100th Post!!

Welcome to my 100th post g!veaway...(I think I am being sneaky with the ! in place of the i for all the googlers). I can not begin to tell you how much fun blogging has been for me. I have so enjoyed reading all the blogs I subscribe to and hope I have given you a little bit of the same. To show my appreciation I want to offer 2 prizes. In order to win you must leave a comment on this post. Let me know 1 thing you remember as being memorable about this blog. It can be a picture you saw here, or a post you read...just 1 thing you remember that brought you some emotion...a smile or a tear, or even an eyeroll!! Your answer does not determine the winners... I will draw 2 names on Wednesday after lunch...I figure if you have not visited in 3 days, you probably won't be back anyway!! The drawing is open to all my readers overseas, of course! Here are the prizes... A bag made by moi, and a book of 27 quilting patterns called "The Prairie Sampler".
And prize #2... Another hand made bag (I am no longer bagaphobic...can you tell?) and a Hallmark recipe box. Here is a close up of the stitchery on the bag. So just leave a comment telling 1 thing that has meant something to you regarding this blog before Wednesday noon! Thank you again for making my blogging experience so wonderful!!

Oh, and if you go to our home schooling blog, we have a little celebration there too!

In The Eye Of The Beholder

The other day I got an e-mail from a blogger friend. It amazes me that God knows what you need before you need it. Now most people would think the attachments were just fun pictures to look at and get a chuckle. I, on the other hand, saw something completely different. I will share with you what I saw.

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. 2 Corinthians 3:18

Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles. Proverbs 24:17

He (the Lord) delivers me from mine enemies. You also lift me up above those who rise against me; You have delivered me from the violent man. Psalm 18:48
But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. 1 Thessalonians 5:8
(Jesus marveled and said) Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! Matthew 8:10

But when you pray, go into your room and when you have shut the door. pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. Matthew 6:6
But reject profane and old wives fables, and exercise yourself toward Godliness. 1Timothy 4:7

Oh magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt His Name together. Psalm 33:3
Those who go down to the sea in ships, Who do business on great waters, They see the works of the Lord and His wonders in the deep. Psalm 107:23-24

Write the vision. Make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it. Habakkuk 2:2
Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another. Romans 12:9-10
A soft answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger. Proverbs 15:1 (you just know that little thing yapped first!)

It is not good to eat much honey; So to seek one's own glory is not glory. Proverbs 25:27

Now here is one for you...what scripture verse or truth do you think of when you see this picture???

Preparing For Winter

I wanted to share with you a new book being released sometime this fall. I am looking forward to it's release and plan to get it right away. You can read more about it on one of the authors blogs, Your Sacred Calling.

I received this book from Amazon the other day and was pleased to find it is in paperback. The last time I looked at it, it was in hard cover and was costly. Well, you can't search inside by clicking on the image here, but if you click HERE, you can!

I haven't had alot of time for reading, but plan to make some with the colder weather coming. What is better than curling up on the couch in front of a fire with a cup of coffee, a favorite quilt and a good book?

Well, hand sewing of any kind is just as good, now that I think about it. With the crisp air coming in, my plans for winter quilting projects start swirling. I tend to work on bigger projects in the winter and smaller ones in the summer. First on the list is to finish hand quilting this. After working on the double cross hatch, I finally got my callous going again.

It is queen size and I am excited to get it done. With it's completion comes a newly redecorated bedroom!! Should be incentive, huh?

I also want to finish the hand appliqued border on this quilt. It is huge also, and you can see the vine is 3/4 of the way finished. I will add flowers and leaves and baste it to go in the hoop around the same time the pink and brown comes out.What are you doing to prepare for the winter? (or the summer if you are experiencing spring right now)I noticed the tip top of my tree in the front yard is turning a deep shade of orange. The entire tree ends up dark red. I read the most powerful post today regarding the changing of the leaves. You can read it on Amanda's blog if you would like. It was beautifully and thoughtfully written.

One more post, and I will be doing my g!veaway. I only plan to keep it open a few days, so don't miss out!

Tackle It Tuesday & Stuff

Today's tackle is something I can not really share completely. It has to do with my 100th post g!veaway. I am using this Tackle It Tuesday to complete the 2 prizes. I am giving myself today and tomorrow....this is post #97 so I better hurry or take a blogging break. Here is a "peek" at a portion of one of the prizes....
To see other tackles just visit 5 Minutes For Mom.

