Rhonda's Doings !

Teapot Quilt Blocks for Swap The pattern for these came from TLC:  How Stuff is Made http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/home/teapot-quilt-block.htm It was my first attempt at this so don't think they are so terrible for first ones.    They are for an online quilting club swap---can't wait til it is my month to receive blocks!   what fun!!     

Heart Quilt Blocks machine stitched for a teen's heart quilt where our group will all contribute blocks and quilt will be put together for her gift.   I love the tie dye material for the heart and hope the young lady does as well!!!   

My Rose Garden Prayer Shawl  This 3-D rose square I took and adapted to make into a prayer shawl for a dear friend who is a true prayer warrior!!!     She was most delighted to receive it and I am so happy that she is enjoying it and feels all the prayers that went into the making of it especially for her.   

Angel Wings Prayer Shawl  I love this pattern and got the idea from  http://voices.yahoo.com/crochet-angel-wing-cathedral-pineapple-prayer-shawl-7958414.html?cat=24  and it is a free printable pattern.    I love how the pineapple shapes form angel wing designs!!!    I hope my friend who is very interested in Native American items enjoys this prayer shawl I created for her with many prayers said for her as I worked on it.    

Sarai, by Jill Eileen Smith, My Review Sarai, by Jill Eileen Smith, is a fictional account of the story of Sarai and Abram, later renamed Sarah and Abraham by Adonai, our God.   Jill follows the scriptural account of the story of Sarai and Abram, half-brother and half-sister, who marry and wait until far into their old age for God to send the promised child, Isaac.    Sarai despairs and gives her Egyptian maid, Hagar, to Abram, and Ishmael is born.   But God honors His promise to them, even though they sin and take matters into their own hands.    God also sends His judgement on Sodom and Gomorrah and Lot and Melah taste of the bitter punishment.   The angels told Lot and Melah not to look back, but Melah, who has worshipped other Gods disobeys and becomes a pillar of salt.    Sarai chooses to obey God and believe in Him.    Isaac means "laughter" and his birth did indeed bring laughter and joy to Sarai when she gave birth ...

Falling to Pieces   by Vannetta Chapman  My Review I read them backwards.  LOL  I read A Perfect Square  first which is the sequel to Falling to Pieces.     But it was all good!!    I love mysteries and Amish fiction and Christian romance and I got all these rolled into one with Falling to Pieces.   Callie comes to Shipshewana, Indiana from her home in Texas to sell her aunt's quilt shop....or so she thinks.    Callie has known great sorrow in losing most of her family and yet, she finds not only a mystery to solve but friends.  True friends who come to help you clean the shop, walk the dog, have lunch or tea together, to quilt a few stitches......Deborah, Esther, and Melinda become friends with Callie quickly and draw her into their Amish homes and hearts.     Callie has a run-in with the editor of the small town local newspaper and even threatens him in public, so when things take a terrible tragic...

Brush of An  Angel's Wings  by Ruth Reid Review What a sweet sweet book this one is!!!     I love Amish fiction and this one is quite unique as Ruth Reid includes angels surrounding the main characters and guiding them.....one a guardian angel and one a fallen angel trying to convict the main characters to doubt God and abandon faith in Him.    Rachel and Joshua have many obstacles in their way.   Rachel is not your typical Amish maiden.  She is not a good cook....her stitches aren't always even in her sewing....she has never been asked to ride home from a singing with one of the local Amish boys.    She is jealous of Joshua and fears he is replacing her father's affections for her and her dear, departed brother, James.   Joshua was raised by an Amish mother and had an absent father.  He locates his father, who is still working as a long-distance trucker with the help of the rich, pretty young English girl and her cell...

 Review of   The Daughter's Walk by Jane Kirkpatrick The Daughter's Walk left me feeling sad at so many times as I read it.    Clara Estby is forced to walk cross-country with her Norwegian mother, Helga, in 1896, in a valiant effort to save the family's farm after the father is unable to work.    They must wear the new "reform dresses" which, shockingly show ankles of the shoes/boots, as they walk.  They are not allowed to take any rides and must raise their own money, in hopes of the prize money of $10,000.    They do in fact walk from Spokane, Washington, to New York, but they are 10 days late and are refused a penny of the prize money.    Along the way, Clara's mother reveals to her that she is not Ole Estby's true daughter.    Clara is the illegitimate child of the rich young man whom her teenage mother, Helga, worked for the family.    Her mother refuses to reveal to her the name of her fathe...

[[ASIN:1595548874 Need You Now]] I have read many of Beth Wiseman's novels previously, but they were all works of Amish fiction.   This new novel was far from disappointing and I must admit that I was reluctant to read it at first.   Darlene and Brad Henderson move from the big city to the small town on Round Top, Texas, when their teenage son gets into some trouble.    The anxiety and adjustment of the move begin to cause some dangerous behaviors to surface in their "perfect" teenage daughter, Grace.   Younger daughter, Ansley, convinces Dad to let her raise chickens if she maintains a C-average which they thought would never happen....but soon the family is indeed raising chickens.   A new friend comes to Darlene's rescue and turns out to be not only famous but they become the best of friends.    Tensions continue to rise as Darlene takes a job outside the home for the first time ever and receives inappropriate attention from one of her sp...

oh, wow, I didn't possibly imagine that Jane and her brood of her now fatherless children could ever find such happiness again, but they do.   Jane finds her long lost friends, Penelope and Bradley.    lo and behold, Bradley replaces their own doctor in the Amish community.  Penelope and Jane catch up on old news and heal together from the pains of the past. Bradley quickly falls in love with Jane and her precious children and all the fun begins.     I won't spoil things for you, but I am again touched at the ways that Jane, Penelope, and Jane's brother, Mitchell, deal with their sad memories of abuse from their alcoholic mom.   When Jane told a school counselor many years ago, their father was prompted to move his family to the Amish community once Mam  completed rehab and though they never forget, forgiveness and healing take place in the hearts of all. This book was so engaging that I started it and finished it in three hours tonight. ...