Weekly Word: Thankfulness + Books, Stitches and Gratitude!

 Hello There, 

It's been a wild week as we came home from San Diego, babysat for a few days and went right into Thanksgiving!  In the midst of all of our activity, thankfulness has been on my mind.  

I would be remiss if I didn't add you, my faithful readers and friends, to my gratitude list.  Your comments, support, friendship and prayers are a blessing to my life!  On that note, a big shout out to Quilter Kathy at Kathy's Quilts for showing me how to fix my spellcheck issue with blogger!  You can find the solution here, in my comments section.  

Well, please relax with your favorite beverage and enjoy reading this weekly post!  Pssst....if you're feeling under the weather I've added a link to Starbucks recipe for their famous Medicine Ball tea in my Gratitude Journal section!  

Here's is an index should you have a special interest you like to read first!  

The Weekly Word - is a short devotional that sometimes becomes a Bible Study series.  

My Reading Life - is filled with current, completed and upcoming reads as well as an occasional short review.      

Stash Report and To Do Tuesday is where I'll share share stats regarding my fiber usage and acquisitions, Slow Sunday Stitching projects, goals met/lack thereof and photos of my projects. 

Gratitude Journal - Sometimes I get lost in my own stinky thinking.  This digital journal reminds me to count my blessings!    

The Weekly Word

Philippians 4:4-7 is another life changing verse for me.  Naturally, going to God in prayer, with thanksgiving is my focus today.  It's so easy for me to get lost in rumination!  I'm learning to recognize when it begins and quickly convert my thinking to finding something to be grateful regarding the angst-causing situation, and then pray.  

Oh, boy!  It's so difficult, but worth the effort!

How I love the fall, but especially our  Thanksgiving holiday.  I love how gratitude fills my heart...I do believe Thanksgiving will be my word for this year.  

My Reading Life

Currently Reading

Finished

**** A Curious Beginning (Veronica Speedwell #1 by Deanna Raybourn was a cute historical cozy mystery that I enjoyed as an audio book.  This was a Buddy Read that my Buddy chose.  That's what I enjoy so much about Buddy Reads:  I end up reading books that I wouldn't ordinarily read and usually enjoy.   

Stash Report

Fabric numbers are stable, and my yarn numbers increased by 7 ounces as I purchased some more green yarn for the Fall Granny square afghan.  

To Do Tuesday

Last Week's List

1.  Slow Stitching   

a.   Finish block two of the Bee Humble Sew Along. Not done, but progress made!  I am almost finished adding the details to the leaves. 

 I've even made progress on the Christmas tea towels!

On the subject of Slow Stitching, for years I've been pondering how to make a hand embroidery sampler book.  Which process does one use to make such a book?  Which stitches do I include?  What is the process? 

There are some tutorials on the internet, but this is what I have in mind.  I found the perfect project on Etsy, but have been unable to find it again.  After previewing this library book, I may go ahead and purchase it.  (Do you also preview library books to decide whether or not to purchase them?)

                       

I wonder if any of you fellow stitchers have made an Embroidery Sampler Book.  Please share your wisdom and experience in the comments if you like!

Perhaps 2023 will be the year I start.  

2. Machine Sewing:  

a.  Stitch up this month's blocks for the $15 Sampler Quilt from Bee Sew Creative.  Done!  This month's blocks were paper-pieced and I really struggled with them.  They came out a bit wavy, but I'm calling them done.  

b.  Continue joining the Pieces in the Garden rows. Not done.

c.  Prep Row 11 of the Pieces in the Garden QAL. Done and a few are stitched up and joined!  The scissors in the photo are the ones Mama used at work.  

This Week's List

1.  Slow Stitching   

a.   Make progress block two of the Bee Humble Sew Along. I'd like to finish the leaves and the detail on the sunflowers.  

2. Machine Sewing:  

a.  Continue joining the Pieces in the Garden rows. 

c.  Stitch and join Row 11 squares of the Pieces in the Garden QAL. 

On The Radar...

- Stitch up a baby quilt that I've prepped.

- Finish up my daughter's crocheted dishcloths.

- Prep kits for January 2023

Gratitude Journal

Do you remember this praise and worship song?  So appropriate for this season!

We discovered Starbuck's Medicine Ball Tea/Honey Citrus Tea

helps to alleviate our cold symptoms.

I started coming down with a cold, found this copy cat recipe, 

and after having several cups, 

started feeling much better!

The Tevana brand of tea is challenging to find in our area, 

so I simply use whichever peach and mint tea is available. 

My heart is filled with thanksgiving this week. 

I have a great family life - and even with the bumps in the road - 

there is much for which to be grateful.

My friends, both in person and online, 

are an immense blessing

as they teach me so much, they are silly with me,

and we can, with confidence, share our hearts with each other.

The LORD is growing and stretching me

working through 

trials to build faith,

conflict to build stronger relationships,

friends to increase my understanding of Him.

I pray as we enter the Christmas season,

we can keep our focus on Jesus Christ and

make time to enjoy the season!

Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas and

Hugs to all!

