Funnin' & Lovin'

I haven't posted for a couple of days. The grands came back after sharing them for a few days with their other grandparents. This feast or famine relationship can wear a grown up out! Lots of fun and lovin' to pack into a few days. But there's lots of fun and love to go around, and a time to rest in between visits for the grown-ups. Mommy and Daddy are still working on getting the new place set up, so we get the kiddos for a couple more days.

Today was a trip to Krispy Kreme to watch 270 dozen doughnuts per hour being made. 

Yes, that's 78,000 a day!

Anna chose the one with green sprinkles. Elijah chose a purple with surprise chocolate inside.

One afternoon we made our own mini donuts while Anna napped.

You miss a lot while you sleep. How nice to be 5!

And playdoh. The heart is magic. 

According to Elijah, it lets boys and girls see the world in whatever color they want.

Hearts are like that, you know.

 

Grandad and Elijah went for some science fun.

While Anna and Nana rested at home. 

Such is life when little ones have a cold and runny nose.

Now, puppy, you get the pink basket. 

I'm totally impressed that this not-yet-3-year-old cutie knows the colors of all her jelly bellies!

Watching Curious George Swings Into Spring with Grandad.

And, of course, lots of outdoor play.

City boy used to call it Grandad's park.

More fun to come! A surprise destination tomorrow!

On Forgiveness

I'm continuing to read The Incomparable Christ by J. Oswald Sanders and following along as Nancy Leigh DeMoss discusses the chapter topics at Revive Our Hearts. It's a 40-day study as we prepare for the resurrection of Christ, and a few days beyond.

Sharing a brief statement from the book today about this verse.

"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." ~ Luke 23:34

“It may be objected that not all who participated in the crucifixion were forgiven. The answer is that in every act of forgiveness, two persons are involved. Forgiveness must be accepted as well as bestowed. The prayer of Christ made forgiveness available to every sinful man, but not all availed themselves of it.”

~J. Oswald Sanders, The Incomparable Christ

I do hope that  you have availed yourself of the forgiveness offered you. You can learn a lot more about Christ and why He died and was resurrected, proving His deity, at ReviveOurHeartscom.

What Does He Call Me?

Continuing to read through the New Testament chronologically. Coming today to the Good Shepherd passage and sharing a thought.

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hireling and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep beholds the wolf coming and leaves the sheep, and the wolf snatches them, and scatters them. He flees because he is a hireling, and is not concerned about the sheep. I am the good shepherd and I know My own, and My own know Me. ~ John 10:11-14

I've often wondered why pastors sometimes refer to themselves as shepherds/under-shepherds of the flock. Most pastors move on for one reason or another, and the sheep are left to find themselves a new shepherd. The analogy of a pastor/shepherd fails at this point. Sheep don't do that.

The sheep are of Jesus' flock, not a man's flock. The Good Shepherd never leaves us nor forsakes us. Jesus isn't a hireling. He doesn't take a more prestigious position. He doesn't go to more spiritual greener grass. He doesn't go where the pay is better.  He doesn't flee the wolves. He laid down his life. Only He did that. Only He could do that.

I am the good shepherd; and I know My own, and My own know Me, even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.

Jesus knows each of His sheep and calls us by name. Some pastors can't do that.

... the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name...
                                               ~ John 10:3

In the Bible, names had more meaning than they do today. Some names were changed at conversion to reflect some characteristic of the person. I wonder if Jesus is calling me "Vickie," or if He's calling me by a name that relates some meaning to me? I don't really need to know the name He calls me, because I answer to His voice. He speaks through the Word, the Scriptures.

But it would be awesome to know what name He has chosen, and why. I wonder what name He has written down for me in the Lamb's Book of Life? Anticipating knowing!

If you're unfamiliar with Jesus and have just a few minutes, you can listen in at True Woman to learn more about the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I hope you know His voice. Would love to see you over there.

