Saturday, May 20, 2023

Weekly Word - Isaiah 65:22-23, My Reading Life, Stash Report, To Do Tuesday, Gratitude Journal, FT&BC



 


Hello Everyone!
I hope you all have had a fabulous week!  My week was very productive and yet still filled with time with family and friends.  After losing my fur baby, precious Mia, I've been a bit lost as she was my sewing buddy.  
To refresh my sewing room, I began with a minor reorganization and packed up all but 10 UFO's in boxes.  Then, for the last month I've been trying an experiment and I love it!  
I've decided that my machine sewing time is Monday - Friday in the daytime.  Then, on Friday afternoons I begin my machine embroidery projects.  As they stitch out, I do a quick clean up, prep the next week's projects and then sit and read as my machine does all the work!  My evenings and the weekends are devoted to slow stitching, reading and writing.  I'm loving this new routine!
I hope you enjoy this weekly post!  Take good care!    

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


This week my husband finished a lengthy project:  restoring a home that we will be renting out.  He has put in long days and has been exhausted.  We are not as young as we used to be!  😉
One his final week of work, the LORD placed this verse in my path...how appropriate.  "For as the days of a tree, so will be the days of my people; my chosen ones will long enjoy the work of their hands.  They will not labor in vain, no will they bear children doomed to misfortune; for they well be a people blessed by the Lord, they and their descendants with them. " Isaiah 65:22-23
I sent my husband this verse and he was encouraged.  
Many of you dear readers have families to care for, work outside/at home, volunteer, craft for charity, minister to those outside your family, craft, write blogs....oh!  The list goes on and on!  
I hope you know the Lord sees you and has this promise for you.  Be encouraged, loved one!

Also, just as a side note, I hope you all take a bit of time to simply play this week!  As we age, we sometimes forget the joy of simply playing.

My Reading Life

Currently Reading

 Finished Reading
"An orphaned boy raised by a survivalist wends his way into the real world in an emotional novel about hope, fears, and found family by New York Times bestselling author Catherine Ryan Hyde.
Out there is chaos, the collapse of society, and so much to be afraid of. All that matters is freedom.
That’s what Remy Blake has been taught by his survivalist father. Raised off the grid in the middle of nowhere, his own survival skills not yet honed, Remy is days shy of his eighth birthday when his father unexpectedly dies. As seasons pass, supplies run out, and fending for himself grows more desperate, Remy sets out on foot, unprepared for the great unknown of civilization.
He is found—near feral, silent, and terrified—in the small rural town of Blaire. To Anne, a nurturing mother of two adopted teenagers who’s still dealing with her own childhood rejections, Remy is not a lost cause. Just a challenging one. As Remy cautiously adapts to his new foster home, his family wants nothing more than to reassure him that he can trust the world. But to do so, they must first reexamine how much they trust the world themselves, and how much they should. As Remy’s journey into the real world begins, figuring out how to navigate it becomes a path they will have to learn to walk together." - via Goodreads
*****Just a Regular Boy by Catherine Ryan Hyde, a phenomenal author, is definitely a five star read!  The plot was well developed, the characters were realistic and the various settings had the perfect amount of description.  I rarely come across an eBook that I can barely put down, but this was one of them.  The chapters were told in the various perspectives of the main characters it worked well.  
I fell in love with Remy, our "regular" boy as he made his way through some difficult years with strength beyond comprehension, wisdom and vulnerability.  His foster parents faced their difficulties with wisdom and love.  Hyde used just enough description of the various settings to enhance the story line, but not bore the reader.  And the conclusion?  Beautifully and honestly realistic.  Highly recommend.  
*I won this book as part of a Goodreads Giveaway, but this review is my own. 


Slow Read

Stash Report

There's no change in my yarn stash which is good because no yarn came in this week!
Fabric Numbers
I've been on a fabric fast this year, purchasing only needed fabrics to finish projects.  My exception is Lella Boutique's Christmas Eve line.  Tada!  I picked up these precuts to make her Chandelier Quilt (free pattern).  I'm hoping to purchase the background, backing, binding and extra fabric for my own added borders (maybe).  I also may make one other quilt and some table toppers.  I've held off all year and am excited that this line is out!  
Naturally, all other projects will be on hold so that these fabric become quilts and other lovely items vs. sitting in my stash.  

To Do Tuesday

Perhaps the changes I've made in my crafty life (see the introduction note) are paying off - last week's list is 100% finished!  Yeah!  
Last Week's List
1.  Slow Stitching
- Bee Humble - Complete the hand embroidery of Sections Four and Five  Done!  I've finished Section Four, these bees and hexagons.
Now I'm hand embroidering the details on the bee house.
2.  Crochet
Fall Granny Square Afghan:  continue making another 16 patch row.   Done!  I'm making progress!  I've used up all the orange and am working on finishing the green yarn.  Next up?  This varigated skein.   

