Thankful Thursday

I am double posting on both of my Blogs today. I am just beat, and at the same time very thankful. Today I was able to spend the entire day with Zekaryah. He may not have always been so excited as our trip consisted of two stores with fabric in addition to other errands like lunch with Dad at a very good Diner in town, and then visiting my friend Melissa and her new baby Noah. I was able to pick up the fabric for the quilt I worked on yesterday so that was nice and I found fabric for the Patriotic Quilt I will donate to my cousin for a Gala he will attend. That is a huge relief, it was really nice because it was normally 9.99 a yard and I had a coupon for 40% off. It is the perfect backing fabric. I could not be more pleased with it. Just a true testament to what America is all about. I picked up a couple Debbie Mumm fabrics for the same quilt, I wish they had been on sale, I only got 1/3 yard cuts and it still added up. I wanted more of the line but my pocket book said otherwise, so I will try to tie in some other fabrics to complete this Lap Quilt Donation. My only other purchase today was some orange and white ribbon for a requested UT Tag A Long I will make tomorrow.
I think of all my blessings and I realize that even though sometimes there are friends in our lives that we rarely see that our friendships can really just outweigh time. That is how it was with Melissa today. I got to immediately hold her precious baby boy, who immediately decided to throw up all over my arm after she gave him some colic meds. I had to laugh because my motherly instinct was to 1) turn him so the puke went out, since he is not quite 2 months yet, and then 2) hold him over the counter I was near instead of the very clean kitchen floor. TOO FUNNY. I didn't mind. Baby puke never hurt anyone.
After she changed him, I gladly held him again - for over an hour! He just slept so soundly in my arms. I miss that feeling so much, however I do not miss the tiredness that she feels since she can't seem to reverse his schedule. He is up at night and sleeps during the day. Always a hard habit to break. I was able to give her two panel quilts and a Tag A Long while I was there. I have a very special quilt that has to wait for little Noah to have since they will have a Baby Shower get together at the end of the month.
Meanwhile I still deal with Mekenzei- I am at a loss of what to do. Her attitude is crazy insane, she is so hormonal and moody and just UGH! I decided today that her behavior warranted me taking Zekaryah instead of her, I think she figured out that she has to do something else to express herself because since I have been home she has not once got all PUFFY at me.
While I can't figure out how to handle her lately, I was reminded today how much I treasured her as I found myself looking for Blue and Green fabrics for a bed quilt, or talking with her dad over lunch about purchasing a Full Size Bed for her- as hers is musty and makes her sick, so she has been sleeping in her brothers room which is not working well. She really needs her own space.
Lastly I am just so thankful to my husband who has been amazing, as I turned our living room into a quilting studio, it is chaotic at times but he just grins and bears with me. The dishes have sometimes been left in the sink and I don't think I got the tile swept in the den once all week but he has not said anything but do you need help with?.... Truly just the words I need to hear among the busyness of this week.
While I did not get any sewing done today, I feel very content being able to just share my day with Zekaryah and talk and laugh and just have a wonderful afternoon in our new Spring Weather.

Tackle it Tuesday

Well I didn't do what I was supposed to do. Hubby is not too happy with me either. I understand. I should have worked on a customer order that I took Friday morning. I just could not get myself into it. I did finish a Baby Quilt today though- so I got something done for my Tackle it Tuesday.

I have it washing now, then will dry it and it will be ready to sale.

I love the flannel that I used on the back. It is so pretty. It has some wonderful coloring and I love the swirls. I made the binding from the same line. I have used it before on another quilt. It is so pretty. I love the shade of purple in the fabric.

I think it turned out just over 30 by 35. I might ask $45 for it. I hope that is a fair price.

This would make a great nursery quilt for sure.

I have not decided if I will list it on Etsy or just keep it for inventory for my Craft Show in May at the school. I will pray about it. I just don't know if it would sell and I feel like I have time to sell it online, then if it didn't, I could take it with me. At the same time I have so little time to make a bunch of quilts for the show too. SO I have mixed feelings. If it did sell prior it is a sell, that seems beneficial either way.

