Momentous decisions and the peace of God

How do you make momentous decisions? Decisions about things in your financial sector, relational sector, career sector, and such?

We pray.

How do we know what God wants us to do?

Good question, I think we just don't know till we do know. Sounds convoluted, but it's peace. Peace that God gives us somehow.

Philippians 4:6-7 says, "6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

I'm not great about the not being anxious part (haha) but thankfully God is good and caring and He does give peace.

We are facing another momentous decision this week, following what feels like half a year of momentous decisions. Praying for His guidance and peace (and trying to not be anxious!) :) By the grace of God.

Devotions with teens

So here's my tip for the day...it has been working well for our family, even with one kiddo away at college.

We are using a messaging app and going through a chapter a day in a book of the Bible. We have actually been doing the Proverb of the day, meaning that each individual reads the chapter in Proverbs that corresponds to the day of the month and then sharing one verse or passage from it that was meaningful to them. We have been using the GroupMe app on our phones, and it is a nice way to have a little accountability as well as encouragement to read the Word each day.

For December we are reading through the book of Luke.

Are we all always consistent? Nope, sorry :/ BUT we do try ... and it has really been a way to keep everyone on the same page and reading Scripture every (most every!) day.

We also use the Bible Gateway app for reading online...very helpful!

So there's my 2 cents for the day :)

Wow, I missed a couple of weeks of posting! I'm buried in mittens, getting ready for 3 more craft fairs :)

The Lord has been blessing us through sales...thank you God!!!!! :)

A Christmas Haven by Cindy and Erin Woodsmall -- my review

These days I don't really have  much time to read...and I miss that! :) I was given the opportunity to read/review a copy of a book with a Christmas-y name, A Christmas Haven,



A year ago I was reading a book by the same authors (Cindy and Erin Woodsmall) and enjoying it as well...it was The Christmas Remedy and it was quite enjoyable :) When given the opportunity to read this next installment in the series about this Amish family, I was happy to carve some time out.

In A Christmas Haven a couple of Amish families are in crisis. One family has a member who want to leave the church/community rules and restrictions; a different family in a different degree of Amish beliefs has a family crisis which seems like it cannot be overcome, short of grievous decisions.

Ivy, who lives and works on the family dairy farm, wants a more "English" career and lifestyle, focusing on party and event planning.  She feels too restricted by the Amish ways in which she was brought up and decides that the ony path to her happiness is through breaking those bonds.  Adam and Magda have a big secret of their own and feel the only option for them is to run away from their very conservative Amish community. 

These two families intersect in another sort of crisis way...and though it seems like their differences are just too big...amazing things happen!

It is hard to give a review without spoilers! Suffice it say that I really enjoyed reading this book and I would definitely recommend it! My 15 year old daughter is reading it as well, and is enjoying it too!  Even though it has a Christmas-y title, it's actually not super Christmas-themed, so don't feel bad reading it at any time of the year!

Enjoy! :)

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Super delicious meal ... Onion pie!!!

Are you looking for a new meal to try this fall? I have one for you!! It's ONION PIE!!! :) It is so delicious, goes with just about anything...it's basically a sour-cream and onion filling in a pie crust. It's very easy to make and everyone loves it!!!

I found the recipe in an old cookbook, and the whole family loves it--in the picture below I added bacon bits to it to give it a different twist--yummm.  For the recipe, please click on the post I did a couple of years ago about it! Enjoy!! :) 

Online Drawing Program by Creating a Masterpiece -- my REVIEW

My youngest daughter, who is now in 10th grade, enjoys creating art. I am not super-talented in the areas of painting/drawing, so she was thrilled to have the opportunity to use the one-year subscription to the Drawing Program by Creating a Masterpiece and I am happy to share my thoughts about the program in this review! We had used a different online product from Creating a Masterpiece in the past, so she anticipated enjoying these drawing lessons--and yes, she certinly did!

