Bible Study and first dehydrating project of 2025

good morning beautiful people.           I pray that everyone is having a great morning thus far.         the sun is shining beautifully, but it's deceptive.           hahaha           it's pretty cold and as per the weather people, we're to have some ice come in here sometime tomorrow.          so hubby is out doing what he can do to get us prepared for this.          our motto has become for us to get as prepared as we can, and pray that we don't need the preparation.          I don't know what the weather will do, but I do know it will have the potential to be bad.          so we try to plan and then let God have it all.        that's the best plan we've been able to come up with over the last 45 years.          God is good, God is good, God is good!!!

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so I finally got started on my first dehydrating project of the year.         I go thru dried minced garlic like nobodies business.         it's good and good for you.         so we use it.         here lately I've been using it on my oven baked diced potatoes, both regular potatoes and sweet potatoes.        it's just a taste that we love and I also use minced onions.         so when I'm done with the garlic, I'll start on the onions.       but for now, it's the garlic.

I recently got a little chopper that you can charge it like you do your cell phone and then push the button and it will chop away.        it's a cute little thing.        I'll take a pic of it when I get into the onions.       I just forgot to this time.        I got 4 bags of garlic from aldi already cleaned and into cloves.         peeling garlic is so time consuming and it's hard on my hands to try to peel that many garlic cloves.      so I made the best decision for me and that was to get the bags of garlic already prepped.        and they are a product of the USA, so I'm happy about that.       Lord only knows where they were pkged at though.       anyway, it is what it is and I got 4 bags of them.           once I'm done with the onions, I may get another couple of bags.     

I did take a few pictures, not as many as I should have, because I'm getting rusty at trying to make sure I take pictures of everything.        hahaha        and I must say that if you open your back door and smell garlic, you're welcome, because that's ME and my garlic!!!!!         hahahaha

each bag of garlic was 6 ounces.           on each red tray is about 3 ounces of minced garlic.        I usually dehydrate everything I do at about 110* F, but for these, I dehydrated them at 120*.         I wanted to get this done as quickly as possible.          I started the first 4 trays last night about 7:30 or 8:00 pm and I got up and come thru the house at about 5 am this morning and they were done.        I just wasn't ready  to take them off the dehydrator.       so just a bit before 10 this morning, I got the minced garlic off the trays and into the jars and got the trays filled again and turned the dehydrator back on at 10:06 am.         I left it at 120*, so these should be done before bed time and if they are, then woohoo!!!!        if they're not, I'll turn the dehydrator temp down and go to bed.

this is what the 2 bags made.        you can see what the bags look like and then the 2 jars.         I love saving the garlic jars just for garlic.         I may even use some of them for the minced onion.      although the minced onion is not as strong as the minced garlic, it will still spare a couple of jars from getting all "stinkified" from garlic and onions.

one and half jars from 12 ounces of garlic.          not too bad.       it will be interesting to see how long these last me.          I have garlic growing, if they survive the great freeze that is headed our way.        if they do survive, this may be the last time I'll have to buy garlic to make my own minced dried garlic.      I sure hope it is anyway.   we'll see.

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I picked up with my Bible reading this morning.           Genesis 20 -27.         a lot happened in these chapters and above everything else we can humanity at it's best or worst.         however you choose to see it.      Abraham was deceptive, not only once, but twice.        then we see Isaac do the exact same thing.  and we also see Esau sell his birthright for a bowl of porridge.        but one thing we have to see in it all is that God was about having a people that trusted Him.          even thru the deception, Abraham trusted God.          he trusted God enough to know that God would provide a lamb to sacrifice instead of killing Isaac.           Abraham had a relationship with God that had proven to him, that God was faithful all the time, even if Abraham wasn't.          that is the same God we have today.        our God is faithful even when we're not.        

sometimes I wonder what it would have been like to live in a time when God made Himself known to His people.          but then again, I realize that God is still making Himself known to His people.      every time I pick up my Bible, I am opening myself up to learning more about our amazing El Roi, the God who sees us.          I love that!!!!!          I love that I can read about Him and then meditate on Him the rest of the day.        I know that God is with me and close to me.          when I'm reading, I can sense myself in those situations.         I don't know if you can or not.         but just to feel the presence of God in those moments is such an amazing thing.        to know that the same God, Yahweh of Abraham, is the same God, Yahweh today, in 2025!!!!          

I hope you are doing your own bible reading and study, right along with me.         I hope you see some of the insights that I'm sharing, but more than that, I hope you're having your own eye-opening moments along the way.      

God bless you as you progress into your day.       if you'll be in the path of some of the ice and snow coming, take care of yourselves.         always remember that God loves you enough that He provided a way for you to be in right relationship with thru the shed blood of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Messiah.

blessings of mercy and grace be yours today.       hugs and love, patty

New Tip, A Blast from the Past, A Future Project

Happy afternoon Y'all!!!     I hope that where ever you are today that you are enjoying your neck of the woods.     It's a pleasant day here in mine.     A bit cooler than it has been, yay!!!!     I live in the heart of the Solar Eclipse belt 2017.    It's gonna be exciting around here.   All the motels are already booked up for miles and miles and miles around.    They are expecting hundreds of thousands of people to come from all over to be in the places that are considered to be in the solar belt that stretches all across the US.    A lot of the schools will closed, a lot of public businesses and offices will be closed that day.     They are even warning of the impending traffic jams that will come with all the people wanting to see such an event.    I think I heard them say that the next such event wasn't to happen again for 500 years.    So, what I'm thinkin' is that I "may" not be around to see the next one, what about you, you gonna be here to see next one?     hahaha      While it is exciting to think about and see, my one concern is that people will look at the eclipse and end up ruining their precious eye sight.     I will not be looking up at the sun, because if you know anyone that is low visioned or com pletely blind, think about what they would give to have their eye sight.   Is looking at the sun worth losing your eyesight or damaging it?    Beware of the scam shades that people are selling and giving away!!!!     I don't know about anyone else, but I don't trust those glasses!!!!    I don't trust anyone to have my best interests at heart, but me, when it comes to something like this.   Maybe I'm a bit silly, I've certainly been accused of much worse, but I enjoy my eyesight, I sure hope you do too.     There will be many videos on tv and the internet to watch after the fact.     What I am excited about is seeing how dark it gets at 1 o'clock or what ever time it's supposed to get dark here in my neck of the woods.    Will the chickens go to their roosts?    Will the cows come in to be milked?     Will the pigs really fly?     Oh, sorry, pigs flying has nothing to do with the eclipse, hehehe.     Just be careful and think about your eyesight.    How precious is your eyesight to you?

