God is so good.

I reflect this morning on the goodness of God.

You may think I have lived a charmed life to be able to make such a comment, but is quite the opposite. I have endured 53 years of seemingly endless trials of one kind or another. And yet through it all my heavenly Father has been present, keeping me and sustaining me in every conceivable way; physically, emotionally and spiritually.

The song "My Redeemer Lives" says pretty much how I am feeling this morning about the God I serve. He is sovereign over the entire universe and yet cares enough about lil ole me to be there for me throughout my life. Praise be to God.

My Redeemer Lives
Who taught the sun where to stand in the morning
Who told the ocean you an only come this far?
Who showed the moon where to hide 'til evening
Whose words alone can catch a falling star? 

Well I know my Redeemer lives
I know my Redeemer lives
All of creation testify
This life within me cries
I know my Redeemer lives 

The very same God that spins things in orbit
He runs to the weary, the worn and the weak
And the same gentle hands that hold me when I'm broken
They conquered death to bring me victory 

Now I know my Redeemer lives
I know my Redemer lives
Let all creation testify
Let this life wihtin me cry
I know my Redeemer, He lives 

To take away my shame
And He lives forever I'll proclaim
That the payment for my sin
Was the precious life He gave
But now He's alive
And there's an empty grave. 

And I know my Redeemer, He lives
I know my Redeemer lives
Let all creation testify
This life within me cries
I know my Redeemer lives

The mystery of the Round Ripple

I learned to crochet the weekend following Thanksgiving last year (2010). I absolutely love it. It is calming and therapeutic for me and the items I am creating are benefiting friends and family. Being such a newb has its disadvantages because most of the time I have no idea what I am doing ;-).

My sisters taught me the basics that weekend and sent me home with a pat on the back and kind wishes for success. But we do not live near each other and therefore I had no one to help me after that initial lesson. Thank God for You Tube! I have learned so much there. And now I have found a wonderful new community of crochet friends -- Crochetville. Thank God for Crochetville!!

After becoming somewhat accomplished at making basic items with basic stitches I decided I wanted to make a round ripple afghan. I had already taught myself a straight ripple and I figured, "how much harder can a round ripple be?" HA HA!

It seems that I can crochet in the round ... and I can crochet a ripple, but I cannot do both; sort of like not being able to chew gum and walk simultaneously. The ladies at Crochetville are trying very hard to help me through the process, but it is slow going. I think if they could be with me in person they would probably bonk me right on the head, as I am not getting this at all. *Sigh*

I will not give up though. I will keep trying and if anyone has any helpful hints to throw my way, I will gladly take them. If I ever get this accomplished I will post a pic. Don't hold your breath.

Oh yeah and PLEASE pray for me!!

My first post

Hello. Everyone has a blog nowadays, don't they?


Well, I have had several websites, but never a blog. Now that I am into crocheting, it seems that everyone I am interacting with has one. And many of my family members have had for some time. I thought it would be a great place to share my little world with the world at large.

I am a wife, mother, grandmother, friend and most importantly, a Christian.

I have a long history and will not bore you with any of that right now, but I can direct you to my personal website which contains information about me and the two books I have written. There you can learn about me if you care to. It is found at http://nicol.net.

As this blog unfolds I may be inspired to share more about myself but for now I will settle for having a little place of my own where I can share with you what is going on in my world at any given time.

Thanks for dropping by.

God bless,

Billene - also known as B.J.