Psalm 12:5, Fiber Fun and a Finish, Literary Living, Finding Joy

 Hello There,

Welcome!  I hope you've had a fabulous week!  I wanted to share a couple of blogging tips I've learned the hard way.  I've lost so much time when I somehow make the post/s I'm working on disappear.  Now I regularly create a backup for these posts as I'm writing them.

Perhaps some of you work on your phone and computer as you write your posts.  Make sure to close your posts before you use your other devices.  Otherwise, the post might disappear.  Ask me how I know.   

Psalm 12:3, Fiber Fun and a video! Literary Life and Finding Joy

Hello There,

    Welcome!  I hope you are doing well today!  This past week was so busy! I had a couple of gatherings with friends and a few doctor appointments. The friends were fun; the doctors... not so much.

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

July 20: Psalm 23:4, Fiber Fun, Literary Life, Finding Joy

Hello there!

Thank you for visiting today!  I missed posting last week as we were in San Diego visiting Mama and Daddy.  Daddy is now in hospice, but I'm aware that many people live for years at this stage, so I'm still praying for a miracle. Thankfully, except for the expected decline, they are stable.   I'll take stable any day of the week!  

March 16: Matthew 28:20, Fiber Fun, Literary Life, Finding Joy

  

Hello There,

I'm so glad you stopped in for a visit!  This week has been an active one with the grandkids on Spring Break.  We've baked, swam (in an indoor pool), made several library trips and cooked!  You'll see pics of my grandson's creation in the Finding Joy section.  

February 23: Jeremiah 2:13, Fun Fiber Projects, Literary Life and Finding Joy

Hello There,

Thank you for visiting!  We've been home a week and I'm slowly getting back into a routine.  The weather has been so warm we took our portable greenhouse down so I could prune the plants and they could enjoy some nice temps.  I hope your weather is also enjoyable!    

Please pull up a chair, get cozy and enjoy this weekly post.  

Weekly Word: Written on Stone. Plus My Reading, Stitching and Gratitude This Week!

 Hello There,     

Thank you for stopping by for a visit!  Here's a little blog housekeeping snafu I just discovered.  Perhaps it will help you as well.  I usually just delete all my SPAM messages, but tonight I went through them and found tons of comment emails there!  I'm sorry to those of you whose comments got lost in that file!  I am working on posting them as well as answering your kind comments.  Please, bloggers, learn from my mistake.  Check your SPAM file before you  press "delete all SPAM."  😉

The Weekly Word is a bit different this week as I'm adding an extremely basic tutorial as to how to make a stone altar using what I'm calling "testimony stones."  For those of you who prefer, you can simply write encouraging, uplifting messages on them.  

Take good care, my sweet Readers!  I'm looking forward to catching up with you!

Weekly Word: God Sees YOU. Plus My Reading, Stitching and Gratitude This Week!

 Hello There, 

Thank you for stopping in for a visit!  Pull up a chair and relax as you read!  I hope you leave encouraged and smiling!  

This week was busy!  I had one afternoon at home and the rest of this week was jam packed with doctor appointments in Las Cruces as well as in El Paso, playing with my grandchildren and one happy social event with a new friend.  I met some goals, pushed some goals back and am learning to wait patiently on the Lord.  It's a process, isn't it?     

Saturday's Song: You Got This. Slow Stitching: Tea Towel. Stash Report.

Saturday’s Song:  You Got This by Love and The Outcome

I was so happy to hear this upbeat praise song!  It reminded me when a dear friend of ours shared an encouraging Word.  He said that the LORD had told him (paraphrased), "Don't worry, I got this."

Let us share this message:  The LORD is capable, He has us in the palm of His hand!  He's got us!

Saturday’s Song: Wake Up Dancin’. Slow Stitching: Finished 30's Table Topper . Stash Report.

Saturday’s Song:  Wake Up Dancin’

Last month was a tough one.  I found out a relative passed away....she and I wrote back and forth from the time I learned how to write.  As some of you are aware of, my memory is not the best.  I would tell my children, "If you ever want to know my secrets, call her.  She remembers them all and has my letters to prove it!"  LOL!  

Saturday's Song: Magnify. Slow Stitching: Dish Towels. Stash Report

Saturday’s Song:  Magnify by We Are Messengers. 

I was extremely excited to find this wonderful song with bilingual lyrics!  This verse is so true:

“My sight is incomplete and I made you look small

I've been staring at my problems for way too long

Realign where my hope it set

Until you're all that's left”

How much time do we - myself included - waste time looking at the problem instead of the Problem Solver? 

Hope.I Like.

Hope

This is the geranium that my son-in-law got me for Mother's Day several years ago.  I've taken good care of it, but despite my efforts, this last winter, it looked like I had lost it to a freeze.  I kept it in the shade by the pond and watered it faithfully even though it just looked like a pot of dirt.  And look what happened!"
With just a bit of hope, TLC and perseverance, we can be amazed by God's works!

I Like
 LeeAnna over at Not Afraid of Color hosts an "I Like" link up party.  This week I'm happy to join in the fun.  

I like being surprised....I thought this plant and its friends were weeds.  After a bit of patience, I realized that they are ready to bloom!  A friend thinks they may be lilies....we'll see!

I love making gifts for my daughter!  

These crocheted hangers 

are one of her favorite gifts.  

Before the stores closed,

I was lucky enough to find the 

same yarn that I used for 

her wedding afghan!

I'm beginning to really like my husband's doggie, Chico!  He used to really annoy me, but he's maturing nicely!

I like finding misplaced completed projects!  This one was in my "to frame" basket that I forgot I even created!  The embroidery design is by Mollie Johanson at Wild Olive.  She reblogged about this pattern as it is so appropriate for these times that we are living in. 

Her post is amazingly calming and healing.  

Linking up to 
Lea Ann's "I Like" Thursdays