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I just wanted to share a picture of a future project.   I have been seeing a lot of these being made on around the web and I really wanted one too.    A bunch of gals on a private group that I am on have been making them like mad, crazy people (love y'all!!)!!!   hahahaha    They are such a lovely gift idea and I hope to get one made to enter in the county fair this time.     I really need to get cracking!!!   This is the journal on the packaging of the die itself.    There are many many beautiful journals on the internet with some really great tutorials.     Do a google of the die and you can find some decent prices on it.

Yes, you seen it here.   I am gonna try my best to get one made!!!    I hope and pray that I can make a beautiful journal.    I hope I can do Eileen Hull proud, I'm sure gonna try my "best-est" to do just that. 

I already have it started, although I'm not really keen on showing anything yet, but I will.    I may have to scrap it, so I don't want to get too attached to it yet.    Texture is the word!!!    This is the front.    (Sorry about the lights from the overhead light.)

This is the upper back.   I was just trying to show how unevenly painted it is.     It's thick and thin and the color is splotchy.     Just what I was going for.     I don't know how much of this underlayer will show on the finished project and I wanted it really messy.   Texture is the word!!!  Looks like I succeeded, huh!   hahaha

This is the journal opened up, flat out.    You can see the overlap of the spine and the holes for the threads, ribbons or what ever, to hold the signatures in.     There will be a lot of mixed media on the cover for sure.      Texture is word!!!    Ok, enough about texture.    hehehe

I cut this from cereal box chipboard and then I gessoed it after gluing the 2 pieces put together.    I let that dry over night and the next day, I put on a mix of paint that I have had for about 3 years now.     This mix of paint came about from another project where I was painting bottles, all different colors, on the inside and I had to drain the excess paint from the bottles.    I rigged up a container that I could drain the bottles into and then when they were all drained, I had this mix of paint.    Now what?    Do I toss it or use it?    Easy answer, use it!!!    And I have!!!!    I don't mind telling ya, I will be very disappointed when its all gone.     One or two more projects and it will be gone.     It gets thicker and thicker with each project and that's what I love about it so much.     It works wonderfully as a base on my mixed media projects.     So, I have this layer drying, just getting ready to start putting on more and more.     Be on the look out for more of this to show up sometime soon.    (I hope!!)

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Now...for a blast from the past.    When I started thinking about this blog post and what I wanted to share today, I started thinking about some of times we used to go fishing as a family.    All 8 of us would load up and go fishing!!    It was some really good times, until it came time to clean the fish!!!!!    hahahaha       It could be a few hours or even into the late evening cleaning fish.    Daddy would always strap on his pearl handled pistol that was in this really neat looking leather holster.     The belt part of it had loops all around the waist that held about a half a box of shells and then there was a leather strap at the bottom of the gun barrel on the holster that tied around his knee.     Kinda Indiana Jones-ish.     That was always one thing that he made sure he had.     Then, we had all the cane poles and rods and reels, tackle boxes, all different kinds of baits such as worms and minnows  and artificial baits of all kinds and maybe a piece or two of stinky meat (hahaha), and stringers for the ones that wandered off away from the rest of the gang.    Then there were plenty of 5 gallon buckets to hold all the fish and keep them cool and fresh till we got home with them.  

At the time, milk came in the paraffin coated cardboard cartons that some milk still comes in today, I think.      (What I remember about the milk cartons for our part of the country is that they also had coupons for Santa Clause Land Amusement Park up in Indiana on the backs of them.    You could cut those out, save them, and use them to gain entrance and use them for other things once inside the amusement park.)    Mom always saved the gallon sized cartons.     She would wash them out and store them until we had fish or some other meat to put in them because they stacked really well in the freezer, and therefore taking up less space.    They also held enough meat of one kind or another, for a meal.   Once the cleaning of the fish started, I was the fish runner.    The guys would be outside cleaning the fish.     Once they got a pan full, I would run that pan in to mom and she would start washing them and making sure all scales was gone and packaging them and I would run another pan out to the guys.    This carried on for for as long as it took, but with everyone helping, we got the job done.    When it was all said and done, we would have several gallon sized boxes of fish to put in the freezer and enjoy later on.    Two or three fishing trips like this in the summer kept us in fish all the rest of the year, until we got to go fishing again the next summer.   Mom would put as many fish in each box as she could, then she would fill the empty space around the fish in the box with water.    That kept freezer burn off the fish.     So, if we was gonna have fish for supper, she would set a box out of the freezer first thing of the morning and let it thaw and then the magic happened!!!    My mom is the best fish fryer there is!!!    hahaha     There would be a platter of fish on the table that was mounded so high, that I don't know how they stayed on there!!      Oh my gosh, they were the best things I ever ate!!!  I wish I had some of her fish now.     Next time I go see her, I may have to get her to fry me up a fish.    She would too, if I bring her the fish.    hahaha  

The meal with fish would usually consist of her delicious great northern or pinto beans, cooked to perfection, stewed potatoes seasoned with black pepper, 2 cornbread pones cooked in cast iron skillets and lots of onion.    That, my friend, was a meal that my family was more than thrilled to sit down too, any day, anytime!!!!      Very few scraps was left from this kind of meal.    The dogs didn't get to eat very well on a night like this, because there wasn't many scraps and you couldn't feed the fish bones to dogs.    The cats got to clean up the fish bones.    The dogs were used for hunting, so we fed them well.   They ate what we ate plus some dog food for nights like the night I just described.    They didn't like dog food though, they preferred the food we ate.    hahaha     Spoiled dogs!!  hahahah

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I have a new tip for y'all today.    I want to explain a little bit about it first.    When I started adding a tip to each post at the beginning of the year, I had no idea which direction it would take.     I was thinking crafts and then it quickly took a turn, (not saying I won't be adding crafty tips along the way, but for now, this is what it is.)    Then again, I had no idea what my word for the year would bring either.     My word for the year was and is "DREAM".     Not my dreams for me, but God's dreams for me.     His dream for me has taken me on the quest to get healthy and try to finish my days of life left on this planet serving Him in as healthy a body as I can have, with His help.       So with exercise and trying to eat a bit more healthfully, it is taking me on a journey.     I hope that some of y'all are following me on this journey.       A weight loss of 5 to 7% of overall body weight, moderate exercise for 150 minutes a week, and journaling every bite I have eaten has been the way to get me started on this healthy journey.     This is the guide lines that I was taught on my weekend taking the PT2 crash course to be a Life Style Change Coach.      I had started with some of this before I went to the PT2 training, I just didn't know it.

