My Valentine's Day Pinterest board

It will soon be time to think about Valentine's Day -- and, indeed, some have been posting Valentine ideas for weeks.  I am not one of them, but today I thought I would share the Pinterest board that I have created for Valentine ideas.

You can find it here:  My Valentine’s Day Pinterest board. 

I thought it might be fun to share a few of my pins with you.

Photo from A Little Sweetness

 This Little Patchwork Heart is from Tasha at A Little Sweetness.  Of the ideas I've pinned, this looks like it might be the most time-consuming, but it is sweet so I'm sharing it.

Photo from Clean and Scentsible

 The Valentine Chalkboard with Photo Banner from Jenn at Clean and Scentsible looks very doable.  I love it.  The chalkboard message is lovely and looks not too difficult even for a non-artist type like me.  The photo banner is adorable.

Photo from Amy J. Delightful

 Here's another banner, this one super-simple.  It's a Mini Vintage Valentine’s Garland which is put together with a sewing machine.  Amy J. Delightful even provides the vintage Valentines for you to download and print out!

Image from Brown Sugar Toast

Lastly, here are 21 Valentine Breakfast Ideas from Christa at Brown Sugar Toast.  Since Valentine's Day is on a Tuesday this year, you might want to make one of these breakfasts on the weekend either before or after. 

You will probably want to check out the board for yourself, as there are over a hundred more ideas.   Many look quick and easy and so you could still utilize them for the upcoming holiday.

Have you done any decorating or crafting yet for Valentine's Day?

My winter Pinterest boards

Although winter is not my favorite season (I would choose autumn, summer, winter, and spring, in that order), it does have a beauty all its own which I very much appreciate.  One of my favorite Bible verses is Genesis 8:22 ~ "While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease."

There are also some beautifully descriptive verses about winter in the book of Job:
"Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow?  or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail ...?"
(Job 38:22)

"The waters are hid as with a stone, and the face of the deep is frozen."  (Job 38:30)

Psalm 148 tells us how all that God has created praises Him, including "Fire, and hail; snow, and vapor;  stormy wind fulfilling His word."  (Psalm 148:8)

In New England,  winter can be very cold and snowy, and sometimes quite dark.  So many people add light and sparkle to their homes with white lights, candles, snowmen, snowflakes, icicles, and more.

Today, just in case some are in the mood to browse Pinterest, I thought I would share my winter-themed boards with you.

My Winter Pinterest board is one of the first boards that I created.  It has everything from gorgeous winter scenes to decorating ideas to hot cocoa recipes!

Inspired by a post that my friend Vee wrote concerning seasonal decorating (and much more; you'll just have to read it for yourself!), I decided to create a second winter board  with decorating ideas.  Here is the link to that one: My Winter Decorating Inspiration Pinterest board.

Happy browsing, pinning and decorating!

Winter in a jar

I saw a similar project (a more elegant version) on Pinterest, and knew I wanted to try making one of these.  The one on Pinterest was made in what appeared to be a fancy candy jar, but these pantry-type jars were what I had on hand and fit my style better anyway.  None of my pictures are that great, but I wanted to share this project anyway just for fun.

So I started with a simple jar, bought at Walmart some time ago.  I partially filled it with epsom salts and sprinkled a bit of glitter on top.  I arranged an old photo (vintage winter scene of my mother and three of her siblings), plus various styles and textures of snowflakes.

This is what the photo actually looks like.  I know it's very hard to see what's inside the jar.

I didn't want to use the actual photo, not knowing for sure what effect the epsom salts might have on it.  I had previously scanned the photo, so I just printed it out on plain card stock.  The first print turned out too big for the jar.  It would fit into the jar, but was out of proportion with the other items.  Just a bit too tall.

As for other items in the jar, there are a couple of silvery plastic snowflakes, a pretty clear glass snowflake there in the front, bits of a broken blue glass snowflake, a seed-bead-trimmed felt snowflake there to the right of the photo, and a star-shaped Glittery Paper Ornament toward the far right.  My snowflake-shaped ornaments of the same type are already in place on the picture window garland, but I'll show a picture of one below.

