Hoooray! Block #1 done! :)

From this...

To this...

Feels so good to be creative~

...doesn't it?  :)

Time Scurries!

I'm robbing time from chores (yay!) to write. Does it ever feel like you are doing nothing but chores, chores, and endless to-dos? All work and no fun makes us DULL. I don't know about you, but it gives me the feeling that time is scurrying by, and I never even visited with it!

Today I am stopping the scurrying!!!

This day, I choose to grab hold of some of those 1440 minutes passing me by, and using them for snippets of fun! I must! Must you, too???

So, my first little snip was writing a letter to my friend. As I began, very similar to this post, it hit me like the second hand on a clock knocking me down - in order to feel satisfied and like I have enjoyed this life, that enjoyable things must be mixed in with the un-enjoyable. It's true. 

Try it today and see if you don't feel happier all day long. (Will your husband recognize you?) lol

This is what I am doing with little snips of minutes between chores....

Which will eventually look something like this....

You can get the pattern here, one block each month = FREE, 'cuz Bloggerinas are very nice and helpful and kind and generous and love for every other Bloggerina to join in their fun. (What a cute quilt you will have at the end of twelve little months, that you know are already on a good head start to zooming past us.)


And just to prove their kindness even more, look what you could actually win if this Bloggerina picks your comment for her giveaway....

Sew much fun!!! And it all just takes the dullness of life's busy work and makes it bright and cheerful!


Oh... and I just found this, like a sunken treasure in a sea of blogs...

(Just in case you are sick of chores...)

A Little Squirt!

Have you ever tried diet Squirt? On a whim, I brought a six-pack home with me from the market (yes, their marketing ploy of setting them right on the end of the baking aisle worked!). It's my newest addiction! 

Oh! and in case you didn't know this (I just discovered it myself), our darling quilt store owner has Tutorial Tuesday. The projects are unique and she (Suzanne) gives wonderful pictures and instructions!

 

I'm cooking two 18-pound turkeys this afternoon, so we can GOBBLE GOBBLE with leftovers - wish me luck!

Congrats!

Congratulations to all my winners!!! It's going to be a fun day for me putting all your surprises together! Be sure to send me your addresses if you haven't done that yet. Thanks!!!  Be watching your mailboxes! :)

And the Winner is........

ALL OF YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The comments were soooo much fun for me to read, that I decided to give everyone something (those who left comments, that is)!

Still... what you will receive will be a surprise, because we all love surprises!!!!

Thank you for leaving such FUN comments. I'm still smiling!!!  :)

PS.  All you who left comments for the giveaway,  send your address to me at encouragingforyou@gmail.com. I will get your surprises to you soooon!  xo 

400th Post Surprise!!!

 This contest now closed.  :)


No pictures of them, but two quilts are sitting patiently in the quilter's workroom; I just dropped them off!!!! One of thOse quilts  - for a soldier -- has been in my sewing room for  5 years.

C.R.A.Z.Y!!!

But not anymore!

You know how good it feels to finally get some projects almost completed!

Yaaaahoooo....

Hope your projects are skedaddling out your sewing room, too!!!!  :)

But... just in case you are a glutton for punishment, as most of us quilters/sewers are... I have a SURPRISE!!! 

A GIVEAWAY!!! Now, here's the lowdown on it: Not all of the patterns are new, but they are all complete. Some are brand new, never been used, and some of the rulers still have the plastic wrap on them. These items were ones that I decided I could let go into someone else's grasp. This is what happens when you feel good about getting your sewing room back in order - you want someone else to feel good, too.  :)

So... surprise... I hope YOU win!!!

Here's the picture of what will be given away. The surprise will be if I decide to give all of it to one person, or two, or three, or....  Who knows??? Oh, and you know how I adore surprises. I just love, love, love them... so... I am adding one or two or three that I did not take pictures of... grin grin

If any of this needs to be in your hands, then me leave a COMMENT telling me why I should pick YOU above all others.  Then, come back on Saturday afternoon, this Sat, January 22nd, and see if you won! 

