I love doing all sorts of needlework, but my very favorite is knitting. Somehow it makes me feel peaceful and relaxed. I have a picture of myself as a little girl, sitting in a tiny chair, a look of absolute concentration on my face as I worked on a bit of knitting. It was my Aunt Fanny, a maiden aunt who lived with us before Uncle Joe came into her life and carried her off to live on a tiny island off New London, Conn., who taught me to knit. From that moment on I was hooked.

I made a fancy sweater for my then future husband when we were in high school. I've knitted more baby blankets and sweaters than I keep track of. When the boys were toddlers, I made them matching fishermens knit jackets. My grandchildren are now using them.

I made this sweater for myself a couple of years ago. It is as heavy as a jacket - so I don't get to wear it often here in South Texas. I just loved the process. I find it impossible to sit without something to occupy my hands!





Then I found a book filled with beautiful afghans. I made them in every color and pattern and distributed them to friends and family.


This is my current project. I have been wanting to learn to make socks. The other day I found a book that has patterns from basic socks to fancy ones with lovely designs. You cannot believe how frustrated I was trying to get started. I just couldn't figure out the directions. I finally found a video on line that made it all clear. I think that means I'm a visual learner.

I'm on the easy part now. We'll see what happens when I get to heel. If I'm successful, I foresee warm, colorful socks in everyone's future. The fact that the yarn forms those stripes just thrills me. Isn't that great? I had my doubts when I looked at that ball of yarn, but sure enough - stripes. I promise to post pictures of the finished product - no matter what they look like.

Now for a change of subject. I, like almost everyone else, have steered clear of politcal things in my blog. This morning I've read several that have taken a little "political turn", and I've appreciated what they've written. One in particular is well worth reading. I am going to take the plunge here and say that I am more than excited about the choice of Sarah Palin as John McCain's running mate than I can say. You are free to disagree. I am sure we will not all see eye-to-eye on political things, and I respect the opinion of others. This particular post is so beautifully, thoughtfully, articulately written I wanted to share it with you - no matter what your views are I think it well worth reading. You will find it here at In the Heart of my Home.

Have a blessed weekend,

They were new in town and looking for a church. The important thing was to find a church with a vital youth ministry. They found just the church they were looking for and on a wednesday evening they walked into the church twenty minutes early - eager to meet the youth pastor. The Mom stood quietly in the entrance hall with her five children, aged four through sixteen, grouped closely around her.

People began to file into the church building. They walked past the little group without speaking a word. Quietly they stood there as the youth pastor himself walked in. Not a word. He walked past them seven times and never acknowledged them. Slowly the mother turned away and led her children back to their car. They will never return to that church again.

That Mom was my daughter-in-law and those precious children my grandchildren. When she told me about their experience, my heart just hurt. I know what special people they are - what wonderful gifts they would bring to that church. I know how sad and disappointed the kids were.

I thought about the times when I have been too timid to welcome someone I know is new - to step out of my comfort zone. I will never do that again. I want to remember that while it is important to serve the Lord in what we consider to be "big" ways, it is also very important to serve Him in small ways. A smile, a word of welcome, time to listen to someone else's story, a note of encouragement or a telephone call.

"...Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me." Matt. 25:40

We are not all called to positions of leadership - or those areas of service where the things we do for Christ are seen by many. Some of us are called to quietly serve in ways that will never be noticed by great groups of people and never recieve great acclaim here on earth. However, no little act of service we perform in obedience to the leading of His Spirit goes unnoticed by Him. No little act of service is of less importance. What matters is the condition of our hearts - what motivates us. Little deeds done with a pure heart of love are mighty deeds in the eyes of the One who gave everything for us.

Blessings,

This is our group picture taken with Beth. I'm the one in the pink shirt - second from the left in the second row.

There are so many beautifully written posts about the Livingproof Live Event. I'm enjoying reliving the weekend. I don't think I need to recap the whole two days - you can find wonderful posts on the Siesta Fiesta blog. I just want to share a few of the things out of the amazing teaching that God "emphasized" as He spoke to my heart.

The teaching was entitled "Inheritance" and the scripture Beth used was Psalm 16: 5,6:
"The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; You hold my lot.
The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance."

We are all heiresses. Our lives our not left to chance. Everything in our lives makes for a beautiful inheritance. Providence - the fact that God works as powerfully through natural events as through the miraculous.
I am so comforted by that thought. Every detail of my life is under God's control.

