Sunflower Songs

Thanking God Who Answers Prayers

2009-07-16T09:40:00.000-07:00

I make jewelry & sell it online & really enjoy the process.Most of the time ideas flow & come together beautifully, however I had trouble making this butterfly until God intervened....

In the body of the description I wrote ~

"~ When I began making this butterfly I intended to make her like the "painted" butterflies I design. But I didn't "feel" that wonderful little burst that comes when I have completed a piece. After several days of not "getting it right", I said a little prayer & "decoupage" came to mind. As soon as the first layer went on I knew this was it & her name would be Butterfly of Answered Prayers. .."

I then described the Butterfly like this....

"~+~ the Butterfly - a symbol of New Life, Hope & Joy ~+~
We struggle in this life. There is pain in the body, pain in our hearts, death, divorce, loneliness, sickness, loss, worry & despair. But when we pray to God, our burdens seem lighter & once more we see through the darkness & there is Light. We once felt like an unattractive caterpillar, but now we spread our wings as if to embrace the One Who answers our prayers...."

That was 3 days ago on July 13.

Now this morning I awakened to see this Butterfly of Answered Prayers had sold. The lady who purchased it, wrote me an email telling me that she felt the pin was made just for her as a reminder of how God has healed her & the new life she has with Him. I was moved to tears as I read her letter & once again I was reminded that our God is indeed a Living God, One Who cares deeply for us, Who is active in our lives & Who answers prayers.

2009-06-25T04:49:00.000-07:00

Today I'm doing this Thankful Thursday a little different. I'm asking if you'd kindly reply with 3 things you're Thankful for today.

I'm thankful for (& it's hard limiting this list to just 3!!) ~

1. the wonderful Husband and Children God gave me!
2. the ability to get out of bed, to walk & think, & talk!
3. His Amazing Love & Forgiveness, without which I'd be empty, lost & hopeless.

2009-06-18T05:40:00.000-07:00

Today Laurie suggested that this Thankful Thursday be dedicated to our fathers.

When I was still in my teens, my father died of cancer, leaving me with a void that still hurts to this day. My father was strict, but fair. We all had chores to do & when our work was approved by dad, he'd give us our allowance. Some time in my early teens I wanted a bigger allowance. I made a placard out of cardboard & wrote "On Strike!" & sat down on the family room's floor. Dad asked me about my complaints & offered a settlement... for taking on another chore he would significantly increase my allowance! I felt valued!

Dad was a hard working man; even on his days off he would be working on the upkeep of the house yet he still would take the time to play "catch" with us. He would take us to movies as well as museums. When the "stereo hi-fi" came out, Dad would play records, mostly classical & semi classical, & we'd lay on the floor listening to it. He'd ask us to close our eyes & visualize pictures of the music. He really did everything he could to give us a good foundation of what life could be.

My father was raised in a Bible believing home; when he married my mother who was a Catholic, he had to promise to attend Catholic church & to raise all his children as Catholics too, which he did. But there was something he said to me when I was a little girl that made an impact on my life. I was in 2nd grade attending Catholic school & had just taken my 1st Communion. At home I had done something wrong & was punished for it. I then began to cry saying i wouldn't be able to take communion the next morning with the rest of the class, because i couldn't go to confession first. My dad said that I could pray directly to God & Jesus would forgive me.

That tiny seed of faith never left me & although I didn't come to Christ personally until I was 26, I've always been grateful for my Dad planting the seed of a personal relationship with Christ.

An Open Invite to those who Create!

2009-06-06T07:31:00.000-07:00

Hi! If you have read this blog, you know that I'm a part of the Marketplace of Blessings at 1000Markets. You also know that we just started a Christian blog called Blessing to Blessings.

Well we added a little feature ~ "Divine Inspirations".

Is there something that you have made, that you felt was Divinely inspired? Or perhaps something you made that really Blessed someone? If so I'd love to post it on the blessings blog... even if you don't belong to 1000markets, or etsy! you don't even have to have a shop!!

This is an open invitation!

You write a little something, or a lot of something, & I'll post it! If you sell on line, I'll add a link to your item, or shop; & that way there will be even more blessings!

Thank you & I hope to learn about your Divine Inspiration!

