Garden of Hope

A worn Dictionary

2012-01-19T08:30:00.000-08:00

Last week while I was doing some studies, I found myself using an old dictionary that was to neat to not take pictures of!! It is a 1950's Mariam International Dictionary Second Edition.

Laugh, what a great word to take a picture of!!

Pretty old but allot of fun to snap a few pictures of!! I Love the swirl designs on the side of the pages!

~RebeccA.

A Winters Walk

2012-01-18T13:46:00.000-08:00

Last week Dad and I took advantage of the sunshine and went on a walk close by. Here are some photos along the way.

There was a few ponds with ducks swimming about, I have never really tried to take pictures of them before, and now I know it is a bit of work, they like to move fast and dunk under water often! :)

An Icy patch

I couldn't believe I got this one before the bird flew away!!

This was a little mysterious, not sure what it is but it was fun to take a picture of!! :)

Frozen leaf

And the path ahead!

There you have it! Thanks for reading!

~Rebecca

New Years Weekend.... Finaly I am posting these!! :)

2012-01-18T12:35:00.000-08:00

Okay I am finally posting this!! I really don't like it when I get behind on these things... but sometimes it happens. So for New Yeas Eve Hannah and I had the opportunity to go out to lunch... We went to Red Robin!

We both ordered a "Freckled Lemonade" Which is just a strawberry lemonade... We both drank 3 of them.... we were supper full after that, and really sugared up!! :)

All the Cups (Photo Credit: Hannah)

The next day, New Years Day. After Church we, with a few others went over to the Woltersdorfs House.

Us girls went on a walk, and found ourselves lying in the street!! :) (Hannah took this one too)

Hannah was trying to get one of us jumping, but it didn't work. I still thought this one was neat.

Then I tried and this is what I got!! :)

Esther looking like.... a flamingo!

Miss. Lydia is so photogenic!!

Esther was showing me how crazy my hair was!! :)

Here is the group, we all went to go feed the neighbours animals

Oh and of course Liberty wanted me to take pictures of her too! But she never stays still!! :)

Well there you have it... finally right? Well my new years celebration weekend was allot of fun!! I hope yours was the same!

~RebeccA.

New Years Weekend- RCC Dance

2012-01-09T12:30:00.000-08:00

Okay.... I have finally finished my Christmas posts!! :) Now onto New Years. Well the Friday before New Years Eve, some of the older Wolterdorf's and I went to there old Church for a dance! Here are a few pictures of the night.

Though I didn't know allot of people there I still had a great time dancing and watching people dance!! What a great way to end the year of 2011!!

Rebecca

Christmas Happenings- Christmas Day

2012-01-09T12:00:00.000-08:00

Here are the happenings of Christmas Day!!

On a Walk!

Miss. Liberty!

Kisses are the Best!! (Photo Credit to Josiah :)

Hannah and I were in charge of making the Lemon Meringue Pies

Lots of lemon Juice

Whipping the meringue into shape!!

We all had our turn...

But only the pro was able to get it to peek.

Mix it Up!!

It Peeked!! :) Yay!

I love this one of her... if you look close in her right eye you can see the part of blue she has.

Listening to really GREAT Christmas Music!!

Ready to Eat (oh and all the rest of the pics are by hannah... at this point she took the camera from me :)

She was so cute!! She fell asleep at the table, but when you tried to lay her down, she would wake up and say she wanted to eat!! :)

Oh and Israel made a few toasts!!

After dinner we read a few passages of scripture and sang some Christmas songs!

The band..

All and all I had a wonderful Christmas day with great Friends and Family!!

I hope your was just as enjoyable!!

Christmas Happenings- Christmas Eve with My Sister

2012-01-06T10:30:00.000-08:00

Later on Christmas eve Dad and I went over to my sisters house to exchange some gifts, eat some really yummy steak, and enjoy each others company!! Here are some pictures of the day!

It was fun to take pictures of my niece while opening presents!!

Hayliegh is so cute!! :)

This is hayliegh's gingerbread house!!

~Rebecca

Christmas Happenings- A Christmas Eve Breakfast

2011-12-29T08:30:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to everyone!! :) I know I am a little late, but it is still the week after... Has to count still. Any ways, I have a few posts lined up for the celebration of Christs Birth. This one is about breakfast at a dear family/ friends house. They put on this breakfast every year and invite a few family's to join them. We have eggs benedict.... which Tammy makes, and to say the least it is amazing!! Well I better get on with my post.. I have lots of pictures to share.

The table all set!

Greeting friends as the came in the door. This is Hannah (right) And Jessica (Left)

Miss. Lydia

Little Liberty!

The guys... trying to smile.

Zach and his angry face.

Kochs Grandparents

A full table!!

The wonderful cook!!

Helpers

Us being excited to be eating... or something like that! :)

After breakfast we went on a walk.

I love these photos of in the woods!! They can be scary in the dark. Especially when the owls are above you.

Love the sun light in this one!

Among the pine needles we found some flower looking mushrooms!

Brian speaking to the crowd.

Good Friends!!

Down the Lane we go.

I love this drive way!!

We had a few kiddo's with us. They loved to get a head!

Buddy's!!

I love this view from the street we walked on... much better in person, but is still neat to see!!

The wire Fence

That is about all for the pictures of that event. I had a great time!! As I do every year!! It is wonderful to get together with Church family's around the Christmas season!! And of course when you are eating a great meal!!

~Stay Tuned for more about The Christmas Weekend!!

Rebecca

Lots to share

2011-12-18T08:30:00.000-08:00

Where to begin?? I know I have not posted in.... well for ever. Lets start on this day....

The day I took my drivers test, last Firday. I ..... PAST with a 90%!!!! :) This was my second time trying. The first was before the TN trip, in a stick shift truck... that is my dads. This time I was able to borrow a good friends mini van that is a atimatic... much easier. It was a breeze.

This was on our way to the DMV.... after I bought this...

My new camera, a Nikon L120. What a fun little thing!!

Love this one... I look some what vintage, but really it was just a dirty mirror.

Later that day I met up with Hannah and Her mom and Sisters to do alittle shopping.

That evening dad and I had dinner at there place.... and afterwards Hannah and I got a little crazy after having some chocolate....

The one that broke... She was suppose to look sad...

Playing with the camera.. with no name... yet. (Any Ideas??)

Esther joined us... playing with sepia :)

In the moon light... Black and White settings

Love how you can see the stars!!

Seth joined us in our picture taking..

The Cute little Justice!!

Did I mention that we were kinda crazy... or maybe it was just me :)

The next evening was the annual Adult Dinners, but this time instead of going to other homes we all gathered together for a very fun evening!

The cute name tags for our seating arrangements. Done by LetTalkChalk. As a gift to us adults.

Hannah's piece of Costco Chocolate Cake... which is amazing!!

Did I mention I loved these name tags...

Last picture of the cute decor on the tables!!

There you have it an update on all that has been going.... and there is more to share, with lots of pictures too!!

RebeccA.

P.S. I can't believe that Christmas is in a week.... eek...I still have lots to do!! :)

Thanksgiving Proclamation

2011-11-24T08:30:00.000-08:00

"Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me to "recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness. Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be."

—George Washington 1789

RebeccA.

Give Thanks to Our Maker

2011-11-24T08:00:00.000-08:00

Psalm 95: 1-6 " Oh come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come to his presencs with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In His hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also. The sea is his, for he made it and his hands formed the dry land. Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before our Maker!"

Thanksgiving, what a reminder of how every day we should be thankful not just one day a year but every day of every year. It is so easy to get caught up in life that we tend to not make a habit of thanking the God who has created it all and has given us each breathe, each day and each year we live here on earth.

So as you are celebrating this wonderful day our fore fathers have set aside. Thank the Lord above for the wonderful works of His providence in our lifes. And remember that each day we are given a new day to live it out for Christ and His Kingdom! What an exciting way to live!! :)

RebeccA.

7th and 8th day in TN!

