Beauty of Giving

www.youravon.com/sparham

Avon Winter So Soft Holiday Collection

Memorial

Memories of times past,

Ever present in my mind.

Many have sacrificed,

Others have died.

Remember them, never forget.

In duty they served,

Always loyal to the call of freedom.

Love, has no better definition than this.

Sonia Parham 2017

This holiday we celebrate those who have gone on before us.  As I thought on the day, as scripture came to my attention.

John 15:13 — Jesus said to His disciples, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (ESV).

I think we can all agree, there is someone in our family who has given their life, made sacrifices for our freedom.

But we also need to remember the One who gave His life for mankind as a whole.  Jesus Christ.   He gave His life so that we may be spiritually free.

Romans 5:8 -  but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

To learn more go to my tab labeled "The Big Question".  https://sonia67bones.wordpress.com/the-big-question/

Sonia

Summer Sparkle

Hi, I thought I'd share some jewelry with you.  I recently purchased a ring and am very happy with it.

Here are some of our top rated pieces.   Show off your tan this summer with some sparkle.

https://www.avon.com/1/category/jewelry?s=Cat_Link&c=repPWP&otc=jewelry&rep=sparham

SHOP NOW  

Sonia Parham, Independent Avon Sales Rep  www.youravon.com/sparham

Avon ANEW Sheet Masks

Lighting up the sky

I shot a video of lightning as storms rolled in this evening. Here are some shots from it.

Sonia

Get ready for summer outings

The weather's getting nice and we're spending more time outdoors.  Protect yourself and your loved ones from the pesky bugs!  Go to my Avon EStore and order.  www.youravon.com/sparham

Thanks,

Sonia Parham

Avon Independent Sales Rep

www.youravon.com/sparham

Connect with me: 

https://sonia67bones.wordpress.com/

https://www.facebook.com/sonia.parhamavonrep/

10 for 10

My friend Rita and I spent last Friday on the Spring Fling Shop Hop here in Arkansas.  We left Paris at 8:30 a.m and arrived back in Paris around 9:30 p.m.  The day was filled with beautiful quilts, laughter, and blessings from God during the travel.  Seriously, there were openings in traffic that could only be a God thing, especially when we got turned around.

Each shop displayed a quilt they made using and Exclusive Arkansas Focus fabric and a special background print by  Quilting Treasures Fabrics exclusively for the shop hop.  The quilts are shown in each set of pictures for each shop.  I've included a link to each shop's website as well.

Our first stop was in Huntington, AR at Momma's Log House.  This little shop is packed full of quilting and sewing goods.  http://www.mommasloghousequiltshop.com

Elvis fans run this shop, as you'll find out, if you spend any time there.

Then on to Greenwood, AR to Crooked Creek Quilts.  This is a charming little quilt shop with friendly people who can answer your quilting questions.  www.crookedcreekquiltshop.com

After Crooked Creek Quilts we headed to Fort Smith, AR to the Sewing Machine Center. This shop is easy to find on Phoenix Ave. and has a lot to offer.  www.sewingmachinecenterfs.com

We left Fort Smith and drove northwest to Siloam Springs, AR; where Sager Creek Quilts & Yarnworks is located.   Again, a great quilt shop to visit.  I would have loved to spend more time here and to explore the town.  www.sagercreekquilts.com

It was time for lunch and when we asked for places to eat, we were told about Hawg City Grill. We found it and had a delicious lunch.  The prices were good and you get a lot of food.

Working our way up to Sulphur Springs, AR, we found the Quilt Corner situated across from the Sulphur Springs city park.  This shop has a great assortment of fabrics to choose from.  You can find them on Facebook.  https://www.facebook.com/TheQuiltCorner/

From Sulphur Springs, we dropped down south, a little, to Pea Ridge, AR.  There were two shops for us to visit in this town.  I'll start with Country House Quilting.  You can find them on Facebook.   https://www.facebook.com/CountryHouseQuilting/  This shop had a lot going on from voting on quilts made in a class to quilt giveaways coming up in the near future.

