In His sight

As I drove home tonight,

What did I see? 

The big bright moon, 

Staring down at me.

Peeking between the clouds

And shining so bright, 

As if to say,

It will be alright.

You see me through the clouds,

Now trust and believe,

That all, is as it should be.

Remember the One,

Who put me in the sky, 

He always has you in His sight.

Sonia Parham 4-19-16

Scrappy Beauty

Happy Left Handers Day!

I helped host the Logan County Fair last night and thought I'd share the Grand prize quilt with you.

Isn't this a scrappy beauty?  It is hand quilted.

Judging started yesterday and I think some continued today.

The "Bargains Galore on 64" is in full swing through the weekend.  Hwy 64 runs through the town I work in, Ozark, AR, and the traffic was very busy today.  I saw a beauty today though as I walked back in after lunch.  I saw a vintage pink Cadillac with tail fins and rag top.  I found out later, when telling a friend about it, that the car is owned by a lady who works in Ozark and she drives it every day.  How have I missed that beautiful car all this time?

The garden has done pretty good this year.  The squash is done but we still have peppers, tomatoes, carrots,watermelons, etc. growing.  We have two raised beds.  Here is the last "big" harvest I did.  David has harvested more, since this picture, but I thought it made for a pretty picture.  There's kale, jalapenos, banana peppers, okra, cherry tomatoes, pearl onion, squash and eggplant.  I took this picture right after I washed them.

The weekend is drawing near and I hope to be able to work in my sewing room this weekend.  There are so many things I want to get done and I just haven't had time, of late, to do them.

This little poem came to me this evening.

Rushing here,

Rushing there,

With no time to spare,

Sewing machine is collecting dust,

Afraid it might begin to rust,

Fabric waits and thread looks on,

Beads, buttons, and yarn wonder where I’ve gone.

Need to slow down and relax,

Bring out the fabric and thread packs,

Put that machine to use,

Bring out the yarn, beads and buttons too.

And don’t forget the scrapbook pages,

To share all the wonders in life,

A sunrise here,  

A flower blooms there,

When you slow down you see beauty everywhere.

                                                    SParham 08-13-15

I guess that's it for now.

Chat with you soon,
Sonia

Yeah... think I'll wait...

I woke up this morning and what did I see,
A lot road warnings screaming at me,
Very dangerous drive!
Slick roads!
If you're out and about, go slow!
So I peaked outside and decided to say,
"I think I'll go in late today".
                            SParham 2015

Yeah... think I'll wait...

The good news is, it's suppose to start melting by mid morning and then we have sunshine and temps rising for the next week.  Yes!

I just went outside and took these pics.   The sun is rising and when I stepped out I heard a lot of bird chatter.  I found them high in a tree close to the house.

Be safe and have a great day!

Hugs,
Sonia

Mind Chatter...

sleep... sleep... sleep...

That is what I did not do last night.  

Have you ever had a night where your mind would not shut up?

That's what I went through last night. Mind chatter, constant mind chatter.  I would try to quiet it down and go to sleep.  Over and over I tried, thinking I would fall asleep.

Next thing I knew, it was morning and time to get up.

So I got up, but it was very hard to be alert since I had not rested.  I hate nights like that.

So I took a natural sleep aid and slept all day, knowing if I didn't I wouldn't be fit for anything and it would continue to get worse.

Oh sleep, why do you avoid me?

Mind why do you chatter, creating oh so much clatter?

All I want to do is sleep,

To slumber in the deep where dreams are made.

                                                        2/23/14 Sonia R Parham

Here's wishing you a peaceful rest.

Hugs,

Sonia

Thursday Favorite

This morning I was working on pulling up documentation from several years back and as usual the computer program took its lovely time... Processing..... Processing... the hand on the little clock above just spun around and around and my eyes focused like the pic.  Ugh!

I know today is Thursday and I should be talking about my favorite thing instead of my least favorite.  So I've been thinking on it.

