2 by 2

Another finish!! I made this quilt top in one day following a pattern I found in a magazine. The backing, quilting and binding also went together quickly.

Scrappy binding, all-over free motion

Who built the ark? Noah! Noah!

In came the animals, two by two, the hippopotamus and kangaroo.

Sometimes I wonder why Noah's Ark is so popular for children.
The animals are great, I get that, but what about the worldwide destruction?

<sup>Genesis 6:5 The LORD saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. 13: So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth. 17: I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish. 18: But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark.
7:23 Every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out; people and animals and the creatures that move along the ground and the birds were wiped from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those with him in the ark.

But praise the Lord for sparing Noah and his family! What mercy when he saves sinners whose thoughts without his intervention are only ever evil!</sup>

Aldi

Aldi is where it's at.
I brought home this haul yesterday for $30 and some change.

love

Found

For all of our family in San Antonio and Houston wondering where all the rain is.

I found it.

Our swamp backyard

at least everything is green

We got about 2 inches in 24 hours

Did I show you our tire swing?

Truckloads of rain

I was tempted to let him play out in the yard, except for the lightning

Having a blast

Maybe the rain will find its way to your house soon

Sew More

Spring quilt made with fabric given to me by my grandmom

One of the many blogs I read is Sew, Mama Sew! It is a great combination of tutorials, inspiration and introductions to other crafters. I was very inspired by two recent posts. Here are a few quotes I wanted to share:

This ain’t Little House on the Prairie and none of us are Laura Ingalls. We don’t have to sew if we don’t want to. We can sew whatever we want as many times as we want in whatever fabric we want

When people are learning, they’re often not happy about it because they’re uncomfortable, but a tolerance for discomfort is required if you want to learn or master anything. (Which doesn’t in any way mean that it can’t also be fun.) The wonderful thing is that when you challenge yourself it leads to growth and mastery, which most people find deeply satisfying, which is why we keep doing it.

9-Patch Quilt given to my SIL this past Christmas

These two quotes are from an introduction to this post also containing great quotes:

I love the unbelievably wide range of design. I love the way twenty people can make the same thing and have it turn out completely different. .... I love that it is both creative and productive. I love that it can be therapeutic in both its simplicity and its complexity.

It isn’t about doing things the “right” way, it’s about increasing your skill set so you have the tools to create what YOU want to create.

While repetitive sewing is soothing, focusing on complex sewing can allow you to shut off those endless loops of worries in your head and give you confidence that spills over into other parts of your life.

The joy you receive from quilting is worth a little struggle, a little challenge, a little effort.

Plus Quilt given as a wedding gift

It's hard to believe, but I've been quilting for nearly two years. According to my best count, I've completed 18 quilts, and have several in various stages, 1 only needing binding, 3 finished tops, 2 nearly finished tops and a bunch of fabric all chopped up. I love that quilting is something I can grow in for many years to come. I also love that what I make is useful, not only pretty! There is so much more to try and even more to master.

How good to remember that doing something difficult can be enjoyable! So true in much of life.

Is it Already May?

Best looking room in the house

I finally finished the curtains for Daniel's room! They are lined and I pretty much figured them out as I went along. I tried looking for a tutorial on how to make lined curtains, and found about 8 different ones. I am pretty pleased with how they turned out, and even more pleased that they are done.

The coloring in these photos isn't the best. In person the colors look much better and match more closely.

You can also see the book shelves/ledges we put up. I found the idea at Ana-White.com, Tommy built them, I painted them and Tommy hung them. I love that the space behind the closet door isn't wasted and it makes such an attractive display.

Quiet Bear

My hopes are to make some sort of pouch or pocket to attach quiet bear to and store his/her clothes inside. A friend gave me this idea. She made one for her children, and it was a special toy they could only play with during church. Daniel has only sat with us once in church, for the Maundy Thursday service, and he actually did pretty well.

Making Resurrection Buns Easter Morning

It had been a while since I made these and I think I should have either bought bigger biscuits or smaller marshmallows. The idea is for the biscuit to be hollow inside, like the empty tomb. But hey, it's not like Jesus rolled the stone back after he busted out, he left it open for the world to know. Reminds me of the lyrics from In Christ Alone, "Then bursting forth in glorious day,

up from the grave He rose again."

They tasted divine, especially after being largely carb-free for the two weeks before.

He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Matthew 28:6