Here's another art journal entry

[I'm really enjoying this!] These little houses are inspired by my Wild Art class [again!] But I didn't know how I might use them until a few weeks back when I was in my mom's house [this was before the final go-through this past Saturday.]

For this one I just took a risk [haHAha] and sketched them directly on an already prepared art journal page! [I do different things to 'prepare' my pages - I paint or gesso  or modgepodge things down and paint [again] and stamp, etc.] This page already had a little title "Welcome Home" pasted down on it... After sketching I used water color crayons to color it in - I like the way it turned out...
I journaled with a sharpie: "I walked through Mama's house for one of the last times on Saturday, and surprisingly, I didn't feel any sadness. We are so very fortunate that she has the means to live in a place where she feels safe and secure; a place she now calls home.The house they lived in for over 30 years was a wonderful place for Joey to grow up & for us to gather through the years , Really, I only lived there about 5 years and Lorna - none. And now it's time to let it go - and I'm good with that.. . I can hold on to the good memories without having to have something material to hold on to - although... there's plenty of that too...

So, we feel like THIS

is good news for us --

The neighbors across the street are demo-ing much of their existing house and re-building. It's the 2nd [3rd -?]  one done on our street - and for sure, the most extensive one. It will surely help our property values to stay where we want them [or rise!]

Drew - 25 years old - still enjoying the balloons

So, what do y'all traditionally do to welcome summer on Memorial Day weekend? We've enjoyed the Jubilee Hot Air Balloon festival over in Decatur for over twenty years now [Drew was two the first year we went!] For many years [through elementary and middle school] we camped during the week before memorial Day, sometimes driving back / forth for school and work, but mostly hanging out and enjoying the festival. And back then there were so many more activities during the day - flying doves, rocket launches, remote control planes, sheep herding dogs, miniature ponies, even Pokemon tournaments! 

Fun! That, along with a three-day pass to the wave pool, and riding bikes on the trails along the river, always made for a great little get-a-way. but we love the balloons best, so even when our lives got busy with sports [SOCCER] we'd often find ourselves driving back from a tournament early so we could catch at least one flight during the weekend.

And, even now, when we haven't camped [anywhere!] in over two years, we still make the time to get up early [five a.m., anyone?] and head over to enjoy a flight or two...

Afterwards we met my family at Mom's house for one last walk-through to be sure we have what we want before Adam comes in to clean it all out. We enjoyed BBQ with her and then headed over to Craig's  mother's to visit with her, his sister ,& husband for a bit. 

Then we headed back home so we could catch up on some of our household chores - for me that meant working in the garden  -

This photo was actually taken back in April soon after Craig had built these awesome critter covers for me - I'm happy to report that I have uneaten blooms on all the squash plants [small cover] - as well as some surviving brussell sprout plants - doubt they'll make due to the heat - and tomatoes are growing inside the [now covered] tomato arbor. -Yes - we're all about re-purposing - those are screen doors we picked up on the side of the road - I'm thinking of painting it brown so it'll look weathered like the rest of the raised beds. They both open up so I can easily get into care for them. I also have peppers and cucumbers, eggplant, and cantaloupe  - all with blooms... and three basil plants, of course...oh, and there's okra planted where the onions are in this photo --

 I also have a few flowers here and there [this area obviously needs a bit more attention -] Love these pink lilies! Also have tiger lilies blooming in several places in the yard [they are from some that grew near the house where my mom grew up...] I keep moving them around the yard trying to find a great spot for them  - lol

And I enjoyed sitting outside, watching fireflies, and reading [on kindle] by the firepit -

Thanks to this great little contraption --

my own personal bug zapper - LOVE. IT.
It doesn't actually ZAP - but puts out a scent that keeps everything away. Got it at Wal-mart last summer and it's made a wonderful difference in my outdoor experience -

I ended the weekend with a wonderful plate of grilled chicken and grilled veggies with rice thanks to my sweet husband...YUM.

 Hope y'all had a great weekend as well!

Favorite Photo Friday

Well, photos, I think...

straight-out-of-the-camera

 Now that picnik has closed I wanted to share a new [free!] photo editing site -

www.picmonkey.com

Here's some fun I had with the photo above -

cinerama

holga

lomo

monkey

yesteryear

There's many more to choose from [I shared on FB a few weeks ago -] and I"m not sure which one is my favorite, what do you think?

[Photos taken in southern Mississippi, near the Louisiana border

with the camera setting on top of the car - 

and yes, we have a tripod - lol  that's how we roll.]

OMGiveaway Time!

Thanks so much for taking the time to read my blog! I always enjoy hearing from each of you throughout the month and have been trying to respond to comments in the comment section...
I love reading each comment and think it's so fun to share together!

Each month I try to have the Once a Month [old stuff] Giveaway  

 it's a [medium flat-rate] box full of goodies - some stuff may be missing a few stickers, some stuff is brand new that I've realized I'll never use - 

One Man's Trash is Another Man's Treasure and all that, you know 

 - if you'd like a chance to win - just comment on this post and check the OMGiveaway page [above] to see who the winner is at the end of the month -

The NEXT winner will be chosen from COMMENTS ON THIS POST.

