highs and lows...................

A high is this lovely parcel that arrived from Gail@Gails Place in the USA...........

thankyou so much Gail..........so very thoughtful.........

A cute chook fob, a great fat quarter that will make it into one of the Lucy quilts.............and a badge that says "intentional design element" (not a mistake).........

the high the sunset today..............the low I need wind  (pump the windmill) and rain desperately..............Kate usually brings wet weather with her to the Chookshed party but doesn't look promising this year...........the cows knocked the trough lid off and emptied the tank again............this supply also comes to the house so yes no water.......we have some rain water but with it being so dry that is also being treated with extra care.........and the dam in that paddock for that mob of cows is also the buggered one so they need to me moved ASAP............I opened a couple of gates but it was to dark to move the cows..........Mr Chooky will have to do that first thing in the morning............

Awhile ago I got an order from the The Singer Featherweight Shop...some parts for my new featherweight 222 I have not shown you and also some parts for my for my other old machines..........lots of little white envelopes with ricrac around......... I accidentally deleted the first pics I took..........anyway so handy for parts, how to look after your machines etc........

I must show all my machines at some stage......they all have stories to go with them............it's becoming an addiction..............

ok best go.....

winter sure is here today........

we had our first frost............

Catch you later.........

Chookyblue..............

Keeping the love of blogging alive

Winter and almost Chookshed party time..........

winter is almost here and it's getting a head start tomorrow...........beautiful 23 today and 17 tomorrow............and the nights are getting colder.........we've had the fire  going for a few nights but only just needed it - that is changing tomorrow as the mornings get much colder.........

The Chookshed party is next weekend 3-4th June.........

I know quite a few of you said you were joining.........
don't worry about commenting here closer to the weekend I will do a linky like last year so it is easy to see who's joining us for the party..........

put the family on notice............

no interruptions......

no housework.........

buy in some easy to prepare food...........

pop a bottle of bubbles..........

get the sewing machine humming........

kick back with the hand stitching.........

whatever it is your do I hope you can enjoy the weekend with us next weekend............

the Chookshed is going to be bursting at the seams with 7-8 of  us..........but I can't wait it is going to be so much fun..........


22-25th June - Sydney
4 days this year but back in Darling Harbour in the new exhibition centre...........

Anyone going????
Catch you later......
Chookyblue.....

Keeping the love of blogging alive 

Lucy update......

Here she is so far...... "My Friend Lucy" is growing... 

The missing section is now sewn in......

I have 2 blocks I want to sew onto this and it will go away until I have all the fillers done and Lucy blocks with the extras ready...........then it will just go straight together........

Working on adding the cream sections onto the blocks and making fillers....... 

More cutting and gluing of cream and blue to do.......

probably a 1000 to cut and glue yet...........

If you're making Lucy to I would love to see your progress no matter how big or small......

17 of 42 joined.......

this is happening..........so exciting...........

Catch you later.....

Chookyblue......

Keeping the love of blogging alive

Major crisis averted......

Thank God for Sonia....... I had searched high and low in the lounge room and Chookshed......

Not once but twice........ Seriously looking and starting to stress that I had lost some of Lucy.......

I text Sonia as I was sure I had it when she was here.....she suggested the design wall......

I went straight out and there it was ......

 Now my design wall is big and this is all that was on it and I didn't even see it...... Seriously back to being a lounge lizard, even watching a movie "Lion" and hope my brain returns....... Obviously when your not well you 'have a boys look'......

So relieved......

In between emailing these pics and starting the post I watched the movie.......

I've been listening to the book reading by Saroo Brierley A Long Way Home  each morning on ABC radio.........I saw the movie version called LION in the shops the other day so brought it..........what an amazing story........I had heard a 1 hour conversation on the ABC but OMG to watch the movie.......I spent 1/2 the afternoon crying...........but so pleased I watched it.....

Catch you later....

Chookyblue.....

Keeping the love of blogging alive

Life.............

Life is whirl wind...........good but OMG busy..........

so much fun catching up with Susan@Oh2Sew and Maree@Stitched Australia, Fiona@BubzRugz and Kris@TagAlongTeddies.........

The food is always great at the Park House Cafe...........

After food and chatting we went and checked out some patchwork shops.............

This is the range I got for a friends 50th birthday quilt.........

Combined with grey (first time ever for me) should look "blokey" enough I hope...........

Car pooling......

Few more bits.........sashiko, possible Lucy fabrics...........all paid for and waiting for the girls and..........

I found these beauties...........OMG fussy cutting heaven.........I got all 3 colourways as I could not decide what I loved the most........probably Lucy2 but maybe Lucy...........in all honesty probably got enough fabrics for 3 Lucys.........but I am not going there..........

To say the fog was thick was an understatement................when I arrived it was so thick it was difficult to find my way around.........it lifted but by the time I came out just after dark it was settling back in..........looks cool in the lights but hard to drive in when it got thicker.........

