May. 19, 2007
May 2007 Sweet Monday -- Tea Party Themes

Tea Party Themes

(with ideas from “Let’s Have a Tea Party” by Emilie Barnes)

Garden Tea Party:

·      Invitations:  Use flowered or garden themed invitations, or make your own.  Be sure to let guest know it’s an outdoor celebration.

·      Decorations: Use an outdoor patio or other table, or do an old-fashioned picnic with a tablecloth on the ground.  For centerpiece, use a water can or flower pot and fill with flowers from your garden.  If using a patio table with an umbrella, decorate its edges and pole with ivy/garland.

·      Food: Garden Patch Cupcakes with chocolate frosting, decorated with crushed chocolate cookies for dirt; cut drinking straw into 2-3” pieces and stand one in the middle of each cupcake.  Then place a real or artificial flower, stem down, into each straw.  Use mint leaves to create “leaves” of flower and hide straw.  BugBites are round cookies (sugar or gingersnaps) for the bug bodies, decorated with icing, red hots or mini-M&M’s, along with licorice or fruit-flavored candy strings for legs, antennae, etc . To made Flower Power, cut petals and around center out of bread.  Add cream cheese to petals and add a top.  Put center in middle of serving plate, adding cream cheese and raisins.  Arrange “petals” around center.  Keebler has also come out with new graham crackers called BugBites.

Musical Tea Party:

·      Invitations:  Perhaps have this theme to celebrate a composer’s birthday, a piano recital, or the symphony coming to town.  Look on the internet for the score with a music sheet/staff as your invitation or see if you can find some at your local store.

·      Decorations: If you have an instrument, use that as part of your centerpiece.  For placemats, use plain white paper placemats and draw a large musical staff (5 horizontal and parallel lines) on each.  Then set each guest’s name to music.

·      Food: Piano Key Sandwiches are made from pumpernickel & white bread.  Cut the crusts from the white bread and cut into 4 pieces.  Spread with cream cheese.  Then cut pumpernickel into 3-4 pieces and spread with cream cheese.  Arrange on tray so the look like black & white keys on a piano.  Make Flute Cookies from long, type-shaped cookies decorated with icing for the finger holes.

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The Anti-Tea Party:

I thought this one up to give the boys in our lives a fun way to get in on a tea party and not have them feel it’s too “girly.”  Have them dress up as Indians and read them the story of the Boston Tea Party.  They can even act it out by dumping instant tea into a wading pool filled with water and make boats out of newspaper to float in their very own “Boston Harbor.”  For the food, you could have Boston-type foods like a Boston Cream Pie, Boston Brown Bread, or even Boston Baked Beans!  And of course, since the colonies boycotted tea, they can drink another favorite drink, or use their ships to pretend they are smuggling tax-free tea to our shores.

Mar. 13, 2007
Sweet Monday for March 2007 -- Quick & Creative Cards

This month, we just did a simply menu of foods we would snack on while we worked.  Popcorn, knock-off Girl Scout cookies from Dollar General for $1.50, mints, and the candy for the month was Baskins Robbins 31 Flavors hard candy in Mint Chocolate Chip flavor in honor of St. Patricks Day. 

For the devotional, I shared with the ladies how a friend always puts a pre-printed little slip of paper in her notes with a quote/scripture that she find interesting or powerful. (She just types them up, prints them off, and has them with her writing supplies.)   I encouraged the ladies to start doing that when they write notes (we all agreed we LOVE quotes), as we never know how God will use it to encourage the reciever.  I shared with them how that little paper from my friend was something I really clung to and meditated on for many months (see the first part of the blog entry, Why "Whirlwind.")

For the program, I shared many saving paper-craft tips (see below) and we made cards at our dining room table.  I explained that since I now have busy kids and a busier life, I tend to come up with a design and then "assembly-line" it and make a lot all at one time.  For birthdays, all the kids get the same card design, and the adults ladies another, and then the guys another.  That way, I have them all made up for the year and put into my card album by who-to-send-what-to-which-month, and I don't accidently end-up sending a "repeat" card to someone the following year.

I also send them home with a copy of "Money Saving Tips" and card sketches I found at http://www.memorycreators.com/sketches.htm

Creative Paper Craft Money Saving Tips:
(or how to not go broke with a hobby)

The idea behind making your own cards, etc is to create something handmade and being wise with your funds – store-bought cards can be well over $3.00 at least!   While getting your stash of supplies to get started could be pricey, learn to be wise and you’ll be able to do it quite reasonably.


Home Improvement Stores, Here We Come!
• Buy a rolling tool chest (about $25 at Wal-Mart) instead of a pricey traveling caddy to store items in.
• Look for fishing tackle kits or hardware-supply storage items to store things in.
• Left-over paint chip samples are a neat way to coordinate colors and get free “cardstock.”  The “window” kind can give you great spaces to stamp, put words, stickers, etc.