2011-11-21T19:38:00.001-08:00

Did I mention the sunrises were beautiful!!

I love this one!! And all these picture are from the 8th day.

Well I did not write or take pictures on the 7th, but I did talk about it on the 8th day. So here is a little from my journal :

Tuesday Nov. 8th 2011

"Since I did not write yesterday I will briefly go over what we did. Because we had lost some time last week because people were sick, are day was quite compact. We had two sessions over a internet conference with Amy, a midwife that was apart of ATI for a while. Which was neat to hear her view and her stories of birth. This was followed by may more sessions by our staff with us. Which gave us little time to be out side.

Today like every day this week, we went for a walk around 6am followed by breakfast and then we plunged right back into out studies. We had some sessions of post pardon (after the baby is born), We got the opportunity to get an idea of how to start a business of being a doula, once we finish the course. We ended the evening with the "0" birthday Part. We played games and really just enjoyed our last evening together a a class.

What an experience this has been. I am very thankful God has given me this opportunity to come and learn all that I have!!" ~RebeccA.

6th Day on TN Trip.

2011-11-15T10:06:00.000-08:00

The Sunrise on Sunday Morning

"Today was a very restful day. That was most needed!! Because we had two more come down with the flu last night, we ended up not going to church today. We had bible study and watched a sermon/ conference video instead. We then had a bit of lunch. Afterwards, we were free to do as we please. I ended up having a head ache in which I took a hour and a half nap, that was most needed. I worked on a paper that is due on Wednesday and then was able to walk the halls before dinner. For dinner we had chicken noodle soup which really hit the spot!!

This evening I am finishing it off with a phone call goodnight to dad, a cup of Sleepytime tea (which I really like!!) and a bit of bible reading and maybe some book reading, from Joyfully at Home. Well more is to come about my happenings here in TN." ~Sundays Journal entry, RebeccA.

The 5th Day, Saturday!!

2011-11-14T16:21:00.001-08:00

Saturday November 5th 2011

I woke up to an over cast day.

But soon it turned into a beautiful sunny day!!

We had a little extra time that day, so I took some pictures around the place we were staying at.

Chandelier on the ground floor.

Ground floor looking to your left. See the grand piano!!

Looking to your right, a office/ meeting room.

A little book store.

There were SO many mirrors on that floor.... I some times scarred myself by walking by one... lol

"Today was a long day, spent going over the curriculum we are doing for the next 10 months. And boy it is packed! There are 2 dead line dates, 5 months apart, but in that time you are sending in a month by month completion of your work. I am very thankful they gave us an over view of it all because when I was looking it over myself, it was very over whelming. But today made it clear of what my next year of life is going to look like.... allot of work!

Well the flu bug is among us. We have 2 of our 3 staff down with it and my roommate Tabitha isn't feeling well either. We are praying that it doesn't spread. As for Lydia, Galenna and I, we have been feeling great. We have been walking out side every chance we get, for the weather had been very nice, warm and 70 deg!! What a change from home. " My journal entry for that day. Which sums up what we were up to.

Thanks for reading!! RebeccA.

3rd and 4th Day in TN

2011-11-12T10:43:00.000-08:00

The 3rd day on our trip was fully packed of teachings. Which I didn't take any pictures that day to share with you. :( And what ever free time we had, was mostly spend outside, enjoying the nice weather!!

But on the 4th day, Friday, after bible study and a few sessions we toured a birthing center.

They had these all over, sticks in between glass on the doors and walls. I thought it was a neat idea.

We saw the birthing rooms (empty of course :) we found out about the basic process, all of which we had learned, but we were able to kinda put it in prospective when your there. We saw a suite room, where the mother and baby are transferred to after birth. And then best of all we got to see a few little ones in the nursery area. They were all so sweet!! Following the tour we had a few more sessions in between meals and resting.

Thats the story so far, with more to come!! ~ RebeccA.

The Quotable Lewis

2011-11-12T07:28:00.000-08:00

C.S. Lewis on Creation:

I love to find neat photos from google!! :)

"No philosophical theory I have yet come across is a radical improvement on the words of Genesis, that "in the beginning God made Heaven and Earth"

When you study, venture on, and see from afar the work of Gods hand. You (or at least I) can't imagine not giving all the glory back to God. This last week was one I found myself in amazement. God has created the human body so intricately, that every part serves a purpose for the whole being. This brings me to a reverence and godly fear of the one who knows me from the inside out. Also it brings thankfulness to my heart, for I know that God is and knows all things, that I do not have to fear what the future may bring!

Thanks for Reading, ~RebeccA.

2nd Day in TN

2011-11-11T08:08:00.000-08:00

On the 2nd we had the oprotunity to do some more walking around, becuase the conferince didn't start until 4pm that day. But instead of walking about inside we walked out side....

The morning sun rise from my bedroom window.

The weather in TN was very nice!!! Clear skys, 70deg. and a slight breeze!! It felt like a nice Septmber day at home, except in November!! What a nice change from rain and 40deg. back at home! :)

This is the front itnrence now, that leads to the ground floor.

The Sign out side

I thought the street name was neat... Due West.

This is Part of the Parking Lot, where we walked by allot through out the week. I just LOVED the colors!!

When we walked, we went around the edge of the parking lot and part of the way around the street. Where we saw lots of brick houses.

I have never seen a red and orange fire hidgerent. So I took a picture of it!! :)

We also passed a patch of bamabo. Something different.

We walked practally all day, which was a nice change from the day before. Around 2pm classmates began to arive and we got meet them before class. That evening are class was an introduction to what a doula is, which is some one who helps the mother through birth. Supporting, encouraging and helping her and her family in any way. What a neat way to serve a family!! :)

Thants all I have for now!!

~RebeccA.

The First day of the Trip to TN!

2011-11-10T08:45:00.001-08:00

As I have mentioned in a later post, I left on the 1st to TN!! What a trip it was!! There was no internet access so I am way behind on posting about all that we did and learned. So I am very excited to share with y'all the fun that I had!! So here is what I would have said that evening.

November 1st 2011

Today is the day we left today for Nashville TN!! What a long day!! We flew for over 8 hours, leaving at 9am and getting here at 7pm Central time (2hour difference from home). We had one plane we were on but we made two stops before arriving at our destination. We stoped first in Phoenix AR, then in Dallas TX, and finally at Nashville TN. Here are some pictures from the flight, when I had the window seat!! Which was between Arizona and Texas.

Every thing is so small!!

Some sort of mountain/ hills. Besides these, everything was flat land, what a change from home.

Seeing circles!!

More circles!! :)

Pac Man seen from above!! :)

Now Lydia, Galena and I arrived a day early, due to the fact that we could not find any reasonable flights that left the day of the first class. Now this conference was held at a old hospital out side of Nashville. What a large building!! Though we couldn't see it when we arrived but it sits on 42 acres, mostly concrete, from the parking lot. There will be more about that later.

So we to got unpacked and got to meet the three instructors, Grace, Krystin, Meagen and her little 9 month daughter Aspen!! All such nice ladies!!

There were 9 girls in the course and each door they labeled with a verse under there name.

After we got our stuff in our rooms, we decided to go exploring this huge building we were staying in. We found that there are 6 floors and a basement. We were aloud to "explore" the ground floor, and the 1st and 2nd. The ground floor was very nice, with a grand piano, a bookstore, and a office/ meeting area.( I think I have some pictures of the ground floor, I will post them later) The first floor was a conference type floor, with a auditorium. There were allot of halls with no lights and a chill in the air. And then the floor that we were staying on, had allot of hotel like rooms. We also found out that there is a family living/ taking care of the place, and they live on the 3rd floor. And then the 5th floor is offices for ACE, Accelerated Christian Education. In which 80 people come in each day to work. The rest of the building is for the most part unrenovated, with dark cold halls, and some rooms are still in the same state as it was when they closed the hospital down. I would have to say that is was alittle creepy... Well soon after that we decided it had been a long day and in need of some shut eye.

