Spiral Hope Quilt is Finished!!

I can't believe I finally finished this quilt! I started it several years ago for someone special to me and I had a whole plan for it's creation. Something happened, as things just seem to, so I shelved it. Last year I took it back out with a new plan. Now countless hours, tears and prayers later, it is finished.

Next stop? 

The county Fair to see if I can win a ribbon . . 

Don't You just Love a Clean Floor?!!

This was taken as we were prepping the smaller cage for Dahlia to kindle in. I think I about steamed the life out of this floor but doesn't it shine so pretty!??!

🍳Omelettes!! 🍳

Diced steak, summer squash and green peppers slowly browned in garlic-infused honey.

Then add eggs, mix thoroughly. 

Top with your favorite cheese. 

When it's time to flip, turn off the heat so it stays moist as it finishes cooking.

Enjoy!! 🍳

Couponless Haul at Kroger!

I just bought all of this for $44+ change!! Seriously .. 

Bread $0.84 each 

Salami 4/$1 

Oikos 10/$10 

Lala $3.99

Bagged produce was from discount shelf $0.99/bag 

Flavored seltzer water $0.19 each 

Welch's juice $1.99 each 

Seasoned chicken $0.99/lb ($3.61 total) 

Braunschweiger $2.50 

There are definitely some deals to be had if you know where to look!! 

Can We Adapt/Change to Keep up with Planet Changes??!

Our world is changing.
Did you see where a huge fissure is splitting Africa and so part will be drifting away? Remember how we were all one continent before EQs etc split us into what we have now? Our continents are "mobile" so can/will continue drifting as the earth changes.
How wow is that?!!
For the US there is an old Navy map and a new Navy map. Both are well worth studying and cross referencing. In comparing these with IMHO a well researched article on the effects of plate shifting I feel 100% confident with their accuracy.
From there check out the flood maps Thor News produces on YouTube. How are the flooding rivers so consistently concentrated in the new ocean in the middle of the US as seen on the Navy maps?!?!!!?
 Do you live in those areas? What is your plan for the next big overdue 9.0+ EQ at the New Madrid fault?? That EQ is supposed to trigger major changes.
How do you see that all playing out? In looking at that last huge EQ at that site I can say it was a violent EQ in a fairly unpopulated area. The Mississippi ran backwards and changed it's course! As the majority of Illinois and some of Indiana is sitting on limestone, which disintegrates over time to sand, this next Huge New Madrid EQ will in effect finish off the process thereby causing that entire area to become one massive spontaneous sinkhole. Instantly the ocean will rush up from the Gulf of Mexico and Lake Michigan will rush down. A new ocean will be formed. The US will become two (2) continents. Countless lives lives lost in split seconds. Absolutely nowhere to run for safety. Nowhere. If you're there you're dead. I really did sit in Joliet and try to figure out how we could buy a boat and live there . . but it just seems to me that a boat would be tossed, flipped, swallowed up. . . it wouldn't have a chance.
Why isn't our government preparing to move those people? We could make a swap~ turn the area to become sea back over to nature and move all those people to the National Parks out west. Yes, this is huge and radical. So is the coming 50+ years overdue 9.0+ EQ at the New Madrid!! It would be a huge prospect to build so many new homes, relocate major corporations and relocate huge numbers of people and wildlife.
It would both save lives and create such a huge bumper crop of jobs as to completely change the economy!!
Add to all this the sea level rise, which, for now, is worrisome. I say "for now" because this is a cycle and the ice caps will refreeze eventually.
As sea level rises, are people/cities/governments inland ready to evacuate shorelines as needed? Rather I see governments trying to find ways to keep out the inevitably rising waters. Hasn't Hurricane Katrina proven you cannot barricade out the sea??! IMHO this is simply putting lives at risk . . especially since the risk of hurricanes to areas like New York City seem to be rising.

I am way more aware of changes in the US as I live there~ please check out info for your own area so you can also prepare! 

Great Northern Beans

Slow simmered  . . I didn't have any ham so I cut up chopped steak and browned that first, then added beans, seasonings and simmered slowly .. 

So Yummy!! 

1 Corinthians 13:13

¹³ Now faith, hope, and love remain—these three things—and the greatest of these is love. 

Love Dare . . Yes, I am still reading this book. . yes, over and over again I will go through this process . . interspersed between projects, moving, other books I'm reading . . I will pray ceaselessly for my husband, for our marriage, for my in growth . . 

"Quick" Update

Hey, friends, sorry I have been only posting minimally. Not sure if you're noticing but I really haven't just posted, rambled, poured my heart and soul into simply sharing with you . . 

I So Miss That! 

I am finding more and more that I need that quiet time of journalling here and on my Patreon blog . . Sharing with all of you the little things, my dreams, quiet plans . . 

I dearly love writing so miss this so much. 

So, my allergies have been attacking . . my job has stressed me out . . and I am trying to make huge huge positive changes in our lives with a negligible local support system. 

