Cheerful Charity

When the church asks for donations - do you grieve over losing that money or is your heart happy because you know you are doing a good thing?  Sometimes we go through the motions and donate this or that for a good cause because it is simply something we're supposed to do.  However, I'm hoping you've also had that moment when you donate to a charity or fill a shoebox for a child half way across the world and as you walk away you have a smile on your face and a tune in your heart.

Deuteronomy 15:10 - You shall generously give to him, and your heart shall not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all your undertakings.

First of all, the "him" in this passage is the poor (if you don't believe me, pull out your Bible and check out Deut. 15:7-10).  :)  

"...your heart shall not be grieved..."  What do you think the opposite of grieve is?  Joy?  Cheer?  Happiness?  Any and all of the above?  If you really think about it, "Here is a command to give cheerfully" (Henry).  You see, "thou shalt give, not only with an open hand, but with a willing and cheerful mind, without which thy very charity is uncharitable and not accepted by God" (Wesley).  

But why?  God doesn't say "Cheerfully give to the poor because I said so" or "because they need it," but rather "...because...the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all your undertakings..."  He tells us to give generously and cheerfully for our own benefit - "Giving cheerfully in charity will enrich us, it will fill the barn with plenty (Prov 3:10) and the soul with true comfort" (Henry).

Today I challenge you to find a charity of your choice and donate what you can.  It doesn't have to be $500, it can be $5 or even some change.  But when you give, make sure you do so with joy in your heart!  You will be blessed, God has promised.

Who Needs Pinterest? Well...

Sometimes Pinterest doesn't give me one single idea or one project, instead, it sparks my creativity and inspires me to be creative!  And that is exactly how this original masterpiece came to be:

I adore it.  Mostly because I didn't steal the idea from someone else.  Hubby wants me to sell it because he doesn't particularly care for it...but I don't know if I can part with it...

Here is a close up of the main piece that took me eternity:

In case you can't read that, the passage is Matthew 6:25-34 - one of my favorites!  It talks about how if God takes care of the birds of the air and the lilies of the field, than how much more so will He take care of us?  Stop worrying. That is a reminder I need every day!  :)  Check out the paper flower tutorial over at "Dozi".

The other two pieces took much less time to complete but I think they turned out pretty well: 

The following three blogs provided me with most of my inspiration:
Creating While Waiting
Blue Cricket Design
Tatertots & Jello

Hoping my inspiration inspires you!  Happy Crafting!

On a side-note, I officially made my own laundry detergent yesterday!  

Really excited about this!  Should last me longer than store-bought, be a lot healthier, it was cheaper, and it wasn't very difficult!

There were two blogs I referred to:

Sew Much Ado and Being Creative

I technically used the recipe from Sew Much Ado - it is a small recipe (perfect for someone that just wants to try the homemade thing) so I quadrupled it.


Being Creative includes Oxi-Clean in her recipe, but other than that, the recipe is basically the same...just bigger, much bigger.  And since I didn't have a 5-gallon bucket laying around, I decided to use the recipe from Sew Much Ado.  However, I did buy a big container of oxi-clean (I got off-brand) and I add a scoop of that to each wash as well.  I simply combined the best of both worlds...or blogs...

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.  Let's make the world a better place, one washing machine at a time!

Good-For-Nothing Thought

How many times have you heard someone say, "It was just a thought - I didn't act on it, so it doesn't matter"  or at least something along those lines?  I may have said it myself at some point in time or another.

Deuteronomy 15:9 - Beware that there is no base thought in your heart, saying, "The seventh year, the year of remission, is near,' and your eye is hostile toward your poor brother, and you give him nothing; then he may cry to the Lord against you, and it will be a sin in you.


There are two small things I want to discuss before moving onto the main point here.  First, the seventh year, the year of remission, also known as the Sabbath year, was a year when all debt was released.  Whether you had lent it 7 years ago or 3 years ago or yesterday - when you entered the year of remission, you had to release the debt, simple as that.  Can you imagine if we still operated like this how different life would be?  From less bankruptcy, to many more homeowners, to less suicide due to unfathomable debt....the list goes on and on.... 

This verse is saying that you won't lend to the poor because you know that the year of remission is near and you won't get your money back.  It also states that if you do this, the poor can cry to the Lord and it will be a sin against you.  What I really want you to catch here is this: "What a consolation to the poor and the oppressed, that they have a sure friend in God, who will hear their cry and redress their grievances" (Clarke).  Even when we aren't a friend to the poor - they still, and always will, have Someone!

