needle & thREAD (and a bonus recipe)

I welcome you to needle and thREAD. What have you been sewing lately? Or are you embroidering? Pulling a needle with thread through lovely fabric to make life more beautiful somehow? Would you share with us just a single photo and a brief description of what you're up to? Would you talk sewing and books with us? I'd love that so much. Tell me about it in the contents or leave a link to your blog. I'll be happy to come by and visit!

You can get your own needle & thREAD button here in your choice of several happy colors.

Life's been a mixture of Sugar Plum and Maple Cinnamon Butter lately. Sounds like the kitchen, but it's really the sewing room. Well, and maybe a little kitchen, too. Take a little waltz with me through the pretty pictures?

Mary Beth was pretty bummed when she tried on the costume destined to be the Sugar Plum Fairy costume. I snapped a picture of her in it because my mind started spinning pretty much the moment I saw her face. I'd love to show you the whole picture, but she'd be horrified. I promise her face was well worth a thousand words and none of them were lovely. I did send the picture to K. C. of That's Sew K. C. with Mary Beth's permission. K.C. is the tutu queen and two days later, a box of her beautiful lace arrived at our house. We began the tutu transformation in the studio, where Mary Beth's ballet teacher offered both practical and moral support. The girls were rehearsing. Helen and I were stitching. Oh, and then we moved to some other costuming issues and watched Paddy play soccer at the same time. 

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I was on a roll after I left the studio and my mind was whirling with ideas. I had Mary Beth try it on at home and did some pinning. I handstitched late that night (she had her first performance the next day) and awoke early to get back after it. When I read the bodice parts, I felt like the stitching would be better if it were actually being worn while being stitched. Mary Beth was still asleep and I wanted to surprise her anyway. So, Katie volunteered to be my mannequin and Karoline took up the camera. 

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Mary Beth was pretty thrilled when she awoke. (And truly, Katie and Karoline were so excited that their enthusiasm carried me for days.). I don't have any pictures of Mary Beth wearing the newly decorated tutu, but she took this one with her  phone. 

 

Oh, dear. The Snow Queen's costume is looking a bit shopworn next to the Sugar Plum. Whatever shall we do about that;-)?

There is some Christmas crafting underway at last. A dabbled a bit with this tutorial and that. And I've done a whole lot cutting and a wee bit of sewing. I'm pretty tickled with the results and looking forward to doing a whole bunch of these in the very near future. 

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And a little something sweet to go along with the dish towels? Cinnamon Maple Butter! Yes, ma'am.

Cinnamon Maple Butter

yields about 3 half pint jars, with a wee bit left

Ingredients:

3/4 cup REAL maple syrup

2 cups butter, softened

1 cup powdered sugar

4 tsp cinnamon

 4 half pint canning jars

Cream the butter, powdered sugar, maple syrup, and cinnamon in an electric mixer with a whisk attachment until it's all smooth. Spoon it into the canning jars and tie with a scrappy bow. The butter needs to be refrigerated and it spreads much better if it sits out a bit before serving. I'm not eating bread or muffins or all those typical things upon which one might spread this heavenly butter. But, oh my heavens!, it takes baked sweet potatoes to a beautiful, beautiful place.

(Note: Like most things in life, this is all the better if you scrape a vanilla bean into the mixture:-) 

As for reading, I'm pretty much enchanted by Amy Welborn's new picture book, Bambinelli Sunday: A Christmas Blessing. It's the sweet story of a little boy who visits his grandfather in Italy. Amy Welborn does a masterful job of bringing Italy alive as the little boy learns lessons in craftsmanship, forgiveness, and generosity. We learned a bit about the traditions of the presepe and Bambenelli Sunday, enough to want to research more and we all decided that this book went nicely with The Christmas Miracle of Jonathon Toomey (Is it possible that this book is out of print???). And of course, we have to make our own Bambinelli (Sculpey, clay, wood, peg dolls? A little of everything?)

There's a live event today. Join host Judy Zarick and author Amy Welborn as they introduce her new book for children. Just in time for Christmas, Bambinelli Sunday tells a wonderful story about sharing, comfort, generosity, and forgiveness though the lens of a long-standing Italian tradition. 
Join us on December 5th at 3:00 p.m. ET (12:00 p.m. PT).  Log in and ask questions through the chat area.  Amy Welborn will answer them during her presentation. You must register first.

