Ecuador and MeKenzei

Ecuador seemed out of reach last summer. MeKenzei had been injured in cross country season and her running career was over. I know that was super heart breaking for her, she loved to run. I have watched her over this past year work very hard in school. Struggling to stay in the top ten percent of her classes. There were so many late nights, much more than Jakob ever had as a 10th grader. She had trouble remembering things, she has trouble staying focused, she has trouble being run down constantly. Her body just doesn't hold together like it used to. I see her frustrated, confused and alone. She tries to hard to not let her pituitary and endocrine glands get the best of her. Sometimes its hard for her to make the best food choices and I know she sees me nagging when I remind her to eat something good, drink more, sleep more. I am so proud of her for working so hard in school, for selling eggs to raise money for her trip. I am thankful to all those that donated the last two years to make it possible. She raised $1900 of the $2300 that was possible.

I know she will face some tough decisions next year with church. It is hard to work in time for youth leadership and band when you have to study twice as hard to get the grades to stay at the top. I have taken an active role in her schooling. Sometimes its like taking the classes with her. I have had to help with reading and notes and sometimes just sitting there to be moral support. I am so thankful for this time together. How lucky of a mom am I to be so active in their lives. It is exhausting at times but I am eternally grateful for the amazing children that they are. For the fact that they continue to fight, grow and love who they are despite their challenges.

I am thankful for this trip and the week that she will be gone with some amazing students. I can't wait to hear all the stories, see the journal she will keep and see the person that will be molded from this situation. It is so easy to get caught up in the troubles of teenage life. The girl drama, the hurt, the lost friendships, the disappointment, the desire to have more and be more. This week she will see real life, the life that is so much less than what we have yet so much more.

google.com/+JennWellsandSunshineOfAutumnQuilts

Moments together

I think with all of Paul's traveling we seize some of our own moments lately. We happened to look back and see that sometimes we forget to take photos of ourselves when we get all these snap shots of the kids. We are trying to make sure we do better with that. One of the kids snapped this shot Christmas morning. I love it.

We actually got a night away for our anniversary this year. I found an incredible deal in Galveston so we took advantage of it. I am super thankful Jakob took this photo for us before we left because it was so cold and miserable we didn't get any photos of ourselves while on the trip, then I must have eaten something because I became pretty sick that evening and we actually came straight home after check out. We had another trip planned for this month with a friend and her husband to Louisiana, I am thankful that we went for our anniversary because we had to cancel since Paul's work needed to send him to Ohio. Sometimes the Lord really does impress things like dates upon us, we need to learn to listen because we almost missed this opportunity in planning for the future instead of the moment in front of us.

Breast Cancer Quilt

This was a donation quilt for a teacher at the local high school. She has breast cancer and I wanted to provide her with something that would remind her of all the love and prayer for her from her fellow co workers. They presented it to her and she really loved it. I love the backing. I wish I could find some more of it.

Zekaryah Showing Love

Money is tight and that is the way for so many people in the world these days. I had talked with the kids about doing something small for my birthday as an act of kindness. This was what Zekaryah did for me. 

I love it!

He even hung it outside by the front door for me. He made this wreath out of tree vines from our back yard. It is GORGEOUS! It also is flowers from the yard. I love these little pink ones he found. I made a suggestion to my husband that he take Zekaryah to purchase some fake flowers once they die so that he can then decorate it. For a boy who is only 13 I think he has a skill that is worth putting some resources into. What a great birthday gift!

Taking out time to Show Love

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."
1 Corinthians 13:4-7

This morning I thought about how to show love to one another in our household. I wanted to think of each family member and do something for each of them. After setting up for a Tasty Tuesday at school where I brought Scarecrow Crunch for teachers and staff, I realized listening to these teachers thank us over and over for the yummy food items everyone brought, that this was more important then ever in my house.

"Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality."

Romans 12:9-13

This morning I went out and fed the quail again for my husband. I really don't like to do this, but I know that it shows him love.
I also made each of my childrens beds. I put new sheets on them and picked up their rooms just a little bit. They have been doing a great job at keeping their rooms tidy, but making their beds often is last on their list, since they get up at 5 to start their mornings. I know for me I like to have a nicely made bed when I climb in at night. I know many mothers would chastise me for not expecting my children to make their own beds. I find that it is something that I can do for them occasionally so I see it more as helping them rather than a nuisance.

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate."

