Finding God in the Psalms: Psalm 1, Fiber Fun, Literary Living, Finding Joy

 

Hello There,

Happy New Year!  Thank you for stopping by! I hope you were filled with joy, peace and love this holiday season.  Ours were nice as we spent time with the grandkids and family.  The days after Christmas caught me by surprise as a deep grief engulfed me.   Blogging was out of the question.  BUT, my dear friends, God comforted me with this verse from Psalm 34:

18The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and 

saves those who are crushed in spirit.

He Goes Before Us and Stays With Us Fiber Fun, Literary Life, Finding Joy

Hello There,

Thank you for stopping by!  Two weeks ago I threw all my goals out the window and enjoyed a staycation with my DH and even skipped a post last week!  Our staycation turned out to be a wonderful time of spiritual renewal, sharing memories and romance. Those days became a much-needed romantic as well as spiritual retreat.  He even commented we should have more staycations!  🥰

Well, hello there!

 

Hello to you!

This week my post will be a simply greeting to say, "Hello!  How are you?"   Last week my husband and I took a "staycation" and Chico and Chloe, our fur babies went to their "hotel" with one of our friends.  Our time together was a spiritual retreat as well as a time of renewal as we created beautiful memories.  

I hope you had a good week and look forward to visiting with you next week!  Meanwhile, I hope you enjoy these Christmas songs!

Take good care and, as Daddy used to say, 

"Make memories; it's later than you think."

Knowledge Vs. Enlightenment, Fiber Fun with Charizard, Thankfully Reading, Finding Joy

Hello There,

Thank you for stopping by!    This week was a fabulous stitching week, and I'm looking forward to more stitching next week!  "Embearoidery" has posted her free 2025 Advent Embroidery Calendar on Facebook and Instagram on this account.  She also has a dedicated page so we can share our progress and view calendars from years past.  I've enjoyed taking part in this tradition of a bit of daily slow stitching for several years. Here is this year's free design.  I'd love to hear what you think of it and if you decide to join in on this fun SAL!

Take good care and, as Daddy used to say, 

"Make memories; it's later than you think."

HERE'S A WORD

I've been pondering an event with a precious teenager that happened over 25 years ago.  As they were praying and seeking God's will for their life, they turned to me and stated:  "You and God are tight.  What is He telling you I should do?"

Wow.  What a honor that they would see me that way and would trust me so much.  

But I am not God and, though I sensed what God would have them do, this precious loved one needed to continue to build their relationship with God.  I gently told them to listen for God's voice, to seek His will via prayer and His Word and that I would pray for this specific need. It all worked out.  

Our relationship with God is not simple reading or listening His Word and doing what it says.  It is vitally imperative that as we read or listen to God's Word, we do so not only with our eyes and brain but also with our heart and spirit. Let us remember this:  

Knowledge alone does not enlighten.  

Opening our hearts and spirit to God and

obeying despite our fears,

will lead us to even greater faith, 

and a knowing of God's heart and His will for our lives.

Please know this:  

You are loved.  You are not alone.  You are being lovingly prayed for.

FIBER FUN

I broke down my "To Dos" into three categories:  Finish, Focus, Prep/make a kit, and Be Kind = Soft Deadlines.  FoF represents the Fields of Fancy BOM, which I'm doing with Liberty of London Tana Lawn fabrics.  FBF represents the Flower Box Friends BOM

Last Week's List

1.  Finish - nothing this week

2.  Focus

- Grandson's #2 ornament Done!   I also had to start over with this ornament as well.  One of these days, it'll be smooth sailing!  By the way, I had found the pattern online for free, but this weekend, to my mortification, I found one paid pattern on Etsy.  I contacted her and purchased the pattern.  It must be popular because another Etsy seller is selling the same pattern except for using different colors!  Who is the orignal designer?  Yikes!  

- sew embellishments on the red and white Christmas ornaments. Not done.  

- FBF - the Poinsettia block:   Stitch the details on the petals of the poinsettia.  Done!  The pieces are attached and ready to be appliquéd

- Psalm 23 Stitch a Day - not done

3.   Prepare/make a kit- My main goals are my grandchildren's ornaments, which are all prepped.  So, I'll spend time stitching for now.  I thought I wasn't going to prepare anything, but then, as I wrote in the introduction, the 2025 Advent Embroidery Calendar popped up on my Instagram feed.  Happy days!  I wonder how many of you might participate?

