Why Tomorrow?

A thought that has been going through my mind the last few days has been why we as Christians are always waiting on tomorrow. We say we want to do things for the Lord, and that we want to have a deeper relationship with Christ, but we constantly put it off.

God is presently, in this very moment, seeking a deeper relationship with us. He is reaching out his hand and asking us to come to Him with all of our worries, struggles, and requests. He wants to be there to help us through these situations and wants us to fully rely on him. He is ready to show Himself in our daily lives and give us a deeper understanding of Him through experiencing who He is. So why, why are we waiting for tomorrow?

I love the lyrics to Mandisa's song "Waiting for Tomorrow" that go right along with this thought.

Can't spend my whole life wastin'
Everything I know I've been given
'Cause you've made me for so much more than
Sittin' on the side lines
I don't wanna look back and wonder
If good enough could've been better 

Oh, I'm makin this my moment now

I'm gonna grab the hand that's reachin down
And I'm not gonna wait until tomorrow

Let's make this very moment, right now, the moment where we jump in full force and give our lives to God. Let's take hold of His hand and enjoy the relationship that He wants to have with us. Let's show his love to others and not just go about our daily mundane lives... because when God is leading your life there is nothing mundane about it!

I will not let my life continue as mundane, but instead I will spend time with God daily and seek to share His love with others that may cross my path.

Will you wait for tomorrow, or will you make this very moment your moment?

One stitch at a time...

I've kept myself pretty busy the past few days with sewing projects. It is something I have really enjoyed being able to jump back into right before I start my new job next week. I have two projects to share today plus lots of good sites to recommend!

My first project was a pleated knee length skirt complete with pockets. I found some great fabric at Hobby Lobby and I bought the pattern there too. It had been a long time since I had worked with a pattern, but for the most part everything went fairly smooth. This skirt is also super comfortable!

My second project was a "weekend blouse". I call it that simply because that is what the pattern was called. I used my leftover royal blue poly-satin from my DIY wedding decorations to make this one. I have to admit that I was quite disappointed half way through making this because I really didn't see it turning out well. In the end, after a little seam ripping and redoing, I was happy.

I got the pattern for this weekend blouse absolutely FREE! I found a site, BurdaStyle that has anything and everything about sewing you could imagine on it. You can buy patterns, but best of all there are tons of free patterns, tutorials, and tips! You can also upload your own projects. This site has been one of my best friends the past few days :P.

I guess I have jumped a little bit ahead of myself. I didn't mention how I found BurdaStyle. I was just randomly clicking the "next blog" button at the top of the page seeing what I would come across, and I found a blog that mentioned BurdaStyle... it was Tart Deco: Vintage Glamor & Retro Style. After that amazing find I kept sifting and came across another girl who has a blog of stuff that she has made. It seems that every post she makes she tells how she made the item the post is about ... and best of all ... it is super easy and no pattern is needed! This blog is Comely Vesture.

Well, I think that is all I have to share for now, but I hope you enjoy & can find some treasure in these sites as well! God Bless!

My God's Enough

Here lately I have been listening to a lot of Barlow Girl's music in the car. While I really like a lot of their songs, recently my repeat song has been Psalm 73 (My God's Enough).

 Here are some of the lyrics:

I've had enough of living life for only me
and reaching just for the things
that keep destroying me
so sick of envying the lives of so many I see
somehow believing that they have what I need

 I can't explain why I suffer though I live for You
those who deny You, oh
they have it better than I do
cover my eyes now so that
my heart can finally see
that in the end only You mean anything

my God's enough for me
this world has nothing I need
in this whole life I've seen
my God's enough, enough for me 

Who have I in heaven but You
Nothing I desire but You
My heart may fail but not You
You are mine forever

 This song is so true to the way we are sometimes. We take our eyes off of God and start thinking that others have more than we do. We continually seem to lose sight of all that God has done for us and what we have in Him. It sad that He sometimes has to "cover our eyes" so that our hearts can see in the end only God and the things that we do for Him in this life mean anything at all.

I want my life to show that my God is enough for me.

My God Is...

As part of my young married group from church, I am reading Experiencing God by Blackaby. I have just started but already the book has been a great motivator to want to experience God in His many characteristics and by his many names.

My God Is...

• the great I AM
• My witness 
• the bread of life
• my hope
• my wonderful counselor
• the strength of my salvation
• my comfort
• my hiding place

My God is all of that and so much more. I want to fully experience God in all of these areas. I can "know" that He is all of these things, but I want to truly experience Him. That is my prayer today.

Nameless

My Cat. Not because I want it, but because it chooses to stay. When Ben and I moved into our new home, we quickly figured out that this cat also lives here. We don't feed it, but it chooses to stay anyway. It spends most of its days laying on the picnic table on the deck or sitting in the kitchen window (on the outside)... It meows up a storm when I cook and watches me wash dishes. Sometimes it does get quite annoying, but I have begun to enjoy the company during my days here at the house alone, at least when I wash dishes there is someone else there with me. Best of all the cat makes a good photography subject :P

 

Maybe I should give it a name?

I'm Married!