What’s Around the House?
• Use film canisters, Altoid tins, or other small containers to store eyelets, brads and other small embellishments.
• Shoeboxes and other boxes are great to store pre-folded cards, envelopes, pre-made phrases & quotes, etc.
• Like the look of sewing and embroidery?  Here are 2 ideas.  Use embroidery floss instead of pricey fibers.  Just thread some big needles and start hand-sewing through the paper.  Your regular sewing machine is also just itching to be used to create borders, add detail, or even to bind a mini album together.  You can also use ribbons and embroider on your paper, just as you would fabric.
• Mail, Magazines & Catalogs:  You’d be amazed at some of the hidden treasures that find your way into your mailbox.  Look for junk mail ads with pretty backgrounds – use the nice side, cut to the size you need and use as you would decorative paper.  Look for interesting stamps.  Use layouts of articles and ads to “scraplift.”  Glean ideas!
• Use a small, cheap plastic cutting board to protect your work surface when setting eyelets.
• Don’t want to spend a lot of money on pricey eyelet setting tools?  You don’t have to.
     1) Use an exact-o knife to make a small “x” where you want to put your eyelet.
     2) Push your eyelet through, turn over paper to the back.
     3) Find a Phillips head screwdriver that just the tip, but not the rest of the screwdriver part, fits in the eyelet hole.
     4) Use a regular hammer, or a lightweight hammer (you can smaller light hammers for .99/$1 at dollar places) to hit top of screwdriver to set the eyelet.
     5) If only part of the eyelet set, take screwdriver out and reinsert it so the outer edges of the screwdriver bit goes against the sides that have not set yet. Hit it. Take screwdriver out and hit the eyelet itself a few times....works like a charm!

Stores:
• Look for coupons.  Buy things on sale (but only what you truly need).  Bulk papers are always cheaper than single sheets.  They also come coordinated, which make putting your project together a lot easier.
• Dollar Stores are carrying lots of card and scrapbook items now.  Browse through their aisles and see what you can incorporate.  They have paper, stickers, brads, and more!
• Buy envelopes in bulk.  Look in the office supply aisle – you’ll find all sizes and white/assorted colors.
• Use 12x18 construction paper for the base of your cards – you’ll get a lot of cards for your cash.

Your Computer:
• Search for ideas on the internet – there are tons of sites out there with free projects, etc.  My favorite is www.papercraftsmag.com.  You can also find free graphics, digital downloads, etc.
• Play around with your Word program to create cards for almost free.  Type phrases, quotes, etc with different fonts and print them out.  Paste in clipart, etc you find from the web and use instead of store-bought stickers.  You can even print them out on sticker paper that you can find at office stores or WalMart to save the step of gluing.

March 13, 2007    Quick  & Creative Card Making

Join us as we create cards for all occasions!

Feb. 17, 2007
Sweet Monday for February 2007

 Feb. 12, 2007   Money and More

Now that we’re “healthy” in body from our meeting in January, let’s try to do the same with our pocketbooks as we get our budgets and finances in order.

For this month, I invited a woman on staff at our church who helps with their finances and biblical stewardship to speak with us.  She shared her honest testimony of how she had degrees in business, finance, etc, and "of all people, you would think she would of had handling her family's money down quite well."  But that was not the case and one day she had to confess to her husband that they were lacking.  She said, "Now ladies, this is definately a time when I will tell you to 'do as I say and not as I do.' "

How gracious her testimony was and inspiring to us all.  They are now out of debt and she is able to share with others how to be wise biblical stewards of the money God blesses them with. 

She share with us principles from Crown Financial Ministries and especially recommends the book "Personal Finances" by Larry Burkett.   She used it as the base of her talk, which focused around planning and budgeting (she said long-term planning was the thrid component and it would be best to talk to someone with greater expertise).

She gave us great resources to use, including the suggested percentages per category.  A helpful tool to use to do this can be found at http://www.crown.org/Tools/budgetguide.asp?aid.  You can input your own income, etc and it will create a suggested budget for you.  (note: it is suggested only and you may find you need to re-adjust suggested percentages based on your needs, etc.)

Now & Later Devotion

As I thought about which candy to get this month, the package of “Now & Later” seemed to jump out at me.  While is has nothing to do with the topic of money from all outside appearances, the reason I bought it is because it made me think of the commercials that say, “Buy now and pay later!” 

You know the ones that just seem like crazy deals such as: “0% down, pay nothing until January of 2037!!!!!” -- Those that make you turn to your husband and say, “Let’s go get what they are selling!” 

It may not matter that your TV is ok and you have more than enough channels to keep you entertained, that your couch may have a few more years of life in it, and that the car you bought a few years ago is still chugging away just fine.  I mean, hey! You better go and jump at what they are offering – after all, they tell us that this is a one-time-only deal, good only on this Saturday morning between the hours of 11:58 am and 12:02 pm. 

The world pulls at us to “buy more, have more, be more, do more.”  We want more now.  We want to have more later too.  We see what someone else has, and even though it never occurred to us a split second before that we had any lack, we suddenly need that latest and greatest gadget too.