Painting ~ Girl Reading in a Sunlit Room, Carl Vilhelm Holsoe
Wiki Gallery public domain

The Simple Woman's Daybook

Today I join others at The Simple Woman’s Daybook, a weekly journal page that focuses on simple thoughts and simple living.  My leads are somewhat similar to others in the group, but somewhat different as well. You may enjoy reading what some other simple women are saying and doing these days. 

Outside my window....
Ahh! A lovely, sunny day. All I needed was a sweater for my errands. :-)

A Peek Into My Week…

 

Around the house…
Toys and books :-)

Looking forward to….
The grands coming back in a couple of days. We share them with their other grandparents when the kiddos are in town. 

Hoping…

That it doesn't rain the days while we have the grands. (But the forecast calls for a possibility)

Pondering…

That maybe, (it's conceivable, I think) that in Heaven God could have us adopted to some children who have no grandparents there. I know there's no marriage or giving in marriage, but there are relationships. Eternal grandparenting, a heavenly thought!

A quote to share...
Grandchildren are God’s way of compensating us for growing old. ~Mary H. Waldrip

Thankful....

For our 5-year-old Elijah's faith in Jesus Christ.

Praying...

For his little sister's coming to faith when she understands her need.

The fruit of my hands …

Continuing to hand quilt the kaleidoscope throw. Posted some about it here. and here

Reading.... 

The Kingfisher Book of Family Poems, 
selected by Belilnda Hollyer

Sharing a poem:

Pity Your Parents

My Gran once said, "Remember, lad,

You must be kind to Mum and Dad:

They do the best they can, poor things;

Angels they aren't, they don't have wings."

It must be quite a strain to be

Responsible for kids like me.

I'm sure it drives them up the wall,

Pretending that they know it all.

"Your room's a mess" — "Don't tease the cat" —

"I've warned you — don't use words like that!"

They're never wrong, they're always right.

No wonder they can't sleep at night.

~ Roger Woddis

Anything Sweeter?

Is there anything sweeter than a sleeping child?

She's too long now for the Pack 'n Play at Nana's house.
 She wanted to sleep in "the green bed,"
so we put up some rails and tucked her in.

And, of course, she needed blankie.

She sleeps mostly on her pillow that she brought with her.

 I had made her pillowcase and some matching toddler sheets a month or so ago and posted a tutorial here.

I'm sometimes asked what I like about sewing/quilting,
and I was asked today if I'm "very heavy into it."

I do enjoy the labor of love in making things to give.
&
It reins in my thoughts when I get to missing these precious grands.

So some days I'm "very, very heavy into it."

Sew, Nana, Sew!!

Moving On

A quick stopover on the move further west.  But the grands get to stay for a week visiting with us and their other grandparents while their mommy and daddy get the new place set up. We'll meet halfway next weekend to give them back. Then there'll be two hours longer distance between us. Well, one week of cuddles to look forward to.

Welcome Spring!

Today is the first day of Spring. 

The calendar says so. 

 

Tomorrow is the first Spring day.

The weather says so. 

Today is overcast and in the 40s.

Tomorrow is to be sunny and in the 60s!

Looking forward to getting out in the warmth and sunshine and running some errands.

These are last year's daffodils, 

but they're almost ready to bud anew!  

Welcome Spring!!

Making Amends

I spent some time today hand quilting. I've got four kaleidoscopes finished, doing a petal design in each section. Hand quilting is much slower, of course, but I find it much more relaxing and controllable than quilting with my home sewing machine. Now if I had a long arm machine.... :-)

I took the top to my local quilt shop a couple of days ago to match some border and backing fabric, and whenever anyone brings a quilt top in or a quilt gets picked up after being quilted, there's always show and tell. So some gals were looking at my kaleidoscope top, and as we all do when we see a quilt, they oohed and ahhed. Then one of the gals said something like, "I see you got all of your points matched; no, there's a couple there you missed." Well, of course, that was a little deflating, and I thought a bit tacky to say!

