Phun with Photoshop

(Creativity week #24...)

I finally got Photoshop Elements! Yay! I've decided to try my hand at digital scrapbooking for Jadon's baby album, and thanks to Freda's advice, invested in the basic program. Whew! What a learning curve! I spent all day playing around with it (in between taking care of baby, of course), and, thanks to plenty of Help topics and Youtube videos, figured out some basic stuff. Check it out:

My college roommate Annie and her husband Floyd were the first to meet Jadon, as they were visiting us the day we got "the call". We went for a walk with him that night, and I got this cute picture. Unfortunately, their faces didn't show up so well, so I took another one with the flash. Of course, that then turned the background black...Enter Photoshop, where I blended their faces in with the background. I still need some practice, but I'm pretty pleased with it:

Then in the fall, I got this cute picture of Jadon at the pumpkin patch with my MOPS group. But since he wasn't sitting up too well on his own yet, I propped him up with my ugly backback, which just sort of ruins the shot. I got a few other shots, but in all of them, his face showed how much he hated posing...But with Photoshop, I was able to plop cute Jadon right in the middle of the cute pumpkins...COOL!!!

The Day My Heart Stood Still...

This morning, I experienced one of the scariest moments of my life. This morning I lost my son.

I was downstairs baking corn-dog-muffins for a Super Bowl party (by the way, they were great! Check out the recipe at allrecipes.com...And they looked so cute in my football shaped muffin mold. Yay! Let's count this as Creativity Week #22).

Anyway, I heard a few thumps that seemed to be coming from upstairs (where Jadon was still asleep in our bed), but since I didn't hear him crying (which he does when he wakes up), I figured it must just be bombing practice at Camp Pendleton. I finished up the muffins and went upstairs about 15 minutes later.

I walked into my room, and this is what I saw:

No baby in the bed!

Suddenly panicked, I figured the thumping must have been him rolling out of bed...and since he didn't cry...oh no! What if he broke his neck?! My heart froze, and I rushed around to my side of the bed, ready to see a limp body. Instead, this is what I found:

No baby on the ground!

Crap! Where did Jadon go? Now my heart was really frozen! I called out his name and rushed around, throwing off the blankets, etc. I don't remember if I heard something first or if I just decided to look under the bed, but sure enough, I peeked under the bed skirt on Jim's side and found this:

(Note: at this point, rather than rushing to the baby, he smiled at me...so I rushed to get my camera...)

After getting the camera, I took these pictures, then scooped him up and hugged him as tight as I could and said thank you, thank you, thank you Jesus! And then kept hugging him and thanking Jesus...

In trying to figure out what happened, I think he must have woke up, and for once rather than crying he exercised his new rolling over and squirming skills to get to his bottle which was sitting on my nightstand. But it's too big for him to grab so he knocked it off onto the floor, and then reached after it and followed down to the ground. Fortunately all the extra decorative pillows were on the floor so he must have landed on those and then rolled or squirmed under the bed where the bottle was, and somehow through all of this was content to hang out there for like fifteen minutes without crying. I don't get it. But at least he's safe. Whew! Thank you Jesus! I guess I won't be leaving him in my bed alone anymore!

Fun with Flowers

I forget how much I love flowers. Whenever I buy them for myself, it just puts me in a good mood. I think I like them even more when I buy them for myself than when Jim buys them (I know, weird, huh?) (not that I don't like them from Jim, too!). So last week we had friends over several times, and I realized that was a perfect opportunity for me to buy a few cheap bunches from Trader Joe's. Yay! I took like a month and a half off of the Creativity Project over the holidays and being with family and all, but by my accounting, this should have been week 21, and I'm using my flower arranging as my creative endeavor...

I think these Stargazer Lilies are my new favorite flower. They just smell sooooo good, and their fragrance fills the whole room. I love walking downstairs and suddenly catching a whiff. Mmmmmmm! The "vase" that they're in actually was a candle holder, but a couple months ago I got some flowers and thought they would look so pretty in it. Unfortunately it was not waterproof, and over the course of the life of the flowers, it leaked all over. So I bought a tube of bathroom sealant and sealed the snot out of it, and whala! A beautiful vase...

I must say, I like my photography on this one. :o) After a few days of a traditional bouquet, I decided to use my 8-candle candelabra for a more unique display (what is it with me and using candle holders for flowers?). I don't think this will be the last time I do so!

Ah, flowers. So cheerful!...I'm curious: What flower makes you most happy, and why?

Blog World...

