Living as a Victorious Christian Woman

It's blackberry season on the Carrell Wildlife Preserve! The bushes at the top of our barn hill are out in full force, and there are hundreds of bushes in various stages of ripening. So don't be surprised if you see several blackberry recipes in the coming weeks. I started out the season with a lovely blackberry iced tea. It's ready to go in about an hour, but the longer you leave it in the refrigerator, the better it is. All you need are 5-6 iced tea bags (the kind designed for cold brew are best), 3 cups of blackberries, cold water and ice. According to the package directions, brew up a gallon (16 cups) of iced tea with the 5-6 tea bags. Make it whatever strength you want, but this is what works for my taste. While that's brewing for those few minutes, mash the blackberries down to a pulp in a large bowl with the back of a spoon. If you're not a big fan of seeds, put them through a food processor and strain out the seeds. As long as you have the juice

With the Fourth of July less than a week away, you have plenty of time to put together some fantastic patriotic paper crafts. This fireworks technique will work on anything, so play around with it! You'll need a combination of red, white, blue and gold thread and a coordinating piece of paper. Start by using a needle to poke eight holes in some resemblance of a circle. (Ten dots will make an amazing flower ... just so you know.) Attach the thread to the back of the paper with tape, then connect the opposite dots to make the fireworks. Then continue across the entire paper to make a fireworks display. The more you make, the fuller and more colorful your image will be when you place it on a card or scrapbook page. Rotate the piece until it looks just right and tack it down. By adjusting the spacing of the dots, the thickness of thread you use and the colors, you can make these fireworks perfect for any paper craft project. Have fun!

Southern Iowa is in desperate need of rain. More important than the brown spots in our yards, the farmers have crops to think about. When you're at the mercy of the weather, having rain in its season is of vital importance. The Israelites of the Old Testament understood this as well as anyone, especially as they were settling into their new land. In the book of Deuteronomy, they are given instructions for how to use the land that God had cared for, and the directions were incredibly specific. And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love the LORD your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, That I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil. Deuteronomy 11:13-14 The much-needed rain for the land was tied directly to the love and obedience of God's people. It was on

Do you have some tiny embellishments you'd like to use up, and maybe some paper scraps that don't seem to have a purpose? Combine them for this sketch and you'll be able to find places for all of them! Start with a fairly dark background color, even matting it with a pretty pattern if you'd like. Make them subtle, though, as you'll be layering things on top of it. Cut a circle out of a focal point-worthy piece of decorator paper and overlap it on the lefthand side of the card. Then you'll choose a coordinating embellishment and the perfect phrase to tie it all together. It's pretty simple, and it's a great go-to sketch to use up your leftovers. For my card, I matted a patterned burnt orange decorator paper on top of a dark brown card stock. Then I added a panel of dark striped decorator paper in the center. My circle is cut from a "words of coffee" decorator paper and matted on the same dark brown card stock. It's accented wi

There is an extensive trail system that runs through our property, and each one has incredible views and lots of hills. One of my favorite trails runs along the front of the property, near the highway, and has many different types of bushes, trees and flowers. It also has the most prolific growth of blackberries, so I spend a lot of time here in the summer. With all the beautiful shades of green in the trees and shrubs, anything that's not green stands out like a sore thumb. Such is the case with this dying tree smack dab int he middle of this path. The rest of the trees around it are very tall, and it is rather short. The bushes are a deep, dark green, and this tree is brown and brittle. It's different from everything around it, so it's easy to see. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God ... In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. John 1:1, 4

Here in Iowa, we have cows and we have birds. We also have cowbirds, like the one pictured here. It's a very average, dull-looking bird, just black and brown and not much to look at. We have these cowbirds at our feeder every single day, but you really don't notice them. They're not pretty like the cardinals, not as large as the bluejays and not nearly as cute as the nuthatches. They're just not a special bird that you would write home about. Until you dig a little deeper into their characteristics. Cowbirds are considered parasitic birds. They won't build their own nests, instead laying their five to seven eggs in another bird's nest. One bird guide I read says that cowbirds have been documented laying their eggs in the nests of more than 200 different species of birds. And it's incredibly interesting that while some birds will reject these foreign eggs, most will actually raise them as their own. For tiny birds like starling and warblers, this mean

