Land of Odds

I have been awaiting the day that I could share these amazing photos. Well now I can! They were taken by Bradford Bosher, a fellow Dallas Bead Society member. Let me introduce to you, "Willow" my entry for the Land of Odds 2009 All Dolled Up Beaded Art Doll Competition themed "Earthen Mother". Four of the six Semi-finalists, including myself, are members of an amazing group on yahoo- Beaded Art Dolls (congratulations to you too).

This is the single most spiritually heart wrenching pieces I have ever made. My inspiration for her came from the struggles of mothers of children with special needs and from what Mary (mother of Jesus and the only "perfect" child ever born) must have gone through too. In my opinion all children have special needs, but most of us do what everyone else does to gain support and encouragement. Fortunately that has changed over the years so that children can get more support and encouragement in many different forms.

One of the greatest obstacles I faced when I made the decision to home school my children was my mother's disapproval. My mother had struggled as a single mother of three to get an education and raise her family. She succeeded in many areas and failed in others. Education was a goal for her because she new that with it she could support the other aspects of life. She was my encouragement to graduate, even though I was seven months pregnant with my first child and had quit school the year before.

It is all about perspective, I could see her's but she couldn't see mine. My mother eventually began to understand my decision even though it was keeping me from furthering my own education. Then, she discovered that I was learning many other things that were never addressed in our house before. Art. Craft. Creation. She became a huge fan and found something to be proud about.

Unfortunately, she never got to see this one. This doll embodies the grace and beauty that my mother presented everyday- whether in a suit with heels or in a Hanes her way sweatsuit with sneakers. It embodied the strength she showed in making tough decisions then later having to live with the fact that there may have been other options. She taught me how to be a mother and of course some of the things you don't want to do as a mother. We all have those moments.

But I had to finish this doll. I couldn't leave her undone. I had sobbed and sobbed over the loss of my mother. She lost all hope, and couldn't go on. I wasn't sure I could finish the race and make the deadline. I found a new encourager- The Holy Spirit. He sent so many people and prophesies and so many other encouragements from the word. He kept me working through this tough time. It was a true healing. A supernatural healing. I still miss my mom and my sister, who died the year before, but I am no longer arrested by the pangs of sorrow. I am saddened that their lives were drastically shortened, but it encourages me at the same time to tell others that one "Earthen Mother" had a Heavenly Father send her the Perfect Son born of the Spirit to die and conquer the grave that we may be alive in Him for all eternity.

Creative burst

The purple necklace has a fiber wrapped neck wire and dichroic cab given to me in a swap. It was made for a lady to give to her daughter on her birthday. It was such a pleasure to create this for her.

The chaps have caused quite a stir--- I can't wait to wear them to church on Sunday. It will be the first Sunday that the team I am on will get to teach the new curriculum. I like to "play the part". This series is a western theme and last series was a super hero theme-- that was a hoot and parts of my hair are still red. I can't seem to find those photos but will post them when I do.

We use this fun curriculum in an attempt to not only teach kids about God's love and plans for them but to teach them to love church so that they will continue to come as adults.

This little piece was a blast to make and even more fun to wear. I had a pair of pants that had shrunk from so many washings and trips through the dryer (that's my story) and I could not wear them comfortably anymore. The twins to this pair started to rip at the belt loops so I figured I needed to give this pair a face lift. Recycling is a big deal these days, but I have not seen a recycled denim vest done quite like this before. I will be making another!!!

I have beaded two more necklaces and sewn another mini-dress, but I haven't got pictures yet- I will try to get those posted soon too. (no promises)

Have a blessed day, God loves you!

School

We have completed two weeks of school. Yay!! It has been an undertaking and soon it will level out and be quite enjoyable. I am very thankful that it is a 3 day weekend. My sweet husband is not working this weekend either. Rest, Peace, and more Rest is the name of the game.
Monday we will attend the family shooting tournament. We have discovered after only two opportunities that my oldest child is really good at shooting skeet. I am eager to see him have fun with the family, even if it is shooting at things. I think the little one will get to try for the first time too. My DH even thought of protecting his sensitive ears and bought some Winchester earmuffs for him. He has often had problems with loud sounds overwhelming him.
The children's ministry is in its 6th week so I really need to get a picture of our "Super Heroes". The leaders, teachers, and volunteers wear capes to add a little bit of fun to our lesson. It is wonderful and the kids seem to have really enjoyed it. I have dyed some flames into my hair and altered a pair of navy capris with flame fabric to create an "on fire for God" character. My costume wouldn't be complete without a flame cape too. I am thinking the flames in my hair need to stay even after this curriculum is over. The next one is a western/desert theme, so I am not sure how flaming hair will fit into that character.
It is a blessing to be able to use my creative abilities in ministry. Especially one that has such an impact on so many lives. It is amazing!

