More of T's Treasure

Yikes! With holiday preparations, dog-sitting, and getting sick, I've not done much sewing the past month or so. But the past few days I have made some progress...very slowly! So here are the results of my efforts toward completing T's Treasure...

Sawtooth Stars

Spools

Sixteen Patch

Job's Tears

Crown

Squares On Point

There are still about half of the blocks to complete—one more each of the pink and blue-based blocks, plus all of the tan and brown-based blocks. So I'm not even half-way there yet! Sigh...

Progress in Pink

Today has been a relatively productive day, filled with laundry, some baking, a bit of cleaning, all rewarded with some time sewing while watching the Cowboys game (boo hoo at the end result, but they're still my team!).

I am still working on my T's Treasure quilt. Today I opted to tackle the 5 pink blocks that use what I am calling "Pink Base 1" as their common template, with varied inner "paws". I discovered two problems along the way: 1) I didn't have enough of one of the pieces cut, and 2) what I thought would work for one design didn't. So basically, I'll need to cut more fabric. But for now, the plan is to keep sewing the other blocks and fix these issues when all the others are sewn. The only issue with that plan is that one of the other blocks has a similar inner "paw" as the one that didn't work, so I'll just postpone working on it, too.

Here are the blocks that I managed to complete today:

Puss In The Corner


Squares On Point


Bow Ties


Four Patch

So that's all for now....I'll keep posting as I have time to sew. This "chunk" sewing concept is so not me...I am used to sitting down one day and sewing like a mad woman until I have a whole quilt top finished....for this project, I'm just taking it one color group at a time! Thanks for your patience!

You Can Always Learn Something New

I remember reviewing the course requirements and preparing to register for my first semester of classes at North Texas. My major was Fashion Merchandising, and foundation major requirement was a clothing construction class. I had taken 3 semesters (all that was available) of Home Economics—Clothing in high school, so I didn't see the need to take it again in college. My dad and I were talking about it, and he suggested that I take it anyway, as I "just might learn something." Even though I spent 4 years, a great deal of $$, and lots of time (really?) studying and earning that degree, probably the most important thing I learned was that no matter how much you think you might already know about something, there is always room to learn something new.

I made my first "specialty" cake when I was in high school, teaching myself from the Wilton yearbook and using their recipes for icings. Over the years, I decided I really didn't care for their recipes, so I went in search of other options. While in Utah, I found an icing mix that I really liked—it held up really well in warm weather and didn't have the overwhelming butter and sugar taste to it. Since moving to PA I have not been able to find that particular mix, even at the food service stores. In January 2006 the wheels were in motion to start my home bakery and as part of the preparations, I took the 3 cake decorating classes that Wilton offers at my local craft store. As part of the class, we were provided several icing recipes that work well for decorating, and I've relied heavily on one in particular since then. Today, I took a walk on the wild side—I made two "new" recipes of icing.

One of my favorite bakers has a recipe for a French buttercream icing using a sugar syrup over stiff egg whites, then adding creamed butter and finally, a liqueur or other flavoring. There is also what she calls a classic butercream icing again starting with a sugar syrup, but added to creamed egg yolks, and then adding the creamed butter and liqueur. After several years of drooling over the recipes, I finally tried them.

This coming Tuesday night our Women's Ministry is holding a Christmas dinner and program as an outreach to the friends and families of the women in the weekly Bible studies, and I am blessed to be preparing the food. For dessert, I was asked to provide cake—white, chocolate, and carrot cake. My carrot cake has a yummiliscious cream cheese icing, and I stuck with the recipe I have always used for that one. But I decided that the white and chocolate cakes needed something special, which led to my adventure in the kitchen. For the white cake icing, I added an amaretta liqueur for the flavoring, and for the chocolate, a chocolate liqueur (wow! I could drink the chocolate liqueur all by itself it's so yummy!). I think both of the icings are going to be a real treat and wonderful toppings for the cakes!

