♥ Pay it Forward ♥

I'm joining many of my fellow bloggers in hosting the Creative Pay it Forward 2013. I think it's a fun way to let our blogging friends know that we are thinking about them.

 It works like this:   The first 5 people to comment on this post saying they would like to join in on the "Pay It Forward 2013" will receive a gift from me sometime during this year. It could be something that I find that I think you will love or it could be something homemade by me.  It's fun because it will be a surprise....hopefully it will come at a time when it's just what you needed! :) I'll contact the first 5 folks that comment on this post wanting to participate and ask for your shipping info so I can send something your way sometime this year!  I can't wait!  :)


Here are the rules.....they're pretty simple:

1. You must also offer the same on your blog. You must do a post and follow through throughout the year.

2. This is only open to USA and Canadian bloggers.

3. Remember to leave a comment on THIS post saying you would like to participate in the "Creative Pay It Forward."

4. After I have contacted you for your shipping info., you must do a post offering it on your blog.

That's all there is to it! I hope you can join in....it will be fun!  :)

Thanks for stopping by today!  :)


♥ Tammy ♥

Faithful Friday - "Happiness versus Joy"

Good morning! It’s Friday! Everybody loves Fridays! This particular Friday we’ve been really looking forward to because we’re taking a mini vacation to Richie and Missy’s house (my brother and sister-in-law) and hope to take that Amish tour! 


Friday is also a day my daughter, Joy, and I have set aside for Faithful Fridays. It’s a day to share our Christian faith……well, every day is a day to do that, but we wanted to specifically set aside one day a week to make a point of sharing. Joy started it a few years ago. We invite you to join us!

Yesterday as I waited in the car for Joy, I picked up her devotion book she had brought along with her, “Jesus Calling – 365 Devotions for Kids”.

There’s also an adult version, but the kid version is wonderful, even for adults! I like the simple, down to earth language.  :)  Anyway, yesterday’s devotion really hit home and I wanted to share bits of it with you.

Honor and majesty surround him; strength and joy fill his dwelling.

1 Chronicles 16:27 (NIV)

Happines and joy are not the same thing.

Happiness depends on this world, on what is going on around you. Happiness depends on everything being just right…..like when you’re headed for that long-time anticipated vacation or you’ve just gotten a promotion at work, etc…. Happiness is wonderful, but it lasts only a little while.

But joy – true joy – is something entirely different. Joy doesn’t depend on this world or whether you’re having a good day; it depends on God. Joy is knowing God is in control and that He loves you and will take care of you – even when your family can’t afford that vacation or you don’t get that promotion. God asks us to stay close to Him and he’ll give us His Joy in every situation!

I don’t know about you, but that’s what I want…..joy that comes only from God…..overflowing bubbling joy.

That reminds me of something else. One day (a few years ago) as we walked in Walmart, we noticed that the greeter’s name was Joy. I commented to her that that was my daughter’s name who was standing there beside me. She smiled and put her arm around Joy and bent down to her level and told her they shared a very special name and asked Joy did she know what it stood for?   (I was just as interested in hearing what she was going to say).   And this is what she said:

J. Jesus first.
O. Others second.
Y. Yourself last.

I will never forget it and really that is an excellent definition of joy because if we put Jesus first and get everything in the above order, we will find true joy that comes only from God!

Thank you for joining me today for Faithful Friday. I know (my daughter) Joy would love for you to stop by and visit her too. And if you’d like to participate, you can link up with her here.

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I have to show you what arrived in the mail for me yesterday. It came from JoAnn of Sweet Pepper Rose. This is actually the second time she’s sent something my way. She is a sweet lady, and VERY TALENTED too.

These are made from Paulownia seed pods! Just look at the detail and time that went into that! And she painted them red!  Red.....my favorite!  I can’t wait to hang these on my Christmas tree. Okay, okay, I’m not rushing Christmas here…..I’m still enjoying fall, but really I will be honored to hang these on my tree! Thank you so much, JoAnn!

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And last of all, I want to share another fall photo for Sandra's 31 days of fall challenge:

The above picture was taken by a friend of mine, Kim.  Kim, a homeschooling mom,  is the photographer for our homeschool group.  I just love this photo that was taken last year about this time!  This one definitely says fall.....and love!  :)


♥ Tammy ♥

{Sometimes Willing} Little Model

As I mentioned in the last couple of posts, Joy has been very interested in photography and has taken my camera out on mini photo shoots.

