Your PURPLE is showing...

I met a friend through this bloggy world. I know the good Lord let our paths cross. I was reading over at Internet Cafe Devotions and I came across a devotion entitled The Lydia Jar. It was written by a guest writer named Lea. The article told how her ministry and life were begining to turn purple. It noted that she had a blog, so after reading the article and being inspired, I followed the link to The Shabby Olde Potting Shed.
It has become one of my favorite daily reads. This lady is real. She is down to earth, but more importantly, she loves the Lord and is not afraid to tell you about it. She is also a very talented artist. She has an eye for all things vintage, shabby and chic.
Not long ago, she offered up a RAK (Random Act of Kindness) or PIF (Pay It Forward) - I was to be a recipient of something hand-made from her. I couldn't wait!
One day, I came to my door and there was a huge, flat-rate, priority mail box at my front door. I got so excited! Who doesn't love getting mail?
The box fun stickers and verses written on it. It was so heavy! What could it be??
When I opened it, I was speechless.

This is what my girls and I first saw when we opened the box.

Here's everything opened, but put back in the box.
She wrote me a letter, which I started reading before pulling the box apart. She noted that she meant to just send me the beautiful necklace that you see in the first picture, then she felt like the Lord told her to send me the Lydia Jar (oh, my word!!). Was I reading this right? I could not believe that I was going to be the owner of a real Lydia Jar. She went on to tell me a little about the things that she chose to include in the jar, the history or the reasoning behind each choice. THEN she claims that her craft room exploded into the box! Hahaha! She made me laugh and certainly left me smiling.
Not only did she make my day with such a generous box, but she inspired me in a very special way. I had recently blogged about some feelings that I had been struggling with. My dear friend knew how to get right to my heart and included the scrabble tiles you see in the picture below. She even made the adorable birdie pincushion (how did she know that birds were my new obsession?). LOL She also sent me the beautiful card...told you she was talented!! How about the bottle of pearls and mica? What do you think suppose I should make with those?

Here's the rest of it all spread out...

A bunch of vintage ephemera...love the pages from the old hymnal...

Last, but not least...MY Lydia Jar. Please, please go on over and read the story behind it. I am sure that it will inspire you to be the type of person that wants to let your purple show - just like Lea! Thank you my friend. I am sure that I will continue to find all kinds of treasure and inspiration as I look through these things in my quest to create!!

Proverbss 27:17 "Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend."

Good fortune...

Picture from Etsy - Handmade Soap Arent' they adorable? This seller has the most unique stuff!

I love Chinese food and I really enjoy reading my fortune at the end of the meal. They usually make my family and I laugh because they are so random AND general. We like them for fun anyway and try to guess who the "mystery person" will be that is foretold to enter our life, or where the "new riches" will come from that have just been promised...
So the other night we were at a nice, little buffet that we enjoy and this is what my fortune said:
"We are continually faced by great opportunities brilliantly disguised as insoluble problems."
I love that! It is so true. The hard part is to keep the faith in times of trial long enough to see it as an opportunity. Things often happen that are out of control and we can not change. We might as well make the best of the situation and look at it as an opportunity instead of a set back.
What "problems" have you had to face? Is there any way that you could look at it as an opportunity? I hope you can. =]

Today...

I am thinking about a momma who is laying as close as she can to her little boy. He is only 4. About 60 days ago, they found out he was sick. Their whole world had to stop. We prayed, we cried, we fasted, we thought good thoughts, but it seems that today may be the day he will finally be at rest.
I am not at rest at all. I am beside myself with tears that are hot and will not go away. I mean - they stop. I gather myself and compose myself - only to have them return. I just can't imagine the pain. I just can't wrap my head around the hurt and loss.
I have faith, I had faith and I will continue to believe, but I can not understand. I know that we are not meant to understand it all, but this? Ugh.
I am turning to my blog to just write.
My heart is heavy.
To come and let out a big SCREAMMMMMMMM!
To cry.
To question.
To be angry.
to trust.

