Snow Day!
We’ve got a Snow Day here in MN….and what goes better with a snow day than some baking?!
Grandma’s shortbread for the win! Can’t wait for teatime!
Bookbinding 101: Saddle Stitch
I’ve had bookbinding on my “to-learn” list for years! It’s reached the top of my list now that I’ve been making my own travelers journals using watercolor paper.
I visited with a friend last week who had a beautiful stack of handmade journals that she had hand-sewn. I was in love! That was just the push I needed….
In January, I made two albums out of watercolor paper and “binded” them with elastic. I work in these two books almost everyday….the elastic works in a pinch, but to really keep my pages together, I needed to stitch them. Thankfully, We R Memory Keepers has an easy to use, affordable tool to punch the holes! I purchased that and also another bookbinding kit through Amazon. Between the two, I have plenty of supplies to try different techniques.
The Saddle Stitch technique was what I had in mind for this journal…and what I envision using the most. Luckily, its super easy! When I read the reviews for the Bookbinding Guide from We R Memory Keepers, the biggest complaint was poor directions. (They were correct!) Youtube to the rescue!
Here’s video I used- easy peasy!!
My 2020 Reading List
This stack of books represents a year of growth to me. The balance between soul-searching surrender and encouragement. A few were difficult to get through because they were heavy, but the heaviness led to acknowledgement of hurts yet to be healed, (“Emotionally Healthy Spirituality”, “Forgiving what you can’t Forget”). They stirred places of anger and resentment, pain…things I had stuffed down deep. Things I really just needed to acknowledge, feel and let go by handing it over to God. At times this was very painful, but the pain was soothed by knowing it would lead to progress and purpose. Working through these things would clear the way for ALL the GOOD things to enter in its place…and I did it with God right by my side.
Annie F Downs was like the sweetest cheerleader in “100 Days to Brave” (my second time through this book…that’s 200 days of INTENTIONALLY working on BRAVERY!) and “Looking for Lovely.” Her words were nurturing and hopeful; her prompts inspiring and uplifting. The same can be said for “What Happens when Women Say Yes to God, encouraging and light reading.
“Fierce, Free and Full of Fire” was like having Jen Hatmaker in my living room, chatting with a cup of coffee in our hands. (Can you just imagine?!) It was sweet and could have been energizing if I wasn’t reading it during quarantine. Timing was off on this one for me. *Will return to it another time.*
I felt an instant kinship with Brene Brown in the first book of hers that I’ve read: “Rising Strong.” I will return to this one as well, because I think Pandemic fatigue was creeping in at this point and “Rising Strong” didn’t feel as attainable as it had pre-pandemic and I abandoned it. (It feels attainable again!)
My favorite, most inspiring book of 2021 was “Rhythms of Renewal,” by Rebekah Lyons. She felt like a trusted friend giving me advice and cheering “YOU CAN DO IT!” all the way. (Ironically, I forgot to put this one in the photo). Rebekah breaks down achieving renewal into 4 attainable categories: Rest, Restore, Connect, Create. I felt like this book was just for me, like Rebekah was saying: I see you, my friend.”
If I hadn’t taken notes while I worked through these books, I think many of the powerful sentiments would have been forgotten. I spent time last week reading through them and it wasn’t just the authors quotes that brought revelation. It was my own thoughts and prayers scribbled in the margins. The ones full of vulnerability as much as they were with honesty….the feelings AND the truth. It was through those that I could see my growth. It solidified what I felt early on: that there is purpose to the pain. And God will use every single bit of it.
A couple of these books went into 2021….but soon thereafter I can see the tides turn in my reading material. Lighter in the sense of uplifting and deeper in the sense of bible studies. To be continued….
A Close-Up of Look into Eve’s Story
A few facts & tid-bits:
*God’s command to Adam to not eat the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil came BEFORE Eve was created. (She was not around to hear the command) (Genesis 2:16)
* Adam was standing NEXT to Eve when she was deceived by the serpent. She took a bite and then handed it to Adam, who also took a bite. The difference is, Adam knowingly disobeyed. He just stood there while the serpent deceived his wife. (Genesis 3:6)
* When God ask Adam if he ate the fruit, Adam immediately blames it on Eve.
Eve then openly admits that she was deceived by the serpent and ate it. (Genesis 3:11-13)
*God gives Eve a consequence: pain during childbirth. Adam, on the other hand, receives punishment that will forever affect his livelihood, hard labor and difficult conditions providing food for himself and his family. A forever, for ALL-time punishment for all of Adam’s descendants. (Which is each one of us).
Don’t worry- the serpent was punished as well.
(Genesis 3:14-19)
So, Eve was deceived, yes. In her mind she reasoned that good things would come of taking a bite of that sweet fruit. AND then she offered those good things to her husband. When she realized she was wrong, she admitted to it, unlike Adam who KNEW he was wrong, but cast the blame on Eve.
Honestly, after spending a few days pondering this, I see it all in a new light. (I mean, look how the very first relationship on the planet EVER began! It wasn’t pretty AND YET they were the two humans responsible for populating the earth). It explains some things, doesn’t it…at least makes you go “hmmmmm.”
Tale of the Two Headed Serpent
This “two-headed” serpent whispering deception into Eve’s heart was not originally part of my vision.
It was by complete chance that this little blob of wet paint slid its way from another layout onto this one!
I cut Eve’s silhouette out, thinking I’d paint over the blob. As I glued her down, I couldn’t believe what I had missed. It was so obvious! (Right there at her ear, too!) I looked up at my picture of Jesus on my desk and smiled. “Oh, you!” I thought.
No doubt in my mind that this was what He wanted. Where He wanted me. What He wanted me thinking about. And this was His reward to me for listening. This was Him saying “Here I am- right here with you as you work.”
Goodness! It’s more special than I can put into words. I spent three days on this layout. 3 days of thinking about Eve and the Garden.
Let’s Be Friends
