Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Five Little Monkey's Jumping On The Bed
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
The One; She's the One; Abundant Life
(Anja, Jessica, me, and Melissa)
So we are deep into the wedding planning. We love the abundance of photos and inspiration that's available online. When I was planning Melissa's wedding exactly nine years ago the internet was nothing close to where it is today. Nine years ago most of our inspiration came from books and magazines. Today all I have to do is turn on my computer. We're still working on details, but the BIG decision has been made: The Dress. It's on order and I have to say, it's drop-dead-gorgeous! Not kidding. When Jessica walked out of the dressing room with The Dress on, it took my breath away. And her's too. After trying on almost 30 dresses, This Dress was The One. Big Smile. I can hardly wait until September when she wears The Dress to wed Craig. My prayer is for God to go before Craig and Jessica and make His footsteps their pathway. (Psalm 85:13). The Lord gives what is good to His children, and He has given Craig and Jessica to each other. I feel so blessed to recognize this gift.
And the other great blessing in my life right now is watching our third grand baby grow....in Melissa's tummy! Little four-year-old John Mark told me, "My mommy's growing a baby in her tummy!" It was so sweet. Last week Melissa invited me to join her and Kris to the ultrasound session when they were going to check on the baby's growth and find out the answer to the big question: boy or girl. I was so honored to be there and see "the three lines". (Do you know about the three lines that show up in an ultrasound? I now know!) The technician checked all the vitals, measuring and taking a ton of "pictures". Everything was as it should be, what a blast to see this process, I think it was about an hour and a half--very detailed! Then she said, "do you want to know?" Yes! "three lines".... It looks like Ellie is the one who will be sharing her darling bedroom with a new little sister in September when the new baby is born. (Due the week before Jessica's wedding!)
Melissa is such a good mommy. Her 28th birthday is Tuesday. Happy Birthday, Melissa! I love you! She's the matron of honor for Jessica. She works so hard and is such great support for Jessica. She put on a fabulous engagement dinner for Craig and Jessica! Here she is helping pick out The Dress:
Mark and I are thrilled to see our family grow by two this year. We are honored that Craig has chosen our family to join, and that God blessed Melissa and Kris with a baby. One of my readers recently asked if I even craft any more, with so much going on! (I do a little, but for gifts mostly.) But my focus is on the people in my life. God put me on earth to have a relationship with Him and to those He's put in my life and that's what I'm busy doing!
Here's John Mark and Ellie:
I'm enjoying the abundant life He's given me here on earth, but I always keep that when God says "abundant life", He's really saying "eternal life with Him".
Blessings, Heidi
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Easter Week
(Photo by Heather Bullard's, on her blog: You must visit there!)
Then over on Heather Bullard's blog, I won her drawing for jewelry by Cap Creations. I received the items I selected yesterday. I picked a cross necklace, a pair of pretty pearl drop earrings and a charm with a musical note.
I have to tell you...this jewerly is wonderful, very high quality silver, absolutely gorgeous! Thank you, Cathy of Cap Creations for sending it and thank you Heather for drawing my name!
And for you to have a chance at a drawing today, check out Faded Praire Junky Birthday Giveaway.
Easter Week: This is Easter Week, also called Passion Week. Friday night we'll be remembering how Jesus died on Calvary for our sins. Huge. HUGE. He died for me. Precious Redeemer. So this week I've been going through the Bible following Jesus's last week before His death and resurrection. I've learned so much, and can't believe I've never done this before. As a guide there is a "Helps" reference at the back of my Bible that shows the last week and the Bible passages from the four gospels and other Bible books that tell the story. As another reference I'm using the book, "The Last Week" (The Last Week: A Day-by-Day Account of Jesus's Final Week in Jerusalem
May God bless you this Easter Week. Hugs, Heidi
Friday, March 26, 2010
Some news!
Yesterday after work a Jessica and some of us girls met up with her to check out a potential wedding location. Mark was so sweet to watch the kids....his activity was to teach them how to fly! All kids need to know how to fly! I just love seeing the smiles on their faces!