As an heir of God I can be secure. It is not productive for me to crave the affirmation of others in my life. When I do that, I make someone who is as flawed as I am in charge of my life. I put them in a position of Christhood in my life.

How this pierced my heart. I must guard my heart against this seeking after the approval of others. I must be secure in who I am in Christ. I cannot look at others and try to be like them. I can only realize my full potential in Him when I am the "me" He created me to be. It won't look like anyone else - not even the ones I hold in high esteem.

I am trying to incorporate all the things I learned into my daily life. This one is a big one for me. It may even mean I change some of the priorities in my life - perhaps a little less time on the computer for starters. I have already spent more time here than I intended - caught up in reading posts when I know there are things that need my attention in my home.

Have a blessed day dear friends,

I'm going to echo some of the other posts I've read about the Siesta Fiesta when I say it's a little too soon for me to put together a cogent post. There are so many things running around in my head. It always takes a bit of time for me to absorb everthing I've heard and experienced when I go to an Event like this one.

It really was everything I had hoped it would be. What fun to be able to see a couple of the bloggers I've known only through their posts and hug their necks. It is true when others tell you that meeting in real life never disappoints. This group of bloggers was absolutely the best. There is an immediate sense of kinship because we all share a love for Jesus.

That was the over-all impression I took away from these two days - besides the rich teaching on Inheritence from Beth. It was obvious from the first moments of checking in to the last worship song, to the time we spent with Beth, Amanda and Melissa - that deep, passionate love of the Savior. It was in the music, the teaching, the times of sharing, the laughter, the prayers, the tears. It is what brought us there and what drew us together. It is what made the teaching real - knowing it came from a humble heart fully surrendered to Jesus.

I want to add my thanks to everyone who worked so hard to make this weekend possible. It will count for eternity. Lives and hearts were changed and will continue to be changed as the Holy Spirit takes the word and ministers to our hearts.

Please forgive my less-than-perfect pictures. It was hard to get a good shot (and I'm not much of a photographer). I just wanted to give you an idea what the Q & A looked like. It was such a fun time.

More to come.

Blessings,

I am over at Laced With Grace this thursday. I would love it if you visited me there. I will also "really" be at my son and daughter-in-law's new house (not the one in Dallas - the one who lives here near us) helping to paint the rooms pretty colors. My husband and I did that today as well, along with working on music folders for choir and then choir practice this evening - a busy day. I am already anticipating a long, hot bubble bath tomorrow night. I know I'm not a kid any more whenever I do something out of the ordinary and ache all over when I'm finished.

Friday is the BIG DAY - the day I've been waiting for for months. I'm going to the Siesta Fiesta at the Alamodome in San Antonio. I am sooooo excited. I'll take lots of pictures and report back next week. This feels like a special gift from the hand of the Father. Not only will I get to be a part of a Beth Moore Event, but I'll also get to meet some fellow bloggers. How great is that?

I pray God's richest blessing on all your lives,

Several years ago I taught myself a little tatting. I made dozens of these little medallions in red, green and white in various sizes and decorated the Christmas tree with them. I also gave a bunch away as little gifts.

Last night I dug out all my supplies and began all over again. After a couple of false starts, I was able to make another medallion. Now I'd like to learn more! My Mom makes the most beautiful lace to edge her pillow cases, sheets and handkerchiefs (no tissues for her). She uses a tiny thread and her tatting is just exquisite. I don't know if I can manage that, but I'd like to learn a bit more. So many things to learn...so little time!

Blessings,

I put the final stitches into my quilt last evening! It has taken a very long time and is far from perfect, but I am pleased with the results. It is my very first quilt, and now I am anxious to do more. However, I think my next project will be a smaller one! This one is a gift to my sweet husband. While I was working on it I realized that all the other quilts have been gifts either to me or to both of us. This one is just for him.

This afternoon I'm going to hunt through the boxes and find all my tatting supplies. I will have to start from scratch as I haven't done it in a few years. I'll work on it while we continue to watch the Olympics (I don't like to just sit and watch tv without something to keep my hands occupied.)

Have a blessed sunday dear friends,

I love watching the Olympics. I especially love Women's Gymnastics. I have such admiration not only for the seemingly impossible things they do but for the dedication and just plain hard work that goes into it.

I stayed up far too late last night to see who would win the gold medal and was thrilled that the American girls won both the gold and the silver medals. I have been thinking about the competition ever since. I was captivated by the relationship between the gold medal winner Nastia Liukin and her Dad. In my imagination I saw their relationship as a tiny glimpse of what my relationship to the Father is like.




