A couple of gifts...

My youngest baby girl will be turning ONE in the next couple of weeks, so yesterday I had a chance to make some of Amber's birthday gifts.

A Scrappy Doll...

I followed the tutorial on Love Laugh Quilt by Beth. It was a little past what I usually do...no measuring - isn't everything suppose to be symmetrical!!!! She turned out cute, even though she could use more stuffing. I ran out after doing her arms, legs, and head...so her body has scraps of batting in it. Once I get more stuffing, I may take out her bottom hem and restuff. For now, she'll be loved anyway! 

A Pair of Slippers...

These are a pair of adorable slippers...although not quite as cute as the ones on the New Conceptions pattern (but I also had to enlarge it for Amber). I must be venturing out...typically not something I would think of tackling, but Kristy at Hopeful Threads always finds great tutorials and is very helpful! She even gave me a few tips for next time I try to make a pair (which will be soon!). This is a quick project that has a couple of recipients waiting...Liz requested a pair (which means an even bigger enlargement :) ) and a new baby at church!

Also, if you're ever looking for a great charitable project to sew-up, check out Hopeful Threads. Kristy finds great monthly projects to sew-up and donate...then rewards us with chances at some great prizes - what's better than that! I like to participate when I can.

There is also a great Crafting for Cause project going on over at Ladybird Ln if you need some other charitable ideas. I jumped on this one...and the kids at school are even going to help out (even though they won't know about it till tomorrow :) ! ). Making Christmas cards for American soldiers...how great to give them encouragement as they are away from home for the holidays - fighting for us!

And he said unto me,

'My grace is sufficient for thee:

for my strength is made perfect in weakness.'

Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities,

that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

2 Corinthians 12:9

In the Bible, God gives us things from others to help us...and He used Paul a lot. Paul is a great example of someone that went through many trials and still praised and served God faithfully and fully. He even had a physical condition that he prayed to have taken away...but God allowed it to remain. Paul received a no, and still glorified God and knew that God's power would shine through him even with the problems he had.

May we remember this as we go through physical difficulties...Praise, serve, and glorify God even through the difficulties.

Amanda

Random thoughts...

So, I still feel like a blog slacker...but if once a week fits into my routine the best, so be it! A science test and lesson need to be prepared, the laundry is always piling up, and the house will eventually be clean again, but I really want to post a few things that have happened recently.

Yesterday, as I was walking through my overly messed up living room to get to my desk, I had a heart warming thought...and I'd like to share:

So, this is what I was walking through...

and my thought was..."it's so cozy with all the blankets and pillows scattered about." I finally saw past the mess and couldn't wait till one of my quilts are included in the pile of blankets the girls like to play in. Liz's rag quilt is included here, but I'm working on bigger ones for the girls. They seem to like blankets, so I hope they LOVE their quilts!

For this moment, I think I finally grasped what Paul was saying in Philippians 4:11 - "...for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content." Now, if only this would continue to penetrate my thoughts when I begin to again get annoyed with blankets and toys all over the house :) !

I have finally had time to work on Amber's quilt, so the middle is all sewn together, now I'm adding borders and hope to have the quilt top done this week! (I'm still waiting to have it all together to show the whole thing...I'm still loving this quilt!

My goal is to have it all done by the end of the month so I can add it to the Bloggers' Quilt Festival over at Amy's Creative Side.

Recently, we have been experiencing some beautiful fall weather, so we went out to play in the leaves the other day...

and captured a great picture of my family!

Then this morning...

Liz wrote her name all by herself...for the first time!!!!

She said, "Mommy, it's my name."

My first thought was that it would be her normal row of straight lines. When I turned and saw this on her doodle board...

I was so excited for her and grabbed the camera! Now she can start writing her own name on her school and church papers! :)

And not to leave Amber out, she was adorable all curled up in the corner of her crib during her morning nap today.

I have two very wiggly sleepers...sharing the bed with them means little sleep that night! Gratefully, we very seldom have them coming into our bed anymore!

On to more crafty things...