Menu Monday

This week we have the challenge of the kids being home on spring break and the increase to our menu/grocery bill. Paul and I are eating Charo Beans and Homemade Jalapeno Cornbread for dinner all week in hopes to cut the cost of the kids being home. I have allowed them to pick sandwiches- either Tuna, Ham or Peanut Butter for lunches- then cereal hot or cold for Breakfast, just to try and keep it reasonable. I might cook breakfast Tue and Thur mornings since I am off those days.

Dinners are planned as follows

Monday-

French Bread Pizza

Tuesday-

Spaghetti, Garlic Bread and Green Beans

Wednesday-

French Toast, Eggs and Bacon

Thursday-

Tostadas

Friday-

Hamburgers and Hot dogs

Saturday-

Soup and Sandwiches

Sunday-

Snack Night with a Movie

This weeks verse is 2 Corinthians 12:9

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.

Wordless Wednesday- Lunch with DAD

Malachi 4:6 He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers.

Menu Monday and a Bit on Serving

Well I must confess I have no idea what we will eat this week. I have been so busy! Friday night our church The Fellowship of the Woodlands had an activity for children in 2nd-4th grade. I picked up my daughter, middle son and their friend in 2nd grade from school, then came home real quick to talk with my oldest-make a couple phone calls. Found out I was picking up not just one of my son's friends but two. We went out got them, then drove to the church. SO I arrive with five children all but one is in 4th grade. Wow, what a car ride that was.

We all had a very good time. I got to do one of my favorite things ever- serve Children!

It was nice because I could leave my husband and oldest at home that night, and let the five children I brought blend in with the rest of the kids, worry about nothing but painting little girls fingernails all night in the Glamour Room they had set up for "Blast Off". What a joy.

It was wonderful to see them get their hair done, even some by an actual hair stylist- who us adult women might pay a fortune for. Some got some eye makeup- which I never let my daughter do- she is not even 10 yet, ugh... but nonetheless it was an event so she got to try on some blue eyeshadow. YEAH. LOL
These little girls showed the true feeling of just having fun. Talking about school, boys, home, the High School Musical 3 movie that was playing. Most asking for black nail polish, which I would have to decline and choose the darkest blue for, each time asking are you sure this is the color you want, your mom won't get mad? I was so concerned for some of them. Then I realized why i was there that night- among all these little girls.

A little girl came up, picked her polish and said I love Blast Off, I said well that is great, what have you done tonight? We preceded to talk and I found out her parents had recently divorced, she was here from Louisiana, didn't know anyone and just wanted to stay there and have fun, not go home. My heart went out to this little girl, who then enjoyed my conversation so much that about 15 min later she brought her twin sister to meet me so I could then do her nails- a similar color which her sister was thrilled with.

It reminded me of God and how often times we are displaced in our lives, maybe we are still in our home, but we move the slightest bit away from him. How we feel alone and sad and just could really use a Blast Off day. In my serving children I got to be that smile that girl needed- maybe that stranger that she could confide in, that person that could tell her how much Jesus loves her, show her by painting her nails and giving her a ray of sunshine into her life- even so brief. So maybe as she grows older and things continue to change she can look back at that moment and remember it as one not quite so bad afterall. She is in a new church, living with dad, a church that loves god so much, and loves everyone who attends. I can't wait to see that little girl another time and see where she has grown.

We are so lucky to live here in a place that can freely worship Jesus and have hope. Hope is what those two sisters left with that night, and hope can make a huge difference in those dark tunnels we face for whatever reason they come.

As for my menu- I am sure I will throw something together this week. It will be rushed between Book Fair, Special Pals Week at Lunch, Choir Practices before and after school, A Choir Performance this week on Thur... Busy busy.. Thankfully I have hamburger frozen, some eggs, stuff to make pancakes, and a fresh bag of Pinto beans for some Bean Soup. This week we might just go Menuless. I'll let you know how we made it through next Monday.