My son took a blissful 3 hour nap this afternoon! Did you catch that? This little boy who usually settles for a mere 30 minutes slept for 3 hours straight!!! And he did that yesterday, too. I really, really hope we're turning a corner here, and this isn't just some fleeting fluke. This week I'm trying to really work on my New Year's Goal of establishing a routine of some sort, and I'm charting his times and working on consistency, etc...and this might be proof that it's working. (That, and I'm letting him nap in our bed, which seems to be his cozy spot. Hey, if it works, who needs a crib?!)

So, what did I get done in those blissful 3 hours of time to myself? The lists of things I could do ran rampant through my head...but what I did was...waste three hours perusing decorating Blog World. I'm half-way annoyed at myself, but at the same time, it was nice. Too bad now I have all these great ideas for projects...that need to go to the end of my already lengthy project list. Oh well!

Check some of these out...

Like this heart wreath:

or this one:

Or this awesome remake of old shirts:

Or these silky flowers:

Or this cute family tree (something I've been itching to do for awhile now...):

These are only the beginning of all the cool ideas I gleaned...Now I just need to do some of them!

Note to self: If I am fortunate to get some more long naps from the kiddo, I must flee the temptation of looking at more blogs and instead work on the pile of projects I already have to do (many of them are fun, too!)...We'll see how I do!

2011!!!

OK, so I know we're several weeks into the "new" year already, but this is my first chance to do some reflecting. I don't know how many countless blogs I've written in my mind over the past few weeks, but alas, none of them have ever made here to blog-world and thus have disappeared into oblivion. But not so this one! Aha!

2010...Wow! The turn of the decade turned out to bring about many turnabouts to my life. What could have been a lousy year (thanks to being laid off, enduring unexplained infertility, and sprouting many more grey hairs...among other things) I think ended as one of the best years of my life so far, namely because of the high-maintenance bundle of joy named Jadon who entered our lonely existence. What a kid! Every night as I cradle him to sleep in my arms, I am nearly overwhelmed with all-consuming love for this little guy. A baby truly is a miraculous thing. So I ended last year fatter, more disorganized, less in-shape, more exhausted, and less on top of things than I've ever been before, but I wouldn't trade that for anything.

And now it's a new year! Time for new perspectives and fresh starts on all the resolutions I always seem to have. So here's what I'm thinking:

GOALS:
1. Physical: I want to be 10 pounds lighter by my birthday in May, and make sure that same 10 pounds are off by the end of the year, too. To do this, I also plan to get back into my healthier eating habits, i.e. midweek desserts replaced by salads, less snacking, less pre-packaged meals. I also want to maintain a very do-able 3 x's per week exercise plan.

2. Spiritual: Jim challenged me to take this "Radical Challenge" with him, based on the writing and preaching of pastor David Platt from Brook Hills Church in Birmingham, Alabama. It consists of 4 parts:
*Read through the Bible in a year (Jim does this every 3 years anyway, but I've never done it--in a year--because it always felt so tedious. But having a kid definitely changes quiet times and I realized having this checklist to read everyday makes it much more likely that I'll actually spend more than just 5 minutes with God before starting my never-ending to-do list of household duties and projects. After searching for a plan to follow, I came up with my own--read 5 chapters (more or less) a day, straight through from Genesis through Revelation. I'm a little behind, but so far, so good!
*Pray for the world. Jim got me Operation World for Christmas, which is an excellent resource. We're trying to pray it together at night (but it hasn't become a habit yet, so I need to get on that!).
*Give sacrificially to something. We're working on that on a few fronts.
*Spend a week in a cross-cultural experience. I might tap into last year's Haiti trip for that because I'm not a big fan of spending thousands of dollars for yearly big trips. However, our youth group will spend spring break doing VBS and evangelism on nearby Camp Pendleton, and I'll be part of that.

3. Personal: *Figure out a flexible routine that will enhance Jadon's growth and my sanity (currently, every day subjects Jadon to a new schedule thanks to ministry and all the people and agencies interested in Jadon as a foster child. We definitely have to work on this!)
*Blog at least once a week (My sister who lives in Israel scolded my on my irregularity...Sorry Sawah!)
*Clean out my garage.
*Sort through my teaching boxes and either discard my paper files or turn important ones into digital.
*Try new recipes and organize all the ones I've cut out over the years.
*Complete Jadon's 1st year album (I think I'm going to try digital scrapbooking)
*Be more careful of my negative words to my husband (this one isn't so tangible...I have to figure it out more...)

