One Thousand Gifts - Session 4 - Trust: Bridge to Joy

I am leading this bible study tonight - One Thousand Gifts Bible Study - A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are by Ann Voskamp.
Seven of us met tonight to share and learn.
I look forward to a time of slowing down, being intentional, checking my attitude and increasing my gratitude.

Session 4 - Trust: Bridge to Joy

Ann recounts an incident where she crosses a bridge and has the epiphany that every time she comes to a bridge she trusts the bridge builder to ensure safe passage across. We need to trust God who sent the bridge between Him and us. 

In this session Ann presents the concept of being "practical atheists".

• When we live our lives not trusting the God we believe in.  

• When we choose stress, it is an act of disbelief. 

 "When we can't see His Hand, we can trust His Heart"

One Thousand Gifts - Between Sessions

We are encouraged to continue looking for the gifts.

I am grateful for being able to teach classes.  With bible study and card club I enjoy the process regularly.

I am grateful for connections on line with bloggers and photographers.

I am grateful for a call from my aunt to get together this week.

We are asked to look deep in the mess and dirt of our lives to find a treasure a gift that is hidden there.

I have been dealing with problems with new appliances, deliveries and customer service.  I've had to be deliberate and intentional to follow up on these issues.  I am grateful for the time and attention to detail have have been blessed with.

Card Club - Fall 2017 - Incentive

I always prepare a bit of a gift for those ladies who paid for all the fall classes in full.  Saves me having to chase fees.

This is my Thank You card.  A photo card with a 3.5x4.75 inch photo of rocks near my house adhered to the card front.  It was nice to have a bit of greenery on the bottom right hand corner.

Below are the set of Nifty Note cards I made which are color printed on white card stock.

Card Club - Sept - Copper Leaves

My card is my nod to fall arriving and thanksgiving. It is a trio of copper leaves.  The leaves were cut with the Tim Holtz Tattered Leaves die.  It cuts these 3 leaves at one time.

I chose some copper metallic handmade paper I purchased a few years ago from a local business which has since closed.  I embossed the most solid one wit the Tim Holtz Cracked embossing folder to provide some texture to the card front.

The background designer paper is by BasicGrey - Pyrus - Oblate.  I loved that it had the copper tone and some wonderful green ones too. 

I added a green raffia bow held in place with a large copper brad. 

I chose not to include a greeting as the leaves fill the card front quite nicely.

Card Club - Sept - Tea Pot

I won this stamp and die set from Paper Sweeties this summer.

I stamped the teapot onto designer card stock by Carta Bella - True Friends - Forever Friends in black ink then cut it out with the die.

I printed the French script background in grey onto the pink card itself.  It's from The Graphics Fairy.

I ripped a piece of white card stock to create my table space then embossed it with the Cuttlebug Diamond in the Rough embossing folder.  I adhered across the bottom of the card in the landscape orientation.

I adhered the teapot onto the card front then placed the small handmade paper flower and flower sequin in the bottom right hand corner of the teapot and held these in place with a tiny white brad.

Card Club - Sept - 4 inch Square

This is based on a design I used this summer.

I cut a 4 inch square of designer paper.  I ripped it in approximately half. Then I ripped the edge with the white showing again to remove the white and leave a bit of space in between.  I then adhered these offset from each in the top left and bottom right hand corners of the turquoise card.

The greeting is color printed on white cardstock and then punched with the 2" oval punch.  I cut the oval scalloped layer with one of the Spellbinder Nestabilities.  These are adhered together then this layer is adhered to the card front overlapping the layers of designer paper.

I am offering greetings for several occasions in this design as well as several colors.

Card Club - Sept - Lily Trio

It's time for Card Club again.  This is a card made from kits from a couple of years back.

I started with the lily stickers then punched a trio of circles in the same color as the large greeting.  The three were layered then adhered above the greeting which was printed on white card stock.

It was trimmed to leave a small border of the black card showing.  These are all birthday greetings.

Coffee Loving Cardmakers - Fall Blog Hop

I made this card for the last day of the Coffee Loving Cardmakers Fall Blog Hop.

