The Strip and Flip that Wasn't

So...I made and finished this quilt quite awhile ago for a friend.  I couldn't take pictures of the process because it was a surprise.  But then...the quilt didn't turn out how I would have liked.



Aleana took these pictures and I love how she made the quilt look so beautiful.
And parts of it really are.  I love the quilting.  The squiggles are so cute!!!





However, it was my first time using minky on such a big project and
I should have done extra basting but only did spray basting (my go-to
basting method) and then it was so bunchy in sections that I could have
cried.  But crying a quilt does not make.  Aleana really liked it flaws and all
so it is now a part of her hope chest.  So nice when a quilt is loved by someone!!




This pictures makes me want to sit by a mountain lake in the Rockies.





Normally I am not drawn to these colors but my friend loves them.
It was good to work outside my comfort zone because I really was enjoying
the muted browns and blues by the end of the process.

PS:  I did end up making another quilt for my friend using the same strips
but a different pattern, different quilting and no minky!!!  I did take pictures of that
quilt too before I sent it off to it's new home but I can't remember if I blogged
about it.  Maybe someone can remember?

Have a great day in God's hands.

A Clue or Two

I have Aleana to thank for these beautiful pictures. 

Ummmm, this sand is so yummy.  

It's really good for the intestinal tract.  

Watering the lavender. 

We water any way we can. 

Nadia, being a boofy. 

Guess, who these kids were cheering for?

In this blog post there is a clue for the giveaway.  I almost have it ready to send!!!  

I am excited to have finally figured out what to do about that :). 

Generous (?) Gifts

I realized the other day that I still have not followed through on the gift that I promised to the people who were following along with the Spring Cleaning Fail that I attempted in May.  I have three contestants (feels so important to type that!) to chose from and since I am so happy about having those three people join me I am going to send all 3 of you a gift!!!  I know, I know the Cleaning plan was a failure BUT the point is that I made the promise and I will follow through.  I just remembered that there were 2 people at the time who were also following along but had trouble getting their comments to work.  That's okay!!  I will be fair and send those two special folks a gift as well.  This should be fun!!!  I can't guarantee that they will be homemade or that they will even be made by moi.  Just be thankful I remembered :).

Update:  I have been able to complete some of the other cleaning tasks on my list since I recovered from my sinus infection.  What a blessing!!!   I am just not chronicling any of it.  After two fails - I think I give up with that.

Thanks for reading!!!  I hope to be writing more in the future.  I also have my quilt fail that I have to publish - need to share so others don't make the same minky mistakes.  

What You Feel is Not Always Real: Finding God When I Didn't Have a Clue

The summer when I was eight years old I became very ill with something the doctors thought at first was Beaver Fever but later it turned out to be something else that I don't know the name of.  I became so ill that eventually I was admitted into the hospital and stayed there on an IV for 5 days, to re-hydrate me and pump me with antibiotics.

I remember alot from that time and it's interesting to me now to go back in the recesses of my brain and see what happened from an adult perspective.  I was admitted at night because I had continued to vomit all that day and by the end of it my mother was quite concerned that this had gone on for too many days. My mother stayed with me for as long as she could during the process and her presence was my comfort.  The dark hallway of the hospital was where they kept me before I was put in a room and it was there that it hurt when they poked me to insert the IV but once it was in I was okay again.

Eventually, I was put in a big room all to myself and I remember my Mom reading a Reader's Digest beside my bed, waiting hopefully for me to sleep.  Sleep was a long time coming, Mom had to leave and I suspect that was because my brother was only 10 at the time and she had to get home to relieve the babysitter. Dad was out of town. I didn't cry when she left, I just felt very alone and afraid.  I alieved my fear by making multiple trips to the washroom as it was better to have something to do and some place to go than to lie in bed and be afraid. I don't remember what I was afraid of.  I didn't think that I was dying.

