24 August 2012

Our grapevines are covered in ripe fruit! There’s nothing like sun-warmed concord grapes straight off the vine. Soon we’ll be turning these delicious clusters into grape jelly, sweetened with coconut sugar.

“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in Me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.”
—John 15:4-5

[17] Comments » | Categories: Encouragement, Food, Life, The Home

22 August 2012

We had a wonderful time designing and assembling embroidery kits for a wholesale order this past week. Now, we’ll be assembling embroidery kits for the shop!

Look for them in the shop on September 1st!

[15] Comments » | Categories: Design, Family, Handmade, Inspirations, The Home

3 August 2012

Can you smell the cinnamon? These delicious treats are perfect for breakfast or dessert!

We first had Elana’s Cinnamon Bun Muffins a year ago while we were staying with our friend Christie and her family. (Christie is a wonderful hostess and cook, by the way!)

This is our adapted and doubled recipe of Elana’s recipe…

Gluten-Free Cinnamon Muffins
GLUTEN-Free, GRAIN-Free, DAIRY-Free | Yield: 18 muffins

Muffins:

2 cups almond flour, blanched
1/4 cup coconut flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
1/2 cup honey
6 eggs
2 tablespoons vanilla extract

Cinnamon Topping:

1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons cinnamon
2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted

For Muffins: Combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Mix the wet ingredients in a large bowl. Blend the dry blend into the wet. Scoop ¼ cup spoonfuls into lined muffin cups.

For Cinnamon Topping: Blend ingredients together.

For Baking: Drop the cinnamon topping on the filled muffin cups, and swirl mixture with a knife. Bake muffins at 350°F for 12-18 minutes, or until golden brown and a cake tester comes out clean.

Let cool on rack. Enjoy!

For more gluten-free goodies, you can subscribe here!

[15] Comments » | Categories: Food, Gluten-Free

1 August 2012

This month’s free embroidery pattern from Clementine Patterns features several delightful graphics for Kindness. Download the PDF pattern for free and embroider your own version! (For personal use only. This PDF pattern download is available for free through August 10th.) UPDATE: Now available here!

“But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness and self-control; against such things there is no law.”
—Galatians 5:22-23

Don’t miss out on next month’s free embroidery pattern…
you can subscribe here to be notified when it’s released!

[2] Comments » | Categories: Encouragement, Handmade, Inspirations, The Home

11 July 2012

My sister is an artist. Her artwork is beautiful, wholesome, and truly delightful. Each piece tells a story, a story of adventure, joy, faithfulness, discovery, friendship, work, love, childhood, etc.

Last week, I had the great pleasure of setting up her online portfolio…

And now you can easily enjoy a closer look at her illustrations and sketchbook!

It has been such a blessing to watch her cultivate this gift, and develop an amazing God-given talent… but the best part is how she seeks to honor the Lord through the work of her hands.

You can visit her online portfolio at BreezyTulip.com!

[15] Comments » | Categories: Design, Family, Handmade, Inspirations, Portfolio

10 July 2012

Years ago, Mum would make cookies from the recipe on the back of Toll House’s Chocolate Chip bag. We would spread the dough out in a pan, and lick the leftover dough from spoons while waiting for the oven to do its masterful work.

After the cookie had cooled (okay, rarely did we wait that long), we would cut it into squares. What fond memories I have of sitting with my sister, napkins in hand, eating warm, melty chocolate chip cookies!

Having been gluten-free for over two years and dairy-free for several months now, those favorite food-related childhood memories still linger in the back of my mind.

Thanks to a friend and her lovely pinboards, I came across a recipe… and it reminds me of those Toll House cookie-eating days from years ago.

(Below is our revised version of Michele’s recipe, who had revised Elana’s recipe.)

Chocolate Chip Cookie Squares
GLUTEN-Free, GRAIN-Free, DAIRY-Free

2 ½ cups almond flour (we use Honeyville)
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
⅓ cup coconut oil, melted
2 eggs
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons coconut sugar (we use Madhava)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup Enjoy Life (dairy-free) chocolate chips

In a bowl, combine dry ingredients. In a second bowl, combine wet ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until thoroughly combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Place dough on parchment paper atop a baking sheet or stone. Form dough with your hands into a circle or square.

Bake at 350°F for about 20 minutes, until golden brown. Let the large cookie cool for about 10-15 minutes (great time to practice patience!) and cut into squares.

Enjoy!

[29] Comments » | Categories: Family, Food, Gluten-Free, Life

9 July 2012

This month’s featured fruit of the Spirit is Patience. We’ve created a free embroidery pattern from Clementine Patterns – just for you! The PDF embroidery pattern features several graphics for Patience and you can click here to download the PDF for free. (For personal use only. This PDF pattern is available temporarily as a free download – now through Friday, July 13th.)

UPDATE: Now available here!

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”
—Galatians 5:22-23

P.S. Missed the the previous months’ “love” and “joy” and “peace” patterns? No worries – they’re available as PDF downloads in our Etsy shop!

[4] Comments » | Categories: Encouragement, Handmade

21 June 2012

Last week we had the delightful pleasure of meeting our friends’ most recent blessing, Lavinia May!

“Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD,
the fruit of the womb a reward.”
—Psalm 127:3

[15] Comments » | Categories: Inspirations, Life

7 June 2012

As we sat eating supper at the dinner table, something down the table caught my attention.

I looked over to see this vase of daisies. As I watched, one wilted flower was mournfully dropping its head. From lack of water it was exhausted and had started to let go of life.

The stem was not deep enough in the vase to reach the water which had been quickly drank by the dozen daisies. The pathetic, now bent stem looked rather mournful with its head hanging low.

I quickly took some water and filled the vase back up to the rim, hoping to keep that sad end from meeting any of the others.

Little did I expect the next morning…

…to find a certain little flower holding its head up high. Bent though its little neck was, the daisy’s cheerful yellow face was now turned to the sun once again. The water had refreshed the life of the sad flower, giving it all the more strength and resolve to stand strong.

This little incident reminded me of a couple verses that are very dear to me – verses that remind us to:

- Seek to be transformed in the renewing our minds in God’s Word
- Discern and pursue the will of God, what is good, acceptable, and perfect
- To be refreshed in Christ – through His Word, prayer, edification of believers, etc.

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of
your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God,
what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
—Romans 12:2

And especially:

“Refresh my heart in Christ.”
—Philemon 1:20b

Turn your face to the Son and be refreshed.

[12] Comments » | Categories: Encouragement, Family, Life