Living as a Victorious Christian Woman

We're having so much fun putting together goodie bags and door prizes for our upcoming ladies retreat at the church. So many of our ladies have donated craft supplies, decorations, time and energy to treat our visitors to an amazing time. These keychains are just one of the gifts some of the attendees will find in their bags. All you need to make them are a variety of beads, some fairly thin yet sturdy cord and a jump ring. Cut a length of cord, fold it in half and string it through the jump ring. String matching beads on both sides. And tie it off with a double knot. So simple, yet so pretty. Here's another variation: Cut a length of cord, fold it in half and thread it through a jump ring. Tie one or two beads on one side and tie it off with a knot. Make the other side longer with additional letters and beads before tying it off. Make a variety of lengths, colors, patterns and phrases so no two are alike.

How does your anger come out? Do you throw things? Scream into a pillow? Run away and hide? Clam up and glare? All of the above to varying degrees? There are many, many verses of Scripture that talk about anger and how to avoid it for the sake of your testimony. Anger eats away at your joy and forces you to obey emotion instead of truth. It's a nasty little feeling that can quickly and easily grow into a destructive monster. But rest assured, you are not alone. Each one of us battles anger off and on throughout our daily lives. It's how you handle it - and what you allow to trigger it - that makes all the difference. Take Moses for example. We are introduced to him before he becomes a murderer, killing in anger over the poor treatment of his people. He retreats to desert and gets his emotions under control for the next 40+ years. God then calls him to a high-profile lifestyle that requires him to interact with anger-inducing people on a regular basis. But still, ti...

Here's an outside-the-box sketch to try this week! Let's work "a round" this shape, using a circle cutter and patterned paper. If you can find a pattern that's already in a circle, that's great. Just cut around it and adhere it overlapping the bottom of the card. Add another partial circle across the top that follows the line of your circle. Choose a matching image or square of coordinating pattern and attach your sentiment there. For my card, I cut down a patterned paper that had a circle of buildings on it and matted it on a solid brown card stock. I loved the jet trail behind the plane, so try copying that in your own layout. The sentiment is layered on top of a coordinating square of patterned paper and placed in the center of the circle. For more great layout ideas, come visit my Etsy shop . You'll find handmade Christian cards, journals and lots of other paper crafts and gifts.

As I was out on the deck recently, this walking stick caught my eye. Now, this is the exact opposite of what should happen. A walking stick bug is specifically designed to blend in to its home in the woods. It looks like a stick so its predators will think it is just another stick among sticks. This is very smart camouflage for an insect that lives in the woods of our property. But he wasn't in the trees when I saw him - he was on the deck railing. If he had been sitting on a pile of twigs stacked not he deck, that would have been a different story. But there he was, just hanging out on the old wood of the deck. A walking stick can't blend in with the background when he's on the wrong background. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I al...

While it may still be hot and humid during these September days here in Iowa, the mornings and evenings are finally starting to get cooler. This is the first hint we have that autumn is on the way, so let's pull out our scarves so they're ready to wear soon. I have dozens of scarves in my closet, and all of them can be turned into infinity scarves. Simply fold the scarf in half and tie the matching corners together. Put the knots at the back of your neck, drape the scarf to the front, twist and hang back over your neck. Then adjust it so you have two loops, one longer than the other. For something a little more traditional, start with the center of the scarf at your throat and the ends hanging down your back. Cross them behind your neck and drape the ends to the front over your shoulders. Adjust the size of the loop so the ends hang exactly where you want them. A simple drape with knots in the end allow you to also showcase a long, pretty necklace. ...

Fish is a great, easy summer meal that takes very little on-the-stove cooking time. This tilapia dish is ready in just a few minutes and combines an amazing source of protein with the crunch of fresh veggies. I use individually frozen tilapia filets and thaw two small ones in a bowl of hot water for each wrap. Just remove the fish from the plastic and submerge them in a bowl of the hottest tap water possible. You may need to change the water once, but they will be thawed in just a few minutes. Heat about a tablespoon of olive oil in a cast iron skillet while you're draining the water from the tilapia. Then season one side of the fish with your favorite seafood seasoning and place that side down in the skillet. Season the other side. As the tilapia is cooking, heat a cup of fresh broccoli slaw in the microwave. (You can find broccoli slaw by the bag in the produce department.) Then drain off as much water as you can. Flip the fish and put a whole wheat tortilla on a larg...