Though I had frustration at work and it is bone chilling cold outside... I have a warm home and a loving husband who will listen when I need to vent.  He listens and then gives me his thoughts on the matter. He usually helps me get over the "thing" I'm so worked up about, either by helping me come up with a solution or showing me there isn't a solution beyond my way of thinking or facing it.

He has become my best friend over the years.  So today my favorite is my husband David.

We are friends, he and I.

I say scrambled, he says fried.

I wouldn't have any other way.

It is something to look forward to each day.

They say opposites attract, and I guess that's true.

Because there's a good balance between us two.

I love him and he loves me.

Together as one, we are and will be.
SParham 1/23 /14

Hugs,

Sonia

It all started with...

Today, I got to spend time with family.   My brother was putting in a new door.  We went over and my husband and other brother helped him get the door installed.   While they were working on the door I visited with my mom, dad, sisters-n-law, my daughter, nephew and niece.

Of course I had fun playing games with the little ones.  

It all started with Lucan, he was playing Temple Run.  I'm amazed at how that 3 year old little boy can keep up with the game.

Then he gave me a funny face.









We played Candy Land together and he won, of course.  :)

He made so many cute and some serious comments, about the games and the work that was going on.   Spending time with him reminded me just how smart the little tykes can be.

Later, Faith arrived.   She was ready for a nap, so we let her rest.  Then a little while later she woke up, so I went to get her.   It took her a little bit to warm up to everyone, after waking, but it didn't take long.

It's hard for me to believe she is already walking.

Time sure flies by.

In this picture she

 is bouncing, mimicking 

Lucan as he jumps around.

 At one point she stopped and graced me with this cute little smile.   I'm glad I was able to catch it on camera.

Then she discovered Lucan's play kitchen set.







Here they are playing together.







Spending time with my nephew and niece brings back fond memories of when my children were small.  The time, I spent with them today, inspired this little poem.

Lucan and Faith

Spend time with a child,

 and hold it dear.

Cherish the smiles,

 and laughter you hear.

You will be uplifted, 

and filled with joy.

I am,

 when I spend time,

 with this little girl and boy.

Sonia Parham 3-2-13

Here's wishing you blessed Sunday!

God bless and keep you,

Sonia

Short and sweet...

Hello,
how are you doing?  I hope all is going well for you and yours.

I've been side tracked from the table cloth I've been working on.  I did work on it, some yesterday.  I hope to finish it tomorrow.

Today, I noticed the bananas were getting soft, so I baked a banana bread.  Yum!

While the bread baked, I crocheted a little owl.

I named him Olly.

Meet little Olly, the baby snow owl.

My son told me, "Mom, you know if you name them, you're going to get attached to them."   LOL  :0)


Until next time,
God bless and keep you,
Sonia

May flowers always line your path and sunshine light your day.
May songbirds serenade you every step along the way.
May a rainbow run beside you in a sky that's always blue.
And may happiness fill your heart each day your whole life through.
- Irish Blessing

I Can't Help It!

Sack Races what  FUN!

Tonight was another enjoyable night at AWANA.  The kids were energized indeed.  :)

I caught myself smiling on the way home.  I can't help it!  It is such a blessing working with the kids. :)

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Some of the trees, here in Arkansas are starting to turn.

The colors of fall foliage is one of my favorite things about the season.

I like to think of it as a beautiful painting from the Lord.

The Colors of Fall

The colors of  fall, 

spread before me,

orange, yellow, red.

laid out like a quilt on a bed.

covering the earth,

from the cool morning chill.

It rises and falls from hill to hill.

Thank You Lord,

for the beautiful scene,

Thank You for painting it for me.

Sonia R. Parham 10/10/12

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God bless and keep you,

Sonia

Surprise!

Hello!

Microsoft clip art

Today was another beautiful day.  

Spring has sprung indeed.   I found these pretty spring pictures and thought I'd share them with you.


David was working in his raised beds today, getting them ready to start planting and found a nice surprise.

He was pulling out grass, weeds and such.  He noticed two carrot tops, wondering how he still had carrot tops... so he pulled them out and this is what he found.

