Shattered Dishes Shattered Lives

Bonjour mes amis!
              Ce va? I am doing well but my blogging has slowed down a bit. Thats o.k sometimes even the most well organized need a break. Speaking of break, today I want to talk a little about girls and dishes. Right now your saying to yourself what?????? Anyhow, it is a story that has brewing in my head like a nice cup of hot tea and now its time to put in the sugar and serve it up.

               Story time: This picture here is a dish of 3 sets of dishes that I really wanted for my home. I had saved for several months to buy these dishes. We were in the process of remodeling my kitchen and so money was tight. They were perfect, they matched the 1930's era I was trying to replicate. I was so excited to have a set of dishes that all matched.  When I had enough money I went to the store and bought 3 boxes. Yes we have a big family and we needed some for visitors so that is a setting of 12. I think the total was around 180.00$ or so. But who cares about the price, these were the ones I seen in a magazine and I wanted them. So I brought them home and gently took them out of the box and in one of the boxes there was a broken dish. That my peeps is where I should have noticed one tiny detail that would have tipped me off to what was hidden inside. But I was too busy to care to look. If I would have taken the time, it would have saved me some heartache in the end.

  
   Now the story of the other bowl. This is a picture of a clay bowl one of 8 and a serving bowl to go with it. My friend Jean a master in clay made this bowl. As I watched it form from a lump of clay and in her wonderful hands became a beautiful bowl. To her the dishes were not the drop dead gorgeous bowls she was looking for and she was going to recycle them, but I begged her not to throw them out but to give them to me. I liked them. These bowls were formed from mud and clay right in front of me and baked to a proper temperature in the kiln that made them hard as nails. I was attached to them, they were sturdy, beautiful and needed a place to go and I was willing to take them home.
    So, back to the first bowl made by Better Homes and Gardens. These dishes as soon as I started to use them broke even in the most gentle hands. It started out a chip here and a crack there until all of the dishes started to break and now I have a bunch of chipped dishes and no glue that will bond them.  Not so pretty anymore are they.
     Just recently my dear Husband dropped one bowl on the kitchen floor and it shattered into a million pieces. No glue or man only God could fix that. My clay bowl was dropped a few weeks later and did not  chip or crack, in fact it was used over and over again.  If it does happen to break over the next few months it will break into large pieces and can easily be fixed with glue.  When I asked my ceramic teacher later on why the B.H.G dishes did this, he said " they were not fired long enough, and they were made of less than perfect materials". If I would have looked at that first broken dish I would have seen that the clay was still green and very fragile.

            Now I come to the point of girls. There are some girls who have poor makers, they are so drop dead gorgeous on the outside like my first bowl, but on the inside there lies a shattered life. They are painted up and sold as to be treasured and to be used but on the inside they hold a nasty secret, they are very fragile.  They are sad, broken and are on the verge of cracking. They were not fired long enough to be strong by their maker, and so one little bump and they shatter to pieces. The were not taught moral courage, honesty, and strength in their character to keep them all together when times are tough. They are all beauty on the outside but dead on the inside.  I was once one of those girls. Only through time, Gods love, and my husband have I changed to be whom I am today. I still have tiny cracks and lots of glue residue showing but thats o.k I am just as strong as a clay pot.

             The other girls who have wise makers, are made of  the good stuff. They are formed with care and then tested through fire. They are baked until they hard as a rock and can handle a little bump in the road. They are made to withstand use everyday in a world that is cruel but yet beautiful, and when times get tough they may break but can be glued together with love, Gods love. These are my girls. I watched them form in my hands, I molded them with the bible and God's instruction and on many occasions ask God to take the potters wheel and add his special touches. When they fall and are hurt they do not shatter, but stand up and wait for God to pour on his bonding love and piece them back together. They are my precious bowls of clay!

     So my fellow Peeps look at your daughters tonight. Watch carefully for cracks and get to molding them. They may resist you and the world when they are thrown into the fire, but assure them that this will only make them stronger. You must be strong peeps in this world to survive. Take the time to tend to our precious girls now, before they shatter beyond all repair.      

                                                                     Bon Voyage,
                                                                                Yvonne

♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸♥ ¸¸.•*¨*•♫ Someone's in the kitchen with Hannah! ♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸♥ ¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪

Bonjour mes amis!

