Lake Francis Youth Retreat

Little Boy Blue Blanket, Bib & Burp Cloth Finished!

My first full baby craft project is finished! Since I started this set for my sister's new baby I let her decide whether or not to add the satin binding, and she opted to not have it on this one. I have another pattern in mind that I think the satin binding will match better anyways! I hope you all like it. I loved making the set, and I'm thinking about selling them. What do you all think?

I've Been Tagged!

I was tagged recently by Alice Grace

I am asked to list the following things:

A: What was I doing ten years ago? My memory is a little rusty, but I think 1998 was the first year that Charlie & I directed our first youth trip to Awanita Valley in Marietta SC. Lots of fun and it started a wonderful tradition.

B: Five things on my to-do list for today: (not necessarily in this order)

1. Help Mother & Jerry at the store. They are moving to a new showroom and have to be out of the old building today! done

2. Finish the blue baby blanket, & bib that I started last week. I've gotten a bit excited with my new sewing passion and I have a lot of unfinished projects!

4. Put clothes in the washer into the dryer.

4. Fold the laundry that I put in the dryer this morning before I left.

5. Take a bath.

C: Snacks that I enjoy: Cheddar Cheese, Crackers & Olives

D: Things I would do if I were a billionaire.

Help my church

Set up a trust fund for my children

Pay off all I owe (no debt at all)

Pay off my parents debt and make it to where they would never have to work again!

Help my brothers & sisters financially then send them to a Dave Ramsey seminar to help them stay out of debt.

E: Places I have lived (in order to the best of my memory) Fort Worth TX, Chattanooga TN, Pampa TX, Amarillo TX, Knoxville TN, Valdeze NC, Fort Myers FL, Dalton GA, Calhoun GA, Knoxville TN

I am supposed to tag 4 people, but I am going to leave it open! If you want to play go ahead and have fun!

1st Baby Blanket

Help!!

I'm not sure if I like it with the satin binding or without! I have the binding just pinned on right now.

The blanket is made of 100% cotton flannel, and is 30" x 30". One side is blue flowers, and the other side is a solid royal blue. I have also made a matching burb cloth, and I am planning on making a matching bib too. I want to try to sell them if I can get good enough at it.

Opinions please....

With Binding Without Binding

Burp Cloth

Soft Baby Fabrics!

Help!!!

I am looking for somewhere that I can buy soft baby fabrics. I think they are called Minkee. Does anyone know where I can find the fabric at a good price? Joann's & Hobby Lobby have a few of the pastel colors in a generic but I am looking for a Chocolate Brown. The places I've found on-line are over $15 a yard plus shipping! Ouch! If it is going to be that expensive I will probably have to rethink the blanket idea for my sister.

Also, my grandmother told me that she used to make baby blankets with a 100% polyester backing, but she can't find the fabric anymore. She said it was a real soft satin feel. She wanted us to try to make one together if I can find the fabric. Any ideas on that would be great too!

The Power of Positive Thinking

Most of the time I am a "The Glass is Half Full" kind of girl, but lately.... I am trying to think of the positive things that are going on today.

1st - My computer is back up and running. After spending hours on hold with tech support and being transferred several times they finally got it working.

2nd - I found a washing machine! It is a front loader and brand new it is priced at $999 at HHGregg. This one had been returned to Sam's and they had it marked down to $325. Charlie had seen it over the weekend and we went back together on Monday to look it over. It is missing the control knob, but other than that it appears to be brand new. We called the GE parts dept and to get a new knob is only $4.50 plus shipping. The manager on duty Monday night told me to go back today and talk to the store manager and see if he would mark it down anymore since they've had it a couple of weeks. Well, I did and he wouldn't mark it down anymore. However, since it appeared to be such a good deal....I bought it! I put my stimulus check to work!!! I can't wait for Charlie to get home and hook it up! We were both pleased with the purchase.

Just like me to get excited over a new washing machine! I guess you could say I am an appliance happy person. Sewing Machines, Washing Machines, who knows maybe I'll get that Kitchen Aid mixer someday!

3rd - No news from the doctor! I was told no news is good news! I am doing great. The headaches have backed off and I am sleeping better too.

Just trying to stay positive....

Things keep breaking

Week before last; son bent the blade on the lawnmower while mowing grandparent's grass.

Last week; front door decided it didn't want to open anymore. Latch stuck.

Last Thursday; washing machine transmission burnt out.

Sunday; internet down.

So, today I am sitting at the library trying to check up on my email, and my items for sell on ebay.

Sold 1 item. Cleaned out email. Hopefully I will have internet back up and running soon.

Pray for me. I'm not sure that Charlie and I are handling the fact that I don't have a stable income. I think he may have changed his mind and wants me to find a full time job. The stress of not knowing how we are going to pay the bills is getting to us both. He hasn't said much yet, just making little remarks that leads me to believe he isn't sure that he wants me to be a WAHM. Hopefully we can sit down and have a real conversation tonight.

Triple Decker Strawberry Cake

Do you have fresh strawberries and need to make something delicious fast? Check out the recipe for Triple Decker Strawberry Cake on my Cooking Blog!

Purses

I've used my sewing machine and made several purses. I am thinking about venturing out and making a rag quilt purse. If anybody has instructions or tips please send them to me. Here are some of the pics of the first few I've done.

I made these two purses for my nieces that live in Florida. I'm mailing them to them today.

I made this one last night. I'm not sure that I like it as well though. What do you think? I haven't attached the handles yet. I'll probably go with wooden handles.

MRI is over!!