This year I have been watching documentaries on Netflix about the food industry, the medical industry and trying to find out more in general about getting my body healthy.    Netflix has probably got 10 or more really good documentaries that are free to watch.    About all the GMO's (genetically modified organisms) and antibiotics and other crap (technical term, grin) in our meats and grain.    So, search them out and see what you can come up with.    (((And, just as an aside, the health industry does not want us healthy.   They want to keep us sick, because there is not a continuous source of income from healthy people.    They love treating each and every symptom, not getting at the root cause of the illness.    Think about that.)))   You can find some of them on You Tube also.    In the process of all this, it has led me to some interesting websites.     I am not advocating for anyone to go vegan or vegetarian.     I'll tell you why.     I shared in the section above why and it's because I was raised in a household that hunted and fished to have meat on the table.     We was taught that "if you can't eat it, don't kill it, and don't kill it if you can't eat it", unless it was gonna harm you, ie, fox, coyote, snakes or a rabid animal.     So, we grew up eating game meat; rabbits, squirrels, deer, quail, partridges, dove, frog legs, the occasional soft shelled turtle and other animals that my dad and brothers killed and fish we caught with our own fishing poles.    We raised our own beef for many years.   My grandparents raised their own pork.    They also raised their own chickens.
 
We got to see all the processing that took place at home, on the farm.   It's a much different form of processing taking place in the meat processing plants these days.    We had some of the best meat that you can ever put in your bodies.     Free range meat is all there was back then!!!     Who knew???   We had no idea what the future was gonna hold for the food industry, but just like everything else that man gets their hands on, it becomes a nightmare.       My opinion is that the food that we had back 50 years ago was much better for us.     Number 1, it wasn't processed with all the crap (technical term, grin) that's in the meat today.    No added hormones and no added antibiotics.     No genetically modified beans and corn was in their diets, therefore ultimately, not being a part of our diets.    Number 2, my mother put a lot of love and forethought in the way she prepared our meals.     Meat was not the main dish of our meals.      Beans and potatoes and corn bread was the mainstay in our house along with the seasonal veggies and fruits from the garden or the freezer after mom had processed them herself.     Meaning that we ate mostly vegetables and some meat.      Fast forward to 2017 and meat is the main focus of any meal and its processed with crap (again, my technical term, grin) in it that was never meant for human consumption.      It's the processing of our meats that is making it deadly to our bodies, all the preservatives and nitrates and nitrites and other stuff I can't spell much less pronounce.    It is the processing or should I say, overprocessing of grain that is making it deadly to our bodies and the same with the veggies we eat.    All the fiber being processed out of grain and all the sugars we are consuming without knowing we are consuming so much.    Not to mention everything that is being made with genetically modified corn and beans that is in just about everything we eat today!!!!!      You know what gets me?     I noticed in Sunday's coupons in the paper that they are now making dog and cat food WITHOUT genetically modified organisms or "gmo's".    They don't want you feeding this to the pets, but it's ok for your children to eat the crap!!!!!     What do you think about that???

I am "now" concerned about what I am putting into my body.      The reason I say "now", is that it's better late than never.      I don't know how this is all gonna pan out for me in the long run, but I am trying to eat more healthfully and purposefully.      Back years ago, my husband and I used to travel a lot and for the life of me I can't remember where we went, but I do remember all the foods associated with the good trips!!!!    Every trip, I associated with the meals eaten, not the sights seen.    How sick is that?!?!      hahaha     Who cares where we went, the food was good!!!!      And you know what, the food was good to my taste buds, but it wasn't good to my body and I am now dealing with the consequences.     A couple of sayings come to mind.   One is, "all things in moderation".    How's that working for me?     I wouldn't say that to an alcoholic or drug addict, so I'm not gonna say that to myself anymore.     Another one is, "eat to live, not live to eat".     This is one saying that I am gonna try to put into practice.     For so long, I lived to eat.     I love the flavors of food, I do, I can't help it.    Come to find out, it's not the flavors of food that I loved, it's all the addictive additives that was in the food.    Now, I can honestly say that I do love the fresh real flavors of real food.     

With all that said and the journey I am now on, comes my tip.     On the left hand side of my blog under "places I shop" is a new category I called "Healthy Eats".     These are some places that was mentioned in some of the documentaries that I watched and some are just places that I have found on my own and wanted to save for myself and I thought I would add them here for all of us to take advantage of.   There are lots of recipes and how to add more healthy veggies to our diets and how to make healthy sauces that are void of animal byproducts.     There are some though, that I can't add.     For some odd reason I can't make it a clickable link in the column under "Healthy Eats" (it turns into gobble-dee-gook that is unintelligible, another technical term) , so I'll have to add those in blog posts and hopefully figure out how to put them all in one place.     A couple of those places that I couldn't add to my list is www.plantplate.com, once there, check out the recipe list and also https://nutritionfacts.org/.    These are some really good places to get great info.    I tried to put these in my list, but as I said, I couldn't.    I said earlier, I am not advocating going vegan or vegetarian at all, but this next place is a good place to look at some of the alternatives for meals and what can be eaten at a very low cost, so that's why I'm sharing this one, https://rawvana.com/vegan-meal-prep-1-50-day/.    This one also has the you tube video that goes along with it to show how to prep the food.    Also, at the bottom of the page on Forks over Knives, (this one is listed) look for the newsletter archives,    There are a lot of recipes in that area.

I will say this about the places I have listed.     I am not responsible for the adverts that may pop up on the websites and the other content on these sites.   There was a place or two that had some questionable ads and I did not even post them, simply because I don't want y'all to think that I advocate for some of the garbage that they was taking a stand for.    I advocate for healthy food for healthy bodies so we can use them in the service of our Lord and Savior, that's it.    No hidden agenda.    I am just trying to be my own advocate for myself and learning to make better choices for me.    I do believe in taking care of what the Lord has blessed us with, His planet.    God made everything He made to be useful to man, even animals as a source of food.    The Bible has all that info in there, so read it to find out what God says.    If I do decide to give up meat all together, it will because God has directed me to do so, but for now, I am still enjoying meats, just less of it.    If you choose to give up meats, it's because you made the choice for yourself.   (Although, watching some of the documentaries is enough to turn a weak stomached person off of meat for good.)    

So, if you are trying to get a bit more healthy, feel free to check out the websites that I have listed under "Healthy Eats".     If you have a place that should be added, than add it in the comments below, and once I have approved the comment, we can all have access to it then.     I hope and pray that this will be a blessing and some useful info for all of us on our journey to get healthy.     We'll do it together!   Yay!!!!!

