El Cheapo Pillows

 Many times I go into places like World Market and drool over fabulous pillows; but seriously who wants to pay $24 a pop or even $12 when it's on sale?! Definitely not me. So I bought two cloth napkins that were approximately $3 or so together and recovered old pillows. I have a fabric stash, as every good crafty/artistic person should have and went to work. I found fabric that is lovely in it's own right and matched one of the colors in the print.

Back of the pillow

I had this lovely silk that has been collecting dust in the closet and was finally able to pull it out. Hooray.
Now the front is absolutely lovely and I hope to bring in different pillows to play off the colors.
Now the colors are a bit brighter than they appear however with my limited time of blogging today you get the point. :O)

So for $3 dollars I got two lovely pillows.

Where the path goes I will follow

  Waiting on God's timing, plan and truly believing that when we make the plans God Himself directs your steps is quite the challenge. I think living in the bible belt so much of the Christian walk can be summed up on a cute cross stitched pillow or firey bumper sticker. Living here you can never be to far from a screaming preacher at a commonly congested intersection, but to dig deep in the inner well is a completely solitary matter all together.
    As a person who has wanted to be a parent for so long, the path we have traveled to get children in our home was something we never ever imagined. We made the decision to start the steps to becoming adoptive parents last January. We began our parenting class last April and this past October we encountered 3 children who were in need of a foster home. Again I will say I never saw this in our plans, I never purposed for this or made the plans for it. Yet the choice was there to turn one direction and ignore the need before us in the face of our own wants and desires or have our steps directed in a path that we did not plan for. Though our steps were made before us Father God gave us the choice to take them. I think that's what makes this Christian walk an adventure.
The father doesn't throw us to the wolves and say live or die.

He lays those steps before us and we make the choice to walk step to step. This walk has all matter of ways to configure how one step gets to another; just look in the Christian living section of a bookstore or at the many a sermons of different denominational varieties. Some have a 1, 2, 3 method and it all sounds so fool proof but oh how we forget our sheepish nature. On sheep 101 the instinct sheep have to follow is interesting

"sheep have a strong instinct to follow the sheep in front of them. When one sheep decides to go somewhere, the rest of the flock usually follows, even if it is not a good "decision." For example, sheep will follow each other to slaughter. If one sheep jumps over a cliff, the others are likely to follow. Even from birth, lambs are conditioned to follow the older members of the flock. This instinct is "hard-wired" into sheep. It's not something they "think" about."

When I think about the constant barrage on television, radio, billboards and magazines about what it takes to have a successful life it's like sheep following each other to the slaughter. Commercials never say o.k. stop and think about this, selah. If we just stop long enough to see just that one step that directs us we will find the adventure that is faith. Taking the time to listen and pause is the antithesis of our fast paced task orientated Western culture. Even in Christian service we can miss those moments to pause; you can miss the step provided because service can consume the quietness. Jesus said if you choose to "lose your life for him you will find it" meaning if you chose to serve him, if you chose those moments to take those steps that aren't what you have planned you will find the which will keep your well full.

I salute my pastor and his wife for taking time to unplug literally and find that next step that leads to the next dance. May your next dance be the dance of life and freedom.

A glue gun and a will!!!

I needed  decorative boxes to put art supplies out of the reach of tiny hands. I had been looking around pricing and surely the cheapest I could get was around $5 for the size I was looking for; I needed at least four. Now the $5 dollars were cheapo collapsible fabric boxes. I'm on a pretty tight budget as a stay at home mom and so I got an idea. Our youngest is in diapers and those diaper boxes are perfect for the size I need. 
and wala cool storage boxes.
Needed:

84 count diaper boxes I prefer People's choice diaper.
glue gun
several glue sticks
fabric enough to cover box
fabric scissors
regular sharp scissors
ribbon for trim (optional)


Instructions:
1.) Cut the flaps from the top of the box


2.) Spread out the fabric and place the box in the middle. Pull fabric around the box and cut according to the shape of the box making sure to leave flaps for overlap.


