Creating a Hope Chest - Post 3 - Recipe Book

What could be a better addition to your/our hope chest than a cookbook of family favorites! Written down with you and your Mom's handwriting. I look forward to finishing mine, placing it my hope chest, and one day getting it out and using it. I can already see how I will love getting it out and smiling at the memories we made together.. :) We are planning to place some of our cooking stories throughout the cookbook and to also decorate the outside. If you have already begun a cookbook for your hope chest I would love to hear how you did it! :)

First, we decided on what size book we wanted.. We didn't want the really big ones and we didn't want 3x4 index cards- that was to small. Mom went to the handy dandy Amazon and found this binder. It is half the size of a piece of regular paper, very thick, and a great size! Here is the link:  Durable Binder

My Mom... Concentrating on copying a recipe and trying to figure out which pen is going to work. ;)

I love her handwriting. ;)

My Mom made these recipe pages and if you would like to have the same kind for yours, you can find them in her ETSY SHOP. It is a pdf download and you can print it as many times as you want afterwards. ;)

My handwriting. I used to writing alot fancier than this, but I needed it to be simple for the recipes... It was difficult having to adjust myself to "teacher handwriting", as my Mom calls it. ;)

Having handwritten recipes makes the cook book even more special. 

I am terrible at taking to many close ups.. I just love them though. :P

Twitter Post 3 - Single Years (Becuase Twitter only does 140 characters...)

Our single years are given to us as a gift. Don't throw that gift away by playing or "waiting in a tower" for your prince. Your Prince has already come and He knows you. Our time of singleness is a time that God gave us to be used to get to know Him better. Don't waist that time feeding your flesh. There is no better time to glorify God than the present.

Creating a Hope Chest - Post 2 - What I Already Have in my Hope Chest

So... I thought I would begin with showing you with what's already in my hope chest. Where it came from, why it's there, who gave it to me, why I would use it, and so on...

This is my hope chest. For a long time, all that my hope chest was,was a few small items in a cardboard box. Mom and Dad surprised me with this one on my 17th birthday. I was sooo excited and I love how heavy duty it is.! ;)

This silverware was given to me by a very good friend a couple of years ago. They are stainless steal and I love the design on them and the box they came in. I have never been one to care for things made of true silver and gold... If you give me something that serves the purpose and it's nice, then I'll take it. ;) I like to go for practical than ultra fancy. Esp. when you can't use your ultra fancy stuff all the time. If you are going for practical and you know you will probably have a large family one day, then go for what serves the purpose. For one, when you lose it or it get's broke, it doesn't cost hundreds of dollars to replace it. For two, it doesn't take any special cleaning. 

I made this baby girl blanket a couple of years ago. I was going to sell it, but I couldn't part from it. ;) So, I put it in my hope chest for my first baby girl. I made this with the scraps of yarn I had at the times. It didn't all match when I had it together, but I planned it out to where the things that would really make it awkward looking in colors, would be a compliment to each other. When you are making something like this, you don't want to put all of one color in one place. Make it vary like I did with the Navy Blue.

This is some misc. stuff. The dress was my little sisters and my Mom was going to get rid of it because she didn't like it. I happened to love it and told her I wanted it for my little girl someday. We love to go to thrift stores and find good deals... I was able to find myself a maternity dress and shirt for when the time comes. Hot pads are always a good thing to get. You can get them cheaply and you could probably never have to many. Cookbooks, homeschool books that you have found, or measuring cups are always good to find and pack away. They get lost very easily and you can never have to many of those either.

The knives were given to me by my Dad on my 16th birthday. Also a good think to pack away. ;) I would reccoomend RADA knives. They are a little pricey, but they are AWESOMELY sharp!

A view of my 1950's cook book. It has recipes that don't requires Cambell's soups! :P

I found this stoneware at one of our thrift stores in town. I was so happy to find something so practical, pretty, and for a price I could afford. I think I paid 18 dollars for 12 bowls, 14 dessert plates, and 18 dinner plates! (That's how the numbers went I think. Close enough.) ;) My mom bought theses for me. ;) Thanks Mom!!!

The glass in this picture is only one in a set of 10, I think. My Grandma gave them to me for my Birthday this year. :) They are the perfect size and coordinate with the plates well alright..

My Grandma also bought me these. I have a complete set to serve 2 people. I plan to use them for me and my future husband on our wedding day. And probably on special occasions; until we have family to big to  use them. And even then I may use them on our Anniversary. ;)

I have several of these cups, saucers, and dessert plates. I plan to mainly use these when we have company over for dessert and coffee. 

Measuring cups that I won at my aunt's wedding shower, a pairing knife, wedding cutter/cake set, and snowflake ornaments that will go in my house for Christmas... ;)

And a vase that was given to me by my Grandma will one day hold Zinnia's from my Garden. ;) 

This was my great grandmother's SILVERware. My Mom inherited it and she gave it to me. As you can see it really needs to be polished... but it sure is pretty and dainty when it is polished up!