Glittery paper snowflake to the right

 There were many places I could have put the jar,  but it just didn't look right on a table.  In order to actually see what's inside, it has to be on a shelf.

So I did put it on one of the hutch shelves.

I'm fairly pleased with how it came out.  I think it might be better with a closer-up photo, and I do have others that might work, but I really wanted to use this photo because I just like it.

Vintage winter in a jar.

(Sharing today with Vintage Charm and Share Your Cup.)

Wintry day hodgepodge

This gorgeous winter collage is the work of Abby at Little Birdie Blessings

As I'm putting together this post on Tuesday, we're in the middle of a "winter storm" which has turned out to be mostly sleet and freezing rain.  The national weather service has just extended the advisory to 10 pm, so we will see.  A good day to stay indoors, it seems to me.  The mailman had a package for me and brought the mail to the door, so I didn't even have to wend my way out to the mailbox!

Here are this week's Hodgepodge questions from Joyce at From This Side of the Pond:

1. "The cure for anything is salt water-tears, sweat, or the sea." (Isak Dinesen) Would you agree? Of the three, which has 'cured' you most recently?

Hmmm .... I've never heard that before, and don't think that I agree.   But it is a very interesting thought.   I always find it healing to spend time by the sea.  Watching the waves is such a powerful reminder to me that the great Creator is also holding all things together, including everything in my life.

"For by  Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers; all things were created by Him, and for Him;
"And He is before all things; and by Him all things consist."  (Colossians 1:16-17)

Reid State Park, Georgetown, Maine

Of course tears can be healing, and so can hard work.  I am really not sure which one 'cured' me most recently.  I guess perhaps tears, at the thought of a dear friend moving away, though knowing she is making the right decision.

Mile Beach, Reid State Park, Georgetown, Maine

2. What's something you can't eat without salt? Do you normally salt your food a lot, a little, or not at all?

I don't think I could eat an egg without salt.  I often salt my food a little, but not without tasting it first.  I only add salt if it seems to need it.  We don't keep salt on the table.

No salt needed for these!

3. Sands of time, bury your head in the sand, built on sand, or draw a line in the sand...which sandy phrase could best be applied to something in your life right now? 

Sands of time, I would guess.  I'm immersed in decluttering two houses and am finding so many vintage items that I have no idea what to do with.  Kid gloves, anyone?

4. A favorite book, movie, or song with an island setting or theme?

The Anne of Green Gables series, both the books and the earlier movies from the 1990s.

5. Yesterday-did you run your day or did it run you? How so?

Understand, I'm writing this on Tuesday, so the yesterday I'm describing is Monday.  It ran me.  We had tentative plans for friends to join us for supper, but bad weather finally called a halt to that.  I spent a lot of the day looking at weather.com to see what was happening.  This has been one of those storms where no one really seemed to know how it would go.  So between preparing a meal that would work for company, spiffing up the house just in case, and checking the weather, I didn't accomplish much else other than laundry.

6. You're on an island holiday. Will I most likely find you parked in a beach chair, shopping in town, on the back of a jet ski, or snorkeling off the back of a catamaran?

No contest at all.  You will find me parked in a beach chair with either a counted cross stitch or embroidery project in hand.  None of the other three choices would be anything I'd find relaxing.

7. What do you think we humans most take for granted?

The fact that we are breathing.  

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I snapped this photo of icicles with my Kindle one December day when leaving my dad's home.  The sun was sparkling so brightly on them! The Kindle photo does not do them justice , but was a lot better than getting no picture.  That sparkle just lifted my spirits!

And just for fun, here is a picture one of my grandkids took,  of an icicle at their home.

Happy Wednesday to all!

A simple and fun after-Christmas buy

I did very little after-Christmas shopping this year.  Did find a couple of things which I won't show that I have put away for next year's gifting.  Bought a couple of bags of New England Coffee in holiday flavors like Eggnog and Gingerbread Cookie.  About the only thing I found that I thought unique enough to take a picture of is these pretty bowls.  I bought two of them.

Probably the only reason I found these is that I noticed them while doing my regular grocery shopping at our local Hannaford supermarket.  These pretty bowls with their pine cone motif are a sort of plastic, like melamine, I would say.  They were 79¢ each!  They are sort of an odd size, not really large enough for serving bowls, but too big for cereal or desserts.  We found that they did work well to hold a salad for two people, and I'm sure I will think of other uses.  Decorative uses, if nothing else! 

