Sewing with Love! I Like............ Cars!

Sewing with Love
My March/April blocks for Covered in Love blocks are complete!  They are called Hunter's Star and Kat asked us to use blue - which worked great as a stash buster for me.  Here they are!

They weren't difficult, but I definitely had to pay attention to detail!  Once I had the afternoon to myself to concentrate, they went up quickly!  

I Like Cars!
Ok, so my husband is a car buff and after 37 years of marriage, I still love going to car shows with him!  
Here are some beauties from the last show we went attended!  I bet some of you will call your husbands over to the computer to check these beauties out!  My husband gave me the year and models of the cars.  Thanks, Honey!

This 1968 Chevelle Station Wagon reminded me 

of our old 

Rambler station wagon 

when I was just a girl.

Remember the rear facing back seat that sat in the way back?  

 This Thunderbird belongs to my friend's husband.

She's a beauty!

 I loved the smooth lines, 

sun visor and fender skirts 

on this Mercury!

 Look familiar?  

Do you see Doc Hudson's 

(from the movie, Cars) 

eyes?

This 1960 Impala took my breath away!

This 1957 Chevy is 

so cool looking!  

I like the tough stance!

 Of course this Ford Truck is one of my favs - 

I love yellow, food and 

look at the mechanic 

crying on the bumper!  

 This 1973 Pontiac GTO 

is crying out to me 

to race her!  

As a teen,

I loved to race 

on the freeways!  

 I always wanted a 

Mustang from this era!  

Isn't she a beauty?

I hope you enjoyed this walk through our car show....there just may be more pics next week!  :)

Linking up to

Needle and Thread Thursday @ My Quilt Infatuation

I Like @ Not Afraid of Color

Thoughtful Tuesday. To Do Tuesday.

Thoughtful Tuesday
As some of you may have noticed, I link up to several inspirational link-ups from which I discover deeply encouraging posts.  Soon I had a collection of these posts and Thoughtful Tuesday was born.  

I was surprised to see this next post in line for today - the timing is perfect.  


It's Inspired by the Abandoned Nest by June of Inspired by June.  June addresses the age old question:  Why don't we do what is good for us?  Why do we do what we know is bad for us?  It reminds me of this:

June's post inspired me to try and choose the good and healthy habit over the opposite.  Truth be told, I'm not always successful, but progress not perfection is the goal.  

June ends her post with an amazing exhortation:  Be gentle with ourselves as we begin to make better choices.  

Progress not perfection.

To Do Tuesday

1) Do a fabric pull for the new Y-seams Tumbling  Blocks prototype with my new Accuquilt Die.  Fingers crossed! Not Yet!

2)  Finish joining Row 3 of my afghan - the Maria's Blue Crayon Spring Granny Afghan Crochet. Not Yet!

3) Finish a pillow I started last year.  Not Yet!

4) Complete 13 Comfort Dolls.  I've made some progress on them!  Done!

There were actually more dolls, but I was blessed to be able to some to the ladies in my Cancer Care Group.  I think I even saw a man take one as well!  

No discrimination here - I'll be making some male dolls as well.  One question though - what would he wear?  How would I make easy pants for this dolls?  What would you do?  
What was truly a blessing was that my son-in-law (who hands hands the size of Texas) and three of my grandchildren helped stuff and make the dolls!

5) Contact the organizations to give out the drainage bags.  Not Yet!

This Week's List

1) Finish the Covered in Love squares.  

2) Finish a pillow I started last year.  

3) Contact the organizations to give out the drainage bags.  

4) Make progress on my afghan - the Maria's Blue Crayon Spring Granny Afghan Crochet. 

5) Do a fabric pull for the new Y-seams Tumbling  Blocks prototype with my new Accuquilt Die.  

 Onward and upward!

I hope you check out 

these fun link ups!  

To Do Tuesday @ Stitch All Things

Linky Tuesday @ Freemotion by the River

Here'a a new to me link-up:

Women Helping Women@ Teaching What is Good

Still Stitching #5. Stitching With Love. Book Date.

Still Stitching #5

Still Stitching #4 Still Stitching #6

Hello There,

So, what does our last point look like?  Remember, it was

 

For me, it evolved.  I had to realize how true Step 1 is:

We admitted we were powerless over alcohol—that our lives had become unmanageable.

