And the Rains Came Down...

In the early morning hours of Thursday, April 10, 2008 a fierce line of thunderstorms moved through our area, bringing with it several tornadoes. One of these tornadoes touched down near my church which had been meeting in a large tent since last July. This was the second time the tent came down, but this time, the tent suffered irreparable damage. Not much survived, but thankfully, no one was hurt and the church banded together to clean up the mess. We had the BEST service this morning meeting under God's heavens, praising and worshiping Him. It's awesome to see God's people pull together in times of adversity and persevere to the finish line. We know that God has wonderful things planned for our church if we remain faithful to Him.

Here are a few pics that were emailed to me of the damage.

From the parking lot, looking toward the front door. (The front door is located at the end of that awning.)


Look at this mess! People were at the church all day Thursday, Friday, and Saturday cleaning up, looking for anything that could be salvaged.



Soggy bible



We met in this same spot this morning, minus the fallen wall and soggy chairs. The shavings managed to stay in place during the storm, too!



It's going to be exciting to see what God has for us next! I can't wait!!

Meet My Friend, Sammy!

Isn't he a cutie?!? I thoroughly enjoyed stitching this delightful design from Stitchy Kitty. He's stitched on a piece of blue 32 ct. linen from Silkweaver (one of their mystery colors) using all Crescent Colours fibers except for the scarf color, which is WDW's Confetti. That part got a bit boring, but I really did enjoy my time with Sammy.

BTW, the chart is a complimentary design when you join the Stitchy Kitty newsletter/Yahoo group.

Basking in the Sun

I love this design! I've wanted to stitch this design for quite some time, but it kept getting pushed to the back of my stitching to-do tote. I finally dug it out a couple of weeks ago and got it stitched. The design is by Brittercup Designs and it was a Charlotte Market exclusive kit in 2005. I decided to stitch it on 32 count Summer Sky linen from Silkweaver because the fabric was way too perfect for it. I used the Crescent Colours fibers included in the kit.

It's really an appropriate design for me since I've got 2 kitties who enjoy basking in the sun. A fun, fun stitch!

This Cat...

...is sick! This is my precious Hannah Grace. She's been sneezing off and on for the past several weeks. Since we were taking Callie to the vet last Friday for her annual check up, I called and asked if Hannah could tag along and be checked out. She loves going to the vet and checking out all the cabinets and instruments laying on the counter! (Not sure the vet & staff like it, though! LOL) She wasn't running a fever, but he did a PCR test to see if she tested positive for Feline Herpes Virus like we've suspected ever since we brought her home from animal control. Since we already give her L-Lysine daily, he gave her an antibiotic shot and sent her home with antibiotic pill treats.

All was well until Monday when she woke up congested and snotty. Ugh! We've been there, done that before, but it's still no fun when one of your babies gets sick. She has one more day's worth of antibiotics, but I have a sneaky suspicion that she'll be going back to the vet before it's all said and done. I miss my little "helper" and curious kitty who likes to play in the kitchen while I'm cooking kitty. I miss her little chirp and her meows. I miss her curling up on my chest while I'm on the computer. I miss her tormenting her sister, Callie. I miss her little perky self.

I'll be so glad when this crud is gone!

I. LOVE. This. Cat!!

This is my beautiful Callie. AKA Callie-bug, Callie-girl, Callie-cat, Callie-poo, Sweetie-girl, Miss Beautiful, and a host of other names. Callie and I lived together for about 2 years before I got married, so we had lots of time to bond. She's such a love! She would follow me around, come visit me while I was in the kitchen, and lay on the bathroom rug while I was in the bathroom. She'd hop up on the bathroom counter, drink out of my glass (she soon had her own glass), and then come give me a head butt for treating her like the little princess she is. She would sleep at the foot of the bed or up by my pillow every night. I'd go to sleep to her purr.

