Saturday, July 1, 2023

Weekly Word, My Reading Life, Stash Report, To Do Tuesday, Gratitude Journal, FT&BC

via GIFER

Hello There,
Happy Fourth of July to all of you who celebrate!  I hope you have fun and are all safe this weekend! 
Thank you all for your prayers for Elisa.  She passed away about 10 days ago surrounded by her loving family.  Please remember to pray for her family as services will be in about a week.  

Since February, our family and close friends have been experiencing great difficulties ranging from deaths, illnesses, crises and life threatening situations.  We have been supporting each other with love and I dearly want to continue supporting these precious ones free from time constraints.  I also need to find time to rest beside the still waters.  Alas, I am learning that I cannot do it all.  
  
The Lord is calling me to rest beside the still waters for a season.  
I will be taking a blogging break for the foreseeable future.  I may occasionally post on Instagram (@miaismine22), but even that will be minimal.    Meanwhile, feel free to visit past posts!  I may even occasionally pop in to your blog/Instagram account to say, "Hello!"     
Take good care, my precious ones!

Thank you for stopping in and I hope you enjoy this post!  

A Psalm of David.

1The LORD is my shepherd;a

I shall not want.

2He makes me lie down in green pastures;

He leads me beside quiet waters.

3He restores my soul;

He guides me in the paths of righteousness

for the sake of His name.

4Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,b

I will fear no evil,

for You are with me;

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

5You prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies.

You anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows.

6Surely goodness and mercy will follow me

all the days of my life,

and I will dwell in the house of the LORD

forever.


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 read about my journey and 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

Thank you all for your prayers for Elisa. 
This verse was her life.
She was always filled with 
strength, dignity and faith.
Even as her health failed,
she was literally praying non-stop.
I was honored to witness this.
She changed my life forever.


My Reading Life

Currently Reading

Finished Reading
***** To be transparent, I listened to this book as a dear friend of mine was passing away.  I found Paula by Isabel Allende to be confusing at times as she transitioned to the various timelines in her memoir. However, this certainly fits with the circumstances in which she wrote the book:  at her daughter's hospital bed and later, her death bed.  
I found this work of literature to be insightful, surprising and peaceful.  Though our spiritual views differ, I was able to put those differences aside to see the heart of a mother as she shares her life story with her very ill daughter.
As she releases Paula, her words gave me great comfort and peace. Recommend.

Stash Report

Yarny Numbers I crocheted a lot these two weeks - as many of you know, this is my true comfort craft.  Here's the yarns I picked up!  There's a ton more which you can find below stitched up into dishcloths and even a soap saver bag!
The bright colored Red Heart Scrubby was 1/2 off!  The Stitch Soak Scrub yarn is wonderful to work with in conjunction with the I Love This Cotton yarn at Hobby Lobby or the Light Weight Essential Cotton yarn by K+C at JoAnnes.  


Much to my chagrin, my third grandson mentioned he had a quilt made by me, but not an afghan.😦  All the other grandbabies have at least one afghan, if not more!  Well, this "Ama" had him pick his colors, went to Hobby Lobby and purchased this yarn to remedy the situation!

Fabric numbers There were no changes in my fabric numbers.

To Do Tuesday

Last Week's List was to simply recover from the cataract surgery.  I would call this done, though I'm still on the drops and a no swimming for a week.  When we go visit my parents this month, we can walk on beach and wade in the water, but no underwater swimming yet.  That's fine - I'm not complaining at all as my eyesight is about 20/25, so I may only need "readers" for that eye!  

This Week's List  is actually a list of accomplished crocheting and embroidering.  
1.  Slow Stitching  - I finished Block 4 of the Teacup Critters at Day's Filled with Joy.
  
2.  Crochet
Fall Granny Square Afghan: It's all put together and I've been working on the borders!  Here it is planned out on my queen-sized bed.  
I was commissioned to crochet this little purse.  I loved the yarn so much that I made two - one for my customer and one for me!  This Crochet in Public Bag by Whistle and Ivy pattern is beginner friendly.  I used Soft and Shiny in Color 28 (Party) by Loops and Thread from Michaels and a yellow cotton from my stash.  

While at the hospital and Hospice with Lisa's family, I crocheted these dish cloths.  




I

For his first afghan from me, (see sad story in the Stash Report), my Granson picked this granny square star pattern at Lulu Loves Crochet! His afghan is almost finished!

