Hebrews 12:1-3, Fiber Fun, Literary Life, Finding Joy

Hello There,

Thank you for stopping by! I hope you’ve had a wonderful week. My son-in-law surprised us Saturday morning with a big, delicious breakfast—eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes, green chile with meat, fresh fruit salad, and coffee. Yum! We spent the morning listening to the grandbabies share about their lives, and my eldest grandson even gave a presentation on the three-castle kingdom he created in Minecraft. It was wonderful.  

Take good care and, as Daddy used to say,

"Make memories; it's later than you think."

HERE'S A WORD

Faith...broken faith...faltering faith.  Here, I will share a Scripture about these topics.  No judgement, only love.  

In studying broken or faltering faith, I often turn to devotionals and blog posts. I came across this one at Before the Cross. The author made many thought-provoking points, but these verses spoke most deeply to my heart:

¹ Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses,

 let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. 

And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,

 ² fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. 

For the joy set before Him he endured the cross, scorning its shame,

 and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 

³ Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinners, 

so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Hebrews 12:1-3

There is so much to unpack in these beautiful verses!  The phrase, "the pioneer and perfecter of faith" stood out to me.  During my desert experience I kept wanting to "find my faith", but, on my own, it was impossible.  

How could I run with perseverance on my own strength?  

How I wish I had more quickly turned to Jesus - the pioneer and perfecter of faith.

Whether we are currently living a mountain top or desert experience, I pray God will remind us to turn to Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.

Oh, LORD, help our unbelief and continue working in us as You renew and perfect our faith.  

I pray for you to be restored, healed and know this:  

You are loved.  You are not alone.  You are being lovingly prayed for.

FIBER FUN

I broke down my "To Dos" into three categories:  Finish, Focus, Prep/make a kit, and Be Kind = Soft Deadlines.  

 - FOF:  Fields of Fancy BOM (USING Liberty of London Lawn fabrics) 

 - FFB:  Flower Box Friends BOM (hosted by Marsha at Be Sew Creative) 

Last Week's List

1.  Finish

- frame the two cross stitch projects from last week.  Almost done!  We dropped them off (along with a third) for framing.  They should be ready in two weeks.

- Bind and make the enclosure for the Jet Set Sewing Station DONE!  I was nervous, but the project turned out beautifully. Despite 58 pieces to cut, the process streamlined once I grouped, ironed, and quilted them. Would I make it again? Absolutely! I’m looking forward to using it while working on my ¾" hexie project at sewing group.

2.  Focus

- FOF BOM Appliqué one prepped hexie and bind another Acufactum hexie  Done!  I finished last week's and this week's appliqued hexagons, as well as binding another one.  I also experimented with hand quilting and am pleased with the results.  

- Granddaughter’s Christmas ornament — About halfway finished and loving the Colcha stitch as a fill.  Here is a video about Colcha Embroidery.  

3.   Prepare/make a kit

Sandy’s Quilt — Pressed and cut fabrics. My granddaughter added two charm packs by seam ripping previously sewn blocks! I found even more four-patches to rip, so this goal continues.

- trace templates, cut out fabrics for the Bleeding Heart block DONE!  

I also made two prayer shawls: one for a friend grieving her father and brother (they passed within 6 months of each other), and another for her sweet mama.

 

I'm currently crocheting the shawl below for a lady who is bravely fighting breast cancer, but, sadly, she has run out of options.    

4. Be kind = Soft Deadlines - so good for my mental health!

This Week's List

1.  Finish

- adult bibs and make a pillow case for Mama

2.  Focus

- FoF BOM Applique one prepped hexie + bind another Acufactum hexie

- FFB BOM start stitching block one:  Bleeding Heart    

- my granddaughter's Christmas ornament I'm sharing progress on my private Instagram account.  

3.   Prepare/make a kit

- Sandy's Quilt - finish seam ripping and pressing the found blocks  

4. Be kind = Soft Deadlines - which are good for my mental health!

LITERARY LIFE   

I'm applying "Finish, Focus and Prep" methodology from my Fiber Arts to my literary life with a bit of a twist.  These categories will be:   "Finish and Next" plus book reviews of finished books.  I want to finally read my "Backburner Reads" - books I enjoyed but set aside.  

Finish

Next:  Hunchback (a Goodreads Giveaway I forgot read/review)  

 

Finished

**** The Lobotomist's Wife was a fabulous read.  Once I devoted the time it deserves, it kept me engaged, often reading late into the night.  The protaganist in this historical fiction novel, Ruth Emeraldine, has great compassion for those with emotional and mental challenges.  Enter Dr. Robert Apter, a doctor who believes lobotomies are the end-all, cure-all to these challenges.  Ruth supports him 100% - until she can no longer do so with good conscience.  

The ending left me in awe as she courageously took the necessary stept to protect these vulnerable members of our society.  Highly recommend.  

**** The first book I enjoyed by Kristina McMorris was Sold on a Monday. It's story has stayed with me, haunted me.  The Girls of Good Fortune covers a multitude of topics:  racism, the mystery (at least to me) of being shanghaied, the complete lack of power women had in the late 1800's, and finding our strength by recognizing where we come from as well as the invaluable, intangible treasures our ancestsors left us.  Let us find strength and courage as we honor those who have come before us.  Highly recommend.

SLOW READS

are usually daily devotionals that may take months or even a year to finish. We're almost finished with Ann Spanglers' The Names of God. For my personal devotional, I will be reading The Original and Complete Allegory with a Devotional for Women. Perhaps you'll join me?

MAILBOX MONDAY - is a gathering place for readers to share new reads from the previous week.  I haven't picked up any books this week, but I did find some freebies from ereaderiq.com!  

  

FINDING JOY

LeeAnna's I Like on Thursdays at Not Afraid of Color helps me consistently find the joy in everyday life.  She also provides a fun weekly prompt for us to use.  This week's prompt is: 

- Did you get school clothes and shoes for the start of school? I did and was always so excited to wear them!  
- Did you look through the enormous Sears catalogue at all the possibilities and dream? Not really.  We did have an enormous Sears store where we would shop.
- Remember going to the store with probably a mom, and trying on clothes? Yes, it was my birth mother, until high school.
- A shoe store for your "school shoes".  We usually went to Kenny's or Payless.  Like many of you, I wore the oxfords and saddle shoes.  I do remember a brown pair of leather shoes with a cute flower painted on them.  Those were my favorite!  

Found these on Facebook:

Enjoyed this post?

Here are the parties I sometimes link up with:  

Sundays

Oh Scrap!  @ Quilting is More Fun Than Housework

Slow Sunday Stitching @ Kathy's Quilts

Sunday Salon at Readerbuzz

Mondays

Mailbox Monday  @ I'd Rather Be At the Beach

Sew and Tell at Melva Loves Scraps

What Are You Reading at The Book Date

Tuesdays

To Do Tuesday posts at Quilt Schmilt

Thursdays

I Like on Thursdays at Not Afraid of Color

Fridays

Off the Wall Fridays at Creations Art...Quilts...Whatever