Everyone loves summertime because there are so many things we can enjoy only in these months. We go to the beach, we hang out on the deck all evening and we sip lemonade from pretty mason jars. And we eat strawberry shortcake. By the truckload. But who wants to eat strawberry shortcake the same way every time? We only have a few precious months to savor it, so let's put a new spin on an old favorite. * Instead of the typical white cake, split a glazed donut in half for your top and bottom. * Add your favorite ice cream as another layer of flavor. * Layer it up in a glass jar or a miniature version. * Thread pieces of cake and strawberries on a skewer and drizzle on vanilla icing. * Use fluffy biscuits instead of cake. * Turn the cake into cupcakes, with a strawberry in the middle and whipped cream instead of frosting. * Instead of individual portions, make a multi-layer cake with strawberries and whipped cream between each layer. * Bake the cake as a sheet cak

When my mother-in-love asked me to make some gifts to take back to the Mongolians at the end of the summer, I was thrilled. It's so amazing to know that my work is going around the world, so I really had put my thinking cap on. For the women, I made  sticky note holders . That was the easy part.  The men's gifts were a little more challenging. But they all drink coffee, so I knew I wanted to do something small and coffee-themed. This adorable little gift card opens up to reveal a packet of instant coffee tucked in a tiny pocket, along with a white panel to write a quick note. I think it will be the perfect size to travel back on the plane, plus be a cute surprise. Since I was making these from an idea in my head and not a pattern, my measurements aren't precise. They will also vary depending on what size your coffee packet is, as I've learned they're not all the same. Start by cutting a rectangle of card stock that, when folded in half, is a

The babies in our church nursery have the strongest grips I have ever known. Once they get a hold of your hair, your glasses or your jewelry, they’re determined to pull them off and keep them forever. Not to mention if you give them your finger - you’ll lose feeling in your fingertips in a matter of moments. We carry this grip into adulthood, whether we realize it or not. But instead of holding on to someone’s finger as a reflex, our fear and worry teach us to hold on to things as tightly as we can. We squeeze the life out of our relationships, position, home, possessions and other “stuff” in our lives because we’re desperately clinging to them. God says “Cling to me instead. Let go of the ‘stuff’ you’re trying to hold on to and show me the palms of your hands.” This palms-up way of thinking releases the emotional need to tightly grasp people, things and memories just to keep them close. In order to see your palms, you have to uncurl your fingers and drop whatever you’re h

Today's sketch gives you a chance to practice cutting paper ribbon, a look that will serve you well in so many projects! The background for this sketch is very simple - just three patterns, including two blocks as panels to build on. The fun part is the ribbon. Cut a fairly thin rectangle of decorator paper and set it aside. Then cut a 1.5-inch square of card stock. Use this square to cut a notch out of the bottom of the strip of decorator paper. Play around with widths and sizes to get just the look you want. Then overlap the sentiment onto the paper ribbon and embellish as you see fit! For my card, I started with a dark blue denim background. I cut two more panels of coordinating decorator paper to complete the foundation of my card. With another decorator paper, I cut a thin strip and used my card stock square to cut the notch out of the bottom. After I adhered everything down, I added my Bible verse, overlapping it onto the ribbon. For more great layout ideas,