Deadline to leave a comment: May 30, 2012

This past week

 has been an on-going struggle with banking issues, well, really with hotel OVER-CHARGING issues. Craig has probably spent over 10 hours on the phone with the hotel management, the bank, and the hotel cooperate office, and after the hotel manager debiting over and over [while trying to give credit for the first TWO $400 overcharges] we finally just cancelled my card – and when I went by to get some cash this was what I was met with – lol.

Just one more obstacle in my [now] decision to go cash-only for a while. Ha. Craig finally met with our personal banker who took the ropes and had it all cleared up by Saturday morning – whew. We were both incredibly frustrated with the young hotel manager who thought he knew it all, but kept making mistake after mistake [i.e. debit after debit.] I’ll admit, incompetence can drive me batty…and while I'll not air it all out here, if you ask for hotel recommendations from me personally, I'll surely tell you were I WON'T be staying.

I came home to a garden growing lush and full – blooms on the squash plants and tiny tomatoes growing nicely. Planted some basil [YUM.] and banana pepper plants. I want to plant some eggplant [LOVE to see it grow – and the oldest’s gal eats it] and okra, and maybe a tiny bit of corn…

So, last week when I was out / town Craig sent me a text asking if I’d like to go see Victoria Shaw while she was here with her ‘Under the Covers’ show at Merrimack Hall. She is always soooo fun to see, has a beautiful voice, and brings along some of her song-writing buddies [and performers] with her. So I said, OF COURSE. And it wasn’t until the day of the show that I asked who was going to be with her – what a treat to have Jim Brickman join her on stage!

Merrimack is a small venue that holds about 300 people max so it’s always an intimate little gathering where they chat on stage, and with the audience, in between playing songs they’ve written that have became greatest hits [and some that may not have -] Always a great evening of entertainment.

As posted below, the youngest is doing fine on the other side of the world – we can text almost daily, and he’s sent a couple of emails that have obviously been ‘translated’ in some way – a different way of life, that’s for sure. And a very real way to see some of the freedoms that we so casually take for granted in living in the good ole USA .

At the end of the week  we took a quick trip south with a detour to The Gulf, where we enjoyed the sand and surf during golden hour, before heading to Tacky Jacks [Orange Beach] for our favorite seafood plate. Delicious all ‘round.

then we drove over to Mobile to join in the celebration of Josh and Anne’s wedding. We’ve known Josh since before he was born so we really enjoyed being a part of this stage in his life. [Josh is the first out of our little camping family* to get married – it’s hard to realize our kid-does are growing up – right before our eyes!] And of course we have fond memories of Mobile since it was our first home together – it’s always nice to visit and reminisce. * We have a group of friends that have been camping together for over 20 years now  - and even though these last few years may have involved trips to the beach or to Disney without a camper, or maybe even regular trips to Pizza Hut… – it’s always a joy to be together.

I’m working in town all week – YAY!!! Hope y’all have a wonderful week -

A few quick photos of the youngest

for those of you not on FaceBook - 

[Most of these were taken / posted by another Auburn student --]

 Forbidden City -?

Beijing Museum

 The Great Wall

 With the host in Beijing -

 KFC

 middle of the day smog -

In the classroom -

We hear from him daily - and he's having a good time --

I've been dabbling

in art journaling for a few months - it's not something I do on any regular basis - 

but it IS FUN. 

From the prepping of the pages to the creation of a bit of art that [semi] shows what I'm feeling or thinking on during a certain time in my life - fun. 

My goal is to do a page weekly... we'll see how that goes...

Here's a little piece that I created for the Wild Art class [as Junelle calls it.] 

As I've shared previously - I tend to sketch in one book and then, instead of recreating in my journal, I just tear it out and paste [or in this case, tape] it in and add the journaling -

I decided to put my thoughts in a the cloud - "Okay, I travel a lot - for work, for fun, for  crafting - there are times when I'm out shopping and I have to stop myself and ask - 'what city am I in?' All hotels look much the same... and I'll admit that I get a little tired of it."

[BTW - this art journal was originally a microwave cookbook -

bought at a thrift store - love the spiral binding.]

