Monday, May 26, 2008

Scraps & Denim To the Rescue Again!
















These last few days have been very rough on me since I got back home from my beach vacation with my 3 daughters and some of their family members. Daily I go look at the beach display that I made from the sand and shells that I got from the beach. It reminds me of the great feeling I had when I was with them. I miss them so much! I believe that a mothers heart is always with her children, no matter how old they get or how far away they live. You just don't feel normal until you are with them. It is so lonely and quiet here at home with just my husband and I.
It was also such a joy to spend a lot of time with my precious 16 month old grandson too and watch him enjoy all the new adventures of the beach and all. He is growing up fast and I want to seize every moment with him. I have grown grandsons also, and those younger years with them just went by too fast.
After a few days of feeling low and struggling trying to get back to a regular routine of life, I decided to get back into my sewing room today. The temperature has been around 100 degrees and so hot outside! Other than my prayer garden, my sewing room is another place of quiet for me and a time to talk to God while I sew. For a change, this time I decided to make something for myself. I needed a curtain for my sewing room entrance door, so I decided to create one with denim and scraps of course to match my website! (This is what I always tried to do all my life. If I needed something, instead of going to town to buy, I tried to create it! This day and time that is the wisest thing to do anyway).
It took me nearly all day to create what I wanted with all the embroidery on the denim pockets, but I think it is kind of cute. Since the material was reversable, on the other side I made a valance with 2 rose embroideried pockets on it. So, now it is a double curtain!!! It is functional and cute from both sides. It is nothing fancy but does serve the purpose and it is just my style! (Denim, Roses, and Lace). It goes also with my denim sewing room. I even embroideried the name Shabby Denim Rose on 2 pockets on the curtain.
So my sewing machine and denim brought me joy again, and God and I had a long talk today! Again I say, there is always beauty and joy in scraps in life!
Now that project is over, I hope to get to embroidery some roses etc on some of my old denim shirts soon, then it will look like I went shopping again!!!









Friday, May 23, 2008

Beach Fun!














































Family Time



Today I think back over the years that went by so fast, and I praise God for all the blessings that He gave me in my 3 precious girls and now my precious son-in-laws and grandchildren. I was blessed with the greatest husband any woman could ask for, so I have been double blessed in life.



Our family is our best friends and we miss them terribly when they are not around. They have blessed us even now with this wonderful vacation to a beautiful beach.
I think over the years when our girls were little and about how we did not get to do much for them materially like we really wanted to. We didn't even take much of a vacation at all, but one thing we did was invest our time into them and tried to make what we did have seem like much and lots of fun . But most of all we directed them toward heaven through Jesus and to walk with God.
I read once that the greatest gift God can give you is your children, and the greatest responsibilty He puts in your hands is the care of their souls. When you are old then nothing else that you have ever done on this earth matters.
That is so true! The older I get the more I even realize it.
I have been a Assistant Bookkeeper at a Hospital, A Care minister at a church, a supervisior in a Christian School, and a friend and prayer warrior praying for everyones families. But the greatest position in my life was being a housewife and a mother and a grandmother, trying to instill the Word of God in them, and the things that really matter in life. I would not have traded the highest pay job in the world for it. It was trying at times, but it was worth it!

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Snow or Sands?!!
















This week, my husband and I were so blessed to have visited my family at a beautiful beach. I have never seen sand so white that it looked like snow and had the most wonderful feel to it. I was used to living near the coast all my life but never liked the beach at all until this week. This is a different beach. Watching my grandson play in the huge sandbox was a joy to me. Again the beauty of God's creations just amazes me. I enjoyed so much being with my 3 daughters, one son-in-law, and 2 granddaughters who just grew up too quickly. Sometimes I wish that I had of taken more time to smell those roses when they were in my hand.





Hope you are having a great week as you look around and see the Beauty of the Lord.

Thursday, May 15, 2008

The small treasures of Life!




This morning as I sat outside watching the birds and enjoying my morning cup of coffee, I started thinking about lifes treasures and what stirs us! Some get excited over the great things that come their way, others over the small things. How many times have you picked up a penny or nickle on the ground and got excited and felt blessed, while others passed it by thinking "that is not worth anything this day ". It is nice they leave it there for those who really appreciate those things. I have found in life, when you appreciate the small things, God just keeps enlarging your territory! I have been blessed in life with the small things and I am thankful.
I wrote in my journal while sitting outside about my love for the denim scraps that I use to make my quilts. I enjoy doing those so much and just can hardly wait to start another one. Here lately with the rush of getting things done for Spring and Summer and getting ready for vacation, I had to set the scraps aside. It grieved me some to put away my sewing machine for awhile.
I want so much to make all my grandchildren a denim quilt before I die. I have 3 more left to do and seems like time is running out. I pray for strength and scraps everyday to be able to complete those plans.
I made a queen size denim quilt for a friend for a wedding gift once and wrote this note with it:
"Congratulations on your Wedding.
May God Bless you in this new journey in life
as you serve the Lord together.
Here is a special gift that I made you with lots of love.
It is a Love Quilt.
As you look at this scrap denim quilt let it always remind you that at times in the future life might throw you lots of scraps. Do not see it as waste, just thank God, make the best of it, and make a quilt with those scraps in life. That way you have gained a valuable possession. There is good in everything that comes your way.
Let it also remind you that in life you most likely will find flaws, and irregularities, but remember that everything can always be patched and mended by the Word and God.
Do not ever forget that Love never fails and it covers a multitude of things!"

Most people don't get excited over denim like I do. But there is just something about it that I love. Maybe it is because I never got to wear it as a child. I really don't know. Most people, woman or man have some type of denim items, but probably none have as many items of denim in their home as I do. I really don't know why I am so stirred. But I did discover that it makes the warmest quilts in the winter that I have. I love using mine all winter on my bed. Denim quilts also remind me of some things of life as I wrote in the note above. I think we need things in our life to help us remember to appreciate the small things in life and how pretty the scraps can become when it is put in the hands of the creator.

Hope you have a blessed day as you look around and appreciate the small treasures of life!




Tuesday, May 6, 2008

What A Blessing I got Today!!!


No I did not sell anything on my website!

I got up this morning and read my email and was so blessed!!! I recieved 2 emails from 2 soldiers from a whole platoon in Iraq that I had written and baked cookies for. I have never met them, but just know they need our encouragement.

One of the soldiers emailed to thank me and asked me if I could make and send to his wife a baby quilt. He is sad and so is she that he will not be home from Iraq for his son's birth soon. He wanted to do something special. Oh what a joy to give something back to someone who has sacrificed so much for our freedom! I am so thankful that I was chosen to do this to bless that precious family.

My desire for my website http://www.shabbydenimrose.com/ was to make money to help support our troops anyway. So maybe God is just going to let me bless them with my handmade items. His ways are above our ways!
I hope your day was as blessed as mine!