It's been a little disheartening to watch the empty pots in my sunroom this week. I understand that growth takes time, but I was hoping to see something spectacular, even though I just planted the seeds a couple of weeks ago. To see how I put my hanging herb garden together, click here . On Thursday I filled the watering can to take care of my potential herbs, and there was this tiny little sprout in the parsley pot. It's not much to write home about, but it's definitely a start. And knowing what it will look like someday - check out the picture on the package next to the pot - is just motivation to keep watering it and taking care of it. He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. Luke 16:10 Make this a weekend of small beginnings. Like the sprout in my parsley pot, something great always starts as something small. Your faithfulness in those little moments, the moments that you th

If you were to come walk from one end of the property to the other, you'd see dozens of different kinds of trees, each with a different size and shape of leaf. It's fascinating to see how, on these 33 acres, there is such a variety of leaves. But the plants themselves coexist together, each serving their own purpose. It reminds me of how Paul wrote to the church of Corinth about how a diversity of gifts had been given to the members of the church, but they were all led by the same Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not the body; is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. And if they were al

Layers upon layers upon layers of pretty patterned paper will give the panels of this adorable card sketch their perfect locations. Pull out one of your favorite collections and have fun! You'll need four coordinating patterns to start, but you can always add more or use fewer depending on the size of your card and the size of the patterns themselves. Vary the size of each panel so they'll stack and overlap in interesting ways, keeping the sentiment close to the center. This will balance out the card and let you see as much of the patterns as possible. Then use two tiny embellishments in two of the corners and two larger embellishments on the opposite corners near the sentiment. For my card, I started with four coordinating spring patterns. Each block is a different size and shape, overlapping across the card. The hand-stamped phrase stays near the middle of the card, and it is accented with two 3D ladybugs made from chipboard. Finally, there are two blue gems in

The apostle Paul would write many times in his epistles about the importance of prayer. He encouraged his readers to pray always, to pray without ceasing and to pray for everything. Prayer had been such an important part of his life that he wanted to share that knowledge and comfort as often and as effectually as he could. After spending a week with the disciples Tyre, the people there saw them off with a parting prayer time. How wonderful the sight must have been as these men of God and their families knelt in prayer in the sand by the sea. Prayers went up as they all bowed down on their knees. And when we had accomplished those days, we departed and went our way; and they all brought us on our way, with wives and children, till we were out of the city: and we kneeled down on the shore, and prayed. Acts 21:5 Make this a weekend of kneeling. Spend as much time in prayer about the issues in your life as you do talking about them and worrying about them. Paul's advice so many

On a trip to the local thrift shop several months ago, I found this beautiful six-tiered plant stand. It was only $2, so even though I have a brown thumb, I knew I needed to have it. It was hanging on the wall of the sunroom, empty, until this week. That's when my inspiration hit. I've always wanted a kitchen garden so I could grow my herbs, and this is the perfect time to get started. I'll start them in here and then transplant them outside when they outgrow their containers. Each pot has a plastic drip pan underneath it since the hanger has metal grates for its shelves. Then I put a single layer of rocks in the bottom for drainage. And added dirt almost to the top. I planted cilantro, basil, chamomile, parsley, oregano and cumin seeds as directed on their packages. I also tucked the seed packet onto the shelves with them so they won't get mixed up and I can still have the manufacturer's directions close at hand. I can't wait to

Every few weeks our local grocery store sells chicken drumsticks at the incredibly low price of six for $1. I can't resist because I much prefer dark meat to white meat. (I know that's backwards to most people - it's not my fault.) One of the easiest and tastiest ways to fix drumsticks is by simply coating them in spices and roasting for an hour. I will not use exact measurements here because I don't know your particular tastes. They are merely some suggestions and guidelines, and you can take it from there. Spices: salt pepper garlic powder paprika cinnamon cayenne pepper 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a 13x9 baking dish with aluminum foil. Spray with nonstick cooking spray. 2. Line up drumsticks in the dish and drizzle with olive oil. 3. Sprinkle chosen spices on top of the drumsticks, beginning with the salt. 4. Roast at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Turn drumsticks over and roast for an additional 30 minutes. 5. Serve with veggies and fruit