Meet Mayford & Dexter......

The other day my son and I were in Petsmart. He likes to go look at the "animals". I fell in love with the Winter White Hamsters. I had a Teddy Bear Hamster when I was my daughter's age. She was a female and shortly after we purchased her we had many more Teddy Bear Hamsters. Turns out she was a Mommy in waiting, SURPRISE! I'm sure my Mom loved that! Talk about getting more than you bargained for...... When we moved to Florida I gave her to a neighbor boy. We told my Husband and daughter about the Hamsters we'd seen at Petsmart, and thought about the idea of getting the kids their own Hamsters. Last night we went to Petsmart and picked out their new pets. They are both boys, Mayford is the one that is more of a solid gray. Dexter has a dark stripe down his back. Mayford is a maniac at night, last night being the first, he was running on his wheel like crazy. I'm glad they have improved on wheel design in the past 30 years! They aren't as squeaky. Mayford is a picky eater and a messy one at that. He digs for just his favorites. Dexter is happy to eat the corn or whatever. He likes to curl up in a corner with his food and nibble on it slowly. One of my son's favorite cartoons is Dexter's Laboratory (I know, not the best cartoon for a 4 year old) He and his Dad love to watch it every night. Which is worse, Sponge Bob or Dexter? Don't even ask about Mayford's name, it's a secret. I will say it's part of our last name and part of the last name of a boy Emily likes. Hopefully the boy will never decode "the name" ;0

Newsboys "In Wonder"

I just added Newsboys "In Wonder" to the right. Click on the You Tube and watch it if you'd like. We saw them in concert and it was awesome! If you haven't had a chance to see them, catch them if they come back around on tour. There was a part of the show where the lead singer and the drummer did kind of a dualing drum type thing. The drummers stage totally flipped on it's side and was spinning, he was playing like a maniac. The crowd loved it, it was one of the highlights of the show. In Wonder is one of my favorites from the GO CD. Enjoy!

My Daughter's Birthday

The night before my daughter's Birthday we went to get her and a friend's hair, makeup and nails done. My friends family owns a beauty shop. Her niece did the girls hair, makeup and nails and did an awesome job. The girls just loved the experience. A couple of years ago we went to Libby Lu's in Scotsdale and did something similar. After they were done, we went home and Dad had dinner for us, then we went to the Roller rink for skating. Can't be all dressed up with no place to go, that's no fun. The girls had a great night. It was so much fun watching each girl get pampered and to watch their "transformations". My daughter is the girl on the right.

Meat, Beans, and lots of spices oh my!

My husband, bless his heart, made chili last night for the Annual Boeing chili contest. Every year he does it. Never in all the previous years, did it burn my eyes before though. We live in a larger house now. There is more places for the "aroma" to go, who would think I'd feel like my eyes were on fire. I told him around 9:30 or so that I had to go upstairs and go to bed. I opened the windows and put on the fan and closed the door. I hope I didn't offend him and ruin my chances of ever getting him to share some of the cooking. I'm sure it will taste awesome though. It's so cute when he cooks his chili.

More about Art Masterpiece and me

One thing I didn't mention about the Art Masterpiece program is that this gives me an opportunity to reclaim something I let go of. I've grown and matured and learned from mistakes over the years. God has graciously been patient with me and revealed new things to me over time and helped me to heal from poor choices. He's given me other things in my life to help reclaim what was meant to be. Now I am 42 and can look back at all that has shaped my life and where I am now. When I was a teenager, I was told by an Art teacher, one whom didn't know me, I was just seeking advice from, that becoming an Art Teacher would be a very difficult field to get into. That day my young heart was totally discouraged from ever pursuing what I enjoyed most. I was told there were limited positions, usually each school only has 1 art teacher..... With just one word I gave it up. Back then I couldn't of imagined that there were Christian schools, public schools and charter schools and lots of them. God had placed that creativity within me, that desire and I didn't know what I know now that you aren't truly "alive" completely unless you are pursuing that passion, that gifting you've been given. Yes I have expressed my creativity in other ways. If it wasn't for Photography, my husband and I may never have met. I would never have changed being a stay at home Mom either. My daughter told me yesterday, when I once again shared this story with her, that she wished I could be her Art teacher at school. She says that her art teacher is mean. She's very excited that I'll be doing Art Masterpiece in her class! Sad maybe her Art teacher wasn't meant to be an art teacher after all if she isn't totally enjoying it. So in my e-mails today I received this "daily reading" it's from Ransomed Heart. This can further explain in a way what I've been talking about. Oh and by the way, if you are in a position where you can influence a young person, always encourage them to pursue their dreams to the fullest. It's taken me longer to get where I needed to be but God gives back what is lost. Read on.......

Over the years we’ve come to see that the only thing more tragic than the things that have happened to us is what we have done with them.

Words were said; painful words. Things were done; awful things. And it shaped us. Something inside of us shifted. We embraced the messages of our wounds. We accepted a view of ourselves. And from that we chose a way of relating to our world. We made a vow never to be in that place again. We adopted strategies to protect ourselves from being hurt again. A woman that is living out of a broken, wounded heart is a woman who is living a self-protective life. She may not be aware of it but it is true. It’s our way of trying to “save ourselves.”