Speaking of tackles...there is another quilter who does Tackle It Tuesday, A commitment To Loveliness, AND she is putting a Home Management Binder together!!! Yes....I am not a lone freak! (Sorry Tamara). Her blog is Quilting n Stuff and her name is Tamara. I won a fat quarter on her blog last night!! I am very happy that her cutie pie, Samantha pulled my name. If you have never been over there, stop by and see her.

A GREAT BIG thank you from my Mom (and me) for all the birthday wishes! She was very touched. Her party was fun and my sister made a wonderful Lasagna dinner. She also made sugar free chocolate cream pies. My sister and Casey, her granddaughter, thought it would be fun to put 65 candles on one of the pies....it became an inferno and melted the top of the pie that Casey had decorated with sprinkles....I can see where cool whip and 65 burning candles would not mix! It still tasted good! Everyone had fun and my mother enjoyed her gift of a shoe box filled with embroidery floss, cards to wind them on, and handmade snowflakes and letters from her grandkids and great grandkids. My sister, aunt, and I gave her funds to purchase a "Blue Tooth". Too funny...she is a modern granny!!

I supplied a couple of loaves of homemade bread to go with my sisters wonderful dinner. I found that if I use olive oil instead of butter in the recipe it turns out nicer. I also added some garlic powder and Italian seasonings to one of the dough recipes...it makes a nice garlic loaf.

Update on the skirt....my friend Coleen, who is a gifted seamstress (she made an heirloom dress for her granddaughter!) came yesterday to help Rachel finish her skirt. They are not quite done, but I will show you the finished product after Coleen's next visit. I guess I messed up on my own skirt and pattern...not a biggie, but a lesson well learned. Evidently it tells you on the back of a pattern exactly what type of fabrics will work well with the pattern. Hmmmm, great concept. I should have gotten that denim was not the best choice for a skirt requiring 6 yards of fabric!!! Can you imagine wearing 6 yards of denim around your waist?? Easy remedy. New fabric for the pattern and a new pattern for the denim. Live and learn...in the meantime, I bought a denim skirt!!!!! It was cheaper than the materials to make one. How come???

Well, I am off to teach school and then to finish the stitching on the last of the 2 prizes. Tomorrow I will make the finished products. I hope you will be pleased.

Happy Birthday Mom!

Today is my mom's birthday! She will have a wonderful day, starting with breakfast and shopping with her best friend! My sister is making dinner and the kids and I will go over this afternoon. Rachel and TJ will come with. What could be better than to surround yourself with family and friends on your birthday? My mom has always made birthdays special for me, my sister and her own sister.

Here are a few pictures of my mom over the years... This is grade school...cool hair! I think her hair was straight, so the curls were done. Here she is at 18 with her first baby....(me). Love that dress! Did all moms flip their babies hair into a huge curl on the tops of their heads???

I think this picture is taken in her mid 20's. It has always hung in my parents home, and for the last several years has hung in my home. It is my favorite picture of my mom. When I revisit childhood memories, this is what she looks like. Ok, so the pose is hokey. It was the 60's!!

Happy 65th birthday Mom!! I love you!

4 Seasons Swap

My 4 Seasons Swap is complete!! I had a really great time with this one (other than the broken needles..which ended up being the batting). All it needs is a label and then it is ready to ship. I think it will go out on Monday. Here is a close up of the quilting. This double cross hatch really is beautiful. I think it will be my new favorite for small projects! I really like the look of the quilting. I am glad it is done though! I ended up using this fabric on the back. Now onto my next projects...they are gifts for you! I will be spending my weekend stitching prizes for my 100th post. I told Linda I would have to limit my posts until I get these projects done!! That will be hard for me, as I am too much of a blabber mouth to not post! That means I need to stitch! I taped "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" to watch while I work on my projects. Saturday is the day I usually plant myself in front of 5 episodes of As The World Turns. I have not "cheated", though last night I really wanted to look online at the recap...I decided that would not help me. Just like when I quit smoking, I did it completely and cold turkey. So I plan a day of stitching and movies.

I have a new favorite "TJ story"! My grandson really likes his new puppy Miya! Their black lab Dusty was always too big from the beginning and would knock TJ down. This little thing is just his size! Well, Rachel went outside for a minute and came back in to find TJ playing nicely in his room. When she walked in he looked up at her with a big question mark look on his face...

TJ: Where's the puppy?

Rachel: (a little concerned) I don't know TJ. Where is the puppy?

TJ puts his index finger on his cheek and taps it a few times. "Hmmmmm." Finger flies into the air! "I KNOW!"

TJ takes his Mommy to a cupboard in the hallway and opens the door. There, on the 3rd shelf, is Miya!

TJ: There she is!!! (she was perfectly fine)Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!!! Blessings!

Idle Thoughts or Idol Thoughts?

