Tender Shoots

"A bruised reed He will not break,

and a dimly burning wick He will not quench;

He will bring forth justice in truth."

Isaiah 42:3

The tiny shoots pushing through the black earth lean towards the light and warmth of the sun.

They remind me of Father's gentleness with me, His precious child, 

and all of us broken sinners who have turned to Jesus, recognizing a need for a Savior.

Don't we as moms also wrap our arms safely around our new babes, 

born so tiny and helpless.

Our hands cradle their newly formed heads against the beating of our hearts.

Our hearts united in the language of love.

God's love.

He is love.

And loves us beyond measure, beyond our understanding.

In ways we can't comprehend or always see.

But, know this my friend,

We are accepted and loved by Him.

Shalom.

Hoop Fun

Quite frequently I crave hand sewing and so when I saw this fabulous vintage sewing party  the pretty monogramed embroidery hoops were my next must try project.  I adapted the tutorial a bit by using muslin in the hoop and created a 3-D flower.

I liked the idea of the flower being raised up a bit and I finished off the center with a pearl-like button.  This was the perfect summer project to do while staying cool in the A/C. 

Have a blessed day my friends!

a favorite app

This very cool grocery app is making my life so much easier!  While cooking or baking I simply scan the item I used up or am running low on and it puts it on my list categorizing it by aisle.  It is so handy!  No more writing out lists.  No more leaving lists at home.  It's all stored on my phone!  It even suggests coupons and has the capacity to e-mail the list to someone else.  Now we are talking!

Go ahead and try it out!  Look here.

Blessings!

mini-project

Normally, my cell phone goes into a special pocket in my purse but for those times I don't want to carry my purse I was in need of a cute little pouch.  The tutorial I used can be found here.

It is just the thing for making a quick trip into the store since it fits so nicely in the palm of my hand.  Plus, a few plastic cards tuck in nicely too.  I can see making more of these in different fabrics since they sew up so quickly.

Have a blessed day!

I {heart} Barcelona

I recently had the privilege of traveling with my husband on a business trip to Barcelona, Spain.  Our oldest son also came with us.  He was more than happy to utilize the Spanish he had been learning for 3 years and I thought it would be great to spend this time with him before he heads off to college.

It was truly a trip of a lifetime.

It didn't take me long to fall in love with the city and it's people.  I admire the Spanish in many areas; one being their sense of fashion.  It is a place where ladies dress like ladies and it was so delightful to watch them.  Plus, they are a very kind, humble and charming people.  Very easy to get along with.  Greeting each other with kisses was quite common and my heart was so warmed by all the couples (young and old) strolling through the streets hand in hand.  Paris, they say, is the city of love but this city could certainly compete!

Barcelona is a bustling, beautiful city with incredible architecture.  Many of the amazing sites are credited to the architect Antoni Gaudi who looked to nature for his inspiration.

 Coming upon street performers was a common site and quite entertaining.

One of the best things about traveling to another country is to taste their food.  It was such a treat to get a break from cooking for a family of 6!  Their style of food is Mediterranean in my opinion and they eat so much fresh food it inspired me to eat even healthier.  I can't tell you how many times I saw someone walking with loaves of baguettes pointing out of their shopping bags.  It just made me chuckle.

This was my favorite meal while there: lamb sis-kebab.  So. Delicious.

And of course we can't forget the chocolate!

Spending 10 days in a foreign culture was so exciting and I hope someday you can experience it, too.  It really made the world smaller and it gave me a love for the Spanish people who live on the opposite side of the globe.  But, anywhere you go people are still people and we can learn from them.

I would like to leave you with one last picture.  This bullet shaped building lights up at night and is spectacular rising up into the sky with all it's brilliant blue and red colors.

Have a most enjoyable weekend my friends!

P.S.  I would be happy to share with anyone who is traveling here what we did and saw. 

A Yummy Thirst Quencher

With temperatures reaching 100F degrees this week staying indoors as much as possible is a must for me. 

Even in the air conditioning I had a craving

 for a tall, frothy, cool glass of 

Orange Julius.

Here is my recipe in case you do, too!

Orange Julius

1 cup milk

1 cup water

1/2 tsp vanilla

6 oz can of orange juice

1/2 cup powdered sugar

12 ice cubes

 Blend all ingredients in a blender. 

I have just returned from an exciting trip

 that I can't wait to tell you about in my next post.

Stay cool!