Thursday, December 13, 2007

URGENT Prayer Request

We have an urgent prayer request for a family at our church. After having problems conceiving this precious little one...this family had a baby girl in September. We found out that Baby Lily was just diagnosed with leukemia. We don't know all of the details, but I know they would appreciate your prayers. This family has two other little boys who are staying with another family at church (who has four boys of their own!). Please pray for all involved that God's peace will reign supreme, and that they will feel God's love and the comforting of the Holy Spirit, no matter the outcome.

Thank you and God bless,
Angie

UPDATE ON LILY: Lily is currently in the hospital...a Children's Hospital. She is currently having a minor surgery to put a permanent IV tube in her chest to make blood draws and med delivery easier. They are also testing her bone marrow and doing a spinal tap at the same time.

They are still not sure what kind of leukemia she has. She did have a blood transfusion last night, with extra platelets, because her platelets are low (platelets are for clotting). She will probably be in the hospital at least a month. Her mom and dad will pretty much be staying with her during that time. Please continue to pray for them, and for the two little boys (I think they're 2 and 3 years old). Please pray that the dad's work will be ok with the necessary time off to be with his baby girl. Please pray for the family who is taking care of the two little boys.

2nd UPDATE (12/17/07):
Our friend Rachel, who is a good friend of Lilly's family gave us an update on Lilly:

From Rachel:
I went up to see Lilly last night, and she is doing pretty well. Her chemo is working, so that's encouraging. On Thursday night when she first got to the hospital her white blood cell count was 195,000, and now it's down to 1! That's very encouraging, but again it makes her very susceptible to infections, so continue to pray for her health. She has been experiencing some nausea and fussiness as side effects from her treatments, so she is taking some morphine and other medications to counteract these side effects. She had a chemo treatment yesterday, and will most likely have another one tomorrow and maybe the next day. Another prayer request is that the cancer would continue to respond well to the chemo so that a bone marrow transplant could be avoided. If she needs a transplant, she would have to have radiation which has some very serious long-term repercussions. Please continue to pray for Lilly's Mom and Dad as well. It has been hard for them to see her so uncomfortable and in pain, and they are running on very little sleep right now. They are so thankful to all of your for your prayers and support. They can definitely feel the love flowing towards them, and they are encouraged by all of you!

PLEASE continue to pray for little Lilly and for her family.
Thank you,
Angie

Friday, December 07, 2007

The History Behind Some Favorite Christmas Traditions


Have you every wondered how the Christmas tree tradition got started? Or how about getting presents? Hanging stockings? Putting lights on the Christmas tree? Here are two really neat broadcasts from Family Life Today with Dennis Rainey and Bob Lepine, where they discuss with author, Ace Collins, the history behind some favorite Christmas traditions.




Thanks for looking, and God bless!
Angie

Thursday, December 06, 2007

How to Make Fantasy Fudge

Have you always wanted to show your candy-making skills off? Oh, you mean you don't have candy-making skills? Well, have you ever wanted to make your friends and family think that you have some smokin' candy-making skills? Have you ever wanted to make fudge and think that it's way too complicated? Well, with the help of a few brand name products, I am here to make this very easy for you. Let's get started.

