Rainy Days...

I guess it's like the song, rainy days and Mondays always get me down! BUT, that's not me!!! I am not down, but it is rainy and it is Monday afternoon! Oh well, there are exceptions to every rule! It has been a busy day, but we've gotten a lot accomplished. Bulbs in the ground, tomato seedlings in the pots, laundry done, MRI done, bank and grocery done, and Nikki did a batch of cookies! Not bad for a day's work. Now I can play for the rest of the day.

I will be sandwiching this medallion today as well. I have the batting and the backing sitting here waiting for me to pin it all together. The pic is a bit skewed, that's because the quilt is king sized and hard to photograph. This quilt will be published on the Quilter's Club of America after the first of the year as a quilt-along. Come join the fun, I will post the web address when I have all the necessary permissions in place.

I am hoping to work on the intricate squares I mentioned the other day. I have all the two and three piece units finished, now to sew the block together. Then finally, I get to sew the entire quilt together. Pics when I can. I can't wait to see this one! I am excited about the pattern. It will also be published on the QCA site, again, I'll post an address when I have one.

Thanks and Merry Christmas,

Debi

Back To It....

Well I have had a couple of days where I could just sit and sew. I made a lot of progress on a quilt I have been making. I took the intricate block from the last mystery and used a second pretty basic block for an amazing look! I have the second blocks all finished. I am ironing little pieces on the intricate block. I have most of the little two piece and three piece portions sewn. Now to get all the little two and three piece portions sewn to each other. I love this block, even if it has fifty-seven pieces! I used the first ones I made from total scraps as a table runner. I love it, it kinda looks a bit Christmassy on my table with my decorations on it. This is the mystery colored block. For the new one, I am using cream, maroon, and black. It is gorgeous!

With Christmas just around the corner, we are fully booked at our homestay. We will be very busy until the middle of February. Then we get a reprieve for a bit. I am looking forward to the extra money, but the work, not so much! Been pretty busy with washing, cleaning, and sleeping!

I have had a wee bit of of time to work on the new teddy bear I have been working on. I took a bigger pattern from one I designed a few years ago and tweaked it to be about half the size. I am enjoying the little time I do get to sew on it. I still have quite a ways to go, but at least I have gotten a start! Wish I had more time, I know we all wish the same thing!!!!!

Have a great week!

Debi

"My Girls"

When I say my girls, I really mean my young ladies! If you would have told me two or more years ago that I would be teaching at least six teenage girls and loving it, I would have told you that you were nuts and that it was my least favourite age! BUT, I love teaching them and  the joy I get from them every time I see them is overwhelming! Ministering to them has been my #1 priority for the past almost two years. I love our open communication and prayer bond.

We currently have two living with us. What a joy! Sarah is only here temporarily, but Nikki is here for the duration. They both are helpful and nice to have around the house. Sarah loves fishing with my sweetness and Nikki loves to sit beside me at the sewing machine. What could be better! When we go to camp, we love to hang out and ride together. I love that the girls love me and like to hang out at my house...I am after all an old lady and the Pastor's wife! 

Our Sunday School class time centers around a table, a cuppa tea, and God's Word. These special girls keep me on my toes, asking deep questions and growing leaps and bounds. I am honored to call them "my girls"

Loving Where God Has Me!

Debi

Goodbye Baby

There are few things harder than losing part of the family. We had a fur baby have a stroke Wednesday and we have had to let her cross the rainbow bridge. She was 14 and getting slower, but we really didn't expect a stroke. She was nearly blind and I truly think deaf, but she usually didn't let it slow her down. For the past two years, Leah and Jess have been looking after her and Lucy. We decided when we came home to New Zealand that these two (at 14 and 15) were too old to make the trip and feared they may not make the flight home. They have truly outlived all our expectations. She was well loved and will be well and truly missed.

She was Lucy's daughter, born in October 2003. She was part of a liter of five fluff balls and we chose to keep her as she was the runt, crooked teeth and all! She has brought tons of joy and love, laughs and cries, toys and tennis balls, and fluff everywhere! 

She is survived by her mum, human mum and dad, current mum, and many loves in human nieces, nephews, aunties and uncles. Love you sweet Baby Foofoo. We will miss you. Pics taken the day she crossed over.

Fur babies rule!

Debi

Miracles Happen!

So we have been back in Rotorua New Zealand for two years. We have been amazed at the miracles it took to get us here and also the miracles each month to keep us here. When we first felt God telling us to come home (NZ), a visit in 2013 really set it in concrete, we started praying for clear leading. We knew it was time to move on because God had opened many doors outside Casa Grande, AZ, USA, and we walked through each door. 

We were already convinced we wouldn't come back to Rotorua as there was a church here (which we left in capable hands 10 years before). We got a prayer letter from the man we turned it over to that said they would be leaving Rotorua and going to another needy part of the North Island to begin again. We contacted him and told him we would be willing to candidate if that's what the people wanted. Long story short, we did candidate and were voted in December 3, 2015. It took us 3 months to organize dogs, pack our house, sell off electrical things, and let our families know we would be returning. We were finally back home on 25 February 2016. 

I won't go into detail, but God provided a miraculous amount of money to shift. Each month, God again proves His leading and direction on our lives by paying each and every bill. We always have what we need, maybe not what we want, but all needs are met! We LOVE living by faith. We have seen the church grow miraculously. God has blessed beyond measure. We have so many new families and friends, it is amazing to watch. This is HIS church and He is proving His love of it through manifold blessings. We are working towards an extension of our church in a town 45km away, we have added several Sunday School Classes, started a Bible College to prepare men for God's service, we've seen over 100 children go through the Bible clubs, and have personally grows leaps and bounds. I love my Sunday School girls!

