When I say "I am a Christian"......

This poem was sent to me in one of those "pass it along to get multiple blessings" chain emails. I usually delete them without opening. But thank you Lord, that I did open it because I love how this poem reads. See for yourself.....

When I say 'I am a Christian', I am not shouting that 'I am clean living'.

I'm whispering 'I was lost, but now I'm found and forgiven'.

When I say 'I am a Christian', I don't speak of this with pride.

I'm confessing that I stumble and need Christ to be my guide.

When I say 'I am a Christian', I'm not trying to be strong.

I'm professing that I'm weak and need His strength to carry on.

When I say 'I am a Christian', I'm not bragging of success.

I'm admitting I have failed and need God to clean my mess.

When I say 'I am a Christian', I still feel the sting of pain.

I have my share of heartaches, so I call upon His name.

When I say 'I am a Christian', I'm not holier than thou,

I'm just a simple sinner who received God's grace.

I hope you were blessed by this today as I was when I first read it.

AnnMarie :)

Her Price is Far Above Rubies

As with most holidays, when they are approaching, our thoughts may turn to what it means or what it is all about. At Christmas we think of Christ's birth, at Easter His resurrection.

For Mother's Day, of course our thoughts turn to Mom. At my thrifting adventures last week, I seemed to continually come across items having to do with mothers and particularily the Blessed Mary, mother of Jesus. At a rummage sale the next day I found another reminder of Mary...a picture of her with Jesus as a toddler.

For me though, reflecting on my own motherhood seems to be dominating my mind. My mistakes, my bad choices, my selfishness and my regrets. But I was redeemed from all that when I gave my life to my savior Jesus Christ. It is forgetting the past as far as the east is from the west, as our Lord does, and looking to the future that is hardest.

As I strive to be a better mother and woman of God, Proverbs 31:10 comes to mind and this is what I and all woman can strive for....

"Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies."

Below are the 10 virtues of a woman taken from the website A Virtuous Woman whose ministry is to encourage women to serve God in every aspect of their lives.

1. Faith - A Virtuous Woman serves God with all of her heart, mind, and soul. She seeks His will for her life and follows His ways. (Proverbs 31: 26, Proverbs 31: 29 – 31, Matthew 22: 37, John 14: 15, Psalm 119: 15
2. Marriage – A Virtuous Woman respects her husband. She does him good all the days of her life. She is trustworthy and a helpmeet. (Proverbs 31: 11- 12, Proverbs 31: 23, Proverbs 31: 28, 1 Peter 3, Ephesians 5, Genesis2: 18)
3. Mothering - A Virtuous Woman teaches her children the ways of her Father in heaven. She nurtures her children with the love of Christ, disciplines them with care and wisdom, and trains them in the way they should go. (Proverbs 31: 28, Proverbs 31: 26, Proverbs 22: 6, Deuteronomy 6, Luke 18: 16)
4. Health – A Virtuous Woman cares for her body. She prepares healthy food for her family. (Proverbs 31: 14 – 15, Proverbs 31: 17, 1 Corinthians 6: 19, Genesis 1: 29, Daniel 1, Leviticus 11)
5. Service - A Virtuous Woman serves her husband, her family, her friends, and her neighbors with a gentle and loving spirit. She is charitable. (Proverbs 31: 12, Proverbs 31: 15, Proverbs 31: 20, 1 Corinthians 13: 13)
6. Finances - A Virtuous Woman seeks her husband’s approval before making purchases and spends money wisely. She is careful to purchase quality items which her family needs. (Proverbs 31: 14, Proverbs 31: 16, Proverbs 31: 18, 1 Timothy 6: 10, Ephesians 5: 23, Deuteronomy 14: 22, Numbers 18: 26)
7. Industry – A Virtuous Woman works willingly with her hands. She sings praises to God and does not grumble while completing her tasks. (Proverbs 31: 13, Proverbs 31: 16, Proverbs 31: 24, Proverbs 31: 31, Philippians 2: 14)
8. Homemaking – A Virtuous Woman is a homemaker. She creates an inviting atmosphere of warmth and love for her family and guests. She uses hospitality to minister to those around her. (Proverbs 31: 15, Proverbs 31: 20 – 22, Proverbs 31: 27, Titus 2: 5, 1 Peter 4: 9, Hebrews 13: 2)
9. Time - A Virtuous Woman uses her time wisely. She works diligently to complete her daily tasks. She does not spend time dwelling on those things that do not please the Lord. (Proverbs 31: 13, Proverbs 31: 19, Proverbs 31: 27, Ecclesiastes 3, Proverbs 16: 9, Philippians 4:8 )
10. Beauty – A Virtuous Woman is a woman of worth and beauty. She has the inner beauty that only comes from Christ. She uses her creativity and sense of style to create beauty in her life and the lives of her loved ones. (Proverbs 31: 10Proverbs 31: 21 – 22, Proverbs 31: 24 -25, Isaiah 61: 10, 1 Timothy 2: 9, 1 Peter 3: 1 – 6)

To strive to be all that can only come when we keep our eyes on the Lord and ask for His help daily. Then the sweetest reward comes when "Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her." Proverbs 31:28

Happy Mother's Day!