So tell us all about your reading and stitching!

Yarn Along

I'm knitting a Boyfriend Scarf out of Quince Puffin. It's my first time knitting with Quince. I'm allergic to wool, so this is kind of a leap (into Benadryl;-). I really wanted to make a special scarf and this seemed the perfect yarn choice. It's wonderful to knit. Now I understand all the fuss about wool. I can only work on it for short periods, so it's taking quite some time, but when it's finished, I plan to try to knit two more before Christmas! Ahem. Highly doubtful that will happen.

I'm reading A Grief Observed by C. S. Lewis. Mine doesn't look like the one pictured on the Amazon page, but that is the link I used to order. Actually, I'm listening to while I knit. I made it through the first 45 minutes or so, and had to step away for awhile. Definitely very intense reading. But Lewis is a master of making sense of the inexplicable. This book takes some time to seep in and then, it does begin to untangle some knots. I bought three copies of the book. Mary Beth is reading. I have one for Megan. Michael was waiting here the other day before I came home. The third copy was on the counter. I dashed in because I wanted to inscribe it for him. He'd already noticed it and was well into it before I'd arrived. Michael has long been a student of C. S. Lewis. It kind of breaks my heart that this book is so appropriate for him right now. And yet, it most certainly is. He's walking in the shadow of the valley of death. He's right there beside his friend, wrestling fears and doubt with him. He will emerge into the light just fine.

Visit Ginny to see what's up in the knitting and reading world this week.

Lord, Hear Our Prayer

The internet is a formidable force for bringing the comfort and consolation and hope of the Lord to all of us. It can be an incredibily powerful medium for community. There is an unfathomable resource for prayer here. We have on the 'net the privilege of praying for people and of being witness to the miracles brought forth when fervent, faith-filled people pray for one another.

Let's be that community of hope and faith for one another.

How about this idea? What if I pop in here every week, share Sunday's gospel and talk a wee bit about how we can live it and pray it in our homes? And then you tell me how we can pray for you that week? Deal?

{And please, do return and let us know how prayer is bearing fruit.} 

 

Gospel

 

Matthew 24:37-44

Jesus said to his disciples:
“As it was in the days of Noah,
so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.
In those days before the flood,
they were eating and drinking,
marrying and giving in marriage,
up to the day that Noah entered the ark.
They did not know until the flood came and carried them all away.
So will it be also at the coming of the Son of Man.
Two men will be out in the field;
one will be taken, and one will be left. 
Two women will be grinding at the mill;
one will be taken, and one will be left. 
Therefore, stay awake!
For you do not know on which day your Lord will come. 
Be sure of this: if the master of the house
had known the hour of night when the thief was coming,
he would have stayed awake
and not let his house be broken into.
So too, you also must be prepared,
for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”

 

Think

The goal of all our undertakings should be not so much a task perfectly complete as the accomplishment of the will of God.

~St. Therese of Lisieux

 

Pray

 

Dear Sweet Jesus, Show me  Your will. Make it abundantly clear. Let me know exactly what you would have me do and how you would have me do it. Please?

 

Act

Memorize the St. Therese quote above. Repeat it frequently to yourself throughout Advent.

 

 

How can I pray for you this week?

Give Bracelets Giveaway

We're huge fans of Give Bracelets here in the Foss household. I love, love, love to give these gifts. I'm fairly certain that every teacher one of my children has ever had owns at least one Give bracelet:-). Once you get to know Charlie and the story, you'll understand why we have such a  heart for this endeavor.

How did your shop come to be? It was in response to the promise I made to a boy at the first orphanage I visited in Indonesia on  the island of Bali. He asked me to “please not forget about them” after I left. Give Jewelry is my way of keeping that promise.

Is yours a family business? Yes. Even our kids get in on the action. Taping boxes, cutting the “1-1-1” cards and helping sort the new shipments of bracelets as they come in.

