More Scriptures around the Home!

I love posting Scripture around our home!  I need Scripture to be posted near and dear in those places I frequent around the house.  These wonderful reminders from God's Word that I see from room to room truly help me to grow in the Lord Jesus Christ as well as convict, encourage, and bless me over and over again.

To check out my first post on this topic from a couple of years ago, go here.

There are many reasons I choose to decorate our home this way (namely Deuteronomy 6!), but I believe one of the most important reasons is to help *me* remember how to live a life that is pleasing to our Heavenly Father and to help set my mind on the 'things above' instead of dwelling in my present 'problems'.  If I want to disciple my children and be an encouragement to those who enter our doors, I need to be a continual example of the love of Christ.  Having Scripture posted and resonating in my heart continually throughout the day really helps me to strive to do just that...otherwise I fall so short in my own strength and effort.  And, quite frankly, I can't think of a better way to decorate!!  Having the wisest Words ever recorded all around the house is such a privilege, I think!  Don't you agree?  It is truly something that is so simple to do too.  Best of all, these Words have the ability to transform our lives!  Can it get any better?


I really want to encourage my children to treasure God's Word above all things.  I think by showing them how important the Bible is to me is a good place to start.  I've heard my husband say that the Bible is like a toolbox, and it contains every tool we'll ever need to fix any problem that we'll ever have.  Wow, what a profound statement!


So without further ado, here are some pictures of the places I have posted Scripture.  As you'll be able to see, I like to place many of them relevantly...


Colossians 3:23 is centered in this cross in a little nook of the house to remind me to always do my best even in the most mundane of tasks (like dusting!)...

 

Proverbs 16:24 and Proverbs 12:18 are by our telephones to remind me to choose my words carefully...

Matthew 5:31, 33 is posted on our pantry doors to remind me to thank God for the abundant ways He provides for our needs...

Psalm 101:3 sits on a shelf near our television to remind me to guard my eyes and my children's...                       

("Oh be careful little eyes what you see!")

Proverbs 22:6, which is posted on one of the bulletin boards in our schoolroom where we display my son's notable work, daily reminds me of my ultimate responsibility...         

 (The paper displayed above the verse was last week's perfect spelling test...

I love the sentence he was dictated to write ~ quite fitting I think! :-)

Genesis 1:1 adorns another bulletin board in our schoolroom for our current science unit...




Isaiah 18:3-5 decorates our weather center wall of the schoolroom to remind us of God's omnipresence...

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 is framed (with scrapbook paper matting!) on the wall above our bed to remind me of our wedding ceremony and our commitment to love at all times...

 

(Here's the full display below. My ridiculously inexpensive bedroom decor is another post or two in itself! The cross you can see also has Numbers 6:24-26 inscribed on it.)

Another corner of our bedroom houses this cute bear atop a bookshelf to go with the 1 Corinthians 13 theme...

Philippians 4:6-7 rests underneath the calming atmosphere displayed in this painting to remind me to 'be anxious for nothing'...

2 Chronicles 7:14 and Psalm 33:12 are placed in corners of my home where I have other patriotic decor to remind me to pray for a revival in our nation...

(The matting of this frame above is scrapbook paper too!)

(This decoration was part of a larger string of bird houses that said "WELCOME" with one letter on each little house...but after getting tired of the "Welcome" sign, I cut each apart and glued Bible verses on them and placed them on window sills and shelves.  Re-purposing...yes!)

Here's another re-purposed bird house decoration (described above) with Romans 12:10 that sits in our schoolroom to remind us we need to respect each other...

The kids' room is filled with verses outlining the perimeter of the crown molding ~ most of them pertain to children, obedience, and how much Jesus loves them...                        

 (I'll display just a couple here, but there are 11 of them.)

Psalm 103:8 sits on a bulletin board in our entry way to remind me to be as patient and compassionate with others as Christ is with me...

And lastly (not around our home but for this post anyway), Colossians 3:16 sits above the exit of our kitchen and pretty much sums up my whole objective in posting Scripture...

I just love to fill each nook of my home with Bible verses!  Almost all of the verses above were simply printed on our printer at home.  They are so easy to cut out and post up with or without scrapbook papers, frames, or in any creative presentation imaginable.  Verses can easily and beautifully be written out just the same!  I actually post verses my 7 year old has written out often. 


