"...Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes..."  Those words are ringing in my ears as I glance at the blizzard blowing outside my windows.  As I watch the millions of snowflakes make there descent down to earth I am again blown away by the thought that each one is unique.  Each one a special creation of the Creator!

  He is truly the God of creativity!  Billions of snowflakes, tiny, frozen, water crystals each designed to look slightly different from another one! 

As I sit inside by our warm woodstove, reflecting on this incredible design, I've begun to think of the people in the blogger world who are also so unique and designed with such amazing creativity!   I follow several blogs that make my heart smile when I see they have a new post, because God has given so many girls the precious gift of being able to write what God shows them!  You know what I'm talking about, that author that writes exactly what you needed to read, written in such a way that you are immediately caught up in the post. 
Yes, that is very special gift...filled with creativity...after all we are made in the image of a creative Creator :)

So....I thought I would share some of my favorite blogs written by some of these amazing girls!  As you get ready for the special holiday tomorrow and enter the weekend, I hope that these blogs and articles encourage and bless your hearts as they have mine over the years!

A Bright Light In A Dark World  by Shannon

 

APJ (A Passion for Jesus)  by Laurie

 

Written Upon My Heart  by Rebekah

 

A Girl With Wings  by Abigail

 

Altogether Separate by A group of girls

 

Hope you all have a wonderful Valentine's Day remembering our creative and loving Creator!!

 

 

~ God of Heaven ~

This video plays one of my favorite songs, sung by the Steve Pettit Evangelistic Team: God of Heaven.

The person who put the video together also placed some absolutely gorgeous photos of this beautiful earth our amazing and creative God made!  I hope you enjoy listening and watching as much as I did!

randomness on rainy days

it's raining....

it's been raining for the past few weeks...

i feel like New England is taking on some of the characteristics of a closely named Country that receives an exhorbitant amount of rain...

don't get me wrong, i love the rain for several reasons....

1. the splash that each raindrop makes when it hits a deck, roof, puddle, umbrella, etc.

2. the chance to wear puddle boots!!

3. a time to use that favorite umbrella

4. and then of course the reminder of special memories....what comes to mind when you

see or hear someone say "raindrops on roses..."????

maybe this...?

 

this is what always comes to my
mind first :}

however, rain has its downfalls as well.  one of them being, that you're kept inside for longer then you would prefer. 

when this happens, randoms posts appear and like today, even random sections in the post :)

todays post was going to be about a recipe that I found on Pinterest (a place where you spend time when it is raining out ;]

due to the dreary weather outside the window, my thoughts were otherwise enaged with images of summer sunlight streaming through trees, picnics at parks and the new recipe I found.

Watermelon Frosty

serves 2

2 1/4 cups frozen watermelon cubes
1/2+ cup water
2 Tbsp maple syrup
1 large lemon, squeezed (lime juice also works very well! use 2 limes)
1 fresh banana

 optional: a few dashes of cayenne powder in the blender or over top when you serve!

Garnish: a few slices of watermelon - with rind on - frozen.

Blend Pour. Garnish with frozen watermelon/rind slices. Serve! Enjoy.

Blending Tip! The best way to blend up this frosty is in a Vitamix - it really frosts up that thick frozen watermelon!

this looks SOO good!  i can't wait to try it this summer when the watermelons are in season!

the recipe came from here where you can view some tantalizing pictures that will have your mouth watering in seconds!

watermelon...the summer picnic fruit

All pictures were found on Pinterest

A Unique Clothing Challenge!

“The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair. The beauty of a woman is seen in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides. True beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul. It's the caring that she lovingly gives, the passion that she shows & the beauty of a woman only grows with passing years.”
― Audrey Hepburn

 

How true... God wants our hearts to be a reflection of Him and He wants people to be able to see Him in our eyes, actions, words, hobbies, etcetera.  However, although I agree with Audrey that "The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears" I do believe that what we wear reflects our inner heart and if we are to be a reflection of Christ then our clothes are to reflect him as well.

 

So...... I just found out about a "Clothing Challenge" that will be starting tomorrow and ending next Saturday.

 

I've seen several different clothing challenges and each one has a God honoring vision, but I've never felt led to enter any of them.  This one however, I feel is different from the others.

 

* First of all, it is for girls and  guys! 

* It's focus is on the hearts of the wearer

* It is a week "to put a little thought into what message your clothes say for you."

 

The focus of this challenge is as follows:

 

"Not attracting abundant attention to yourself, avoiding over thinking your outfits (and people’s responses to the outfits), and self control (avoiding gaudiness)."

 

The challenge's focus is to wear clothing that is carefully chosen to send a message that honors God, without spending an absorbitent amount of time choosing the outfit.  Our appearance is a reflection of what is in our hearts and our hearts as Christians are to reflect Christ. 

 

I think this will be a lot of fun and would love for more people to get involved!  If you are interested, please go and check out the challenge, sign up and then let others know!  Have fun!

 

 

 

 

What is Romance?

I've been reading Leslie's book "The Lost Art of True Beauty" for my devotions lately and it has been such a blessing.  This morning I read several things that I wanted to share with you.  They go right along with the post I did in January regarding the relationship we can have with our Heavenly Father through prayer.


"Contrary to popular opinion, romance is not a relationship - although it can add fullness and spice and excitement to a connection between two people.  Romance is not hearts and flowers and violins, although an evening of hearts and flowers and strings can be soaringly romantic. Romance is instead an attitude, a set of habits, a way of encountering the world.  You are romantic when savoring experience is a priority for you, when you are willing to invest time and energy into making your experiences more vivid and memorable." ~ Thomas Kinkade

      "(Eric's) romantic qualities go far beyond the realm of human romance.  Eric loves life.  He has a passion for living, an excitement to be alive each day, a hunger to experience the fullness of all God has for him on this earth.  He savors the romance and adventure of living a Christ-scripted life.  He deliberately adds a zest to life wherever he goes, whatever his circumstances.  He excels at enjoying the romance of life probably better than anyone else I've ever met.  And in the 17 years I've known him, I've become somewhat of a hopeless incurable romantic too - caught up in the epic adventure of a God-centered life.  It's a most exciting way to live.
      Eric and I believe God doesn't merely intend for life on this earth  to be endured; rather, He intends for life on this earth to be savored - every experience can be purposeful, meaningful, and significant.  Every day is an opportunity to discover more of Him."  ~ Leslie Ludy

That romantic relationship that I wrote about in my previous post on prayer and the relationship it brings with Christ, can be lived out when we see the gifts God has given us and choose to savor experiences, get excited with the little things and love the life He has given us!

As you ride through your weekend, may He bless you with lots of little blessings and may He bless you with the eyes and heart to see them!

For His Glory!