                          Good Morning peeps. Well today I decided to just post a recipe instead of a story. I know you all love my stories but sometimes things need to be short and sweet. Like this recipe.
                           Hannah and I were in the kitchen the other day and she just got out the ingredients for muffins and started getting ready to make them on her own. My first first reaction was AHHHHH, I just cleaned the kitchen and her messing it up was making my anxiety kick in. I then counted to 10, breathed slowly in and out and then looked at Hannah. " But mom, I am soooo Hungry." she said. O.k who can turn that down the girl is as thin as a rail. She needs food. Sooooo we whipped up some Pumpkin muffins, 2 dozen and they were gone in 2 days.

                          The recipe is as follows: 1 large can of pumpkin
                                                                 2 boxes of spice mix (any brand)

                      All you do is mix them together until it looks like the above picture. I know it looks gross but it is super yummy. I then take a measuring cup that is 1/3 cup, spray with pan and scoop up the pumpkin/mix.

After you get all the paper cups filled it looks like this. Sorry I just like the picture and had to add it, I thought the composition was great :) And yes baking pans, the really good seasoned ones look like this, all black and nasty! Now bake at 375 until when you push on the muffin it springs back. Visualize pushing on a mattress and how it springs back right away. This takes about 15 min in my stove but check yours after about 10 min. My stove is finicky.

When its all done peeps eat them hot or cold, with or without butter, or do like I do dip them in a glass of milk! Hannah and I enjoyed making these together. Hope you make them and enjoy them too.  :)

Being toadally content.

Bonjour mes amis!
                                                                             Well peeps, as I was going through some pictures I ran across this beauty. As I was looking at it just screamed a story of contentment and that my peeps is what I need to learn this week. As I look around my messy house, think of the bills I need to pay and no money to do it with, I need to find some contentment. God is about to give me a lesson from a big fat toad, and I am standing by with my notebook and pencil ready, are you?

Story time: This my dear Peeps is our wild friend Toady. We have known Toady for some time now living in De Land, I think it has been about 4 yrs now, and he is part of our strange big family.
     Toad here is showing a true picture of being content under pressure. My little friend sat in my hands. Yes... my hands and didn't struggle or even pee on me which toads do. He just went with the flow, sat quietly, and listened. What did he hear? My voice, he knew my voice well. He had heard me say hello many times on the sidewalk at night when I went outside for some air. He knew I was his friend, and he knew I would not harm him. He was not afraid at all of me. As I held him in my hands, I had one of the girls take a picture of him and this was year 3. My little toady was looking plump that day, I had left my porch light on for him all Summer/ Fall so that he could eat all the bugs he wanted, and in return he would let me hold him and take pictures of him. You can say we understood each-other and had an understanding. He worked for food and I protected the toad on my front porch from the dogs. Never did I realized just how much i took that toad for granted.
                        Well one day changed all that. Toady decided to find some prime real estate in a large potted geranium on the back porch. He loved his new home, all was well and he was set for winter. Later on before the first frost, I brought my geranium inside the house and put it on the windowsill. "It looks so bright and cheery in the window" I said to myself :)  Well, weeks later when I went to water my plant lo and behold there was toady! His big yellow eyes and warty skin was peeking up at me under my plant, I almost had a heart attack right there on the spot! Never did I think he would be hanging out in there. So very gently I plucked him up and then looked out the window thinking this guy has to go out in the cold.  I was worried over a toad? Me? I was finally losing my mind. Anyhow, thank Goodness it was still fall and he had enough time to dig him a new home he would be just fine, right? Thats what I thought, but all winter long I worried about that toad. I was not content in my faith enough to believe that God would provide even for a toad.

                       Weeks turn into months and all summer long nowhere to be seen, was toad. I left the porch light on, I checked many nights for him and nothing.  We looked all over for him and thought we had sighted him by the woodpile but that toad was too thin and freaked out when touched. Another toad we checked out peed all over my hands, so it couldn't possibly be my toady. We did notice however an overabundance of baby toads everywhere, no bigger than your tip of your thumb. I picked up one and said to Hannah "This on resembles Toady, he has Toady's eyes." Hannah gave me that look of pride that you see on every grandmothers face, when holding her grandbabies. Toady that little devil, had a family :)
        We had almost given up hope it was the end of summer and no Toady, until one day a loud scream echoed throughout my house. "TOADY HAS BEEN FOUND!" said Abby. The prodigal Toad has returned. There he was in all his fatness, warts, and surprisingly rough skin, ready to have his picture taken. We then checked him out, measured his fatness against a large can of baked beans, declared him the official fat Toady boy prince of the fall time, and then took his picture. After all this, I kissed his warty nose goodbye, (and to prove to Hannah that you have to kiss a lot of toads, before you find your prince) and then we let him go. Until next year Mon petit prince. Au revoir!
               So peeps what is the lesson for today? When you are picked up and put in a place where you don't want to be, when you wonder how you will get by, be content in all circumstances. When you can't have the latest gadget, get the right job, or just be fashionable, be content in all things. When you are not popular with the in crowd, you don't get a hundred hits on your blog (uh Me????) or you want the newest expensive 15 dollar a skein of yarn, made in germany, be content with the 5 dollar a skein yarn made in china, be content.
                                                   The bible says in Hebrews 13:5
                                                            Keep your lives free from the love of money 