Lots going on here!

I have finally decided on the curriculum for this school year. My boys will be using Switched on Schoolhouse for Language Arts and Bible studies and Life-Pac for history. Together we will be doing the experiments and building the "Power House" by Thames and Kosmos. It teaches all about alternative energy. I think it qualifies as a worthy Science study for these guys- one of which has gone solar power batty on us.

Here are pictures of the progress on our house. The back porch is the one with the door open. The business entrance is the one with the awning. Seeing the doors and windows in gives a good perspective on its size. You can't see it very well but the back porch has the cedar porch swing my dear husband bought me for Mother's day. It was the single most touching thing he has ever done for me. He works hard all the time but when he bought that porch swing-- he was really considering my heart. That Mother's day was the first of many to come without my Mom, and I have never really considered it an honor anyhow. Being a mom has been very difficult, but I guess no great thing comes easy. I learned a lot about how I considered myself as a mother when I turned in my submission to the Land of Odds All Dolled Up Beaded Art Doll Competition. The theme was earthen mother. It was a real growing process for me. I had no idea about what was to come. I will be able to release the photos of the doll I created after the semi-finalists are chosen and posted to the Land of Odds website.

Please forgive me for not blogging more. I always wanted to, but alas, there are only so many hours in a day (and night I am learning) and it costs more to keep the lights on all night too. I am hoping with the curriculum changes and the big projects out of the way, I will have time to blog more. Have a blessed

Where Have I been???

If only I knew! I have been diligently working on my Land of Odds All Dolled Up Beaded Art Doll Competition submission. I just finished the beading and have 5 stories that need to be narrowed down into one. I know you want to see the pictures of her finished but I cannot publish them until after the 6 semi- finalists are selected. You will enjoy what you see, then. I am only mildly biased and definitely captivated by her beauty.
This summer has been a busy one. My oldest child turned 14 and the youngest 9. For the oldest, we took a trip to one of the water parks close by. It was the first time he had ever been and my cousin, his girlfriend and 4 of their 5 kids went too. The youngest is two and he stayed at the baby sitter's. We gad lots of fun being silly and running (uhemm-- walking) around. I was not near as sore as I thought I would be and wasn't as burned as the others either. I had only two small spots that were burned. If the lazy river isn't for you-- try spinning in your tube the entire time you go around LOL-- we did!
Now that I am free from beading on just one project I hope to have pictures of others coming soon. Maybe I can get pictures of the children's ministry volunteers wearing the super hero capes I made on Saturday. They are too fun.
I am so blessed to be able to do so many things that enrich and add joy to my family!
Have a very blessed time -- hopefully it won't take 3 more months for me to add another entry.

I love frogs and my little boy looks like a blue frog sittin' like that playin' in the dirt. What a cutie- even from the back LOL.

The flowers are blooming again. The lilies grew really tall this year. We have been blessed with some healing rains. The drought had really taken its toll on the land and we have had timely rains all spring long. The weather tends to skip from winter to summer here with out taking time to nurture the new plants in spring. This year has been wonderfully wet!

Here is Pepper, a sweet little babushka doll that I made from a shared pattern from the Beaded Art Doll group I belong to. Her heart is felted wool on cotton fabric and a stamped then stitched face on felt. She is a very simple little doll and I have just enjoyed looking at her. Then there is this little orangutang that is not even close to being finished. He has a great face and then there is Pink Puppy. Every one has a fit over him. They are using the idea of Dot Lewallen. She uses or recycles unwanted stuffed animals to bead, she calls it "trash to treasure". Whatever it is a great way to bead for fun and not have to make your own form.

I have been blessed with lots to do and enough time to do it in. Have a blessed day!

Fishing for Souls

Taking an evangelism class at church challenged me to go out and share my faith with others. It is important to warn others what will happen to them if they are judged before making Jesus their Lord. The class equips you with a way to approach people and away to identify with their need for a saviour in an easy unoffensive way. Using a format that can be found at http://www.wayofthemaster.com/.

The picture to the right is a few of our members and a couple of members from another church. They are sharing tracts with each other and encouraging one another after an evening passing out tracts and ministering to people. The lady in the grey hoodie (I believe) is Trish. If I am wrong I am sorry but her link can now be found on the side bar of this blog or click here. I was greatly encouraged to share my faith and also to deepen my walk with God. He has been faithful to show me areas I need to grow in.

This was a huge blessing to learn a way to do what God has called us all to do. Not only that but it has been great to have someone there teaching you and guiding you while you practice-- Thanks Steven, Alicia, Jim and Bill, Chris and Trish (there were others tooo)-- I couldn't gotten to tag along with a better bunch!