Have a Wonderful Week

And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.(Matthew 18:2-6 ESV)

What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should

perish.(Matthew 18:12-14 ESV)

And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.(Mark 10:13-16 ESV)

You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.(Deuteronomy 11:19 ESV)

What Am I Learning

This week I have been learning that emotions are not always easy to deal with, not always easy to understand, and not always easy to explain. Emotions have been high in the family this week. I worked on a quilt for my daughter which ended up not being such a good idea. See we lost "Nana", whom she was very close to back in 2005. Nana was just one of those Proverb 31 women we all aspire to be. One of a kind. Truly just a beacon of light. She never crossed someones path without impacting their day, even the check out person at Walmart was impacted. Always smiled, told you - you were loved by God. We took care of her from the time my daughter was 3 I guess until she was in 1st grade- around Christmas Time. So to Mekenzei Nana was really the world. We also had a dog for that same time period that was given to us by my birth father and his wife. Surprisingly (not really to my husband and I), Nana and the dog passed within months of each other.

Well this quilt that I was making with love sparked emotion in my daughter that I did not expect. See when she was little I had saved this box of clothing of Nana's to make several quilts with. Unfortunately things don't always go as planned so when my husbands family was going through things they just junked it all. My daughter still wants her quilt. LOL

I have had three grandfathers pass since then, one very recent and I was able to get some clothes from two of them. One I have some shirts from, the other a couple pairs of pants. My one grandmother even gave me two items that were hers, so that she won't have to worry later. I thought that was a great idea. For me it was a great way to deal with the death and I am learning that my little 10 year old is the same way.

She wants something tangible. Too often we forget when we are going through old things when someone passes on that our children might want something to. We tend to think of ourselves as adults first. I know that is what happened in our family. There were too many grandchildren on my husbands side and they just were not thought of, it was seen as a hassle.

I am praying for a solution, I am praying that I find a way to comfort my daughter through her very real emotions. Death is never easy, and even though we can preach that we will see them again, that they are in a better place, and that our children understand that, sometimes the physical part of our heart still feels a little sad.

I did have an idea late last week to do a memory quilt- using colors for heart disease, Alzheimer's, Ovarian and Cervical Cancer etc... Those all run in my family. I have had my husband mom and two grandfathers pass from Alzheimer's, my husbands mom also had a small touch of heart disease at the end, my two grandfathers were plagued with it for a lot of their adult lives. My grandmother has battled several cancers. I thought of all the quilts donated in peoples names for Initiatives and that we could make one in memory of all of them, living and past. So maybe God already knew this would arise and this is the solution. It would be very easy to involve the kids in the making of the quilt, maybe by cutting fabric- choosing some in the right colors etc.

Healing is hard that is the lesson I have really learned this week. It takes work- it doesn't just happen and everyone deals with things differently. While I can speak many bible verses to her, somehow right now that is not enough, so my answer is Prayer and possibly this quilt.

So what have you been learning this week?

