Flying Kitten

I was cleaning out a basket of saved things today, and found this story. Love it!

The Pastor's Cat

A pastor had a kitten that climbed up a tree in his backyard and then was afraid to come down. The pastor coaxed, offered warm milk, etc. The kitty would not come down.

The tree was not sturdy enough to climb, so the pastor decided that if he tied a rope to his car and pulled it until the tree bent down, he could then reach up and get the kitten. That's what he did, all the while checking his progress in the car.

He figured if he went just a little bit further, the tree would be bent sufficiently for him to reach the kitten. But as he moved the car a little further forward, the rope broke.

The tree went 'boing!' and the kitten instantly sailed through the air --out of sight.

The pastor felt terrible. He walked all over the neighborhood asking people if they'd seen a little kitten. No. Nobody had seen a stray kitten. So he prayed, 'Lord, I just commit this kitten to your keeping,' and went on about his business.

A few days later he was at the grocery store, and met one of his church members. He happened to look into her shopping cart and was amazed to see cat food. This woman was a cat hater and everyone knew it, so he asked her, 'Why are you buying cat food when you hate cats so much?' She replied, 'You won't believe this,' and then told him how her little girl had been begging her for a cat, but she kept refusing. Then a few days before, the child had begged again, so the Mom finally told her little girl, 'Well, if God gives you a cat, I'll let you keep it.' She told the pastor, 'I watched my child go out in the yard, get on her knees, and ask God for a cat. And really, Pastor, you won't believe this, but I saw it with my own eyes. A kitten suddenly came flying out of the blue sky, with its paws outspread, and landed right in front of her.'

Lesson learned: never underestimate the power of prayer!

Have a fun weekend,

DAT

Heads we win--Tails we lose

"The Creator made us with two ends.

One on which to sit,

the other with which to think.

Our success depends on which one we use the most.

Heads we win.

Tails we lose."

This quote is from, of all places, an old Dagwood and Blondie movie. I thought it was amazingly profound. In the movie it is the smart-alec neighbor kid who gives Dagwood this advice. The movie is filled with crazy, slap-stick antics and then out of the blue comes this little verse that I thought was great advice to live by. It sort of blew me away. I stopped the movie and jotted it down. I have been mulling the words over in my head for the last few days, and they really are true.

God does give us a choice. Whether we are facing a problem, or just walking through our everyday lives, we can sit, worry, and stew, or we can think about the best way to handle things, and get at it.

The quilt blocks to me are really an example of "heads we win." The light colored fabric is something called "feed sack prints." It is vintage fabric from around the 1930s. Back then things like flour, sugar, and chicken feed were sold in fabric bags. Industrious housewives would use these fabric bags to sew clothing and house hold items for their families. My mom remembers, as a young girl, being sent to the the feed store with her dad to pick out the "right" prints in the bags of chicken feed. Mom had two sisters; grandma would sew clothes for the three little girls from these bags. This is not an unusual story. I have read of many people who remember wearing clothes made out of feed sacks. The prints are so cute. I have a little stack of 6 inch squares. I am really enjoying looking at them as I cut the pieces I need for each block.

During the depression people used what they had to get by. There was a saying, " use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without." I get a little light headed when I think of the norm for today's standard of living as compared to the the norm of the 1930s. Many of my generation have rolled our eyes a time or two at the thriftiness of the children of the depression era. Maybe we shouldn't be so quick to judge. Those thrifty ways are economically and environmentally sound. ~heads we win~

Have a marvelous day,

a very striped girl,

DAT

Tenacious

I said that I was going to be regular about writing this blog, and as you can see that didn't happen. But, lets grant me a measure of grace and allow me a new start. For some reason this little blog just won't leave me alone, so here I go-- starting again.

Webster's defines tenacious as: holding firmly, this to me seems to be the -lesson of the day- in my life. It certainly is the way to accomplish a goal. Each semester I hold firmly to my dream of walking across the stage to receive my education degree; three semesters to go. Darcy, hold firmly!

I thought I would show you a bit of the fruit of my tenacity. I started this quilt at least five years ago, and am so thrilled to have it complete. I am calling it "Tulip Festival."

Now, the next goal that needs a large measure of tenacity.

My Sewing Room!--It is out of control down there.

