We set aside Saturday morning to do the first of three sewing projects for Kayla’s Quest. Kayla’s friend Maddie is also trying to complete a Quest, so we hoped to have her over for the project, too.  We set up two sewing machines, had the fabric and other tools all ready to go, and were working on a special treat for “brunch” when my friend Christie called to tell us that Maddie had come down with a fever, and so they wouldn’t be able to join us.  I know both girls were really disappointed, but Kayla and I decided to go ahead with the project that morning.

We made reusable sandwich wraps and “ziploc” bags!  I’ve been wanting to make some of these since my friend, Betsy, showed me the ones that she had made and was using each week to pack a lunch for Classical Conversations. Though Kayla already has a bit of sewing experience, I thought it would be a good first project for both girls ~ basic straight stitching, with a cute, quick, and usable result.

And how do you like the cute little horse {sitting on top of the machine} that Kayla made out of her new pincushion and pins?

We decided to use oil cloth instead of the PUL fabric used to make cloth diaper covers that some recommend.  If you do any internet research at all, you will find that some people would not use either, as they still contain petroleum products, and are not “food safe,” but I figure that this is at least a better option than the plastic used in Saran Wrap and Ziploc products, not to mention the fact that we will be using, and therefore throwing away, much less of those things.  The oil cloth is both wipe-able, washable, and a step toward “green-ness” in this house.  {And the fabric store clerk who helped me had also used the “owl” oil cloth to make reusable sandwich wraps for herself.  It’s really too cute to pass up!} The only thoroughly “green” option was to purchase 100% organic cotton and then “infuse” it with beeswax ~ and I’m sorry, but that’s just not happening in this house this week. {Neither is kombucha, kefir, juicing, or grinding rice into flour…}

We tested our handmade wraps and bags out on Tuesday when we packed a lunch for our Classical Conversations school day, and they worked great! Our sandwiches stayed cool and moist as did our carrots. {I made a set for myself, too!}

In other Quest news, Kayla completed her required 5K in December.  She trained hard, and then beat her typical training time by quite a bit in the actual race, which was called the Jingle Jaunt, and held in Springfield, MA.  This particular race required participants to acquire sponsors and raise a minimum of $100 for Special Olympics, which we were both able to do thanks to the help of friends and family.

And because of a total mix-up on my part, we had to leave the race very quickly in order to get home for Kayla’s  annual tea party.  Yikes!  {I had thought the race was on a different weekend.}

The girls never tire of making gingerbread houses, so they are pretty much a constant at this yearly gathering.   I love the creativity!

 Then the girls made handmade cards to give to the residents of our neighborhood nursing home.  Part of Kayla’s Quest Challenge was to organize an outreach to the nursing home, so, with no help from me, she made the call and asked if she could set a date to bring friends and gifts and do some Christmas caroling there. They are ALWAYS happy to have young visitors at the nursing home, and it is about a three minute walk from my house, so after gingerbread houses, card-making, and tea party snacks, we headed over.  The girls did SUCH a wonderful job!  Kayla played a Christmas carol on the piano, and her friend Carol played “Angels We Have Heard On High” on her violin.  They sang about four more songs, and passed out cards and candy canes, and were a HUGE blessing to the residents there!  I was so proud of them.

 We just finished reading this book together which is such a favorite of mine ~ about a young girl unfairly accused of theft and unjustly punished.  Her godly response is rewarded by the Lord and eventually what was meant for evil is used for great blessing and exaltation in her life.  So good!

This morning I had tea with my friend Karla, and she told me about two Scripture memory “apps” or sites, which I came home and helped Kayla load on her Nexus.  The app is called “Remember Me” and the website is Scripture Typer.  I had no idea such things existed, but we’re both excited to use them for our various memory challenges.  Kayla is doing Philippians and I am working on Hannah’s song from I Samuel Chapter 1 and Mary’s song from Luke 1 for Beth Moore’s Scripture Memory Challenge.

Honestly, it’s been difficult to keep on top of the list of Challenges we gave to Kayla on her 12th birthday, hard to find time to fit them into regular life.  But, we’re plugging along and slowly making our way through the list, and we’re very proud of Kayla’s hard work on each item.  I pray the Lord will meet her in all of it and use the experiences to grow and mature her faith and equip her for whatever is His call upon her life.