Bread Machine Tutorial, kinda sorta, maybe....hahaha

Good morning blessed ones of God.       I pray you are still enjoying "Happy Thanksgiving" and being thankful and grateful this morning.     Even if you're not in US and celebrating, you can still just celebrate right where you are and be thankful and grateful for the presence of the Lord in your life.     Where would we be without Him??     Lost and bound for the devils hell, that's where we would be.     I love the Lord and I'm so happy that He loves me more than I could possibly ever know or understand.    I try to let the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas be the time that I reflect on truly what God has done for me in the past year.     It can be overwhelming to remember all He has done for me.     Getting up each morning is a miracle in itself.     So start thanking God for all He has done for you and you just won't ever be able to stop.

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So, this morning I am making bread and using my bread machine to mix the dough.   It is a life saver and a hand saver.      I've been thinking for a while about doing a mini tutorial on how I care for my bread machine.      This is the only one I've ever owned and its soon to be 14 years old and seems to be still going strong.

The first thing I will say is that the manufacturers will tell you that the bread pan itself is dish washer safe and safe to wash in the sink.      Technically, that is true.      If you believe in "planned obsolescence" you'll agree with the manufacturers.      But I don't agree with that.       Planned obsolescence is wasteful and I don't agree with that at all.     My machine is soon to be 14 years old.      Had I not taken care of it, I could have done been on my 3rd machine, easily.    

When you get your machine, the bottom of the removable bread pan has part of the mechanism that allows for the mixing to take place, and also part of the mechanism that keeps it locked in place.    When you run that bread pan through the dish washer, that's washing away all the factory grease that was put in that mechanism to keep it greased and running smoothly.     When all that grease is washed out of it, it will start wearing out pretty quickly.

And yes, I do wash my bread pan every time I use it and I even use toothpicks to do detail cleaning around the spindle that holds the bread dough blade.     Dough can build up in and around the spindle.      It may not cause an issue, but I don't want to find out.     I also clean my bread dough blade really well.      Make sure all the dough is from the top of it and make sure the center of it is clean.      Then clean the spindle that the blade sits down on real well too.   I wash the bread pan real well inside and wipe the outside off real good with a damp dish cloth, paying close attention to not get water on and in the mechanism area that we just we went over.       Once I have it all clean and ready to go for the next batch, I put the pan back in the bread machine and put the dough blade in place and I'm ready to go for the next batch of bread.

The second thing about my/our bread machines is that the bread pan can only go in one of 2 ways and one of those ways is wrong.    It is possible that they have made them now, so that the bread pan can only go in one way, I hope they have.      But if not, you will have to learn the correct way or again, plan on cutting the life span of your bread machine short.     

Over the course of time I had noticed that one time I made bread, the machine popped and the pan would try to dislodge.      Other times, it was silent and hummed like dream.      It was very annoying that I had a hard time figuring it out.      But eventually, I took a morning and put my sleuth hat on and set out to figure it out.      I turned the pan over and looked closely at the bottom and then looked closely at the inside of the bread machine where the pan fit in the machine.     I looked at those 2 areas for what seemed like days and I finally seen what it was.     Unless you was looking real good for it your wouldn't even see it.      But, there was a slight variance in one side of the mechanism verses the other side.   I mean about a .32nd of an inch variance.     Not even noticeable with the naked eye.     

After finally seeing that, I put my pan in and started a batch of bread.      Put the pan in "right" and it was perfect, put it in the other way and it popped and carried on.      I done that multiple times switching back and forth and I had the same reaction each time.      Right, it was quiet.     Wrong, it popped loud.    So, after working that out, I took a permanent marker and marked it with arrows pointing the correct way on both sides of my pan.     Now, when I set my pan in, it's easy to see the arrows.   

So, if you are new to a bread machine and planning on getting one, pay close attention to how the pan is in the machine and use a permanent marker to put arrows on the outside of the pan pointing towards the front of the machine.     That way when you go to put it back in the machine, you'll get it in right and hopefully avoid it wearing out before it's time.

These were the two main things I wanted to touch on today that could possibly help you get many good years from you bread machine.       My bread machine is a Breadman Pro and they are not even made today.     It was without a doubt, one of the best investments we ever made and when this one does finally stop working, I will be broken hearted, but will have to look for another one.      But I will be armed with some good info gleaned from the last almost 14 years of owning this one.

