Progress and Dreams

 I made some good progress on my Everyday Embroidery last week and plan to continue that daily.

And I figured out how to put together the rescued Card Trick blocks to make a baby quilt flimsy which I will donate.

I didn't get to the My Cozy Kitchen wall hanging at all, so that will be a goal for this week. I want to lightly hand-quilt it and hang it in my cozy kitchen.

Another goal for this week is to go through my flannel fabrics and get back to making receiving blankets, bibs, and burp cloths for our local baby pantry. I enjoy crocheting a nice border around flannel receiving blankets. February is our church's month to "love your neighbor" through various donation drives, one of which is the community baby pantry. So I'll be buying some diapers, too, to donate.

I've also started a new project, of course. 😏 It's going to be a gift for my long-time friend's birthday in March - a cross-stitched piece. Being technology-challenged, I have to do my designing with graph paper, scissors, and washi tape. 😁 It works. Tricia and I have walked some very hard roads together {still are} and I so appreciate her friendship and encouragement and her letting me try to encourage her back. Though she lives about 2.5 hours away, we try to get together monthly, sometimes here, sometimes at her place, sometimes somewhere in the middle, sometimes quite out of the way for a big adventure.

I'll also work on my RSC blocks and will get at my month's UFO. The Chookshed Stitchers say that February's UFO number is 8, so I'll excitedly be working on my experimental strip quilt. I've been wanting to do it, but felt like I needed to finish other stuff first. But now I have permission from on high 😄 to go at it.

Of course I have to share some of our great amounts of snow. That blue thing in the middle of the picture is a regular-sized metal chair {as reference for how deep the snow is}. This is not an unusual amount for us over the course of the winter; it just seems to have all come early and within a short amount of time.

One of the perks of waking up at 4:00 a.m. {not intentionally, but trying to see the silver lining}, is getting to enjoy the super-bright moonlight on the snow.

Pastor has been encouraging us with the concept of Sabbath rest, or Shalom, of living in the presence and power of God. We can rest in the knowledge of Him - His person, power, and characteristics {attributes} such as love, goodness, justice, peace, and constant presence with those who have acknowledged Him as Savior and Master. Since we're just frail humans, that peace seems to come and go as we don't always sense His presence, but He's there and so ready to envelope us again with that peace. Look in faith to Him and His Word.

May your week be a blessing to you and to those around you.