Verse of the day...

~ “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” ~ Isaiah 41:10



Friday, January 29, 2010

by: David C.

So a few posts back I mentioned that David was making a Native American Indian doll for a school project. Well............... here she is! He did a great job! I did help a bit... but he did alot of the work. I did the hair.... he said if he did it .. it would look like she was in a tornado.... hehehehee :)
He titled his project 'Native American Indian Cooking and Crafts' two things David likes! :)
The doll was the crafting part of his project.
His teacher gave us copies of several recipes to chose from to use for the 'cooking' part of his project. We found a yummy soup to try!

This is a Lakoda Indian dish. Its called 'Wild Meat Soup' its really thick ... more like a stew.... but was very yummy!
The recipe called for: deer meat....corn.. rice.. and onion. As luck would have it ... we had just been given a bunch of deer meat from a friend.
Salt and/or other spices were needed to enhance the flavor... but it turned out really good! We had it for dinner last night... and David took a big container to school today to share with his class!
He better get an 'A' on this project.... heheheee :)


hugs...love... & blessings,
.::Tam::.
**Jesus said to the people, "I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won't be stumbling through the darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life."
~ John 8:12**

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Thankful Thursday........


The more thankful one is, the more there is to be thankful for. A person cannot be complaining and thankful at the same time, nor can they worry about money or health or anything while being thankful. To dwell on political or economic woes, international crises, personal problems, or even someone else's problems, will invite irritability, confusion, mistrust, disgust, depression, a sense of helplessness, hopelessness and futility.
Better to stop and take into consideration what and who is truly valuable in one's life. There is always something to be thankful for. “Better a handful with quietness than both hands full, together with toil and grasping for the wind.” (Ecclesiastes 4:6)
Life is not all about accumulation of things. He who dies with the most money or the most toys, still dies. No one can take their friends or their collections with them to the grave. Job, in Job 1:21 said, “Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord.”)
A very well-grounded perspective. Solomon repeated the truth in Ecclesiastes 5:15. “As he came from his mother's womb, naked shall he return, to go as he came; and he shall take nothing from his labor which he may carry away in his hand. Jesus asked the rhetorical question, “Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?” (Matthew 6:25) And Jesus taught clearly in Luke 12:15 to “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”
It's settled then. Life is more than food and clothes and houses and cars and stuff. Life for the Christian is about loving God and loving others, and introducing people to the Lord Jesus Christ. People are to be loved and things are to be used, and never the opposite. All things considered, life is precious and fleeting and fragile, and it behooves believers to take time often and just be thankful. Make a list of things to be thankful for if necessary, but part of obeying God's Word is taking time for thanksgiving.
Many verses in the Bible teach God's people to be thankful, regardless of circumstances. No matter how unpleasant a situation becomes, it is good to remember that it could always be worse.
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” (Philippians 4:6)
“And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” (Colossians 3:17)
Memorizing verses such as these can be a tremendous help when tempted to be unthankful. Remembering that unthankfulness leads to hardness of heart, which leads to bitterness and unbelief, may serve as a deterrent to being unthankful. Hebrews 13:5 presents a beautiful and balanced way of thinking, and serves as a reminder of what and Who is truly important. “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.'”
hugs..love... blessings & thanks,
.::Tam::.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Just Cuteness..............

This is our new Water Baby ... Daytona
I've posted a couple pictures before... but thought this was too cute. He is so little. :)
Thats a quarter next to him.

This is a doll that David is making. He has a Native American Indian project at school this week ... so he is making a doll and then we are cooking an Indian dish to share with his class.
David made the head/body part of this and I did the arms and legs for him. We'll get it finished tonight. :)


hugs... love and blessings,
.::Tam::.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Playing with a new project..........

These are called yo-yo's. They are simply made up of 16dc in a circle!

Most of this beautiful collection is from Awesome online friends donating them to me for my yo-yo'ghan projects! I haven't officially counted them... but just from a rough guess of how many have come in... there is possible close to 300 yo-yo's in this shoe box. Amazing huh?!


Now this is a 12" square made from 16 yo-yo's. Pretty neat. I'm going to make 12 squares like this and connect them into an afghan. I can border the yo-yo's in any color... so the afghans will be fun!


Okay..... off to take Patrick his PE clothes... silly boy forgot them today! :)
have a terrific Tuesday!
hugs...love & blessings,
.::Tam::.

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Good Morning.................

How is everyone this fine Saturday morning?
Its in the 30's today... cloudy... and brrrrrrrrrrrrr... :)
We're off to basketball games today for David and Michael. I'll be heading one direction with Michael and Ken will be heading another direction with David... then taking Patrick to a end of season Basketball bowling party for his team. Michael and I will meet up with them later!
Then tomorrow.. its Church... basketball game for Michael and hopefully home to relax!!! *whew*

So............. let me share a few pics before we head out for the day.
This is a recent picture of Daytona on his new floating rock in his new tank. Isnt he a cutie!
This is Daytona's new tank. Nice and big. He likes all his new room to swim and play!