I do have some pictures to share.

This is what my Breadman Pro looks like on the outside.      Very sleek and "handsome", if you will.     It has several different functions and settings.      It has served me well and I pray that I get many more good years from it.      If I take my own advice, it should last me a few more years.

 This is what it looks like on the inside, with  dough in it.      I use the dough function a lot.      So it will just mix and then shut off.      At the very end of the dough function, it heats up a little and the dough starts rising.      I can leave it in the machine to rise if I want to.      Most of the time I take it out and make my buns or rolls and then let them rise till bake time.                                                                        

This is what the bottom looks like.      You can see where there is grease in it, at and on this mechanism area.    This is why it doesn't ever need to be put in a dishwasher or the sink.     Just wash it on the counter with the edge of it over the sink so the water can run back into the sink.    And then dry it real good and pop it back into the machine.

This is what the inside of my bread machine looks like.      You can see the burner coil that goes around the whole inside of the machine.       And you can also see the mechanism that the bread pan locks in to.   If you click on each picture it will bring up the large picture and you can see the whole thing better.

This is showing my arrow that I drew on with a permanent marker.      Upside down, it shows the arrow pointing to the left, but when it's right side up, the correct way is with the arrow pointing to the right when my bread machine is oriented to the right.                                                                                 

This is may bread pan without the bread dough mixing blade on it.      You can see the spindle area and the 3 rivet heads that holds the bottom mechanism in place.      You can also see a black circle indention around the spindle area.      That is the area that I gently deep clean with a tooth pick.     Dough will build up in that area and personally, I just don't like it.     So, I started cleaning it really well.

This is my bread pan with the little bread dough blade on the spindle.       It's that little piece of metal that makes the whole thing work.    hahaha     Without that, it wouldn't mix at all.      

When the bread machine is in perfect working order, it is a fabulous piece of machinery.       The few tips I have given here, are to help keep these fabulous machines working flawlessly.      I don't have any idea what the new bread machines are like.      These tips may not even apply.       But I still believe that some of them will always apply to them.       Especially the cleaning parts.      I'll never put a bread pan in the water or the dishwasher.       But hey, you do you.     hahaha

Well, this is the swirling mass that was going thru my head while I making a batch of dough and cleaning up around the kitchen while the bread machine was earning it's keep.    hahaha      This is one of those appliances that I will definitely replace, and pretty quickly, when this decides to give up and quit working.     

I hope this is helpful to at least one someone.      If it is, then it was worth the effort to write this down and share the pictures.

Blessings to each of you as we see November soon come to a close.    It's been a tough month and not the way we wanted to see the year end, but thru it all, we can say that God is good.     He loves us all.    I love you all too.   hugs, love and blessings, patty

A flashback Thanksgiving

Good evening, loved ones of Christ. Today is Monday of Thanksgiving week, 2021. I'll ask this: Where has this year gone? How could something that has passed by so quickly, be so painful? I know that as painful as it has been, it could have been worse. God is good all the time!! All the time God is good!! I stand on that and I hope you do too. As I was browsing facebook this morning, a memory came up and I cried like a baby. I think it's God's way of showing me that in every day, in every way, in every circumstance, there is MUCH to be thankful for. I'm so thankful for the memories of my family and friends and loved ones. It's during this season of the year that I think the pain is always the worst. I think about my Grandparents on both sides of my family. I loved them dearly. I think about all my Aunts and Uncles. I loved them dearly. I'm very blessed to still have my Momma. She is the only one of her generation that is still with us. So she is a rare commodity to my family. We all love her. As I think about all that, I can just imagine that she thinks about even more than I do.

