every little bit counts...

A was so proud to help me lay out this quilt. i laid out the 4 patch blocks, and she filled them in with the larger, solid squares.

B helped a little, but mostly watched. (and bossed) A enjoyed this so much that we laid out another top as well.


here is the completed top, ready to go into church and be tied. hopefully we can catch the deadline for the MCC to get it to Haiti.


we also did the relief buckets. the girls helped me as we shopped at Dollar General, and we purchased enough stuff for 3 buckets.

the girls are too little to understand the magnitude of what happened in Haiti, but they are certainly old enough to understand when a family needs help.

they are eager to help, and we want to encourage compassion as much as we can; we want them to be little girls with a tender heart for serving others.

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)

the other half of Christmas is almost here!

spring is here, and along with the promise and renewal of new life that naturally comes with it, we are waiting with joyous anticipation the profound miracle of Christ rising from the grave. with His sacrifice comes the completion of the gift that we were given at Christmas. the arrival of a new baby, wrapped in rags lying in the manger, is triumphantly transformed into the risen Savior, victorious even over death!

the little girls can relate to the wonder of a newborn baby boy, but to explain to them the agony and despair of Good Friday is a difficult task. and how can they begin to grasp what Jesus really did for us when He died on the cross as our blood sacrifice? too many big words and concepts that they cannot begin to understand.

for now, we will celebrate that Jesus loves them. A and B are fully and deeply loved by their daddy, and that is their best introduction into the love of God. when they are older, they will be able to understand how much God loves them, because they are secure in the knowledge of how much their daddy loves them.

we will continue to build their foundation, and will teach these two little ones how much the Father loves them, and what He sacrificed for them.

even though Easter and Christmas are bound together as two parts of one story, for us Easter also reminds us of something else. this nativity set is a poignant emphasis. Dave brought it back from Haiti for me last year. for most of the last few Easters, Dave and M have been down in Haiti, serving as short-term missionaries with ARM. both Dave and M have had the opportunity to serve in the mobile medical clinic and construction teams.

i know that Dave has been profoundly impacted by what he has seen, smelled and observed in Haiti. although I've never had the privilege of serving alongside him, i feel as if I've been in the tiny town of Gallette. his descriptions and memories have almost become my own recollections. i hope to some day have the chance to travel to Haiti myself, and see the things that are only in my mind's eye.

M has a very compassionate and tender heart, and last year she was thankful to be able to assist in a more hands-on way with the mobile medical clinic. it was her second Easter down in Haiti, and being older allowed her the maturity and insight to better process all the experiences that she had and observed.

this is a picture of the gully, where most of the people that Dave and M were ministering to lived. these are just cement block houses, stacked one upon the other, much like Legos. there is no running water or electricity. no sanitation. no windows or doors, either.

we cannot begin to fathom the poverty that the majority of Haitians live with. but despite the daily struggle to merely survive, the people are sustained by their sincere and absolute faith in God. many times i have heard Dave tell us of the glorious celebration on Easter morning. despite the fact that their church is merely cement blocks and a tarp for a roof, that assembly of believers is worshiping a risen Lord with their whole heart, and with their loudest praise.

we who have been blessed with so much can surely do no less.

Christ is risen. He is risen, indeed!