Christmas Eve and 1 Peter 4:!0

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. 1 Peter 4:10 (NIV)

I have gotten into Pier 1's Tasting Party collection.  They are fabulous for serving appetizers and desserts and even drinks.  I love all of the options that are offered and their display options.  I started building my collection last year with these ceramic spoons that and some clear glass mini bowls.  This year for Christmas, Angie blessed me with three more sets.  Two more sets of spoons and a set of mini shot glasses with spoons.  Check out more options here.  This Christmas Eve, I used my tasting party dishes to host some of my family for dinner after church.  What a blessing it is to have gifts that I can use to serve others! 

 These ceramic spoons are sold individually.  Each one has a hole drilled in the handle.  I used it to take red and green beads with red jewelry wire to make little accents for each spoon.  They turned out quite cute if I do say so myself! 

 This was part of my counter on Christmas Eve.  The two sets of spoons toward the top of the picture are the ones Angie gave me for Christmas.  They were eventually filled with cottage cheese and topped with a peach.  The individual spoons had appetizers in them.  They were Phyllo shells that I filled with Philadelphia cooking cream - tomato and basil flavor and topped with a slice of a cherry tomato and a piece of green pepper. 

And these glorious desserts are single serving pies baked in half pint canning jars.  How fun is that?!  Got this idea off from Pinterest.com.  They were delicious.  Next time I display them I would probably add a ribbon around each individual jar, but give that I had 5 hours to clean the house and prep the food, I think it looks quite cute! 

Merry Christmas to you all.  I hope you have a blessed 2012.

This isn't my normal post, but because I am so excited about it, I just have to share!  I've been on Pinterest for a short while now and have been seeing a lot of the melted crayon art.  So, I'm watching Ty and Hanna over night tonight and we gave it a try with our own twist.  Here's Hanna's and hopefully Ty will do his in a bit.  I did a coat of Mod Podge when Hanna was done and it is still a little wet in this photo.  Also, not sure why the photo is sideways...I can't get it to turn the other way.  But it turned out cuter than I expected!

Merry Christmas and 2 Corinthians 9:15

Merry Christmas!  

As I write this, I am thinking of all of the different pieces that make up Christmas.  There are trees, Santa, presents, elves, family, parties, stockings, toys, bows, bells, mangers, wreaths, sleigh rides, and Jesus.  There are two that are the most important to me, Jesus and family.  What a savior we have in Jesus!  Remember Him and the real reason we celebrate Christmas this season.  And through all of the different parties we go to, the ones with family are the most important.  It's fun to look back on those moments when the kids eat nothing but sugar, grandpa is overly worried about the light on the roaster going off, mom is making sure everything gets done, a quiet hug is shared with dad, brother shows up to help unexpectedly, and cousins share in laughter.  Whatever those moments are in your family, cherish them. 

These centerpieces were for a family holiday celebration with my grandpa's side of the family.  There were seven original siblings and we were figuring that there were well over 100 people in four generations in attendance.  To have such a large family and so many of them in one place at the same time is a blessing. 

Purple Birthday Gift and James 1:17

This vase was given by my mom to one of her co-workers for her birthday.  The vase is a nice small vase about 6" tall, wrapped with sparkly black ribbon and a flower that I got from a craft show.  It is filled with a pre-made bouquet from Hobby Lobby.  The colors matched well and it was the perfect size so I thought I would give it a try.  I'm kind of bummed because this is the only picture I have and it doesn't do it justice.  It was super cute and the ribbon so sparkly!  

And now on a completely different note..James 1:17 

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.  ~James 1:17

There are so many blessings in this world.  Recently God has sent me a little girl named Gabby.  When I read this verse, I think of her.  She is filled with joy and giggles, and she lights up our classroom every time she's there.   She works hard and never forgets to give us a hug at the end of the day...she even runs back from the car if she needs to.  Next week is Gabby's last day in our class for positive reasons.  We are so excited for her, but are going to miss her dearly.  And as hard as it is to say good-bye, I will always remember the joy she brings wherever she goes.  She is one of God's perfect gifts.  Next time you think of someone who is a blessing in your life, make sure to tell them.  So often things go unsaid.  Make the most of this holiday by spreading the joy that is brought to you by so many blessings!

Tonight I thank God for you.

Peace and Joy.

Andrea

Out of the Darkness Suicide Prevention and Psalm 20

Out of the Darkness...