So yet again, we are never too old to learn something new! I am so thankful for my dad's words of wisdom so very long ago!

Fiber Therapy

Contrary to what the title of this post may imply, this post is not about the use of Metamucil, Fiber Con, or other dietary fiber additives...it's about the fibers that are woven, knit, or spun, just waiting to be fashioned into some wonderful, unique, creation.

If you are reading this, then you likely know me well enough to know that there are two creative outlets that are therapeutic to me—cooking and "crafting" (we'll use that word here to encompass sewing, quilting, crocheting, cross stitching, and any other form of fiber art that I missed).

I love fabric. I love fibers in general. One of my favorite projects to do in college was for a textiles class. We had to gather a variety of different fabrics—wool, nylon, silk, cotton, etc.—and cut exact sample sizes of each. They were then laundered and we compared the samples and their reactions to the laundry process. I found it very interesting to see how each fabric's properties resulted in various reactions to water—shrinkage, wrinkles, fading, fraying, etc. But probably even more fun was the different textures represented by the different fibers, and the different textures that can be achieved by the various methods used to create with each fiber. Men's sweaters are some of the most fabulous creations ever! I have been known to stop men that I know who are wearing a "cool" sweater and ask if I can just "touch" the fabric—as I drool internally over the marvelous texture. I love the different "chunky" weaves that can be achieved with the knitting process. But I don't knit. Perhaps that will change one day, but for now, I'm not sure I'd remember how to "knit" or "purl" or even cast on the beginning stitches.

My apologies, I got off on a tangent. This summer I was blessed with the ability to visit some old and dear friends in eastern Pennsylvania. We spent time in the Amish country and shopped in some Amish quilt fabric shops—HEAVENLY! My goal was to find fabric for a quilt for my friend's recently married daughter (who I hope is not reading this!). We were successful in finding something we thought she'd like, and in the process, purchased fabric to make my friend a quilt, too. Another of my friends has a daughter getting married this coming spring, so I've found a pattern and fabric for a quilt for her, too. Count that—fabric for three (2 king/1 queen size) quilts.

This past week I had the pleasure of dog sitting two of my favorite canine friends—Amelia and Murphy—two beautiful Labradoodles (sorry folks, forgot to capture the Kodak moments while I was there). My goal for the week was to cut out all three of the above mentioned quilts. And make some serious progress on several Bible studies I'm working on (over achiever, I know!). Add into the mix a last-minute opportunity to serve one of our church ministries with a "thank you" dinner for their group on Tuesday, as well as a couple of opportunities to provide meals for families, and my week was full! It was not until Friday that I actually started taking fabric out of boxes and using my rotary cutter so much that the blade dulled beyond further use! (I'm not even sure it can be resharpened at this point....)

Friday and Saturday were quite productive, as I got one of the quilts completely cut out. Whooo hoooo!!!! And Sunday I spent part of the day sewing (I was torn between my desire to sew, the need to clean, and the craving for homebaked goodies—pumpkin bread or gingerbread or ... something fattening and yummy!). So a little cleaning (not too much, mind you!) and then I rewarded myself with some sewing...sans goodies. And VOILA! I was able to get 16 of the 8" setting blocks sewn—12 of the first block and 4 of the second. The first block will actually have a triangle piece sewn on each of the two "lower" sides to complete the setting, and the second blocks will be on the four outer corners of the quilt.

I'm calling this quilt the T's Treasure....it has 14 different fabrics...a mix of reproduction fabrics and contemporary in various shades of brown, tan, blue, and pink. There are 25—14" blocks using a basic bear paw pattern, with various "palms" on each block, using a "base block" of either blue, pink, tan, or brown. What a joy it is to experience the different feels of the fabrics, and watch how they yield to being stitched together and pressed into shape. Some are soft and have little "body" to them, while others have a bit more sizing added and offer a bit of "backbone" to the blocks. As I finish blocks, I'll try to be diligent about posting photos, as well as a photo of the finished projects.