I didn't fear death but rather I was scared of the dark room and being alone.  I don't remember thinking about God or being directed to pray or being lead in prayer.  I had no clue that God was there with me.
During one bathroom visit  I heard the nurses talking about me in hushed tones as my room was next to the nursing station. "She keeps going to the washroom but surely she doesn't really have to go".  I felt slighted and more alone.  They were stating the obvious but no one came to comfort me.

The next morning, I was kept busy for awhile, having a bath with the help of a nice young nurse and brushing my hair.  Once all of that was accomplished the anxiety returned and I walked to the security doors at the end of the hall and cried and cried till I had nothing left to cry.  No one came to talk to me.

Did God comfort me through those days?  Was He with me when I didn't have a real awareness of who He was or how to communicate with Him?  My Dad called the next day and I was able to talk to him on the phone.  A family friend came to visit and brought me a tea cup and saucer that I have keep all these years.
My Mom came every day.  All of these things comforted me and the LORD used them to comfort me for which I am very thankful.

Yet, I look back and I am sad that spiritually I was not led to the throne of grace and mercy.  I am sad that no one prayed with my eight year old self when I desperately was in need.  I know that my family was praying for me but that's only something I assume now, no one mentioned it to me at the time.  When I was well, my parents were indeed thankful for my health and stated that several times to me.  I was thankful too!! We thanked the LORD at meal time prayers. All good stuff.  God was there.  He preserved my life and He has held me so close ever since that experience.

And still yet, it's a reminder to me as a parent to be aware of the urgent need to lead my children to our Father in heaven constantly and diligently.  I don't mean this story to be a negative woe is me tale or to portray my parents as neglectful.  My parents loved and still love me - that is something to be very thankful for.       

For a long time I wondered where God was when all of this happened and He allowed me to be so frightened - I don't fully know all the answers but it has made me empathize with our children more and it's given me the insight that you may go through times or challenges in your life and look back and say "Where was God?" but the answer is that He was there all along.  When I was eight I didn't have a living faith yet but I was still a Covenant child who knew about Him and His stories. God was working on things for His good pleasure, for His glory.  Yes, that's the thing I have to always remember:  It's Not About Me.  Yes, LORD, just keep telling me that because I very easily forget!!!

Thank you LORD for continuing to show me your grace and holding me close so that even when it doesn't FEEL like it, I can know that you are real and that you are always there.  AMEN
   

The Voice of Truth

                                                         "Voice Of Truth"

Oh what I would do to have
The kind of faith it takes to climb out of this boat I'm in
Onto the crashing waves

To step out of my comfort zone
To the realm of the unknown where Jesus is
And He's holding out his hand

But the waves are calling out my name and they laugh at me
Reminding me of all the times I've tried before and failed
The waves they keep on telling me
Time and time again. 'Boy, you'll never win!'
"You'll never win"

But the voice of truth tells me a different story
And the voice of truth says "Do not be afraid!"
And the voice of truth says "This is for My glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth

Oh what I would do to have
The kind of strength it takes to stand before a giant
With just a Sling and a stone
Surrounded by the sound of a thousand warriors
Shaking in their armor
Wishing they'd have had the strength to stand

But the giant's calling out my name and he laughs at me
Reminding me of all the times I've tried before and failed
The giant keeps on telling me
Time and time again "boy, you'll never win!
"You'll never win"

But the stone was just the right size
To put the giant on the ground
And the waves they don't seem so high
From on top of them looking down
I will soar with the wings of eagles
When I stop and listen to the sound of Jesus
Singing over me

I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth

Casting Crowns

Someone close to me sang this song to a crowd and I was blessed to be in the audience.  It was beautiful!!  The LORD is amazing in the ways that He encourages us.  Lately, I have been seeing Him everywhere!! 

Do you have waves and giants to stand up against?  I think we all do.  

What are they telling you?  Mine quite often tell me that I don't know what I am doing or that what I am doing is silly. Sometimes, I can ignore them and listen to the Voice of Truth but other times I give in and before I know it the reason for all my suffering is for the simple reason of not relying on God but on myself.  

How does that work?  "You just have low self worth" one may say. It's actually worse than that - it's low God esteem.  We are low because we are listening to the negative voices in our heads that tell us untrue things which subsequently get us down and then we don't do anything anymore as we are called to do.  We are frozen.  