They must have grown through the winter, we have had a mild enough winter for them to do so, but these are the biggest carrots I've ever seen.

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WEEKLY RECIPE

I asked my daughter to pick out something for me to make for the weekly recipe and she chose Lasagna. :)

Easy Lasagna

3 cups ricotta cheese

3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

2 eggs

1/2 pound ground beef

1/2 pound your favorite sausage

1 (48 oz) jar/can of your choice Traditional Italian pasta sauce

12 cooked lasagna noodles, well drained

1/2 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese

• Heat oven to 400° F
• Mix ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese and eggs together.
• Cook beef and sausage in saucepan until browned.  Drain off any fat.  Stir in the pasta sauce.
• In a 9x13 baking dish, spread 2 cups of meat/sauce mixture, top with 4 lasagna noodles, add 2 cups of ricotta cheese mixture on top of noodles.
• Repeat layers until all ingredients are used up or until pan if full, ending with ricotta cheese mixture.
• Add shredded Parmesan cheese on top.
• Place in oven and cook for 30 minutes.  You may want to put a baking sheet on a lower rack, in case the lasagna bubbles over.
• Let lasagna stand for 10 minutes before serving.

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Microsoft clip art

SPRING

by Sonia R. Parham - 3/24/12

Singing birds flutter by,

Playing in the sunshine.

Rain has washed everything fresh,

Instantly making the colors bright.

New life springs ahead,

Glad it's Spring, and winter is put to bed.

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Have a great Sunday!

God bless and keep you,

Sonia

Today's Journey...

Hello!

I'd like to begin with a prayer request.

My dad, John Benton, will be having open heart surgery, Monday morning (2/13/12).   Please remember him in your prayers and add him to any prayer list you may have. 

The weather is suppose to turn nasty tomorrow night, into Monday.   I hope the roads are not too bad, as I want and need to be there with my mom, during dad's surgery.

I am so thankful I have friends like you, who I feel comfortable making such a request too.  It means more than you can know.  :)

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I was going to make a tote bag today, but when my daughter asked if I wanted to go flea marketing today, I chose to do that instead.   After all, she's only going to be 15 once.  :)

Here's what I found today. 

A cookbook, the proceeds go toward mission work.

A set of cathedral window blocks.  The hard part is already done, the cutting, folding and pressing.  Two were already sewn together with the center block started.  I finished it off for this picture.  The center block pattern was in the bag also.   I plan to work on these while we wait on dad's surgery to get done.  It will be about six hours.   

I also found a pair of Americana place mats, that I plan to use either on a cedar chest, piano or hang one on the wall.   I like their look, and they will go well in my living room.

As we walked back into our house around 5pm, the smell of cinnamon rolls was in the air.  My sweetheart, baked cinnamon rolls today and they are yummy!   

My hubby is such a good man to be blessed with, and I'm not just saying that because of the cinnamon rolls.  :)

 

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I realized this evening, I have yet to submit my block of the month.  

I will try to get that done, this next week.

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Comfort

~Sonia R Parham~

6/18/02

Worries and fears

Overwhelm us, 

Causing tears.

When that bleak moment comes

Remember, there is One,

Who can calm the waters

And chase away the dread in our heart.

Just hand it over to the Lord, 

Feel your burden depart.

Know He is beside you day and night.

Holding you in His hands, 

Keeping you in sight.

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Well, that's it for today.   I hope you are having a great weekend!

God bless and keep you,

Sonia

Then it happened...

Wow, how time flies when you aren't looking.

I took off sewing this morning and before I knew it, it was 2:00 pm and David was saying lunch was ready.

Here's what I got done during that time.  This will be one of the lap quilts for the Logan County PieceMakers.  It measures 40"x40".

Then after I ate my lunch, I decided to try my serger out.

When I opened the box, took the top styrofoam piece out and the plastic bag off the machine, I was pleasantly surprised it was already threaded.

Thank You Lord!

I had some patriotic triangles, I decided to serge together, just to get a feel of how this thing was going work.   It went well.   SWEET!, I thought, as the fabric flew under the presser foot. 