This is my progress on my "Hip to be Square" afghan. I'm on the 5th row of blocks. 4 more rows of blocks... then I can border it! Yay!



Hugs ... Love ... & Blessings
.::Tam::.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Forgiveness.........

It is not uncommon for Christians to have questions about forgiveness. Forgiveness does not come easy for most of us. Our natural instinct is to recoil in self-protection when we've been injured. We don't naturally overflow with mercy, grace and forgiveness when we've been wronged.
Is forgiveness a conscious choice, a physical act involving the will, or is it a feeling, an emotional state of being? The Bible gives us answers to these and many more common questions about forgiveness.

I believe forgiveness is a choice we make through a decision of our will, motivated by obedience to God and his command to forgive.
The Bible instructs us to forgive as the Lord forgave us:
Colossians 3:13 Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

How do we forgive when we don't feel like it? How do we translate the decision to forgive into a change of heart?
We forgive by faith, out of obedience. Since forgiveness goes against our nature, we must forgive by faith, whether we feel like it or not. We must trust God to do the work in us that needs to be done so that the forgiveness will be complete.
I believe God honors our commitment to obey Him and our desire to please him when we choose to forgive. He completes the work in his time. We must continue to forgive (our job), by faith, until the work of forgiveness (the Lord's job), is done in our hearts.
Philippians 1:6 And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.

How will we know if we have truly forgiven? "Forgiveness is to set a prisoner free, and to realize the prisoner was you."
We will know the work of forgiveness is complete when we experience the freedom that comes as a result. We are the ones who suffer most when we choose not to forgive. When we do forgive, the Lord sets our hearts free from the anger... bitterness.... resentment and hurt that previously imprisoned us.
Matthew 18:21-22 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?" Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.

Jesus makes it clear that forgiveness is not easy for us. It's not a one-time choice and then we automatically live in a state of forgiveness. Forgiveness may require a lifetime of forgiving, but it is important to the Lord. We must continue forgiving until the matter is settled in our heart.

What if the person we need to forgive is not a believer? I have found that prayer is one of the best ways to break down the wall of un-forgiveness in my heart. When I begin to pray for the person who has wronged me, God begins to give me new eyes to see that person and a new heart to care for that person. As I pray I begin to see that person as God sees them, and I realize that person is precious to the Lord. I also see myself in a new light, just as guilty of sin and failure as the other person. I too am in need of forgiveness. If God did not withhold his forgiveness from me, why should I withhold my forgiveness from another?

Is it okay to feel anger and want justice for the person we need to forgive? This question presents another reason to pray for the person we need to forgive. We can pray for God to deal with the injustices, for God to judge the person's life, and then we can leave that prayer at the altar. We no longer have to carry the anger. Although it is normal for us to feel anger toward sin and injustice, it is not our job to judge the other person in their sin.
Luke 6:37 Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.

Why must we forgive? The best reason to forgive is because Jesus commanded us to forgive. We learn from Scripture, if we don't forgive, neither will we be forgiven:
Matthew 6:14-16 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

We also forgive so that our prayers will not be hindered:
Mark 11:25 And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.

So in conclusion..... we forgive out of obedience to the Lord. It is a choice, a decision we make. However, as we do this "forgiving," we discover the command is in place for our own good, and we receive the reward of our forgiveness - freedom.



Hugs... Love & Blessings,
.::Tam::.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Mystery Project...........

Okay.............. so are you all ready to see what it came out to be?

Are you sure?
Are you really sure?



Well................. here it is.
A Vintage Sweater for my mom for Christmas.

Made with 3 skeins of Caron Simply Soft Autumn Red yarn and an 'H' hook.
It was made up of 67 motifs in total... with 6 rounds of sc edging on the sleeves and around the front... bottom and neck.

Its super easy to make! I think I'm going to make one for me now! :)


Thanks for playing along everyone.
Have a Wonderful Wednesday!!!


Hugs ....Love & Blessings,
.::Tam::.

Monday, January 18, 2010

Catching up..........

Thought I would take a moment to share some projects I'm working on.

Things seem to be really busy since we got home from Christmas vacation. Getting back into the swing of things with the boys at school and sports....everyday tasks... and such. I spent 3 days last week with my mom... so I guess that kind of took time out away from home stuff. That's okay... I missed her and we had a great time together!!! That lady can cook too... LOL made a wonderful soup for lunch one day.

Anyway............ on to my show & share.............