A little over the top? Maybe. Be warned, this post is 100% spiritual and is not meant to preach or convert. It is simply my thoughts of what is going on in my own life.

A couple of weeks ago, I was walking past the little TV room where Charlotte and Zachary were watching Nickelodeon. I believe SpongeBob SquarePants was on. The channel was playing a clip of a new show they were promoting and this is what I heard a very young girl's voice saying, "He is SO hot, I could cook a pancake on him!" Now I am not a complete prude, but come on! It is a children's station in the middle of the day..11:30 am to be exact. Well I decided right then that the kids would no longer be watching television as I did not want their minds filled with that content! Wholesome family videos are in abundance here along with educational shows on the free spot our cable has. We watch "Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader" every week and it has actually been nice that the kids are doing other activities. Little Charlotte has had a difficult time as she is very much a television lover.

Aren't I just the wonderful mother who looks to the ways of her household!! Not only do I keep our home in order, I watch out for the ways of their little spirits. My chest is puffed up with pride!

Then it deflates! My oldest son and my daughter in law proudly showed me their new cell phones and how they have a special, identifying ringer for everyone. "Listen Mom!" My ring tone was Amazing Grace!!!

NOT! It was the theme song to As The World Turns!!

I was shocked, embarrassed and actually hurt. (Not your fault kids...it is totally on me.) I had to take a hard look. I won't go into the long detail of my soul searching and communication with my God about this, but suffice it to say, I had an idol. Forget the fact that I named my dog after a character on the show, or the fact that 10, YES, 10 hours a week are sucked up with soaps (I watch 2), I am exposing myself and my children (they walk freely into the room as I watch) to worldly values. I have watched As The World Turns for almost 30 years and the other one, Guiding Light, for 15. That was really hard to "say". How do I know I have made this an idol in my life? And what is an idol/idolatry?

The Bible says idolatry is a work of the flesh and has it right up there with murder! (Galatians 5:19-21) Isn't an idol a false God? It can be, but the Bible describes idolatry as covetousness (Colossians 3:5) I could list a ton of verses concerning idolatry, and none of them have a good turn out for the idolater! Anything that you put before God is an idol. We have all done it, but when the veil is lifted and you can actually see the problem, that's when what you do, from that point on, matters. Back to "how" I know it is a major problem for me.When I realized how my kids saw me with that ring tone, I thought "I will just stop watching it!" Well let me tell you, I had a physical reaction to that thought! I mean Carly (whom I named my dog after) has a brain tumor and next week she will suffer from amnesia, all the while the love of her life and father of her child (I forget which of her 3 children is his) is planning to marry her arch enemy. I will miss it all! How do I know this is going to happen. From the CBS Soap magazine that I spend $4.00 every other week on. I figured that out...it is a yard of quilt shop fabric a month (or $96 per year) to read what I am going to watch anyway because I have no self control and have to feed my flesh now!! THE VEIL IS LIFTED!

But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. 2 Corinthians 3:18

I am going on the same TV rules as I set for my kids. Very limited in time, specific to content. Television, like anything else, can be a positive in our lives. We just need to make sure it does not become our life. I know Survivor is starting tonight. I have NEVER missed an episode since the day it aired. My kids know when it is "Survivor" night. Dad is at work, and Mom is NOT to be bothered unless there is blood or vomit involved, and even then try to hold off til commercial. The premise of the show is to win a million dollars by being the best at lying, cheating, and manipulating others around you. Ummm, I think I will have to skip Survivor for the first time ever. Does that mean if you watch Survivor or a soap opera I think you are a heathen sinner. No. That is not my judgement call. I am saying I have set up an idol for myself and I must tear it down in order to go from "glory to glory".
That is the goal I have set. To attain the Prize. In order to do that I need to "flee from idolatry" (1 Corinthians 10:14). What is the Prize?

I press toward the mark for the prize of the High Calling of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:14

If I want to miss my high calling, I can find out what happens to Carly. I would rather get the prize! And kids....you will need to find a new ring tone for Mom!

Broken Needles and Talking Rocks

My 4 seasons swap is turning out to be beautiful. Double cross hatching is not for the faint of heart. It is grueling and many times I have thought, "I would be done by now if I had done single cross hatch." Now the process is not the problem. I LOVE to hand quilt so the extra stitches are not the issue. I am not sure exactly what the problem is. Here is a picture of what happens... To give you an idea of the sizing here, if you measure from the outer line to the inner line of one of these squares, it measures 1 inch. I start with a straight needle, it ends up bent in a matter of 1/2 an hour and within a 45 minute span it is broken off into the quilt. It is one of two problems. I am hand quilting on Kona Cotton for the first time or it is the batting. My Hobbs is no longer carried at Joann's so I grabbed their version of it. I am use to quilting through "butter", so this is awful. My stitches are not as close, though I am keeping them even, which in my mind is the most important thing. I will trudge on through this and should have it done and in the post by the weekend.