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Well, that's about it for today.    I have exercise class after while and will be heading off to it.    But when I get back home, I hope to work a little bit more on my Eileen Hull journal.    Come back soon for an update on that.    I hope where ever y'all are that today is a most lovely day for you.    I hope you have some good memories of fishing in your memory bank. Also some good memories of enjoying the catch later.   Yeah!!!!    Take the dare today to start eating to live and not living to eat. Savor every healthy bite of food you put in your mouth.    Check out some of the places I listed to help you get started and to give you some good healthy suggestions.    If you have any suggestions for us on the places for healthy advice with our meal preps, please let me know.     I do love hearing from y'all and reading your comments.    Start a fun project today.    Do something just for you today, that will make you appreciate this moment in time.   Tell someone you know that Jesus loves them and is waiting to hear from them.     And take care of your eyes, they are the only ones you have!     God loves y'all and so do I!!!     Till next time, hugs and love!!!!    Patty

THE Key, Another Peeve and Another Project and a Tip

Good afternoon Y'all!!!    I hope this post finds everyone cool and refreshed.  I really do.    It has been so hot in my neck of the woods that I have been afraid of spontaneous combustion!!!!    hahahaha    Well, I don't think I'm really gonna do that, but I have been known to stick my head in a freezer for a second or two.    hahahaha    Hey, I shop at Aldis, so I can hold the door open a second or two longer than necessary at the frozen veggies!    Well, I don't do it all time, so that counts for something, doesn't it?    So, I make a game out of it.    Ok, here's what I do.    When it's really hot, I mean really really hot, I can actually hit Wal Mart, Kroger, HG Hills, Sav-A-Lot, Aldi and 3 or 4 Dollar General Stores...............and by the time I try out all the freezers, it's cooled off enough outside that I can then go home.    I just tell people that I'm studying all the frozen foods in all the stores.    Someone even suggested that it was one heck of a test that I was studying for.     bada bing bada boom      hahahahaha        Ok, so that's NOT true.      I was just pulling y'alls legs.    But I am starting to think it sounds like a pretty good plan.    If anyone tries it, report back here on how it works for you, ok.      But.....if you get in trouble, don't blame me, ok.     hahahaha

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In my last post I shared a pic of a "work in progress".    I am happy to share that I have it completed and really like the outcome.    I find that I am sticking with mostly the same colors. I can't help it, because they are just so beautiful together that I overlook all the other colors of Viva Decor Inka Gold, but I am gonna try hard to remedy that.    I added the colors hematite and graphite to my stash, so that should make for some great combinations.    I hope so anyway.

 This is one of the earrings.    No two sets are ever alike, that's what I love about these so much.

Even the variations in the same set is fun.      I will point out here again that I do make the ear wires too,

I always notice more in the pictures than I notice when I hold them in my hand.   I see more purple along the bottom and the right side of the necklace.    PURPLE!!!!!!   There, I said it, I got it outta my system.   hahahaha

This is my favorite bracelet to date.    I made it a little larger on purpose, so I can push it up high above my wrist.   It looks nice.

This is my hammered clasp.   I just love making those too.      I did find some oblong jump rings and I love them.    I think they make the bracelets look much nicer.

This is the complete set.     All in all, I'm happy with this.    I hope you are too.    I do have another shape now.     So that will be fun to make another set and at some time, maybe use more than one shape together.      I don't  know.      We'll see.

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Did you know that every key unlocks something?     Well, they should anyway.    Have you ever lost a key?     What do you think about when you hear the word "key"?      Most people would probably think of a lock and then they may even envision one of the many locks available on the market.    Maybe even a house door lock or a car lock or some kind of a latch that locks.      When I think of a key, most of the time I see a skeleton key, I think that's what they were called.     Remember the old key and locks that used to be in old houses.     The ones you could actually see through.     I remember movies when I was a kid where it may be a spooky movie and you could always see a blinking eye through one of the key holes.    I always hoped someone would poke that eye!!!     hahaha     Hey, I sure would have!!!  

Is it safe to say that most locks have a key?    Yes.   Is it safe, then, to say, that most every key unlocks something?      Sure.      I look at my key chain sometimes, and I think to myself that it looks more like a weapon than it does a key chain.     I've even had people ask me if I know what they all go to.    I sure do, it may take a minute or two to name them all, but I know what they are all for.   I do have a lot of keys on my key chain, but every one of them locks and unlocks different things.       And, by the way, I CAN use my key chain as a weapon, if necessary.    hahaha      Really, I could and would in  a heartbeat, if need be.

So, why all the fuss about keys?   We may leave home without a key sometime, but, there is one key that you don't want to leave this life without.      There are a lot of misconceptions out there about there being many ways or many doors to God, the Father, but.....that is a lie straight from hell.     There is only one Key that will open the door to the Father and that key is Jesus Christ.

John 14:6  Jesus answered "I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me."

Sounds like a key to me, doesn't it sound like one to you?     There are not many doors to our Father,  as some suggests, there is only One.   How many remember the fun game show, "Let's Make a Deal"?   At the end of the show, there was 3 curtains or doors to choose from.    Choose the right door and you won the grand deal of the day, choose the wrong door and you may get a bale of hay or some rotten eggs.   Well, our Father made the choice real simple.    There is only one key to His door and that is His son.   You choose this key and you get an eternity with the Father and His Son.    The key IS Jesus!    Jesus was talking to His disciples when He made the statement above.    He went on to say that if you have seen Me, you have seen My Father.   The radical thing is this.   After we place our faith and trust in Christ and have accepted Him as our Savior and "Key" to the Father, our Father does not see us in our weakness of humanity, He see us in the strength of His Son!!    Because He sees the shed blood of Christ over us, covering our sins and blotting out our failures.    Do you have this key?    Have you found this key yet?    Don't be lied to by the enemy.    Jesus is that key that you are searching for.     You are the only one that can open the door of your heart to Him.    Jesus is the only key that will unlock the gates of heaven.    Oh my dear friend, I hope and pray that you have found THE key, Jesus.    And I mentioned earlier about losing keys.   Well, you don't ever have to worry about losing this Key!    Once you find Jesus, He won't ever be lost from you.

I hope and pray that every time you look at your keys that you pack on a daily basis, that you will be reminded of the BEST key of all!!    Jesus Christ!!!!!      Do you know Him today?    I sure hope so!!

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Today, I have another pet peeve day.     I have recently noticed some of the ads that pop up on web sites and email and things like that.     The one that stands out, is the one that says "don't stop roe" placed by planned parenthood.   This is my opinion, and my opinion only.   So, you don't have to read any further if you choose not too, but this is my opinion.    I do get to have my opinion on my blog, for now anyway.     I don't want my tax dollars going to fund the murder of the innocent.     I will not, knowingly, support an organization that supports planned parenthood or roe v wade.   Since 1973 the United States has successfully killed close to 59 million people, probably more by now, and done it legally, mind you.   Do your homework, google it out.   Roe V Wade, the law that was passed making it legal to kill human beings, is based on a LIE!!!!    YES it is!!!!    The woman that caused this in the first place, has since become a Christian, and admitted that it was all a lie, and that she had been cheating on her husband and got pregnant.     She has gone to the courts and told them that it was a lie.   So, we now have a law on the books, based on a LIE, saying it's ok to kill people!    What's right about that?   Nothing!!!!!!     We care more about the rights of animals than we do humans.      Lord forgive us!     I am afraid ignorance and turning a blind eye will not be enough to let us off the hook when we stand before our Creator with blood on our hands.     