The Bible contains roughly 2,300 verses concerning money -- about twice as many as faith and prayer combined.

*16 of the 38 parables dealt with money

*15% of everything Jesus said related to money and possessions.

*The only subject Jesus Christ spoke of more often is the Kingdom of God.

Why is this?  Well, the Scriptures make it clear that there is a fundamental connection between a person’s spiritual life and their attitudes and actions concerning money.

Matthew 6:19-21 says:  "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

So where my treasure is now, my heart is there now too.  And what I am focusing on NOW, will be what I reap LATER.

Money is not the root of all evil – the love of it is.  We need to have the mind-set that it’s God’s money NOW, and it will be God’s money LATER.  He is the One who blesses us with it as He sees fit.  We need to be good stewards of it and use it for His glory.  We need to have our greed be turned into generosity to honor Him and build His kingdom.

One day, all this world will pass away.  And what I’m doing with my life right NOW, will matter a whole lot – Both NOW … and LATER.

Feb. 17, 2007
Sweet Monday for January 2007

  Jan. 8, 2007   Healthy Eating 101

Here’s to your health!”  Sweet Jennifer teaches us how eat healthy to be healthy.

In January, we took a spin on the typical New Year's resolution to "eat better," etc by having a sweet gal from our church who attended classes with Hallelujah Acres to share with us about how to start on the journey to healthy eating.

We began the evening with homemade bread and fruit, and I used as "decorations" several books on health, herbs, nutrition, etc that were in our families bookcase.  For the devotional I shared bits from the introduction the book (which is the author's testimony) that got my husband and I first interested in health, back when we were dating in our final year of college.  It is titled "What the Bible Says About Healthy Living" and is still one of our all-time favorites.

(Since this Sweet Monday happened and me finally getting it typed up, I was searching for the book to link it and stubbled upon another homeschool blogger's site, "Growing in Truth," who has a wonderful entry about the book and how she incorporates it -- a definate must-read!)

To start the program, Jennifer gave us all a paper that had three un-named items that you can find in stores and their ingredient lists.  She encouraged us to try to figure out what they were and then asked which one we prefered to consume.  The first two items were full of names we couldn't pronounce, chemicals, etc. -- they ended up being coffee creamer and soda.  The third item had names we could all pronounce, which included spring water, fruit extracts, etc.  We all agreed we would rather consume that one -- which ended up being an all-natural hand-lotion from the health food store that she uses! 

She shared her own personal testimony of health -- from going up loving sweets and ice cream and how she felt tired and had head aches all the time, to finally figuring out that wasn't best for her body and learning how to best fuel it.  She also shared what foods most people are commonly allergic to, how sugar depletes our immune systems, and the best foods to fuel our body.

Dec. 20, 2006
Sweet Monday for December 2006

Dec. 11, 2006     Purse Swap and Cookie Exchange!
Bring an unwrapped “purse-you-can-part-with” from home and 2 dozen of your favorite Christmas Cookies — FUN, FUN, FUN!

This Sweet Monday, we all brought 2 dozen of our favorite cookies to exchange -- so we got a lot of different types to take home for our families without a lot of work.

The devotional was from Sweet Monday and was called "What's in Your Spritual Handbag?"

Then, for the purse swap, we put all the purses on my coffee table and each lady wrote down one thing on a 3x5 index card that was TRUE, but that the rest of us may not know about.  We mixed them up and read them one by one.  If someone guessed who it was, they got to chose a purse; if no one was able to guess it, the one who wrote it 'fessed up and got to chose.  It led to some really great stories and we got to know each other better. 

Dec. 20, 2006
Sweet Monday for November 2006

Nov. 13 -- Death by Chocolate

Indulge with us in chocolate, marvelous chocolate!

Program:  History of Chocolate & It’s Health Benefits

Devotional:  Have You Ever Fudged?

Menu:  Chocolate Fountain w/ Mixed Fruit, Truffles, Assorted Dark Chocolates, Hot Chocolate, French Vanilla Coffee w/ Chocolate Mint Truffle Creamer, Assorted Teas

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For this Monday, we had a "delicious" time with delightful chocolate.  A friend had a chocolate fountain that she brought and we filled it with melted chocolate bark and used it to dip fruit and even make s'mores! 

For the history portion of the program, I used information I had gleaned from http://www.fieldmuseum.org/Chocolate/history.html.  To share about the health benefits, I used information from the Cleveland Clinic, a heart & vascular clinic. 

In my reading, I also found that women will have a low magnesium level, prior/during "that time of the month," as your progesterone levels decrease.  Our bodies crave that magnesium to rebalance -- and guess what has one of the highest levels of magnesium?   CHOCOLATE!!!  That sure made all of us ladies laugh and feel "normal" for craving chocolate so much.  We joked that for PMS, you need to take your Progesterone, Magnesium, and Seventy Percent Chocolate! 

To end the evening, I did a devotional called "So Where's the Fudge???" from Peggy's Place.  I added a line before the 2nd paragraph and told the ladies "Do you take "T" with your fudge?" and had a tea cup with 3 tea bags labeled "Time," "Truth," and "Trust" that I used as a visual while sharing.

