Big fun tonight........

Patrick has his first Basketball Game tonight ..... then we are racing off to a TobyMac concert!
I'm really excited.... I cant wait to see my big boy play basketball tonight. Someone please remind me to take my camera!!! :) I need to get pictures of my baby.
Michael has signed up for Basketball too... but hasnt started practice yet.
I love watching my boys! Gosh... I remember the days of my older babies playing baseball... preforming in Show Choir.... playing parts in plays and musicals.... Oh those days of watching them too. *Proud Mommy*

The concert should be great fun! We have 5th row seats in front of the stage. Michael will just spit being that close to Toby. He loves TobyMac!
Sorry for the short post... but I have myself busy today with Crocheting and Knitting.
I have a few projects I will show off hopefully tomorrow.
Have a WONDERFUL day!

God Bless you all,
.::T::.

**"A gentle answer turns away wrath, but harsh words stir up anger."
~ Proverbs 15:1**

A week with God...............

Monday WashDay

Lord, wash away all my selfishness and vanity, so I may serve you with perfect humility through the week ahead.

Tuesday Ironing Day

Dear Lord, iron out all the wrinkles Of prejudice I have collected through the years So that I may see the beauty in others.

Wednesday Mending Day

O God, help me mend my ways so I will not Set a bad example for others.

Thursday Cleaning Day

Lord Jesus, help me to dust out all the many faults I have been hiding in the secret corners of my heart.

Friday Shopping Day

O God, give me the grace to shop wisely and to
purchase kindness and compassion for all others in
need of love.

Saturday Cooking Day

Help me, my Savior, to brew a big kettle of brotherly Love and serve it with clean, sweet bread of human kindness.

Sunday The Lord's Day

O God, I have prepared my house for you. Please Come into my heart so I may spend the day and the Rest of my life in your presence. ******************************************************

'Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you Meet is fighting some kind of battle.'

God Bless,

.::Tam::.

Marvolous Monday..................

Praise Adonai... from the rising of the sun ... til the end of every day. ~~~Amen~~~
These are words from a beautiful Praise and Worship song.... Michael has been singing it all day today............ what a sweet sound!!!! Oh... there he went again... walked past me singing... I LOVE IT!

Well.......... a little bit of show and share..................

This is square I tested for Donna (SmoothFox) Its really a neat square. You could use any color with this and create a square for afghans of any age or gender. I made this one a bit on the 'country' side.

This is a Baby Gift Set that I made for a teacher and his wife's new baby.

This is a picture of my newest creation........... *Fabric Labels* Made right here.. with my own computer..printer and design.

Close up shot of the beanie and booties in the Baby Set. Both my own design.

While doing a bit of straightening up this morning... I picked up a couple rubberbands that had fallen out of the infamous *junk* drawer in our kitchen. As I put them away... I got to thinking about those rubberband balls we've all seen or even made ourselves.

For some life problems can be like that rubberband ball. Each one of our life issues are like a single rubberband that gets wrapped on that ball. It starts out small... just a couple issues... you are trying to deal with them... but a few more come about.. so they get added to the ball. Okay... so now you have a few more to deal with.. but you have to deal with the ones most recent in order to get to the ones before. You cant get to the red rubberband without removing the blue.. green and yellow ones first.

You sit in prayer... and seek God to help you.... Of course He does... and look... there goes that yellow rubberband. One issue gone. Uhoh.......... you have been neglecting to spend you time with God lately... and look... more issues. Wow... a bunch of those plain ol' brown rubberbands. Nothing special... but enough to totally cover up those more serious issues that have really been eating at you and now you cant get to them.

My point is....... we need to spend time with God every day!!! Even if its only for a few minutes.... so that our 'issues of life' dont get wrapped up in that rubberband ball that we find ourselves overwhelmed by.... so much so that some give up. They give up on themselves ... and then eventually God.

Lets run down a pretend day... and see how much time we really miss spending with God ...

Wake up... * Say Good Morning Father*

Shower... 15-30 minutes of time you could be talking to God while scrubbing your hair.

Drive to work... 15-30 or 60 minute drive... wow....look at all that time you are missing with God. And dont try to say its because you have other things on your mind. That is EXACTLY what you should be talking to your Father in Heaven about. Or maybe you try the excuse that you just dont think about it. Hmmmm ... really? Can you really drive to work and not see God all around you? That absolutely beautiful sun rise... the trees over there that still have their leaves that are so full of color... what makes them so special that God allows them to hold their leaves longer? The sparkle on the road as you drive... from the dew glistening from the sun.

