I am so thankful this is not my pastor....

I am so thankful this is not my pastor....

Dollar desk final reveal...

Have you seen the great knobs and drawer pulls at Hobby Lobby? They are amazing! I have been drooling over them for a couple of months, but had no reason to buy any...Until now. =)  Better yet, at my local Hobby Lobby, they are 50% off. I picked and put down several styles until I settled on these clear glass knobs. 

Ready?

From this...

To this...

Pokey very wisely suggested I tally up the total for the redoing of the desk. Estimating a bit high, I would say it cost $45 which includes the paint, new paint brush and knobs. 

Linking up with Whatever You Want Wednesday. =)

Have you seen the great knobs and drawer pulls at Hobby Lobby? They are amazing! I have been drooling over them for a couple of months, but had no reason to buy any...Until now. =)  Better yet, at my local Hobby Lobby, they are 50% off. I picked and put down several styles until I settled on these clear glass knobs. 

Ready?

From this...

To this...

Pokey very wisely suggested I tally up the total for the redoing of the desk. Estimating a bit high, I would say it cost $45 which includes the paint, new paint brush and knobs. 

Linking up with Whatever You Want Wednesday. =)

There are two little guys in my life that mean the world to me....

Tobin, seen here helping Reagan fix supper. He just turned 3 and he talks non-stop, which is fine. He says such funny things and always makes me laugh. When he got home from a four day vacation, I told him I missed him so much that I cried and cried. Apparently that was something that caused him some concern, because when he left for the day, he turned to me and said, "I will be back in the morning. You don't need to cry and cry. Okay, Mimi?" Awwww......

And this little guy is Zeke, aka Zekers. He is 19 months or there about. For this photo op I put him in a shirt that my hubby wore when he was a baby. He has a grin that melts my heart. His speech is exploding, so every day he has new things to share. Our latest trick is fish face. You know, where you pucker up your lips and look like a fish. Yes, I look very attractive making this face. No, I will not show you. Anyhoo, when I make this fish face, Zeke grins and leans in for a kiss and then he tries and tries so hard to make his lips do the fish face. He hasn't gotten there yet, but it's not for lack of trying. 

There are two little guys in my life that mean the world to me....

Tobin, seen here helping Reagan fix supper. He just turned 3 and he talks non-stop, which is fine. He says such funny things and always makes me laugh. When he got home from a four day vacation, I told him I missed him so much that I cried and cried. Apparently that was something that caused him some concern, because when he left for the day, he turned to me and said, "I will be back in the morning. You don't need to cry and cry. Okay, Mimi?" Awwww......

And this little guy is Zeke, aka Zekers. He is 19 months or there about. For this photo op I put him in a shirt that my hubby wore when he was a baby. He has a grin that melts my heart. His speech is exploding, so every day he has new things to share. Our latest trick is fish face. You know, where you pucker up your lips and look like a fish. Yes, I look very attractive making this face. No, I will not show you. Anyhoo, when I make this fish face, Zeke grins and leans in for a kiss and then he tries and tries so hard to make his lips do the fish face. He hasn't gotten there yet, but it's not for lack of trying. 

The dollar desk gets a facelift

Last summer, I bought a walnut executive desk for a dollar at the Salvation Army. This weekend I took the plunge and spruced it up.

Here is the before:

Pretty ugly....But very functional. The skirt hides the blocks I have it setting on to raise it to a 35" height to make it easier on my back for cutting fabric.

First thing Russ and I did was to solve how to get it taller without using the blocks. We stacked wood, layer by layer and shaped each layer with the router until we ended up with the legs at the right height.

Here they are, all painted and ready to be put back on the desk.

Here she is all painted in a lovely light shade of pink. Don't the legs look great!

They look pretty good together!

Up next is to get drawer pulls and I need to let it cure a bit before I get too much stuff put on top of it. It's very hard waiting though...

For those who would be interested, I used Dutch Boy Porch and Floor satin finish paint. to get the clean lines on the sides of the drawers I used Frog Tape. It worked exactly as promised. Great stuff!

