The Portion of my Inheritance

Finley Pixie Hat

June 16, 2015 by peggy1martin2

I began my search to find the perfect prayer bonnet and I knew as soon as I saw this pattern that it was it! You can find the adorable little pixie hat pattern here.

My little prayer recipient shares the same name as the pattern, Finley.

This precious hat is knitted in a seed stitch, with a ribbed band framing the face.

Once again I used I Love This Yarn, purchased at Hobby Lobby in a bright pink color.

I understand that it seems like an usual gift to give in the hot summer time, but come winter, my sweet little Finley will not only be covered with warmth and love, she will be covered with our Lord’s promises and blessings, being poured out over her, flowing down throughout her whole life. May our Lord bless her and keep her and make His perfect, beautiful face shine upon her.

Many thanks to my granddaughter Aniyah for modeling this very warm hat in the summer.

“The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.”’

Numbers 6:24-26

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Yearning

June 14, 2015 by peggy1martin2

Summer time is here and the heat has settled on the Texas soil.

Windows are closed and curtains are drawn tight to keep the hot sun from baking you from within. The low hum of the air conditioner runs steady on and my heart turns to my most beloved season.

Fall.

He made the moon for the seasons; The sun knows the place of its setting. Psalms 104:19

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The Unforgettable Moments

June 13, 2015 by peggy1martin2

To see her standing there against the backdrop of the glistening water delighted me to my core. Her face was sun kissed pink and her dazzling blue eyes matched the color of the sky, bright and clear, sparkling with joy. The wind gently blew her hair, tossing it in wisps around her checks and framing the outline of her jaw. Tiny little strands take flight and lasso around in delight, these numbered hairs of her head.

I was caught up in this glorious moment and my heart beat strong within my chest, thump, thump, thump, at the beautiful sight of her. This is what is feels like to be totally in the glory moment. Sheer happiness at just being alive. Looking into the eyes of your beloved and seeing the reflection of that love shining outward. The joy that her face held added to my happiness. I love to see her happy and it made my heart swell within me, too hard to breath, and I held my breath for just a moment, and I kept my eyes fast on her. I did not want to miss one single moment.

I try to memorize every detail of this moment, soaking in as much as I could absorb, not wanting to overlook the beauty of it all.

Then I shifted my eyes upward . . . just a little. I knew exactly where this moment came from. The Psalm sang out loud in my heart, “I will lift my eyes towards the hills.”(Psalm 121:1) For “every good and perfect gift is from Him”. (James 1:17) The maker of heaven and earth, and of moments just like this. And every gift is meant to point us to Him, to His wondrous love and mercy, and it does exactly that.

His blessings are found everywhere, in every shape and size.

They come little in form, tiny hands that grasp tightly to mine, and I can feel the little bird bones, delicate against my own frame, and I marvel at His work.

They come in the form of brown eyes, penetrating deep into my own, drawing me in and my heart caves, giving way under the weight of them.

Of dark, unyielding curls that hang loose and free, loping around from the breeze. Even in the stillness these curls do exactly what they please, and I smile at the thought of it.

Tender, precious hugs that linger just long enough to feel the heartbeats mingle and become a single ensemble.

They may even come in the form of favorite rain boots, for often times it is the little things that bring delight.

These wonderful pleasures are His blessings to us, His gifts and I cherish them dearly. It’s in these gifts that we feel and see His amazing love, how He has lavished it so completely on us, and I drink in the sweetness of it, basking in the unforgettable moments. My heart bursts within my chest at His unfailing love and at His revealing. For it has always been through my maternal heart that I understood His heart most clearly.

ALL is well with my soul . . . .

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. James 1:17

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Ashley Wolfe Yarns

June 13, 2015 by peggy1martin2

It all started just before Christmas. My son wanted to take me somewhere special to pick out my Christmas present from him. When we arrived at his friends house and walked in the front door I could not believe what I saw. There was yarn and fiber everywhere! I was like a kid in a candy store-literally!