Your day at work... break times.... why aren't you thanking God for your break? Lucky you.. some folks dont get breaks.

Lunch time.... Dont try the excuse that you work through lunch. Get up... go get your lunch... whether you brought it or need to go get some. Sit in your car and enjoy it. Thank the Good Lord for the food you're eating. Share some of your work issues with Him.. have you been given a problem to solve that morning and you are having trouble finding the answer? What better thing to do that ask you Father for help. And He will!!!!

Drive home.... again.... that whole drive to thank God for yet another day to earn a living... to support your family. And to thank Him for having that home to go to.

Bed time.......... *Good night Father.... thank you for all I have and all you have yet to share with me*

Wow............... look at all that time to spend with God. If we spend time like that with God everyday... we wouldnt have that huge rubberband ball bouncing around creating more havoc in our lives.

Lets try something.......... get 7 rubberbands. Big enough to wear on your wrist. For one week every night when you go to bed.... ask yourself if you spent any time at all with God that day.... if not.. you best do it then. Remove one rubber band. Now do this for the remaining days and I bet.. by the end of the week... you will be spending more and more time with God than you would have imagined. I bet you'll be smiling more too! God loves you... He wants to bring joy to your life. Spend time with Him so that He can.

Well............ speaking of spending time with God... I'm going to go do that now. I have the webbing to put on that Spiderman blanket... and its so mindless..I can have a nice chat with my Father while I do that. I love talking to Him while I crochet... He gives me some of the greatest ideas.

Have a Great today... and a better tomorrow

hugs...

love...

blessings...

.::Tam::.

**I cried out to the Lord, and he answered me from his holy mountain.
~ Psalm 3:4**

Double Stuff Freebie Friday...

Oreo Cookie Scarf...



This is really simple.
You can use any scarf pattern you like. I used the shell stitch from my keyhole scarf.

*The oreos are simply 3 round circles each. Two ‘coffee brown’ and one white.
Rnd 1) Ch 3. 12 hdc in 3rd ch from hook. (ch 3 does not count as a hdc) join to form circle in first hdc. (12 hdc)
Rnd 2) ch 2. hdc in same st. 2 hdc in each st around (24 hdc) tie off.
Stack the three circles together… sew them together through all three.

*Bitten Cookie…
Create in same manner as full cookies leaving last 3 sts undone on row 2.

*The glass is a simple rectangle size and color of your choice.
*The milk is a single row of DC the same size as the width of the glass.
Attach the milk to the inside top of the glass.. sew the glass to the scarf stuffing it slightly with some polyfil or scrap yarn. Not too much.. just enough to give it a 3D effect.



Homemade Oreo Cookies...

::Quick and Easy way::

1 package devil's food cake mix - Chocolate or German Chocolate (If you are going to use the German chocolate mix be sure to press cookies to slightly flatten then immediately after removing them from the oven - this will insure a perfectly round cookie)

2 eggs

1/2 cup oil (or butter flavored shortening)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Roll dough into balls (a little larger than a quarter). Place on greased cookie sheet. Bake for 8 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on sheet (until warm). Remove cookies from sheet and place on cooling rack.To assemble the cookies, in a pastry bag with a 1/2 inch, round tip (you can always use a zip lock bag with a round tip or just use a butter knife)add about a tablesppon of filling into the center of one cookie. Place another cookie similiar in size on top of the filling. Lightly press, to work the filling evenly to the outsides of the cookie. Continue this process until all the cookies have been sandwiched with cream.

::Oreo cookie filling::

1 stick butter

1 block of cream cheese (8 ounces)

3-4 cups confectioner's sugar (depending on desired consistency)

1 tsp vanilla extract

*cream butter (about 2 mins). Add cream cheese and mix well. Add confectioner's sugar slowly until you reach your desired consistency.

