53 posts tagged “culture”
Christ story doesn't start in the new testiment with His birth. He is in every book of the bible. He is, was, and always will be. As we celebrate His birth, please take the time to read this and know how great He truly is.
He is seen in every book of the Bible. Take a journey through the halls of the Bible and in every one of them you will see Christ.
In Exodus He's the Passover Lamb.
In Leviticus He's the High Priest.
In Numbers He's the Cloud by day and pillar of fire by night.
In Deuteronomy He's the City of our refuge.
In Joshua He's the Scarlet Thread out Rahab's window.
In Judges He is our Judge.
In Ruth He is our Kinsman redeemer.
In 1st & 2nd Samuel He's our Trusted Prophet.
And in Kings and Chronicles He's our Reigning King.
In Ezra He is our Faithful Scribe.
In Nehemiah He's the Rebuilder of everything that is broken.
And in Esther He is the Mordecai sitting faithful at the gate.
In Job He's our redeemer that ever liveth.
In Psalms He is my Shepherd and I shall not want.
In Proverbs and Ecclesiastes He's our Wisdom.
And in the Song of Solomon He's the Beautiful Bridegroom.
In Isaiah He's the Suffering Servant.
In Jeremiah and Lamentations it is Jesus that is the Weeping Prophet.
In Ezekiel He's the Wonderful Four-Faced Man.
And in Daniel He is the Fourth Man in the midst of a fiery furnace.
In Hosea He is my Love that is forever faithful.
In Joel He baptizes us with the Holy Spirit.
In Amos He's our Burden Bearer.
In Obadiah our Savior.
You go on and you see in Micah He is the Messenger with beautiful feet.
In Nahum He is the Avenger.
In Habakkuk He is the Watchman that is ever praying for revival.
In Zephaniah He is the Lord mighty to save.
In Haggai He is the Restorer of our lost heritage.
In Zechariah He is our Fountain.
And in Malachi He is the Son of Righteousness with healing in His wings.
In Matthew Thou art the Christ the Son of the Living God.
In Mark He is the Miracle Worker.
In Luke He's the Son of Man.
And in John He is the Door by which everyone of us must enter.
In Acts He is the Shining Light that appears to Saul on the road to Damascus.
In Romans He is our Justifier.
In 1st Corinthians our Resurrection.
In 2nd Corinthians our Sin Bearer.
In Galatians He redeems us from the law.
In Ephesians He is our Unsearchable Riches.
In Philippians He supplies our every need.
And in Colossians He's the Fullness of the Godhead Bodily.
In 1st and 2nd Thessalonians He is our Soon Coming King.
In 1st and 2nd Timothy He is the Mediator between God and man.
In Titus He is our Blessed Hope.
In Philemon He is a Friend that sticks closer than a brother.
And in Hebrews He's the Blood of the everlasting covenant.
In James it is the Lord that heals the sick.
In 1st and 2nd Peter He is the Chief Shepherd.
In 1st, 2nd and 3rd John it is Jesus who has the tenderness of love.
In Jude He is the Lord coming with 10,000 saints.
And in Revelation..... He is Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending.
He is found in every corner of the scripture...
Today i got to be a part of a very special day in the life of Coby and Eliza. Coby, Daniel's cousin, asked me a week ago if i would do portraits for him and his girl friend with his three daughters and Eliza's two daughters, that's right five children. The surprise Coby wanted to propose to Eliza in the middle of the shoot! How awesome is that, and i would be there to capture the very amazing moment. As soon as he asked me i said yes. I have never gotten to be a part of something like this, and what a neat opportunity for me to do something a little different then my normal photo shoot.
Over the past year God has brought some amazing people into our lives. One family in particular are the McSwains. Dan and Kristin have welcomed us into their lives, church and ministry with open arms. We became fast friends and have loved getting to know each other. We love working with them in Student Ministries and are so lucky to count them among some of our closest friends. They have two beautiful little girls, that Sienna loves to play with and we just couldn't have asked for more in such great people. So when Kristin asked me if i could take their family portraits I jumped at the idea of being able to bless them. I haven't done a photo shoot since September, so i was a little nervous. However i was reminded about how much i have missed it, it's been hard with a big belly. hehe!
I love crafts and Christmas time is the best time of year for a crafter. There are so many possibilities and fun things to do and decorate with. This year i haven't been doing as much as i would like to. However yesterday I made some beautiful snowball ornaments and decorations. I love them!
