Spend an Afternoon “Beyond Molasses Creek”

Looking for a relaxing but thought-provoking novel to while away a winter’s afternoon?  If so, I highly recommend “Beyond Molasses Creek” by Nicole Seitz.   You’ll meet Ally Green, recently returned to an empty house and a lost love after her father’s death.  After years of running from her past, can she put down roots in old, familiar soil?  And, if she tries, will the ghosts of her past let her stay?  As Ally says, “Sometimes stepping back in time is the only way for a girl to move forward.”

Skillfully woven into the story is another story of a young girl in India who sets out on the journey of a lifetime, uncertain if the truth she seeks will set her free or bring her disaster.  No spoilers here, so where her story intersects with Ally’s is something you’ll have to find out for yourself!   I really enjoyed this book but would have to say that the characters were much better drawn than the setting.  Still, even with that minor flaw, it was a lovely way to spend an afternoon and I would encourage you to spend a little time “Beyond  Molasses Creek.”

This book was provided to me for this review as part of the BookSneeze program.

Further Adventures in Redecorating

So, the headboard and pillow were a hit with my younger daughter and I decided yesterday it was time to move on to the valances.  After all, I knew what  I wanted to do, how hard could it be?

Well, when you’re a perfectionist nothing is ever easy.  I once read a quote that “Perfectionists take infinite pains, and give them to everyone else!”  When the time came to make the valances I discovered a very important fact….the two windows in that room are different sizes!  Not just by an inch or two, either.  One window is 26″ wide and the other is 33″.  My plan was to make valances with a straight drop and then an angle but it’s hard to make matching angles on different sizes. 

Now, I’ve really been working at releasing some of my more obsessive tendencies and I decided just to go ahead with making them and see if it looked bad.  After all, I still have six yards of the fabric! 

So, I made the first one and it came out like this

The wider window

 

Then I made the second one.

 

The narrower window

Of course, the first thing I realized after I put them up was that the windows being on different walls meant that you never really looked at them together.  So, after all my worrying about how they would look and if I should somehow make the angle the same for each…I think they look fine.

 

Tomorrow, I have a very quick room project to do.  I bought a really cute dust ruffle at the thrift store for a whopping $5.  It’s got a nice, green ultrasuede style skirt but it was queen size.  I’ve made my notes and washed the dust ruffle and tomorrow I intend to take 22″ off the width and 5″ off the length to make it fit a twin bed.  Also, tomorrow I have the day off and, if I can get my head cold under control, I intend to spend the whole day sewing!  Well, sewing and cleaning and learning to French Braid (it’s a long story…)

 

Happy Quilting!

 

 

 

 

“The Promise of Provision” = God Minus Grace

Some books are good, some books are bad and some books are just frankly dangerous. Derek Prince’s “The Promise of Provision” falls into the dangerous category. I liked Prince’s careful explanation that abundance is not wealth but is having enough for your needs with some to spare but after that, it all goes South in a hand basket.
The basic premise of the book is that if you obey God then you will be blessed with abundance and if you disobey you will be cursed. This would make perfect sense if you were raised by a father who poked your eye out if you misbehaved. However, if you believe in a loving Father God then this book is worse than nonsense…it’s defamation of character! This book could have easily been written by any of the Pharisees of Jesus’ time because there is no hint of grace or mercy anywhere in it.
Certainly we are promised trouble in life by Jesus himself (John 16:33). That being so, then the comprehensive list of “curses” on page 35 would leave nothing to be considered “trouble.” Prince’s list of curse categories include humiliation, mental and physical sickness, family breakdown, poverty, defeat, oppression, failure, and God’s disfavor. While I certainly believe that our own bad behavior carries consequences, I disagree that the consequences are automatically “a curse.”
What really turned my stomach was his reference on page 33 to Deuteronomy 28:28. Prince states that “Blindness is a curse.” Can you imagine being a parent of a newly born, congenitally blind baby and reading this? What would your unborn child be capable of that could be invoke a curse? Really, this book is more likely to drive people away from God than make them desire to know more about Him.
Usually, I give my review copy books to friends and family to read and eventually donate them but this book is going straight into the recycling bin. At least it will be recycled into new paper which, in my estimation, would have more value blank than this book has printed!
This book was provided to me by the publisher for this review.