Well Luke has been drawn into her little photo shoots. Most of the time, he’s fairly willing, although not always cooperative. I like that she captured all those things in Luke’s personality though through her little photo shoots.

Joy has already posted these on her blog and she gave me permission to share them here on my blog.

Luke, the monkey:

He never fails to pick flowers for me when he goes outside.  :)

Well you can't wear a monkey suit without acting like one, can you?

Luke, the farmer boy:

Luke, the baseball player:

He obviously dressed himself....his shirt is on backwards!  :)

Luke, the annoyed:

And last of all, here’s yet another photo by Joy I'm including for Sandra's 31 days of fall challenge.  Maybe I’ll take my own photo soon…..but she’s doing such a great job and letting me borrow them…….. :)  And this one has fall written all over it…..it's that time when we get to break out the boots…..and these are Joy’s new ones!

To everyone that stopped by today, thank you very much! Have a great day!  I hope you’ll join me tomorrow for Faithful Friday. And soon I’ll take you on a little field trip to my mom’s house to see all the good stuff my carpenter has made for her home!  :)

♥ Tammy ♥

A Small Change

Sometimes the simplest tweaking can make such a difference!

The flags on the bobbins and candlesticks came from my mom and dad for our anniversary.  I fell in love with those at the antique gallery and I could just picture those on the mantle. So I was really tickled to get these for our anniversary.  Isn't it funny how the anniversary gifts are usually geared more towards the wife than the husband.  :)  I'd love to see some gameboards up there, but this is a step in the right direction.

And I moved the geraniums in the picnic basket from my sunporch to the hearth on the little bench.

This splash of color was just enough to make me happy( for now).

Of course, fall is coming, so who knows what will come next.......  :)

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I'd love for you to join me for Pinned it, Made it! Monday.  I should have that ready for link-up sometime Sunday night.

Thank you so much for stopping by!  :)

Linking with Sunny Simple Life.

♥ Tammy ♥

Strawberry Freezer Jelly

For years, my Aunt Betty has made strawberry freezer jelly for all the family. She loved to pick strawberries and then make the jelly. She would ask each family how many jars we’d like. We’d save jars all year for her. She must have spent hours and hours doing this for us all. You may remember me posting and asking prayer for the family when we lost Aunt Betty and Uncle Junior in the car wreck the end of May.  I will always think of her with my strawberry freezer jelly.

My kids have grown up on the strawberry freezer jelly. As a matter of fact, for the longest time, Colt (my oldest) didn’t even know there was any other kind of jelly. One day we ran out of the freezer jelly and I purchased grape jelly from the grocery store. He had no idea there were other flavors even. He was shocked.  For him still to this day, the only kind of jelly worth eating is strawberry freezer jelly.

Strawberries were on sale last week for $1.00 at Walmart.  So, Jason and I decided it was time to make our first batch the end of last week. One of the 16 oz cartons of strawberries makes 6 half pint jars for us. And it really makes it go quicker and more smoothly to have two people working on it. We did 12 jars the first night.

Since then, my mom and I have made more. I think we’ve done a total of 48 jars so far. We’ve still got strawberries waiting on us. My dad keeps picking up more!  lol!

Here’s how we do it:

Strawberry Freezer Jelly

To make 6 half pint jars (freezer safe ones), you need:

4 cups sugar
16 oz of strawberries (2 cups of strawberries chopped in blender)
1 box sure jell
¾ cup water

Remove the stems from the strawberries and wash the strawberries. Chop in blender. I put 4-5 in there at a time shaking the blender container around to make sure all are blended and slowly add the same amount to it until all are blended.

Put 4 cups of sugar in a bowl (I ended up using one that has a pouring lip on it to make it easier later). Add your strawberries (16 oz or the 2 cups blended strawberries). Let that sit for 10 minutes stirring occasionally.

When there’s about 2 minutes left on my timer for the above, I start the sure jell on the stove. Add 1 box of sure jell to 3/4 cup water in a small stewer. Stir constantly until it begins boiling. When it starts to boil, set your timer for 1 minute. While it’s boiling, stir occasionally.

After that one minute, remove from the stove and add to the strawberry/sugar mixture.

Stir the sure jell/water from the stewer into the strawberries making sure it’s mixed well. Stir occasionally for 3 minutes (again I set my timer).

After 3 minutes, you’re ready to pour it up into your jars.

