Psalm 14:5 God Help the Fools, Fiber Fun, Literary Living, Finding Joy

Hello There,

This has been a beautiful week - despite the challenges facing my loved ones.  We got two days with my grandbabies - ages ten years to sixteen years.  My granddaughter and I shopped, laughed, giggled, sang to songs on KLove  and even purchased these micro containers of Vaseline for her friends as they return to school!  They will certainly help deal with chapped lips.  

We enjoyed Taco Salad, Pizza, fudge, banana splits and even played two games of Life!  Do you remember playing Life?

Take good care and, as Daddy used to say, 

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

I Can Only Imagine

Mercy Me

The story behind the song

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

In the face of evildoers, God sees them as well: but there they are, overwhelmed with dread. These people have chosen the path of hopelessnes. Thank God we have the hope of Jesus Christ, not only for our salvation but for the trials we face in a fallen world. We are never alone—God seeks us out! (vs. 2). He finds us.

I love the second part of verse 5: "For God is present in the company of the righteous." After a particularly vicious attack, I found myself lost in the Word seeking guidance. The LORD gave me a chapter to repeatedly re-read. I was in a situation where I had almost an hour to re-read this chapter countless times. He showed me that I was to rest in the knowledge that I was correct in my response, and to "be still and know He is God." (Psalm 46:10). He was in my company and would take care of the entire situation. And He did.

I find it difficult to believe God is simply present. When God is present, we are protected, shielded, and find peace. Sometimes, God gives us a "tune-up"—a phrase my daddy used to say as he corrected me. Even in the face of God's correction, we are still protected, shielded, and find peace in His loving presence.

What battle are you facing today? Turn to God. As the famous quote states: "Don't tell God about your problem; tell your problem about God!" Let us literally say,

"Problem, do you know who my God is? 
Yes, I may be uncomfortable right now,

 but I am in my Father's presence! 

In fact, my name is inscribed on His palms!  

So, try as you may, my God is an awesome God and He's watching you. 

I'm going to live my life and let my Daddy, the King of Kings, deal with you."

Amen!

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.  FBF represents the Flower Box Friends BOM

Last Week's List

1.  Finish - nothing is planned to be finished

2.  Focus

- make more binding and attach it to my quilt Done!

- Grandchild #3's ornament Done! Can you tell that it’s a dragon’s foot and leg?

- quilt the Jalapeño topper not done

3.   Prepare/make a kit - At this point nothing needs to be prepped

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

This Week's goals

1.  Finish - 2 FOF hexies 

2.  Focus

- quilt the table topper!  

- Grandchild #3's ornament 

-  binding the black quilt

3.   Prepare/make a kit - review the scraps from the Jalapeño Topper to prep the matching placemats

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.  This week I’ve been working on my three-quarter inch scrappy hexagon project for Kate’s 15 minutes a day. Somewhere I had read a blogger made a hand-stitched hexagon quilt in only one year.  I wonder if I can finish this project by July 2027?

This week I stitch these rows together.  I worked on it 5/7 days this week.  

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 

Review for the Week:  

***** The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa is such a sweet tale told from the perspective of Nana, a former stray cat. Satoru, the human who used to feed Nana, ends up adopting him due to unexpected circumstances. Life is smooth—until it's not. The pair take a journey in Satoru's van to visit friends from various stages of his life, hoping one of them can adopt Nana.

Arikawa describes this journey beautifully, leaving the reader a trail of breadcrumbs to understand past and future events. Nana is so delightfully snarky, yet fiercely loyal and true in his love for Satoru.

On a side note, over the last year or so, I've noticed that so many of the books I pick up surprise me by dealing with grief. Even the movies we randomly watch seem to follow this theme. If your heart is heavy, pick up a copy or the audiobook of The Travelling Cat Chronicles. Perhaps it will bring a bit of comfort to your heart, as it has mine. 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's this week topic:  favorite vacation - and what made it memorable.  Perhaps this is a bit of a cheat, but at one point in my husband's military career, we were stationed on the island of Okinawa, Japan.  It was like a four-and-a-half-year honeymoon. Our good friends were from there, so we were blessed to find a good church, off the beaten track places to explore and great schools for the kids.  

I saw this Reading Journal idea somewhere online.