Well, it has been quite a while since I have posted on here. Things got so crazy around exams and all of the final wedding planning. The day has come and gone, and I am now Hope Lauren Minter. It sounds so nice doesn't it! I am so thankful that God has blessed me with such a wonderful husband who loves me more than anyone but God. I look forward to a life spend serving Christ with Ben.

Spring is coming!

I decided to spend a little time out with my camera on this beautiful April day. The bees are staying busy carrying pollen and buzzing about. I also noticed our dogwood tree is a little behind the others this year, but it is beginning to bloom and I look forward to seeing the pink and white blossoms!

What a true JOY it is to attempt to capture God's marvelous and beautiful creation. Let all that hath breath praise His name!

Finished!

Ok, I just finished my little project :) A bag for my Granny to keep her current embroidery projects in.

 It ended up being about 5" wide, 10.5" tall, and 17.5" long.

 I made the strap optional (and it pivots really well).

And a little "flower" for decoration :)

Stitch Witchery

Ok, so I'm sure some of you are thinking, "What in the world is stitch witchery???". Well, I had no idea what it was until today, but I am really liking it already. First, I guess I should let you all know what I'm up to. I am working on a small sewing project for my Granny (her 81st birthday is coming up this month). She really enjoys embroidery/cross stitching and I am making a rectangular bag for her to keep her current projects in. I found a store in Winston-Salem (Hancock Fabrics) ... AMAZING, :P. I found some really great fabric, Fusi-Boo batting (I had never heard of this before either ... it too is great!), and stitch witchery.

Stitch witchery is a web of thread that comes in little rolls of different widths. I believe mine is a 1/2" wide roll. You can fold in two edges of fabric and place the stitch witchery in between. Then, all you have to do is place a damp cloth and top and hold the iron on it for 10-20 seconds. It makes a pretty good bond that you have to tug on pretty hard to pull apart. I wouldn't leave it at just that, but it really does help hold in stubborn edges until you can place a top stitch across it.

Here are a few "in the process" pictures :) I'll post a final once I finish up. The strap is all that is left.

 ^First place the Fusi-Boo between the two pieces of fabric

 ^Then turn in the rough edges and place stitch witchery in between. Hold the iron it it (dampened first) for 10 seconds.

 ^ I reinforced the top of the pocket (the part that will not be attached) so that it will have a stronger hold.

 ^I then top stitched the pocket onto the lining of the side panel.

^This is the finished product of the panel lining.

For now, God Bless!

PS. I got a new camera, from my wonderful fiance! It is the Canon EOS Rebel T2i ... He got me the body, two lenses, a very nice backpack style case, 16 GB class 10 SDHC card, UV filter, and it was all given with love :) I really can't wait to take some pictures and do a little post-developing in lightroom.

Books You Have to Read!

So I have read a couple of great books this past week and thought I would share with you all.

The first was The Thorn by Beverly Lewis. Beverly Lewis writes fiction books based on the Amish people. She has spent a lot of time around this type of lifestyle and writes stories that are based on real places and are very true to the Amish customs and ways. I have read three entire trilogy sets of her books (which I will also list) previously, and just this past week read the first of her newest, The Rose Trilogy. The Thorn was a really great and captivating book (I read it in only 3 days). This book is great for teen girls and women.

The other trilogies I have read by Beverly Lewis are:

• Annie's People
• The Courtship of Nellie Fisher
• The Heritage of Lancaster County

Although those are the only full sets I have read, I would recommend ALL of Beverly Lewis' books based on my reading experience with the others.

________________________________________________

**Best Book of the Week Award**

The second book for the week was Unlocked by Karen Kingsbury. This is truly the very best book I've read in a long time. From the first chapter I was hooked. I honestly could hardly put it down. Holden Harris is an autistic eighteen-year-old who is bullied at school. Ella Reynolds is part of the 'in' crowd—a cheerleader and star of the high school drama production who befriends Holden but has problems of her own at home. In her trademark way, Kingsbury tackles real-life issues of high school bullying, autism, suicide, and ultimately ... acceptance. The book goes through the journey of watching Holden, a completely non-communicative autistic, be unlocked from the bounds of his autism. It goes back and forth between the way his family and the people at school view things and what is going on in Holden's own little world.

I spent only two days reading this book ... I honestly could not put it down. This shows how important it is to look past the outer appearance of a person and see them for who they really are. I went from one chapter to the next excited and then crying ... sometimes out of sadness, but more often - happiness.

This book would be wonderful for any teen or adult, it really tackles a lot of issues.

$10 Tote

I was at Wal-Mart the other day looking for some fabric to work on a little project when I found little packs of fabric. They were really cute patterns, and included two 1-yard pieces that complimented each other. The pack was only $10!

So, I set out to start a little project. I decided to make myself a little tote bag. It turned out pretty cute (and sturdy) so I thought I'd share. (sorry the pictures were taken very quickly and are kinda bland)

I put the shoes by the bag in the picture for size comparison.

I made the straps with the same fabric as the lining of the bag, and I used my favorite decorative stitch on my new machine to secure it in place. I also put pockets on both sides of the inside of the bag (these are great for my phone and keys).

If you would like any tips on how to make your $10 tote just comment on the post and let me know!