A Sewing Quip, Prewashing And Ironing Are Important!

"Pre-washing and ironing is what makes the difference between ‘Is that thing homemade?’ and ‘Wow!  You made this?’"

I came across this sewing quip a while ago and really liked it. It was on my mind today because I was ironing several yards of fabric that I had prewashed yesterday. 

I am getting ready to start a couple of skirts with this interesting fabric. The more I handle it, the more I like it. The quality of the material it self is really great! I am going to enjoy working with it. :)

Finished Wall Hanging

I recently finished the wall hanging I started back in June.

On the back you can see all of the hand quilted stitches.

I don't remember if I have mentioned the fact that I really like hand quilting before on this blog, but, I really like hand quilting.

I like the way it looks. I like the way it feels. I like doing the quilting and the memories and stories that get sewn into every stitch.

Hand quilting takes such a long time. I kind of get attached to my work. It is sometimes hard for me to see my projects go or sell my quilts.

But, I did list this little wall hanging over at my Etsy shop. You can visit it HERE.

I was not sure what price to ask. I talked to a lady from a local quilt shop. I explained some details about my quilt, such as the size and color scheme. I thought I might list it for $65 or so. She exclaimed, "Oh, no! It's hand quilted. I wouldn't ask anything less than $100." She said to remember that you can always lower your price if it doesn't sell, but you can't raise the price once you realize that you sold it too cheaply. :)

Good advice! I am glad I talked to her. :)

Flower Press Attempt No. 2

Here are the flowers I used.

And, this is how they turned out....

Not, too, bad. I have a lot to learn, but these results weren't very disappointing.

After a couple weeks in the press I checked them and noticed that the papers between the flowers were quite damp and some parts of the flowers were starting to mold.
So, I learned that I need to check on my flowers in the press early.

I was able to save a couple of petals from the last batch,

And, make this card for Mr. In The Mid-west:

Deer Steaks For Dinner, Yum!

My brother recently gave us a package of deer sirloin steaks. He had taken his deer to a processor so the steaks were already cut and neatly wrapped in freezer paper.

I seasoned the steaks and cooked them on my griddle last night for supper. I even got some nice sear marks, which made me feel like I knew what I was doing. :)

I did Google, "how long do you cook steak?" Just to be sure that I didn't over cook them and make them tough, though. :)

They were delicious! I served them with sauteed onions on top, and a loaded baked potato and stir-fried cabbage on the side.

A big, "Thank you!" to my brother for sharing such a nice cut of his venison with us! :)

Free Scripture Songs, Entire Chapters Set To Music!

I recently came across this website, sing.thekjv.org.  On that site there are 58 entire chapters of the Bible set to music. That is over 3 hours of scripture!
The lady who writes the music and sings the songs goes by the pseudonym, Tirzah Joy.
She has made all of her scripture songs available for free and doesn't copy right any of her work.

You can download audio files of the songs, or request free CDs, or down load the sheet music.

She, also has a YouTube channel where you can listen to the Bible being sung. Her channel is called, Sing the KJV.

I love the work that she has done. She has used her talent to edify the Body of Christ and bring glory to God.

I encourage you to give her work a listen and see if it is a blessing to you and your walk with Christ!

Bible Reading In 2017

A week ago I finished reading the entire Bible out loud in the presence of my 1 1/2 year old little boy. I started when he was 9 months old, and, although he slept through most of the Bible reading, I think he has learned more than I realize. 

I remember back when I had just started, I had only been reading to him for a week or two when he started trying to bring my Bible to me, open it up, and start jabbering, whenever he found it in his reach.

   Another example of how much he pays attention is this story that happened back in April, when he was 11 months old:

I had to take him to the nursery during a Wednesday evening service. (He was being too noisy in the congregation.) We were the only ones in the nursery and I decided to use my time to memorize the first two verses of Genesis while my son was playing with some toys. I was just repeating short little phrases in the verses over and over again. I had no idea that my little boy was paying attention. The next day we were in the kitchen at our home and I began to say Genesis 1:1 out loud, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth."  My son looked up at me and then started to climb the steps into the living room. I continued with verse 2, "And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters." I peeked into the living room and saw him standing in front of the book shelf looking up at my Bible. He pointed up and looked at me as if to say, "Come and get it."
If that doesn't teach you that children are learning more from you than you think, I don't know what does!

My main objective was to read the scripture out loud to my baby boy, and, even if he didn't comprehend anything I read, he would hear his mother's voice reading the cadence of Scripture and, in turn, the holy Bible would be associated with comfort, safety, and love, for the rest of his life. I believe that this effect can be achieved even earlier, and that reading to your baby in the womb, will yeild stronger results.