You will never hear me put down a woman that has had an abortion.    I won't do it!   I refuse to do it! I would never add to her pain and suffering.     A lot of these ladies had no choice in the matter.    A lot of these ladies did not know better at the time.     But I can assure you that these ladies have dealt with a tremendous amount of guilt.   I will not add to that.   To anyone reading this that has had the experience, my heart breaks.    I pray that God will put someone in your path that can help you with healing.    If you are one those ladies that has found healing, praise GOD and I hope that you pass it on to another lady that needs healing too.    My prayer is that someday, someday soon, all the women that have been victim of the law that says it's ok to kill, would rise up and claim victory through the blood of Christ, and demand a change.   I pray for them to rise up in unity and when they do, they will have many more supporters to join them in pressing for change.     Don't tell me one person can't cause a change to come about.    There is power in "one". One person caused prayer to be taken from schools and elsewhere.        One person caused a law based on a lie to kill millions of people.    One person made a choice to lay her life on the line for the lineage of the Jewish nation.   One person stepped up to lead the Exodus.     ONE person died on a cross to SAVE us from our sinfulness, Jesus Christ!   

Lord, forgive us all for not standing up and speaking out against the atrocities that's happening around us on a daily basis.     Father, forgive us when we let things happen.      Father, forgive us when we cause things to happen.      Forgive those that take advantage of us.      Father, forgive us for not claiming our part of the blame.     Forgive us for placing our blame and fault on others.     Open our eyes so we can see that keeping silent is giving our consent to the situation.     Father, give us courage to stand up, step out, and support change that will bring people to Your saving knowledge.     Help us to live, daily, as your humble servants, stepping in the gap for those that have no voice.     Help us in the days to come to do the right thing.     It may be tough, and it may be hard, but You haven't called us to do the easy thing, You've called us to do the "right" thing, the "hard" thing.     Thank you Father, for what I know You will do in the coming days.     Amen and Amen

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Ok, so my tip this time is not anything new.   It's more of a reminder, I guess, but I'll still call it my tip because I have to remind myself to do it.    One of the things I love to do is have lots of fresh fruits and veggies on hand.   I have to remember when I get home to go ahead and prep the fruits and veggies right then and there.    It makes it easier to grab a handful of something and keeps me from grabbing something else that I don't need to be eating.    So, make bell pepper sticks, celery sticks, carrot sticks as soon as you get home and then they are very easy and ready to use.   Wash radishes and grapes and cherries and tomatoes and you are good to go.   It also makes it easier for others in the house to eat and snack on foods that's a little healthier.    It does take a few minutes on the front end, but from then on, they are good to enjoy on the go.

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Well that's just about it for today.   I hope and pray that you enjoy the rest of your day and that you come up with your own unique way to stay cool.   hahaha    I hope that you get to do something crafty and fun today.    I hope that every time you look at your keys that you are reminded of Jesus Christ, the door to the Father.     I hope that you will do something good for someone today, just because you can.     Because one person can make a difference.     And I hope you have some fresh fruits and veggies already prepped and ready to nosh on at the whim.     Yum!!!     Tell someone you know that Jesus loves them.   To be honest, we can never hear that too often.    We need to hear it and believe it, because it's true.  

I hope you find yourself right back here real soon.    Until then, remember that God loves you and wants to hear from you.    I love ya too, see ya soon!    hugs and love, Patty

Work in Progress, Living your Greatest Sermon, Spiced up tip, and Continued Dreaming

Good morning y'all!!!    It has been a rainy July so far and nothing would indicate that it's gonna change any time soon.     It just stays so humid and sticky and then one minute the sun is shining and then the next it's raining, and then it will be raining with the sun shining.     Years ago on the popular night time soap, Dallas, Sue Ellen Ewing would say, "I'm so confused!"      She would always say that and I would crack up.     Well,,,,,I thinks the weather is "so confused:!     hahahaha       Oh well, I'll not complain too much, it could turn off hot and dry and then we would be in a pickle.     I'll just learn to take what ever the day brings and just be so happy to be a part of it.     That's my action plan.      I know there has been lots of damage in other parts from all the storms rolling through, so we can take wet any time and be happy that's all it is.  

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Ok, so I have a teaser for y'all today.     I have been busy with other things and haven't been doing much crafting or jewelry making, but I do have a work in progress and I wanted you to see thus far.

I think I had mentioned getting a die from ebay that was graduated size of squares, this is the cut pieces all stacked and glued, ready for me to get my inca rubs out.    I have to say that I'm not really happy with the die.     I don't know why, but the squares are not perfectly square and that is VERY irritating to me.     When I started trying to stack them, that's when I seen how off square they really are.     It was one of the red steel rule dies.     I wish I could find the same thing in the newer steel rule dies, it might be more perfectly square, but I don't think they even make that, so I guess I am stuck with having to trim them to my liking.    uugghhhh      But, I am pretty confident that I can turn this into something that I will be happy with.  

The reason I like the steel rule dies for making this type of jewelry is because I can adhere 3 layers of chipboard together and the steel rule die will cut it nicely.     If I just use a single layer of chipboard and a thin die, then I have to spend tons of time cutting and trying to glue the layers perfectly, and that is soooo hard for me to do.     I may go ahead and try it again though with some of the different shapes that I already have in the thin dies and see how I can manage that.    Well, there you have it, my sneak peak, so stay tuned for more jewelry adventures.

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My one word for the year was "dream".     I said then that it was not my dream, but God's dream for me.     I had no idea what this year would look like for me.      There was no way I could even put anything on a dream board either.     Nothing was clear or in focus.      Just minute by minute is the way I have lived this year so far.     And I must say that there have been some pretty amazing (to me) minutes so far.      God has blessed me in a much different way than I could have imagined or dreamed.   I am so thankful and blessed for sure.     One of my dreams was to try to get healthier this year.     The last couple of years with an achilles tendon injury has taken its toll on me, so with that 97.999% better, I started exercising and got a fit bit and started eating better and slowly but surely, my health, I believe, is getting better.     I didn't get unhealthy over night and I won't get healthy over night either.    It's one step, one bite, one movement, one breath at time.     Living with a purpose!     Living with the mindset, that God created me for a purpose.    

