Sneak peak ay my new project

I'm trying to paint a floor. We will see how it turns out. :)

Quilt - day 9

I cut fabric for four squares, but I only finished sewing one.

I was prepping the boys' room for painting the rest of the day (which is going to be a long process because of patching the walls- how do you do three or four coats of drywall mud on them when the boys are usually sleeping in there in the morning, nap time, and evening time - my three project times - even trickier is that Jared is a much better drywaller and he is only here in the evenings - but who wants to have wet drywall mud next to a little boy in his bed? There is no telling what will happen to that by morning time...). we've got to figure that out before we move forward with completing the patching the holes. I might paint their trim in the meantime.

Goal: 20

Finished: 11 (I threw out another square - one step forward, one step back - that should be the last one I take out - hopefully, just forward now).

2018 - book 55

Pages 409

I found this at the library's new book rack. I'm glad I read it. I have so much to say about it, but so little time. I liked it as much as Bringing Up Boys by James Dobson.  This is written from a secular perspective, but again, take out the meat and leave the bones.  The research is solid and great. It was an easy 409 pages to read.

Quilt - day 8

Today's squares.
I'm calculating about 45-60 minutes per square.

I've reorganized them again and I'm throwing out two squares. And one is questionable... I'm not loving it. But I'm keeping it because it might work. So two steps forward, two steps back today.

But I've also drawn up a sketch of the quilt and I don't need as many blocks as I originally thought because I'm adding boarders and some other things.

New goal for blocks: 20
Finished: 11 blocks and 2 boarders

Only 9 more blocks to go and I can start putting it all together!! The goal is to complete those by Wednesday or Thursday. But I'm not going to kill myself. Hopefully by Saturday or Sunday I'll have a quilt top.

I’ve had the live version of Psalms by Shane and Shane on for most of this quilt. It has been quite relaxing. Go find it on Spotify and listen.

2018 - Book 50

Pages 85

Five sermons by Dr. Maryin Lloyd-Jones about raising kids. I found this in the church library.  They were okay. Nothing groundbreaking.

Quilt - day 7

Goal: 35
Finished: 15

Quilt - day 6 update

I couldn't wait to update them. They are much better.

Quilt - day 6

Two easy blocks today.

I'm thinking the boarders are too big. I might chop off some and add a second boarder. But I'll wait until I have the rest finished.

Goal: 35
Finished: 13 blocks

Quilt - day 5

I've got to take some day pictures, but I usually only work at it at night after the kids are in bed. This goal of two a day isn't bad.

Two more squares finished.
I'm reworking my middle square. So no altogether pictures right now. Maybe I won't do anymore altogether pictures until it is closer to being finished...

Goal: 35 blocks
Finished: 9 - but I'm reworking the center so it is probably more like 6. Pfffffttt.

A look at my quilting mess

(I forgot to post this yesterday)

This is what the process looks like each time I make a quilt. It just becomes bigger and bigger as the quilt grows. Some people have a quilt wall to stick their squares to. I have a quilt floor. :)

Alright, enough stalling. Back to quilting.
Happy thanksgiving!

I have two pies in the oven and the house smells incredible.

Quilt - day 4

I’m starting to question the red and yellow.  Is this going to be a back and forth theme every other day? 

And here is everything. 

Goal: 35 blocks

Finished: 9ish. 

Quilt - day 3 (today things became interesting)

I can't do it.
I can't make a quilt that is just two colors.
I had to throw in some reds and yellows.
I just wasn't loving it.
I've discovered that quilting is like cooking for me.
I can't make something I don't like.

Now to figure out what I'm actually making...

Hello, Christmas table runner meets MR Ducks and country kitchen. Welcome to the quilting hodge podge. Are you a sidetrack or an actual part of the quilt? Who knows.

How will this end? Stay turned for another day.

Goal: 35 squares
Finished: 7ish
(Which makes me like 1/5th of the way there - whatever there is...)

2018 - book 54

Pages: 170

I LOVED this book.  I bought the whole commentary series for my birthday and just dug into them in November.  I have already nearly finished the second one too.  You will see that show up soon. 