Well there you have it the adventures of the first day!! Stay tuned for more to come!! :)

Thanks for reading, ~RebeccA.

The Quotable Lewis

2011-11-05T10:30:00.000-07:00

Thoughts on Priorities:

"You can't get second things by putting them first; you can get second things only by putting first things first."

And

"Put first things first and we get second things thrown in, put second things in and we loose both first and second things." ~C.S. Lewis from Letters of C.S. Lewis

It is easy, when you have lots to do, to mix up the order in which you plan out your day. These two quotes are a reminder to me to take the first things that need to be done and do them. Then to move on to the next. This will not only help your day or pans go smoothly but will in the long run get the things that need to come first, actually be done first!

~RebeccA.

The Quotable Lewis

2011-10-28T09:16:00.000-07:00

I was going through my books the other day and found my book, "The Quotable Lewis" which have quotes from C.S. Lewis's books and essays that he wrote through out his life. So I though that it would be nice to go through the book and find quotes that I like and then make some comments of my own. So for the first one I found under the title of Grace. Lewis says:

" God gives His gifts where He finds the vessel empty enough to recevie them" From Taliessin through Logress 1948.

Also on the same subject, St. Augustine says "God gives where He finds empty hands" A man whose hands are full of parcels can't recive a gift"- From Letters to an American Lady 1958.

I love these quotes because they are a reminder not to have our "hands" too full for God to fill them. That we should always be ready to have God fill our hands in any stage of life, for He can place something unexpected in them.

Stay tuned for next weeks Lewis Quote! :)

~RebeccA.

A Sunny Fall Day

2011-10-26T20:43:00.000-07:00

This week there have been some wonderful fall days. With the sun shinning and the clear blue sky, with the air as crisp as ever. Those are the days I love most in the fall.

So I decided to take some pictures of the day from the inside view of it all!! :)

The light on my craft table.

~RebeccA.

"This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalms 118:24

Psalms 32: 23-24

2011-10-18T08:54:00.000-07:00

"Love the Lord, all you his saints! The Lord preserves the faithful but abundantly repays the one who acts in pride. Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord!"

Getty Concert

2011-10-17T08:47:00.000-07:00

On Friday evening I was able to go to Keith and Kristyn's concert, with a bunch of friends!!

And is was AMAZING!! :) If you have ever listened to there great music, it is even better live and right there proforming for you!!

One of there CD's which has In Christ Alone, one of there most well known tracks.

I have allot of there music, that I listen to all the time, which I was glad that they lead us in singing, rather then just preforming for us, so I got to sing with the Getty's!! :)

This is there more resent CD's, which I love!!

The Gettys were not only talented, but they were fun to watch on stage. They are from Belfast Ireland!! (how cool!!) They been traveling the states for about 6 years (I think?) They now have a beautiful little girl, Eliza Joy!! You can find more about their music and life HERE.

~RebeccA.

The Season Of Fall

2011-10-05T15:49:00.000-07:00

Fall is well on its way. Here are some things that come with the season.

The changing of colors, in the leaves of trees and bushes!

Lots of leaves on the ground!

Don't you love this photo? I wish I took it, but my camara is not that cool! :)

Rain.... Some times is a not so fun when it doesn't stop,

But other times I feel like this about the rain.... especially when you sing in it!! :)

The fall makes you want to wear these. Which I have just made, but that is a different post that is on my other blog!

One thing I could live without during the cold months is a cold, which I have at the moment. :(

Which makes me drink allot of this!! But drinking tea is one of my favorite thing to do when it is cold out side, especially when you are reading a book!! Fall is beautiful and comes with a different way of living, compared to the summer months. And in a way I am excited for the change in weather but in other ways I will miss the sunshine and warm weather activities. So here is good bye to one season and Hello to the new!! Thanks for Reading ~RebeccA.

Doula Course

2011-09-29T09:46:00.000-07:00

"The Professional Labor Support Course (PLSC) equips women to come alongside expectant families and provide physical, emotional, and spiritual support throughout pregnancy, labor and birth, and postpartum adjustments." ~From the ATI website

This November I am going (with two others from Church) to Nashville TN, to attend a week long doula course!! Followed by a 10 month study from home. This course is to teach us how to become a doula, through a biblical worldview. I have been looking into this for a few years, and this year they are offering the course. Though I do not know where this knowledge that I will be gaining will take me, but what I do know is that there will always be a need for people who have the knowledge about babies and the processes that comes with having children. So stay tuned for more info.... or pictures from the trip, which ever comes first! :) ~Rebecca

JoAnn Update

2011-09-26T17:38:00.000-07:00

As of last Saturday, I have become a Joann's class teacher!! I have been an "instructor" for about a month but none of the classes that I was to teach had any one in them, until Saturday. Where I had 2 classes to teach

A knitting class, called knitting 101. Where I had 7 people I was teaching. That was a little challenging, because of the amount of people but it went well.

I taught them the basics like how to, cast on, knit stitch, purl stitch, and biding off. Some people got it right off the bat, and others it took them a little more time. But over all I think that every one was at least knitting by the end of the 2 1/2 hour class!!

The next class I taught that day was Crochet 101. And for those who know me, know that I don't really crochet or at least that is not what I really know how to do. Well the reason I taught this one was the gal that normally teaches it, wanted the day off for her birthday. So I learned the basics of crochet, in order to teach this class.

I had 4 people in this class, which was the perfect amount for something that I don't have allot of experience in. I taught them how to chain, a single crochet stiich and a double crochet stich. I think that I was able to teach the ladies in the class all that I know about the subject and it seemed they all were able to get the concepts down!

I will also be teaching some sewing classes of all different kinds of projects and patterns. But no one has signed up for those ones yet. But I am thinking that since fall weather has started to come, people are going to want to do some indoor crafts. So I am sure I will be teaching them soon.

Until next time ~RebeccA.

Dinner on the Water Front

2011-09-23T08:15:00.000-07:00

The same day I went to the library, dad and I went out to dinner on the water front. And afterwards went on a walk. Which I took these pictures of the bridge!!! :)

Thanks for reading ~RebeccA.

A Trip to the new Library!!

2011-09-22T10:13:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had the time to go down to the new Library down town!! And since I was able to bring my trusty camera, I snapped a ~~few~~ lot of photos around the neat place. I will give you a little tour guide around the place with the pictures I captured!

The front sign... in GREEN!

The front door and front of the building.... four stories HIGH!

This is shot from above, but gives you a glimpse of what the entrance way looks like.

On the stair well, looking up you see what each floor consist of... neat huh?

I LOVE this photo!! This is looking up along a wall in the entrance way.

On the first floor is the main computer area, magazines, holds, coffee shop and the main desk.

Second floor, is the Children's area... with this play area, which I even thought was cool!! (I kinda felt weird looking around with out a little one near by and everyone looking at me taking pictures... but oh well it was fun!!)

I thought these tables were really cool... they had the alphabet with holes of different things sealed inside them... A is for Ant, B for Buttons!!

Then they had these funnel/ indoor play areas like this one, was a kitchen. Like you can see the funnel thing had all different things in them. It was neat to see the light through them!!

Like this... forks and spoons, flowers and shapes. This was in the one seen in the above picture.

The next floor was an office area so I wasn't/ didn't want to go in there. The next floor was the Non- fiction. What I love about this library is there was tons of seating to read or tables and chairs for working on the computer and what not!!

When you look up in an area of the 3rd floor, you see these neat lights!!

On the Non-fiction I found sewing, knitting, sheet music books... I think I spent most of my browsing for books on this floor!!

NOW... the fourth floor, I didn't get much of the inside, because I was too busy taking all of these pictures out side on the DECK!!! It was so nice to step out side, look at the view, read your book in the sun, and feel the slight breeze!! It was so nice!!

Of course I had to take a bunch of photos out side...

Okay back inside, on the 4th floor still, I found a place to sit and do some work on the laptop. (remember the view from the 3rd floor looking up at these lights?)

