Psalm 14:6 Who are "the poor"?, Fiber Fun, Literary Living - What are you reading this summer?

Hello There!

Thank you for visiting!   I enjoyed a sweet and unexpected visit with a friend, sewing and reading!   My granddaughter and daughter taught me a new-to-me recipe. It's so easy:  mix one bag of cooked pasta, sliced kielbasa sausage, your vegetable of choice and a sauce.  

I used a bag of Barilla protein pasta, one sausage (I will us two next time), a bag of frozen broccoli and a jar of Alfredo sauce.  My daughter said it I also could use olive oil with my favorite herbs.  This was such a hit, that it's joined my rotation of meals.  

How was your week?   I hope you made a few memories with your family and friends!   

In this post I’m continuing our walk through tihe Psalms, sharing my experiences with fiber, a book review as well as a couple of free ebooks I picked up at ereaderIQ.com and joyous treasures.   Looking forward to reading your comments!   

Take good care and, as Daddy used to say, 

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

Peter Burton's debut song

Where Would I Be?

HERE'S A WORD

As I prepped for this study, I simply highlight all the words that describe what God does for us in my Bible and make a list of them in my journal.  I'll follow the same format here. 

The Fool Says There Is No God

(Psalm 53:1–6; Isaiah 59:1–17; Romans 3:9–20)

For the choirmaster. Of David.

1 The foola says in his heart,

“There is no God.”

They are corrupt; their acts are vile.

There is no one who does good.

2The LORD looks down from heaven

upon the sons of men

to see if any understand,

if any seek God.

3All have turned away,

they have together become corrupt;b

there is no one who does good,

not even one.c

4Will the workers of iniquity never learn?

They devour my people like bread;

they refuse to call upon the LORD.

5There they are, overwhelmed with dread,

for God is in the company of the righteous.

6You sinners frustrate the plans of the oppressed,

yet the LORD is their shelter.

7Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come from Zion!

When the LORD restores His captive people,

let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad!

Psalm 14

• The LORD looks down from Heaven on all mankind
• The LORD seeks any who understand 
• The LORD seeks any who seek Him
• The LORD is present in the company of the righteous
• The LORD is a refuge for the poor
• The LORD restores His people

Life I've said before, whenever I read the word "but" I pay attention.  The evildoers, the ones described in verses 3-5, may frustrate the poor for a season.  Who are the poor?  Friend, the poor are the vulnerable, the marginalized, the oppressed, widows, orphans, foreigners, among others.  God sees them, He is their refuge.  Is an evildoer affecting your life?  If you answer yes, be patient.  God is your refuge.  I know.  I've been there.

I once asked God where He was during an extremely traumatic event in my own life.  He graciously brought me back to the setting of the event and said, "Look.  I was standing right there by your right shoulder."  Even if He chose not to stop the event, since then He has showing me I was in His hands surrounded by His love.  Oh, and that painful event?  I changed in my perspective. At the time, it caused trauma, but today it has given me more empathy, more love, more compassion, more of Him.  Thank you, Jesus!  

Ah yes, those evildoers bringing frustration to the poor.  But let us not get too judgmental.  At times, we as believers, are not perfect.  We can bring frustration to the poor, to our loved ones, to anyone.  I know I am guilty of this action.   Thank God the LORD is their refuge and after the Holy Spirit shows us the error of our ways, we can repent and ask forgiveness from both God and the person we hurt. Thank God for His mercy and grace!

Let us humbly accept forgiveness.  Whenever we recall our sin, let us remember and hopefully have peace knowing that God was with those we hurt, He was their refuge as well.  

Please 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 represents the Fields of Fancy BOM, which I'm doing with Liberty of London Tana Lawn fabrics.  

1.  Finish - 2 FOF hexies Not even touched!

2.  Focus

- quilt the table topper!  Done!  I don’t even know why I put it off for so long. It took less than 15 minutes to sew a simple serpentine stitch.  The pattern is Spiderweb Table topper and the tutorial can be found here,

- Grandchild #3's ornament I've made satisfactory progess.  Can you see the baby dinosaur hanging from its parent's tail?  

-  binding the black quilt. Done!   I passed the first corner!  In the Finding Joy section you’ll find one of my favorite tools for hand sewing.  