I won a gift certificate from Paper Sweeties in the Summer Blog Hop.  I decided on the Tea for Two stamp and die set. 

I have stamped the tea pot onto double sided designer paper from a 12x12 pad from KC Company.  I chose the polka dot side for teapot and the floral on the back side for the background. 

I embossed my table top from white card stock with a Sizzix Textured Impressions Plus - Field of Diamonds Embossing Folder.  I ripped the top edge and made it the same width of the designer paper.

I chose the mauve color from the DP and used it in the card base.   I stamped the teapot in black and die cut it.  I added several silk flowers in the bottom right hand side of the tea pot. 

I added a greeting stamped in a warm green on a Stampin Up Modern Label punch.  It was adhered to card front with 3D foam tape.

Submitting to the challenge for the hop which is to make a tea, coffee or cocoa related card.

Fruit, Harvest, and Thrifting

I spent a day and a half at my sister's processing the apples we had picked from Mom's trees on the weekend. 

Food processors are wonderful inventions and my sister had recently acquired a good machine for a song. 

We managed 13 four cups bags in just over an hour with prep and clean up.  We washed, quartered, cored, sliced and bagged. She will use hers for pie and crisp and I will use mine for fruit crisps.

We picked chokecherries on Tuesday night in quite cold temperatures.  I had gloves on except when picking.

The berries were plentiful and ripe so picking went very well.  We came home with 2 full ice cream pails and bit. After clearning, that yielded several bags of frozen berries.

I will eat them unthawed during the winter as a snack.  They can be made into jelly or syrup anything during the winter.  Mom will get a couple of bags as well as my sister. 

We also processed the high bush cranberries (pembina in french) which she picked on Friday.  Again, the picking went well and she froze them until I could come to help with the making of pancake syrup. 

We ended up with thicker syrup than the last couple of years and it may be due to starting with frozen rather than fresh berries.  We processed mostly 1.5 cups jars which makes the process quicker than dealing with tiny jars.  We did make a few small jars for giving away. 





We learn a few lessons every year. 

I am grateful that she has all the tools to make the process work well.  I provide the support help.

It will taste absolutely wonderful on pancakes during the winter months.  Like a bit of summer.





I got a tip from my aunt that there was a thrift store near my sister`s house that had some Blue Nordic dishes in the window.  I should check it out next time I am visiting.  I called ahead and indicated I was on my way and should be there in 1.5 hours.  The weather did not cooperate so I arrive 10 minutes before the store closed.  I quickly checked the pieces over and made my purchase.  I unpacked the boxes today.  I have brought my total teacups to 10 with saucers so that was a good score.  The coffee pot, cream and sugar set was another great addition.  Adding 6 bowls brings my total to 10 as well.   Very good.

I look forward to having tea with friends and family in wonderful dishes that I love.  I believe there will be sufficient space is the kitchen for all of it.

Sharing with 
Share Your Cup #265 hosted by Jan at Daily Cup with Mrs. Olson

Tuesday Cuppa Tea hosted by Ruth at Antiques and Tea Cups

Tea in the Garden hosted by Bernideen at Tea Time

Pink Saturday hosted by Beverly at How Sweet the Sound

One Thousand Gifts - Session 3 - All is Grace

I am leading this bible study tonight - One Thousand Gifts Bible Study - A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are by Ann Voskamp.
Seven of us met tonight to share and learn.
I look forward to a time of slowing down, being intentional, checking my attitude and increasing my gratitude.

Session 3 - All is Grace


Ann recounts an incident where practicing Eucharisteo made a difference.  Where how she behaved changed the results of a conflict between her sons and her. 

The toast incident was between two of her sons  and involves chucking toast. Her initial reaction is anger.  The one boy is humiliated and the other is indignant.  How can I practice "Giving Thanks" in this ugly situation?

She chooses to give thanks for the sons rather than react in anger.  She speaks aloud what she loves about this son. She calms and so does the son which results in a tender moment between her and one son because she behaved differently in the situation. 

It redeemed the moment and the experience for mother and son.



She talks of the ugly beautiful. Is it possible that all we experience can be grace if we focus deep enough to see God's influence to transform all of it?