Next in Pea Ridge is the Sew-N-Sew Quilt Shop.   We were greeted by smiles when we entered this shop and got to participate in coming up with a name for the quilt they had on display.   https://www.facebook.com/Sew-N-Sew-Quilt-Shop-102344073211187/

Sew A Stitch was next, in Rogers, AR.  This shop has fabric but also has a lot of sewing machines to choose from.  www.sewastitch.com

We are getting close to the end of the shops to visit and got caught in "after work" traffic, as we got close to our next stop. Sew In Heaven in Fayetteville, AR.   I hate to say it, but we rushed in and out of this shop, as it was after 5:00 p.m. and we had until 6:00 p.m to get to the last shop, several miles away.  From what I could see though, this shop has a lot to offer.  You can check it out at www.sewinheaven.com

Last but definitely not least was the Lonesome Pine Quilts shops.  This charming shop is located outside of city limits near Elkins, AR.  I have to brag on this stop.  The ladies who run this shop were gracious enough to stay open after 6:00 p.m for us and they have a lot to offer! One of the first things you notice as you walk in is a beautiful vintage Ford pickup filled with batting and quilts. If you're ever in the Elkins, AR area, check this shop out.  You will not be disappointed.  www.lonesomepinequilts.com

So 10 for 10, we made it to all the shops in one day.

Total miles driven: 393 miles.

Sonia

Avon ANEW Sheet Masks

JUST A REMINDER

Hi, just a reminder to catch up with what's going on in my world... go to https://sonia67bones.wordpress.com

A Quilting Southpaw (sonia67bones)

I've also started selling Avon, trying to supplement finances as I am unemployed at this time.

You can follow by email or any of the social media links I have.

Hope to see you there!

Sonia

Starting a new blog...

Hi, almost seven years and 764 blogs ago I started my blog on blogger.  I've met a lot of great people here, and read just as many awesome blogs.  I started a blog on WordPress where I have two pages, one for poetry and one for everything else.

I want to thank you all for following my blog here and I hope you continue to follow my blog on WordPress.

You can find me at https://sonia67bones.wordpress.com/

Hope to see you there!
Sonia

27...

Let me start with a shout out to my nephew Sam, who graduated high school this evening.

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David and I celebrated our 27th year of marriage today. 

I took this picture with my tablet.  It's my first picture with it and as you can see I'm still trying to figure it out.

Earlier today, I made a cover for the tablet.  It has a pocket for the tablet and a pocket for the charger, etc.  I used 2" charm squares and lined it with a white fabric with tulips printed on it. Then attached elastic for the flap and bound the sides with the bright green binding.

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Earlier in the week I was able to get a picture of a pair of doves (I think) that frequent my front yard.  They landed in the street (which is a dead end with very little traffic) and posed nicely for me.

Hugs,

Sonia

Just Catching up...

Remember when I showed these charm squares being pieced?

This is how they finished up yesterday.  I still need to quilt it.

I got a little side tracked in between the two stages shown on this quilt.  I did a little water color.

Well, I got to go ~ spending the day with Mom.  :)

Have a great day!
Sonia

PS> please check out my blogs on Wordpress. They are different from this one. https://sonia67bones.wordpress.com/

Bread, Veggies, and a little duck tape...

I woke up hungry this morning so I baked a skillet of biscuits.  They were yummy with butter and red plum jelly along with a cup of hot coffee.  It was a pretty good way to start the day.

My husband was outside, so I went out to check on him.  It was a good morning to be out.  He was weeding the two raised beds we use for the vegetable garden.  It is in the early stage and not a lot is growing yet but I was able to get a picture of new tomatoes, Swiss chard and green onions that have come up.

I've mentioned the green carpet in my sewing room and how it is a chore to keep it clean of threads and such.

I can't afford to pull the carpet up and put down tile at this time but I'm tired of the battle between carpet and threads, pins, etc.  So I bought two packs of the foam tiles and laid them down on top of the carpet.  This will make clean up easier and will be more comfy for my morning exercise routine.

There were several edge pieces left over.

So I set them out in a pattern, flipped them over and duck taped the backside, then took an X-Acto knife and very carefully trimmed the edges to the best of my ability...  

Anyway, I made a mat to put down where I stand to cut fabric.
It measures 12.25" x 22".

That's it for now.

Have great day!
Sonia

Scoffed...

Have you ever been laughed at?

How did it make you feel?

How did you react?

My heart went out to a friend of mine, who recently experienced this situation.   They were being told of another person's ill health.  The person is suffering from cancer and is terminal.  My friend responded that they would pray for that suffering individual.  As they walked away, they heard laughter and someone saying "they are going to pray for him", laughing out loud as if it was a ludicrous thing, praying for the sick,

After hearing this, I was compelled to write what I have learned in my walk with the Lord about scoffers.  I believe every believer will face being scoffed or laughed at, at one time or another, if they are truly trusting and trying to live their life for God.