The memory that came up on facebook was about the Thanksgiving of 2018. It was a very pleasant and beautiful day that ended with a nice drive home. As I think about it, I remember my mind racing with all that I had "seen" in a flash back and I couldn't wait to get home and get it all written down. I can't remember if I shared it on my blog back then or not, but it makes no difference, I'm sharing it again. hahaha It takes on a whole different sadness this year than it did originally. I'm sure eventually, it will have even more sadness attached to it as more of my family is taken by death into the next life. I hope if you read this, that it will encourage you to find something to be thankful and grateful about. Sometimes, it's hard for me. Just like with my last blog post, I was angry and hurt and will be that way for quite some time. But even thru it all, there is much to be thankful for. So, if you dare to read it, here it is: Thanksgiving Day November 2018


Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!! I hope and pray that where ever y'all are that you have had a blessed day thus far and that the rest of it is filled with blessings also.
We just got back in from Ky and I must say that we had a wonderful time with family. At one time I looked around to take in all the faces and you know how you can have flash backs of days gone by. In that single moment, many many many of the Thanksgiving Days that I can remember flashed thru my memory. It was one of those times when I would loved to have had those memories on a dvd to pop into a player and share them with everyone there.

 
You know, things change. They just do. We can't stop the changes from happening. The best we can possibly do is ask God to help us thru those changes.

 
I seen us all in the house out in the country that all my brothers and I grew up in. The place we called home for longer than I have been on planet earth. Momma in the kitchen cooking and getting the meal ready for no less than 8 to inhale in one fell swoop!! hahaha I see all of us eating the best turkey and dressing that anyone was ever blessed to eat. Momma still the makes the best turkey and dressing and today proved that point.

I seen the many times after the meal that my Dad and brothers would get out in the yard and after Mom and I got the kitchen cleaned up, maybe we would end up out there too. Sometimes it might be rainy and cold and we would all be inside, but where ever we were, we were full and there was always some laughter taking place.

One time, when we got older, just before my brothers started getting married, they had their girlfriends, soon to be wives and after lunch we all went to Split Rock. It was just a field with this humongous rock in it that was split right down the middle. The rock was 10-15 feet tall above ground, and the footprint of the rock was huge. We went and would work our way through the rock. It was a tight squeeze for all of us way back then and I couldn't help but grin today when that thought ran thru my mind, "we would just have to look at it today, because I don't think any of us could get thru the split!" I wish I had pictures of that rock. That was back before cell phones and all I have is memories.

2011 was the last Thanksgiving and Christmas that we had as a family of 8. Dad had gotten sick and was in Creekwood at Russellville. One of the churches in the community had the dining room reserved for their services after church and that church offered to give their church service time to my family so we could have Thanksgiving together and we accepted that offer and spent the day up there with my Dad. Then when Christmas rolled around, they gave us the dining hall again to celebrate Christmas. That was one of the memories that popped into my mind also. The kindness of other people allowed my family to have 2 special events with our Dad that we wouldn't have had otherwise. That ended up being the last of the family celebrations that included all 8 of us, the original crew.

 
Today, we still have our beautiful Mom and she is still one of the best cooks in the country!!! When she cooks, you can taste the love in it!! I think it's fair to say that she's the glue that sticks us together. I know of no other mother anywhere that is any more loved by her children than my Mom. That is a strong testimony to her.

 
And, as I think about all that I have to be thankful for, family is at the top of the list. I think about my 5 brothers. Each one of them are good men. Above average by the worlds standards. They are hard working men with work ethics that can NOT be matched, by anyone. They are and have been good providers for their families. Thinking of the 6 of us siblings, we all are a lot grayer than we were a few years ago. There's probably more weight on each of us than there should be. We each have our own aches and pains that get worse with each passing year. But, one thing stays the same. I can shut my eyes and by all the laughter taking place, I can still put a young face with each different laugh that I hear. When I open my eyes, I am right, only the face that I am looking at may be a little more lined from age and the hairline may be receding a bit; there may be glasses where they hadn't always been. But there is always a familiar, smiling face. The face of men that used to be boys. They are now husbands, fathers and grandfathers. And they are my brothers and I'm proud of them and thankful for each and every one of them!!

I am thankful to God for all the blessings that He has heaped upon my family!!! I am thankful for all my nieces and nephews and their husbands and wives and all their children!! When I look at them, I realize that our family is in good hands. There was 4 generations there today. I realize that a lot of families have more generations than that, but I am still thankful for the 4 generations there today.

 
I said earlier that family was at the top at my list that I am thankful for. But, at the very top of my list, above family, is Christ!!! Without what Christ has done for me thru His shed blood, nothing else matters anyway. I am thankful that Christ loved me enough to die for me so that I could be in right relationship with God. I pray that as I go forward in my own life, that I am forever thankful and grateful for Christ and that I can share that thankfulness and gratefulness with others. Sometimes it just takes the blink of an eye to realize just how abundantly blessed one is and that is exactly what happened to me today in just the moment of a split second. Blessed and highly favored comes to mind!! Thank you God for the many blessings that You have bestowed upon my family!!!