Easy peasy!

XO

Hugs!

My three fellas would be embarrassed if they knew I was showing my Bloggerina world these photos.

Too bad!  :)

Wives & moms pray for moments like these.... awwwwww!

 

And this explains how men really feel about hugging, even if it is with their dad (he was saying, "Awww" as Noah and SuperDad were hugging)... 

 

Men!  :)

And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers...

Malachi 4:6a

Yummy Dish For You!

You know I want only the best for you, my greatest ever Bloggerinas.  So... to keep us all around and healthy for 2011, here is a recipe that is sure to get some of those must-have veggies...

It's from  Take-Out Tonight! by good ol' Weight Watchers. (If only one of us had invented that gig!!!) It doesn't taste diet-y so don't worry about that. In fact, don't worry about anything, because it just doesn't change a thing... but prayer will!  :)


Anyhoo, this is mighty simple for us busy Bloggerinas....(Click on it to get a bigger picture, so you can read the recipe. Or... You may find it at your local library, like I did.)

1. Get your brown rice (or Ramen noodles) to cooking.
2. Be sure to have everything all sliced and diced, because once you begin cooking it is a quick process and all sauces and veggies need to be at the ready.
3. If you are actually on Weight Watchers, then you'll need to add one extra point.
4. (Weight Watchers... don't sue me for copying this recipe... maybe they'll join your club!)   :)

 

 ¹¹ Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. ¹² The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. ¹³ And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day. 

* From Genesis 1 *

 
 
 

I've Missed YOU!!!

Happy New Year??? Is it? Mine has been busy with after-Christmas-before-spring cleaning. It feels soooo good! You know the feeling! All that clutter is now visiting Salvation Army and Goodwill till its new owners come along and buy them all. And ... Jesus... God the Father sent that beloved Son for us - every last and dreadful sin, nailed to the cross, and we are now children and heirs with Him. Isn't that something to ponder in our hearts this January (and every month, every year... till eternity)?!!!

Anyhoo, I've missed my Bloggerinas and decided I simply had to postpone errands for ten minutes so I could say "HI!".

(PS... Not that I want anyone looking at my flabby arms... but... I'm working on those babies. What are you working on? - Notice I didn't say what resolution, cuz that is nothing but a pencil moving across paper. Action, Sisters, that's what we need. One thing at a time. Choose one. How are your arms???)

BE Content With Such Things As You Have :)

My New Morning Schedule...

HERE!

Really, you don't wanna miss this. (It will take @45 seconds.)

LOVE IT!!!

Decorations Ready For A Long Winter, Spring, Summer Nap

Nighty, night, decorations.... I WANT MY SEWING ROOM BACK!!!

(This is where I placed them all as I pulled them off of shelves and counters.)

Happy New Year!!!

Are you like me, and love the flipping of the calendar to a new year? I love it! It's got that flavor of first day of school, which I always totally dug... new pencils, papers, binder, lunch box... OH!! DID I SAY LUNCH BOX and just reveal that I am as old as the hills? Sigh... I did. LOL. My favorite metal one (which I have tried and tried to find on the net) was Beanie and Cecil, one where Beanie's little hand is clasping my very same lunchbox in front of his school. I used to think... "Hey, this never quits because inside Beanie's lunchbox, is another one and inside that one is... yep, another one." Ya... I think too much, even as a kid!  :)

Anyhoo, how was your Christmas? Merry? A downer? Well, a new year is just around the bend and it's gonna have more of both, but let's hope more merry than downer times!

This is our little fam on Christmas morning. Though we do brush our teeth, that's about it, and my kids said, "WE can't take a fam pic looking like this!" But you know what??? It's now one of my favs.

Place your trust in the Lord, cuz off we go into 2011!!!!

I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. ~ Jeremiah 29:11a

I KNOW ~ Jeremiah 29:11 very a.

