even if everyone does just a little bit...

our church's sewing circle, Scraps to Wraps continues to be a regular and favorite part of our monthly routine.

all 3 of my daughters participate with me, and it's such a blessing to be part of this close knit multi-generational group.

here you can see M working on the scrappy plaid stars quilt. M, Joanne and i each pieced about 25 of these fun and quick blocks.


some months when we meet we can really churn out an astounding number of quilts- once we tied 7 comforters (quilts)! we all take turns, according to our schedules, to take the completed quilts home to bind, returning them to the church as soon as we're done.


A loves to go and help. she asks for her own needle and thread, and will sit diligently and "tie" the quilts right alongside her grandmotherly friends.

some of our quilts stay in our community and given to folks who have experienced a fire or some other tragedy.

some of our "uglies" are sleeping bags that we've made specifically for the homeless. you can read more about that (and even make an "uglie" of your own) here.

others are taken to the MCC, (Mennonite Central Committee) to be distributed to disaster victims all over the world.

with the recent earthquake in Haiti, MCC is asking for even more quilts. 10,000 quilts (comforters) and flat sheets, to be exact! they are also asking for relief kits, to provide basic hygiene supplies to a Haitian family.

the little girls and i have been working on some extra scrap quilts that we can take to the church to be knotted at our next Scraps to Wraps meeting. I'd like the quilts to be able to go to Haiti and offer some measure of comfort to those in such dire need right now.

the relief kits are also something that our church is doing. Dave is excited about that particular project, since Haiti is near and dear to his heart after serving on 3 mission trips with CSI. we have several missionary friends who are in Haiti right now, serving God despite the very difficult circumstances. our family plans on doing several of these buckets for our Haitian friends.

below is the information on both the comforters and relief kits, if you'd like to get involved. if you're a local reader, and would like to participate, I'll be glad to take the stuff to church and see that it gets to the MCC. (this would be a good opportunity to get rid of one of those unfinished quilting projects that's nagging at you from your sewing closet!)

Comforter and Blankets:

Comforter specifications:

Use new or nearly new material
Single/twin-size preferred ( 60in x 80in) Double/full-size accepted ( 82in x 90in)
Winter weight are requested for the Haiti earthquake response (please use quilt batting)
Knotted with crochet cotton (not more than 4-8in apart)
Get children involved: use fabric markers or fabric crayons to draw pictures on blank muslin or solid fabric comforter tops

Relief Kit:

Contents: (NEW items only)

4 large bars bath soap (leave in wrapping)
1 plastic bottle shampoo (13-24oz; place bottle in a re-sealable plastic bag)
4 large bars of laundry soap (Some stores carry Fels Naptha, Sunlight or Zote brands)
1 squeeze-tube toothpaste ( 6oz; leave in box)
4 adult-size toothbrushes (leave in packaging)
4 new bath towels (medium weight, dark or bright colors)
2 wide-tooth combs(6 to 8in)
1 fingernail clipper
1 box adhesive bandages (minimum 40, assorted)
1 package sanitary pads (18-24 thin maxi)

"Skwaps to Waps" ~ a day with our church family

on the 4th Wednesday of every month, we leave the guys at home to fend for themselves and the girls and i head to church for a wonderful day of fellowship and encouragement. Scraps to Wraps is our church's women's sewing circle and we work on making quilts to share with those in need: both locally and around the world.

i enjoy the time with other women from my church family, and always come away refreshed (but exhausted!)

Lorraine donated all this fabric, and after her mother cut it all into squares, M had fun helping sort out the colors.

even baby B had fun with the sorting, and A was right along side lending a hand. after we had the squares sorted by color, M and i paired them up into 4 patch squares for Lorraine to sew.

most of our quilts we tie, and it's surprising how many we can get done in one day: sometimes as many as 6!

i especially love that all the women are loving and tender with A and B. with no local family to lavish them with hugs and attention, the little girls are bonding with some of the older women in our church.

it seems so old-fashioned and wholesome to have the girls sitting under the quilt frame playing quietly. just like a scene straight out of little house on the prairie!

the girls are right alongside us all day long as we work: these are the future quilters!

no matter the housework, schooling or gardening to be done on Scraps to Wraps day, you'll find us in at church sewing. while we go to help make quilts to comfort those in need, we are really the ones who are benefiting: with love, fellowship and deeper friendships.

still looking for our new home

since moving to Bradford county (officially) over 3 weeks ago, we have been searching for a church home. we've tried several churches, and several different denominations, but haven't found the one for our family, yet. it has been interesting, and our drives home have been perfect for family discussions. we've been able to discuss many different aspects of worshiping God, and how and where people choose to do it.

a whole new aspect of the church hunting routine for me is doing it with a toddler who is absolutely incapable of sitting through church. going into the nursery with A has been a "baptism by immersion" regarding the children being cared for, as well as the caregivers. the last 2 weeks have been particularly interesting. last week we went to a small country church that turned out to be much too far away. anyway, when we went up to the nursery, there were not enough supplies for A to participate in their activity. i also found the children to be very aggressive, manipulative and disobedient. the mothers that were there did not seem too friendly, either. today we did not fare much better. it seems that this nursery was a BYOT (bring your own toys) of course, we did not know that, and the regular children were not inclined to share, as evidenced by the grabbing of the doll A was playing with, as well as the screaming and pushing. the mother in the nursery explained to me that since the doll was "johnny's" A should really give it back. while this whole process does seem harder on me than A, it is a bit easier to discern if the church we are visiting is a potential home for our family.

it is thought provoking to observe the differences in each churches' ritual (or lack thereof) and ponder the meaning. offering can be something very formal, with liturgy surrounding it, or as simple as the pastor standing and saying, "here are 2 baskets up front. please come put something in them when you feel led." or, an order of service that is very predictable and laid out for you in the bulletin, to only regular members receiving a bulletin in their mailbox (i guess they don't expect visitors), all the way down to "we don't do bulletins." there are also Reverends who have on full liturgical garments and stole, to the pastor who comes in a Hawaiian shirt. sitting can be on formal pews, folding chairs or theater seats. and of course the music is different, also. there are hymns, worship songs with an organ or guitar, worship leaders and bands, tambourines and flags. there might be quiet, personal meditation, community sharing and praying, or speaking in tongues and jumping.

we had a funny thing happen today that we were chuckling about on the way home. of course, you can spot our family from a mile away, and it's instantly obvious that we're visitors. the pastor's wife came over to welcome us, and started at the end of the line with the big kids. after shaking all their hands she said, "what nice names you all have. are you homeschooled?" in the car, they were all like- how did she know???!!!

what are we looking for, exactly? we would like a church where we have much in common with the folks there, and where the church family will walk alongside of us as we seek to know God better and raise our family to love and serve Him. sort of like- we're all in this together. there are so many things to consider. ultimately, what if we go to a bible believing, gospel preaching church with sound doctrine, is that what is most important? are all those other things not as significant as we think them to be? our children will be most profoundly affected by the time they spend with us throughout the week, and Sunday morning is just to reinforce what we've taught them at home. it's a tough question, and we will continue to be faithful as we look for the church that God would have us attend.