I hope that each of y'all made memories today that will bring you joy in the days to come. And maybe, just for the blink of the eye, there were no empty chairs around the table.
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I have to admit that when I read it, it really broke my heart, but then it showed me that God is always in it all. I can look back and see thru my history where God has been my guiding force. Even now, I know He still is. He let me see this to let me know that I can smile and have good memories and that's it's ok to keep living while we are still alive. I know He was right there with my nephew when he died. I know He is with us and will stay with us as we grieve.

So, this year there is another empty chair at the table. I pray it's a long time before there is any more empty chairs. But I know that God will see us thru whatever comes.

I pray that you all have a wonderfully blessed Happy Thanksgiving!!! Thank God for all the blessings, especially the blessing of memories. Write some of them down and pass them on to the younger generation. What a legacy to pass on to. Share with others how you have been able to see the work of God in the patchwork of your life. In the good time, and the bad time. In the happy time and the sad times. In life and yes, even death. Memories are the gifts that I'm most thankful for this year.

Always remember just how much God loves you. I love you too. blessings, hugs and love, patty

ps: "gobble till you wobble"!!!!! hahaha

As Thanksgiving Approaches, Foolishness has been exposed

Good afternoon Blessed Ones of Christ.       As I sit here this afternoon, it's a most dreary, dark and wet day.        Even at that, it's a good day.        I woke up.      That alone makes it a beautiful day in the Lord.    I'm so thankful and grateful to God for that.       I think sometimes we take what He does for us for granted, thinking that's the way it will always be.       We want it to always be as such, but sometimes it isn't.     We must still be ready to praise God, even when we feel situations aren't praise worthy.      This is a lesson that I am trying to learn right now.      I might add, I don't like trying to learn new things, do you?      But, when God is involved, even learning, hard, new things is praise worthy.      So, I guess I must say that I am a willing student and will be praising God in all things and praying to God and worshiping God and continually doing all these things.      Because, no matter the circumstance, He is worthy to be praised!!!      Let us come into His presence with Thanksgiving!!!!      In all circumstances, let us praise Him.       Let us worship only Him, because He alone is worthy to be worshiped.     

The struggle is real folks.       I don't struggle with my relationship with Jesus, because I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jesus died for me.       Sometimes, I do have to ask myself why.      Then I realize that's the only way I could ever have a relationship with the Father, is thru the shed blood of The Son.    That is what Scripture says.       So, even in my frustration of asking why, I know the answer.      My struggle isn't with Jesus or Father God, my struggle is within this life that I live.      Don't get me wrong, I love life, I enjoy life, I enjoy the life my husband and I have together for 42 years.    I enjoy the fun side of life, laughing and visiting with friends that bring me joy, putting a smile on someone's face and just being a blessing to others as others are a blessing to me.       Yes, I love life and try to love it to it's fullest. 

My struggle is with spiritual warfare.       Battling the forces that can't be seen.      Dealing with people that are actively serving their master, the devil.       My battle is with people who have absolutely lost their every loving minds.       My husband and I can't figure it out.      Why so many are following the forces of evil, all the while they will swear that they serve the Lord.      Let me just say that not everyone who professes Christ are His followers.      Some may even think they are, but actions speak louder than words.      I think the last, almost, two years speaks for itself.        When we see thousands die from a global pandemic and people make it political, those people have lost their ever loving minds!      My opinion of course, but this is my blog, the only opinion that matters here is mine.      

In 2020, before there were vaccines for this pandemic, we could do nothing but watch people die.      My husband and I and most reasonable minded human beings couldn't wait for the vaccines!!!      We could not wait for them to start rolling them out and getting vaccinated.      We wanted that, we lived for that, we waited for that.      As soon as we could, we did.      I would have figured people would have clamored to get the vaccines.      Instead, we seen, heard and still seeing and hearing people that we thought had good sense, fighting tooth and nail against the vaccines and putting unbelievable propaganda out there and people fall for it!!!      How utterly ignorant.      I didn't know that civilized people could be so ignorant, but a lot of people are thriving on ignorance.       

