Pinned it, Made it! Monday ~ Week 64 ~

Pinned it, Made it! Monday during the Christmas season is definitely going to be my favorite!  I love fall, but I love Christmas best of all!  I love seeing all the homes decorated warm and cozy for Christmas.  And what better place than Pinterest to inspire us to create Christmas decor and gifts!


This week I'm showing you another primitive style candy cane I have been wanting to try out!  I found it on the internet somewhere and thought I pinned it, but can't find it now.  Anyway, it's easy to do and turned out cute!

Supplies needed:

plastic candy canes (found mine at Dollar Tree)
twine (or jute it's sometimes called)
pieces of faux greenery and berries (I cut mine off some larger sprigs)
raffia
glue gun

Directions:

With my glue gun, I started at the bottom of the candy cane, securing the twine and continued wrapping it tightly around making sure to cover all the candy cane, finishing up at the curved end by cutting the twine and gluing it in place.  I then hot glued my little pieces of greenery and berries and then tied a raffia bow around them (I also glued the bow down a bit as well).

That's it!  I want to make more! I love these!

Okay...now it's your turn to show me your lovely Pinterest Christmas creations!

Have a wonderful week!  I plan to be back with Christmas decor pictures on Wednesday or Thursday!

♥ Tammy ♥

♥ Happy 4th of July ♥

Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he chose for his inheritance.

Psalm 33:12

God bless America!  And God bless our military families that serve our country!  Thank YOU for your sacrifices daily!

From our family to yours.....a Happy 4th of July (Independence Day)!   Next to Christmas, this is my favorite holiday!  :)

♥ Tammy ♥ 

God Bless America!

Next to Christmas, Independence Day is my favorite holiday. I’m so thankful to live in this great nation, the United States of America! I pray that we never take our freedoms for granted, or allow it them be taken from us, by being silent. God’s word says “Blessed is the Nation whose God is the Lord”. When we remove God from our country, our country is on the decline.

As we celebrate the birth of our nation, I'd like to share a few words of wisdom from a few our founding fathers and other great men of America:


"Without God there is no virtue because there is no prompting of the conscience...without God there is a coarsening of the society; without God democracy will not and cannot long endure...If we ever forget that we are One Nation Under God, then we will be a Nation gone under." - Ronald Reagan

"It behooves us then to humble ourselves before the offended Power to confess our national sins and to pray for clemency and forgiveness..." – Abraham Lincoln


"We Recognize No Sovereign but God, and no King but Jesus! - John Adams and John Hancock, Founding Fathers (April 18, 1775)


"It is necessary for the welfare of the nation that men's lives be based on the principles of the Bible. No man, educated or uneducated, can afford to be ignorant of the Bible." - Theodore Roosevelt


"I therefore beg leave to move that henceforth prayers imploring the assistance of Heaven, and its blessing on our deliberations, be held in this Assembly every morning..." - Ben Franklin


"I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that His justice cannot sleep forever." - Thomas Jefferson, 1871


"The propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right which Heaven itself has ordained." - George Washington, 1789


"All must admit that the reception of the teachings of Christ results in the purest patriotism, in the most scrupulous fidelity to public trust, and in the best type of citizenship." - Grover Cleveland


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I hope you and your family have a wonderful 4th of July! I hope you will take time reflect upon the reason we are a great nation and commit to stand for the values that make it great and to keep God as our foundation…….and most importantly of all to pray for our nation and for our leaders.

God Bless America!

The Price They Paid - A 4th of July Story

I've read this before and recently received this again in an email and I thought I'd share this today in honor of the men who paid so much so we can enjoy the freedoms we enjoy today.....freedoms that we will quickly lose if we don't stay on our toes and stand up against the declining morals and values and speak up for the freedoms in our great country. 

I wonder if we would be willing to pay such a price as these men paid? 

Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence?



Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died.


Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned.


Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army;


Another had two sons captured.


Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War. 


They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.



What kind of men were they?


Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists.


Eleven were merchants,

Nine were farmers and large plantation owners; men of means, well educated.


But they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured.


Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags.

Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward.




Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Rutledge, and Middleton.


At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson, Jr., noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. He quietly urged General George Washington to open fire.


The home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt.


Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed.
The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months.


John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying; their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished.



So, take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday and silently thank these patriots.




It's not much to ask for the price they paid.




Remember: freedom is never free!




“A government big enough to give you everything you want, is big enough to take away everything you have.” - Thomas Jefferson



"Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, The people He has chosen as His own inheritance." 
Psalm 33:12

Arkansas Grand Canyon's Breathtaking Beauty!

I can't believe it's been almost a week since my last post! (Sorry Joy and I missed our Faithful Fridays posting)! I do have an excuse though! Last Wednesday night, we decided to go on a last minute trip out of town. It was to be just one of those "wing it" trips. As a matter of fact, I have never packed so quickly. We didn't make any definite plans, but just decided to go and sightsee and see what developed! It turned out to be a good two day trip! I really wished Colt could have gone with us, but as usual he was working! We went to one of the most beautiful (if not THE most beautiful spot) in Arkansas....Jasper. It is located in the heart of the Ozarks. It has some of the most breathtaking views I've ever seen! I could just sit and soak in that beauty forever! Wouldn't it be wonderful to have a log cabin perched on the side of one of these mountains and wake up to this view every morning....take your morning coffee (or Diet Dew in my case) out on the porch and just watch the sunrise (or sunset in the evenings).