You can make beautiful, frilly flowers in just minutes using something you probably have in your kitchen right now - coffee filters! Because they're already rippled around the edge, they make lovely waves of flower petals when you fold them and fan them out. You'll need about 40 coffee filters, a large brad and a hole punch. Fold the first coffee filter in half... And then again... When you've folded them all, punch a hole in the point of each one. Then layer them on to the brad and fan them out as you go. Once they're all on the brad, you can fold the brad down to hold them in place and even out the spacing. Turn it over and you'll see this big, beautiful flower just waiting for you to decorate with it.

Who or what in your life tells you how much you are worth? Do you check your bank account like clockwork to make sure you're in the black? Are you asking your husband to validate you on a daily basis? Would your friends say you're relying on them to show you how special you are? How happy are you when you're by yourself? Can one comment from a stranger send you into a tailspin? If you're looking to anyone or anything other than God to determine your worth, you will never be satisfied. People come and go, situations change and surprises pop up every day. If we're relying on the winds of change to show us we're worthy of love, affection and attention, then we'll be sorely disappointed for the rest of our lives. Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. Proverbs 31:10 The description of the Proverbs 31 woman begins simply enough, with one question: who can find a virtuous woman? This lovely woman with high spiritual standards...

If you look through your paper craft supplies, you'll probably find a good-sized collection of large, 3D letters. They might be chipboard, alphabet stickers or even some fun stencils. Gather them up and put them to good use with today's sketch. You'll choose a three-to-four-letter word to run across the bottom of the card with some coordinating embellishments on the side. Print out a Bible verse that contains that word and place it in a border across the top of the card. For my card, I started with a deep cranberry decorator paper for my background. Then I used chipboard letters in coordinating colors to spell out "love." The circles on the right side are punched from papers in the same set as the background so they were sure to coordinate. My Scripture was made on the computer and printed onto white card stock. It is matted on coordinating decorator paper and trimmed into a top border. For more great layouts and other inspiration, come visit my Ets...

As the mornings and evenings begin to cool off, the weather signals the beginning of fall cleaning. In just a few weeks we'll be donning sweaters and boots, so this is the time to get some outdoor projects done before you're too bundled up to move. Walking around and through our home, I have made a list of projects I would like to accomplish this autumn, and it seems to grow on its own overnight. There are things that need to be done, projects I would like to get done and some that are just wishful thinking with everything else going on. I'm the type of person who look looks at that list and carefully plans out how to attack it. I love our home, and I treasure every moment that I can spend making it more inviting, more cozy, a little cleaner and more organized. It's not always easy, but this is where my heart is. I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O when wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart. Psalm 101:2 Make this ...

We are having such a wonderful time preparing for our church's upcoming ladies retreat. The first of the decorations are already up, and the sign-up sheet for jobs and donations is almost full. And now I'm concentrating on door prizes! We're only doing a few this year so we can focus on the real reason we're gathering - to hear God's word. The gifts we've already been putting together are so much fun, and it will be such a joy to give them out that Friday night and Saturday morning. Two lovely ladies will be receiving these adorable baker's gift bags. It's filled with all sorts of fun tools, treats and supplies to make time in the kitchen a little more special. To make one yourself, all you need are oven mitts, cookie mix packages, a couple of kitchen tools, a cookie cutter and curling ribbon. From there, you can get as creative as you like. You could tuck a cloth napkin or dishcloth in the bottom of the mitt, add some frosting or tuck in a bo...

The next time your local grocery store has that great sale on ground beef, stock up. Then you'll be able to make this amazing meatloaf recipe at a moment's notice. If you don't like meatloaf because it's dry, tasteless and boring, this combination of flavors may change your mind. It takes an hour and a half to cook, so make sure you start in plenty of time before your meal. Ingredients: 2 lbs ground beef 2 Tbsp chili sauce 1 Tbsp minced garlic 2 eggs 1 cup quick oats 1 Tbsp chipotle seasoning 1 cup fruit salsa 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a loaf pan with nonstick spray. 2. Combine ground beef, chili sauce, garlic, eggs, oats and chipotle in a large bowl. 3. Press mixture into prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 80 minutes. 4. Remove from oven, cover with salsa and return to oven. Bake 10 additional minutes. Internal temperature should be 165 degrees.

Now, I love Pinterest as much as the next person, but let me tell you why I walked away for seven whole days. 1. I was starting to rely on it instead of enjoy it. If I had a question, I looked it up by searching Pinterest. If I wanted a recipe, I went to Pinterest. When I needed inspiration, I checked Pinterest first. When I was bored...I think you understand. 2. It was actually making me feel depressed about my spiritual life. This was the main reason I had to back off. My feed is full of Scripture, inspirational quotes and links to some amazing women speakers and bloggers. But all of these tools that were supposed to be lifting me up and encouraging me were instead making me feel like everybody else has it all together because I don't feel like those quotes all of the time. 3. I was using it as my go-to instead of as an addition. I came to the realization that I wasn't in my actually paper-and-ink Bible nearly as much as I once was. Instead of reading and studying sever...

