The Night the Power Went Out and Other Crazy Things

The power went off in our neighborhood and I have half a battery left before my cell phone dies.  So I decide to text this little story for my blog using my handy but sometimes frustrating voice text application.  What happened to handwriting by candlelight, huh? 
My husband and son have went to bed and the powers been off for about 40 minutes.
I decide to come sit outside on the deck, it's cooler out here.  It is really, really dark. There are only a few stars in the sky. I sit for awhile soaking up the quiet, all the neighbors have went in.  I of course get bored easily so I go inside to make myself a snack and put some peach schnapps in my ice tea.  While inside my ADHD kicks in and I see my Epsom salts and think, "I have been wanting to soak my feet in those!"   I decided I better not run hot water with the power off because we live in the country and have well water, an electric pump and electric hot water heater. "Ah ha, I think, the watering pitcher that is outside should have warm water in it!"  I add it to my eucalyptus Epsom salt but it was indeed not warm!  So I let myself get use to the shock and roll my pant legs up and proceed to soak my calloused feet.
I sit with my feet soaking, eating my snack of crackers and cheese and drinking my peach schnapps ice tea.  The porch swing creeks as I swing back and forth.  It will need a little WD 40.  I try to call my calico kitty over.  She walks by to just let me brush the top of her back before moving on.  What good are cats anyway, fickle creatures?  I miss my dog. She would keep me company unlike my unsocial cats. 
In the candlelight I have lit on a table, I can see that the cat is watching something intently in the yard....all of the sudden I feel a little spooked... maybe I've watched too many "Datelines" and "48 Hours"?  I imagine someone sneaking up behind me and attacking me.  Of course my family would never know it,  they are sound asleep.  I'm certain, though that I'd fight with all my might.  I'd even throw the candle wax in their eye!  I'm planning it all out in my mind.  But really I have no reason not to feel safe in my little neighborhood I've lived in for a couple of decades.  However, doesn't everyone feel safe right before...
My feet are probably prunes now.  And my gosh this swing is so noisy! Creek, creek, every time I swing.  I think I'll put this story away and pumis my callouses now.
Before I get my feet out of my soakin pan, the electric truck comes down the road.  It is shining spotlights looking for the power outage.  I think, "This is the fifth outage this spring and it's always on the other side of the subdivision, dummies"!  Oh well, what they must think of me sitting out here with my feet in a mop pan talking into my cellphone? 

Feeling Creative!

I'm not sure why but since I quit my job, discovered Pinterest or both, I've had the desire to create things, redo things, etc.  I have to say I love doing it but it doesn't pay well!  It doesn't pay at all.  But I've had the joy of seeing a project finished, been able to give some things as gifts (poor gift receiver, lol) and save some money.  Since I'm making things, I think I'm buying fewer things.  This has helped me with my depression, but not always so much with my nerve pain.  But as with any ailment they say "don't stop doing things"  I just chose to stop doing hair...where I was semi creative.  So maybe it's my need to keep my creative side alive.  Well, here goes it...Some of my best, worst and inbetweens.  Some useful, some just silly.  And one by my son, who hopefully can use his creativeness in a successful career someday! 

This I made from a coat hanger, a pair of pliers, some black spray paint.

I decided to start making homemade cards to send to former clients (the ones who touched my life or might appreciate a card...aka the greater generation ladies)  I bought a beginner's calligraphy set, practiced til my arm hurt, and I bought an ink pad and a dandelion rubber stamp...cause I like dandelions!

One thing I did purchase was this awesome shower curtain from Walmart.com but I also remade my clock to match.  I took clock apart, removed painted on numbers with a razor, repainted the background, and painted on some thistles.  Getting a paintbrush that was a little more fine would of worked better for the thistles. 

This is one of those silly things I did while waiting on my food at Chili's.  I get bored easily!  It's a dinosaur if you can't tell and I made it out of a straw wrapper and sent pic to my grandson who loves dinosaurs!

