An Award!!!!!!!!

I was pleasantly surprised yesterday when I realized my little blog had been awarded the Liebster Blog award by Lisa @ Olive Plants all Around my Table.  She always leaves sweet, encouraging comments and I enjoy popping in for encouragement at her blog.

So, here is how the Liebster award works:  "liebster"  is a German word meaning friend, love, or dearest. It is awarded to blogs with 200 followers or fewer.  In order to accept the award, the honored blogger must write a post to thank the giver, with a link back to their blog...and then pass on the encouragement to five more bloggers.  

Here are my picks :) stop by, leave a comment and let them know where heard about them.

Brianna @ Fountain of Love

Andrea @ She Looks Well into the Ways of Her Household.

Elissa @ Crunchy Con Natural Health and Cosmetics

Stacie @ Thoughts from Stacie

Aimee @Cadeau Knitwear

 

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Rebecca

Digital Scrapbooking

I have always loved papers and fancy fonts and inks and anything pretty. I've always loved building collages, headers and buttons and graphics for websites, ever since I edited With all of thy Heart e-zine and website.
  I had a wonderful program that I used for years, but a few computer changes and upgrades later, I don't have that particular program anymore. I was a little handicapped for a little while as a result.
  I started looking around for another program similar to my old standby. Only problem though, I hate paying full price for anything. Yeah, I'm one of those. So I looked through several programs that were available to download for free and found the one that works the best for me.

Click here to go to download page

I choose Craft Artist Compact because it is a digital scrapbooking software with many features.  It is awesome! Your projects have multiple layers, it is compatible with all image file types and best of all, it's FREE.

 

 Craft Artist Compact is available for free from DaisyTrail , an online digital scrapbooking community. Also available from DaisyTrail are several free digikits with backgrounds, brushes, embellishments, photo frames, scrapbook page layouts, and other great stuff.

  You can create printable scrapbook pages, graphics and collages for websites, either from scratch or use one of the many templates that comes with the program. Those are just a few of the features of Craft Artist Compact. You can also design and make gift boxes, gift tags, cupcake toppers and wrappers, invitations, buntings--everything you need for a party--plus greeting cards and stationary.
 It is so easy to use, with almost no learning curve at all.
  The possibilities are nearly endless--I love this program!

Created using Craft Artist Compact

EOA link up

Contentment--Great Gain

 "But godliness with content is great gain." 1 Timothy 6:6 (KJV)

  A house, a milk cow, chickens, a little place to grow things, a big porch to sit on in the evenings with my honey, trees, a clothesline, the sounds of birds and woods instead of traffic....these are just a few of the things that I wish for at least once a week. My husband and I love to plan and dream about when we move back to the country. He wants a pair of hunting/cow dogs and a shop where he can build things for us. We are both very visionary and it is easy for us to get very wrapped up in our plans and ideas.
 My mom and I were talking the other day about all of our plans, and my parent's plans to build a new larger home on their land. We were saying how we couldn't wait and how wonderful it would be and life would just be great.
  While we were talking I realized something. Even though I ache to be back in the country, and I can't wait to have all of the things I mentioned above, I really and truly am happy. Completely happy and content just as I am now. I never thought this country girl could be so happy in the city.
 I was so happy when I realized that because for a while I have been making a conscious effort to bloom where I am planted. It is very easy to not want to put down roots because "Oh, we won't be here long enough, why go to all the trouble?" Roots take work and when the season changes, it can be painful to be uprooted. It can be easier sometime to live the idyllic future we imagine than living in the here and now. Sometimes the here and now isn't any fun.
  I have been trying very hard not get so wrapped up in what we are going to do, that I don't get to enjoy what we are doing and experiencing right now. I really am having the time of my life, when I stop and think about it. I feel like I am on an adventure--everything is new and I am learning all kinds of things. I have time right now to learn and perfect new skills and I may never have this opportunity again.
 I've also found that the more thankful and grateful I am, the more happy and content I am. Instead of wishing for the day when we can move to the country, I thank the Lord for the things He has given us and worked out for us here in the city.
 For example: out apartment is a bottom story apartment. This makes it so much easier when I buy groceries, not having to cart things up stairs. Also, our grandparents are able to visit us more easily, since going up stairs is difficult for them. We are able to park our vehicles right in front of our apartment, which is a great blessing, especially in the winter.
 Our home is a larger one bedroom apartment, with a small laundry room in it. I am able to do all of my laundry at home and not have to go elsewhere, like some of my friends who live in apartments have to. I can do laundry at midnight if I need to :)
  We live only about eight minutes from Jacob's job. Sometimes he is able to come home for lunch. It is wonderful that his commute every day is so short.
  When I am content and happy, it makes things easier for Jacob. It says to him that he is doing an amazing job providing for me and that I have confidence in him. When I am content and happy our home is peaceful and a refuge. He has always jokingly said "When Mama's happy, everyone is happy," and to large extent, that is true. The wife is largely responsible for the tone and the atmosphere in the home. I want our home to be a place of peace and joy for him.
  So, slowly and surely, I am learning contentment and its benefits and blessings. I want to bloom where I am planted and I want the fragrance from those blooms to be a blessing to my Creator, my husband and those around me.

 "....for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content." Philippians 4:11 (KJV)


Encourage One Another Link Up 

He Always Provides!

The way the Lord always provides for His children never ceases to amaze me. I wanted to share something that happened in our lives recently.
Last week, the heating element in my dryer went out. Never a good thing to happen, but especially worse since I can't just run my clothes out to the clothesline. I realized this only after placing a load of clothes in the dryer and starting a new one in the washer--two loads of wet clothes that I couldn't do anything with.
 I called my mom just to make sure I wasn't missing something and she confirmed what I suspected--the heating element died. She had a spare one so when I went to see her the next day she sent it home with me. I spent part of the weekend at my in-laws doing laundry--which was pretty stacked up by then.
  The following Monday at work one of Jacob's customers came in and out of the blue asked him if he knew anyone that needed a dryer. His wife's washer had gone out and they bought a matching set and had a dryer to spare. Jacob told him that we might, but to let him see if the spare part we had would fix ours first.
  To make a long story short, the spare wasn't the right one, so Jacob and I headed to Lowes and Home Depot to no avail.  There was an appliance parts store that he was going to try the next day if the customer didn't show up with the dryer.
 He did, and it was much newer than our other one. Jacob brought it home and it works like a charm and is much faster than our other dryer was. It has been so nice to do laundry at my house again!
 The Lord provides for His children! He can use anything or anyone to accomplish His will. He delights in caring for and rewarding His children for their trust in Him.