Well, one event after another led to me meeting the right person at the right time!     Isn't God awesome like that!!!     Oh yes, He sure is!!!     God set my path to meet this wonderful woman at the hospital.     After talking with her at length, just about what has brought me to this juncture in my life, she looked at me and said, "I think you would make a great coach, a great lifestyle coach."     I was really speechless!    I know, right, that's really hard to believe, isn't it!!!    hahahaha      Here I am, struggling for my life and she thinks I would make a good lifestyle coach.     Go figure.     Immediately, the enemy says, "HAHAHA, you think you can do that?"     The first thing that came to mind was, "not in my strength, but I can do all things thru Christ who strengthens me."      She started telling me about what the lifestyle coach does.      Basically it is being a class facilitator, or leader in helping people that have been diagnosed as "pre-diabetic" to get active, change eating habits and achieve sustainable weight loss  to prevent or at least delay full blown diabetes.    

With her asking me if I wanted to do that, came the opportunity to go to the 2 day training event that took place the last Friday and Saturday in June.     It was, without a doubt, the most intense and tense 2 days I have experienced in a long while.     I was in this training with doctors, professors and high level upper health care management!!!     I was the only "hick from the sticks".    hahaha      I was!   Out of 18 participants, I was the only person there that didn't have a bunch a letters strung together at the end of my name.     I was also the oldest person in class.   We had to introduce ourselves and tell a bit about us and why we were there.      I told them my name, and that I didn't have a bunch of letters at the end of my name, but that I had gotten my masters from the "University of Hard Knocks" and that I decided I wanted to finish well, so now I was working on my doctorate and that I was 20 years old with 38 years of experience under my belt.     The trainer clapped her hands and loved my answer and so did everyone else.     I don't know if they were laughing at me or with me, and it doesn't matter anyway.     What did matter, is that God had brought me there!!!!      It was 2 days with some of the most intense study sessions I have been a part of.     It was a great experience!!!     I am thrilled that I got to do this and at some point I will either be coaching or co-coaching a class for Prevent Type 2 diabetes.     I came home with the curriculum and now the real study starts.

I am happy that I now have the tools to help myself and others to live a stronger, healthier life and I just pray that God blesses any and all efforts that I make in this journey ahead of me.     I said that if I can't help myself, I don't know how in the world I can help others.     I just trust God in this matter.   He seen fit to put me in the right place at the right time, "for such a time as this" and I pray that I can fulfill His dream for me in this endeavor.    "Living with a purpose!"    The days ahead look a little brighter, thanks to Him!

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I have a pet peeve to discuss here for just a few seconds.    I won't bore you too long with this one, but I do want to mention this on here and just hope and pray that I don't have to address it again, ever.    Does anyone of y'all ever have to go through your list of followers and block some of them?    Well, I do.   I have done it twice since the onset of my blog back in 2013.    I first want to say that I am truly honored to have as many followers as I do have.    I don't care who wants to follow my blog, I really don't.    But I just want to say that this is NOT a lonely hearts club!!!    There are many "hook up" sites on the web, you don't have to troll the crafting forums to try to find someone.    If anyone comes to my blog and reads anything at all, I hope they will read the left side bar.    I do tell about being married for 38 years and look forward to the next 38 years with my husband!!!!    Just as an aside, if I wasn't married, I would NOT be looking for someone online!    So, yes, I clean out and block followers that are trolling for women, and you can too.   

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I wanted to share a spiced up tip with y'all today in the form of a recipe.     I love buckwheat pancakes and I always try to have the mix on hands at all times.      The real deal, buckwheat mix will be just a little darker in color than regular pancake mix.     It should be a whole grain mix, just for the healthfulness of it.     We have an Amish Country Store pretty close to us up in a neighboring state and that is where we go to get the buckwheat pancake mix that I like, although the stores around town do carry buckwheat pancake mix and it's good too.    But, at the Amish store they have all kinds of other wonderful mixes, spices, spice blends, cereals....anything you can think of and they have it, just about.     I stay stocked up on the fresh spices and the last time I was up there, I picked up a container of chai spiced tea mix.    I have made several cups of tea and I just love it.    The fragrance of it is so divine!!!     Well, this morning as I was getting ready to fix buckwheat waffles for breakfast, I picked up the chai tea mix also and put about a tablespoon of that in the batter along with almond milk, OMGoshie, that is absolutely, hands down the BEST waffles we have ever eaten!!!!

For the recipe:    Spiced up Buckwheat Pancakes or Waffles

1 cup of buckwheat pancake mix, 

1 heaping tablespoon, or more of chai spiced tea mix, 

1 tablespoon of oil, 

1/4 cup of unsweetened almond milk.

Mix well and pour into preheated waffle iron.    Don't overfill, or it will overflow.     Let it cook till the waffle iron lets you know they are done.      Easy peasy, yet OH SO delicious!!!

I just used a bit of spray parkay on mine and then just a touch of maple syrup, (I generally use locally grown honey on waffles or pancakes, and that is what I will use the next time.)     Oh my, it's so good!!!!     One of the old country sayings that comes to mind is "it was so lip smacking good, I thought my tongue was slap my eyeballs outta my head!"    hahahaha      Hubby thought they were pretty scrumptious also, so these will be on my "go to" list for sure.     I hope you try this and let me know how you and your family liked them.

The spiced chai tea mix is also good in oats. Oh yeah!!!    

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I heard it said one time that "the greatest sermons aren't preached, they are lived".     My prayer is this, "Lord, help me live my life in such a way that is honoring to the call you have placed on my life. May my life be a sermon well lived."    

Sometimes in the day to day struggles of life, we forget that others may be watching and listening closely to our lives.     Some people do watch and listen just to SEE when we fall.     But there are "learners" out there that are just trying to do the best they can and they do watch us, so they can learn from us.     We ARE the only Jesus that some will ever see.      So, my hearts desire is that when someone looks at me, they see Jesus, not the sack of bones that I carry around in the form of my body.      I truly want to be the hands of love and compassion that reach out to the unloved and hurting world around me.      I'm not always successful at it though.      I just keep praying on a daily basis that God will help me one more day to try and get it right "today, this day".

I used to be of the mindset that it did not matter how I lived my life.    Being young and ignorant can cause us to think a lot of things that aren't right.     But upon more study of the Word of God, I found myself having to change that thought.     I have even heard people say that you should not live your life based on how others live, and I bought into that, for several years.    More than I even care to admit.      But when I started reading and studying the Word for myself, that's when I started seeing that how I live my life matters not only to Christ, but also to those around me who are searching for Christ.     This is where the saying, "the greatest sermons aren't preached, they are lived" comes into play.

Paul talked about this a lot, actually.  

Philippians 4:9  Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.       

Titus 2:7 In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness.       

1 Thessalonians 1:6  You became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you welcomed the message in the midst of severe suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit.

Colossians 3:16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.

Ephesians 4:11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.  

