Privileges

O Lord God,
Teach me to know that grace precedes, accompanies, and follows my salvation,
that it sustains the redeemed soul, that not one link of its chain can ever break.
From Calvary's cross wave upon wave of grace 

reaches me,

deals with my sin,
washes me clean,

renews my heart,

strengthens my will,

draws out my affection,

kindles a flame in my soul,

rules throughout my inner man,

consecrates my every thought, word, work,

teaches me they immeasurable love.
How great are my privileges in Christ Jesus!

Without him I stand far off, a stranger, and outcast;

in him I draw near and touch his kingly sceptre.

Without him I dare not lift up my guilty eyes;

in him I gaze upon my Father-God and Friend.

Without him I hide my lips in trembling shame;

in him I open my mouth in petition and praise.

Without him is gaping hell below me, and eternal anquish;

in him its gates are barred to me by his precious blood.

Without him darkness spreads its horrors in front;

in him an eternity of glory is my boundless horizon.

Without him all within me is terror and dismay,

in him every accusation is charmed into joy and peace.

Without him all things external call for my condemnation;

in him they minister to my comfort,

and are to be enjoyed with thanksgiving.

Praise be to thee for grace,

and for the unspeakable gift of Jesus.

The Valley of Vision

Baby Girl Quilt

 Finally have my baby girl quilt finished. I've now made one for boy and girl.

This one is a favorite of mine. I purchased the fabric a couple years ago and have been saving it specifically for when I get to make my own baby quilts. 

Machine quilting...

I love all these prints and colors. Since I bought these fabric so long ago, not sure if I can find more to make a complete crib bedding set.

Currently working on a matching crib bumper for the boy quilt in the meantime.

Baby Hats

I took a break from quilting and sewing and have been knitting and crocheting.
Right now I'm working on a few different baby hats. Here are some I've made.
One for Girl and one for Boy! 

 

I'm really proud of myself for making the pink berry hat. Was my first time using double pointed needles. As well as changing color in knitting, I believe.
I think it turned out really good.

Hiking with friends

On Tuesday we went for a nice hike with a bunch of friends. Was an enjoyable afternoon. Great views from where we hiked to.

It's 70ish miles to the mountains over yonder

Spring is Here!

Finally after a brutally cold winter we now are having sunny days, 60 degree weather, and seeing some green!!

Here's what we've been working on around the yard.

Garden boxes! We still need to get dirt. But we got the boxes built, so hopefully soon we'll get dirt and I can start planting.

Cleaned out the flower beds. Have iris plants coming up. And tulips blooming!

(notice the weeds coming up, too?) Ugh!

Really enjoying the nice spring weather.

Sewing update

So a few weeks ago (might be more than a month by now....)

Anyway, I did finally get the skirts made. I found a really simple, easy sewing tutorial on pinterest. And even though this pattern isn't "maternity" I figured the stretchy knit fabric would still work.... and it did!! 

Here is the tutorial.

This one was supposed be a maxi length skirt. But I kinda messed up on the diagonal/chevron piecing and didn't add enough length.

I also made this pink, knee length skirt. As well as the cardigan. I was really impressed and proud of myself. Not only does it look decent and fit but it's also extremely comfortable! I love wearing it! Will definitely make more.

(Can also see my 23-week baby bump). <3

I still have some more knits, so I'll be sewing more.

21 Weeks

Here is Baby at 21 weeks old!!

Ultrasound tech says Baby weighs 1 pound!!! That's crazy!!
What's even more crazy is, according to all the baby books out there. In the next 2-4 weeks Baby will weigh 2+ pounds! Takes 21 weeks to grow to a pound and only 2-4 weeks to double it's weight!

Pregnancy is fascinating to me!

And nobody knows Baby's gender. Not even the lady doing the ultrasound. We are really looking forward to being surprised!