The Joy Dare #81 - 100

81. Valentine's Day decorations
82. "Jesus didn't come to make sure we wouldn't be hungry - He came to make sure we were hungry for the right things." - Scott Todd from '58:Fast Living'
83. sunshine
84. hope
85. being a homemaker
86. letter in the mail from Eduardo's pastor
87. windows and doors open to air out the house
88. knitted dishcloths
89. California poppies
90. bright moon light
91. warm socks
92. big pot of pinto beans made today and ready for the freezer
93. talking to Matthew on the phone tonight after his first day of work at the Fatula's

94. finishing letters and packets to send to our Compassion kids
95. Kelsey made waffles for breakfast
96. finishing a handmade gift
97. picking up Matthew!
98. watching the colorful sunrise as we left the house early this morning
99. seeing snow capped mountains in the distance
100. 24 children sponsored today!

Feeling a little hungry

Have you ever been hungry? I am not talking about the 'I don't have time to eat' kind of hungry, or 'I forgot to pack myself some food' hungry. I am talking about truly, truly hungry.

No refrigerator and cupboards packed with food. No fast food place close by and money in your pocket to purchase the food. No grocery store on the way to where ever you are going.

I have never been that hungry. And because God allowed me to be born in this country, I probably never will ever be that hungry.

But tonight, I am a little bit hungry. All we had for dinner was rice and beans. Not a lot, but it was dinner.

Our family has decided to take on a challenge. A challenge to make a difference. In his book, "A Place at the Table", Chris Seay says 'as Christians who are called to love the least of these, we need to realize that poverty is not just a problem, it is our problem.'  Chris Seay is challenging those who read his book to a fast of 40 days. Not just any fast, but where you take what you would have spent on food for your own family and give it to help those in extreme poverty.

After a family discussion, we have made a pledge to eat rice and beans once a week for dinner. Nothing fancy, just rice and beans. With the money we would have spent on additional food for this dinner, we will be purchasing Water of Life systems from Compassion.

"Then those 'sheep' are going to say, 'Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?' Then the King will say, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.' " - Matthew 25:37 - 40 (The Message)

Will we be making a big difference? Maybe, maybe not. But it will be a big difference for each one of those families who will be able to provide their family with clean, safe drinking water. This is something I can definitely be thankful to God for.

Flannel Baby Blanket Tutorial

The day after Thanksgiving, you can usually find me out at JoAnn's buying flannel for $1.49 a yard. I often buy 10 yards or more of print and solid color flannel to make baby blankets for baby showers. Since I was making one today, I took pictures along the way for this tutorial.



After you have washed and dried the material, I cut a 30 inch square from one print and a matching solid. Place the materials so that the right sides are facing each other.

Then I take some sort of round object (plate, bowl, etc.) and round out the corners.

To keep the material from shifting while sewing, I do pin the material all the way around the blanket.

Take the material to your sewing machine and sew almost all the way around the blanket. I usually use about a half an inch seam.

Be sure to leave an opening wide enough for your hand to get in and pull out the right side of the blanket.

Before pulling the right side of the blanket out, I clip the corner seams. This helps the blanket to lay down nicely.

Pull the right side of the blanket out through the opening.

Take the blanket and press the seams all the way around the blanket.

Change your sewing machine to a zig zag stitch and stitch all the way around the blanket about 1/2 - 5/8" from the edge.

Then thread a needle with similar color thread and stitch the opening closed.

Give the blanket a once over with the iron and you now have a homemade baby blanket for the next baby shower you are invited to.

Next week, I will show you what I do with some of the scrap material for another baby shower gift idea.

Meet Our Compassion Kids Monday: Abner

This week I would like to introduce you to Abner. He is my second correspondent child. Abner lives in Colombia with both of his parents as well as 4 sisters and 1 brother. He loves to play soccer, loves horses, and likes the color green.

In his first letter to us, he told us about his parrot Rebeca. He says she is 'so fun and I love her a lot.' I asked him to draw me a picture of Rebeca. The verse he shared with me was 1 Timothy 4:12 - "Always act in a manner pleasing to God and you may win people over to believe in Christ."

Favorite Photo of the Week

When I became an advocate with Compassion this past fall, I made it a goal to set up a Compassion Sunday at another church in town. Because we live in somewhat of a small town still, I know a couple of pastors at other churches and have friends who attend still other churches.

After working through the details, we set up this past Sunday for me to do my first Compassion presentation outside of my own church. I was so nervous and excited! I used the presentation builder which is available for free on the Compassion Sunday web site. I modified it a little bit and showed the 'Grace Finds Hope' video during the presentation. The week before the presentation, I read about each of the 10 children whose packets I had on hand. I prayed for them each day.

Matthew came with me and help me set up the table before the presentation. I had just found a blue tablecloth at Target the night before on clearance which fit the table beautifully. After the service was over, God provided sponsors for 7 of the children!

The Joy Dare #64 - 80

64. first bulbs blooming
65. smelling homemade apple pie baking in the oven
66. hand stitching a quilt binding
67. listening to worship songs during my walk
68. musical sounds of wind chimes
69. willing clean up crew after my afternoon of baking
70. sharing about Compassion at another church in town
71. seven more children sponsored through Compassion!
72. popcorn and a movie at home with my family
73. sending welcome letters to new Compassion sponsors
74. making paper beads from an old catalog with my kids
75. knowing that I have enough

76. box of freshly picked oranges from a neighbor
77.being able to visit with a friend
78. found out a letter from Lina is on its way here!
79. Compassion magazine in the mail
80. lazy day at home

WIP Projects #4-6

Yesterday was a day filled with lots of paperwork, so I am hoping that today I will be able to find some time to work on some craft projects!

I am happy to report that all three of my last projects I posted about have been completed!

For this next week, I have 3 more WIPs that I would like to complete.

4. BOM quilt block - this is the third year that I have joined our 'local' (half hour away) quilt store for their once a month quilt block project. Back in August, they started a new series of blocks using Thimbleberry fabrics. Basically, we paid $5 for the first quilt block. Then when we finish the block and bring it to the next meeting, we get the fabric and the pattern to make the block for free. Over the course of the year, you have the potential to get the fabric and patterns for 12 blocks and pay only $5. I need to finish this block by Saturday morning in order to get the next one for free.

5. Valentine banner - this is a project I found on Pinterest. Since today is the first day of February, I would like to put away all my snowmen decorations and put up my Valentine decorations. I have pinned a few Valentine projects using book pages and thought this one would be quick and easy to make. I didn't want to use just any old book for these projects, so I went to the used book store and found a used copy of 'Persuasion', my favorite Jane Austen book.

6. Prayer Board - this is another Pinterest inspired project. I wanted a place where we could put prayer requests so that as we walk by the board, we remember to pray for those who are on our prayer board. I also found the bible verse on Pinterest, printed it out, colored in the words and hearts, then mounted it on some cardstock. Now I just need to attach the bible verse and set up an area with cards, push pins, and pens.

What projects will you be working on this week?