::REAL homemade oreos::

For the chocolate cookies:

1¼ cups all-purpose flour

½ cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa

1 teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

1 to 1½ cups sugar

½ cup plus 2 tablespoons (1¼ sticks) room-temperature, unsalted butter

1 large egg

*Set two racks in the middle of the oven. Preheat to 375 degrees.In a food processor, or bowl of an electric mixer, thoroughly mix the flour, cocoa, baking soda and powder, salt, and sugar. While pulsing, or on low speed, add the butter, and then the egg. Continue processing or mixing until dough comes together in a mass.Take rounded teaspoons of batter and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, or greased sheet, about 2 inches apart. Slightly flatten the dough. Bake for 9 minutes, rotating once for even baking. Set baking sheets on a rack to cool. Use filling recipe and directions above.Makes 25 to 30 sandwich cookies**Store cookies in fridge**

hugs...

love...

blessings...

.::Tam::.

**So be strong and take courage, all you who put your hope in the Lord!
~ Psalm 31:24**

Putting on a brave face...

You may not be able to tell from this picture ... but my little man was putting on his best happy face for me so that I could get a picture of the scarf I made him. He was grieving over his pet mantis (Rex) at the time.. but agreed to take this picture for me. Mommy loves you David!

This is a close up shot of the scarf. If you cant tell what is on the scarf. Its Oreo cookies and a glass of milk. David loves the scarf. Thinks mommy is silly though... but loves his scarf.

How many times have you known someone to be putting on a 'brave face'? Or maybe you yourself have done it.
Have you ever sat at a school event/program and noticed a handful of children seeming to hang there heads in sadness? As you sit in the stands watching ... you overhear one mom tell another how little Bobby is sad because his father didn't show up for this event. You then watch as the children go on ... that little Bobby seems to put on his brave happy face to hide his hurt and perform for his mom who is so proudly taking tons of pictures.

We carry this behavior into our adult life. Putting on the brave face.. not telling anyone what is really inside. What we're really hurting from. It will all eventually get the better of you. Remember little Bobby... watch as the years go by ... his grades will slip... he will start to hang with the wrong kids... seem to find himself in trouble alot. He hurts his mom... and doesn't mean to. He just never knew how to deal with something that was troubling him. Its not easy to talk to another human sometimes... let alone someone we cant see. We know God is there... but as for me personally... I find myself wanting to see God... wanting Him to talk to me ... face to face. Needing to just cry in His arms. Bobby was feeling left out ... abandon. There are things we have happen in our adult life that leaves us feeling that same way.

Summer time... you spend alot of time with other parents during summer activities for your kids.... Swimming.. baseball.. riding bikes..etc. School starts and you lose all your friends. You don't see those parents on the weekends or evenings anymore. There is work.. .school and homework to be done. A really good friend gets a really awesome job. You find your conversations are all about their new world and you're feeling left out. Its like feeling alone in a room full of people. But you put on your brave/happy face and even though you are really happy for them... you're still hurting alone... you don't want them to know how you feel... you smile and nod your head in agreement. Feeling left out... abandoned is a tough thing to deal with.

The Holidays approach.... you've had a falling out with family members.... you wont be spending time with them for the holidays. They have given things of yours back to you... taken other things away... all while you have done nothing but love them and pray for them. That can sure leave you feeling abandoned.

Now ... for a minute... pile all these things together.... you have no one to talk to. Your friends are busy... your best friend has their own new world .. and your family has washed their hands of you. WOW... that can really build up... fester and cause heart ache/anguish!
Where is God in all this? He's sitting right next to you.... wanting so much for you to share this with Him. Give this grief to Him. Let Him make a difference in all these lives. You know... its good to sit in prayer with God. But sometimes... its better just to *talk* to Him. Share exactly how you're feeling with Him. Tell Him how hurt you are... Tell Him that you feel slightly jealous... Tell Him that you are even angry. Come on...you can do it. You've sat and talked to yourself before..and even answered yourself...So this should be cake. You sit and tell God all your troubles... and first of all... it will just feel physically good to get it out of your system... second ... if you give it to Him to deal with... the situations will become much better! As long as we hold on to these feelings... God cant work. You have to let Him have them.
So... lets try that today.. shall we. Pick one thing and one thing only. Talk (yes out loud) to God. Get it off your chest and let Him deal with it. *Whew* that's better. Tomorrow is a new day and you can let go of another issue. Before you know it ... you're completely free and you now feel LOVED and not abandoned. Don't let Satan spin you into a world of hopelessness. Let God take you to the wonderful open skies of HOPE.

huge hugs
lots of love
bountiful blessings...
.::Tam::.