As we begin to read through our Bible again this year, I encourage you to join us!

An easy way to read through your Bible in a year, without having to mess with a schedule, is to read 3 chapters a day, during the week, and 4 chapters on Sundays.

Another way to figure out how much to read to finish your Bible in a year is to take how many pages your Bible is and divide that number by 365.
For example: My Bible is 1044 pages.
1044 ÷ 365 days = 2.85 pages per day
With this method you end up reading the same amount every day. If you use the chapter method you end up with a variation in how much you read every day because chapter sizes vary.

Of course, there are a lot of Bible reading programs and schedules out there. Find one that resonates with you and stick with it! There are also apps for mobile devices that can help motivate you to stay on track.

I prefer the simplicity of reading from Genesis to Revelation in order. I like the two methods I explained because they don't require any extra papers to keep track of, or schedules to check off. Once you know how many pages or chapters you need to read every day you are good to go, no extra stuff.

I realize that checking things off on a list can be very motivating for some individuals.
So, I encourage you to find a plan that works for you, and join me, as we read through our Bible in 2017!

Is The Word "Begotten" Important?

John 3:16
KJV
 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

NIV
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

ESV
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

NRSV
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.

Is Jesus merely the son of God or is he the begotten son of God?

In the first place, if Jesus is the only son of God, then the Bible has many contradictions. If Jesus is the only son of God, then John 1:12 cannot be true. If Jesus is the only son of God, then Luke 3:38 cannot be true. If Jesus is the only son of God, then Romans 8:14 cannot be true. If Jesus is the only son of God, then no one else can be a son of God. There are passages of Scripture that clearly say God has other sons or teach how one may become a son of God. So, can Jesus be the only son of God? Or, is he the only begotten son of God? There is a difference and it is a significant difference.

I didn't realize the significance of the word, begotten, until I watched a Muslim teacher explain his belief about who Jesus is (link below). He was asked to explain how followers of allah can be called sons of god in his religion but Jesus cannot be called the Son of God. He made several good points while explaining his beliefs and he even used the Bible to make his points.
He pointed out that followers of God are referred to as sons of God in the Bible, and in that sense, he believes it can be said of Jesus that he is the son of God. But, to say that Jesus is the only begotten son of God is heresy, in his belief system. Of course, the opposite is true, it is heresy to say that Jesus is not the begotten son of God.

Now do you see why the word, begotten, is so important?

Islam has no problem with the new translations of John 3:16.

The muslim teacher points out that Adam is called the son of God in the Bible, but that does not make Adam God.

Luke 3:38 KJV 
Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God.

The teacher also brings up the passage in Romans 8 which states that those who are led by the Spirit are sons of God.

Romans 8:14 KJV
For as many as are led of the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 

The muslim teacher then points out that the newer translations of the Bible do not call Jesus the begotten son of God and that most "Christian" scholars agree that the word "begotten" is a fabrication.

You see, by eliminating the word "begotten" from John 3:16 these translators have made Jesus a pious person. He is no longer God in human flesh.
There are many passages of scripture that speak of people being sons of God.

John 1:12
But as many as receive him, gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

If you are interested in listening to the video clip I referenced you can do so by clicking HERE. I thought it was very interesting. Good Muslims live very "holy" lives. They live separate from the world. They abstain from alcohol, they dress modestly, they pray five times a day, they observe times of fasting, they try to keep the law as given by Moses. In other words, they go about establishing their own righteousness and refusing the righteousness of God found in Christ Jesus.

Romans 10:3 For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.

God only has one BEGOTTEN Son and his name is Jesus. He is fully God and fully man. He is the only saviour for mankind.

  Acts 4:10-12

Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.

11 This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.

12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

Snow And Muffins

We have finally had an accumulating snow!
I sound excited, but I am actually not a big fan of winter.
I do think snow is pretty and can be quite fun to play in.
My motto is, "If it is going to be cold, it might as well snow!" :)
As the snow was falling it did look quite picturesque. Unfortunately, I did not get bundled up to go outside and take any pictures for you. Sorry. :(
I did take some pictures of the muffins I made on that snowy day, though.

I used a recipe for pumpkin chip muffins. I   really like this recipe. It is a recipe my mother used to make when I was a child.
I did make a couple changes to the original recipe. I used butternut squash instead of pumpkin, and melted butter instead of canola oil. They were delicious!

Ingredients

• 4 large eggs
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
• 1-1/2 cups canola oil
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. In a large bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, pumpkin and oil until smooth. Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt; gradually add to pumpkin mixture and mix well. Fold in chocolate chips. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups three-fourths full.
2. Bake at 400° for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack. Yield: about 2 dozen.