As we go on ignoring God's power we also tend to think too much about ourselves, our relationships (lots of women do this) and very little good things about others.  Can you be low and think too much of yourself at the same time?  The answer is a resounding "yes".  It is the thinking about yourself ALL the TIME and your relationships in a negative way and NOT thinking about the LORD that creates both a LOW mood AND an arrogant attitude.  Yes, we do need to be introspective and look at ourselves every day to find sin, repent and find ways to avoid it again but if we constantly do that or if we are in a constant "me" mode where does that bring us?  That brings us to the very ugly palace of self-love.  

What else can we do?  Get in the Word!!  Pray constantly for others and focus on others in a positive way while doing your best for them in the realms of the limits God has given you.  Looking to the needs of one's own household is sometimes all we are able to do for a time, especially when there are larger numbers of mouths to feed, clothe, and love.  

 I read in a book recently about a young man who believed he was about to die (but obviously did not or he would not have written the book) and he felt a peaceful calm about the forthcoming bullet.  He suddenly saw his colleagues that were with him in a different light.  He saw them in true love.  He saw them the way God intended them to be - beautiful people that he created to glorify Him.  It's almost as if He saw them in their perfect state and he was amazed at how truly, really beautiful they were.  Not physically, but just all over, inside and out.  He saw their gifts in God's light.  I pray that the LORD helps me to see people like that.  Wouldn't that correct alot of the hurt we create and see around us?  Oh yes!!  It would!!!         

When I, a terribly weak person, rely on God, I shut my eyes and make that leap of faith into the unknown. The unknown for me would be things like talking to the new person in church, reaching out to someone I fear will hurt me, or saying "yes" to a responsibility that seems far too overwhelming.  

Yet, He gives me wings and He strengthens me through days of little sleep and endless tasks. Relying on myself is really just ignoring God and what He can do, allowing my sinful thoughts to rule me and my inaction.  I am so thankful that He loves me enough to call me back to Him every time and through the Spirit I am able to experience what it is like to "walk on waves" and "fight Goliath".  How could I live with out HIM?  I truly don't know.  

Accepting Reality

I’m back!! My cold wasn’t really a cold – it was a nasty sinus infection.

I was stubborn and didn’t want to go on antibiotics like last time.  It was manageable as long I did 6 sinus rinses a day and keep on top of the Advil. 

Manageable means that I was functioning but barely.  It’s a time when you prioritize everything and that means that things like blogging are replaced with more life nourishing activities such as napping or resting. 

It’s good to get sick, really I mean that.  You realize how much you rely on the LORD again.  When you have nothing to go on but your knees – it’s humbling, over-whelming and grace-infused all rolled into one.  So…what does that mean for my over-zealous, well-meaning and wonderful Spring Cleaning Bonanza? It means that I have had to accept that it was all of those things and it felt very invigorating and accomplished while it lasted but…who am I kidding?

I had to take a real good look into myself and ask myself some hard questions. 

First off: Can I do it in the busy month of June? Answer: No, not unless someone comes here and does all of my regular duties that I need to do during the day.  Any takers? – tehe!!!  No, not unless I am granted the miraculous ability to get up at 5am. 

Second off: Who am I?  Yes, I know that’s a biggie!!  I was getting panicky about failing to complete the goals despite all my rationalizations of not being able to.  Big reality check – I am foremost Daughter of the King, second, Wife to one great guy, and last but certainly not least a Mother to six.  That’s just the tip of the iceberg but it’s a huge tip there at the top of that iceberg!! 

Sometimes, I lose my focus and when I get weighed down by my own mind accusing me of things or with my earthly body and its limitations, Then, I am glad that the LORD reminds me and re-focuses me of where I should be in body and spirit.  In HIM and HIS Word as a wife and mother. 

What sorts of things do I accuse myself of?  Well, instead of naming ALL of them let me share the one that I just recently came to terms with.  Here it is and it will surprise you because maybe you’ll be expecting some huge confession but it’s sillier than that. 