We've only a few days until we celebrate "Resurrection Sunday"- Easter, my favorite day, because He Arose-He Lives, which gave me everlasting LIFE when I accepted Him as my Savior!
Last night while the kids were here I asked John Mark to decorate my Easter tree. John Mark very serious about the job I gave him....
Have a blessed weekend!
Go out in joy!
~Hugs, Heidi
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Delighted
"Delight in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your Heart."To "delight" in the Lord is to take pleasure in the Lord. When I do this the Lord changes my desires to conform with His will. He changes my desires to match His will and His delights. It's an awesome experience to find myself delighting in all things eternal, as opposed to earthly things, which have no eternal value. But it's okay to enjoy the beauty and splendor the Lord does give me. Such as this cute little Annie doll...she's there to remind me of keeping focused on my Jesus. She also reminds me of friends and family---God's gifts to me!
More fun... I won Tracy's (my cup runneth over) drawing, here. I'm excited to read what she'll be sending to me. You still have time to enter her final drawing, she's got a big surprise for the final giveaway. I tell you, bloggers love to giveaway and to celebrate blog-anniversaries! Loads of fun!
Also, regarding the blog where I go the idea to glue paper clips on the back of plates: I always try to include links to places I mention or refer. I finally found the blog I had mentioned! It was Diane of "In My Own Style". The post about hanging plates, etc, is here. Be sure to read her post of how to have some fashion fun on your refrigerator door! So cute!
Having fun in March...rain, birthdays, flowers, fellowship, family, food and fun!
Blessings, Heidi
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Plates and platters on the wall; the blessings of brokenness...

We've been working on our home for, oh, about 18+ years now...perpetual home improvements! Our latest "big" project was putting in a new front door/entry into our home. We hadn't had a front door for a dozen years, or so. This first picture is the entry way into the kitchen. What I wanted to point out is the platter collection I hung on the wall. We glued saw-tooth picture hangers to the back of the platter with Gorilla Glue. Yes, it works! I have a large collection of platters, but because we use them all the time I had to pick out ones I wasn't going to use. My sister Genece has an eye for garage sale bargains platters, she gave the two on the left to me. The bench is one we made from an old bed frame. The pillows and bench pad I made from an old chenille bedspread. The sweet little oak wall drawer thingy is something Mark made for me about 20 years ago, using old oak wood from a discarded pallet.
So if you want to try this, you can use either Gorilla Glue or E6000. And you can use saw-tooth picture hangers or paper clips, depending on the size and weight of your platter, plate or saucer. I thought of these two walls in our home after reading Tina's blog today, Cherry Hill Cottage. Then also reading a new blogger's blog and seeing her Great Wall of China, (welcome, Danielle!).
But, really, this broken plate episode reminded me of a "Streams from the Desert" devotion I had read last year. It was called, "Broken Things". In part it says, "God uses most for His glory those people and things which are most perfectly broken. The sacrifices He accepts are broken and contrite hearts......It was when Mary broke her beautiful alabaster box, rendering it henceforth useless, that the pent-up perfume filled the house. It was when Jesus allowed His precious body to be broken to pieces by thorns and nails and spear, that His inner life was poured out, like a crystal ocean, for thirsty sinner to drink and live."
"He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds." Psalm 147:3
Blessings, Heidi
Friday, February 26, 2010
I never met a cookie I didn't like!
Here's a fun picture of our grand kids this week.

They just have too much fun! Their surprise for me this week was when they threw everything off our 2nd floor deck, including the compost bucket over the rail to the lawn below. (Our kitchen is on our second floor.) When I looked over the deck and saw the mess, as wonderful as is was funny, I just had to "get serious"! Needless to say, they both cleaned up every single thing, egg-shells included! But we had fun doing it, we all three got side-tracked real quick. I pulled weeds, John Mark played with the shovel, and little Ellie ran across the pasture to the neighbors to see the sheep and new lamb!
