Sun Stand Still book review

I will hopefully be sharing a few crafty things on my blog this week, but first another book review. 
    
     This one is called Sun Stand Still-What Happens When you Dare to Ask God for the Impossible, by Steven Furtick.  The title is based on the story of Joshua who prayed to God for the sun to stand still so that the Israelites could defeat their enemies (Joshua 10:7-14).  God answered this seemingly impossible prayer with a "yes."  God answering "impossible" prayers doesn't end with Joshua.  The author shares stories from both the Bible and modern life where God has answered and done miraculous things. I like the way the author weaves stories into the book along with deep nuggets of truth (like nuggets of gold for your soul).  I also like how he challenges the reader over and over again to find out what God could do in his/her life if he/she believed and asked for the impossible.
     Here is a quote from the book that I liked, "On the one hand, I know that God is able to do anything.  On the other hand, I think he's willing to do this specific thing.  I know God can.  And I'm pretty sure that he will.  But I can't be completely sure.  That's where audacious faith comes in.  Audacity is believing that God's promise is bigger than my perhaps."
     I am not sure what audacious faith will look life in my life, but I am challenged to take that question to God and let Him answer that.  I need to be willing to step out and obey and trust Him whatever He asks.

Just like the last book, don't read this if you aren't willing to let it change your life.  The book calls for action on the reader's part, not just passive reading. :)

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review. The review is my honest opinion of the book.

Felt Flower Clips

Before Christmas, a friend of mine showed me how to make felt flower pins/hair clips.  She had made these flowers with her Bible Study group and thought maybe some of my youth group girls would enjoy making them too.  Two of the girls came over during Christmas break and we had a blast making flower pins for winter accessories and flower clips for our hair.

After seeing how easy and fun these were to make I thought they would make a great birthday gift for one of my nieces who loves to play beauty shop with people's hair.  Here are the ones I made for her.

I put an alligator clip on the back so she can get them in and out of hair easily (and less painfully for the person whose hair she is using them in ;)

Birthday and Thank You cards

I made a set of cards for my SIL for Christmas.  She wanted cards for all occasions.  Here are two of the cards that went into the set.

I used stamps from Taylored Expressions for both of these cards.  The candles in this card are from the set For the Love of Cupcakes.  I am not sure what stamp set the sentiment comes from, but I am pretty sure it is from the same company.

The Dragonfly and flowers in this card come from Discover your Wings  The design for this card comes from my friend Jami.  She made a set of cards like this with different colors for her niece.

Merry Christmas!

I hope you all had a Merry Christmas yesterday.  I was far away from family in terms of physical location, but that didn't stop me from joining in on the festivities.   I am so thankful for SKYPE.  My family had "me" on a laptop and moved the laptop to let me see everyone open their gifts.  It felt like I was there with them.  They even took a family picture with me in it!

Does anyone else use SKYPE to talk to family or friends?  I think it is one of the best inventions ever (and it is free)!

Book Review: Under the Overpass by Mike Yankoski

I had the wonderful opportunity to choose a book to read and review.  I chose Under the Overpass by Mike Yankoski.

I debated reading this book because I knew it would be challenging to read...not challenging in an educational way, but spiritually challenging. I knew going in that I wouldn't be able to just read this book and quickly move on. I was right, but I am so glad that I made the choice to be challenged.

The book is about two college students who decided to challenge themselves to live out their faith by becoming homeless for 5 months in 6 different cities. The author, Mike, realized it was easy to claim Christ as his everything, but he had never had to put that claim to the test while living his middle class life and attending a Christian college. He decided to really live out his faith and step out in a radical way.  Mike shares his experiences, thoughts, and emotions of those 5 months Sam and he lived on the streets. I love the deepness and honesty of this book through the laughter and tears, the good and downright awful, the beautiful,ugly and sometimes very stinky.

Don't read this book unless you are willing to be changed, willing to DO something whether what you do to live out your faith has to do with homelessness or not.  If you are willing to do that, then this is a must read. :)

If you are interested you can download the first chapter of the book to check it out.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review. The review is my honest opinion of the book.

Best Toffee Ever

I decided to make a few batches of toffee for my tenants at the apartments as a way to say "Merry Christmas." The recipe is adapted from allrecipes.com.  I really like the recipes on that site and this one called, Best Toffee Ever, was definitely a winner!  My changes to the recipe and comments are in italics

For this recipe you need:


2 cups butter (My dad recently taught me that you get unsalted for baking and then you add your own salt and this keeps the recipe consistent--thanks dad!)
2 cups white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (I used 1 1/2 cups)
1 cup finely chopped almonds (for me 1/2 cup was plenty)

Directions:
1.In a large heavy bottomed saucepan, combine the butter, sugar and salt.  Cook over medium heat, stirring until the butter is melted. (For the 2nd batch I partially melted the butter before adding the sugar and salt and liked how that worked) Allow to come to a boil, and cook until the mixture becomes a dark amber color, and the temperature has reached 285 degrees F (137 degrees C). Stir occasionally.

2.While the toffee is cooking, cover a large baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper.

3.As soon as the toffee reaches the proper temperature, pour it out onto the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle the chocolate over the top, and let it set for a minute or two to soften. Spread the chocolate into a thin even layer once it is melted. Sprinkle the nuts over the chocolate, and press in slightly. Putting a plastic bag over your hand will minimize the mess.

4.Place the toffee in the refrigerator to chill until set. Break into pieces, and store in an airtight container.

Package up and you are ready to go!