Oct. 18, 2006
Sweet Monday for October 2006

Oct. 9, 2006  Marvelous Monthly Menu Management

Sweet Tabitha shows us how monthly menu planning saves us $ – and our sanity!

My sweet friend (who also was my partner in crime for Hair Do's and Doozies last year) did the Sweet Monday program for me this month, and did a FANTASTIC job!  She shared for the devotional portion how being organized in this area has blessed her family:

1) financially as they save money, (she has saved over $100 each time she has "stuck" to her meal plan and does not splurge on out-to-eat meals, ONLY if they are planned.)

2) physically as they eat healthier, and

3) spiritually and emotional as they sit down to a good meal and good conversation ,and also that she is able to focus on them and not wonder what to make for dinner an hour before they eat.

Here is what she shared with us...

1) Sit down with a calendar -- she uses a blank one printed off from the computer and saves her fridge calendar for scheduling.

2) Make a sit-down date with spouse and put your calendars together and look for hubbies late nights at the office, meetings, birthdays, date nights, etc.  Count the actual number of nights you need to cook.  Go ahead and fill in any givens on your calendar.  For example, Sunday nights at her house are always breakfast-type meals.  Fridays are kids' night so they help her with that night's menu.  Meals that aren't Dad's favorite, but Mom or the kids love are on the nights he won't be eating with them due to men's group, etc.

3) Gather all your favorite recipe books, etc.  With the number of nights you need to cook in mind, start looking through your cookbooks, recipes, writing down names of recipes you would like to try along with the page and book it is in.  Lay aside any loose recipes.  Have your "grocery list" page beside you so you can go ahead and write the ingredients you will need for each recipe.  Fill in your menu.  Make sure each night has been well thought out with the meal prep time for that day's activities. (May want to do crockpot meals for the days you will be gone, etc.)

4)  Then go through your grocery list and copy down:

     a.  All the DRY GOODS you need to get at the grocer.

     b.  Make a MEAT/FISH list -- a lots of us go to Sam's or Costo, etc to get large quanitities of this.  When you bring it home, divide it into freezer bags according to what recipe calls for.  May also want to pre-cook your meat after purchase (say on the weekend) so it's even faster to make up the meal.

     c.  Go weekly for FRESH FRUITS, VEGGIES & MILK.

5) Put menu calendar on fridge and your month is organized.  Sit back and enjoy -- your month is planned and your hubby will think you are divine!

Oct. 18, 2006
Sweet Monday For September 2006

(When freezing, don’t use mayo, tomatoes, egg salad, or salad veggies.)

Jun. 5, 2006
August 8th, 2005 -- Hairdos and Hairdoozies

August 8, 2005 --  Hairdos and Hairdoozies

Come on, ‘fess up…. We’ve all had some bad hairstyles.  Join us as we share some of our “hair raising” experiences with one another.  If you’re brave enough, you can even bring pictures that document your worst hair days.

This month was a hoot!!!!!  My good friend partnered up with me for this program and for our entertainment/devotional, we set up a "Hair Clinic" that we were doing up in the "Big City."  The following is the skit we did.  My DH was the "bald" hair model (a nylon on his still haired-head did the visual trick) and we pulled a few volunteers out our audience to show the ladies the hair styles of Eve, Samson and Absalom. 

Jun. 5, 2006
Sweet Monday 2005 -- Sept, Oct, Nov

September 12th -- Card Making 101

Need to increase your greeting card stash?  We are going to get crafty this month as  we make some all-occasion greeting cards.  Paper and supplies will be provided, but if you have extra glue, stickers, etc around the house, bring them along!

October 10 -- Clutter Auction

Time to get rid of that clutter!  Bring something that you’ve been wanting to get rid of and see if your “trash” is another lady’s “treasure!”  We will also be sharing tips on how to clear away some of the clutter in your life.

November 14 -- Help for the “Holi-daze”

Ready or not, here it comes! Learn how to prepare yourself and your home for the holidays.

(used the FlyLady’s Holiday Survival Guide)

Jun. 5, 2006
July 11th, 2005: Sweet Summer Sundeas

July 11, 2005 --  Sweet Summer Sundeas

Remember those lazy summer days as kid -- free as a bird from school, catching fire flies at dusk, swimming lessons, & homemade ice cream?  Join us as we remember those days & enjoy a little bit of our childhoods again…

For our dessert, we made the following sundaes, and as I showed the ladies how to make them, I shared each ingredient and its "meaning."

Jun. 5, 2006
2005 Sweet Monday -- April, May, June

April 11, 2005   A “Proper” English Tea Party

Put on your Sunday Best, don a hat (formality not required – silliness a bonus), BYFTC (bring your favorite teacup) and enjoy a good old-fashioned tea party with “just the girls.”

This was our very first Sweet Monday down here, and the ladies came with hats, tea cups, and sweet good spirits.