Now onto my talking stones. Finn did a post recently about her love of stones. I could not believe how many people love rocks!! My grandson, TJ is infatuated with them. When he comes to Grandma's house, we always take a walk and he "rock hunts". There are lots of stops as he announces "Biggy rock!!" which is "bigger rock". The bigger, the better for TJ. Well I enjoy a rock as much as the next person, but I prefer the ones that talk. I have several, so I will share. I found this rock in a box of my oldest son's things. Finders, keepers...These next talking rocks are "fake" but are blended into a fountain full of real rocks. This is also a fake "rock"...it is really just glass shaped like a stone, but I carried this in my pocket for some time when I was needing an attitude adjustment. And this one is my favorite. Anyone who has been to my house in the last 10 years, has seen this rock on my sink in the bathroom. It is a real stone

Tackle It Tuesday & Love Mail

It is that time again. Thank you for all the lovely comments on my Home Management Binder. I envy those of you who do not need one because of your excellence in organization. In describing the Proverbs 31 woman, the Bible tells of her having servants (maidens). Well my HMB is a servant for me, along with my bread machine, dishwasher, vacuum cleaner, etc. How many servants do you need? As long as the binder remains your servant and not your master, it can be a very big help. So onto my Tackle (which by the way, I would not need to do if I was so organized!!)

In my kitchen I have alot of cupboard space. More than I require. What happens when you have more space than you need? You fill it with junk! Heaven forbid you have an empty cupboard. I have 3 upper cupboard doors to the right of my kitchen sink. These, when all open, expose one large cupboard.In the door to the left, I store my dishes. The middle door is for my bread plates, lotions and medicine bin (kept on the top shelf), which also required some attention. The door to the right should hold light bulbs and odds and ends (another word for organized junk). This is what it looked like before. Here are the after photos. Still some junk, but clean, organized junk. To see more Tackle It Tuesday's go here.

Yesterday was a big mail day. I received some special dvd's I had been waiting for. They were to take 7-10 days and took over 3 weeks. I must need to build some patience!

Another package arrived and I was so excited when I saw it was from Margaret in Spain! I remember her telling me she had sent a "little something" my way. First I must tell you a little story...Picture this...I am at my Grandma's funeral. It is sad and I am not particularly comfortable. I pulled this out of my purse. It is a gorgeous tissue holder that Margaret made me back when I was her stitchery swap partner. It matches a lovely bag she made me with the same tea pot of flowers stitched on it that you will see at the top of my sidebar. Anyway, I am holding this beautiful tissue holder stuffed with Spanish tissues...I know I can be strange. Just holding that made things so much better for me. Then a cousin and his wife needed a tissue. Now there was a box of tissues at the end of our row of seats, but I said, "Here, you can have a tissue from Spain." Their grief was exchanged with a questioning look. I began to explain and pretty soon I had several people wanting a tissue from Spain. Now I kinda panicked, because I did not want to use them ALL! For crying out loud, there where boxes of tissues in that funeral home. But I knew the odd comfort I received from the tissues from Spain so I did share...I still have a few left.

Now back to the package..inside were more tissues from Spain!! See, if you give, then you will receive back 3-10 fold...I think it was about 3 fold for me, as my heart still wanted to hang on to my Spanish tissues! These are TOO CUTE!!! Front and back.

Now I certainly do not want to pass these out, but I do learn a lesson...Little Zachary has had such a terrible cold. Yesterday he was miserable. The kid will NOT blow his nose, so when he said "I bet one of those chicken Kleenex would help my nose." I could not resist. It actually DID make him feel better. ;)
So there is MORE...This beauty was included. I was told by Margaret it is functional, as all the ladies in Spain carry them in their purses. By last night, I could whip this thing open and have it waving in a split second...the wonderful zip noise included! Good-bye hot flashes! Isn't it GORGEOUS!! Here is a close up of the painted flowers and the wood cut out of the fan blades. Also in the package was this...I am told it is a liner for my rolls...I thought "how pretty...wonder what the snaps in odd places are for?"....

Hmmmm...I will snap them together to see what happens.....Oh My!!! Is that incredible, or what??? Thank You SOOOO much Margaret! You are such a lovely friend and I thank God everyday for you!

A friend loveth at all times. Proverbs 17:17