Faith, Trust and Breast Cancer: Weekly Word: Trust + Books, Stitches and Gratitude and the Finalized Reading Challenges Are Posted!

Hello There,

Happy New Year to each and every one of you! I hope your holiday season was wonderful and blessed!

As you can see, I've added a few changes to my Pages. My 2023 reading challenges are there in a simplified format. I've also decided to take a page from some your blogs and add an annual page of finished crafty projects. In addition, I am eager to become more consistent with my posts to 1 Xmas Item a Month! This is a fabulous way to sew for Christmas throughout the year and avoid that last minute rush.

The LORD has put Psalm 25 on my heart, so that will be a mini-series to kick off the New Year.

Thank you for stopping by! Please pull up a chair, your favorite beverage and leave a comment!

Here's is an index should you have a special interest you like to read first!

The Weekly Word - is a short devotional that sometimes becomes a Bible Study series.

My Reading Life - is filled with current, completed and upcoming reads as well as an occasional short review.

Stash Report and To Do Tuesday is where I'll share share stats regarding my fiber usage and acquisitions, Slow Sunday Stitching projects, goals met/lack thereof and photos of my projects.

Gratitude Journal - Sometimes I get lost in my own stinky thinking. This digital journal reminds me to count my blessings!

Faith, Trust and Breast Cancer - Here you will find updates on life after Triple Negative Breast Cancer. I was diagnosed in November of 2014 and my last day of treatment was in November 2015.

The Weekly Word

Psalm 25:1-8

In You, LORD, my God I put my trust.

I trust in You; do not let me be put to shame nor let my enemies triumph over me.

No one who hopes in You will ever be put to shame, but shame will come on those who are treacherous without cause.

Show me Your ways LORD, teach me Your paths.

Guide me in Your truth and tach me for You are God my Savior, and my hope is in You all day long.

Remember, LORD, Your great mercy and love, for they are all from of old.

Do not remember the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways;

according to Your love, remember me, for You LORD, are good.

This was my first reading of 2023 and it struck me how it makes such a wonderful prayer for throughout the year. As we enter 2023, with all its unknowns, who can we trust but God? (v.1) If we decided to place our trust in Him, we are certainly going to be victorious, regardless of what our victory looks like.

Perhaps those tests will show a benign instead of malignant growth.

We can praise Him and trust Him even more.

Perhaps those tests will show a malignant instead of benign growth.

We can praise Him and trust Him even more.

Perhaps that new promotion came through with an essential raise.

We can praise Him and trust Him even more.

Perhaps that new promotion went to someone else, along with that essential raise.

We can praise Him and trust Him even more.

Of course, we may be upset, confused and even angry. But, guess what? Just as God can handle our joy and praise, He can handle our anger and bitterness. Remember, He knows us. Let's build our relationship with Him by sharing our feelings with Him and listening to His voice.

Situations won’t always work out the way we think they need to, but God sees the bigger picture.

⁸“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,

neither are your ways My ways,”

declares the LORD.

⁹“For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

so My ways are higher than your ways

and My thoughts than your thoughts.

¹⁰For just as rain and snow fall from heaven

and do not return without watering the earth,

making it bud and sprout,

and providing seed to sow and food to eat,

¹¹so My word that proceeds from My mouth

will not return to Me empty,

but it will accomplish what I please,

and it will prosper where I send it.

¹²You will indeed go out with joy

and be led forth in peace;

the mountains and hills will burst into song before you,

and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.

Let us go into 2023 knowing we can trust God regardless of the circumstances because He sees the bigger picture and indeed, we will go out with joy and be led forth in peace! Amen?

My Reading Life

I've finalized and updated my 2023 reading challenges as well as my personal Lifetime of Reading Challenge! You're welcome to join in if you like!

Currently Reading

Finished Reading

**** David Rosenfelt never fails to entertain with his mysteries and his oh-so-sarcastic protagonist, Andy! Recommend this book.

***** My grandson highly recommended this book and he was right! I was engaged up till the end. My daughter eagerly collects this authors work for good clean reads for my grand children! Highly recommend.