Oh, they do their research!!!      You betcha, they do.       They go right straight to the "University of all knowing and all seeing Facebook"!!!      If I'm not mistaken, they are even giving out diplomas of ignorance for them to proudly display and they do display them, proudly, I might add.      Hey, if you read it on facebook, it has to be true!!!       Oh yeah, it just has to be true.       Now, some of the powers that be at facebook will let you know that have shared something that's wrong.      They are so good about that, but only if it slants the truth to the direction they don't want it to go.      They have NO idea what truth is.      They don't care about truth.      They define their truth as something that can change.

My truth is defined from God's perspective.       That is the truth that I will be judged on, not on the sliding truth of facebook.       But absolute truth.      God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.    That is truth.      No sliding, tilting, fading, or shadowing of truth is found in God at all.     

On facebook, you have people screaming about their rights.       The rights to not have the "jab", as they call it.     People vowing and declaring to quit jobs if they are made to take the vaccine.     People making it a political issue instead of a health issue.       It's a pandemic people!!!       They are so brain dead and brain washed that they do not recognize truth when they hear it, and even so called Christians.      They will even try to make it a religious issue by saying that they implanting devices for a one world government and the anti-christ and all kinds of strange cultic ideas.     It's not just a few people either.      It's a lot of people.     Crazy!!!!!

Do people remember Polio???      Do people remember Small Pox???      Do people remember the influenza of the early 1900's???       Just these 3 diseases alone forever changed the landscape of most of the families on the planet right now.      How?     By killing off family members, that's how.       The first 2 of the diseases that I mentioned have been all but eradicated from the face of the planet along with a lot of other communicable diseases that I didn't mention.     How????      By vaccines, that's how.

I remember going to get some of these vaccines back in the day and my parents did not question, they were thankful that we could all get the vaccines and that our family would be spared the pain of loss from something preventable.      There's lots of ways to leave planet earth, but leaving because one is too bullheaded to get a vaccine, should NOT be one of the ways to leave.      That's selfish.     That's hurtful.      That's mean spirited.      That's hateful.      That's divisive.      That also lacks any Christlike behavior.

I guess by now some are wondering what this is about.     Well, on Nov 15th, my oldest nephew died from covid.      Did he have to?      Absolutely not.       It was a choice he made.      He made that choice when he let others talk him out of it getting the vaccine.     I don't know if he ever had the desire to get it, but he sure wasn't encouraged by the people closest to him.     He's the son of my only brother that didn't get the vaccine either, because he has listened to people that he shouldn't be listening to.    Now, his oldest son is dead.  A senseless death.     It didn't have to happen.      

If I sound angry, well, I am.     People are brain washed at the hands of the devil and they don't even realize it.     As much as I love family, it is forever changed.       It will never be the same.      That shouldn't be.      Didn't have to be this way.       I have one niece that had the good sense to get vaccinated.      I'm so proud of her.       The family of one of my brothers, his 2 sons and daughter in law are vaccinated and as soon as they can get their grand daughter vaccinated, they will.    I reckon everyone else is beating their chest about their rights and haven't taken notice that their cousin died.     Oh, and he was a full grown man, so it's all on him, for listening to bad information, regardless who the bad info came from.     

I had prayed for a month for him to recover.      Many people did.      People say that you won't die till it's your time.      I don't know if I believe that or not.      Not getting the vaccine is the same as committing suicide.      That's my painful opinion, coming from someone who is still struggling with this, because it did not have to happen!!!    Because the death could have been prevented, by getting the vaccine.      Then, if you still get sick and die, then it was your time.      People have said it's a hoax, and the govt is lying about it all and that the whole last 2 years have been a hoax.     No people, it's not a hoax, it's a nightmare!!!!      We are living with the nightmare now.      If you still think it's a hoax, wait till it hits your family and kills someone you love.      My prayer is that it doesn't hit your family.

