whoops...

I don't know how it happened but I can't seem to get into the swing of this project...I'm shelfing it for a while until I can get back into it.

I can see!

Dear Lord, Thank you for these working eyes. Help me to see freshly all the blessings around me, especially those that are not apparent to me. Thank you for all the color in my life, vivid and strong. Help me see clearly through eyes of love and caring instead of eyes that disapprove. Help me look for the good and overlook imperfection. Help me to see you in every face I see, however brilliantly disguised. In your name, I pray. Amen.

My Mother

When I was a little girl, I had an ear infection just about every time I got sick. The pain was so intense it would make hot tears roll down my face. The only thing that would make me feel even a little better was when my mother would hold my head in her lap with my ears cupped in her hands. Her hands were always warm and soft and gentle.  I could feel her love flow through her hands like an energy and I would fall asleep there between her hands.Even now whenever I'm sick, I crave that feeling of being in my mother hands and feeling her love.

I talk to my mother about once a day and I treasure the friendship we have. She's a beautiful person with a big open heart.

Dear Lord, Thank you for my sweet mother. Thank you for your grace in giving me such a wonderful, caring mother. Thank you for listening to her prayers for me and my family. She has strong faith but she worries so much. Will you help ease her mind and trust that you are there? In your name, I pray. Amen.

our marriage

Monday was our wedding anniversary...13 years.

I am so thankful that we have such a strong marriage. I know I can share everything with Rich. He is my safe place.

I'm especially thankful for a change in my heart that I had early in our marriage. I remember exactly the moment. I had been arguing with Rich about some little thing. It was something you might argue with a child about...I corrected his behavior in the same way that I would a child. And then I had a little revelation..."I'm not his mother. I'm not in charge of him. He is his own person. And we don't have to argue like this." It seems so silly now but it was really a turning point.

Dear Lord, Thank you for blessing us with a strong union. Help us to trust each other and to be kind and gentle with one another. Guide us to live the truth. In your name, I pray.

Rich

His heart is so big and beautiful. It's amazing. And the love he feels for me and Alfredo shows so clearly through everything he does. He makes me want to be a better person. I am truly blessed.

One of the blessings I love most about my Rich is his complete honesty. He values truth and honesty in a way I don't think most people do. Maybe the reason I love it so much is that it is not so easy for me. God Bless me, if I can think of an untruth, a little white lie, that will make everything tidy and easy, my first impulse is to use it. My Rich though never even tells white lies. He is as honest as the day is long. When he tells me something, from how I look in a dress to how much he loves me, I know I can believe it.

Rich just celebrated his 41st birthday on Saturday. Happy Birthday, Rich.  You are a blessing to me.

Dear Lord, Thank you for blessing the day that we met and giving me a heart that would welcome him. Thank you for guiding us together and for helping us to be extra tender with each other, especially when times were tough. You knew that he would help me be a better person. Please help us to live a life worthy of your promise. In your name, I pray. Amen.

Alfredo

My little bird with a broken wing. I understood then that my job was to tend to his wing, help him feel happy and secure and loved. And then I let him go. It was the hardest thing I've ever done. Then the hardest thing was breathing.

Every breath was a whisper of his name. I felt broken.

But then a miracle happened. He flew back into our home. He never left our hearts but now he is here and I am filled with awe and gratitude about how the Lord works.


He is my blessing.

Dear Lord, Thank you for working through us and for showing us your amazing grace and love. We thought we were happy before but you showed us that real happiness is beyond ourselves. Help me to live in your light. Thank you for your blessings. In your name, I pray.

To read more about our story with Alfredo read here , here , here , here , here,  and here .  

100 is a lot!

Wondering where I've been?

Well, 100 is a lot of squares! I found that out when I stitched this grid. It's taken me a full week!

I used a pencil to draw the grid on the fabric but I noticed two things...there were areas where I made the pencil mark too thick (so it still showed after I stitched the border) and in some places the floss picked up the pencil and it looked dingy. So today after I finished stitching the last of the grid, I soaked the cloth in a little cold water with some baby shampoo. Then I took a bar of ivory soap and rubbed it over the areas where I could see pencil. I gave it a good rinse and then rolled it in a big fluffy towel. After it was mostly dry but still a little damp, I ran a hot iron over it to press out any wrinkles.

A few of you asked where I'd gotten the fabric from. We have an upscale fabric store here in suburban DC called G Street Fabrics and that's where I got it. I think if you do a search online for 100% pure linen you can find it...or maybe you have an upscale fabric store in your 'hood. Another thought is that you could buy the inexpensive Osnaburg fabric and dye it. It's linen and all natural so it should take regular rit dye well. The fabric has natural imperfections (like darker threads interwoven) and dyeing it would probably turn out really nice. Let me know if you give it a try.

Another question was how often I'll be stitching squares. I don't think I'll do just one a day. Instead I think I'll stitch when I have time and do a few at a time. My goal is to do at least 5 a week...

So now here I am, ready to stitch the first square...trying not to feel nervous. The first stitch is the hardest.