Happy New Year 2017!

Such an exciting time of year for big goals, fresh plans, brilliant ideas, new clothes (just thought I’d throw that one in there!  Shopping, anyone?) and clean starts! I pray you have begun to think about changes you could make to increase your happiness, effectiveness and joy! I have!

As 2016 came to a close, I was beyond pleased to flush several circumstances we encountered in the past 12 months… things I hope to never live through again. But instead of listing the lame-o occurrences, I choose joy. 1 Thes. 5:16 Rejoice always!

Here is my list of What I Learned in 2016 that has changed who I am and how I look at the world differently from now on. Thank you, Jesus, for opened eyes.

1. FREEDOM! (Yelled in my best Scottish Braveheart accent with my RRRRs all rolling like thunder!) I learned that freedom is the ability to do what we see fit in our lives without anyone else dictating our actions or judging us. Freedom is power. Avoid those who wish to control you and minimize your freedom. Freedom really brings a freeing feeling. Imagine that! Be free! Is the living joy being sucked out of your life? Make some changes. Be free!
2. GOD! We all have a hole inside of us that we are striving to fill that can only be filled by God. He gave us the desire for MORE! More of HIM! We tend to try and fill that hole with other things … leading to overworking, addictions, perfectionism, life-crippling habits, over-attention on our kids, trivial busyness, social media, etc. But God.
3. YOU! You are the only you on the planet. You are here for a reason… so am I. I encourage you to look at your God-given talents and interests and figure out what you are supposed to be doing that no one else can do but YOU! Who are you here to bless? To influence? To encourage? To serve? The rest of us want you to succeed at being YOU!
4. TIME! We all have the same amount of time each day. Well, that’s not totally true because some of us sleep more than others (I happened to get 10.5 hours last night, but that was post vacation recovery.) …. but that doesn’t change the 24 hours we all have, does it? But I digress. There are a multitude of activities you can and could and might participate in… but should you? Just because you can do a task, doesn’t mean you are supposed to. Which leads us back to #3….
5. WRONG! This has been my mantra for years, but it was so evident in my life this year: IT’S OKAY TO LET OTHERS BE WRONG. Arguing doesn’t help. Even truthful facts don’t help! Simply let others be wrong and move on with your life.

There you have it, folks. And can I suggest getting away from it all even for a day or two to evaluate your life. Sitting on Kapalua Beach on Maui in early November I made a list of the things in my life that were causing me to feel angry, sad, hurt, mad and frustrated. That day I made some decisions, eliminated activities, distanced myself from a couple situations and my life has been richer, freer, more joy-filled ever since. Change is good… and I’m not a big lover of change.

Make it a point to take every thought captive. Don’t dwell on horrible instances that make your blood boil. It’s a waste of time. Choose to find something to think about that brings you joy. I started a new board on Pinterest that simply makes me happy when I look at the watercolor pictures. Makes me want to run for my paints and brushes. It’s that easy! You got this!

The cool thing is, right after this new mindset, some unbelievable doors opened up for me. Desires of my heart. Thank you, God.

Hello, My Name is Linda

Yes, this is another blog relating the to car accident that I unwillingly participated in 3 1/2 weeks ago.  A deep fog has permeated my brain for three weeks leaving me wondering what my childrens’ names are, grasping for common words like “ride” and “sit”, and feeling vulnerable and alone.  Yes, it is drugs.  Yes, I’ve written about this before when I was on narcotics for tooth pain.  I had forgotten the lonely drug induced blanket that wraps itself around your neck for days on end.  Finally, when I was thinking homeschooling was pretty well done for the year (with two more months to go) I went to visit my doctor.  Sorry, pupils.

Typically I am an in-control woman.  Administration is one of my gifts, as well as teaching, organizing and being sarcastic.  But I could do none of those while the blanket hugged me like a scratchy wool scarf.  Sitting on the tissue papered table at the physician’s office, I tried to explain in my not-usually-wobbly-voice that I am on an involuntary emotional roller coaster because of the drugs.  My voice never wobbles.  But it wobbled woefully.  “I need to gain control of my life again,” I feebly explained.  “Is there a pain medication that conquers pain but doesn’t leave people in this fog?”  And there is.  Thank God!  It’s in a 3-day patch that transdermally inputs the drug into your system at a consistently controlled rate.  No more roller coastering for me, baby.

I am now addicted to a little 3/4″ x 1″ plastic patch.  And I’m okay with that.  I was missing me.  I’m partially back.  Doing simple tasks like showering or making waffles are still followed up with a two hour nap.  But I’m okay with that too.  I know my limits.  It’s two outings per day… only twice or three times per week.  More than that and I break out in a sweat.

