Be Mine Banner

Is there a new holiday coming up? Time for some crafting, I say. During last week's snow days, I got a lot of things made. The first is a word banner. Very simple and fast to make.
Materials list:

- red glitter ribbon (Christmas leftovers)

- chipboard pennant banner (pre-made) - Paper Accents - purchased at Ben Franklin Crafts

- red chipboard letter stickers - from my stash

- red polka dot patterned paper - manufacturer: Pebbles Inc. purchased at Ben Franklin Crafts

- script "I love you" patterned paper - purchased at Jo-Ann Crafts

- circle scalloped punch - Marvy Uchida

Instructions:

1. trace the pennant shape onto the back of the polka dot paper, cut out.

2. glue down the patterned paper on the chipboard, trim if necessary.

3. punch out scalloped circles, glue on top of the red paper.

4. glue the chipboard letters onto the scalloped circles.

5. string the ribbon through the chipboard, hang and enjoy!

I'll be linking up to the following:

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One Thousand Gifts - #130 to #142

Boy do I need to do this today! My morning was a bit ugly. :(

More gifts:

my sons singing loudly and enthusiastically at the Christmas Eve service. Such a sweet memory.

snow that stayed a week!

surviving being a one car family (while my husband's car was waiting for repairs) for over a week - so thankful for my hubby's flexible workplace.

the incredible beauty of snow on the trees.

keeping up with my new project - taking a photo a day and posting to my 365 blog.

a reliable car mechanic who properly diagnosed my husband's car's problem.

family worship at home when church was cancelled.

four wheel drive on my car so we could easily get around in the snow.

taking my boys sledding

watching Downton Abbey

a return to regular routines today.

my parents' good news about a space open at a new apartment complex that provides meals.

my new stove arrived today - my first ever brand new kitchen appliance!

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Book Review: Read for the Heart

I can't remember how I heard about this book but I love reading well written annotated book lists (for children's books or adult books), especially those written by well-read people with the same Christian worldview as mine. Sarah Clarkson is the adult daughter of Sally Clarkson whose book Mission of Motherhood

was very inspiring and encouraging to me. Her blog is great too. Sarah Clarkson was homeschooled and her childhood was rich with good literature. I enjoyed her descriptions of the books as well as her infectious enthusiasm for reading. She makes a strong case for the importance of reading to young children, something I'm very passionate about.

I would recommend this book to any parent who wants to find good quality books for reading to their child or for children to read alone. It starts with picture books and continues on up to books for teens. I plan to read this book again when my kids are a bit older since many of the recommendations are for tween/teen books.

I found this book at my library, through an inter-library loan.

Note: this post contains affliate links to Amazon. If you purchase a book through my link, I get a very small percentage.

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Snow Days

We just had Snow Day #4 day here. Pretty abnormal weather for the Pacific Northwest. On Sunday church was cancelled. Monday was Martin Luther King Day which was already a school holiday. On Tuesday and Wednesday school was cancelled. Today school was cancelled again and J has been working from home most days. One of my children likes the time off school and one of them hates it. If you know my kids, you know which one that is. :) I just heard that school is cancelled again tomorrow. Sigh.

I prefer to stay inside and watch the snow fall while drinking tea and crafting or reading a book but my kids have enjoyed sledding and playing outside. On Sunday my hubby built a snow wall at the end of the driveway and I drove our car through it. When I figure out how, I'll post a video of that. He also built an amazing igloo. No mere snowmen for my overachieving hubby! :)

I like the snow and don't mind driving in it since I have 4 wheel drive. J has used our Jeep to push some people who having trouble with inclines - one time it was some ladies from California. Today we took a friend to the grocery store so she could stock up on milk for her family of seven. If you don't have 4 wheel drive it is a good idea to just stay home.

Today I took the boys to a nearby hill for some sledding.It was pretty cold (28 degrees) so I didn't last long. I've lost my cold tolerance since leaving Ottawa 12 years ago. The hill was pretty full with other people escaping their house for some sledding. The bottom of the hill was a little too exciting - there was a creek!

This morning I enjoyed taking some snow photos in an empty parking lot.

I'll miss the beautiful snow and ice scenes when it melts away.

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{this moment}

I think tonight's sunset is the most beautiful one that I've seen

in the 12 years that I've lived in the Seattle area.

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One Thousand Gifts #121 to #129

(getting back into the habit of giving thanks which fell away during the holidays)

121. King FM at Christmas time - I loved hearing so many choral pieces
122. my boys watching the movie of The Nutcracker ballet
123. a Christmas full of blessings

124. a talented surgeon who did surgery on my husband's ear to remove a cyst.
125. another year in which I can give thanks to God!

126. extra time spent with my hubby as he recovered from surgery

127. reassurance from my son's doctor that his persistent cough is nothing to be concerned about.
128. paperwhites blooming in my kitchen window
129. this morning as I grudgingly drove my children to school, I saw the Olympic Mountains illuminated by brilliant sunshine. I realized that I wouldn't have seen that view if I had stayed at home. Thanks for that kick in the behind, God! :)

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Books to read in 2012

I have a HUGE list of books I'd like to read but in order to narrow it down and prioritize, here's a short list of what I hope to read in 2012.

Non-Fiction
1. Knowing God by J.I. Packer. There is a free download of the audiobook available at Christian Audio.
2. The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. This is a follow up to Metaxas' biography of Bonhoeffer.
3. John A: The Man Who Made Us (The Life and Times of John A. Macdonald) by Richard Gwyn. If you didn't already know, I'm Canadian and I'd like to know more about Canadian history. Macdonald was Canada's first Prime Minister.
4. 102 Minutes: The Untold Story of the Fight to Survive Inside the Twin Towers by Jim Dwyer and Kevin Flynn.
5. 50 People Every Christian Should Know: Learning from Spiritual Giants of the Faith by Warren Wiersbe
6. a biography of Hitler. I've read so many books about WW II in the last two years that I'd like to learn a bit more about him.


Fiction:
1. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury - dystopian novel.
2. Les Miserables by Victor Hugo - I've started listening to the audiobook on my "commute."
3. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. This book has been on my TBR list for too many years. Set during WW II in Germany.
4. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel - historical fiction about the time of Henry VIII
5. The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins - a classic British detective novel
6. Blanche on the Lam by Barbara Neely. An African American maid solves mysteries.
7. Dreams of Joy by Lisa See - the author of Snow Flower and the Secret Fan.

I read 42 books in 2011. I hope to read over 40 books in 2012.

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Resolutions and Goals

Ah, a new year. Time to make some resolutions. What are your goals, plans for 2012?

I have three. First, I'm taking on the 365 project. It is taking one photograph every day for a year. I started a new blog for the photo of the day: Sheila Takes Photos. Yes, 2012 is a Leap Year, so technically it is the 366 project.

My second goal is to finish reading through the New Testament. I started this back in October and I've done well. That is, until I got to Revelation. :) I stopped at chapter 8 or so but I'm starting the plan over again. My plan is found here along with some other good Bible reading plans.

My third resolution/goal is to exercise more. I go to a gym regularly but just not often enough. I'm going to try a Zumba class and see if that shakes off the boredom. I also need to load up my MP3 player with some new music to keep me going on the treadmill.

What are your goals for 2012?

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