Golden Hanukkia

Hi all back with a project that I was waiting to post until today, the First day of Hanukkah!  It was one of the projects that was for the Custom Quilling newsletter last month.  Tomorrow I will post a project from this months newsletter that I must say is my favorite so far.  But back to today, I used 1/8" gold edged white quilling strips to make my hanukkia and mounted it on a gold cardstock die cut mat.  It was very easy to do, much easier than the 3D hanukkia that I did last year! I took the picture at a slight angle so the quilling would show better and it looks a little catywampus, that is Texas for "a bit crooked"! The gold mat is popped up on another mat that was cut from a white pearlescent patterned paper.  Some gold gel pen, gold pearls and ribbon and it was finished.  These metallic edged strips are fast becoming a favorite!

Below is a picture of our hanukkia lit for the first night.  I have my mantle decorated in silver and blue with blue lights.  I changed the lights this year to LED's and they are really brighter and the second picture is with the lights in my den off and just the hanukkia lit with the blue lights.  My husband says it's kinda erie looking but in reality it is very pretty.  Blue is my favorite color so I like it!

I also have hanukkias and Star's of David hanging from the ceiling.  The grand kids made them out of popsicle sticks that we spray painted blue then glittered in sliver and blue.  The LED's shine little blue spotlights all over and my grandson Ephram commented how there were stars and menorah shapes in the lights.  He was right, these new LED's shine throw shadows of the hanging menorahs and stars on the ceiling that dance in the spotlights. The "erie" picture shows these "spotlights" on the fireplace.  You know me, I love anything sparkly and shiny!! Below is a picture of them from last year and you can see the mantle and my other hanukkia. We also have an electric one for the window that has flicker flame bulbs that one of our neighbor's little daughter watches from outside and loves to see each night lit.

I saved the best for last.  My daughter sent these pictures to me today.  I couldn't resist posting them.  I as her nana, of course, am prejudice, but I think that this is the cutest Yoda baby there is.
 

Yoda baby aka Chaiya Violet uses the "Force" of cuteness to get what she wants and when she doesn't she starts to turn to the "dark side" to enforce her rule of the "empire".  But the "empire strikes back" and uses the "force" for good and luls her into a nap. Cuddly as an "ewok".  If you are wondering who she favors in the family, she is a "clone" of her daddy. He is the same one that I made the Star Wars Tie Fighter for and loves all things Star Wars.  My daughter has always cringed when I watch my Star Trek reruns, and now DVDs, over and over, all the years that she was growing up, and still do.  Funny how she married a Star Wars fanatic! Love it!

Thanks for indulging the nana with the "cute baby pictures" and Happy Hanukkah for those who celebrate this week!  More later!

Shalom,

Sonya

Thanks for visiting, if you have any questions please email me at the link on the sidebar.

8th Day of Hanukkah

Hi all, sorry to be awol for a while. The once removed gallbladder is still giving me trouble and I focused all my engery on trying to ignore it and work on some gifts which I will post pictures of tomorrow. We have been celebrating Hanukkah all this week and tonight is the 8th day. We light our hanukkiah and say blessings, play the dreidle game with the kids and eat things made with or in oil to remember the miracle of the oil in the Temple.

To read a short history of Hanukkah and the miracle of the oil click on this link: http://judaism.about.com/od/chanukah/a/hanukkahstory.htm , and here for a believers perspective: http://christianity.about.com/od/biblefeastsandholidays/p/feastofdedicati.htm.

Hanukkah isn't one of the seven Feasts of the L-rd mentioned in Leviticus 23 but it was celebrated by Yeshua, John 10:22. You will see it in scripture as the Feast of Dedication. It is a civil memorial celebration to honor G-d and His providence, like our Thanksgiving. The cleansing of the defilement and dedication of the Temple again to the L-rd is a major part of the story of Hanukkah.

As messianic believers we celebrate Hanukkah with that goal, cleansing and dedication of ourselves to the L-rd. During these eight days we focus not only on the miracles that G-d did during the times of the Macabees but also what Yeshua and Shaul (Paul) teach us about cleansing ourselves of defilement and dedicating ourselves, as we are the Temple of the Lord's Spirit now, to Him, His will and service (1 Cor 3:16, 6:19; 2 Cor 6:16, plus more on this same theme).

It is also called the Festival of Lights and light is a teaching of Yeshua as well. He is the Light of the World and He tells us that we as Believers are that light now. Light is a major theme of Yeshua's teachings and we meditate on them during these days as well.