You can see here that I moved it to the pouring bowl.  We learned it makes it easier to just start with that bowl.

Leave about ½ inch from the top to allow for expansion in the freezer. Cover with lids.

Leave the jars out at room temperature to allow them to set for 24 hours.

After 24 hours, move to the freezer.

They will keep in the freezer for a year and in the refrigerator for 3 weeks. (I know I have kept mine longer than that in the refrigerator though). To thaw them for use, move to the refrigerator.

Isn't that easy?  :)

Colt came out Saturday and was very excited to see that we had strawberry freezer jelly made. He made sure he left the house with a couple of jars to take back to his apartment and the assurance that he could come back for more when that was gone. Lol!

It’s so easy to make. It takes us about 45 minutes to make 12 jars. Not long at all. And it’s SO good! So go on…..get you some strawberries and make some. You’ll be glad you did! And just think, you'll be able to enjoy it all winter long on those biscuits on a cold morning!  :)


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Thank you for the very kind comments on my post yesterday. It’s those about my family that make me smile the most. :)


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And I have to share what came in the mail for me yesterday! JoAnn of Sweet Pepper Rose sent me this cross-stitched bookmark.

I love what it says….it says it all……In the beginning, God…….. Isn’t that great and so sweet of her? This is now my read-aloud bookmark for our homeschooling. Thank you so much, JoAnn!

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On another note, I have another Sunporch Chat in the works……more on that later…….. ;)  And thank you for stopping by today! Have a wonderful Wednesday!  :)


♥ Tammy ♥

Bloggin' Friends

In the almost four years since I’ve been blogging, I’ve met so many “blogging” friends, some with blogs and some that don’t necessarily blog, but are avid blog readers! And they are wonderful!

I love the comments and the emails. And you might not believe it, but I talk about you folks to my family by name so my family feels like that they know you too! We pray for many of you too!

Today’s post is just one example of this kindness.

Eve of Lee Hill Primitives, after seeing the post where Joy was learning to sew, sent her a wonderful package!

It was such a thoughtful encouraging gift too. Not only is it a fun and challenging project for Joy, but she noted that it would be a treasure for her prim loving mama when she finished it. Wasn’t that sweet? Thank you so much, Eve!

And being the kind person she is, she also included something for Luke. He was excited to see there was something in there for him! He loves his books! Besides “reading” his books, he has other uses for them too. I guess he thought these four books made a perfect train. He said he had an engine with coaches.

And she sent something for me too……..a prim heart mold! I already have it displayed in my kitchen! Thank you, Eve!

Besides thanking Eve for her very sweet and thoughtful gifts, I also wanted to just take time to let all my readers and blogging friends know that I truly appreciate each one of you! Your comments brighten my day as well! Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy days to visit my blog!  :)

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And speaking of my blogging friends, I decided to offer a giveaway for you!  It's coming soon.......so stay tuned.........

Have a great day!

Goodies for The Cedar Loft

When we returned home from our weekend in Alabama, there was a package waiting for me. There’s nothing like coming home to find a package with your name on it, is there? Anyway, it didn’t take me long to tear into it to find something wonderful, sent to me from a friend I met through blogging. Julie F. is a friend that I first met when she found my blog and emailed me. It blossomed from there. We discovered we have a lot in common. And the most recent thing we have in common is that she just returned home from China to bring home her 9 year old beautiful daughter, Mia. :)

What a wonderful gift she sent! Julie weaved this basket around an antique kitchen strainer. She thought it would look good in The Cedar Loft, and she is so right! I have just the place in mind and hope to get it hung there this weekend! Thank you SO much, Julie! I just love it!

And last week, our homeschooling group went on a field trip (which I will tell about in a later post), and I came home with two goodies, also for The Cedar Loft. First of all, remember the soap dish that Mama and Daddy brought back for the bathroom in The Cedar Loft? Well, I found this peg rack that matches it and had to bring it home to add to the bathroom.

And I definitely couldn’t pass up this sconce for $2.00! I know I will find a home for it somewhere in the loft as well. Isn’t it great?

So as you see, I need to get the hammer and nails ready for our weekend in the loft because I have a few more décor items to add! Every little thing I add seems to add more character, so it’s fun watching it transform into a cozy living space!

Thank you so much for stopping by! I’d also like to invite you to join us for Faithful Fridays tomorrow! We’d love for you to share a post too!

