Mountain of Giveaways!

How would you like to win Annie Sloan chalk paint!  I know I do.

click on the button to take you to the cute little blog for your chance to now.

Never heard of Annie Sloan Paint Chalk?

I did a few months back and it sounds heavenly!  No sanding, or priming!  HUH?  Yup you read right!   I have been looking around for retailers and stumbled upon this blog.

I so wanna win!!

You do to?

then go here and enter!!!

big boo boo

Chick 2's doggie Haole nearly had his head ripped off by a nieghbor's dog a few weeks back.  They were dog sitting a Siberian Husky and he had a hot dog.  Haole went over to check it out and nearly had his little head ripped right off.  Chick 2 had to rush him to an emergency vet.  He got 40 stitches!  It looks like he has a necklace of stitches.  It was touch and go for awhile but he did pull through with the Lord's help.  The white thingie that you see hanging is a drain.  It took him about 5 days to come around.

Thank you Lord!

Antiquing

My family knows that I love this little store in NC.  We always try and go while there, usually we are pulling into town right around closing time and Chick 2 lets him know we are coming so he will stay open a little later just for us!  Nice huh?  Anyways this time I found these two old crates, I was told that they were 45 years old, and I bought them for Chick 2.  She was able to fit all of their DVD's in one and their CD's in the other.  They fit perfectly in their book shelf.  Doncha think?

Funny how 45 years ago this cost $3 plus it was filled with oranges!
SWEET!

I knew he had one more with black lettering so I went back the next day and bought it for me!

Check out where the two sides come together, it's almost like dove tail but hubby says no they are not
I think I will store books and magazines in it for now.
LOVE IT!

Got this really cool old bowl too!
On the bottom of it it says ovenproof, microwave safe, and dishwasher safe.
My kind of bowl!
Also says Roseville, Ohio.
Only cost $8, I thought that was reasonable.

We also found this dresser that we thought would be cool for the boys and would look perfect in their bedroom with the bunk bed that their dad made.

It only needed a little sanding, a good cleaning and some Tung Oil. Hubby had to do a little tweaking on the drawers and doors but I think it turned out beautiful and made a perfict fit.  Only $45 too!

homemade tortillas

homemade deliciousness!

these tortillas are so good.

Do you think they love all things homemade, handmade and found?

You betcha, just like me!

we had them with chicken fajitas, homemade pinto beans, sauteed veggies which consited of onions, peppers, and zucchini. 

The recipe came from Breadbeckers and was slightly adapted by Chick 2

Oh yeah, guess who helped make them?

I need one of these homemade contraptions!  Love it!! My old tin one is not cutting it anymore! LOL. I could use a little helper to step on it too! 

try them!

                                Tortillas

2-3 cups freshly milled wheat flour 

 1 cup warm water

2TBS Lecithin (optional)                  

¼ tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt                                           

¼ cup oil

Measure liquids into mixing bowl.  Add dry ingredients, kneading in the flour until the dough is workable but not too stiff.  Let stand 10 minutes.  Shape into 8-10 balls and let stand for 10 more minutes.  Roll very thin to form a 10 inch circle or use a tortilla press.  Bake on a lightly greased griddle till done (not too browned).  These are as much fun to make as they are to eat. For extra flavor either baste the dough before pressing with a few spices or an olive oil dipping sauce.

*****Instead of putting in 3 cups of flour- we used 2 cups of flour and 1 cup of corn meal.  In my opinion this definitely improved the flavor and texture.

Confidence

A little Sunday scripture!
Pastor is always right on with me.
Proverbs 3:26 The Lord will be my confidence and keep my foot from being caught.
Our source of confidence must be in Jesus 100%.  Not people!  They will let us down, or we will be hurt or offended.  Hebrews 12: 1-3.  Get your eyes on Jesus. When we have 100% confidence in the Lord it eliminates the word CAN'T from our vocabulary.  He is the source of everything
a.  I am a good work
b.  A good work is being done in me
c.  Everything that comes my way is good!
We have to be confident that the Lord hears our prayers and  answers according to His will!

I love old barns!  I took this picture while in SC.  I always wonder the story behind them. 
This one is battered, burned and wobbly a bit.  I wanted to go in and see what kinds of treasures I could find.  I stopped myself!
Feeling a bit bad for hubby, he has a colonoscopy later this week and has to prepare now by eating a low residue diet. HUH?  YUCK!!
later this week more pics of NC and stories
Peace out!

Romanced Chapter 7 Captivating

Romanced
This chapter was a little strange for me but at the same time I loved it. I was able to connect when Stasi talked about God calling her "darling" even though she had lost patience with her children that day and used an ugly tone of voice. She was feeling so imperfect, felt like she had disappointed family and friends and yet the God of the universe had called her darling and confirmed it with her later that night as she was reading scripture. Her hand fell to Song of Songs 1:15 "How beautiful you are, my darling." God sees our every failure and sin and our thoughts and still He loves us! I know this from scripture but I always have to remind myself of this. The devil is constantly jabbering in my ear other things. I'm ready to hear the name that God has for me. A friend of mine once told me that God spoke to her heart, that she was the apple of His eye!

I never thought about this before but it was a kind of click for me. God's romance is all around us! His creation speaks to us. Shows us there is a God. Whether it be wildlife, a fragrant field of flowers, how the spring time springs forth, the seas, mountains, His majesty abounds! His beautiful creation is all around us! He romances us with sunsets, falling stars, moonlight on lakes, cricket symphonies, warm breezes and a fierce devotion to us. He knows exactly how to take our breath away with His beautiful creation.

John told a story of his sitting on a beach alone praying and God gave him a gift of seeing a whale. He knew it was long past whale migration season but God had given him this to speak to his heart. After Stasi had heard this she too asked God "Do you love me too?" She felt silly asking but God delights in revealing Himself to us. She had been at the ocean by herself when she asked this and after a while she saw a starfish and then further down the beach hundreds of them of all colors! She knew that this was her gift from God. God gave John a whale, it was massive and strong. He gave her starfish, delicate, small, intricate. She was able to touch them. He has many gifts for us too! Let's challenge ourselves to ask God how He is romancing us now? Ask him for a whale moment! It may not be a whale but it will be perfect just for you from your God.

What does God want from us? He wants the same thing that we want. He wants to be loved. He wants us to need Him, to go to no other, to come to Him for all things, to give it all to Him. He wants us to share all things with Him. He wants intimacy with the real you. He wants us to fill the hole in our heart with Him. When we don't He thwarts us. Hosea 2:6-7 then He will woo us Hosea 2:14. It is here at this place in our lives that we will experience Him as a God that is real, not far away and unreachable but as the pursuer of our hearts.

Culitvating Intimacy - Just like Stasi I too am desperately needy for God. I need to fight for my time so that I can seek Him. Stasi suggests finding a place where we can worship Him and ask Him to reveal Himself to us as the Lover that He is. Talk to Him, ask Him, draw near to Him. Find music that speaks to your heart about God. Stasi and John used a song by Emmylou Harris called, "Here I am" http://youtu.be/HqdGZCvSE40.

I mentioned earlier that I felt a little strange about this and that is because this chapter mentions God being our lover, that we must have a deep intimacy with Him. I am trying to view this as deep communication and a very personal relationship with Him. That we put Him above all things.

This chapter really spoke more than the other chapters have!
 

North Carolina Slideshow

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