May 9, 2005    How Do You Spell S-I-M-P-L-I-F-Y?

Being content in a world that is always demanding more – is it possible?  Join us as we share wisdom & tips with each other.

We talked about how to simplify our lives.  The devotional came from "Heartlighters for Women" by LeAnn Wiess.

June 13, 2005 Travel Tips

Even though we live at one of the most beautiful places to vacation (and live!), many of us will be heading to other destinations over the next few months.  Join us as we learn how to make traveling a little easier.

I created a little booklet for this with packing lists, etc and the ladies shared area sight-seeing and historical things that we could do as day trips around our area.

For the devotional, I did Paul's missionaries journeys and titled it,

"Would We Sign Up For This Trip?"

Apr. 12, 2006
April 2006 -- A Time To Plant

This Month's Program: "A Time To Plant..."

Dessert: Dirt Dessert served in a flower pot with silk flowers

Devotional: "Seeds of Kindness" from Creative Ladies Ministry

My first plan was to have everyone share some gardening tips to help us get our yards and garden beds in tip-top shape.  However, of the ladies that came, it turns out that their hubbies are the ones in with the green thumbs and who do the landscaping at their houses!  (I asked if I could borrow them for a weekend, of course. )

So, I quickly turned to Plan B (I've learned to have a back-up and was glad for it this evening).  I had brought it a pot of plants that I had on my patio that I had planted last spring and taught them how to create more plants without spending any to very little money.

The first technique I showed them how to root a cutting (mums and sedums are especially good for this, as they like to be pinched back until July 4th and you just use the ends you pinch off, but any plant usually works).  Just cut a piece of the plant, scrap away some of the "skin" at the bottom, dip it in rooting hormone (comes in a small jar in powder form and little lasts a long time), then put it in some potting soil and keep well-watered.  I do mine in the pots I have out on my front entry.  They are easy to tend to out there and they help "fill up" the pots so they look nice and lush.  From one plant we were able to get 5-6 new "babies."

The second technique was separating an established plant.  For my example, I had an old-fashioned geranium and showed them up to dig it up (to get all of root ball, go as far out as the plant is tall).  We then separated it by gently "unweaving" all of the roots.  We were able to "create" 5 new plants from it.

We also talked about fertilizer and moisture cystals (especially helpful for potted plants where the summers get really hot), along with how to propagate bushes like azaleas, etc.  (In Spring, bend down a branch, cover it with soil, and then hold it down with a rock.  By fall or the next spring, it should be well-rooted and then you can just cut it away from the mother plant and transplant the new plant.)

We ended the evening with the "Seeds of Kindness" devotional and for favors that evening, I sent them home with a "seeds of kindness" seed packet filled with marigold seeds (see Creative Ladies Ministry for printable pattern), along with the new plants we had "created" that evening.

Mar. 22, 2006
March 2006 -- Spring Cleaning Jump Start

This Month's Program:  Spring Cleaning Jump Start

"Need some motivation to start your spring cleaning?  Come and tell us your best cleaning tips & win the “Queen of Clean” scepter!" 

We had a small turn-out this month (hummm... perhaps either a) no one really wants to spring clean, b) they were at home in the middle of cleaning, or c) they were bitten with spring fever like I have been lately?   But we did have a wonderful chat and learned a lot more about each other, and it was a blessing to have that intimate time with the gals, as I didn't know them very well (and know I know them better -- Thanks, Lord!).

Feb. 17, 2006
February 2006 -- Flower Arranging and "Who's Love?"

The kids and I made sugar cookies for the dessert for this month's Sweet Monday.  I had some alphabet cookie cutters, so we spelled out the above to greet the ladies and sprinkled them with hot pink docorating sugar.  We also made heart ones and decorated them with pink icing.  A very easy & fun dessert!   The candy for the month was "sweethearts" -- you know, the kind with messages like "love ya," "oh, baby!" etc.

This Month's Program:  Flower Arranging

One of the ladies who attends does this for a living with artificial flowers and sells them at craft shows.  She graciously shared her passion with us and gave us wonderful tips and taught us how to do this.  We were all amazed at how quickly she did it and with such ease.

Jan. 11, 2006
Jan. 2006 -- Painting 101and "Kilz It"

For this month's Sweet Monday we did "Painting 101" & the description was:

"The Sweet H****** family will be teaching us the tricks of the trade, and do these people ever know their paint!   Perfectly painted rooms, here we come!"

A couple at our church owns a paint store, and they graciously accepted my invitation to come this month.  The husband did a great job of teaching us about:

1.  Different Qualities of Paint

2. Oil vs. Latex (latex is MUCH easier and better)

3.  How to get rid of paint splatters on your floors, wood work, etc (use "Goof-Off")

4.  And he even gave us a quiz to help us discover our color personalities that is quite accurate (go to www.voiceofcolor.com to take the on-line quiz.  )

(One funny thing about this, is that one of the gals was saying how she would like to add some color to her house, but her hubby WANTS the walls white. So guess what her color personality turned out to be......  "White Spaces"  -- much to her chagrin!)