The creator did a phenomenal job of 

making the books appear to be on the shelves  

Have you heard the song at the beginning of this post, "I Can Only Imagine"?  I loved this song before Daddy passed away and now, it brings me hope and comfort today - on the year anniversary his passing.  

I'd seen the movie, I Can Only Imagine, before but this week we watched I Can Only Imagine 2.  I highly recommend you watch these treasures on your streaming platform.  You will immensely blessed.  

These yo-yos are a special collection. 

My sewing group gave them to me 

while I was going through chemotherapy.  

I'm ready to make something with them, but what?

I'd love to hear your ideas! 

Upon my viewing of I Can Only Imagine 2, they showed this simple gratitude/grief graph.  I have decided to print it out and make it a part of my journey.  On the exact day of Daddy's passing, I will keep this basic yet powerful journal to remind me of what was said in the movie:

"He's in the storm; He's in the fire with you."

He's with you and I.

Be it through tears or dancing around worshipping God, 

I know in time,

God will help us not only sing these lyrics,

but also make them true in our souls.

The story behind

It Is Well With My Soul

Horatio Spafford

after multiple deep tragedies

Your comments are so appreciated! 

 🎶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

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

Psalm 12:1, Fiber Fun, Literary Living, Finding Joy

Hello There,

    I hope you're having a blessed day with joy, peace and love!  My week has been filled with writing, studying, playing with fiber arts, reading and a bit of time with friends.  I did have a different kind of day on Tuesday.

    Our school district honors bilingual students by offering them the opprotunity to graduate with a Bilingual Seal added to their diploma. 

Psalm 11: Faith Over Fear, Fiber Fun, Literary Living, and Finding Joy

Hello There,

    I hope you've had a fabulous week!  Happy Mothers' Day to all who are a mom in once capacity or another.  For some, this day is bittersweet.  To you, whoever you are, hugs of comefort and understanding.  

    Our weather has been strange, to say the least.  Last month we were in the 90's and Thursday it was so crisp we needed jackets and blankets to watch our grandson's baseball game!  Our dry desert welcomed almost 24 hours of intermittent rain that Thursday and Friday.  

    My sewing room is coming along nicely. 

Psalm 10, Fiber Fun - or not? Literary Life, Finding Joy

Hello There!

I hope you had an amazing week!  We're going to several of my grandson's baseball games each week.  This weekend will be filled with his basketball games.  I love having this time with my family while the weather is still cool enough to attend.  Heat is my kryptonite, so soon I'll just be hearing about his baseball games rather than attending.  

I finally had some time at home to play with fibers and read. 

Psalm 9: 13-14, Literary Living, Fiber Fun, Finding Joy

Hello There,

    Thank you to everyone who stopped in last week!  It was fun to guest host Melva's Link Up and meeting so many wonderful people!  Thank you, Melva, for this wonderful opprotunity!  And thank you to all of you who linked up!    

    This week was jampacked with obligations every day - sometimes two or three in a day!  This weekend will also be full.  Thank God, most of these activities were fun!  As I wrote this post, I was surprised how much I did accomplish.  Usually things look worse in my head than the actually are.           

Psalm 9, Part 2, Fiber Fun, Literary Living, Finding Joy

Hello There,

Thank you so much for stopping in!  I sure hope you all are doing better than I am.  It's my birthday weekend and strep throat decided to crash the party.  I've been miserable, but am hopeful the coming week will be better.  My husband, who is an amazing cook, made me a big pot of delicious chicken/vegetable soup!  It's so soothing to my throat.  Thank You, God for antibiotics, my wonderful husband and chicken soup!   

Psalm 9: Part 1, Fiber Fun, Literary Living, Finding Joy

     Thank you for stopping in for a visit!  I hope you enjoyed last week's Parade of Behind-the Scene-Projects!  Every so often, I'll take a break from "our regularly scheduled programming" to bring you updates on those projects.  For now, I'll be sharing on Psalm 9 and a finished flimsy!  You'll also find a book review and some joy.  

Psalm 8 Part 1, Fiber Fun, Literary Living, Finding Joy

Hello There,

Thank you for stopping in today!  Lately I've noticed a change in my mindset. While I enjoy my current fiber projects, there are so many hidden gems and long-lost UFOs I am also working on and want to share with you!   