In the rooms of Al-Anon, I learned that I could replace the word “alcohol” with anything – the actions of others, a horrible diagnosis, my boss, my peers – anything.  I only have control over my responses.  So, I turned to the One who has control.  In the beginning of each crisis (and they can be continuous), I allow myself to feel my emotions:  fear, anger, hurt, betrayal, disappointment, despair. 

Then I cry – a lot.

Then I pray – even more.

Eventually I praise – even through my tears – I praise God. 

That is so empowering:  letting the defeated one know he is defeated.

I also highly recommend reading the Bible.  Perhaps the Psalms are for you?  Maybe Philippians? Inspirational books help as well.  The ones that recently changed my life were Why the Sky is Blue by Susan Meissner and Hidden Places by Lynn Austin.  You will see how powerfully God can work in your life.

Music helps so much!

Songs like Grace Wins by Matthew West,

Dare to Believe by Ray Boltz,

Fight Song by Rachel Patten, and

Stronger by Mandisa.

As you listen to the lyrics,

think of yourself,

not your loved one. 

I learned to focus on me and becoming stronger.

My dear reader, music

encourages,

strengthens,

speaks,

heals,

and is always there. 

You know what else is there?

Well, it’s Who is always there?

God.

Yup.

He is there, waiting for me,

waiting for you.

Give Him

your tears, joy will come in the morning,

your anger, He can take it – and give you peace.

You’ve tried everything else, why not give Him a shot?

Until next time.

Stitching With Love
Kat from Kat and Cat Quilts has a new block drive:  the Hunter's Star.   One of the reasons I so enjoy participating in her block drives are the opportunity to learn about new blocks!  Here are my first two blocks!

This one is correct.

 After a meeting 

with the seam ripper, 

this one will be correct as well!

Aren't the 30's fabrics so wonderfully pretty?

Book Date

https://www.amazon.com/
NIV-Story-Audio-CD-Continuing/
dp/0310421772

We are moving onto 2nd Samuel in The Story and I'm still keeping up!  Yea!  I like the mini sermons that are published after the Sunday sermon. Coupled with our Life Group, they give me a whole new perspective!    

https://www.goodreads.com/book/
show/835448.Why_the_Sky_Is_Blue

I finished Why the Sky is Blue by Susan Meissner.  This book is a keeper for me.  I added many notes to my "Lessons Learned From Books" journal.  I highly encourage you to check it out.  

http://anntatlock.com/books/
place-called-morning/

I also finished listening to A Placed Called Morning by Ann Tatlock.  Oh my gosh!  Such a good book and to think it's Ms. Tatlock's debut novel!  I'm looking forward to listening to/reading more of her books!

https://www.goodreads.com/
book/show/
17851885-i-am-malala

I also started reading I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai and Christina Lamb.  Another excellent read!

Check out these fun link ups!

Monday Making @ Love, Laugh, Quilt

Show and Tell Mondays with Bambi

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? @ Book Date

Moving It Forward Monday @ Em’s Scrapbag

Main Crush Mondays @Cooking Up Quilts

You make my day with your comments!  

I love reading and responding to them!

Still Stitching #2. Stitching with Love. Book Date.

Still Stitching #2

Still Stitching #1 Still Stitching #3

Perhaps you’ve been heartbroken over the decisions of a loved one?

Perhaps your pain is so great you only have strength to move from your bed to the sofa and back again? 

I’ve learned that depression is not all bad, in fact it can be productive.  A friend who has lived with depression told me that she uses that time to ask God what she is to learn during this darkness.  He has been faithful to respond.

So, as I lay in God’s green pastures and quiet waters, I made friends with depression and asked my LORD and Savior to teach me.  And He did.  He brought a person into my Al-Anon group who listened to my story with understanding and compassion.  When it was his turn to share, he shared five life-changing points that he learned from a 80+ year-old lady.  They flamed my flickering hope into flames of victorious faith.  So, I’ll share them with you. 

Point 1:

Pray for the courage and strength

to walk away and

for peace in the midst of it.

As you can imagine, this was grueling – to pray for and to do.  But, God moved and showed me clearly that this was what I had to do. 

Joshua 1:9 kept popping up in my readings and in sermons at church.  Notice the similarity of the wording.

This was no coincidence.  God moved even more, to confirm that this step had to be taken - for my own good and for the good of my dear loved one.

To be continued.

Stitching with Love

CIL Squares 
The current CIL Block Drive will be using blue colors.  I've pulled this fabric and will be making them soon!  