Psalm 127:3-5

I am also going to make pancakes, bacon and sausage for dinner tonight and we will watch some tv together after dinner and homework too. If I can make it to the store before they get home I plan on making pumpkin cheesecake again for dessert, otherwise I will have to make due with the graham cracker crust I already have and make a mock pumpkin pie with what I have.
This season starts the holiday blues and I want to always remind them how much they are loved and cared for. That far outweighs all the things they do not get that their friends do for Christmas and Birthdays.
None of those physical items will matter at all later in life. They will remember the little things like made beds, desserts and family dinners over toys that are here today gone tomorrow.

What can you do for your loved ones today?

"

 

A Fathers Love Quilt

This has been the most precious Quilt I have ever made- it is a quilt remembering a Fathers Love. I hope to get a better picture of the quilt as a whole once my son is home. It is so Beautiful!

This customer lost her father this past year and sent me 9 clothing items to create this beautiful treasure

Some shirts were Tshirt like, some long sleeve, some more of a heavy cotton/poly material and there was one pair of shorts

I was able to get every pocket on the shirts, one shirt had two sleeves with patches, I also used those

She wanted to use a pair of his shorts. I thought to use the back pocket- which is still fully intact, as well as the front zipper like area- harder to see in this photo.

I love how each pocket I was able to keep the buttons where they had them. I am hoping to maybe sew the buttons back on the areas where the shirts had buttons down the middle I had to remove them to piece the quilt

These blocks are all 11 inches, with a three inch border. She wanted hunting like colors, I chose an olive green cotton and then a black tree like fabric to bind it. It is about 54 by 74, a nice size throw

The backing is flannel and a camo print

I loved the corner of this long sleeve shirt- and was able to include a portion of the collar in the upper right corner.

I really hope this quilt provides much healing and love for her. I decided to do 24 squares instead of the 12 she asked for, in order to capture more of the shirts and then also to give her a nicer quilty gift. As you know this is dear to my heart just having lost my own mother. I also carefully cut the shirts so I was able to get an additional 30 blocks. I wrote her and offered a second quilt at really just the price of materials. I have that quilt top made and am awaiting the flannel I ordered for the back. She decided to give that one to her mom/sister to share. It won't be as elaborate but it will still be such a nice memory blanket/quilt.

What are you Learning Friday

This week had many lessons for my family. There seemed to be an overabundance in homework and projects. We had a large amount of time to spend together which was wonderful however it also led to some disagreements too. We had to learn to speak kindly to one another. I personally had hoped to take a quilting class- do something for myself and it did not turn out very well. Long story short I left Tue from a class that never took place feeling very disappointed that once again I could not further my desire at learning something new. However after praying about it I found myself stopping at another location the next day after work and there was the answer, a class that was going to meet my needs better and not cost as much either.

There is an old saying that which has many variations. One being from Alexander Graham Bell "“When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.”

The point really being that whenever one door closes, God always opens another…whether it be a window, a door, a small crack- you know what I mean. That time when it just seems so impossible. Our family was there not to long ago, as my quilt sells hit bottom, orders were backed out on, overtime at my husbands work was cut and the money I made during my few mornings a week caring for Anne now had to somehow feed us and put gas in my vehicle. It seemed simply impossible. I first decided to tithe off the small amount of money that I made. I then decided to lean onto Proverbs 31, be a woman that was organized and active-where I cooked my own food- bought less that was frozen, we would eat more veggies- less meat since it was more expensive, and really plan-menu, grocery list, and some sacrifice. We also made a plan to try a bigger garden, start some of our veggies from seed, order some online- because it was cheaper then our local nurseries... the list continues, my point is not only did we need to pray we needed to actively make some changes to better our situation.

This week, as well as over the last few months I have heard from so many friends where their lives are completely turned upside down. What they knew of their live has been hit pretty hard and now they are having to search for that open door as the path they are on is closing. It could be the very simple where they have a job and hours are changed so the norm is off to not having a job at all- thus no income and the struggle of even finding something else. This week seems to be full of stories that are so much more heart wrenching.

One friend knew a woman who chose to end her life this past week, no one really understood why, it seemed to be a decision made all of a sudden. I am not going to make judgement on this action for that is not our place, I simply want to learn from her actions, and wanted to share this because I cannot imagine coming to that point where you have NO HOPE, where you are so ALONE. So I would also ask for prayer for the family as this is always such a sad ending...

Another friend is going through some personal health issues within her family, that seem never ending and they feel so much uncertainty. I know many of us face various health issues.