***** Another winner by Susan Meissner! I could barely stop listening to this wonderful audiobook! She is an author whose books never fails to entertain and stay with this reader long after they are finished. Highly recommend.

**** This is the first book I’ve read by this author, and this haunting mystery kept me engaged and guessing. Will read more of his books. Recommend.

**** This was my December Buddy Read and my last book of 2022. Though I didn’t enjoy the second book as much as the first, as the mystery started unfolding, I could barely put the book down! Recommend.

**** I was happy with my first finish of 2023! The Bookseller is a mind-bending read in which the protagonist exist in two worlds. The question is, which world is her real world? Also, will you like the ending? Recommend.

Stash Report

Yarny Numbers - I finished about 30 Christmas ornaments for a great usage of yarn. I ran out of my beige glitter yarn, so I combined a beautiful white yarn with this thread and they looked lovely!

One of my grandsons had a special request for a Christmas scarf not only for himself, but for his little stuffed puppy as well! So I whipped them up for him. Of course, after that, his brother had to have a scarf as well! You can see the pictures below in To Do Tuesday!

Thus, I finished off the year in the positive and ready to start with a clean slate!

Fabric numbers - I gave my grandbabies their Baby Flatty Dogs by La Todera for a fabric usages of 2 yards. You can see them below in To Do Tuesday! (I made them the Mama Dog last year.)

My sister got a cool wine fabric apron for another couple of yards gone!

After deducting the donations made, I'm still about 50 yards in the black! Yea! I'm meeting my goal of sewing through my stash!

Next year should start off great as I have about five quilts to bind, so we're looking good! I don't count quilts until they are ready to bound and ready to use!

To Do Tuesday

Last Week's List - This list was from before Christmas.

1. Slow Stitching

- Make progress on tea towel #3!Done!

And I finished Block 2 of the Bee Humble SAL!

2. Crochet

- continue with the ornaments Done! I believe I made a total of 35 which I gifted to the staff in my beloved doctors' offices, various groups I participate in and neighbors.

- I also made these two scarves for two of my grandsons! The wine colored one was made using this pattern from Crochet Dreamz. I love the simplicity and texture of this beginner friendly pattern!

3. Machine Sewing:

- stuff the Christmas puppies for the grandbabies Done!

- pick and prep the next Christmas quilt. I am making my way through my Christmas stash and looking at which "genre" of fabric to stitch through next! Done!

I also made this reversible apron for my sister using Simplicity pattern #1971.

These photos of the Flatty Dogs that I gave to my grandbabies were taken by my granddaughter.

My oldest grandson and I had a heart to heart. We decided that at 13, he's a bit old for the annual stuffed animals, so he's transitioned to annual Christmas ornaments instead.

This Week's List

1. Slow Stitching

- Make progress on tea towel #4!

- Make progress on Block 3 of the Bee Humble SAL

2. Machine Sewing:

- Finish the Pieces in the Garden quilt top

- Make progress on the Christmas quilt.

On the radar

- Stitch up a baby quilt that I've prepped.

- Finish up my daughter's crocheted dishcloths.

- Prep kits for continued use of my Christmas stash

Gratitude Journal

I believe I read Mary Beth Chapman's book in 2019, Choosing to SEE. The story behind this week's song and the book are intertwined. Let's keep our hope! We're gonna make it!

I love LeeAnn's prompt:
What kind of class would we like to take?
I've always wanted to take a psychology class. I love learning how the human mind works.
Also, piano lessons would be fun!
Though my family would probably not appreciate my singing along to my music as...well...let me put it this way:
Even the dogs howl when I sing with gusto!

During a Bible Study I shared that I had read about a lady who made pin cushions from water bottle lids. The next time we met, one of the ladies brought in her example of just what I was talking about! I believe this one was her mother's.

I love the ideas from @Artesd'Olga that I've found on Instagram! I was surprised how easily this pink flower is made. She inspires me to up my embroidery game! Her YouTube channel is amazing!

I love when my grandbabies leaves "evidence of life" when they visit. The Littles left this row of cars on my desk.

Aren't grandchildren wonderful?