Psalm 143

This gorgeous graphic (one of my favorite verses)  is by Abby at Little Birdie Blessings.

Since the beginning of the new year I've been doing something a little different for my quiet time.  For most, if not all of 2016, I did various monthly Scripture writing plans.  Some sites offer a different plan every month.  If you are interested in doing one of these, check out the Scripture Writing plans at Heidi St. John or the
Bible Reading plans at Rachel Wojo.  Or just do a google search for monthly Scripture writing plans.  There are some great ones.  I found this to be an effective tool to get me into God's Word every day during a very stressful season of life.

For 2017 I wanted to do something a little different.  There are so many tempting Bible studies out there, and I do long to get started on one of those, plus I had started, just a bit, last year on one from Colossians that I'd like to get back to.  But life -- although it is less busy -- is still bearing down on me, and I'm still doing Bible study most days for my Sunday School lesson preparations.  I decided to give myself some grace and do something simpler.

I believe the Lord allowed me to see the corner of an old favorite book peeking out of the lower part of my nightstand.  This was a book I'd read before, but each reading has a section at the end with Bible references for further study.  So I decided to do that further study, taking the references and using the SOAP method of Bible study to meditate on each passage.  This will take me through a few months and then I will probably pick up my Colossians Bible study again.  But I have really been enjoying meditating on the various passages of Scripture each day.

Yesterday it was Psalm 143, a longer passage than I might ordinarily try to SOAP, but what a blessing it was to me!  Not only that, but before day's end I had the opportunity to share the psalm with someone else!  So I thought I would share my little study here as well.  Perhaps it is just what someone needs to be reminded of today.  So here goes:

S (Scripture) =  "Hear my prayer, O LORD, give ear to my supplications; in Thy faithfulness answer me, and in Thy righteousness.
"And enter not into judgment with Thy servant; for in Thy sight shall no man living be justified.
"For the enemy hath persecuted my soul; he hath smitten my life down to the ground; he hath made me to dwell in darkness, as those who have been long dead.  
"Therefore is my spirit overwhelmed within me; my heart within me is desolate.
"I remember the days of old; I meditate on all Thy works; I muse on the work of Thy hands.
"I stretch forth my hands unto Thee; my soul thirsteth after Thee, like a thirsty land.  Selah.
"Hear me speedily, O LORD; my spirit faileth.  Hide not Thy face from me, lest I be like those that go down into the pit.
"Cause me to hear Thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in Thee do I trust.  Cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto Thee.
"Deliver me, O LORD, from mine enemies; I flee unto Thee to hide me.
"Teach me to do Thy will, for Thou art my God.  Thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.
"Revive me, O LORD, for Thy name's sake; for Thy righteousness' sake bring my soul out of trouble.
"And of Thy mercy cut off mine enemies, and destroy all them that afflict my soul, for I am Thy servant."  (Psalm 143)

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O (Observation)=  Scofield has titled this psalm "An urgent appeal for help."  David appeals to God knowing that He will hear and help.  He begins by asking God to hear his prayer, to give ear to his supplications.  He knows that God will answer him in faithfulness and in righteousness.

David realizes that no man will be justified in God's sight apart from God's own righteousness, so he asks that God not enter into judgment with him.

Next David talks about his fear, depression, and discouragement:
* The enemy has persecuted my soul.
* He has smitten my life down to the ground.
* He has made me to dwell in darkness.

Therefore:
* My spirit is overwhelmed within me
* My heart within me is desolate.

Then David remembers all that God has done for him in the past!
* He meditates on all God's works
* He muses on the works of God's hands.

As a result ...
* David stretches forth his hands -- both hands! -- to God
* David's soul thirsts after God like a thirsty land.