All round you saw people like this doing work on the computer.... and I thought it this particular guy sitting down the way from were I was looked like a perfect victim for my photo of some one working!!

And here is my lovely computer. Oh and the head phones... cant forget those!!

I was a bit board and snapped this on of me while working on my paper.

Well there you have it.... a post FULL of photos of my fun at the library!! I hope I was able to give you a glimpse of what the neat place looks like. :)
Thanks for reading!! ~RebeccA.

BlueBerry Jam!! {Update}

2011-09-01T07:30:00.000-07:00

I Just had to share that I was able to have alittle extra jam that was less than a full jar, which I was able to spread across my toast I had this morning..... and it was so GOOD!! :)

It was so nice and smooth...

And yummy tasting too!!

What a great start for the month of September! I hope your first morning of the month is going as well as mine!! :)

~Rebecca

"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." Lamentations 3:22-23

BlueBerry Jam!!

2011-08-31T18:41:00.000-07:00

Well you must be thinking, blueberry jam at the end of August, when the season of blueberries was over a month ago? Well yes it was and since I was able to pick 10 lb. this year during a busy time of summer. I washed them and stuck them in the freezer. For a time like today, when the weather is a bit cooler (way to cool for the last day of August) and had a day off. What a perfect day to make jam. Here is a look at the proses!!

The Tools!

The Berries, thawed and ready to be blended!

Blending Berries

Next is the boiling down, with pectin, lemon juice, and water

After it boils, you add sugar (I used less than half it calls for)

Waiting for it to boil.... So have fun with the camera!! :)

Then you place them in clean jars. Put there lids on, and place them in the boiling water bath.

After 7 min. in the water, take them out and let them sit for 24hr.

Here there are all finished!!

The Perfect Ball Jar picture!! :)

The Mess After the Making

After a bit of clean UP!!

So out of 18 cups of frozen blueberries, I made 12 jars of jam! For more information on the recipe and all that HERE is a link and a nice way to calculate the pectin and other things go HERE. It is so nice to get that done and ready to use during the winter months!! I hope that your last day of August is going well!!

Thanks for reading!! ~RebeccA.

Psalms 19:14

2011-08-31T10:30:00.000-07:00

"Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer." ~Psalms 19:14

JoAnn Happenings

2011-08-29T18:48:00.000-07:00

So you should know by now that I work at JoAnn Fabric and Craft Store.... Right? Well I have been for almost a year now, and all is going well. Though the first excitements of it all have worn off alittle, and it has become mainly just work, I am still enjoying the customers that I meat, as I try to assist them in finding all they need for there various projects.

Well as of July I have learned alittle more than just working the cash register and the cutting counter, I have been helping the the custom frame shop that we have in the store. Where you can bring in various art pieces, cross stitching, photographs, and even jerseys to be framed just the way you would want it to look like, hanging on you wall. What is neat about the whole thing is that as a custom framer, you are the only employ actually doing some form of craft work in the store, and being payed for it!!

Here is an idea of what we do (Thank you Google for pictures:)

We kinda have a wall of frames like the on below, to choose from and our back room, where we put them all together, in a way looks like the one with the man working, except, there are only gals that work in our frame shop :)

You can frame all sorts of things,

In all different sizes,

Or even different frames them selves.

Even though I have only taken a few orders and put together a few frames, The frame shop has been a whole new experience that I have never had, and I'm glad to learn new things!! So if you are ever wanting to frame some art work, or pictures, I hope to see you in the frame shop!

WPC Family Camp

2011-08-23T07:30:00.000-07:00

Last week was our annual Beach Camping trip!! What a memorable time we all had. Playing in the cold ocean, diving for the volley ball in the warm sand, and enjoying the warm weather!! This years trip made up for last years, cold, overcast and sick time. For this year was one of the best, not only weather wise but also we had some pretty competitive volley ball matches, fellowship with Church family, camp fires on the beach, hymns sings and a short talks on forgiveness! Though I did not pull out my little point and shoot camera very often, I did capture a few good photos of the wonderful weather and time we had.

The pools of water when the tide was out!

Me!! I love this one!!

The wonderful view we had of the sun setting!!

Almost gone...

I love how the sun even though it is not seen, reflects of the water and sand!!

It seemed to take for ever to come, but seemed to fly right by, I am very thankful for the vacation time that I was able to have and enjoy with all of my Church Family!!

Just as a side note, through out the trip I was reminded of Psalms 8 and read the passage just about every day I was there, So here you are a great passage about the Wonderful Works of Gods creation.

Psalms 8

"O Lord our Lord how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. Out of the mouths of babies and infants, you have established strength because of you foes, to still the enemy and the avenger. When I look at your heavens, the handy work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of ma that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet, all the sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the sea. O Lord our Lord how majestic is your name in all the earth!"

Thanks for Reading,

Rebecca

Strawberry Fruit Leather!!

2011-07-01T13:58:00.000-07:00

Well I did it!! I made fruit leather for the first time!! Though I made it through the process successfully... I learned more of how it works:

1. Don't blend hot stuff in the blender... leads to a mess :)

2. The pan that you use to dry the leather matters... I need a better pan!!

3. If you don't want it to take more than 12 hours to dry, don't fill the pan so full!

4. And last, make more than one serving at a time... Only enough for a couple of days.

This is the recipe I used... I won't make you read it, but I thought it was a good one. I also had some idea of the process from this book... I love that book, very resourceful on allot of things!!

Well here are some pictures along the way!!

Boiling the Strawberries down.

Blending the Strawberries, to make a puree

Like I said... wrong kind of pan :) Here it is going in...

Here it is after about 30 hours of drying... Do you see my finger marks from when I was checking to see if it was done :)

Yummmy!! I love the color!

Here I am eating some... after ALL my hard work ;)

Hard to tear.... not really!!

Okay here it is... the picture you have been looking for... You can get me now... LOL

Well there you have it!! My first try at drying fruit... I have learned quite allot and can't wait to try other fruits or mixes of different kinds of fruits together!! Hope your first day of July is going well, I know from where I am at, I am enjoying the warm weather... and I can't wait until the 4th!!
~RebeccA

Chili Lime Shrimp

2011-06-29T11:09:00.000-07:00

Shrimp is one of those yummy (at least some think) things that you don't get to have very often. Well we cooked some up on fathers day, in some butter and garlic. But we had an extra bag of them, so when I saw this recipe I thought I would give it a try.... Just to let you know, it was good, abit spicy but you could always change it to how ever you like. Okay for the recipe.

You will need:

1tsp. Shredded Lime Peel

1/4tsp. Lime Juice

1 Jalapeno, Seeded & minced (I used canned ones)

1TBL. Minced Garlic

2TBL. Olive Oil

1tsp. Chili Powder

1/4 Cayenne Powder

2TBL. Cilantro

1TBL. Honey

1 1/2 LB. Shrimp

Mix all ingredients, Except the shrimp. Place shrimp and marinade in a zip lock bag, or use the bad they came in. Marinade for 20min, flip bag over half way through. DO NOT marinade longer than 20 min other wise the lime will start cooking the shrimp. (something I didn't know :) Now in the recipe they say to grill the shrimp, by placing them on squires, but because I don't have a grill, I cooked them on the stove in the marinade and a bit of butter. I think either way would be good! Now if you don't like it spicy or if you like it MORE spicy put less or more of the spices in. Dad likes it spicy so he added more cayenne pepper. Well here are a few pictures through out the process.

Here is my shrimp marinading!!

Just as the shrimp was finishing I started a pan with 2TBL. of butter

Here is the lovely shrimp cooking, on med/hi for about 20 min. or until warm and bubbly

And now I was just about to enjoy the yummy shrimp!!

And there you have it!! It was really easy and good, some times those recipes are hard to come by! :)

I hope your Wednesday is going well, as well as your week!! :)

~RebeccA

Strawberries...Strawberries... and More Strawberries!!