3.  Machine Sewing
A Road Trip Quiltmake progress on putting it together Done!  I'm working on this project bit by bit and enjoying the process.  Sections 1 - 3 are complete!  As I put this quilt top together, I'll be getting in some practice with partial seams.    
Sections 1 & 2
Section 3
Fall Into A Quilt: Stitch up the Bonfire Block Done!  Actually, the Bonfire Block was finished a couple of weeks ago.  I meant to finish the Sunflower Block.  Here are both blocks!
- Teacup Critters @ Days Filled with Joy :  – Stitch up the bear block Done!   It came together very nicely! 
Bonus Project:  I got the buttons sewn onto this cute little machine embroidered tea towel by Kimberbell, Get Ready to Bumble!  

4.  Machine Embroidery 
-Make four labels for the various finished projects Done!  I've saved a few templates on my machine, so the process should be a bit smoother.  

This Week's List

1.  Slow Stitching
- Binding - I have four quilts in the queue to bind.  I'm currently stitching my Pieces in the Garden from Melva Loves Scraps QAL in the evenings and weekends.  
- Bee Humble - Make progress on Section Five's hand embroidery 
I made this sewing kit several years ago when I had just started sewing.  Lord knows I've looked for the tutorial to make it again, but no luck.  I think it will be simple enough to make using my  sample.  It sure keeps my supplies organized!  
2.  Crochet
Fall Granny Square Afghan:  continue making another 16 patch row.   
3.  Machine Sewing
A Road Trip QuiltFinish Section 4 which is 7 steps and part of Section 5 (steps 28-39) 
- One Gift a Month Challenge (Day's Filled with Joy):  I'd been meaning to join this challenge, but kept forgetting.  I'm going to prep the fabric basket (January's gift) by Ayumi at Pink Penguin and some soup bowl cozies (May's gift). Joy at Days Filled with Joy gives several options to make these.  
4.  Machine Embroidery 
- Prep kits to make some Christmas mug rugs
- Pick another UFO to finish

Gratitude Journal

the song
The verse
For me, these verses fit this song.
They are some of the few that cemented
my faith in Him who loves us.

The story behind the song  
(Update:  I'm sorry, but I'm forever getting my weeks mixed up - I know ya'll forgive me!  😊)
LeeAnna at Not Afraid of color hosts an "I Like" link up every Thursday.  She provides her "regulars" with a prompt, and here's this week's prompt: "Do you have a favorite musical style?  For fun:  what kind of music calms you, makes you want to dance, or stimulates you creatively?"  I love most types of music except hard rock.  My dad introduced me to Big Band music and the artists of that era at a young age and I loved it.  He taught me to slow dance to the likes of Sinatra, Nat King Cole and such.  Of course, Los Panchos, Edie Gorme and other Mexican artists were part of our lives.  I would stand on his feet as he danced....happy memories.

My birth mother was more into country music, so Hank Williams was the artist I loved and still sing his music to this day.
I love the soft pop and disco of the 70's, Bread, the Carpenters, Linda Ronstadt  and especially Jim Croce.  They sang my heart.

I love, absolutely love Christian praise and worship music as well as Christian pop. Songs with a strong beat are what I listen to at a loud volume when I'm cleaning house.  I love to listen to a radio station on Amazon Music called Christian focus during Bible Study, writing my blog and working on my planners.  Music is indeed healing to the soul.



This Week's Moments of Gratitude

1.  I had the best lunch with a friend this Monday.  We chatted away and then I got a tour of her garden!  So much fun!
2.  I'm enjoying meeting my goals of wrapping up UFOs and not allowing new UFOs in my life.  It's an amazing feeling to wrap up even the simplest UFO!    
3.  On Saturday we had a great lunch with a guy my husband worked with before retirement.  It's so nice to be meeting with friends!   

Hello From Chico
as he sits on my doll's lap!

Faith, Trust and Breast Cancer

I've been sharing a bit about the first few weeks of my journey into the world of cancer.  After I was diagnosed and started chemo, my memories are vague.  I do remember being amazed at God's work in my life and the lives of my loved ones.  My grandbabies were beautifully loving to me...I was blessed - and still am.

After chemo and surgery, I had 7 weeks of daily (Mon-Fri) radiation treatments.  The techs were wonderful and my radiation oncologist was the second best in Texas.  I am so grateful to her.  