Thanks, Mimi for trying out my new cookie girl link on your blog. She says it loads up my Everyday Cookie girl image, but doesn't set the link to come to my blog. Is there anyone out there who can take a look at the link I have here and let me know where I've gone wrong, and maybe how to correct? Thank you SO MUCH!
Have a great weekend! Blessings, Heidi
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Keep calm...here, have a cookie!

Blessings,
Thursday, February 18, 2010
--in microwave,Heat about 2 minutes or when it reaches 120 degrees (no hotter):
1 ¼ cup milk
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup butter
1 tsp. salt
--meanwhile, in mix in mixing bowl:
1 ½ cups flour
2 ½ tsp. yeast (or one package)
--NOW add the milk mixture to the flour/yeast mixture. Mix until well blended.
--NOW add 2 eggs, the mix for another 2 or 3 minutes. DO NOT FORGET THE EGGS
---OKAY---Now mix in another 3 ¼ cups of flour, mixing until it’s soft. If you are using a Kitchen Aid mixer, NOW put on the dough-hook and let the machine knead for 3 to 5 minutes. You can add up to another ½ cup flour if needed. IF YOU ARE KNEADING by hand, throw the dough on a floured countertop and USE THOSE MUSCLES, knead by hand for 5 to 7 minutes.
--Now make a nice ball and put it in a bowl, which you have pre-loaded with a little oil, then turn the ball over, so that both the top and bottom of the dough has some oil on it. (This prevents the dough from cracking and splitting as it rises.)
--Cover with a light towel, and let this rise (by the wood stove if you have one) for 1 to 2 hours, or until the dough rises up nicely, it’ll look like it has about doubled in size.
--PUNCH DOWN and divide this dough ball in half. Cover with a towel and let these rest for 10 minutes.
--MIX IN A BOWL: ¾ cup brown sugar, 2 tsp. cinnamon and in a separate bowl, soften 6 Tblspn. Butter.
--To each of the balls… ROLL out to a circle, spread half the butter, and half the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Roll the edge of the circle up, making a tube shape. Cut the rolls into pieces, you can use dental floss or blanket thread, which makes it easy! (Criss-cross the thread and pull, this cuts it.) Place the rolls in a well greased pan with sides, and let this RISE for at least ½ hour. (again, covered with a towel by the wood stove)
--BAKE at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes, until tops are golden. Let cool, then frost if desired.
---The icing I’ve always used is: 1 cup powered sugar, 1 tsp. vanilla and 3-4 tsp. milk. HOWEVER, if you add ½ packaged of cream cheese, and fool around with the measurements, you’ll get a delicious cream cheese frosting. This has been the icing of preference lately at Sweet Woodruff Acres. Blessings!
Please note: The ways you can goof this recipe up is if you kill the yeast by adding too hot of milk mixture, or too cold.
Psalm 66 (New King James Version)
Monday, February 8, 2010
A corner of my kitchen and a yarn cards
What I want to point out is the lovely banner on the birdhouse. (You can click on the photos to enlarge.) This was made by Joyce 2 years ago for a swap. I've had it in my kitchen hanging across this vintage-rustic-green birdhouse since I received it. My little pink birdie watches over this corner, too. Notice this is where I study and read my Bible and have my daily devotions. Since we've changed churches (a year ago), Mark and I began to to study the Bible deeper and have been so blessed. I hope to share some things as time permits. For anyone who wants to get started reading the Bible, may I suggest just... OPEN it? Just read it? Just start? If you open you Bible right in the center you'll be in Psalm. A wonderful book to start. If you're struggling with having daily devotions, please let me know. I want to encourage you! You will be blessed.
Martha Stewart's TV show is moving to the Hallmark channel. Maybe they'll show it in the evening now. I don't watch it much, but did catch about 5 minutes a couple weeks ago when the blogger who writes MarthaMoments was on and he and Martha did a segment. They made cards using yard and glue, so simple. Here's a heart card I made for Valentine's Day.
And a birdie card, because I just love birds!