For dessert, I made "Paint Palette" cakes, and I decorated the table with vases filled with paint rollers and brushes.  For the candy, we had Hershey Kissables, which are mini Hershey Kisses with a colorful candy coating.  I divided them by color and put them on some artist paint palettes that we had around.  And at the end, I shared the devotion and sent them home with a prayer.....

January 2006 Devotion:  "Kilz It"

In Abby’s room is a white shelf.  A great white shelf that holds some of her wonderful things.  But there is a problem with it.  There is a knot showing through the paint.  Actually, it’s a brownish spot that you can see.  At first glance, you wouldn’t notice it.  But if you are in her room for a while, your eye can’t help but be drawn to it.

We knew the knot was there when we bought it unfinished.  We thought – “All wood has some knots & blemishes.  We’ll cover it up with some paint, and it will be fine.” 

So at first we did it with green to accent her nursery.  Hummm…… didn’t quite cover it with the first coat. 

Did another coat.  The shelf now looked nice and even – except for that dark spot that seemed to bleed through again.  Even with DARK green paint.  Oh, well – it’s going to have to do.  Abby was due any day, and her nursery needed to be done to welcome her home.  We could still use the shelf.  Not a lot of people would go into her room.  “No big deal,” we said to ourselves.

That shelf has been around for 6 years now.  And still with that knot showing through.  Last year, we painted it white to coordinate it with her new room.  “Surely a THIRD & a FOURTH and a FIFTH coat would cover it,” we thought.

Nope.  It’s was still there.  And we’ve known all along what we’ve needed to do to it, but silly and foolish – and to be honest, LAZY – us, we didn’t want to take the extra step to get it done right.  And it actually ended up costing us more time and coats of paint – and the knot is still showing through.

Every house we’ve lived in has needed a little bit of work done to fix them up and make them “home.”  Sometimes there has been a bad spot on a wall, or we’ve had to paint some other unfinished wood with knots & blemishes.  When I first started learning about fixing up a house, my mother-in-law shared how to take care of things like that.

“Looks like we’ve got to Kilz it,” she said.

“What?” I asked, quite confused, certain I heard wrong, “Kill it?”  Because that is what it sounded like to me.

“No,” she said laughing, “K-I-L-Z.  Kilz.  It’s a special primer that will cover up those things and keeps them from showing through.  It’s the thing to use.  If you want them gone, that is what you’re going to have to use.”

So, are there things in your life you need to “Kilz?”  Have you tried to cover up your spots, blemishes, hang-ups, habits, -- and sins?  Are they still coming through sometimes?   Have you tried different things, like we tried different colors of paint to cover up the knot on the shelf?  Have you finally been so tired of struggling with those things, that you rationalize – “Maybe I can hide it.  Fake it.  Pretend like it doesn’t exist.  Just live with it?”

But it doesn’t keep it away.  You know it’s there.  You see it.  You are impacted by it.  Maybe it’s a sin you struggle with.  Maybe it’s perfectionism.  Maybe it’s being anxious.  Maybe it’s a bad habit.  Maybe it’s _____________.  You fill in the blank. 

We’ve all got it.  You see all wood has some imperfections.  When we go to Lowe’s or Home Depot to pick out wood for a project, we see some that are pretty bad.  And some that are pretty good.  But none of them are perfect.

And neither are we.  We are all cut from the same family tree. 

Adam & Eve’s. 

So we’ve all inherited sin.  And with sin come problems, imperfections, hang-ups, and bad habits.  We can try to cover them up.  We can try our own willpower.  We can try to say, “Well, that’s just the way I am.  I can’t change.”

But it’s till there.  It’s keeps showing through.  We need let the Kilz get rid of it for us.

“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.” 1 Peter 2:24 (ESV)

Pretty neat, huh?  Jesus is our “Kilz.”  WE can’t fix our sins, hang-ups, habits, etc.  But HE can.  His blood is the Kilz that makes us as white as snow.  

 When we accept Him as our Lord, He is our:  Sealer – Primer – Stainblocker (I had a can of Kilz and showed them it and 3 things it says it does on the can.)

1.  SEALER -- Job 14:17 (NKJV)  My transgression is sealed up in a bag, And You cover my iniquity.

q       Isn’t that beautiful?  He has “sealed” up our sins; He covers our iniquity.  When God sees us, He now sees Jesus – not our sins.  Jesus has covered them for us.

2.  PRIMER – 

a.      Strong’s Definition:  “prepares” 

b.      The American Heritage Dictionary:  “An undercoat of paint or size applied to prepare a surface, as for painting”

 Ps 10:17 - -(NKJV) "Lord, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will prepare their heart; You will cause Your ear to hear,"

q       Like Kilz prepares the surface of the wall, the Lord is the one who draws you to Himself and prepares our hearts to accept Him & His love.  

q       He is the one who also then prepares us for every good work (2Ti 2:21 – “Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.”)