I used Aloe-Vera on the site where I had the radiation, but made sure my skin was very clean before treatments.  Fatigue was my constant companion.  Eating healthy and rest were my friends.  

On one of the last days of treatment, my sister and brother-in-law took my husband and I out to eat to celebrate.  We were treated like royalty at a very posh, top floor restaurant.  It was a beautiful evening.  

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17 comments:

  1. I like how you have organized your week. It must give you great happiness to see progress on your projects. Some of my mom's happiest hours came at her sewing machine, I think. She got a machine that embroidered things, and she downloaded lots of lovely designs and made lots of beautiful things with it.

    Your husband should feel proud of all the work he has done on your rental property. I'm sure he will be glad to have done it in the future.

    And, as always, you leave us with lots to reflect upon. Thank you, Patricia.

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  2. So sorry about Mia, I know how hard that is.

    I went through my kitchen drawers and cabinets the day before yesterday and got rid of the things I don't use anymore and reorganized them. It's so much easier to find and reach everything now.

    I love the Bible Verse you shared!

    I enjoy playing more now than I did when I was a kid, probably because I took it for granted then.

    The Silent Treatment sounds good, and I've never read a Catherine Ryan Hyde book I didn't love.

    My mom was amazing at doing crafts, I didn't get that from her.

    Chico is so cute. I have a photo of my daughter when she was a baby, sitting on a wooden swing with my mom's Raggedy Ann. She was a doll collecter.

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  3. I'm so sorry for your loss. Keeping a gratitude journal for me was life-changing. I haven't done it in a while, but I would like to get back to doing that. Sounds like you've got a great routine going. I thrive with routines. I hope you have a great week. :)

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  4. Chrisknits here, it won't let me link up my info! Girl, you make me dizzy with all your progress!! You are knocking it out of the park.

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  5. Thanks again for a wonderful post. What a wonderful promise in the bible verse you shared. I am sure your husband feels a great sense of accomplishment from all his hard work. Since I retired I have so much more time for my quilting/stitching hobby. I try to accomplish one thing off the household to-do list each day and then in the afternoon I spend in my sewing room. During the evening, I watch TV with my husband and cross stitch or do some hand stitching on one of my quilt projects. It is so rewarding. Thanks also for sharing your cancer journey.

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  6. Sounds like you have a great routine going on with all your craft projects. Not surprised to hear the Catherine Ryan Hyde book was so good.

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  7. I also lost my sewing companion, right after you lost Mia. My kitty was like a dog, he followed me everywhere and every hour he made me take a break from sewing to pet him. We are comforted know they are in God's hands but we miss them terribly.

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  8. Hope you are enjoying your current reads.

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  9. I am glad you had a productive week and that the new project routine is working well for you! I hope you are enjoying your current reads. The Spanish Daughter sounds especially good to me.

    Music has always been such a big part of my life. My dad was a big country music fan and I grew up listening to the old greats. My mom listened to whatever my dad put on, but she also really liked the Beatles and that generation of musicians and their music. I like different kinds of music--much of it depends on where I am in the moment. My daughter has expanded my music listening tastes even more. Her taste in music is all over the place. She especially loves music from other countries. We both share a soft spot for girl power songs.

    Chico looks so comfortable on the doll's lap. :-)

    I hope you have a great week!

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  10. Love the songs you shared! I hope you have a wonderful week!

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  11. Good for you on the new routine, it does bring joy doesn't it! That road trip quilt is really pretty - good luck with your partial seams. What sweet memories of dancing on your Dad's feet. I'm with you on the big bands and also Jim Croce. Have a wonderful week!

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  12. I forgot to mention - I love that Christmas Eve line, and the chandelier quilt will look beautiful in it! Also, I can't wait to see your Pieces in the Garden quilt. :)

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  13. I enjoy seeing all that you're doing and thinking about throughout the week! The Chandelier Quilt design will be pretty in Christmas fabrics, and Bee Humble looks like a lovely project. We love the Carpenter's and Jim Croce here at our house, too!

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  14. I'm sorry to hear about Mia. You have done such a nice job of organizing your space and time. May we always believe in Him who holds us no matter what comes our way.

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  15. I love the idea of your new sewing schedule. Good idea. Thanks for sharing in my Sew & Tell party.

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  16. Wow! Your new schedule seems to be working well for you! I can't believe how much sewing fun (and reading and writing and crocheting) and how much progress you made on so many of your WIPs. Great job on the list. Hooray for your hubby getting the reno job finished. I'm sure it was a horrendous task. Thank you for linking with To Do Tuesday. Hope you had as much fun this week

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  17. Good week! Glad the system is working for you.

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