Enjoyed this post? 

Never miss out on future posts by following this blog!

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 some blogs I sometimes link up to!

Sunday Salon @ Readerbuzz

Slow Sunday Stitching @ Kathy's Quilts

Sunday Stash @ Quilt, Paint, Create

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

Sew and Tell @ Melva Loves Scraps (Mondays)

To Do Tuesday @ Texas Quilt Gal

Midweek Makers @ Quilt Fabrication (Wednesdays)

I Like @ Not Afraid of Color (Thursday)

Wednesday's Word: Psalm 107, Part 2. Wednesday Wrap Up. I Like New Recipes!

Wednesday’s Word:  Psalm 107, Part 2

As I shared on Monday, I was immensely blessed by the Scripture shared on PeaBeas’ Photos and Scribbles so much so that I’ve decided to do a series on them. Last Monday we looked at verse 29a. Today we’ll look at verses 29a – 30.

Philippians 2:12 Part 3/4. More Mason Jar Meals! Hexagon Afghan

Scripture

Observation

Working out our salvation is a continual , lifelong process. But, looking at the King James Version, I can see this is also an individual process as well. 

Application

In my last post, I wrote about detaching
 from our loved ones
regarding their salvation.  
It is only as individuals

that we can make the decision to

accept,

serve

and

grow in Christ.

This is a very

individual and personal process.

In realizing this, my prayer life has become almost “without ceasing” for my love ones.

I guess the King James Version

really hit home for me:

“…work out your own salvation…”

Philippians 2:13b KJV

I’d always heard this quoted,

but now the word “own”

stands out to me. 

Our own salvation.

This does not mean

giving up telling others about Christ,

or being silent when it comes

to my loved one’s relationship with God,

Though their relationship with Christ is

very much out of our hands,

prayer, faithful and gentle sharing

when invited

is powerful my dear friend!

Other than that,

our lifestyles speak for themselves. 

When we fall,

and we will because we are human,

those around us will have the opportunity

to see the grace and mercy

of what a great God we serve!

Prayer

Lord,

How I appreciate the gift of salvation!

I also am so grateful for Your guidance

throughout my life.

Help me to gently introduce You,

and to live in way

that would let people see You in me.

Amen.

Dear Friend,

This is my truth!

Mason Jar Meals

There was quite a bit of interest about Mason Jar Meals from this post.  I want to state up front that I have no idea where this idea originated, but I will send hugs to the wonderfully intelligent and creative person who did!

I will try to provide three sources of info for you each time I post about Mason Jar Meals.  

1) My posts will will have a link to my Pinterest Board, Mason Jar Recipes.  Here you will find  all the resources I have implemented.  

2) You can also click on the "Mason Jar Meals", label on my blog sidebar to read past and future posts about this new (to me) healthier way of eating!

3) A couple of ladies had great questions which I answered in the comments section as well as emailing them.  

Now, moving forward, here is the picture I first posted:

I totally cleared out the shelf for
1) the picture 
and 
2) to make room for the jars!

On the far left of the picture is the Overnight Oatmeal which my daughter loved instantly.
Since then, my son and husband are also loving them.  The recipe I used is in this post.  

In the middle of the picture are the vegetable salads we made - totally delicious!  The feta cheese held up well!  As I said before, the greens were about four days in my fridge before we made the salads.  They still tasted fresh after four days in jars.

On the far right of the picture are the fruit salads made from a mix of frozen/fresh fruits.

This is the veggie salad on day four.  As you can see, just a tiny piece of lettuce was a bit wilted, but remember, it had been living in my fridge for four days as well.

Here is it after adding some left over pork tenderloin cooked with balsamic dressing.

Here is my fruit/nut salad.  It's a great snack that satisfies my sweet tooth!

It's been so much fun to 

open your emails 

and answer your questions!

Loving the process!

Next?

Mason Jar Soups!

Yum!

Crafty News

I've been busy this week with grandbabies, the Super Bowl and taking friends to doctor appointments.  Thankfully, on friend is doing well.  The other....well, she is preparing for chemo....

But she is a fighter and we laughed a lot today!  :)

Here is what I've been working on.

My Hexagon Afghan has grown.  I realized I would need more hexies.  Thankfully, Jo Ann's still had the same yarn or a suitable sub.  Now, I have no idea what the final shape will be....I call it my Hexagon Afghan because it's made from hexagons!

Now that I'm looking at, 

it sure is a strange shape!  

But it's ok.  

One great thing about crocheting 

is that it's very flexible!

UPDATE:  The pattern can be found here.  

The only change I made was 

crocheting a single crochet border 

around each hexagon.  :)

I'm linking up to

Moving It Forward Monday 

at Em’s Scrapbag

Needle and Thread Thursday 

at My QuiltInfatuation

A Quilter's Reading Garden

Quilting is More Fun Than Housework

Update on UFO's. A New Project! Philippians 1:2

Update on UFO's.  

