This Week

First I want to update that I have collected $520 so far in the Quilt Art Raffle! Whoo-hoo! This excites me. thank you everyone who has donated. I have some Memory Quilt Art Blocks to sew:-) That makes me happy. There are still 3 weeks left to donate and enter the raffle so PLEASE help me reach the goal of $1000. Click this paragraph to find out more info.

Now, I am not going to ramble on and on today about North Korea, although I have seen some stuff that still makes my stomach turn. Lisa showed me some art work, pictures depicting what refugees said happens in those concentration camps. I am still trying to process it all mentally. It would make you cry, seriously. I know why Kim Jong iI is so adamant about keeping this horror from view. It's barbaric and worthy of an ST-6 assassination. BUT I said I would not discuss North Korea today...

We have plans for fun this weekend, and why not? My head needs to find a happy place and it found one this afternoon in the back yard.

Slip and Slide! Need I say more? Sure the little ones had already bathed, but who cares if PJs get wet. It was a new toy that needed some "trying out" so the children happily obliged.
It was sheer excitement and plans have been prepared for tomorrows adventures. My only hope is that they wait until 10 am before starting such adventures.

 Duke saw the great advantage of having fresh, running water for drinking.

Zeb? Well, those britches got a little saggy from the water.


Friends

Yesterday we were so happy to have some friends over for lunch. It had been way too long. My teenagers had a great time with their friend.

I wonder, if you could be a teenager again, would you? Would you do it all over again?

Fletcher

My baby can light up the entire place with those baby blues....

 He is now very mobile and crawling everywhere. I predict that in one week my lower kitchen cabinets will be a mess, and it will not be my fault this time.

 Duke is still the ever-gentle loving dog and he loves the baby. After all, the baby is a constant food source to a dog who wishes to sit under the high chair at dinner time.

Fletcher, of course, thinks everything within reach is a potential food source.

Carrot

We know that Willow can grow a giant carrot and that the carrot makes a great snack.

The children have green thumbs, I say.

I hope everyone has a great weekend. We will have family movie night along with a good old fashioned, southern BBQ on Saturday. It promises to be a fabulous time.
Monday we will have a good old fashioned, southern cookout complete with lip smackin' yummy kabobs. I am even going to pull out the ice cream churn...it's been way to long. I am ready for a nice long weekend with family and friends. My blessings to you all! Have a wonderful weekend! Don't forget to have some fun:-)

Motivation is the key!!!

Un-motivated is what I am feeling today. I think the rain has dampened and zapped all energy around here. Add to that with a fussy toddler and baby and you have one LONG day!
The up-side to it is I have family coming in for a visit...my dear sister. I have been trying to get my pantry all straightened up so that she will be amazed that it still looks great since she last was here and cleaned it for me:-)
Tomorrow a good friend will be here for a visit with her wonderful kids. Few things in life are better than having great friends. I should mention that the friend coming over is Lisa, the "I am their voice" North Korea Crisis advocate. I am sure we will be talking about the raffle and how the funds are starting to come in.

As of now I have $320!!! It doesn't all show on the Chip-In button because I have been given some checks and cash.  Have you considered donating? I know, I know that times are tough and the economy has been a bit busted. Consider this: how much do you spend eating out? How about Starbucks? Perhaps you could even make your July 4th celebration a more simple family affair. Yes, I think we could all dig deep and donate $10!
HERE ARE THE DETAILS!!!!

Now, please watch this and see if you don't feel a little more blessed to be a citizen here in the USA. Then, read the details again and donate! :-) My friend Lisa knows this great man!!! Your donation will help these orphans!
Blessings to you all!

Art Quilt Raffle Plus an EXTRA Something

An Introduction
Remember when you were in school and the history teacher would talk about WWII and the Holocaust? It was terrifying to read about the struggles so many people went through during that time. Not only did the Jewish suffer, but Christians did as well. Corrie Ten Boom told her horrific story as a Christian in a concentration camp in her book "The Hiding Place." Aren't you glad nothing like that happens anymore, that we are far beyond those terrible day of concentration camps? Well, sadly they still exist. They STILL exist! Where? They exist here.

See that area on the map that is full of lights? That is South Korea. They are doing well over there, thriving! Now, look at the dark area on top. That is North Korea. They are suffering there, and they HAVE concentration camps. They are dark because they have NO ELECTRICITY. Well, the small dot of light is where the devil Kim Jong II (the Dear Leader) lives.

Why North Korea?

My dearest friend, Lisa, works as a human rights activist for North Korea. She is crazy about the  crisis in North Korea, and because she believes I am a good person (seriously, she gave me a t-shirt to prove it!) I told her that her cause is my cause and that I would help any way I could. Now I am going to tell you all that you too are GOOD people (but without a t-shirt) and ask you to help as well.

Today I will start a raffle to collect a donation for 318 Partners. Much like the Underground Railroad you learned about in school, this group will raise funds and then use the funds to help the defectors of North Korea. Many of the women are sold into sex trafficking, 318 Partners helps get them out. They also go in and actually help people escape from the oppressed country. It is an Underground Railroad! They need money to do it all  so we are all going to pitch in and help. They have a few missions they are currently raising money for and WE can be part of that! WE can help rescue someone and change their world FOREVER!

I know this is a difficult "sell" because the North Korean government is SO reclusive! Let me tell you that the enemy LOVES it! The enemy LOVES that these people are oppressed! The enemy LOVES that these brothers and sisters of ours cannot learn about Christ! The enemy LOVES that they are all starving! We must see that GOOD triumphs over evil!