~ Amy, a redeemed sheep

Last summer, I bought a walnut executive desk for a dollar at the Salvation Army. This weekend I took the plunge and spruced it up.

Here is the before:

Pretty ugly....But very functional. The skirt hides the blocks I have it setting on to raise it to a 35" height to make it easier on my back for cutting fabric.

First thing Russ and I did was to solve how to get it taller without using the blocks. We stacked wood, layer by layer and shaped each layer with the router until we ended up with the legs at the right height.

Here they are, all painted and ready to be put back on the desk.

Here she is all painted in a lovely light shade of pink. Don't the legs look great!

They look pretty good together!

Up next is to get drawer pulls and I need to let it cure a bit before I get too much stuff put on top of it. It's very hard waiting though...

For those who would be interested, I used Dutch Boy Porch and Floor satin finish paint. to get the clean lines on the sides of the drawers I used Frog Tape. It worked exactly as promised. Great stuff!

~ Amy, a redeemed sheep

Laurie, my very best friend of lots and lots of years, and I won a prize at Stash Manicure's Wantobe Quilter campaign! Look at what we won!

http://www.sewwequilt.com/2011/08/20-winners-of-our-wantobe-quilters.html

Thank you, Madame Samm and a hearty "hear hear" to all the great sponsors!

Laurie, my very best friend of lots and lots of years, and I won a prize at Stash Manicure's Wantobe Quilter campaign! Look at what we won!

http://www.sewwequilt.com/2011/08/20-winners-of-our-wantobe-quilters.html

Thank you, Madame Samm and a hearty "hear hear" to all the great sponsors!

Funny name for a kitchen scale, don't you think? 

I found her at a thrift store on last Saturday's ride with my hubby. She looks cute in my kitchen AND she is functional, which is why she came home with us. =)

The plan was to link up with 

 
but I sort of forgot to schedule the post. Oooops....

Funny name for a kitchen scale, don't you think? 

I found her at a thrift store on last Saturday's ride with my hubby. She looks cute in my kitchen AND she is functional, which is why she came home with us. =)

The plan was to link up with 

 
but I sort of forgot to schedule the post. Oooops....

Sewing has been very hit and miss. More often than not, you can find me on the back of the Goldwing with my hubby, however, I did grab time to get the Christmas quilt done yesterday. 

You can see the quilting better on this side.

I did do a baby quilt on Tipsy a few weeks ago. As soon as it's delivered to the new mom and her wee baby boy, I'll share it. I am thrilled with how it turned out. =) 

Happy quilting, friends....

Sewing has been very hit and miss. More often than not, you can find me on the back of the Goldwing with my hubby, however, I did grab time to get the Christmas quilt done yesterday. 

You can see the quilting better on this side.

I did do a baby quilt on Tipsy a few weeks ago. As soon as it's delivered to the new mom and her wee baby boy, I'll share it. I am thrilled with how it turned out. =) 

Happy quilting, friends....

I just read the update on Reece's Rainbow....Liliana's family has found her!  

Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; for His lovingkindness is everlasting (Psalms 107:1).

I just read the update on Reece's Rainbow....Liliana's family has found her!  

Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; for His lovingkindness is everlasting (Psalms 107:1).

From Adeye's blog....

UPDATED: (Friday 11am)  I sit here humbled and totally amazed at what God has done for sweet Liliana in the last 24 hours.  THANK YOU to each and every one of you who has played a part in her rescue, her unfolding miracle.  I will update more later but I just wanted to let you all know that I have ended the Chip-In.  Liliana's family will now have enough money to complete her adoption.  The ransom has been raised!  However, if there are still some of you who would like to donate I will pass details on later as to how that can still be done.  With a heart overflowing with thankfulness and praises to my King.   Adéye

Help is on the way, little bird....Help is on the way.

From Adeye's blog....

