Update on Baby M. Thank You.

Update on Baby M.
Hallelujah!  Baby M's lungs finally started responding to all the various medications! In fact, today
he didn't cough once 
&
he developed an "attitude" with his mom!
Praise God!
Now, of course, she doesn't appreciate this "attitude", 
but this Grandma's heart leaps for joy!

http://www.chaimbentorah.com/2016/03/word-study-jump-for-joy-%D7%A2%D7%9C%D7%96/

Thank You
I am so grateful to my family, friends and my new online friends for your prayers, messages and support.  What can I say, but thank you, thank you, thank you.

http://www.printeryhouse.org/ProdPage.asp?prod=CB1492

20 Minutes
Today I actually had about 20 minutes to listen to my play list of inspirational music,
take a quiet walk,
praise God,
and 
release some bottled up tears.


And now, I will rest.


Dear Friends, this is my truth.

Philippians 1:7 (Part One). My Baby M. Quilty News!

 Philippians 1:7a

Honestly, there is so much for me to learn from this verse, so much meat.  I'll break it down phrase by phrase.

It is right for me to feel this way 

 since I have you in my heart and,

Paul justifies his feelings for the Philippians.  What are his feelings?  Let's look back at Philippians 1:3 - 6.  Let's look for Paul's feelings or emotions regarding the Philippians.

3I thank my God every time I remember you.  

4In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 

5because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 

6being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

He's thankful to God.

He’s joyful in his prayers for them.

He’s confident regarding their future.

He also justifies these feelings of thankfulness, joy and confidence in them because he has them in his heart. 

http://quotesgram.com/photos-heart-my-joy-quotes/

Since I have Jesus Christ in my heart,

I wonder,

am I thankful for Him?

Are my prayers filled with joy and

confidence in my future?

I am thankful for Him every day.

But, I will work on praying with joy and confidence. 

Furthermore, is there a group of people or a person for whom I am thankful for, for whom I can pray with joy for, for which I am confident of their own future?  Perhaps I need to drop them a line or two……

Do you know someone who could use of note of encouragement?  Send them one! 

Even if it’s a note to yourself.  

My Baby M.

My first born grandchild is 6 years old.  When he was yet a babe, he contracted RSV - which can and did, in this case, leave his little lungs damaged. According to his pediatric pulmonologist, he has a deadly allergy to peanuts and pecans.  Fall can be treacherous for him as that is when the pecans are harvested in our town.  

Last week all our allergies were acting up...and my Baby M got sicker and sicker.  Naturally, my daughter took him to the doctor who immediately prescribed steroids and double asthma treatments.  But he did not respond to treatment.  

Even laughing was a struggle because he could not get enough oxygen.

Laughing.

Eating is problematic, as the lack of oxygen tires him so quickly.

Eating.

After another check up, the doctor gave him the "big guns" antibiotics.  His oxygen saturation is up, but his lungs are not yet opening up.   

We are hopeful however, that he will progress enough to return to school on Thursday - with limited activity.

I'll be posting updates here for all of you.  Would you please pray for my baby and his family?  Thank you.

http://www.hopeinthehealing.com/2014/07/27/would-you-please-pray-for-me-now/

It's interesting timing how our Bible Study led me to ask myself if my prayers are filled with thankfulness, joy and confidence.  

I'm trying.

It's better than praying with fear.

I will cry out to God.  

I will cry.

But, I believe as I pray with thankfulness, joy and confidence, 

He will strengthen me.

Quilty News!

After cutting the sewn strips into squares, I cut them into squares and arranged them as closely as I could according to the pattern suggested in the magazine.  

I always end up confusing my rows, so I made these quick little row markers by using straight pins, washi tape and scrapbooking stickers. 

Wow!  They really helped me keep my rows from getting confused!

The rows went up quickly after that.  I’m almost finished.  Judging by the size of the quilt at this point, I’m pretty sure I’m going to at least one (maybe two) border/s from the fabrics used in the quilt.  I wonder if any of you would offer your opinions as to which fabric/fabrics might look best for border/borders?  Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! 

I'm linky up to Connie's Linky Tuesday at Freemotion by the River.

Dear Friend, this is my truth.

Baby C's Bibs and Quilt - Old School Style. Hurting People

Baby C's Bibs and Quilt - Old School Style

Some time ago I found a tutorial on A Little Tipsy.  She had a guest blogger - Rebecca at A Better Life Bags.  I absolutely loved this tutorial for these cute little shirt bibs so I headed out to our local Saver's Thrift Store, bought some shirts and here is the result!  

I backed one bib with old,  but very nice sheet material.  My daughter suggested flannel instead so the backside could be used to wipe Baby C's face with.  Perfect!

Then I had a ton of scraps from the bibs, so I made him a simple matching quilt - one of the few projects I quilted myself.  