So impressed to see so many young people doing Relay for Life............we didn't stay all night as not prepared enough but the girls walked the whole time they were there bar about 15mins when they ate dinner...........

Fairy Girl was playing with the new camera..........LOVE this photo..........

Rainbow on my way home.............

cool clouds.........

Catching the last light.........

so surprised this turned out so well...........it was almost dark.........

Now for a few restful quiet days as the sore throat that's been hanging around for weeks now is NOT getting better and i've had another trip to the Drs........

Me and the lounge are going to be besties for a few days........

Catch you later.......

Chookyblue.........

Keeping the love of blogging alive

Bible Verses for No Longer Slaves

No Longer Slaves

I recently heard this song and was greatly encouraged by it.  The song is a reflection of God delivering Moses and the Israelites from slavery by the Egyptians.  When the Egyptians pursued them after their departure and the Israelites were trapped between an army and the Red Sea, they were frightened.  Then, Moses told them not to be afraid.  That God would fight for them and all they needed to do is stand and watch Him work.

Then came the moment that was sung about for generations. God showed His people that He loved them enough to save them from the Egyptians whom they feared would enslave them again.  After they were delivered, Moses and the people broke out in song.

However, the writers are obviously not singing about their miraculous deliverance from Egypt. They are singing about our deliverance from the bondage of fear.  How Christ delivers us.

Check out Jonathan and Melissa Helser talking about their song in this video:

Though I love this song, I do wish that it had more reference to Christ's work on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins... and maybe less about our feelings as we respond.  Check it out and see what you think.

Bible Verses for No Longer Slaves

Written by Brian Johnson, Jonathan David Helser, Joel Case

Verse 1:
You unravel me, with a melody
You surround me with a song
Of deliverance, from my enemies
Till all my fears are gone

Psalms 32:7 You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble;
You surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah.

Isaiah 12:2 �Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; For the Lord God is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation.�

Chorus:
I'm no longer a slave to fear
I am a child of God
I'm no longer a slave to fear
I am a child of God

Galatians 4:7 Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.

1 John 3:1-2 See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. 

Verse 2:
From my mother's womb
You have chosen me
Love has called my name

Isaiah 49:1 Listen to Me, O islands, and pay attention, you peoples from afar. The Lord called Me from the womb; from the body of My mother He named Me.

I've been born again, into your family
Your blood flows through my veins*

1 Peter 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

Ephesians 2:19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God�s household, 

Interlude:
I am surrounded
By the arms of the Father

In the parable of the prodigal son, Luke 15:20 So he got up and went to his father. But while the son was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion. He ran, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him.

I am surrounded
By songs of deliverance

Psalms 40:3 He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; Many will see and fear and will trust in the Lord.

We've been liberated
From our bondage

Galatians 4:3-5 So also we, while we were children, were held in bondage under the elemental things of the world. But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.

We're the sons and the daughters

2 Corinthians 6:18 �And I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to Me,� says the Lord Almighty.

Let us sing our freedom

Galatians 5:1 It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.

Bridge:
You split the sea
So I could walk right through it

Psalm 136:13-14 To Him who divided the Red Sea asunder, For His lovingkindness is everlasting, And made Israel pass through the midst of it, For His lovingkindness is everlasting;

Matthew 19:24-26 "Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." When the disciples heard this, they were very astonished and said, "Then who can be saved?" And looking at them Jesus said to them, "With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

My fears were drowned in perfect love

1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.

You rescued me
and I will stand and sing

Psalms 96:2 Sing to the Lord, bless His name; Proclaim good tidings of His salvation from day to day.

I am a child of God

John 1:12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

* God's blood flowing through believer's veins is not something from the Bible.  I assume this phrase is an overstated assumption based on us being God's children as earthly families are said to have the same blood in their veins.  I would change these words to "Your blood shed for my sake."

Bible Lessons on the Five Senses

Kids Bible Lessons on the Five Senses

This collection of lessons is great for any age children.  It has a lot of interaction, especially using their five senses.  Each lesson is based on one of the five senses and uses a Bible story that emphasizes that sense.

Below are descriptions of each lesson with a link.

Lesson 1 - Taste - Esau's birthright

Bible story: Esau sells his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of stew

Theme: Hunger for God
Passage: Genesis 25:19-28
Key Verse: Matthew 5:6 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.�

Activities:

• Paint and decorate Jacob and Esau
• Taste test - taste things when blindfolded and guess what they are

Lesson 2 - Touch - Woman touches Jesus' garment

Bible story: A sick woman touches Jesus' garment and is healed
Passage: Mark 5:24-34
Theme: Turn to Jesus with our problems
Key Verse: Luke 8:48 And He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace."
Activities:

• Touch test - touch things inside a paper bag and guess what they are
• Jesus and woman puppets - glue fabric onto Jesus and the woman and add popsicles to make them into puppets
• Play "Who touched me?" or "Heads Up, 7 Up"
• Make tassel bookmarks