                                                  and be content with what you have, because God has said, 

                                                  "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."
        
               Do not be afraid peeps, God is with you.  My little prince Toady knew this, and he was not afraid. He was in God's hands, he knew his voice, he knew in the end he would be taken care of, and if it was time God would take him home.

Remember,
You can always go home :) Yvonne

Twisted Love

 

Bonjour mes amis!
                      Well peeps, Valentines day approaches and today I am going to talk about love. This tree when I first saw it reminded me of my husband and I. We are twisted around each-other and no-one knows where we begin our where we end, our love is boundless throughout space and time.

                  Story time: As most of you know my husband I met in the military, we were a few months shy of 19. My husband and I really didn't know each-other well but one day, one moment, on second in time changed all that. I just found out that the man I was dating was an officer, married, and with kids. I was so crushed. First off, married? I will not be a home wrecker to anyone, so I dropped him like a hot potato but it hurt nevertheless. When I got back to my dorm there were a few men playing hackey sack and I sat down next to an Airman who was watching. I had no clue who this guy was, but I broke into to tears and laid my head on his shoulder. I figured he probably thought I was nuts, but let me tell you it was quite the opposite. He put his arm around me and said "thats o.k Lady it will be just fine".  I was a damsel in distress, and he was my knight in battle dress uniform. Little did he know he would be saving me throughout a lifetime.
          I then began to cry even harder because I had recognized his voice, I had been dreaming for the past few weeks of a man who called me Lady and who would keep me safe. Do I remember the next few days that we were constantly together, no not really. Time tends to make you forget the little things of life, but Tom still calls me Lady and I still see him in those BDU's thats all that matters. Time has changed us from those young kids, but true love doesn't see those extra pounds or wrinkles that grow each passing year. When all was said and done we had dated for about 2 months and were married on  September 12, 1992.
                   Years later I still think I got the better end of the deal, in this marriage. My poor husband has lived with a crazy women for the past 18 yrs and not once has ever complained. He has held me up when I lost a baby, he has held me down when in a moment of madness I lost my mind, He has dragged me to do something that scared me to death, he has supported me when all others have ran. That man has been on his knee in battle for me and my depression everyday since I have been diagnosed with it. He has been through war and has won and I am sure that man will be fighting for me in the future. He is the brave one!

                  O.k Peeps do you feel this way about your spouse? Does Love just mean a word to you? or is it an action. Do you just co-exist in the same house with each other? Does the kids, money, and jobs get in the way?
                  Fight for your love peeps. Don't throw this precious bonding away on things that don't last. Begin today and show your love by sacrificing your precious time, to lavish it on your beloved. Don't go chasing dreams that will only end up destroying you and your most precious gift, your spouse.


HAPPY VALENTINES DAY Thomas. I love you forever and throughout time. Our love is forever ageless. Love your Lady

Brave heart, Brave bird, Brave boy.

Bonjour mes amis!

                         Once again I find myself learning a tough lesson this week peeps, one that has brought me to my knees. I really don't like learning things this way, but it seems that when I do, that is when I grow the most. My life is but a long journey to one destination and by the time I get there I will have grown to be the complete person that God wants me to be.  So I say bring on the lessons God and give me a brave heart, grace and patience to endure them.