This is an afghan I started recently called ... "Tree of Life" I'm really enjoying the pattern. Its easy ... but you need to pay attention to stitch count!




This afghan is called "Hip to be Square" This one is pretty mindless! :)

Now this is a project of my little man David. He is making an doll to use in a report for Native American Indians. I know... you are wondering how this is going to be a doll............ trust me... hehhehehe.. its going to be adorable! I am so excited for him... he is doing this all by himself.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Mystery Project


Remember back before Christmas when I was working on this? Well......... I didn't get a chance to post any updates... so I thought I would just post a couple pics here and then tomorrow... I'll reveal what this had come out to be.

hmmmm? wonder wonder wonder? :)





hug... love & blessings,
.::Tam::.
**In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. Matthew 5:16**

Friday, January 15, 2010

Photo Friday..............

Driving my road home from getting the boys from school. Pretty amazing huh?!? And this is small in comparison to other roads. :)


Driving to my mom's this morning.......... this is FOG... not a blurry photo.

More fog........... crazy... yet so cool!

The fog cleared up a bit driving home from moms... but look at the frost still on the trees at 3pm. The news called it Freezing Fog. Just amazing!


Arent these photos just amazing? I mean... if you look real close... the fingerprints of God are all over the place!
hugs...love and blessings,
.::Tam::.

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Prayer for Haiti.......


Heavenly Father,
It is with a heavy heart that we come to you, not necessarily knowing what we should ask for because many of us are wondering, "Why did this happen? Why has tragedy struck Haiti again and why do so many lives have to be lost again? Why has this beautiful island been struck by a catastrophic earthquake and ruined?" But as many questions as we have regarding the situation, we still humble ourselves before you to ask for your mercy to be upon Haiti and its people. Extend your hand upon the land and restore all that has been lost, destroyed and damaged to be better than it was before. As rescue teams search for casualties, give them foresight. May they be led by your wisdom, and encouraged by your strength and advised by your discernment. There are yet people who are surviving and I pray that the rescue workers would find them in time and revive them. For the lives that will be lost, we pray for immediate comfort to come to the family and friends of the deceased. For those of us who are watching this unfold from the outside, I pray that you would give us hearts of compassion so that we can give out of our surplus to fill the deficit that is widening in Haiti. May we all extend ourselves in any way possible to secure our brothers and sisters in Haiti. And may every prayer regarding this tragedy be heard and responded to in your good time.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Fun Stuff..........

Here we are.................. Birthday Celebration at Chuck E Cheese for Michael!!!
What a great time!!! Is he one cute birthday boy ... or what?!?



This is an afghan I put together after having a wonderful friend grant a wish of mine for 12 -12" tan squares. She sent me these beautiful squares!!! I placed them in a nice pattern.. and sewed them together. I added a small border of two rows of single crochet.
I really do like how it came out!!!
Whatcha think.................... pretty nice... huh?!?


Hugs...Love & Blessings
.::Tam::.
**And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. Philippians 1:6 **


Monday, January 11, 2010

A day to celebrate........

To my sweet little Michael!
We're off to Chuck E Cheese tonight to celebrate!
Mommy loves you Michael!!








hugs...love... and blessings,
.::Tam::.

Saturday, January 9, 2010

Goodies brought home ............

from our Christmas Vacation in Florida.
This is a beautiful Tote Bag made by my sweet friend Sue. I shared in a previous post that I had met up with her for lunch and yarn shopping. She made this beautiful bag and matching project case for me. In the picture is two balls of yarn I bought at the yarn shop we went to... and 3 fun crochet/knit buttons I pinned to the bag.
If you didnt see the previous post............ this is Sue and I at the yarn shop.
Here's some more yarn I bought there.... which I made into a super soft scarf.
This is a really cute coffee mug that Ken bought me. LOVE IT!
This is a painted rock that I bought from a Sand Artist. Meet *Rocky*
This is *Shelly* one of the boys bought this little guy for me from a souvenir shop.
And this.................. is our new family member.......... *Daytona* Isn't he the sweetest little thing?!? I hope he becomes playful as he gets bigger.


hugs... love & blessing,
.::Tam::.


**Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. —Ephesians 4:2**

Friday, January 8, 2010

Daytona........ BEACH

David playing in the sand.........

A turtle I built on the beach....
Baseball bat and ball..........

Patrick learns to Skim-board from his new friend Blake.
Patrick & Blake build a sand volcano...
Shaping and filling it up......... get ready..........
BOOM!

hugs... love... & blessings,
.::Tam::.
**Plans go wrong for lack of advice; many advisers bring success. Proverbs 15:22**


Just the right present...........