4. Be kind = Soft Deadlines - which are good for my mental health!

This Week's goals

1.  Finish 

2.  Focus

- Grandson's #2 ornament

- FBF - the Poinsettia block:   Appliqué the petals and leaves onto the background. 

- sew embellishments on the red and white Christmas ornaments time permitting

3.   Prepare/make a kit

- Nothing at all - I think!

4. Be kind = Soft Deadlines - which are good for my mental health!

LITERARY LIFE   

I love how my focus has increased with the "Finish, Focus and Prep" methodology I use with my Fiber Arts.  Consequently, I'm going to apply that to my reading life with a bit of a twist.  The categories will be "Finish, Focus and Next".  

This should help with my "Backburner Reads" which are books I started, enjoyed, but lost focus.  

I thought this post I saw on Instagram and thought of my bookish friends!

  

   Slow Read                          Next 

      

Finished

(audiobooks) 

**** The Christmas Stranger by Richard Paul Evans was a delightful listening experience. It serves as a gentle reminder of the transformative power of love, healing, forgiveness, and moving forward with life. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed many of Evans’ novels, which may explain why this one felt so predictably sweet. Paul, consumed by grief, is on the brink of giving up on life until a heavenly visit. Enter a compassionate widow and her daughter, plus another a child who is living a life of hopelessness. Their lives intertwine, and the book explores the profound impact of allowing ourselves to embrace love, forgiveness, acceptance of healing, and the opportunity for a second chance at life. Evans’s writing has the power to instill hope in all of us. I highly recommend this book.

“Tales From the Cafe” by Yoshikazu Kawaguchi is the second installment in the “Before the Coffee Gets Cold” series. The author revisits some of the original characters, whose personalities continue to evolve and mature. The new time travelers present intriguing reasons for their adventure, and Kawaguchi’s signature wisdom is on full display throughout the book. I found this book to be both thought-provoking and healing. Highly recommend it.

MAILBOX MONDAY - is a gathering place for readers to share books that they

added to their shelves or eBook readers the previous week.  Some of these books were recommended by you!  Do you see your reads below?  Thank all of you for sharing!

Here's what I've picked up this week. 

ereaderiq.com

Hoopla:  None

Kindle Freebies:  None

Libby:  I sure enjoyed participating in Jenn's Bookshelves Thankfully Reading Week!  

I finished these audiobooks!  

NetGalley:  none   

Purchased:  none

FINDING JOY

LeeAnna's I Like on Thursdays at Not Afraid of Color helps me consistently find the joy in every life.  She also provides a prompt for us to use.  This week's prompt is: "would you rather go to someone's house for Thanksgiving (even a relative?) or host them in yours?" 

For about 10 years, we hosted between 20 -25 people for Thanksgiving.  Then, my sister started hosting, and now my daughter hosts.  I really enjoy Thanksgiving at her house as I can focus entirely on my grandbabies and not worry about anything else!  

My husband got creative while taking photos of Chloe!

SONG OF THE WEEK:

Five-year-old plays Silent Night

Five year old

Your comments are so appreciated! 

I read each one and will respond by email.

You can also expect a visit from me as well!

Here are the parties I sometimes link up with:  

Sundays

Slow Sunday Stitching @ Kathy's Quilts

Sunday Salon at Readerbuzz

Mondays

Mailbox Monday @ I'd Rather Be At the Beach

Sew and Tell at Melva Loves Scraps

What Are You Reading at The Book Date

Tuesdays

To Do Tuesday posts at Quilt Schmilt

Thursdays

I Like on Thursdays at Not Afraid of Color

John 3:4-6, Huh? Born Again? Literary Living, Finding Joy

Hello There,

Thank you for stopping by!    I hope and pray you all have had a beautiful week and a peaceful Veteran's Day as you gave thanks for our many veterans who fought for our nation's freedom and democracy.  

For the last few weeks, an increasingly burning desire to somehow serve in a family literacy program has been on my heart.  According to my research, 54% of adults ages 16-74 are reading below a sixth-grade level - that's 130 million souls.