Callie thrives on routine and a calm environment. She would never make it in a rowdy house with kids! Slight changes in routine or even raised voices stresses her out to the max. When we moved to a house from our very small apartment, I thought she'd enjoy having more room to roam and explore. She didn't. She stressed out. With time, though, she settled in and thrived in her new surroundings.

Then, because Callie was getting a bit on the plump side, we adopted a second cat thinking that a playmate would provide her some much needed exercise. Wrong! It brought on stress and a host of stress-induced illnesses. Callie would hide, wouldn't come to bed with me, would avoid the bathroom, she wouldn't follow me around, she would hang out by herself in the living room and avoid the family, and she would cringe everytime Hannah came near her. Eventually, Callie settled back down and life calmed down for her, but she still wasn't that precious little girl who stole my heart. Oh, she still would purr for me, let me brush her (her favorite thing), and pet her, and came to me for food, but we didn't have that tight connection we once shared.

Within the past month, though, things have changed!! Callie's been following me around. She's been giving me oodles of head butts and licks on my hand. She's coming into the bathroom like she owns the place and even jumping up on the counter to drink from my glass!! She lays on the floor by my computer chair and looks absolutely pathetic, begging for my chair. She jumps up on the bed and lays by my pillow. In short, she's learned to trust me (again) and she's claimed me for her own. I'm so proud of her!!

A Finish and a Progress Pic

This has been a good stitching week for me. I finished my ornament for February and made progress on my Quaker Friendship Sampler, which hadn't seen the light of day for over a year!! Oy!

First up, my February ornie. I stitched Let it Snow by Barbara Ana Designs. What an enjoyable stitch! So fun and such wonderful colors!! It's stitched on 32 ct. Navy Bean linen using mostly Crescent Colours threads, except for 1 GAST, Tutti Fruiti for the hat. If I stitch this again, I'll use a different color fabric so the snowflakes show up better.



Next, I worked on my Quaker Friendship Sampler, which is stitched on 32 ct. Mockingbird linen using Crescent Colours fibers. (Can you tell I LOVE Crescent Colours fibers?!? I'm a total junkie!) I finished the blue floral motif this week.



I think this week, I'll save another project from the deep dark recesses of my stitching basket, Blessed are Those!

A Valentine Finish

This is the 2008 Valentine Heart from Dragonfly Stitches. It is stitched on 32 ct. Vintage Magnolia linen using Crescent Colours' Bella Rosa floss. Once I got the hang of the pattern, it went very quickly.



My plan is to finish it into either a pinkeep or a flat fold.

I've started on my ornie for February. Might be able to finish it today if I don't get sidetracked by my crochet project! I also finished another dish cloth this past week.

Dishcloths!

I've always wanted to learn to crochet. I tried a couple of years ago to teach myself and that was a disaster! I have a co-worker who crochets and she's been teaching me. Here are my first finishes. They're not necessarily the prettiest finishes, but I'm the only one who'll be using them, so who cares!!



Close-ups
Green woven~Crocheted using ww cotton



Purple Variegated~Single crochet throughout (got those sc stitches down pat!!)


Rainbow~Single crochet throughout and a lacy edge. Stitched with peaches & cream ww cotton.




As for cross stitching...not so much going on there! LOL I've been too busy crocheting!

Another Finish!

I have been stitching the Lizzie*Kate Flip-It Blocks for a couple of years. It was supposed to be a one-year project. I think I'm on year 3 now! LOL I put the finishing touches on the September block this past weekend. I am determined to finish these this year! Only 3 more months to stitch and then the border.

First Finish of 2008!

This is my first ornie finish for the new year! I really like the way it turned out. It's a free design from Maryse's website, . I stitched it on a scrap of 28 ct. Barley Harvest linen from Woven Workes using Crescent Colours' Bandana and Toasted Marshmallow.

I am Peter

I always love it when God speaks to me! It's like a breath of fresh air and usually comes at a time when I need to be encouraged, refreshed, or renewed. There's been a lot of "stuff" going on in my life since last October and I needed a reminder of God's presence in my life to refresh and encourage me. I got that this past Sunday at church.