Another friend has wrote this week and they have been asked to move out of their home, had some trouble vehicle wise, she feels it is one trial after another and in some ways it seems hopeless. Many of us have money, income, job issues.

I know there could be a mile long list on trials we all face.

It is so hard to go through trials, it is so hard to not know what tomorrow brings, not know maybe how we are going to pay bills, buy food, make house repairs. Those are the times that God really wants us to rely on him.

Matthew 6:34 ( I love the version from the Message)

Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.

I thought of my prayer list this week as I continued to add friends, family and acquaintances to it. As I watched the news this week or listened to the conversation that my children or other people I was around had, and it made me think today that maybe it was a day to share some verses on being strong, having hope, having strength, realizing that the Lord has a plan, and while we may not always understand the overwhelming difficulties we face and the timing that he will use these as sandpaper in our life to mold us and make us and help us walk upon the path that he has chosen for us. We will make it to the other side, we will come through the darkness and into the light and even though we all face some really scary spots when the good comes we will be able to enjoy its sweetness. I hope if you have something in your life that is difficult that one of these verses below will speak to your heart.

Psalm 31:24Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the LORD.

Psalm 33:20We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield.

Jeremiah 29:11For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Romans 12:12Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

Romans 15:13May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

1 Chronicles 16:11Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.

Proverbs 31:25She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.

Isaiah 12:2Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation."

Isaiah 33:2O LORD, be gracious to us; we long for you. Be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of distress.

Isaiah 40:31but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Isaiah 41:10So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Philippians 4:13I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

Thankful Thursday

Thankful Thursday

I have so much to be THANKFUL this week. First I want to share a verse it is from

Colossians 3:14-16 (New International Version)
"And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God."

I am sharing this verse today as one of my most thankful for moments this week is my Daughters Baptism on Valentines Day. She is my youngest-all three have now been baptized and it just feels my heart with gratitude and awe that they have made their own decision to follow Christ's Ways. Such an exciting event.

I am also grateful/thankful that I finished a quilt order this week. It had been weighing on me and it was wonderful to just get in there Tue of this week, tackle it and get it sent on its merry way to its new owner.

I am thankful that my son and I got to spend a couple of hours together on Tue afternoon, I treated him to an after school snack at Sonic. That was a lot of fun.

I am thankful for my husband this week. He helped me with the quilting of the Love to Teach Quilt I finished on Sunday, he has made me hot tea with honey and some wheat toast with peanut butter on it all week as I leave for work - I was able to take it with me. Just so sweet and thoughtful. In fact it started with my Valentines Day gift because he knew I had been fighting a throat and chest cold and he purchased me a very nice stainless steel cup so that I could take hot tea with me to go every morning. Tuesday I awoke to the stove top completely clean, the kids had been taken to school, dishwasher unloaded and his one call to me was to make sure I could completely focus on my quilt order. What an amazing SUPPORTER. Yesterday after work, though I was a little tired, I met him for lunch, it was very nice, and I even took my days wages and gave it to him to pay for the meal! I am thankful the kids are in school so we can have those rare moments!

This week I am so thankful we are a Godly family, trying our best to love one another and spend time together, pray together and most of all EAT together. I have made what my children call Feasts- all week long. I am sure last night was their favorite as we had Belgian Waffles, Sausage, Bacon and Fresh Heavy Whipped Cream with Fruit toppings of Cherries- Hot Cinnamon Apples and Fresh Strawberries for Dinner. It is so nice that even though money is rough with overtime being cut we have made the best of it and have had dinner the last few weeks together. I just love our meal times!

Oh and on a side note- I received some beautiful healing hearts from a quilting friend in the UK this week. It was in rememberance of my grandfather that has just passed away. What an amazing gift. I am so thankful to have her as a friend. Thank you Janice.

So What Are You Thankful for Today?

Please visit Grace Alone and join in Thankful Thursday or maybe just read other thankful lists.

You can also see some more at Rose Colored Glasses

Saturday Lyrics

Today I just want to share some lyrics to a song that really makes me think about life, love and what should be our priorities.

One Life to Love

Artist: 33 Miles

Album: One Life

He never thought he cared so much about the minute hand

Until he started praying for a second chance

If he could only do it all again he'd trade the long nights that he spent

Behind his desk

For all he missed

He tells his wife, I wish th at this moment in this room

Was not me dying, but just spending a little time with you

You only get just one time around

You only get one shot at this

One chance to find out

The one thing that you don't want to miss

One day when it's all said and done

I hope you see that it was enough

This one ride, one try, one life to love

She never thought she cared so much about those little hands

That held on tight the day she left

Till she was scared to death

Sitting all alone on a hotel bed, the end of the road

The sun has set on her big plans

To feel young again

She picks up the phone, dials the number, hears that little voice

That's haunted every single mile since she made that choice.