This first picture of Jason and Joy was taken at a rest stop just a little ways before we got to Cowell, which is not too far from Jasper. These were all taken along the Scenic Byway 7. (Remember you can click on the pictures to make them larger).



We showed Joy around. We've stayed in Jasper a few times but none since she was born. We were even able to look at some land for sale (perfect places for that log cabin in my dreams)!

After a full day's sightseeing, we were lucky enough to find a room at The Lazy Apple Lodge (recommended by a man that has a second home in the area) at a VERY reasonable rate! We were very pleased when we walked into the room. Somehow it just fit! This was the lounge/living area equipped with a little kitchenette.



And look at the bed! I loved it!



And Joy even had her own little bed on the other side of the room! She was excited!



This was the sitting area right outside our room (room #1).



Here's the view from right outside the room (and this was the lower level too).



If you went up a level, you could lounge on the huge deck. It was also the only place we could get a cell phone signal!



Here's another look at the deck. You can tell here about the size and location of the deck. Jason was taking in the view!



And look at this view from the deck! Absolutely gorgeous....the most beautiful sunsets can be viewed right there!



Joy posed with the bear "chained" to one end of the lodge!



It doesn't look as big as it actually was because there were multi levels off the back. But doesn't it just fit the landscape?



Anyone that visits this area knows about the Cliff House Inn. Not only is it an Inn, but also a restaurant. I told Joy about this place before we got there. The back porch literally hangs over the Arkansas Grand Canyon!



As a matter of fact, I stepped outside the door onto the back porch and couldn't handle the openness of it (did I mention I'm very afraid of heights especially when a rail is only half way up or it feels too open)! But Joy definitely didn't have any problems and Jason accompanied her! We ate breakfast there the next morning! There were pictures on the walls of celebrities (and their autographs) that had visited there!

Here's the sign showing the deepest point of the Ozarks.....



And here's "The View":



And "More View":



And "Even More View"....a little ways down the road from there at a scenic view spot.



At Scenic Point, there is also a tower. Imagine climbing even higher.....NOT ME! But Jason and Joy did. Jason took this picture from top of the tower looking down at our car. You can see how much further up they went.



And Joy at the top of the tower posing (she definitely didn't get my fear of heights)...She was making me nervous watching her up there!



Right there was also a souvenier shop. I bought the first of a sequel of books called Teetering on the Brink by Gary Weibye. It's the story (and adventures) of Gary and his wife who left the big city to come live there in paradise right on the edge with The View. They are really living the dream! I'm really into this book right now (although I could really do without his choice of words sometimes)!



All of this was on Friday. From there we went on to Greers Ferry, Arkansas and looked around....and ate. (We did alot of eating on this trip)!

As were were leaving, we talked to friends (Brian and Tracy) that were supposed to be in the area to find out the best route home, and they invited us to come with them on their pontoon for a couple of hours before we left. So we did. I didn't take any pictures there because I left my camera in the car, but it was lots of fun. Brian let Joy drive the boat! We enjoyed fireworks from the boat later that evening....something I've never done before and they were so beautiful over the water! We actually stayed later than we intended and had to come home that same night and didn't get home until the wee hours of the morning!

Then the next day, it was a rush to prepare for our 4th celebration. Everything turned out wonderful with my mom and dad, Jason's dad, and my aunt and uncle coming over for BBQ. It was overcast all day, but didn't rain until that night. Joy was able to swim. Then when Colt came home from work (he works ALL THE TIME), he brought in fireworks and set them off with Joy.



Here they were shooting bottle rockets from a tube.



Needless to say, at the end of all this fun, we all slept well Saturday night! The next day, we had a great day at church Sunday with a sermon and songs fit for Independence Day! We then enjoyed a low key rest of the day....even an afternoon nap!

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And look what came for me in the mail Monday from Anne (Seasons of the Past)!



She sent me these goodies with the sweetest card saying these goodies would go well in my home! This was such a generous heartfelt gift! Thank you so much, Anne! Boy, will I have fun decorating with these prim goodies! I am amazed at the kindness that's been shown to me! I hope Anne is blessed ten times over for her act of kindness! Anne also has a wonderful website. You should check it out.....Humble Hearts and Homes.

I have even more prim goodies....but I'm going to have to tease you a little here and not show you........yet. It's my goodies that I ordered from Kindra (3 Guys, a Girl and a Prim Place)....(my Kindra Creations). Since they will go in my bathroom (actually I'm working on that now), I will wait until I show the bathroom. I'm sorry I'm slow about it, folks, but I want "what I want" in there and am slow in accumulating those things! Thanks for being patient with me! Hopefully soon....

I think that's it for today. I should have warned you it was ALOT of pictures! If you stayed with me on this long post this far with all the pictures, I thank you! Please be patient with me as I play catch up this week and get by to visit all the wonderful blogs! Thank you for all of the kind comments and to my faithful followers! You are the best! I hope you all have a terrific Tuesday! :)