I was going to start the quilting yesterday, but as I thought about the comment, I was back and forth with, "I'm not stuck on it being perfect," but "I could take the time to make the correction, but "I didn't think it was that noticeable," but "now I see it right away myself whenever I look at it." Argh!! So I got to thinking that if she noticed it right away, that it was probably more noticeable than I thought.

So, I decided to fix the mis-matches and then found a hole in one of the pieces where I'd apparently torn it with the seam ripper. So I had to replace that piece in the middle of the quilt before I could get started. Actually, it turned out to be a good thing that I was reworking a row or I wouldn't have noticed the hole until I came to it for quilting, which would be a lot more work. And if it had gone unnoticed, at the first washing it would certainly have made itself known.

The comment and subsequent fix got me to thinking how much like that I am with some of my own weaknesses. Especially when one is pointed out to me, and I have that deflated, defensive response. I struggle with amending my ways because I think they're not so noticeable. To me, they aren't. To others they may be.

We're often blind to our own weaknesses, and it's really to our benefit to have them pointed out.

Hopefully, though, not in a tacky way.

Sitting on Pinnacles

Continuing to read and glean from Stepping Heavenward by Elizabeth Prentiss. Written in journal form, it begins with Katherine’s (Katie’s) 16^th birthday and follows her maturing into womanhood. I read a few entries in the evenings and ponder its pages--filled with food for thought. Want to share another brief excerpt with you.

October 30--I'm sure I don't know what I was going to say when I was interrupted just then. Something in the way of self-glorification, most likely. I remember the contempt with which I looked after Amelia as she left our house, and the pinnacle on which I sat perched for some days, when I compared my life with hers. Alas, it was my view of life of which I was lost in admiration, for I am sure that if I ever come under the complete dominion of Christ's gospel I shall not know the sentiment of contempt. I feel truly ashamed and sorry that I am still so far from being penetrated with that spirit.

....... My pride has had a terrible fall. As I sat on my throne, looking down on all the Amelias in the world, I felt a profound pity at their delight in petty trifles, their love of position, of mere worldly show and passing vanities. 

There was a terrible struggle in my soul. I saw that instead of brooding over the display I had made of myself to Dr. Cabot, I ought to be thinking soley of my appearance in the sight of God, who could see far more plainly than any earthly eye could all my miserable pride and self-conceit.

...At last I sent the children away, and knelt down and told the whole story to Him who knew what I was when He had compassion on me, called me by my name, and made me His own child. And here I found a certain peace. Christian, on his way to the celestial city, met and fought his Apollyons and his giants, too; but he got there at last! 

~ Elizabeth Prentiss, Stepping Heavenward, 1869

Painting ~ A Friendly Call, William Merritt Chase 1849-1916
Creative Commons 2.0 Generic

God's Love at the Quilt Shop

Today was quilt class for another of Kim Diehl's Simple Whatnots Club. We're working on Cloud Nine this month, 541 little pieces for a 24.5 x 24.5-in quilt. Cloud Nine? I do feel a little spacey after all that cutting! We started the sewing today, and the little 3.5-inch squares really are cute.  This is what I hope mine will look like.

There's a lot of chatter in a quilt shop. A lot of sharing of ideas. A lot of sharing of hearts. One of the women had recently lost her husband to cancer, and a friend who had stopped in was recalling his generous qualities. A blessed time of encouragement for this new widow. She said his death made her realize that she needed to be with people more on a friendship level, so she had quit her job that was taking up too much of her time. A wise decision.

Another lady came in who has terminal cancer to see if she could sell her fabric stash and a few books. She is selling everything and going to Florida. It was sad, and an opportunity for being a channel of God's love. We bought all of her fabric and most of the books she had. I had the opportunity to pray with her in the parking lot before she left.

