Sunday, October 26, 2008

Sola Fide


"By Faith Alone"


Ephesians 2:8-10:

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.


Beautiful.

Have a blessed and beautiful Lord's Day.
In His Love, Tami

Friday, October 24, 2008

Knitting and Kiddos

I have been knitting a lot lately. I am loving the book
"Last Minute Knitted Gifts" by Joelle Hoverson so much.
This cute little hat on my sweety is a variation on the
rolled brim hat in the book. So, so easy and cute.

My oldest son snapped this photo of me for my avatar, I thought he did a great job! I am wearing the cowl I knitted from the book. I am making several of these for Christmas gifts.
It is so strange to post pictures of myself, even if the kiddos did take them. Feels a bit strange. I am so used to showing off photos of everything else but me.

Every so often I hand my camera over to one of the kids. I love the way children freely flitter about snapping photos of what interests them. I get a precious glimpse into their hearts and minds. Today, what interested my daughter was me knitting. A common sight this time of the year, here I am making another cowl.
She instructed me to make *heart-hands*,
a favorite way to say *I Love You*.


I love this close-up she took. My hands look so hard-working, not pretty hands that's for sure.
I don't mind though, they are hardworking and strong.

I pray that you are all having a blessed and productive Friday. In God's Love, Tami

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

A Pretty Place to Sit

In my world of big comfy overstuffed furniture, sometimes I crave a pretty spot to sit that fits me (and a few little people too).
A spot by the light of our front window that I can knit by or read by or just sit.

I came across this wonderful little settee at a thrift store last week. It screams grandma's house and I think that's why I love it so much. And the price, a smallish $19.99. It is beautifully constructed and fully worth reupholstering when the time comes.
In the meantime, I am happy to throw a few afghans and pillows at it and sit for awhile.


I bought this funny pillow a few days later and loved it. It is made from burgundy velvet and has vintage clothing labels embroidered to it. I had a friend tell me that she did a project like this in Girl Scouts way back when. I love it even more, made by the hands of an aspiring crafter.

Well I am off to start my day, a busy one, but I will look forward to giving my new little sofa a sit when the day is done.

I pray that you are all having a blessed and productive day. In God's Love, Tami

Monday, October 20, 2008

7 Things


Laura at Harvest Lane Cottage tagged me for 7 random things.......


1. I would love to learn to play piano.

2. I have been married nearly half my life.

3. I love sushi with lots of wasabi & soy sauce.

4. My favorite color is green.

5. I would live off the grid in a heartbeat.

6. My favorite fashion era is the 1940's.

7. I love peanut butter and maple syrup on my pancakes.


There you have it. I am officially tagging anyone who wants to play along. I would love to learn more about each of you.

Have a blessed Monday. I am off to spend a little time schooling and a little time knitting.

In God's Love, Tami

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Take a Look


Mrs. M has many wonderful words and a great link to a article about living a simple and uncluttered life. The article especially speaks to me because I am a reformed "keeper". I would keep the silliest things just in case. I now realize that depending fully on God means that he will provide *if* those things are needed in the future. I say *if* because there are so many things that we have that we don't really need, and many times the things I kept never did find a purpose. There is a fine balance for me between good stewardship and not trusting God to provide. Thanks Mrs. M for the encouragement, and congrats on that beautiful new baby BOY!


I pray that you all are having a blessed Sunday. In God's Love, Tami

Friday, October 10, 2008

Autumn Corners

It's been awhile since I've shown the little corners of my home. Not much changes as far as decor goes, but I do start to see signs of Autumn all around. Signs like a refreshed supply of wonderful yarn to make lots of gifts for birthdays and Christmas.


The comfy quilts come out, ready for a little person to come snuggle in Daddy's big chair.
The canner, a constant sight on my stove right now. So many wonderful jams and sauces put up for the winter.
An art box that stays out full time now, ready for any little project.
The last of summer's *mama flowers* given to me by my little princess. SO sweet.