I finished my 750 quilt top!  Yea!  I took it to Stephanie at Bernina Sewing and Design for quilting and wow!  What an experience it was to plan.  I was overwhelmed with everyone's positive response!  The ladies there are amazingly sweet and supportive.  Their knowledge and eye for color is so helpful!

It will be a custom quilt job with feathers in the setting corners, a floral design in the blocks and leaves in the sashing!  Wow!  

I'm calling this one done until I get it back from Stephanie.  :)

Another finish, but can you believe I forgot to take a picture of it completely finished with binding and all?!  This is my niece's wedding quilt.  

I wanted to make it when she first got marries, but at the time was too sick, so my daughter generously offered to pieced it.  She used the Take Five pattern on point.  I made the backing and sewed on the binding.  It was signed, sealed and delivered!  

So my completion percentage has jumped from the original 4% to a whopping 15%!  Yea!  

http://www.probono.net/celebrateprobono/

A New Project!
Well, my niece has been married about two years now.  Yup, the quilt was a bit late, but still sent with love and affection. 

She has had a her beautiful baby girl and I have yet to make her a baby quilt.   She's seven months so a quilt is also overdue!   So, I was thinking why not make her baby quilt from the fabric from her mama's wedding quilt?  Isn't that a great idea?

So, here is the beginnings of Baby P's baby quilt.  

I'm using that beautiful minky for backing. I used Allison's tutorial from Cluck Cluck Sew.  My plan is to add borders - probably from dark to light. 
UPDATE:  I forgot to mention that I'm linking up to Love Laugh Quilt's Monday Makings!  

Philippians 1:2
My grandbabies last week of freedom was last week, hence my lack of posts.  I enjoyed spending time with them, but whew!  Was I exhausted!  :)

Today's verse from Philippians is a true blessing to me.  
As I read it, 
my mouth dropped open as 
I realized 
that God's timing 
is always perfect.  
Yup.
It is.

I've been really blue, as I shared here. Today has been tough.  I admit I'm sad. Frustated.  And never more than today do I wish that 

https://imgflip.com/meme/Blank-Yellow-Sign?sort=latest&page=2

And then I read Philippians 1:2.  

God, my Father, 

and 

my big brother, 

the Lord Jesus Christ 

send me grace and peace.  

I don't have it on my own.  

My heart remains in pieces.  

I just need to accept the 

grace and peace offered.

I will.

In time.

In His time.

For now, 

I will mourn.

I will grieve.

I will move past.

Because there is life after cancer.

However, 

I WILL NOT FORGET
the ones who've gone before me,
the ones who are just beginning their own terrible journey,
the ones who are still fighting,
the ones who are trying to build a life after cancer,
the ones who've danced their last dance.

Again, I know this post is not the cheerful uplifting post one is accustomed to reading.  
It's real life.
It's real.
As is my Lord and Savior.
And, together, we will have the victory.  

In honor of my friends - both online and in person - here is "I Can Only Imagine".  

Dear Friends, this is my truth.

Comfort Food: Sopa de macarron. Passing "IT" Down. UFO Update!

Comfort Food:  Sopa de macarron

Every family has that special recipe that Grandma made, those dishes that everyone remembers.  One of ours is Sopa de macarón – basically macaroni and cheese with a twist! 

On Sundays my paternal Grandmother used to make it with her fabulous red chile enchiladas!  Yum!

I have never seen this sopa offered in restaraunts, so I’m wondering if it’s becoming a lost art? 

My daughter was elated when she mastered the recipe – and so was I!  You’re in for a treat – I’m sharing the recipe with you today!  Now, I don't follow a recipe, but thank God my daughter remembered exactly what she used!  

Ingredients

* 1 12 oz box of pasta (She used bowtie because that's what she had on hand.  I normally use "conchas" - shell pasta. Either one works.)

* 1 cup shredded cheese (She used munster and cheddar - again what she had on hand.  I use the Colby Jack mix.)

* two 8 oz cans of tomato sauce

* 2 tsp. consomate de tomate

* a generous 1/8 tsp of cumin

1.  Boil the pasta according to package directions.

2.  When finished, drain and set aside.

3.  Add the tomato sauce and the spices to the pan.

4.  Bring to a low boil, stirring.

5.  Add the pasta to the tomato mixture.

6.  Add the cheese.

7.  Stir and savor the scents!

8.  Once the cheese is melted, enjoy!

Passing It Down
My daughter is such a special young lady. She said that passing this recipe down from generation to generation is wonderful.  A more important part of our lives we can pass down, is our faith.

Most of my family, to include my Grandmother, was Catholic.  I remember her always wearing a simple chain with medallions of the saints around her neck. She had great faith.  

I am a Protestant, but her faith, as well as the faith of my other family members, was passed to me.  And I have passed it along to my children, much like a cherished recipe of comfort food.

But, let us remember that Jesus is the best "comfort food" there is!

http://www.firstcovers.com/userquotes/64441/taste+and+see+that.html

UFO Update

I added a project and completed it, so my percentage of completed UFOs is 12%!  Awesome!  

I'll be sharing that completed project soon!

Dear Reader, this is my truth!