One afternoon Sadie, Molly and I found two fuzzy caterpillars on the driveway. One was bright orange and brown, and the other was this pretty green one. He was shorter than my pinkie finger, but he was trucking along from one side of the drive to the other with amazing speed. Sadie was quickly bored, but Molly was fascinated by this tiny traveler. (Okay, everything is tiny to Molly, but you get the picture.) She only stepped on him once, but not even a paw the size of a coffee cup stopped his forward momentum. To keep him away from the very large dog, I used a tiny stick under his middle to carefully lift him and send him in another direction. But instead of heading that way, he immediately spun around and double-timed it on his original course. No matter how many times I tried to get him to go around Molly so she wouldn't crush him, this little guy was determined to make it to his destination, Great Dane or not. For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departur...

When I am in desperate need of quiet time, I usually go prayer walking. For a beginner course on prayer walking, click  here . There's a spot along our driveway that is the perfect place to sit, so I start there and pour my heart out to God. From there I pray for the highway at the bottom of our drive and the people who will come up that driveway to see us. I pray a hedge of protection around our property and ask God to keep evil away from it. If you've prayer walked before, you might do your neighborhood, a downtown business area or around some of your local schools. You walk and pray for the people in each building, their families, the wisdom to do their jobs and their safety throughout the day. Walk as far as you want and pray for as long as you want - the Lord has no time limits. But several weeks ago I realized that when I was prayer walking our property and home, I wasn't focusing very much on my husband. I desperately wanted to change that, and I've been aski...

Here's a light, healthy snack that gives you a little sweet, a little spice and a whole lot of crunch. After just a few minutes in the oven, you'll be snacking away! Ingredients 1 Tbsp cinnamon 1 Tbsp powdered sugar pinch of salt 1 bag (4.5 oz) whole natural almonds 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 2. Spread almonds in the bottom of a baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for five minutes, then stir and bake an additional five minutes. 3. While almonds are baking, mix cinnamon, powdered sugar and salt in a large bowl. 4. Lightly spray almonds with nonstick spray, stir and lightly spray again. 5. Immediately drop almonds into cinnamon sugar mixture and carefully toss to coat them completely. Eat them warm or store them in an air-tight container once they've cooled.

A fun way to use up paper scraps and lots of those spare embellishments is to put them together with "inchies," small squares of paper that are used like tiles on your cards. Start with white card stock fold in half for your card. Using the card's measurements, cut the number of squares that will fit. For example: my card measuring 4.5x6.25 inches. Six squares measuring 1.75 inches will fit in this shape. Make them smaller or larger depending on how many you want to fit on the face of the card. Choose your background color. Then use the squares to cut out pieces of decorator paper. You can either cover the card stock squares to make them thicker and stand out not he paper more, or you can just use them as a template to cut out a single layer of decorator paper. try it both ways and see which you like better. And this is my favorite part. Pull out those trays, bags and boxes of embellishments you've saved up and have fun. You can pu...

When you pick your favorite colors and patterns for this beautiful sketch, you'll love mixing and matching them for some amazing layouts. The sketch itself is very simple, which means you can make it your own. Start from the middle and work your way out - the round image and sentiment are the focal point of this design. Mat them on a coordinating decorator paper and a solid color background. Then choose a larger pattern as a panel that will mostly fill the right hand side of the card. Mat a solid color behind it to add some additional color. Finally, the background is a very light pattern on top of one more shade of card stock. For my card, I decided to use up some of my fall-themed paper. I started in the center, layering a vellum sticker onto a punched circle of decorator paper. I mounted it and the sentiment on a second pattern and matted the whole piece on card stock. The right hand panel is a fun pattern in autumn colors and is mounted on a deep yellow card stock....

This is the look Molly gives me when she's bored out of her mind. She doesn't even feel like pulling a toy out of her toy box, which is what she's leaning on here. That's a lot of *meh* all wrapped up in one puppy. This is the look that lets me know it's time to get down on the floor or take both girls outside for a while. It's easy for me to get wrapped up in the busyness of the day and not realize that quiet isn't necessarily a good thing when you have dogs. A few minutes of wrestling on the living room floor or a half an hour of hiking through the woods gets Molly's blood stirring again. Her eyes sparkle and her tail wags in a way it wasn't earlier. Sadie is moving slowly these days, but she'll bounce a little after I pay attention to her and let her get sunshine and exercise and playtime. Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehosaphat in the forefront of them, to go again to Jerusalem with joy; for the LORD had m...