Another thing that dawned on me yesterday is that if all of his generation does get their vaccines, then they would be no reason for them not to visit their Grandmother.     Most of them haven't even seen their Grandmother since the start of this and if they cared anything about her at all, then that alone would be reason enough.     I believe that this is one of things that this generation is happy about, not having to see their elderly Grandmother.      You can't even begin to imagine my pain over that one.     My husband and I didn't have any children.      This is the first time that I can honestly say I'm happy.    Because if they would have had the attitude that most of my nieces and nephews have had, I would consider myself a failure as a parent.      Simply because I believe that my husband and I would have reared our children up in the training and admonition of the Lord.      They would have turned their backs on their upbringing and for that I would have felt like a failure.     I guess I still do feel like a failure because most of my nieces and nephews haven't seen anything in me that made them want to do the right thing.

It's a tough struggle to deal with on top of the rest of life's struggles.      But I do believe that God will help me thru this.     He has shown me in His word that evil exists, it always has and always will.      He has also shown me that I don't have to take the pain upon myself, Jesus has already done that.     The struggle is real though.      He has shown me that we all have choices to make and then we all deal with the consequences of those choices.       The best that my husband and I can do, is make the right choices for us.      Also, carefully look at the choices that others have made and then make more of our choices based on we have seen from others choices.      We try to do the right things at all times.       Yes, we fail.   Because like I said the struggle is real.      So is this pandemic.     But doing the right thing has come pretty easy for us and I pray that God will always direct us to do His will in all things.      Even if is looks strange and weird and uncool to the younger generation.   

If I still sound angry, I still am.      We all should be angry.      He did not have to die!!!!      This did not have to happen!!!!     People would much rather buy a horse medicine than take a vaccine!!!     Is that good sense????     No, that is foolishness exposed.   This pandemic could be put to bed, but people's pride gets in the way.    Scripture says that pride goes before a fool.      We are living in foolish times with foolish people and they have been exposed for what they are.    Foolishness has been exposed.      Need I say more?

So as Thanksgiving approaches, I do have a lot to be thankful for.      I am thankful for my husband and the calmness he brings to me.      I am thankful that I still have my Momma, to be as old as I am and still have her is such a blessing.       I am thankful for the health that God has blessed my husband and I with.      I am thankful for my family and I love them all.     I am thankful for my friends.      I am thankful for the roof over our heads and clothes on our back and food on our table.      I am thankful that for the time, in this moment, we are able to make ends meet.     I am most thankful and grateful for my Lord and Savior.       I am thankful He never loses His patience with me.      I am thankful that He is forever in the teaching business and teaching me in all things to be better follower.      I am thankful that He never gives up on me.      I am thankful for His blood that covers my sins.      I am thankful that we have His written word.      I praise His holy name!!!!       I love You Lord!!!!!!       I just know that at some point in time, You alone, will mend my  broken and hurting heart.      And I thank You for what I know You will do.

Well, there you have it, the ugly truth of my struggle.       I know God has purpose and a plan and pray that His purpose and plan is fulfilled.      Even in my struggle, I will still praise God and give Him thanks daily for loving me.      Guess what, He loves you too.     Blessings of a beautiful week ahead for you and yours.     Take care everyone.      Happy Thanksgiving week.      For those of you don't celebrate Thanksgiving at this time, I pray you have blessed week.    God loves you all and so do I.    hugs and love, patty

What's on your mind?

Good morning Beautiful Saints!!!        I pray everyone is doing well and enjoying the Fall season here in the United States.        Most of us have put our gardens, (such as mine is) to bed and are dreaming about next years gardens already.        I picked the last of my peppers and some of them are drying naturally and will be beautiful when they are done.        Some of them, I am eating on daily.       That's what I'm already looking forward to next year, more peppers and tomatoes.       Yes!!!!        I do have a couple of ferments going with some of my hot peppers and then some onion and fruits added to them.    I can't wait for them to get ready to be blended and turned into hot sauce.        Really looking forward to that!!!        I have my seeds, my notebook and pen ready to sit down and plot out as much as I can.      I will be ready to get my starts going around the last of Jan, to the first of Feb, and then watch out!!   hahahaha       I have lots of pots to filled with goodies.      Yay!!       Thank You Lord!!!!

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I was going thru some crafts yesterday and found a set of jewelry that I had made and I wanted to share it with y'all.       We was actually going to the bank and I knew I was going to see a friend of mine and I wanted to bless her with a set of jewelry and I thought was perfect.      I had actually forgotten about this set.      But it is beautiful.        I will tell you that the beads were made from a kleenex box.      Yes, you read that right.       I love all kinds of boxes and the kleenex boxes are perfect.        See what you think.  Click on each picture to see a larger version of it.