Most of us need encouragement on a daily basis. Sometimes we know when someone is in need, but I think most often we don't. I was glad to be an encouragement to someone today, but these ladies were also an encouragement to me. Their situations reminded me that our times are in God's loving hands. They made me thankful that I still have My Beloved. And thankful that I still have good health.

But even if I didn't still have My Beloved,

and even if I didn't still have my good health...

I know that nothing can separate me from the love of God.

And that's what I prayed for that dear lady packing up to move to Florida.

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor death, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

~ Romans 8:38-39

Sexual Purity: The Joy of Moral Freedom

Just got back a little bit ago from our women's Bible study, where we're discussing Nancy Leigh DeMoss's DVD and book Seeking Him.

 

This evening's topic was Sexual Purity: The Joy of Moral Freedom.

We stayed overtime with some good discussion going on. Why sexual purity in an age gone wild?

Staying sexually pure, or committing to moral purity, can be a big step toward personal revival, deep joy, and true freedom. ~ Nancy Leigh DeMoss

The God who created us knows what we need to avoid.

"For this is the will of God, your sanctification: 

that you abstain from sexual immorality." 

(I Thessalonians 4:3) 

Some of the principles we discussed:

  1. Recognize your potential for moral failure.
  2. Realize that you don't have to give in.
  3. Resolve to be pure.
  4. Remove all bitterness.
  5. Restrain your fleshly desires.
  6. Reject anything that could lead you into moral bondage.
  7. Run from every form of evil.
  8. Renew your mind with the Word of God.
  9. Recruit help.
10. Remember the consequences.
11. Refuse to remain in defeat and depression.
12. Rely on the Holy Spirit.  

If you'd like to hear Nancy discuss sexual purity, and why it's important to your own happiness, you can listen in here.

The Tamarack

It was a warm, sunny day so we decided to drive up the mountain this afternoon after church to one of our favorite places--The Tamarack. If you're ever passing through Beckley, West Virginia on I-64, it's a delightful place to stop and eat and take a stroll through "The Best of West Virginia's' handcrafted items. And every Sunday@Two, they have a free live performance in the theater. Sometimes that's nice to catch.

I especially enjoy looking at the quilts and getting lots of inspiration!

Simple Woman's Daybook

Joining others at The Simple Woman's Daybook.
Posting on Saturdays, linking on Mondays.

Outside my window...
Rain, soggy, soaking rain for a couple of days now. Landslide near the airport, crushing a church and evacuating some homes.  

Thinking...
About my dad's doctor visit today.

Thankful...
For the good health he's had for 88 years.

The fruit of my hands...
Finished True Blue by Kim Diehl this week. Posted about it yesterday.   

Reading....
Seeing With New Eyes by David Powlison.

Looking forward to...

Getting major fix-ups taken care of around the house so we can put the house on the market for our upcoming move.

Learning…

That when people show off their knowledge as if others of us have no clue about anything, just swallow my pride, listen and maybe learn something.

Pondering…
Wondering how a couple of old homeschooling friends are doing these days. Don't get to see them much now that our paths don't cross. Thinking about contacting them to get together over lunch sometime soon.

Around the house...
Not much going on of my doing, but My Beloved is mostly finished patching the ceiling from the leaky shower.

A Peek Into My Week...
A lot of sewing and not much tidiness, trying to get a couple of projects finished before the grands come this next weekend. 

From the Sewing Room ~ True Blue

True Blue by Kim Diehl is finally finished!

I think it turned out rather nicely.

I even have a little pitcher that matches. :-) 

True Blue is 23.5 x 23.5, with 6-inch blocks.

I could also use it as a small wall quilt, and I probably will.

 I don't like the thought of all that work getting soiled!

I quilted a simple all over meandering design.

The focus is the piecing and not the quilting. 

I had planned to use just a solid backing, but decided to go with one of the fabrics in the collection so I could use either side if I wanted to use it as a decorative table quilt. 

Two small quilts for the work of one! 