  

Maybe if you have a long memory, you might remember my previous review of an art program from Creating a Masterpiece (here). This program is similar, but different!

The Drawing Program is a series of four different levels of instruction in drawing projects, from beginner to level 3.  The instructor, Sharon Hofer, introduces the lesson (and finished product) to the students and then walks them through how they can replicate the piece of art, one step at a time. She is very smooth and pleasant to listen to, and she gives the instructions at a very do-able rate, talking as she performs the drawings/smudgings/etc. so that the student can follow her words as well as her movements.

Students may begin at any level, but for our family (with very little drawing experience!) it made sense to begin at the beginners' level. There are five different projects which you can work on, some of them are working in pencil, others are with charcoal.  

Similarly to the last time we used the Creating a Masterpiece program, our initial thought, upon viewing the artwork we were to learn to make, was along the lines of, "No way, I can't do that!"  My daughter actually was a bit intimidated, thinking that she couldn't make something like what was shown (before she started) -- but she went ahead and started out with the lessons...

Miss Sharon's clear instructions about how to create the "Hoot Owl"...

   

were followed and this amazing drawing of an owl emerged!

Another one of the beginner lessons that she completed was the "Angling for Trout." {{{Side note: my husband rasies trout for a living, so just take this into account!}}}  We were all amazed to see her make this drawing:

 You'll notice that she is working on her second version of this picture, because her first didn't have the correct dimensions of an actual trout (see side note above, haha!) so she went through the directions a second time--and she actually plans to do another time as well! (This is another great part of the program--you are not limited to only using the directions once! You can perfect your following of her instructions time and time again!)

One of the things that we like about Miss Sharon's instructions are her likeability and normal-ness.  She speaks to the student just like she is having a conversation, and like she is a friend. She is upbeat, not rushed, and very encouraging!

So...can I show off a few more of the drawings that she has made thus far? :) 

This one was in the midst of the Alaskan Wilderness drawing...

And here's the finished work of the Alaskan Wilderness (this was a Level 1 charcoal drawing).  My husband has already claimed this for his office at work. :)

This was the lesson on drawing a still life with shadowing of an egg :) 

And she's mid-way through the Level 2 project "Dawdling Duck" (I love this one, who would've imagined that my 15-year old could draw this?!)

She is completely thrilled to have access to these drawing lessons for a year, and I anticipate seeing lots of iterations of each of these drawings (or at least of her favorites). It is nice to be able to go over the same lessons (I know I said this before, but it bears repeating) as the student has become semi-comfortable to the tools and the techniques, and it's then easier to make changes.

The program itself is very easy to use. The website is very natural to navigate without frustration, and the lessons that you have purchased (have access to) are easy to find. For each lessons there is an accompanying list of materials, so you won't be surprised mid-project, and there is even a link where you could purchase the supplies if you don't already have a favorite vendor of these items.

The lessons are broken up into chunks, as well, so that if you don't have the time to devote to the entire project you can easily return later to pick up where you left off. 

All in all, we REALLY enjoy these online art lessons/online drawing program by Creating a Masterpiece. The student can learn some techniques, but I think it's more of a "finished work" creation-type program. Some of the techniques they learn can be carried over into other independent projects. I'd describe this program as more of an online "Paint and Sip" type program, easy to turn out a really nice finished product.

Here are a couple of thoughts from my 10th grade daughter who used the program these past few months: I LOVE creating a masterpiece! I am not a very artsy person, but I'm able to draw really cool and good things with this! The lessons are easy to follow along, and she is very clear about what you should do. She also says to sometimes copy her picture, but its really ok if yours looks different from hers.

Well, as you have probably inferred already, I definitely recommend the Online Drawing Program by Creating a Masterpiece!  If you'd like to read the thoughts of other families who have used this product, please check out their reviews by clicking on the link below!

Water

There's something soul-soothing about being by the water!

Thank you Lord for the blessings of a beautiful day :)