2011-06-27T15:27:00.000-07:00

On Saturday I was able to go Strawberry picking!! A friend and her sister took me to a local berry picking farm! We spent about about out in the field, and altogether we got about 25 pounds. I picked for my self 8Lbs. They were only $1.25 per lbs. Which, I thought was a good deal! Spent 10 bucks on fresh strawberries!! After getting home I started to proses them, de-steming them, washing and cutting up about half of them to use. Oh and of course through the proses I was eating them... They were so good!! The sliced strawberries I placed in a zip lock bag to freeze. Then on that day I placed the rest in the fridge so that I could make freezer jam today. Well here are some pictures of the fun I had along the way!!

Don't hey look so perfect?!! This was my favorite pic!

The processing, cutting, washing, and eating!

Here they are before the fun began!

The perfect Strawberry!!

The cut up ones to freeze!! Maybe they may become a pie, or smoothies, or maybe even syrup!!

Today's part, mashing the strawberries!

More Mashing!!

The berries after the proses of adding pectin, sugar and lemon juice. Ready to pour into containers!!

The lids, marked for storage.

Here are half of the amount I made. This is one batch.

And last the yummy Jam, setting in the fridge!!

Stay tuned for making fruit leather!! That is what I have planned to do with the left over strawberries!Well that is all that is new around here, I have been working still and still tryng to keep up with the house work and my etsy store!! I will try to keep you updated on the things going on around here as summer is here and more things going on to enjoy the warm weather!! Thanks for reading!
~Rebecca

A Porch Garden

2011-05-25T14:30:00.000-07:00

Living in the city is nothing like the country. This has been a little bit of an adjustment I have had to make especially with some of the things that I liked to do with more land. One of these things is gardening. You can't do to much with a back porch but this season I am determined to make the most of it. Last weekend I went to an herb festival, and picked up a few plants. When I was on the farm I would plant the seeds myself. But because of the good deals I found, I couldn't help but buy a few starts. These are what I found.

Mint

Rosemary

Basil

Garlic Chives

Echinacea

And this is another picture of Basil, I just liked this one too!!

And Lord willing my little starts will turn into vibrant fruit barring herbs that bring seasonings to my cooking!! :) I also plan to either get more seeds or plants to fill up the porch with more flowers or herbs, and maybe a few vegetables.

Psalm 89: 1- 18

2011-05-20T10:05:00.000-07:00

"I will sing of the steadfast love of the Lord, forever; with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations. For I said, "Stead fast love will be built up forever; in the heavens you will establish your faithfulness." You have said , " I have made a covenant with my chosen one; I have sworn to David my servant: 'I will establish you offspring forever, and build a throne for all generations." Let the heavens praise your wonders, O Lord your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones! For who in the skies can be compared to the Lord, a God to be feared in the council of the holy ones, and awesome above all who are around him? O Lord God of hosts who is mighty as you are, O Lord, with your faithfulness all around you? You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, you still them. You crushed Rahab like a carcass; you scattered your enemies with your mighty arm. The heavens are yours; the earth also is yours; the world and all that is in it, you have founded them. The north and the south, you have created them; Tabor and Hermon, joyously praise you name. You have a mighty arm; strong is your hand, high your right hand. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before you. Blessed are the people who know the festal shout, who walk, O Lord, in the light of your face, who exult in your name all the day and in your righteousness are exalted. For you are the glory of their strength; by your favor our horn is exalted . For our shield belongs to the Lord, our king to the Holy one of Israel."

When I was reading this, this morning in the warmth of the sun light on my face, I was humbled by the words of the Psalm. It is astonishing to stop for just a moment and look at our world and all of Gods creation. We see the Mountains high and the sea below, the sky and the land. We can only be amazed at His handy work. But at the same time be humbled at the fact that God creator of all, knows me, one person out of all history, and knew me before I was ever formed in the womb. What am I to do, but to only "sing of the steadfast love of the Lord, forever; with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations." I pray that I will "walk, O Lord, in the light of your face, who exult in your name all the day"

Esty Store

2011-05-11T12:51:00.000-07:00

Well if you have seen on my other blog, A Couple of Crafty Gals. I have started an esty store!! I have been wanting to start on for quite some time, but I just never did it. Until now!! What I have in my store at the moment are some Binky holders I have knitted. I started these last fall, to sell at the Christmas Bazaars, but I never finished them in time. So after a while of the unfinished project sitting in my craft bin, I finally decided to put them in my store. Here are some of the projects in my store.

As you can see I have made the two Binky holders, the elephant and the flower in different colors. And this is hat I plan to do for a while, make them in a variety of colors!! Check out what I have in store on the right side of my blog!!

Well that is all that I have been up to besides working. But it seems summer is coming soon!! With my schedule getting busier, and more Church gatherings being planned :)

My Piano Adventure Begins

2011-04-26T17:08:00.000-07:00

I have always admired the beautiful sounds that people I know play on the complex (at lest to me) piano. I have always dreamed of owning a piano as well as playing it.

Well today while I was out and about, I stopped by Music World and finally did it.... I bought these two piano books to learn how to play. I already own a key board so I am set on learning. With Gods help to keep me diligent in my learning, some day I will be able to read and play music :)

I am very excited to start!! Also to get on to fun music... Like Fiddler on the Roof or Sound of Music :) But that comes with learning!!

Good Friday

2011-04-22T14:55:00.000-07:00

As I was thinking upon the life of Christ today and the Amazing love and grace that He gives us each day. I was reminded of this wonderful song "The Power of the Cross" By: Keith and Kristyn Getty. I love how it shows the wonderful work of Christ here on earth, fulfilling the will of Father, and bringing man closer to Him. How through the death we are forgiven and have eternal life with God our Heavenly Father. What an amazing work Christ did for me to be in His Kingdom forever.

Oh, to see the dawn

Of the darkest day:

Christ on the road to Calvary.

Tried by sinful men,

Torn and beaten, then

Nailed to a cross of wood.

CHORUS:

This, the pow'r of the cross:

Christ became sin for us;

Took the blame, bore the wrath—

We stand forgiven at the cross.

Oh, to see the pain

Written on Your face,

Bearing the awesome weight of sin.

Ev'ry bitter thought,

Ev'ry evil deed

Crowning Your bloodstained brow.

Now the daylight flees;

Now the ground beneath

Quakes as its Maker bows His head.

Curtain torn in two,

Dead are raised to life;

"Finished!" the vict'ry cry.

Oh, to see my name

Written in the wounds,

For through Your suffering I am free.

Death is crushed to death;

Life is mine to live,

Won through Your selfless love.

FINAL CHORUS:

This, the pow'r of the cross:

Son of God—slain for us.

What a love! What a cost!

We stand forgiven at the cross.

I hope you enjoy your Easter weekend as we celebrate the death and resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ.

P.S. They have this song for free download on there website http://www.gettymusic.com/stpats.aspx It is a good one to add to the library :)

Spring!!

2011-04-13T14:19:00.000-07:00

In the Northwest we do not always have a nice sunny spring like some other places in the US. But you can tell when it is spring here because of the flowers that bloom. So when it is dark and dreary from all the rain, you can look to the flowers that you pass for some cheer. Well I have been thinking allot about how seasons changing. Not just in weather and plants but also in our lives. This verse has been on my mind Eccl. " For everythig there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: " God has planned different seasons in our lives, times of joy, times of sadness and times of growth, but all are under His Will. So what ever the season in life, we can be comforted and thankful that God is in control of it all. I have been taking pictures of different flowers and growth around where I live. Here are a few that I have so far.

I love the Cherry Blossoms!!

Green leaves White Cherry Blossoms are also beautiful!

Of course Daffodils, bright and cheery!

Or the Pink Azalea!

Well I hope that the season of spring is one of sunshine and fun!! Enjoy the sweet smelling flowers around your home!!

~Rebecca

Picture Crazy

2011-04-06T17:02:00.000-07:00

During my weekly deep cleaning last week. I decided to make it a bit fun by taking random pictures as I went around sprucing things up. I had fun and I hope you enjoy!

