Sew Crafty Friday for October 17

For Sew Crafty Friday today, I don't have time to take any new photos, but thought I would just share this one which my daughter sent me.

Remember the child's dress I was working on from an older pattern? I think I showed it more or less finished, but this is a much better picture. You can see that it suits Julia perfectly and will still fit her next summer!

If you have managed to accomplish or even start any crafting this week, then head on over to Waiting for Him and share your projects. Shereen and others will be eager to see what you have to share.

I should add that I'm not sure if Shereen has been able to do much blogging since their recent move. I believe she has had some difficulty accessing the internet. But you will find inspiration in any of the Sew Crafty Friday posts from the past.

Happy Crafting!

Show & Tell Friday for October 17

Today's Show and Tell will be very short, but I wanted to show just a bit of my autumn decorating for this year. This display on my hutch makes me smile every time I look at it. In general, it is much like last year's autumn display which I showed here last fall. The difference is in the middle shelf, and also the wonderful autumn tag on the shelf above it is a new addition. I showed this in a previous post -- the tag was made and shared with me by a dear friend. Oh -- when I sent this friend a photo of my autumn hutch, she asked if the fall mugs on the top and the teapot on the bottom shelf were part of a set. No, they're not. Those pretty tall mugs were from a home party my daughter-in-law gave some time ago. The teapot was purchased at Walmart several years ago after Thanksgiving at a wonderful price. Isn't it gorgeous?

The middle shelf is the same in some respects as last year -- the two Gooseberry Patch books, the Fiestaware salt & pepper shakers, and the little sunflower pot. As you can see, the "pot" is a wooden spool wrapped in ribbon. The sunflower head is attached to a cinnamon stick for the "stem" and then a strip of homespun tied around it. Very cute and simple. I got this as a favor at a ladies' seminar some time ago. The cream pitcher is from the "Olde Curiousity Shop" set. The little "Autumn in the Air" booklet was one I picked up in a Cracker Barrel in PA on our way to visit our daughter and son-in-law in SC in 2001. Just a month after the terrorist attacks on September 11 of that year, we drove south. We stopped at this Cracker Barrel for supper, and it was just such a comforting feeling to come into the warm room with its crackling fire and a hostess offering samples of apple crisp. I picked up this free booklet and have kept it ever since as a reminder. I came across it with my other autumn things and decided to display it this year. And the bunch of grapes dish -- I set it on the hutch when I changed the table decor, and liked how its colors blended so well with all the autumn things, so decided to keep it there.

So that is my simple show & tell for today. To see what others have shared for Show & Tell Friday, head on over to There is No Place Like Home

and check out the links. Happy Show & Tell Friday, everyone!

A few more thoughts...

I found these two quotes in Streams in the Desert this morning. What a blessing! The older I grow spiritually, the more I learn the importance of trusting God's timing, which is always perfect.

"This is God's way. In the darkest hours of the night, His tread draws near across the billows. As the day of execution is breaking, the angel comes to Peter's cell.
...Ah, soul, it may have to come to the worst with thee ere thou art delivered; but thou wilt be delivered! God may keep thee waiting, but He will ever be mindful of His covenant, and will appear to fulfill His inviolable Word." ~ F.B. Meyer

"There's a simplicity about God in working out His plans, yet a resourcefulness equal to any difficulty, and an unswerving faithfulness to His trusting child, and an unforgetting steadiness in holding to His purpose... It's safe to trust God's methods and to go by His clock." ~ S.D. Gordon

Thought for the day

"No anxiety ought to be found in a believer. Great, many and varied may be our trials, our afflictions, our difficulties, and yet there should be no anxiety under any circumstances, because we have a Father in Heaven who is almighty, who loves His children as He loves His only-begotten Son, and whose very joy and delight is to succor and help them at all times and under all circumstances. We should attend to the Word, 'In nothing be anxious, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God."
~ George Mueller

Menu Plan Monday for October 13

Wow, has it been awhile since I posted a menu plan! A warm, partly cloudy, breezy autumn day here in northern New England. This week will involve quite a bit of cooking (and eating) because our church's missions conference runs from Friday through Sunday. Here's my menu plan:

MONDAY: Chicken Pot Pie, Stuffing, Squash, Mashed Potatoes, Cranberry Sauce

TUESDAY: Sausage Subs, Seasoned Fries, Coleslaw

WEDNESDAY: Crab Melts, Sweet Potato Fries, 3-Bean Salad

THURSDAY: Apple Glazed Pork Chops, Mashed Potatoes, Asparagus Stir-fry Vegetables

FRIDAY: (invited out to dinner)

SATURDAY: (company for breakfast) menu yet to be determined. It will either be: Egg Brunch Bake, Hash Brown Casserole, muffins, and morning orange drink (sort of like orange julius) OR Blueberry French Toast, homemade sausage, bacon, and morning orange drink.

Saturday evening we are having an international supper at church. I will probably bring Venezuelan Rice & Black Beans, some sort of salad, and Bavarian Apple Torte.