#1: Jelly roll pans from Costco make GREAT fudge pans! Or you can use a regular ol' 9x13 pan.
#2: Take some butter (yes, REAL butter!) and coat 1/2 of the Costco jelly roll pan (up the sides too), or all of the 9x13 pan with a light coating of butter.
#3: You can either hold the butter inside a sandwich sized ziploc bag (to keep from getting all messy) and coat away, OR.........
..................you can use the butter wrapper to spread the butter around. I have put an aluminum foil "wall" up, anchored with some heavy butter knives. This will help my fudge to not spread out more than I want it to. Since it is one batch, you will only need 1/2 of the jelly roll pan. DO NOT try to do two batches at the same time...it won't work well! Not unless you have a pot the size of a candy-maker's fudge cooking pot!!!
#4: Gather together all your ingredients. If you have them all ready (and opened), it makes things so much easier.
Take 1 jar of KRAFT Jet-Puffed marshmallow creme, 1 twelve ounce bag of Nestle semi-sweet chocolate chips, 2/3 cup of evaporated milk (ok, so I didn't get so picky on the brand name on this one), some yummy REAL vanilla (yep, that's Mexican vanilla in the economy size!), and 3/4 cup (or 1&1/2 sticks) of REAL butter (no margarine!!!!!!! no fakes!!!!!!!!).
#5: Also get 3 cups of sugar. Yeah, brand name doesn't matter too much on this one. But it really should be white, refined sugar (like C&H).
#6: OK, now listen closely, because this part is really important. Use a HEAVY Dutch oven (but probably not cast iron), preferrably one made by Club. This will keep your sugar and other ingredients from scorching! As you can see, mine has taken quite its share of knocks. But hey, it's good to me! And it's perfect for making candy and even popcorn!
#7: Now here comes the recipe part. Combine sugar, butter, and evaporated milk in the dutch oven. Turn the burner on to MEDIUM HEAT. Don't get impatient and turn the heat higher or you will end up with burnt or grainy fudge.
#8: Here is where you should be going to the gym and working out. One, because you're making FUDGE for Pete's sake!!!! And two, because you will need to stir continuously to keep your ingredients from burning.
#9: Keep stirring constantly, being sure to scrape the sides of the pan. You will be able to feel the sugar dissolving in the milk and butter.
Once your concoction has begun to boil (It will take a little while to get to boiling point. You don't want to rush it, or your sugar will not dissolve, and your fudge will be grainy. Also your milk will burn!), you will need to start the timer, and boil the fudge for 5 minutes (no more and no less!!!!).
#10: When the 5 minutes is up, take your pot off of the burner, and add the chocolate chips, while stirring.
#11: Then add the marshmallow cream.
#12: Stir very quickly until mixture is thoroughly combined. This MUST be hand-stirred. Do not mix with an electric mixer or you could whip too much air into the fudge.
#13: Once everything is mixed thoroughly, your mixture will look like this:
#14: At this point, you will add your teaspoon of vanilla and stir well. This all must be done as quickly as possible so that your fudge does not begin to set up in the pan.
#15: Once the vanilla is stirred in, you are ready to pour into your pan. You may need to get someone to help you at this point, because the pan will be heavy, and it will be hot. Are you amazed? I actually poured this pan of fudge into my jelly roll pan, WHILE taking the picture!!!

#16: Once you have poured all of the fudge into your buttered pan (go ahead and scrape the sides to get it all.), smooth and even it out. Don't over-smooth. You want a pretty, swirly pattern, and you want your fudge to look smooth and glossy...not old and wrinkled.
#17: Here is what your final product should look like:
#18: Give it a couple of hours to cool and set up. Do NOT put it into the refrigerator to set up, or you will have sticky fudge that has condensated, because of the moisture in the fridge.
Now it is time to cut and serve up to your friends and family.
But WAIT!!!! Here is the best part of all:
If you work it right, you should have a good spoonful of leftover fudge in the pan. Get a spatula, a spoon, whatever...and sample your yummy fudge!!!!
GREAT JOB!!!!!! Now you've got the skills of a true candy-maker!!!!!
Thanks for reading, and God bless!
Angie

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

BURP! Excuse me!

OsoBaby is our new line of baby items under the Ambrosia Delights umbrella. We will be featuring these soft flannel burp cloths, as well as cozy blankets, and cute bibs.

Check out these fun burp cloths!

You can find these burp cloths at AmbrosiaDelights.etsy.com.


Here are some very cute and cozy blankets for your little one:

These great baby gifts can be found at AmbrosiaDelights.etsy.com.

God bless and thank you for looking!

Angie

Friday, November 09, 2007

Over the River and Through the Woods


Over the river and through the woods, to Grandmother's house we go! Yes, Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and we have the perfect little apron for Nana's Little Helper. This apron is one of our newest items in our BRAND NEW Baby and Kid's line! This is an OsoKids original. The neck strap has three buttons so that it can be adjusted to fit. It is made with pre-washed, pre-shrunk 100% cotton and can be washed in any load of laundry you have.