And so, David cries out to God:
* Hear me speedily, O LORD, because my spirit is failing;
* Don't hide Your face from me, or I may sink even deeper into despair;
* Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning.  I am trusting You!
* Cause me to know the way in which I should walk.  I lift my soul up to You!
* Deliver me, O LORD, from my enemies; I'm running to You for  protection.
* Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God.
* I'm trusting the goodness of Your Spirit to lead me into the land of uprightness.
* Revive me, O LORD, for Your name's sake.
* Bring my soul out of trouble for Your righteousness' sake.
* In Your mercy, cut off my enemies and destroy those who are afflicting my soul.

And then David ends his prayer with these words of commitment to God:
"I am Thy servant."

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A (Application)= What a prayer this is! I love the idea that God's answers to our prayers involve His faithfulness and His righteousness! 

David pours out his heart to God in verses 3-4.  Though I have never faced the difficulties that David did, I relate completely to his despair.  Certainly our arch-enemy, Satan, afflicts us in all of the ways David enumerated.

But when David takes his eyes off his circumstances and fixes them instead on who God is and all that He has done, he is able to reach out to his only source of deliverance.  It was interesting to me that David stretched forth both hands to God.  He wasn't taking any chances!  David is trusting God to protect him from his enemies and even to destroy them.  Obviously I also need to take my eyes off my situation and keep them on God.  When I reflect on who God is and all of His attributes, and I remember His wonderful working in my life, I know I can trust Him completely for every situation I face.  And I can trust Him to deal with my enemies.

Like David, I can ask God for daily leading and guidance.  He will help me to know the way to walk and His Spirit will lead me in upright paths.

God will do all this for me for His own name's sake and for His righteousness' sake.  He will show Himself strong on His servant's behalf!

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P (Prayer)= "Lord, Your Word is amazing!  I'm so thankful that You have recorded prayers like this one in Your Word, so that we can see how you worked (and continue to work) in the lives of Your people.  I identify with David in that I have seen trouble and plenty of it.  I have been in the place of great difficulty, and I thank You for the reminder that I can pour everything out to You and trust You for the outcome.  The remembrance of all that You are and the ways You have worked in the past give me hope and encouragement.  I am trusting You to deal with my enemies and to lead me and guide me every day in the ways that please You.  Thank You for the privilege of being Your servant!  In Jesus' name, Amen."

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Now, I must quickly add that I am in no way a Bible scholar.  Without doubt, there is much, much more to be gleaned from this passage.  I'm sure I have only skimmed the surface as to its meaning.  But these are the ways in which this psalm spoke to me and encouraged me yesterday.

Have you ever used the SOAP method of Bible study?  If not, I encourage you to give it a try!  Pick a verse or two and try meditating on them in this way.  I think it will be a blessing to your heart!

More sweet gifts

A few days ago I posted about the sweet strawberry mug set from my mother-in-law.  I didn't mention that this was actually a birthday gift, but it was.  And now I must share just a few more, these from my daughter Carrie.  Carrie is one of the world's most thoughtful gift-givers, as is her sister Joanna.

She gave me these lovely reversible place mats from the Pioneer Woman line,  a set of six.

Aren't they pretty?  I can see myself using the yellow side most, but both sides will look nice in our dining room.

There was also an Amazon gift card to buy myself a book or whatever I might like.

And then!  Well, I've already given it away at the top of the post, but as I unwrapped the box, I guessed that it might contain an electric wax warmer.  I never guessed how special it would be, however.

Back at Christmas, Carrie had given me two of these gorgeous plates which she actually had found at Walmart.  (I never saw them, but then I barely, if at all, went into the Christmas department there prior to Christmas.)

She had also given me several more fun gifts in the tree-on-a-vehicle theme.  You can see them all and read about them here: Oh, what fun.

Anyway, now I'm opening a birthday present, guessing it may be a wax warmer, and oh joy, it matches those adorable plates!

Isn't it so much fun?  Know how wax warmers have holes in them where the light shines through?  On this one, the light shines through the station wagon's headlights.  Can't wait to use it next year!

A Mid-January Hodgepodge

Lancaster, New Hampshire, January 1948

 I'm thankful to Joyce for finding time, in spite of all her travel this month,  to ask the questions at From This Side of the Pond.  Love the Hodgepodge ... it's a great way to come up with a blog post when one's own ideas are a bit sparse. Here goes:

1. ASAP typically stands for 'as soon as possible'. What else could it stand for in your life right now? 

"As simple as possible".  That would be my meals right now.   "As seldom as possible."  That would be my leaving the house and driving anywhere right now.  It could also apply to vacuuming.

