Pentecost Sunday Ball....

Once again we celebrated Pentecost Sunday with our church family/friends. Freckles was so excited to attend this year. What is Pentecost you might ask? Pentecost Sunday marks the day when the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles/believers. It occurs 50 days after Easter. The Bible records the Pentecost in Acts 2:1-13. It also comes 10 days after the Ascension of Jesus Christ. It is also known as 

"The birthday of the Church".

Pentecost, with Christmas and Easter, ranks among the great feasts of Christianity. Not only does it commemorate the decent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and disciples, but also the fruits from the effects of the Biblical event: The completion of the work of redemption, the fullness of grace for the church and its children, with the gift of faith for all nations.

Our church celebrates Pentecost Sunday with feasting and dancing. It is one of the biggest events that we look forward to throughout the year. It truly is a magical time spent with our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. This year is extra special to us, for it may be one of the last times we spend time with this church...We said our goodbyes to many of our friends. I can finally say for certain we are moving up North to San Jose California for a year long internship/ Then church planting in the Bay area. We are truly blessed by this new church and delightful congregation. We look forward to working with them and serving. Yet, this will be one function we will surely miss. 

It's so good to see Freckles smiling this big after a long, trying time. 

These are moments that will forever be cherished.

P.S. Here is a picture I am squeezing in this post of my son and a gal friend 

he took to her prom this weekend. Just wanted to share it. 

HERE'S TO A WONDERFUL WEEK AHEAD.

The Thrill Of The Hunt...

Freckles and I have been out and about the past several weeks, hitting all the local thrift shops and neighboring towns shops in the search for little treasures. Some shops have been big flops. Yet, some shops have reaped little treasures. I am only bringing little things back at this time, since Mr. Darling advised no more big things until we move. So little things it is. I love the hunt however...It is thrilling to go into a shop and sift through every little corner, sort through every little pile, and dig through every shelf. Sometimes there are winners, sometimes we leave empty handed. But when we find a little something....

Our hearts go pitter patter. I know, it probably seems silly...But we enjoy it as a little past time hobby. My recent finds will all have homes very soon, as we finally have some good news to share. Mr.Darling has been called for a year internship, which will move forward into a church plant. More about that later next week, after we visit our new area and search for a place to call home.

Today we brought home this cute little naked Kewpie...And a sugar spoon. We also found this 5 lb. rice bag. Would be cute in our kitchen or made into a pillow...We'll see what happens with that.

We also grabbed this saltine cracker tin...I love the colors. I may just use this as a cracker tin. 

Makes sense, don't you think? I like using tins for what they were meant for. I wish they still made cool packaging like that with food....Nowadays it's just cheapo trash, nothing cute, nothing special. 

They just don't make anything like they used to.

I also found this large, plump velvet strawberry pin keep.

 It was just a couple bucks... 

We have also collected some sheets and pillow cases, a handy yellow mirror, a few children's books to add to my growing collection, some votive's and Pyrex. Will share some of that another time.

When we move, it's gonna be like Christmas.

 I can't wait to unpack and make a new home sweet home again. It will be mighty fine to be out on our own again, with a chance to have a whole new fresh start to our lives. My hubby will finally be doing what he loves, after the many years of schooling and Seminary.

 We are so excited to get back on our feet and do the Lord's work.

 Next phase: Home Hunting....That will be thrilling.

Whole Wheat Blueberry Banana Bread....

Hello to all. It has been a month since I have blogged. I've missed ya all....Sorry for the absence. Things have been a bit rocky in life the past four months....Soon to be getting better and back on or feet. We have been staying with my Hubby's brother for the last week to unwind from some personal stresses we have been enduring. It has been a good time to just pray and think about our lives and make plans for the future as the stress level has diminished while being here. Freckles and I had to scope out all the thrift shops in the surrounding area. We found a few things that would fit in well with our future home.

 Little dishes and this darling orphan salt/pepper shaker.

A vintage apron for Freckles...and a long bread pan...

Which inspired a little baking. We came up with a great recipe

 for very moist blueberry banana bread and wanted to share the recipe with ya all.

~Whole Wheat Banana Blueberry Banana Bread~

~3 very ripe bananas

~1/3 C. Greek vanilla or pear or plain Yogurt

 ( I used Chobani Pear)

~1/3 C. melted butter

3/4 C. sugar

~1 egg

~1 tsp. Vanilla ( I used pure vanilla)

~1 tsp. baking soda

~pinch of salt

~ 1 & 1/2 C. Whole Wheat Flour

 ( I used King Arthur's Unbleached Whole Wheat flour)

~1/2 C. fresh blueberries

~A bit of brown sugar for sprinkling top (optional)

~Preheat oven to 350 degrees

~In a large bowl mash bananas, Greek yogurt and melted butter with spoon. Mix in sugar, eggs, and vanilla, sprinkle the baking soda and slat over mixture, blend in. Add flour, mix just enough to blend ingredients in. Lastly add in blueberries, fold in.

~Butter your bread loaf pan, pour in mixture. Bake 1 hour, until butter knife comes out clean. Sprinkle a bit of brown sugar over bread before it cools (optional)

~ Let cool on rack. Remove from pan, slice, serve & enjoy.

Hope you will love it...You won't be sorry, it is very moist and good for you too.

I promise I will return to blogging...

I am hoping to share with you a few more Home Sweet Home Tours too. 

Have a Happy Day.

Happy Easter

This Easter is quite different to us from the many years we have celebrated in past years. This is the first year our little family is apart from one another. With our son now living in Washington, my hubby, flew up to Washington for some pulpit filling (preaching for other churches) and temporary work. Not only will he be away for Easter, he will also miss our anniversary which is just a few days away...He will return just in time for my birthday in April. It's just me and Freckles this year... My other family members don't attend church, so it will just be the two of us for the day. I made sure that my daughter still got to enjoy a few of our favorite traditions and tried to give her a sense of comfort since we are not in our own home....
One was giving her an Easter Basket of course.