Next week, you’re invited to a 'Parade of Behind-the-Scenes Projects' to see my hidden fiber arts collection!   I'll share my progress via an occassional "break from the routine" posts.

Psalm 7, Fiber Fun, Literary Living, Finding Joy

Hello There,

Thank you all for you sweet comments on my new header.  I was playing with blogger's layout and decided to go for it! 

Psalm 5, Fiber Fun, Literary Living, Finding Joy

Hello There,

Thanks for stopping by! I hope your week was fabulous and your weekend is both fun and restful (if that’s not an oxymoron!).

I was invited to join a lovely group of stitchers for a "Sunday Sew Day." It was so fun chatting with friends and making new ones. Our hostess' husband made a cheesecake that was so delicious—no Mediterranean diet today!

This week was also another "organizational event," similar to my sewing room refresh. We tackled the tiny pantry, braved the "dungeon" (aka the laundry room), and scrubbed the fridge. This over-the-door organizer was a total game-changer for our pantry! Fingers crossed it stays tidy for more than a week. One of us is a bit messier than the other... but I’ll never tell who!

Are you doing any spring cleaning or freshening up your space lately?

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.  Then I make a list of them.  I'll follow the same format here. As usual, I copied and pasted the Psalm from Bible Hub.

  Psalm 5 ^a

For the director of music. For pipes. A psalm of David.

1Listen to my words, Lord,

consider my lament.

2Hear my cry for help,

my King and my God,

for to you I pray.

3In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice;

in the morning I lay my requests before you

and wait expectantly.

4For you are not a God who is pleased with wickedness;

with you, evil people are not welcome.

5The arrogant cannot stand

in your presence.

You hate all who do wrong;

6you destroy those who tell lies.

The bloodthirsty and deceitful

you, Lord, detest.

7But I, by your great love,

can come into your house;

in reverence I bow down

toward your holy temple.

8Lead me, Lord, in your righteousness

because of my enemies—

make your way straight before me.

9Not a word from their mouth can be trusted;

their heart is filled with malice.

Their throat is an open grave;

with their tongues they tell lies.

10Declare them guilty, O God!

Let their intrigues be their downfall.

Banish them for their many sins,

for they have rebelled against you.

11But let all who take refuge in you be glad;

let them ever sing for joy.

Spread your protection over them,

that those who love your name may rejoice in you.

12Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous;

you surround them with your favor as with a shield.

Wow, there's so much packed into this Psalm.  This appears to be King David's morning prayer.  What a great way to start off our day:  with praise and prayers!  First, let's praise God for all He does for His children!

• listens to us
• hears our cries for help
• hears our voices
• has a great love for us
• leads us in His rightousness
• makes our path straight before Him
• provides refuge for us
• spreads protection over us
• blesses us

He listens, hears, loves, leads, goes before us, provides refuge, protects and blesses us.  I am in humbled and deeply touched by all my precious LORD and Savior does for me, for all us if only we would maintain an open heart towards Him.  

Additionally, we need not worry about the wicked and liars or our enemy!  Look at this list!  

• not pleased with wickedness
• hates all who do wrong
• declares the liars guilty
• banishes them

Reading through Psalm 5, it’s clear David prioritized a thoughtful morning of worship. It makes me wonder: "Do I do the same?" No, not consistently.  

I'm praying to accopmplish the same routine David appears to have had.  My husband and I talked about having our "office hours" from morning until noonish.  This will certainly allow for a more deliberate time with God.  It doesn't stop there.  I am so grateful we can converse with God all day long. These "micro-prayers" guide my steps and act as a guard against "stinky thinking"  and hasty responses.  Imagine how the tone in our lives would change with deliberate micro-prayers before responding to a situation!  With God's help, hopefully we can be more Christ-like throughout the day.  

Also, Psalm 5 feels like a dance between God's actions toward the wicked and His love and grace to His children. It's interesting to note how David spends so much more time on God’s goodness than on his enemies' malice.  It reminds me to focus on God, not the problem. He is always bigger than the challenges we may face!  As one dear teenager in our Youth Group said, "God is bigger than the boogeyman!"

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.  FBF represents the Flower Box Friends BOM

Last Week's List

1.  Finish

 - Finally complete the ornaments for my grandchildren!  Done!  They were tickled to receive them last night!  

