A sweet smelling savour

These past several days have been filled with wonderful fragrant smells. I bought a couple candles because I wanted to add some warmth to our new home. Isn't it always great to walk into a home with beautiful aromas? It makes us all feel welcome and simply--at home.

This cinnamon twist candle is delightful. It will last all winter long. My favorite though is the apple caramel scent. It's perfect for this fall season. It really wakes me up with it's sweet smell! I love the look of it as it is inside of a canning jar.

The topic of aromas has made me think of how the Bible talks about being a "sweet smelling savour." 

"For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish." II Corinthians 2:15

"And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour." Ephesians 5:2

This week I've wondered if I'm being a "sweet aroma" to those around me. Sometimes I can get irritated at things and show it with my poor attitude and words. Just like we can strive for being lights in this world, we can strive to be pleasant aromas to those around us, so that they may see Christ in us. Jesus gave His life for us and was a sweet smelling savour to His Father. Isn't that awesome?

What are some things of the season that have reminded you of Scripture lately?

Just in case you couldn't open up the "giveaway winner" video...

I'm not sure what happened, but I've tried watching the giveaway winner video a few times. All it says is that it is not able to play and to try again later. Has anyone else had trouble watching it? So, I figured that if I was having trouble, perhaps some of you were, too. Keep reading to find out who won....

Last week, I wrote about a give away I was having today. Two books of Giving Thanks at Mealtime as well as eight handmade fall coasters were going to be given away.

A bit after nine o'clock this morning, I placed all the entries in a pie pan. Q shuffled them around and picked a winner.

And the winner is....

Golie! Congratulations! I can't wait to have another give away. Of course, it will include something handmade.:) Perhaps on my 500th post? That's coming up soon....

And the winner is....

Congratulations! Be on the look out for more giveaways in the future. Thanks for following my blog. It's been a great year! By the way, I enjoyed reading your Thanksgiving memories and holiday tips. Thanks a bunch!

T-shirt refashion: pretty ruffle cardigan

When I was sorting through my closet this spring, I found a few things that could either be used again for the fabric, or could be made into something else. This long-sleeved t-shirt was not flattering at all and was actually getting a bit snug on me. So, what to do? Make it into a cardigan, of course!

The idea for this came from Sew Simple Magazine, volume 11. All you need is some ribbon, tulle, and a sewing machine. Cut down the middle of the front of the shirt. Then, cut out two pieces of tulle, (two inches in width) twice the length of your shirt from top to bottom. Do a gathering stitch on your sewing machine, and make some ruffles that will fit the length. Sew it on with a piece of ribbon on top and your done! Take a look...

I think it's so pretty and feminine. The edges of my ruffles starting unraveling, so I put some fray check on it. I think my tulle is actually organza. It's weave is finer and it's shiny, too. Either one would work just fine.

Pair your t-shirt cardigan with a white t-shirt like I did, or wear it with a tank top. I can wear this with a black skirt and it will be a great Sunday outfit for church.

What have you "refashioned" lately? Leave a link for all of us to see! :)

My first "blogaversary" and a giveaway!!

This weekend marks one year for me in the blogging world. To celebrate, I'm having a giveaway! Thanks to all of you for making this year a lot of fun for me. You've encouraged me, made me laugh, and shared some of your favorite creative tips.

I started "Outside the Box!" during a time when I was having some health issues. Although I'm doing a lot better, it continues to help my focus be on serving the Lord and others with the talents He's given me. I hope I've encouraged you to do the same.

Here's what I've made to give away to one of you:

These dark red and chocolate brown leaf coasters were fun to make. I did reverse applique on all four of them. For the give away, I'll include another set of four, so that you'll have a red top and a brown top for each kind of leaf. You can keep them all for yourself, or give half of them to a friend this Thanksgiving. Along with that, you can give them a book put out by Tyson foods called, Giving Thanks at Mealtimes. I'll include two so that you'll have one for yourself. In it are pictures and pages full of prayers. There's even a small postcard you can detach to order more of these books for free!

This is how you can enter the giveaway:

1. Write me a comment on this post sharing your favorite Thanksgiving memory or creative tip for the holidays. If you don't have a blog, sign in as "anonymous" and make sure you sign your name at the end of your comment.