Speaking of finished projects—and diligently posting—it has been a couple of months since I posted anything about other projects that were in the works, which have since been completed, and I thank you for your patience! The following photos are what I believe are the last of my trip to Dallas, as well as photos of other "finished" pieces from this year.

Our Women's Ministry Director at church recently temporarily moved to the UK with her husband for his job. How sad I was to hear that she would be leaving, as she's such a sweet spirited woman who truly loves the Lord! She had been in the process of revamping the ministry into what now is called "Together Ministry to Women" using butterflies and hearts as part of the logo. And Jackie loves tea! So what better "going across the Pond" gift to give her than a quilted table topper for tea parties???? I found a pattern online at the JoAnn's site using their Afternoon Tea collection of fabrics that was introduced this spring (I posted a photo of the original pattern in an earlier post). The pattern was very poorly written, and was for a rectangle shaped piece rather than a square as I wanted, so I ended up reworking the pattern to suit my needs. When I went to purchase the fabric, I was surprised to find that of the 15 fabrics required by the pattern, they only had about 5 or 6 in stock at that particular store. So I ended up adding complementary fabrics from other lines to come up with the quilt below, which I call Together for Tea. Kay Ihnat is a local long-arm quilter and did a most beautiful job quilting it for me. She incorporated butterflies and hearts into the block quilting, and wrote "Together" in one of the borders. Hopefully each time Jackie uses it, she will think of all of her friends here in the 'Burgh and remember just how special she is to us!

Together for Tea

Since I had to guess on yardages when purchasing the fabric for this quilt, I had quite a bit left over...so again, I decided to be creative! While shopping at a quilt shop in Beaver County, PA, I had seen a double wedding ring piece that I loved. I don't recall if it was a table runner or a table topper, but it was simply divine! Unfortunately, the shop did not have patterns/books for any of the 5 or 6 items in their store windows that I wanted to make. With a bit of research, and help from quilting friends, I found the pattern in Eleanor Burns' Egg Money Quilts book. I took the leftover fabric from Jackie's quilt and made a table runner for my friend, Michele, who turned 40 in October. I believe I posted a picture of what it was to look like some time ago, but here are photos of the finished piece. While I like the look of a "squared off" table runner, I really was hoping that my bold move to echo the outlines of the rings would work—and it did—beautifully! I liked this piece so well that I have one in the works for myself...and I'm thinking I might actually try my hand at hand quilting it...completely. Michele's was machine quilted on my Janome Gem.

Michele's Table Runner

I had this wonderful idea of adding a tea set to the gift, but did not want to go through the hassle and expense of purchasing it here and then hauling or shipping it to Dallas. So my first stop once I got to town was a TJ Maxx, primarily because I had purchased a quilt at one of the stores here a few months prior, and then later found one lonely pillow sham that matched—none of the stores in western PA had another one! So I was on a mission to find one—and I did! As well as the items below that were added to Michele's birthday present. All but the table runner was placed in the oh-so-cool-and-"matching" box, and the table runner was in a bag that, believe it or not, closely resembled the box!

Set for tea


Michele and her helpers opening her present (Heather [in pink] was delighted with her mom's gift! She had tea with mom the very next day!)