I just love the colors in these beads and they turned out so beautiful.

The patterns that showed up on the beads are so intriguing to me, especially on the lighter colored beads with the striping on them.       The bracelet is made from memory wire.      I made a loop on each end with my round nose pliers to make the bead stopper.   I usually put a charm or a small bead on each end.   I didn't do that on this one.     A lot of people strive for perfection, I strive for fun.       Having said that, I get the perfection bit, because I used to be one of these perfectionist who didn't have fun.      I finally learned that fun actually comes from being free to do what I want, without it being perfect.    That's was foreign to me for many years, but now, I can't ever imagine going back.       I said all that for one reason, not all of my beads are the same width.      Some are a lot narrower than others.     I'm great with that, because I love the variation.       It's adds interest that's not there otherwise.

When I start making a set a jewelry, I always look for 2 that are VERY much alike and either make the earrings right then, or put them aside to make them later.     But I have it's actually better to make them first, that way you won't accidentally use them and then not have 2 symmetrical beads for the earrings. 

When I put the necklace and bracelet together, then I start spacing them out on my jewelry board and can slip one in or take one out.   I try to get the layout made before I start putting them together.

I used white quartz bead chips for the spacer beads and I love the way it turned out.        The quartz also adds a little bit of weight to the necklace and I like that.     I don't like a really heavy necklace, but I do like for it to have a little weight to keep it placed right on my neck.

So, just as a reminder when you're crafting, have fun and leave perfection outside.       Let the freedom of "imperfect" be the deciding factor in whatever you do.      Crafting is supposed to be relaxing, it's not rocket science, no one's life is hanging in the balance or depends on your perfection in the project.     Be perfect when it matters.      But let your crafting be one of those areas that doesn't have to be perfect to be great.      Besides, what one person claims as perfection is another persons flaws and vice versa.    Who's right?        Neither.     So, what I decided years ago was to just have fun.      If others like it, yay, if they don't, then so what.       It's my creativity, not theirs.      And I can tell you, most of the time I don't ask for anyone's opinion of my crafts, so if they offer an opinion and they want to be a little snarkey about something, I just tell them that if I had asked for an opinion, it might bother me, but since I didn't ask for one it doesn't make any difference.       And my rule of thumb is to be kind in what I say to build others up.       Not everyone is that way, so, I am ready to address any and all "unasked for" opinions.  

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As I sit here this morning, I must confess and admit my struggle.       Do you ever struggle with anything?       I struggle with a lot of things.         Attitude, highs and lows, anger, pride, guilt, shame, solitude, expectations.................and so many more things.       As I struggle with these things, I find myself questioning everything.        I've come to the conclusion that asking questions is a good thing.    It's the only way I've ever been able to find real answers.       In my search for answers, I find my Lord and Savior in a very real way.        Because, to be quite honest, the answer to every question I have boils down to my relationship with my Savior.         Everything I mentioned and the things I didn't mention by name are all mannerisms and behaviors and mind sets that can and should be under the covering of Christ.       If it isn't, whose fault is it???        I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt, that it is NOT the fault of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!!!!        The fault falls squarely on me and my determination to hold on to these things!!!!!        Therein is the struggle.        My spirit wants to turn it over and get rid of it, but my flesh is so stinking rotten that it won't relinquish those things that the blood of Jesus has completely covered.        Paul spoke of the struggle between the flesh and spirit.      It is a real struggle.       It's a struggle that I deal with daily.        I pray daily to be better today than I was yesterday, with His help.       I can't do anything on my own.       I've learned to not even try.       

I think some of the expectations that I seem to struggle with is when someone expects me say what they want to hear.       If that is what anyone is looking for from me, you won't hear it.       I try make sure what I say is in alignment with scripture and leave my opinions out of it.      If it's my opinion, you will know that's it's my opinion.      I want you to be able to find what I say in scripture.      Hopefully, even if it's my opinion, my opinion will be scripture based.       One thing for sure, when we base our opinions on scripture, we will be in alignment with God.        If my opinions don't line up with scripture, someone is wrong and it is NOT God.     

