Gather Your Friends

                Enjoy the day

         Spend time soaking in the 
                   beauty

               Winter has a special
                  beauty

               A calm, quiet
    soak it in.  Keep it close to your heart.
       When, the world around you gets
              hot, pull out your 
                  winter day.

Praying for Texas

Merry Christmas

A King born in Bethlehem

That night some shepherds were in the fields
outside the village,  guarding their flocks of sheep.
Suddenly an angel appeared among them,  and the landscape shone bright with the glory of the Lord.
They were badly frightened,  but the angel reassured them.
  "Don't be afraid", he said. "I bring you the most joyful news ever announced, and it is for everyone!  The Savior-yes, the Messiah, the lord-has been born tonight in Bethlehem!  How will you recognize him?  You will find a baby wrapped in a blanket, lying in a manger".
   Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others-the armies of heaven-praising God.

Luke 2: 8-13
The living Bible

Christmas gifts

             Two made it this year

             The truck quilt
                Finally finished

            It was a challenge for me
            Since I am not a 'real' quilter.

                                               I finally got it finished
            and off to the long arm lady.
          She is such a blessing, and makes
            My work look good.

              The second quilt
            Also a long time coming

               The Eye spy
            So much of the fabric
            was sent to me by other 
             sewing friends.  
           I helped them empty out their 
                     scraps.
 

Snowman Socks a super quick project

This is such a quick project.  Grab the kids, and turn out these adorable snowmen.

This project comes from

my friend

Betty.

I miss her so much, and know she would be turning out these darling snow people.

Snowman Socks

by Betty

Cut off cuff of sock for hat, fill rest of sock 2/3 full of rice and tie and roll the rest for a collar.
On a wood ball, drill small hole for round toothpick carrot nose.
Paint white, orange toothpick nose, black for eyes and buttons. ( using wood end of paint brush for black dots).
Glue hat to head, head to collar, and trim as you like.

honeycomb part two-Lets make the pillow

After you have practiced the honeycomb stitch, it is time to put it together into a pillow. I hope you enjoy this Little project and I would love to see pillows Lots of pillows. Honeycomb Pillow - How To

Part 1 - Learning the honeycomb stitch. Part 2 - Making a honeycomb pillow.

Step One: Even the edges of the center panel.

Step Two: Tack down the ends of the pleats.

Step Three: Lay pillow center over pillow back and measure the width you will need for the strips, add 1/2" seam allowance.

Step Four: Cut four strips.

Step Five: Sew a strip to top and bottom of pillow center, even the edges. Sew on side strips and again even the ends.

Step Six: I made a small ruffle, to gather, I zig zag over crochet thread.

Step Seven: Choose your trim-options - no trim, piping, large ruffle or eylet ruffle. Gather ruffle and baste to the right side of the pillow front, trim edges even. Pin and stitch front to back leaving one side open, turn right side out, insert pillow form stitch end closed.

Step Eight: Finished pillow. Back to part 1

Home | How To | Smocking | Gallery | Forum.

honey comb pillow part one-Another perfect gift

This will be a two part post.  You do not need to know how to 'smock' to make this pillow. Picture it in red checks or black checks, even blue.  Those colors just seem to fit in all decors. Or think Red, White and blue for a patriot set.  Just be sure you have one inch checks. Honeycomb Stitch - How to

Part 1 - Learning the honeycomb stitch. Part 2 - Making a honeycomb pillow.

Step One: You do not need to write numbers on your fabric, I did this to show the stitch sequence. This stitch is worked from right to left. Use three strands of floss and a long needle(milliners)

Step Two: Come up on the left side of the square no.1- with thread above the needle pick up a small stitch in no.2, left side of square. Don't pull the needle all the way through stitch and pick up a small stitch in no.1- pull pleat together

Step Three: Insert needle back in no.2.

Step Four: Going along the back of the fabric come out at no.3, with thread below needle pick up a small stitch in no.4, not pulling the needle all the way through pick up a small stitch in no.3, pull stitch together, go back in again at stitch no.4.

Step Five: Come out at stitch 5- repeat across row.

Step Six: Second row. Start on the third square down - repeat the stitch sequence, you will be forming diamonds.

Step Seven: Continue for as many rows as you need. Go to Part 2

Home | How To | Smocking | Gallery | Forum.

Such a magical time

             Christmas brings 
                Magic

             Like sparkling frost

             touches of pure magic

                 Over the top

               Surprise?
              No, it's magic

Let the season begin

    I think Snowfake was a little worried about showing up this year after all that has been going on.

           Suddenly, there she is,
          already to go to work.
So, lets get busy decorating, sewing 
             and baking.

Crochet potholder a perfect gift

I have posted the instructions for this potholder before but it makes such a quick and easy gift I thought you might enjoy seeing it again.  Even if you are just learning to crochet, this is one you can make.  If you are more experienced at crochet, try using different stitches. 