One of the first quilting books I ever saw was Eleanor Burns' Log Cabin-Make A Quilt In A Day—her first quilt book; the original GBC comb-bound version. This was back in the 80's when rotary cutters were pretty new on the sewing scene, and the concepts she presented in her book were mind boggling to this college girl who'd been sewing for more than half her life. My first (and only at this time) quilt had been cut out using scissors! "I can do this!" I remember thinking over and over as I contemplated creating one of these "quilts in a day". Yet I never ventured out to try her method. Finally, this year I made my first (and second) log cabin quilts. What a joy to create! And, yes, they were quick to make! Of course, for me, patterns are like recipes—just a general guide of "how to" make something; almost always I take the basics of the "guide" and make it "my way." One of the two log cabin quilts was made for my friend from church, who also does my hair (I'm sure she cringes each time with the knowledge that I am perhaps her client who spends the least amount of time and energy on their hair!). Wendy and I met at the New Members class at church. She and her hubby had their young son with them—I think he was only a few months old at the time. I've had the honor of making Jeremy's first two birthday cakes, and this summer, they welcomed little Nicholas into their family. So early in the year I quizzed her about the kids' rooms and what the decor would be like as she tried to tame my mane with a mind of its own. Jeremy would be moving into a big boy room decorated with red, white, and blue; the baby would be in Jeremy's old room using baby blue. Another friend had been raving about this simply delightful quilt pattern, Slash Your Stash, that was quick and easy to make, and with the slashing of the blocks and rearranging of the pieces results in a unique and clever use of fabrics. I chose to make the log cabin quilts out of red, white, and blue fabrics, while using pastel blues with a touch of green and yellow and white for the Slash Your Stash quilt. Below are the two finished quilts that I was able to give Wendy on her first day back at work after little Nicholas was born. She loved them, and was amazed that they were the right colors for the boys (she'd forgotten the "innocent" inquiries I'd made earlier in the year!).

Nicholas' Slash Your Stash—This is just a few blocks showing the deatil of the pattern and the machine quilting, done on my Janome Jem.

Jeremy's Log Cabin quilt set in a pinwheel pattern.

The last of my little show-and-tell for this post is a small wallhanging I did for my friends in eastern PA. When I decided I was going to take a trip out that way, they were gracious and offered to let me stay in their guest "suite", which allowed me to buy more fabric and other goodies while I was there. I had not seen them in about 9 years, and really wanted to take them something special. I wanted to do something small, perhaps a sampler, and started searching out patterns. What I ended up doing was creating my own pattern, using traditional blocks and an Americana theme. As the piece came together, one of the blocks I used became a "Texas flag" block. Others have special meaning to them, too. I was trying to create something that symbolized our friendship, faith, the love they share with each other and others, and the place where we met—Texas. I think it turned out beautiful, even with the one "big" oops that I noticed after all the blocks were sewn together (I'm not telling!). Just like me, it's not perfect, but it's full of love and good memories! (By the way...I also took along a white chocolate raspberry cheesecake and a case of SPAM, just in case the wallhanging wasn't a hit...but it all was!)

Celebrating Friendship, Faith, and Love!

Amendment to "I Love my Saturn"

Last night when I wrote the original post, I neglected to tell you that, upon arrival at Costco, I realized that the key fob on the rental car key did not work—at all! It is broken, as in it looks like someone smashed the fob in a door or something. Which meant that I had to use the key to unlock the door and the trunk. When I returned to the car after my Garden Ridge experience, I went to load my purchases via the passenger door...which does NOT have a key hole on it! Imagine that! How spoiled am I to my remote control locks????

Another oversight in last night's post deals with the issue of time. As I exited Garden Ridge, I intentionally looked at their "hours of operation" sign and noted that they were open until 9:00...."Gee," I thought, "no wonder it seemed as though the cashiers were anxious for us to all get checked out, it must be time for them to close." And I looked at my watch and it claimed that it was only 8:20. Not trusting my watch, I looked at my cell phone, which we know is "always" right! And it, too, said 8:20. The clock in the car was obviously never changed.

Fast forward to this morning....Upon waking, I discover that my head is still throbbing and the kink in my back is worse...and inflamed. I get my stuff together and head out the door for work, grabbing the car keys as I leave. I do my daily run through McD's and am 5 minutes from work when I realized MY keys (house, car, work) were at home! Inside the locked house. With no "spare" key anywhere outside the house, as the one the neighbor had mysteriously was given to the landlord who, on at least 2 occasions, entered the premises without prior notice or even knocking, which led to the locks being changed. Thanks to a friend I was able to find a locksmith to come open the door and let me in. Needless to say, this "free" recall service trip has been costly—not only do I have the cost of the locksmith (yes, my own stupid fault for being a creature of habit), but I am certain that a trip or two to the chiropractor will be in my near future.

