Welcome to the World!

Last Monday I had the blessing of being able to see the birth of a new life! 

It was the most amazing thing I've ever seen!! A mother, bringing life into the world, straining and working so hard to give birth to her baby is a breathtaking thing to see!

At Painted Gypsy Ranch, Brandy gave birth to a beautiful little filly! 

 http://www.paintedgypsyranch.com/ 

She is the cutest little thing I've ever seen!! 

It was amazing to see how quickly she got up and started walking around and trying to run!

I hope you enjoy the pictures and check out the link to Painted Gypsy Ranch! http://www.paintedgypsyranch.com/

Welcome to the world little one!

 Hello!

 Momma meets her baby!

 Trying to stand....

 Success!

 Little Filly a few days later; napping.

 Hangin' out with Momma...

Memorial Day

Memorial: (n) that which preserves the memory of something; 

any thing that serves to keep memory. 

A monument is a memorial of a deceased person(s) or an event. 

So then, with this definition from Webster's 1828 dictionary, we can assume that the purpose then of Memorial Day is to preserve the memory of those who have died defending our country. 

But do we celebrate Memorial Day this way or do we  just enjoy a three day weekend doing whatever we want? 

I know for me, I don't always put the proper emphasis on the day.

 In my family we BBQ hamburgers and watch old war movies, mostly WWII movies with John Wayne. 

But is that enough? 

I think to understand how to celebrate the day, we need to understand the history of the day. 

Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day. 

Although many cities lay claim to it's origin, the most important thing to know is that it was started sometime after the Civil War as a way to honor the dead, on both sides. 

General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Republic, officially proclaimed a "Memorial Day" on May 5, 1868 and it was first observed on May 30, 1868. Flowers were placed the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. 

New York was the first state to officially recognize the holiday. And by 1890 all the northern states did as well. In the south they honored their dead on separate days until after World War I; this is when we started honoring those who had died in any war, not just the Civil War.

Now Memorial Day is celebrated in almost every State on the lat Monday in May. 

(Passed by Congress with the National Holiday act of 1971 to ensure a three day weekend for Federal holidays.) 

Interestingly enough several southern states have an additional separate day for honoring the Confederate war dead.

 The "National Moment of Remembrance" resolution was passed in December of 2000, which asks that a moment of silence be observed at 3 p.m. 

"To voluntarily and informally observe in their own way a moment of remembrance and respect, pausing from whatever they are doing for a moment of silence or listening to 'Taps'". 

There is more information on the history of Memorial Day but this the origin and a little bit of how to honor the day.

Below is our National Hymn, I hope you enjoy it!

Our National Hymn:

God of Our Fathers

Daniel C. Roberts and George W. Warren

God of our fathers, whose almighty hand 

Leads forth in beauty all the starry band

Of shining worlds in splendor through the skies,

Our grateful songs before Thy throne arise.

Thy love divine hath lead us in the past,

In this free land by Thee our lot is cast;

Be Thou our ruler, guardian, guide, and stay,

Thy word our law, Thy paths our chosen way.

From war's  alarms, from deadly pestilence,

Be Thy strong arm our ever sure defense ;

Thy true religion in our hearts increase, 

Thy bounteous goodness nourish us in peace.

Refresh thy people on their toilsome way,

Lead us from light to never ending day;

Fill all our lives with love and grace divine, 

And glory, laud, and praise be ever Thine. 

Amen.

I hope you all have a wonderful Memorial Day in which you remember those who have given their lives, that we might live in freedom.

 

Mr. and Mrs. Aprons

Mr. and Mrs. Aprons

I recently had a commission to make "Mr." and "Mrs." aprons as a wedding shower gift. They turned out  really cute!! They are black with white lettering and the "Mrs." apron had lace trim on the bottom edge and pocket edge. The "Mr." apron didn't have any lace! ;) 

I learned a lot while making these aprons! On top of adding to my "skills" in sewing and creativity; I learned how to use different settings on my machine to stitch on the "Mr."  and "Mrs.". God also brought along several trails to teach me to persevere, focus, and not get discouraged. I'm not saying that I have learned my lesson completely or that I won't need to be reminded but I am saying that every project I work on teaches me more, for which I am very grateful!!! 

Hope you enjoy the pictures of the aprons!

Feel free to contact me if you're interested in purchasing a personalized apron!

