Sew Crafty Friday

Yes I'm posting this on Thursday, but I'll be away Friday so that's why it is early. ;o)

Be sure to stop by Shereen's blog to see what crafty things other bloggers are up to.

Here are my crafty contributions for this week.

Another towel! I get bored with the same color after a while so I bought this hot pink craft cotton. I have another ball of verigated to use next time. Then I'll start over using up the leftover yarn I still have.

I was in the mood for making more cards this week. I was going to do my Christmas cards up but, I realized that I needed a few supplies replenished. I'll make that an August project to work on.

Instead I made these card fronts. I have to cut white cardstock for the cards and then the front is ready to stick on. I can't take credit for the design. My friend made simillar card and I scraplifted it from her. I have some other ideas from her too, so that will give me crafty things to make for Fridays.

9 Years Old Today !!

Caleb turned 9 years old today! :o)

It just seems like we brought him home and now he is growing up so fast!

He was 5 weeks premature, and delivered by emergency c-section. He weighed in at a healthy 5lbs 7oz. The doctors told us that 15 minutes more and it would have been a completely different outcome for both Caleb & me. The events leading up to and including his birth confirm that God was watching over us. :o)

We spent 2 and a half weeks in the hospital only because I wanted to nurse and they had to be sure that he would gain well that way. Once they could see that he was gaining and maintaining his weight, we were allowed to come home. :o)

Despite the fact that he was a preemie, he has grown by leaps and bounds. He is geting so tall and catching up to my husband & me. Well we're both short so that is easy to do. lol ;o)

We are so blessed and thankful to have such a healthy, happy and sweet boy to love.

"You can't take it with you!"

Whoever said you can't take it with you, was obviously not talking about packing for vacation! lol ;o)

My son and I are going to our church campmeeting for 11 days and 10 nights. We are really looking forward to it.

Simplicity is the theme for my packing this year. I am a helper for the 7-9 year old class. I was the leader 2 years ago and I know how limited your free time can be.

I've decided that we'll travel lighter than we have most years. I usually take my microwave, electric frying pan, slow cooker, toaster oven, electric kettle and my electric cooler (doubles as a fridge). But this year I don't want to get bogged down with too much stuff. Plus I feel like I should leave something home for my husband to use. lol ;o) So I just plan on taking the electric frying pan and the cooler. That's it!

I'm planning to take enough clothes for us so that I won't have to make a run to the laundromat. We'll see how that works out. I expect that there will be at least one trip, even if it is just to give us a little change of pace.

The Birthday Party

Well, today we had Caleb's 9th birthday party. :o) He will turn 9 on Wednesday.

The weather cooperated nicely which we were so grateful for! Lots of family came out for it, and he had a great time playing with his cousins.

Caleb wanted a hockey cake. Here is what we came up with........

I made a cake in my oval casserole dish and we frosted it white. Then we added the red and blue lines.


He drew the 'boards with the corporate sponsors' which we added to the back. lol ;o)


We topped it off with some 'puck' candles, a wax helmet and a #9 candle.

It was a hit and there is very little left, which is a good thing. ;o)

Oh, and I should add that he didn't even eat a piece of the cake! He loves to come up with an idea for a cake, but he hasn't had a piece of his birthday cake for a few years. I know he did for his first birthday, but not so sure about the other ones. I can't remember. lol :o) He usually doesn't want cake when he goes to other parties either. I think he just enjoys the socializing so much he doesn't want to stop and eat cake. :o)

A Prayer Calendar

I mentioned in a previous post about a blog that mentioned prayer charts. I did a search and found several websites that had prayer calendars to help pray for character traits, virtues and the fruit of the Spirit in the life of your child/children.

This is just an example.

Day 1
Salvation "Lord, let salvation spring up within my children, that they may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory" (Isaiah 45:8, 2 Timothy 2:10).

Day 2
Growth in Grace "I pray that they may 'grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ'" (2 Peter 3:18).

Day 3
Love "Grant, Lord, that my children may learn to 'live a life of love,' through the Spirit who dwells in them" (Ephesians 5:2, Galatians 5:22).

Day 4
Honesty and Integrity "May integrity and honesty be their virtue and their protection" (Psalm 25:21, NLT).

Day 5
Self-control "Father, help my children not to be like many others around them, but let them be 'alert and self-controlled' in all they do" (1 Thessalonians 5:6)

Day 6
A love for God's Word "May my children grow to find your Word 'more precious than gold, than much pure gold; [and] sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb'" (Psalm 19:10).

Day 7
Justice "God, help my children to love justice as you do and to 'act justly' in all they do" (Psalm 11:7, Micah 6:8).

Day 8
Mercy "May my children always 'be merciful, as [their] Father is merciful'" (Luke 6:36).

Day 9
Respect (for self, others, authority) "Father, grant that my children may 'show proper respect to everyone,' as your Word commands" (1 Peter 2:17a).

Day 10
strong, Biblical self-esteem "Help my children develop a strong self-esteem that is rooted in the realization that they are 'God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus'" (Ephesians 2:10).

Day 11
Faithfulness "Let love and faithfulness never leave [my children],' but bind these twin virtues around their necks and write them on the tablet of their hearts'" (Proverbs 3:3).

Day 12
Courage "May my children always 'Be strong and courageous' in their character and in their actions" (Deuteronomy 31:6).

Day 13
Purity "Create in [them] a pure heart, O God,'and let their purity of heart be shown in their actions'" (Psalm 51:10).

Day 14
Kindness "Lord, may my children 'always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else'" (1 Thessalonians 5:15).