Just a few minutes ago the wonderful guy at Saturn called to let me know that Aerie is ready to come home. I am so thankful! God has provided way beyond my needs, again!

Please note that this rant was not intended to flaunt the few luxuries that I have been blessed with, but to demonstrate just how spoiled we can become to them. In this very difficult economic time for our nation, we are still a very blessed people. And honestly, we don't deserve the blessings that God has bestowed upon us.

I love my Saturn, or I'm Spoiled and I Know It!

Aerie Zephaniah
DOB 10-24-07

In the summer of 1983 I learned to drive on a 1979 Buick station wagon, my mom's primary mode of transportation. A couple of weeks prior to school starting, I was given the keys to "Granny Dart" (Mom's 1963 Dodge Dart) and told that she would be my wheels to get to school and work and back. Mom bought Granny Dart in 1964 for $400. She had a manual transmission—the old three on the tree—the heater was slow to warm up, and the radio worked only when it wanted to. You wouldn't think that driving Granny Dart would be an issue for me, as I'd been shifting gears for Dad as he drove for years! I could "hear" and "feel" the point at which the gear needed to switch, and I'd become a passenger seat expert on shifting.

But sitting in the driver's seat and having to coordinate the clutch and shifting and brakes and gas was nearly more than I could manage. There was a railroad crossing about a half a mile from my house, which was on top of a "hill", and the only way to get to Butler Stadium, the place Dad chose for me to learn to drive Granny Dart. The problem—I had to drive her there. Ok, so we putzed and stalled and ground gears and finally got to the railroad crossing. OH NO! HOW do you get the car to move forward from a start at the base of the hill when you have no clue how the synchronization between the clutch and gas (to say nothing of removing the foot from the brake and getting it ON the clutch in a timely manner)? We sat at that crossing for what seemed to be eternity. I was in tears when Dad finally switched places with me and got us to Butler (did I mention all the cars behind us who were less than patient with my incompetence?). Another lesson was given at another time by Mom. That was not productive, either! One of my good friends drove a Chevy Chevette with a 5-speed manual transmission. Aimee to the rescue! I don't recall how many times we went out together, but Aimee patiently helped me learn how to master the ballet that must be danced between the clutch, brakes, and gas.

When I graduated from high school I got a red Mustang that had previously been owned by a kid from Highland Park—a ritzy part of Dallas. Later I learned that there had been a "fire under the hood"—apparently this young man was a bit of a hot rod. After rear-ending a woman in a full-size car my junior year in college, the Mustang was sold (you should'a seen that car "frown" from the low-speed accident!) and Dad's 1981 Buick Park Avenue was mine to drive.

April 11, 1997 Bessie, my first Saturn, joined our family. Bessie is a beautiful gold 1997 Saturn SL1, four-door sedan, with 5-speed manual transmission. Shortly after we got her, Ryan and I made one of our annual trips to the Texas Hill Country to see the bluebonnets. Ry was properly seating in "his" seat in the back, and somehow we managed to get his hand stuck in the door or the window—I know he could straighten me out on the details, because it hasn't been that long since he brought it up! In March 1998 Bessie took Ryan and Charlie (our dog) and I from Houston to Dallas to Santa Fe to Denver to Cheyenne to Farmington, Utah. She was patient with her driver/owner as we travelled through the mountains between Santa Fe and Denver (going 35 MPH and hoping and praying that we'd make it to straight level roads safely—and SOON). Fortunately, Ryan and Charlie were asleep in the backseat during that ordeal. Did I mention that I'd never driven in the mountains before?

