Mother's Day

What a wonderful Mother's Day! Almost my whole family together. LSH came home from college even though finals were this week! What a gift, I loved it. I need to brag a bit, I love my girls so very much! They are smart, LEH is #12 in a class of about 880 and she works so hard, doesn't require much in the way of material things. LSH is pretty much the same. So independent. I am so proud to be their Mother,Mom, hey you!

Back to the family get together. My Niece Em, go the event together and invited everyone. So sweet and thoughtful! It was a great gift for mother. I appreciate all of the hard work she put into it and that my sister put into making the potatoe salad and opening her home to us. My Sister in law, niece and nephew came in from Ft. Worth and it was wonderful to see them, we don't see them enough! My brother and his wife and children came, the children are so cute and were so good! They are 7 & 3. We really missed the twins & Kat and my brothers oldest two and their families! Maybe next time.

Families are so complex, I don't think that any of them are normal.....whatever that means. I am just so happy that we could all come together and differences put aside.

Here is a prayer I have been praying from Ruth Myers 31 Days of Praise:

"Dear Father,I thank youfor the people in my life who seem to bring more pain than joy, for I believe You have let our paths cross for important reasons.Thank you for the good things You want to do in my life through the things that bother me (their irritating habits? their moodiness? their unloving ways> their demands? their insensitivity? their unrealistic expectations?) I'm grateful that You are with me, to meet my needs when others-even those close to me-fail to do so. I'm so glad that You are also within m, working to make me more like Jesus-more patient, more gentle, more loving- through the very things I dislike.

Thank You too that You love these people, and that Your love is adequate to meet their deep needs and to transform their lives, however willful or unwise they may sometimes be. Thank You that You care for them deeply, and that each of them has the potential of being a vast reservoir from which You could receive eternal pleasure. And so, though I may not feel grateful, I give thanks for them by faith, trusting Your goodness, Your wisdom, Your power. and Your love for them as well as for me.

And I praise You that I need not fret about these people, or be envious, or mull over angry thoughts to prove I'm right. Thank You that by Your power I can receive them as You receive me, just as I am, warts and wrinkles and hangups and all...that I can choose not to judge them, but to forgive them...to cancel any debts I feel they owe me-any apologies, any obligations...that through Your grace , I can choose to wipe clean any sklate of grievences I have within me, and to view these people with a heart that says, "You no longer owe me a thing." Thank You for your Spirit who empowers me, so that I can do them good, delight in You, resting in You as You unfold Your good purposes in these relationships-in Your name."

May this prayer be a comfort to you!

Ellen

Quilting Retreat

Hello ! I was blessed enough to spent the weekend with my quilting buddies at Camp Allen for a Quilting Retreat. We rented 2, 3 bedroom cabins that were on the"lake". God provided beautiful weather, we provided the good food, Camp Allen provided great accommodations.

It is such a small world, the cabins we stayed in were some of "Claude's Cabins" named for Bishop Claude Payne. He was one of my ministers at St. Martin's years ago. Then I was sitting talking to to one of my quilting friends (a new friend-she goes to another church, but quilts with us) and she said she was from Longview. I told her I only new one person (one of my sister's best friends growing up) that had lived there and she said who and I'll be danged if it wasn't one of her good friends! We called her and had a good visit. We plan to get together soon. Also, my new friend also lives in my neighborhood.A weekend of coincidences!

The best part of the weekend is that I finished my sister's log cabin , cat quilt! I have been working on it on and off (mostly off) for about a year! I am so thankful that I can finally send it to her!

Naps!

I should have been cleaning house, sewing or something productive. Instead I had my awsome after church, nap on the couch. It was cloudy and yucky outside, perfect for napping! Thank you to Mr. H & Lulu for keeping the house quiet!