Beyond just the actual display of Scripture, I want our home to be welcoming, encouraging, and radiating with the joy and hope of Christ through our attitudes and actions.  I pray that through the posting of Scripture, this is just one simple way our family can strive to cultivate this.


I would love to hear about (or view a link of) how you post Scripture in your home!  I was really inspired by Monica's post here about some of the Scripture in her home ~ such beautiful displays!


I challenge every person that stops by here to go post one Scripture somewhere in your home right now....bet you can't post just one! :-) If you do, please leave a comment and tell me about it!  

My New Favorite Cut-Out Cookie!

Greetings!

I am so excited to tell you about a recipe I found!  It is for some yummy sugar cookies that you can use to cut out all of your favorite shapes for celebrations and holidays!  As you can see when you go to the link below, it is called "The Ultimate Valentine's Day Cookie", and we used this very recipe to make our yearly Valentine goodies that you can see in the pics below.  However, you can use this recipe (with or without the food coloring) to make all of your holiday favorites year round.

The reason I am so excited is because these sugar cookies have NO eggs in them.  Why is that 'eggciting'? :-)  I have a darling nephew who is allergic to eggs and has never had the pleasure of biting into a delicious sugar cookie.  Well, that is about to change...

Check out this delicious recipe!  Betty Crocker delivers again!  Thank you Mrs. Crocker!

Dear hubby ~ those three cookies in the middle are for you!

We will try not to eat all of these before you get home!  ;-)

We miss you!

I don't only like these cookies because they are 'egg-free', but I really appreciate that there is NO refrigeration required before you cut them out to bake them.  That was always so frustrating to me to mess up the kitchen while making sugar cookie dough...only to have to wait and refrigerate the dough for a couple hours just to mess it all up again.

Also, the recipe states that if the dough is too dry, you can add a tiny bit of milk to soften it and re-roll.  I only had to do that a few times, but, when I did, the dough was very smooth and easy to manipulate.

Another fun tidbit ~ because there are no raw eggs in the dough, I didn't mind my kids eating some of it before it was baked. :-)

So...no eggs, no refrigeration required, easy to roll and cut, and scrumptiously delicious....this recipe is a 4 star winner for me!  Happy Baking friends!

Frugal Valentine Ideas

Greetings!

I remembering hearing in the news somewhere that, next to Christmas, Valentine's Day is one of the biggest moneymaking holidays for retailers.  Well, not from this household!!  I love thinking of new ways to give cards and presents in fun, frugal, and creative ways.  Some people would call this attitude being "cheap"; I call it "thoughtful".  :-)  I truly think homemade gifts and goodies, where a little bit of time and creativity have been vested, are the very best .  I think I'll be this way as long as I am able, Lord willing. :-)

So, I've been brainstorming, and I just wanted to share some of the ideas I have come up with that cost little to nothing to complete but will definitely show others how much you love them.

Here are some ideas (not reinventing the wheel here but these may get 'the wheels turning')...


1. Make a handcrafted card from materials you have at home ~ cardstock, construction paper, magazines, etc.  Embellish with heart cut-outs, scripture, glitter, sequins...whatever creative decor you like.


2. Write a funny, romantic, or sentimental poem about the recipient and seal it in a decorated envelope.


3. Make up a few clues with fun riddles about love or whatever theme you choose, and send your loved one on a "love treasure hunt" around the house.  The prize could be a note, some cookies or chocolates, or anything you like. (We love treasure hunts at our house ~ we do a weekly one for school!)


4. Take a picture of yourself (and/or your kiddos if you have them) and get a print of it.  Get a sheet of your favorite scrapbook paper for the matting and frame it with an old frame you have sitting in your closet...you know you have one collecting dust somewhere!  Ok...maybe that's just me. :-)


5. Make some homemade cookies (heart-shaped sugar cookies would be fun but any will do), wrap them in some wax paper, tie up with some twine or raffia, and attach a tag with a little love note.


6. Borrow a good movie (one you know you and your loved ones will enjoy) from your local library, pop some popcorn, and have a fun movie night.  [If you reserve one online now, you can probably snag a good *love* one before they're all gone as it gets closer to the 14th!]


