moving mountains

We are getting so excited about our trip to Nicaragua!

Most of our missions letters went out a few weeks ago, and we've been amazed at the response. It has been so neat to watch the boys pray, trusting God to provide the amount needed. Each time we receive word that any amount has been received, they get so excited. Then, as we pray together, their individual prayers echo unprompted thanks and praise.

                                    

They mostly ask God to show them how to love the people we come in contact with, that the people would see Jesus in us, and that we could share His message with them. Then, there was the one night that my eleven-year-old "C" said, "Lord, thank You for changing my heart already. I pray for the people we'll come into contact with, but I know this trip is going to change me too."

Dave and I are also so thankful for the contributions, but watching our boy's faith grow stronger is the best gift of all.

We had a meeting with our entire team last week, going over the schedule and ministry opportunities we are planning for, as well as practical tips to think through... like bringing massive amounts of bug spray.

We wrapped up our meeting with prayer together. As our boys chimed in their simply worded prayers, I found myself asking God for faith like theirs, child-like faith, that is sure to move mountains.

joining in the fun at

On The MOB!

I'm over at The MOB Society today! So, click the link and join me over there!

If you do not already subscribe to The MOB (Mothers of Boys) Society, make sure to subscribe while you're there... especially if you are a mother of boys. You will love their encouraging posts!

sun days

we brought one last load of firewood inside for it only to sit on our hearth. it seems the final blow of Winter came and went. although, i'm quietly wondering if it will remind us once more, that it is not, in fact, Spring yet.

nonetheless, the past days have not been made for indoors and hovering over a computer. i feel so for the ones who's job requires such.

the sun has been high, the clouds few and the air warm. and open windows with blowing curtains, while nice, have only served to call us closer... to be part of the beauty rather than only spectators.

not having had any snow days this winter, a dear friend proclaimed today a "sun day". i thought this a grand idea, and much needed break. so, a sun day it was, and so it will be called from here on. i caught some glimpses of a sun day last week... though at that time, it had no name.

a sun day, i found, is a day where children pretend, drain ditches become half pikes and much loved stuffed animals take on human feats, dogs sunbathe, and Mommas smile, laughing and breathing in all that is good.

sun days are really good days.

pinterest party 2

Joining in again at my friend's pinterest blog party. If you've completed any of your pinned ideas, hop on over to Living with 3 Hobbit and a Giant and join in the fun!

I'm uber excited about this week's completed idea! Not because it turned out as anything extraordinary, but because it's only the beginning of projects to come.

My pinspiration came from a blog I follow...

Source: u-createcrafts.com via Allyson on Pinterest

I love this simple idea for a quilt, and thought it would be a great intro to quilt making.

So, I took some scrap fabric that I had and gave it a try! I didn't have a lot of fabric, so I used 2 fabrics instead of 4, creating a simple checkerboard pattern. And, my printed fabric has dogs on it, so making a dog bed seemed a logical test to start with.

I added a pillow opening in the back and stuffed an old bed pillow (folded over) inside. This will allow for easy washing of both the pillow and bed itself.

Overall, I'm happy with it... and I think our Daisy is too...

I learned to definitely have a test piece of what you're working on. Whether it's just fabric or the entire quilt sandwich., make sure you test your stitch, tightening and loosening accordingly.

This little project took me a little over 2 hours, total. For a newbie sewer... I don't think that's too bad.

While I was making it, all of my boys expressed the desire for a quilt of their own. We made a trip to the fabric store (where all fabric we purchased was 40% off!), and now I'm excited to make each of them a personal quilt. I'll let you know how they turn out ;-).