The Simple Whatnots Club meets a couple of times a month, with a new quilt each month. True Blue is the third quilt in Kim's Simple Whatnot Club that I've completed. I have a couple of the others cut out and partially sewn, but I've been working on other projects, too, and haven't gotten back to the Whatnots yet. I gifted Sunday Supper (13 x 16), but here's Widdly Tinks (12 x 14).

I'm learning things as I go along, and one thing I've learned is that I don't care for spending so much time on such small projects. I hung Widdly Tinks on the bathroom wall, and it is cute, though. Kim suggests rolling up small quilting projects and putting them in a clear jar, like a bouquet. What?! Roll up all that work and stick them in a jar??? Well, to each his own.

Nature is Slowly Waking Up

The calendar says Spring is coming! Yay!!

Spring, summer, and fall fill us with hope; 

winter alone reminds us of the human condition.

~ Mignon McLaughlin

Just one more week, and these will be packed away. Hopefully, the snow is gone now for another season. But I remember several years ago when we had 24 inches in April. Perish the thought!!

Seeing With New Eyes

I had my annual eye exam a couple of weeks ago and went today to pick out new frames for my new lenses. I hadn't thought that my vision had changed, but the exam showed that it had. I didn't even realize that my sight could be clearer and sharper until the "click-click, how's that? Better or worse?" Ah, yes, better!

I recall years ago when I first got glasses back in high school. I didn't really want to wear glasses, but I didn't know what I was missing, either. When I got them, I was very glad my parents had overruled in that decision.

Sometimes we don't see clearly, either by physical sight or by spiritual sight. The physical sight is quicker to bring into focus than spiritual sight, though. To improve my physical sight, all I had to do was to take myself to the optometrist, sit through the exam, present my debit card, and he took it from there. I get my new glasses, my new sight, in about a week. Looking forward to it!

Spiritual sight is made clearer, though, through the lens of scripture, and that takes getting into the Word and getting the Word into me. It's a growing process. People without the Holy Spirit living in them don't understand scripture, so they don't have clear spiritual sight. Sad, but they don't even realize they aren't seeing life clearly. That's why they don't really understand themselves, others, God (and how he sees us), Satan, or life in general. And that's why they think Christians have it all wrong. Not to sound irreverent, I hope, but seeing spiritually is one of the perks of placing faith in Jesus Christ. He opens our spiritual eyes to reality.

Picking out my frames today reminded me of a book I have entitled Seeing With New Eyes: Counseling the Human Condition Through the Lens of Scripture by David Powlison. I pulled it out to read again and remind myself of the importance of viewing people and life through the lens of scripture.

A brief excerpt from the Introduction: 

(Click book for more details)

"Seeing with New Eyes presents a collection of essays written over a period of almost twenty years. Most of them originally appeared in the Journal of Biblical Counseling between 1985 and 2003. You will find a number of interlocking themes appearing again and again. Everywhere evident is God’s gracious self-revelation in Jesus Christ and Scripture. The real needs and problems of real people—our sins and miseries, our need for the Father of mercies—are always in view. Our current social and cultural context—the modern psychologies and psychotherapies, these alternative theologies and alternative cures of soul—are continually engaged."

~ David Powlison, M.Div., Ph.D

  

David Powlison is a biblical counselor who worked in psychiatric hospitals before coming to faith in Christ. He teaches at CCEF and edits the Journal of Biblical Counseling.

You can read the Introduction and Chapter One here. 

You can read other articles by David Powlison here.

For the Sake of the Children

I hope you get your news from more than one perspective. There are some things that the liberal national news media just won't report, as most of us are aware. The leading article in the current World Magazine is an example--

"As the Supreme Court muses on same-sex marriage, men and women raised by gay parents speak out about emotional and behavioral problems"    ~ March 21, 2015

You can read the full article by clicking on the magazine cover.