You only get just one time around
You only get one shot at this
One chance to find out
The one thing that you don't want to miss
One day when it's all said and done
I hope you see that it was enough
This one ride, one try, one life to love

Thankful Thursday and Love

This week we have been exploring the idea of love. How to love, why to love, what is love... you get the idea. With Valentines Day approaching I feel many of us miss the idea of what God intended love to be. It isn't flowers, jewelery, gifts, chocolate... those things are nice but they are not love. That doesn't mean we don't like them though right?
Seriously though when we think of being thankful what better example of Love then God giving us Christ, his only son, to die for us, to save us, to give us eternal life, to forgive us of all wrong doing, to forgive us of all sin. We are made white as snow, we are given a clean slate. I can't imagine a better example of Love then that can you?
Today I am ever so thankful for that display of Love, that through God's grace we are saved to have eternal life with him. A Life where we will not have to worry about money to pay bills, not have to plan menus and clean a house that seems to always be dirty, not have to worry about pain because our health is failing, not have to care for a loved one that is sick..the list goes on doesn't it. All those trials and tribulations that God allows into our lives so that he can mold us and shape us into that person he desires us to be will not be needed anymore.
I just can't even imagine. What a wonderful time that will be to know no pain, no sorrow, no fear.

I am ever so thankful in my own life, we continue to heal from this cold in our home that never seems to go away. I have completed two of my three quilt orders this week-which on Monday seemed impossible. I have a son that turned 13 today- and wow is he a GEM. My daughter is being baptized this Saturday, what an honor it will be to be there and watch her continue to grow in our Heavenly Father. Most of all I have a husband whom I love so much, who is there to support me, who claims to love me even more than I love him, who took Monday off and worked in our garden to get the water routed to it- in hopes that we will have more success so we might can food this year. I have so much to be thankful for in the midst of all the uncertainty around me, even within our own home. I leave you with one final thought today.
The bible says, "If you only love those who love you, what credit is that to you?"
Luke 6:32

Love as an Action

Love is an action- not really just a feeling. It is something we choose to do, something we learn to feel. Probably honestly the number one issue that we can have in relationships in general. There are some people that maybe we choose not to love, maybe it just seems impossible. I have heard once that some people are our Sandpaper people. They are the ones that rub our edges and get them the way that God wants them so that we are how he wants us. Boy can I say they are hard to love at times. We do however have the choice to love them even if we don't always like them.

There is a huge difference.

We are commanded to love. In the bible it says, " Let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and truth." 1 John 3:18.

In the light of this idea of making love an action we have to practice that idea to get better at it and have success with it.

The bible also says, "Dear friends, let us practice loving each other, for love comes from God and those who are loving and kind show that they are children of God, and that they are getting to know him better."1 John 4:7

Isn't that the truth though, you know those people that we all wish at times we could be. Always seem to do for others no matter who they are, they seem to treat people all the same, they have that glowing spirit that just beams out of them.

In regards to practicing love the bible also states, "Practice these things and devote yourself to them, in order that your progress may be seen by all." 1 Timothy 4:15

I would say the number one area that you might see this in my own life is with my children. I will always love them but sometimes my actions may not always show that. There are times where maybe I don't put my book down and focus on what they are saying- I half listen. Especially if it is my oldest talking about a video game- oh how that conversation goes on forever sometimes. Yet it is important to him so it should be important to me. SO I want to work on this week- listening to them a little more attentively to display my love to them.

As for my husband- he loves for me to scratch his back- I despise it- but all week I have been trying to think of him more than the fact that I think it is gross, and I know that I show how much I love him through this action, because it is something he really enjoys.

So what can you do with your actions to convey your love for your family this week?