Welcome to my Kitchen - 1st one this fall

We had our first Welcome to my Kitchen of this fall session. 

We were treated to quiche, tea & coffee, toast and jam and muffins. 

Everything was delicious and we appreciate the time and effort the hostess made to provide refreshment and hospitality for the group of 14 ladies who gathered to share our summers and pray for each other and the concerns on our hearts.

The weather was not pleasant and my drive in this morning was somewhat stressful due to the sleet I wiped off my windshield this morning in the country.  It was not icy despite the whiteness in the ditches as I traveled.    I missed taking my traditional photos of the great food.

I just love this group and the concept.  We had a good time!!

One Thousand Gift - Between Sessions

I am grateful for gathering the last of Mom's apple and grape harvest this week. 
Farmers are also gathering in the harvest.
God is good all the time.  
 

In ancient times people would place a stack a stones where important events took place as a reminder of the event.  As the people traveled by the parents and grandparents retold the story to the younger ones in an oral history tradition. 

What can we do in our lives to mark the big and small events to allow us to look back and remember God's gifts?










Scrapbooking - digital, paper, Project Life are ways to record our lives.  We need to make those available to remember and recount the stories. Dig those books out regularly and browse through them.

We can use scrapbooking to create a visual reminder in our quiet space that brings us to be calm and reflective.

A digital photo frame can hold photos from a trip, event, or just the great moments of ordinary life.  It is quick and easy.  Make the frame central to life in your home for a constant reminder of the good gifts from God.

Place some images which would trigger a calming response in you so in times when needed you can cast a glance to the frame and find an image to re-center you.




A journal, a blog, a slide show on the computer are all tools to record our big and little events then provide a way to remind us to slow and tell our stories.

Recent Snapshots

The bison at Elk Island National Park are sporting their gorgeous summer coats.  The straggly look of earlier in the year is gone and they are trim and great looking as long as you don't get too close.  The light was very good and the shot turned out well.

Several of my sisters and I picked Mom's harvest on Friday.  Apples from two different trees and you can see that there was a difference in color and size. 

The left pail is a small portion of the grapes we harvested from Mom's vines.  They have moved to a seniors residence so this was the last time we will pick fruit from the trees and vines she nurtured for nearly 50 years.  She shed a couple of tears knowing we were at the house and she could not be there.

I was looking for art for my kitchen and after a while of browsing sunflower kitchen art was reminded that my niece gave me this wonderful metal one a couple of Christmases ago so it made the short trip from dining room to kitchen.

It may need something more. A frame, a word, or another thing. I don't know so I will wait further inspiration.

Changes are progressing nicely in the kitchen.

The fields of grain are warming up in color and texture.  Soon the cutting and combining will start a frenzy activity to get the crop off before frost and the cold put a halt to the activity.

I managed to get one head in nice focus so I cropped the image to isolated it somewhat.

I started enticing chickadees wit sunflower seeds and I managed to get this shot after sitting quiet of 90 minutes.  My hands were stiff, my butt was sore and I was really cold.  The life of a wildlife photographer!!!

I am happy with the photo but would like better.  We shall see how many more days I can sit quiet for a long time.  The weather has turned here so the mornings will be much more cold and I likely will not be able to sit for that long and the camera may not be happy with cold either.

We generally do get Indian Summer here so we could still have some warm days ahead.


I am sharing with

Maggie at Normandy Life if her computer issues get resolved
Mersad who hosts Through My Lens #112

One Thousand Gifts - Session 2 - Grace in the Moment

I am leading this bible study tonight - One Thousand Gifts Bible Study - A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are by Ann Voskamp.
Nine of us met tonight to share and learn.
I look forward to a time of slowing down, being intentional, checking my attitude and increasing my gratitude.

Session 2 - Grace in the Moment

Ann this week talks about how to live our one life well.  When we give our undivided attention to the moments of life; time slows and there is enough time.

It has been studied and proven that those who take pen to paper and maintain a gratitude list of gifts enjoy:
1. Absence of Stress
2. Progress in Personal Goals
3. Higher levels of Energy
4. Feel closer in their Relationhips
5. Experience a 25% increase in Happiness

Who does not want that!!