The “Resolutionary War”

Isn’t that a great term “The Resolutionary War?”  My younger daughter coined that when we were walking out of the mall last week and I was congratulating myself on staying out of the chocolate shop.  I told her I was going to appropriate the phrase and use it here. (So, yes, I’m using it with permission!)

Last week, my husband and I started our Paleo adventure and, just like a man, he’s dropped 12 pounds on the scale already..isn’t that great?  I, on the other hand, am not going to step on a scale until my jeans are loose.  I can tell they are a little looser already.  I’m taking them off at night without a complete roadmap of the waistband etched in my skin and the back looks just a tad more wrinkled.  So far, I’ve only used one of my freebies and that was to have tea and scones with a couple of friends this morning.  Honestly, they were lovely but not so much that I can’t wait to have them again.

As far as my Flylady goals, we have successfully kept the sink shining all week and now I’m working on the next step.

With my quilting goals I’ve been working on my “something old, something new, something borrowed, something batik” for the first four.  Something old is a baby quilt I’ve been working on since I was pregnant with Sarah.  I put it away as a “best” quilt top but then never finished it and got it basted a few years ago for hand quilting.  It’s an Irish Chain and I’m quilting crosshatching in the squares and a heart wreath motif in the centers.  This week I finished one heart motif and marked and started another. I also got a chance to teach Sarah a little hand quilting and snap a shot of my “baby” working on her “baby” quilt.

On my batik project, I got all the blocks together and am ready to cut and add borders.  I’m hoping to have this basted and under the needle this weekend.

My houses from scraps were all caught up on the 8th.  After making the first four individually, I decided that my chain-piecing-loving-self couldn’t handle this one-at-a-time process.  So I cut four houses, chain assembled the parts and finished getting them up to date.  For this week, I’ve cut seven sets of paper foundations and will chain piece another seven.  I’ve got a bag of odd-sized scraps that I’m using first and planning to add to it as I clean.  It’s amazing what you may find on the sewing room floor!  Here’s a shot of the first eight.  Aren’t they cute?

First eight houses hanging out on the batik border fabric

I’ve not gotten to something borrowed yet but I’m pulling fabrics for something new.  Actually, there’s two something news to work on but they’re both a surprise so no photos for a while.

In the meantime, I’ve got four book  reviews to catch up.  I’m finding myself in the awkward position of really disliking a book so that should be a challenge to write!  I expect to like the other two much more and there’s a new fiction on the way.

My other exciting news is that we booked our tickets last night for Rome in March…which means I’d better get cracking and finish up my London Tales before I have an entirely new set of photos to show.

Lots of fun and excitement here…I’m hoping there’s lots of good stuff going on in your life, too.

Happy quilting!

A Headboard Adventure!

My youngest daughter wanted to redecorate her room and for her birthday (in July) we gave her a budget for spiffing up things and my brother and niece gave her a promissory note for paint. Well, with the painting of the house dragging on and on, we didn’t get around to painting the room until just last week when I had a few days off. Now that the room was very, very purple, it was time to tackle making a padded headboard with a nice upholstery fabric I found at the thrift store for $9 (for 10+ yards!)

My husband had some plywood in the garage so he drafted a curve and cut out the piece. We decided to use buttons to add more interest and, after lots of discussion, made a diamond pattern on the back. My husband drilled where each button would go. Then we covered the plywood with Nu-Foam using a spray adhesive and cut it to fit the curves.

Then we put the fabric next to the foam and began pulling it around to the back and stapling it. We started with the sides and worked the curves very carefully to avoid puckers.

Draping the fabric

After the fabric is stapled

Next, it was time to play with our covered buttons! After changing our minds a couple of times, we ended up making 24 to fit out design. Lucky for us that they were on sale for half-price!

Buttons and more buttons (the big ones aren't for the headboard)

I used a long darning needle and a piece of upholstery thread that I doubled before threading it in the needle to put each button through the pre-drilled hole. I put the needle through, attached the button, then pushed the needle back through the hole. After the button was in place, Phil stapled across the hole so I could use the staple to tie the threads off to. It seemed to take a while but eventually all 24 buttons were in place.

All buttoned up!