Bessie has been really good to me. She's had very few mechanical issues, with the most critical being the need to have the whole under the hood rewired the first spring I lived in PA. Bessie kept coughing and sputtering and trying not to start. When she was examined, it was discovered that "something" (either a chipmunk or groundhog) had chewed through all of the wires! So that was not really her "fault".

September 24, 2007 Aerie Zephaniah, a sleek silver 2008 Saturn Outlook became part of the family, at least for two years. Aerie is one hot dude! He's my main man! He has brains AND brawn! And yes, he spoils me! Aerie is equipped with a butt warmer, XM radio and GPS system, and a wonderful sunroof that keeps me singing (when others are not around, I PROMISE!). In addition, Aerie has LOTS of room! Not only for hauling stuff (and people) but for the humans that sit up front. There is a lot of leg room...everywhere! Recently, Aerie hauled food to feed 320 people, and will soon be doing so again.

I recently received two recall notices for my beloved Aerie. The first has to do with the windshield wiper assembly for Outlooks in very cold climates—climates prone to snow and ice. The second for potential leakage in the sunroof. So I called the dealership to make an appointment to have the service performed. Today was the day to take Aerie in for his procedures. The gentleman who scheduled my service offered to take care of a rental car for me. When I dropped Aerie off, he told me that they usually try to provide a car "comparable" to the one you are leaving.

The agent from the rental car agency finally arrived after dealing with rush hour traffic. She took down all of my information and we went outside to inspect the car. Ok, remember that Aerie is an SUV? Well, the rental is a red Pontiac G5. When I was in Dallas in September I had a G6, which wasn't bad, so I thought we'd be ok. But we're not. And that's the purpose of this post....to compare my beloved Aerie and his fine qualities with this itty bitty rental that I'll be driving for 24-48 hours. Let me preface my rant with the statement that this rental car company (which I will not name) is the one I've used the last several times I've had to rent a car, with great satisfaction. Um, today, I'm not satisfied.

As I started to get into the car, I wanted to put my computer bag in the trunk, so I tried to open it with the key fob. Nope, didn't open. Had to use the key. The agent informed me that sometimes the key fobs don't work on the trunk. Ok, whatever. I am 5'9" tall....so it is necessary to have the seats moved way back in order to get in and drive. The passenger seat was all the way forward, making the driver seat look like it was back all the way...but still not much room. After folding my body into an accordion and still getting my legs jammed under the steering wheel, hitting my head on the frame, and wrenching my back as I twisted my body, I finally was in the car...it took me a while to get the seat belt working and buckled, and adjusting the mirrors was its own challenge....along with the interior lights, and I bumped my head again on the rear view mirror as I moved the passenger seat back. To top it off, the car reeks of air freshener...some fruity or floral something that made me want to gag. As I drove the short distance to my local Costco warehouse, my very discerning nose sifted through the air freshener and started to smell the reason for said gag provoking odor—a disgustingly heavy smell of smoke permeated the whole interior. My rental car is something like a sardine can turned ashtray.

You know how nice it is to have music playing while you're navigating traffic? Well, one down side to the Burgh is it's lack of "good" radio stations. I admit, I'm a bit particular about what I listen to. We have one Christian radio station—it is full of talk shows during the week, with infomercials on Saturday morning, and finally, after noon on Saturday, you have a few hours to listen to contemporary Christian music. As for the "smooth jazz" I enjoy...nope, nothing close to that here in the Burgh. I've spoiled myself with my XM radio the past year....I don't have to listen to advertisements or people talking (until they recently merged with Sirius and now there is some sort of DJ type guy on there getting on my nerves....thank heavens for CD players!)

Into Costco I go....love to shop, especially at Costco or Sam's....I ALWAYS come out with more than what is on my list, and tonight, I was unable to find one of the things that was on the list. After I checked out, I realized that my frustration over not finding the one item I was looking for distracted my brain and caused me to forget to look for the last item on my list. So I left my purchases at the register and went back to find the other item. Even though they had it online, they did not have that particular item in the store....so I opted for Plan B...two of them. And on the way back to the register, I happened upon a couple of other items that I simply must have, so arms overflowing, I checked out again.

