Waiting for the Call

I will be taking a break from my blog

to spend the last days and hours 

with my dear Daddy 

who is soon going home to be with Jesus...

he has lived a full and happy life for 92 years

most of that time serving in active ministry

and being a spiritual mentor

to 1000's of people in his life time.

There are no regrets as we face

the final goodbyes, I have had the gift

of his full love, support

and affirmation.

No parent could have done better

in teaching his children to know

and love God's Word

and to seek a very personal walk

with Jesus.

He is a man of great honor and integrity

who can face eternity with full confidence in

the cleansing blood of Christ.

Thank you for your prayers,

Karen

It's a Sweet Time of Year Dessert Table

This idea for the dessert table

for Christmas came from Pinterest

and The Hostess with the Mostess

Swaddling Clothes

This idea is not original,

but last night it suddenly hit me with

special meaning...

I couldn't fall asleep as my mind raced from 

one worry to another.

 I got my Bible

and decided to see how many 

Old Testament Scriptures

I could find that refer to the 

Birth of Christ.

As the prophets inserted into seemingly oblique

passages glimpses of what was to come

in Bethlehem one Holy night,

I was overwhelmed with the thought

that if you made a strip of cloth and wrote each passage

on it and wrapped it around the Christ Child,

He would be swaddled in the Scriptures!

And if you began to add those references

to His life and death

the manger and stable would be filled with

bolts of Swaddling cloths...

Such a humble place for a King we say?

I say what Rich and Royal Robes

He wore that first Christmas Day.

A blessed and Holy Christmas

filled with joy and peace to All!

Karen

from 

Out in the Fields

All the Presents are Wrapped

I only enjoy wrapping Christmas

presents if I can do something crafty

while doing it...

weird, I know!

This year I bought plain paper

and bags and used my 

star stamp to add images,

burlap and twine for ties, 

and stamped gift tags.

 Layering papers strips added a nice simple

element also.

 On the bags below I used an idea I saw

on Pinterest for a card and embellished

the bags that way with initials for 

the recipients.

A Wall of Good Wishes

This year to display my Christmas 

cards received,

I used my barn board +chicken wire

wall display

and pinned the cards on with

clothes pins covered in 

old sheet music.

The banner is made of felt

Sugar...Flour...Butter

Yesterday was baking day.

I always ask my boys which 

Christmas cookies they want me to make

and they all like the same ones

which as I was baking I realized

contain the same 3 main  ingredients

with a slight variation

to added ingredients and shape!

Flour

Sugar

Butter

My forays into GF baking didn't go so well,

the cookies flattened into butter pools

and the tarts fell apart when looked at...

A Bear on my Doorstep

I opened my back door today and

to my great surprise and delight

this is who was sitting there!

I was having a very sad day...

and this was the first thing that made

me break out in a big happy grin.

Thank you to whoever left this for me,

I assume that you know the story of

my stolen bear and blessed me with 

a new one...AND flowers!

If you didn't know that would be 

an amazing thing:)

God bless you for brightening up a 

tear filled day, God knew I needed to be

shown that I am loved:)

Bits and Pieces

I manage to keep getting things

done despite my tendency to get

distracted by new ideas!

Stockings

 Little Girl Outfits

 Bags

Bear, "free" to Good Home?

Remember this bear from my 

front porch?

Somebody stole him!

I drove past yesterday and noticed 

something didn't look right

and my heart dropped.

But this is what I hope...

that whoever took it has a child

who was not going to get anything for 

Christmas because there was no money.

That child's parent saw the bear

right there and easy to grab

and took it knowing that their 

little one would squeal with

delight Christmas morning.

I only wish they would have asked...

I would gladly have given it away.

Out in the Fields House Tour

I had already featured my house on

my blog soon after decorating

but I am redoing it into one post

to make it easily accessible to 

those coming from

Jennifer Rizzo 

Holiday House Walk

Thanks for visiting!

This year I went from a 4300 sq ft

house to a 1400 sq ft house...

but I love it! 

It's so easy to decorate for a lot less...

(Please click on pictures if you'd like to

view in a larger format)

 Porches

Living Room & Kitchen

 My Bedroom

Most decor and pillows are hand crafted

by me:)

The birds and stars on tree are made

from craft paper and sheet music.

The snow on tree was from a tutorial on

U Create

A Fool for the sake of Him...

Today at the crowded mall,

with the hustle and bustle 

we associate with 

what we call

Christmas,

I saw a lady walking around,

carrying a 24x30 sign

that said

It stopped me in my tracks...

and I hope it reached the heart of

every one who saw it.

Whoever you are dear lady,

He will not be ashamed of you either!!

Be blessed...

A Fairy Party

Brielle is 4!

I was happy to do whatever my 

princess wanted for her party

and she LOVEs Tinkerbell,

and purple

so it was a fairy party...

 For the flowers I used Dollar Tree

scrubbies and pipe cleaners:)

Cheap and Easy

Isn't she lovely?!