ticking away . . .

Time, that is. It's just been so busy!

Last Thursday I headed to Nashville (or thereabouts) for a two-day women's leadership forum.  

It was terrific, but they'd condensed it from a three-day event, without cutting anything.  So it was two 12-hour days of conference in 36 hours ... and bookended by a 2.5 hour drive!  I think I'm finally able to actually *think* about some of the things I heard.

Also, I came home to a finish . . . 

Our screened porch! Todd even got the carpet laid.  I'm so thrilled! They really did a great job on it, and our weather has been so stinking pleasant, I'm going to get to enjoy it through the end of the month!  

I was only able to show the binding of the quilt I shared last week, because it was going to a dear friend who's battling cancer.  It was delivered to her last week, and I wanted to show it off here  . . .

The ladies in our stitcher's group are so super talented!  I love the camaraderie and friendship we share!

I had some fun happies in the mail, from my favorite Californians . . .

Isn't that sweet?  It made my Veteran's Day all the happier. ♥

Ellie and Evey are working hard on their Christmas ornament project.  

Each year for the last four, the girls have made ornaments and then sold them. They use the proceeds to shop from the catalog of Food for the Hungry, to purchase things like seeds, animals, tools, medication, water purification, shoes, Bibles, and more! I love that they get so excited about picking out their gifts.  I'm very grateful their parents facilitate this for them!  I've already ordered mine.  *wink*

The camp hit peak color, and then it was gusty and rainy, and easy come, easy go!

But I have to say, this is one of my favorite sights!

:)

a week of whew . . .

Whew, what a week it's been! It kicked off with a *birthday*! I had a great day, and so appreciate all the happy birthday wishes! Joc and Evey came to visit at work (which was kind of a crazy day, getting ready for our Annual Meeting the next day) and were a bright spot!

Notice those smocked pumpkins on her dress??! Her mama has an appropriate appreciation for the finer things in Autumn/life! I also got my Autumn/Pumpkin Vignette fixed up on my desk . . .

LOL!  Did you not think I'd have pumpkins at work, too??!  ;)

That evening, we met up at Bravo's at Bridge Street for dinner.  I love Italiano, and I've really been craving eggplant parmesan.  It was quite tasty!

But this sweet family is what made the evening memorable! (And yes, the girls are wearing matching outfits! But what's funny is that I *just* noticed that Joc and Jason are kind of matchy-matchy, too!)

Tuesday was super crazy as we loaded things up and went off site for our meeting.  Best I can figure, we had about 200+ people there! I'm the association clerk, so I have to sit through all four and a half hours of the the meeting (taking minutes, no less), but when it was over, I knew I didn't have to be back to work until . . . tomorrow!

Still, as quiet as we wanted to be, on Wednesday, Todd and I appeared before the mission board of FBC Huntsville.  They've been, and continue to be, faithful ministry partners. Thursday was a morning full of ministry, but an afternoon of granddaughters!

We had a great time exploring Big Spring Park and downtown Huntsville . . . we even had pizza and gelato on the square, and sat next to a HUGE dog. And we enjoyed live music (or as Evey put it, "find dat muzak!") from several sources; it was very festive!

Friday, Todd and I took a down day and hit the lake. 

It was an absolutely beautiful day, and the autumn color was pretty spectacular, even though it wasn't as bright as it could have been due to the cloud coverage. We had the most sun when it set and the clouds cleared! We also found a pretty little spot we hadn't seen before . . .

Isn't that gorgeous? The sound of the water spilling over the rocks and into the lake was so soothing ... I could have sat there for days! 

I wasn't as prepared for handwork as I should have been, so I settled in with some Patchwork of the Crosses blocks I've had, but haven't pieced.  It was a good day to stitch and read and rejuvenate.

I got the majority of the block done and will take advantage of a slow afternoon today to finish it up.

I will link this up to HeLP on the 17th, over at Sarah Did It! 

I did manage to get my pumpkin stitchery finished . . . 

I thought I loved how this turned out, but looking at the picture, the pumpkin gets a little lost in the leaves a little.  Hmmmm. I used three plies of floss on the pumpkin and the outline of the leaves.  I should have taken it down one or two plies on the leaves so the pumpkin would stand out more.

Saturday was mostly a ministry day, too . . . in the morning, our church volunteered at the elementary school next door, helping with their fall carnival. Back home, we had a D-Now group in at the camp, and I visited with them for a while. It was this group's first time to visit the camp and they really enjoyed their day. I managed to capture a good fall foliage shot at the entrance of the camp . . .

I do love autumn! There's still not as much color as one would think, midway through October. And the brown leaves that frame the drive are as much from drought as anything else.

Saturday evening, we had a ladies' event which was fun. I had planned to make something pumpkin-y to share today, but lost the time.  Instead, I made a pretty terrific (and easy) apple cider punch to put in my pumpkin decanter . . .

It'll do... it was the perfect color and pretty tasty, too!

Not much to say about my stash this week . . . 

And since the picture's worth a thousand words, I'll leave it at that!

