Saturday's Song. Sunday Slow Stitching. Stash Report. Book Dating.

Hello there,
Alas, I'm a day late posting, but not a dollar short!  My apologies!
I hope you enjoy this post!

Saturday's Song
This song spoke to me as I realized that, here lately, my biggest blessings have come via tears.  
 Here is the link to the song's lyrics!  

Sunday Slow Stitching

I'm continuing to enjoy Maria's Spring Flower Granny Square CAL (Maria's Blue Crayon).  Undoubtedly, I fallen behind...How do people keep up?  Either way, this afghan is sure to be a cheerful addition to my home!  

I've learned the "join as you go" method and am loving it!

Prayer Shawl #7
I started a shawl using a basic pattern, but I just couldn't keep working on it,

so I switched to one with more texture!  I really like this one...it's nice and thick, yet light.  

Yarnspiration's Caron Cakes  works up very nice and light!

One Year of Stitches.
Progress continues on my  #1yearofstitches.  
I prayerfully stitch every day and God has really been speaking to me.  You can follow my daily progress on my Instagram account.



Stash Report
I bought   6 yards of more 30's prints at 50% off.  Like I've said, I'll continue stash building as long as the fabric sale at my LQS continues!

No changes in my Yarn Stash!
I also realized my numbers were off, so I think I fixed them. 

Fabric used
This week	CIL	4.00
	Donatd linen	1.375
To Date		9.15
Total Fabric Used		14.525
Fabric in
This week	30’s prints	6.0
To date		6.0
Total Fabric In		12
Net
Fabric Used		14.525
Fabric In		12
Net Fabric		+ 2.525

Book Date

https://jenniferchiaverini.com/
books/the-union-quilters/

My first book for the 2018 Library Love Challenge   that I joined is finished!   I had indeed read Jennifer Chiavernini's The Union Quilters before, but so enjoyed reading it again! 

https://www.amazon.com/
More-Than-Hobby-Americas-
Superstore/dp/1595559833

I started More Than A Hobby by David Green with Dean Merrill.  It's such a great read!

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

The Story The Bible As One Continuing Story of God has been such a blessing to me.  I'm glad our church is reading it!


Linking up to

Sunday Stash @ Quilt, Paint, Create

Spiritual Sundays

Monday Making @ Love, Laugh, Quilt

Main Crush Mondays @ Cooking Up Quilts

Moving It Forward Monday @ Em’s Scrapbag

Show and Tell Mondays with Bambi

It’sMonday! What Are You Reading? @ Book Date

You make my day with your comments!  

I love reading and responding to them!

Philippians 4:17. Double Duty Table Topper. Tumbling Block Help Please.

Philippians 4:17
Scripture
Observation
Paul knows that God will bless those who give.  So do I.  I've lived it.  Yes, he certainly appreciates the gifts, the care and the thoughtfulness the Philippians showed him.  But, he knows that we can't "out-give" God.  


Application
You know, 
I see this verse about receiving gracefully.  
It's so easy 
to give, 
to be there when a loved one needs us,
to help a friend.

But what about 
when we 
are on the receiving end?  
Do we
receive gracefully and gratefully?  

Or do we feel "bad" 
about receiving?  
To be honest, I sometimes do.

But, I'll be learning.
Because others are blessed when they give - 
even to me.

I want my loved 
ones to be blessed by God, 
not just by me.
Then, their faith 
will be strengthened 
as they give.  

Just as mine has been.
That alone is a blessing in itself!

Prayer
Father, wow...such a huge life lesson from 17 words:  
Receive with grace
that others may be blessed.
Thank you, Abba!
Amen.

Double Duty Table Topper
When I saw this tutorial at 
Karen from Sister of the Great Divide, I was hooked!  It works wonderfully on my round table and, because I used a backing fabric that can be fall or Christmas, 

it saw me through the holidays!

Maybe I'll remember to make some for every season!

Thank you, Karen, for such a great tutorial!

Help, Please!
Ok.  I want to make my son a quilt.  I asked him to choose a pattern and he did:  the tumbling block quilt.  I loved his choice!  I found this tutorial and got to work.  

I did pretty good as you can see.  Here was part of it on my design board. 

I "kinda" noticed that some of my green parallelograms 

were cut a bit wonky, 

but ignored them.   

Friends, don't do that.

Your quilt will turn out like this:

hardly a point matching.

Now, I'm definitely determined.

I'm making another tumbling block baby quilt.

Yup.

Now I know:

1) be careful with cutting

2) be careful with color placement.

3) I will do this!  :)

To address the cutting issue:  

Yes, I must be more careful.  I wondered if my Accuquilt could rescue me....

I own an Accuquilt with various dies and the 9" Cube.  Surely there must be a combination of dies that would help make a tumbling block square?  

Any ideas?  I sure would appreciate any help you can offer!

Linking up to

Oh Scrap! @ Quilting is More Fun Than Housework

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

Philippians 4:15-16. Doggie Pillow. Fleece Blanket. Book Date.

Philippians 4:15-16
Scripture
Observation
"...not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you..."
Application
As soon as I read these Scriptures, I thought, "Ouch!"  Then, I thought, "Praise God for the Philippians!" 
How many times have we heard that we are the hands and feet of God?  Or the story of the parent who reassures his child at bedtime not to be afraid of the "boogey man" because God is with him.  His child responds, "I wish God had skin on!"

Oh, my dear reader, God does have "skin on"!  It's us!  No, we are not God, but we are His hands and feet!

There may be that one person who needs
 a word of encouragement,
a financial gift,
a hug, 
a kindness
and there is no one called to help them
except you...

Will we respond to God's call?
Will we ignore God's call?
He will certainly raise up someone else to bless His child who needs a kindness, 
but will we be that one?