Day 15 Generosity "Grant that my children may 'be generous and willing to share [and so] lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age'" (1 Timothy 6:18-19).

Day 16
Peace, peaceability "Father, let my children 'make every effort to do what leads to peace'" (Romans 14:19).

Day 17
Joy "May my children be filled 'with the joy given by the Holy Spirit'" (1 Thessalonians 1:6).

Day 18
Perseverance "Lord, teach my children perseverance in all they do, and help them especially to 'run with perseverance the race marked out for [them]'" (Hebrews 12:1).

Day 19
Humility "God, please cultivate in my children the ability to 'show true humility toward all'" (Titus 3:2).

Day 20
Compassion "Lord, please clothe my children with the virtue of compassion" (Colossians 3:12).

Day 21
Responsibility "Grant that my children may learn responsibility, 'for each one should carry his own load'" (Galatians 6:5).

Day 22
Contentment "Father, teach my children 'the secret of being content in any and every situation. . . . through him who gives [them] strength'" (Philippians 4:12-13).

Day 23
Faith "I pray that faith will find root and grow in my children's hearts, that by faith they may gain what has been promised to them" (Luke 17:5-6, Hebrews 11:1-40).

Day 24
A servant heart "God, please help my children develop servant hearts, that they may serve wholeheartedly, 'as to the Lord, and not to men'" (Ephesians 6:7, KJV).

Day 25
Hope "May the God of hope grant that my children may overflow with hope and hopefulness by the power of the Holy Spirit" (Romans 15:13).

Day 26
The willingness and ability to work hard "Teach my children, Lord, to value work and to work hard at everything they do, 'as working for the Lord, not for men'" (Colossians 3:23).

Day 27
A passion for God "Lord, please instill in my children a soul that "followeth hard after thee," a heart that clings passionately to you (Psalm 63:8, KJV).

Day 28
Self-discipline "Father, I pray that my children may develop self-discipline, that they may acquire 'a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair'" (Proverbs 1:3).

Day 29
Prayerfulness "Grant, Lord, that my children's lives may be marked by prayerfulness, that they may learn to 'pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests" (Ephesians 6:18).

Day 30
Gratitude "Help my children to live lives that are always 'overflowing with thankfulness,' 'always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ'" (Colossians 2:7, Ephesians 5:20).

Day 31
A heart for missions "Lord, please help my children to develop a heart for missions, a desire to see your glory declared among the nations, your marvelous deeds among all peoples" (Psalm 96:3).

Interesting

You Are 65% Left Brained, 35% Right Brained

The left side of your brain controls verbal ability, attention to detail, and reasoning. Left brained people are good at communication and persuading others. If you're left brained, you are likely good at math and logic. Your left brain prefers dogs, reading, and quiet. The right side of your brain is all about creativity and flexibility. Daring and intuitive, right brained people see the world in their unique way. If you're right brained, you likely have a talent for creative writing and art. Your right brain prefers day dreaming, philosophy, and sports.

Are You Right or Left Brained?

Prayer & Bible Links

I've been wondering how other bloggers build their prayer journal and also how they study their Bible. I decide to go to Rocks in My Dryer and do a search of the Works for Me Wednesday posts. To do this I held the control key down and pressed 'F' at the same time. This brought up a little seacrh box for that page. First I searched for prayer

Here are some blog links that I thought I would pass along
Remembering Prayer Requests Shereen @ w8ng4him
Prayer Bible Cyndi @ One Day More
Prayer Request List Sandra @ A Diary of a Stay at Home Mom
Prayer Chart Susanne @ Living to Tell the Story
Prayer bins for kids Joy @ Joy in the Journey

Secondly I searched for the word Bible. These are some links I found Memorizing Scripture Jeana @ Days to Come
Studying the Bible Jennifer @ Snapshot

A Sabbath Walk

We went for a Sabbath walk this morning and I got some nice pictures. I wasn't going to take my camera but decided to at the last minute. I'm glad that I did. :o) Here a just a few of the pictures I took. These will make for great scrapbooking pages.

Here is Princess Harley enjoying the time spent in the woods. lol ;o)

Too big to hold our hands?? Yeah right! :o)

I really like this picture. I have a similar one when Caleb was just about 2yrs old.

This is our neighbor's old barn.

I took this picture from the inside looking out.

Another one of my favorites.

Black-eyed Susans. The are one of my favorite flowers.

Daisies are so nice too.

Sew Crafty Friday

WooHoo!!! I actually have something to share for 'Sew Crafty Friday' this week.

Stop by Shereen's blog to find out what crafty things other bloggers are working on.

I knit this towel. I just need to sew the button on it & attach the towel poem....

And these 2 dish cloths......

It took me a week to do these. Normally I don't knit that fast, but these are for a friend's birthday. Talk about getting cramped hands!! Ouch ! lol ;o)

Where Does the Time Go??

Wowzers, it is July already!! That is almost hard to believe. It doesn't feel like July here though, more like fall instead.

It is also hard to believe that our son will be turning 9 years old in a few weeks. It just seems like we brought him home from the hospital. Time sure flies! I remember visitors (with grown children) at the hospital telling us that he would grow fast. I couldn't imagine that. How could someone so tiny grow that fast?? Well, they were right he did grow fast. Almost too fast for this mama.

He's pretty much decided that he wants a hockey cake for his birthday. That means I have to get creative and come up with something cool. :o) Possibly a flat cake with a rink surface design, or a maple leaf shape for his favorite team. It should be fun. I'll post pictures of the cake after the party.

Happy Canada Day

HAPPY CANADA DAY!!!!!!!