UPDATED: (Friday 11am)  I sit here humbled and totally amazed at what God has done for sweet Liliana in the last 24 hours.  THANK YOU to each and every one of you who has played a part in her rescue, her unfolding miracle.  I will update more later but I just wanted to let you all know that I have ended the Chip-In.  Liliana's family will now have enough money to complete her adoption.  The ransom has been raised!  However, if there are still some of you who would like to donate I will pass details on later as to how that can still be done.  With a heart overflowing with thankfulness and praises to my King.   Adéye

Help is on the way, little bird....Help is on the way.

Today I am sharing Adeye's blog post. I am actually going to share her original post here. After you read, please got to Adeyes' blog and make a donation there. Adeye has a ChipIn on her blog
 No Greater Joy Mom. 

We can save this little girl...

Yes, we can...

Read on to find out how.

***********

Honestly?  I don't even know how to write this post!  I have sat staring at a few pictures for the last few days, thinking, "How in the world do I even put this atrocity into words?"  I am not the most eloquent with words at the best of times--but this--this is absolutely heart-wrenching.

Type.  Delete.  Type.  Delete.  Sometimes, the right words are just so hard to find.

Allow me to introduce you to a very special little girl.  This is Liliana (not her real name).

Isn't she so beautiful?



The above pictures were taken about two years ago.  Sweet Liliana was nine years old at the time.  Nine!  In spite of her tiny size, she actually seemed to be doing alright when these were taken, judging from the pictures.  I can totally handle these photos.

Unfortunately for Liliana, no one ever came for her. She was never rescued.  And added to that, she lives in a country which, very sadly, sees no worth or value in those who have special needs.  Nothing, and I mean nothing, could ever have prepared me for the latest pictures of her.

Friends, the pictures below are hard to look at.  They just are. No doubt about it. For some, they are too hard to look at. Many would even choose to turn their backs, and as the president of World Vision, Richard Stearns, so accurately said, they would say, "Sorry, not my problem!"  It's hard for us to face reality such as this.  It's almost impossible for us to even wrap our heads around the gravity of a situation like this.  Sometimes it is so much easier to live in our four walls and NOT know what happens on the other side.  It's comfortable there.  I know, because I have been there, done that.

But how can we possibly say that this is not our problem?

These pictures were taken this month.

Liliana is now eleven years old. Yup, ELEVEN. Her weight? Ten pounds! That's not a typo.  TEN measly little pounds. My babies were born weighing ten pounds, for goodness sakes. I have no idea how Liliana has even survived this long. She's a fighter--a survivor, for sure.

She is nothing but skin and bones. It's pathetic. I even have her measurements.  Her wrist is three inches around. Her upper arm is three inches around. Her legs are 13 inches long, hip to heel. Her head is 16 inches in circumference. Her foot is four inches long.  You have got to be kidding me. 

For crying out loud....She is eleven years old!

This is an absolute abomination. How the Father must weep at what He sees.

How is it even possible for a little girl with Down syndrome to be allowed to literally waste away in a crib?  Be starved of adequate nutrition?  Be so emaciated that her skin looks like it is about to tear? 

This is real life.  This is what happens to millions of children just like Liliana--the ones who lie confined to metal cages their entire lives.  The ones who suffer at the hands of humans who simply just do not care that all life is precious and valuable.

Of course this is our problem!  "Our," as in all Christians, that is.  We're the ones whom the Father has commanded to "care for the widows and the orphans" (as it says in the book of James). 

We cannot turn a blind eye, walk away, and forget about the atrocious catastrophe that happens to the fatherless.  We simply cannot.  Yes, there are times when God calls us to pray as a body--to come together in unison and trust Him to move a seemingly impossible mountain.  But then there are the other times.  The ones where we are spurred into action.

There are times when we are called to rally for the sake of another human being--one who will never be able to pay us back or give us a single thing in return.  As John Wooden once said, "You cannot live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you."

I'll be honest with you.  These pictures of Liliana make me so fuming mad.  The injustice of it all makes me feel physically sick. They make me want to fight for the orphan all the days God grants me breath on this earth.  These pictures make me want to scream at the top of my lungs, "This IS our problem!"

