A Dark Day

Yesterday was a very dark day in our community. The breaking news came in shortly after noon of another school shooting, this time it wasn't somewhere else, though, it was here; in a local high school. Fear and panic gripped the afternoon as reports of the gunman being at large surfaced, residents sheltered behind locked doors and frightened families rushed to pick up their students at a secure location. Sadly, late in the afternoon, it was announced that the victim had died after being rushed to the hospital. The suspect was apprehended late in the day after an intense search. Today, everyone who calls this community home is reeling. Please join me in prayer for all who are affected by this senseless act; pray for peace, for calm and for healing. Pray for all parents, grandparents and caregivers who send their children off to school every morning, pray for our students, teachers, administrators, security officers, law enforcement and first responders; lavish them them reassurance and gird them with strength that comes through faith in You.  Lord, have mercy. 

O blessed Jesus, give me stillness of soul in You. 

Let your mighty calmness reign in me. 

Rule me, O King of Gentleness, King of Peace.

I am reminded that even in the darkest of days,

Life is Good, 

because God is good, all the time.

Sorting Strips and Other Weekend Activities

We had our youngest two grandchildren yesterday, it was a VERY rainy day and we concentrated on inside activities. I asked Lynnleigh for some help in sorting my bin of strips into color groups. I set her up in the sewing room and taped crayons on the table to identify each row. She set right to work and enjoyed the task... for a while. She took a lot of breaks in between and that was just fine. We found lots of fun activities. We decorated the house for Easter, planted some flower seeds and baked up a big batch of caramel corn (recipe below!). I don't have a plan for my strips but they'll be all color coordinated and easier to use now, whenever I'm ready.

She got a LOT accomplished in snatches of time. I am very pleased (as she is) with the result.

The truth is there's probably just as many strings left in the bin as there are on the table. But, we've made a GREAT start! The bin on the left (on the sofa) will be reserved for lights/neutrals only.  

I got this recipe from Quiltkeemosabe last week. It's all that and more. 

Good luck keeping it on hand for up to five days!

Gregory was happy to pose for the recreation of this photo from seven years ago. Sigh. 

Last evening Mr. Goodneedle and I attended the Winston-Salem Symphony for an evening with "Ella and Louis", we had a terrific time listening to vocals and trumpet music saluting the greats Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong. We always love attending functions at the beautiful Reynolds Auditorium, for a high school auditorium it is amazingly special and, I dare say, unlike most others. 

One final little story from yesterday. Lynnleigh was sitting at the kitchen table and I mentioned to her that her face is elongating and slimming down and, at six, she's looking much more like a  big girl now than a little girl. She immediately replied: "Oh, that's probably because I'm sitting up on my knees!" 

Yeah, that's it. 😉

Life is Good!