The rest is history.

Let me introduce you to an amazing artist in yarn. You can find Ashley’s Etsy shop here.

Her blog is here.

Ashley is an expert at dyeing and spinning yarn. Her exquisite yarn is absolute perfection, creme la de creme of yarns.

Ashley uses the softest, most yummiest fibers and her finished work is superb. She also sells her lovely organic Polwarth and silk blend fiber in her Etsy shop.

Ashley will be teaching classes this summer on both spinning and dyeing. You will be sure to find me there learning from the best.

She stretches out her hands to the distaff, And her hands grasp the spindle. Proverbs 31:19

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What I’m Working On

June 12, 2015 by peggy1martin2

For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. Psalm 139:13

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Dyeing Fiber With Easter Egg Dye

June 9, 2015 by peggy1martin2

Growing up I loved to dye Easter eggs, and then later I remember the fun that my own children had in dyeing the eggs, and now my grandchildren love it.

I decided to see how the Easter egg dye would work on fiber, so I headed to the Dollar General and picked me up a couple of boxes.

I threw away everything except for the tiny little color pellets.

I used the dye in two different ways:

The first was to line my counter top with plastic wrap, then lay my presoaked fiber on top of it. I diluted the color pellets in a bottle with warm water and added about 3-4 tablespoons of vinegar. The vinegar helps to set the color.

Then I just began squirting the colored water onto the fiber, making sure to soak it all the way through. You can use whatever color pattern you want. Since I was experimenting with this I wanted to make it as colorful as I could.

You might want to use gloves to protect your hands from turning color. I didn’t use them and this was the result.

After I was happy with the color I rolled the fiber up into a long snake using the plastic wrap.

I put the fiber into a colander that had been simmering on the stove over water. I covered it and let it steam for about 20-30 minutes to set the color.

You could also set it in the microwave.

Then I soaked it in warm water.

I let it dry on my front porch.

Next, I spun it into yarn.

The second way I used the Easter egg dye:

I used purchased yarn already rolled into a loose ball, or you could spin your own yarn and roll it into a loose ball. If it is too tight the color will not absorb as well.

I brought water on the stove almost to a boil, adding the same amount of vinegar. I dropped the color pellets into the water but did not stir it, then added my yarn.

For this yarn, I added one blue pellet and one purple. The yarn absorbs the color slowly, making the outside more colorful and the inside more subdued in color.

I also did one using just the blue pellets and another that I just used green.

I used 2-3 pellets, depending on how rich you want your color.

I loved this technique! I loved the variegated look that came from this process.

And by the way, after Easter I was able to pick up several boxes of the dye for 19 cents.

I will confess that the dye did not set as well as I would of liked. I will heat set it longer next time and probably use more vinegar, but I was still pleased with the end result.

One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message. Acts 16:14

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Not Guilty

June 5, 2015 by peggy1martin2

It’s just been lately that I feel guilty.

Guilty?

About what, you may ask.

And the answer is this; Everything!

Someone just recently pointed it out to me. I did not even realize that I was doing it. I have been doing it all along, I just didn’t understand what I was doing, it has become so ingrained in me that it has become who I am and what I believe. It has become my truth.

But bringing the truth to light has been freeing.

And friends, God is in the business of freeing people, and He does it through truth.

And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:32

And as He always does, the Lord took me on a journey through His Word, to the very foundation of absolute truth.

And I find myself back with the children of Israel, traveling from the land of Egypt, slowly making my way to the promise land.

I am just like them you know; unbelieving, disobedient, and self seeking and the wonderful thing about it is this:

He loves me still, just as He loved the children of Israel.

And He delights in showing Himself strong on my behalf. He loves to peel back the layers of my heart and show me where I need Him in the deepest, secret places. Places that I did not even know existed.

I have heard Christine Caine speak truth about the Israelite children. “God delivered them, He set them free from slavery, but because of their disbelief and disobedience they remained in bondage. What should have taken eleven days to get from Egypt to the promised land actually took them 40 years”, all because they would not believe!