Some of my other Autumn loves:
~big bright candles~a softly glowing fireplace~piles of pinecones brought in from our nature adventures~the smell of cooked apples and cinnamon~jars of beautiful canned food put up for winter~half finished projects waiting to made into gifts~our birthday season~more time inside doing puzzles and playing games~the wonderful crispness in the air~fragrant stews and soups simmering in the pot~bright red, orange, and yellow maple leaves in vases~slowing down the pace~
I pray that you are having a blessed and productive week. In God's Love, Tami

Monday, October 6, 2008

Tomato Frenzy

September was all about tomatoes. They are still everywhere!


Look at this funny little tomato. Isn't it cute!
These little tomatoes in front are Red Currants, they are so great for salads and for snacking.
One of our favorite side dishes. Fresh homegrown zucchini, green beans, and Sweet Chelsea tomatoes drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with garlic powder, salt, and pepper. SO yummy.
I am roasting tomatoes here. We made some yummy sauce with these babies. Aren't the beautiful? This recipe is from "Back to the Table" by Art Smith. A very beautiful book.
Now that the rains have come, I am pulling all the remaining tomatoes. I should be able to finish ripening them nicely.
Well, I am off to do a little knitting or maybe peel a few apples for apple crisp tonight.
Have a truly blessed Monday. In God's Love, Tami

Saturday, October 4, 2008

~Yummy Quiche~

We made Jewels' quiche this past week. Oh, it was so yummy. We definitely need to make more than one next time. It was delicious served with coleslaw and warm rolls.

We are having a lazy Saturday here. The rain has come and is here to stay. We'll see lots of gray sky for the next several months. This time of the year, I love to get out all my pillar candles and group them on the dining table for a beautiful and warm glow to offset the grayness outside.

I pray that you all are having a blessed Saturday! In God's Love, Tami

Friday, October 3, 2008

All Settled In

We are all settled into Autumn now. I was a nice little blog break I had, and I have so much to share.
We have been sewing, knitting, canning, baking and cooking intermixed with homeschooling, reading, hanging wash, and tidying. All of that daily wonderfulness that I love.

The children and I are all settled into our Autumn routines. It feels so good to change gears and settle into a slow pace. I try and leave Thursdays and Fridays for *no running around* days. It is a nice starting point for the weekend when my hard-working hubby is home.

Well my hubby finally gave in and fixed the clothes dryer. I am a little relieved and a little sad. I have enjoyed so immensely the pleasure of hanging wash. I am grateful though that over the many, many rainy weeks we have here in Washington that I have the luxury of a dryer. After living without a dryer for the first time ever in my life, I am so much more aware of just how easy my laundry was and how I took it for granted. Never again. I am all about being grateful.
I will go back to hanging 100% of our wash in the Spring, but for now I will dry the majority of it. If you remember I also gave up the automatic dishwasher. I am sticking with that, except for on the rare occasion that I make such an incredible mess that I see no way out of it by hand-washing........which is about once a week :~)

We've turned on our gas fireplace a few times already, oh do I love a warm fire. Bliss.

We have had so many apples around here lately. What a blessing it is to be able to put up applesauce, cut apples, and apple jelly.


Here is some of our homemade applesauce. I have another huge basket of apples to process this week. With the price of apples this year, I am so grateful for all the apples we've received and have been able to pick.
Plums from our beautiful Italian Plum tree. We look so forward to these every year. YUM.
I pureed some of the plums and canned them for later use in muffins and quick breads. I can also add a little sweetener and use it like jam.
I am spending much of my spare time getting ready for the "birthday season". My 4 children were born in October and November, so I am busy making gifts and decorations for celebrating.
I am planning on having all Christmas gift preparations completed by November. I am loosely following the Organized Christmas plan to help me stay organized.
I pray that you are all having a blessed and productive week. I am glad to be back.
In God's Love, Tami

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Hello October!

I am back with lots to share. We have been busy doing wonderful Autumn things!
I will write and show lots of photos in the next several days.
Have a blessed and productive Wednesday!
In God's Love, Tami