Trust Him! (And I'm talking to me, too!!!!!)  Grab my hand and let's jump into this new year together! See you sooooon!  xo

Soooo Good To Moi!!!!!!

Merriment galore arrived on my doorstep today! What a terrific treat to come home to. I had gone out for a lovely (and bootie-kickin') bike ride... and there it was  ---- Secret Santa blessed my socks off again this year (two years in a row.... i'm surprised and elated!!!! - I love surprises, dong' you?!!!!)

Whoever YOU are, my Secret Santa  ---- 

THANK YOU, AND I BET YOU ARE SOMEONE I LOVE!!!! I KNOW THAT YOU LOVE ME.... You are sooooooo good to me!!!

and I am very, merrry, merry GRATEFUL!!!!!!! The fabric is my all-time favorite - MODA (it has the yummiest feel and colors) - and it is called Giddy, and how apropos because it is soooo totally describing me right now!!!!  :) (can't wait to giddy-up and create with it! Okay, that was hokey, but enthusiasm knows no bounds).

LOOKY!!!!!  I am simply filled with GLEEEEEEEEEEE!

And everyone, all my wonderful and kind Bloggerinas  --- MERRY CHRISTMAS, and ho HO ho, and be sure to step under the mistletoe --- blissful things happen there!!!  :)

For unto YOU, this day, is born a Savior...

Thank You, Jesus!!!!!!!!!!!

More and More Christmas Blessings....

My wonderful Bloggerinas (any Bloggerinos???)- you just have to read my list of blessings this month (please)....

1. Still praising God our son Tim is alive after his motorcycle accident.
2. My sorta son (a friend of my oldest who calls me 'mom') got stabbed, three times (one in lung), and almost died, but didn't. Three days in the hospital fixed him and his collapsed lung. (I could cry over and over again with such a thankful heart for 1 & 2 & 3.)
3. My daughter found her wedding dress and had "that" moment of knowing it was the one. She beamed. Her matron of honor and we drove to Beverly Hills to find her gown. Oh my. She is beautiful, the dress is beautiful, and we had a blast!!! However, I prayed and prayed for just such a day for her (and us) and God was faithful, not letting her buy the "almost one". Yayayayayayya. Pray about everything! He cares!!! 
4. This is trivial compared to things 1, 2, 3 but as I said - God cares for it all, big or small - and I prayed today for Him to help me find my favorite Christmas CDs. I told Him, "Lord, I know I bug you all day long with a myriad of things, but You are the One who knows it all and knows exactly where my CDs are. Three minutes later - they were found and popped into my CD player. He is good (yes, even in the yukky times).
5. For surviving the dentist this morning. I almost had two panic attacks, but that assistant knew and patted my hand and talked me through it. Little did she know I had prayed the entire time. Whew, it's over. 
6. And last - that though it is just a few days before Christmas, I get to bake and wrap gifts today - finally - with my fav Christmas music serenading me!  :)

Here is everyone's fav cookie of mine.....  Enjoy and Merry Christmas wishes.

I'm In Love.......

....See if you are too, after listening to this Christmas song. As I listen, my eyes close and my body begins to gently sway to the beat... all in praise and adoration of our great King of kings. This song is called How Many Kings? by Downhere. I love the lead singer's voice - awesome!!! Go to their official website for a free download and to listen to lots of their songs... HERe.

Ray Conniff Singers Christmas Album (yeah, I said it) :)

Christmas is a lot about memories. Back in the day when I was growing up, they were especially fun. All of us cousins would run around the grandmas' and play our heads off to the likes of Dean Martin and the rest of the Rat Pak (yep, no spring chicken here- except mentally...annnnnd... I can still back dive into the pool with my young friend whom I force to "dive, dive". oh yeah baby). 