7. Think of several easy and difficult "charades" for you and your loved ones to perform.  You could write these down on pink and red paper.  Put these in a brown paper bag for people to draw from. After having a yummy homemade Valentine meal, let the family know you're about to have a fun time playing "Valentine Charades"!  You could get super creative here...the ideas are endless.  My 7 year old loves playing charades on family night!


8. Take a brown paper bag and draw a big question mark on it.  Think of several fun questions to ask your loved ones to think of answers to...such as..."What is your favorite ice cream flavor?"  "What is your favorite Valentine memory?"  Any question will do....people love to share fun stories!  Put all of the questions in the bag and set it on the table while you're having a yummy homemade treat.


9.  If you are talented in the sewing department, make a handsewn gift ~ maybe a felt or fabric pouch with candies...or a heart pillow...or whatever you can come up with!

Ok, so there are just a few ideas.  Valentine's Day does not need to be expensive!  The possibilities are endless!  What are your frugal Valentine ideas??  Please share!

And just in case you wanted a few more ideas, here are some of my Valentine posts from the archives:

Valentine Cookies
Homemade Valentines
Not your traditional Valentines

Go put your creative hat on and have some Valentine fun!  I'm going to!

"Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;"     ~Romans 12:10

Tin Can Decor!

Happy Friday!

I just wanted to share with you one way I've been trying to be frugal and creative with items around our home.  My attention has focused on tin cans!

I used to just throw them in the recycling bin which is a great idea...unless I could find a use for them....and now I have. :-)

I have had fun decorating emptied, washed tin cans with construction paper, scrapbook paper, raffia, and ribbons!  I've been labeling them if they are used for storage purposes or tying fun tags to them if they are given as gifts.

Here are a couple of different sized cans used to store writing utensils for our schoolroom...

...and here is one I decorated with scrapbook paper and some raffia this summer to give away some fresh hydrangea blooms from our yard to the neighbors...

Also, for Christmas gifts for my children's Sunday School teachers this past year, I decorated a few tin cans with some scrapbook paper and ribbons and filled them with a variety of candies.

I sure am having fun with this!  Who needs to buy a costly organizational container when they can get a free one just by having a can of veggies for dinner one night??

I'd love to hear about creative "re-uses" around your home...please share!

Neat Giveaway!

Greetings!

I don't remember which blog I first read about marie-madeline Studio, but oh...the goodness you will find there! :-) Mary Jo at Covenant Homemaking is giving away a marie-madeline apron (of the winner's choice!) for her 100th post celebration. I just wanted to share this neat giveaway with you, and I encourage you to give Mary Jo a visit and enter!!

Blessings,

Katie

Easy Homemade Chicken Soup

There's just nothing like homemade chicken noodle soup when you're feeling a bit under the weather... :-) [Well, except maybe some slippers and a snuggly blanket and pillow.]

My son has a cold and it's snowing outside, so soup was definitely on the menu for today.

Easy Recipe:

1 large can of Chicken Stock/Broth

1 package Egg Noodles (cook according to pkg.)

Cut-up cooked chicken pieces

Carrots - diced

Celery - diced

[Optional: chicken bouillon cubes if desired for added flavor]

Salt & Pepper to taste

Mix all together and enjoy!

That's it! Well, ok, this is not truly homemade as I didn't make my own noodles nor grow my own vegetables nor raise my own chicken (now that would be homemade!!)... However, it was rather easy to throw these ingredients together, get them steaming hot, and enjoy on a cold day.

Hope you and yours have a *cozy* day today!

Blessings,

Katie

A Kind Gesture

When my hubby was deployed this last time, my wonderful sister-in-law unexpectedly made some food for me and the kiddos and gave it to us in this fun decorated jar! Yummy stew, cheerful greetings ~ what a kind gesture, don't you think? I'll tell you this made me smile ~ especially when my adorable nephew was so excited to deliver it to us! Thank you!! :o)

How can I be a blessing to someone else today??? Hmmmm... I love how one kind gesture leads to another....the one contagious thing I'm not afraid to catch! :-)

Blessings,

Katie

"And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works..." ~ Hebrews 10:24