Photo Hunt...PAINTED...

This past Easter...

This past week. My daughter had to do a book report and shadow box. I helped with the gold stickles, but she painted it in and out.

Click on the PHOTO HUNT tag in my sidebar to take part in future challenges.

(Not so) 12 of 12 in May...

So...sometime last night around 7:30 or so I get an email reminding me to get ready for May's 12 of 12!! Yeah! I love 12 of 12. You take pictures all day on the 12th and then pick just 12 of the ones you think best represent your day or whatever...but, it was already the 12th...and it was almost over! AAAAAAAAAAAAAACKKKKKK! No way! I ran (clicked quickly) over to Shirley's blog. Nope. No 12 of 12 yet. Scurried (clicked even faster) over to Lee's blog. Yup. Missed it. Hers was up. It's not like the calendar was lying, but maybe I was thinking if we all missed it, we could have a do-over. =] Oh, well.
I have a better idea! How about 15 on the 14th, but they were taken during the whole month of May. How's that? Good? I thought so. Here we go!
Some pics may be a repeat for my Facebook friends. =]


I spoke at a ladies conference and they had a Hawaiian theme going on. This is me with my youngest daughter, Naomi.

I am working on decorations for my ladies banquet this Saturday. I've decided the theme would be "Bless our nest" and now I'm afraid that I've become obsessed with nests, birdcages, and speckled eggs. =]

I was in our school yard taking care of some business on the phone and I was standing right next to this tree for about 10 minutes before I noticed something strange going on...

It's like Stonehenge...but not. hahaha! Seems like the kids have quite the artistic eye. I love this sculpture!

My daughter Taryn and I worked on this fun project just last night. She did a book report on Treasure Island. She had a written report due, as well as this shadow box. She did everything but the Stickles (glitter glue) - that was a bit too tricky for her. Great fun!

Here is the pirate scene inside.

This was this morning, but this is a regular scene. The two are really close. I love that! He was asleep, but I guess I was too loud. =]

My oldest daughter, Hannah, will be graduating from 8th grade on the 21st. I can't believe how time flies! We went over to the Historical Mission Inn in Riverside to take some pictures with her class. She attends a small Christian school and the classes were a little small this year. Better for us. =]

Our dear friends, Robert and Lorany, have just been blessed with their first child. I blogged about their wedding almost 2 years ago. They are like family and we are so happy for them and so happy to meet Joshua Isaac.

Marco finally got a "barber shop" haircut. The day I was out speaking at the ladies conference, my hubby took him to the shop to get a haircut. I was sad at first, but I love it now. He just doesn't look like a baby anymore does he? Well, he WILL be 2 this end of July.

My guy.

I love this one. He is calling our dog to come to the gate. "Osooooooooo!"

Here is her class. She's the second girl. =]

She wants to get her hair cut in an "A-line" bob - kind of like mine, I guess. I don't know... I also just took her to get her eyebrows waxed for the first time today. (no picture posted yet) It went pretty well. You can see that she has a scar above her left eye. She got them waxed so that they are not too thin or unnatural, but you can't really tell she has that scar. She has to keep it up with her own money, so we'll see.

One more with the class. This would've been great if I really knew what I was doing to get the "full effect". One day, I would love to take some photography classes. =]

There you go. I hope you enjoyed your visit. Come again when you can stay longer and I'll put on some coffee or tea for you! Only one week left of school and then I am gonna PLAY and you are going to hear all about it!! =]

My little drummer boy...

Marco is happiest when he is able to make some noise! His favorite way to make noise is on the drums. Watch his face. He is so serious about this. =]

Speaking of contentment and happiness...