Anyhoo, I have bought this Ray Conniff Christmas CD a billion times (or two) and now... EBAY here I come. I lost my entire binder with my Christmas music. That makes me so dang sad. No wonder it doesn't seem like Christmas this year. No Amy Grant, Garth Brooks, Jewel, Vince Gill, or my ultimate fav -- the Ray Conniff Singers. This is probably because it reminds me of my mom, who died from cancer in 2001. It's like a tribute to her to listen to it (and anything Doris Day). Oh, though I did buy from Target cute little Taylor Swift's short-version Christmas album. I love her! It seems to me that she often sounds a bit of key, and I find it (with her only) totally endearing!

So.... thanks to YouTube, I can listen to at least one of the songs. If you listen to this video, be sure to listen to the end, because it's a medley and the best part is at the end....  :) And thanks to moi, you can listen to it, too!!!

Oh, man... and since I have many days to make up, I must tell you about Superman!!!! He is --- FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME EVER IN MANY YEARS OF MARRIAGE --- giving me a gift each day for the last 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS!!! i KNOW!!!! --- EAT YOUR HEART OUT.

It's really quite darling, because he drove flew his cute little elf-self to the dollar store and chose 12 gifts for me, his not-so-new bride!!! I love it!!!! After all, it's the thought that counts, and I love all the thought it took to come up with this idea and hit the store with his busy, stressful life.


Oh, so, this wasn't on my mind till just now, but I must say... It took him 31 years of marriage. And it took me 31 years of endurance to finally get such a treat. Moral of the story ---- BE OF GOOD COURAGE AND WAIT ON THE LORD!! YES, DO WAIT ON THE LORD. (Liz version.)


Anyhoo, so, that is very fun and I am loving it!


Now, do you know what I am thankful for???? My youngest son - my baby - got hit by a car on his motorcycle and flipped up in the air like an acrobat. I spent over half the day in the hospital with him - AND HE IS A-OKAY!!! (If you are a relative or gal in my town reading this, do not utter a word to him, cuz he thinks I talk to much (can't figure that one out lol) and he is sick of having to tell the story again and again...). He went to work the next day, and thinks it was the lady's fault. I'm sooooooo thankful he is alive and well. Thank YOU, Jesus!


And then, my niece in Oregon said all the homes/apartments around her duplex have no roof, but hers is snugly glued still. Praise the Lord!!!!


So... I'm counting my blessings!

Over the River and Through the Snow...

I really am going over a river today, but not through the snow... and I hope not through the fog! 

 

My hair appointment is later this morning, and I'm pretty excited because I decided to let my darling hair gal give me bangs. She cut them once, but I was feeling too old for them, and quickly reverted back to swooping them over to one side. 

But now? 

I want them and do not care how old I am!!! 

Isn't it a great feeling when confidence finally wins over chicken-ness?

Merry? Christmas

 

 Love and faithfulness meet together; 

righteousness and peace kiss each other.

Psalm 85:10

And then? Through Jesus, the lips of God's kindness touch our lives. Amen! 

We need it!

And... if you are being a little too merry and forgetting that Jesus, God incarnate, squeezed into a little baby's body.. unto you and me... so that we taste the love of God and not His deserved wrath, then join me in remembering.  :)

As happens all too often - life - sometimes stuff makes us very unmerry... maybe for a minute... maybe a month... but no matter how long it is or lasts, I have one thing to say -- InHEAVENthereWILLbeNOmoreSORROW.

UN-IMAGINE-ABLE!

but yippee!

So, for you... in case the merriment is not with you today, listen to the wisdom of Andrew Murray....

It is okay to ask God "Why?"... Jesus did - read Mark 15:34. Even if God doesn't answer you immediately, He still has the answer.

Ho Ho Home!!!

Today I am home ---- with absolutely NO APPOINTMENTS, funerals, decorating, shopping, cooking that has to be done or gone to. And I am soooooo merry about that! Thank You, Lord, for getting us through busy times and then leading us besides the quiet waters. You are our Shepherd, we shall not want.