When we light the candles we say the blessing:

Barukh atah Adonai Eloheinu Melekh haolam shehekheyanu, ve-kiyamanu vehiggianu Lazman Hazeh - Blessed are you L-rd our G-d King of the universe, who has kept us alive, and has preserved us, and enabled us to reach this time.

Then while lighting the candles we say:

We light these lights for the miracles and wonders, for the redemption and the battles that you made for our fathers in those days at this season, through your holy priests. During all eight days of Hannukkah these lights are sacred and we are not permitted to make ordinary use of them, but only look at them; In order to express our thanks and praise your great name for your miracles, your wonders and your salvations.

And this:

"Rock of my salvation, to You praise is due. Establish Your house of prayer and let thanksgiving be offered there. The time will come when You will end all hurt and enemies will cease to be. Then I will sing and celebrate the dedication of Your sanctuary."

The Macabee's fought with zeal against the Greeks who ordered them to forsake G-d and His Word. During this season of the L-rd's salvation let us seek to cleanse and dedicate ourselves as His Temple. Let us also shine forth brightly as His Light in the darkness and to zealously serve Him in love.

Shalom until tomorrow,

Sonya

Comments are always welcome if you have the time, I love to hear from you!

Morning Glories

This spring we went to the Texas hill country for a few days and stopped by a nursery that had beautiful flowers and plants. I picked up three morning glory plants because I have always love the big blue flowers on them. I didn't plant them right away because we had to have a stump ground in the corner of the yard. The stump finally was ground and I planted them in the back corner of the yard by my once vegetable garden. We put up a metal trellis for them to climb on and waited for the glory of the blooms. And waited. And waited.

Finally the vines started to take off and then they REALLY took off with lots of vines and leaves, but no blooms. It looked like a potato vine on steroids! It was literally months before I saw my first bloom. I was not disappointed. It was magnificent! Then once they started blooming they didn't stop. The 3 neighbors who share that corner of the fence also have morning glories to enjoy because the vines are like a blanket hanging over the fences. On a clear day they are as blue as the sky! I would love to be able to reproduce these gorgeous beauties in my floral punch. Another challenge, I'll let you know if I come up with one. Anyway I love looking out my french doors and seeing the glorious display and I am reminded of the scriptures:

"Because of the L-RD's great love we are not consumed,

for his compassions never fail.

They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

I say to myself. "The L-RD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him."

Lamentations 3:22-24

and

"And we who with unveiled faces all reflect the L-RD's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory,

which comes from the L-ORD, who is Spirit."

2 Corinthians 3:18

Just as I waited for the blooms to come, I often have to wait upon the L-ORD for answers to my prayers and for direction. He never fails me and He is always faithful. The answers are not always the way I thought the answer or direction would be, sometimes it doesn't seem at the time that it is good at all! It is like surgery, you have to have the sick and diseased tissue cut out before you can be well. G-d knows what we need, how we need to received it, and what "surgery" we need to heal.

I was praying in the prayer garden in Glorietta NM many years ago and knew that G-d was real in my life but feeling a bit adrift. I asked Him if He was there. Boy, did I get an answer and it definitely wasn't the one I was expecting. I think the "garden" prayers are the tough ones, Yeshua prayed in a garden and received His answer and was faithful, for us. There were some devastating days after that prayer and the scars are still there. While I received my answer, He is there with me always, it took some hard times to show me just how much His is there. G-d is also a multi-tasker.

While answering my prayer He also wanted to do some "surgery" on me. He brought some long unhealed issues to the forefront and said "it is time to heal", you are strong enough in Me to deal with these things now. You know the saying "be careful of what you ask for", it is true when you pray also. The L-RD knows the real prayer and need in our hearts and will do what it takes to answer it to your best interests, even if it hurts a little.

In Zechariah 13:9 and Malachi 3:3 it says the L-RD will refine us as gold and silver. In refining these precious metals it takes heat to refine out the impurities so it will be pure. The refiner knows exactly how much heat to apply so that these impurities will surface and can be skimmed off. The heat has to be increased and applied at the right time, not too fast or not too much or the metal is ruined.

The L-RD knows how much "heat" we need to draw out the hurts, sins, and disobedience -the dross, the impurities - that keep us from being pure. I know from experience that it isn't always a pleasant! It hurts at times and I had/have to look at myself in the mirror of His Word and sometimes have to look at the ugliness there so that He can burn off these impurities and take the ashes and exchange them for His beauty! He is ever changing me from glory to glory in His likeness. I just have to cooperate!

Look for His Glory today and gloryify Him in your life always! I will pray that all who read this will see His morning glory and faithfulness every day!

Until the next post, Shalom,

Sonya

Comments are always welcome if you have the time!