And, we also developed ways of trying to get something of the love our hearts cried out for. The ache is there. Our desperate need for love and affirmation, our thirst for some taste of romance and adventure and something to be wanted for is there. So we turned to boys or to food or to romance novels, we lost ourselves in our work or at church or in some sort of service. All this adds up to the woman we are today. Much of what we call our “personalities” is actually the mosaic of our choices for self-protection plus our plan to get something of the love we were created for.

The problem is, our plan has nothing to do with God.

The wounds we received and the messages they brought form a sort of unholy alliance with our fallen nature as women. From Eve we received a deep mistrust in the heart of God towards us. Clearly, he’s holding out on us. We’ll just have to arrange for the life we want. We will control our world. But there is also an ache deep within, an ache for intimacy and for life. We’ll have to find a way to fill it.

(Taken from the book: Captivating, pages 74-75)
From The Ransomed Heart, by John Eldredge, reading 297

That been said, I'm off to another Art Masterpiece class this morning. Enjoy your day. Live life to the fullest :) Just as a reminder don't always believe the crap some others may tell you, because often they are speaking from their own wounded lives and experiences, (hurting people hurt people, Joyce Meyers once said) we've ALL had them one way or another, some have healed, some have not.

Art Masterpiece Program

I am going for training to be a Art Masterpiece guide. What that will enable me to do is go into my daughter's class every other week with a famous piece of artwork to present to the class for discussion. I remember being in Elementary school, 5th grade to be exact, and a volunteer Mom came in and talked with us through a program similar to this. That was my first exposure to famous paintings and I've never forgotten it. This has re-kindled a forgotten passion in me. I love art and I love learning more about the Artists that made them famous. I am having so much fun with this! I took Art History in College and really loved it. I still have my books and my children have looked through them numerous times. My daughter really likes "Van Gogh's Starry Night" which I have pictured above, pictured to the right is a photo of Vincent Van Gogh. Through my brushing up on my Van Gogh knowledge I learned he actually initially sketched Starry Night while in an asylum. I think the fact that he'd cut off his ear is pretty commonly known, however I'd thought he'd cut his entire ear off, it was only his lobe, FYI. He did this following a argument with his friend, fellow painter Gauguin. Going back to his youth he had been sent away to boarding school at about age 11 and was distressed by the separation from his family. Van Gogh aspired to be a Minister and also translated the Bible into English, French and German. He also did missionary work. Upon pursuing his studies to become a Minister, he failed and ventured down several different avenues. He lived a sorted life, had a lot of ups and downs to put it politely. As a side note, he was named Vincent after his grandfather but also following the stillborn death of a brother, a year prior also named Vincent. Some think that may have had an impact on him. He eventually attended the Royal Academy of Art, was rejected by a cousin whom he wanted to marry, lived with a prostitute whom eventually went back to her trade. He contracted some sexually transmitted diseases, and did quite a bit of painting the last decade of his life. I can see he put a lot of his feelings into his paintings. I feel he must have been a passionate painter. Starry Night is one example of that. He had been quoted as saying He wanted to be an artist while in God's service "to try to understand the real significance of what the great artists, the serious masters, tell us in their masterpieces, that leads to God; one man wrote or told it in a book; another in a picture." Sadly he took his own life but his works have lived on.

Pumpkin Drop Cookies

We are in the process of making these yummy cookies. I thought I'd share the recipe. We made a double batch, so we can share some and bring some to school for my daughter's Birthday on Tuesday. They are awesome and remind us of fall! Here is the recipe if you'd like to try it:


Pumpkin Drop Cookies

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup butter flavored shortening
3 cups sugar
1 (15 ounce) can solid pack pumpkin
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
6 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

CINNAMON FROSTING:
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:
In a large mixing bowl, cream shortening and sugar. Beat in the pumpkin, eggs and milk. Combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, allspice and cloves; gradually add to creamed mixture. Drop by tablespoonfuls 2 in. apart onto greased baking sheets. Bake at 375 degrees F for 10-13 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.
In a small mixing bowl, combine the frosting ingredients; beat until smooth. Frost cookies. Store in the refrigerator.

