Clays the Potter Cannot Use!

I was asked last weeek to do a devotion for a girl's group.  They have been working with clay,  so to tie things together, this is what I came up with!

Clays the Potter Cannot Use!

“Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.”  Jeremiah 18:6

 

Who is the potter?  Who is the Clay?

 

The Creator is the potter and we are the clay.  The purpose and the plan of the clay is in the potter’s mind.  We need to submit ourselves to his will, so he can make us into the best vessel for Him.  God cannot mold us when we think that we know what’s best.  Today, we are going to talk about the clays that cannot be used by the potter.

 

(1)   Very Dray Clay

A potter cannot use clay that is very dry.  This type of clay was once very moist.  The clay was exposed to the air and lost its moisture and became very hard.  Now it breaks in the potter’s hand.  A potter can use it only after starting over and breaking it apart.  Are you this kind of clay?  You once lived your life to please God, but as time went along, you lost your moisture as you followed your friends and the world, so you became very dry.  God cannot use this clay until He breaks it down, adds moisture and can start to mold it again.  A potter keeps his clay covered to protect it.  A child of God is always encouraged to protect ourselves from sin which can take away the moisture.

 

(2)   Not Moist Enough

The second type of clay is the clay that does not have enough moisture.  A potter needs a certain amount of moisture in the clay.  Clay without enough moisture cannot be molded into the vessel the potter has in mind.  These people know Jesus, go to church and do everything for God.  But when it comes to doing the will of God, they don’t.  They will not let their selves be softened to be molded.  These people like what they are doing now and not ready to let the Lord work on them more.

 

(3)   Air Bubbles and Hard Spots

The third type of clay has air bubbles and hard spots in it.  This clay is not dry, has plenty of moisture, but has things which are not visible from the outside.  This clay works beautifully for the potter and molds into the perfect vessel for him.  When this clay is placed into the kiln to be fired up, these hidden air bubbles expand and breaks the vessel in pieces.  If we are like this clay, we have hidden sins, and therefore cannot be use by God the way He wants.  When we are tested, our sins will show.

 

Right now I would like you to look at your life and see how you are in the potter’s hands.  Are you too dry and going the wrong way?  Or are you lacking moisture, not having enough of the Word of God in your life?  Do you have any hidden sins that you are not willing to give up for God?  We do not need to struggle in our potter’s hands, we just need to trust and let Him do the rest.  We need to say on the potter’s wheel, so He can work on us and mold us into His perfect child.

 

*God will not throw any clay out or say it is useless.  He will keep working with it until He has made a perfect vessel.

 

 

 

I hope that I am not over their heads.  Feel free to leave any comments on this.

Pioneer Days!

In history we have been talking about the Pioneer Days and the History of America.  One project that we have done to put our learning to use is a model of the day!  We talked about what we wanted, and drew a picture of how we wanted it and how it should go.  This is what my 2nd grader came up with:

She has a cabin that was made out of craft sticks and toilet paper roll for the roof, with an outdoor fire place  made out of modeling clay and yarn for a fire.  She has a grave stone, because so many people died on the long harsh trip out west.  A covered wagon with a man driving (she also made a bull for pulling it, but one of the boys got hold of it.)  And in the upper left corner is a mountain with an Indian on it (went also had a horse that the boys got a hold of.  She was really able to put things together with the things that she learned and loved doing it. 



Working hard on the cabin!


 




Making the horse!



Some of the peices!









  

  

 

Homemade Poptarts!

I was wanting to make some poptarts for my children this morning!  Well, it didn't happen!  Anyways, we just got done making some for tomorrow morning.  The children were all right there helping out, so was my husband!  We were rolling, cutting, spreading, sealing, and putting sprinkles on!  Some just can out of the oven and the word is out:  "Very Good!"  Fun family event and learning, too!  So if you would like to try, here you go: 

Homemade Healthy Poptarts
3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup melted butter
1 cup plain yogurt
About 5 ounces of 100% fruit jelly or jam – any flavor you like!

Begin by mixing the flour, salt, butter and yogurt. 

