Thank You God

Thank You God for...

- all of the comforting words and wisdom you graced us with in the Bible.

- my family and the love that we have for each other.

- the sunshine and the feeling you get when you close your eyes and tilt your head and the sun's warmth actually kisses your face.

- the look my puppies get when they see me and their tails start wagging.

- sending your son for me.

We're Still Here

So, May 21st has come and gone and we are still here.  Part of me feels a bit sorry for Mr. Camping, but the Bible specifically states that no man shall know, the angels won't know, nor will the Son.  Only the Father will know the day of his coming.  Sorry - math is pretty great, but it is a no go in this instance. 

Since I am still here I guess it is time to start an exercise program - darn it :)

Family Radio Predicts...

So I grew up being petrified of the 'end of the world' tales that I used to hear my mother talk about.  I know that she was doing her best to prepare us spiritually, but - man, oh, man - was it scary to a little kid.  My husband grew up hearing it from his grandmother.  Nothing beats a good childhood tale about blood moons and torturing your family to make you denounce your God.  As an adult I am trying to teach my children that we don't know when the world is going to end.  There is no date that man knows, only God knows.  I teach them that if they try their hardest to live their lives like Jesus lived his then they will be okay.  Ask for forgiveness and love the Lord with all your heart, above anything else.

Now that I have tried to teach them that what do we see on our way to DisneyWorld?  Eighty thousand signs by some group Family Radio that says the world is ending May 21st!  Really, all along the route to DisneyWorld???  Now they are popping up everywhere!  This kind of stuff freaks me out!  Now I am a nervous wreck waiting until the 21st comes to see what happens!  I wanted to start a diet, but I'm like - why bother, the world is ending in a few weeks? 

I looked up this group and read about the founder, Harold Camping.  He used to be an engineer and has come up with some equation about this word gets this many points and that word gets that many points and Jesus died exactly on this day and multiply this by the number of lunar days...and then Tom Hanks appears straight out of the Davinci Code!  Why do people have to try to crack some sort of magical Bible code?  Just live life, do your best, love God, accept him into your heart and lives and stop freaking me out! 

Today's therapy session has been brought to you by Family Radio...Thank you, Family Radio :)

Breakfast Empanadas

My youngest daughter reminded me last night that she needed to bring breakfast empanadas to her social studies class first thing this morning.  I secretly wanted to do something store bought.  I caved, however, and she was so happy (which is unusual for her in the morning so I guess it was worth it).  She sampled one of the warm bacon, egg and white queso empanadas and said they were perfect.  Awwww!  Just what a mom wants to hear for her early morning toiling.  The she expressed her love with some awkward style prom dancing.  Yeah, that's my kid...

"Rosie" - The Zebra Pendant

I've been reverting back to my childhood, but in a grown up way.  Instead of play-doh, I have gotten my hands on polymer clay.  My mother is great at this stuff so I thought I would give it a try.  I have this amazing fabric that I am going to make a skirt out of.

I wanted to make a large pendant for a fabulous matching necklace.  I used Fimo clay - black, white, a pinch of some chocolate color to make it slightly off white, red (which I mixed with a pinch of black and purple to get some depth).  I layered the black first for the back.  Next was a thick layer of the off white.  The most tedious part was making the zebra stripes.  I used a pasta maker to roll the black very thin and then used a cutter to make skinny, curvy lines and began placing them on the white.

I used a pointy tool to feather the edges and blend them just a bit.  This took forever (I am a bit impatient!)

Stripes are finally done!  Next I trimmed off the excess and gave the pendant its rectangular shape.  I ran some black through the pasta maker to make thin black strips to finish off the sides.

I knew I wanted to place a rose in the center and I didn't want it sticking out so I used the round ball tool to make a recessed indention where I would eventually place the rose.  Then took up the task of making my second rose ever.  (My mom's are phenom!)

I was very pleased with how it turned out!  I baked it first at 230 degrees for 20 minutes in my new polymer clay oven, which is really just a toaster oven with the words polymer clay on it.  I squeezed some liquid polymer into the recessed space on the pendant, slid a metal bar through the top and waited for the rose to cool...When it was cool I very gently mashed the rose into the unbaked zebra base.  So glad I made the indentation!  The liquid polymer oozed a bit, but the package said it would bake clear so into the oven it went!  Same temp for 30 minutes.

Not too shabby!  It's not completely done.  I need to wet-sand it.  I've never done that before, but I will give it a go tomorrow.  Then it needs a shiny coat of gloss and it is ready to string with some chunky red and black round beads, which I will make later.  My bed is calling!

Rotten Fruit

I have really been having an issue with self-control lately.  It has breached into every aspect of my life.  My diet has been horrible.  Exercise is non-existent.  Time management is not being managed well.  I have even been a bit snoopy, which is never a good thing for me and always puts me in the most horrid of moods.  So, what to do...

Proverbs 25:28 states that "A man without self-control

is like a city broken into and left without walls."

I feel that way when I lose my self-control.  I feel helpless, defenseless.  It is as if I am completely vulnerable to all of the destructive things around me.  I become grouchy and easily irritated. 

I found these verses to help me and I hope they are a help for anyone who may read them.

Philippians 4:13  I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Deuteronomy 20:4  For the Lord your God is he who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory.

I Corinthians 10:13  No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man.  God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

He does not say that we will not be tempted, but thank goodness for his faithfulness.  He will give us the strength required to withstand the temptations before us!

Old is New Again

Did a little digging in my Mom's closet the other day.  She had a ton of old skirts; some of them I remember her wearing when I was a little girl.  A plethera of 1980s prints!  My daughter just loved this black and multicolored print.  The skirt was originally mid calf.  I cut it along the seams and now it is just vintage fabric waiting for a new look!

Mother's Day

Yummm...Mother's Day dinner was at Rodeo BBQ.  Nothing says you are appreciated like waffle fries covered in chopped beef, cheese, sour cream and jalapenos!  We even had fried twinkies and funnel cake for dessert. 

On an even better note, my Nana got out of the hospital today!  I know that just made her Mother's Day.  She was really bummed about being in there in the first place.

I hope all Moms had a great day!

Quote of the Day

I took my girls out to eat today - mexican food...yummmm.  Kenzie was talking about this boy and I had heard conflicting stories about hs *ahem* gender preferences.  Bailey helped shed some light on the subject :)

Me:  Okay, so is this guy straight?

Bailey:  No.  Actually, he's kind of chubby.

The thinking of children is great!

My Pet Babies

Introducing my little pumpkin!  This is Brisby, my chihuahua.  Mr. calls her Rat Dog.  She is my alpha dog of my group. 

This guy is our English Bulldog, Ody.  He is actually Trevor's dog.  Full name - Odysseus.  He's the biggest baby ever!  Cute as a bug, way affectionate - lots of slobber...

I have a Golden Retriever named Harvey (Bubba Dog), but I guess all my photos are on Trevor's laptop...He's my old baby.  Ten this year...

I had the day off today, but didn't really get much done...I did go to the Goodwill thrift store.  I struck out, but had a good time.  How 'frugal' have you gotten if you go to a thrift store and refuse to get anything because it isn't half price day???





God Bless America



Thank you so much!!! 

Positively Fruity

It is so easy to get bogged down in all of the problems of the world, of our lives.  It is much more challenging to stay positive and have a heart that is kind to others.  I hope this blog helps me to be more fruitful.  I love this verse.  Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control - these are all things that I aspire for in my life.