Hope returned yesterday when I broke out the botany text book and decided school would be underway once again.  It will be more self-guided than teacher-ruled, as is my persuasion.  Flowers and pollination will be devoured by my little busy bees for the next few weeks.  I even found an activity requiring powdered donuts to demonstrate cross-pollination.  Homeschooling rocks…. or blooms in this case.

It’s Darla’s Fault

Darla is my friend.  We have been friends since we had a combined total of four kids.  Now we have seven kids.  We have multiple similar addictions including, but not limited to: scrapbooking, collecting scrapbooking supplies, visiting voting booths with sick kids, decorating our kids’ rooms, making crafty decor items, killing centipedes, refinishing old furniture, playing games and finding BARGAINS! But most recently, she has led me to my current addiction: shopping at Goodwill on 50% off day.

It all started last summer in the dark of a Friday night when my phone rang.  It was Darla.  In her most sinister voice she asked if I would accompany her the following morning as an accomplice to score some goods.  I agreed.  She had been to Goodwill on Friday night and scoped out some dandy items for her girls’ rooms.  “Pre-shopping the sale” is what this is called. 

This was not a beauty pageant, in fact, I think she asked if I would at least brush my teeth before she picked me up in the get-away car at 0-dark-thirty.  Saturday morning, the alarm rang, I grabbed some sweats, brushed my teeth, found a hat and was out the door.  She looked a little worse than I did, as she had not found a hat.  Her red hair was sticking up a little more than usual.  Possibly it was a scare tactic.

As early as our arrival at the store was, 30 minutes prior to the doors opening, we were not the first people in the race for the 50% off pre-owned merchandise.  There were five people ahead of us.  Darla was eyeing up these early morning shoppers and she figured only one lady with a toddler might cause some grief. She was fairly determined that she could outrun (or trample) her on the way to the furniture section.  She carefully emptied her coffee cup in the bushes by the front door and secured her travel mug in her purse for the pending pursuit.

As we stood in line, Darla outlined the open door procedure for me in a hushed voice.  She had scoped out a shelf, a table and a crib mattress that she was determined to SCORE!  However, the furniture always goes fast, so if she took time to get a cart, one of her items might be grabbed by an offending shopper.  So, Darla instructed me to take her purse, as well as my own, and head straight for the carts.  I was to immediately drive to the furniture section at the far southeast corner of the store.  She would single-handedly seize all three items.

NINE O’CLOCK on the button the doors opened and the stampede began.  Darla was gone in a red-headed flurry.  With both purses encircling my arm, I acquired the first cart I found and bee-lined to the southeast corner.  Darla is good, baby.  Within 27 seconds, she captured the mattress, threw it on her desired table, clutched the shelf in both arms and sat on the mattress on top of the table.  Still makes me giggle thinking about it!  SWEET SUCCESS!  That toddler’s mother still doesn’t know what happened!

Even when Darla and I are off on scrapbooking retreats in Prescott, Arizona, we make sure we hit the Goodwill store on 50% day.  The deals are simply too good to pass up…. and after all, it’s now an addiction.  (I visited two stores this past Saturday…. 50% off day, baby!)

Saturday Scrapbook Jam

Yes, I had fun.  Got that outta the way.  I attended a scrapbooking day from 9:00 am to midnight on Saturday… and I lived to tell the story.  One of the albums I worked on was the one we are supposed to send to Zaza when we accept her referral.  It is to be an introduction of our family and home for her to familiarize herself with before we travel down to South America.  So I’ve taken pictures of the house, the dog, Walmart, the kitchen table, our relatives that live here in Phx., the van, the boys playing hockey, Grandma and Grandpa’s house, the church, the bathroom, Taco Bell, …. all the regulars in our life.  We hope to get this album back when we bring Zaza home so she will have a memory of the first time she saw all of us and our lives, but we don’t know if we will get it back. 

Needless to say, I did not throw my creative scrapbooking soul into this project.  There are no ribbons, no eyelets, no buttons, no inked edges, no tearing, no staples, no silk flowers, etc. etc.  It’s a back-to-the-basics album:  paper, photos and journaling.  I went through my paper stash and pulled out all the pastels that I hardly ever use.  It is an 8×10 album and I covered each page first with pinks, yellows, pale blues and lavenders.  It’s pretty.  (sort of.)  I tried to organize the photos so there was a sense of flow: us, house, yard, pets, relatives, other.  (Yes, pets came before G&G and Aunts and Uncles.)  I didn’t even back any of the photos.  Yes, this was hard for me.  The instructions were to leave room for someone to write the Spanish translation of my journaling, so I didn’t write much.  I haven’t made an album this plain and simple for 12 years.