Knead the dough just a little bit to make it nice and workable.  Roll out the dough on a large, well floured surface.  Use a knife to cut the dough into the desired poptart size you would like. 

Place about a 1/2 teaspoon of jelly on 1/2 of the dough rectangles (squares?).  Spread the jelly around, leaving the edges free.  Find a second square or rectangle or thingamajigger that matches closely
with each jellied one.  Place it on top and use a fork to seal the edges.

Lay each poptart in a single layer on a baking sheet.  Bake in a 350° oven for about 25 minutes or until the crust is lightly browned.

This recipe makes around 15-20 poptarts, depending on how big you make them.

I have found that making them ahead of time and then putting them in a toaster oven to re-heat makes for a very fast and popular breakfast!  These CAN be frozen as well.  Bake them first, let them cool and then freeze until you’re ready to re-heat and eat!

Fresh Strawberry Muffins (Recipe)

Ingredients

  2 eggs

  1/2 cup plain yogurt

  1/4 cup applesauce

  1/2 cup packed brown sugar

  1 tablespoon coconut flakes (optional)

  1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  2 cups whole wheat flour

  2 teaspoons baking powder

  1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon

  1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

  1/4 teaspoon salt

  3 bananas, mashed

  1 cup sliced strawberries, mashed

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line or lightly spray 12 large muffin cups with cooking spray.

In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, yogurt, applesauce, brown sugar, coconut, and vanilla.

In a medium mixing bowl, sift or mix together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the yogurt mixture. Using as few strokes as possible, mix until everything is moistened (lumps are okay). Fold in the mashed bananas and strawberries. Spoon the strawberry muffin batter into prepared muffin cups until completely full.

Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Allow to cool before removing from the muffin tins. Serve warm.
 

Hope to enjoy these!  And you will too!

Josefina's Fandango Birthday Party!

Before I go into the party details, I will give a little background on the party theme.  Josefina is a chariter in the American Girls Books by Valerie Tripp.  She lived in the New Mexican frontier during 1824 on a rancho.  Isobel chose to have a Josefina's Fandango party because she liked the books and Josefina.  I fandango is a celebration for a special occasiond with family and friends, the ended with dancing.

Isobel wanted to dress for the party like Josefina would have dressed.  She would have worn a full skirt that swirls when you spin around and a shawl or rebozo, and a long white blouse and a woven sash that was tied around her waist.  Her hair would have been brushed with a escobetilla (stiff grass brush), and then braided into a long braid that hung down her back.  This is what I made for Isobel to wore:



Rebozo



The fashion- the best I could do in the time I had!


















To start off we had to make the Invitaions.  So we made dancing slippers.  The information was written on the insoles of the slippers.  You can glue bows on the toes, but with my shortness of time, I just drew some bows on.  This is what I came up with: 

We didn't have a birthday cake, instead we had Flan which is a caramel custard that is a traditional Spanish dessert.  You can find with recipe other places I am sure, so I am not going to take the time to write it down.

We also had New Mexican Hot Chocolate.  in a saucepan, combine 6 ounces sweet cooking chocolate, 6 cups milk, 2 seaspoons cinnamon, and 2 teapoons sugar.  Cook the mixture over low heat.  Stir it constantly until the chocolate melts and the mixture is blended.  Just before serving, use an egg beater and beat until frothy.  Add a cinnamon stick stirrer, if you with.

We also had Feast Day cookies.  Here is what you need:

Ingredients:  1 cup chopped pecans (finely grounded), 1 cup softened butter, 1cup pwwdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 2 cups flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt.  Preheat oven to 400.  Mix 1/2 c sugar and butter together, add vanilla.  Mix in the flour, salt, and crushed nuts.  With clean, dry fingers, form the dough into 1-inch balls.  Place the balls on the cookie sheet.  bake for 10 minutes or until the cookies are lightly browned.  Put on wax paper.  Place 1/2 cup powdered sugar in a small bowl.  Roll the warm cookies in powdered sugar until they are completely covered.  Return the cookies to the wax paper to cool.