Or how about this?  "A squirrel around poaching."  For years, we never saw a gray squirrel here on our property, though there are plenty in town.  Last year a huge gray squirrel (about the size of an average cat) appeared.  Now there are at least four.  We keep the sunflower seeds for the birds in one of those large, sturdy containers meant for dog food (I think it's called a vittles vault).  The squirrels have been finding their way onto the porch and, if it is possible to chew the edges of the lid enough to get it off, they will do it.  I finally put a large, heavy wooden object atop the container and that has stopped them for now, but they are well on their way to success.

Where is Skippy the Ninja squirrel when one needs him?  Obviously a fair-weather friend.

2. Are you the last person to speak up in a group or the first to have an idea?

Sometimes I think I'm the first one to have an idea, but I try not to be the first to speak up.  Not the last, either, though. I might be the second or third person to speak up.  Sometimes, however, I will speak up first (especially if I suspect that no one else will have any ideas).  Now that I think about it, it depends a lot upon the group and the purpose of the discussion.

Why do you suppose that is? Is it a good thing or no?

Not sure.  I suppose it's somewhere in the middle.  I tend not to speak up right away in order to be deferential and give other people a chance.  It's not that I'm afraid they'll think my idea is stupid.

I also have in the back of my mind this verse from Proverbs: "A fool uttereth all his mind, but a wise man keepeth it in until afterwards." (Proverbs 29:11) and this verse, from James: "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath"  (James 1:19).

3. What do you remember best about being 12?  

Being thin!  Or maybe my bright blue bicycle, which I think I acquired that year.

4. January 18th is National Winnie the Pooh Day. Which character do you relate to the most, and why? If you're stumped go here for inspiration.

Probably Eeyore.  "If you ask me, and nobody has ..." .  But I'm not quite as pessimistic as Eeyore.  I think I have some of Rabbit's fussy characteristics as well.  (I did take the quiz Joyce linked to and according to that one, I'm Christopher Robin!)

5. What's an app you use that helps simplify or make life easier for you in some way? 

Trying to think if I use any apps.  I don't have a phone, so nothing there.  The apps on my tablet are just fun things like jigsaw puzzles.  Oh, I forgot Pinterest.  That does make my life easier by helping me have a place to stash interesting ideas so I'll be sure to find them when I need them.

6. San Francisco (CA), San Diego (CA), San Juan (PR) San Antonio (TX) Sanibel (FL)...you have an all expenses paid long weekend to one of these destinations. Which one do you choose and why?

I've always wanted to visit Sanibel Island.   But honestly, expenses paid or not, I wouldn't choose to take any long trips just for a long weekend.  Too much work.  A local jaunt, sure, but nowhere that I would have to fly to.  If we're flying, we like to spend a couple of weeks at our destination or its vicinity.

7. Share with us a song that makes you feel nostalgic? For what? 

"Silver Bells" always reminds me of my childhood Christmases in the 1950s.

Vintage card from my collection

I have a cross-stitched "Silver Bells" ornament but can't find it.  This will have to do!

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

We had several inches of snow overnight and it's still flurrying lightly.   I'm happy I don't have to drive in it unless I choose to, which I don't!

A berry sweet gift

Our kitchen has strawberry-themed wallpaper, and I have somewhat of a collection of strawberry items.  I've always liked them, and once people realize you collect something, they tend to find things for your collection.  You can see some of my strawberry items here: Vintage Strawberries, or just click on "strawberries" in the label cloud to the right to see even more.

Interestingly, I have no duplicate strawberry items in my collection.  One would think it would become harder to find unique things after awhile, but that hasn't been the case.  Recently, my mother-in-law gifted me with the little set pictured above.  She was so worried that I probably had one just like it already.  But no, I don't.  This is a very pretty mug, and the set also includes a little tray, which is a nice idea for enjoying a mug of tea with a few cookies or a muffin.

The set also included a coaster, seen under the mug in the photo above.  A berry sweet gift that I am enjoying so much!