Okay...now to the main point.  Yes, this verse obviously has the connotation that we need to give to the poor.  However, it is hard to apply to our lives today since we do not have the year of remission anymore.  However, look back to the beginning of this verse where it states "Beware that there is no base thought in your heart..."  First, let us define what "base" means.  In the Hebrew, it is actually beliya 'al meaning "worthlessness, wickedness, vileness" (Strong's H1100).  Or as Clarke defines it, "good-for-nothing or unprofitable.

You see, "we mistake if we think thoughts are free from the divine cognizance and check" (Henry).  God hears our thoughts!  That's why we can pray without speaking.  Isn't it funny that we know God hears our prayers, so we don't say them out loud.  But at the same time, we like to think He doesn't hear each and every one of our individual thoughts.  After all, thinking is where our sin begins: "Those that would keep from the act of sin must keep our of their minds the very thought of sin" (Henry).  "Beware," or shamar, is defined as "to keep, guard, observe, give heed" (Strong's H8104).  As Wesley states, the natural conclusion of this defenition is that we need to "suppress the first risings of such uncharitableness."  In other words, we need to guard our thoughts.  We need to make sure that sinful thoughts are quickly suppressed and kept out of our mind.  This is not an easy task, but a vital one!

Today I challenge you to think better.  :)  When you notice that you are having a negative or sinful thought this week, stop whatever you're doing and take a deep breath.  During your "breather" refocus on something positive or holy - like God's love.  His love can change a heart of stone, so I'm sure it can change a teensy-weensy thought!  

Folding Shirts = Happier Hubby

Justin and I are forever frustrated with his t-shirts.  I fold his shirts and put them away, trying my best to keep it so he can see which one is which - but there is only so much space!  I would get back in the drawer after doing laundry the next time and it would just be a mess.  Nothing we fought over - just something I wish could be fixed.  And then Pinterest saved the day!  

I discovered a new idea over at Darkroom and Dearly.  However, I merely used her idea - when I decided to try it, I folded all by myself without her instructions - I just folded how I usually do and then added an extra fold.  So, beware, if you check out both blogs, our folding methods may vary.  :)

Anyhow - this is what the drawer looked like after I refolded:

And here are the steps for folding:

Here's to better organized drawers!  Happy folding!

Not-So-Rainy Day Fun

On Thursday, I had plans to take 3 of the 4 kids I watch to the zoo.  However, with threats of a "derecho" (whatever that is...) - thunderstorms, rain, high winds, slight chance of tornadoes...generally unpredictable weather, I thought it best that we spend the day at home instead.  So I came loaded with some awesome rainy day activities (thank you Pinterest) so that the kids wouldn't be disappointed that we didn't go the zoo.

And it worked perfect!  We had a fantastic day!  However...it didn't rain until after I had already headed home.  Regardless, for our next rainy day, I might pull one, or both, of these activities back out!  Megan spent the whole next morning telling her dad how much fun she had!

After playing hide and seek inside (which was a big hit in itself), I had all 3 of the kiddos hang out and play in Megan's room.  They weren't allowed to leave, not even open the door - I had a surprise game for them that I had to get ready.  :)  While they were playing, I whipped out the yarn I had hidden in my "Nanny-Pack" and started stringing it ALL over the house.  The picture below is just one little sneak peek of what was from the upstairs to the downstairs, in the hallway, through the dining room, kitchen, and living room!  

After finishing, I managed to crawl my way back upstairs without breaking anything and sneak into Megan's room.  I had them all line up at the door and then I opened it: "Whoa!"  "what's that?" and "How do I get out?"  Can you tell they are all 3 so very different in their perspectives?  I love it!  Anyways - I explained that they had to go downstairs, through the dining room and kitchen, touch the mudroom door, go through the living room, and then back upstairs (yes, one of the 3 year olds was able to repeat these instructions almost word for word to her dad the next day...).  They LOVED it!  We went through twice.  And for me, that was NOT an easy feat!  haha.  Wrapping the yarn back up was probably the most challenging task - but SO worth it!  I found this idea via Pinterest on Be Different Act Normal.

After I got everything "wrapped-up" (literally), we ventured to the kitchen for a unique cookie making adventure!  You see, I found this recipe (yes, via Pinterest) on I {heart} Nap Time.  The dough is almost exactly like play-do!  So...we washed the counter AND our hands REALLY well.  Then started mixing the dough.  Everyone took turns stirring, adding ingredients, and counting (baking is a wonderful learning tool in SO many ways).  After I added the food coloring and jello, I separated each color into three pieces and let the kids play with their "play-dough" while I pre-heated the oven and handled clean-up duty.  Here are their creations (again, very unique to their personality):

Then they each helped me roll the dough into balls for the cookie sheets too!  Here is the final result (taken with my phone since I forgot to take a pic of the cookies when I had my camera with me the other day):

This was another much-loved activity!  Again, the recipe for these "Play-Dough" Cookies is found here.  Mine differed a bit because I only had 2 packs of Jello at home instead of 4 and I ran out of butter so I had to substitute a with a little bit of oil (final result was still great but the dough was a little greasy).

