Hello friends! Happy Sunday! I couldn't find a patriotic picture with a flag and a Bible that was copyright free, so I ceated my own this morning. Swipe to the second picture for a giggle to see how I did it. π I only wish I had taken it earlier when the sun was just rising.
We have a church picnic today, so I made potato salad and cupcakes. I was going to put little tiny American toothpick flags in them, but I didn't think they turned out cute enough to justify it. I couldn't find my large swirl frosting tip.
I hope you all have a relaxing Sunday and 4th of July! Please be in prayer for our country! I know tensions are high, division is strong, and I feel like we are at a crossroads. I fear that we look very weak right now to our foreign enemies for these reasons and others. Pray for God's mercy, wisdom, and protection on us.
Thank you for being part of my life and supporting me by watching my videos!
If you feel inspired to do so, please share my channel with others. I'd appreciate it so much!
God bless you all! God bless America πΊπΈ ~ Rachel ππ P.S. Now that I've made a copyright free picture on the internet with an American flag and a Bible, anyone is welcome to download and use it absolutely free and without asking! π (or I can email it to you if the number on the upper right is in the way)
πI know we are not ready for this, but fall decor is on sale at Hobby Lobby beginning today! Have a lovely week my friends! ππ ~ Rachel
Hello friends and Happy Sunday! We are having a slow summer over here, so I wasn't sure what I would write about today. I'm pretty sure most of you live far more exciting lives than I do. π This verse was sent to me by my sweet friend Merri. She sends me a verse every Sunday morning.
Often, I use the ones she gives me, and other times I make my own.
This particular verse is special to me because it was one that came to my mind many times when I was struggling with a fear of diseases. (This was years before Covid- so unrelated to that)
The fear was so bad that for at least 6 years, leaving my house was very stressful, and I usually avoided it. Public bathrooms were the most stressful. I was certain I would catch some deadly disease lurking there... and I was serious about this. More than once, I went to the doctor and had tests done for diseases that I was at zero risk for.
Now I can look back and kick myself for how silly that was, but at the time, that fear was SO big and SO real. And as I said, this verse was one that would often enter my mind... reminding me that until my duties on earth are finished, I'm pretty much invincible...as is EVERY one of God's children.
We can't add or take away one minute of our lives by worrying. I seriously considered placing this verse above my bed at the time, although I never got around to it. Of course, there are so many sweet promises in the Bible for those who obey the Lord, and believers can rest on every single one.
If you are struggling with fear, depression, anxiety, health issues, or anything at all, I hope you know that there is SO MUCH HOPE in the God of the Bible. There is hope in Christ. We talk to him through prayer, and he talks back to us through the Bible. That's why memorizing is so important. Even the verses I learned as a child (some of which I thought I'd forgotten) will pop in and speak to me right at the exact moment that I need them.
I am definitely not proud of the silly fears I once had. It's actually kind of embarrassing to admit them. But I hope that my experience will help someone else who may also be dealing with the struggles of life and losing hope. I still have some fear- not the same ones I used to and not as bad as I once had, but I daily need to lean in on His strength because I am so weak.
I encourage you to pray and read the book of Psalms in the middle of your Bible. Most of all- look away from yourself and away from your fears and look to Christ. That's where our hope is. Psalm 42:11 ~Hugs and much love! Rachel. ππ
Hello Friends! Happy Sunday and Happy Father's Day to all the fathers! I hope you all have a blessed day. My husband is grilling hamburgers and steaks this afternoon. (I offered to cook since it's Father's day, but he wanted to and who am I to complainπ ) I do the clean up.
My summer front porch/ entryway video should be posted by early this evening (assuming that it uploads correctlyπ€) I bought a couple of new pieces of furniture from Amazon that you will see in the new video. I really like Amazon's "open box/used" option for buying furniture. I've had good luck so far with that and have saved a lot of money. I've definitely begun to seek it out because so often you can buy things for 60 or 70 cents on the dollar. So far, I highly recommend it. I'm curious if any of you have had any bad experiences with it.
I found a recipe called "blueberry bliss cupcakes." They look SO good!! I may share the recipe if I decide that it's worth sharing. I bought little toothpick American flags from Hobby Lobby last night to decorate the top of them. I think it'll be a cute July 4th idea. πΊπΈπ
I really appreciate your prayers for my anxiety issues! Thank you, thank you! I feel your prayers. God is working. I'd love to return the favor if you have any prayer requests-or feel free to write "unspoken" if you'd like prayer for a private matter. Have a blessed week! Thank you for reading my posts, watching my channel, and being part of my life! I appreciate it so much! God bless ~ Rachel ππ
Hello friends! Yesterday, it rained a lot- but today it's a beautiful (early) summer day here in Wisconsin. We stopped off at the local Kwik Trip on the way home from church and grabbed some fried chicken- which was quite delicious. The kittens are getting more and more playful, which is super fun to watch.
I have been contemplating making some cookies or bars this afternoon. I have some M and M's, so if nothing else, I might make the Billy Jean Polka Dot cookies that I shared in a video recently. I've been craving those again.
On another note, I attend a fairly small (Bible) church. We probably have about 40 people on a Sunday. But the needs - even in my small church are many. I think every one of our families has at least one difficulty they are enduring and requesting prayer for. There are a few in our church that have ongoing health or emotional issues. It's such a blessing to share each other's burdens and bring them before God's throne of grace. This week, I have had a bit more anxiety than usual - which I hate. So this verse was a good fit for today, reminding me that God has never failed me - and he will not fail anyone who seeks to obey and follow his precepts.
