Thursday Thoughts

 

Will be away for a few days, have a wonderful weekend.

A Forever Tuesday Treasure

 

I received this in an email a few days ago.  Normally I do not pass these on but this just struck such a chord with me.  Maybe you have already seen this, maybe not.  I really want to remember this.  Sometimes, in an other wise cloudy sky there's a ray of sunshine ...




Come with me


to a third grade classroom..... There is a
nine-year-old kid sitting at his desk and all of
a sudden, there is a puddle between his feet and
the front of his pants are wet.
 He thinks his heart is going to stop because he cannot
possibly imagine how this has happened. It's
never happened before, and he knows that when
the boys find out he will never hear the end of
it. When the girls find out, they'll never speak
to him again as long as he
lives.

The boy believes his heart is going to stop; he puts his
head down and prays this prayer, 'Dear God, this
is an emergency! I need help now! Five minutes
from now I'm dead meat.'

He looks up from his prayer and here comes the teacher with
a look in her eyes that says he has been discovered.

As the teacher is walking toward him, a class mate
named Susie is carrying a goldfish bowl that is
filled with water. Susie trips in front of the
teacher and inexplicably dumps the bowl of water
in the boy's lap.

The boy pretends to be angry, but all the while is
saying to himself, 'Thank you, Lord! Thank you,
Lord!'

Now all of a sudden, instead of being the object of ridicule,
the boy is the object of sympathy. The teacher
rushes him downstairs and gives him gym shorts
to put on while his pants dry out. All the other
children are on their hands and knees cleaning
up around his desk. The sympathy is wonderful.
But as life would have it, the ridicule that
should have been his has been transferred to
someone else - Susie.

She tries to help, but they tell her to get out. You've done
enough, you klutz!'

Finally, at the end of the day, as they are waiting for the
bus, the boy walks over to Susie and whispers,
'You did that on purpose, didn't you?' Susie
whispers back, 'I wet my pants once too.'

May there be a Susie in your life.

Needle and Threads

are making for busy hands.  As much as I love crocheting doilies I find I am equally loving cross stitch.  Such sweet, wonderful designs I am finding to make ornaments or small pillows.  Makes for an easy take along anywhere.

I want to pick up a small, table top size, Christmas tree this fall to seasonally decorate throughout the year.  Whether it will be green or white I haven't decided yet ... I have seen white ones on a few blogs and they have been beautifully adorned for Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Easter ... etc.  I think cross stitch ornaments for the little tree would be so special.  With that in mind, I came upon this pattern ... Quaker Holly at The Workbasket - Free.  You an see the completed design at their site.  The center of the flowers have french knots but I am thinking  maybe of putting beads there instead.

Right now I'm using 14 count cloth.  I really would like to make ornaments using a 28 or 32 count.  Hoping that eventually I can do that.  I so admire the work I have seen with those count cloths, they are just so beautiful..   

These are a few more designs I have found  and am on the look out for friendship type saying and charts.  A few people that I would like to make something special for.  Any ideas? 

Keeping In Stitches ...

Happy Easter

Good Friday

A day of quiet contemplation and reflection.

Blessings.

Thursday Thoughts - Holy Thursday

Since God loved us so much,

we too should love one another.

What's Doing Wednesday

A little of this and a little of that ...

 the cross stitch is completed (I did leave out a little bird, I may or may not put him in), the blanket has grown some and a new project is about to be started. 



I did decide to outline a bit of my rabbit as the white didn't show up well on the cloth I used.  One strand of black and it made him pop!  Need to decide if he's a pillow or ornament.

The third repeat is almost completed.   I think I would like one of these for myself in multiple colors.  Its coming out quite soft and is very cozy.




Plan on starting this tomorrow night.  I'm not sure yet whether to do in the 6 month or 12 month size.  Looks a little bit complicate so I'm sure I will be taking my time.  The little guy is due the beginning of September ... I'm thinking the 6 month size would maybe be good for the first of the year?  Been so long since a baby has been around, I just plain forgot!

Still watching those leaves as they are open more every day.   Gonna catch them this year!

On The Side ...

 

Popping chicken in the oven and wanted something a little different with the rice side dish and found this at Simply Recipes ... 1, 2, 3 and its ready.  That easy or so the name says.  Sounds good too, will let you know.

 Easy Black Beans and Rice Recipe

 Ingredients

1 cup uncooked white rice
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced (for added flavor you can substitute roasted red bell peppers or some chopped pimentos)
3 cloves minced garlic
2 16-ounce cans of black beans, rinsed and drained
2 Tbsp white vinegar
A few dashes of Tabasco or 1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano or 1 heaping Tbsp chopped fresh oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional Lime wedges and cilantro for garnish

1 Cook rice according to package instructions. White rice usually takes 15 minutes to cook once the water is simmering, and 10 minutes to sit.
2 Heat oil in a large skillet on medium high. Sauté onions and bell peppers for 3-4 minutes, until just beginning to soften, then add garlic and sauté a minute more. Add the black beans, vinegar and Tabasco or cayenne. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
3 Stir in rice and oregano. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Serves 6.

Easy Black Beans and Rice Recipe | Simply Recipes

See you at the

cutting board.

Monday Morn

Blessings,

The Holiest Week of The Year Begins

with today ... Palm Sunday.

Made with love by the ladies of our church.

Blessings through

this most holy week.

Saturday Specials

Just a few days of sunshine and the buds are opening.  I love the color green of the budding trees.  For as far back as I can remember I have always been in awe of the leaves slowly opening and every year I say I'm going to catch them pop fully and every year I miss it ... all of a sudden they are full and it seems like I miss that final burst.  Maybe if I take a picture every day, this year I can catch it.  I should really know better, can't catch Mother Nature, but I shall try.














