Timing

We had a very large package arrive on our doorstep a few days ago.  One I'm not too excited about...

The freight guy wasn't thrilled either.  This thing was over 300 pounds!! So it wasn't going any further than the front porch 'til Jeff got home!  After a brief chat about politics (he was a conservative like me, so we were able to groan about the state of the union together! LOL), Delivery Guy skedaddled and left me with this monstrosity.

Jeff has high hopes for it.
He spent the better part of the evening assembling it...

I'm still not impressed.

It's in the basement.  How can I convert the basement into a Quilt Cave (like Teresa's over at Fabric Therapy) with this THING in the way!?!

He expects I'll use it.  Maybe.  If I can figure out how to unfold it!! Goans!!
This is normal me (see, I don't have on my Mary Kay face yet! And don't mind the facial hair!  LOL).


This is me contemplating the use of a treadmill.

Definite groans!!

I seriously don't know why Santa has covered his face.  Maybe because he doesn't have one!! I don't really like embroidery, so this is one block of a wall hanging I may never get done!  It's a beautiful pattern, but I'd rather applique than embroider.

I probably will use the treadmill, eventually.  But not right now!!  I have mysteries to solve!!

I've been working on Orca Bay, Bonnie Hunter's latest mystery quilt.

Amidst the chaos of my sewing room is this pile of my progress...

I've almost finished the blue strings, and I'm still working on black/neutral quarter and half-square triangles. 

In the meantime, I've also got Farmer's Wife blocks to finish (my class is finishing up the last of the 111 blocks this month!), a memory quilt to finish for a client in time for Christmas (oh the pressure!), a Mary Kay open house and several parties to complete...

And all I wanna do is play in this....

Not a real snow yet.
But it could be.
It will be.
Soon, I hope!! :-)

Timing is everything.  A white Christmas in Kentucky!?  Maybe.

God knows all about timing.  In the book of Galatians, the apostle Paul talks about the coming of Jesus.

"But when the time had fully come," Galatians 4:4 tells us, "God sent his Son..."

I've no doubt the snows will come to Kentucky.  They've been here before, and I've relished their beauty and the joy they've brought.

Just like God's grace.  I've seen it and felt it, experienced it daily.  His timing is always perfect!

And when the snows come, I just might give that old treadmill a try!

Blessings!

More than I Deserve!

I'm winding down a couple of t-shirt quilts I'd committed to do for others and looking forward to moving on to other projects! :-)  I have another few memorial quilts in the works for people, but they don't have strict deadlines so I can be more leisurely about getting them done.

I've been taking a few minutes each evening to work on the binding of this quilt:

I got it in the mail earlier this week from Mary at Quilt Hollow.  She actually won the quilt top from Kelly at Cottage Charm Quilt's blog, Charming Chatter! 

Mary quilted it with her fabulous quilting (she always uses the most beautiful thread, too!) and sent it along to me with the binding attached, but not finished.  Her note said that she hoped I would sit on my porch and think beautiful thoughts of Sam while doing the hand work.  And that's exactly what I've been doing, a little each evening.

Quilts are always comfort -- but this one will hold a special place in my heart, as you might imagine!! I'm gonna have a whole collection of "Sam" quilts between those made with his clothing, my heart blocks, the blue fat quarters my club gave me in his memory, and this beautiful piece.  It's just so very humbling to be the recipient of such generosity!!

Another wonderful mailbox blessing was the 41 yards (!!!!!) that I won from Vicky at LAQuilter.  Beautiful florals and pastels -- colors that I don't have any of in my stash. 

You may have seen my stash or photos of it here or at Stash Manicure when I've guested over there.  I don't need fabric, but I do love fabric! :-D   And I've recently been stretching my color palette beyond the repros and Thimbleberries into lights and brights -- and I honestly don't have a clue how to use them! LOL  I'm starting out simply, though.... We'll see how it goes.

Some friends of ours here in town asked us over to pick blueberries.

We had a rich, wonderful time with them and collected nearly 3 gallons of berries.  I found out later that they are running $20/gallon from pick-your-own patches!! Such phenemenal generosity from Jeff and Vicky.  After grazing over our buckets for a day, I still managed to freeze 10 quarts!!

Our Will had a fun time....

Even more so when he nabbed the camera for himself!

I told Mary that one humbling Biblical truth I keep encountering is that we always reap more than we sow.

Scripture tells us,

⁶ Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. ⁷ Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. ⁸ And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.  (2 Corinthians 9:6-8)

I think of myself as a generous person; I don't claim ownership of a lot (I've even understood that my family -- my children, in particular -- is just on loan from God), so it's always been easy for me to give.

But what I have received in this past month since Sam died is way, way, way more than I deserve, way out of proportion to what I've ever done for anyone else.

 The writer of Hebrews tells us, "Let us approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." (Hebrews 4:16)

Just when I need it, His grace is there, administered to me by your loving hands!!

Thank you so very much!
Thank You, Lord, so very much!!

Blessings,

Gobs of Grace!

I stopped by Paula's Quilting Pantry today as the last of the Project Linus gals were finishing up.  Today Pat, our Project Linus Coordinator, was putting labels on quilts for Joplin, MO.  Other gals in the shop were hard at work!  It reminds me I need to get back into the groove -- quilts for Hands-2-Help/Romania, quilts for friends having babies, "Boxer Rebellion"s :-D, quilts for classes, quilts for hire...quilts, quilts, quilts!! Exactly what I need!

It's been a good day. :-)
Look at what Shelley sent me:
She's fabulous with wool projects (check her out at http://www.redquilts.blogspot.com/) and as sweet a friend as there is.  Keep her in your prayers! Her husband David is dealing with some health stuff, and they need "grace for the hour," as the old saying goes.

Grace abounds around here!! Missing Sam daily is new, very hard stuff.  But I make my way to my porch....

and rock and remember and cry and sigh. For just a while. Peace restored, and I'm able to get up and go on. The rockers were brought to us by Scottie and Patty -- very dear friends who've known us since Sam was in diapers and can tell you stories on us and Sam that make you split a gut with laughter! :-D Check Patty's blog out here: http://www.mymountainblessings.blogspot.com/

Still more grace in the mail...
Two more heart blocks, bringing the total to 24.  Each of you will be hearing from me...I'm so grateful for the beauty and joy you are bringing to our home right now!

Jeff took me out for some "retail therapy" on the way to the in-laws on Friday.  Some Whimsicals fat quarters are totally me! LOL

...and Tina Givens fats -- totally out of my comfort zone, not me at all! :-D, but I had a quilt in mind when I got them.  AND I got 36 fat quarters for $39.99....Yeah, they were feeling VERY much like me by the time I got them home! LOL

I wanna make a quilt like Sarah made for the Hand-2-Help Challenge.  Won't her quilt look good in my fabrics?

Um, Yeah! Love it!! :-D
So gobs and gobs of grace around here!!
And why not!?  It's just like the Father, isn't it!?

¹⁸ Therefore the LORD longs to be gracious to you,
And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you.
For the LORD is a God of justice;
How blessed are all those who long for Him.
¹⁹ O people in Zion, inhabitant in Jerusalem, you will weep no longer. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when He hears it, He will answer you.
²⁰ Although the Lord has given you bread of privation and water of oppression, He, your Teacher will no longer hide Himself, but your eyes will behold your Teacher. ²¹ Your ears will hear a word behind you, “This is the way, walk in it" (Isaiah 30: 18-21 NASB)

Thank you, Lord, for Your grace (especially today as shown by others to us!)!

Blessings,