I read the blog post over at Ladybird Ln just before I was going to start this post and decide that this months Crafting for a Cause is something to get involved in...even the school kids can help with this one! We will be writing encouraging Christmas cards to the Soldiers fighting to help us keep our freedoms. If you haven't seen it yet, check it out.

I already added the button to my right side bar!

But ye shall receive power,

after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you:

and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem,

and in all Judaea, and in Samaria,

and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Acts 1:8

This blog started as a way to share my faith and my crafting with people that share crafting interests...because the craft blogs are how I found out about blogs. I wanted a way to share my faith with others. Little did I realize that it would take me to the uttermost parts of the earth! I think it is truly amazing that people from around the world have visited my blog.

To God be the glory...great things HE hath done!

Amanda

Week in Review...

So, it's been almost a week since I last posted...and what a busy week! I've been cleaning, sewing, and canning...now I need to focus on some Science class lessons -- school starts for us on the 31st.

So on Saturday, I decided to move Amber into Liz's room and down grade the amount of toys they had out and made a toy corner for them in the "multi-purpose room" (aka. our bedroom)...

This disaster...

Became a clean girl's room (without toys)...

I still have some decorating to do in there...the Farmland Bunting from VBS and some new curtains to go up, but it so nice to have them together. The once toy bins are now Amber's clothes and Amber's dresser (that's still in our room) has blankets/sheets in it.

The toys we kept out moved to the 'multi-purpose room," which also affected my sewing area, but it seems to be working good. The other toys went into storage...so later we can switch-out toys...it will be like getting new toys all the time :)

I love the set up and the new twin sized design wall is just calling for my HST that I sewed together for Amber's quilt...I hope to have time to lay it out soon. Also, to keep the girls from (literally) getting under foot, I put the board across there...but we can still easily get to each other :)

On Monday, I canned pickles and salsa. That morning I was looking for a dill pickle recipe and came across this cookbook in my collection...I got it when my grandmother moved out of her house a couple of years ago...

Now that I'm quilting, I'm so excited that I got it!

At the beginning of each section is a quilt pattern and the pieces need to make templates...also, there are tips, Bible verses, and cute quotes among the recipes. It was compiled in the 70's.

The rest of the week I have been working on some donation articles for Ladies in need in Africa...this is part of the Hopeful Threads/Ladybird Ln's August project.

An excerpt from the project info page...

"I feel SO BLESSED to live in a land where I have received a free quality education.  I was stunned to find out that in many parts of the world, girls are unable to attend school during their menstrual cycle due to lack of regular feminine products, can you imagine?

So, although you might not think of feminine pads as a back to school item, they are NEEDED in parts of the world.  The option of disposable products just isn't realistic or available for many, so these girls are often found trying to use whatever possible.  I have even heard of girls using trash or mud, or missing out  on school entirely. 

That's where our plan of sewing this unusual "Back To School" necessity comes in!"

These are the ones I'm donating...

Ladybird Ln has all the information about this project...I felt like participating because this was something I never thought of and have never had to worry about...but these ladies do.

(source)

So, I made 12 reusable cloth pads...5 adjustable absorbency and 7 simple pads...both from the examples shown on Hopeful Threads. At first I only had the five cut out and ready to sew...but I wanted to do more, so I made the simple ones and once I had them cut out things started working out...

I had twelve...a nice number, and not only that it coincides with the number of girls/ladies (including my 2 girls) that are at our church school at least twice a week...by first initial...4A's, E, H, 2 K's, 2 L's, M, & P.

Now, I'm just looking for the right people to donate these through...I may just end up sending them to Kristy @ Hopeful Threads and she said she'd get them to the right people. (If you want to see more pictures of the pads I made, just go to my flickr photostream...the link is on the right side bar.)

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For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat:

I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink:

I was a stranger, and ye took me in:

Naked, and ye clothed me:

I was sick, and ye visited me:

I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

And the King shall answer and say unto them,

Verily I say unto you,

Inasmuch as ye have done it unto

one of the least of these my brethern,

ye have done it unto me.

Matthew 25:35-36 & 40

The donation items were finished yesterday...and though it took longer than I felt I had time for, God reassures us when we are doing right...

This passage was in my morning reading and goes right along with helping other when we can!

Who can you help today?

Amanda