I hope this verse encourages you as you faithfully follow the Lord.
As always, feel free to drop prayer requests below or just write "unspoken" if you wish to keep the details private. God knows the need. π I continue to pray for those requests mentioned before. God bless your week! ~ Rachel ππβοΈπͺ»
Hello Friends! Happy Sunday! If you are discouraged today, remember that Christ is still King!!
On my homefront news, we adopted a litter of kittens who are super cuddly and cute, and I can't wait to share them with you! Mama Kitty is feral and won't let me come near her. I'm not convinced that this one will ever warm up to me. She must have had a pretty tough life. Feral cats usually do, I suppose. I think all the kittens are boys. (I think π€)
I'm in the process of finishing a Summer Living Room Refresh Video, which should be ready within the next couple of days. I've never done a specific living room video (I know that sounds crazy, but it's true) so this is new territory for me. I feel more confident showing my living room because of all of our recent changes- which you'll see in this video. π
It's hard to believe we are almost halfway through the year already! My poor husband has been so busy trying to keep up with fixing things around the house, so it looks like I'll be putting my honey- do list aside for now. π His skid steer broke down, and the lawn mower, the heat pump, and both vehicles need work- and let's not even talk about the boat. LOL! Such is life- eh? On the bright side, we are all in good health, so praise the Lord for that!! And thanks again for your prayers for my husband! I hope you all have relaxing Sunday! As always, please feel free to leave any prayer requests below or even just write, "unspoken," if you have a prayer request that you'd prefer not to mention publicly. Thank you again for being part of my little space here on youtube- and most of all my life! God bless you! π~ RachelππππβοΈπͺ»
Good morning friends! Here is Sunday's verse. I'm actually ready for church before the rest of the family (for a change) so I have time to get my Sunday verse up early. π I hope you are all having a blessed Memorial Day weekend!! I hope we will all take time to remember the fallen and be thankful for their sacrifice for our freedom. May we never take it for granted. Recall the famous quote, "Freedom is a fragile thing and it's never more than one generation away from extinction." - Ronald Reagan
Blessings! ~ Rachel πΊπΈβ€οΈ
Hello Friends πand Happy Sunday! WHAT A WEEK!!! I hope you are all doing well! I did a LOT of painting this past week. I gave my entryway, living room, and dining room a fresh coat of paint in Swiss Coffee by Benjamin Moore, and I'm loving it!! We also gave our built-in book shelf a mini makeover -(yaayy it's no longer ugly π) so now I can use it for styling things other than books - which I used mostly to hide the thing. π Our fireplace makeover turned out quite nice as well, and I cannot wait to share with you how everything turned out! Another exciting thing that happened this week was that we rescued some baby raccoons that showed up on our front yard, so I will share a little bit about that in my next video (of course I had to video record the adventure because they were SO adorable!! π¦π¦π) I'd love to know what you are all doing on this Sunday afternoon/ evening. My husband is cooking brats and barbecue chicken on the grill this afternoon. π We have been loving the Kinders brand barbecue sauce (a new favorite) I hope to have a video out to you by Wednesday! I apologize that I have not been keeping up as much with that, but now that the weather has warmed up, my list of home projects is as long as my arm. π Thank you for understanding! Take care and God bless! π ~ Rachel
Hi Friends! Although I normally share Bible verses with you all on Sundays, I found this quotation on social media, and it really resonated with me. So I wanted to share it because I know there are other moms out there that struggle with pain (both physical and mental) on a daily basis. Sometimes, Mother's Day is extra hard. I'm not trying to be a downer, and I do hope this is an encouragement to someone else out there as it was to me. I truly do wish all of you a Happy and blessed Mother's Day! Sending a huge hug to you all! ~ Rachel πΉππ
Hey friends! Here is Sunday's verse..sent to me this morning by a sweet friend of mine (Merri) who sends me most of these verses that I pass along to you. This verse really resonated with me today. God knew I needed it. Have you ever read Pilgrims Progress? It is the allegorical story of a man named Christian who endures the trials of life and the snares of the devil with the hope of seeing the Celestial City- which is heaven. Spoiler alert, he remains faithful and obedient to the Lord Jesus Christ and, as a result, makes it to the Celestial City. πIt's a great book. The best version of it goes by the name "Dangerous Journey." The pictures in that one are AMAZING!! I highly recommend it. I'm not sure if it's still 2nd best seller (after the King James Bible), but it was for many years.
I hope you all have a blessed Sunday!! Thank you for all of your sweet comments. I feel like I have made many friendships with so many of you through my small channel on youtube. I know I'm not always timely at getting back to each comment, but please know I read them all and appreciate your friendships so much! I pray for you, and I appreciate your prayers for my family and I. I need them. God bless you! Hugs! ππ~ Rachel
Relatable and realistic decorating for homes of any size, age, and budget. Hello there! I'm so glad you stopped by my channel! I live in the beautiful woods of Wisconsin with my husband, our two kids, a collie shepherd mix, and a lot of outdoor cats. Cats are my favorite animal ever! :) My channel is a mix of all things homemaking! You'll find 'shop with me' videos, videos on home decor, recipes and more. My goal for this channel is to encourage and inspire you to make your home a beautiful and joyful place for your family. Blessings! π~ Rachel
MY EMAIL FOR BUSINESS INQUIRIES & COLLABORATIONS. (SORRY, I ONLY PROMOTE AMERICAN MADE PRODUCTS.) πΊπΈ
zaraolie7z@gmail.com