Speaking of dinosaurs, guess who I made this for?  Yep, the grandboys.  Just make sure your mix isn't too runny and poor slowly in a pattern.  No mold needed :)

When you borrow a book from your son's friend's sister and keep it for a long time, you might want to make her a little thank you gift like this book mark. :)  I used paint cards from Walmart for front and back, glued together.  I did a pencil rubbing of "mockingjay pin" from book cover on white paper, then laying it onto bookmark I traced over it, pressing firmly so I could copy the imagine.  Then I traced the imagine on the bookmark in pencil, perfecting it, then with pen to finalize.  I used a hole puncher (which reminds me of gunshot holes) across the top to block out words that were on the paint card and added a red ribbon.  I copied the name using same font as on book, and I put the recipitents name on the back of bookmark.  I used cordinating colors of the book for the front and back.

I actually found some wire in my husband's tool box for this.  I drew an imagine of the logo of my daughter's friend's band for a visual. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150162097320895.302892.550440894&type=3#!/LiesBetween2012  Then wrapping the wire around a wide toothbrush handle I formed the ring part.  I then twisted with needle nose pliers the letters which by the way are LB with a C adjoining them.  I twisted any sharp ends over and pinched off after added a couple beads.

This was on a need to basis.  I have a lot of neck pain.  I have a rice filled tube that I was given but it doesn't stay put when I'm working and I often cant sit still.  So I looked them up on amazon and they were about $40 so I made this for practically nothing with no sewing machine necessary.  

Need fabric scrap, I chose a soft fabric.

Some no sew tape.

An iron.

Scissors.

Pins to hold in place while trying on.

Rice (for heat)

Ice pack (for cold)

I cut it this shape because I will wrap around my shoulder and secure in front.  Yes, my hubby says it looks like a diaper!  bah. lol  I cut so that I didn't have to secure bottom edge. 

I then used the no sew tape (which you should follow manufacturers directions for adhereing)  it sticks really well if you follow directions.  I left a gap at top for inserting either rice or ice.

Trying it on I decided where to put the stick-on velcro.  Not too high or it'll irritate your neck.  The stickiness wears off so I used tacky glue to help hold the velcro.

Now if you are going to use rice in this, either dump the back in and secure the opening.  Or as I did, I use it for both heat and cold so I left opening.  When I want to use for heat I have my old head neck tube I insert after warming in microwave for about 45 seconds (be careful not to get too hot, which may feel good on those achey muscles but will also turn your neck red)!  With this design the rice doesn't shift and stays where you position it on your neck.

I've found that Ice works best for my neck pain.  I believe because it's caused by a pinched nerve, the ice helps with swelling and releaves some of the pressure.  This cooling pack is kept in freezer til you need it.  You can cooling/heating packs by first aid supplies in most stores.

This is the finished wrap.  And it's been a big help with my pain in the neck!  Other pains in the neck have to be dealt with yet!  hehe

Ok, I was excited about this cheap barn sale find.  Then on an episode of "Seinfeld" I saw these exact chairs in a hospital scene.  Oh well, someone had a visiter sit in this.  lol

Again I found some fabric I liked.  I don't know my fabric types.  Obviously I don't sew.  But this is a heavy material.  After disassembling chair (screws were rusted in so hubby got out his power tools!)   I sanded down the frame and just rubbed some dark stain over it.  It still looks worn but that's what gives it it's shabby chic look.  I then borrowed a staple gun and went to work attatching fabric to underside and back of chair.  It takes a little practice to get it fitted.  But here you have it...not half bad!

Spongebob haypants.  I made this for grandsons at Halloween.  I'm really not into the spooky stuff anymore but saw this idea at Amish Acres. http://www.amishacres.com/  I have a friend that graciously gave me two bails of hay.  I then had my son stacked them on top of one another.  If you have something to hold them together, like placing dollrods between them, this may prevent a tip over...mine actually stayed upright for quite some time.  The mouth, shirt, tie and pants were painted on using cheap spray paint for about $1 at dollar store.  I used two wiffle balls painted with blue eyes and secured with some wire to twine that wraps around hay.  Also I used a plastic banana stuck into the hay for a nose.   For the arms and legs I had a broken rake and a broken broom stick that I spray painted yellow.  Added some gloves secured by rubberbands and some black boots.  Or if you want to get complicated you can make some boots out of paper mache.  My teenage son was the heavy lifter of the hay!  And the grandboys got to help and they thought it was cool!

