REQUIEM: DEAR LITTLE FRIEND

 

 

i hardly have words...please say a  prayer for the hubs and me...we miss our travel buddy and friend more than we can say.  We will let the words of this song speak what's in our hearts...

We miss you, Webster!

ART BLOG REMAKE

Greetings, friends!

It has been waaaaaaaaaaaaay too long since I blogged anything of ANY consequence, therefore, I am going to make my hiatus "official" and revamp and rework the blog into something useful again.   In the interim, there won't be any new or fresh posts from me, but all of the cool stuff I made while I still had some kind of creativity flowing will be here for your perusal.  

I have kept up reading all of your blogs, I just don't always comment. However, the frienships I've made here I hope will remain.  I'm working on a couple of other things in life...a children's book, REAL writing, and getting missions trips together for the fall and winter. I'll keep you informed via SOME method of internet media...Facebook, Twitter...SOMETHING.  

Thanks for your support and patience all these years. I know I'm a real pain! Thanks for loving me anyway!

PRAYER FLAGS...

Greetings, friends! I have been away at my annual Lenten Silent Retreat (go here to read more about it) and this year came away with Prayer Flags. 

I am always regenerated and refreshed in solitude, and as such, I have learned to bring along creative supplies for just such "bursts" of creativity! Last year I and the ladies created canvas bookmarks...memories of our time together with each other and Jesus. This year, we made prayer flags from the same canvas dropcloth! (I just LOVE using raw canvas and a dropcloth (sold for protecting from paint splatters) gives me yards and yards of raw, ravel-ly area to rip, tear, stain, paint, cut, fold, spindle and mutilate as I see fit!

You may remember, last year I used the raw canvas as the backdrop for  my Lenten Art Projects: 

And this year, I used it to make a set of prayer flags for each of the ladies at the retreat. The canvas drop cloth comes with edges bound and hemmed, so I simply cut 6 5.5" squares near the edge and did not cut through the binding...so that the flags will already be "hooked" together and ready to hang! I then used the few bottles of paint I brought (I had limited colors, and wanted the flags to be vibrant, so rather than paint a white or beige background, I went back to "Kindergarten Color Mixing 101" and made purple, sage green and coral (FYI: Fashionistas: A VERY "in" color this spring) Of course I had to have my red and aqua and orange completes the rainbow.

 I then began to think of the things I pray for or "claim" for this year for my family: Rev. Samuel Rodriguez's words about 2011 being a time of "pruning and cutting back" (DEAR LORD not another year like THAT!) and 2012 a year of Promotion, Protection and Provision! I'll "claim that!" for my family!

And Health! Yes! This year will be a year of good health for my family and friends...

 A year of blessing! YES, PLEASE LORD JESUS! (The little scrolls are scriptures pertaining to God's blessing and provision)

JOY! YES! I will CHOOSE joy each day and will live with an "attitude of gratitude" for every good thing in my life!

 An Abundant Life! No more living in "lack!" This year is the year of abundance and bounty...MY GOD owns it all...

And my heartfelt, perpetual prayer, "Let there be peace on earth...and let it begin with me." Amen.

I then sprayed the flags with sealer to make them weatherproof! And now, dear Sister Wind, carry these prayers to God's ears!

More soon!

Paula Clare

HOLY CRAFT BOX, BATMAN!

Greetings, dear readers!

I have (yet again) been delivered a box of happiness via the incredible <<<<<>>>>(I've discovered via my under cover work with the Crafters Anonymous that this box did NOT come from Sandy...although there was a letter. And I THOUGHT the letter said "Sandy M" however, the writing is a bit like a pharmacist's and I can't say FOR CERTAIN that's what it says...if YOU (dear generous soul) WHOEVER you are, would like to "out" yourself and confess to this gift of glorious craft mania, please do so. I'd love to say thank you properly!)

Sandy at 521 Lake Street. (I think she must be on a cleaning spree...still (?) lol ) but I benefited from said spree with a box of assorted crafty goodness: papers, embellies, trims of all sorts, lots of borders and red and aqua...Sandy dear friend, you know JUST what I like! THANK YOU

In the meantime, as you may have "heard" I am cooking for Lent. One recipe (other than Thanksgiving meal with all the trim) has given me fits for as long as I can remember: the elusive No Bake Cookies. (You know, the oat and peanutbutter variety?) Do NOT MOCK ME! I have never made them with any success, and, like my pumpkin pie (and fudge) you have had to eat them with a spoon! However, feeling a bit more confident in the kitchen, and wielding my best kitchen PROWESS, I decided to tackle them. Behold, the results:

 When these little morsels actually "set up" (or whatever it is they do when they become cookies and not blobs on a sheet) I HAD to celebrate! I made some little flags out of this fab new goodie purchased from Etsy:

27 fab little playing card size stickers...each has precut stickers on each sheet, circles, and rectangles. I got the brill idea from this woman ...

and her amazing blog...Attic 24

 she SOOOOOO inspires me...with her colorful crochet...oh how I'd love to be so talented!