Open Your Eyes and Your Heart

In continuing with our Love Theme for this week it is important to open your eyes and your heart to see who our Father really is. Love is the Lord's Character, his essence. The Bible Says, "Love comes from God...for God is love." 1 John 4:7-8
I can't think of a better quality to posses. I can't think of a better quality to share with everyone. It is so hard to do at times though, especially that unconditional love. It is easy to withhold love to someone, such as a sister or spouse, because we feel we have been wronged or maybe they did something we did not like. Where does that really get us? In the times that things are the worst I feel like we should love even more.
The bible also says that "We love because God first loved us." 1 John 4:19
How amazing to be loved by God- he is the only one that can give unconditional love. As hard as we try our love can tend to be conditional. We don't automatically love strangers. We tend to get to know people and as we become friends we love them. It doesn't just happen. For us love is a feeling not an action, yet it really should be an action. We will talk more about that tomorrow.
For today I want to leave you with one more thought. Love is a Choice- it is a commitment.
The Lord says in Deuteronomy 30:20 "Choose to love the Lord your God and commit yourself to him." To improve your relationships you have to make love a choice- a commitment.
Is there areas in your marriage, or with your children, or even with your family members where you could work on making love a choice in order to have a better relationship?
I know for me I feel I have a pretty good relationship with my children and my husband. I would say if they were asked they would agree. I would also say that I am not satisfied with where those relationships are, I can always desire to have more, especially in the area of quality. I don't think I could ever love too much.

Our Father and His Love

The bible has so much to say about Love doesn't it? As we approach Valentines Day, a commercialized holiday about Love I thought why not look at some verses this week that talk about Love, or some people that display love.
Here is what I have for today- what I want to call Memory Verse Monday.
I have three verses that we should all think on this week.
The Lord says the following
in 1 Corinthians 14:1 he states, "Let love be your highest aim."
Pretty simple and sweet if you ask me. I think he means let every decision in life be driven by your dominate life principal which is Love.
Then he states in Mark 12:30-31, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength... love your neighbor as yourself. There are no commands more important than these.
What is interesting to me is this is the only command God gives - for us to Love. That is how important it is. I feel it guides our entire life. How well do things really work when they are not done with love?
The last verse I want to ponder on is the following,
"Everything you do must be done with Love" 1 Corinthians 16:14
Imagine how well life would be if we really did that. If every time we did anything we did it in or with Love. From going to the post office to drop off a package, to getting groceries at the store, to tucking our kiddos in at night. The world would be such a better place.
The simple fact in life is that things aren't done in Love constantly. It is so incredibly hard. However, that does not mean we should not try to meet the challenge, to rise to the occasion.
Kind of like the movie Pay Forward- here is the challenge.
Try this week to do everything in Love.
Maybe make coffee for you mate in the morning, or a favorite meal. Rent a movie and watch it with your children. Open a door for someone at the store or wherever you are in public, or even just lend a simple Hello or a smile. The biggest area I think sometimes is how we talk to people, whether it be us initiating the conversation, or us replying. Try really hard to think of your words, and speak out how you would like to be spoken to.
We may only be one person, but between emails, face to face contact, the telephone and the like we may come in contact with several a day, if each of our interactions is in love, then maybe in turn theirs will be too, it is a domino affect. Try this one week to do Everything in Love and see how the Lord will Bless you by following His Commands.

Thankful Thursday

I must admit I still feel like my lungs have been pounded in by bricks, like my throat is raw and on fire but I find I am ever so thankful this week.
My son was sick and he is starting to feel better, but we got to enjoy a sick day together on Tuesday.
My younger two took their BenchMark Tests for school and felt good about them.
The three kids have pitched in to help with dishes, feeding the dogs and the bathroom cleaning without complaining- a MIRACLE I TELL YOU.
My husband has not been upset over the condition of the house or the fact that I have gotten very little done- he has been very sympathetic to my not feeling well, even though I am personally upset over the condition of the house and my lack of getting quilt orders finished.
I am very thankful to all my online friends who have lent support and kind words as I have been working through the sadness that came with the passing of my Grandfather Kale.
I am thankful that I only have one more Tax statement to wait on so we can file our taxes and get that done and over with.
I am thankful to have gotten a Lemonade Award for my Blog this week- that was very uplifting.
I am thankful to Des who introduced me to some hilarious books - one of which I found at the library yesterday called Plum Lucky by Janet Evanovich. I am enjoying the book so much.
I am thankful to come across the Elm Creek Kitchen book-which I borrowed but it is really neat and has lots of recipes.
I am also ever so thankful for the break in the extreme cold weather and for the beautiful SUNSHINE outside.
Most of all I am thankful for the love and support of my family, that we have a warm house over our head, with lights and food and a warm fire, that we all love each other and just enjoy each others company so much. My children have been an amazing comfort in just the little things that they do and I feel like a Truly Blessed Mom for sure.
So what are you thankful for today?
Sunshine