Laptop Sleeve

I found this over atThornberry. I think it would make a nice gift for my sister or my brother-in-law or just about anyone I know (or you know) with a laptop.

And here's a great thread from Craftster on a different version of the same thing. This one has the sleeve with a matching messenger bag. My sis would love this too as "matching" is of the utmost importance to her.

This one is also very funky and I like the idea of maybe some really funky Japanese or Moroccan fabrics for this...hmmmmm.....

If you know of any more really good tutorials for a a laptop sleeve, please share them with me. I need something ultra-masculine for my brother-in-law...hmmmmm. Leather? I've never worked with that. Corduroy? Not sure.

Anyway, let me know if you make one or it inspires you to do something else like it. I'll try to post pics if I do one.

89 Days Until Christmas!!

Now I know, I know...I hate skipping over holidays or even entire seasons and pointing my focus toward Christmas too soon. I recognize the retailers have had Christmas decorations et al in the stores since July and you're tired of seeing that. I'm with you.

The only reason I bring up the Christmas Countdown is to keep myself (and you) aware that if you're planning on any handmade gift giving...NOW is the time to start.

Today I am making a list of those folks that I'd like to gift with something from my needle or kitchen or other handcrafted category. And then I'm going to begin my search for the perfect gift to suit them. I've been gathering a file of gift ideas for a year or so and I'm hoping to find even more. I'll try to remember to share here if I come up something especially nifty!

Here's one for instance:
CD Pocket Tutorial

What Time of Day Are You?

***You Are Midnight***


You are more than a little eccentric, and you're apt to keep very unusual habits.
Whether you're a nightowl, living in a commune, or taking a vow of silence - you like to experiment with your lifestyle.
Expressing your individuality is important to you, and you often lie awake in bed thinking about the world and your place in it.
You enjoy staying home, but that doesn't mean you're a hermit. You also appreciate quality time with family and close friends.


What Time Of Day Are You?
http://blogthings.com/whattimeofdayareyouquiz/

To Autumn

To Autumn

John Keats

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,

Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;

Conspiring with him how to load and bless

With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;

To bend with apples the moss'd cottage-trees,

And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;

To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells

With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,

And still more, later flowers for the bees,

Until they think warm days will never cease,

For Summer has o'er-brimm'd their clammy cells.

Holy Suffering

The Lord has been bringing something to my thoughts and heart lately and I'm still trying to wrap my mind around it. Have you ever done that? It's like you KNOW there's something you're suppose to seeing...some truth that has escaped you that you need to "get", but....you can't quite reach it yet. I know that it has something to do with suffering and our response to it, the way we think of it and the necessity (?) of it. As I say I still don't have it all clear in my thoughts, but this exposition from My Utmost for His Highest is part of what I know the Holy Spirit is showing me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Holy Suffering of the Saint

Let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good . . . —1 Peter 4:19

Choosing to suffer means that there must be something wrong with you, but choosing God’s will— even if it means you will suffer— is something very different. No normal, healthy saint ever chooses suffering; he simply chooses God’s will, just as Jesus did, whether it means suffering or not. And no saint should ever dare to interfere with the lesson of suffering being taught in another saint’s life.

The saint who satisfies the heart of Jesus will make other saints strong and mature for God. But the people used to strengthen us are never those who sympathize with us; in fact, we are hindered by those who give us their sympathy, because sympathy only serves to weaken us. No one better understands a saint than the saint who is as close and as intimate with Jesus as possible. If we accept the sympathy of another saint, our spontaneous feeling is, "God is dealing too harshly with me and making my life too difficult." That is why Jesus said that self-pity was of the devil (see Matthew 16:21-23 ). We must be merciful to God’s reputation. It is easy for us to tarnish God’s character because He never argues back; He never tries to defend or vindicate Himself. Beware of thinking that Jesus needed sympathy during His life on earth. He refused the sympathy of people because in His great wisdom He knew that no one on earth understood His purpose (see Matthew 16:23 ). He accepted only the sympathy of His Father and the angels (see Luke 15:10 ).

Look at God’s incredible waste of His saints, according to the world’s judgment. God seems to plant His saints in the most useless places. And then we say, "God intends for me to be here because I am so useful to Him." Yet Jesus never measured His life by how or where He was of the greatest use. God places His saints where they will bring the most glory to Him, and we are totally incapable of judging where that may be.

The God of Hope

“May the God of hope FILL YOU with all joy and peace AS YOU trust in him, SO THAT you may OVERFLOW with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13)

Ever had one of those weeks where every day feels like Monday? Well, here it is Wednesday and I can't seem to shake that feeling, but...this verse is my prayer.

I'm asking the Holy Spirit to fill me with hope, joy and peace as I trust Him...even to overflowing. How about you? Do you need a little more trust SO THAT you too may OVERFLOW with hope?

Square Watermelons?!?!?

I almost didn't believe this, but what do ya know! - It's true! Would you eat a square watermelon?

I'm a little weird about my refridgerator so I think I'd like this. I like all of my storage bowls to be square or rectangular because it wastes less space and my fridge is so small as it is...well, it just makes sense to me.

Chivalry is Alive and Well...Hurray!

Christopher Columbus!!

My daughter has just been given the part of Jo March in a small local production of Little Women! She's nearly busting and so am I! I can't think of a character that she would have been better suited for as she herself is a creative, determined free-thinking sort.

I can't wait!

Here We Go Again

Children have to be educated, but they have also to be left to educate themselves. ~Abbé Dimnet, Art of Thinking, 1928


Thus ends our first official week of the new school year. I have to say that it's been a good week and both of the children are very pleased with all that they accomplished this week.

As the years have gone by I've become pretty relaxed in our homeschooling. Too relaxed according to my son who this year actually WANTS me to "turn up the heat" on his requirements, assignments, etc. This hasn't been easy for me because it required alot more planning and research than I'm use to, but after only this week, I can see that my efforts are and will pay off.

There's alot to be said for a relaxed homeschool environment and I can't say that ANY of our time has been wasted in "laying back" on formal studying of certain areas, etc. But I also think that there's something to be said for a well planned, tough(er) schedule and requirements. For instance...

In years past I've been frustrated with my children sleeping in too late and then whining and complaining their way through their school day. Now, they have a plan book with my requirements in it and they don't have TIME to whine if they intend to stick to the plan.

Also, in former years we've struggled and fought over too much time spent in mindless pursuits like television watching and computer/video games. Thus far, we've had none of that and I think it's because their minds are engaged all day long and they are old enough now to see that tv and computer games are a waste of time and a waste of precious mental energy. What I'm saying is that now they have to be a bit more judicious in their pursuits, prioritizing them because they only have so many hours of free time in their day.

I don't want to squelch their inquisitiveness or desire for exploration, I just want to raise the bar so that they know what they're capable of.

So...one week down and thirty something to go!