So, because this IS my problem, I knew that sitting back and not doing a darn thing simply was not an option.  I cannot travel to the other side of the world and bring this darling home.  We don't qualify.  But doggone it, I sure can try to do everything in my power to make sure that she doescome home, and that finances are the last thing her family needs to worry about as they scramble to get the necessary paperwork together.  Getting there as fast as is humanly possible is the onlything they should have to worry about. We really do not have to adopt a child to make a profound difference in their lives.  Just give--a little or a lot.  Give what you can and watch God multiply it.  It's the loaves and the fishes stuff.

Together, we can make a HUGE difference!

Liliana's greatest need right now is the ransom

Oh, sweet girl, hang in there.  Don't give up!  Please, please hang on.  Help is on the way.

Yesterday I made an appeal to my lovely blog readers for a few items to give away as part of a fundraiser for precious Liliana.  As usual, I was blown away.  God's people really do astound me.  Some had already seen Liliana's picture doing the rounds and were so eager to jump in and help out.  I have put a Chip-In at the top of this post.  The total is set at $22,000.00.  Sounds like a whole lot of money--yet nothing in God's economy.  Nothing for the sake of a child.

And so today I come to you pleading for help.  Yes, I'm begging again.  Please would you consider sowing seed into Liliana's grant fund?  Every little bit donated will add up and become such a huge blessing to the family whom God raises up to rescue this angel.

We're raising the ransom here!  This is Liliana's deliverance.  It's her redemption!

My friends, The Malones, who run an amazing ministry which helps orphans called the Eli Project(who you may remember from Vanya's fundraiser) have graciously agreed to receive all the funds donated for Liliana in their non-profit. Every single dollar donated will go to the family who adopts her and the money will be dispersed by the Eli Project.  The Malones have such huge hearts for the orphan--they definitely walk the talk and I love that about them.

Goodness gracious, the list of giveaway items below is absolutely awesome!  People sure have opened their hearts to a little girl so desperately needing to be rescued and they have donated some fabulous things.  This is a giveaway so all winners will be chosen at random by an automated selection program.

Also, would you please help us by spreading Liliana's fundraiser to anyone you know?  Please share her story on blogs and social networks so that one teeny, tiny little life can be redeemed and beauty can rise from these ashes.  I appreciate that so much. We're stretching our faith to trust the Lord for a fully funded adoption.

Here's how this will work:

~~~ Receive one entry for each donation you make in the Chip-In.
~~~ Receive a second entry when you mention this giveaway on your own blog.
~~~ Receive a third entry for mentioning it on your Facebook or Twitter.

Please remember to leave separate comments for each of the above categories.  

Below are the amazing items which are up for grabs.  Thank you, thank you to the incredible friends who donated them.  I am so thankful for the outpouring of love for sweet Liliana.

"NOW....show us your glory, Lord!"  Exodus 33:18

~~~~~~~~

TWO  iPads

32GB

Valued at over $600 each..

~~~~~~~

A $500 Target Gift Card

~~~~~~~

A $500 Walmart Gift Card

~~~~~~~

$200 Gift Certificate from Posh Tots

 ~~~~~~~

A Classic White Moses Basket with Minky

From Posh Tots

~~~~~~~

A Coach Purse

Valued at over $400

~~~~~~~

A Coach Purse

Valued at over $400

~~~~~~~

FIVE Amazon Gift Cards!!!

1 x $100

1 x $100

1 x $100

1 x $100

1 x $75

~~~~~~~

An iPod Nano

Valued at $140

~~~~~~~

Wii Band Hero

Valued at $180

~~~~~~~

FIVE Kindles!!!

~~~~~~~

TWO gift certificates to:

Petite Baubles Boutique

(medic alert and ID bracelets)

1 x $50

1 x $25

~~~~~~~

A Choice of THREE bracelets from:

Orphaned No More

~~~~~~~

TWO iTunes Gift Cards

1 x $100
1 x $25

~~~~~~~

$100 Lowes Gift Card

~~~~~~~

Pandigital Novel e-Reader

Valued at $170

~~~~~~~

$200 Gift Card to Christian Book Distributors

Today I am sharing Adeye's blog post. I am actually going to share her original post here. After you read, please got to Adeyes' blog and make a donation there. Adeye has a ChipIn on her blog
 No Greater Joy Mom. 