Photos by my daughter

Photos by my daughter

To be honest this was made almost a year ago.  The binding had come undone.  A quilting teacher had suggested using silk thread for binding and attaching the label and I did.  Sadly, that has led to many quilt binding repairs.  Thanks to a reader's help, I now use Gutterman's hand quilting thread for bindings.  But, I digress.  

This simple quilt is one of my favorite projects.  It was made the way quilts used to be made - from used clothing/fabric. And it's so soft and cuddly.....

Photos by my daughter

I'm linking up to Moving It Forward Mondays at Em's Scrapbag as well as Oh Scrap!  at Quilting is More Fun Than Housework!
Hurting People
Something happened to me.
In a public setting, 
someone's words hurt me.

Day One
At the time,
it hurt.
A lot.

Day Two
The next day
it still hurt,
but I began to feel
God's healing touch.

Day Three
I was fine.
I was proud of the way I handled the situation - 
with dignity.

Interesting.
It took three days......
Just as it took 
three days for 
Jesus to rise from the dead.
There has to be a correlation there.

I pray 
that when I'm hurt,
my chemo brain 
reminds me remember 
to wait
three days.

I realize 
this quote is so true.

http://quotesgram.com/people-hurting-others-quotes/

I realize 

that the more hurt a person has be hurt,

the more they hurt others.

I realize 

that they may not even

realize they are hurting others.

I realize 

that the deeper their own hurts,

the more they hurt others.

I realize 

that they need to be responded to with grace, compassion and dignity.

I realize 

that they need to be prayed for and shown mercy.

I realize 

that I was once 

(and perhaps still am?)

one of them

and 

other's showed me 

great mercy,

great grace,

and prayed for me.

Let's be gentle with ourselves and others, 

yes?

http://quoteaddicts.com/topic/be-gentle-to-yourself-inspirational-quotes/

https://sidewalkschalk.com/2015/11/30/god-is-love-1-john-47-8/

Dear Friend, this is my truth.

Progress on Baby Quilt. Around the House Stitching Club. How Do You Finish UFOs?

Progress on Baby Quilt
Honestly, this week Baby C shared his cold with me, so very little machine sewing was accomplished.  I did manage a bit of progress on my baby quilt, however!  

I was able to sew the strips of together.

Next, they'll be cut up into squares and sewn into rows!

I did seem to enjoy hand sewing a lot more, though!  Progress is definitely being made on Wild Olive's Around the House Stitching Club!  I'll be linking up to Kathy's Quilts Slow Stitching Sunday as well as Kathleen's Sharing Sundays at The Creative Side!  

Please Share Your Tips 
to Finishing Up UFOs!
My son-in-law asked my daughter a great question:
"Why do you and your mom have so many projects going?  Why don't you finish one before starting another?"

Ahhh....the innocence of non-crafters.  :)

Just to prove I don't have that many UFOs, I inventoried them.....Here are the results.....yeah...not pretty.  There are so many inspiring ideas, tutorials, patterns and so much beautiful fabric, it's easy to have 45, 50, or more UFO's.  However, my storage space is smallish, so I decided to finish up those projects so I'd have more space for....I don't know....fabric!  

I'm finding I accomplish so much more if I break up my quilts into daily goals.  For example:
Day 1:  Pick pattern and fabric
Day 2:  Cut out my fabric pieces
Day 3:  Sew my squares (or rows in this case)
Day 4:  Finish up sewing my squares (or               rows in this case)
Day 5:  Join my rows.
Day 6:  Finish joining my rows.
Day 7:  Sew my borders.
Day 8:  Make the backing, binding and                   label and prepare the batting.

Drop this baby off 

to my most appreciated 

long-arm quilter!

All this certainly does not take place in a week!  Though, I've found that I can finish a baby quilt in a week to ten days. However, life does happen, so I'm gentle with myself.  I guess these steps are more my process than a schedule......because there's family, fun, friends, grandbabies....life to enjoy, right?

I thought I could work on different UFO's on different days, but I've quickly learned that doesn't work for me.  I do better focusing on one project.  I do have several BOMs and QALs that I work on one or two days a week.  I'll share these later on.  

I wonder if you more experienced quilt makers would like to share your tips for finishing up those UFOs?  Please do so in the comments!  I would certainly appreciate learning from you!



Take good care, my friends!

Philippians 1:6 One More Time. Another Baby Quilt Started!

Philipians 1:7

One note I forgot to mention here is for parents:

My dear loved one, 

If you are struggling as a parent, this applies to you.  The day your child was conceived, 

a good work, 

yes a GOOD work, 

was started in YOU!

God will complete that good work 

in you 

as a parent.  

Seek Him.

Be teachable.

Love your baby, child, teen, adult child - 

they are still your baby.

Dear Parent,

If your child has broken your heart, 

if you are struggling with their decisions, take heart!   

I say this because I've been there.

And I know that the good work 

God began in your child 

will be carried to completion as well. 

You may not live 

to see this promise carried out.  

But, Moses did not see his people 

enter the Promised Land!  