1 Corinthians 11:1 Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.

How does it make you feel to know that we are to be examples to those around us?     Is my behavior to be imitated?      Do we have a "do as I say, not as I do" mindset?     I don't know about anyone else, but I will have to tell you right about now that I have had to stop and ask myself, "do I really want anyone to imitate me"?     That's not a fun question to have to give an honest answer to.     Don't believe me, then seriously, ask yourself that.  

What are some of the things that we teach those around us, just through our everyday lives?  

-It's ok to be rude, because I don't know you and probably won't ever see you again.
-He gave me too much money back at the checkout, so it's actually mine, right.
-I'll yell at you because I am louder than you, and I'll get away with it.
-I can actually accuse you of lying because I have a government job, and I'm pretty sure you can't get me fired.
-I can lie to you about what I done to your vehicle, and charge more money.
-I can cut in front of you, because I have a bigger vehicle than you, and you will stop.
-She was a lousy waitress and I don't have to leave a tip.
-So what if I knocked your mail box down, your husband can fix it.

These are just a few of the real life scenarios that I have been a part of in some way or another.    The first one happened to us in Georgia a many years ago on vacation.     Have you ever been served greasy coffee?   (gag)  Well, we have.    We still laugh over that one.     The second one happened to me at a Wal Mart in Ky and I didn't realize it till I got home.    It was a significant amount of money and I didn't want that on my head.   I turned around and made the 12 mile drive back to WM in the pouring rain and it took an hour and a half to get the problem worked out, all the while I was being treated like I had stolen something, but through it all, I remained calm and I did not keep the money.   The third one happened recently in a place that something like that should never happen, and with people that you would never expect, again, I remained calm and after speaking my peace over the situation, I left and, sadly, I won't be back.    The fourth one actually happened to me in the local post office.     I can't say that I was calm, but I can say that I didn't "cuss" anyone, or "reach out and touch anyone", both was at the forefront of my mind.    But I did go the USPS website and leave a "wonderful" (NOT) commentary about the local post office.       The fifth one has probably happened to any woman who has ever taken their vehicle in for work to be done and it did happen to me, but my husband to the rescue.   The sixth one actually happened to us on the interstate, being cut off in heavy traffic by a semi truck driver and we had to take the shoulder and then the ditch to keep from being killed by him. The seventh one actually happened in a local restaurant a few weeks ago.       The server was in a really bad mood and we had really bad service and my husband started not to leave a tip, but I encouraged him to, simply because I don't know what was bothering her that day, but something was, I knew she needed some mercy and grace.      The eight one used to happen all the time by our neighbors.   They used our mailbox as the gauge that kept them out of the ditch when backing out of their driveway!!    That's true.     They seen my husband out there on a weekly basis or more, setting up our mailbox and they always acted like they didn't know what was causing it to be knocked over.

You know, I know there are many times that I have not always acted like I should have.     There has been times that I have been rude and obnoxious and there is nothing that can make those instances right.   I guess the best I can say is that I try harder now than ever to live my life based on the scriptures that I posted, knowing that others are watching and listening to see what my reaction to any given situation is gonna be.     We never know when we will have an off day.     I need always, to be ready to pour out an unending amount of grace and mercy to cover any situation I'm in.     If you have never needed grace, you may not understand that statement.     But if you have been in a situation where you yourself have needed grace, then you understand how important it is to be quick to extend grace and mercy, even when we may think the situation doesn't deserve it.    When we are quick to extend grace and mercy, we are planting seeds,     Then that person may begin to wonder what we are all about and ask us why we were kind to them.   They may ask someone else why we were kind to them.   At any rate, they are thinking about the seeds that was planted.     Then Jesus will water those seeds with other people coming along in their lives.  

I have thought about some of the seeds that others have tried to plant in my life too.    Seeds of bitterness, seeds of thinking it's ok to raise your voice with a woman, seeds of stinkin' thinkin', seeds that says I am not good enough, seeds of anger, seeds of fear, seeds of rejection, seeds of failure, seeds that say I have the right to judge a person for having a need, seeds of shame and soooo many more seeds.     Those seeds are straight from the pits of hell!     I don't care who it is that's trying to sow those seeds into your life, they don't have the right to do that, so do not let that garbage fall on the fertile soil in your life!!!!     Let Jesus plant the seeds that He wants your life to produce and I guarantee that your life will yield a bumper crop of great sermons!

"The greatest sermons aren't preached, they are lived".     Again my prayer is this, "Lord, help me live my life in such a way that is honoring to the call you have placed on my life.   May my life be a sermon well lived."      I hope and pray that this is the desire of all our hearts, to be a sermon well lived.     What about you, are you "living your greatest sermon"?    

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Well that's just about it for this morning.     I hope you have a good weather day today.     I hope you make some jewelry, if not, then wear some really pretty jewelry.     I hope you have a God-sized dream that you will let Him bring to fruition in your life.   Think about some of your pet peeves today and see if you can do something about them.     Is your life a great sermon?     If not, why?      I hope and pray that you seen something here today that has made you think twice about something.   If so, then share it with someone.     Tell someone you know that God loves them and wants only the best for them.   I pray that the rest of your day is filled with sunshine and "Son Shine" and blessings beyond measure!

Always remember that God loves y'all, and so do I.     hugs and love, patty

Fun Project, Fun Tip

Hi Y'all.   I hope that today has been a blessed day for each and every one of y'all.    I know in my neck of the woods, it's been hot and humid.    Who likes sticky?    I don't!    Today is one of those sticky kinda days, but the sun is shining and that's good.   They had been forecasting rain for us, but it's been pretty so far.    I have heard lawn mowers in the distance all day.   And one is mowing away, way off somewhere now, I can faintly hear it.    I just know that I am sooooo thankful for air conditioning.   hahahaha    I'll bet some of y'all are too.    

Mothers Day was a couple weekends ago here in the United States and I hope everyone got to celebrate their mother's and that all the ladies that visit here got to be celebrated for being a mother.     It truly is the hardest job on the planet for the least pay.     I'm not a mother, but I know all too well how hard my mother worked and sacrificed, taking care of her family.    Lots of hard work and very little reward at the time.     But I truly believe that my mother is very proud of all of her children.     We have all worked hard at being good citizens of the world and just trying to be decent people in the eyes of peers.    Scripture says that we are to honor our parents and I think we have all done that, hopefully we have brought honor to our parents.      