Crochet Potholder
Submitted by dawna

Step One: Chain an odd number. The length of the chain will be the length of the finished potholder.

Step Two: SC (single crochet) in each chain. When you come to the end continue to sc as shown.

Step Three: Continue to sc. You will notice the ends will start to turn up.

Step Four: Continue until ends meet.
 
Step Five: When ends meet slip stitch to close.

Step Six: Finished potholder

Circumstances

                                                         A very Happy Bird

When it comes to circumstances. Do we control them?  Or do they control us?

Right now, I have only to rejoice the circumstances. My Oncologist said I can announce I am officially in clinical remission.  Hubby's five way by pass went very well and he is recovering.  
So I have no reason to feel down but I do.
Since August we have had medical issues and tomorrow hubby faces one more surgery. 

Here it is the Christmas season and although I am reminded Jesus is the reason for the season, circumstances seem to be standing in the way of celebrating the way we always have.
So do I let the circumstance consume me? to swallow me?  or do I chose to deal with it, to make it my friend, to find all the positives of the circumstances.
I will chose to find the positives.  

Not yet

We have the best medical facilities and I am so grateful. This helicopter brings in patients from the remote areas. Living in the mountains we have many areas where getting to the hospital in a timely manner would be close to impossible.

As I visit all the Christmas blogs it is starting to hit home that this indeed is the season to decorate.   Since hubby has one more surgery to endure I have put off any decorating for right now.  
I am sure enjoying and being inspired by all of yours though.  

Happy Thanksgiving

Just try it, challenge by Ree Drummond

I took the challenge offered in her cook book for making apple dumplings.

Nothing could prepare you for the results.

Just plain yummy!  I do admit her pictures are better then mine, but mine tastes as good as hers.

                Recipe
2 Granny Smith apples
two 8-ounce cans crescent roll dough
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
one 12 ounce can Mountain Dew
Shake of cinnamon to taste

Peel apples, core and cut into 8 equal wedges.
wrap each wedge in 1 piece of dough, roll dough beginning at the wide end, place the rolls seam side down.
Melt butter in medium sauce pan over low heat.
Add sugar and vanilla, stir for a few minutes. No need to to dissolve sugar,you want it to be grainy. 
Pour mixture over rolls.
Next, super crazy pour the whole can of Mountain Dew over the top. It is liquid, it is crazy but go with it.
I will add she suggests using a buttered 8x10 pan and I found that size of pan to be to small. I now need to clean my oven.
You are going to bake this at 350 for 40 minutes.
Serve with ice cream
It is yummy, just plain yummy.
If you serve two dumpling per serving , it will serve 8.   

So it began

I have done a lot of soul searching lately, as life took a sudden turn in August.  
August 12th, hubby was not feeling very well and hadn't been feeling well for a few days. That morning, he decided to go to the walk in clinic, thinking it was indigestion that had been bothering him.
This was the first time I know of that he had ever left his cell phone at home.  I had not gone with him as you can wait forever in those waiting rooms and I didn't feel the need to do so.
The day started to roll by and I had not heard a word from anyone,  I was not really worried but was getting concerned thinking he may have been in a fender bender.
About 2pm, the phone did ring and it was hubby, calling from the hospital of all places. They were prepping him for heart surgery. 
After that phone call a lot of life is a blur. I remember calling Rod, our oldest son but got an answering machine. I am not sure I left a message as soon as the phone was answered I could not get any words out. I tried to call our next son and I think I got something out because Tony was suddenly home and took over.

We have gone through so much, but the surgery was successful.  Praise God.  The months have passed and I had put so much on hold. Sewing, reading, life's little annoyances all were put on hold.

So now the time has come and it is time to decide to blog or not blog.  I have decided to keep at it.   Yes, I am pretty rusty, hope to get better as the time rolls on.

Hope you will join me, this is a new journey.    
  

Summer Reading

        I finally picked my summer reading.
      

This is the first book from the series The Bregdon Chronicles.

I have been reading a review of the series and am excited.

You can order from

http://www.amazon.com/Rolling-Bregdan-Chronicles-Historical-Fiction-ebook/dp/B003KVL35W

                                                               I will be sure to give you my report on what I think of the first book. So far all that I have read about and from Ginny Dye is very good.

Are any of you reading this series and if so I would love to hear your opinion.

Where do I begin?

So many emotions, how do you get them sorted out and put into words?
I could just do a reporters job, just the facts. How many acres burned, how many homes and business destroyed.
Maybe try to explain how it feels to be told you have to go and have to go now!  Nope, no words for any of that.

          This was the first sight.
        There was no way to know at this time
     just how bad this was going to get.

          With a change of wind, we could
      see, fire had hit the town.

           A fire storm hit an area of
          high end homes.  

         Wind blown embers from the fire
      started the fire at Michelsen packing,
     Which caused embers which spread the 
fire to Northwest wholesale, Stemilt growers and Bluebird.

          As of now, it smolders.