Then it happened...

I ended my stitch, raised the presser foot, then began to pull my piece off the machine...   the thread doesn't release and pull free, like it does on a regular sewing machine.

I messed the threading up, wouldn't you know.

So... I got a crash coarse on how to thread the serger.  I'm happy to report it is threaded correctly, once again, and in good working order.   I learned my lesson, and will do my best not to let that happen again.




Here's my first serged item.

Isn't the seam pretty?  :)










I went ahead and stitched up a big pinwheel block, 20" x 20".
 
This will most likely be part of another lap quilt.

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WEEKLY RECIPE

On the way home from Fort Smith, this evening, I realized I haven't posted the weekly recipe.  Then I realized, or at least thought, I haven't cooked all week.   I think, David has done most of the cooking or we have eaten out.   So, I'm sharing a recipe that I planned on making this week, but didn't get around to it.  It most likely will be one of the meals for next week.

Salsa Chicken Rice Casserole
by Gweneth
photo by Rock_lobster
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/salsa-chicken-rice-casserole/detail.aspx

Ingredients

• 1 1/3 cups uncooked white rice
• 2 2/3 cups water
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups mild salsa

1. Place rice and water in a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, place chicken breast halves into a large saucepan, and fill the pan with water. Bring to a boil, and cook for 20 minutes, or until done. Remove chicken from water. When cool enough to handle, cut meat into bite-size pieces.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
4. In a medium bowl, combine Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheeses. In a separate bowl, mix together cream of chicken soup, cream of mushroom soup, onion, and salsa. Layer 1/2 of the rice, 1/2 of the chicken, 1/2 of the soup and salsa mixture, and 1/2 of the cheese mixture in prepared dish. Repeat layers, ending with cheese.
5. Bake in preheated oven for about 40 minutes, or until bubbly. 

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PIECES, PATCHES
by Sonia R. Parham, 2002


Planning, cutting, sewing stitch by stitch.
A puzzle, artwork, I've found my niche.
Pieces, patches of every hue,
Let me sew a quilt for you.
A story can be spun and told, 
in colors pastel or bold.
In another world, I do dwell, 
When needle and thread I do wield.


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Have a wonderful Sunday!


God bless and keep you,
Sonia

Good Medicine...

Hello!

I've been away for the past three days, due to coming down with a yucky stomach virus.  My hubby ended the year with it, and I started the year with it.

Today, I've been trying to get my strength built up but everything I smelled cooking or tasted, just did not do the trick.  Nothing smelled or tasted good...

Microsoft clip art

Until....

My son, Josh, baked brownies this evening.   FINALLY!  Something smelled good and yes, tasted very good.

That just goes to prove, that chocolate is indeed good medicine.  :)


So, my year has started out very very slow... but I think I'm back on track now.  I plan to return to work tomorrow.

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I'd like to share a poem I read today.

His Unfailing Presence

---Unknown Author

Another year I enter

Its history unknown;

Oh, how my feet would tremble

To tread its paths alone!

But I have heard a whisper,

I know I shall be blest;

"My presence shall go with thee,

And I will give thee rest."

What will the New Year bring me?

I may not, must not know;

Will it be love and rapture,

Or loneliness and woe?

Hush! Hush! I hear His whisper;

I surely shall be blest;

"My presence shall go with thee, 

And I will give thee rest." 

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GIVEAWAYS

Check out the Mystery Monday Giveaway 

at http://www.anniesrubyslipperz.com/

The prize is 5 fat quarters and it ends January 7th

Check out Tammy's  Blogiversary Giveaway

at http://aprimitiveplace.blogspot.com/2012/01/help-me-celebrate-3-years-blogiversary.html

This is in celebration of her 3 years of blogging and ends January 21st

Check out the New Giveaway at The Olde Country Cupboard

http://oldecountrycupboard.blogspot.com/2012/01/new-giveaway-and-resolutions.html

This giveaway ends January 6th

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That's all I have for this evening.   

Here's wishing you a wonderful Wednesday!!

God bless and keep you,

Sonia