Now all that remained was to mount it on the wall. I had seen really nice wall mounts at a fabric store but they were $22 for one and you needed two so Phil went to Home Depot, spent $5 and came back and made his own slip bracket. (It’s so nice having such a talented husband!)

Bracket on the newly painted wall

 

Brackets on the back of the headboard

After that, all that remained was to make the bed and take pictures.

There are still valances and fabric bins to make out of the plaid fabric and a bookcase to sand and paint but I was so excited with the success of the headboard that I whipped out this little pillow from an old pillow form that I wrapped in some leftover batting.

So, that wraps up the headboard project. Now it’s on to the valances, bins, bookcase and making new Roman shades for my breakfast room. I love how a finish helps you get so much energy for the next project!

Happy quilting! (and sewing or stapling)

DIY Block of the Month for December – Carolyn’s Star

Carolyn's Star

Our dear friend and tea buddy, Carolyn, was the person to choose the December DIY block and, as her home was full of children and puppies, the block got to me a bit later than I hoped! This is a simple post for me because all I have to do is direct you here where the lovely Marcia Hohn of Quilters Cache has done all the work of designing and explaining how to make this lovely block. After making it, I did think that I would like to try it with just three colors instead of four…maybe a star with blue points and a white star inside it on a red backgound for a patriotic quilt? I’ll put that on the to-do list. In the meantime, pop over to Marcia’s site and pick up the directions for Carolyn’s Star. Don’t let little pieces intimidate you.

So, that wraps up the DIY block of the month. We may do the series again but I wont know for sure until after the January tea. In the meantime, I’m working on a setting for my blocks. I was all set to make them into giant Sawtooth stars with the blocks as centers but then I saw how much fabric I had left from the fat quarters and, well, it looks like another setting is in the works…I can’t leave all that nice, nautical fabric lying around!

I think I set a record for most blog posts I’ve ever done in a day so my apologies if I’ve worn you out.  As for me, I’m off to bed as soon as my “fozzy” robe is out of the dryer….my cat LOVES my robe and I would not be allowed to go to bed without it.   Easy to see who rules the roost at my house. 

So, until tomorrow when I want to share pictures of our new padded headboard for our younger daughter’s room, good night and happy quilting!

 

Make Time for “The Encounter” by Stephen Arterburn

Mega-successful entrepreneur, Jonathan Rush has it all and then some. However, when we meet him, he is flying in his private jet to Fairbanks in the dead of winter. His goal is not another business deal but instead dealing with a mystery from his own past…why did his mother abandon him when he was four years old? Jonathan’s search for answers may bring him peace, if he’s ready to forgive what he finds.
I have to say, I really liked “The Encounter.” The book is well-written, moves along at a good clip and doesn’t linger in the “preachy” aisle. The broken businessman character is well-developed and strikes a true note. The reasons for his abandonment seem a little less well-developed but still nicely done. The book’s focus is forgiveness and letting go and includes a series of questions at the end that would be great to work through alone or in a book club or Bible study. Our youth pastor once told the kids that unforgiveness is like drinking arsenic and wondering why the person you are mad at isn’t getting sick. If you’ve been sipping the arsenic of bitterness, you may find that “The Encounter” helps you find the strength and impetus to break free and forgive.

This book was provided to me for this review by Thomas Nelson through the Booksneeze program.

I Hereby Resolve…

I readily admit, I’m a resolutions person.  Now, that doesn’t mean I every achieve them but I love making them!  This year, I’ve decided to “go public” with my resolutions so that I can help myself achieve them.

My first goal is a remodeling project and the remodel is…me!  I’ve put on a tremendous amount of weight and I’ve got to take it off before I really give myself a health issue.  I’m not doing the whole “face the scale here’s your starting weight” thing though.  Instead, my husband and I are starting a Paleo-style diet tomorrow and our goal is to hit 90% on our eating.  Since Paleo is a higher protein, low carb, no sugar kind of diet, it will take some adjusting especially for me as I am a sugar lover!  Since you have twenty-one meals in a week, we’ve decided that we can each have two indulges a week, either together or separate but not more than two.  Instead of watching the scale, I intend to watch my behavior.  I have a great audio book from Pam Young that I’m moving to my ipod for inspiration and I’ll be using it to help change my behaviors.  As far as exercise, my goal is five days per week, either Zumba or my Nordic Track.