AnnMarie :)

Found Treasures

What a great day I had last Friday garage sale-ing! It really is a great way to find vintage treasures and hear some stories to go along with the found treasure. There seemed to be a Mom theme for the day.

I started out towards a little town near me, Marion, New York, to a barn sale. I LOVE barn sales. There are just all kinds of vintage, antique-y treasures to be found. I had to have this vintage folding yardstick. There is just something about these old yardsticks that brings me back to thinking of the basics of life. Like working with your hands, being precise and accurate to get the job done right. When I told the woman who sold it to me that it just gets me right here (pointing to my heart) and maybe I am just weird, she said no, I know exactly what you mean. I guess that is what a true vintage junkie is!

I met up with my daughter Jena, baby granddaughter Chloe and we set out west to hit some advertised sales. Chloe promptly fell asleep in her car seat and we were able to pull up the driveway to most of the sales and just run in and out while she napped. A quick look is sometimes all you need to find your treasures, pay and run! At the first sale I found a wonderful old chocolate tin with a poem for Mother on the top. The woman said it was her mother's and that she had had it probably 60 years! I also got a sweet little Gibsons China teapot in ivory, pink and gold gilt.

At another garage sale the gentleman told us how all the things he was selling were his Mother's, that she had died at 88 the year before. I found a reversed glass painted silhouette picture, an old wooden shoe stretcher and a 1950's button style picture of the Blessed Mary, mother of Jesus. He spoke fondly of it, being that it was his mothers. Her eyes just draw you in.....

I was so excited with my finds that I went out Saturday morning and found an old tool/tackle box with a push button latch painted and rusted in a pretty cornflower blue. A local thrift store in my town is open on Tuesdays and I couldn't resist stopping today to see what she had that was new.  My finds are in the picture below and I will be working all this week on getting them listed in NaNa's Things.

I saved the best treasure for last. This ceramic figurine of the Blessed Mary, the mother of Jesus, is so beautiful in person and it is musical. It winds up to play Ava Maria. In it's simplicity, it portrays such a reverent, humble servant of the Lord's. The woman at the sale said it was her aunt's. I researched the ceramic company inscribed on the bottom from  Paramus, NJ and found out that the couple who ran it taught ceramics to the elderly.

The anticipation of the hunt for vintage treasures is fun but the rewards come when you realize that an item truly is a treasure because it meant something to someone else at one time. I get to have it for a little while and then pass it on to you. Maybe you'll buy it because it just gets you right there and you have to have it.....

AnnMarie :)

Still Thinking on This One....

While scrolling through Pinterest this week I came across this quote and I can't stop thinking about it...

"If someone wants to be a part

of your life, they'll be there.

So don't bother saving a spot

for someone who won't make

an effort to stay."

The quote is by Michael Cera. I googled him because I had no idea who he is! He is a Canadian actor and writer and guitarist. The part I identify with him on is the fact that he is a middle child, like myself, and that he must have had the same experience and same pain in his heart as I do to have said this quote.

We've all heard the comments and funny remarks about social media and technology and that our friends are all at the push of a button instead of face to face. I am all for the connections we can make through social media and understand it more and more because of my two Etsy shops and Pinterest and Twitter and Stumble Upon. I too sometimes "talk" more with my friends through Facebook or email than in person these days.

I still need the personal connections though. That face to face, one on one is how you tell who is a true friend. I treasure my friends and those in my family that are my friends. I am working on not saving a spot for those that won't make the effort to stay.

I  have a high standard (maybe too high!) when it comes to friendship. I want a give and take. An equal sharing of time, trust, confidences, advice, prayer and love as opposed to a dumper and a dumpee. I am all for you venting to me if I can vent to you! I want to know where I stand with you as a friend. I can list those friends that I know that I know are there for me, love me and have no ill will towards me. Then there are those I am not so sure of. Some of them are in my family. Those are the ones, if any, I may tend to save a spot for, just in case they come around. Just in case they realize what they are missing in having me as a friend. Just in case they want to start making an effort to stay.

Scripture has got it all there for us -

Proverbs 17:17 says "A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity" (NIV) meaning when you are in trouble, you see who your friends are and how helpful a brother can be. Thank God for my sisters in Christ!

Proverbs 27:6 says " Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful." (NIV) meaning that a loyal friend may correct you and the wounds will heal, while a deceitful enemy says sweet things that offer no real help. 

Whether you have friendships through social media or face to face....you know who your true friends are. They are a part of your life and want to be. Treasure them.

AnnMarie :)

Been Thinking About..........

......Pinterest since I finally joined and started my own boards and am getting the hang of it. It was something I kept hearing about but didn't have a clue how to join in on. Now I check in everyday to see what everyone is pinning and then I pin a few things of my own. I love pinning fabulous finds from all the wonderful shops on Etsy and have created boards just to go with the items I am finding. I hear it is addicting but can't say that I am yet! If you are already on, Follow Me !

