Sunday Blessings

Sunday Blessings

{Faith means being sure of the things we hope for

and knowing that something is real

even if we do not see it.  Hebrews 11:1}

Insta Friday

Good morning!  Today I want to share some of my Instagram photos with you.  Instagram is a fun (and free) iPhone/iPod app.  No, I don't have an iPhone.  My Sweet Girl won an iPod Touch last fall and I like to use it to take photos.  Honestly, I don't know how to do much else on it.  But I love Instagram!

This is what I woke up to this morning - a double rainbow!

This is from a couple weeks ago.  I thought it looked like the clouds exploded into the sky. The sky is probably one of my favorite things to photograph.

One of the highlights of my summer has been watching my Sweet Girl at physical therapy.  Our dream is for her to walk one day and she is making great strides!

Another summer favorite - homemade icecream!

We have done a lot of grilling this summer.  And by we I mostly mean my 13 (until next week) year old son.  The photo is of the 10 year old enjoy the results of the grilling.  Porkchops!

On our way to Colorado last month we made a pit stop in Omaha.  This is my 13 year olds idea of a vacation.

And this one enjoyed the jungle at the Henry Doorly Zoo. 

We had been lacking rain, so I recruited the boys to wash my van.  It rained that night!

This is our version of dining out earlier this week. We have had some gorgeous weather and wanted to enjoy it as much as possible.  It was the first time for us to use the iron patio set that I got on a "curb shopping" adventure a few weeks ago.  Yes, that means it was sitting on someone's curb waiting to be taken or hauled away to the dump.  One person's trash really is another's treasure!

Now you can hop on over and view other InstaFriday images.

{Instantly the man could see, and he followed Jesus, praising God. And all who saw it praised God, too.  Luke 18:43}

Sunday Blessings

At a recent auction I purchased several boxes of very old books.  I hadn't planned on buying any books, but the auctioneer could hardly get a bid.  The thought of all those books just being thrown in the dumpster was too much, so I brought them home with me.

Oh what treasures! Jane Eyre, The Red Pony, a children's version of Pilgrim's Progress, a very large family Bible from 1854.......

But perhaps my favorite is A Farmer's Wife, The Story of Ruth.

This beautiful little book was published in 1906.

Are you familiar with the story of Ruth?  Even if not, you have maybe heard this popular verse:

{...for whither thou goest I will go;

and where thou lodgest I will lodge:

thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God....}

It is a beautiful story; one I grew up hearing in Sunday School.  The true depth of the story, though, wasn't revealed to me until last summer.  My husband was unemployed and our future was uncertain.  I was struggling with my faith.  What did God have in store for our family?  One day, while reading some blogs, I came across this online Bible study.

I knew I needed to participate, so I purchased the book and signed up. From the very beginning of the study I could feel God working on me.  It was a comfort to be reminded that God was with us in our trials and that He would be with us when and where we moved. I learned so much from Ruth and her faith.

Jump ahead to this spring.  We'd been in our new location for several months and I was lonely and depressed.  One day a gal from church called to see if I would like to participate in a new women's Bible study.  They were planning on doing the same study I had done last summer - Ruth by Kelly Minter.  This time I was again reminded of Ruth's faith and her strength as she struggled in a foreign land.  My heart did some healing and I developed some wonderful friendships.  For many reasons, Ruth's story has a deeper meaning for me now. 

Well, I meant to make this a short explanation of why I was excited to find the old book.  I guess it didn't end up so short.  If you haven't read the story of Ruth I would encourage you to do so.  You can read it here. 

{The LORD repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!"  Ruth 2:12}

Chippy Blue Chest

Have you ever pulled up to a garage sale and immediately spotted something that makes you giddy? It happened to me earlier this summer.  I found myself walking quickly towards the piece and thinking, "Please don't let it be sold already" and "Please don't let it be super expensive."

It wasn't sold and it was only $20!  This beautiful chippy chest was coming home with me. 

Now, I realize some people don't see the beauty in this.  Obviously, at some point this chest started to be refinished.  Did the person change their mind?  Just run out of steam? Eventually, it just got pushed to the back of the shed and forgotten?  I don't know the story, but I do know that I love it just the way it is!

 The wonderful hand-carved pulls.....

....the little extra details....the perfect blue color.

I really do love everything about it.  This chest is a wonderful addition to the master bedroom.

Do you have a favorite furniture find from this summer?

{It takes wisdom to build a house, and understanding to set it on a firm foundation; It takes knowledge to furnish its rooms with fine furniture and beautiful draperies. Proverbs 24:3}

I'm linking up to Miss Mustard Seed. 

Pinterest Challenge - Laptop Bag

It is August already.  How did that happen?!  I could give you a bunch of excuses for why I haven't blogged since the middle of May, but I'm not going to.  Instead, I am just going to jump right back in like I haven't been gone.

Have you heard of Pinterest?  It is like an online inspiration board and you can "pin" pictures from all over the internet.  Let me tell you, it is very addictive.  And fun. Well, today I was catching up on some blog reading and came across some gals who were hosting a Pinterest Challenge.  It just so happens that I created a project last week using inspiration from Pinterest.

This spring I finally joined the world of laptop users.  Since then, I have been searching for just the right bag to hold my laptop.  When I came across the picture below, I knew I had found "the one."

{The original source for this bag is craftycpa.blogspot.com.}

Here is my version:

I love the way it turned out!  And the best part is that I had everything I needed for this project.  The feed sack was a thrift store find, I think.  I've had it for quite awhile, so I really don't remember.  It was the perfect width for my 17" computer.  I guess it was meant to be!  The strap is made from wide jute webbing leftover from a previous project (and purchased at WalMart).  I folded it in half and stitched down both sides.

I liked the look of this old military bar, so I pinned it on.  It was in a jar of buttons from the thrift store. 

The flower is made from scraps and an old button.

Here is a little peek of the lining fabric.  It was just a piece from my fabric stash.  It isn't vintage fabric, but has the look.  Between the lining and the exterior is a layer of neoprene fabric that I found at the local consignment store.  I guess it is the one thing I purchased with a laptop bag in mind. 

This pocket is just right for my power cord.  I purchased a few of these shot bags from an auction a couple weeks ago.  I knew I could find a use for them.

Thanks to Pinterest, I was able to create a laptop bag that i really love.  I actually rarely take my computer out of the house, but now I want to take it along wherever I go just so I can use my new bag!

I am linking up to the Pinterest Challenge.  Be sure to check out all the other great projects.