Feast Day Cookies



We learned the La Vaquerita dance.  We also played a game that would have been played by the children of that time. 

• El Floron or The Flower:  One player is the Guesser.  The other players sis in a circle holding their closed fists out in front of them.  The Guesser closes her eyes.  One of the players hides the floron-a flower blossom or other small object-in her hand.  Then players chant the lines below as the Guesser tries to guess who has the floron.  If the Guesser is correct, she and the hider switch places.  "The flower goes in the hands, And in the hands it has spoken.  Guess who has it, guess who has it, Or be taken for a fool!"

The Craft:

Josefina made blankets on the loom.  So for our craft we were learning some of the pointer on a loom and practiced on our own mini ones.  Here is how to make your own:



You will need (per person)
1 piece of cardboard
Wool or cotton yarn
4 wooden sticks
Scissors

The Loom
Using a ruler, draw lines 1 cm from the other along both sides of the cardboard. Cut the cardboard along these lines stopping around 1/2 cm in from the edge.
Your finished loom should look like this:

The Warp
The warp of the loom will be created by vertical strands which we will then use to weave our design.
String the yarn through the first slit in the cardboard (top left), remember to leave a long enough piece behind (you will need this to tie off your work at the end).  Once you have inserted the yarn in the first slit on the top, move down to the bottom of the cardboard and pass the yarn through the first slit on the left.  Continue this process by passing the yarn through the second slit on the bottom and then bring the yarn to the top of the cardboard and pass it through the second upper slit.  This should be repeated until you have reached the desired width of your warp.  The front side of your cardboard should look like the picture below (many tight vertical strands) and the back should be empty except for the loops between the slits.

Insert one craft stick on the top and the other on the bottom of your loom under the warp.  We will use them to ease the weaving process and to leave the appropriate edge for the project.  Take a long piece of yarn and tie it onto a craft stick.  The craft stick will act like a needle and help us move the piece of yarn through the warp.
The Weft
Start to move the craft stick through the warp. Remember to go over and under the warp strands until you have reached the other side.  With another craft stick, move the weft up towards the top so that there is no room between the strands.

Adding more yarn!  Your weft can be made of many different colors! All you have to do is make a small knot with a new strand of yarn when you reach the edge. 

Finishing the project

Once you have finished the weft, remove the two craft sticks from the ends of your loom. Start to slide the warp off of the cardboard piece. Make sure that you do slip any stitches.  Cut the loops and tie off.
You are done!

Have a Great Party!!!!

Whole Wheat Blueberry Scones Recipe

Prep: 20 min. Bake: 30 min.

Yield: 12 Servings

Ingredients

• 3-3/4 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup raw brown sugar
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/3 cup cold butter, cubed
• 1-3/4 cups buttermilk
• 1-1/2 cups fresh blueberries
• 1 tablespoon sugar

20 30 50

Directions

• In a large bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder and baking soda. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in buttermilk just until moistened. Stir in blueberries. Turn onto a floured surface; gently knead 10 times.
• Transfer dough to a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Pat into a 9-in. circle. Cut into 12 wedges, but do not separate. Sprinkle with sugar.
• Bake at 375° for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm. Yield: 1 dozen.

Facebook Prayer!

Starting at the beginning of this year started praying for my friends on facebook.  I decided to start at the beginning of my friends and prayer through to the end, doing at least five a day.  Sometimes I feel lead to prayer for a couple more a day.  It is such a blessing for those that I pray for and it seems like most of the time they just happen to need prayer that day (okay, not just happen, I am sure it is a God thing.)  But I feel that it is more of a blessing to me.  To be able to pray for others is so uplifting and my friends are so thankful!  Most of the time you hear back from at least one a day, if not more.  Sometimes they tell you what they need prayers for, sometimes it is just I really need that right now, and other times it is just to say thank-you.  I try to pray for them as early as I can during the day, so I can say a little prayer up for them throughout the day when I think about them.  That does not happen everyday and I feel bad when it is in the evening that I finally get around to it.  It can be so uplifting on all ends.  If you have the chance to do this challenge, it will mean so much to you!  There is power in Prayer!