How do combine your work and your family life? We have a home office, so I rarely miss a meal with my wife and children. We we’re even blessed as a family by the time we were able to live near one of the orphanages in Indonesia. The lines between work, family and ministry were blurred to a point where they all seemed to combine and complement each other. There are such rich memories of living as a family in Indonesia, if we could figure out the financial logistics of moving our family back there, I would leave tonight.

 

What inspires you? Seeing people do what they were created to do inspires me. I believe one of the best gifts we can give to God is to simply answer the call He has given us. This almost always involves doing what fills us with joy. Careers have become such a focus in our culture, but even the most impressive career can be draining. VOCATIONS on the other hand… now THAT is a word that is EXCITING beyond measure.

What's the product you are most excited about in your shop right now? The bracelet of the month club by far. It is what provides for the needs of the children year round after the spike of Christmas gift buying. The feedback from the members of the bracelet of the month club has been outstanding. We get emails saying how much they look forward to getting their package in the mail each month. One mentioned how now matter what kind of day she is having, she can always look at her bracelet and be reminded of the difference she made.

 

What's your favorite Advent tradition? Moving the 3 kings around the house! The kids love it! Each morning one of our 5 kids get to pick out a new location to put the 3 wise men from the manger scene. This daily reminds us to also seek out Christ and how we can bring “gifts” to Him by how we treat the people we meet throughout our day.

Any plans for your shop for the new year that you'd like to share? We are currently meeting with Sister Gratia who oversees 14 Franciscan orphanages in Indonesia. Our goal is to increase from the current 5 orphanages to fully supporting all 14. Originally we could not imagine supporting even one, but we have seen what happens each time one person shares with their friends and family.

Give Bracelets is giving away a one-year subscription to the Bracelet-of-the-Month Club! The winner will receive one new bracelet and month for a whole year, a $240 value.

 So, here's how to win:

First:

o    Go to the site  www.givebracelets.com and choose your favorite bracelet and put a link back to the bracelet and a short description of it in the comments below.

·         To be entered multiple times, follow any of these steps for Extra Entries :

o   Subscribe to the Give Jewelry blog

o   “Like” Give Jewelry on Facebook

o   Follow Give Jewelry on Twitter

o   Subscribe to Give Jewelry YouTube channel

o   Post about Give Jewelry on your blog, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube

Leave a comment for each of these things, letting us know what you did. 

 

The Winner is  Laurel of the Muffin Dome. Laurel wrote: I LOVE the color of this bracelet! I tend to like simple jewelry, but I might add a few charms to it. :) http://givebracelets.com/charm-bracelet-lavender-bliss-heart-p-858.html

Laurel, please contact me with your snail mail address at intheheartofmyhome AT gmail.com

Catholic Child Giveaway!

 It's Small Business Saturday and we are celebrating big here at In the Heart of my Home. I'm shining the spotlight on a new sponsor almost every waking hour today and offering you a chance to win with every post. I want you to get to know my kind sponsors and I think you'll be glad for the opportunity to do some Christmas shopping in these small shops. The giveaways will remain open until Tuesday at noon and then all the winners will be announced in the original posts.

The folks at Catholic Child make shopping for Catholic children and godchildren as simple event in any season. Leane shared a little about her shop with me.

How did your shop come to be?  Catholic education can and should be entertaining too! It shouldn't be a challenge to find products and media that are well-made, really enjoyed by children, and true to Church teachings. As our own Catholic family's collection of fun, faith-based books and entertainment grew, we wanted to share it with other Catholic families.

 

Is yours a family business? Yes, and Catholic Child grown up right along with our three children. We started our family-run business when our youngest child was one year old. She's a college freshman this year!

 

 

What's the product you are most excited about in your shop right now? We're very excited about our Prayer Pillowcases. It's really rewarding working with our artist on these compositions, and it's so nice to see how much people really like them. Wait until they see what we have coming this spring!

 

Tell us in the combox which Catholic Child products might find a place under your tree this year and you'll be entered to win a 5 DVD set from Brother Francis.

 

The Winner is Fuzzy, who wrote: My son has discovered the Brother Francis videos and loves them! I think we could have some of them under the tree. Or the Song of the Angels print for my godchildren.

Fuzzy, please contact me with your snail mail address at intheheartofmyhome AT gmail.com