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“I have given skill to all the skillful, so that they may make all that I have commanded you. “ Exodus 31:6


“O Thou who art the all pervading glory of the world, we bless Thee for the power of beauty to gladden our hearts.
We praise Thee that even the least of us may feel a thrill of the creative joy when we give form and substance to our thoughts and, beholding our handiwork, find it good and fair. “.
Walter Rauschenbusch


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"Come, and listen, all you who fear God; let me tell you what He has done for me.
I cried out to Him with my mouth; His praise was on my tongue.
If I had cherished sin in my heart, the LORD woud not have listened and heard my voice in prayer.
Praise be to God, Who has not rejected my prayer or withheld His love from me!" Psalm 66:16-20
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Thursday, December 25, 2014

Peaceful Christmas

Hubby and I spent a peaceful Christmas day together......our 39th Christmas celebration as a couple.  Come December 31st, we will have been married for 38 years.

Last night we went to a celebration at the home of my brother, John.  Then, we drove over to Jeff's home, another brother, and exchanged gifts.  This afternoon, John and Deb came by and we enjoyed yet another exchange of gifts.

My daughter, Kelley, was tickled that I sent gifts instead of money this year, and she was really taken with the red jacket that I bought for her.   I spoke to each of the 3 grandkids this morning, and it sounds like they must have been very good,  judging by the number of gifts each one described having gotten.

God has been so very good to all of us, and James and I have enjoyed a most peaceful and blessed year this year.  After attending funerals for the husbands of two dear ladies that attend my church, I am so very blessed and thankful to have my precious husband still by my side.

I hope that you, my friends, have been blessed with peace, health, and love in abundance this Christmas.

As for what's next, I have started piecing a new project, and I don't know how much bigger it will grow.....

but, it will go on hold temporarily while I take on a long-awaited commissioned work for JoAnn's daughter, Jennifer.

Monday, December 15, 2014

Downtime

Well, I'm curious to see if the problem I had with Blogger last time has been solved.

Seems to be !   Praise the LORD !
Lottie is awfully glad that we returned the new 40-inch flatscreen t.v., and is hoping that Santa doesn't decide to bring another one to replace it.   I think that this is her personal heater/viewing window on the world of falling leaves and wildlife.
Yesterday, I finished a pair of fingerless mitts.  I knitted them to begin with, and then after seaming them together, I crocheted around the finger edge to make them a bit longer.  I decided to use shells on the top side, and plain single crochet underneath.  I'm pretty happy with the results.

Today, I did absolutely nothing worthwhile......except for a little morning Bible reading.  I tried to get interested in a piecing project, but just couldn't get the 'juices' to rise !

I'd like to make a quilt for a dear friend's grown grandson, but I haven't been able to decide on a design.  I guess it'll just have to percolate a bit longer.

Our church's Christmas program was last night, and it was a good evening, balanced between laughter and thankfulness for our most priceless gift, the birth of our saviour, JESUS.

I haven't done any decorating as of yet, and I don't know if I will.  But I celebrate Jesus in my heart !

Thursday, December 11, 2014

Back from Internet Hiatus.......again !

I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong, but for some reason, I can only see my typing text when I click on the HTML button. I know I've been away for a while, and I did feel that I had misplaced my 'blogging mojo', but this is an unexpected quandry ! Anyway, I have been busy during my hiatus.
I pieced and quilted a large couch-sized quilt for my 81 year-old sister-in-law. Her favorite color is yellow, and she has been a lifetime crafter, so I wanted to really tailor this quilt to her likes. I took the time to hand-quilt it, which was really an unusual occurence for me these days, but I'm glad that I could do that for her. I sent the quilt to her last week, and she is very tickled with her surprise. I don't have any photographs to share of the work that I've done for my best gal-pal, Jodie Ann. I pieced 2 quilt tops for her, and am about to undertake the assembly of her daughter's 'state flowers' hand-embroidered blocks, after which I hope to do the hand-quilting also. Also, back in the month of October, my daughter blessed me by driving out here to bring my grandchildren for a visit after a long absence of 2 1/2 years ! It was a short visit, but PRICELESS ! How I love that girl of mine and her babies......hubby too, although I didn't get to see him. Well, I've previewed this post, and although I divided it into paragraphs, blogger chose to run it all together ! So, I apologize, but I'M BACK.......kindof ! Thanks for all the comments I found waiting for me when I came back !