Well, it's over! Thank the Lord!

Today at 9:30 I went to Fort Sanders for a MRI of the Brain...doesn't that just sound scary?!? I have been praying about my health and I know that if the Lord brings me to it...then he'll bring me through it, right?

Mostly I was just scared about actually having the MRI. Several years ago my husband was in a really horrible car accident and had to have several MRIs done. He had a panic attack while in the machine the first time. I was scared that I would not be able to stand it for the entire time that it took to have the test.

So what do we do when we have doubts? we call on our friends and family to pray. I called everyone that I know and asked them to pray for me today around 10am. I made a list (LOL hahahaha) of the things that I could think about while I was in the machine. Doesn't that just sound crazy? I am really getting into sewing and making things so in my mind I was putting together different fabrics for blankets. Then what happens?? I ran out of things to think about. I had already thought of everything on my list! I really had planned this out and thought that I would have 30 minutes of contemplating, but NO!! What do you think I did?

don't laugh....I started counting! yes, counting...I was thinking that I probably should only have about 5 minutes left so I started counting. Needless to say I didn't make it to 300 before the nurse told me that the test was over!

whhhhooooowwwww....thank goodness! I never want to do that again! I think I'll hear those noises for the rest of my life....beep beep beep boop boop boop MAAAWWWW MMMAAWWW over and over and over....

My doctor should receive the test results in 48 business hours, and if he thinks that I need to come in before my appointment on July 7 then his office will call me. Let's all pray that nothing is wrong with the test results and I don't have to go in till July 7!

Thank you all for praying for me!

Catching Up

It has been almost 2 weeks since I've been able to blog! I've had so much going on in my life that the computer has been put on the backburner. I haven't had time to catch up on all my bloglines, and even my email (which I usually check daily) had over 150 messages!





Just to give you a quick catch up on my life. On Friday, May 23 my brother married a wonderful young lady named Heather. I have been helping Heather & her mom for about a year to plan the wedding. On Thursday & Friday I was overwhelmed with last minute things to do, and just simply making sure that everything went off well! and.... It was a fabulous wedding! I don't think I've ever seen a wedding go so smoothly! It was simply wonderful! I was very pleased, and so was my brother, my parents, Heather and her parents. After the wedding I simply felt like taking a vacation! The newlyweds went on a cruise and I became a little jealous!

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No use whining though, I still had things to do! Last week I spent most of the week planning for this week...Yes, this week June 2 - 6 is our annual Vacation Bible School at our church. This year's theme is God's All Star Champions. So far we've made it through 2 nights, and we've had a fabulous time. We are learning about God's armor. In every sport you have gear that you must wear to be a champion, and the same is true to be a champion for God. You must wear God's gear or as we know it God's armor. Monday night we learned about the Shoes of the Gospel of Peace, and how Phillip used his shoes to share the Good News with the Ethiopian Eunich. Tuesday night we learned about the Helmet of Salvation, and how Zacheaus took on the Helmet and started making wise decisions when he became a part of God's team! I am excited about tonight! I feel like one of the kids. I am hearing about things I've known all my life, but it makes it so much more real when I see the kids learning and understanding it on their level!

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Yesterday I had that fated appointment with the neurologist! I woke up yesterday with a migraine, and I was dizzy pretty much all day. As you can tell I've really been dreading the appointment! I didn't know what they were going to do, and I just thought this was going to be a consultation visit. I guess I thought wrong! My appointment was at 1:45, and I didn't leave until 4:30. After my "talk" with the doctor he hooked 22 wires to my head, yes I'm sure I looked like Frankenstein! While in the office they conducted a brain wave test. My daughter was with me, and she even said I looked like Frankenstein! I told my husband that he didn't have to go with me because they weren't going to do any tests, and I wanted to make sure that he could get off work when they did! Boy was I wrong! The test lasted for over an hour. The entire time I'm sitting in that dark room, I'm rattling off lists in my head....(when I leave here I need to make tortilla roll-ups for the snack tonight at VBS, find 2 bicycles, 2 helmets, and a bicycle pump for the skit at VBS, and then put Charlie's work uniforms in the washer before I leave the house) over and over and over again this is what I'm thinking. Of course when the doctor came back in he said "We show some abnormalities in the scan, and we are going to send you for a MRI of the brain this Friday" I thought well of course you see abnormalities, I have a migraine, I'm dizzy, and I have a hundred things I need to get done before I leave for the church at 5:30, and you just took 1/2 my day!!!! aaaarrrrrgggghhhhh

The doctor told me he thinks I'm having partial onset seizures! I will not believe it...He gave me a sample of Keppra to take, but I told him until I receive the test results of the MRI, and a second opinion that I'm not taking any medication! I don't have seizures, I do have tremendous headaches that make me dizzy, nauseated, and give me blurry vision! I also have severe pain the back of neck and head. I know that sounds the same as a headache but it isn't. It feels like a pulled muscle or a pinched nerve...hahhaha, a pulled muscle in my brain...now wouldn't that be funny! You have to laugh or you'll just cry!

My pastor told me that he believed that God would bring me through this and if I was willing that I would be a miracle! I know God still performs miracles, and I am willing to be a miracle for him! I have asked my church to pray and I am asking you to pray too! I know God made me so he can fix whatever is wrong with me.

I have too much to do to be sick! While I was in the doctor's office yesterday I was reading a magazine and in it there was just a little quote that said "For every 1 thing you have wrong, you have 50 blessings, Count them!" Well, I am just going to count my blessings, and believe in God!