2009-05-21T06:01:00.000-07:00

I feel like thanking & praising God for everything!
We have a new granddaughter, Sophia Grace! She is so sweet & is now almost 1 month old! I'm praising God that Sophie is with us since a week & a half ago, she was in the hospital for several days with an unexplained high fever. Thank you Lord for her healing! :)

Awhile back I was thanking God that although my husband was put on a 3 day work week, he still was employed. Well that has changed, he's now without employment. Surprisingly, we both are fine with it. The other man who worked with Art, has a wife & young children. How much better it is for us, whose children have left the nest, to have to scrimp a bit more, than for the young family man to loose his job!
God is so good, I know everything will be OK, no matter what happens, He is there with us! We are blessed!!

my other life ~

2009-05-14T06:15:00.001-07:00

Lynn's Thankful Thursday theme for this week is Wisdom. However I have a very different Thankful Thursday posting, that I hope you will allow.

I have tried to keep my other life separate from SunFlower Songs; I wanted this blog to be more about my Christian walk & life than anything else. I saw God entering at the very beginning when I first began to make jewelry; & through the years, He is still there, answering prayers & opening doors for me. In one of my earlier postings I shared how instrumental God was in the creating of a particular bracelet
Well I really want to share how God worked & answered another prayer for me regarding my jewelry making.
first thing to know... at 1000markets, sellers have shops, mine is Ever So Dear. We can sell our items there, but we get more traffic if we put our shop in a "market" think of it like a shopping mall. The more markets you are in, the more visibility your shop will get.
The 2nd thing to know is you have to be 'accepted' by the market in order to join.

I have a shop at 1000markets Ever so Dear & although I belong to a few large "markets" I desperately wanted to belong to a smaller one, a place where i could fit in & feel like I was really home.
I applied to a very small market (which I'll refrain from mentioning by name). At that time, there was only one other shop that made jewelry; & I thought for sure I'd get in. Instead I got a note saying while I have beautiful jewelry, they don't feel I accurately represent _____ . I was totally devastated! For days I just couldn't understand why I was rejected.
I finally prayed about this & Lord opened my eyes to the 'new age' & pagan attitudes & items that were in almost all of their shops. Why hadn't I seen that before? I had to ask myself would I really want to belong to a group like that? What do I value more my love for Christ or a marketplace? Naturally I choose Jesus! I still ached to belong to a small group that I could joyfully & completely call home; however, I left the situation totally in His hands.
Later a message arrived from Katy at Jewel Fire Designs, telling me she got the go ahead for a Christian market & said God put me on her heart and wondered if I'd be interested in helping out! WOW
Don't you just love how the Lord works?! There is more to this, but that can wait for another time. How wonderful that God cares about every facet of our lives!!
In the mean time, please drop by the Marketplace of Blessings, & see all the wonderful handcrafted items that are there!
There is also a brand new blog in which to share your blessings called Blessing to Blessing that you are invited to check out!

2009-03-19T05:13:00.000-07:00

This week we were encouraged to name 5 things we are thankful for..
1 ♥ My amazing & wonderful husband! He volunteered to do the dishes for me 3 times this week as I was under the weather! He is kind & thoughtful, honest & hardworking, romantic & his smile still makes me weak in the knees! ♥
2 ♥ I am thankful that even though the economy has hurt the company Art works for, he is still employed on a 3 day work week...(& i confess to love having him home those 2 extra days!!)
3 ♥ I am thankful for the roof over our head, for food, running water, & wood for the stove.
4 ♥ I am thankful for the special & wonderful gift of children & our grandchildren !
5 ♥ And most importantly, I am eternally humbled & thankful for God's mercies, forgiveness, grace & peace, without which I wouldn't have any of today's blessings!

Thankful Thursday

2009-03-12T08:52:00.000-07:00

There are been changes at home, that on the surface aren't good. Being on the web like this I won't go into the details, but they involve health, family & finances.
Yet I know that we are all going to get through this. I have known the Lord as my Saviour since the mid 70's, know beyond any shadow of doubt that He is with me; that His plans are better than mine. I know too, that during the storms of life, He is my Shelter, Provider & Strength. Though I have failed Him, He has never failed me!
So today, I praise the Lord & am thankful that He is all I need ~ He is all we need!

Thank You for another year older!

