Bottled with Joy.....

I want to try making these beautiful enameled bottles and perhaps put them on a cute litle shelf in our living room (I found a red shelf the other day at Salvation Army that would look adorable with our furniture). I want to find some different colored ones and see how they turn out. Here are the instructions and it's fairly cheap!

I also want to try out a reciepe for these hearty muffins from Joy the Baker:

Gnarley Muffins (adapted from Bob’s Red Mill)
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup flax seed meal (if you live near a Trader Joe’s, you can get flaxseed meal and oat bran there!)
3/4 cup oat bran
1 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 cups carrots, shredded
2 apples peeled and shredded
1/2 cup raisins (optional)
1 cup nuts, chopped (optional)
3/4 cup milk
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1. Using a wooden spoon, mix together flour, flax seed meal, oat bran, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl.
2. Stir in carrots, apples, raisins and nuts.
3. Combine milk, eggs and vanilla. Pour liquid all at once into the dry/fruit mixture. Stir until ingredients are moistened. Do not overmix.
4. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 15 to 20 minutes. Yields 15 medium sized muffins.

They look super healthy and have a lot of fiber in them! Fiber is always good and we American's never get enough! I won't tell my husband though that there are carrots in them and hopefully he won't discover the secret! He isn't much on veggies in sweet things. Last night I was reading Psalm 92 and came across these beautiful verses (v. 12-15) that brought comfort to my heart:

"The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bear fruit in old age; they shall be fresh and flourishing. To declare that the Lord is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him."

These verses reminded me of some older people in my church and life who are grounded in God's word and 'flourish' because of it. Do you know someone like that? Someone who still has fruit in their old age and convicts you of things in powerful ways? I do and I am so thankful for them. My Grandma is one of these people. She studies the word of God because she loves it and not because she has to. I know exactly where to find her Bible in her house and see the edges become more worn everytime we visit. She walks with God not only through cherishing His word but also extending her hand to others both inside and outside of her family. She serves our family through Sunday dinners, sparing extra change, babysitting her grandchildren and great-grandchildren and so much more. My mother is also one of these women who seeks to serve God no matter where she is at. She is so quick to put her hands at work in helping others and seeing their needs mets. I have a lot to learn and am so thankful for these women and others who have impacted my life for Christ.