Feeling loved by God,

Debi

My Bullet Journal Journey

Over the past year I have been going through a plethora of journal this and journal that, I was really getting tired of all the hype about having a specific journal to do this and that. I don't need a calendar to keep my at my appointments on time, or to remember my once in a  month vitamins, or whatever. I finally decided it was time to create my own version of what I needed. I have a homemade pad for teddy bears, one for quilts, one for sermon notes, and one for general ideas. I also created a folder one for storing those important receipts and prescriptions. 

After I finished a few notepads, I made a cover to keep them in. Most call it a "travel journal" or a fauxdori. I love this one, because I made all the pads especially for ME, it meets MY needs. I didn't spend one penny on my organizational phenomena. I love it!! And I love that it didn't cost anything.

I love having drawing paper, note paper, and my receipts all in the same place and with me at all times. I have designed a dress on the first page and have my list of materials on the second beside it. Love it!

I am going to sign off and say, if anyone wants a tutorial on how I made these, just ask and I'll either do a video or a picture tutorial and get it out there. If you have hanging file folders you don't use anymore, a ream of plain paper, maybe some graph paper, and even some lined paper if you want, you are all set to go! Really easy and very inexpensive.

Talk soon!

Debi

Baby Church in Tirau

Since coming back to New Zealand at the beginning of 2016, we have wanted to start a new work in Tirau. It is about 45km away and the center of a hub of cities...all without a church. We are looking forward to planting a baby of our church there and watching it grow. We will run Sunday afternoon services to start with, so Pastor Shane can do the preaching till someone is called to take over the baby mission work. We went over on Thursday to check out renting a space for church. Praying some of the contacts work out for us. We plan to start this work mid-February 2018. Please pray for our church as we move forward with these plans. We will be beginning right after family camp...

Which starts in about six weeks, so I am full on busy organizing the menu and accommodations for about a hundred people. We will be at Finlay Park Camp which is about an hour away. We are going to have so much fun, we do every year. This year we will have the main camp (which means motel type units and maybe a bunk room or two for our young people and overflow) instead of the "tents" in the wild blue yonder like last year! It will be tons of fun.

Hope your weekend looks to be as amazing as mine with being in my happy place and going to church!! Roll on Christmas!

Happy Summer!

Debi

P.S. I had this ready to post early, I decided to edit and tell the story! We did make that trip and found a place to rent! It is amazing how God works. We could have parked anywhere, went anywhere, and started pounding the pavement anywhere, BUT God led us to park in the center of town, next to the information center. We decided to start there and we were truly led by God. They control the local War Memorial building and it was free every Sunday, ready for us to use! We checked out the building and it even has an organ! It even is kinda  set up like a church on the inside! We are truly praising the LORD for His leading.

So Adorable...

We were able to design those teddy bear overalls and they are so adorable on Mr. Hairy Bear! I didn't take into account the fact that most bears are doing the splits while seated and my bear would have split the bum seam when seated! These are teddy bear overalls as the big bum is accounted for! He is seated in this pic so you can't see his cuff at the end of his legs. We used some cute buttons at his bib and backside. Sooo adorable! He is so hairy you can't see the fraying on the shoulder straps or the fraying on the cuff at the hem either. Too sweet!

I have also had some time to work on the smaller version of the sad bear I designed a few years ago. I am really looking forward to seeing this one finished. I am hoping my proportions are correct on a smaller bear. This is my night-time hand work. During the day, we are at the machines. I am looking forward to taking pics when we are done for you to see everything we have accomplished.

Christmas is right around the corner. I sometimes don't know why I take on new projects at this time of the year. I am printing off two different mysteries (Bonnie Hunter and Meadow Mist Designs) and I am also doing Quilter's Club of America's countdown to Christmas. The QCA one is a new block each day for the 25 days before Christmas all done in red and white. I am doing mine scrappy! I also want to finish the quilt along before the beginning of the year. I have the top finished, just need to batt and back it. The batting came today, so I can pin and get onto it! YAY! Pics when it's finished.

Have a great weekend!

Debi

Learning Things...

Over the past couple of days, I have been busy with a young lady (whom I love). She has been teaching me how to take patterns off things and how to draft my own patterns for other things. We have made teddy bear overalls, a beautiful shirt for me, we've designed a couple skirts and a couple pairs of shorts, and even had time to figure out a tutu for my ballerina bear! It has been a really great few days. I am not sure I will ever let Nikki go home!! 

We have a basket we are keeping all our "projects" in. We are running two machines at the same time. I am overlocking and she is at the sewing machine putting everything together. We are having such a fun week! I can't wait to see what all we come up with, I see a trendy modest clothing line in my very near future!

I was able to rescue a wee bird yesterday as well. It hit the glass door in the front and stunned itself. The dog let me know it was there, I put on my shoes and went around the house so the dogs couldn't get there first. The sweet bird was so tame, it stayed on my hand with no support for several minutes before flying to the outdoor table. It let me pick it back up from the table and then it flew off my hand back into the trees. That was my wild animal fix for the week. I love to rescue things! We have two rescue dogs, one rescue duck, and I would have rescue cats and other animals if we had more space!! Lambs, ponies, calves.......

Have a great day! Hope you are enjoying the warmer weather if you are in the southern hemisphere like me. All others can look forward to a white Christmas! Who made homemade prezzies this year?? I did a couple, but lost track of time with the mysteries, making any more just too rushed!

Happy crafting!

Debi