Look Out, Little Hummers!

This praying mantis was very serious about having a hummingbird for breakfast!  I got him off the feeder and threw him WAY out into the grass.  He was very persistent and managed to find his way back across the grass, up the retaining wall, onto the deck railing, and then back to the feeder.

We played this game four times on Friday.  I did research and yes, they DO catch and eat hummingbirds.  And NO they do NOT spit in your eye…  that is a myth.

When I woke up Saturday morning, there he was again, perched on the hummingbird feeder.  It is sad to report that he is no long with us… a casualty of my mother-bird instincts to protect the beautiful hummers I have managed to coax to my feeders.  When I had to choose between a bug or a bird, it was an easy choice.  May he RIP and may my hummers continue to store energy for their long migration, which should start soon. 

The lake is beautiful and smooth this morning, and my kayak is calling my name, but I am plugging my ears and singing the LA-LA-LA  song because I must go quilt today.  A super-busy week is ahead of me with church revival services Wednesday through Sunday so I will be zooming around and not working much the remainder of the week… but it will be so wonderful!

Psalm 145:1-4 (NKJV)
¹ A Praise of David. I will extol You, my God, O King; And I will bless Your name forever and ever.
² Every day I will bless You, And I will praise Your name forever and ever.
³ Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; And His greatness is unsearchable.
⁴ One generation shall praise Your works to another, And shall declare Your mighty acts.

Have a wonderful first-week-in-October!  And yes, we are finally getting a little more leaf coloration showing up… love that!

KAT

Welcome, FALL!

This morning the thermometer read 55 degrees… welcome FALL!  I have been looking forward to the morning when I could drink coffee and eat breakfast on the deck without mosquitoes and sweating… and today was the day. 

It is a joy to worship and meditate on God’s Word outside when there is a crispness to the air.  We don’t have much fall color happening yet but the temperature assures me it is indeed coming.

And what did I eat out on my deck?  Malt-O-Meal with craisins and banana… yummy.  The 3 cats tried to help themselves because it has been awhile since I breakfasted on the deck… clearly they have forgotten the “rules”… they get the left-overs only.  They did enjoy licking the remains.

And yes, I have QUILTY content today!  This quilt was fun and easy… it just looks difficult.  The pattern is Disappearing Pinwheel 3 from the Missouri Star Quilt Co.  They furnish lots of free tutorials on their site, so check them out.   I found the tutorial for this one here, on YouTube rather than their web site.

The fabrics are from my Kaffe Fassett collection.  I have no idea who this quilt is for, but when the need arises I will have one ready.

Happy FALL, y’all!  Now I am off to finish housework, do some customer quilts, and prepare for Sunday.  Hugs to you all!

Psalm 91:2 (NKJV)
² I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust."

KAT

Seriously?!

 

Seriously, has it been almost a year since my last post?  Time has flown, and since I am officially another year older today I can truthfully ask, “Where have the days gone?”

So much has changed, and yet so much remains the same.  Pardon me while I wax philosophically for a while…

Changes… into the new house on the lake, which we both dearly love.  The guest-house-now-turned-quilt-studio has gone from dark tan and maroon paint to light lilac with darker trim, and soon to have a neat little wallpaper border.  Necessary things are stowed away and unpacked with only a few boxes remaining stashed in closets.  I have settled into routines that fill my day and help me to accomplish what needs to be done.

Same… quilting continues, only a small amount of time spent knitting right now, our three cats and PJ the dog love it here and adjusted well to the move, there seems to be a shortage of hours to do what needs and wants to be done (I bet it is the same in YOUR world, too!).

But perhaps the biggest change of all is… I am entering the ministry.  At the age of 58 I have clearly heard the Call of the Lord to give Him more of myself.  I have known since I was young there was a call upon my life, but it has taken these many years to get to the place where the path was plainly revealed.  I have applied and been accepted into ministry training through the Foursquare Church.  This involves lots of study time on theology, church history, and practical ministry application.  At the end of the journey is a 3-hour interview and of course I am so intimidated by all of this… the teacher in me thinks I must know EVERYTHING before I can even schedule the interview, and the more I study the more I realize that is not practical.  If He has brought me to this place then He will faithfully give me the words to say, but it is difficult to relax and rest in this promise.  Control… relinquishing control is hard for me.  Planning…preparing… years of teaching have settled my dependence of pre-planning and having all my ducks in a row, so to speak.  But He says to rest in Him, so I will.  I don’t know exactly where this path will lead, but know with certainty it is where my God wants me at this time.

So there you have it… my BIG REVEAL.  Needless to say, time for blogging is even less than before, but I can’t get much WORSE than I have been for the last year, can I?  LOL!  I really am going to make attempts to be regular at this, but I think you will all understand the focus of my blog will probably change to some degree.  Yes, there will still be quilting and knitting, but also more of the spiritual journey I am on.

Psalm 27:8 (NKJV)
⁸ When You said, "Seek My face," My heart said to You, "Your face, LORD, I will seek."

Dreaming of fall in the mountains…

KAT