Fortunately there is a GFS (Gordon Food Service) on the other side of the parking lot. They carried the item I was looking for—shrimp egg rolls. When I got to the section of the freezer where they should be, the slot was empty. There were pork egg rolls and chicken egg rolls and vegetarian egg rolls, but no shrimp egg rolls in their allotted space. As I started to leave the store, I opted to stop at the customer service desk and ask if they had any in the back. Back to the back of the store we go, where I waited about 5 minutes for the young man to go find some. My head is throbbing from the beatings it's taken and my lower back is starting to scream, "I'm twisted!". Mission accomplished—I have the egg rolls in hand and move on to the check out, where the one cashier is stuck with a couple of slow pokes in front of me. I finally make it to the sardine can/ashtray and decide that I really should eat dinner. The clock in the car told me that it was nearly 8:00 p.m.....where did the evening go?

I make a beeline to the Chick-fil-A that adjoins the Costco parking lot. My evening is starting to look up. Chick-fil-A is one of my favorite restaurants, without even considering the fact that they are a Christian-owned company, they play Christian music in their restaurants, and they are closed on Sundays in honor of the Lord's day. You know how you say "thank you" to the folks at the drive through window who hand you your food? I just love how the team members reply with "my pleasure" EACH and EVERY time! I realize that this is part of their training, but they always have been polite and at least appeared sincere. I really appreciate that!

By 8:05 sardine can/ashtray time, I am sitting in the parking lot of the new Garden Ridge that opened nearby a couple of months ago eating my sandwich and fries. During my last few years living in Houston, one of my favorite stores was Garden Ridge. I could find nearly anything I wanted related to arts and crafts and home decor there, at a wonderful price. And during the holidays, they were always chock full of Christmas decorations and make-it-yourself supplies for wreaths and floral arrangements and other crafty items. So this little girl's mood is changing for the better! My goal—to find containers for Christmas gifts.

I was a bit surprised when I walked in the door to see a large portion of the store outfitted with Christmas items, but also many of the shelves were empty. Ok, so they just opened, they're still in the process of stocking the store. I wandered around hoping to find what I was looking for at a reasonable price. I wasn't sure exactly what I was looking for...I had some general ideas...nor did I have any idea what the price would be, but I did have a "dream price" in mind. I wandered through the maze of merchandise until I finally happened on the area where the possible solutions were located. Oh my, they were more than what I'd hoped to pay for them. I wandered some more until I found some other items, which were 50% off. But they didn't really work for what I wanted, so I wandered around some more, eventually back to the first section of possible items....and lo and behold, there is a sale sign advertising these items for 50% off, too! Whooo hooo! I hit pay dirt! I was able to get all of the items I needed and not have to give up body parts in order to exit the store! And then I remembered that I was going to look for that "other" item went back for at Costco and couldn't find....so back around the huge store I go....thinking it's got to be nearing 9:00 and I am still 45 minutes away from home....I saw a young man who worked there and asked him where it would be. He said he didn't know, but go ask "that" lady (as he pointed her out)—she would know, as she is the main manager. How delightful she was, and helpful, too! In the 10 years since I regularly shopped at Garden Ridge, they have changed their merchandising to exclude the arts and crafts items that they used to carry and now carry primarily home decor and furnishings. Oh yeah! LOVE those kitchen items.....drool, drool, drool! So I'm sad that they no longer carry some of the items that I would love to be able to get there, but I'm still stoked that Garden Ridge has made its way to Pittsburgh!

As I drove home, the ashtray smell became nearly unbearable....it was getting difficult to breathe. So I cracked both windows in order to air it out a bit....it was 29˚ outside...which led to an increased circulation of the air freshener, nearly triggering the gag reflex.

