Ministry Monday

Okay so I'm starting a new thing here at Home Away From Home; Ministry Monday. Every Most Some Monday's I'm going to post about ministry related topics.

If you came and looked around my blog you may not immediately realize that we are missionaries here in Croatia but we are and that's the most important part of our lives.  Sometimes I forget to post about ministry because it not longer seems special but it just seems like life. Don't get me wrong, it's always special when a soul reaches out for Jesus and accepts Him as their own, personal Savior; that never gets old but ministry does tend to get commonplace when it's an every day thing. So, to keep things here a true representative of who I am, I'm vowing to post more about the ministry starting today.

I thought I would start with a huge ministry help I've Johnny recently found. We were in desperate need of flannel graphs or visuals for our SS and Gypsy children's meeting. Shipping here from the States can be crazy expensive so that wasn't really an option. Johnny started searching and found an incredible treasure trove of visuals online at FreeBibleImages.org. This organization has the most amazing hand drawn Bible visuals and they are totally free to use. They offer the visuals in many different formats and even provide a story board for each story.

Today I'm teaching about Noah and they have a whole storyboard for Noah's ark.

Aren't they beautiful! They also have many of the stories that aren't drawn but are actually people. They are amazing.

Look at these from the story of Potifer's wife. Aren't they amazing? I love how the people are true to the ethnicity of the Jews and people of the time and land. 

We print them and then laminate them for longevity. The story boards are great too. We add them to the back of the image and them laminate. It's a great quick quide if needed. 

FreeBibleImages is a great resource for anyone who teaches the Bible. As a missionary on a foreign field it's an invaluable resource. 

Okay, so that was my very first Ministry Monday. Whoohoo me!

Buttons & Memories

The other day I was searching for two large wooden buttons for a cowl I just finished crocheting. I poured out all my buttons onto the counter and started searching. As Murphy would have it I found many I liked but only one each.
All of the sudden I was hit with a rush of memories. I remembered sitting on my Grandma's large bed and looking through her old tin of buttons. I used to sit for hours, organizing them but color, size and type. I love playing with those buttons and imagining how wore them and how they lived. My imagination would run wild. I loved Grandma's old button tin.

It's funny how every day things can trigger memories; some sad and some very sweet.
Did your Grandmother have a button tin?

Weak Wordless Wednesday + a Few Words

Hey guys, just wanted to pop in and seek some sympathy. Not really but I am feeling a little under the weather this week.

So i'm sitting all wrapped up doing this.

You can find the pattern here. 

Be back soon! 

To Do Tuesday

I know, you guys were thinking that I dropped off the edge of the Earth again but I didn't, I'm just running late today getting my To Do Tuesday post done. 

To tell you the truth I actually have to get something done from last weeks list. I mean well but life gets in the way and my To Do list gets buried under my everyday chaos. 

Anyhow, today is more of a finished To Do Tuesday. I've had this quilt on my to Do Tuesday list since December 2014. Yes, you read that right, 2014! Hannah and I started it the Christmas before she went home and it got stuck in my UFO (unfinished object) pile till last week. I know it's not Christmas but now it's all done and ready for the next yuletide season. 

I'm most excited that I learned a new technique. Aunt Marti over at 52 Quilts has a great tutorial on how to do this flanged biding. I love the way it looks and it wasn't hard to do. I will say it takes a little longer but I think the finished product is very nice. (and yes I see the thread hanging from the quilt, I missed that one!)

Oh btw, if you have a problem getting those mitered corners, check out this amazing tutorial for dummies. Uh yea, I meant dummies. She doesn't call it that but let's be honest.

So, that's it for my To Do Tuesday. I do have things to do this week but it's all grunt work and nothing interesting. 

Bible Journaling

After Christmas a friend of mind was telling us on Facebook that she got the new journaling Bible that she wanted. I wasn't sure what a journaling Bible was so I Googled it. I actually had been journaling for years and just didn't know it. 

Apparently journaling is just recording thoughts, sermons or sayings in your Bible. I have always written in my Bible, it makes me feel like the Bible is personalized to me. 

When I looked up journaling online I was amazed by the beauty and time some people put into their Bibles. I was completely motivated and started beautifying (if it's possible to make a perfect book more beautiful) my own Bible that day. I'm not an artist but I like to doodle.  I don't have a journaling Bible per say but I my new Bible has large margins and perfect for beautifying. A lot of people decorate the entire page along with the text but I want my Bible to still be readable so I stay in the margins. 

I was a little discouraged when I first read a post about what's needed for journaling. The list was huge and complicated. I thought it would take me forever to find all the needed implements for this job until I realized that basically colored pencils and the Frixion pens I already have was enough. 

