Encouraging Deep Roots

I had to laugh this morning as I thought about a blog post to write. Every so often I think that I need to keep this blog focused, but that just feels boring to me. I am creative. I have many things going on all of the time and they are an eclectic mix of ministry, cooking, crafting, business, writing, and on and on it goes. It is how the Lord has hard-wired me and I feel like my blog has lost a bit of ME as I try to stay focused on one direction. I really am just going to start posting so that it's more reflective of who I am.  This post is going to be a glimpse into my creative head space. Perhaps some of you can relate to me. Some of you may be cringing and thinking, "Here she goes again!" "Hopping down zig-zagging bunny trails." That's the challenge of my brain. Everything ties together. As I walk and take pictures, ideas for writing or scripture passages pop into my brain. As I sew and craft, I often am problem solving ministry or business issues. As I ...

Thank you for your encouragement on reopening my sewing business. I've been enjoying getting back to that and have been sewing for my Etsy shop and friend's shop, filling orders, as well as making some gifts. The older I get the more I can see that I'm wired for creativity.  I've been getting creative in the kitchen and other areas of my home. Because I have eczema on my hands certain cleaners aggravate it even when I wear gloves. So I've been getting back to basics and making some homemade cleaners.  This one smelled amazing. I steeped some lemons, limes and orange peels and peppermint from my garden in some vinegar. I let it set for a day or two and then strained out the fruit and peppermint. I added 1/2 of the vinegar mixture, 1/2 water, about 10 drops each of orange, lime and lemon essential oil and about 8 drops of peppermint essential oil. I also added about a tsp. of antibacterial dish soap. I poured it into a glass spray bottle and this is the cleaner I use ...

After a couple of days of beautiful weather we were back to cold and snow over the weekend. The past two weeks have been a whirlwind of activity and I am looking forward to a much slower week ahead. I can honestly say though that I was doing things that were enjoyable to me. I got to work in my happy space which is one that involves creativity. We had a missions conference at church and our speaker had served in France so of course, French pastries were a must. I enjoyed trying to master some of them. Macarons. These were not as pretty as the ones I see in bakeries, but tasted delicious. Lemon yogurt cake. French butter cookies. I do think I will add these to my list of cookies I make for the farmer's market this summer. I've mastered the sourdough bread and really enjoy making this. I spent the day in the kitchen (my happy place) on Saturday prepping food for the freezer and pantry. There is a local farm market I go to and they had a basketful of green peppers for 3 for a $1. ...

January and now, February, have been very snowy months here in New York State. Every now and then the sun peeps out for a bit, but for the most part, it's been dreary and gray. One of my goals this year is to declutter and get rid of things that I don't use. It's amazing to me that no matter how often I do this, things creep back into the house and before I know it, I have to go through the decluttering cycle once again. Each day I've been filling up a small box of items and carting it to the local thrift shop. This plant was sitting in a small basket that made it difficult to water without spilling. I donated the basket and replaced it with this bowl my sister-in-law gave me for my birthday. Now if water leaks out the bottom of the plant I don't have to worry about it going all over the countertop. While decluttering, I found this little pitcher that I had forgotten about. I was going to donate it, but it's so cute which is why I got it in the first place. I de...

I've always been creative, and I've also always been on the frugal side. The second one has come from necessity and then just became a way of life. This Christmas season, I've been having so much fun meshing the two together as I decorate. I did purchase some things to add to my decorations this year (a hazard of helping in a friend's shop), but most of what I have has been around for years and I also repurposed some items. When I do buy something, I don't purchase cutesy, fad things. I tend to purchase things that are timeless, and don't go out of style. I love what I've come up with so far! I had this ladder in storage which I purchased at a thrift shop a number of years ago. At the time, I had distressed it with white paint and sealed it with Modge Podge so I could use it at craft shows. I like how this turned out. I added the wreathe and star garland and just propped up the sign on it. I bought the greenery and pinecone garland and added the stars and hu...