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Ok, so this is the project that I have been really wanting to share with y'all, but I needed to wait till I knew it reached the lady I made it for.   I didn't want to get it on my blog before she got it in her hands. The project was to alter toilet paper tubes, but instead, I opted for paper towel tubes.    It's the same product, just longer.    So, to start with, I took the pt tube and cut into 3 pieces and then split each piece down the side and pressed them as flat as I could get them.   I then used 3 L adhesive sheets and adhered all three pieces together.    A xyron machine would work just as well, as would regular glue. Just use what you have.    When this project come about, I knew exactly what I wanted to do.   I had already seen it in my minds eye and just needed to make what I had seen.    I didn't want to mess with cutting all these separate pieces and then try to get them to line up and glued together.    I thought I already had the sizzix die, but after going thru my collection, 3 times, I finally decided that I didn't have it, so off to Ebay I went and had it in my hands in about 2 days.

The die that I got was the ovals that cut different sizes at one time.    So I took the 3 ply layer of the pt tubes and die cut the pieces.   I got enough pieces from the one, 3 ply layer, to make the necklace and earrings, with careful placement of the pt tubing on the die.    I took smaller pieces and just cut the smallest oval several times.   I was really careful with my placement, so I could use ALL of it and have very little waste.

Once I got all the pieces cut, I stacked them and glued them in place.    The necklace uses all 4 different sizes and the earrings uses the 2 smallest sizes with the smallest oval on the front and back.  Then I used my "crop o dile" to punch holes for the jewelry jump rings.

After that, I used 3 colors of Inka Gold Metallic Rub on the pieces.    Some of mine is really hard, because it's so old, so I just spray it with a spritz of water and use a paint brush to brush on color.   The rest that isn't dry and I could just the brush it on without water.    But, I used Copper, Cobalt and Silver to cover the pieces in just randomly.

After I got the Inka Gold on it and was satisfied with it, I glued on some of shell pieces from Miriam Joy.    I used the ecru color on this set of jewelry.

Once I got it like I wanted it, I used the Wet and Wild Shiny nail polish from the Dollar Tree to coat the pieces with, top and bottom and on the edges, paying close attention to holes I had punched also.  I tried to get it sealed up good and I think I did.   After the first coat dried real good, I put on a second coat.   That nail polish is awesome stuff.    It is really shiny and has a wonderful feel in the hand, when you put it on a project.

You can see the slanted angles of the pt seams in the jewelry.    The finish I put on it reminds me of  wood with a metallic paint, or a rusty finish on it.    I was highly satisfied with this project.

I would never in a million years guess that this was made from pt tubes if I didn't know for sure.    I was tickled that I made the project as I had seen it in my mind.    That is always a success when something comes together as I had envisioned it to look.

I liked it so much so, that I made myself a set with turquoise and copper and cobalt and then used the turquoise shell chips.     The process was the same as before.

None of it is perfect, but hey, it's from stuff that would have been tossed out, so I think that makes pretty good, huh.

I really do like the turquoise set.   I have several tops that it goes with really well and I get compliments on it all the time.

So, I had to make myself another set and used a lot of PURPLE on this one!!!    Yes I said PURPLE and it was about time, wasn't it!    hahahaha

The colors for this one was purple, copper and turquoise.    Oh my gosh it is gorgeous!!!!     I didn't have purple shell chips, so I took my Inka Gold purple and made a wash with color and water and brushed it on the chips and let them dry.   Yay, it worked!!!!    And you can still see some turquoise on the shell chips and that makes for more visual interest.    

For this set, I took on the task of making a bracelet.    You can't see the clasp too well, but I even made the clasp, by shaping the wire and hammering it.   It looks awesome on my bracelet and so easy to get on and off.

This is the completed 3 piece ensemble.    Oh I have had a blast with making these and am working on some more that is just 3 layers of regular chipboard aka cereal box.    Oh yeah, I also made all the ear wires too, for the earrings.   It was a fun project.    Sure hope you liked seeing my altered pt project.   Hope to have more fun stuff to share with y'all before too long.

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Ok, who likes to exercise?   Not me!!!!   But, I'm "learning" to like it,,,,,slowly, kinda, sorta.    hahaha
My tip for today is this.    I have severe allergies and I just can't spend as much time outside as I would like.    But, I have been trying to get healthier and that has been a dilemma.    How can I get more exercise in if I can't get outside?    HOUSE WALK!!!     It works people!!!   Who knew?   Well, I didn't, but now I do.   Just this past week I started walking thru my house at a normal pace and stop every minute or two and do short bursts of jogging in place, I do believe it is working.   I have been going to an exercise class 3 times a week since the last of January and I am feeling better.   The house walking is making a difference!    Give it a try.    Get a step counter and slip it on you somewhere where it will register every step and see what you can do.   Start out with trying to get at least 250 extra steps in an hour and then increase your steps at a comfortable pace.    It works y'all.    I feel better knowing I am doing something good for myself.   If you give it a try, let me know, and we'll work on getting healthy together.   I don't know how many more years of life I have left in my sack of bones, but I just want to be able to serve the Lord as well as I can with the time I have left and getting healthier will help me serve my  Lord and Savior better.    If you remember back to the first of the year, my word for 2107 was dream.     This is part of my dream.    So, help me dream big, get healthier with me.   Woop Woop, Yay,  WooHoo!!!!!

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Well, I hope you have seen something here that made you happy, or made you smile.     If so, then that means that I have done my job well.    I put forth the challenge to see what you can do to recycle a paper towel tube or toilet paper tubes.    It's fun and it can also keep a little bit of something that would have been tossed out, out of a land fill somewhere.     Recycle, reuse, repurpose!     That is the crafters new motto, well it should be anyway.    hahahaha    

I hope you have a great rest of the day.   If you haven't taken the time today to thank God for being a part of it, do so.     We can't even begin to imagine how much God loves us and the lengths He has gone to have a relationship with us.    I sure wish we all took that just a little more seriously.    If we did, I promise you, there wouldn't be as much pain and heartache in the world today!!!    We would be looking out for one another instead of finding new ways to hurt each other.    This is true.     We would be living lives that  honored God instead of making a mockery out of God.    I don't know how much more God will tolerate from a world that is so filled with hate for Him and His ways.     I am a Christian and I am not ashamed to say that.     You will never ever hear me say that I am perfect, but every day I keep striving to be more Christ-like.     I keep striving to honor the One and Only Savior, Jesus Christ, the Messiah!!!!!     And while I keep struggling, He keeps picking me up, helping me to be a better me, for His service.     My service for Him probably won't look like your service to Him and it probably shouldn't.    After all, we are all different, with different giftings.    So, find the way you can serve Him, and set out to do just that.     Start by telling someone today that "Jesus loves you"!    I promise that will bring a smile to someones face.     I told that to a precious little young lady that was checking me out here in town and she smiled so big and then teared up and said that it had been an awful long time since she had heard that.     She hugged and thanked me and I asked her to just thank Jesus.     That's how easy it is to serve Christ!!!!  

I pray that you will find your way back here soon to see what I have been up to.     Till then, remember that God loves you and I do too!!!!!    hugs and love, Patty