Esty Front Page and Helping Mom

It has been a busy past several days since Mom has come home from the hospital. Dad has had to do many, many things since their return--running errands, catching up on bills, taking care of things with my grandmother that only he can do. Mom cannot be left by herself, so I've been over to their house quite a bit--doing laundry, cooking meals, cleaning up, helping Mom move when she needs it, giving her meds, etc.. She IS improving...a little bit every day. She is even able to take one less pain pill a day which is amazing. We are truly thankful to the Lord for each and every milestone and improvement. Thank you so much those who have been praying for her. Please don't stop!

Also, a blessing. I noticed a lot of views and new hearts yesterday on my statistics. I had listed this estate sale find glove box with gloves, and it was in a treasury that made it on Etsy's front page yesterday. I wish I had been able to see it! Anyway, it sold which was a real blessing. Many thanks to Ninja Pony Paper Art for including me in her amazing treasury.

Fruit Flies? A Simple Solution

In a world full of complicatons, it's nice to find an easy solution to something. We recently found a neglected banana that went *yuck* and *ooze* on our counter. When I went to clean it up, a flurry of fruit flies soared above the counter--I was disrupting their fun! Unfortunately they tend to *linger* though their food source is gone, and they are SO hard to catch and squish and get rid of. I read a thing my mom had sent me awhile back about getting rid of them easily. You put apple cider vinegar in a dish with a squirt of dish soap. They are attracted to the vinegar, and the soap "does them in" when they swoop down for a drink. Voila! As you can see in my dish...it works! I love easy, simple solutions to things.

Hope in a New Week

It's always nice to be at the very beginning of a new week--you feel full of optimism and promise...and hope for better days ahead...and hopefully this week will be better than the last two have been. We visited Mom and Dad in Chicago. Mom made it through her second surgery where they fused her vertebrae and put pins and such in her neck. She is in an amazing amount of pain and will have a long recovery period. Dad is trying to stay upbeat, but stress and fatigue are wearing him down a bit, of course. The kids were a bright spot to them, and we're so thankful we could be with them for a few days. Car accidents happen so quickly. Life can be snuffed out so fast. "Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away." (James 4:14) Mom never knew a piece of metal would come whirling at her through the windshield and hit her in neck. There was nothing Dad could do...no where to swerve out of his lane--it all happened so quickly. Cars on both sides of them were unscratched. They were the ones to experience the trauma of it all. But...praise the Lord they are both alive! Mom missed her life being cut short by mere millimeters. Praise the Lord for good doctors, medicine, and medical technology! Praise Him that it was close enough to home so that we can be with them as much as possible! Praise the Lord for insurance! It's hard to understand why things happen sometimes, but we are praising the Lord and thanking Him (yes, even Mom is) for his mercy and strength in this. Perhaps some day we will understand His purpose in all of this, but today we just rest in His strength and trust Him. "For we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28)

Bead Swap Post--#4

This is the final promised post about the Bead Swap. Above is from Bryanna from The Canary's Cupcake. She painted the sweetest "tweet" on the box which was a delight to find in the mailbox. Then she had some little lidded boxes inside filled with beautiful beads including a pink frame focal piece, sparkly beads, flower beads, and the sweetest cupcakes I have ever seen--these are some of my favorite all-time beads for sure! Thank you, Bryanna!

Bead Swap Posts--#3

This post is about the beads received from Debi from My Life In My Studio. She worked hard at making the most beautiful box--elegant and pretty in every possible way. She is one talented gal! The box made the experience even more enjoyable. She sent some gorgeous beads including a little glass jar of little filler beads for a future creation. The special lampwork beads were sweet and pretty--lots of pinks and flowers which I love. Oh, and don't forget the amazing vintage rhinestone focal piece. Gorgeous! Thank you so much, Debi!

When it Rains it Pours Sometimes

We all have difficulties...and long, hard weeks. Well, this past week has certainly been one for us. It started with a funeral, then hard news about a lady we know, then a financial difficulty, then my grandmother almost being admitted to the hospital for congestive heart failure, then...my parents getting into a car accident. *tears* They were driving through Chicago when a piece of metal from who knows where went through the windshield hitting my mom in the neck. Three doctors said just a few more fractions of an inch and she would not be alive now. She is in the ICU and thankfully alive having nicked a main artery to the brain (they thankfully discovered the clot going to her brain just before stitching her up) and has two fractured vertebrae in her neck and no feeling in part of an arm. She's weak and having a hard time and will need more surgery in the next few days when she is a bit stronger. Dad is okay--but shaken terribly (more than he wants to admit) and exhausted. We can see many ways to be thankful IN this--it was close to home (2-1/2 hours away) and not out East where they just came from so we can be with them when we can, the metal was slowed down by the hood of the car and didn't hit both of my parents, where they finally came to a stop at a car dealership right off the interstate a worker there was also a paramedic and helped slow Mom's profuse bleeding, etc. etc. Lots of traveling back and forth this coming week (to help my grandmother here and to be with Mom there). We just have to trust the Lord now to heal and help and strengthen...I honestly don't know what I'd do without the Lord to pray to and find strength through and comfort and peace from.