                        Story time: O.k well here it goes, a few weeks we had a fire in our pellet stove that caused a lot of damage to the stove. How we we woke up in time and actually survived was a miracle in itself, but a story for a another time. Anyhow, through the smoke my little brave blue was forgotten and endured what must have been horrible pain with every breathe he took. My other brave boy Ben, ran down and endured the smoke to save my blue ( without permission). When I had seen what he had done I almost burst into tears but I couldn't because we had people over that night and I wanted to be brave, so they would not be scared. I don't think I ever thanked Ben for going to get blue. When all the smoke was gone I checked on all three of my guys hubby included (who was in the smoke the most) and all of them showed no sign of being sick or hurt. I am pretty sure afterwards when all was said and done I said a quick prayer, but not a really thankful one. Now I wish I had. After all we had survived but it wasn't really all that bad was it? I was so wrong.
                       A few days later I walked by Blue's cage and he was acting goofy, he was doing his mating dance, chirping and putting his play toy on his head. To him I was his mate and lovebirds mate for life. He wanted me to take him out and play with him and I was to much in hurry to do my chores. All that day I walked by his cage and he whistled at me or banged his food bowl, but to no avail I didn't stop to play. He did all he could to get my attention and I ignored him to go on with stupid things that didn't matter. That night when I went to feed blue, he was stumbling over and fell into his food bowl face first. I screamed at Tom to come look at my Blue and Tom looked at me with sad eyes. Blue was about to become a victim of the fire.
                    For the next few hours I snuggled him up in a pink blanket and he went from o.k to passing out and then back to o.k. He even fell sleep with his favorite sunflower seed in his mouth. Birds usually when sick die fast and without much warning, so I knew I only had a few hours with my Blue. In the morning in a pink blanket was my baby, who I fed by hand as a chick and for 8 years gave me so much love, was gone.
                 The lesson, as hard as it was to take is as follows: I always felt Blue was safe in his cage. Not much could happen to a little bird who was up high on a entertainment center away from danger (the cats). I just felt that I didn't have to worry about him he was just fine where he was he didn't need much. WRONG again. Only later did I see a parallel between my Blue and my Ben.

                What God wanted me to see was that I thought my son Ben was protected and sheltered. I  felt like I needed not spend so much time on him because I thought that he was safe. He is a big boy right? He can take care of himself right? Wrong, I was so wrong. When my son acts out, acts goofy, gets in my face and annoys me, he is trying to get my attention. When he does stupid stuff, gets angry, or gets out of control he is saying "LOOK AT ME"! What he needs from me is to be there, to see him, love him even when he is moody, crabby or just plain disagreeable. He needs me to laugh at his stupid antics and smile at him to show I care.
       Peeps, one day circumstances may get out of control like smoke, and may not show its ugly damage until later on if you don't watch. You must be there to protect your child, to see the first signs of smoke drifting up to the sky before it turns into a fire you can't stop. Just because he/she is older and bigger doesn't mean they need less attention. Life, laundry, and the pursuit of busyness can wait, your teen can not, hug your teen today.
         Thank you God and Blue for this little life lesson.

New beginnings.

Bonjour mes amis!,
                     Hello my peeps! Well, this is my very first BLOG ever. This is so cool. Now I just need people to read it. lol Well today its all about new beginnings, The old ways have left and I am about to embark on a long journey of who knows what? I just have to have faith that I won't fall on my face and crash and burn in the process but I have a feeling that things will be just fine with a little help from above.

                    Story time :  I know that some of you don't like our feathered friends but to me they are lessons in visual form for which we are to learn from. This picture is about 3 yrs old but it is as fresh in my mind as yesterdays dirty laundry. It was Spring and my daughters and I were at a neighbors garden and on top a wooden post was a Robins nest. Around the nest was a large plastic milk carton box that my neighbor puts around her tomato plants. This nest was protected from all four sides except for the very top, it was pretty much safe from all chaos and predators, but not from me. Now normally we would just leave it alone but the Robin mommy knew me well. I have visited this nest for 2 yrs in a row and have put many of her fledglings back in, until they were ready to fly. She would fuss and chirp, but she knew her babies were in good hands. I gathered my little chickies around me, and we took many pictures of her babes. This was a bonding moment for my chickies and I, and we still talk about today and how we can't wait for spring to see if more eggs have been laid. So after we took pictures we gently put the nest back and momma would fly right back and sit on them.  After a few weeks we all went back to watch them fly away.

                   Well my life is kind of like those eggs, circumstances has picked me right up and I have no idea wether I will fall and smash on the ground or become a rotten egg :) , but God knows.  He is the one holding my nest, he is checking on me day and night and all the time he is there making sure I will grow, and when I start to fly into danger he is there to put me back safe and sound and went it is time he will watch me fly up and head home. My God kinda rolls like that :)