Creations by Lily

There is a young lady, Lily, that I work with that loves to crochet. I love to watch her work because her fingers fly through her projects with ease. She recently started a Facebook page to display her work with the potential of taking orders for customized items. Here are some of the things she has made recently. You can follow her page on Facebook by visiting Creations by Lily.

I can't even begin to comprehend how someone could do a pattern like this. 

I love the little blue and white hat.

She just sits and stitches away while she talks. It just amazes me.

It must have taken a ton of hours to make all these little squares.

I love the swirls in this pattern.

This is very pretty.

I would like to learn this stitch because I love the openess of it. Of course, I need to learn the single stitch first. 

This was made from random yarn she had in her backstock and used a multitude of different stitch patterns. It was beautiful.

This is one of my favorites of the items she has done.

But this one is my absolute favorite of them all. I just love this.

Be sure and stop by and visit Creations by Lily on Facebook. 

Sunday Songs

The Windows of Gold

Friday Foto Friends

I was driving to the store last night and in the distance I could see Bluff Mountain. But what caught my eye was one solitary light. It was shining brightly near the top of the mountain right before dusk. I found a place to pull over and get the pic. The light had dimmed by then but you can see the little light up near the top of the hill. It reminded me of one of my favorite poems that I have loved since I first read it. 

It's The Window of Gold by Helen Steiner Rice. Here it is. Enjoy. 

There is a legend that has often been told
Of the boy who searched for the Windows of Gold.
The beautiful windows he saw far away
When he looked in the valley at sunrise each day.
And he yearned to go down to the valley below
But lived on a mountain that was covered with snow.
And he knew it would be a difficult trek,
But that was a journey he wanted to make.

So he planned by day and he dreamed by night
Of how he could reach The Great Shining Light.
And one golden morning when dawn broke through
And the valley sparkled with diamonds of dew,
He started to climb down the mountainside
with the Windows of Gold as his goal and his guide.

He traveled all day and, weary and worn,
With bleeding feet and clothes that were torn,
He entered the peaceful valley town,
Just as the golden sun went down.
But he seemed to have lost his "Guiding Light,"
The windows were dark that had once been bright.

And hungry and tired and lonely and cold
He cried, "Won't You Show Me the Windows of Gold?"
And a kind hand touched him and said, "Behold!
High On The Mountain Are The Windows of Gold."
For the sun going down in a great golden ball
Had burnished the windows of his cabin so small.

And the Kingdom of God with its Great Shining Light,
Like the Golden Windows that shone so bright
Is not a far distant place, somewhere,
It's as close to you as a silent prayer.
And your search for God will end and begin
When you look for Him and find Him within.
　
by Helen Steiner Rice

Heaven gained an angel...

I wanted to share with you that my daughter-in-laws daddy went home to be with the Lord this week. These next few days are going to take a toll on his family as they say their final goodbye.

James was a very loving husband and father. He was always there for his family and nothing pleased him more than having them all gather together for holidays and family gatherings.

I have known this man about 19 years and I will forever be grateful to him for giving his daughter to my son in marriage. My daughter-in-law was so close to her daddy that I know this is going to be very hard. My son respected and cared so much for his father-in-law. 

I share three beautiful grandchildren with James and his wife Eugenia. He has a bond with those grandchildren that has them knitted to his heart forever. My heart simply breaks when I think of what it is going to be like for them to not get to see him every day. 

Please continue to pray for my son and daughter-in-law and the whole family as they go through the days and months ahead. His loss is going to be felt deeply and my heart is breaking for all of them. 

Words for Wednesday

I saw this picture on Facebook this morning. And it is so true.

It reminded me of a blog I did about 6 years ago on dandelions. I thought it would be an uplifting blog for today. Here is the repost from March 2011.....

I was looking out my window yesterday and noticed one single dandelion popped up in the yard next door. Its brilliant yellow a deep contrast to the crisp green grass. What made it even more amazing is he had just mowed earlier that day and the grass was neat and trim. But there, standing alone, was that one small dandelion. 

It got me to thinking about the life of a dandelion. They have a short lifespan and can turn from the pretty yellow to the white "blowing" ones overnight. They regenerate themselves by changing to the white and letting their seeds be redistributed. They have a very deep taproot that is hard to remove and lawn fanatics lament about the invasive dandelions and invest small fortunes to keep their yards free. 

So to sum up what I found out about the dandelion. It is not very well received. While some plot and plan to do away with it, it's seeds still live on and it grows stronger and more powerful with time. 

Is that not like our Lord? Though Jesus had earthly friends, He basically walked alone. While some despised Him and plotted against Him, they were not able to completely destroy him. Though they pierced His side and crucified Him. He arose. Isaiah 11:1 says And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots.

God has planted the seeds with the crucifixion of His beloved Son. Evil cannot destroy it. Hatred cannot wipe it out. It is like the dandelion that continues to see rebirth over and over again. The love of God is a deep root that replenishes each of us with the seeds of His love, mercy and grace.

Have a blessed day!

Weekend wrap up

What an amazing weekend I had. I kept three of the grandchildren Friday night. We got up on Saturday morning and they wanted McDonald's for breakfast so we headed out there. If you don't think cousins can be one of your best friends, you should spend time with Shelby and Colby. I've never met two kids who play together so good and have such a blast together.

Alexis and I enjoyed our breakfast while we watched the antics of the other two. She has such a big heart. Growing up way too fast though.