Many of us as followers of Jesus Christ know why America now finds herself in such debauched, moral decay. In another article of the current issue of World, Andree Seu Peterson discusses the "acronym absurdity" of LGBT, and concludes the article with the truth of what is wrong in America. 

"As for me, I will stick to plain old LGBT, "Let God be true though every one were a liar." And what God says that's true, and what some are liars about, is that when a nation doesn't consider the knowledge of Him worthwhile, He gives "them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done" (Romans 1:28). In this mental debasement, "their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another" (verses 26-27).

My LGBT means that even if I am the last person on earth who still believed what the Bible says about the proper use of our bodies, I will choose to believe God over every other word, theory, testimony, report, feeling, persuasive argument, and complicated theology."

~ Andree Seu Peterson, World Magazine March 21, 2015

Being given up on by God is serious, indeed. LGBT is a vortex, be it real-life or virtual, that keeps sucking others into it. We have some young friends who have been near the vortex and didn't escape its pull. How about your young people? Are they near the vortex--virtual or real-life? For the sake of the children, be watchful. Be informed.

And get some news from a biblical perspective, if you don't already--subscribe to World Magazine. We get ours in print form as well as digitally. It opens our eyes to a great many current news issues.

The Simple Woman's Daybook

Today I join others at The Simple Woman’s Daybook, a weekly journal page that focuses on simple thoughts and simple living.  My leads are somewhat similar to others in the group, but somewhat different as well. You may also want to read what some other simple women are saying and doing these days.  

Outside my window....

A beautiful sunny day with temperatures in the upper 50s. Almost all of the snow is gone, except for the huge piles that will take until spring to melt. Daffodils are peeking out of the ground. It won't be long until spring!

Thankful for....

A special friend to walk and talk with, drawing one another Godward. We met at the cemetery for an afternoon walk today. 

A Peek Into My Week…

A walk in the cemetery. It's a good place to get some aerobics-- flat if you want flat, and varying inclines that can challenge. This hill was much more challenging after being indoors for so many weeks. (It's steeper than it looks!) After going up this one, I knew I couldn't do the steeper ones. Huff and Puff!! Gotta get out there more for sure!

Noticing the sound of ….

The clock--tick tock, tick-tock. We need to put on some music. 

I am going….

To stay in for a couple of days, tend to things around the house, and sewing. More rain coming, so I did the grocery shopping this morning. I'd rather do that on Tuesdays for the senior discount, but don't like to shop on rainy days. I put that and coupon savings toward my fabric stash. Makes me not dread grocery day. :-)

Learning…

That I prefer spray basting a quilt sandwich rather than sew basting or pin basting. Spray basting makes the top lie down more smoothly all over.

Pondering…

Been reflecting today on Sunday evening's church service. March is missions month, and yesterday several folks in the church gave reports on their mission endeavors. We've been going to this church only a few months, and it's been good to so many people involved in so many ministries--in the church and out of it, near and far. It's not a large church, maybe 150-200, but their desire to spread the gospel and love one another is very evident.

In the kitchen...

Skinny Baked Broccoli Macaroni and Cheese  

from Skinnytaste.com

A tasty meal for 315 calories / 8 Weight Watchers points plus

Click on the pic to go to the recipe. There's a much better picture there. 

 

Around the house…

Pictures on the piano

Thinking…

I hope they never forget.

 
The fruit of my hands …

Hand appliqueing some blocks in the evenings for a quilt for Anna. I just might finish it in a couple of years!

(Still) Reading....  

Stepping Heavenward 
I like to read just a few journal entries and reflect. 

A brief excerpt of counsel to Katie in her struggle...

Go home and say to yourself, ‘I am a wayward, foolish child. But He loves me! I have disobeyed and grieved Him ten thousand times. But He loves me! I have lost faith in some of my dearest friends and am very desolate. But He loves me! I do not love Him, I am even angry with Him! But He loves me!

~ Elizabeth Prentiss

Available from Grace and Truth Books. Just click on the pic to go there.