Streams in the Desert May 17th

May 17th

"After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to Moses...in the desert...Then the Lord said to him,"...Now come, I will send you back to Egypt." Acts 7:30,33-34

Often the Lord calls us aside from our work for a season and asks us to be still and learn before we go out again to minister. And the hours spent waiting are not lost time.

An ancient knight once realized, as he was fleeing from his enemies, that his horse needed a shoe replaced. The prudent course of action seemed to be to hurry on without delay. Yet higher wisdom told him to stop for a few minutes at the blacksmith's along the road. Although he heard the galloping hooves of the enemies' horses close behind, he waited until his steed was reshod before continuing his escape. Just as the enemy appeared, only a hundred yards away, he jumped into the saddle and dashed away with the swiftness of the wind. Then he knew his stopping had actually hastened his escape.

Quite often God will ask us to wait before we go, so we may fully recover from our last mission before entering the next stage of our journey and work. from Days of Heaven upon Earth

Waiting! Yes, patiently waiting! 

Till next steps made plain will be;

To hear, with the inner hearing, 

The Voice that will call for me.

Waiting! Yes, hopefully waiting! 

With hope that need not grow dim;

The Master is pledged to guide me, 

And my eyes are unto Him.

Waiting! Expectantly waiting! 

Perhaps it may be today

The Master will quickly open

The gate to my future way.

Waiting! Yes, waiting! still waiting! 

I know, though I've waited long,

That, while He withholds His purpose,

His waiting cannot be wrong.

Waiting!  Yes, waiting! still waiting! 

The Master will not be late:

Since He knows that I am waiting

For Him to unlatch the gate. 

J.Danson Smith

From Streams in the Desert by L.B. Cowman and Edited by Jim Reimann  

My Latest Project

I was recently blessed with a commission to make two hat and booty sets for twins that are soon to arrive! The set is really cute; hats with flowers and Mary Jane's with flowers. I LOVE crocheting both of these patterns! They are fun, quick, and just plain cute!! I hope you enjoy the photos!

                                          Adorable Mary Jane's are  $15 on my Etsy shop. 

                                          Flower Hat, crocheted, costs $15 on my Etsy shop.

These make a great baby shower gift! Order them in the color(s) of your choice!

Streams In The Desert May 14th

May 14th

"On that very day Abraham {did}...as God told him." Genesis 17:23

Instant obedience is the only kind of obedience there is, for delayed obedience is disobedience. Each time God calls upon us to do something, He is offering to make a covenant with us. Our part is to obey, and then He will do His part to send a special blessing.

The only way to be obedient is to obey instantly-"On that very day", as Abraham did. I know we often postpone doing what we know to do, and then later do it as well as we can. Certainly this is better than not doing it at all. By then, however, it is at best only crippled, disfigured, and partial attempt toward obedience. Postponed obedience can never bring us the full blessing God intended or what it would have brought had we obeyed at the earliest possible moment.

What a pity it is how we rob ourselves, as well as God and others, by our procrastination! Remember, "On that very day" is the Genesis way of saying, "Do it now!" from Message for Morning Watch   

Martin Luther once said, "A true believer will crucify, or put to death, the question, 'Why?' He will simply obey without questioning." And I refuse to be one of those people who "unless...[I] see miraculous signs and wonders...will never believe" (John 4:48). I will obey without questioning. 

Ours not to make reply,

Ours not to reason why,

Ours but to do and die.

Obedience is the fruit of of faith; patience is the early bloom on the tree of faith. Christina Rossetti

From Streams In the Desert by L.B. Cowman Edited by Jim Reimann pg 194-195

Streams in the Desert-May 6th

May 6th

"The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him."  Psalm 25:14

There are certain secrets of God's providence He allows His children to learn. Often, however, at least on the surface, His dealings seem to be harsh and hidden. Yet faith looks deeper and  says, "This is God's secret. You are looking only on the outside, but I look deeper and see the hidden meaning." 

Remember, diamonds are found in the rough, and their true value cannot be seen. And when the tabernacle was built in the wilderness, there was nothing ornate about its outward appearance. In fact, the outer covering of the thick hides of sea cows gave no hint of the valuable things inside. 

Dear friend, God may send you some valuable gifts wrapped in unattractive paper. But do not worry about the wrappings, for you can be sure that inside He has hidden treasures of love, kindness, and wisdom. If we will simply take what He sends and trust Him for the blessings inside, we will learn the meaning of the secrets of His providence, even in the darkness. A. B. Simpson

Not until each loom is silent,

And the crossthreads cease to fly,

Will God unroll the pattern

And explain the reasons why

The dark threads are needful

In the weaver's skillful hand, 

As the threads of gold and silver

For the pattern He has planned.