2009-01-13T16:03:00.000-08:00

Just over 2 weeks ago I had a birthday for a rather significant number of years. My husband wanted this to be extra special & surprised me with a trip to Maine! I always love going there; the ocean is so relaxing & no telephone, tv or computer!! There's a little motel right on the ocean that we like to go to. I was particularly excited to see what the ocean & shore will look like in the winter. We arrived before sunset, with the tide going out making it not only beautiful but perfect for walking the beach. The wind was wicked cold, but just a small price to pay for the experience!

On the morning of my birthday we awakened to see the sunrise! This picture doesn't even come close to showing it's beauty. Seeing such a beautiful sunrise felt like God was giving me a present wrapped in pink & gold! And I said to Art I'm going to love being ------! (yes I know I didn't write out the actual number in my blog...part of me still lives in a bit of denial! But I do say the actual number to husband & family)

We had such a wonderful weekend! Art took me to a favorite bead shop & told me to take my time. Well I took him at his word; scouring every nook & cranny searching the shop for beautiful & unique beads & baubles! For the first time I saw the entire shop! Paid for the goodies & walked out to the car...2 1/2 hours later!! And Art didn't grumble even a teeny bit! Just asked what did I want to do next! Just so happened we were close to a heavenly brownie shop that was on Rachel Ray's show; so we indulged in a scrumptious treat!

We spent 2 nights & 3 days in Maine & I loved every minute! The 4 1/2 hour drive home was wonderful! Art & I play music & sing along, which is one of my absolutely favorite things to do ever! And as if things couldn't get any better; we had the most glorious sunsets as we got closer to home in Vermont!! A perfect end to a most perfect birthday holiday!!

Thank you Art for the most wonderful birthday ever!!

and Thank You Lord for my life, my husband, & for allowing me to see your awesome gifts of wonder!

2008-12-17T07:17:00.000-08:00

Special Thank You to Iris who started Thankful Thursdays!