One of my favorite, books!

Half Full Windex

Stool leg

A peak through a benches prospective

Attack of the clone products, A mirror image

Let there be light

One of my favorites

Another one I love

This is also a cool one :)

I didn't know I would enjoy cleaning until I looked at it through a different lens :) Well that is all the pictures for now!!!

Thanks for reading!

Rebecca

A Quote From Chesterton

2011-04-04T09:37:00.000-07:00

"It [feminism] is a mix up with a muddled idea that women are free when they serve their employers but a slaves when they help their husbands"

~ G.K. Chesterton

Dear Hannah,

2011-03-24T13:46:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday!!! Well what can I say, you and I have

known each other for a long time, but these last

five years, we have grown closer and our friendship

has become something quite special to me!

You are such a wonderful young women.

And I am thankful that God brought us together.

We have had some rough times in the past...

but with our hearts maturing, we
or at least I have realized how well you and

I "fit" together. Because of our different personality types.

Remember when we would always say that you
were more like Anne of green gables and I was more like

Diane,we just needed to switch hair!! :) I think that is

still true, my bosom friend!!

I think of what our lives will become,

but what I can not see is not having
you around to call when I need someone to talk to.
I pray that God will keep our friendship in both of our lives!!
I hope you have a blessed birthday!!
With love,
Rebecca

Celtic Hair-Do

2011-03-19T12:20:00.000-07:00

I don't really like to "dress up" for holidays, but with St. Patricks

Day I did the most I could, for I had to go to work that night.

So with my red hair and the Irish look that I already have

it wasn't to hard. When I was thinking of what to do these are

I came up with... Celtic hair.. Flowers, twists and braids.

So with that I came up with this hair-do..

I really like this one! it looks cool through the mirror

From the side

Back view

Front view

The back again
It was fun doing something out of the ordinary.
As I was thinking of this holiday, I was reminded again
of how so many have lost the meaning of what we celebrate.
With that in mind, I was think allot of the life of St. Patrick
and howhe was a courageous man with a zeal for Gods word
and will for his life. And how he transformed the
hearts of the Celtic men but didn't change there way of life.
What an amazing example to us all.

"The Need of the Hour" Poem

2011-03-11T11:58:00.000-08:00

Found this poem and I thought I would share it.

The Need of the Hour

By: Ella Wheeler Wilcox

What does our country need? Not armies standing

With sabers gleaming ready for the fight;

Not increased navies, skillful and commanding,

To bound the waters with iron might;

Not haughty men with glutted purses tyring

To purchase souls, and keep the power of place;

Not jeweled dolls with one another vying

For palms of beauty, elegance and grace.

But we want women, strong of soul, yet lowly

With that rare meekness, born of gentlenes;

Women whose lives are pure and clean and holy,

The women whom little children bless;

Brave ernest women, helpful to each other,

With finest scorn for all things low and mean;

Women who hold the names of wife and mother

Far nobler than the title of a queen.

Oh! These are they who mould the men of story,

These mothers, ofttime shorn of grace and youth,

Who, worn and weary, ask no greater glory

Than making some young soul the home of truth;

Who sow in hearts all fallow for the sowing

The seeds of virtue and of scorn for sin,

And, patient, watch the beauteous harvest growing

And weed out tares which crafty hands cast in.

Women who do not hold the gift of beauty

As some rare treasure to be bought and sold,

But guard it as a precious aid to duty-

The outer framing of the inner gold;

Women who, low above their cradles bending,

Let flattery's voice go by, and give no heed,

While their pure prayers like incense are ascending

These are our country's pride, our country's need

Birthday: Day 3 A Wolterdorf Celibration

2011-02-24T23:50:00.000-08:00

With much difficulty I have finally been able to make this post :) On Sunday, of the weekend of my birthday, Dad and I, and the Hardy's went over to the Woltersdorfs for another celebration! We had pizza and cake, and spent time together!! Here are some pictures of the event.

My cake!

Smile!!
Before the dorf way of singing!

And after, I blew all of them out in one

breath!

Liberty!!

There I am enjoying my cake! :)

I have had a blessed birthday, full of fun, with my dear family and friends!

Thank you every one for making my 19th birthday special!

I am also thankful to God for another day of breathe and life.

I pray that He will help me become the women He has called me to be,

that this year would be one of growth toward being more like Christ!

Day 2: Tea Time

2011-02-02T11:08:00.000-08:00

The next day Hannah and I went to tea at Myrtles Tea House! It was so much fun!! They had some good food and really good tea. Instead of explaining, here are the pictures Hannah and I took.

Well we never got a picture together, so here we are!

These are our tea pots, the black one was mine, I ordered Midsummer Peach

and Hannah's, the blue one, was Yellow and Blue. Which was

a blend of lavender, chamomile and cornflour.

Both were very good!!

This was our table setting, red flowers and pretty china.

The place was decorated for Valentines day.

Here Hannah and I took pictures of out tea,

mine is the darker tea.

After our strawberry sherbet, this was our lunch, as you can see

there were a few heart shaped sandwiches! All was very good!

The heart was a strawberry cream with a heart shaped strawberry! then in the bowl was a really yummy tomato herb soup, that was one of my favorite things on the plate!

Well I had forgotten to take pictures of dessert, but it was also good! we

were in a bit of a rush, for I had to be at work by 2pm.

While we were eating, Hannah gave me my presents between each course, it was a

hat box full of wonderful things, from movies to wash clothe and soap!!

When we were about to pay, in the gift shop I had to bye some tea, so I bought

Apricot Black Tea. I tried it later, and is very good!!

Well that was our time at the tea house!! We enjoyed it very much,

as it was our first time going there!!

Well I have one more post for my birthday, I should say my birthday weekend :)

Until then,

Rebecca

Day 1: January 28th The Big Day!

2011-02-01T16:24:00.000-08:00

This was the day of my birthday. I am now 19 years old, the lat year of my teens has come. The picture below was what I woke up to, The flowers and card were from dad. The cake and sparkling cider was from Mrs. Hardy!

Because it was my birthday, I had to invite someone over to share my birthday with. I chose Hannah, for she had never spent the night before. On the day of my birthday, I was told that Hannah was coming over at 9am, what I didn't know was that she really wasn't coming over then, but Mrs. Hardy was coming to take me out to breakfast! And what a surprise it was!! We went out to Panera Bread. I had never been there before, we ordered some breakfast sandwiches. They were very tasty!

Mrs. Hardy then took me shopping in town. We went to a few different places, and the things I found where two skirts. The funny thing was that I said in the beginning that I didn't need skirts, and what was the only thing I found were skirts! :) Oh well I guess you can never have too many!!

After out shopping, we picked up Hannah and went back to my house. After the Hardy's left, Hannah and I went to some of the shops around my house. We had fun just hanging out together, riding the bus and walking around!!

Hannah and I on the bus!!

When we were finished with our fun, e went home and started watching some girl movies, like Since and Sensibility. We had food and cake and just enjoyed our time together!! We went to bed a little early, because we had the next day planned for more fun, But I will share more of that in my next post!!

My First Job

2010-12-29T14:31:00.000-08:00

In October, I applied at Jo-Ann's for a part time seasonal worker. A week later I was called in for my first interview in my life, I was very nervous but I got the job. So I started to learn how to cut fabric, ring people up at the check stand and learned (still learning) were every thing went in the large store. This week I was asked to stay on past seasonal help!! And I gladly excepted!!

Now I believe that this job was directly a God given thing, for I needed to be able to save money, and the only place that I really wanted to work (if I had to choose out side of the home) was Jo-Ann's. The only place I applied for was Jo-Ann's and the job I got was at Jo-Ann's. God really had his hand on this. Though I do not believe that I will work there forever but only to occupy my young life and save money for the future. God was also really looking after Dad and my life, for this winter dad's work slowed down. Because of Gods providence I was able to help out with some of the things that we needed around the house.