3.  STAINBLOCKER-- Isaiah 1:18 Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.

q       Jer 2:22 (NASB) -- Although you wash yourself with lye And use much soap, The stain of your iniquity is before Me," declares the Lord GOD.

q       We cannot do anything to remove our stain.  Only Christ can.

(c) Karla Melcher, 2006

Dec. 13, 2005
Dec. 2005 Sweet Monday -- Cookie Swap & White Elephant Gift

December 12^th

Cookie Swap and  White Elephant Gift Exchange

 

 

 

We had a good time "testing out" the yummy cookies, and the women shared stories of why the one they had brought that evening were their favorite.  Then we did the gift exchange and afterwards I shared the following devotional, which I had written for our family's Christmas card in 2004.

---

 

December's Devotional:

 

NAILS & WOOD

 

We are going back and forth this year about putting up a large Christmas tree.  We have no way to “block it off” in our new house and Tyson is mobile this year – a busy 16 month old who is curious and loves to learn through “tactile exploration.” (aka: into everything!  J)

 

I was sitting up in the office, preparing our Christmas cards, and musing about the Christmas season.  I began thinking about which ornaments I would miss putting out the most.  We have some beautiful ones, but the ones that came to mind were our simple nails that I purchased a few years ago.  There is a set of “manger nails” that represent the nails that were used to hold our Savior’s first bed together – a humble manger.  We also have the Cross nail -- a large spike that you put near the center of the tree, so only your family knows it is there, to remind you of the atoning work Jesus did for us at the cross.

 

As I thought about these ornaments that help our family remember the true meaning of the Christmas holiday, it struck me – Jesus spent his whole life surrounded by nails.  They were near his head and feet to hold together the crude animal feed box that became a serviceable crib for him as a newborn babe.  He must have, as a young lad, picked up bent & dropped ones for his father from the floor of the family carpentry shop.  And when he apprenticed under his father, he must have used many of them to create the works of his trade.  I also imagine that he occasionally felt the throbbing pain of a mallet or hammer that missed its intended target and instead hit his thumb. 

 

Oh, the irony!   The wood and nails that surrounded him as a babe and during his young boy and adulthood must of seemed to now taunt him as he hung there for those 6 long hours.  Instead of a secure manager where he laid his head, he endured a crown of thorns that pierced his head like a thousand tacks.  Instead of seeing a curl of wood come from the plane as he smoothed a piece of wood to perfection, he felt the rough splinters of the wooden cross that he was forced to carry upon his back and be hung upon as he gasped for breath.  Instead of a throbbing thumb, he experienced excruciating pain as a hammer pounded the massive nail spikes that pierced his hands and feet. 

 

I think that now, whenever a sliver punctures my skin or when I receive a slammed thumb from missed nail, it will remind me to say, ”Oh, Lord, how small compared to the suffering you took for me!”  Thank you, Jesus, for coming to earth to complete something we could never do – to redeem us from our sins.  Thank you for making that bridge to the Father for us, so we can finally know what it’s like to live under your amazing grace!!!  Just think, God’s perfect gift to us was His one and only son.  The manger did bring “Joy to the World”, but it was just the beginning.  The ultimate “joy to the world” was fulfilled with what Jesus did for us on that other wooden structure – the cross. 

 

(c)2004 by Karla Melcher

Each gal brought a couple dozen of their favorite cookies to swap, along with a “wrapped for appeal” UNpurchased “treasure” from home for a gift exchange. 

Dec. 6, 2005
June 2005 Sweet Monday -- One Believer’s Journey: Would We Sign-Up For This Trip?

  One Believer’s Journey – Would We Sign-Up For This Trip?

*Shortly after you become a Christian, enemies conspire to kill you. (Acts 9:23-25)

*Escape by being lowered down a wall in a basket.

*Other believers don’t trust you. (Acts 9:26-30)

*Find only one person who will stand up for you – he becomes your best friend.

 *Again have enemies try to kill you. Escape again.

*Take your first missions trip.  You have to strike a man blind when he attempts to use his satanic powers to oppose you. (Acts 13)

*Get run out of town several times for bolding teaching truth of God.  (13 & 14)

*Get stoned within an inch of your life. (14:19-20)

*Lose your best friend over a disagreement. (15:36-41)

*Be stripped & beaten (16:22-26)

*Get thrown in jail and have your feet immobilized

*Get saved from jail by means of a violet earthquake

*Go to other towns and have to leave them due to strong, physically-dangerous opposition (Acts 17)

*Almost get arrested on charges on inciting a riot (Acts 19)

*Again have enemies plot to kill you.  Hike 20-miles over rough country to avoid them. (Acts 20)

*Have someone fall asleep on you while you’re preaching.  Worse, he falls out a window & dies.  Bring him back to life

*Over & over again, you have to leave many dear friends that you have made, knowing that you will never see many of them again.

 *Get arrested again. (Acts 21-28)

*Go through a long and tedious arraignment process with many different judges where you make your case and proclaim God’s truth and your testimony over and over again.

