Digitally Damned

Technology devices are such a pain

as if I lack any room in my brain

I’ve stored lots of memories, pictures too

still so much space, it can’t ever get full...

yet i bought a computer to spread out my thoughts

to see what i think, and learn how to crop

to pull from the old, and upload the new

download cool things like guitar band and itunes

but then comes the day when your devices will say

“start up disk is full” “memory has reached its' maximum stay”

                    A. K. A.

buy ANOTHER device

with more storage space...that will suffice,

external hard drive, or usb port

hate to break it to ya,
 but those will fill up

and nothing will work

your camera’s card is full so you go to download pics on comp

but the hard drive is full and you can’t get anything to co-op

you resort to the phone cam, which also reads full,

that cute little thing that Susie Q will do,

will be something she did

with no way to share

and no proof that you cared

just a fleeting moment the wind took on its’ sails

as the mind lost another moment

to memory...

DIGITAL FAIL.

"The Bare Necessities"

"Let your character be free from love of money and craving for earthly possessions and be satisfied with your present circumstances and with what you have; for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. I will not, I will not, I will not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let you down. Assuredly not!"

 - Hebrews 13:5

 Given all the recent catastrophes that have happened in various places of our planet, and will continue to happen, it got me thinking about survival (especially when catastrophe strikes close to home). I sometimes think if there were ever an emergency situation and I had seconds to gather the things that were of most importance, where would I begin? Well, obviously I would swiftly reach for my Macbook, then my child, and hope that my husband had some amazing plan for defeating and escaping whatever it was that was a threat. 

hardy har har. 

Eh, I suppose I can leave my laptop behind.

In all seriousness though, our basic needs as humans are:

1. water
2. food
3. shelter

That is really it. I'd also like to add, having common sense, and the sheer will to survive will probably add to the likelihood that you, me, he, she, them, or they (Fido and Freckles possibly) will at least have a fighting chance at getting out ALIVE! Else, it's all up to our ticking time clocks being wound and unwound by an omnipotent force, greater than any survival scheme we can possibly muster. Yet, amidst the seemingly chaotic crisis' there is always a calming option, an attainable release that us humans can rely on when strength is gone, and circumstances are beyond our control, and that is our incredible ability to hope.

Somedays I strive to get out of the house to just get out, I'll shmooze around in stores, look at things I think I want, but don't really need, and at the end of the day feel as if all the thoughts in my mind started with these words

I need

I want

I need

I want and ugh...

 How unsatisfying, and unrealistic. My basic needs are all met, and I should be able to rest in that alone. Having the ability to rest in ANY circumstance, BAD or GOOD, is an empowering thought. My God says he will never leave me, so today I take comfort in that...

and in Baloo for singing to me this morning, and thank you Terry Gilkyson for writing this song "The Bare Necessities", it has helped to shed some light on my present circumstance.

It's November, a month many choose to let each other know what they are thankful for. It's a good practice, I'd like to do it more often. So today I'm thankful for circumstance and all that I have.

"The Bare Necessities"

A Memory

       It’s June, fire is crackling, and I'm sitting out back of this old house, which has undergone quite a few renovations in recent years. Some people say my grandfather would be rolling in his grave at all that has changed. I always think about him, wondering what he would think of me. I like to think that I am like him in some ways. The ways I remember him anyway. Although most of my fondest memories with him were when he was in a wheelchair, unable to form sentences. Those years living with him affected me to my core, shaping my character still to this very day. 
      I have small glimpses of being with him when I was young, before the stroke. When we would visit from Maryland I remember the house here. The gray shingles and blue shutters, the rose bushes, and rock walls...and good ole Grandpa, shirtless, in his tattered flannel jeans, doing what he did best...tending to his yard. I remember the inside of his house and how it smelled. Pine sol, black licorice and the welcoming scent of his wood stove.I remember his candy tin sitting on the living room table, it was blue, green, red and yellow, and always had a fresh supply of gummy worms. I think I have inherited his sweet tooth, and I’m okay with that. 