Lesson 3 - Sight - Elisha and the Blind Army

Bible story: Elisha shows his servant an invisible army of angels who then makes their enemies blind
Passage: 2 Kings 6:8-23
Theme: Trust God
Key Verse:  2 Cor. 5:7 for we walk by faith, not by sight
Activities:

• Optical illusions
• Use watercolor paint to make an invisible army appear (or DIY scratch off craft)
• Play a blindfolded game such as blindman�s bluff, blind potato race, pin the horse to the chariot

Lesson 4 - Smell - Fiery Furnace

Bible story: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego emerge from the fiery furnace smelling of smoke, but unburned
Passage: Daniel 3
Theme: Be faithful
Key Verse: 2 Corinthians 2:15 For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing;
Activities:

• Guess the Smell game - smell things when blindfolded and guess what they are
• Fiery Furnace Board Game
• Fiery Furnace Craft
• Play "Musical Furnace" - like musical chairs, but when the music stops you jump in the "furnace"

Lesson 5 - Hearing - Saul Disobeys

Bible story: Saul disobeys God's command to destroy the Amalekites and their belongings
Passage: 1 Samuel 15
Theme: Obey God completely
Key Verse: Luke 11:28 But He said, "On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it."
Activities:

• Identify the Sounds game - listen to noises and guess what they are
• Play "Samuel Says" (like Simon Says)
• Make a lying tongue craft
• Play "Caught in the Web" - make a web of string and have the students try to get through it
• Play "Whisper Down The Alley"

Lesson 6 - All Five Senses Review - Jacob Steals the Blessing

Bible story: Jacob tricks Isaac and steals the blessing intended for Esau
Passage: Genesis 27:1-9
Theme: Senses can deceive, so trust and obey God instead
Key Verse: Colossians 3:9 Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices,
Activities:

• Worksheets about the differences between Jacob and Esau
• Review craft of all the units Bible stories
• Bible drill on verses that incorporate one of the five sense

 Click here or below for more Bible Lessons

Bible Verses for Newsboys' We Believe

We Believe

by Travis Ryan, Richie Fike, and Matt Hooper

VERSE:
In this time of desperation
When all we know is doubt and fear
There is only one foundation
We believe, we believe

1 Corinthians 3:11 For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

In this broken generation
When all is dark, You help us see

Isaiah 9:2 The people who walk in darkness will see a great light; Those who live in a dark land, the light will shine on them.

There is only one salvation
We believe, we believe

Acts 4:12 "And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.�

CHORUS:
We believe in God the Father
We believe in Jesus Christ

2 John 1:3 Grace, mercy and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.

We believe in the Holy Spirit
And He's given us new life

Titus 3:5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,

We believe in the crucifixion

1 Corinthians 2:2 For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.

We believe that He conquered death

2 Timothy 1:10 but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,

We believe in the resurrection

Of Jesus in Acts 2:24 But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.

And He's comin' back again, we believe

Jesus said in John 14:3 "If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also."

VERSE:
So, let our faith be more than anthems
Greater than the songs we sing

James 2:18 But someone may well say, �You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.�

And in our weakness and temptations
We believe, we believe!

Mark 9:24 Immediately the boy�s father cried out and said, �I do believe; help my unbelief.�

Luke 17:5-6 The apostles said to the Lord, �Increase our faith!� And the Lord said, �If you had faith like a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, �Be uprooted and be planted in the sea�; and it would obey you.

CHORUS:
We believe in God the Father!
We believe in Jesus Christ!
We believe in the Holy Spirit!

1 Peter 1:2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure.

And He's given us new life!

1 Peter 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

We believe in the crucifixion!

John 19:18 There they crucified Him, and with Him two other men, one on either side, and Jesus in between.

We believe that He conquered death!

Hebrews 2:14 Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,

We believe in the resurrection!
And He's comin' back again!

John 14:18 "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you."

BRIDGE:
Let the lost be found and the dead be raised!

Jesus said in Luke 19:10 "For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."

1 Corinthians 15:52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 

Romans 6:4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.

In the here and now, let love invade!
Let the church live loud, our God we'll say
We believe, we believe!
And the gates of hell will not prevail!

Matthew 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

For the power of God, has torn the veil!

Mark 15:38 And the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.

Now we know Your love will never fail!

Psalms 136:1 Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

We believe, we believe!


CHORUS:
We believe in God the Father
We believe in Jesus Christ

1 Corinthians 8:6 yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him.

We believe in the Holy Spirit

2 Corinthians 3:6 who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

And He's given us new life!

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

We believe in the crucifixion!

Luke 23:33 When they came to the place called The Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left.

We believe that He conquered death!

Revelation 20:14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.

We believe in the resurrection!

Mark 16:6 And he said to them, �Do not be amazed; you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has risen; He is not here; behold, here is the place where they laid Him.

And He's comin' back again!

John 14:28 You heard that I said to you, 'I go away, and I will come to you.' If you loved Me, you would have rejoiced because I go to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.