Here is where you can purchase this darling apron:



Be sure to keep watching for more OsoKids items from Ambrosia Delights.God bless and have a wonderful day!Angie

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Calling Out on Etsy

Well, generally "calling out" is a big no-no on Etsy.com. That is, unless you are calling out in a positive way because you are thrilled with one of your customers, or someone you purchased someone from.

It's my turn to do some calling out to thank some of my customers for purchasing from me. I know I can't possibly name everyone in one post, but I want to try to get quite a few shops on here, so please bear with me.

This is a HUGE THANK YOU to those of you who have helped Rio Oso Designs to succeed as much as it has. I have to say that the first "Thank you" has to go to God, my Father, because without Him, I wouldn't have anything that I have, including the talents and abilities that He has given me to do the things I do. Thank you Lord.

This is the beginning of my thank you list to my customers, beginning in the month of June 2007:

www.handmadebykathy.etsy.com
www.romp.etsy.com
www.sew4uboutique.etsy.com
www.joyceshafer.etsy.com
www.mamaplum.etsy.com
www.hopeandfaith.etsy.com
www.seadreamstudio.etsy.com
www.dindi.etsy.com
www.moneyhon17.etsy.com

Thank you all so much for being my first 9 customers! You started the trend and I really appreciate your business.

On my next blog, I will say thank you to all of my July customers.

God bless and have a great day!

Angie

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Time Seems to Just Speed Right By

Well, it has been nearly two weeks since my last blog entry, and I am supposed to be blogging once a week! But as you all probably already know, life just gets in the way. We have begun the school year again, homeschooling our almost 14 year old son. We are looking for resources to get help with the schooling, because he is a special needs child, and I feel that my teaching abilities have been surpassed already. Yes, there are some things I can do still, because he is still on an elementary level in many subjects, but with business picking up, I definitely need help!

I have also just joined Butterfly Life; a women's fitness center. My first full week was last week, and in the first week, I actually lost about 2.5 pounds! YAY! My body HURTS though, like it hasn't hurt before. Hopefully I will get used to it soon. I really want to get healthy, so it's definitely worth it!

Speaking of business, I just wanted to say a HUGE THANK YOU to all of my customers, from both Ambrosia Delights, and from my graphic and paper design shop: Rio Oso Designs. I am thrilled to say that I have sold over 90 banners to fellow Etsians. That is SO exciting for me! In fact, just yesterday, I hit my 100 mark for sales in our Rio Oso Design Shop. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to all my wonderful customers!

Oh, and speaking of customers, have you seen the new web ring I belong to? It's called "Aged Vintage Papier", and it's facilitator is Amy of RazzPizazzBoutique.etsy.com. I actually designed her store banner for RPBoutique, and her blog banners! And I am the very first featured artist on her blog! Check it out here: http://agedvintagepapier.blogspot.com/

Well, it's time to get off the computer. My work day is long since over, and I have gone to do my hour at Butterfly Life, so now it's time to relax and watch a movie with my husband and son.

God bless and have a great day!

Angie

Saturday, September 01, 2007

Fun & Very Unique Greeting Cards




Do you ever wish that when you go to buy a greeting card, you could buy one that is one of a kind? Something that no one else can find at Hallmark or Target? I mean, how embarassing is it when you show up at a baby shower and 5 people have given the same card as you???

Well, we have the cure for the greeting card boredom.......Etsy.com! You can find some very beautiful and unique greeting cards there, including in my very own store!


Check out some of my favorite greeting card shops!
Have fun looking! I know that you will want to buy! You just can't help yourself! Everyone sends birthday cards at least, right?
God bless you and have a great day!
Angie

Wednesday, August 08, 2007

Shameless Promotion

I have spent the last several blog postings promoting some GREAT Etsians (www.etsy.com), but today I am shamelessly promoting myself! I am just thrilled with how well my second shop on Etsy has done! It is www.rioosodesigns.etsy.com.

I make banners for Etsy shops, web banners, blog banners, etc. I can also create matching business card designs, matching postcard designs, and much more. Below are examples of some of the banners I have created for fellow Etsians. Numbers 1, 2, 4, & 6 were custom made for those shops. The others were premade and listed in my shop.