And that pretty much wraps up my week! Linking up, as per usual, to Patchwork Times and Kathy's Quilts.  Enjoy a day of rest!

:)

blasting through the weekend . . .

First things first . . .

Whether your babies are little or grown and have babies of their own or are fur babies, Happy Mother's Day to you!  I pray your day is filled with laughter and love!

I got a little stitching done this week.  I finished a second quadrant of Evey's quilt and realized I'd better find something to put in all of those white squares!  After a quick search online, I found this darling alphabet by Sublime Stitching . . . 

Aren't they fun??  The letters were way too small for the 5" blocks, so I enlarged them (by about 250%) and made them singles (and laminated them to keep them safe - haha!)--

I'll start sketching tracing these out in the next week or so and get busy stitching, stitching!

I stitched up my two ornaments for May at my Tuesday evening Stitcher's Group. One was a yo-yo wreath, that still needs a bow and a cord for hanging.

The second was a mini-poinsettia.

I've never thought about using the poinsettias as ornaments, but I think this will work nicely! I still need to find an appropriate sized button (the one pictured is a tad too big) and stitch it together and add the cord. I've got twenty-three days! LOL!

I've got a sweet little stitching project to work on this afternoon.  Joc had some blank tabs for one of the girls' dresses that she wanted to pizzazz up with something patriotic/4th of July-ish. So I worked up a couple of designs . . .

And she picked one . . .

And I'll stitch it up!  I'll use metallic red and blue floss for the firework and silver floss for the stars (which I'll satin stitch).  They should be very cute!

My fabric use has (again) been nil.

But it won't be long before I'm ready to quilt the quadrants of Evey's quilt and I'll need more fabric for the backing. Of course, the goal is to have it go in and right back out again!

It's been a very busy weekend!  Ellie came home with me on Thursday evening and we had a marvelous time doing all the things she wanted to do. Watch movies, color, play with buttons and drink tea.

She has very simple, specific desires which totally match my own! Thursday evening was very cool and we bundled up to take a golf cart ride:

On Friday morning we had a "Neesey and Ellie" date and went to Jacks for breakfast.  Evidently they make good pancakes.

And evidently, Ellie's quite the model. She had a little 'ham' with her pancakes! Silly, fun girl!

Friday evening and Saturday I spent in ESL (English as a Second Language) Teacher Training. It was fascinating and I hope to be able to put it to good use!

Saturday afternoon, I raced from ESL TT and put my hat on and headed to Emma's Tea Room, for afternoon tea with the Wears Chapel ladies!

We had a lovely time with lots of yummy goodies!!

Don't laugh, but from there, I raced back to the camp to join Todd for a fish fry he did for the Campers on Mission! The Campers on Mission have been very busy bees this week!  Check out the progress on the new back deck . . . 

We're so excited to see it come together!! I can totally see a group of rockers on this deck, facing out, filled with ladies doing handwork! This group has been such a HUGE blessing to the camp -- they are incredibly hard workers and love the Lord. Todd and I are hoping that the Camp can be added to their annual calendar. What fun!

I'm headed to church this morning -- I have both my preschool Sunday school class *and* preschool church this morning, so I've loaded up with double the Mother's Day crafting to do!  From there, I think I'll do my slow stitching on the front porch this afternoon.  Aaaaaah!  Linking up to Patchwork Times and Kathy's Quilts. Y'all have a blessing-filled day, and HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!

:)

2016 bible study expo . . .

Y'all, I don't get excited about a lot of things . . . scratch that. You know I get excited about LOTS of things -- and I want to share one of those things right now!

I've shared before about the Women's Bible Study Expo.  These are free webinars (online) that showcase up and coming Bible-study authors and teachers. And the next one is coming up TOMORROW!  

Yes, Thursday, March 17th, at 2:00 p.m. (central time).  There is a fabulous line-up of authors, including Sherri Burgess (whose book, Bronner: A Journey to Understand I reviewed in January)!

These webinars, organized and led by one of my favorite women's ministry gurus, Marni Swedberg, are a terrific way to learn about an author, hear her heart, and get an understanding about what her study/book is about. This is a fabulous resource, whether you're picking out Bible studies for yourself or for a group study.

Check it out for yourself at www.biblestudyexpo.com/ and be sure to register to win (top right corner) while you're there!

:)

2015 bible study expo . . .

I have such a heart for Women's Ministry . . . I love spending time with like-minded women in God's Word!  And I especially enjoy spending time in Bible study with a group of women.  But sometimes the biggest problem I have is trying to decide which study fits the style of group I've gotten together, or fits the times or our needs.

Know what I mean??

That's why I'm so looking forward to the 2015 Bible Study Expo!!

I've been involved with this for several years . . . and each year it gets better and better!  It's a great way to 'meet' authors, hear about their books, and interact with like-minded women in the process, via facebook and twitter!  I'll be hostessing on Facebook and Twitter, too!  :)

This year Marnie Swedburg has a FABULOUS lineup of authors, including Liz Curtis Higgs, who will be speaking about her new book, It's Good to be Queen, in the kickoff spot at 1:00 p.m. (central time).  Also speaking will be Pam Farrell, Sara Hagerty, Mindy Ferguson, and Kathy Howard, to name just a few!