3.   Prepare/make a kit - review the scraps from the Jalapeño Topper to prep the matching placemats. Done!  There should be enough yardage to sew at least four placemats.   

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

This Week's goals

1.  Finish - 2 FOF hexies 

2.  Focus

- Grandchild #3's ornament

- continue binding the quilt (I'm setting aside the Jalapeno Table Topper until I finish binding my quilt.)

3.   Prepare/make a kit -  cut out the fabric for the jalapeno table topper and begin stitching

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

15 MINUTES TO STICH

I’m joining the Kate's 15 Minutes to Stitch' challenge at Life in Pieces  helps us to develop the habit of daily sewing.   I'm enjoying stitching at least 15 minutes a day on this little project.  I'm enjoying working on this 3/4" project.  This week was a fabulous 7/7!   Yay!   For August I stitch 12/14 days or 86%!   Not bad! 

LITERARY LIFE   

MAILBOX MONDAY - is a gathering place for readers to share books that they added to their shelves or eBook readers the previous week.  Some of these books were recommended by you!  Do you see your reads below?  Thank all of you for sharing!

Here's what I've picked up this week.

ereaderiq.com. 

Book Reviews 

We have many ways to experience a book.  My absolute favorite format is audio, while eBooks are usually my least favorite, often taking me weeks to finish. So, what does that have to do with The Train to Santa Fe by Ginger Pinholster? I read the eBook version and finished it in just two days!  

The heart of the story centers on Rose, an elderly woman living in a nursing home, and Jonah, one of her compassionate caregivers. Rose asks Jonah to help her uncover the roots of her Native American heritage. Meanwhile, Jonah is involved in a stressful custody battle, and enter Jemi, a resilient military veteran dealing with her own medical condition that is a direct result of war.

Ms. Pinholster does a fabulous job weaving these storylines together. Beyond creating memorable characters and an engaging plot, she wrote about historical and ongoing social issues, including the harsh abuses Native Americans faced during the 1800s and continue to face today.

The Train to Santa Fe is a smooth, captivating read that deeply touched me while offering valuable historical insight. I highly recommend it—a definite five-star book! I am already looking forward to reading Ms. Pinholster’s previous award-winning novels, City in a Forest and Snakes of St. Augustine.  5/5 Highly recommend.

***** Having recently experienced a series of losses, I found deep comfort in reading Where the Wilted Flowers Bloom by Johanna Rojas Vann. Her portrait of grief touched me deeply and offered wisdom and hope for anyone learning to bloom again.

The story centers on family, friendship, and healing. Sandra and her husband, Mark, are deeply mourning the loss of their child. Their neighbor, Mark—a widower and retired pastor—opens his late wife’s flower garden to Sandra and her two young children. As  Mark gently shares his faith and wisdom, a sweet friendship forms that helps Sandra begin working through her sorrow.

Rojas Vann attained the prefect blend of lighthearted moments with the children and deeply profound insights on faith, this book works beautifully as a solo read, for book clubs, or in grief support groups. Though I rarely reread books, I know I will return to this one often.

I extend my deepest gratitude to Ms. Johanna Rojas Vann, Penguin Random House Christian Publishing, and NetGalley for the gift of this phenomenal book for an honest review.

5/5 Highly recommend.

FINDING JOY

LeeAnna's I Like on Thursdays at Not Afraid of Color helps me consistently find the joy in every life.  Here is this week's prompt is about summer reading and if we prefer books or magazines.  I usually read book but I also have two magazine subscriptions.  Here is my current readint pile of Latinx and Social Justice book club.    

I subscribe to Oh Reader and and Quiltfolk.  

This is a i“Quilt Dome” by Clover.   It's my favorite hand sewing tool, especially when I’m stitching binding. I simply load 10 needles and then I’m ready to get a into a pleasant rhythm of stitching. I’ve used this one for years. Are any of you familiar with it?

My son recently took this video of our backyard during a rainstorm.

Kitty enjoying time near our pond!

Your comments are so appreciated! 

I read each one and will respond by email.

You can also expect a visit from me as well!

 🎶Here is a list of many of the songs🎶

I've shared on this blog.

Here are the parties I sometimes link up with:  

Sundays

Slow Sunday Stitching @ Kathy's Quilts

Sunday Salon at Readerbuzz

Stitching Stuff at Kate's Life in Pieces

Mondays

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