A Sewing Quip, Prewashing And Ironing Are Important!

"Pre-washing and ironing is what makes the difference between ‘Is that thing homemade?’ and ‘Wow!  You made this?’"

I came across this sewing quip a while ago and really liked it. It was on my mind today because I was ironing several yards of fabric that I had prewashed yesterday. 

I am getting ready to start a couple of skirts with this interesting fabric. The more I handle it, the more I like it. The quality of the material it self is really great! I am going to enjoy working with it. :)

Finished Wall Hanging

I recently finished the wall hanging I started back in June.

On the back you can see all of the hand quilted stitches.

I don't remember if I have mentioned the fact that I really like hand quilting before on this blog, but, I really like hand quilting.

I like the way it looks. I like the way it feels. I like doing the quilting and the memories and stories that get sewn into every stitch.

Hand quilting takes such a long time. I kind of get attached to my work. It is sometimes hard for me to see my projects go or sell my quilts.

But, I did list this little wall hanging over at my Etsy shop. You can visit it HERE.

I was not sure what price to ask. I talked to a lady from a local quilt shop. I explained some details about my quilt, such as the size and color scheme. I thought I might list it for $65 or so. She exclaimed, "Oh, no! It's hand quilted. I wouldn't ask anything less than $100." She said to remember that you can always lower your price if it doesn't sell, but you can't raise the price once you realize that you sold it too cheaply. :)

Good advice! I am glad I talked to her. :)

Flower Press Attempt No. 2

Here are the flowers I used.

And, this is how they turned out....

Not, too, bad. I have a lot to learn, but these results weren't very disappointing.

After a couple weeks in the press I checked them and noticed that the papers between the flowers were quite damp and some parts of the flowers were starting to mold.
So, I learned that I need to check on my flowers in the press early.

I was able to save a couple of petals from the last batch,

And, make this card for Mr. In The Mid-west:

Deer Steaks For Dinner, Yum!

My brother recently gave us a package of deer sirloin steaks. He had taken his deer to a processor so the steaks were already cut and neatly wrapped in freezer paper.

I seasoned the steaks and cooked them on my griddle last night for supper. I even got some nice sear marks, which made me feel like I knew what I was doing. :)

I did Google, "how long do you cook steak?" Just to be sure that I didn't over cook them and make them tough, though. :)

They were delicious! I served them with sauteed onions on top, and a loaded baked potato and stir-fried cabbage on the side.

A big, "Thank you!" to my brother for sharing such a nice cut of his venison with us! :)

Free Scripture Songs, Entire Chapters Set To Music!

I recently came across this website, sing.thekjv.org.  On that site there are 58 entire chapters of the Bible set to music. That is over 3 hours of scripture!
The lady who writes the music and sings the songs goes by the pseudonym, Tirzah Joy.
She has made all of her scripture songs available for free and doesn't copy right any of her work.

You can download audio files of the songs, or request free CDs, or down load the sheet music.

She, also has a YouTube channel where you can listen to the Bible being sung. Her channel is called, Sing the KJV.

I love the work that she has done. She has used her talent to edify the Body of Christ and bring glory to God.

I encourage you to give her work a listen and see if it is a blessing to you and your walk with Christ!

Bible Reading In 2017

A week ago I finished reading the entire Bible out loud in the presence of my 1 1/2 year old little boy. I started when he was 9 months old, and, although he slept through most of the Bible reading, I think he has learned more than I realize. 

I remember back when I had just started, I had only been reading to him for a week or two when he started trying to bring my Bible to me, open it up, and start jabbering, whenever he found it in his reach.

   Another example of how much he pays attention is this story that happened back in April, when he was 11 months old:

I had to take him to the nursery during a Wednesday evening service. (He was being too noisy in the congregation.) We were the only ones in the nursery and I decided to use my time to memorize the first two verses of Genesis while my son was playing with some toys. I was just repeating short little phrases in the verses over and over again. I had no idea that my little boy was paying attention. The next day we were in the kitchen at our home and I began to say Genesis 1:1 out loud, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth."  My son looked up at me and then started to climb the steps into the living room. I continued with verse 2, "And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters." I peeked into the living room and saw him standing in front of the book shelf looking up at my Bible. He pointed up and looked at me as if to say, "Come and get it."
If that doesn't teach you that children are learning more from you than you think, I don't know what does!

My main objective was to read the scripture out loud to my baby boy, and, even if he didn't comprehend anything I read, he would hear his mother's voice reading the cadence of Scripture and, in turn, the holy Bible would be associated with comfort, safety, and love, for the rest of his life. I believe that this effect can be achieved even earlier, and that reading to your baby in the womb, will yeild stronger results.

As we begin to read through our Bible again this year, I encourage you to join us!

An easy way to read through your Bible in a year, without having to mess with a schedule, is to read 3 chapters a day, during the week, and 4 chapters on Sundays.

Another way to figure out how much to read to finish your Bible in a year is to take how many pages your Bible is and divide that number by 365.
For example: My Bible is 1044 pages.
1044 ÷ 365 days = 2.85 pages per day
With this method you end up reading the same amount every day. If you use the chapter method you end up with a variation in how much you read every day because chapter sizes vary.

Of course, there are a lot of Bible reading programs and schedules out there. Find one that resonates with you and stick with it! There are also apps for mobile devices that can help motivate you to stay on track.

I prefer the simplicity of reading from Genesis to Revelation in order. I like the two methods I explained because they don't require any extra papers to keep track of, or schedules to check off. Once you know how many pages or chapters you need to read every day you are good to go, no extra stuff.

I realize that checking things off on a list can be very motivating for some individuals.
So, I encourage you to find a plan that works for you, and join me, as we read through our Bible in 2017!