Hello There,
Thank you for stopping in today! It has been a week - thank God it's a new week on Sunday! I was able to spend an afternoon with my oldest grandchildren. The following day my granddaughter came over for the afternoon. We made Jalapeño Poppers. She actually taught me now to make them! They were delicious!
During my regular Friday night call with my friend, I managed to misplace my phone while using earphones—and then the battery completely died, so I couldn't even ping it! It was still missing by Saturday morning. On a positive note, I was home, so it's here...somewhere!
As I was searching for it, I spotted a trail of blood smears on the tile floor. Feeling like a detective, I followed the tracks to my precious Chloe. Thankfully, her paw had already stopped bleeding, and I mopped up the floor while keeping her cozy in her kennel. I can't quite see what caused the tiny injury, but I’m so grateful she already has groomer and vet appointments scheduled for this week!
This weekend I'm hoping to find my phone and simply enjoy my favorite hobbies: reading and fiber arts! I hope you are enjoying a calm, peaceful day!
Take good care and, as Daddy used to say,
"Make memories; it's later than you think."
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.
Psalm 15
A psalm of David.
1Lord, who may dwell in your sacred tent?
Who may live on your holy mountain?
2The one whose walk is blameless,
who does what is righteous,
who speaks the truth from their heart;
3whose tongue utters no slander,
who does no wrong to a neighbor,
and casts no slur on others;
4who despises a vile person
but honors those who fear the Lord;
who keeps an oath even when it hurts,
and does not change their mind;
5who lends money to the poor without interest;
who does not accept a bribe against the innocent.
Whoever does these things
will never be shaken.
Psalm 15
Upon my first reading of Psalm 15, I thought, "Wow. This will be challenging to discuss because it's all about describing people, not God. But do you remember our study on Psalms 14:2?
Indeed this psalm is all about God judging and seeking those who understand and are seeking HIM! And it is to those people he provides a place in His tent and we may dwell on His holy mountain! Hallelujah!
So, who are those people? They are those who
- do what is righteous
- speak the truth from their heart
- do not slander - even under their breath
- does no wrong to their neighbor
- cast no slur on others, in other words (according to Webster slur means an insulting or disparaging remark or innuendo)
- despises a vile person
- honors and fears the LORD (according to Webster this fear is: profound reverence and awe especially toward God
- regardless if it is to our detriment, we keep our promises
- lend money to the poor without interest
- do not accept bribes against the innocent
His promise to us if we live the above verses, we have a place in His tent and we are invited to dwell on His mountain! In verse 5b we also find we will never be shaken!
About now we might feel overwhelmed as we realize we could never live this way all the time, but alas we are only human. Again, there is God's mercy and grace. He has provided a way for all us, believers and non-believers! Remember my favorite way to explain salvation?
Our hearts may be filled with sin, but once we confess our sin, we are forgiven. Why? Because Jesus took those sins to the cross where He died for us! Yes! You! Me! Then we ask God to enter our lives, our hearts and, not only forgive us, but to walk with us and guide us through life. He knows we will sin, but as we ask forgiveness, He is merciful to forgive us.
He never asked for perfection:
He only asks for our lives to be dedicated to Him.
There is a song that says, "Count the cost." I was thinking out loud asking myself what the cost is and my precious preschooler responded, "Mama, it's free - just give your heart to Jesus." Out of the mouths of babes.
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.
Last Week's List
1. Finish binding the Jalapeño Topper. Done! I can’t decide which side I like better. Photo will be shared when I find my phone! 
2. Focus
a. Grandchild #3's ornament Unfortunately, I'm going to have to limit my hand sewing time this week because my hands need a break. Done! I came up with my own DIY hand therapy: washing dishes by hand in hot water. I wear protective gloves, of course, but the warmth and movement works wonders to soothe my aching hands.
c. stitch the binding onto several FOF hexagons
3. Prepare/make a kit - nothing for now
4. Be kind = Soft Deadlines - which are good for my mental health!
This Week's goals
1. Finish nothing for now
2. Focus
a. Jalapeño Placemats.
b. Grandchild #3's ornament
c. appliqué FOF hexagons
3. Prepare/make a kit - nothing for now
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 creativity. After basting low volume hexies, I decided to baste more purple hexagons. These handy plastic organizers from Lowes are so handy!
Now that I have inventory, it’s time to make more rows!
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.
This Week's Review:
Uglies
Highly Recommend
"Tally is about to turn sixteen, and she can’t wait. In just a few weeks she’ll have the operation that will turn her from a repellent ugly into a stunningly attractive pretty. And as a pretty, she’ll be catapulted into a high-tech paradise where her only job is to have fun.
But Tally’s new friend Shay isn’t sure she wants to become a pretty. When Shay runs away, Tally learns about a whole new side of the pretty world—and it isn’t very pretty. The authorities offer Tally a choice: find her friend and turn her in, or never turn pretty at all. Tally’s choice will change her world forever." - Goodreads
My daughter recommended the Netflix sensation "Uglies" to us and we loved it! I was able to order all four audiobooks on Libby - and yes - the book is so much better! There are aspects that Westerfeld warns us regarding preserving our precious planet. I loved the balance he achieved in while describing the setting and characters, yet maintained a smooth flowing plot. Westerfeld leaves the reader with a sudden cliffhanger, so my recommendation is that you have book two, Pretties, on hand!
FINDING JOY
LeeAnna's I Like on Thursdays at Not Afraid of Color helps me consistently find the joy in every life. This week's prompt is: You know it's almost the end of summer when.....
Well, when I was a child, I knew it was almost the end of summer when school started. When school started this year, our temps were still in the hundreds. So, now I know it's almost the end of the summer when I can take morning/evening walks without melting into a puddle.
Being that my phone (which is my camera) is lost, I can't add pics, but I will use decriptors. This week I loved planning future machine sewing projects. I absolutely want to make two baby quilts. After that, I'll switch to holiday sewing. I have some table runners and machine embroidered mug rugs planned.
For now, I'm off to look for (again) my phone!
Your comments are so appreciated!
I read each one and will respond by email.
You can also expect a visit from me as well!
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