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Photo from Faithfully Gluten Free

Lately I just haven't seemed to have a lot of interest in baking.  Maybe it has to do with all of the baking I did over the Christmas season!  But on Thursday I noticed a couple of overripe bananas on the counter and decided to find something simple to do with them.

I checked my folder of gluten-free recipes and, lo and behold, there was one for Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins.  I'd made these before and knew they were good.  I had a friend coming by for tea on Friday morning, plus I knew my hubby would enjoy these as well.

Although I don't have celiac disease, I do seem to be somewhat sensitive to gluten.  I went gluten free for several years and all of my joint pain disappeared, so I don't think it's just a coincidence.  I've found over the last couple of years that I can eat small amounts of wheat without a problem, but over Christmas I ate much more wheat than I should have.  I just didn't feel right.  So with the new year, I am trying to be much more careful.  These muffins are gluten-free and are delicious.

One of the flours called for in this muffin is oat flour.  I like oat flour but was all out.  So I substituted millet flour.  It worked admirably.  I also used dark chocolate chips in these muffins.  Mm-mmm!

In fact, anything you find at Faithfully Gluten Free will be delicious.  Jeanine absolutely has the knack of developing gluten-free recipes that taste wonderful. If you know anyone who is gluten sensitive or does have celiac disease, be sure and share this site with them.  It's a lifesaver!

Sharing these muffins, which are perfect with a cup of tea, with Bernideen's Friends Sharing Tea.

Sources for my vintage projects in the last post

Several people have asked about these patterns, so I am going to quickly share the sources for the skate ornament and the crocheted snowflake hot mat.  Both came from vintage magazines in my stash.  There are other interesting projects in both magazines, especially the McCall's issue.

The felt skate (shown above) is a pattern called Silver Skate Boot, from McCall's Christmas Make-It Ideas, Volume X1.  I believe this magazine is from 1968; that's what my great-aunt had written on the front.  I actually found this magazine on Amazon, I think for $4.99, but you could probably find it on either Etsy or eBay as well.  Here's the Amazon link: McCall’s Christmas Make-It Ideas Volume X1.

And the crocheted snowflake hot mat came from Annie's Pattern Club Newsletter, Volume 1, No. 6 (December 1980).  I found several sources for that on Etsy, so you could do a search there, or try one of these sources: Snowflake Hot Pad pattern on eBay (I think it was around $12-$14 here) or Treasured Heirlooms Crochet which has it for $6.99. 

Have fun with these vintage patterns if you try them!  I'm also sharing this information today at Vintage Charm.

A few of my favorite winter things

It's a busy day and I'd really like to get some photos or scans of a few things to share today.  However, other matters must come ahead of blogging, so I will settle for a few winter items I already have photos of.  The frost patterns above are a winter favorite; however, now that we have more energy-efficient windows, they may be a thing of the past.  I will miss their wintry beauty, but not the extreme cold (and drafty rooms) that they represent!

So here goes with a very random assortment of winter favorites ...

This was my winter ribbon board one year.  It looks a little different every time.

As you can see!

A skate ornament I made from a pattern in a vintage magazine

Tea is always a good thing in winter...

Glittery house and tree from Gooseberry Patch, card by my friend J. and a vintage plastic reindeer

This adorable house was made by my friend Les.  Notice the little snowman and the glittery tree

A favorite pattern for a snowflake hot mat (made this one for my daughter Carrie)

Hey, I need to find that pattern and make more of these.  Red and white would be pretty, too.

Snowball lamp, snowmen baskets, a tag made by me

Some snowmen mug rugs made for a friend

Back side of the mug rugs -- I'm getting inspired now!

A winter stitchery

This embroidery (above)was someone else's UFO that I completed.  Now I need to finish it off.  Maybe a pillow?

A winter flag I made for my grandkids' fort

Glitter house under glass -- love it!

After Christmas buy at Marshalls one year.  It's fiber-optic!

a favorite shelf on the hutch one year

Card made by my friend J. (who also made the garland below!)

A favorite sign and a "January" garland at the back door.

My winter hutch in 2009

Hope you've enjoyed this look at some of my winter favorites.  I'm sharing these today at Vintage Charm.