Another subject Ann covers this week is the hard gifts which come our way.  She was eager to take the good, easy, nice gifts but there are hard things that come.  These too come from God. How can you open a hand to the easy and close the hand to the hard. You can not.

She recounts a story of an injury her son sustained and she had to come to terms that we must accept all things that come.  God has a plan.

One Thousand Gift - Between Sessions

There is Between Session work in the One Thousand Gift bible study.

It prompted us to start out our Gift List with 20 gifts, identify 3 moments in our life which changed our lives, and choose a couple Eucharisteo Mentors. It suggested sending a card or email thanking them for their example.

I designed these new Nifty Notes. I chose a couple of nature shots I took recently.  I love how the Bull Thistle one turned out.  I added a bokeh layer and a greeting to the original image. I chose a fall looking plant in warm tones for the second one.  I added a horizontal blurred layer and greeting to this one.

I printed some and will bring them to class for participants to use in communicating with their mentors. I have a couple of cards prepared to send off to ladies which have been a calm and steady influence in my life.

With having recently purchases new kitchen appliances I had occasion this week to deal with deliveries, installations, professionals and not so professionals.  The not so professionals required my grace and to those who did a great job I expressed my sincere gratitude for their exemplary work.  I will be delivering thank you notes later.

Start a gratitude journal and record the blessings you have received.  The result is joy.

Recent Snapshots

I am working on images for Christmas cards already.  I thought this one would make a nice photo card with a greeting in the top left hand corner.

This one is Snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus) – The cute little (non-edible) white berries on this bush are a delicacy to birds. During the winter when the leaves are gone, the berries look like little white ornaments hung on delicate branches.

I thought this plant was pretty in its pink finery.  This one is growing wild in the river valley.

I have no idea what it is called and with some research I was not able to find a name. I'll keep trying.

This was the sun the other morning.

Absolutely red due to the forest fires raging in the western provinces.  I waited until a few clouds drifted by to take this shot.

It makes for an eerie type morning walk when there is this tint to the world.







I found a bed of cosmos flowers the other morning.  I have included three of them in my mosaic this morning.

Changes are taking place in the kitchen.   I will post when they are all done.

I have been looking for a blue cut glass bowl for a long while since I saw one in a friend's blue and yellow kitchen.  I found the glass lemons in the last six months or so and then this bowl showed up last week.

It will sit in my kitchen on this yellow star doily a top a new white microwave.  Having had to clean out cupboards I am motivated not to return all the "stuff".   I want to simplify my decor as well.

I was gifted this set of Johnson Brothers Blue Nordic dishes by my aunt.  She did give a lot away before she moved but she did not keep any saucers for the tea cups.

It been a slow process to get what I needed.  I found one at a thrift store in June, a couple showed up at a garage sale 2 weeks ago.  And I purchased a  couple of tea cups and saucers at a thrift store the other day.  It gives me 6 cups and 5 saucers.

I have a full set of dishes for 4 now.  With a few extra pieces for good measure. My thrift store shopping list has been adjusted.




This was breakfast this morning.   Chocolate bran muffins, banana on plain yogurt and a good cup of Earl Grey tea.  A bit of cranberry syrup to add a bit of sweet.

We are getting ready to pick this year's crop so this current supply has to be eaten.



Sharing with

Through Your Lens#111 hosted by Mersad

One Thousand Gifts - Session 1 - Attitude of Gratitude

I started leading this bible study tonight - One Thousand Gifts Bible Study - A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are by Ann Voskamp.
Nine of us met tonight to share and learn.
I look forward to a time of slowing down, being intentional, checking my attitude and increasing my gratitude.


Session 1 - Attitude of Gratitude

Can I write down the gifts I have been blessed with?  Can I do every day till I have counted 1000 then continue? When I start to intentionally look in my life for blessings I find them everywhere.  When I write them down the invisible becomes visible.  Providing me a place I can go back to in difficult times to remember how blessed I am.

One point I picked up this session was giving thanks is the other side of prayer. Sometimes prayer becomes a list of my needs but a gratitude journal becomes the list of blessings I have received.

We started our gratitude journals tonight and one of my blessings - Friends and Family.