Craft Corner

I now officially have a craft corner. It's in my basement on the unfinished side. A light has been hung, a table set up and all my beautiful little scraps of creation in shoe boxed waiting to happen have been organized. This is so exciting for me because I finally feel like an official "Crafter". This is my corner of the basement to let my imagination and fingers free. To let my heart overflow. To let my gifts God has humbly blessed me with come alive.

For many years I created crafts to escape the pain and madness of my world of confusion swinging out of control. This was the way that I maintained a small piece of control over my world. Writing was the other way to maintain balance. Pouring feelings out through my fingertips.

Then there came times of depression so dark and so great that my light was nearly snuffed out. The numbness silenced the calling to create and be alive. Death crept in and whispered in my ears and touches my heart in a chilling way.

But spring has come back slowly. The sun has risen and the warmth has come back. There is a passion to be alive, to celebrate life like it might be my last day, to dance, to create, to touch peoples lives with love. So my little craft corner is one more reason to celebrate life, one more reason to take a stand and live life to it's fullest, one more reason to honor God and all He has created me to be.

I choose life abundantly, because I know what it is to live life without hope, and it isn't a life one wants to live. So I chose this day to be alive. I might be little, but with God I can be a strong, brave, confident woman.

Striped Peppermint Soaps

This is a great recipe I found in Martha Stewart's Holiday (Living) magazine. It's a $10.00 magazine, little pricey for my likes, but it's a collectors edition that I will keep for years to come because of all the fun, cheap craft, and food ideas and recipes. It's worth the money.

A fun recipe you can do with kids. My friend Jess a brave mommy is proof of that.

Striped Peppermint Soaps-
Use a standard-size loaf pan as a mold; each "loaf" of soap requires 2 cups of clear glycerin soap and 2 cups white glycerin soap, and yields six bars of soap. *glycerin soap can be picked up at most craft stores.

1. Melt the glycerin according to the manufacturer's instructions. (Jess told me you can use the microwave for a safe way to do it with kids.)

2. Stir 4 to 5 drops of peppermint essential oil into melted glycerin with a plastic spoon; stir in drops of red food coloring to the clear glycerin until you reach the desired hue.

3. Pour the first 1/2 cup of melted soap into the loaf pain. Let cool for 20 minutes. Score the top with a fork in a grip pattern. Repeat, alternating colors, until the pain is full. Let set for 4 hours. Freeze for 20 minutes to make it easier to remove the soap from the pan.

4. Pop soap out of pan, and slice into evenly-sized bars. Wrap each bar in cellophane, secure with tape, and tie with baker's twine.

Q&A a Day

There is this great 5 year journal out there that I found on one of my favorite craft blogs. It's those questions that stick with you all day and really make you ponder. It's a fun book to help open up deep questions with your friends or people you are in a group with, be that a bible study group or just a mom's group. Check it out. It's really not a bad price as well. Something fun you might want to slip under a friends Christmas tree.

http://www.amazon.com/Day-5-Year-Journal-Potter-Style/dp/0307719774

Tell Them

I have been tremendously challenged and blessed to have been apart of celebrating my father-in-law's 60'th birthday party. While the pessimist wants to think life is so short and much shorter now than ever, the optimist see the glass half full and what a tremendous wealth of knowledge this man has because he has had 60 years learning how to walk with God.

My husband's family had the gift of sitting and sharing with my father-in-law how much they loved and respected him. For me that was a beautiful blessed experience to be drawn into. I sat and marveled that although my father-in-law has made mistakes along the way, he has raised children who love the Lord and love and respect their dad for all that he has taught them. It brought me to tears.

My mother-in-law gave each one of us children 4 questions to answer and present when we celebrated his birthday. With these questions I want to challenge you to seek out either your birth parents or your spiritual parents who have nurtured you in life and the Word of Life and tell them. Tell them while they are still alive so you can share in the blessing of loving and being loved. It may be a huge encouragement to those in your life who have no idea how much they have impacted and challenged your life.

The 4 questions:
- I have known you for...
- I respect you for... (verbalizing the word respect in a man's life is HUGE! Trust me on this one.)
- You have taught me...
- I will remember you for...

Now I will share with you how my dear to my heart father-in-law has captured my love and respect.

I have known Rob for 6 years.

I respect Rob for
- Raising a son who loves God
- Loving my children and being someone I can trust them with.
- Showing me what a Godly man is supposed to look like.
- Being real/transparent and willing to be vulnerable enough to talk through tough subjects.
- Being a man my husband enjoys having bible studies with and walking side by side spiritually.
- Treating me like one of his children and loving me.

Rob has taught me
- Trust
- I can be proud of myself
- I am worth loving
- To laugh

I will remember him for
- To be an Adams you must be willing to act crazy and be willing to laugh at yourself.
- If you are with the Adam's you are in good hands. You never mess with an Adams because they play to win and fight to the death.
- Most of all I will remember the wisdom I've learned from him sharing years of wisdom with Chris and I over good wine and great food. Those are my fondest moments. Lessons learned over dinner. God truly knew what He was doing when my path crossed with the Adams.

Their family is really special and I am proud and honored to be apart of something so grand. God is the cornerstone and Rob is the leader of this family. And I am blessed.

Personal Pumpkin Pies

http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/suzannes_old_fashioned_pumpkin_pie/

Thanksgiving Tree

This year we are doing a Thanksgiving Tree. We have so much to be thankful for, and so much to thank the Lord for. So if you come to my house through the month of November expect to be given a leaf and a pen.

The tree I found in the woods on one of our many walks. Just a little leafless bush. The leaves I made from a real leaf pattern I picked up in the woods on the same walk. 3 different tree leafs. I used brown paper lunch bags, cut them open and quickly painted them with finger paint, yellow, red and green. When one side was dry I turned them over and painted the other side. When fully dried I traced out the pattern of the leaves, punched a little hole at the base of each leaf, attached jute string, wrote out my thanksgiving and tied it to my tree. It's a great way to get your kids involved in God's out door beauty during this time of year, an art project and get them thinking about what they are thankful for in life. Katelyn announced to the world that she was thankful for her grandma's and grandpa's.