I went a little crazy "pinning" her stuff on my Pinterest Boards...I just LOVE ALL OF IT! Anyway, SHE is the one who found the little Etsy shope that sells the Masking Sticker Sets. And she made wee flags for some of her sweets, and I thought they were the most adorable things I'd ever seen...so I did likewise.

 And I made a mini-bunting as well...for my beloved Irmi pincushion (via Elizabeth of Creative Breathing) girl and her little dog...YAY! Let's celebrate! Edible cookies you DON'T have to eat with a spoon! HUZZAH!

 And the sticker sheets make the buntings and flags easy peasy...they are precut with circles and rectangles...

So you simply peel, fold, snip...peel, fold, snip...it is truly therapeutic...and just the thing when you're not "up to" a major creative event. Sometimes, I just like to do mindless crafting, you know? Something that doesn't take a great deal of creative thought, but keeps my hands busy while the hubs and I are watching TV...

Anyway, another successful cooking adventure...(I'm trying to remove the thought from my head, "It's about time for a cooking disaster...") Perhaps I'm on a roll?!

Be sure to check out my other blog to stay up to date on the meal du jour as well as the daily "state of the kitchen" address...lol

More soon!

WHAT I'M DOING FOR LENT...

Greetings, friends!

I know many of you know that I always observe some kind of discipline for Lent...this year, I felt behooved to make my discipline (insert ominous organ music here) COOKING! (collective gasps heard all around)

You can follow my Culinary tales here on my Contemporary Monk Blog...also, those of you on Facebook, I post a daily link to my blog to keep you updated.

Here is today's exciting episode...enjoy! lol

COOKING ON $2 A DAY: DAY 4

Hello friends and those with morbid curiosity!

Today was day four of our $2 a day meal challenge. And I confess to you...we blew it. I DID cook today (as was my original Lenten discipline "deal" with God) but for breakfast only. I felt that I am to allow myself the grace of ONE meal out per weekend, and today was that day. So we seriously "blew" the $2 a day budget. However, in only cooking breakfast, I DID meet the breakfast quota:

Chocolate Chip muffins ($1.00 mix - 6 servings) .16 per serving. 1/2 banana .12 Hot tea .05  Total breakfast: Bud: 16x3=.48,+.12+.05=.65  Paula: 16x2=.32+.12+.05=.49. Grand total breakfast: $1.14

THEN, we finished off the leftover pizza after church, and took a bit of a road trip to see an amazing roadside attraction recently in the newspaper:

THE VANDALIA FIRE-BREATHING DRAGON!

I know many of you are jealous and cannot imagine what kind of good fortune would afford us such an awe inspiring sight...but here it is, in all it's tin and metal glory...(note the husband and wee dog in the picture for scale) YES, he's HUGE. The sight of him evokes fear into the hearts of man and beast alike...Powered by a 20 lb. propane tank, the dragon (once enticed by a token) spews fire at innocent onlookers. Pics below of a "terrified tourist" fleeing for her life...

 NOTE: my terror as I stand in the shadow of the beast and "feed" the dragon the token ...

 And I immediately run in fear for my life...

 (Fortunately, Bud caught this dramatic moment on film, lest the dragon get the best of me and actually do something film worthy)

 Determining I am now at a safe distance, I turn to face my would-be assassin...

 THEN...WEBSTER TO THE RESCUE! Behold, Webster the Wonder Dog attempting to slay the dragon for his masters...

On the lower left corner of the picture I have circled and pointed to our fearless protector....

MY HERO! However, upon closer inspection, the ferocious  face of this stainless wonder looks more like a friendly puppy...

And so, road trip taken, fierce some beast assuaged, we leave in search of...LUNCH!

We found a happy little local haunt...the ChuckWagon, and had a delicious Sunday meal (well over $2) and then the intrepid explorers made their way back to the Vern, feeling quite satisfied in their conquering of the Vandalia Tourist Trap Dragon!

Stay tuned tomorrow for more exciting tales of culinary delight and adventure!