Easter Blessings

I wish you a beautiful and blessed Easter.

He is risen - He has risen indeed!

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Our Culture

In light of today's happenings I thought I would share these great words of wisdom.  

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“Our culture has accepted two huge lies. The first is that if you disagree with someone’s lifestyle, you must fear or hate them. The second is that to love someone means you agree with everything they believe or do. Both are nonsense. You don’t have to compromise convictions to be compassionate.”

― Rick Warren

Holy Week

Holy Week is when Christians remember.   We remember the Passion of Christ, Who died in payment for the sins of mankind, and rose on Easter Sunday to give new life to all who believe. 

So Holy Week is solemn and painful to realize the burden Christ bore for us it is also full of joy.  Joy of Easter through the recognition of God's goodness in sending His Son to die for our salvation.

May your Holy Week be blessed as you too ponder, thank and praise.


What is Easter about?


There once was a man named George Thomas, pastor in a small New England town. One Easter Sunday morning he came to the Church carrying a rusty, bent, old bird cage, and set it by the pulpit. Eyebrows were raised and, as if in response, Pastor Thomas began to speak.....

"I was walking through town yesterday when I saw a young boy coming toward me swinging this bird cage. On the bottom of the cage were three little wild birds, shivering with cold and fright.
I stopped the lad and asked, "What do you have there, son?"
"Just some old birds," came the reply.
"What are you going to do with them?" I asked.
"Take 'em home and have fun with 'em," he answered. "I'm gonna tease 'em and pull out their feathers to make 'em fight. I'm gonna have a real good time.."
"But you'll get tired of those birds sooner or later. What will you do then?"
"Oh, I got some cats," said the little boy. "They like birds.. I'll take 'em to them."
The pastor was silent for a moment. "How much do you want for those birds, son?"
"Huh?? !!! Why, you don't want them birds, mister. They're just plain old field
birds. They don't sing. They ain't even pretty!"
"How much?" the pastor asked again. The boy sized up the pastor as if he were crazy and said, "$10?"
The pastor reached in his pocket and took out a ten dollar bill. He placed it in the boy's hand. In a flash, the boy was gone. The pastor picked up the cage and gently carried it to the end of the alley where there was a tree and a grassy spot. Setting the cage down, he opened the door, and by softly tapping the bars persuaded the birds out, setting them free.

Well, that explained the empty bird cage on the pulpit, and then the pastor began to tell this story:
One day Satan and Jesus were having a conversation. Satan had just come from the Garden of Eden, and he was gloating and boasting. "Yes, sir, I just caught a world full of people down there. Set me a trap, used bait I knew they couldn't resist. Got 'em all!"
"What are you going to do with them?" Jesus asked.
Satan replied, "Oh, I'm gonna have fun! I'm gonna teach them how to marry and divorce each other, how to hate and abuse each other, how to drink and smoke and curse. I'm really gonna have fun!"
"And what will you do when you are done with them?" Jesus asked.
"Oh, I'll kill 'em," Satan glared proudly.
"How much do you want for them?" Jesus asked.
"Oh, you don't want those people. They ain't no good. Why, you'll take them and they'll just hate you. They'll spit on you, curse you and kill you.. You don't want those people!!"
"How much? He asked again.
Satan looked at Jesus and sneered, "All your blood, tears and your life."
Jesus said, "DONE!" Then He paid the price.
The pastor picked up the cage and walked from the pulpit.

My mother named me appropriately, Robin, I was a bird in a cage, my Jesus bought me and set me free. 
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Home??

I guess it's video sharing day... I was watching this (sent by a friend) and was SURE this was home; our beautiful mountains and country side. Until it got to the city picture. We only have one in our state and this isn't it. When it got to the end I understood. This is just north of us. No wonder it looked just like home. Be blessed. a little bird

Doodles...

This is just so neat. I'm sure my doodling wouldn't look as good but what a fun idea. Happy Monday!! a little bird

St. Patrick's Day

Hand Stitching

My great-grandmother was a seamstress. She taught 4-H sewing and taught all of her granddaughters (my mom and aunts) how to sew so that it was as lovely on the inside as the out. I remember my first sampler when I was young. And as my work was being done it would be turned over and looked at from the back as well as the front. I still love hand work today. Below are some great stitch tutorials. I can honestly say I'm learning new information from them. If you have someone that loves hand work or a young girl just starting out this might be useful.

 







 To view additional tutorials go HERE

Maple syrup time again

DH tapped the trees first to mid February.

The sap has been running strong until today.  The sap has just dried up.  It's that time of year.

We have made syrup and then with some of the syrup made caramels.

My caramel recipe

about 6 cups maple syrup (give or take)

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup milk

1/4 cup butter

(I think all of these could be changed up a bit as I didn't really measure.  I just poured until it looked right)

cook over medium heat stirring often to a firm ball

( I used my grandmothers method with a cup of cold water)

turn off the heat 

stir in 1 tsp of vanilla

Pour into a buttered pan and let sit.

These are wonderful maple caramels - they taste like an all-day sucker.

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Felled and French

Felled and French - I love a French seam it is so clean and finished. When making slips or skirts that are going to get lots of wear and washing a French seam is the best in my opinion.

Sequester

March 1st and the sequester has arrived.

What is the sequester? It is a reduction of an increase.  Every year a set amount of increase is built into the federal budget the sequester will reduce the built in increase.
Our government is borrowing  35 cents of every dollar it spends.  The sequester will reduce that amount by 2 cents; now it will only be borrowing 33 cents of every dollar spent.

We need to cut spending - that's what we have to do as families, and as states. It's time for fiscal responsibility to arrive at a federal level.

A friend of mine said the following  "They need to have a mom in there running the budget.  A mom that has raised a large family on a limited amount of money.  She would have the budget cut and worked over down to the penny."  My dear friend is a farmers wife.  They raised a large family on a limited budget.  They ran in the black and tucked a bit of money in savings as well.  Hmmm what a concept.


Proverbs 22: 7
The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender.

Footnote: Does this mean we should never borrow? No, but it warns us never to take on a  loan without carefully examining our ability to repay it. A loan we can handle is enabling; a loan we can't handle is enslaving  The borrower must realize that until the loan is repaid, he or she is a servant to the individual or institution that made it.  (NIV Life Application Study Bible)

Some food for thought - don't you think...
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