        The living room housed a bright green rug, and floor length vintage drapes covered the windows. There was a couch that leaned against a half wall with see through shelving taking you into the den. The shelves held trinkets, and if memory serves me correct, I remember mini glass figurines of naked natives, and glass birds. He had a rotary phone and I loved moving the dial from 0 to 9, just to hear the noise it made     thhhhdt...dt dt dt dt dt dt dt. An enjoyable methodical buzzing noise of sorts. I remember every detail about this room, but the image that remains most clear was a great big painting of a sea scape. 
       Along the shore a piece of driftwood lay next to the portrait of the back side of a man,      with magnificent white hair, standing slightly tilted, with hands loosely held behind his back, wearing a light blue velour looking shirt and ragged jeans, with a handkerchief peeking from the back pocket. 
                              It was Grandpa alright, gazing off into the tides. 
       The painting is still hanging in our house. On occasion I will still stop and stare. A moment so unique someone felt it necessary to portray. What was it about this man? What held his gaze? What was in the tides? 

          A silent observer amiss the crashing waves left only to wonder...
          And tonight he leaves me to remember things which I ought never to forget.

"Beached By Time and Tide"

Trash to Treasure: Ode to the Zebra

So I took my 2 year old to the circus. The book, Water for Elephants was fresh on my mind as I had recently read it (well the beginning, part of the middle, and then the end), and it served to shed a whole new light on my experience at the circus.On the out skirts of the tent opening were the camels and zebras, and to the far right were 2 elephants. It must have been ten years since I have seen a zebra face to face. It seemed so odd to see this exotic animal in a small space, behind a rope, standing next to a camel, with a pile of mulch underfoot. 
              A truly beautiful animal not meant for tent displays. Anyhow, as the show began, I attempted to mute out my son shouting "mama, mama, byeeee byeee". He was not a fan of sitting in his carriage in a dark and humid tent..amidst the screams I observed the animals, just enough to feel sorry for them. I watched as the ring master cast his whip, snagging the back side of the beautiful mammals to get them to simply run around in a circle. To avoid an overdramatic blog post supposedly focusing on a mirror project, I'll be brief... the sight was saddening.
          After a silent ode to the zebra's and a witty game of peek-a-boo with an elephant, I departed from the tent and headed on home. Sooo I apparently had circus animals on the mind hence the mirror design. Hope you enjoy!

BEFORE                                       

AFTER

Supplies: 

• a mirror
• black paint
• white sharpie paint marker
• paint brush
• wooden zebra
• glue gun

Valentine's Day Project: All You Need Is Love

ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE

                                                                                                   

hmmmm... I need something for this wall...

Oh what's this, an old printer's box...hmmm...

I can put some of these wooden blocks into the empty spaces... 

I think I'll paint these blocks with a paintbrush, 

and write a great quote from John Lennon using a cranberry colored marker,

not done yet...I think i need a bit more for the empty spaces... 

So i'll piece together these painted blocks... 

and draw a lovely heart... 

Voila...All you need is love!...took me about 25 minutes =)

                                                            

Alphabet Art: Kid's Wall Decor

What you will need:

1. Old frame

2. watercolor paints

3. stencil

4.sharpie marker or any type of marker

5. acrylic paint

6. embellishments (i used some string and buttons)

Step 1.   I took my sheet of paper and traced the alphabet using a pencil

Step 2. Next I outlined the penciled in letters with a PITT pen 

Step 3. Painted the page using watercolors 

Step 4. Went over the letters with Pitt pen (wait for paint to dry)

Step 5. Added embellishments using glue gun for string and buttons

Step 6. Painted frame using a blue acrylic paint

Step 7. Placed paper in frame

Step 8. glue gunned string to back of frame and Voila...some lovely educational wall decor for my 2 year old. 

 (i'm working on taking more photos of these processes')...

Wine Bottle Collage

Here is what you will need:

wine bottle
mod podge or glue
magazines
embellishments of any kind
a foam brush
scissors

How to:
remove labels from wine bottle by placing glass under warm water
(goo gone works wonders in removing any left over sticky-ness)
rinse out bottle
(if you drank the contents) and let dry

 let the tearing session begin!

For this bottle I used an Ikea magazine "back to school" one, it had so many great colors!

I cut out all the colors I loved and then started glueing...The butterflies were from old cards I had lying around my house. The possibilities are endless! happy crafting.