A person who has Christ as his Master is the master of every circumstance. Are your circumstances pressing in on you? Do not push away, for they are the Potter's hands. And you will learn to master them not by stopping their progress but by enduring their discipline. Your circumstances are not only shaping you into a vessel of beauty and honor but also providing you with resources of great value.

Happy Mother's Day!

                            Today is Mother's Day

Three Mothers

Once a woman came upon three mothers at work. "What are you doing?" she asked them.

"I'm doing the weekly wash", answered the first.

"I'm doing a bit of household drudgery," replied the second.

"I'm mothering three young children who someday will fill important and useful spheres of life, and wash-day is part of my grand task in caring for these souls who shall live forever," replied the third. 

Only she had caught the vision of the great work she was doing.

pg. 49

"You see, there is no higher calling, no greater privilege than being a vessel of life and later a teacher of souls which will live forever. This is a crucial point: These children will live forever. either in Heaven, or in Hell. We not only have the privilege of introducing them to the world, but God has given us the honor of assisting our husbands in the great work of introducing these little ones to the God who loves them. No empire, no credential, no golden treasure, no corporate success story can ever rival the glory of this calling."  pg. 47

Verses of Virtue Compiled and Edited by Mrs. Belle Phillips 

Today is Mother's Day; the day we honor the woman who gave us life, raised us, trained us, loved us, corrected us, was by our side through thick and thin; mother.  I know how much my mother means to me, how much I'd miss her if she was gone, how she can irritate me from time to time but I love her and she loves me. I think a part of honoring someone is seeing past the things about them that irritate you and just loving them because first God commands it and secondly we love them! 

My mother shows selfless love. She gives of herself all the time and she learned this from her mother who was one of the most selfless women I have ever known!  I've been told that my great-grandmother was the same way and her mother as well and I'm sure it goes back further than that and all sides of my family. You see, how could you not be selfless when you carry someone inside of yourself, bringing them into the world through great effort, and then continuing to give of your self to see them raised to be a man or woman of character? It takes a person who is willing to lay down their own desires and invest in something bugger, someone else besides them selves! And that is what I think Mother's Day is, a day where we honor the selfless women in our lives, who sacrifice of themselves for us. And someday that kind of sacrifice might, Lord willing, be called of me and I need to take the example and heritage that has been handed down to me and live it to the best of my ability. 

So to the "mothers" in my life, I say thank you, I love you, I am watching you, and learning from you! 

Happy Mother's Day!

 

Tea Cozy

On Monday, I sewed a tea cozy! It's one of the most adorable things; at least to me and my mom! We love to have a cup of tea together and visit! My mom asked me to make this as a gift for a friend of hers and she said it was okay to write about it , as long as I didn't say who was going to receive it.

I love SIMPLE patterns that make beautifully finished products! My mom has a book that tells you how to make lots of great, easy gifts out of place mats and this tea cozy is one of them!! Lord willing, I hope to make a lot more of the adorable items found in that book! But now about the tea cozy...

So you need two place mats, mine were matching, and a piece of ribbon. Now, my place mats are solid yellow, so we decided that I should machine applique two sunflowers on them, one for either side. So, after I did that, I sewed the ribbon on, it serves as a handle, then pinned the two folded place mats together. Sewing around the place mats, I connected the "rounded" parts, leaving the "flat bottoms" open so that it would fit around the tea pot. Hopefully the pictures give you a good look at what I did, since describing it seems to be difficult for me...

                                           The pattern and my materials....

                                            the cut out sunflowers....

 machine appliqued on and lovely! See, there are two place mats that are sewn together to keep the teapot nice and hot! My machine didn't care for the thickness, so I had to go slowly.

 ...sewed in ribbon handle....perfect for pulling up on to get the tea pot out when you're ready for a refill!

                           Pinned together and ready to sew! Love the bright, cheery colors!!

                 The finished product! All set to keep the tea pot warm while you sip and visit!

                                              See how the tea pot fits inside!

 An adorable  gift and one that I hope to make often and possibly even sell on my Etsy shop when the weather cools down!

