It's hard to believe that my last post here was back in March. As I was recently browsing through some of my older writings, I found myself laughing, reminiscing, and asking a question:

"Why did I ever stop writing here?"

Growing Up in Grace has always been a special place for me. It's where I've shared my faith journey, favorite recipes, retirement adventures, home projects, personal struggles, answered prayers, and lessons the Lord has taught me along the way. Reading through those older posts felt a little like opening a time capsule.

Since it's been a while, I thought I'd stop by and share a little update on what I've been up to lately.

My Sewing Journey

My sewing journey has been going so well!

Over the past several months I've made all kinds of projects, from decorative pillows and tote bags to zipper pouches and infinity scarves. More recently I've been enjoying functional projects such as the fabric basket (featured image) to store my sewing threads in, bowl cozies, placemats and hot pads. Creating for creating is fun and creating for function even better!

I've also spent quite a bit of time reorganizing my sewing space. If you're a fellow maker, you know how quickly fabric, tools, notions, and scraps can multiply! What worked six months ago may not work today. Both of my storage carts are now full, and to make matters even more interesting, two of my sweet neighbors recently gifted me additional fabric!

I briefly considered upgrading my sewing machine to an electronic model, but after looking at prices, I decided my faithful Brother XR3774 and I still have plenty of projects left to tackle together.

Rediscovering Crochet

I've also rediscovered my love of crochet.

One of the reasons I stepped away from it for a while was hand and shoulder pain from an injury, but after finding a helpful ergonomic device for my crochet hooks, I've been able to enjoy crocheting again.

I recently completed a beautiful blanket with scalloped edging for my oversized polar bear stuffed animal, named "Snowbella". She proudly sits in my sewing space and wears the cozy blanket to protect her white fur from dust, dirt, and the occasional flying thread particles from my sewing adventures!

Yes, I realize that sounds slightly ridiculous, but if you're a fellow crafter, you understand me! 🤣

Home Sweet Home

After almost 2-1/2 years living in our home, I can honestly say we've finally settled into the layout and design of each room.

Our decorating style continues to lean toward French Country Cottage with a touch of romance here and there. While I haven't done much thrifting lately, I have picked up a few treasures, including florals, decorative pieces, and even some dish drying mats that I transformed into pillows.

One of our favorite improvements was adding a curtain to hide our modern dishwasher. It instantly gave the kitchen a softer cottage feel.

Just yesterday, my husband and I were talking about how much we love our living room. Not just because of how we've decorated it, but because we spent 12 years living in an apartment without a living room because he needed a home office. Having a comfortable home still feels like an incredible blessing.

Also, I updated our bedroom with a beautiful quilted coverlet featuring a vintage floral design. It came with matching pillow shams, which now have a second life decorating our couch pillows.

Our home isn't glam glam, it is cozy, comfortable and filled with a lot of gratitude.

Growing in Faith

Walking with The Lord remains a daily journey.

Faith isn't something we figure out once and then move on from. It's found in everyday decisions, prayers, concerns, victories, disappointments, and lessons.

One area where the Lord continues to work on my heart is learning to let go of my past.

I have a tendency to analyze things endlessly. I want to understand why something happened, what I could have done differently, what someone else meant, or how events might have turned out under different circumstances.

The problem is that we aren't always given those answers.

Sometimes The Lord simply asks us to trust Him.

I'm learning that peace doesn't come from analyzing every detail of the past. It comes from trusting the One who already knows the whole story.

My prayer is that I continue growing in that area and learn to move forward without constantly looking back.

A Brief Business Adventure

I also had a very short-lived return to Etsy.

For a brief moment, my husband and I found ourselves concerned about some upcoming expenses, so I reopened my digital art Etsy shop.

However, after looking carefully at the costs involved, the monthly software subscriptions I would need, and several home projects that require our attention, we decided it wasn't the right season.

The experience served as a wonderful reminder that God remains in control of our finances.

Not me.

Not my husband.

Not an online shop.

The Lord has faithfully provided for us, and once again He gently reminded us to trust Him.

Looking Ahead

As for what's next, I'm not entirely sure.

I'm still sewing, crocheting, creating, organizing, and enjoying retirement one day at a time.

Most importantly, I'm learning to slow down, listen to The Lord's leading, and enjoying the season He has me in right now.

And perhaps, just perhaps, you'll be seeing a LOT more posts here again. It's good to be back.

Grace and peace to you,

Kim

1. Saved my monies in my 20s. I'm 62+ now. Just how much would I have by now?
2. Wanted a home. I had some mental challenges growing up, but still why would I want to live in an apartment for the rest of my life?
3. Opened a separate account or signed up for a 401(k) package. Every time on my jobs that I had that opportunity, I declined thinking I needed all my money now! And for what reason? I blew it mostly on fashion!
4. Invested. Perhaps, if I were financially savvy, I could have found a legitimate and profitable company to invest into and become a stockholder that would have helped me now.
5. Build assets. It wasn't until age 30 that I learned to drive and buy a car. Still, if I had thought to build some assets, something that would appreciate in value over time, I could sell it and use those monies for a down payment.
6. Attended some financial planning classes to learn how to use monies to my advantage.
7. Worked with or partnered with financial professionals. I could have hired a financial advisor or asked a banking professional specific questions related to financial planning for a home, retirement, how to properly use credit cards, etc. But I was too headstrong and downright stupid.

Title: My Dreams

Title: Your Word

1. Be prepared if seller declines something. We jumped into faith with this Blue House hoping it wouldn't need much work done. It is the best one we've seen. Still, no house is perfect. However, there are still things pointed out in the inspection and it appears we will have to deal with it if we want this house.
2. Waiting and waiting. Our lender is so kind and faithful. He knows we need the loan approval and yet the underwriters are playing hard ball as if they don't want to give us their go-ahead. That's fine because he found someone else to work with which would lower our interest rate even better. Sometimes, when one person denies you, it really is their loss.
3. Stay encouraged. You'll want to give up. You'll get angry. You'll be out of energy and you'll think maybe this just isn't going to happen. But stay encouraged. Take a nap, eat something delicious, play a game, but keep fighting. People who had big dreams didn't give up when they kept running into "no's."
4. Pray. Prayer is a powerful weapon, not to be taken lightly and certainly not to be done last. Remain in prayer, pray about every hurdle, pray about any fears, pray for everyone involved in the process and don't let misunderstandings creep in, don't let anger turn you away from talking to God.
5. Give your team a break. Sometimes, I'm texting so many questions that I think I'm wearing down my team. Those moments I get quiet and pray silently. I have to step back and let them do their jobs.
6. Get good quotes. If repairs are on us, then we need to get good quotes and ensure the pros hired will do the job right the first time and not make things worse.
7. Be careful how much you vent. Hubby also is frustrated too, unloading my frustrations on him doesn't help. Also, saying things like, "I'm tired, I give up," isn't good either. Build each other up, if you're beat down, then say, "it's okay, God has never left us." Speaking life rather than death keeps our heads in the game and our hearts near Jesus.
8. Don't create scenarios in your head. Tonight, I did that. I started thinking maybe it's not in the cards for us, if I had only done better with the monies and saved, etc., and that's a road that leads nowhere. Don't get on it.
9. You can't control anything. Stop trying to push your own way. God always knows what He's doing even if you don't. Bottom line is He doesn't need my help. The faster I let go and let God, the faster He works.
10. Look up, not back. Quit rehashing old mistakes, stop looking back all the time. What good does it do to reminisce about the past that you can't change?