I know that women are called by God to be mothers, homemakers and wives. But in the middle time of life, between children and wives, I think that we as young women do need to occupy our time with something. Going out and getting a job may not be for every one. But this is what I believe God has called me to do for the time being. With each day stepping closer to what He has in store for me in the future. God has a plan and a purpose for my life and I all I can do is pray that I will follow His guidance. "For everything there is a season, and a purpose under Heaven" -Ecclesiastes 3:1

Well this is my new news!! I wanted to share the news long ago but I got busy with work :) And so I thought now that I am hired on past a seasonal worker, I had to to tell you!! Oh and the pictures are from google!! :)

Until next time!

~Rebecca

Tea Time!!

2010-11-18T19:55:00.000-08:00

I was very excited to hear that my good friend, Mrs. Hardy was coming into town. But I was even more excited, when she told me that she wanted to go out to lunch!! After a couple of tries to get together, We were able to go out this last Wednesday, and she told me that we were going to a Tea House. Well I got even more excited, for I have never been to a tea house before. So after a bit of a drive, we found the little tea house. Its name is The Lavender Tea House, As you can see below the name fits!

(Sorry some of the pics aren't straight, it was raining)

Here's the cute door!

And the sign!!

This was actually taken after tea but

I wanted it close to the top, they had the place decorated for Christmas

So at our table we had flowers,

and a candle

This is part of the room from were I was sitting,

You can see the entry way, through the door.

Here is the right side, from where I was sitting.

The place was so cute!

Then we ordered our tea and lunch, this was my tea, I had

Peppermint Candy, Which was like peppermint but sweeter.

Here is my cup of tea!

Here is Mrs. Hardy's she had Lavender Earl Gray,

Which was good I tried it

And here is her cup of tea!

Though I didn't use them, here are the cream an sugar

Now onto lunch, we had Cucumber Cream cheese sandwiches,

Chicken cashew sandwiches, a sweet bread with jam, and fruit!

Then for desert, we had a little bit different plates, for I had the Christmas one and Mrs. Hardy had the regular, So this one was mine, the tall thing was chocolate and orange cream, almond cake, fudge, sugar cookie, gingerbread man, and fruit cake. which was allot of desert, and I didn't eat it all.

Well we enjoyed the beautiful rooms, and the warm tea, but most of all, being

able to catch upon what God has done in our lives since we last saw

each other. And because of this fun outing I will be going to allot more tea

houses, in the future.

Hand Bag Give away!!

2010-11-16T11:15:00.000-08:00

I found this blog today, and she is giving away a really cute hand bag!!! You just have to do a cuple of things in order to enter!!
So here is the link to this give away, thefaithfulelvenprincess.blogspot.com Hurry because the offer ends December 6th!!

Officers Row

2010-09-28T18:54:00.000-07:00

Dad had a meeting on officers row, which I decided to go with him, because it was a beautiful day, and I wanted to get out and enjoy it! So I took my little camera and walked around taking pictures. Here are a few that turned out well.

This was at the Fort Garden

Pumpkins!!

Corn Rows

This is one of my favorite parts in the garden,

the covered trellis, I always think I am stepping into

a different world when I walk through

This was against the side of the forts wall

as the sun was setting.

I really liked this one!!

Officers row, or street.

The bright light, to light the way

I enjoyed taking these pictures along with the nice walk, and fresh air.

I hope you enjoyed them as well!

Whipple Creek Trail

2010-09-26T17:07:00.000-07:00

About a week ago ( I forgot I had these pictures and this post to make) Dad and I thought that we should go on a hike, because it was such a beautiful Sunday afternoon. So I started looking up trails around here, and this one came up. It said it was a moderate trail with a few hard parts. So we decided to try it. When we got there we saw allot of horse trailers parked. Which meant there were going to be some horse riders along the way. I thought the trail was okay, there were some muddy spots, but I didn't mind, I was just to excited to be outside enjoying the last bit of the summer weather. It was a fairly easy trail and we didn't find any real "hard parts", it was just like taking a stroll down the lane, except we had to drive there :) Here are some pictures along the way!!

If you look at this tree, you can see the middle stock fell out

of the center and was still growing leaves.

One of my favorite things to do is to explore God creation!

Hope you enjoyed!

A better Home Economist

2010-09-21T13:11:00.000-07:00

I am always looking for new ways to save money for our home. I like to make food that will last for a few meals, like a whole chicken, I can roast one day, the next day make something with the chicken and then the third day make a soup out of the boiled bones and the left over chicken.

I have also looked into doing this kind of thing for other areas of the way the house is run. Like today I make dry Laundry Soap and dry Dish Washing Soap. It was quite easy. Here is the recipes.

For Dry Laundry Soap you need:

1 Cup Washing soda

1 Cup Borax

2 Cups finely grated Fels Naptha

Mix all ingredients, before use mix well again,

use: 2 TBL For a full load

1TBL For a 1/2 a load

Dish Washer Soap:

1 cup Washing Soda

1 Cup Borax

Mix well, Use 2 TBL per load,

it is also recommended to use about a Tbl of white vinegar

for the rinse cycle, this helps with the give a shine.

These things were quite cheap to buy for the amount of use,

Borax 4.07

Washing Soda 2.70

Fels- Naptha 2.24

For total of $9. 01

I bougt all of these at my local Winco, but I am sure they can be found at other places. I have made one batch already and I still have almost a whole box of both borax and washing soda, and a little more than 3/4 of the naptha bar.

There are also different versions then the ones I used , there are liquid versions also. I found my recipes online, and made the one that looked good to me. I have been using these recipes for some time and I really like them, they make my clothes smell good, and my dishes clean.

Another place I like to look is a blog called Money Saving Moms, though I am not a mom, I find all kinds of things on there. This lady, posts about 10 posts each day, her posts are of coupons, free samples, free events, and tips that are useful. I visit her site at least once a day.

I also like to compare prices, I have found that cheaper is not always more, to pay more you can get more. I have found this with going to the dollar tree, though you are only spending a dollar for 4 rolls for TP you can find 50 rolls at winco for less money then if you were to buy 50 rolls at the dollar tree.

What do you do to help your family save money? I would be interested to here your family's way of being a better home economist.

Have a great day!

Multomah Falls

2010-08-30T10:43:00.000-07:00

About two weeks ago, I went with my Aunt Desi and Uncle Mark, My cousin Andrew and my second Cousin Nick, who were all in town for my Aunt Audra's wedding, Went to Multnomah Falls. By mistake we took the scenic route there, which was neat, we found that there were allot more falls then just Multnomah in the area. In fact there are 13 others besides Multnomah, of course we didn't have time to visit them all but we got to see a few of them. Here are a couple some pictures I took along the way.

First stop was Vista House

The inside

Looking out, from the top, this was the right side

And this was the left

The next place was Latourell Falls

Here it is from a distance

Here it is standing in front of it, as you can see I couldn't fit it all in one picture :)

This was at the bottom, we didn't hike to to top

so I am not sure if this was the falls or the bottom of the falls,

either way it was still pretty to see

Then we finally made it to Multnomah,

I am really happy with this picture

On the bridge, on the way to the top

This is the wonderful view from the top, After a 1.2 mile hike up,

which seemed longer, it was well worth it

This is the view of the falls from the top,

if you look closely you can kinda see the bridge,

it is about in the bottom middle area right were the splash of

water is on the rock. Crazy to think we are 600 ft. up

This was on the bridge, when we were coming down.

I can't believe that this bridge that I was standing

on was constructed in 1914, That is amazing!

And that is the end of a beautiful day spent enjoying God's creation. I don't see how anyone can deny God when you look at the work of His hands. Truly Amazing!

A new Blog!!

2010-08-03T11:02:00.000-07:00

Well as of yesterday, Hannah and I made a new blog together, It is called " A Couple of Crafty Gals" it is a blog for Hannah and I to post the "cafty" things we are up too. So you should take a look at it once in a while to see what things we are working on!! Here is the Link!
http://hannahrebeccagw.blogspot.com/ I hope you enjoy!! And there will be more posts on our blog soon!!