2. For a second entry, tell others about my giveaway on your blog. Tell me this on a second comment to this post. Make sure you tell your readers what the items are and when the give away ends....which leads me to the next thing--

3. This give away ends on Tuesday, November 17 at 9 a.m. Mountain time. Soon after that, Q will help me with drawing a name out of the hat and we'll announce the winner. If you're outside the northern Colorado area, I will ship it to you that same day so that you'll have it in time for Thanksgiving. If you're in my area, I can arrange a place and time to meet.

Thanks to all of my faithful readers and followers for a wonderful year! Now, leave me some happy comments!

Homemade hamburger buns and stuffed turkey burgers

We've had some appliance problems at the new house recently, if you can believe that! We asked our friend, Steve, the maintenance guy from our last church to help us. He and Q are currently working on making sure the washer is running and are attempting to fix the dishwasher. Extra time has been spent going to the laundromat and washing more dishes by hand lately, so I'll be happy when everything is up and running again.

The three of us ate a filling supper of turkey burgers, baked potatoes and salad. I made hamburger buns for the first time, so I just had to share the recipe with you! Take a look at them--I think they came out looking great!

I found the recipe here. I really like how wheat flour is added into the mix. 

Homemade Hamburger Buns in a Jiffy

2 tablespoons active dry yeast

1 cup warm water

1/3 cup oil (I used canola)

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups all-purpose flour

1-1/2 to 1-3/4 cups whole wheat flour

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Stir in the oil and sugar, and let the mixture stand for 5 minutes. Add the egg, salt, white flour, and 1-1/2 cups of the wheat flour, combining until it forms a soft dough. Add the addition 1/4 cup of wheat flour as needed to prevent the dough from sticking to your hands (if you need a little more, that is okay too). Knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes or so. Divide the dough into 8 pieces, shape each into a thick disc, and place them on baking sheets about 3 inches apart. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Lightly cover the balls of dough and let htem rest for about 10 minutes (or longer if you wish). Pop them in the oven and bake for about 10-12 minutes, or until nicely browned. Cool on a wire rack. Yields 8 buns

Now, take a look at these stuffed turkey burgers! They were so yummy and filling.

The recipe came from the summer 2007 edition of food & family magazine. 

Southwest Stuffed Burgers

1-1/2 pounds extra lean ground beef or lean ground turkey

1/4 cup mayonnaise, divided

1 package taco seasoning mix (or 2-3 tablespoons of your own mix)

1/2 cup shredded Colby &Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese 

1/4 cup salsa, divided

lettuce leaves, tomato slices, hamburger buns

Preheat greased grill to medium-high heat. Mix meat, 3 tablespoons of the mayo and the seasoning mix; shape into 12 thin patties. Combine cheese and 2 tablespoons of the salsa; spoon over 6 of the patties. Cover each with one of the remaining patties; pinch edges together to seal. Grill 7 minutes on each side or until cooked through (160 degrees). Meanwhile, combine remaining 2 tablespoons salsa and remaining 1 tablespoon mayo. Place lettuce, tomatoes and burgers on bottom halves of buns; top with salsa mixture. Cover with tops of buns. Makes 6 servings, 1 burger each.

E is for Elijah

We had another great night at Kids' Bible Club. This week we did "E is for Elijah." I learned something new about the kids yesterday--I've been spelling their names wrong! So, you'll notice the new spellings of Mieka and Skylar from now on.

Bible Time: After singing a couple songs, I told the story of Elijah. The kids learned how God took care of him during the famine and how he was able to help a widow and her son. With God's help, Elijah was able to raise the widow's son back to life! For the memory verse, they learned the second part of Matthew 6:8 which says, "For your Father knows what things ye have need of, before ye ask him." To review this verse, we played the game called "Popcorn." Between them and me we took turns saying just one word of the verse until we finished it. Each time we said a word we had to pop up high like piece of popcorn popping.

Craft time: After doing a fun worksheet, Skylar and Mieka loved putting clothes on their "person." I gathered some scrap fabric and buttons and they glued them on their papers.

They did really well with this project. I had to help them a bit in cutting out some of the clothing. When they were done, they were to draw pictures of things that God provides for them. On each paper I wrote, "God made me and takes care of me." Skylar drew pictures of wind and a turkey, but Mieka decided to just put Thanksgiving stickers on her paper.

Snack time: I cubed some cheddar cheese and homemade bread into cubes. Then, I put a bird sticker on a couple toothpicks. They enjoyed poking the bread and cheese and pretending that the bird was feeding them--just like Elijah was fed! You could also add some cubed meat to the mix, if you'd like.

Next week....we'll skip letter F and do some Thanksgiving things instead. Stay tuned....