So, if you ask me something, just understand that I will not lie or tell you what you want to hear.       If there is something specific you want to hear, ask another friend.       I believe in pushing, pulling and dragging others along to be better.       That's what I want and try to do.       But I'll never just tell you something because that's what you want to hear.       I have had 2 very wonderful ladies in my life that have done that for me.       One of them went home to be with Jesus in 2015 and I miss her daily.        The other lady is still a sounding board for me.        I know she will always be straight up honest with me and any thing she has to say is ALWAYS scripture based.       For that, I will be forever grateful.      I have at least 2 people in my life that cared enough about me to tell me the truth, even when it hurt.    That is a real friend.        We all have too many fair weather friends.       But a friend who is willing to tell the truth, even though it hurts, is a true friend.        My hearts desire for each of you is that you have at least one of those friends in your life.      I was blessed and fortunate to have 2 and I thank God for them both all the time.

What we believe matters.        The way we live our lives matters.        How we as Christian ladies dress, matters.       There is a lot of things that matters when our personal testimonies are on the line.      There is so many conflicting messages in the world today that we have to set some boundaries and guidelines to keep the worldly influence at bay.     

If we believe there is no God, then that will be the way we live our lives.     And our clothing with be representative of what we believe.       We as ladies, need to put on the "Full Armor of God"!!!       That is what I'm talking about how we as Christian ladies dress.      I set boundaries and guidelines to keep the world from coming into my home, unless I want it to come in.       Am I perfect?       Laughably, NO!!!       But, that doesn't keep me from striving to be better each day.       That doesn't involve reading the Bible for so long, watching videos and doing Bible studies to the point of excluding everyone from my life to be so religious.        Our relationship with Christ is just that, a relationship, not a religion.    We need to try hard to understand that.       When we set religious goals, we are trying to say that we are earning what ever God has for us.       That is wrong.      If you read the Bible, do it because you are hungry for the Word.   You don't have to tell everyone that you have  a routine, because that's what you have is a routine.      There is a difference between a routine and being hungry for the Word.     Being hungry for the Word puts you in the proper place to be fed by God.       In other words, when we hungry for the Word, we will begin to understand the Word.       Without hunger for the Word, we get "fat, full" of ourselves.       I see that a lot and I'm sure if you stop and think about it, you probably do too.      The fact of the matter is, I can't understand anything for you.        You can't understand anything for me.      It is only when we are hungry for the Word, that's the beginning of understanding and that only comes from God.

Jesus said when you pray, go to your closet, where you are away from others ears and pray.    (my summation of what He said, but it's there, in scripture and you can find it easily enough.)       If we pray big and lofty prayers with meaningless words for other ears to hear, we have received our reward, they heard it.      When we pray to God, and want Him to hear our prayers, we need to do that in private and pour out our hearts to Him.       That's what He will hear and respond to.       Now, I'm not saying corporate prayer is bad.        People pray in public all the time and most of the time, that's a good example of what public prayer should be.      Petitioning God for the corporate needs of the people and praising God corporately are wonderful to be a part of.        Are you talking to God on behalf of the people, or are you saying a lot just to be tickling the ears of the hearers?       Even in corporate settings we have to be careful when we pray, if the one praying aloud is being the voice for the people.

Just a lot of things running thru my head for the last couple of weeks and trying to make sense of it all.   This post was actually started on Oct. 30th, and I'm just finishing it up.       It took me this long to think about it, pray about it, and then come back to it every once in a while with more to say until I finished it this morning.      So, who is this post for????        Well, in short, it's for me!!!!!!!         If you can find some use from this post, then yay, but it was actually what God has been saying to me and showing me and He has to do this from time to time, because like all of us, I need to be told over and over some things.  That's the only reason I started a blog in the first place.        I said I would use it to glorify Him and for Him to teach me.         As long as He is in it, I'll keep doing this blog.       My main goal is just to show you that He is only as big as we allow Him to be.        We can restrain how big God is in our lives.     I NEVER want to restrain God in my life.      I want to get out of His way and let Him do what ever He wants to do.

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Well, that's just about it for this morning.        I hope that can and will purposefully praise God every day and thank Him for all He's done for you.       Especially since Thanksgiving is upon us.      Let us be thankful to God for His many blessings and all the love He heaps upon us.      Always remember how much He loves you.      I love y'all too.     peace, blessings and love, patty