God's Canvas

God's Canvas
Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.~~John 15:13

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Happy Mother's Day!!!

GOD said, "Build A Better World"
And I said, "How?
The world is such a cold, dark place,
And so complicated now,
And I so old and useless.
There's nothing I can do."
But GOD in all of his wisdom said,
"Just build a better you!"

I was going through a little basket which belonged to my mother.  It was on her dresser, but most of the contents used to be on her desk years earlier, before she retired.  She'd see a poem, quote or story and clip it out and put it with her little basket.  I am going to be speaking tomorrow morning at church in honor of Mother's Day.  Since my mother went to Heaven, I have desperately wanted to honor her before my friends and family.  Tomorrow is my opportunity to honor the woman who loved me so much that she sacrificed so that I could have the things I wanted.  Based on what I wrote, which is about three and one-half pages, I should be at the podium for five minutes or so.  It seems like such a short tribute to this larger-than-life woman.  Nevertheless, I think she would be proud for what is being said about her and how much she is truly loved and missed.

I am including a little craft project I completed several months ago.  I saw this on another blog in a photograph.  There were no instructions for the project, so I copied it as best I could from the photo.  It turned out very well, all things considered!  ...Certainly well enough for me to complete a mouse!


This is my Knitting Kitty!

The original project was a mouse, which I made, but did not wish to publish out of respect for the artist.  The knitting needles were made from fancy toothpicks (fun!) and then I attached yarn and cast on a few stitches and knitted a row so that the Kitty would truly be a "Knitting Kitty."
I have a photo of the two side by side, and the comparisons are cute!  The reason I made a kitty was because all I could think of was "Cat & Mouse."  I figured the little mouse needed a companion and I didn't want him to be lonely.  Ergo, the Knitting Kitty.

I met a very kind and Godly woman on line.  Her name is Marie.  She has a blog and I am going to include her url on my blog so that you can visit her.  She is amazing and has lots of beautiful yarn and wonderful prices.  Let's support this very special woman of God! 

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My beautiful daughter, Dessi, sent me a bouquet of roses last Thursday that are simply elegant and refined.  Their colors are white, deep red, mauve and pink.  I know most people wouldn't think those colors would work, but when you use the rose as its' medium...LOOKOUT!

Arent' these heavenly?  I have enjoyed their beauty immensely!

A friend of mine from high school stopped by Friday on his way home to Florida.  We hadn't seen one another in five years!  He is like a baby brother to me, only he is several feet taller than I am at this point!

Doug is on your right-hand side.  His friend, Cary, is on the left.  They had made a business run up to our nation's capital and stopped by our house on the way home!  It was such fun to see Doug, as he hadn't been to our home before.  He is so complimentary, kind, loving and committed to me.  Friendships like that are few and far between.  Thanks, Dougie, for coming by and adding to the special events of my week!



And finally, I leave you with a photo of my Amaryllis that was given to me in 2008.  This is its second year blooming from my garden.  I truly enjoy it and am prepared to separate blubs soon, as i it is beginning to multiply.

I wish you all a wonderful Mother's Day!  I thank you so much for your support and understanding when it comes to my blog.  It is something that I am experimenting with and enjoying completely!
Wishing you blessings!!!!

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

I feel so slack for being unable to update this post these past few weeks. I have two Yorkies. In truth, one is mine and the other belongs to my dear friend (in my heart he is mine, though). The one whom I own has diabetes and pancreatitis and is considered a senior dog (age 8). Two weeks ago, he became very ill and, of course, this meant immediate attention to his needs. Pancreatitis, when ignored, usually ends their lives. Therefore, as in-love as I am about my baby boy, off he went to the vet's office and subsequently into the clinic's hospital for observation. Sammy hates being away from me. He is very co-dependent when it comes to me. This is a nature of their breed, not a behavior I enjoy nor encourage. The stress he feels from being away from home magnifies his diabetes and pancreatitis conditions. Therefore, we were able to bring him home after two nights and three entire days. His blood sugar monitoring is extremely important. For some reason, his vet will not allow me to check his blood sugar, although I am sure I could with no problem with my medical background. Nonetheless, Sammy is doing much better and seemingly adjusting to the addition of probiotic powder on his food (yum!) and his new insulin dose. He has to go back for a full day next Monday (May 10th) and hopefully after that he will be home-free for about 2-3 months. Rajah, our little boy who comes daily for daycare, suddenly developed gastroenteritis issues this weekend and today he was sick enough that he stopped eating. Last night, I was up with him just like a little child for nearly the entire night. His vet makes house calls, so she saw Rajah around 12:15 p.m., and by 12:35 p.m. he was back in the house having had his treatment for what she feels is a "little virus." He has eaten for the first time in about 16 hours and is resting in my lap. Okay...that's the Yorkie update and part of the reason for my absence.


This is my Sammy

And this is tiny Rajah...don't let his size fool you!

I have begun to notice that the bone in my left ankle has shifted. What I thought was swelling is actually the result of osteoarthritis. The bone has shifted and it is incredibly painful. So, now along with my other maladies, I am dealing with crippling arthritis...yet another surprise in my life. But, I will deal with it like I have dealt with all of the other things thrown at me. One day at a time, and through my faith in Christ Jesus, along with His eternal grace and favor, I am living my life regardless of the physical threats. It may be different than I had planned and certainly more painful, but nonetheless I don't give up easily!

Sadly, all of these circumstances cost me time at the computer, and it takes a lot to keep posts up-to-date and photos current. I will make no more promises regarding this blog, other than doing my best to keep it more current until my knee surgery happens in September, when I will undoubtedly be away for several days/weeks. Thanks to all of you who follow me and understand. I ask for continued patience with me, for this will become a much more interesting blog as my body heals and is relieved of some of this pain.

For the past few weeks, I have at least been able to crochet and knit. As most of you know, this brings me great pleasure and joy. The ladies of my church have developed a "basket" ministry. This involves making custom gift baskets for people who have celebrated a new baby, a new marriage, a new home, or on the down side, perhaps a health issue, a death in their life, or an ongoing need in their lives. This has been a pure joy for us as women of our church to bless others. In so doing, the blessing is truly ours. My part in this has largely been crocheting or knitting baby items. Since the blood clot in my leg has been an issue and I have been prescribed to rest, the needlework has been a real blessing for many reasons, mainly being able to bless others, but also the pure joy of creating something beautiful for a baby boy or girl to wear. I plan also to knit some dishcloths for other baskets if people ever stop having babies!








I have been diligently working on my friends' scarves and it is obvious that they will not use these until next fall/winter, but they are gorgeous and are a pure joy for me to work with and eventually complete. Two of the three are nearly done.

I do hope that this post finds you all blessed and happy, healthy and whole, and again I am so happy that you give me the time I need to heal and recover without being so critical of me. This has taught me a real lesson in being judgmental, such that when I see blogs that are not updated I have been frustrated by this; however, I now realize that sometimes there are circumstances beyond our control that dictate how much time we can afford at the computer and therefore designing our blog information.

You are all so special to me, and I adore the opportunity to pray for you. Blessings and joy to all of you who read this!