We can save this little girl...

Yes, we can...

Read on to find out how.

***********

Honestly?  I don't even know how to write this post!  I have sat staring at a few pictures for the last few days, thinking, "How in the world do I even put this atrocity into words?"  I am not the most eloquent with words at the best of times--but this--this is absolutely heart-wrenching.

Type.  Delete.  Type.  Delete.  Sometimes, the right words are just so hard to find.

Allow me to introduce you to a very special little girl.  This is Liliana (not her real name).

Isn't she so beautiful?



The above pictures were taken about two years ago.  Sweet Liliana was nine years old at the time.  Nine!  In spite of her tiny size, she actually seemed to be doing alright when these were taken, judging from the pictures.  I can totally handle these photos.

Unfortunately for Liliana, no one ever came for her. She was never rescued.  And added to that, she lives in a country which, very sadly, sees no worth or value in those who have special needs.  Nothing, and I mean nothing, could ever have prepared me for the latest pictures of her.

Friends, the pictures below are hard to look at.  They just are. No doubt about it. For some, they are too hard to look at. Many would even choose to turn their backs, and as the president of World Vision, Richard Stearns, so accurately said, they would say, "Sorry, not my problem!"  It's hard for us to face reality such as this.  It's almost impossible for us to even wrap our heads around the gravity of a situation like this.  Sometimes it is so much easier to live in our four walls and NOT know what happens on the other side.  It's comfortable there.  I know, because I have been there, done that.

But how can we possibly say that this is not our problem?

These pictures were taken this month.

Liliana is now eleven years old. Yup, ELEVEN. Her weight? Ten pounds! That's not a typo.  TEN measly little pounds. My babies were born weighing ten pounds, for goodness sakes. I have no idea how Liliana has even survived this long. She's a fighter--a survivor, for sure.

She is nothing but skin and bones. It's pathetic. I even have her measurements.  Her wrist is three inches around. Her upper arm is three inches around. Her legs are 13 inches long, hip to heel. Her head is 16 inches in circumference. Her foot is four inches long.  You have got to be kidding me. 

For crying out loud....She is eleven years old!

This is an absolute abomination. How the Father must weep at what He sees.

How is it even possible for a little girl with Down syndrome to be allowed to literally waste away in a crib?  Be starved of adequate nutrition?  Be so emaciated that her skin looks like it is about to tear? 

This is real life.  This is what happens to millions of children just like Liliana--the ones who lie confined to metal cages their entire lives.  The ones who suffer at the hands of humans who simply just do not care that all life is precious and valuable.

Of course this is our problem!  "Our," as in all Christians, that is.  We're the ones whom the Father has commanded to "care for the widows and the orphans" (as it says in the book of James). 

We cannot turn a blind eye, walk away, and forget about the atrocious catastrophe that happens to the fatherless.  We simply cannot.  Yes, there are times when God calls us to pray as a body--to come together in unison and trust Him to move a seemingly impossible mountain.  But then there are the other times.  The ones where we are spurred into action.

There are times when we are called to rally for the sake of another human being--one who will never be able to pay us back or give us a single thing in return.  As John Wooden once said, "You cannot live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you."

I'll be honest with you.  These pictures of Liliana make me so fuming mad.  The injustice of it all makes me feel physically sick. They make me want to fight for the orphan all the days God grants me breath on this earth.  These pictures make me want to scream at the top of my lungs, "This IS our problem!"