If you've ever been to Disneyland or even ever heard of it, you've probably heard that it's known as the "happiest place on earth". Well, have you ever wondered where the happiest people really live? Have you ever wondered what truly makes people happy? Well, I read this article featured today on the front of my Yahoo! and I think you may enjoy reading it as well.
The article is called the World's Happiest Places and "the report looked at subjective well-being, defined as life satisfaction. Did people feel like their lives were dominated by positive experiences and feelings, or negative ones?"
Also taken from the article:
"Some sample questions: Did you enjoy something you did yesterday? Were you proud of something you did yesterday? Did you learn something yesterday? Were you treated with respect yesterday? In each country, a representative sample of no more than 1,000 people, age 15 or older, were surveyed."
Well, I will let you read the article for yourself, but have you asked yourself these questions lately? Have you EVER asked yourself these questions? Are you happy?
Just something to think about. I know it has me thinking. Take care and be happy!

Reflecting on the journey...

My good friend Lee has posted a Wellness Wednesday post over at her blog Lemons2Lemonade. She starts out talking about a book she is currently reading. It's called The Divided Heart...Art and Motherhood. One of the quotes on the back of the book says: "the fear that to succeed at one means to fail at the other". She asks some questions that caused me to stop and reflect.
You can read the whole post here, but these are the questions she asks:

So this Wellness Wednesday is about coming to terms with your greatest personal struggle and putting a plan together to make it "work" in your life. What is your greatest struggle? What do you do to manage it? What do you avoid doing?

I think my greatest personal struggle has always been a fear of not succeeding. A fear of a less than perfect outcome in things which I am not fully confident. I don't want to, but I often find myself second guessing my work.
There are areas in my life where I am perceived to be very confident such as public speaking, singing, sports, entertaining - but it's because I know that I can do well at those areas. It's black and white. You practice, you prepare, you plan - I can do that.
It doesn't hurt that I seem to have a 'some what' natural ability in those areas either. However, if it's something that I'm not comfortable with, I tend to avoid it altogether. I like to stay on the safe side. Don't take a risk! Heaven's no.
I do want to manage this. My previous post entitled "Artist or Crafty" had me questioning my creativity. For a while now, I have been feeling like I am about to burst at the seems. I feel like something is just brewing under the surface. Does that make sense? I think it's because I've been more exposed to so many talented and brilliant women through the world of blogs and such.
I have 4 children ranging from ages 13 down to almost 2. I don't think that being a mother has anything to do with my personal struggle. My family has always been very supportive of what I do and my husband and teenager are always more than willing to hold down the fort to let me escape to my space to create. I think besides being my own worst enemy, my dilemma is that my head is just so cluttered up with every day life. I feel like I need a retreat (not a scrapbooking retreat =]) just to clear my head. I know that I take on too much. I have to learn to say no and learn to cut back the amount of responsibility I take on.
The thing I've been avoiding, I think, is just letting myself BE. I am always busy, always on the go, always hitting the pillow exhausted.
I think I am running from allowing myself time to find that creative and spiritual part of me. Yes, I said spiritual. They go hand-in-hand in my opinion. Regardless of your beliefs, there is a spirituality involved in knowing who you are. For me, it is a belief that God has created me to be creative. He has given me this desire and He wants me to be my best. Ecclesiastes 9:10a~"Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might;..."
I struggle with knowing that He also does not want me to have the spirit of fear (2 Timothy 1:7~"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."), but that's what it is. The fear that I won't be accepted, won't be good enough, ....
I know that I won't be able to "fix" myself in one post. I am learning that this is a journey. I am ready. I want this. I want to be able to create, to feel, to worship, to be me - without worrying what anyone else thinks of it.
My plan to make this work in my life is that I will continue to read - I can't get enough - blogs and books and articles that will encourage me to get to my destination. I also know that on this journey I will have to pause from the reading and stop and DO. I'd like to take time to take some of the online classes that I've read about. There is so much out there. I will also continue to FOCUS and purge and de-clutter areas of my life until I feel that I have that space that is so important in order to flourish.
I am thankful for friends that make me THINK, push me to better myself, encourage me to be honest with myself, bring out the best in me. Thank you ladies! If I've ever left you a comment on your blog - I am talking about you!
1 Thessalonians 5:11~"Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do."