March 30: Psalms 139:7-10, Fiber Fun, Literay Life, Finding Joy

Hello There,

Thank you for stopping by!  I hope you had a fabulous week! This week has been fun and filled with self-care.   I've been learning about skin and hair care, as well as make-up application tips for women of a certain age on YouTube and via my daughter and granddaughter.  LOL!  It's fun to feel 18 again!  I'll be sharing my experiences, failures and successes.

My son and I have a tradition of going to TobyMac concerts.  This week we included my husband and a good friend of mine.  It was exhilarating!  Chains were broken and our souls refreshed.  Again, I'll be sharing more in subsequent posts.

Please, enjoy your favorite beverage as you read on!   

HERE'S A WORD - Faith...broken faith...faltering faith.  Here I will share a Scripture about these topics.  No judgement, only love.  

We watched Letters to God, a touching movie based on a true story about a young boy's fight against cancer and its effect on his family.  (Last time I checked, the full version was available on YouTube.) 

I could relate to his mother's frustrated response when her own mother tried to encourage her with Scripture.  When I was feeling so abandoned and hurt, quoting Scripture and telling me how I "should" feel discouraged me.  However, I was blessed when my friends listened to my frustration and pain with quiet compassion and then privately prayed for me as I worked out my own salvation.  

There are times when our prayers seem to go unnoticed and unanswered, don't they?  The movie's message was that God is listening and all things work together for the good.  Perhaps, as one friend mentioned, this time in a self-imposed desert has given me more compassion and empathy for those who are struggling with their faith. It certainly has lead to this topic over the last few months!  

Many of us have been praying for years, or perhaps you, like myself, decades about a situation with no end in sight.  The song at the end of the movie made me think.  I hope it and the verses following encourage you.  

Multiple times we flee from His presence, but honestly, He is everywhere.  Where can we flee?  

He is with us in the mountain tops and the valleys.  As we navigate our anger, fear, frustration, or wavering faith, He is with us ministering, guiding, holding us fast - even against our struggles, He is there.  

Remember, my precious reader, I am preaching to myself as well.  You are being prayed for and regardless of our feelings, we are not alone.  Feelings are not facts.  Hugs to you!

FIBER FUN  

Crochet:  

I forgot to take the final picture, but here is part of the last batch of hangers.  The final batch was about 12 hangers and they looked so pretty with the fabric bows.  Here's a mini tutorial with the finished look.  

If I use binding clips, it is much easier to stitch the crocheted strip onto the hangers. After a bit of experimentation, I found I only needed to use one binding clip.

Hand Embroidery:

I am so excited! I finally took the leap on my first sewing subscription box: a hexagon quilt as you go hosted by Intrepid Threads Fields of Fancy! Here’s the start of the first hexie.

Quilting:  

I've decided to break down my "To Dos" into three categories:

1.  More finishes  

- Getting two quilts bound - one of which is my secret sewing project and the other is the Montage quilt

 

 2.  Focusing on one project until completion 

- Catching up with the Fields of Fancy which won't be finished for a year, but I'd  like to catch up

 

 3.  Preparing the next project as a complete kit.✔

- The Atlas Zipper Case by Center Street Quilts (My daughter has made 4 of these!)

Please click on the link for a picture of the pattern.

It's worth your time!  😉

 4.  Keeping soft deadlines as much as possible to make creating fun, instead of stressful.  Yup, I'm Type A for sure!   

Well, I guess that's my "Tuesday To Do" list for the coming few days? weeks?    

Perhaps you remember the Pieces of the Santa Fe Trail Baby Quilt? Melva from Melva Loves Scraps created it as a 12 block quilt.  I ended up giving it to someone who is traveling soon to meet her new granddaughter.  Time was of the essence, so I gave her this baby quilt.    

I will be giving this one to our helpful nurse - which I had to search for in my quilt storage.  🙄 Funny thing is, back in December when I had told the nurse about this Nursery Rhyme quilt and she was so excited!  Can you believe I made in back in 2021?  All things work together...

LITERARY LIFE -   

CURRENT READS

I blurred the title of Pilar Quintana's book to keep my blog family friendly - and for my youngest grandchildren.  HOWEVER, the title does not take away from this book in the least.  In fact, this is such an important book that, though having just begun it, I've already found many wise words that will be added to my reading journal.  

Finished

***** The Story Collector by Evie Woods was a fabulous read as it included Irish history and a bit of a love story.  Heather O'Sullivan did an excellent job of narration!  Highly recommend.  Here's a brief summary from Goodreads:

In a quiet village in Ireland, a mysterious local myth is about to change everything…
One hundred years ago, Anna, a young farm girl, volunteers to help an intriguing American visitor translate fairy stories from Irish to English. But all is not as it seems and Anna soon finds herself at the heart of a mystery that threatens her very way of life.
In New York in the present day, Sarah Harper boards a plane bound for the West Coast of Ireland. But once there, she finds she has unearthed dark secrets – secrets that tread the line between the everyday and the otherworldly, the seen and the unseen.
With a taste for the magical in everyday life, Evie Woods's latest novel is full of ordinary characters with extraordinary tales to tell.

Progress is being made on the rest. I finish audio books more quickly, then hardbacks, then eBooks.  Lilliana's Invincible Summer was due and unable to renew.  It should be coming in very soon!  Yea!

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:  What was growing up in your hometown like?  I liked growing up in my hometown as my neighborhood was a short walk to the strip mall which included a grocery store, the movie theater and various clothing stores as well as the beauty shop. My elementary, junior high and high school were all within walking distance.  We live three houses down from our church.

A big beautiful park was about a mile away and we would often walk there with friends. An A&W was about 3 miles away. My friend and I spent many afternoons, walking to A&W then going to the local Kmart. At the time my hometown was very safe and very clean. I loved being outside playing with my friends and later hanging out at the places I’ve mentioned.

Freshman and sophomore year I went to a private school across town. It was very safe to take public transportation, change buses, and then go to school. Many times we would walk from the school to downtown to catch a bus home.

Just received this 60 weight Bottom Line thread from Quilted Joy Quilt Fairies. Naturally it was well packaged, but I was not expecting the cute card that came with it, much less a handwritten note of encouragement from the Quilt Fairies! 🧚🏽‍♂️ Thank you Angela and the Quilt Fairies!  

My granddaughter sent me this picture of a literal book lamp. 

I thought this wine bottle shopping bag was cute!

Isn’t this a great storage solution?

Chloe and Chico say hello!  

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I'll be linking up to 

Melva's Sew and Tell at Melva Loves Scraps 

Kathryn's What Are You Reading at The Book Date

Carol's To Do Tuesday posts at Quilt Schmilt

LeeAnna's I Like on Thursdays at Not Afraid of Color

Alicia's Rainbow Scrap Challenge at So Scrappy

Deb's Sunday Salon at Readerbuzz

Kathy's Slow Sunday Stitching at  Kathy's Quilts

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