*Finally, you appeal to go to the highest court in the land

*In traveling to the place of your trial, you have to sail in a small 140-foot boat with 1 sail and roughly 250-270 other people; a portion of them hardened criminals. 

*Before long, hurricane-forced winds hit and set your ship off course and threaten to break up your ship.

*Suffer through this for 14 days with very little food and sleep.

*Your boat finally breaks apart, but by a miracle everyone survives.

*You land on island.  It’s cold and raining.  You try to help gather wood to build a fire and get bitten by a poisonous viper.

*After at least 3 months, you finally set sail again.

*When you finally get to your destination you get sentenced to “2-5 years.”

*Spend them under house arrest.

*Pass the time by writing 4-5 books. 

*Celebrate your release by going on another journey. 

*End up leaving your winter coat and journal & letter-writing paper in one town, possibly b/c you had to leave quickly b/c your life was in danger (2 Tim 4:13)

*End up getting arrested again, and this time, instead of house arrest, you stay in a cold prison cell on death row.  Write to a good friend asking him if he could please bring the coat and letter-writing materials you left behind.

*Eventually get beheaded.

So was Paul’s fate.  Think he still would have gone if he knew all of this lay ahead for him, or even have become a Christian?  Thank goodness God doesn’t show us our future!  We might not ever want to step into it!

Paul wrote 4-5 books during his first trip to prison, when he was under house arrest.  They are known as the “prison epistles,” or a good way to remember them is to think of the word “Pep-C” (like Pepsi):  Phillipians, Ephesians, Philemon, and Colossians (and some scholars think that he might have also written the book of Hebrews at this time)

Rejoice (8) and Joy (9) are found a total of 17 times in those 4 books.  After going thru all those trials, problems, and even being under heavy guard -- his attitude was one of joy! 

Php 2:17 But even if my life is to be poured out like a drink offering to complete the sacrifice of your faithful service (that is, if I am to die for you), I will rejoice, and I want to share my joy with all of you.

Can we have joy like that on our life’s journey, no matter what struggles & difficulties we may go through? 

After what Paul went through, what is our excuse? 

Is it really about WHAT we face when we are on life’s journey,  -- or HOW we face the things that happen to us in life?  

Php 3:1 Whatever happens, dear brothers and sisters, may the Lord give you joy. I never get tired of telling you this. I am doing this for your own good. 

Php 4:4 Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again – rejoice! 

Col 1:11 We also pray that you will be strengthened with his glorious power so that you will have all the patience and endurance you need. May you be filled with joy

Know what your hope is in.  Life is hard.  But that doesn’t mean through it all, you can’t have joy.  Just know what your joy is in, like Paul did.  If you are a Christian, you have to remember that the Lord CAN give you joy.  Pray for it.  Then, with Jesus, you can face anything. 

Dec. 6, 2005
May 2005 Sweet Monday -- S-I-M-P-L-I-F-Y

How Do You Spell S-I-M-P-L-I-F-Y?

Use Some of These “Sweet” & Simple Tips from our Sweet Monday Ladies:

In the Kitchen:

·          Make extra pancakes & waffles to put in freezer for fast breakfasts.

·          Cook steaks on the grill without thawing them.

·          Cool Whip on Graham Crackers – put in freezer for an “ice-cream” snack.

·          Cook by crock pot (prep the night before and plug in during the morning).

·          Snack Bags: 

o Fill with cheese, strawberries, grapes, and goldfish for quick snacks.

o Use to store hair bows, etc by color.

·          Put all the items that your kids can have into a large container on bottom shelf of pantry.

·          Date freezer bags when storing meats.  Wrap pieces individually for ease of removal.

·          Organize kitchen into areas:  Tupperware, cookware, silver, glassware, etc

·          Organize pantry by food types, spices, paper goods, etc.

·          Use a clean/dirty sign on the dishwasher so everybody else can help with loading/unloading.

 With the Laundry/Clothes:

·          Get outfits ready at night for the next morning.

·          Put matching outfits on hangers so it’s easy for you and the kids to get dressed.

·          Put clothes on hanger opposed to folding.

·          Make kids put away their own clothes.

·          Teach your kids to do their own laundry – start by making them sort dirty clothes, fold towels, match socks, etc

·          Put one load of clothes in the dryer at night before bed & fold them in the morning.

·          Store off-season clothes on hangers.

·          As kid’s clothing is outgrown, put each article of clothing (good condition) in a box to sell later, “hand-down”, etc

Misc.

·          Organize medications, vitamins, etc in weekly dispensers.  Do a month at a time.

·          Make note cards & audiotapes of schoolwork to list go over during the week (in car, appointments, etc.).

·          Fill extra water jugs & store in a crate in your trunk to wash off after the beach.  The crate will also come in handy if you need to carry stuff into the house, etc.

·          Use “Flylady.” www.flylady.net

·          While waiting for shower to get hot – tidy up bathroom.

·          Gardening – no fuss plants are a must (hardy, low-water, perennials, etc).

·          If you haven’t used it in a year, or if brings back a bad memory, etc, toss it.