      For the past 4 years I have been involved in the community walk for suicide prevention in Grand Rapids, MI.  It is called the Out of the Darkness walk.  Each year it is growing and we are exposing depression and other mental illnesses that cause suicidal thoughts. We are bringing them Out of the Darkness.  And you can help!  Visit our walk page at Grand Rapids Walk.  This year for a door prize, I made a custom vase with the Out of the Darkness blue ribbon.  I collaged the ribbon with tissue paper and then used a Cricut to cut the letters out.  I know there's a glare, but it says, "Out of the Darkness 2011."  We filled it with Lifesavers and a gift card.  I love being able to fill some of the vases with things other than flowers! 

This year, a student of mine joined me with a friend and some family.  It was so special to have her there and for her to know that everything is going to be ok.  She got to know that she's not the only one going through what she's experiencing.  She's loved and so are all of you!  For some comfort, here's a prayer and a reminder in Psalm 20.  

Peace and Blessings.

Andrea

Psalm 20

    For the director of music. A psalm of David.

 ¹ May the LORD answer you when you are in distress;
   may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.
² May he send you help from the sanctuary
   and grant you support from Zion.
³ May he remember all your sacrifices
   and accept your burnt offerings.
⁴ May he give you the desire of your heart
   and make all your plans succeed.
⁵ May we shout for joy over your victory
   and lift up our banners in the name of our God.

   May the LORD grant all your requests.

 ⁶ Now this I know:
   The LORD gives victory to his anointed.
He answers him from his heavenly sanctuary
   with the victorious power of his right hand.
⁷ Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
   but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.
⁸ They are brought to their knees and fall,
   but we rise up and stand firm.
⁹ LORD, give victory to the king!
   Answer us when we call!

Psalm 71:6 and my Mom's birthday!

~ From birth I have relied on you; you brought me forth from my mother's womb. I will ever praise you. (NIV)   ~ Psalm 71:6

 

This weekend, I am sending up thanks for my mom.  She is one of the strongest people I know.  She's always been there for me, through ups and downs, joys and fears.  She is a kind, giving, loving mother and I wouldn't trade her for the world!  Love you Mom!

 

My mother's birthday is coming up on Monday and she's been wanting a plate or bowl with decorative balls for a coffee table centerpiece.  With a low centerpiece like this, my dad won't have to move it to see tv!  

It took me a long time to figure out what exactly I wanted to do for this plate.  This is going in her living room and the colors of the room are greens, tans, and a muted purple.  She pointed out that she preferred that I didn't use purples, soooooo I went with the other two!  Half of my battle was figured out, the other half was figuring out how to make it a little more meaningful.  

To bring more of a personal connection to it, I added words around the outer edge.  Words like "love," "faith," "family," "blessed," and "joy."  I used a black sharpie on the tan tissue paper.  It was important to use permanent ink so when the Mod Podge was applied, the ink stayed put.  

My mother suggested Pier 1 as a place to look for filler.  I checked things out there first.  They didn't have exactly what I was looking for, so I thanked the woman and continued shopping.  Well....just across the parking lot is a Marshalls.  I thought I would just stop in and check there.  Woohoo did I find exactly what I was looking for or what!  The three largest balls came in a set of 3 for only $6.  The rest of the pieces were all in a set that was on clearance for $5.  So...what was going to cost me a minimum of $30 at Pier 1, I got for the steal of $11!  And it was EXACTLY what I was looking for!

 

Enjoy your week friends!  And if you're mom is still with you, give her an extra hug today and tell her how much you love her!

Genesis 1 and God's Beauty

 

"God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. " - Genesis 1:31

As I am sitting outside today, I am enjoying God's beautiful creation.  I'm trying to block out the loud sounds of the construction equipment down the road and the helicopter circling above and focus on what's important.  As I reread the very beginning of the bible, I was thinking about how general some of it sounded, but how much detail lies embedded within this message.  Solely in God creating two great lights there is so much detail.  Yes the sun and the moon are these great lights, but take a moment and think of the moon.  There are craters and moon sand, gravity and tides, reflections and shadows, and so much more.  

So today I thank God for all of his detail.  Attention to detail makes things and people what and who they are, and I am so thankful for that.  Thank you God for making me unique.  Please bless my family, friends, and readers with Your beautifully painted world.  Help them to block out all of the annoying loud noises of the world and focus on Your beauty.  Help them find it in unexpected places.

This piece that I just finished is a "pencil holder" of sorts.  I show it with paintbrushes.  It was such a beautiful day outside here today that I took some photos outside.  I used shiny off white tissue paper and orange floral ribbon.  Then I attached two small white flowers to cover the seam in the ribbon.  Simple, but quite elegant.  Standby for more of these to come.  I have made a few more.