Wait for it...wait for it...

I AM NOT A SEWER!!!  

Whew!!  I got it out and I have come to terms with it and I’ll explain what I mean.  I love quilting and I love making quilts BUT I do not do it every day and I do not it every week or even every month.  It comes in spurts and it’s always been that way.  SOME day I may have more time to quilt but even then I don’t know if I’ll do it more often then I do.  So, the accusation of late, has been “Why can’t you sew more often like…so and so?”  or  “Why can’t you run a sewing blog like so and so?” and so on.  I have been mean to myself.  That’s okay because sometimes my dear self deserves it but this time I put my foot down.  I realized that quilting is a part of my life and it’s a part that I love and I will always go back to it.  I acknowledge that other women (and some men) do this for a living (run a blog or a store)  and even just part-time and they LOVE it more than I do OR have more time for it than I do and that’s okay.

So, yes, I sew, and yes, I quilt, but would I describe myself as an avid quilter? No, but I used to and then I would feel like I was running in a race having a hard time keeping up. Instead I should say "I am an enthusiastic and passionate quilter person who indulges in the process when the spirit moves her".  Having insight into this has released A LOT of pressure I was putting on myself to be someone I wasn’t and has given focus for the things that I am called to do but also other things that I enjoy like baking, cooking, writing, organizing things, and relationships.

Having said all that, I have a project that I finished that I want to share.  I am super excited to show it because it was a year in the making for a friend who turned forty and then moved away (she didn’t move because she turned 40!). I still miss her :( but this quilt has been helpful in dealing with those feelings.  

It's a chinese coins pattern used with some jelly rolls that my sister gave me. I knew I made a good color choice when my son, who knows this mother well, said "Mom, when I look at those colors, I can totally see Mrs. So and So. in them!" I hit the mark!! 

As you know, these are not colors I am naturally drawn to but by the end of making this quilt I was actually considering them for another quilt!!   

It was super easy to put the top together.  In hindsight I wish I had made the borders all the same fabrics. 

It's not such a huge deal - I am still very pleased with the overall quilt. 

Show your face Aleana!!  

The reason it took so long for me to finish was the quilting.  I decided to do the whole quilt in free-motion. A feat I never before dared to try!!!  I would work until something frustrating would happen(like the thread breaking)  and I would have to put it away.  I am glad that I attempted this very SCARY skill.  Now that I have done it once, I know I can do it again because it really just takes practice and for this one I focused on loops, stars, hearts and various different types of flowers. At times (note the "at times" phrase), it was fun!!   

The backing was a "Brazilian" fabric (not from Brazil but reminded me of it) that I had been eyeing for a long time on my shelf.  It fit in perfectly with the other colors.  Yah!! 

I am very happy with this quilt which is unusual for me.  Usually by the end of it, I am really disappointed about something but not this one!!  This is pleasing because it was my second attempt.  I gave the first attempt to Aleana as she really liked it despite all its flaws.

Now that this one is finished I can take pictures and blog about Number One another time soon :).   

It looks so pretty in the miniature red maple. 

That's my free hanging basket from Superstore.  It looked pretty sad when I first got it (free, doesn't always mean good quality) but with some love it is surviving.  

Thanks for reading!!!  

Tick with a Told

Just an update about why there are no updates.  I have been "tick with a told".  

I won't go into all the details but suffice it to say - extras are not getting done!!!  

Sorry, nothing inspiring, nothing interesting - just a reason for the break.  It may be another week. 

Don't give up on me and please keep on checking!!!  Have a great week in God's Loving Hands. 

Peter

Day 5 - Floor Moldings and Door Jambs

Today, I tried to make up for yesterday and eventually had to let that pipe dream go.  

This little missie was not happy today.  Nothing some tylenol couldn't fix.  What?  Only 12 more teeth to go?

Nadia was running away from the camara so...no picture.  

From Nadia yesterday "What does God look like?"

I had to take a picture of my kitchen table and share my tablecloth with you.  