I will leave you with a quote:

"Let me tell you the secret that has led me to my goal. My strength lies solely in my tenacity."-Louis Pasteur

Thank you for reading friends,

DAT

December--

It is the darkest month of the year and yet today is bright and cheery. The sun is shining on the dusting of snow that fell last night. The Christmas decorations are up, Christmas music is playing on the radio, we did a little shopping this morning, and I wrapped gifts last night. All these things make me feel cheery.

I truly feel blessed to celebrate our Savior's birth during this month, the darkest of the year. I guess it is because I am one of those who adore the Christmas stuff. I love the sparkly, glitzy-ness of it all. How does my love of all the Christmassy stuff relate to the darkest month? It just seems that it all comes at such a good time. I wonder what it is like for the people on the other side of the equator who have Christmas in the middle of summer?

So friends, I wish for you a bright and cheery day. May the Lord shine on you today and put Christmas joy in your heart.

The Best Things in Life are Free

When I started this blog my son said, "Don't be like all those bloggers out there who don't write for a year between posts." Look what has happened to my blog. It has been almost a year and I haven't written. It is time to change the way I do things, so here I am writing.

Did you notice the title of this post? 

I am thinking a lot about friends these days as I am planning a few days away with my quilting friends. The week seems to be going by too slowly as I await my retreat.

Maybe friendships do cost--time, etc., but the return on time spent with friends is always many times more than that invested.

I know that the friends I will be spending the weekend with are of the type that if I were in need I could call them anytime, day or night, and they would come to my rescue. To have friends like that is an extraordinary gift.

So, if you are reading this I would ask you to take a moment and think about those people in your life who are true blue friends and be grateful.

Until next time, (hopefully not a year from now)

DAT

It just gets you in the mood!

We had our first real snow fall last night (white on the ground this morning). Snow always puts me in the mood for Christmas and for skiing. Isn't it funny how the snow falling is so magical this time of year and so dreadful in March and April? 

The teenager was so excited for snowboarding this year. Monday night he and his friends headed over to Trollhaugen (they make snow), they wanted to be there for the opening. About 8:30 the teenager took a fall and ended up in the Emergency Room, yep, fractured wrist. He chose the blaze orange cast, at least he won't get shot, it is deer hunting season here. I suggested getting the ski mits that have wrist guards built in, of course that was a terrible idea (teenagers).

This should get you in the mood too. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yQ2xqCE2E8

A very striped girl,

DAT

Don't Blink

There is a poem about little boys growing up too fast, and the last line says, "Little boys grow up when you're not looking." I just want to say, it is true!

 Our "baby" is a Senior in high school and we aren't seeing much of him these days. He has a group of friends that he hangs with that  seem to travel in a pack. When he is home, he is usually accompanied by the pack. 

So far this year he hasn't been too annoying. I really believe that kids need to be 'yuks' in their last year of high school. This prepares parents for the job of shooing them out of the nest. It is all part of God's perfect plan.

 

We had a special opportunity this weekend that has me lamenting the parenting job.

We kept our friend's children, ages 3 and 5 over night. We call the two little boys No No, (their names both start with No), No No is just easier. This experience reminded me of what it is like to prepare young children and yourself for church on Sunday morning. God Bless young parents for making the effort to get to church with their little ones. It took both The Engineer and I to get them up, fed and dressed; shoes, coats, mittens on; and loaded into the van. I couldn't figure out why my own coat wouldn't zip up when I realized that I had it on inside out. 

I also remembered the lack of privacy that comes with having young children in the house, when NoNo age 3, followed me into the bathroom each time I went. 

Having little ones around reminds me of how fast child rearing really does go by. When they are little it seems like they will be dependent on you forever and then you blink and they are grown up. I know it is probably annoying, especially in the grocery store, but I always feel compelled to express to parents how fast it really does go. People said that to me, and I thought "yah sure, whatever." Standing on this side of the fence I see that it is so true. 

I guess I hope to encourage moms and dads to enjoy your little ones, I know it is hard when there are so many things to do. Be grateful for each day God gives you with your children. They truly are a gift.

Ralph Waldo Emerson in regards to success: 

To laugh often and much, to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children...

To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends, to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others, to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition...

To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.

a very striped girl,

DAT