So, if I’m not watching the scale, you may be wondering how I’ll gauge my success.   It’s all in the jeans.  I know how tight my jeans are at the moment and when the size 14s I’m wearing right now get too loose, then I’ll step on a scale.  When the next size down gets loose, I’ll step on a scale then, too.  In the past I’ve had too much of a temptation that if I’ve eaten like a crazy woman and the scale is down, then it’s an invitation to eat crazy more!  So expect to see updates on my “good days of eating” rather than the number of pounds lost.    I’m really excited that my husband and I are tackling this together, it’s great to have a partner!

My next goal is a type of remodel, too, but this time on the house.  For years I’ve been a big fan of Flylady and I’ve made a lot of improvement in my house but it still gets very out of control…why?  Because I don’t follow her directions very well!  So, my second goal is to follow Flylady’s directions for de-cluttering and maintaining my home.  15 minutes a day of de-cluttering, one daily mission and shining my sink.  I’ve got my control journal made and I’m definitely motivated!

As for quilting goals (my favorite ones!), I have several.  First, I’ve joined a Building Houses from Scraps challenge.  This is an internet challenge without many rules…just make little houses from your scraps with the goal being one per day.  You can read more about it here.

I’ve also decided to prioritize some of my finishes I want to do so I’ve decided to base my finishes on the old wedding rhyme.  I’ve decided to finish “Something old, something new, something borrowed and something…”well, maybe not blue since the first one is batik but you get the idea.  My something old is a hand quilting project from when I was pregnant with Sarah (she’s 20), my something new, well, it’s a surprise so you’ll have to wait and see, my something borrowed is a quilt from clothing belonging to a friend’s son.  Then, as I finish one, I’ll put a new quilt into that category.  I’ve got lots of old to choose from!  I still plan to work on my block a day just to keep things moving!  I wonder how long blocks have to sit before they qualify as something old?

So, that’s it for my resolutions.  Today, my sink is shiny, my house block is done, and I’ve de-cluttered a bunch of papers from the office.  Later, I should have a book review  up and a tomorrow I’m hoping to show a how-to on the headboard we made for my younger daughter’s room.

Happy Quilting!

 

Happy New Year!

Ok, I’m a couple of days late but that’s about how my life is.  I have lots and lots to catch up on so expect  about a half-dozen posts over the next two days!  I have the DIY block of the month for December, a home improvement project, new blocks of the day and a fun new project called “Building Houses from Scraps.” 

I found this project through another blogger, Stacey, at Driving Miss Stacey .  Through her site, you can link to Jantine who is very nicely sharing a paper pieced pattern.  The plan is to make a 3″ scrap house block each day this year.  I have tons of scraps and I love house blocks so away I go!

Here’s my first little house (of course I need to make two today to get caught up.)

My first house for 2012

 

Keep in mind that the house will be 1/4″ smaller on all sides when it is sewn into the quilt. 

 

More about the New Year plans in my next post!

 

 

 

I Think You’ll Love “When the Heart Cries”

After having a lackluster response to “The Christmas Singing” I was tempted to pass on “When the Heart Cries” by Cindy Woodsmall…and I am so glad I didn’t!   To me, “Christmas Singing” felt shallow and contrived where “When the Heart Cries” has terrific characters, a great story and an instant connection to the reader (or at least this reader.)  The characters aren’t one dimensional Amish stereotypes, the book features a cast of strong characters with strong emotions including some that aren’t very pretty.

The main character, Hannah, struggles with the conflict that loving a Mennonite boy brings to her life as an Old Order Amish girl.   Just when she’s feeling that her life is heading in a direction of her choosing, a tragic encounter changes everything.  While Hannah and her family try to come to grips with aftermath of what happens, she feels her entire world spinning off course.  As the safe but constraining world she’s always known becomes hostile, she makes a heartbreaking decision that will affect her and her entire family.

“When the Heart Cries” is the first in the Sisters of the Quilt trilogy and, in my opinion, you should just go ahead and buy the three-books-in-one trilogy.  I’m confident that after reading “When the Heart Cries”, you’ll be just as eager to read the next two books as I was!

This book was provided to me for this review by Waterbrook Press through the blogging for books program.

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