**5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. ~ Romans 5:5**

Veterans Day...

"Dear Lord Jesus Christ,

those whom we honor today

are examples of your words:

"Greater love than this no one has:

that he lay down his life for his friends.

They gave up their lives in the defense of freedom

for their loved ones and their country.

Teach me to appreciate the virtue of patriotism

-- a true and Christian love of country.

Let me love my country, not to follow it blindly

but to make it the land of goodness that it should be.

Let my patriotism be such that it will not exclude

the other nations of the world,

but include them in a powerful love of country

that has room for all others too." Amen!


Thank you to my daddy who served in the Air Force

Thank you to my husband who served in the Air Force

Thank you to my son who joined the Navy.

God Bless!

.::Tam::.

**I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.
~ Romans 15:13**

A Bugs Life...

WARNING... you are about to see pics of a Praying Mantis... dont freak out... hehheheeeeeee

Well............... My youngest son David is going to be the next *Gil Grisom* (for you CSI fans.. you know who that is) David loves bugs. David loves animals... David loves nature and to study all that God has given us. You see... I believe in David's heart... bugs need him as much as he needs them. One summer it was butterflies. Every time David stepped out the door.. he had one land on him. And I do mean ever time. Last summer it was butterflies and caterpillars. This summer .. it has been Praying Mantis. They have become quite popular here this last Summer and Fall. David has managed to catch many of them!!!! He let quite a few go after playing with them... but did keep some to have as pets. We did some research... bought a few books... and learned what we could about these creatures. I have so many pictures of David and all his friends.... I could take up all my Blog space to show you. He's such a sweet little guy.
Is it not amazing the detail that God put into bugs/insects. I mean... I know.. they are kinda weird... little creepy... and sometimes gross.... But after having the mantis in our home as pets... we have all taken a deeper look at the wonderful creatures they are. The detail that God put into them. As one who has a love for crafts... I can appreciate how God let His creative/crafty side take over with the world of Nature. The detail on an ant. How about a flea? Could you imagine putting that kind of detail to one of your creations? Think of the love that must be there for Him to take that kind time to each piece of nature. What would this world be like if we had that kind of love.... for each other... for ourselves... for God Himself. For God to create a Praying mantis with such detail... and reproduce to look exactly the same is amazing in itself. Now think of God's creation of us. A mantis will produce other mantis to look just like it. God loves us so much that He spent individual time creating us. He makes us feel like we are His favorite simply from the time He took with every little detail of our being. We are the only one of us there is. My children have some of my characteristics... and some of my husbands... but they are completely their own person. How can you not see God's love for not just His creations in whole... but you alone. You as an individual. You as His child... His love.... His craft that He took such time creating and putting detail to. Yes... as humans we love. We love our family.. our friends.... but we have nothing on the love God has for us. He loves us not matter what we do or dont do. He loves even those that turn their back to Him. He takes care of our every need. Yes.. we tend to ourselves... just like a mantis hunting for its own food. But here came David... and although the mantis wasnt free in the woods... He tended to every need that mantis had. Gave it a wonderful indoor home... its food supply was GREAT. But most of all.. these bugs have gotten love that would have never come if not for the sweet little heart of a boy. Its been amazing how we all tend to the feeding them just like we do our cat and dogs. We all have the daily yell through the house.... Anyone feed Mrs. P today? (Mrs.P was one of our mantis pets) I say 'was' because one of the things we learned about these masters of camouflage was that after a female lays her eggs... its not long that she will die. Mrs. P did just that. David was crushed... but the little trooper he is ... understood it was part of her life duties. Daddy and David gave Mrs. P a nice burial over where we have a couple of our ever so loved and missed dogs laid to rest. Well... here we have Rex. I have a feeling David named this one Rex in hopes it was a boy so that it wouldnt die. Unfortunately that wasnt the case. Rex laid her egg sack last week or so. The last few days has been quite weak. David has been holding her alot more lately and just loving on her. In a strange sort of way... I think Rex understands how much David loves her. The tilt of her head at him... the way she reaches for him... and the way she just becomes comfortable in his hands. If a little boy can show such love to a bug.. do you not think we could show some love and kindness to a fellow human?!

Here are a few photos of David and Rex. He had her out last night to love on her and tell her good night. She loves his camouflage pj's.