Remember as a child how you hoped for that one special Christmas present? Maybe after opening some great presents, but not the just-right one, you felt a little tug on your heart as you wondered if you were going to get that present. Me too. Just as it seemed all the presents had been opened, my parents brought out one final box. I grabbed it with eagerness. The lavish wrapping and the sounds I heard while shaking the box confirmed this had to be the one. I ripped off the paper, dug into the box, and pulled out…a very nice sweater, not the just-right Christmas gift. I smiled and said thank you, but could barely hide my disappointment
Have you ever noticed how our expectations of our husbands or wives can often be like our expectations over the just-right Christmas present. I think that's true for a lot of us. Just like we admired the beautiful holiday wrapping, we admire our husband's handsome exterior.... your wives beauty. We've checked him or her out enough to be sure that they'll be the one to make us happy. Certainly they're the just-right one! When the gift of our husband or wife turns out to be not just-right, not just what we expected, we can barely hide our disappointment. We turn to unhelpful coping mechanisms to deal with our disappointment.
We might try to control and manipulate our spouse to become the just-right gift we hoped for. Maybe we become critical and judgmental. Or maybe we just give up, withdraw, and settle for an empty marriage. Worse yet, perhaps we grow convinced we married the wrong person.
These ways of coping will not give us the marriage God longs for us to have, a marriage of intimacy, partnership and closeness like no other. In fact, they do just the opposite. Bitterness, frustration and anger take root in our heart. Consequently, instead of feeling united and close to our spouse, we experience distance and disconnection
So what's one to do when feeling like you got the not-just-right husband or wife? How can we handle expectations and disappointments in marriage?
We lay them down. We open our hands and release our spouse from the tight grip of our expectations. We pray with honesty, "Lord, I am feeling disappointed by my husband/wife. Help me handle this in a way that will be best for our marriage and in way that will please You."
As we seek the Lord with an open heart, He'll show us when to talk to our spouse about a disappointing situation, or when to be quiet. He'll mold our heart, so we can pour out His love and acceptance to our husband or wife.
Now, sometimes you may think, But wait a minute! My husband/wife really does need to change…they should be more attentive, they should help out more, he should have remembered my birthday.... she should give me more respect. Who would want to live with these disappointments?
Maybe our husband should change, and maybe he will. Maybe your wife should change... maybe she will. I can promise you, however, that the Holy Spirit can do a greater work of transformation in our spouse than we ever could!
This New Year give your spouse the gift of releasing them from your expectations. Give yourself the gift of a contented heart in your marriage. And give God thanks for your husband or wife … His just-right present to you.
Dear Lord, I release my husband and my marriage from all of my expectations. As I pray with an open heart and open hands, Lord, I thank You for the gift of my husband. Help me to view him as You do, as the just-right husband for me. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
hugs.... love... & Blessings,
.::Tam::.
**"Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. Ephesians 4:31,32**

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Show & Share .....

of projects made and/or started while on Christmas vacation!

I call this my Florida Fishcloth. Made this little guy while sitting with the boys at the pool on a late night swim.

This is some yummy yarn I picked up at a Local Yarn Shop (LYS) in Daytona! There was a scarf pattern available near this yarn... so I picked it up too.

This is what I have done so far on the scarf! Its about half done.
And this lovely lady is Sue (aka: TurtleLvr) She lives in Florida and met up with us for lunch. While her hubby and my guys went for a walk... her and I went into the yarn shop .......... oh the pretty yarn!!! It was awesome meeting her! HUGS Sue!!!
More posts to come this week of our Christmas vacation... as I organize pics.
hugs...love & blessings,
.::Tam::.
**Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. ~ Proverbs 22:6**

Monday, January 4, 2010

We're home..........

from our wonderful Christmas vacation in Florida!
Here are just a couple pics of our vacation. Through the week I will share more.
Look at all this fun in the ocean..............
and on the beach!

And here we are home................ brrrrrrr! Umm.... excuse me...... where is my driveway?
Oh boy... wont be going out the back door.................. yikes!



hugs... love... & blessings,
.::Tam::.
**Instruct the wise, and they will be even wiser. Teach the righteous, and they will learn even more. Proverbs 9:9**

Friday, January 1, 2010

2010........



May God make your year a happy one!
Not by shielding you from all sorrows and pain,
But by strengthening you to bear it, as it comes;
Not by making your path easy,
But by making you sturdy to travel any path;
Not by taking hardships from you,
But by taking fear from your heart;
Not by granting you unbroken sunshine,
But by keeping your face bright, even in the shadows;
Not by making your life always pleasant,
But by showing you when people and their causes need you most,
and by making you anxious to be there to help.
God’s love, peace, hope and joy to you for the year ahead.
*In Jesus Name ~ Amen*
hugs... love & blessings,
.::Tam::.