I do have over 30 premade banners to choose from, including some on sale! Or you can purchase a custom banner, or even a custom business package where you can get banner, avatar, and business card design.

If you need some more promotional material, you can purchase the package which gets you the banner, avatar, business card design, and postcard design. There are many things to choose, and many ways to get your name out there. I hope that you will choose Rio Oso Designs when you need some great design work done!
I love the colors in this fun little outfit, perfect for back-to-school! The lime green eyelet peasant top goes perfectly with the sweet green apple ruffled pants and the fun hand-embroidered apron! You will also receive with this outfit the matching hairbows, and a tee that says "A is for apple". You can find this outfit at http://www.ambrosiadelights.etsy.com/.

Don't you just love the old-fashioned feel to this dress? I love the girly-girl clothing that keeps them young for just a little longer than the fashion industry today seems to believe. This little outfit is for sale at http://www.ambrosiadelights.etsy.com/. It comes with the peasant style dress, the wide butterfly sash, darling cuffed pants, a sweet little shirred sundress, and the two matching hairbows.

Thank you and have a blessed day!
Angie









Tuesday, July 31, 2007

I only WISH I were this good!






I LOVE photography! I love to take pictures. I think I got it from my mom. I can remember everywhere we went when I was a kid, Mom had a camera.

When we lived in Okinawa, we visited Tokyo for about a week. If I remember correctly, we came back with about 80 rolls of film! Yes, that was before digital photography! We're talking about probably 2800 photos from one week in Tokyo!
The second photo you see is the stained glass window of a church in Hanalei on the island of Kauai. I took the photograph from the inside. I thought it was just gorgeous...especially the Greek letters you see on there, standing for the Alpha and the Omega...none other than God Himself.

Well, today I thought I would share some of my favorites from Etsy photograph artists. Check out their shops when you get a chance. There are some GORgeous photos in each one!

While you're in Etsy, please be sure to check out our two shops:

http://www.ambrosiadelights.etsy.com/

http://www.rioosodesigns.etsy.com/


Have a blessed day!



Angie

Monday, July 16, 2007

It's a Girl!


Lately, I've had baby girls on the brain. No, we don't have a baby girl, and no I'm not pregnant. But we REALLY, REALLY want a baby girl. We are praying for a baby girl either through our own pregnancy or through adoption. So when we do get our baby girl, I will definitely know where to go shopping! At Etsy.com of course!


Check out these sweet little items for the baby girls. Each picture has the shop name on it, so all you have to do is type in the http://www.(storename).etsy.com/.


And don't forget to look at our own Etsy shop for some darling things for girls, boys, and even mamas! www.ambrosiadelights.etsy.com

Thursday, July 05, 2007

Well, it FEELS like Monday!


I know, I know, it's not Monday...but I'm going to go ahead and post anyway. It feels like Monday, because we just had the last two days off!

If you know me at all, you would know that my favorite colors are blues and greens. Yes, I do like pink an awful lot too, but my faves are blues and greens. So I have decided to do my Etsy feature on items that have those gorgeous colors! So when you want to see these talented people's shops, just go to Etsy.com and a username search and type in their name.
Happy day after the 4th of July!
God bless and have a great day!
Angie

Monday, July 02, 2007

A Friend's Wedding--and a Few Firsts for our Family


WOW! It's been a really fast two weeks! So much has been going on in our household, that I forgot to even post last Monday!


I wanted to quickly share with you some fun firsts that happened with our family this weekend. One of my husband's best friends from elementary school got married this weekend, and guess who was the pastor who married them? My husband! He was ordained by our church pastor and was honored to be able to marry his good friend Todd off to a wonderful woman, Linda. This is the first time my husband has officiated a wedding.


While we were at the wedding, we got to experience another WONDERFUL first: my husband and I danced together! Well, we've danced together in our living room, but that doesn't really count, right? We had such a wonderful time dancing together; so romantic and sweet. My husband is the love of my life and my very best friend, so this was an awesome first for us!