I started using tablecloths about a year or two ago to dampen the noise at dinner but also to make meal time more festive and special.  It was a lot of extra laundry but worth it.  One day, I remembered that I had this huge piece of upholstery fabric (intended for reupholstering the family room couch which after reading u-tube videos on how "easy" it was, I was completely overwhelmed) that was the perfect size.  I LOVE IT!!!  

It looks fancy and because the fabric is a little more durable I can leave it on the table for 3-4 sometimes even 7 days with just brushing crumbs and wiping spills.  I was getting so fed up with buying plastic that the kids would wreck in less than a year.  I highly recommend this for busy households!!! 

NO, I am not going to smile today Mom!! 

Some molding to work on. Cheerios to pick up after Madilyn got at the bag before I had the chance to put it away.  

A nice messy door. 

All the supplies.  A magic eraser is a must have.  

See the table cloth???  I'm just so happy with it!!!  

So...I did not get anywhere near done today and I worked HARD. Like, 3 hours of manual

labor.  Maybe I'm half done - maybe not.  Tomorrow, I am not going to be able to work at all.  

That's okay, I need a break!!!  Thursday is the Senior's Lunch at our church so we'll see if I feel like cleaning when I get home.  Maybe, maybe not.  

If you have been following along - keep up the hard work!!  

Have a great few days in God's Hands. 

God Doesn't Need My Help!!!

Good morning!!!  I am about to embark on the daily cleaning journey but since I did not blog yesterday I thought I would write something to let you know that I am still in the game!!  Yesterday was just one of those days when EVERYTHING needs to get done AND you have extra things to do on top of that.  On days like that I can get easily overwhelmed.  Prioritizing is the key.  Where does that leave spring cleaning?
Well, it's on the bottom of the priority list.  Feeding people and clothing people comes first!!!  I don't even feel like I have to excuse or explain myself because that is just my life right now.  I am very thankful for feeling no guilt and very thankful for all the work I have been given.

While working in the kitchen this morning I was listening to KARI 550 radio. I think it was Kevin Leaman (??) Not sure about how reformed he is but he had good words to say.  He was preaching about David and Goliath.  One phrase stood out.  "When you are fully trusting God than you realize that God doesn't need your help!!"  Okay, LORD.  Thanks for bringing me to my knees again.  I like to help though.  I want to be a part of things and create occasions or create tangible pieces of love.  "That's okay" the LORD could be saying to me "just don't forget who I am and that I will take care of you and your family through it all".   Then I say, like I have said hundreds of times before

"Oh Father!! I am so sorry for doubting, just like Thomas. I didn't really believe anymore that you would do that.  Please forgive my unbelief, my self pride and buoy me up in your warm arms of love.  Carry me through and let all my strength come only from YOU!!"

Day 4 - Clean Oven

Before

 

The Process

I soaked the element bottoms in baking soda. 

I sprayed the interior of the oven with half part vinegar and half part water spray. Then I sprinkled baking soda all over.  Then it's supposed to brew over night - I did it in the morning and scrubbed in the afternoon. In hind sight I wish I had made a paste because as you can see not all the baking soda stuck. 

Can you see the little finger marks there?  That is the very reason why I like to use chemicals (after all, baking soda and vinegar are compounds that are composed of chemicals) that are "basic" and will not harm a child.  

Doing this type of work in the evening when the kids are in bed is not physically possible!!! 

I've been thinking of creating a housecleaning or springcleaning work out - do you think it would sell :)?

Top all clean!! 

Over all, I was happy with the results.  The black junk came off so easy.  

Madilyn was reading Scripture to me while I was working. 

It's sandbox season!!  I'm both happy and not.  

Today, Will is renovating the upstairs bathroom.  This is what it looked like at 11am. 

He was quite happy that most of the drywall was still dry!!   As you can see with the blue tub and toilet that some updating was sorely needed.  Yah!!!  

Here's more of my little helper as I did the drawer today.  She went and found a rag and started cleaning with me!!!  

It's also fun to stand in. 

Nice and clean. 

Looking good!!!  

See you next week!!!