BUT IT STILL HAPPENED! 

Remind our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ of His promise!  

Rest in Him!  

This promise is for you AND your loved ones!

Another Baby Quilt!

We are blessed to be welcoming a new baby girl into the world!  A friend of mine had her last Saturday!  Here is the beginning of a quilt from this beautiful fabric my daughter gave me.  She used this fabric to make a quilt for a very good friend of ours - I consider him my baby brother.  So, here is another bonus baby quilt!

I'm actually using a pattern for this one.  It's from the Summer 2012 edition of Scrap Quilts from Fons & Porters. 

Here's my fabric all cut in strips and ready to sew!  

Dear Friend, 
This is my truth!

Philippians 1:6 Another Finish!

Philippians 1:6

http://www.adventistonline.com/group/biblepromises/forum/topics/philippians-1-6-he-who-began-a-good-work-will-complete-it-1

Don't you just love this scripture?  What a precious promise from our LORD Jesus Christ!  Keeping in mind that Paul was in jail when he wrote this, I'm almost certain he was encouraging himself as well.  

You know, when times are difficult, we can indeed encourage ourselves. We can do this in a few ways.  

1) Listening to praise and worship music with an open heart.

2) If we are too pained, we can recall Scriptures we have memorized.

3) Find the strength to open our Bibles and simply read, praying for healing.

4) This soon will pass.  Know that today is only part of our lives, not our entire lives. 

God indeed began a good work in us - from the first day of creation we were in His plan.  My dear loved one, 

HE WILL COMPLETE THAT GOOD WORK! 

Of this I am sure.

Because 

I have been broken.

I have been hurt.

I have been sick.

I have been violated.

I have been tossed the side.

BUT

I am now 

healed,

healing,

redeemed,

victorious,

serene,

faith-filled,

grace-filled,

love-filled

and 

confident that He who began

a good work in me

-and you - 

WILL INDEED COMPLETE IT!

All things really do work together-

they really do.

Even brokenness,

Even hurt, 

Even sickness, 

Even violations,

Even being tossed to the side.

ALL things.

Give God and chance.

He will honor your trust.

I promise.  

Another Finish!
Before you see this exciting finish, just had to let you know I'm linking up to Kelly's My Quilt Infatuation!  Please take a moment to check out the beautiful shares there!  Now, onto my finish!

The wonderful benefit about getting chemotherapy drugs out of my system and getting off Gabapentin, has been mental clarity - to a degree.  

Mental clarity = 

the ability to focus on finishing projects!  

Here is a quilt top I finished!  I shared this pic on August 15 and by the 18th it was finished and sent off to Stephanie to be quilted!

The planned layout on my cutting table.

Add caption

The blocks all sewn together!

I decided to go from
darker to lighter with my borders.  

Border number two.
Thinking back, yellow cornerstones on this border would have "popped".
But I still love it!
I'm planning to use the bright yellow fabric for binding.

The amazing fact is that 
(with the exception of the white fabric from my stash) 
this entire quilt is a bonus quilt - 
made from the scraps of a 
wedding gift made for the parents!
My cup runneth over!

Dear Friend, this is my truth!

Bible Journaling. Philippians 1:4 -5

Bible Journaling
I haven't forgotten to about Bible Journaling.  I started with Philippians 1:2 and am taking progressive pics.  I will be posting them next week!  Yikes!  

Philippians 1:4



Imagine....Paul and Timothy are in jail.
Yet, whenever they pray for these saints, the members of the first chuch they planted, they always pray with joy!

Praying

with joy

even in prison.

Why?

Because of their support for Paul.

These saints supported him from the first day until the day of the letter he was writing.

Through thick and thin.

I'm writing this series based only on what I read at the time as if I knew nothing about Paul or the Philippians.

So, from that stand point, I can only believe that 

1) The Philippians were supporting him with more than money.  

2) It was long term.  

A quick internet search confirms my opinion.

So, how can we apply this to our lives?

Is there someone who needs your support right now?  

http://hannekeantonelli.com/2014/07/#sthash.oV5jWWCY.GUTzUZ8Z.dpbs

If you can, invest yourself into them.

It will be a sacrifice.

It will take time.

It will be one of the biggest blessings in your life.

You won't regret it.

You see,

you can't out give God.

Or perhaps you're the one who needs support.

Maybe you are facing a serious illness.

Maybe you are struggling emotionally.

Maybe you are struggling spiritually.

Maybe you are simply struggling.

https://osborne2029.wordpress.com/2015/04/30/we-all-need-someone-to-lean-on-2/

My dear friend, if this is you, .

believe it or not, 

if you will let your guard down

and let a friend know how you're feeling,

you may find hope in a seemingly hopeless situation.

You have the best big brother in the world!

Here is a letter from Him:

http://www.imgrum.net/user/warrior.is.a.child/981344454/1011598593020501349_981344454

Dear Friend,

This is my truth - 

and it can be yours as well.