Here is the information to the various designs:

Charizard Dragon:  HoneyKittenShop

Gengar:  ChaosKittensCrafting 

Llamas:  by Stitcher's Revolution pattern #31 "Llama Drama"

Yoda:  GeoCreationsUK

Spiderman:  OutlawStitching

Some cross-stitch patterns appeared to be similar to other sellers' designs, so now I only order from cross-stitch designers that provide BOTH a black and white chart and a color chart. 

2.  Focus - 

- FoF BOM:  finish binding one hexie and start appliquéing the next Partially Done!  They are really coming along!  This one EPP piece is a challenge as there are so many pieces to join.  I'm enjoying the outcome thus far.    

- QAYG quilt - continue to find the loose joining stitches and reinforce them; this will take a bit to finish Done!  I'm now joining another row to the main piece!

- FBF:   I'll be picking up this BOM at a later date

- Disappearing Nine-Patch:  sew the rows into blocks and press them. Done!   The blocks are pressed and completed! Now comes the fun part of a Disappearing Nine Patch quilt. I get to cut the blocks and place them in a new design!  

3.   Prepare/make a kit

- Christmas Ornament for grandchild #1: For now, he likes all things Star Wars, especially Darth Vader, so I picked this cross-stitch design  at RinaStitchesPatterns for his 2026 ornament.  It's easy preparation as there are only three colors in the design.  I'll be stitching on 16 ct. Aida cloth, so it should be slightly smaller than described below.  

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

This Week's goals

1.  Finish - I am once again pulling projects from my little pink plastic case.  These little projects should be fast finishes.  

 - patch up Chloe's toys and Grandson #4's crocheted airplane

2.  Focus - 

- FoF BOM:  finish binding one hexie; finish the EPP sewing and bind the above hexie

- Complete at least 15% of the Darth Vader ornament

- QAYG quilt - continue join the row to the main piece

- FBF:   I'll be picking up this BOM at a later date

- Disappearing Nine-Patch:  cut up the nine patch and begin sewing the new squares together

3.   Prepare/make a kit

- for Grandson #2's cross stitch ornament using this pattern for Blastoise from BixoStitch.  To ensure I am getting an original pattern, I only purchase cross stitch patterns that include the color AND black and white patterns.    

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

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 I'm starting to post these titles on Instagram on the day I acquire them as the deals are short-term.

Libby:  

I'm surprised to note that I haven't finished any books this week!  I am, however, very much enjoying listening to The Let Them Theory. I'm also learning so much from my weekly Bible study, Tozer on the Holy Spirit. Our discussions take the material to a much deeper level, as everyone brings a different perspective to the readings.  

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:  what was your favorite subject in school... elementary, high school, or college... or did your favorite subject change over time? what was the teacher like? do you still have an interest in that subject? My favorite subject in school was in the filed of Language Arts - reading and writing.  No surprise there. In college I was very interested in my Bilingual Education and Multicultural courses.  One fact surprised me:  The Untited States is the ONLY country in the WORLD that does not reauire their students to become at a minimum bilingual.  My precious professors introduced me to Latinx authors.  This continues to be an area of interest for me.  

Here's some other things that have brought me joy this week.    

Don't you just love finding ideas on blogs?  Joy from Days Filled with Joy shared this tutorial for a thumb/finger pincushion that I thought you all might like.  The photo is from Days Filled with Joy.  I just love Joy's concept.  

During an email conversation, Deb from Readerbuzz mentioned this book to me.  After just a few days of reading, I quickly came to the conclusion that it's a treasure.  Thank you so much, Deb!

My husband snapped a photo of this sticker we saw in our local bookstore.

I love this song by one of my favorite artists, 

Comeback Kid by the late Mandisa.

Perhaps you know a comeback kid?

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 are the parties I sometimes link up with:  

Sundays

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

Last Week's List

1.  Finish

 - no finishes planned

2.  Focus - 

- FoF BOM:  finish binding one hexie and start appliquéing the next 

- Gengar cross stitch - fingers crossed - finish another 15%  

- QAYG quilt - continue to find the loose joining stitches and reinforce them; this will take a bit to finish

- FBF:   I'll be picking up this BOM at a later date

- Disappearing Nine-Patch:  start making the blocks

3.   Prepare/make a kit

- continue re-organzing my sewing room