Baby Blanket

One of the things I like to do to relax is knit. I took up knitting a couple of years ago and since then graduated from making scarves for everyone I see to sweaters, mittens, purses and ponchos. Recently, I was invited to a baby shower for an old friend and decided to make her something extra special. I knitted her a sweet baby blanket. I got the pattern from Lion Brand Yarn's website. It's amazingly easy to do! Although it took me a month and a half to complete it, I think I could have done it alot quicker if I spent more time on it.

Here's a close up of the pattern.

Notice the baby's name? The mom-to-be is Twilight fan. Cute name, huh?

Here is a picture of the completed blanket all wrapped up with a pretty green bow.

Right now I'm working on making another one just like this for another friend who's having a baby. It's hard to guess which friend since there are so many of them pregnant right now. This time I'm going to try and get it done alot sooner than a month and a half. Well...here's hopin'!

Our boy is 8!

Last week, our baby boy turned 8! Can you believe it? Our Young Padawan is growning up to be such a handsome, loving young man. Here a few pictures of him as he celebrated his birthday with his GTC - Builder's Class.

Feeling shy

He told me later on that it was weird to have everyone sing to him. He said, "I never heard so many people say my name at one time before".

Here's his Builder's Class that he and CL go to every Wednesday. Recognize the smiley faces on the top picture?

Vanilla cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting, just what the little man ordered.

Grandma, Grandpa, Auntie Gena and Uncle Sean stopped by to wish ALW a happy birthday. Yes, we let him light his own candles (with very close supervision). I love the picture of Daddy hugging him tight, that's the manly way to hug.


HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SON!

Happy Love Day!!

(picture drawn by our Princess)

May your day be filled with lots of L-O-V-E!

"Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love."

1 John 4:7-8

Thanks Alton!

The girls and I love watching The Food Network. Lately I've been really enjoying Good Eats hosted by Alton Brown. Not only does he have cool recipes but he has a really neat science lesson to go with every episode. I watched an episode recently where he made Cocoa Brownies. Now, it's not the recipe I want to share with you, it's this really cool tip he gave. When baking brownies line your pan with parchment paper then pour your batter in. When it's done just lift the parchment paper and everything comes out easily. No sticking to the pan! Check it out...

Let it cool for a minute or two before lifting it out, ever so gently.

Voila!

Guess what, you can use that tip with cornbread too.

Notice how the pan is free from crumbs?

I bet it'll work with what ever you bake! So, Mr. Alton Brown, even though you'll never read this, a big THANK YOU to you!

Where Credit is Due

I recently came across a craigslist advertisement and a new blog that caught my eye. It wasn't anything too flashy (except the blog had the same layout as I do from thecutestblogontheblock). What caught my eye was a picture of something that I had done and the person who put up the advertisment made it look like it was their own. WOW! I couldn't believe it! I didn't know what to do. I was upset. Later on that day, I talked to a close friend of the gal who owns the "company" and asked her if she can ask her friend to remove those pictures. I don't even want credit for the work, I just want it removed. We'll have to wait to see what happens. In the mean time, God has given me a heart to forgive her because Christ has forgiven me of much. Praise God for that!


This got me thinking. Do I always give credit when credit is due? Truthfully? No. When I find something cool or interesting do I say, "This isn't my idea...I got it from so-and-so"? Probably not. I do my best to but I'm sure I don't do it ALL the time. It's gone both ways too. The instance above isn't the first time that someone else took credit for an idea or suggestion that I had suggested to them a few days back. The instance above is just the first time the public can see it. Anywho, back to my point. So many times throughout the day God himself gives us things that we pray for and things that we didn't think we needed. Do we give God "credit" for those things? Do we "...boast in the Lord." (1 Corinthians 1:31)? I'll have to say, majority of the time. No.

So, then, who are we to demand "credit" or acknowledgment when we ourselves neglect to acknowledge Christ and His work on the cross for our sins. Who are we to demand acknowledgement when we fall short in acknowledging God's hand working in our everyday lives?

Oh, Lord forgive me for not giving you the praise that's due your name!

Encouragement for Homemakers a.k.a. "Stay at Home Moms"

" You are as much serving God in looking after your own children, and training them up in God's fear, and minding the house, and making your household a church for God, as you would be if you had been called to lead an army to battle for the Lord of hosts."

I saw this quote the other day. I was treamedously encouraged when I read that! It comes from "The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit" by Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

As a stay at home Mom (interesting...didn't that title used to be referred to as a Homemaker?), I would often get discouraged because I wasn't able to be invloved in "the ministry" as much as I was before we had children. Just because I wasn't "in the trenches" I felt unused by God. But I know now that ministry opportunities comes to me everyday when I wake up to pray for my children, feed them, bath them, serve my husband by washing his clothes, trying to keep the house clean, etc. Don't get me wrong, though, we ought to still serve the church body to advance the Kingdom of God. By the way, one of the greatest ways we can serve one another is to interced for one another through prayer. So back to my point, my "missionary field" doesn't start out there, it starts here in our home.

I hope this encourages all you HOMEMAKERS out there. Keep serving the Lord!