Steams in the Desert-May 5th

May 5th

"As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men...who were invading Judah, and they were defeated."  2 Chronicles 20:22

Oh, if only we would worry less about our problems and sing and praise more! There are thousands of things that shackle us that could be turned into instruments of music, if we just knew how to do it. Think of those people who ponder, meditate, and weigh the affairs of life, and who continually study the mysterious inner workings of God's providence, wondering why they suffer burdens and are opposed and battled on every front. How different their lives would be, and how much more joyful, if they would stop indulging in self-centered and inward thinking and instead would daily lift their experiences to God, praising Him for them.
It is easier to sing your worries away then to reason them away. Why not sing in the morning? Think of the birds-they are the first to sing each day, and they have fewer worries than anything else in creation. And don't forget to sing in the evening, which is what the robins do when they have finished their daily work. Once they have flown their last flight of the day and gathered the last bit of food, they find a treetop from which to sing a song of praise.
Oh, that we might learn to sing morning and evening, offering up song after song of continual praise throughout our day! selected

Don't let the song go out of your life

Although it sometimes will flow

In a minor strain; it will blend again

With the major tone you know.

Although shadows rise to obscure life's skies. 

And hide for a time the sun,

The sooner they'll lift and reveal the rift, 

If you let the melody run.

Don't let the song go out of your life; 

Though the voice may have lost its trill,

Though the quivering note may die in your throat,

Let it sing in your spirit still. 

Don't let the song go our of your life; 

Let it wring in your soul while here;

And when you go hence, it will follow you thence, 

and live on in another sphere.

Latest Etsy Listings

                          Mini wallets in a variety of fabric colors/prints;listed at $5 a piece.

                               Wisteria baby girl hat with an adorable flower; listed at $20.00.

                          Wisteria baby girl Mary Jane's shoes, with a flower, listed at $18.00.

                                                Prayer Shawl, in purple, listed at $30.00.

Please check out my Etsy shop, Kierstyn's Kreations and the whole Etsy community to find beautiful handmade and vintage items! The shop is now open to custom orders!!! So, please do not hesitate to contact me if you'd like any changes done to the items(s) you are purchasing!! Thank you!!!!!

Inspiration Spot

                        Inspiration Spot

I am blessed to be able to travel with my family. We love to go camping together, along with our dogs. Because we like to keep our lives private I'm not going to tell you too much about us, but I do hope to write enough to give you an idea of the beauty of this place that I'll call, the inspiration spot.

      Meet my lovely hiking buddy, Mandy! She and I had several very nice hikes!

The wildflowers this spring in California have been absolutely lovely! More then I've seen in years!

                                                         
                                                   We LOVE to play horse shoes!
It took me a while to get my hold on the shoe just right for the perfect pitch but I finally did!
                                                   Here is my ringer!! Happy me!

                                     
                           Some of the lovely views that bring endless inspiration!                                                                                                                                                        

There's nothing like fresh, clean country air to clear the mind and put the world back into proper perspective!

I was able to work on items that are now for sale on my Etsy shop, Kierstyn's Kreations, which I will blog about later. I am so thankful for the ways God uses His beautiful creation to inspire!

Streams In the Desert-May 1st

Since January, I've been reading a daily devotional called Streams in the Desert by L. B. Cowman and edited by Jim Reimann. It's been amazing how much it hits home and teaches me every day. This one seemed exceptionally good to me, so I decided to post it.

May 1

"God, who does not lie, promised."  (Titus 1:2)

Faith is not conjuring, up through an act of your will, a sense of certainty that something good is going to happen. No, it is recognizing God's promise as an actual fact, believing it is true, rejoicing in the knowledge of that truth, and then simply resting because God said it. 

Faith turns a promise into a prophecy. A promise is contingent upon our cooperation, but when we exercise genuine faith in it, it becomes a prophecy. Then we can move ahead with certainty that it will come to pass, because "God...does not lie." from Days of Heaven upon Earth

I often hear people praying for more faith, but when I listen carefully to them and get to the essence of their  prayer, I realize it is not more faith they are wanting at all. What they are wanting is their faith to be changed to sight. 

Faith does not say, "I see this is good for me; therefore God must have sent it." Instead, faith declares, "God sent it; therefore it must be good for me." 

Faith, when walking through the dark with God, only asks Him to hold his hand more tightly. Phillips Brooks

The Shepherd does not ask of thee

Faith in your faith, but only faith in Him;

And this He meant in saying, "Come to me." 

In light or darkness seek to do His will,

And leave the work of faith to Jesus still.