Your Love Never Fails!

Whatever situation we find ourselves in, it is such an encouragement to know the Lord's love will never fail.  He is not an angry God but one who seek goodness for us.  His love never fails!
We sang this song Sun. in church and I loved it!  It is one of those songs that lifts you up as you soak in God's goodness.  I guarantee you will be blessed!

"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/IoezWBPGRAc?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/IoezWBPGRAc?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>

Be encouraged!
Bev

Monday in the Making - Decorating Progress!

I can safely say the decorating is still in the making.  The progress is good but it is just not there yet.  No one wants to see the mess created while in a decorating frenzy, so I will spare you the agony.  Instead here are some bits and pieces of the big picture. 
Shelves are great for decorating.  They add so much character to any space.  It is a great way to display dishes, pictures and of course the beloved Christmas memorabilia. 

This shelf is in a small bathroom off the family room.  I just wanted a little touch of Christmas in here,  not too much.  The shelf allowed me to accomplish that tastefully.   Remind yourself sometimes just a touch will do. KISS!

This shelf is in my kitchen.  I saw an idea someplace and honestly I don't remember where, but it was of cascading plates. I tried it in the kitchen and really liked it.  The plates are changed with the seasons. 

This shelf hangs in the dining room.  The shelf was made by my husband.  The dark top is from and old upright piano that once was housed in our basement.  That is until it went to piano heaven (the recycling bin, and no I do not believe in reincarnation!).  The white back is an old headboard which I painted and antiqued.  I just love the way it turned out. 
I hung paper mache snowflakes from the plates.
Cozy Blessings!
Bev
  

Finished Friday - Its beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!

The kitchen at least is beginning to look like Christmas!  It is a slow process as I have been getting up and down using my trust stool to decorate above my cabinets and shelves which are a little to high to reach without it. 
It would be great to be a decorator by profession but most of us are not.  The most important things is that your home reflect what is important to you this Christmas season .  Let your home be a witness of what is in your heart this Christmas.

 
It is always good to share ideas.  I hope these pictures will inspire you to do something that maybe you hadn't thought of trying before.

If you have space above your cabinets, use it.  Keep the counter tops to minimal allowing room to prepare food and remember you will needs lots of space for all those Christmas cookies your going to be baking.  Go with a theme, especially if you gravitate toward something.  I collect snowmen, so above the cupboard seems like the perfect place to display them.  Our families and friends do seem to gather in the kitchen, so why not make it fun and festive! Mix into the collection other items as well.  Do you have a family heirloom?  The brown pitchere above was my Grandmother,so naturally I love it!

The nativity was handed down from my parents so it has warm memories of Christmas with family that is no longer with us.  It is a goal to have a nativity in every room.  After all "Jesus" is the reason for the season and that is  important in our home. 

This plate was a gift from my daughters.  The message speaks volumes.  The best part of Christmas is being with those we love.  It is going to be great having everyone home for Christmas.   Just hanging out together!  How wonderful! 

I became a Grandmother this past year.  The square plate was a gift from my sister.  My sister is such a support to me.  We are now both Grandmothers so we have plenty to talk about.  The plate is proudly displayed in my kitchen.  What a blessing from the Lord to have a precious grandchild!

 Handmade items are always fun to display but especially at Christmas!  What do you love to do?  Think about putting it on display!  These little stitchery pictures are so fun to make.  My husband made the frames to fit the picture since some of the sizes are not standard.  I painted the frames with black craft paint.  

 These two patterns are from "The Basket Case XXX Needle Therapy".  The above picture is called "Lost Mitten" and bottom picture is called "Oh Christmas Tree".  Old buttons are sewn on the branches.

This week Hobby Lobby had pictures frames 50% off so I bought a few more.  I want lots of pictures of family on display for Christmas.  Events of the past year and some pictures  of Christmas when the girls were little.  I have tucked pictures around the kitchen.

Tomarrow I will share more ideas but for now its back to work.
Cozy blessing from my home to yours!
Bev
       

Warmth of Home Wednesday - Christmas Here We Come!

It's a gray, foggy morning outside and here I sit in my cozy kitchen with a cup of warm coffee.  As I look around the kitchen, I feel a bit overwhelmed.  The realization that its time to take down all the fall decorations.  Normal I wait till after Thanksgiving to do this but this year we will be gone for Thanksgiving and the really cool thing is that our family will all be home for Christmas.  Naturally I want the house to look great, so it is time to begin the transition.  Motivation!  This is key to any big project!   

Inspiration will take you from this to----well you will have to wait a few days to see!
Today I will share with you what motivates and inspires me to not only tackle the project but to do it with excitement, enthusiasm and gusto!

Books!  Take a trip to your local library and browse.  I have found some great ideas!  What excites you?  A book that I found last year which I just loved was called "Vintage Christmas Crafts" by Sara Toliver. Mary Carol Garrity, is a great decorator and she has a couple Christmas Books that I also like.  Anyway look for a book that stimulates you and helps you to in vision what you want your home to look like this Christmas.
Blogs!  A few of my favorites:  "My Romantic Home", "Everday Beauty In the Home"  "The Unpainted Cottage".  There are so many great blogs and the Christmas ideas will be inspiring to say the least.
Shops!  Nothing puts me in the mood to decorate like a day of shopping.  I have a few favorite shops that will blow your socks off!   
Today, however, I am bringing up the boxes and starting to dismantle fall.  If I make good progress today, I will shop tomorrow and share with you the inspiration of my favorite shops. 
Cozy Blessings from my Home to Yours!
Bev 

Monday In the Making

It is Monday morning and after being gone last week I must begin to focus again on the projects that are in the making, and there are many I might add.  I will however just share one with you today.  This project has been in the making for a long, long, time. 