After breakfast we headed over to Dollar General.

I don't like birds when they are in gangs. But individually they are so beautiful. I have a few home decor pieces that are bluebird and cardinal. When I found this little guy at Dollar General for a buck, I had to have him.   

And I couldn't pass this up since these are my two favorite birds setting on one of my favorite words.

After we left there, we went to a couple of antique stores. They were so good. They didn't bother a thing. It's all in house children are raised. Colby had me take his picture with this little lady. He said he liked it because it was his height. 

I didn't find any bargains but we had a great time looking. As we were turning on a road to head home, we saw a sign that said there was a sale at the old school house. I'm not sure of the history of it, but it's been around forever and I assumed just sat empty. 

Apparently he had junk stored in it and they are having a sale there every Saturday to get rid of stuff. I hate to tell them, but they really should clean it up and get it organized if they are trying to sale it. I couldn't make heads or tails of much of what was in there because the stuff was mixed right in with the trash. 

The kids liked looking at all the righting on the blackboard.

I would have liked to look longer but the man running the sale followed us every step we took and commented on everything I looked at and his wife just kept glaring at us like we were imposing. So we left.  

We did get a few pics outside.

I love pics of kids beside trees and I'm not sure why. 

Saturday, I worked until 10:00 at night. I've been needed a new printer since before Christmas but don't want to pay an arm and a leg and want one that the cartridges are not expensive to replace. Somebody told me about one at Walmart for $34.88. So I stopped there at 10:30 at night and it is an upgrade version of my old one that finally went kaput. I had it about 6 or 7 years. The cartridges on this one are $15 so I'm very happy about it. 

Sunday I went to Sunday School and church. After church, my friend Sherrie and I went to Farmhouse Antiques #2 in Jefferson City. I got some great bargains. I was wanting a jar the other day that had a lid on it to keep Hershey kisses in. And I found this one for $2. It said coffee jar on the tag and I want to thank that either Folgers or Sanka came in a jar. Does anybody know? It's from the 1970's and is Anchor Hocking. It may have held Tang, but I think the Tang one actually said Tang on it. Does anybody know?

I have a pantry that I want to collect a few vintage things for my kitchen to set on top the pantry. I have always loved Aladdin thermos jugs. This one is from the 1950's. I didn't care that it doesn't have the cup because I got it for $2.00. SCORE!

You remember the little red wagon shelf I share the other day? When I get it, I want to put a little vase with a single daisy in it. I found the vase I wanted for it for just $1.00. Still looking for the wagon.

I am looking for several pairs of little vintage scissors to put in the slots around the milk glass bowl vase I have that I posted the other day and idea about scissors in it. Well, I found these. They are still sharp but you could tell they were probably an older pair. Even if they aren't, they are what I'm looking for. They were just a couple of dollars. They are good and sturdy and remind me of a pair I had in first grade so they may be vintage.

I love this little depression glass tray/saucer. They had a ton, but I just needed one for what my dresser to lay my watch and earrings and name badge in when I come home from work. It was $2.00 as well.

If you have followed my blog you have seen many, many times a post where I'm looking for a vintage tablecloth in this pattern for my little kitchen table. Well, look what I found for just $4.00. There are two spots that have small stains that may or may not come out. But they aren't that big or that noticeable. It just adds character and tells me somebody used it a lot. I have seen some before in a lot worse shape and people are asking $20 or $30 for them. So for $4 with only two little stains, I was not going to leave it behind.

But my favorite piece I am sure isn't vintage, but it was my find of the day. A new tea for one set. This one is brand new looking. No dents or dings or fading or anything. It pulled at my heart strings the minute I laid eyes on it. It is shamrocks and pink flowers. It will go perfect in my new pink and green bedroom. But the reason I wanted it so bad is the shamrocks. I became a grandmother for the very first time on St. Patrick's Day in 1999. I just had to have it. I was afraid to look at the price. Tea for one sets, even used, in antique stores are usually $26 - $29 and sometimes even higher. So I held my breath and looked at the tag........$10.00. Wow!  SOLD!!

Well as you can see this was a great weekend with lots grandchildren time and some amazing bargains. Now I finally have time to get around to hooking up my new printer and working on my Thirty-One business. Have a great week!

Sunday morning prayer request

I have a very special prayer request today. I am asking for prayer for my daughter-in-laws parents. Her father is having some major health problems that are complicated by underlying health issues. It is a situation where they are having to overcome one problem before they can address the other problems. Each problem in and of itself is very, very serious. Combine them all together and it is a very critical problem. I would like to ask each of you to pray for her father that they can get the most serious one, the heart issue straightened out and that the rest of the problems can be fixed. 

Her mother woke up the other morning with sight issues and they have discovered a blockage that may have cause her problem. They have to resolve the issue for her eye, because it is causing great concern for it making her a candidate for a stroke. 

This family is very close to my heart and I love them like my own. They have been in my life for over 19 years and have treated me like I am one their own. My heart is so heavy for what they are going through and knowing I can't do anything to help but pray and keep the grandchildren whenever I'm needed so my daughter can be with her parents. They are both hardworking, loving, caring people and I pray fervently that God's hand continues to reach down with mercy and healing.

I'd appreciate any prayers you can send up for them and any prayer warriors you can ask to pray on their behalf. This verse keeps popping up in my head. Her daddy's name is James and it is very comforting to know that the James of the bible is the one that wrote the very verse we need to keep remembering for this situation.

James 5:16:  ......pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.