down the center of the tree. (If you look real close you can see it in the picture.)

Once you have it all cut out. Gently fold each page up on one side. Until you have folded five up. Like this.  Holding to the folded side, fold the other half the other direction. Leaving only the very last middle page unfolded. 

Spread the pages out until you have a nice tree.

Display!












I wanted to add something a little extra to my big tree. So I strung some red beads on green embroidery floss, and wrapped it around.  Cute huh!

Let me know if you decide to try it out! 

Christmas Crochet

With Christmas approaching many crafters are looking for ideas for gifts. I know that I spend all year stockpiling tutorials and inspiration, so that I can make as many of my gifts as possible by hand. December is a month of incredible excitement for me as I sew, and glue, and cut, and cook, and crochet little gifts to give my family and friends.

That's why I've been really enjoying this series of posts, as it's given me some great ideas. Today I'm going to join in the linky fun with a couple knit/crochet tutorials that I've found on the internet. (To my family, you may safely read on, none of these will appear this year, If I only had enough time....)

Okay, here we go.
I really want to make one of these. Unfortunately the pattern is in Japanese. : ( I think I'm going to try it making the pattern as I go. We'll see.

This would make an excellent gift. It's so unique and could be color customized for whoever you are giving it to.

From Ravelry.com










Here is something fun and fast. Using the same basic idea of a granny square or a simple circle. You can make lovely little coasters. These are quick to whip up. Here is the link to the tutorial. 










Last but not least.  This would be something you could give to a crafter. I know I for one would love a "sky scarf" kit. All you would need to do is buy the different colors. (Bonus idea: every knitter/ crocheter likes to have new yarn. Make their day and get them a couple of really great luxury skeins of yarn. )

Here is the basic idea. Every day for an entire year you (or your knitting friend) would knit one row onto the scarf, using whatever color best matched the color of the sky that day. By the end of the year the entire scarf would be 365 rows long and document the daily changes in weather.

Not only would this be a fun and unusual sort of journaling. But it would also go pretty fast. Generally it only takes 2 minutes or less to knit one row.

So there you have it, a few fun ideas you might be able to use this Christmas. I'll be linking up with One Stitch at a Time. Looking for more Christmas Ideas? I'd recommend checking out One Stitch at A Time's "Crafting by the Tree" series. I've got a lot of ideas from there. Shhh, don't tell my family. :)


Fine Print and Disclaimer: 
None of these images are mine, none of these projects have I actually completed. I've used them only for inspiration, and to file away for future use. None of these blogs (Except for One Stitch at a Time - which by the way I heartily recommend) do I read or follow.  Also my apologies for the bad spacing in this post. My blog is being bad tonight. : (

Happy Crafting!

Jack and Jill -A Bookworm's Calendar - November

 Jack and Jill went up the hill
     To coast with fun and laughter,
Jack fell down and broke his crown,
     And Jill came tumbling after. 

So begins one of my favorite children's stories by L. Alcott. I cannot even count how many times I have read this, and enjoyed it. Though written primarily for children, adults will enjoy the simple joy and cheer that this little book gives.

The story opens just like the poem. Jack, and his friend Jill are out for a fun day of coasting (sledding). But a terrible accident occurs. Leaving Jack with a broken leg, and Jill with an injured back. The two children are faced with bed rest for several months. And they learn to be content and have fun when flat on their backs.

Christmas is one of the big themes of this book. Everyone works hard to create little gifts for each other.  I enjoyed learning some of the old Christmas customs of the late 1800's.

Probably my favorite thing in this book is the lessons it teaches. During a day when Jill and all her little girl friends were struggling to be good. Kind Mrs. Pecq asks them if they each wouldn't like to be missionaries. Each little girl agrees, wishing that she could live the adventurous life of a missionary. Mrs. Pecq then goes on to show the girls that each one has a mission field of her very own in her home, and that they ought to try and be little missionaries .

Overall this is a sweet story of children, their growth, their struggles, and their victories. Read along with me, and let me know what you think.

Want the link to buy it? Go here Jack and Jill .