So, because this IS my problem, I knew that sitting back and not doing a darn thing simply was not an option.  I cannot travel to the other side of the world and bring this darling home.  We don't qualify.  But doggone it, I sure can try to do everything in my power to make sure that she doescome home, and that finances are the last thing her family needs to worry about as they scramble to get the necessary paperwork together.  Getting there as fast as is humanly possible is the onlything they should have to worry about. We really do not have to adopt a child to make a profound difference in their lives.  Just give--a little or a lot.  Give what you can and watch God multiply it.  It's the loaves and the fishes stuff.

Together, we can make a HUGE difference!

Liliana's greatest need right now is the ransom

Oh, sweet girl, hang in there.  Don't give up!  Please, please hang on.  Help is on the way.

Yesterday I made an appeal to my lovely blog readers for a few items to give away as part of a fundraiser for precious Liliana.  As usual, I was blown away.  God's people really do astound me.  Some had already seen Liliana's picture doing the rounds and were so eager to jump in and help out.  I have put a Chip-In at the top of this post.  The total is set at $22,000.00.  Sounds like a whole lot of money--yet nothing in God's economy.  Nothing for the sake of a child.

And so today I come to you pleading for help.  Yes, I'm begging again.  Please would you consider sowing seed into Liliana's grant fund?  Every little bit donated will add up and become such a huge blessing to the family whom God raises up to rescue this angel.

We're raising the ransom here!  This is Liliana's deliverance.  It's her redemption!

My friends, The Malones, who run an amazing ministry which helps orphans called the Eli Project(who you may remember from Vanya's fundraiser) have graciously agreed to receive all the funds donated for Liliana in their non-profit. Every single dollar donated will go to the family who adopts her and the money will be dispersed by the Eli Project.  The Malones have such huge hearts for the orphan--they definitely walk the talk and I love that about them.

Goodness gracious, the list of giveaway items below is absolutely awesome!  People sure have opened their hearts to a little girl so desperately needing to be rescued and they have donated some fabulous things.  This is a giveaway so all winners will be chosen at random by an automated selection program.

Also, would you please help us by spreading Liliana's fundraiser to anyone you know?  Please share her story on blogs and social networks so that one teeny, tiny little life can be redeemed and beauty can rise from these ashes.  I appreciate that so much. We're stretching our faith to trust the Lord for a fully funded adoption.

Here's how this will work:

~~~ Receive one entry for each donation you make in the Chip-In.
~~~ Receive a second entry when you mention this giveaway on your own blog.
~~~ Receive a third entry for mentioning it on your Facebook or Twitter.

Please remember to leave separate comments for each of the above categories.  

Below are the amazing items which are up for grabs.  Thank you, thank you to the incredible friends who donated them.  I am so thankful for the outpouring of love for sweet Liliana.

"NOW....show us your glory, Lord!"  Exodus 33:18

~~~~~~~~

TWO  iPads

32GB

Valued at over $600 each..

~~~~~~~

A $500 Target Gift Card

~~~~~~~

A $500 Walmart Gift Card

~~~~~~~

$200 Gift Certificate from Posh Tots

 ~~~~~~~

A Classic White Moses Basket with Minky

From Posh Tots

~~~~~~~

A Coach Purse

Valued at over $400

~~~~~~~

A Coach Purse

Valued at over $400

~~~~~~~

FIVE Amazon Gift Cards!!!

1 x $100

1 x $100

1 x $100

1 x $100

1 x $75

~~~~~~~

An iPod Nano

Valued at $140

~~~~~~~

Wii Band Hero

Valued at $180

~~~~~~~

FIVE Kindles!!!

~~~~~~~

TWO gift certificates to:

Petite Baubles Boutique

(medic alert and ID bracelets)

1 x $50

1 x $25

~~~~~~~

A Choice of THREE bracelets from:

Orphaned No More

~~~~~~~

TWO iTunes Gift Cards

1 x $100
1 x $25

~~~~~~~

$100 Lowes Gift Card

~~~~~~~

Pandigital Novel e-Reader

Valued at $170

~~~~~~~

$200 Gift Card to Christian Book Distributors