I took this picture the winter we had a continuous snow storm.  I put one lone red christmas bulb on the branch sticking out of snow bank and took this picture.  One of my BBF (the one with the hay) framed it for me.  I love it!  And it's such a thoughtful gift.

This is my son making the DeadMau5 head.  I will not explain how he did it.  It took alot of materials we bought on Amazon.  And the video he followed to make it was on Youtube.  I will say you have to have use of jigsaw (which his dad helped with) and the gluing on of the felt (which I helped with) was harder than I thought!

There you have it.  The finished DeadMau5 head.  Now listen to you some DeadMau5!  lol  http://www.deadmau5.com/

I made this magnet on my computer on magnet photo sheets you can find at Walmart.  I made this several years ago for my mother-in-law who was diagnosised with bone cancer.  This is an actually double rainbow we witnessed on a trip to the cancer clinic.  She kept it on her refigerator.

This magnet I made for some of my girlfriends and I.  We've been friends since grade school!

 

Being "Put Off" by Christianity

I've recently joined a women's christian facebook group.  What I love about it is the realness of the women.  We share our lives with each other and we don't judge. 
As Christians we need to present ourselves as humans, not extraordinary beings. We need to have many facets to our lives.  If we go around only preaching to people we tend to turn them off.   I am often put off by people who only share scripture but don't share other aspects of their lives.
We need to be relatable to other people presenting ourselves as multifaceted. We can show our true colors, our interests, how we enjoy this beautiful life God is giving us. We can even show our shortcomings, how we might doubt or how we might fear. This makes us real to those around us, so they might think it's possible to be a Christian. Being "religious" often makes people indifferent or repels them.
Jesus told stories of which people could relate to about real life, parables. Jesus made himself real to the fisherman, the tax collectors, the prostitutes. He told stories they could relate to unlike the pharisees who only read from the scriptures and didn't relate to people. If we go around only preaching to people we tend to turn them off.
This doesn't mean we are to act like the world.  I'm not saying join in on the sinful behavior of the world to win them. We still need to stand apart and stand for what we believe.  We shouldn't hurt the Christian name by flaunting to the world our sins.  But showing God's grace because we do sin is a living example. 
Working in a secular world, my husband can not exclude himself from hearing God's name used in vain, people who gossip, people who mock God or His people.  It is not always easy to let these things slide.  But I've also slipped, laughed at a distasteful joke, gossiped or cursed.  But what I can do is show that I've not lost my faith because of it.  So many of the people in the Bible were flawed.  Moses often got angry, David committed murder and adultery, Peter denied Christ.  Yet these were the men God used to further His kingdom.
Some people will always be haters of the word of God.  These people we can't change, only God can.  But we can love them.

Luke 18:9-14

New International Version (NIV)

The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector

⁹ To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: ¹⁰ “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹ The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. ¹² I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’
¹³ “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’
¹⁴ “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
~scriptures taken from www.biblegateway.com

All We Need is Love

Lack of connectedness, quiet desperation and isolation; these are issues plaquing the 21st century youth. Extreme pressure, demanding expectations often self-imposed; are causing anxieties and stress. "All We Need is Love" was the Beatles song. It that all we need? I believe it is. But can we get that from mere humans who fail and disappoint us. Those who don't understand us? Our parents don't get us, our peers not always, so who does? Who cares? We've all felt unlove, unimportant, misunderstood. Where does this disconnectiveness come from? A lack of realizing your worth. Each of us has passions, gifts, destinct personalities, uniqueness. We need to know we have worth. We all long for an answer to why we are here.
This is where faith comes in. Faith in a God who wants to establish relationship with us. The Gospel is not here for mere religion. It is not about being good enough to earn your way to heaven. It is a story of man, his failures, his need for redemption, his need for purpose, his need for relationship and love. It is about God's passion to have a relationship with you.
When there is little life experience to reflect on one can not see the possibilities in every situation. Making the most of all what life deals us is often too difficult to handle on our own. But God has given us each a purpose. Each individual's purpose may not be known to them, but it is known to God. When one puts his faith in God and cries out for God's help, he may find a relationship that not only sustains through the hard timse but a love that surpases any human love. If you don't think you can be loved try letting God love you.

*portions of this note taken from the book "Beyond Belief to Convictions" by Josh McDowell and Bob Hostetler