Have a great Thursday!

Blessings,
Tammy

Thoughtful Gifts

I couldn't let time slip by without sharing some of the sweet gifts that I received during the Christmas holidays for our home.

First of all, Gina sent a box of goodies for our family which I showed you here.  One of those was the dance banner she made for Joy's room. 

We just got around to hanging it in its permanent place of honor on Joy's bedroom wall not too long ago, so I thought I would show you.  It's perfect for her room, and she loves it!  Thanks, Gina!  :)

Gina also made a quilted stocking for Luke that was so unbelievably close to the ones we already had for the rest of our family that it would be hard to know they weren't purchased at the same time.  I was so thrilled to get it! 

You see it?  It's the one at the very end (the slightly smaller one for our smallest family member).  Thank you so much Gina.  That was so sweet of you and our family thanks you!

My sweet blogging friend, Donna, has a heart of gold.  I received a little package from her with this cute prim stocking ornament in it.  I know Donna is having a hard time since losing her husband (and best friend), and for her to even think of sending me something with all she's going through, just blew me away.  Thank you, Donna.  

My blogging friend, and now family friends since meeting in China to get our children, Kim & Chuck, sent us this Christmas ornament which will be forever treasured. 

It obviously has special meaning to us.  We enjoyed spending time with Kim, Chuck, Kim's dad, and their new daughter, Shiloh, in Inner Mongolia, and made lots of great memories.  :)  Thank you, Kim!  We miss you guys!

And although she's not a blogging friend, I wanted to include a special ornament that I love this year......

This is our first ornament to have Luke added making us a family of five (minus our last name which is actually on the body of the sleigh)!  Colt's girlfriend, Amber, gave us this for Christmas and I love it!  Thank you, Amber!

Oh, and take a look at what I got for Christmas (one from my mom and one from Joy) that most people just wouldn't "get"..........I know there's not that many folks out there that would be as thrilled as I was to get these prim items!  I can't wait to decorate and display them! 

If anyone had told me that I would meet so many wonderful people and make so many blogging friends when I started this blog in May of 2008, I would never have believed it.....I remember wondering if anyone would ever even stop by my blog.  I'm so happy to have met so many sweet blogging friends and so thankful for you each and every "follower" and reader!  Your comments always make my day and put a smile on my face!  Thank you so much!

And today I wish you all a happy, healthy, prosperous and blessed-beyond-measure NEW YEAR in 2011!

~ Tammy ~    

Gifts of Love

Gifts of love. That is what I call them. The love that has been shown to our family...to Luke....warms my heart.

Almost two weeks ago, our homeschool support group surprised me at gym (our weekly meeting day) with a shower. I have no idea how they all managed to keep it a secret from me, but it was a total surprise! They called me into the snack room and this was waiting for me!






To celebrate Luke coming home, they all chipped in and bought a bush/tree to plant in his honor. But it wasn't just any bush/tree. It was a money tree for us. Hanging from the bush were many cards! They were unsure as to what was most needed and wanted to do something for him (for us). Sitting at my kitchen table, I cried as I read all the very sweet notes.



They were very generous and it came at a time when the need is great. Travel to China is going to be more than we thought as airfare in June is considerably higher. The fact that our homeschooling family would do such a thing for us really touched our hearts!

In addition to that, at the end of the year picnic with our homeschool group, there were more gifts brought.

Rebecca and her family gave us the buddy harness. My silly kids have been trying this out on each other already! It's so cute! Thank you, Rebecca!



Julie and her family gave Luke these shoes (love those shoes), the bathroom sticker set and Thomas the Tank Engine puzzle. (Joy thought those vehicle stickers for the bathtub were just the coolest and I had to restrain her from opening and playing with them). Thank you, Julie!



And Kellye brought me this adoption scrapbook kit! What special pages I can create with that! It's red too... Thank you, Kellye!



And last but not least, yesterday these arrived from a dear blogging friend....a gift for Luke from Mandy (A Mayberry State of Mind).



Aren't they perfect for Luke's room? Mandy has her own business, Creekside Creations. Check out her selling blog! She does such beautiful work. I'm so thrilled to have these blocks for his room! They are just adorable! Thank you so much, Mandy!



Thank you so much to all of you, for the love that's been shown to Luke and to our entire family through the prayers, gifts, and words of encouragement as we wait to bring Luke home. Sharing our excitement with us has meant so much. God bless you all!