Comfort Dolls

Comfort Dolls are given to the brave women in domestic violence shelters.  The originator, Pat Winters, gave me permission to make them for cancer patients.  They will now have a little softie to comfort them as they go through various tests, treatments, effects of chemotherapy and the year after treatment.  Very little fabric is needed for these dolls.  It could even be considered a scrap project.  They are quite simple - as  you can see by the pattern I drew out on Pattern Ease.

Here's the fabrics I've chosen!

I'm off to sew now!
Book Date

https://www.amazon.com/
NIV-Story-Audio-CD-Continuing/
dp/0310421772

The Story continues to bless me.  I'm seeing God's word in a whole new light as I read through this book.  Just in case you're interested, my church, Heart for the World,  provides some awesome study outlines that enrich my reading experience.  

https://www.amazon.com/
Quilters-Homecoming-
Creek-Quilts-Book/
dp/0743260236

https://www.amazon.com/
Circle-Quilters-Elm-Creek-Quilts/
dp/B000WPOM8E

I not only finished The Quilter's Homecoming by Jennifer Chiaverini, but also A Circle of Quilters!  Both were audio books, so I feel like I'm cheating, but during the university semester, audiobooks are the way for me!  

https://www.goodreads.com/book/
show/835448.Why_the_Sky_Is_Blue

Why the Sky is Blue by Susan Meissner is a deep book filled with real emotions and struggles.  I am so eager to see how the protagonist finds her way through her challenging circumstances.  I am also reading eagerly to see how the LORD works in her life.  



Check out these fun link ups!

Monday Making 

@ Love, Laugh, Quilt

Show and Tell Mondays 

with Bambi

It’s Monday! 

What Are You Reading?

@ Book Date

Moving It Forward Monday

@ Em’s Scrapbag

Main Crush Mondays

@Cooking Up Quilts

You make my day with your comments!  

I love reading and responding to them!

Philipppians 4:21. To Do Tuesday on a Friday!

Philippians 4:21
Scripture

Observation
To greet all of God's people...so loving to let them know Paul is thinking of them.  Also, can you imagine the brothers and sisters who are with Paul, perhaps even listening as he may have dictated his letter?

I wonder if many of these had family who heard the greetings?  Greetings filled with love sent via the pages of a letter.  Beautiful.

Application
In this age of technology, we seem to be losing the art of letter writing.  Perhaps I need to pick it up again....

Also, I've noticed that whenever I'm on the phone with loved ones, especially my parents, we end our conversations sending greetings to everyone in our two homes - as well as saying, "I love you."  In fact, during my daily calls to Dad, "I love you," are the last words we say to each other.  Greetings filled with love.

Prayer
Father God, thank you for the word "greetings"!  I love envisioning Paul sending his greetings as well of those of the brothers and sisters who are with him.  I'm so grateful that I can still share greetings of love with my parents.  Thank you, Abba, for that gift.  Amen.

To Do Tuesday
Last Week's List 

1) Even though I'm working more this week, I think I'll be able to finish the second Tumbling Blocks prototype. This one is going much better!  Done!

2) Finish crocheting five blue and yellow flowers of the Maria's Blue Crayon Spring Granny Afghan Crochet ! I wonder if adding starting to join them is too much for my hands?  We'll see......  Done!

3) Use up the rest of the strings for the CIL blocks. Done!

4) Make progress on Prayer Shawl #7. This week our Cancer Care Group meets, so I'll be able to work on this one.  I usually reserve this project for this meeting night.  Done!

5) Pray my prayer and memorize Genesis 50:20a  A friend at church recommended using Post-It notes all around the house to memorize Scripture.  I'm going to try that.  LORD knows I have enough of them! Done!

This Week's List
Being that my last To Do Tuesday was 2 1/2 weeks ago - of course it got finished - thankfully!
Here's my new list which will be short because Tuesday is just around the corner!

1) Do a fabric pull for the new Y-seams Tumbling Blocks prototype with my new Accuquilt Die. 

2)  Finish joining Row 2 of the Maria's Blue Crayon Spring Granny Afghan Crochet.


3) Do a fabric pull for the new CIL block drive.  

4) Finish the Felt Nativity Calendar.

  I only need 3 more ornaments!

 I hope you check out these fun link ups!  

To Do Tuesday 

@ Stitch All Things

Can I Get a Whoop! Whoop!

@Confessions of a 

Fabric Addict 

Finished or Not Friday 

@ Busy Hands Quilts

Finish It Up Friday 

@ Crazy Mom Quilts

Crystal Twaddell’s

Fresh Market Friday