Tomorrow's the day -- the cost is free -- and you can click HERE to signup for fabulous prizes, to boot!  So what are you waiting for?? 

:)

that tuesday . . .

I can hardly believe it's February already . . . and the first *Tuesday* in February to boot, which means it's Bibliophile Files day!! That means it's the day that I share with you what I've got on my bookshelf for the coming month, yay!

Along with the devotional reading I talked about last month, which I'll be reading through all year long, I've got a good mix of fiction and non-fiction that I'm going to enjoy this month, three of which I'll also be reading to review.  The first up is The Friendships of Women by Dee Brestin.  I snapped this up from Amazon yesterday as a kindle freebie!  It's still showing as a freebie for now, so if it sounds interesting, you might want to scoot on over there by clicking HERE! As a woman who not only enjoys her friendships with other women, but is also called to women's ministry, I thought this was a no-brainer for me!

Next up is Patsy Clairmont's You Are More Than You Know.  I first learned of Patsy Clairmont at a Women of Faith conference in 1998.  She was funny and witty and spot-on in her observations, and I'm not only looking forward to reading You Are More Than You Know, but reviewing it and participating in the book's blog tour in March! (And ... hint, hint ... a giveaway!)

And now on to the fiction.  You may or may not have picked up on the fact that I adore, in particular, Amish fiction. Well, if you hadn't picked up on it, this month it's rather 'plain' (pun intended)!  These three selections are all reviewable (so look for more on each title later this month):

An Amish Cradle, a collection of four stories by Beth Wiseman, Amy Clipston, Kathleen Fuller, and Vannetta Chapman, respectively.  

Then on to The Amish Clockmaker, by Mindy Starns Clark and Susan Meissner.

And finally, The Beekeeper's Son, by Kelly Irvin, which I'm purposefully saving until last because it sounds *so* interesting!

So, my proverbial shelf is full . . . looking forward to reading (and sharing reviews, too) through February! Hop on over to sarah did it! to see what she's reading and to check out the Bibliophile Files linky party!

Happy reading and remember . . . “Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.” ― Charles William Eliot

:)

a head-spinning weekend . . .

(First:  A very special HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!! shoutout to my youngest sister, Laura!!!)

Whew . . . it's Monday and I'm *worn* out!  Not that there's too much I'd change about this last weekend, it was just so action-packed, it ended too quickly!  I just asked if I could get a weekend do-over.  I was told yes, in four more days.  LOL!

Thursday night a group of ladies from church went out for dinner and a movie.

We went to see Into the Woods, and it was fabulous!  It was quite fun and a musical to boot, which is one of my favorite genres.  It was a great pick for a group of girls ... the theater was almost empty and we giggled and sang through it!

I spent a good portion of Friday hanging out with the Panter kids! We had fun just playing around with blocks and toy cars and baby dolls.

Olivia was my baby doll of choice!

June pretty much stayed in/on/over my lap for the entire morning.  She's such a ham!!

Sawyer's gotten too cool for pictures (although he's not too cool to take a piggy back ride), but he obliged me with a selfie . . . and his unsmiling silly self! Such a stoic face!

Friday evening everyone met at Joc's house to celebrate Ellie's third birthday. WOW!  Where has the time gone?!?  I can only hope that Jason will share some of the pics he took, because I didn't take the first photo!  (What kind of Neesey am I?!?! One that's too busy holding babies of one sort or another to be holding a camera!)

Joc was kind enough to text a sweet pic of three-year-old Ellie in a new costume:

Ladies and gents, the famed Elsa of Frozen!!

Saturday was filled with errands and whatnot, then I headed to "Little Gym" for Ellie's friends party. 

The theme was Tinkerbell and Joc did a terrific job on it!  Again, very few pictures, but again my job was to hold wee ones . . . 

One that was not so happy to be held by Neesey!  Poor Everley ... though she's not looking too happy here, after mommy slipped in a quick feeding, Everley went right to sleep and slept quite happily in my arms, almost through the entire party, which was nice, because it allowed Jason *and* Joc to be with Ellie and enjoy the event.

My stash report is unchanged from last week . . . 

I really don't see a whole lot of change coming my way in the 'in' department. That's my plan, anyway!

My slow Sunday stitching was mostly done on the road, yesterday.  Sundays have gotten to be such busy days.  I'm helping teach the pre-school SS class in the mornings and then I'm teaching the ladies' discipleship class on Sunday evenings. Add choir practice and the probable meeting (or two) and Sunday afternoon is gone.  But we've got a thirty minute car ride to and fro and I've gotten a good portion of this POTC block whip stitched together . . . 

Because it was cut and ready to be assembled it's what I'm stitching.  I haven't had time to get into the Nook and get the strips cut and ready to stitch on the pineapple quilt.  Maybe this week??!

Linking up today to Patchwork Times (fabric report and design wall posts) and Kathy's Quilts!

Happy Monday . . . make it a great week!!

:)