I know that my pastor would love for me to say that his sermon was so wonderfully crafted and engaging that I hung onto every word, but I honestly don't remember much of the sermon itself, just my thoughts from reading the passage. (Sorry, Dan!) It's a good thing we were provided an outline on which to take notes or I'd be sunk if there was a test on the sermon! That's okay, though. God was speaking to me anyway. (Yea, God!)

The Scripture passage was Luke 22:54-62, Peter's denial of Jesus.

I've read this passage many, many times, but this time a couple of things stood out to me and really got me to thinking. First of all, the third time Peter was accused of being a follower of Jesus, it was because of the fact he was a Galilean. I don't know what it was about Peter that let people know he was from Galilee, but somehow the accuser knew and surmised that he must have been with Jesus. It may have been the way he was dressed, his accent, his clothes, or maybe even the color of his skin. Whatever it was, something about Peter showed that he was a Galilean and then there was something about him that people somehow knew he'd been with Jesus.

This really made me wonder if people can see that I'm a believer. Does my behavior, dress, demeanor, speech, attitude, facial expressions reflect Christ to those I come in contact? Can people tell I'm a Christian simply be how I look and act? I would hope so, but I know that many times my actions and attitudes do NOT reflect Christ. I firmly believe that, as Christians, we are to SHOW Christ in all we do, not just walk around condemning people and telling them that they're on the short track to hell. Working in Christian retail, I see lots of Christians. You wouldn't believe what their dress, attitude, words, and actions reveal about themselves. I wonder what these same people show to the world?

The second thing that really struck me from the passage is the beginning of verse 61. "The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. ..." (NIV) Nowhere else in this passage is Jesus mentioned as a character. He's been carted off for questioning and the scene takes place outside in the courtyard, but here He is reminding us that He's always watching and always present with us. Can you imagine the shock, shame, guilt and remorse Peter must've felt when he saw the Lord look directly at him...at his heart?!

If you're like me, you don't have to have a very vivid imagination. I've seen Jesus looking right at me and known that same shame, guilt, shock, and remorse that Peter felt at the very moment I've denied or defied Jesus. I've tried to cover it up, stuff it down, pretend it doesn't exist, but then God whups me upside the head and reins me back in. He shows me the error of my ways. The high-dollar Christian word for this is "conviction". Through the working of the Holy Spirit, it is revealed to me that my actions aren't in line with God's teachings. Because I know that God is right and I'm not, His way really is better than my way, it's my job (and my choice) to do the changing. That's called repentance, another high-dollar Christian word.

My challenge this week: do I outwardly reflect Christ and do I realize when I've denied Christ and am I working on changing my ways to God's ways?

Just something to ponder...

I've Been Stitching!

I've been learning to crochet, but I'm still stitching!! I'm devoting most of my stitching time to "City Stitcher*Country Stitcher" by Little House Needleworks. My goal is to have it finished by the SAL deadline of February 8th. We'll see if I make it.



Hosted on Fotki


See that house there on the right?? I had most of the broad side of it finished when I discovered that the white stripe going vertically was off by one square!! Usually I'm able to live with those little "personalizations", but this one was really bugging me, so I ripped it ALL out! I did save the roof, and most of the white accent, but all the solid color of the house itself came out! *Sniff* I'm back on track, though!!

This weekend, I'm hoping to finish up a sweet little Christmas ornie, so stay tuned for another post!

Last Stitches of 2007

Here are my last 2 finishes of 2007. First up is my last ornie, JBW Design's Christmas Motif Sampler stitched on 36 ct linen using Belle Soie Sister Scarlet silk.



Hosted on Fotki


Late last night I put the final stitches in the Wisdom Scripture pack from LHN/CC.



Today, I've returned to my WIP, LHN's City Stitcher, Country Stitcher.