Hangin' out on the front of his shirt.

Getting a kiss good night ... and good bye. David knows by morning today she would be gone.
Oh to have the heart of a child!

Hugs....

love...

blessings....

.::Tam::.

**So don't be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.
~ Matthew 10:31**

Dear Lord.............

Every single evening

As I'm lying here in bed,

This tiny little Prayer

Keeps running through my head:

God bless all my family

Wherever they may be,

Keep them warm and safe from harm

For they're so close to me.

And God, there is one more thing

I wish that you could do;

Hope you don't mind me asking,

Please bless my computer too.

Now I know that it's unusual

To Bless a motherboard,

But listen just a second

While I explain it to you, Lord.

You see, that little metal box

Holds more than odds and ends;

Inside those small compartments

Rest so many of my friends.

I know so much about them

By the kindness that they give,

And this little scrap of metal

Takes me in to where they live.

By faith is how I know them

Much the same as you.

We share in what life brings us

And from that our friendships grew.

Please take an extra minute

From your duties up above,

To bless those in my address book

That's filled with so much love.

Wherever else this prayer may reach

To each and every friend,

Bless each e-mail inbox

And each person who hits 'send'.

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

This was too cute not to share!! Thank you SarahJo. It brought a smile to my face... which sometimes is all we need to change our day!

Hugs...

love...

blessings...

.::Tam::.

**So don't be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.
~ Matthew 10:31**

Freebie Friday..........

APPLE LOAF CAKE


1 1/2 sticks butter

1 2/3 c. sugar

2 eggs, beaten

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 c. all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

2 c. peeled and chopped apples (I like lots of apples.. so you can add another cup or so)

Optional: 1 c. chopped nuts and 1 c. raisins or chopped dates

Cream together butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla until light and fluffy. Sift together the dry ingredients. Add to butter mixture then add apples, nuts and raisins. Pour (scoop) into two greased and floured loaf pans. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 35-45 minutes or until tests done. (This is a very moist cake.)

God Bless.............

.::Tam::.

**I will be faithful to you and make you mine, and you will finally know me as the Lord.
~ Hosea 2:20**

The Sink of life..........

As I sit here printing up some of these cards I made with a cute little poem for my Round dish/wash clothes.... I have some interesting thoughts run through my head. A sink filled with clean hot soapy water... a dish cloth... dipped in and wrung out. You clean your dishes... your counter tops... the stove... oh... and the table from breakfast.. and even the chairs from the drips. With each new cleaning... you place the cloth back in the water to rinse it out... swirling it around... and ringing it out again and again. After a while that water becomes quite dirty. Though each time you think... well..its not that bad.. I'll keep using it. After a while you realize you cant take it anymore.. the water is too dirty ... you have to do something about it. Drain the water and start over.
Now................... isnt it interesting how we are like that wash cloth. Our lives are like the sink full of water. We find God... and jump in the clean water... swirling around... loving the warmth. Then things of the world start to get dirty.... we ring ourselves out... and clean up the mess... and back in the water. Not too bad. But after a while of cleaning up mess after mess... dealing with one thing of life after another .... being wrung out time and time again.... all without stopping long enough to focus on God... we become filled with satans dirt... and are so tired we can barely take it anymore. But in steps God... once again into our lives.. and says.... "here I am" You allow Him to drain satan from you life and fill your sink of life back up with His grace and love.

Here's the deal... you dont have to keep jumping back into that dirty water. If you allow God to be in your life continuously... Seek Him always...He will keep that sink full of clean warm water. Satan wants to keep you so busy with so many "issues" in life that you lose focus on God and your water becomes dirty. Issues in life are just that.... "issues" they arent "your life" you will have many of them throughout your life time.... but its how we deal with them that makes the difference... who we seek to help us through them. Will we give into the lies of satan that our life is troubled... that we cant do anything right... that we have to work harder than others because we just have that kind of luck...... or will we believe God loves us and wants to give us everything out hearts desire and then some. That He wants out lives to be filled with Blessings and love. God forgives each and every one of our sins. That no matter what we do or say.. if we ask for His forgiveness... its done and forgotten. A sink constantly filled with clean water. Sounds good to me!!!!

God Bless you all.......
hugs... and love,
.::Tam::.

**But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ~ Romans 5:3**