The Hope

I find a lot of times life especially the difficulties I experience can cloud my passions, dreams,expectations,and my hopes of/for the future.

Some days I want to stand on the roof tops holding my breath not even wanting to blink as I look off into the future waiting for it to come. I want to get the first glimpse of the fulfilment of my hopes and dreams even though they are so far off they are still a tiny speck on the horizon.

Then there are days when my now reality, my sins and failings are such a heavy weight I can not do anything other than mourn what might never be. There are no passions,no dreams,no expectations,and no hopes for the future. I can not look off to the horizon. My heart can not bare to see the horizon void and empty and so far away.

Pretty dramatic,I know. I'm just like that. To be honest I really do not even know what I hope the future will bring. My only hope should be in Christ alone,but a lot of times it is not.It is in the things I think he has planned for me, or the things he can do for me.

Well,I hope these next few months as we pray and ask God to lead us in whatever it is he has in mind,that we will not loose heart.

That we will not loose heart as God digs deeper into the things hidden and lets our weaknesses and shortcomings be exposed. The digging and pruning is needed...required by the Gardner to produce in us more of him less of us.

That we would not loose heart if his revealed plan is something very different than what we would have hoped or thought we desired.

Or maybe that it is exactly what we desired but up close it looks like a mountain beyond our capability to climb.

Or even yet,his plan would be one of waiting...