SUNDAY: either leftovers, or Lentil Soup and Cornbread

After the evening service there will be a pie fellowship at church. I will bring 2 pies but haven't decided yet what they will be. Probably one will be some variation on apple pie. The other may be my famous "Reese's Pie" which features chocolate and peanut butter.

If you would like to see menus which others have shared, head over to I'm an Organizing Junkie and check out the links. Usually close to 200 people -- sometimes many more! -- share links to their weekly menus. You'll find some great ideas and often recipes too.

Simply sewed fall ornaments

Today I want to show you all a few fall ornaments I created a number of years ago. Basically, they are like tiny pillows which you make by sewing small squares (with an applique ironed onto the front one) together front to front, catching in the ends of a jute or ribbon piece for a hanger. Leave an opening for stuffing.  Turn the ornament right side out, using something like a chopstick to make the corners square.  Press flat, then stuff lightly with fiberfill and hand-sew the opening closed. I can't remember what size I cut the squares, but the finished product is about 3 inches square, so the unsewed squares must have been 3 1/4 to 3 1/2 inches square.

At top is an apple ornament hanging from a cupboard doorknob.


Below you see another apple, a pumpkin, and a sunflower. I apologize for the quality of the photos. I was experimenting with how the ornaments would look on the rug in the sunlight.

Two with autumn leaves. The third is just a little leftover cutout from a craft panel. I thought it would look sort of cute on an ornament, and was pleased with the result.

Another pumpkin, another sunflower, and a jack o'lantern.

These are such a fun way to use up small scraps of fabric. I have always thought it would be fun to make some for all seasons, and especially for Christmas.

I recommend this little project to you and hope that you may give it a try!

Happy Crafting!

Show and Tell Friday for October 10

Today's show and tell could be considered short and sweet. I have just a few items to show, and they could all be put in the "sweet" category. Two of these items are vintage, and the other is quite new.

I will show the new item first. It is just for fun; I will probably never use the contents, but it's so cute. It's a tiny can of sweetened condensed milk. Our daughter and son-in-law have spent several months in Antigua at two different times, and they brought us this adorable souvenir pantry item. The can is two inches high and about 1.5 inches across. The other side of the label is in English and reads "DUTCH LADY Sweetened Condensed Milk". It is a product of Holland.

This sugar bowl was a thrift-shop find which my daughter Joanna gave me as a gift one time. She remembered that in our family summer cottage there had been a couple of mugs similar to this, labeled "Coffee" of course, instead of "Sugar". I love this sugar bowl because of the treasured memories it brings back, and also because of Joanna's thoughtfulness in giving it to me.

And lastly, this is a vintage cinnamon-sugar bear. It is made to be converted into a little coin bank if one wishes to do so. The label says "Tops for Toast" which is sort of fun. And the lid reads "Mr. Bear's a bank, too!". My parents recently found two of these in one of their cupboards.

So that is my simple show & tell for today. To see what others have shared for Show & Tell Friday, head on over to There is No Place Like Home

and check out the links. Happy Show & Tell Friday, everyone!

Sew Crafty Friday for October 3

Well, it's Sew Crafty Friday again. I don't have a lot to share today, but wanted to show the progress on a second cookbook and on the "Snow Angels" cross stitch.

This cookbook has an apple theme for the cover, since the couple I'm giving this to is having a fall wedding.

And here's what the back cover looks like.

I only have a few pages in this book so far. I have many printed out, but only a few embellished and in place. Here are two of them.

Now for the cross-stitch. Here's how it's coming along. It's a relief to have the two children mostly completed. They are definitely the most complicated part of the design. Lots of shading.

And this will give you an idea of how the completed piece will look.

How about you? If you have managed to accomplish or even start any crafting this week, then head on over to Waiting for Him and share your projects. Shereen and others will be eager to see what you have to share.

Happy Crafting!

Show and Tell Friday for October 3

Today for show and tell, even though I am quite late getting this posted, I want to share something beautiful that a friend made for me. This dear friend wishes to remain anonymous, but she is a talented craftswoman and I just had to show what she created to encourage me.

It is a beautiful autumn tag with the theme of "peace". She designed this tag around a photo and a couple of scanned leaves I had sent her just for fun. She put everything together so beautifully to convey God's peace that passes understanding.

Here's the photo I sent. We took this last year at Lake Tarleton State Park.

Here's a scan of a pretty pink and green leaf... one of the first of the season.

And here's a scan of two red leaves.

Now see what my friend did with these elements! I love the way she put everything together.

Notice the two little moose -- one at the water's edge and one standing in the water. The quote at the bottom of the tag is from Elizabeth George's book on Psalm 23, Powerful Promises for Every Woman. What a blessing this tag has been to me! I have it prominently displayed on my hutch among other autumn treasures.


So that is my simple, but oh-so-meaningful show & tell for today. To see what others have shared for Show & Tell Friday, head on over to There is No Place Like Home

and check out the links. Happy Show & Tell Friday, everyone!