Memorial weekend, family, and reading, and quilting…

We are at home for the weekend but some steak and watermelon will make it special . When we lived on the NC coast, we left on holidays to avoid the crowds and usually asked friends down so they could enjoy the beach. Now, we still like to avoid the crowds . My sister and brother-in-law are visiting on Saturday. They live in a neighboring small town where we hope to move before long. Family is important to us and every one who was here when we moved back home has since died or moved. Now it’s just us… 😎  At 66 and 75 we are up to a move!!!

I’m enjoying rereading “ Unlikely” an autobiography by Rick Renner. He and his family live in Russia as Christian missionaries and are doing a wonderful job spreading the good news. He and his wife, Denise, and two of their sons and families are presently feeding hot meals and providing food boxes to those in need during this horrible crises in that area of our world. Here is more about their ministry. You can also follow on FaceBook where he teaches every week night at 8 ( Home Group).

https://renner.org/

I’m still moving along leisurely on my DWR quilt …will show more pics as I progress. I don’t want to bore you with every stitch. 🤣

For wherever you go, I will go.

Wherever you live, I will live.

Your people will become my people,

and your God will become my God

                                                                                          Ruth 1: 17

Blessings all,

Kathy 💛🇺🇸

 Feed my sheep… John 21:17

Jesus told Peter to feed His sheep and I’ve been meditating on this for a while. 

1. What does this say to me?

2. How can I do this, more?

3. I need to listen daily to hear .

4. Where are the sheep He places in my life?

I’ll have to report later on this area of growth in my life.

✝️ 🌸✝️ 🌸✝️ 🌸✝️🌸

More progress today on my DWR quilt…

By no means the best piecing ( not sure why I did not try to match better?) or hand quilting, 

But practice does make one better. Also it is humbling to share not so perfect work .

I’m trying to be still and quilt some every evening.

Blessings all,

Kathy 🥰

The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.

Special Gift...

I have a wonderful and very talented quilt friend

who keeps blessing me by sharing her many talents with me !

Knitted socks,

knitted scarf,

and

now this wonderful pattern complete with 

her hand embroidery!!!

Didn't it turn out just lovely...

and she gave one to all of our Guild members too.

Check out her blog too...

The Thread and I

to see all the many projects that she completes and just how talented she is!!!

Blessings all,

Kathy

Found this on facebook and just loved it....wanted to pass it on!!!

Blessings all,

Kathy

Family Reunion Quilt Top Finished....signatures next

We had a wonderful time at my husband's Duke family gathering this past weekend. 

Here are the cousins today..

Here are the cousins about 60 years ago...four little ones on the front and two girls on the left...

And here is the quilt top...waiting for signatures...we will send it to each family to sign and to enjoy for a while before they pass it on!!!

Blessings all,

Kathy

Look....what came in my mailbox!!!

Aren't they just lovely!!!

Sweet Nancy at Cozy Thyme Cottage  knitted these for me and sent them to me.

I have already used the blue one as a hot pad this morning

because I do not want to get them wet yet!!!

SO special...

Thanks Nancy!!

Blessings all,

Kathy

More Basket Blocks AND...Socks too!!!

At Guild today, my special friend gave me two more basket blocks for my president's wall hanging...

aren't they pretty!!!

AND in the same gift bag...knitted socks...oh my gracious....such a wonderful gift...

you know us crafters NEVER get handmade gifts...we just give them away to others...



Blessings all,
Kathy

Making Crosses...

I have a small wall hanging that I placed by the back door to cover a telephone receptacle no longer in use... it has a single cross that I pieced together with scraps. When my sister and niece were leaving after our Christmas dinner, they commented that they would like one. So, of course, I got started.

I selected scraps from my basket that I thought would match each of their homes...yellow, greens, teals, blues, and I threw in some shockers in pink and red. You simply sew one scrap to the next and cut in three rectangles...one for the center and two for the sides. No measuring needed, just eye ball it.

While cutting the scraps into smaller pieces, I began to think about a radio show I heard on one of my Christian shows that I listen to while in the car. The guest speaker was talking about how to raise our children/teens to be selfless...??? !!!!!  the life of the CROSS...Quilt a job...you know taking the kids to shop at the Dollar Store for Christmas presents for the homeless and them deciding they really did not want presents for themselves OR emptying a friend's dirty lunch tray at school without them knowing who did it OR making a bed EVERY morning.

After I heard this show, I went into our local grocery store and at the check out was one of these teens who was only thinking about herself...her morning started with her hair not looking right (of course it was lovely and thick and looked great to me...) and then her GRANDMOTHER had fixed sausage for her breakfast and she stated "she knows that I do not like sausage"...and by then I did not even  hear the other things that caused her to "get up on the wrong side of the bed" as she referred to it... and was thinking that she needed a mother OR grandmother like the one I had just heard on the radio show!!!

But most of us do not have that kind of mother...I , however, did!! But you know what, I still had to learn the hard way and still do!!!

The life of the cross...

Blessings all,
Kathy

Our Advent Wreath...

I can not remember making an advent wreath in the past and have wanted to for years. So, why not this Christmas?  

First, I started looking for pink and purple candles.  Not only do stores not sell many kinds of tapered candles anymore, but the sales staff have never heard of Advent. After looking on line and every store in town, I found purple ones at the florist and used a pink one from my candle drawer. They also had the plastic candle holders for $.48 each and I got four of those.

Next, I hunted the same sources for an 8"-10" floral oasis ring. The cheapest one I found was $15 and it measured 18". So I made one from oasis blocks and floral pins.

After making the ring, I soaked it in cold water for about and hour while I went in the yard to find the perfect greenery. I selected a fur bush in the corner of our yard (that I do not like OR use except this time of the year) for the first row,

variegated pittosporum for the second row, 

and boxwood for the top and to fill in.

I placed in on a pewter plate and set it on the buffet all ready for use on Sunday.

If you read the Upper Room as a devotional, turn to page 39 for the first Sunday of Advent and page 40-42 for a good explanation of and litanies.

Here is another good site about Advent. 

The Christian Season of Advent

We are all ready for tomorrow now.

What special traditions do you have in your family?

Blessings all,

Kathy

My Manger....

I look forward every year to putting up "my" manger with the emphasis on the MY!

You see about 15 years ago, I joined a ceramics class at a very low ebb of my life.

The weekly fellowship with those my age and several older ladies was life giving...

I made a deviled egg platter, an African Violet planter, a bank but what I most enjoyed

was making "My" manager....and it took months to make.

First you pour each mold, let it dry for a week or so, then clean each piece, paint, then fire.

I worked on all  19 pieces with joy and thrill and was very sad when I had it all completed.

I started with Mary, Joseph and the Baby and ended with the angel.

I used the same pretty soft shades of pink for Mary and the angel...guess they were kinda my favorites.

The wise men took a lot of effort because I painted each with different colors of clothing and then coordinated the camel bags.  The camels are big so they took time to complete.

Another favorite was all of the animals...two sheep, a goat, one cow, a donkey (of course) and the three camels.

There are a three pieces that I have never been too sure about...a beggar and a young man/boy with a horn and a man looking off in the distance.  Some years I use them and some not. I need to look in the scripture and see just who they are....any suggestions?

There is also a sweet little shepherd boy and I usually place his sheep in the manger and one beside him.

Sweet baby Jesus and his special parents...my manger on the mantel...in our den.

My close childhood friend's mother helped me pack each piece in a box lined with shredded news paper.

And here it is empty for a few months and all ready to be filled again...

Special time in my life.

Special time in the life of all.

What preparations are you making for the

King's birthday?

Blessings all,

Kathy