Hope your rainy days are as successful as my not-so-rainy day was!  :)

Attics, Puzzles, and Nursery Themes....

 My parents are preparing to move.  Because of this, my mom and I have been cleaning like crazy!  We went through my grandma's attic (with the help of my cousin and, of course, Grandma!) and then a few days later we tackled my childhood room.  Both of these adventures were very sentimental.  We discovered a lot of neat stuff:

- Grandma's wedding dress
- Mom's wedding dress
- Military uniforms
- Cake topper from my grandparent's wedding
- All of my old toys (it was so hard deciding what to keep!)
- A box of ALL the notes I had written/received over the course of highschool

And the list goes on and on and on....

One of the neat things we discovered were old puzzles.  We found some in a box Grandpa had hidden in the attic (Mom had never even seen them).  Three of them to be exact.  I decided to put them all together to see if we had the pieces.  Two of them weren't missing a thing.  And one was missing 2 or 3 pieces.  But still!  Pretty awesome.  Here they are:

We also found a bag full of puzzle pieces in my room.  They were obviously old and I couldn't remember putting them together, though the back of the pieces were vaguely familiar since they are so unique:

Then I remembered that each puzzle had a different pattern on the back!  So I separated all of the pieces.  In the end, what I thought was 4 separate puzzles, turned out to be 6 puzzles - each a different nursery rhyme!

I'm thinkin' vintage themed nursery?  :D

I forgot how much I love putting puzzles together!  Something about it is just SO relaxing!  

Emptying the Clouds

Have you ever been at a stop light where there's a man or woman holding a sign begging for money?  And you do everything you can to pretend like they aren't there, to avoid eye contact at all cost?  Guilty as charged.  I've done it...a lot.  When we lived in Oklahoma City, there were a couple of places we drove through repeatedly that you could count on someone being there.  Not once did I do a thing about it.  After all, in this day and age, how do I know if they're actually homeless or in trouble?  And what if they use my money for alcohol or drugs?  But maybe that doesn't matter...

Deuteronomy 15:7 - If there is a poor man with you, one of your brothers, in any of your towns in you land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart, nor close your hand from your poor brother.

I want to define a few things here before I get to the heart of the matter:

• To "close your hand" could be translated as being "tightfisted" and quite a few versions refer to it in that way (Parallel Bible).
• "Poor" in the Hebrew can mean quite a few different things, the chief meaning in this verse is "in want, needy, chiefly poor, needy person" (Strong's H34).  However, it can also be defined as someone "subject to oppression and abuse" or someone "needing help, deliverance from trouble" (Strong's H34).  
• While it would be easy to dismiss this verse because I literally don't have a poor brother, it isn't that simple.  "Brother" also can be defined in a variety of ways, from the literal blood relationship to simply resembling someone to having a relationship with someone.  In some verses, it is simply translated as "countrymen" (Deut. 17:20).  You see, "brother,"  much like "neighbor," covers a vast array of people (Strong's H251).

So this verse simply put: If you know of someone in need (whether that be monetarily or otherwise) do not be hardhearted or tightfisted.

As soon as I read this verse, I was convicted.  Sitting at those stop lights, hardening my heart is exactly what I did!  Because there is ALWAYS a chance that that person really needs help...but I shut those thoughts out of my mind, hardened my heart, and tightened my fist - there was no way they were getting my money...it was too risky!

But it is here in this verse that "we are...commanded to lend or give according to our ability and the necessity of the case" (Henry).  Yeah, I might not have much money to spare thanks to rent and student loans and gas money...but compared to some, I have a lot.  I can always give something...  If I'm not willing to give than my heart is already hardened.  As Henry brilliantly puts it, "If the hand be shut, it is a sign the heart be hardened; for, if the clouds were full of rain they would empty themselves."

Today I challenge us (yes, I'm definitely including myself here) to not just walk by.  The next time you see someone in need, whether that is someone begging on the side of the road or someone crying in a hallway, stop and help.  No, we can't know what is going to happen to the $5 we give that person, but that isn't for us to worry about.  You see, "When we have an occassion of charitable lending, if we cannot trust the borrower, we must trust God, and lend..." (Henry).  God told us to give, He will take care of the rest.