Another Pinterest Find!

This is one of the first things I discovered on Pinterest and so today when I was at the thrift store I picked up the two glass containers that I needed to make this very useful item for the restroom. 

One round glass container filled with cotton balls:

One smaller glass container filled with q-tips:

Put the smaller glass container on top of the bigger one and you have a very handy but pretty container to hold your cotton balls and q-tips!

This only cost me $1.25 so I am very happy with my latest pinterest find! 

Pinterest

A few months ago I discovered a wonderful website call Pinterest.  Pinterest is  a virtual bulletin board, a social book-marking site. Pinterest is like the best magazine ever – no ads, just great things to look at and get inspiration from.   I have learned so many new things on this site and admittedly I have also wasted A LOT of time there!
Here is a link to my pinterest boards Trudy's Pinterest Boards
If you are interested in joining Pinterest just send me an email and I will send you an invitation.

Yesterday I made a big mess on my iron and I needed a way to get it clean.  I have used the cleaning stuff from the store before but it smells so caustic that I did not want to use that again.  I did a quick search on Pinterest and I found a very easy inexpensive way to clean my iron.  Just sprinkle about 1/2 cup of salt on a brown paper bag and run your iron over the paper until your iron looks great again.
Here are my pictures for proof that it works!

Before picture

After Picture

Don't you agree that it did a great job and it was so easy without having the very bad smell!  

I found this pin today online and really liked it so I thought I would share it on my blog.
I have been going through a rough time lately and maybe between trusting God and adding in some humor it will perk me up some! 
Anyway, since this made me laugh I am on the look out for more things that will make me laugh so I can pull myself up with God's help out of my feeling just down and blue.

I am trying to learn how to do different things on my blog.  Today I found a website that has different sidebars for blogs.  I was able to put the sunflower sidebar up my blog today!  Here's the website:  http://shabbyblogs.com/?page_id=108

Spiritual Retreat

This summer has been a very stressful summer.  It seems to have had one bad thing after another and I was just tired.    We were getting ready to leave on vacation and I wasn't even sure if we would be able to go because of different things that were going on, car trouble and our parents having health problems.  But Roger insisted that we needed a break so we continued on and I am so glad that we did.  A couple of days before we left I was listening to 106.9 radio station (my favorite station) and they mentioned having a spiritual retreat at the Billy Graham place in North Carolina.  I knew that was impossible for me, but then I realized I could have my own spiritual retreat.  I downloaded lots of great uplifting podcasts and I just took the time while we were gone to recharge my life.  I also realized that I can continue doing this at home.  (I know you would think that was obvious, but I was a little slow realizing it!) 

James 1: 1-18

Today in Sunday School we will be starting our study in one of my favorite books of the Bible.  James is such a nice practical book for Christians.

Who wrote the book of James?  We think it is one of Jesus' brothers.  There are actually 4 different James' mentioned in the Bible but most people agree that it was probably Jesus' brother.   At first he did not believe in Jesus which I can completely understand.  I'm sure he could see that Jesus was different but he had grown up with him and I'm sure it was hard to think of him as his savior. 

Verses 1 -4

In these verses we find out who is writing this letter and who he is writing it to.  James is writing it to all of the believers in Israel. 
We also find out that trials produce patience.  Patience is one of the fruits of the spirit we talked about a few weeks ago.  Patience comes through suffering and testing.
Verses 5 - 8
Wisdom is just the practical use of knowledge.  If you lack wisdom oh how to deal with a problem you have then you need to go to Jesus.  In verse 6 it points out we need to believe Jesus will take care of a problem for us.  So many times when we have a problem we try to solve it on our own when we should just turn our problems over to God.  That should be how we start our day everyday.  Does this mean that we will never have problems?  Of course not because as we learned earlier our faith will grow more as we lean on Jesus.
Verses 9 - 11
We may think sometimes that we don't have much, but think of all the things we do have.  No, we may not have millions of dollars in the bank but we can have the peace from God that only He can give when we do have trouble.   So, with Jesus in our heart, we have everything!
Verses 12-18
When we go through trials, it is very hard.  At a time of testing we will either draw closer to God or we will blame God and move away from Him.  I want to always draw closer to God because I can't imagine facing my troubles alone.  I know with God I am never alone.

Is there no other way open, God
except through sorrow, pain and loss,
To stamp Christ's likeness on my soul ---
No other way except the cross?

And then a voice stills all my soul
As still as the waves of Galilee
"Can'st thou not bear the furnace heat
If midst the flames I walk with thee?
I bore the cross, I know it's weight.
I drank the cup I hold for thee.
Can'st thou not follow where I lead?
I'll give thee strength.  Lean hard on me."
-- Author Unknown

School

We started school on August 1, 2011 and so far it is going great.  I am now using Homeschool Tracker to make up the assignment sheets.  After I print off the week then I put the assignment sheet with whatever books and handouts she will need in a basket and Abbie knows what she has to do.  We try to start school at 10:00 but sometimes that is hard for us to accomplish since Abbie is a night owl.