What is the Raffle?

I really reached into my artistic self and decided to raffle 2 items together. One is a quilt art.A quilt art is a small artistic quilt creation that tells a story or expresses a feeling.
Here is my Proverbs Quilt Art for 318 Partners.

It measures about 18x16 inches, was all handmade by me, and not only features some Proverbs that express this cause, but also has written in Korean "Free North Korea." It is ready to hang on your wall.
There is another gift that will go along with this quilt art.

Yep! That is a Keurig Elite coffee maker and it has with it 12 K cups, a sampler of sorts. Oh, you know how nice that coffee maker would be, admit it!

Here's how it works. I have a Chip In button on the upper LEFT of this blog. Click it and make a donation. You can also mail me a check, just email me for my address. We have ONE MONTH to raise $1000 for 318 Partners! Share this post with everyone you know. You can also find me on Face book and 318 Partners is on Facebook too!
Now, for every $10 you donate you get 1 entry at the drawing. So if you donate $50, you will get 5 entries! The drawing will be held at 7 am on 7/26 using random.org.
Now, I love it when people really open their hearts (and wallets) and donate $100. So I have ANOTHER gift for everyone who donates $100 or more.

This is a quilt art that is also called a memory quilt block. I made this one for a friend who donated to my last raffle. If you donate $100 or more I will ask you to send me a picture and I will custom make one of these for you. You can use a baby picture, wedding picture, birthday picture, whatever. Maybe you have a special occasion coming up? I will get started making it as soon as I get your photo via email AND you can choose a color scheme if you wish. That photo is printed out on a special fabric and truly is lovely in person. It is also ready for hanging on your wall.

Are you still with me? I know this is long winded, but it is truly so important! I will be featuring stories and videos throughout the month so that you can get the feel for what the North Korean Crisis really is and how it affects so many. 318 Partners is devoted to saving lives and changing the world for individuals who are suffering there.
""Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute"
Proverbs 31:8


Will you be their voice?

Family Outdoor Movie Night

 So, it rained just a couple of hours before but movie night prevailed! (I apologize for the poor picture quality...)

 There are few things better than gathering with friends and family on a summer night to watch a movie on the "big screen." Everyone brought a couple of chairs, quilts were layed out everywhere for the youngest and a good time was had by all.

 Popcorn, lemonade and lollipops added to the movie experience. It was a nice relaxing family night, especially since restless toddlers (with short attention spans) could get up and run around without disturbing anyone.

 The movie was much better than I expected. I mean, the title seemed silly but it was a funny flick with awesome music. Who doesn't LOVE Sir Elton John?

So the first summer movie is done and now we are planning the next. We will show another flick on July 2nd and I am sure it will be as great as this one!

Sweet Southern Rain

After 4 weeks of NO RAIN, we got a hefty 3 inches last night. It was beautiful too with the loud thunder and vibrant lightening. Yes, I used adjectives to describe what would normally scare a person to death. It has been so, so dry here and I was growing weary from watering the flowers and garden beds daily. Not today!

It feels like Georgia again with the 100% humidity and the temps rising to 90 degrees. Ah, yes. Welcome back sticky, hot air. I have missed you.

I have NOT missed the big dogs running out and coming back muddy and smelly. They were so yucky this morning that I had Indiana bathe them outside with a hose. Zeb helped. Here's how it went down.

Essentially, Indiana washed the dogs while hanging on to them by the leash and Zeb sprayed water everywhere, occasionally getting the dogs rinsed. Duke was loving it, can't you tell?

For a big 80 pound bulldog, he handles a bath really well. The water comes from a well so it is quite cold!

Zelda was less amused but she was quite dirty as well. She also smells like skunk when she is wet. Why is that? She was sprayed by a skunk a year ago and yet she stills smells when she gets wet. Is it my imagination?

 Zeb, "I think I will take the gum out of my mouth and see what mischief I can cause."

 "Perhaps I should stick my gum down the hose and see what happens."

"I think my gum is gone for good. It went down the hose. Who knew?"

 "Mommy, I think I need some more gum!"

" Or maybe we can just turn the hose back on and watch it come back out!"

Here's hoping for many more days of sweet southern rain, even if it requires more dog washes!

Baby Milestones

As if getting 4 teeth and scooting to the yarn basket for a demolition was not enough, Fletcher now digs all in when he plays with his toys on the floor.

This 8 month old is wearing size 24 month clothes and his appetite is unreal! His favorite food today was a fig newton. I love those cookies too and although the big girls do not care for them much, well, there was a time when they were babies and loved the classic newton cookie. Is it a cookie or a cake? Does it match his overalls?

Today I ventured out with the 5 youngest. Yes, the 2 teenagers stayed home to work on math while the rest of us went to the dentist and to a store to buy flippers. We are going to the lake tomorrow and my youngest 3 girls wish to swim like mermaids, or ducks if you are Rose. Zeb was pretty good, especially since his teeth were NOT the ones being cleaned. He got to merely play toys and grab a free toothbrush and toy.
The kid has spunk, and I love that about him.Nevermind that is also drives me crazy sometimes.

Finally, I made some yummy bread tonight. You have to try it because it was so, so simple. We ate all of it while it was warm and now I am a little sick :-) It's a good kind of sick though.

You can find the recipe for this Cinnamon Stack Bread HERE. While you are there visiting Joy, check out her recipe index. Oh.My.Word! What shall we bake next?