Church was great this morning. Brandon did a great job talking about Jesus an his way to Jeruselum for the last time, traveling there to his death. His death on the cross for our sins. He talked about Bartimus, the blind man, who was treated like scum, like a 2nd class citizen, yet woke up every day and stumbled out to beg from the Jews on their way to Jeruselum. They would ignore him or worse say ugly things to him and those like him. Yet, Jesus heard Bartemus calling out to Him asking for His Mercy! Brandon challenged us to move out of our comfort zone and reach out to those searching for God's mercy, not ignore those that don't believe or are down and out, show them God's love and mercy. I pray that my heart will be convicted and I will move out of my comfort zone and reach out to those people.

I am looking forward to my sewing day tomorrow. I am still working on my quilt for Addison Grace, our great-neice! I need to finish the corners, and sandwich it tomorrow. I really look forward to my Monday's with my sewing buddies. I will try and post pictures tomorrow.

Valentine's Dinner 2010

I hope everyone had a Happy Valentine's Day! We celebrated with friends on the 12th. We had such a great time. We we to the F's for drinks , then on Buca di Peppo for dinner and back to our home for dessert. We did this last year and went to The Gooses Acre, I hope that this will be a tradition for many years to come!

Dinner was awsome, we got 4-5 different Pasta dishes, 2 different salads and lots of garlic bread. Oh sooooo...good! I made a cherry triffle and chocolate mousse. Both of them wer mighty delish, if I say so myself and so easy! Mousse isn't as hard as I thought!

I love my honey and love my friends, I am a blessed woman.

Ellen

Road Trip With Friends

Yesterday, I had a great time on a Road Trip with good friends, fellow quilters and mentors. We went to Breanham to their Bi-annual Quilt Show. We had a great time looking at the beautiful quilts.

These are some the beautiful quilts! We did a little shopping Heather and I found old quilting magazines for .25 to $1. We bought lots to get ideas from. We went to downtown Brenham for lunch. I had a yummy avacado, stuffed with chicken salad along with a green salad. I was really bad and got Bread Pudding with incredible Burbon Sauce to take home! I saved it for dessert .....and it was decadent!

It is so nice to have friends to do these things with. I am so blessed! I am blessed in many ways.

I am working on several projects still, I am planning on finishing my sisters quilt at the Quliting Retreat in a couple weeks. I am still working on a couple of purses and my great-neices quilt. I have Lulu's quilt, Mr. H's Texas Tech t-shirt quilt and My Breast Cancer t-shirt quilt.

Have a great rest of the weekend.

Ellen

I 'm Loving the Jewelry

I have found a new (to me) jewelry designer, Lisa Leonard. She creates beautiful and unique pieces. I am dying to own a necklace! I am trying to win one on Tatertots & Jello. Wish me luck, there are many others signed up! Check out her web-site: http://www.lisaleonardonline.com/ !

I started my new job at the elementary school. I am loving it so far, it's only been two days. but I am sure that I will be great! The people are all very nice .

I came home from work today and walked/jogged for an hour, about 4 miles. It was drizzling, but it made a nice walk. After that I came home and made a yummy pizza. I should have taken a picture. I spread pesto saafter I had uce with basil on the crust, then added HEB's Fire Roasted w/ Garlic tomatoes (courtesy of my lovely neighbor k), chicken I had cooked in extra virgin olive oil after I had rubbed it with Italian seasonings and pepper and garlic salt, and finally topped it with feta and mozarella cheese. Mr. H loved it. We had Pioneer Woman's rustic apple pie for dessert! I am glad I walked today! Big day, I am tired now. I have several pictures I need to post, but it will have to wait until tomorrow....

Good night all-

ELLEN

I'm Officially on a Budget

Well I anow officially on a budget! David, our minister is preaching on Budgeting & money this sermon series. It is hard stuff to hear, but I needed it. I waste a lot of money. But I do not want to be a fool and soon parted with our money....I want to be wise and faithful with what we are given.God has blessed us so and we/I need to get it together and get my spending under control.

I have been couponing a bit, but I don't seen to be too good at it. They don't seem to print coupons for the things I buy. I do pretty good with toiletries and cleaning supplies, but that is where it seems to stop.

Wish me well and say a little prayer.....it is going to be tough for me. I am an emotional shopper. I know though that I need to focus on God and others during these wmotional times. I can do all things through Christ which strengthen me!