So I am starting the whole process of major major life changes over almost from the beginning . . 

Changes absolutely have to be made . . the unacceptable must be replaced . . 

We have a right to feel secure, be happy and have personal peace. 

I am working towards those goals. 

A lot of what I am doing (things you might not see here) is over at www.patreon.com/karenjoyce 

Some posts are free 

Some (a LOT) $1/month 

Some $2+/mo 

It depends on how personal the info is and how far ahead I'm sharing. 

Also, I'd seriously like to be able to shift more and more to full time writing so having patrons support my writing helps. If you choose to pledge look at it as an online magazine subscription! But, rather than paying yearly you pay monthly and can stop at any time. How cool is that!?!??! 

For right now most of my paid posts are at the $1/mo level as that's where my current patron, the lovely @Morgaine620, is pledging. Slowly I am also adding posts at the other levels. 
Now, as you look at the list of posts ignore for a minute the "Become a Patron" button that seems, to me, to be on attack mode😂 
Instead, very slowly scroll through and look at what's free (some of these were released days earlier to my patron only), look at the photos, titles . . Are there any locked posts you wish you could read? Maybe you'd like to try becoming a patron at that level for one (1) month. That allows you the opportunity to view all posts at that level or lower.  . . time to assess ..  do you want to continue as a patron? At the same level? I really am completely fine with people randomly changing levels. 
Then, at some point 
[need all new tires on your car . .?] 
you may want to pause your subscription for a while. 
Please , come back when you can! 
Even if you pop in/out and switch levels you still have access to all past posts and can catch up easily!! 
Okay, so what's up here?? 
Well, I am reassessing so much . .and making huge changes .. huge! 
We have to move . . it's become so nonnegotiable to Matt and I. Yes, the landlord wants us to stay . . even agreed to a 1 1/2 year lease vs standard yearly ..  but we have to go . . I will be detailing why once we have moved . . but all the really good pics and info will probably be on my Patreon blog. I will give you general details here though. 
We have a place set up to move to!! 
So exciting!! 
I prayed and prayed ..  
Our home needs to be like a resort/vacation home/off-grid/homestead 
So I prayed . .
 We needed a home that: 
*Backs up to woods 
*Waterfront 
*On a hill
*Where we'll be accepted as we are 
And God led me . . He'd been trying to tell me for a while ..  the perfect place was waiting for us!! 
And I paid my deposit!! 
🎉WooHoo 🤣
Yes, my lease expires October 25th . . and we know we have a place to go . . 
The owner and manager are super nice and friendly 😊 

Obedience to God in Our Relationships

^{Malachi 2:13-16} 

¹³ You should do this as well:
        cover the altar of the Lord with tears, weeping, and groaning
            because there is still no divine favor for your offering or favorable regard
            for anything from your hand.
¹⁴ But you say, "Why?"
    Because the Lord testifies about you
            and the wife of your youth against whom you cheated.
    She is your partner,
            the wife of your covenant.
¹⁵ Didn't he make her the one
¹³ You should do this as well:
        cover the altar of the Lord with tears, weeping, and groaning
            because there is still no divine favor for your offering or favorable regard
            for anything from your hand.
¹⁴ But you say, “Why?”
    Because the Lord testifies about you
            and the wife of your youth against whom you cheated.
    She is your partner,
            the wife of your covenant.
¹⁵ Didn’t he make her the one
and the remnant of his spirit?What is the one?
        The one seeking godly offspring.
You should guard your own spirit.
        Don’t cheat on the wife of your youth
¹⁶         because he hates divorce,
says the Lord God of Israel,
            and he also hates the one covering his garment with violence,
says the Lord of heavenly forces.
        Guard your own life, and don’t cheat.

God specifically commands us not to cheat on our spouses. To Him our spouse is the one He has given us for a life-companion, someone to walk our life's journey and share in each ministry He gives us. This spouse is a blessing and a gift from God to be treasured. 

😋Supper

Streak with green beans, hominy, celery and green onions.

All topped with shredded cheese . . 

Ah, delicious!! 

When You Can't Get a Doctor Appointment . . .

You're sick, really sick this time ..  and your doctor's office has no available appointments . . 

Or your doctor won't listen . . won't acknowledge the symptoms you're describing . . 

Inevitably the ER becomes the only option. 

But, does it have to? 

Isn't it possible for us to keep a stocked medicine cabinet and first aid kit to handle all but major surgery? 

I, myself, would like to have a better first aid kit. We have several we put together while Matt was in scouts. I'd like to see these sorted and recombined/consolidated. . . 