Let us stand firm and rest in the fact that God's will whatever it may be is perfect and in that perfect will we will find a place that we wanted to be all along.

~~~~~~

I wanted to include these two quotes that motivate me a great deal as I look to the future in hope...


“Every child born into the world is a new thought of God, an ever fresh and radiant possibility” ~Kate D. Wiggins


A servant of God must stand so very much alone that he never realizes he is alone. In the early stages of the Christian life, disappointments will come— people who used to be lights will flicker out, and those who used to stand with us will turn away. We have to get so used to it that we will not even realize we are standing alone. Paul said, “. . . no one stood with me, but all forsook me . . . . But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me . . .” (2 Timothy 4:16-17 ). We must build our faith not on fading lights but on the Light that never fails. When “important” individuals go away we are sad, until we see that they are meant to go, so that only one thing is left for us to do— to look into the face of God for ourselves.

~Oswald Chambers

Summer Farewell!

Remember on Friday I wrote that I had a lot on my mind?

Well,the summation of all those thoughts comes to this:

I'm taking a Summer blog break!

Why?

First I have been convicted that my blog has been a source of pride in my life. Not that I am writing all kinds of hyped up half truths about my life to make me look good to all of you.

No.

My blog has not been about the struggles of life in a large family,at least not lately. It has been about finding the pieces of beauty in my crazy days. Of course,it's about my sewing projects a well.

The pride I am struggling with is wanting to shine my own light in the world,not Christ's. Does that make sense?

Sometimes I also wonder, if I didn't have a blog would I still exist? Dramatic, I know, but I wonder. Kind of like the age old question 'if a tree fell in a forest and nobody was there to hear it,would it stil make a sound?' Blogging has been a part of my life since the summer of 2007. I had another blog before this one.

So...

I am going to take a summer blog test.

I say I love blogging but is it the blogging I love or the attention from the blog that motivates me to blog?

The test is that I am going to open up a new blog that no one but myself and maybe Jeff can read for the summer. I will keep this blog here just the way it is so people can come back and poke around.

If I find I still love to blog at the end of August even when no one is around to read it I will transfer all my summer blog posts back to this blog and continue on. If that is not the case, I will just move on living a blogless life and I am sure I will be fine. Pretty good test,I think.

So this is my summer farewell!

I hope to see all of the this fall!

Warmly,

A Patchwork Mommy

Hello On A Friday

There is a lot on my mind that I want to share but the night is going way too fast so I will share another day

but I do have time for a few Friday pictures!!

Just about the perfect meal



Ahhh!!!!!

I am very behind on laundry!!

This here is about ten loads.I have another in the washer as I write and two more waiting to dry. (no,we did not fix our dryer yet)

On the up side, yes our laundry room usually is clean like this even with ton of laundry waiting to be washed except on top of the dryer. There is usually a pile of clothes there. I did not do any quick pre picture clean up. The secret...having our tiny small laundry room on the main floor for all to see.



Dear blog friend Tracy, this always makes me smile!




I closed my Etsy Dragonfrye Supplies shop and my Etsy Lily Quilts shops last week. I moved some things over to my My Little Dragonfrye Etsy shop but will probably close that one as well sometime this year. Why? Well,we sat down and took a real good look at how my shops were doing and the conclusion was we were actually losing money. I was selling things but the only way they would sell was to under price them. I truthfully kind of figured that for a long while but did not want to face up to it. I do still have items that I already have made that I am working on listing as well as some projects to work on still so I have some time yet.I am somewhat sad but I will get over it. I have been wanting to simplify my life more anyway.

SO...

this pile is most all of my fabric book panels, baby blanket panels,and fabric book panel/blanket pairs that I put together to list in my My Little Dragonfrye shop. I originally had planned to make them and then sell them at some point but I will try to sell them this way instead.





Warmly,

A Patchwork Mommy

AWANA Awards Night!

With another year of AWANA under their belts, the kids are ready for summer. All the same, it has been a fun year for them and they are sad the year went so fast.










Warmly,
A Patchwork Mommy

The Mission Started As Barretts

I was on a mission today to take pictures of the girls in their barrettes...



but then they were all so cute. Even the non barrette wearing kids



so I ditched the barrette photo theme



and changed my mission to Cute Kids themed photos

Quiz for my long time blog readers. Do you know which girl is Ekie and which is Odell?



What do you think? Any resemblance?




Warmly,
A Patchwork Mommy

Some Days I Feel

consumed with pride.

See, I have this desperate inner need to be noticed by important people and liked the best. I have this desperation to need control, to be the one who was right.

Doesn't that all sound so exhausting...

All of those needs I have are really the sin of pride.

Sometimes, I picture myself out there in the cold night building my own Tower of Babel...The Tower of Tina... If I build it all by myself then I can stand on the top for all to see how great I am. It is a silly mental picture but I think it is a pretty accurate picture.

Anyway,I have been struggling with those desperate thoughts this week.

Although I hate these inner struggles and am SO embarrassed that they show in my actions towards others (no hiding the yuck), I am glad that God cares enough about me to expose the sin in my life. I am SO thankful He forgives me, and very thankful he helps me grow more Christ like every day.

Here are three different passages from the Bible that have been turning around in my head this week.


Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.

Philippians 2:3

An argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest. Jesus, knowing their thoughts, took a little child and had him stand beside him. Then he said to them, "Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For he who is least among you all—he is the greatest."

Luke 9:46-48


Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him with her sons, and kneeling before him she asked him for something.And he said to her, "What do you want?" She said to him, "Say that these two sons of mine are to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left,in your kingdom." Jesus answered, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?" They said to him, "We are able." He said to them,"You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been(K) prepared by my Father.
"And when the ten heard it, they were indignant at the two brothers. But Jesus called them to him and said,"You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant,and whoever would be first among you must be your slave,even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

Matthew 20:20-28


Warmly,
A Patchwork Mommy

Little Hands and Boats

The end goal is to help little ones to develop their writing skills but there is something so heart warming about watching little hands gripping the pencil so hard and with much effort writing their name like this. Soon writing his name will take no thought at all...I am cherishing these days,they grow so fast...



I found this picture on my son's camera chip. It was a picture he took of dad at grandpa and grandma Frye's house in Illinois last month. I wonder who Jeff is talking to? I bet one of his old schoolmates.

See the quilt in the back ground? The kids and I made that what seems like so long ago for Grandpa Bob's birthday. Could it have been when we just had six children? Maybe Joel was born so that would have made it seven children. I forget. Anyway, I sewed it all together but the kids each looked through my fabric scraps and chose their boat colors. It looks like we wrote our names on our squares even. I forgot what a fun quilt it was. I think I remember the quilt book it came from. I should dig it out again.



Warmly,
A Patchwork Mommy

A Few Pictures That Warm My Heart

and remind me this season in life is fleeting

A cat nap with the cat



The beauty of coloring crayons



Shoes on the table



A spring time bouquet



As well as a few random pictures!

A peek at my newest sewing project



A double yolk. Ok,this is just a cool picture. I have seen double yolks before but never hard boiled.



And now a few random picture-less thoughts!

The beautiful sound of bare toddler feet running across the driveway.

Two five year olds running across the neighbors yard after a wild rabbit they want as a pet and hear, "I know Grace,maybe if we get a bucket..."

My heart swelling with thankfulness as I watch my many children running towards me after their fun at the park. I think that they all look so small and vulnerable against the largeness of the park. Isn't it just beautiful they are running towards security,towards a mom and dad who love them so much,and then we take their hands and lead them towards the Lord.

I then wonder how many more fatherless and motherless children we can fit in our home. Surely, Lord we can fit six or seven,maybe eight...please use us as you see fit but my deep heart's desire is that you fill our home overflowing with little ones whose hearts are broken,who will need someone to wipe their tears,to get down in the muck and sit with them until they are strong enough.Please Make us fit for the task.

And now, O Lord, for what do I wait?
My hope is in you.

Psalm 39:7
Warmly,
A Patchwork Mommy

Something That has Been On My Mind

Tina "Allow nothing to keep you from looking with strong determination into the face of God regarding yourself..." Oswald Chambers

This set of verses below has been going through my mind for some time now.

Lord, I will finally stop and look...

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Ephesians 4: 1-3

What is this saying to me?

Tina, Tina, please hear me and take what I am telling you to heart.

I, the Lord, urge you to be the mom and wife that is worthy of the calling I set before you.

You need to be humble in dealing with your family.

You need to be gentle in dealing with them.

You need to be patient with them.

You need to love them even when they are hard to love.

You need to seek out peace with them, not hold grudges, or unforgiving thoughts

Understand Tina, I humble you so that I may then lift you up for my love for you is great.


Lord, I understand. I hear.

Let us know; let us (me) press on to know the Lord;
his going forth is as sure as the dawn;
he will come to us (me) as the showers,
as the spring rains that water the earth."

Hosea 6:3

Warmly,
A Patchwork Mommy

Let The Sun Shine!

Today was a freeze-pop kind of day.

Lily (2) Naomi (7)



Warmly,
A Patchwork Mommy