And last, but certainly not least, our 13 year old son had his first dance with a girl! Awwwww, it just made my heart swell...he looked so handsome! He danced with the bride's 13 year old daughter. I was dancing with my hubby, so I hope someone else got a picture! I also was honored to dance with my son. He is a heart and stroke patient, but he can get out there and move!!! It was such a blessing to be able to dance with him AND with my husband. It definitely can't get any better than that!

Give me a couple of days, and I will get back into the swing of things, and post my Etsy favorites. In the meantime, have a GREAT 4th of July week!

God bless,

Angie

Monday, June 18, 2007

Cool and Hip Boy Clothes from Etsy.com


Do you have a cool and hip little boy? Do you wish there were more cool, hip, and UNIQUE boy's clothing out there? Well, there is! Just check out Etsy.com. If you click on "Buy" and do a search for "boy clothes", you will find a myriad of cool and hip boy clothing, from babies, on up to the big guys.

Check out these shops, shown from top right to bottom left:
And please don't forget, we make boy's clothing too! Check out these listings of ours on www.ambrosiadelights.etsy.com:
Thanks so much for looking, and have a great day!
Angie

Monday, June 11, 2007

A Penchant for Pendants


If you look in my favorites at http://www.ambrosiadelights.etsy.com, you will see that I LOVE pendants. Why? Well, because I am a jewelry maker! I want to buy them all! But alas, I must wait until I sell more of what I have already made.

The blue polka dotted heart comes from Libra Sun Designs. Her shop can be found at:
The yummy frosted, sprinkled doughnut comes from Green Loves You! Her shop can be found at: http://www.magicbeanbuyer.etsy.com.
The pink tree pendant comes from a mother/daughter team...Madison Craft Studio. Their shop can be found at: http://madisoncraftstudio.etsy.com.
Thanks for checking out some of my favorites. Please be sure to check out our shop too. We have some great jewelry, kid's clothing, and more. If you spend $50 or more, your shipping to anywhere in the USA is FREE!!!
Also, today only, June 11th, you can purchase a piece or set of jewelry at regular price, and get 25% off of any other piece or set of jewelry of equal or lesser value!
Have a blessed day!
Angie

Monday, June 04, 2007

Are You Hungry???

These earrings will definitely make you hungry if you aren't already!!

The poptart earrings can be found at:



And the yummy creamsicles are found here:


If you want to see more yummy earrings, be sure to check out my favorites at http://www.ambrosiadelights.etsy.com.



ALSO, BE SURE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF MY SALE! EVERYTHING IN MY SHOP IS 20% OFF FOR THE NEXT FOUR BUYERS...IT WAS FOR THE FIRST 5 BUYERS, AND WE'VE ALREADY HAD ONE BUYER!


Have a blessed day!

Angie

Monday, May 28, 2007

Featuring Christian Crafters/Artists

Hello again, and Happy Memorial Day! I just want to start this post by saying "Thank you!" to all those who have served our country in the armed forces, and are still serving. Thank you for your allegiance to your flag, and to your country. Thank you for fighting so that we might be the free country that we are. God bless each one of you and your families as well. You are very highly respected in our home!
Today we are featuring some Christian crafters from the Etsy site. Please take a look...and enjoy!!
First we have VM Designs. This artist is from Indiana, is married to her high school sweetheart, and has two children...a daughter and a son. She makes some beautiful little girls bracelets, and bracelets for mommas too. Check her shop out at: http://www.vmdesigns.etsy.com.

Our next featured Christian crafter is from Colorado. She is a SAHM with two little boys. She has some fantastic custom birth announcements in her shop, as well as other handcrafted items. Her shop can be found at: http://www.ajcreations.etsy.com.

The third artist that we are featuring is an accomplished, published, award-winning artist and it is definitely obvious in his paintings! He has studios in both New Jersey, and Costa Rica. He has his own blog: http://paintingsbyjude.blogspot.com/, and you can purchase his gorgeous paintings at: http://www.paintingsbyjude.etsy.com.

Thanks for looking and have a blessed day!


Angie

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

My Etsy Shop


Happy Wednesday! Did you get a chance to check out some of my favorite items on Etsy.com? You still can! Just check out the previous blog.