Nastia's Dad is also her coach. They have worked together for years and over time he has taught her all the skills she needed to successfully reach her goal. Years of hard work, repetition, recovering from injuries, building character all culminating in reaching the coveted prize. When the time came for her to compete, her father could only stand and watch - offering encouragement and support. It was up to Nastia to "run the race set before her."



When she had done her best, overcoming all the obstacles in her path - her father was there to take her in his arms and whisper a loving "well done".

I think it is a little bit that way for us too. Our Father gives us all we need to walk through this life. In the process we will have obstacles that we will have to overcome, but He is always there to encourage and cheer us on. And when we have finished our race there He is - great arms outstretched - waiting to wrap us in His unfathomable love. I want to hear Him whisper, "Well done."


Blessings,

Saturday morning found my husband and I pulling into the little park a short drive from our house with our bikes happily riding in the rack attached to the car. Usually the park is empty, but on this particular morning there were several families picnicking under the oak trees. Several of the little boys were playing in the parking lot as we pulled in.

Feeling like an old hand at all this biking stuff, I got out of the car and went through the established routine of helping my husband get the bikes off the rack, putting the water bottles in their holders, and donning my sunglasses. We have worked our way up to riding about fourteen miles, and I'm feeling as though I'm getting fairly accomplished. I hopped on my bike and began pedaling out of the parking lot.

As I proudly cruised past the little boys I heard one of them say, "That old lady is gonna ride a bike!"

The mental image I had of myself cycling masterfully down the road slowly dissolved into one more like this:





I think there's a lesson in pride here somewhere.

Blessings,

We are home. The kids and grands are moved into their new home. We are all very TIRED!! We left home early monday morning and arrived in Houston at lunch time. The three girls were home, and the boys were with Mom and Dad in Dallas for the closing on the new house. We loaded the girls into the SUV and headed out for lunch and shopping at Target (the unanimous choice for a fun thing to do!).

The rest of the gang arrived home from Dallas at around seven o'clock. We ate some Popeye's fried chicken, crashed in front of the tv for a little while and then everyone headed off to bed.

The movers arrived bright and early tuesday morning to do the packing. I can't over-emphasize the blessing of having your company pay for your move and including the added luxury of packing. We all got to watch as two men packed an entire household of seven in eight hours. Exhausting! :-)

All that day we were waiting for tropical storm Edouard to hit with a vengeance, but he was kind and only brought rain. How thankful we were for that answered prayer.

Wednesday was moving day and closing on the house in Houston day. The movers began at eight and finally pulled out at five o'clock. We distributed the few things they didn't want packed in the moving van and the five children among the three cars (plus the boat our son was towing with the SUV) and the caravan headed to Dallas.

We arrived at the new house at ten o'clock, put the boat in the garage, toured the house and headed to the hotel. It was nearly one o'clock in the morning before we finally got to bed.

The next morning was moving in day. That went much more quickly, and by early afternoon the moving van was pulling away from the new house. The movers set up the beds and distributed everything into their proper rooms - but the unpacking was left to us.

My husband and I stayed one more day to help with some of that, and then we headed home. It was so hard to say good-by. I wish I could keep them all much closer than a five and a half hour ride away. However, I keep in mind that our family moved from NY to Texas, and my parents felt the same way.

In spite of all the work and time spent driving, we had some wonderful, funny, sad, and memorable moments. Watching my oldest granddaughter say good-by to her dearest friend was heart-breaking. Seeing her delight in the new house and her lovely new bedroom (with private bath) was good. Realizing in a fresh new way that it really doesn't matter all that much about the house - it is the warmth and love of their family that make it a home. I am so thankful for the blessing of our family. God has been so very gracious to us. We are indeed blessed beyond measure.

Our other son and daughter-in-law are closing on their new house in the next couple of weeks. I'll save that post for another day.




The new house.


The view from the backyard.



This pretty well sums it up.


Blessings,

I don't know where the days have gone. Time seems to be slipping through my fingers at an alarming rate! I don't even have anything very interesting to write a post about. There have been doctor appointments, volunteer work at church, a visit to my Mom and Dad, shopping....just life. I apologize for not doing much commenting these days. I do visit and you are a bright spot in my day - always.

Tomorrow I will be at Laced With Grace. I've written a devotional on "My Father's Eyes." Then we leave on monday for a few days to help our son and daughter-in-law with the move to Dallas. I won't have access to a computer - so don't do anything exciting while I'm gone :-)

See you in a week!

Blessings,