Several ladies present were new acquaintances for me… and I to them.  Lovely ladies and new friends.  As usual I talked my way through the album and they were all fully aware of what I was working on.  They asked to see it when I was done… yes, I finished the whole thing in about 3 hours… 30 pages.  A new record.  They were so gracious and told me how nice it was and that they liked the paper I chose.

Then I moved onto REAL scrapbooking.  Out came my stash of do-dads, inks, rub-ons, sand paper, ribbons, metal dealies and tools to make your eyes cross.  I was in my glory.  For the remainder of the 11 hours (we took an hour lunch break) I completed 5 pages.  But they are really nice…. lots of layers and colors and texture and pizazz.  One of the ladies came over to see what I was doing and practically yelled, “OH MY GOSH!”  when she saw my creations.  Yes, I told them Zaza’s adoption journal was simple, but they did not realize just how much I restrained myself from breaking into the real Linda, Scrapbooking Queen.  It was so funny.  They all came and looked at my pages.  I thanked all of them for saying such cordial words of praise for my simple album…. and we all laughed whole heartily.  8^D

I know I won’t be in any frame of mind to do Zaza’s scrapbook, no matter how simple, once we get the referral call, so this was good.  Real good.

IT’S MY BLOG-A-VERSARY!

That was my exciting news.  My Sister’s Jar has now been brought to you for 365 glorious days.  And look!  You’re still here reading it!  Wooooo hOoooooooooOooooo!  Yeah for you!  You’re the only reason I keep plunking these keys down.  Seriously, it’s addicting.  Just like diet Pepsi.  No, worse. OK, that’s a toss up.

A year and two weeks ago, I sat down with a techy guy (www.brentspore.com) and his wife at church to ask questions about websites.  He started talking about blogging.  I inwardly rolled my eyes and thought, “ph-shwaughaa!”  He’s a computer geek guy to the nth degree. But as he explained what it was, how it worked, the benefits … I became a bit more interested.  He sent me to worpress and I found my second home.  As he now says, I’ve “embraced blogging with ever orifice possible.” It’s true.  I was born to blog.  Kind of like being born in the USA.  You are or you’re not.  That’s it.

So here’s my big hat off to you….. faithful readers… for blessing me with comments and hits that truly bring a smile to this face.  35,000!!!!  Who would’ve thought!?!  Not me.  SOOOOOO, since it’s my blog-a-versary, would you do me a favor and PLEASE please PLEASE let me know AT least where  you are located????  No name needed.  No private info will be traced.  No tele-marketers will call you.  I will not email you with chain letters.  No hassle.  Money back guarantee.  Se habla espanol. I ask my husband every now and then when the hits at MSJ are high, “Who are these people?”  I’d really love to know…. at least where you are…  so if you’re in cold places right now, I can tell you about how warm it is in Phoenix.  In the summer I can wish that I was where you are.  Come on! 

(and for the record…. why in the world does spell check on WordPress not know the words: blog, blogging, or wordpress???)

To Dye For

Well, the dying of the stinky wool came off without a hitch… well, except for the unexpected colors.  We did two natural dyes, bougainvillea and onion skin, in addition to purple and red Kool-Aid.  The kids all broke up the bougainvillea flowers and we boiled them for 30 minutes. 

We strained out the flowers and simmered the wool for another 30 minutes.  We did the same with the Walmart onion skins. The night before dying I went in and cleaned up the yellow onion bins for the nice produce people at Wally’s World.  I gathered a whole bag of free skins!

 

The Kool-Aid dyes we cooked in the microwave for 8 minutes with the wool and then let them cool to room temperature.  Here are the masterpieces.

Guess which one was the hot pink bougainvillea?  The yellow onion skin?  The purple Kool-Aid?  and the red Kool-Aid?  Ok, the Kool-Aids were easy.  But the other two are the opposite of what you’re thinking.  The pale yellow one is the hot pink flowers and the deeper brown one is the onion skin.

So, why in the world did we do this?  And what in the world did we learn?  I figured out tonight that our wool is from a corriedale mixed sheep (whatever that is!). We learned that vinegar breaks down dye and makes it spread evenly.  We discovered that pink flowers make pale yellow die…. go figure.  The sheep and weaving unit is under the Godly character trait of Trust.  Sheep really do have to trust the Shepherd, just as we trust our heavenly Shepherd. We also got this wool business out of our systems so as not to have to go through it again.  Ever.  Forever.  Forever and eternity.

Actually, I’m addicted to pulling little balls of wool over my kitchen sink … it’s therapeutic.  And I have about 50% of the smelly wool left to wash the pick.  Yes, I’m considering it.  Remember, people, I said THERAPEUTIC!  And I fell in love with the brown dye from the onion and the passionate purple from the blue Kool-Aid.  Sorry, Jennie.  Now, to make a drop spindle and have at it.