Meanwhile, I wanted to let you know about my own Etsy shop. You can find it at http://www.ambrosiadelights.etsy.com. We also just started a second shop on Etsy. Why? Well, I was thinking that our first shop looked a little crowded. I want to only feature the clothing, jewelry, and baby items in the Ambrosia Delights shop. But I also wanted to continue to make and sell our papercrafting items, such as greeting cards, and also our digital crafting items, such as Etsy store banners.

Sooooo, we created our second shop: http://www.rioosodesigns.etsy.com. Rio Oso is the name we came up with for the digital and papercrafting side of the business. Oso is Spanish for "bear", and my husband is pretty much just a great big teddy bear! Even his own mom calls him "Bear", and has for many years. And Rio is of course Spanish for "river". We love the outdoors, especially the water, so this made perfect sense for us.

While I am shamelessly self-promoting, did you notice the dirty looking onesie pictured? It's not really dirty, but it IS our very newest item in our Ambrosia Delights Etsy shop. I wanted to do a few more things for boys, so here ya go! I tea-stained this onesie to make it appear like it's a "game shirt". I've appliqued "Batter Up!" on the front and a "game ball", complete with a real genuine, artificial autograph on the back. I thought it turned out SOOOOO cute! And it's ONLY $18 plus shipping!

Thanks for looking and have a blessed day!

Angie

Thursday, May 17, 2007


Featuring Favorite Etsy Crafters

Have you been to Etsy.com? If not, you don't know what you are missing! You can find anything from clothing for yourself and your family, to pottery, jewelry, soaps, lotions, diaper bags, paintings, gorgeous photography, and much much more!

I have been looking and looking and still have only seen an extremely minute fraction of the shops on Etsy.com. I want to share with you some of my favorites. Many of the shops that I will be featuring are even Christian-owned! I encourage you to check out all the shops, because you will find many distinctly unique items that make awesome and personal gifts! And I just KNOW that you love to find something great and totally unexpected for your friends and loved ones for birthdays, anniversaries, etc.

Here are just some of my favorites:

The blue bracelet shown above is JUST gorgeous! You can find it at Maple Jewellry Design on Etsy. Sarah is from Wilshire, England. Take a peek around at the other gorgeous things in her shop...http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5039214.

Don't you just love the blue flowered handbag? It's made from Amy Butler fabric and has those great bamboo handles. This handbag is from Rebecca Weis Designs out of St. Louis, Missouri. Her shop on Etsy is found at http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=4661.

And finally, I wanted to share with you these yummy Soy Whipped Body Butters! I have ordered two different flavors; Macintosh Apple and Orange Dreamsicle. They are such smooth and deliciously scented body butters! My husband loves them, and is happy to give me a foot rub with them. You can find these body butters at: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=34601. The seller is Adrienne from San Diego, CA. Adrienne is a Christian from a military family, and she does what she can to help the environment.
Thanks for looking! Don't forget to check out these shops and others at Etsy.com.

Have a blessed day!

Angie

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

WOW!!! It's been a REALLY long time since I have posted! I am now a part of Etsy.com and have been inspired to get back into blogging. I would like to be able to help out some of my fellow crafters by showing their work and a little about them.

If you LOVE handmade craft items (no, not schotzke flea market stuff...I mean some GORGEOUS handmade things!!!!), then you should check out Etsy.com.

You can find my shop (Ambrosia Delights, of course) at http://www.ambrosiadelights.etsy.com/. I have children's boutique clothing, handmade jewelry, a couple of baby bibs, and some greeting cards, all made by me. I also have added Etsy banners to my line...if you need an Etsy banner, let me know! I would love to work with you.

I have Crafting ADD, so therefore I must sell! While you're there, check it all out. You can shop by color or location even! Pretty cool, huh?!?!

I do have some sales going on, as well as free shipping on items over $50. Many Etsians have great sales and promos going on. One way to find out about what's going on is by checking out the Forums section. If you go to Promotions and Critiques, you can see a lot of very cool things, and a lot of great deals!

Let's support the handcrafters of the world! We're all trying to eke out a living, or supplement and income, or just make a little extra money. Thank you for your support.

See ya over at Etsy!

Have a blessed day!
Angie