A Night at the Mall

"> It is almost my daughter's Birthday, she'll be 12. She is at that place where toys no longer interest her for the most part. She enjoys playing with her brother though. They will jump on our trampoline or play games together. On her own she likes to listen to her music and she reads and draws pictures. She plans out her outfits with the utmost care and coordination. She enjoys fashion and the art of putting it all together. I have watched her grow and mature especially over the past 2 months as she is finishing out the elementary school years. For her birthday she wanted just one friend to come and have hair and makeup and nails done. This would be her "party". We did something similar a couple years back and it was a big hit. The girls loved being transformed, dressed up. She realizes the value of money and knows to have a group of girls would be quite costly. For this lesson learned I am thankful. All on her own she chose to bring only 1. For her present she asked if she could buy some clothes and earrings at the mall. Now her and I love the thrift store. She has learned the value of a dollar and knows you don't end up with nearly as much shopping at the Mall. None the less she wanted to do it. I told her I could understand, the mall is up to the minute fashion, brand new.... She asked for $50, I thought that sounded totally reasonable. Once again she knows the value of a dollar and she only shopped the sales! Didn't buy anything that wasn't on sale. Good things come to those who wait. She brought that same friend along that will come to have hair and makeup done. I thought that may be hard for the friend to come along not having any money to spend herself. I bought the girls dinner, they chose Panda Express. I stood back and watched in awe of this girl that is blossoming before my eyes. She is beautiful outside and in, she has a sweet heart and is a joy to be around. We have our moments as Mother and daughter but our trip to the Mall was such a cool experience. She truly felt sorry for her friend not having any money to buy anything herself. She struggled with her budget she had set up for herself. Later commenting how the experience was a "Math Lesson". She really wanted to buy her friend something. In the end, her friend found something, also on sale, and I bought it for her. Later I told my daughter it was because of her heart toward her friend that I did that. She later told me how much more she could have gotten at the thrift store. She was happy with her purchases though and I was so happy to watch her grown. I made this doll for her, it reminds me of what she may look like in a couple of years. I am very proud of the young woman my daughter is becoming.

The finished Egyptian Masks and The Egg Drop

Just thought I'd post a photo of the finished Egyptian Masks.

Yesterday at school the 6th graders had an Egg Drop contest. The adults sure had a lot of fun releasing the eggs from the top of the school. It was pretty funny to watch. The night before my husband and daughter worked on their experiment. They were so confident that they actually dropped it from my stair case! Unfortunately their confidence was challenged, the end result was not what they had hoped, but try, try again. Unfortunately my daughter's egg did not survive the fall from the top of the school. It was fun though none the less.

Mother Mantis

It seems our Praying Mantis is a female. It was hard to capture in a photo but if you look midway on the twig that little bulge is it. We actually went to release her today and low and behold and egg sack was on the twig in her jar. My daughter noticed first and I thought that was what it may be. Upon doing some research on the internet we saw images to confirm our suspecision. We also learned that there can be anywhere from 30 to 300 little mantis in that egg sack! They will probably not emerge until spring. This is God's pest control, how cool to have all of those Praying Mantis released into our yard!

Praying Mantis Update

Yesterday the Praying Mantis paid a visit to my son's and daughter's classes. He was well received by all. The 6th grade girls let him out and posed for some pictures with him. I thought "Ah ha a new photo venture posing with bugs!" kidding of course.... I actually let him crawl on my arm yesterday too. He is a friendly little critter.

We had gotten some baby crickets the day before for his dinner. I told the kids if he didn't eat, than we needed to set him free. He did eat yesterday, so he will stay on at least another day. I don't want to keep him if he isn't eating. He is great pest control for our yard.

My "Daily reading" today

The Evil Behind All Evil

In the mythic story of The Lion King, the lion cub Simba is separated in his youth from his father through a murder engineered by his uncle, Scar, the character symbolizing the evil one in our story. Scar arranges for the cub to be caught in a stampede of wildebeests, knowing that his father, Mufasa, will risk his life to save his son. He does, and Simba is saved, but Mufasa is killed. Scar then turns on Simba and accuses him, at such a vulnerable and desperate moment, of causing his father’s death. Brokenhearted, frightened, racked with guilt, Simba runs away from home.

This is the enemy’s one central purpose—to separate us from the Father. He uses neglect to whisper, You see—no one cares. You’re not worth caring about. He uses a sudden loss of innocence to whisper, This is a dangerous world, and you are alone. You’ve been abandoned. He uses assaults and abuses to scream at a boy, This is all you are good for. And in this way he makes it nearly impossible for us to know what Jesus knew, makes it so very, very hard to come home to the Father’s heart toward us. The details of each story are unique to the boy, but the effect is always a wound in the soul, and with it separation from and suspicion of the Father.

It’s been very effective.

But God is not willing to simply let that be the end of the story. Not in any man’s life. Remember what Jesus taught us about the Father’s heart in the parable of the lost son: “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him” (Luke 15:20 NIV). Filled with compassion, our Father God will come like a loving Father, and take us close to his heart. He will also take us back to heal the wounds, finish things that didn’t get finished. He will come for the boy, no matter how old he might now be, and make him his Beloved Son.

**Taken from the book The Way of The Wild Heart by John Eldredge**

In almost every story you hear, there is good vs evil. I think this story is ingrained in each one of us believer or not. We all in some way can relate to a story like this in our own lives on one level or another. John Eldredge is one of my favorite authors and this is from a daily reading I receive from "Ransomed Heart". I thought I'd share this one today. Have an awesome day knowing you are beloved there is a warrior in heaven that thinks so! xoxoxoxo ~ God

The Praying Mantis

This afternoon my daughter found a Praying Mantis on our back porch. She was so excited to find it. My husband caught it for her so the kids could get a better look. It is one of the most facinating insects that I've seen. We all had to take pictures of the it. My husband took this shot of him. Later this afternoon we went to Petsmart to buy him (her) dinner, small crickets. We hoped to bring it to school tomorrow to share with the kids at school. Then we will deceide what would be best for it next.