Today as I was reading my Bible, part of a verse that I had read many times before, stood out. I was suddenly convicted as I grasped it's full meaning. How wonderful that the Bible, God's very own Word to us, is Living. That through the work of His Holy Spirit, this book which is thousands of years old, is still new & fresh!
I came upon this old hymn that I'd like to share with you ~

~~~~~~~How Wonderful That Book Divine ~~~~~

"How wonderful that book divine, By inspiration given:

Bright as a lamp it's doctrines shine To guide our souls to heaven.

It's light, descending from above, Our sinsick world to cheer,

Displays a Savior's boundless love And brings His glories near.

It shows to man his wandering ways And where his feet have trod,

And brings to view the matchless grace Of our forgiving God.

It lights our path, it lifts our hearts, Along the upward way;

It life and joy and peace imparts Till dawns eternal day."

2008-12-17T06:55:00.000-08:00

Winters Lace

This is a mini-version of a posting on my other blog that I thought you might like to see....

Yesterday (Dec.13) we awakened to discover that an ice storm had hit us. I know how ice makes for hazardous walking & driving ( I once did a 180*, on one of our 2 lane roads here, when my car hit slick ice while driving only 15 mph! No one was in the other lane ~ Thank You Lord!! ) ; & I know ice causes the power lines to snap, creating a loss of power & heat. Yet I still find great beauty in the ice & thought I'd share these.

...so very pretty,ice sparkling in the sun... to me it looks like lace of glass!

2008-12-11T09:49:00.000-08:00

"Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love & good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another ~ and all the more as you see the day approaching." Hebrews 10:24-25
That was our memory verse in our ladies Bible study this week. As I sat here waiting for inspiration for this week's "Thankful Thursday"; I thought of this verse. That is what we are all doing here, the Thankful Thursday ladies ~ encouraging each other in our Faith. We share our Spiritual victories, as well as struggles; we are strengthening our Christian bond, growing closer to each other & to God; and perhaps most of all, we are reminding each other of our eternal purpose. We "strive for the prize", eternity with our God. It is a daily battle here, temptations within easy reach, sorrows & struggles abound; yet we are never alone! He is our shelter, our comfort, our strength & our peace. And He promised never to leave us nor forsake us! For this & much more I am thankful!

2008-11-13T10:41:00.000-08:00

There are always countless things I'm thankful for, making the selection of just one, a difficult task. Frequently throughout the day I whisper little "Thank you Lord"s for this or that. Today I'm not going to write thanks for a "this" or "that"; instead, I'm thanking God for hearing our prayers & answering them.

In my Christian walk over the years, God has answered many prayers & I praise Him for each & every one. Recently He answered a little prayer request of no importance. How humbling it is when a tiny, even insignificant, prayer request is answered! That the Mighty Creator of the universe, answered my little prayer. He hears me & He hears you!! He cares about us! He loves us! There are times when His answers seem long in coming; but don't get discouraged. He is at work around you, getting everything in it's perfect place for you. He knows the future & will never leave you, & He hears even your tiny prayers!

♥ Sunflower Songs gets tagged! ♥

2008-10-30T15:31:00.000-07:00

Well, I've been tagged, this time in Sunflower Songs, by someone I didn't know! She is Vicki of Graceful Moments, & she is a wonderful artist. In fact, I had "hearted" one of her pieces & only today did I learn that she was the one who had tagged me! and... we both belong to CAST at etsy. But, I digress.... ah back to the "tagging"

Here are the rules:Link to your tagger and list these rules on your blog.

Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.

Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their name as well as links to their blog.

Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

1. My current favorite CD ~ Days of Elijah by Robin Mark

2. I love watching birds. I was thrilled to pieces when a Pileated Woodpecker was on one of our trees! They are huge!! Picture Woody Woodpecker on steroids!

3. I have a weakness for fudge brownies with craisins ♥

4. I don't have a dishwasher, but honestly don't need one. In fact while I'm washing the dishes, I'm looking into our back yard (which is more forest than yard) & I'll be singing songs or thanking God for all the beauty & the ability so see it.

5. I don't like it when the phone rings.

6. Favorite version of the Bible is the New American Standard, followed by the Amplified.

7. My husband & I were introduced through correspondence in April, met in July, married in September! ♥♥♥

I now tag:

1. Melanie

2. Heather

3. Stacey

4. Denise

5. Lily

♥ Thankful Thursday's new home ♥

2008-10-30T12:17:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since I did a Thankful Thursday, & I missed it. It is so heart warming to share from the Spirit, it's always a double blessing when we do.

So today, I'm so very thankful & grateful for the Holy Spirit that unites & connects us together in the Lord. It's miraculous really. Here we are strangers, & yet our hearts connect. ♥

♥ Spread Your Wings ♥

2008-10-26T12:46:00.000-07:00

We are doing an excellent Bible study called "Experiencing God" by Henry & Richard Blackaby & Claude King. One of the many things I have learned is that we should leave our past behind & look to our future in eternity with God. "...but one thing I do; forgetting what is behind & straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus" Phil 3:13-14

That thought grabbed hold of me & was my inspiration for this bracelet

For 2 days I couldn't think of how to describe this bracelet nor what title I should give it. I was praying about this and on the 3rd morning, after my Bible /Prayer time I had a whisper of a thought to write a poem about it. I took up pencil & paper & in less than 10 minutes; the poem was complete.

"Leave behind
Oh, leave behind,
under lock and key
all the pain, all the darkness
and set your spirit free.
Spread your wings
yes, spread your wings
soar up to the Sun
to the Light, to the Peace
before your life is done."

For the literary critics, I know this isn't great poetry; but it did convey the prayer behind it. I knew that to whoever bought this, I would include a copy of the poem with the bracelet.
And there's more to the story.....
Within minutes, this bracelet was "hearted" 3 times (a rarity for me) & it was sold within hours!! Something that has never happened to any of my pieces before.
And..... she asked for a copy of the poem to give to her daughter as a way of encouraging her!
And.... the daughter emailed her mom telling her how much she loves it!

This wasn't just a piece of jewelry, I know that God's hand was in this from beginning to end.

♥ to God be the Glory ♥

♥ A New Song ♥

2008-10-26T11:53:00.000-07:00

I intend to try a new direction with "Sunflower Songs"... this won't be about etsy, the groups or the jewelry. I'll have a link to the shop & I'm sure some of the new friends I've met on etsy will be mentioned here; however that isn't the purpose of this little blog.
It is here where I will share from my heart little moments, thoughts, glimpses, dreams & songs of this life & the life to come.