Two more strips of fabric will be added around the blocks.  Roosters and stars are appliqued on the top of some of the blocks.  I do like rooster and have a few around in the kitchen and family room.  Not overly done, just a few.  The pillow is really cute and  would be fun to make too.  

This is the pattern.  It is one of those "Just Have to Make" patterns.  As you can see the finished quilt is amazing!   I will press on and someday it will hang in my home and be enjoyed by all who enter.
"Monday in the Making" reminds me that I too am a work in progress!   The Lord is still working on me!  Although we get down on ourselves, He has not given up on us.  A scripture given to me when I was confirmed, (a long time ago), was Philippians 1:6. "I am convinced and sure of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ (right up to the time of His return), developing that good work and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in you."   I don't know about you, but boy have I needed that encouragement!  When I get down on myself that scripture encourages me to keep on keeping on, God's not finished yet.  I too am a work in progress.  Have a great week!
Cozy Blessing!
Bev               

Finished Friday

Projects, projects, projects, that is just the way my mind works.  There are so many great ideas out there and each one I want to make.  I catch myself saying, "I could make that!".   For that very reason, I have always gravitated to magazines.  Can't walk by a stand without picking one up for a quick browse, hoping to find the next great idea.  A habit that annoys my family greatly, I might add.  Now that I have my own lap top the problem has escalated.  Talk about good stuff out there.  Yes, there are lots of great ideas out there but the question one must ask is, "will I ever get this project done?".  Today instead of thinking about all the projects yet to be done I will share one that is completed.  Looking at the finished project spurs me on to do the next project, the one that will really excite me, the one that will not only bless me but those who enter my home.

Here is Friday's finished project.  Every fall I bring it out and hang it over the bannister in my kitchen.

The pattern has 5 blocks, each with an acorn. 

I used some recycled wool, flannel, felt and of course cotton fabric. When I saw this pattern, I just knew I had to make it.  Isn't is just sew cute!  It was allot of fun to make too!   

   Don't you just love the old crow!  The primitive stitches were really fun to do and it goes fast.

    

When thinking about all the projects you want to make look around and enjoy the ones already completed.  It will encourage and motivate you  to continue on to your list of , "Must Do's, Can't Live Without, Just Gotta Make It",  Projects! 

Cozy Blessings from My Home to Yours! 

Bev

Warmth of Home Wednesday - The Love Language of Soup!

A couple weeks ago my daughter called and said, Mom I am so hungry for soup.  She said, Mom remember when I was in college and you would make soup for me.  She went on to name some of her favorite soups that I had made over the years.  My heart just melted and at that very moment I would have moved heaven and earth to get her some homemade soup. 

Soup is one of my favorite foods to make.  It not only nourishes the body but the soul as well. It is a complete meal, all in one pot, and there is nothing like the aroma that fills the home when it simmers away on the stove.  A pot of homemade soup on a cold fall day is the language of love!  Bless your family with a bowl of warmth today.  The message of love will be remembered long after the soup is eaten. 

"Cream of Tomato" is one soup that I make often.  It makes a great lunch with a grilled cheese sandwich.  It is quick to make, tastes good, and will warm you up.  I am not sure where the recipe came from, I have had it for a long time.  Give it a try and see if it becomes one of your favorites today.

Cream of Tomato Soup
Combined one #2 can of diced tomatoes (approx. 2 1/2 cups)
2 slices of onion, diced fine
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. each of pepper and cinnamon
a dash of cloves.
Simmer for 10 minutes while you make the white sauce.
Make white sauce by melting 2TBSP. butter, add 2TBSP. flour, stir to make paste, and add 2 cups whole or 2% milk.  Be sure to stir often so it doesn't scorch.
Slowly add the hot tomato mixture to the white sauce and your soup is ready.
This recipe makes 6 servings but it can easily be doubled.
Enjoy!

Warm and cozy blessings from my home to your!
Bev

Warmth of Home Wednesday

Our homes are such a blessing from the Lord.  A house is just a building, but a home, well that has a whole new meaning.  The definition of a home in Webster's Dictionary is:  "one's dwelling place".  Home is a reflection of the very character of those who dwell there.  Let your home be filled with what is meaningful to you.  Items that reflect your mission in life, your journeys,  loved ones and the memories  shared with family and friends.  I remember my dear Mother  having pictures stuck all over her home.  She had them on cupboard doors, mirrors, walls, china cabinet, etc.  I used to find it somewhat annoying, but now older and wiser, I realize that the pictures of her loved ones and the memories of time spent with her beloved family were truly her greatest earthly treasure. The pictures brought her great joy and made her house a home .

Here are some pictures from my home, little things that make me smile, and delight me when I walk by them.  My home reminds me of who I am, where I've been, what is most important in life, and that my life is truly blessed.

A reminder of my Christian heritage, God's provision and abundance.

                                                  The changing of the seasons!  Love fall!

         Talk about blessed!  Man, do I love my family!  Nothing on this earth  

is more precious to me.  Great memories!  Mom, I understand !

                        The vase is a family heirloom, and the cloth pumpkins were a gift from my daughters,

                                    Really enjoy this plate,  the message speaks what is in my heart.

Thank you Lord for the warmth of home!  You are sooo good and your love to us endures forever.
Cozy blessing from my home to yours!
Bev