Prayer
LORD, thank You for prodding me to perform random acts of kindness and for giving me the grace to actually do Your bidding.  It is then that I am truly blessed above and beyond whatever You had me give!  

Abba, forgive me for the times I don't make time to write that letter or note of encouragement.  Help me to have the discipline to do so!

Let us all be sensitive to Your call on our lives to serve, to bless, to act on Your behalf.  Father, it may only be a word of kindness, a smile, a hug...but as with the lesson that all we can do is pray, these acts are not only a word or hug.  They are gifts from You.  

Help us all to be the "except you's" in the lives of those who are hurting!  Help us, I pray, of Abba!
Amen.


Doggie Beds
My Mia and Sammy were so cold.  Their little bed was was no longer cutting it, so I made them two little pillows/beds.  So easy - especially using this tutorial from Liz at Momtastic!  

I went to Wal-Mart and picked up some regular bed pillows for about $4 each, bought some fleece at JoAnns using a 60% off coupon and added some fabric I know longer loved.  After an hour or so, wala!

I used the left over fabric to make a small, knotted, single layer, no sew fleece blanket! (That's a mouthful, right?)  Here in southern New Mexico, a single layer is perfect for us!  

The instructions were easy to follow at The Linus Connection - a very worthy organization!  

https://www.goodreads.com/
book/show/41958.
Nights_of_Rain_and_Stars

Book Date

I finished Nights of Rain and Stars by Maeve Binchy!  This was a nice, easy read filled with wonderful characters and an awesome, "sigh worthy" ending....I so enjoy Maeve Binchy's books! 

https://www.amazon.com/
Called-Biblical-Truths-
Authors-Bloggers-
ebook/dp/B00D2V3Q3M

I've begun reading on my Nook again as well.  I finished Called to Write Biblical Truths for Authors and Bloggers by KM Logan.  This e-book confirmed much of what is in my heart regarding this blog.  I highly recommend it!  

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

I'm continuing to enjoy The Story The Bible As One Continuing Story of God.  

https://jenniferchiaverini.com/
books/the-union-quilters/

You may remember that I joined the 2018 Library Love Challenge.  My first book I'll be reading is Jennifer Chiavernini's The Union Quilters.  It's an Elm Creek Quilts novel.  I started reading them before I got sick and am picking up the series again.  l can't remember if I've read it before or not.  If, as I'm reading, I see that I have, I'll probably switch it out for another one of her books.  :)

Linking up to

Monday Making @ Love, Laugh, Quilt

Main Crush Mondays

@Cooking Up Quilts

Moving It Forward Monday @ Em’s Scrapbag

Show and Tell Mondays with Bambi

What Are You Reading? @ Book Date

Saturday's Song. Sunday Slow Stitching. Stash Report.

Saturday's Song

Here's the lyrics.  

So many times we think our mistakes are "too bad", "too big", "too nasty", "too frequent" to merit God's forgiveness.  

Oh my dear reader!
Such lies from the defeated one keep us chained up in defeat.  

Read these lyrics from All You Ever Wanted by Casting Crowns:

"I was chasing healing

when I'd been made well

I was fighting battles

when You conquered hell
Living free but from a prison cell
Lord, I lay it down today

So I'll stop living off of how I feel 

and start standing on Your truth revealed
Jesus is my strength, my shield
And He will never fail me"

The battle, the war is over.

We won through Christ Jesus.

Remember, Loved One, 

Nothing.  

Nothing. 

Can. 

Separate. 

Us. 

From. 

The. 

Love. 

Of. 

God.

NOTHING.

Sunday Slow Stitching

Have you ever read a cute and fun blog by Maria at Maria's Blue Crayon?  In her first post, she writes about her rather cool blog name.  

I found her while pursuing the internet for crochet patterns.  Her Spring Granny Afghan CAL was too pretty to pass up plus I happen to have most of the colors needed!  Yea!  Double win!

I'm really trying to keep up.  One link up that is helping me is Christine's To Do Tuesdays at Stitch All Things.  This is a great link up that helps me keep my focus!  Thank you Christine!  

Here are my first set of flowers!  

I just need to add two more flowers and the borders.  Maria suggests using the join as you go technique to make the first row!  Hopefully, I can meet my To Do Tuesday goal!  

I also finished Days 19-21 of the Felt Advent Calendar!  

  Almost finished!

#1yearofstitches

I joined Sarah's of Brown Paper Bag #1yearofstitches project.  She started it in 2017.  I started in on November 26, 2017 - ten days after our world fell apart.  It required very little effort, helped me focus on getting through life's challenges with victory and to have a "written record" of lessons learned.  I post progress almost daily on my Instagram account.  

Kathy's (Sunday Slow Stitching) photo challenge this week was to share our hoops!  Mine is a plastic hoop in a cheerful peach color!  

Stash Report

Fiber Stash Report: 1/21/18
Fabric used/donated this week	8.525
Fabric used to date	8.525 yds
Fabric Added this week	0  yds
Fabric Added this year	6 yds
Net Fabric	5.875 yds
Yarn used this week	0 oz
Yarn used to date	0 oz
Yarn Added this week	13 oz
Yarn Added to date	0 oz
Net Yarn	-13 oz

The Covered In Love blocks sure helped with stash control!  Also I gave my daughter 2 yards of fabric.  As soon as she finishes her project, I'll share what she made with it!

I didn't have enough green yarn for Maria's Spring Granny Afghan CAL, so I chose to switch it out.  I also purchased the some blue yarn.  Looking at last year's numbers, I used 171 ounces of yarn in six months!  I bet I can do 200 ounces in 2018!  

Linking up to:

SundayStash @ Quilt, Paint, Create

Sunday Slow Stitching @ Kathy’s Quilts

Spiritual Sundays