The authors of the series point out Christ in the Old Testament, thus the title of the series... the writing style is super relate-able and easy to read and challenging.  It has been eye-opening, a good reminder, that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were big sinners that kept sinning, but that God choose them despite what they did.  I need the reminder that it is nothing that I do and it is all of grace. 

I look forward to the rest of the series.  

Quilt - day 2

(again, I took this picture at night)

MR Ducks meets country kitchen. It isn't any worse, but I wouldn't say better either.
Onward.

Goal: 35
Finished: 5

2018 - Book 49

Pages 198

Tied for BEST PARENTING BOOK AROUND!
Guys, you already know that I love Joel Beeke's Bringing the Gospel To Covenant Children.  I love that whole trilogy of parenting books that he wrote.
And I also love The Disciple Making Parent by Chap Bettis.  It has amazing questions to ask you kids as they get older.

This one rounds both of those out and reminds us that it is all about grace.  It is the ground works for the Chap Bettis book and the practical side to the Beeke book. 

It isn't about what we can do. We can never save our children. It is about how to preach the gospel to your children every day, how to show them that parents mess up and need grace too, how to show them that they can never be good enough in their own strength and they need a savior.  It is how to preach to both your rule-keeper kids and your rule-breaker kids.  I have both of those and I needed the reminder on how to not reward my rule-keeper and make him more of a hypocrite.  The book talks about the difference between raising moral kids and ones that love Jesus and His word.

It was amazing! And I highly recommend it. 

P.S. It happens to be my sister's birthday today! Happy birthday, secret pact sister. I am glad you are in town this year to celebrate!

Quilt - day 1

(I took these pictures at night... the green isn't that dark)

2 a day keeps the doctor away.
Or something like that.

My goal is to finish a quilt in a month.  I am missed quilting and sewing.

I've set a goal of two squares a day. These have a very MR ducks feel to them. Hmmmm. Let's keep going and see what happens.  It can only get better from here.

Goal: 35 blocks
Finished: 2

Fall is Here

Fall has finally arrived in all its crisp, cool days. The boys spend much of their days running around the yard, raking leaves, digging holes, riding their bikes, and building forts. Picnics outside are usually requested (and it beats cleaning up after the crumbs inside - I am happy to let the ants do the cleaning outside). 

This branch fell during the last storm and it has been many things already, a playground, a grocery counter, a fort, a tent. I love their imaginations.  

He's as jolly as ever and becoming such a boy.  He's my roughest, toughest tumbler yet. Watch out world. 

2018 - book 53

I liked some parts of this book.  I didn't like others.  Overall, it had some great ideas for homeschooling that I will use as the basic for some things that we do.

As I am learning with a bunch of books this year, take the meat and throw out the bones.

** Yes, this is book 53. I have already posted my 52 until the end of the year and don't feel like shifting them. So I am just going to start adding these in on Wednesdays.

2018 - Book 48

Pages 87

Short. Useful.

Dreaming of quilting again

Do you think I could make this quilt in a month?
I would have to give up reading...
And it needs to be bigger, so I will have to work on some adjustments...
hmmmm...

2018 - Book 47

Pages 106

My MIL gave me this book years ago and I picked it up as I was recently planning a camping trip for the family.  It has all sorts of great tips for camping with kids (from travelling to cooking and activities).  I used it to jump start my lists for planning and to gather some good ideas to keep the kids busy and happy.

Happy Camper Principle Number 1
Camping happily requires what you need to camp happily.

AKA You need to decide what makes your family happy and will keep them happy.

For example: I would be perfectly happy sleeping in a tent on the ground. My husband - not so much.  But we don't need a giant camping trailer or a lodge. Normally, we would borrow my parent's pop-up camper and be perfectly content.  But this was a short, spur-of-the moment trip and we just decided that it was be simpler to rent a mini cabin at the state park. It was $20 more a night, but we didn't have to drag a camper along and there was electric.

Happy Camper Principle Number 3
Everything should be fun ... so make it so.

I think she also mentions making sure everyone is fed.  I learned in my 6 hour car ride (by myself with the boys) this summer that food is SUPER important.  So are trips to get out and stretch our legs.