I'll be heading out early to my Weight Watcher's meeting.  What a boost!  I've met some of the nicest people and look forward to seeing them each Saturday morning.  To add to this week was yesterday's weigh in of a loss of 2.8 lbs.  I was quite shocked to say the least.  I had been toying with buying a new scale but I think I will wait a bit longer.  I think its better to find out once a week then every day which I know I would be doing.  I love this new program and I can see that it is truly a way of life and I no longer regard it as a diet.   I'm hoping that I will be able to reduce my medications as my weight reduces.

My sweet little rabbit is getting close to completion.  I'm hoping to have him done before next weekend.  I've made a couple of oops but I think he is still looking mighty fine. 

Have a Special Weekend

A Friday in Spring Time

Its official!  I know spring arrives in March, the temperatures have been rising, the birds are happily singing but yesterday confirmed spring!  The sound!  The tractors are out in the orchard.  Its a most welcome sound every year.  The blossoms will appear soon, a magnficient sight to behold.  Acres upon acres of white flowering trees.  God's country.   I need to start carrying my camera to capture the awakening.  When each season comes I always think there's nothing as beautiful as this season, and then of course the next season appears with my same thoughts.  What blessings.

I'm tossing out my yarn scraps when I go downstairs this morning.  I've been reading some blogs of those saving their scraps for the bird's nest building.  I have never done that before and excited about it.  I hope they use them.  Its the simple things that bring such happiness.

On the horizon ... the dreaded weigh-in.  LOL ... not really.  I'm not sure that I've lost, yesterday I would have thought so, had the skinny feeling, but today not so much.  However, do have what they call a Non Scale Victory (NSV), clothing is fitting differently and that's a very nice thing. 

Nice to have a few hours home today.  As of late schedules have been very busy.  Will be puttering around the house, letting in some of that sunshine and fresh air and watching for my little feathered friends to come and get their yarn scraps.  And oh yes, there's always a bit of crocheting to be had.

Fabulous Friday Blessings

Thursday Thoughts

What's Doing Wednesday

 It's raining, it's pouring ... watering the seeds of happiness with some wonderful words of wisdom...

20 Keys to A Happy Life

1) Compliment 3 people everyday!

2) Watch a sunrise

3) Be the first to say "hello"

4) Treat everyone as you want to be treated

5) Live beneath your means

6) Forget the Joneses

7) Never give up on anybody ~ miracles happen!

8) Remember someone's name

9) Be kinder than you have to be

10) Wish not for things, but for wisdom and courage

11) Be tough-minded, but tender hearted

12) Don't forget that a person's greatest emotional need is to feel appreciated

13) Keep your promises

14) Leave everything better than you found it

15) Show cheerfulness even when you don't feel it

16) Remember that winners do what losers don't want to do

17) Remember that overnight success usually takes 15 years

18) When you arrive at your job in the morning, let the first thing you say brighten everyone's day

19) Don't rain on other people's parades

20) Don't waste an opportunity to tell someone you love them!

~source unknown

Have a Good Day

Planting Sunshine and Smiles

Tuesday Treasures

With a grandbaby on the way I recently went through the cedar chest to see what I had packed away from when our guys were little ones.  I was pleasantly surprised to find some of what I had saved.

These are two of several blankets that I was working on thirty-five years ago.  I had forgotten about them and was happy to find them.

I vividly remember sitting at my MIL's kitchen table, two of her sister-in-laws were visiting and I was working away on this ripple.

The ripple does have two spots which I need to repair, but other then that they are in like new condition.  It is thrilling to pass these on.

This wonderful blanket was made by my MIL also thirty-five years ago.  It was the Afghan Stitch, now called Tunisian Stitch.  The teddy bear and boxes in the side panels are done in cross stitch.  The picture really does not do justice to this beautiful blanket.   It is truly a treasure. 

These were made with great love.  Priceless treasures.

Monday Morning

The chorus outside is amazing this morning.  I can't even begin to try and imagine how many birds are out there and how busy they must be.  The chirping is so happy and refreshing.  They must be building their nests, whistling as they work!  The trees are budding, tulips and daffodils are sprouting ... the wonderful signs of spring.

***

And inside the needle has been humming.   My Easter SAL is coming along nicely.  I can see that the hot summer months will now have cross stitch as well as thread crochet in them. 

Have a good day! 

 

Easy Moving Sunday Morning

Just a few minutes to say good morning and wish you blessings on this Sunday.  Don't know where the time is going, just a week away from Palm Sunday.  Have worked the past few weeks at church with the Palm Ladies in weaving palms.  I have to say that they came out really extra beautiful this year.  Such a lovely time was spent with these ladies.  We've been meeting each year now for quite some time (I think this is my 5th year) and sweet friendships have and continue to develope.  I have to remember to take my camera this week and get some pictures.

Crocheting and cross stitching is still moving along but not as quickly as I would like (or enjoy).  Have been exceptionally busy as of late so hook and needle time has been minimal.   Have to change that.

Weigh in this week was a pound gain but continuing on and not worrying about that.  I think that's pretty normal and some weeks I just gotta have a few more spoonfulls then the week before.

I've had a pattern rolling around in my head now for a while, a new doily maybe.  I'd like to sit with that for a bit as well.  This week promises to be a bit slower so here's hoping to project completion and some design time.

Slowly moving this morning ... time to get in some breakfast and time with The Lord. 

Have a super blessed Sunday and week.

Thursday Thoughts

 Do a deed of simple kindness,

Though its end you may not see,

It may reach, like widening ripples,

Down a long eternity.

-James W. Fowley