A thing of beauty is a joy forever.
 -John Keats

With my son getting married soon I've been thinking a lot about being a grandmother. I would like to be able to hand my Bible down to a grandchild and them be able to see a little bit of me in it.

Anyhoo, I just thought I'd share another one of those "nice but not necessary" things I'm doing this year. Do you journal in your Bible?

To Do Tuesday #(who knows)

I can't even tell you when I did a To Do Tuesday last but alas, here I am for To Do Tuesday. 

I love days like today. Basically all I need to do this week is maintain the house and life as usual. I love the holidays but I love January and the down time. I have friends who love the hustle and bustle of a crazy busy life but I kinda prefer a slower pace and Croatia allows that. 

I do need to get a few things done this week and I'm thrilled about #1.

1. Our middle son Josh is getting married!! I'm so thrilled with the young lady God has sent him. They've been courting for a year or so and they've decided July 16th is the day. I have the privilege of designing the wedding invites so I need to get that done this week.

2. I know what you're thinking; "when is she gonna finish this thing?". Well, this week and maybe even today. Do you know how silly it is to make a Christmas quilt a year ago and not finish is and then wait a whole year and still not finish it by Christmas. Goodness, I'm pitiful! Stay tuned though, this week the quilt will be finished and put away for the next 11 months. 

 This is not a To Do but a DONE! I finally finished the little quilt for the new baby girl Hana who made her appearance 5 weeks early. Don't look too close, I was having problems with the tension on my free motion quilting in the section. EEK!

I know that's not much of a To Do list but it's what's on mine this week. 

What's on your To Do list for the week?

nice but not necessary

Can't believe it's already the first week of January but here we are considering whether that New Year's resolution is even worth it. It's amazing how motivated we can be on January 1st and how soon that motivation dissipates into memories of failed resolutions! 

Well, I'm happy to say that I didn't make any resolutions this year. Are you kidding? Why set myself up for failure. Instead I chose a word; CONSISTENCY, and decided just to focus on being consistent in the things that really don't matter. They're good things but not really terribly important.

So for the month of January I'm trying to consistently follow this Scripture writing schedule. I have added it to my daily devotional time and even though it's not necessary it is one of those "nice" things.  It's really those "nice" things that get put on the back burner because they're nice but not necessary. You know, it's those "nice" things that make life beautiful.

So for the month of January I'm working on consistently following this writing schedule. I'm working on the things that are nice but not necessary.  

My Word for 2016

      I have always been curious about New Year's resolutions and if people actually keep them. I don't usually make any other than the unspoken, "lose weight". Usually the 31st of December slips into the 1st of January and things stay the same.
     As a perfectionist, (yes, I have come to grips with my condition, you know admitting it is the first step) I don't usually shoot too high for fear of failure so resolutions are scary. Perfectionists usually do things really well but they we don't accept failure very well. We tend to be very competitive and failing to achieve a goal could thrust us into some serious depression. So, making resolutions is a major no-no for me so I've decided to do something a little less reckless. I've seen others do it in the past and it's actually a really good idea. So I have chosen a word for my inspiration word for 2016.

     Consistency isn't something I really have a huge problem with. I am actually very consistent in the things that "really matter" but I tend to fall off the wagon on the things that "just matter". I don't have a problem with getting in my Bible time every morning. I just do it. I know it's important to hear what the Lord has to say every day so I make sure to get that in consistently because it "really matters". I don't have a problem doing whatever I need to to make sure my husband is happy because he "really matters". I never have to decided to go to church because that "really matters".  But when it comes to things that "just matter" like quilting, blogging, running or crocheting I tend to be very inconsistent. Sadly, those of you who faithfully read my blog know that I'm a sad poster girl for a faithful blogger. I always mean to make time for blogging but since it "just matters" it falls by the wayside.
    So, for 2016 my inspiration word is CONSISTENCY. Consistency in the things that "just matter". I want to quilt consistently. I know it doesn't "really matter" but it does matter a little to me. I know my blog isn't life changing but it matters to me. So, I am going to practice being consistent in the things in my life that "just matter".
    Since I'm being so consistent in the things that "just matter" like blogging; I'll be back real soon!! Promise!
What about you? Do you have an inspirational word for 2016?

Happy 2016!

Happy New Year all my blogger friends! I'm so thankful for all that happened last year and quite glad to be forgetting a little of that. I love that God is always making a way for us to repent and return to Him.

Looking forward to 2016! BTW, my word for this year is CONSISTENCY. So I'll be back soon, I promise!