My first thought went to Job.  Remember how he suffered and was mocked?

• Job 21:14-15 (NIV) Yet they say to God, 'Leave us alone! We have no desire to know Your ways. Who is the Almighty, that we should serve Him?  What would we gain by praying to Him?'

Or perhaps a scripture in the book of Psalms fits it better.

• Psalm 73:11 (NIV)  They say, "How would God know?  Does the Most High know anything?"

I can only imagine what my friend felt at the moment upon hearing the laughter. I'm sure questions started going through their mind. Questions like "Are they laughing at me, questioning my faith?", "Are they really that insensitive?", or maybe "Are they that angry at God?".

My friend continued on their way after hearing that scoffing statement.

It's a natural instinct, for a lot of people, to turn around and tell the person laughing exactly what they think about their rude behavior.  Then there are others who wouldn't waste their breath on them again if they had too.  Needless to say a scoffer does not make very many "brownie points" with people.

So, how should we respond to scoffers?

• Psalm 1:1-4 (NIV) Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on His law day and night.  That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither - whatever they do prospers.  Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away.

In 1 Peter it tells us to live good lives among the unbelievers.

• 1 Peter 2:15 (NIV) For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people.
• 1 Peter 2:21-23 To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in His steps.  "He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in His mouth." When they hurled their insults at Him, He did not retaliate; when He suffered, He made no threats.  Instead, he entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly.

These verses tell me that we should "turn the other cheek" so to speak.

Give it to God and carry on.

Keep on living for God to the best of your ability, and last but not least, pray for the offender so that they might learn to walk in the light.

Sonia

Busy Day...

Boy, the day has just flown by.  I was busy with homework this morning, then after lunch I did a little more organizing in my sewing room.

I took things that were on my cutting table and made a place for them up on the wall for storage when not in use.

I organized my fabric cabinet, mostly the bottom section next to the batting.

Then I worked on my crochet/yarn area.  I was able to organize the top of this yard dresser by moving items to the window sill.

Then I took a break and did my Bible study.   I finished Romans and am now studying Acts.  I got to tell you, the Apostle Peter sure could preach, not backing down from those who opposed what he was teaching.

from http://newlife.id.au/bible-study-notes/the-apostle-peter/

Okay, then I sat at my sewing machine.  I finished the last "Gift Box" I needed for the quilt guild.  Then I started chain piecing some charm squares I found in my organizing endeavor earlier.

I also have new garden blooms to show.  If you'd like to see them, please go to my WordPress blog.  Here's a link to it.  https://sonia67bones.wordpress.com/

Hugs,
Sonia

Gift Boxes

I finally went through my fabric stash and started picking out colors for the quilt I'm making for my and David's bed.  This is a start.

I've decided to use the monthly block patterns from my quilt guild meetings.  I have two others I need to catch up on, a Rail Fence and a Card Trick block, but here is the first one.The blue one is for my quilt and the brown block will go into a kit to be sold at our annual quilt show this Fall.  This block is called Gift Boxes.

Hugs,
Sonia

Blooms and a flour sack

I've seen all types of reminders that today is earth day, everything from Snoopy reminding us, promotions to care for land surrounding us and even new blooms in my garden.

There's even a scripture that points to caring for the earth.

Genesis 2:15 ~  And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.

My dwarf blue spruce is showing new growth and more of my irises bloomed today.  I even zoomed in on our first rose buds, on one of the climbing rose bushes.

There was also a reminder to re-purpose an existing item.  

I needed a cushion for a chair in my sewing room and yesterday I found a flour sack. So I took a foam piece, about 18" square, and cut it down for the seat and the back piece. Then with the feed sack, wrong side showing, I marked where to sew to tuck the seat cushion in, and stitched it in from the sides, enough to cinch in but allow the seat cushion to be put in or out. Then turned it right side out and stuffed the foam pieces to form the cushion.

I want to be able to wash it when needed, so I just used two large safety pins on the back to snug it up around the back piece and close it up at the top. That way I can take the foam pieces out when it needs cleaning.

Tomorrow I hope to be able to get some quilt blocks done.  Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Hugs,

Sonia