......my two Etsy shops and how to keep them fresh and new and interesting with new items. I have been going to thrift shops and garage sales, a few estate sales and even some flea markets. I have found some new treasures to list in my NaNa's Things shop and did all that over the weekend. This mini oil can is my favorite new old treasure that I found. Makes a perfect shabby chic ring holder for your dresser!

And then I found these great silverplate horn candlesticks at an estate sale that has me thinking suddenly about Christmas!  I have always loved the Colonial, country style of decorating for the holidays with the pinecones and garland and berries. These just stir up all those memories.

 

I think if you are an Etsy shop owner, now is a good time to plan for items for the Christmas season, especially if they are things that have to be made. But the thought of getting into all those holidayish supplies and the red and green and bows and sparkles......it's a little overwhelming this time of year when out in my yard the flowers are purple and yellow!

Then I remembered Christmas in July! I believe last year Etsy had a promotion in July for shops to join in to sell Christmas items. I got to thinking that I would make more of my puzzle and button ornaments that were very popular last year and to introduce the button garland I just started offering this year in a longer length for the tree. I was in a warehouse type thrift store today and found 5 packs of these buttons.....what do you think of a button garland for the Christmas tree out of these?

 

It would end up looking like this only longer to drape on the tree....

It will be my 'sitting on the couch' in the evening project for the next several months!

Do you have any projects planned for the holidays yet?

AnnMarie :)

What's A Mother To Do?

with her 13 year old son all vacation week?

He is into Xbox and basketball. I don't have a clue how to play video games and I won't be running around a basketball court anytime soon!

Besides us both being sick with head colds, there is not a lot to do in our area this time of year. Yeah, there are museums and the zoo....not too interested in those.

Sometimes we just have to fill the day up with silly things like errands, stopping at the grocery store, and a doctor's appointment for my inevitable sinus infection. I tried to make doing all that today sound better by saying we would go to Wegmans for lunch and maybe they would be giving out samples at the bakery and deli and other places throughout the store like they sometimes do.



If you have never heard of Wegmans than you are not from the northeast....or even Pennsylvania.....I hear there are Wegmans popping up there too. It is quite the place to go for groceries because of their specialty areas. The store in Pittsford, which is 20 minutes from me, has a kosher deli area, a patisserie, a cheese shop and a Godiva chocolate shop to name a few. It's the atmosphere there that is amazing. I told my husband I want to go there on a date on a Saturday afternoon when it is crowded just to walk around and look! It is like going through a small marketplace in an exotic city!

Anyways, I digress. On the way to Canandaigua, which is where my doctor is and where I do most of my shopping, there was a mishap with me and another car at a 4-way stop. Neither one of us knew whose turn it was and we both ended up in the middle of the intersection at the same time. I backed up and when I looked over, there sitting at one of the other stops was a Canandaigua Sheriff's car. I went on my way, watching my driving because he followed us all the way to Wegmans and then finally turned off. We got inside and I went to the food area to get some soup. Who was standing right there, about 7 feet tall, getting himself some soup, but the policeman that had been following us! I guess I didn't do anything wrong, or at least I handled it correctly. In front of my son. Whew!

I guess we made some memories with that one. We spent the rest of the day watching the movie Rise of the Planet of the Apes, which was really good, and then he beat me 5 games to 2  at Sequence. I used to beat him....

Tomorrow is lunch with Dad and then we'll have to come up with something for the rest of the week.

Any ideas for me?

AnnMarie :)

Happy Resurrection Sunday! Happy Cheesecake for Dessert!

It is a beautiful, sunny day here in Upstate New York. The lawn is mowed, the daffodils are blooming and the tulip buds are emerging. Unfortunately, I am stuck inside with a cold and did not even make it to church today. But I know my Redeemer lives today because He is Risen!

I did get the most important part of my dinner for today done yesterday so I am happy about that. It is a chocolate peanut butter cheesecake by request of my daughter Jena.

Twenty-seven years ago, on Easter Sunday, she was born. You see, I had been running around the day before, at nine months pregnant, with her 3 year old sister, hunting for Easter eggs. The next morning I woke up with labor pains and by afternoon I had been blessed with an Easter baby girl. She has been a blessing ever since. This is the second time in all those years that her birthday has come close to falling on Easter Sunday. Her actual day is April 7th.

So, she wanted to have her birthday dinner (a tradition) on Easter this year. We are having grilled chicken burgers on kaiser rolls (fabulous recipe!), sweet potato fries, antipasto salad, her favorite homemade herbal iced tea and THIS fabulous looking cheesecake. I think it came out pretty good! Will let you know later how it tastes!



I hope your time with family or friends or however you are spending your day is wonderful and that there are lots of good things to eat on your menu.

While we are celebrating, let's not forget the cross and the resurrection and what that means for those of us who have chosen Him as our Savior.

AnnMarie :)