Glorious Morning Glories

I have never had morning glories before. I had purchased some already started at an Amish nursery with the intention of planting them by a new trellis over our well pipe (it sticks up quite a bit from the ground and is really ugly!). Well, I didn't have time to landscape around the pipe, so I stuck the little tender plants in a pot so that they would survive...and survive they did! I'm thrilled and even had to borrow a trellis from Mom so that they could wander and blossom to their full potential. It's a joy to look out each morning to see what has bloomed, and I love the purple and blue colors. They ARE glorious, and I have every intention to be more serious about planting them next year.

Consequences

I've been reading lately in the Old Testament...specifically in II Chronicles and have been amazed at the instances where a king of Judah may have done right all his life, but at the end of his life he got mixed in with the wrong people (like the king of Israel) or decided to do some wrong things (like worship an idol instead of God) and how the next king of Judah--his son--interestingly ended up being an unrighteous king doing all sorts of things he shouldn't. This son would then have many difficulties or have a short life, and his actions and attitude affected a whole group of people.
Consequences.
Of course, anyone who reads the experiences of the Jews in the Old Testament knows that if they did right and served God--things went well...amazingly well. If they fell into disobedience and sin--things didn't go well. How the people acted influenced the whole nation.
Consequences.
My husband and I found out this past weekend some seriously sad and disturbing news about a lady we know very well. She has done many things over many years that are very, very wrong...and she doesn't feel badly at all! No repentance for her actions (though I truly hope and pray that this will ultimately come despite the damage that has already been done). It's amazing how we were deceived for years thinking one thing about her and now realizing she was living a very different life. But, now that we know the truth about her...ahhh...things are making sense to us. Like some of the things her family has been through. Like, the lives of her children today, and their rejection of God. You can't fool children, and they grew up knowing things that we all didn't and saw the hypocrisy and deception. No wonder they don't want to serve God. Mom pretended to the world and lived a different life behind closed doors. What a fake! Her actions have not only influenced her family, but us, her entire family, and many, many others.
Consequences.
If nothing else, this all has been teaching me how important it is to be careful of what I do and what I say. We all have more influence on more people than we realize. One sin or sinful act that I do today could affect my family, extended family, and the lives of my children permanently for their entire lives. This is scary! Such responsibility! The consequences could ripple on for years! People only think of themselves and the situation at hand not about the lives that will be affected....and not to mention responsibility to God in the end--the ultimate consequential revelation and payment (Hebrews 9:27 "...it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment...").

More Vintage Jewelry Embellished Perfume Bottles

I've been having great fun lately embellishing perfume bottles. With my stores of broken and orphaned jewelry strewn all over the counter (I am SO thankful for my very understanding and sweet husband), I have been planning and putting together several bottles lately. Believe it or not, it actually takes me quite awhile to plan what goes on which bottle. The jewelry has to fit the personality of the bottle and its curvature. Then--the hard part sometimes--I need to find several pieces of jewelry that may have come from different places to work in harmony with each other. Here are some of the results.

I think purple is a beautiful color--elegant and rich--and this bottle I thought offered plenty of royal sparkle.

I really like the crown one, since I DO love crowns. When I bought this broken crown at an estate sale, I knew immediately that it belonged on a perfume bottle. It was hard to choose what should go with the crown...I mean, how can a person top a crown? With jewels, of course!

The seashore one was interesting. It started with a broken brooch that was gold "coral" with a rhinestone ball in it. I just carried on the theme with other bits (was very excited to find the "pearl" and coral colored starfish jewelry at an estate sale) for a seaside intrigue.

This one reminds me of Italy...must be the cameo. I tried to keep this one simple and elegant with rich browns and golds and subtle sparkle.

I found three other perfume bottles at the flea market last Saturday and thankfully got them for a song. Two are Italian glass and are gorgeous by themselves. I will be working on them over the next few weeks as well as finish up another bottle today.

A "New" Chair

We have an old black recliner that was given to us when we were married. It was old when we got it (like 15+ years old back in 1990). Now, I'll take just about anything for free, and this was free...and it was a chair...something absolutely necessary when just starting out. It is a Lane in black fake leather with small wood arms with the fake leather arm rests gone. I plugged the holes in the arm rests with plugs, but it didn't really improve the appearance. The lever that pushes the foot rest out is broken but can still be worked with a strong arm and then with strong legs to push the foot rest back in place. It was sort of an ongoing joke between my husband and myself about getting rid of it. However, I don't like to get rid of things without replacing them, and we haven't exactly had the extra money to replace it....until recently...when this old mauve chair was discovered for sale for $10! It was really, well, hairy. It looked like someone had cut their hair while sitting on it--for the past 15 years. After a good vacuum and cleaning, I was very pleased. It goes perfectly--and much nicely, might I add--where the old black recliner was and looks much more elegant and in keeping with our living room. It smells good, cleaned up well, and is very comfortable, and you can't beat the price. As for the old black recliner? It has been banished to the basement...until we can replace it with something nicer down there!

Flea Market Sunday Giveaway Winner....

...is Robin Bird's Nest! Congratulations. Thank you to everyone who participated. I appreciate each one of you. This was a fun giveaway, and I hope you checked out the other goodies offered through other Lollishops vendors. Thank you, Sadie Lou, for hosting this.