Knowing you are in God's will

The post before this one, I talked about my upcoming trip to Africa.  Actually, I will probably be talking about it a lot as time goes by.
So, how do I know I am in God's will?
Let me tell you!
On Sunday, our family held their First Annual Semi Annual baby shower.  We have a huge family and babies are coming faster than we can throw baby showers together. So we just took last Sunday to honor 6 new babies.  Three are here and three are yet to be born.  We had a great time, enjoying babies, each other, the food and the sun.  I did not take any pictures though. Guess I was having to much fun. But, before I left home, I felt the need to load up my dresses and my knits and to take them with me.  I fought back and forth with myself over it and finally came to the conclusion that I was being directed to take them, that I needed to be obedient. After all of the mommies opened their gifts and we were relaxing and chatting, I brought out my dresses and knits.
I explained to my family about the Dress a Girl project and how I was looking for sponsors for all 1000 dresses I plan to take with me to Tanzania.  I had 12 dresses with me and every one of them was sponsored. I also sold one of my hats to a young woman that came as a guest of my sister. I left the party with $200.00 in my pocket and a song in my heart!!
Through out the week, I have gotten pledges of more money and received a check in the mail for $100.00. I also got an e-mail from a classmate from high school who currently lives in Florida.  She said she has been feeling a burden for the little boys and instead of buying and sending me clothes she planned to send me a check. I truly feel God has directed this project and am trusting that it will go all the way. To Him is all the Praise and Glory!

 These pictures were taken at the refugee camps I visited four years ago.

 The kids followed me around asking me to take pictures of them.

 Those who have survived are now four years older, but still in desperate need.

 I have to do all I can to help them. I pray you will want to join me in my efforts.

Not a Wordless post, but Very Important to Me............Africa trip and Dress a Girl around the World

Dress a Girl Album on Face Book

My Africa trip is just a year away and I still need LOTS of money

I am taking a page from the book of another Dress A Girl seamstress who just made a trip to Uganda. She offered her dresses for sponsorship. I will soon be setting up a page with pictures of dresses that you will have the opportunity to sponsor.
Here is what we will do, you can choose as many dresses as you would like to sponsor. Let me know which one(s). Sponsorship will be $15.00 for one dress and $25.00 for two, so you could sponsor four for $50.00. With your sponsorship, you can send me a picture of you or your family, whatever and a short note of encouragement to the child that will receive your dress. I will place them with your dress for the child. You could possibly enclose a very small trinket if you wish. I will stress though, very small.
Payment can be made by sending me a check made payable to Bryant Community Church with a notation in the memo portion. Africa project.
I also have a pay pal account that you can use if you prefer. However, by sending it to the Church, you will be able to write it off as a donation.
I hope to take 1000 dresses with me, so conceivably we could take $15,000.00 with us. Just think of the church we could build in Congo in honor of my friend Reverend Mwenebolongo and................all of the other help we can do with it! I am stoked and I pray you will be as well 

This is one of the dresses I make for the Dress A Girl project.  This one is made from fat quarters. I used four different prints for this particular dress.  It has been sponsored, but if you click on the link above, you can see pictures of some of the other dresses I have made.  Some have already been donated, and some are still available for sponsorship.  I will be making a new page where the dresses that are available for sponsorship will be featured. Please visit and donate as you are led to.
Thank you all!

Thrifting

I was down in Marysville this week, so I took advantage of having no Grands with me to stop at Value Village.  Thank you Marlene for talking me into giving up my prejudice against that particular store. Now I can't stay out of if.  I think my pocket book may have been better off, had I not listened to you. 

Well, anyway, I have this darling little cookie jar that my daughter Tricia bought me several years ago.  I absolutely love it. I cringe every time a child touches it. I am so worried one of them will drop the lid on my granite counter and break it.  Oh the hold possessions takes on one! Anyway, there was a time it was nearly always full of chocolate chip cookies.  Not so much any more. My granddaughter Breanne still checks every time she comes over though.  I should surprise her and fill it up again.

So, at Value Village this week, what should pop out at me but this sweet tray to serve my chocolate chip cookies on!! Of course I had to have it!  It called my name and I could not put it down.  I think I may get a hanger and hang it on the wall beside my jar.  It is just too cute!

I really do like kitchy kitchen things. My cupboards are filling up and one day my girls will be going through it wondering why I ever bought the things I have poked away for my enjoyment.

I am just a small time hoarder.

I am planning a luncheon with my lady friends next month and I really do think sweet little treats on this dish will be a part of the table.

153 Fish

How to live through anything. The fish principle
Click on the above link to read the blog post.


This showed up on my Face Book page.  Posted by a friend of mine.
In the past few months I have been looking for joy in my life.
I have not been counting the fish though.
By the time I finished reading it, I was literally sobbing.
It is amazing where epiphanies come from sometimes.

Finding joy in a new umbrella

Really, I am to stiff and sore to be doing this, but I had to. I laid down on my deck and shot this picture up into my new umbrella.
I have wanted one for a long time. This is a very basic one, it raises and lowers by a rope and pulley system and then is held in position by a bar that slips through a hole in the pole.
Basic, but I am really enjoying it.