I read their story, and I can’t believe what I am reading. I can’t believe that after everything that the Lord had done for them, after everything they had seen; His amazing miracles and His tender care of them, they still would not believe! They were rebellious and stubborn. They really frustrate me and I judge them harshly. I can’t believe how blinded they were., that they would turn from Him so easily, not trusting Him, not depending upon Him, and not believing Him! WHAT IS WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE?!

But then . . the finger gets pointed right back at me. Right in my face, and I feel the heat slowly creep into my face. I stammer and run for cover. I am guilty of the very same sins that I had accused the Israelites of. I was pointing to the speck in their eye when my eyes were blinded by a plank the whole time. (Matt. 7:5)

His rebuke was gentle and loving, motivated by a Father’s heart to set His daughter free. One more layer peeled back, exposing the ugliness of my human flesh. I finally understand that my feelings of guilt are a result of not trusting Him, not depending on Him and so, so sadly from not believing Him.

Still-even through my feelings of guilt- He finds me–not guilty.

I claim boldly the covering of Christ, yet I wander around the desert weighed down with guilt and shame, not receiving or accepting the victory that He has available for me. And even though I am free from the law of sin and death, (Romans 8:2) He wants more for me, He wants me to also be free from the bondage that entraps me daily, and He does that with His truth. And if you truly seek Him, if you truly want the blinders lifted off of your eyes, He is faithful to show you.

So now, when the enemy attacks me with guilt I can’t stand firm and strong in the promises of my Lord. I can turn away from the lies that have nagged at me and held me down against my will. He has opened my eyes to truth and it has set me free . . . and I am free indeed. (So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. John 8:36)

“The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free,

~Jesus~Luke 4:18

Most photos are of Bridgeport lake.

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Knitted Short Overalls

June 1, 2015 by peggy1martin2

If you or anyone you know is expecting a baby, or if you need a knitted gift idea, you have to check out this ETSY store! The patterns are priced very reasonable, and they are wonderful knitting patterns. They have everything from bonnets to overalls, swaddle sacks to blankets and much more.

This is the pattern that I used to knit this cabled short overall set for beautiful little Molly.

I love love love the cables!

I embellished the top with some gathered lace and topped it with a decorative button.

I used the same yarn, lace and button to make her prayer bonnet.

prayer bonnet pattern here

I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God’s mysterious plan, which is Christ himself.

Colossians 2:2

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Ponds, Rivers and Lakes

May 25, 2015 by peggy1martin2

Aria has started her summer with a Ponds, Rivers and Lakes study unit. She has classroom work, experiments and videos that she does at home, but there are several outings planned for this unit.

First stop was at the boat ramp by mammy and gumps house at Bridgeport Lake. The lake has gone from over 20 foot low, to just under 2 foot low in just a few short weeks.

So gumps loaded up all his girls and drove us down to the lake. Aria brought along all the equipment she would need to do her observations.

The lake was pretty rough after the storms and we spent a few minutes just looking at the difference the rain had made.

Aria soon got started on her work gathering water, rocks and dirt from the lake. Aniyah worked at it also but didn’t collect very much in her net.

Aria needed a helping hand from gumps to get the mud and dirt.

She soon had everything she needed, so both girls spent a little time wading in the lake.

We were soon headed back home with everything that she had collected to take a closer look at it and to journal what she had seen.

She dumped her specimens into a big tub so she could see better and recorded her observations.

A great day at the lake!

Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. Isaiah 12:3

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The Annual Crawfish Boil

May 24, 2015 by peggy1martin2

Brookshire’s had their annual crawdad boil this Saturday and gumps gathered up his little troops and headed to town. This year Aniyah got to participate.

With the shopping done and the crawdads in hand we headed home to feast. Aria could not contain her excitement!

Not only was this an incredible meal, it also became a part of Aria’s pond, lakes and rivers unit. So she spent some time observing the little critters.