Well the other night i was watching Martha Stewart's Christmas special and i saw her make these beautiful sparkly snowballs. I just had to make them. She made it look so easy and such fun. However I have to admit, although they turned out great, it was not easy. I had printed out the instructions and did just what they said, however i apparently don't have the magic touch of Martha Stewart. Some of mine didn't come out very round and i had a really hard time gettingSo after making mine and went on her website and read all the reviews of this craft, i really should have read them first. They had tons of tips and short cuts to make this project much easier. I would recommended this craft to someone who is experienced and patient. And i would highly suggest visiting the website with the directions on how to make the Snowy Balloon Ornaments and read the reviews for tips and tricks.
I plan on making more of these next year, however I do love the ones i have and am glad i did the project.
Balloon
Ball of cotton string
Craft glue
Clothespin
Dowel
Glitter
Pin
Tweezers
Metallic thread
Spray mount
Snowy Balloon Ornaments How-To
1. Blow up the balloon until it's slightly smaller than your fist. Tie the end of the cotton string to the end of the balloon.
2. Thin the glue slightly with water and brush some on the bottom of the balloon to tack down the string. Begin wrapping the string vertically around the balloon. When 3/4 of the balloon is covered vertically, begin wrapping the string horizontally. To change direction, wrap the string around the tied-off end of the balloon. Continue until 3/4 of the balloon is wrapped horizontally.
3. Cut the string and secure it with a dab of glue. Brush the watered-down craft glue all over the string-covered balloon. Pinch the top of the balloon with a clothespin and thread the clothespin onto a dowel that you've suspended between two points. Allow to dry for several hours.
4. Once dry, pop the balloon with a pin and remove it, using tweezers, if necessary. Add a loop of metallic thread and brush the balloon with glue again. Working over a bowl, spoon on glitter and set aside to dry.
Daniel and I were blessed by his grandpa with a lovely dinning room table. Grandpa didn't need it anymore and it was still in beautiful condition, so we were so glad to be able to have it. The only thing it needed was new fabric on the chairs. I had been looking for fabric for a few weeks, and just couldn't find anything i liked. Until i was at my moms and she had me go through her boxes of fabrics. Got to love families that share! hehe!
Well i found some beautiful fabric that i love and my mom let me have it. So i just had to get it home and work on those chairs. All we needed to buy was a new box of staples. So here we go, dinning room table (FREE), fabric (FREE), and staples for staple gun ($5). Total for a lovely dinning room set $5! I am just beside myself excited. The table and chairs look so good and fit in our dinning room so nice and to think we barly had to spend any money, makes it even more AWESOME! Thank you so much Grandpa and Mom!
It was easy to recover the chairs. Just unscrew the seats wrap fabric around the cushion and staple in place, then put back on chair. Sienna even helped, she loved the hammer. She would help me find staples that needed a little more help with going all the way through to the wood. I was so pleased with how the chairs looked i covered two stools that i had in my living room. Now it feels like i have all new furniture. This was such and easy and fun project, i think you should try it. It only took Sienna and I about an hour and a half to do six chairs and two stools. Fast and easy! Why spend the money on brand new stuff, when you can just pretty up what you have?
"Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever." Psalm 107:1
What are you thankful for on this Thanksgiving Eve?
I truly believe that Thanksgiving is a day that should be spent in complete praise of our Heavenly Father for all He has done and will do for us. Although i enjoy the food and family on this day, i think the day should be centered in Christ Jesus and what He has done for us. I hate the fact that we get so swept up in food and traditions, that people think it's silly to go around the table and say what we are thankful for. It's not silly and we should be doing it everyday.
Well since November 1st Daniel, Sienna and I have been writing down what we are thankful for each night at dinner time. We talk about what God has blessed us with and make a point to say it out loud and praise Him for His blessings. We have been keeping a thankful tree and today i wrote down all the things we have been thankful for over the past 25 days. The one rule about the tree is we can't repeat any of the things we are thankful for, this has really helped us to see all that the Lord as given us.
Daniel is thankful for: My Job, My parents, Tickle attacks with Sienna, A creative wife, Saturday's with family, My beautiful wife, computers, A Christ centered church, laughter, Jesus, Being able to have multiple translations of the bible, cell phones that work in our home, Rides to and from work, Our family, warm blankets, 24 hour convenant stores, Eli being healthy, Our Armed Forces, and Encouragement from friends.
Laura is thankful for: Living close to family, Sienna, My camera, being able to have a home birth, my friends, God taking care of us, Our youth group kids both past and present, All that we have been given for Eli, Eli, Baby showers, God protecting us, my sisters, long walks as a family, Daniel being home on weekends, Our Home, ears to hear, massages, God letting me be a mom, and a healthy family.