Back to my original statement and the rant that followed. My beloved Aerie, I hope you have a nice warm evening at the Saturn dealership tonight, and that they take really good care of you tomorrow as they fix the "defects" you were "born" with....and I can't wait to have you back home with me! I miss your spacious interior, the ease in which I climb into your comfy seat, the ability to warm my backside during cold weather—and to be able to auto-start you on cold mornings. I'm looking forward to being able to shop without fear of having enough room to haul my purchases home, and the ability to listen to the beautiful sounds you emit through your sound system. I love the fact that you have a "clean" smelling interior, and that when you elect to have an air freshener to combat the food smells that you sometimes get from the stuff you haul, you have a very chic taste in scents. I hope that we will be reunited again tomorrow, and I promise not to take you for granted!

Prayer and Worship

Years ago I was blessed with wisdom shared by a young girl, now a beautiful, godly young woman. She shared that "God always answers prayer—either yes, no, or not now." I believe she was 8 or 10 years old at that time—what wisdom for one so young! Many times I've had to remind myself of her well-spoken truth, and many times, I've had to accept His "no's" along with His "not now's".

Lately, I've been waiting through a long period of "not now" in relation to some of life's most troublesome issues. Issues that I would never wish upon another person, but unfortunately, many share in similar troublesome issues.

In September, Provident Films (creators of Facing the Giants and Flywheel) released their latest film, Fireproof. My enjoyment of their previous films, as well as my belief that marriage is sacred and should have the time and energy put into it that is required to be successful led me to see the movie the day it was released. I was so blessed by the music, as well as the music that was featured in the film.

Please pardon a tangent, but I grew up a devoted Country music fan. You might say I was "country when country was uncool." I spent my high school and college days listening to country and classic rock, which merged with light rock and smooth jazz in the early 90's. In the mid 90's I was introduced to KSBJ, a listener-supported station in Houston, Texas. My limited exposure to Contemporary Christian music (Amy Grant and the Imperials) grew into a passion for the genre. When I moved to Utah, I was "lost" musically, until I found K-LOVE, another listener-supported station out of Sacramento, CA, with translators in the Salt Lake City, and then Cache Valley, areas, as well as across the country. During the course of listening to those two stations, I became a huge fan of artists such as the late Rich Mullins, Twila Paris, Caedmon's Call, DC Talk, the Newsboys, and the list goes on and on! I first heard of Mercy Me during the last weeks of my father's life, completely relating to I Can Only Imagine, as I imagined my father's soon passing. So many of the songs within the genre today have such deep healing messages.

And that's what led to this post. As I mentioned, I was moved by the music in Fireproof, much of it I was already familiar with, and I even thought of one song that should have been included in the film, but was not. However, I was also introduced to a new song, by a new artist, which led to my purchase of his first CD. This artist is John Waller, and his CD is The Blessing. Amazingly, when I first listened to the CD, I realized that I was familiar with some of the songs. The song that was featured in Fireproof, and the one that speaks the loudest to me during this "not now" time of my life is While I'm Waiting.

Here are the lyrics to this song:

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am hopeful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it is painful
But patiently, I will wait

I will move ahead, bold and confident
Takeing every step in obedience
While I'm waiting
I will serve You
While I'm waiting
I will worship
While I'm waiting
I will not faint
I'll be running the race
Even while I wait

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am peaceful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it's not easy
But faithfully, I will wait
Yes, I will wait
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve you while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting on You, Lord

While I absolutely love this song, I have to say that the entire CD is filled with the most wonderful praise and worship songs I've heard in a long time! Maybe it's where I am in life right now that draws me so to this artist's music, but I truly believe that this man has been given words of truth and a talent to present them in a way that is healing for so many. So my thanks to the Lord for gifting this man, and to John Waller for being willing to be a vessel for His light!

By the way, the young lady I mentioned at the beginning of this post, well, she's all grown up now. A beautiful young woman married to a fine young man. And the two of them are very visibly doing marriage God's way. What a beautiful reflection of His love when I see the two of them!