3.) Begin gluing the bottom of the box. Then proceed from the widest sides first. Then glue the ends.


4.) On the ends you will need to trim fabric a little to overlap fabric.


5.) I chose to add trim to make it more finished and fun.

Beauty our part of God's nature.

There are many things in life that I find beautiful. There are things that catch my eye, there are things that instantly delight me and give me a sense of wonder. As of late I have joined a book study that is going through the book Captivating by Stasi Eldridge. The book discusses how Eve was the crown of creation and therefore women have the most unique quality of having the vary incarnation of God's beauty. I can say there is beauty everywhere. There is beauty in my poorly tended backyard. I have a tree that is budding these beautiful red flowers ( as I am no gardener I haven't clue what the tree is) and every time my children go out they bring me the flowers that have fallen. They are enraptured by the simpleness of their beauty. I most definitely fine beauty in color. The ranges of hue call to me, there are very few colors I have disdain for but when I do find one it makes my nose snarl.Below are some pics that inspire me for different reasons.

The curves of these cats are so inviting not to mention the color is so groovy.

This chair really speaks for itself however some people don't have the same love affair with chairs that I do. The print repeats itself and yet it's very dynamic.
I find that the background color and the choice of color for the circles makes it chic.

First the background arches are so ample, then there's the
action of people on scooters and yet behold this lovely lady's pose. Perfection.

Decor : Oh how I love thee

There are certain colors that I think in design theory are taboo to people. However I get great delight out of them. I completely disagree that red can stimulate people to eat and that yellow can be too vibrant. I'm Hispanic yellow can never be too vibrant. Red can be so spicy, or coffee housey or funky. Hot pink or Fuschia can be used any where and there's nothing wrong with that.

uC

The crisp breeze

I heard through the crisp breeze the laughter of children.

I saw the sun descending down with the moon close behind.

I felt my breath moving my body.

I heard through the crisp breeze and the hope of fall.

I smelled the scent of wishes and dreams.

I felt my heart pump harder than it has for a while.

I heard through the crisp breeze the memories of youth.

I cherished the days of solitude.

I felt anxious for the coming change.

I heard through the crisp breeze the wonder of the future.

I felt the warm embrace of expectant children.

I cherished the words we are coming to live with you.

The inevitable question

When people meet me one of the most inevitable questions I always receive is do you have children? I have to say with a pang of sadness in my heart and a smile on my I face I say No or not yet. I know that eventually we will have children and our lives will be turned upside down but for now the answer is still no. We are now "approved" adoptive parents and still there is no definite word on the process or what's going to happen. I did get a recent contact of a sibling group that I know that are not technically up for adoption but it seems since I see these children so often I can't help but wonder. You see faces of children everywhere, when you go to Walmart, when you go to the gas station and even just driving. You see their little faces smooshed against the glass being silly and I wonder. I wonder if any of them could eventually find their way into my heart. It's such an emotional process. I walk a very fine line trying to keep my heart in check, to not get too excited or too clinical about this whole process. I mean one day soon I hope there will be a relationship started that will grow into forever. That I will be someone's mom. Wow it's just so easy for others to become mothers and fathers without even a thought for some. I think of some who willingly give up this amazing gift and leave children to always carry a wound in their heart for being abandoned. That to me is almost impossible. Now granted I know that some are not in a position to be parents and they recognize that and as hard as the choice is to give up their children they do and for that I commend them. But for those who just don't even try I am bewildered.

Now I think of how so many parents must feel that their mistakes are too large and how they started hoping they would be the perfect parent and eventually figure out they are human. I want so much to pour love, care and nurture into children and to see them grow to be a vital part of God's body. The thought that the almighty God will use me to do this job seems unreal, unbelievable and too large. I pray and hope I will continue to receive the wisdom, mercy and grace to continue on this journey and for it to be fruitful.