Thankful Thursday

I have so much to be thankful for this week. No one in my house has been sick all week! Wow nearly a miracle I tell you. I get to go visit my friend's baby tomorrow, Noah James, I can't wait. She lost her first little boy the day before she was to have him, broke my heart as I understood the pain. However, in my situation I had one child that was still with me, where she had empty arms. I was so so happy for her when she said she was pregnant again. She will be a TERRIFIC mom. We prayed so hard for her during this pregnancy, even the kids, esp the younger two. They love my friend Melissa, even if we don't get to see her often, they ask about her a lot. So I figured everyone is well, and we will be at the church Friday night and that is near her house. I have a Beautiful Baby Snoopy Quilt for her, and I hope to make her a Tag a Long with Baby Noahs Name on it. She will just love that! So I am incredibly thankful that I have him to look forward to.
I am thankful that people are taking interest in my quilts. I do get some questions about prices and stuff, I may not get many orders but that is okay. I would much rather charge something I feel is reasonable then constantly do things for free, since I am trying to start a business. God will lead people my way, as he feels I am ready. What is nice about slow orders is I got to work on some quilting skills this week. I made my daughter a beautiful Wall hanging, I pray she treasures it.
I am thankful for the baby chicks we acquired on Saturday. I can't wait till they get a little older and we can put them outside. Would be easier to care for them. It will be a true blessing as we can use some of their droppings for our compost. It is great fertilizer for tomato plants.
I am unbelievably thankful for my husband this week. Probably my most thankful thing on my list this week. Wow was that bad grammar. Anyway, he has been wonderful. Very supportive with my quilting. Just shocked at how well things are going. He purchased me a Cutting Mat from Walmart Saturday night. Mine was bent and ragged and had no grid lines-this one is a little smaller, but wow do those grid lines help! He also helped me situate the wall for my sewing area so all of my rulers and such hang and I am organized. He even made me two templates last night. One 12.5 so I could do some Tshirt Quilt blocks- to start making those kind of quilts, seems to be the most requested quilt. I keep turning them down. He said Maybe God was Nudging me for a new direction. Maybe... Then he made me a 4.5 in by 36. Wow I don't even know if you can buy those. That does seem to be my most common size cut block for triangles, and I can do a yard of material that way. They are just as thick as what I can buy, so WONDERFUL accessory. I am truly blessed with a man that takes such great interest in something that warms my heart. I love to quilt, even with all the frustration I can get into to, I do really LOVE it. I also very much Love my hubby too.
So what are you thankful for this week?

Copy Cat Pay It Forward Giveaway

I am copying this from my cousin's wives blog. I am really that lazy. LOL, not really I did change a couple things.
Actually I have heard it called Pay it Forward on Other blogs, so this has been something I have thought to do before. Now that I have a little more time on my hands, it sounds perfect. A nice size challenge I could manage. So here it goes-

Copy Cat Give Away
The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice. For you. This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:

1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!

2. What I create will be just for you.

3. It'll be done this year- 365 days- lets say from March 15th- to give me a chance of having 5 people

4. You have no clue what it's going to be.

Depending on who you are- depends on what you get. Since I try to be crafty it may be something crafty, it may be something biblical, like a journal or devotional. I will pray about it before I send it out. esp if you are someone I know. So take the Plunge- Sign Up, do something fun in the next 365 days.

5. The only thing you have to do to enter is re-post this on your blog and offer the same type of thing to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog. The first 5 people to do so and leave a comment telling me they did, win a something specially designed by me! So Let's Play and have some Fun. One of my favorite movies is Pay it Forward so this is great.

6. Oh and you can enter on a post of someone that linked to you. So say my cousin's wife, Trisha (who I adore) would like to enter mine- that is okay.. Some of us have smaller Blog worlds then others.

Have FUN!

Wordless Wednesday

Mekenzei :"Mommy this doesn't fit"

Mommy "Mekenzei it is a Wallhanging"

Mekenzei "- so?"

Mommy- "So it is supposed to be small- of course it wont fit your not a baby anymore, you asked for a wallhanging not a lap quilt"

Mekenzei "Oh- laughing hysterically cause she finally gets it!"

Fabric Choices- Quilt one Ruined- Wash New Fabric- Pick Pattern, Cut and Sew all night, sew and quilt whole next day- Give Quilt to Daughter- Horrible Evening- Take Picture with Daughter and Finished Quilt- Moment Priceless!

Soap and Washcloth Giveaway

So if you know me at all you know that I LOVE handmade soap, esp in certain scents. My favorite is oatmeal, but I love vanilla, light smelling mints etc. There is a giveaway for a bar of soap and little washcloth (handmade) on a Blog I read called Following 31 while I would love to be selfish and increase my winning by not posting about it, the Christian thing to do is spread the GOOD NEWS about something so yummy, so... go check it out, post a comment. Look at her site if you have never been there before. She writes some very inspirational things. And who doesn't just love soap anyway. Great Giveaway- so don't miss it.