Names of God

May - 

 All sketches from: Scrapbook, etc. - http://www.scrapbooksetc.com/printables/sketches/

All devotionals from: http://momsoffaith.com/2009/04/names-of-god-series-devotional/

Names of God – Jehovah Mekaddishkem

The first thing I would just like to mention is that Jehovah is not actually a Hebrew word. It came later. The correct word is Yahweh. However, I will use Jehovah for familiarity.
Jehovah Mekaddishkem (Yahweh Maccaddeschcem) - The Lord our Sanctifier or the Lord Who makes You Holy.
The base Scriptures for this study are:
Exodus 31:13 - Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you. (KJV)
Leviticus 20:8 - And ye shall keep my statutes, and do them: I am the LORD which sanctify you. (KJV)
You know how I love to look up the words! Well, I was delighted by what this study brought to light!!
Sanctify - qadash (kaw-dash): make or pronounce as clean, appoint, consecrate, dedicate, keep holy, prepare, purify. To make holy. To purify or free from sin.
On the flip side…the thesaurus tells us that the opposite of sanctify is; profane, desecrate, pollute, and defile.
WOW! This is SO clear. Think about it…God has made us FREE from sin. He has set us a part as holy. Unfortunately, the enemy and the ways of the world are pulling us into the opposite direction. The enemy wants to pollute and defile our minds and he uses the wickedness in this world to do it.
Many of us do not even realize what FREE from sin means!
Well, let me share some more Scriptures with you to clarify it:
Romans 6:18 - And having been set free from sin, you have become the servants of righteousness (of conformity to the divine will in thought, purpose, and action).
Romans 6:22 - But now since you have been set free from sin and have become the slaves of God, you have your present reward in holiness and its end is eternal life.
Galatians 5:1 - IN this freedom Christ has made us free [and completely liberated us]; stand fast then, and do not be hampered and held ensnared and submit again to a yoke of slavery which you have once put off.
I Peter 2:16 - Live as free people, yet without employing your freedom as a pretext for wickedness; but live at all times as servants of God.
The word free in these Scriptures, even though they are Greek, have the same basic meanings! God sanctified us in the old Testament and through the shed Blood of Jesus Christ He Freed in the new Testament!
Free, Freedom, Freed - eleutheros (el-yoo’-ther-os) and eleutheroo (el-yoo-ther-o-o): In the absolute sense free. To make free from the power of sin. Deliver.
Ladies, we are NO LONGER bound to sin. It has NO authority over us…UNLESS we give it authority. The enemy would love to keep us in the dark and continue to use this world to pollute our minds and hide the truth from us. Let’s not let the little slime ball win!
We no longer need to be in addiction bondage. We no longer need to be bound by anger and unforgiveness. We are free! And, Whom the Son set free is free INDEED! (John 8:36).
Let’s Pray;
Daddy God, Thank You for the gift of Jesus Christ. Thank You for sanctifying me. Thank You for freeing me from sin. Thank You that I am no longer bound by the chains of sin. Thank YOU! Dear Lord, I ask that You help me to stand firm in this Truth…YOUR Truth. I ask for  strength and wisdom in all situations. I ask that you help bring to my memory the Scriptures of freedom when sin comes knocking on my door. And, Father, I ask that you help me to get back up on my feet when I fail. You are awesome and Mighty. You are Worthy of all glory, honor, and Praise! I love You, Daddy! In Jesus Mighty Name. Amen!

Your homework: Keep your eye out for the enemy and his guilt tactics. YOU are FREE! You are not perfect…but you ARE FREE! When you mess up, repent, get back up, and stand in your freedom!

Till next time…
In His Love and Service, Lara ;) Copyright © Lara Velez, Moms of Faith, All Rights Reserved

Note: Due to a long story

 involving our debit card being compromised my email 

Judy at faithbasedpages dot com 

has had severe problems. If you have sent me anything in the last 2-3 weeks – please re-send it because chances are I didn’t get it [and it’s looking like I’ve lost everything prior to that too…] This includes the blog – hop winner and the most recent OMGiveaway winner – please re-send your mailing address to me because I have no way to get old emails. 

Thanks so much!!

So, Monday Musings – Again, random thoughts since I’ve been training all week in the great city of Montgomery – the view out my window 

– at least my addiction to their tea [half sweet / half unsweet] was met…

I’ve mentioned before my propensity for shoes that I apparently got from my mother – here’s my closet 

after I cleaned up before going out of town – 13 pairs heading to Goodwill…and I have no idea what was left - lol so WHO KNOWS how on earth I ended up with THIS PAIR 

that I wore to train in one morning – omgoodness!! 

Had to make a shoe run during lunch that day!!

Here’s the miracle of Neosporin [or triple antibiotic ointment of whatever brand] – Oldest after being cleated 

in the face while playing soccer [OUCH!!] and one week later 

[while fishing with Dad] and daily treatment of Neosporin – wonderful.

And yes, I love technology – 

how wonderful to hear from the youngest daily, 

via our PHONES, while he’s in China for the next few weeks.

[Here he is with his host for this time in Beijing.]

Our lives are full [meaning a little busy - but obviously, we like it that way - lol]

- Hope y’all have a wonderful week!

Here's another little favorite thing

we have in our home - 

When Craig's gr-mother was getting older she gave this to me one time as we were walking out the door to go home. At the time, my young self thought what will I do with 

this little piece of correlle [?] ware?

But I've kept it through the years - and this little casserole dish has become a favorite of mine...love the little snowflakes on the outside, and the very 60's blue color, 

and that it's divided & covered.

And I love thinking of MawMaw lovingly preparing supper for her family 

and serving it up in this dish.