Sienna is thankful for: Singing & Dancing, school, animals, church, toys, Cubbies, Slides & swings, my lion, Grandma's, Discovery Kids, Papa, Candy, cousins, My mommy, food, grapes, playing, band aids, bread, Daddy, chicken nuggets, not being afraid of monsters and her very special Bear.
So take some time tomorrow and think about what you are thankful for and make a list. You'll surprised what you come up with.
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!
Just in time for Thanksgiving here is a perfectly yummy dessert that will impress your friends and family. Try it and let me know what you think of this little twist on a traditional apple pie.
Sienna and I were in a baking mood again, you know what that means,
right? Reading cook books and coming up with our own recipes. Sienna
loved helping me. As i made the pie dough I made sure to make extra
so she could play with some. She loved it and spent hours playing with
her special "real" dough. Too Cute. The pie is delicious and was pretty
easy to make. I was able to bring it over to my in laws who loved it as
well. So all around a keeper of a recipe.
Crust
1 cup flour
1/4 cup cold butter
1 tsp. salt
2 to 3 tsp. ice water
(or buy a pie crust, which ever works for you)
Filling
6c. sliced, peeled Granny Smith apples (about 6 apples)
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 c. sugar
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp. vanilla
Crumble Topping
1/3 c. butter
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 c. flour
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Make pie dough in food processor. Combine flour, salt and butter until butter is the size of peas. Then slowly at ice water, until the dough makes a ball. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. In large bowl, combine sugar and flour. Mix together with apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, and lemon juice. Roll out pie dough and place in pie pan. Trim edges and crimp. Take left over dough and put back in food processor and add one tablespoon of flour and mix. You should have small crumbs, sprinkle crumbs on the bottom of pie crust, do NOT press them into the crust. This will help keep your crust from getting soggy. I saw this on food network and it really works.
layer in apple mixture into pie. I think you get a much better result when you layer the apples in the pie, you get less air pockets and more apples. It might take you an extra minute put it really does make a difference. Make French Crumb Topping by mixing 1/3 cup butter and sugars together. Cut in 3/4 cup flour. Sprinkle topping over apples in pie plate. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until topping is golden and apples are tender.
Let cool for at least an hour. Serve warm with ice cream or whip topping.
What you will need:
Paper (any colors you wish)
Tape (like painters tape or masking tape)
Glue stick
ribbon
Sienna helped me trace her hands on the paper and I cut them all out. The we laid them out the way we liked them and taped the outer row together on the back side. Then we glued the inner layer of hands to the outer layer. Then i made a bow and glued it on, i needed to use a clothes pin to hold it until it dried. The placed on last hand in the middle of the bow.
It took us about two hours and we had a lot of fun doing it. Sienna is so proud to show people her Hand Wreath when ever they come over. So take the time to do this fun project with your kids!
They were super fun to make and my three year old daughter could help. Plus you don't need a lot of ingredients. And they make your house smell like cinnamon rolls! Just what you need to make your house smell like the holiday's.
Cinnamon Pull Apart Muffins
2 tubes of refrigerated biscuit dough
1/2 cup of sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
1 stick of butter (melted)
Easy Vanilla Glaze
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
a splash of milk
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl. Melt butter. Cut biscuits into fourths. Dip in melted butter and roll in cinnamon sugar mixture. Place 6 to 7 pieces of dough in each section of a greased muffin pan (not cupcake liners). Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes then carefully remove and place in cupcake liners on a cooling rack. While muffins cool make glaze, drizzle glaze over the top while muffins are still warm. Now eat share and enjoy!
I sent three muffins wrapped up all cute to a friend of mine with a package of tea. She loved them, and was a prefect fall treat. So try them and give them to your friends. Let me know how they turn out or if you come up with a twist on this simple recipe.
I have always looked forwarded to and dearly loved fall. There is something special about the cool air and the coming of the holiday season that just makes this time of year lovely. Here are my top 20 reasons why Fall is so wonderful!
1. My Birthday is in October
2. The smell of wet leaves
3. Rainy days
4. Getting to drink hot coffee and tea again.
5. Wearing scarves and gloves
6. Cuddling with my husband on cool nights.
7. Pumpkins!
8. Baking Spice breads.
9. Making Sienna's Halloween costume. (this year she will be a Ballerina)
10. Carving Pumpkins
11. Buying candy, even though we never get trick or treaters
12. the sound of leaves being smashed as I walk
13. Long walks in the park holding hands with my loves.
14. Lighting yummy smelling candles
15. Making comfort food
16. Windy days (I may be one of the only people who like wind)
17. Wearing cozy sweaters
18. The smell of fires in fireplaces
19. Thanksgiving
20. Decorating my house with leaves and pumpkins!