3.  Machine Sewing
One Gift a Month Challenge (Day's Filled with Joy):  Stitch up the bowl cozies
- Start turning my Fall into a Quilt UFO in to a flimsy.   
4.  Machine Embroidery 
- Stitch up the mug rugs
- Prep the next machine embroidery UFO project   

My actual goals for this week are simple:
- finish my Grandson's afghan.  If the rest of the list gets any attention, that will be a bonus.  As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, since February every month has had a tragedy or a crisis, sometimes more than one.  It's time to slow down.   


Gratitude Journal

the song
Hold On by Katy Nichole

the story behind the song
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 like to attend State/County Fairs? Tell us what kinds of things you like to do there?
Yes!  I love State/County Fairs!  We haven't been since COVID, but I'm hoping we go this year!  I love the music, the crowds, the food - bring on the funnel cakes!  Yum!  The craft shows are my second favorite!   Most of all I love to watch the families with kids!  It's wonderful to see the wonder in the children's eyes as they explore, play and eat!   




I convinced a friend to try a locally owned restaurant 
here in Las Cruces, Boba Cafe.  
The egg flower soup was delicious
as was her chicken almond salad!  
Afterwards we indulged in treat from The Paleta Bar!
My husband is a number one barista!  
He serves me coffee when I'm working at my desk.

This Week's Moments of Gratitude
1.  My husband and I had a wonderful afternoon today!  It felt like a date!  
2.  This week I had another beautiful day with my grandbabies.
3.  I am recovering nicely from cataract surgery.

Chico really missed me while I was out of the house.

A rare time with Kitty being a snuggle bug.  

Faith, Trust and Breast Cancer

A dear friend is going through chemo and we were texting about hair loss....ug.  I remember when I lost my hair.
A dear friend went with me to the beauty shop so that we could cut it super short in preparation for next steps.
It was falling out so fast.
It actually hurt.
I took a shower just to feel it "one more time".
When I got out and dressed, I was surprised to see that my husband had set up all we needed to shave it off.
He even set up this special song to play as he quietly, weeping, shaved my head on our beautifully secluded patio.  

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9 comments:

  1. You've got a lot of projects keeping your hands busy! Love the little teacup embroidery!! Psalm 23 is one of my favorites. I pray your season of quiet provides you withl rest and restoration! :)

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  2. I'm so sorry, Patricia, about the loss of your friend and about the sufferings of others you love. Last week I learned that three of my friends have cancer. It's an epidemic. Sending thoughts of comfort and prayers for you and those you care about.

    I love it that you immediately got the materials for an afghan for your grandson. The blue star is beautiful!

    I'm very glad you are recovering well from your cataract surgery.

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  3. I am so sorry to hear of the passing of Elisa. Please accept my deepest condolences . Taking time for yourself and your family is certainly understandable especially when there are challenges. I hope you find peace and comfort during your time away from social media . You certainly have some very lovely projects to work on. Gorgeous yarn colors that your sweet grandbaby chose the afghan. Have a wonderful summer.

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  4. I will miss your wise words and calm, quiet spirit each Sunday. I always enjoy your take on the Psalms and how they apply to our lives. But I know that you have to fill up in order to pour out to others. Praying that this season of rest will benefit your soul and bring you comfort. God bless.

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  5. I am so sorry to hear about your friend Elisa.
    How wonderful that your grandson noticed he did not have an afghan and wanted one! You really got going fast on that one - it looks beautiful. I think about you every time I look at yarn at Hobby Lobby or Joann's. :) Glad your cataract surgery went well, and aren't you enjoying how much better you can see?

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  6. Taking a break from blogging is always good. I hope that you will continue to share in Sew & Tell. You can link up to insta ;) I'm sorry to hear about the loss of your friend. Hugs and prayers.

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  7. I'm so sorry about your friend. You got an amazing amount of crochet done this week.

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  8. Just checking in...this post is beautiful so full of wonderful things. You sure have a lovely hubby, such support throughout all the downs life has in store at times. Hope you are feeling well and keeping happily busy. Hugs!

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  9. Some how I missed this post and was wondering where you are! I hope you are getting the rest and rejuvenation that you need! I do miss your posts, but taking care of you is the most important. I am so sorry for the loss of your friend. I have send you a friend request on Instagram. I hope you have a great rest of your week and weekend.

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