 

 

A few treats and a couple fun surprises gave her smiles. We colored Easter eggs...This year we did it a bit different...instead of dunking our eggs in dye, we poured vinegar on each egg then dropped a few drops of color on each egg inside a colander, we swirled it around until each egg was covered, then placed it on a paper towel until dry...This gave our eggs the deepest most vibrant colors. It was so messy...we used rubber gloves to do it...If we hadn't, our hand would have been dyed for days.

 I also made a special little morning treat, which we
 will have in the morning before church.
I found this fun recipe on a blog called
The Italian Dish...Italian Easter Bread
It will pair nicely with a nice cup of tea...and there is a little egg involved
 in this delightful sweet bread. Yum.
We will be missing our guy's something terrible...
Yet, I thank God I have my sweet girl to spend it with.
I pray you and yours will have a blessed Easter Sunday with your loved ones...
As you reflect on what Christ has done for you...

Springtime Freckles...

It's Spring here...Thought perhaps I should whip up some little pieces of art for the shop. I was inspired by all the Easter candy in the stores right now...Not to mention my daughter herself. When the sun is out and the weather is warm, her freckles stand out even more...I have always loved freckles...and she gets them on her nose and cheeks. So, of course these little dollies had to have some Springtime Freckles on their cheeks and noses.

 

 

I even added some paper hats and other paper embellishments...
they are all ready for Springtime festivities. 

These little gals will be added in my shop shortly. If you are interested before I list them...
Let me know which girl you would like to adopt.
 They are $30.00 + $5.00 s/h.
Happy Spring!!!

Happy Kitschy Kitchen Finds...

Spring is in the air. I am looking forward to Springtime this year...Everything comes back to life, the flowers bloom and the colors of God's creation shines through. We are still in limbo regarding our future, jobs, home etc... I am trying so hard to be content and know that God is preparing a future place for us somewhere. Not having a place of our own is very hard on us...especially our daughter. I pray that we will soon get to settle in a new nest soon, so that we can get back to our normal routines in our very own place. Yet, we don't have a place, I am still collecting little treasures for our home. I know I probably shouldn't be adding to the things we already have to move....But, I just can't pass up the happy treasures I run into.

 I was thrilled beyond mention when I ran found this lovely robins egg blue cake stand, the crazed yellow and creamy striped bowl and another winky cup to add to my growing collection. Wouldn't it make you smile if you saw this gal smiling at you on a shelf.

I did the happy dance right there in the isle.

Another shopping spree venture with my mom, led us to these happy plates in red,

 yellow and blue.....just perfect for my kitchen...

The colors are just right.

 they are cheery and bright...

Can't wait to use them.

Lastly, I found this huge pepper shaker...I loved him...

Though he did not have his pair (salt) it didn't matter.

 I still adopted him anyway. I have several orphaned shakers with no mate...

It will be loved in my home.

Well, that's all I got...

Hope you all are having a great week.

Blooming Idea...

We went to World Market a few weeks back and treated ourselves to some fun sodas. The sweet bottles alone were just fabulous. I love the vintage style labels on these....If you know me or have been reading for a few years, you know how much I love fun containers such as these to put flowers inside. I knew these whimsical bottles would be a great addition to my little collection.

What to do with them?
Put some colorful blooms in each, of course.
So fun, it adds brilliant color to your day.

When not in use...They would be a delight to the eye,
 displayed in a glass or open cupboard.
If you can't find these, let me know, I can pick them up at
 World Market for a small fee plus shipping.
Have a Blooming Day.

The Days Leading Up....

The days leading up to our son flying off into the sunset alone...were a bit heart wrenching for me. I so badly wanted to make these last days with him memorable. Yet, in the circumstances we are in at this time, with no home and little privacy, it wasn't what we dreamt of. We made the best of it, spending a weekend with good friends and taking him out a couple times alone. We prayed with him and gave him all the advice we could possibly muster. With lot's of hugs and kisses. Most of all we wanted to be sure he spent some quality time with his little sister....whom is quite distraught over his moving away. Since he has been gone, which is just about a month now....She has broken down in tears, because he is not here when we need him the most. I will admit I have have broken down as well, for a couple days...I had an anxiety attack...I could only feel my heart in my throat as it sank into the pits of my stomach.

 

 

I am sad though. so sad, my heart goes into my throat and chokes me, then it falls into my stomach where it aches me to tears. Yet, there is also so much joy, and I am so proud of the young man he has become. I am thankful to God for entrusting us with this wonderful boy...The Lord blessed us beyond measure....We did our best, raising him up, giving him a firm foundation to stand on and a faith he can always lean on. Yet, I will never forget his sweet little baby face looking up at me...He grew up too fast. I miss him so much when we are apart.

 

 

Leaving him in that airport, was truly one of the hardest things to do...Just knowing he is going his own way and he is further away then we ever anticipated. I know that he is not gone forever...He has been so sweet in fact, that he has called us every night to tell us goodnight and he loves us. The hard part for me I suppose...is the timing, him growing up so fast and being apart. It also breaks my heart to see my little girl who looks up to her big brother more than he will ever know, shedding crocodile tears over his leaving. She is still going through so much as it is with whats going on in our family, let alone her puberty. These are the times she could really use her big brother to be here...for her.

 

I am trying...trying so hard to swallow and breathe deep....With a lot of prayer and confidence, I know he is in good hands, he will be fine and he will be a wonderful servant. This is the last image I saw of him before he got on his plane.....ugggggh! Tears of sadness, tears of joy. I know he is alright...And I know I am going to have to be.
 I miss him.