And...keepsakes.. ;)

And... that's what's in my hope chest. I hope you got a few ideas. Don't forget to go for practicality more than fancy. Else you will only have dishes that sit in your cabinet. ;) If you already have a hope chest, would you please share what your idea's are/were!? Thanks for reading!

Recommended picture for pinning.  ^^ ;)

She Came Crying

Nineteen long years ago, a new born baby girl lay in her mother's loving arms, crying.The mother's first child. She was excited and couldn't wait to be able to go home and raise the child. A few months stroll by, and the baby will not stop crying. Holding her and rocking her isn't helping, and the frustrated mother puts her in her crib. The baby calms. Finally content that she is left alone. Independence and her own will has sprung up, and little does she know how much strife it will cause in coming years.

A few years pass. Affection - cuddles, love and care bestowed by the loving mother- is something she detests and has detested ever since she can remember. Bitterness continues to constantly fill her soul. This hatred for her mother became apparent; hurting the mother deeply.

Another few years pass. The ten year old girl, still bitter and ever so rebellious to her mother, is encouraged in her sins by her friends. Not in the least caring how her mother feels. The mother, though sad and weary with her daughters unjust behavior, continues to love her and do the best she can for her. All in a love, her daughter never deserved. The daughter's sin begins to weigh heavily on her heart. The hatred and bitterness that have grown in her over the past years have made her depressed and her soul heavy. A burden, has made it's root. 

The girl enters her teen years. Depression a constant struggle and the physical and spiritual weight it gives, makes her desire a happiness she can see in the others around her. Her mother talks to her again. Telling her about Christ and how he removes burdens. That she needed to pray to Him, asking for deliverance. She sit's in her room with the sun gleaming through the windows. Thoughts consume her mind. "Why should I pray to God.. Christianity is just a show to make you look good in front of people..." Her thoughts end and through tears of conviction she prays a loud, "God, Help me... I know, I see, I am wrong. I'm tired, I'm unhappy. I know I have no need to be...Save me from this pit! Help my unbelief!" She covers her eyes with her hand. Her heart heavy, her sins open before her. The hatred she showed to her mother, the rebellion against the Almighty all before her.  Once again she cry's, "God help me! Her heart leaps. Physically leaps. The burden of all those years of bitterness has been lifted. Like a boulder being lifted off of a slaves shoulders. Her tears quiet and she rises from her bed, knowing that an Almighty Power had begun His work in her. She rose, knowing that her burden had been lifted by the pure blood of Jesus Christ. The Christ who died for her undeserving soul. He was no longer a story to her, but a person. A person, who loved and cared for her sinful soul.
A few years pass, the girl watches her mother as she cooks dinner once again for the family. She sees how good and patient she was with her. She saw how she could have had a better relationship all those years ago. A thought hit's her mind, "My mother is my best friend now. All those years of hating her.. Why? I could have had a best friend... I wouldn't trade her for the world now." 

She also remembered the day that the Heavenly Father redeemed her. The deliverance and forgiveness He gave her when she cried to Him and how undeserving she had been of His Grace.. A grateful tear trickled down her cheek. Her burden was left behind. And she came crying.... to Him... and He delivered.

Photo borrowed from Pinterest.

Creating a Hope Chest - Post 1 - Introduction

The last couple of years, I have been haunted by this burden of trying to save thousands of dollars for my future husband. This guilt of not having anything to "give" my future husband frustrated me... Anytime I have extra money, I always buy things I need. New clothes, shampoos, ect...(Yes, I did by a few things of pleasure..) I didn't know how I was supposed to do that AND save for my husband... and I felt uncomfortable about it. (Not that it's wrong to save money for your future husband, but it's not mandatory.) Then I read how my Hope Chest IS how I am to be providing for my future husband. Having a clean, organized home is more important to a man's happiness with YOU, than all the money in the world could be. This was a tremendous! load off my shoulders...

So, without further ado. I would like to start a series - I don't know how long - on tips and ideas for creating a Hope Chest. Hopefully giving you sources for free patterns and tutorials of my own. I look forward to sharing with you what I have found and done. :) A Wise Woman posted a small list of things to begin with and it gave me some ideas. Just follow the link and you will be on that post.

May the Lord bless your Hope Chest, for it is your future home.. ;)

Photo borrowed from A Wise Woman.

Twitter Post 2 - (Because Twitter doesn't do more than 140 characters.)

The Psalms of David have always been encouraging to me. David, like us, was a terrible sinner. Yet, he is still called a "man after God's own heart." It makes me realize that you and I still have hope! No matter how sinful you and I may be, forgiveness is ready to be given to us. In Hebrews it says that God will be "...merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.” Take hold of this promise and set the Lord before you!
"I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure. For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption. You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore."
Psalm 16:8-11