Random

The climbing hydrangea I planted on the south side of my house.  It was just a scrawny little twig for so many years. Finally last year it decided to take off.  I think by next spring I will be able to guide it over the top of my gate and hopefully up along the fence.

Pepper and I were out on poop patrol. I can't help taking pictures of her. She is so darn cute.

I get so much enjoyment from my roses.  I remember a card someone gave my mom many years ago when my sister was killed in a water accident.  The front was a beautiful rose and the caption was that God gave us memories so we could have roses in January. Every time I look at my beautiful roses I remember that card.

Have to get a little Grandson love into the mix.  Great grandson Jayce David.  He is learning to get down off of Gramma's porch. He fell, but fortunately from the other side so it is not so far to go.  He insists on being outside and is comfortable, usually, with stairs. He negotiates mine and the ones at his house every day so I was a bit surprised when he did fall from the porch.

There is something so special about day lily's.  One day of absolute beauty and the next nothing. These are special because the came from the garden of Stan's sister and brother in law.  His sister Susie lost a very long struggle with cancer this summer. 

You know how you associate some flowers with people?  My uncle had a gorgeous hydrangea along side his house.  When Stan and I bought this house 12 years ago, I just had to have one to plant beside mine. I bought this one. It is on the east side of my house where it thrives beautifully. Two years ago though, someone thought it needed a hard prune. Someone else was just a little bit peeoed when they took a walk through the garden and discovered it.  It did not bloom at all the following year, but this year has made up for it.  That person has been forgiven.  This is my first hydrangea but since have collected several more, including a gorgeous white one. I had plans of planting a hedge of white ones, but never got beyond the original one.

Disregard the Gramma fat tummy and focus on the pretty baby.  Who could bring themselves to put that down? We sat like this for 2 hours while he napped.  Pepper right alongside the entire time.  She really thinks it is her job to watch out for the babies.

After our nap, a very happy rested boy.

A couple of days later, Great Granddaughter Miss Trynity came over to try on some shoes a friend had given to Gramma for her.  Unfortunately the feet were just too big.

Mommy tried real hard to get her to like them.

But she had them off as soon as she could.

Pepper keeping vigil out the front window.  Nothing gets past her. 

Prayers for a Blessed and safe weekend for everyone.

Alaska Day 3

It has been nearly three weeks since Stan and I took our little jaunt up to Southeastern Alaska. Life interceeded and I have not been able to post the final pictures of our trip.  I am making time to do so right now.

We left Juneau on Sunday morning, June 30th for the quick flight to Ketchican, the final leg of our little adventure. For some reason, I could not get the setting on my camera to work for me and my in air pictures are not as sharp as I like them to be. If you look into the background of this picture, you can see another glacier. They really are beautiful and the Majesty of God's creation just shouts out at you from high above it.

Mountains jutting up through the clouds.

A cruise ship making it's way into port in Ketchican. It was still a way out, but it was expected to land while we were in town.

Coming into Ketchican, you landed on the opposite side of the channel from the town. The landing strip looked a little scary from above.

A little better picture of it as we approached.  You land on the far left side and then make a sharp right at the end on the runway, go down a hill and taxi to the end once again and then down to the terminal.  Kind of interesting. Three levels. 

In this picture, the ferry is across the channel from the airport. It comes over and ferries you across to the Ketchican side of the channel for a small fee.

We saw several Eagle in the area. They are so amazing to watch. The grace of their flight in comparison to their size is amazing to me.

Ketchican Creek that flows through town.  Much of the old town is built around this creek.

Harbor picture.

Both of these homes were very successful businesses in the early days of Ketchican. The "lady" proprietresses of both lived in them after their businesses were declared illegal.  I believe they both passed away sometime in the 50's. This street in now a big attraction to the tourists, full of kitchey little shops. You can see under the buildings the pilings, it is because this street is built along side and sometimes over Ketchican creek.

Ketchican has the largest collection of standing totem poles. Notice also the tram going up the hill to the businesses up above.  We did not ride it up, but found it to be rather interesting.  You can see the red car just above the roof of hte building in the foreground.

There were four cruise ships along the docks downtown.  There are two more slips further out of the downtown area and they were expecting both to be occupied by evening.

Ketchican boasts being the Salmon Capital of the world.  She was also, once upon a time, a logging town. Sadly so many regulations have severely curtailed both industries. She relies more and more upon the tourist trade now.

I just liked the tunnel going under the hill, the house atop the tunnel and the stairs going up.

I am thinking if one were to do these stairs even once a day, up and down, you would never have to worry about having thunder thighs.  Stan thinks they would make an amazing bobsled run in the winter.

Almost home.  Can you see the Space Needle?

Coming in for a landing, Both of our sports arenas below us.

Mount Rainier.  We will be on the ground within minutes.

We are trying to decide on where to go next.  Have been looking at the Grand Canyon, but need to wait for it to cool down a bit down there before we wander off that direction.  Maybe this weekend just a little car trip.  I am wanting to head out onto the Olympic Peninsula, we have not been there since the kids were little.
I guess I will just have to wait until tomorrow morning and see which way the wind is blowing when we get up.
Do you have fun plans for the weekend?