Moving!!!

2010-07-27T11:50:00.000-07:00

Well about rwo weeks ago, My dad and I moved into our new appartment, It was hard work, moving all of those boxes in the heat, but we made it through and are now settling in! Here are a few pictures I managed to snap during our move.

This was when we frist started, We ended up doing 2 FULL loads.

This is the outside door.

This is the door to enter our appartment.

This is the door bell, I guess Our new name is, "Your Name"
We were thinking it would be funny to put some funny names on here! :)

This is a tower of boxes that were in the hall way.

Here are more boxes!!

Here is the hall way of boxes!! Thankfuly that is gone now!

This is from the hall way looking into my room!

This is the extremely messy living room,

we have managed to clean up sence I took this!

This is the kitchen, small but I am still able to cook in it!

Well there is a tour of our new place!! It is small but it works for Dad and I!!

California Fun!

2010-07-10T19:16:00.000-07:00

I know that I haven't posted in a LONG time but I hope I can post more. Well this year I graduated and as a present my aunt gave me a ticket to come and see her. So on June 28th I flew for 2 hours to LA where my unt Kym picked me up,she lives in Radondo Beach which isn't to far from her house. Most of the time that I was there I went shopping, now shopping isn't my favorite thing to do all the time but when you have aloot of aunts ad gradmas that haven't seen you in a while, that is all they want to take you to do. So we went shoppong, went to the beach, and just spent time together. For the weekend I went to see my mom, she lives in Moreno Valley, where it is extremely hot, it got about 100 deg. when I was there. We went out to dinner and went swimming which was nice! For Independence Day, I spent the day with my cousin Brandon in Radondo, because my Aunt and her family were sick so I tryed to stay far awy from them. We went down to the Beach and watched the fireworks on a boat in the harbor, it was really neat. The following Tuesday Aunt Kym, my cousin Brandon and his girlfriend Jen went to Disney Land! It was fun, I hadn't been there since I was 6 or 7 so there were new things that I haven't seen and the old classic things that you can't miss. Over all I had a wonderful vacation and I am very thankful for the time I got to spend with family that I havn't seen in a long time. Well here are some pictures that I took!

I took this one on the plane, I beilive this was over CA

Playing with the camara on the flight!

Me and my younger sister, she has changed allot.

Here's my younger sister and I on 4th of July!

Here's Brndon, Aunt Kym and I.

Here's Jen and I before the Toy story ride!

This is in California Adventure Park before the water show!

This is part of the water color show, I thought it was really neat!

This was around at the beach!

These flowers were out side my widow, I think they are cool!

Here it is again!

I thought it was really cool that lemon trees all over,

this one was in my aunts back yard!

Pig Project

2009-04-28T09:49:00.001-07:00

This is today, when we are having bonding time with the pigs!

I think they like my shoes, not for the color or style

but for something new to chew on!!

They're attacking me!!

Hannah did you take enough pictures?

bonding means seeing eye to eye

Cute piggies!!

Hannah's Duroc!!

They like me!!

Well yesterday Hannah and I were preparing for pigs!

Us feeling like Miss. Fixit!

I like this picture even though it is blurry

Me with a saw, and yes I did use it for the first time!!

I would have to say we did a good job, by our selves.

After about half way done.

Hannah nailing!

Bread making experance!

2009-02-14T17:51:00.000-08:00

Rising

What a mess!!

Rolled out into two balls, ready to rise more.

Rolled and rising!

Placing it in the oven!Finished !!

Well on Tuesday, my cooking day, I was making Italian soup and to go with it Italian bread. It was very good!! Finally a great success!! And was very fun!!

I am now 17

2009-02-01T17:29:00.000-08:00

Zach coming home, with my Dad following him as a surprise!

Opening my presents!

First seeing my dad, what a shock!

Eating Dinner!!

Well it is my birthday on the 28th of January. I don't feel much older but I am blessed to come this far in my life. On my birthday my dad came as a surprise! (as you see the pictures) It was very fun having him here! My dad, grandma and my aunt got me a ipod, nano movie one, I really don't know what it is called but it was exciting!! Maddie, and Aunt Shannon, and Mrs. Hardy came over to a wonderful dinner Tammy made fried chicken and mashed potaoes, salad also. It was a very fun birthday. And I am happy to be 17. (for no reson really, but I am.)

Happy Birthday!!

2009-01-10T15:28:00.000-08:00

Hope you had a Happy 13th birthday Meshach!!!

White Christmas!!

2008-12-26T21:20:00.000-08:00

Here are Lydia and Naomi showing there new dolls!
Here is Izzy next to the tree, with his big smile on!!
Well we had a great white Christmas!! We had fun spending the day together, playing games and opening gifts from each other and the Bawdens!! I hope your Christmas was as great as mine!!

Aunt Rebecca

2008-12-23T16:40:00.001-08:00

Yes now I am an aunt. My sister had her new baby girl, Hayleigh Lane on December 11th. She was 7 pounds and 6 oz. She is so cute. Here in the picture above she is laying with the dress that I knitted for her, for Christmas. It wont fit her for awhile but she will grow into it some day. She is very sweet and wish I could hold her all the time.

Thanksgiving

2008-11-26T20:22:00.001-08:00

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. Most people think it is all the yummy food you can eat and getting together with family. Which is some of the good parts, but I always enjoyed hearing the story of the pilgrims and there first Thanksgiving. But what I think is the most important is thanking God for all that he has done to shape who we are today. Through the struggles and the times that were good. We can look back and see God was there leading us all the way. Though when we go through the trials we don't always see Him, thats when I think of the Footprints in the sand poem:

One night a man had a dream. He dreamed
he was walking along the beach with the LORD.

Across the sky flashed scenes from his life.

For each scene he noticed two sets of

footprints in the sand: one belonging
to him, and the other to the LORD.

When the last scene of his life flashed before him,
he looked back at the footprints in the sand.

He noticed that many times along the path of

his life there was only one set of footprints.

He also noticed that it happened at the very
lowest and saddest times in his life.

This really bothered him and he
questioned the LORD about it:

"LORD, you said that once I decided to follow
you, you'd walk with me all the way.
But I have noticed that during the most
troublesome times in my life,
there is only one set of footprints.
I don't understand why when
I needed you most you would leave me."

The LORD replied:

"My son, my precious child,
I love you and I would never leave you.
During your times of trial and suffering,
when you see only one set of footprints,
it was then that I carried you."

That God caries us through those times that are rough. And we can thank Him every step of our life time, the good and troublesome. So thank you Lord for those times in my life that have been struggles, because I know you have a plan and that over all your Kingdom will over rule and you will reign forever. - Amen

But then of course we can enjoy the food, the Lord has provided and enjoy our family and friends on the day we are to be thankful!! Have a happy Thanksgiving!!

WOW

2008-11-11T20:57:00.000-08:00

Wow I have not posted in a while but I'll try to post more often. Well there really isn't any thing new except school and that is going okay, there are harder days. But I am getting through it through Gods help. Well I have to run but I will post more soon!!

Picture Crazy

2008-02-28T14:04:00.000-08:00

Well lately Hannah and I have been taking pictures like it's our last time. Every were we look we find amazing places to say "cheese!" It's incredable the way God has designed this earth, even for us to take pictures on. We look around us today and miss the beautiful art work our Father has painted for our eyes to gaze upon. I think of that song Indescribable by Chris Tomlin. It talks about different pictures of our world and how God is so amazing.

This is Maddie and I on a sunny afternoon.

This is Gunner, Seth's dog, and I while walking through the woods.

And this is Hannah and I while strolling along.

HELLO WORLD!!!

2008-02-22T14:59:00.000-08:00

HELLO WORLD!! My blog is, at this moment about, one minute old and is so adorable. What I want this blog to become as it grows and matures is a wonderful blog that can tell this world about my life and all that goes on. Now I must leave I'm getting to teary eyed for this to go on any longer. So long for now.