As always, YCQM reflects some portion of my One Little Word for 2015, Serenity. This week’s it’s a new-to-me scripture. It’s helping. I hate that for Farrah, life has to go on in its little routines but life is going to be so different.

For the Smalls check-in, I decided again to use my round robin piece (she was only 12-13hours all up, but an hour of that would have been the lettering).  This is Mediterranean Mermaid (my friend Lynne calls her “Jug”, as she is normally carrying an amphore). I chose this piece as I have the whole thing kitted up and stitch it at hospital each time Mase is admitted. I haven’t stitched on the big piece all year! Winning!

It’s nearly time to send out the first set of our NZXS Facebook groups RR’s. Pretty excited to see what I will stitch, as the three others in my group have some very different tastes J It will be nice to do something completely out of the norm (Angela is as big a Halloween freak as I am Christmas) but surprise! I am still on a Nora kick so my piece is the four faces, in a 50*50 square. From left to right they are intended to be:

• Spring Queen
  

  spring

• Garden Verses
  

  garden verses

• Damask Roses
  

  damask roses

• Peony Garden 

Verses looks wrong – so far the suggestions from the FB Mira, Mira page range from Sabrina, Elizabeth, Persephone (my big WIP, I’ve already ruled her out), Roses of Provence (love her but don’t own her yet), Florentina (I don’t like her face, she looks sneaky & sly! But I love the cat. I posted to Nora that I’d stitch a whole series based on that cat), Lady of the Mist (love her too! But still to own & I think only with Stargazer, Rose of Sharon and maybe Mother’s Bliss in a series) or Villa Mirabilia.  I’m going to ask Zeb if she has Provence, and if I can “borrow” that portion.

florentina

Roses of Provence

elizabeth

Lady Hera

sabrina

Lady of the Mist

The centre plant is the rose bush from Damask Roses, but I converted the leaves to make a bit brighter. The charted colours just washed out on the confederate grey fabric.

This week I’m:

LOVING the visuals on this blog (I’m follower 1000) https://davidoakesimages.wordpress.com/

STITCHING received the latest RR on Tuesday, already selected my portion and am working away like a mad thing. At this rate I’ll have a finish next week, wow.

LISTENING and loving the latest Avalanche City song, “Inside Out” – this is a live version http://tinyurl.com/nznyad6 Maia, this might be one you would like

READING old favourites

ANTICIPATING some time to myself this weekend – I need a beach break. Bethells, here I come!

Key learning for me: What this verse really prohibits is self-righteousness where we see ourselves as sinless and others as sinful and therefore set ourselves as arbiters of justice and condemnation.

I’m really posting this because as a Christian I don’t feel my views are valued. I’m totally over this Bruce/Caitlyn thing, feeling very sorry for anyone who is not comfortable in their own skin (there is a difference between being comfortable as yourself but still growing and someone who is too comfortable too) BUT I want to be heard. I want my view to be respected, regardless of the readers’ religion/atheism/viewpoint.

Respect for each other is IMHO a key fundamental Christian theme. So is the message in this image.

I don’t personally follow Jenner or the other “reality” stars. You won’t catch me buying or reading a gossip mag or watching a tv show that’s based on the same premise. But there’s one paragraph here in Kate’s blog post that rings so, so true regardless of who the media (or you!) are thinking about, putting down, raising up (think the Bali 9 here if you’re local to Australia/Indonesia) – and that’s this:

I’m a Christian and I believe in the word of the Bible. I know what scripture says about homosexuals, transgenders, men who dress as women and vice versa. Make no mistake, this isn’t a religious argument. This isn’t about being condemned to an eternity in flame – my sins are just as real as anyone else’s. There is no hierarchy, a sin is a sin. Just because you believe something doesn’t mean you have to condemn or shame another human being. What about “love thy neighbor” and the story of the Good Samaritan? We are supposed to identify the needs of the people around us and reach out in love.

There’s a few things today. I had brunch with two (old, ha ha ha) girlfriends, came home to the third fence painted. Washing got dry, despite the forecast, and the old fence panels we were holding onto for  X are gone! They were heavy to move when I mowed so I’m really happy.

But this is today’s. Caffeine free tea. Who’d thought of that?!

I see so much of the “copy” pins too. Please don’t pin charts or magazine pics – you are taking money directly from the designers with each pin. And if they can’t survive, they can’t design.