I'd also like to have a way way more extensive set of first aid skills. It seems like I've been taking some sort of classes in this forever . . babysitting class in 1976 . . Girl Scouts . . Then, years and years later, I began prepping and needed to brush up on skills . . Matt joined Cub Scouts then Boy Scouts and I sat through multiple first aid lessons . . Zoom ahead again to my current job with Visiting Angels and so so many classes including first aid, nutrition, etcetera . . 
And I seriously crave more .  . . 
Okay, so I have to admit I LOVE learning .   . . Can't deny that . .  
Don't want to become a nurse . . I don't think so anyways . . Not right now . . Too many hours away from home . . Yeah, okay, maybe I'll just check into that a bit more . .  
But meanwhile . . 
IMHO, we each need to be able to be responsible for the majority of our own healthcare needs. Yes, there will always be some things we'll absolutely have to rely on a doctor for . . 
But . . 
Times are changing. 
This is not the world we grew up in or our parents grew up in. 
🌀Remember Katrina?!?! 🌊 
Remember how badly our government failed us? And what about the most recent failure after Maria hit Puerto Rico?!?! 
As we sit here and now we should not by any means be relying on others for our own survival. 
We need to look back at how self-reliant pioneers were. Take a couple first aid and CPR classes. Restock our first aid kits. Learn some herbal medicine then plant a nice herb garden. 
One step at time . . 
Learn a skill and put it to use . . 
Then learn another. 
Be prepared to be self-sufficient!! 

In a disaster there may not be a doctor nearby for months. 

1000 Marble Challenge ~ week 948-950

~ working together

~ looking at trailers to buy 

~ new girlfriend ❣️Mr Romeo❣️

~ surviving no hot water in our apartment 🚱 

~ cleaning and organizing  

~ urbex 

~ cleaning together 

~ hiking Toledo w/friends 

💤Joy Dare 🕊️ February 4-7, 2019 🤔

4th~ 3 gifts hard to give thanks for . . 
      💤 Total and utter exhaustion 
       💸 Budgetary confinements 
       🏢 Tiny tiny apartment 

5th~ 3 gifts found .  . 
       🕊️ Peace in knowing He leads me 
        💃 My happy place 
       🎮 Control 

6th~ a gift bent, broken, beautiful ..  
        😌 My ability to wait 
         🤔 Thinking 
        💋 Avon samples arrived❣️❣️ 

7th~ 3 gifts in the kitchen  . . 
         🍶 Vinegar water 
          🥛 Milk 
         🍌 Peanut butter and banana w/ghee 

🥜Tbt~ "Peanut Butter Crisis"

Hi there! How are you doing on prepping? I have to admit we only have 3-7 days of food on hand. This is mostly because our kitchen is so incredibly tiny so there's no where to store preps. And rotating preps would be completely out of the question! I am starting to buy a few extras each week but that is making life more challenging. . . 

1000 Marble Challenge~ week 947

🏢 apartment hunting

👕 laundromat 

⛺ camping plans 

📚 studying to improve grades 

💤 sleepover 

🍽️ chores 

👩‍👦 family teamwork 

🌳#whatif Prompt for 3.2.19 🔫

Today's prompt:

      Perimeter Check 

   

Feel free to respond in your favorite way whether it be a poem, short story, photo, video . . however you best relate to the prompt. Simply post your ideas, create a ping-back and use the hashtag #whatif.

*How to link* 

Copy url from this post. 

Paste it on your post. 

*Easy-Beasy*

Tbt~ "Growing Up?"

Hard to imagine my sweet chubby-cheeked little boy has grown up so fast . . yet he's still his own man and dresses purely to suit his own needs!! 

While I Wait . . and Wait . .

While I wait . . and wait . . yes, it does sometimes seem like forever .. and He used to show me visions of what life would be like once my marriage was restored . . and He hasn't shown me any for a while . . maybe because I need to stand on what He showed me and have a little faith . . LOL 

But, seriously, the waiting can be hard and get so so discouraging .. and not everyone is going to be all, "yippee, you're praying for your ex-husband!"  So all the Debbie-downers are going to want to have their say/offer unsolicited advice and therapy to help you move on. . . and then there's his new gf who calls you up to tell you off and call you so many 'interesting' names because you are praying  .  . . . 

But the peace from following Him and learning to lean into Him and trust His plan . . that makes the waiting time a blessing! 😇 

This morning I stopped by the BTG YouTube to get some encouragement from Sheila . . watching and seeing how her walk and her waiting looked blesses me. This was my comment on her video: [see above]  

We each are solely responsible for listening for His voice and following His lead in our lives. For me this is learning to be more trusting of God  . . I will continue to pray as I wait for God to heal what is still hurting and place more of a burden for obedience to the Bible in both our hearts while He continues to soften our hearts towards each other . . 

                                   🙏

"If God is for you, who can be against you .. " 

                    

1000 Marble Challenge~ weeks 943-946

More blessed weeks! 

~ church as a family 

~ apartment hunting 

~ spoiling the bunnies 

~ helping with chores 

~ hanging out 

Spiral Hope Quilt Top

Hi and welcome back!! 😊

The embroidery is done and I've found a nice piece of material for the backing/binding in my stash. 

The back is all tied on and the binding is pinned (at least partially).