I'm sure these are more than enough to keep me more than busy, but in addition, I do have a few HOPES for 2011, that beyond doing what I can will require God's intervention:

HOPES:
1. Jadon will sleep through the night (soon!)...This kid is definitely not a sleeper. We're talking maybe 10 hrs. total at night if I'm lucky (interrupted by at least 2 wakings), and 20- 30 minute naps on average. He wakes up happy as a clam, but I, on the other hand, am pooped!
2. We will film movie #2 this summer...We're like 10 drafts into the script and moving forward full steam, but finances are still a major issue. And I have to admit, if God wants us to wait, I am certainly not opposed to having a "selfish" summer. But I HOPE that God will be clear as to His intentions for this project, because other than feeling like He wants us to do it, we are not clear on the when for now.
3. Pending on the results of #2, our non-profit that we started last year will bring in sufficient funds to [start to] change the future of orphans in at least one impoverished area, probably Africa but perhaps Haiti.
4. My to-do list of projects will be significantly accomplished.
5. My parents will find their dream property down here and buy it. :o)
6. My small group of girls will grow radically in their spiritual development.

I can't wait to read this again 12 months from now and see how 2011 went!

(Any of you have similar goals...or different ones?)

Catching up on Creativity

OK, so a few months ago, I talked about this "52 Weeks of Creativity", and while I have been keeping up with actually doing a creative project every week, I most definitely have not been keeping up with posting pictures...So...here is a quick catch-up:

Week 4(a): My mother-in-law found this cute valance at Pottery Barn Kids for $3.50. But since we have two windows in Jadon's room, I had to get creative with how to use it!...

Week 4 (b): Add to it the fabric from a few extra receiving blankets, a clear vinyl shower curtain, and a cheap sewing measuring tape, and whala! A measuring tapestry.

Week 5: After consulting several friends, I decided to forgo the diaper genie and use all those extra grocery bags. But I needed a place to store them in Jadon's room, so...some extra fabric, ribbon, and a few little animals I broke off of a cute little "coat rack" Jim's sister gave me. I drilled holes into them and sewed them on like buttons.

Week 6: (Spoiler alert!) We made this beaded serving spoon in MOPS. Cute and easy...So, if you're related to me, you just might find something like this in your Christmas stocking...

Wek 7: A different sort of creativity...Jim and I spent 2 days with our director from To Save a Life doing some major work on our new script. Our dining room was filled with posters like these diagramming characters and their motivations, plot, conflict, etc...It felt like being in my own English class--but way more intense!

Week 8 (a): This was Jim's when he was a kid. His aunt did an amazing job embroidering it. However, it just didn't work in Jadon's room...

Week 8 (b): So I pulled out the power tools and some creative "fudging", and got the following result:

Week 9: Jadon's cousin Kylie turned 1, and since I "learned" how to make balloon animals in Haiti this summer, I volunteered to be a "balloonist"...Then I realized, I should probably practice. So I spent an afternoon watching online tutorials, and came away with mad skills! I can do a butterfly (usually), a flower, a dog/giraffe/other animal with 4 legs, a fishing pole with a fish, a sword, and...my piece d' resistance: (I learned it under pressure at a little boy's insistence!) a radio. Yes, that's right, a radio. :o)

Week 10: Jadon has a ton of extra receiving blankets, so I sewed 2 together, and then embroidered and sewed on this little monogram, so his blanket will be labeled when he goes into the nursery at church.

Week 11: I really liked how the monogram turned out, so I made another one for (and added some exterior pockets to) his diaper bag.

Week 12 (a): I've been wanting one of those waterproof outdoor blankets, but because they're a little expensive, I thought, why not try to make one myself? I had already bought this green flannel throw for $2.50 on clearance after Christmas last year, and then found the leafy shower curtain at Target for $10. Unfortunately, they have different elasticity, and I didn't take my time to keep the green blanket from overstretching...so it ended up a little funky. But I still like it. And of course, why not add another monogram, while I'm at it ;o)

Week 13: Decorating for Christmas is a whole week of creative fun!

Week 14: I've been wanting to do this project for a few years, and finally got around to it! YAY! Every year for Christmas, I use clothespins to hang our Christmas cards from ribbons, and I wanted to embellish them. I found these cute little mini ornaments at Walmart for $2 for 6. I love them!

Week 15: This week, we hosted our annual youth volunteer Christmas party. Feeding 40+ people and figuring out how to cram them all into our house definitely took some creativity!

Why I LOVE My Husband

Early this morning, Jim walked into our room where I was cuddling with our precious sleeping son and told me he needed to read me something out of the book he was reading during his quiet time with God. It's about Christians' response to the AIDS crisis in Africa, and he proceeded to read about a 17 year old girl whose parents had died of AIDS and was now walking 2 1/2 hours to work EACH way, EVERY day, so that her two younger siblings could eat and go to school. It was as if Jim was reading verbatim one of the storylines we have created in the newest movie script we've been working on--except this was real, not conceived in our heads in the comfort of our American home. And her story is not unique. At 17, this girl was one of the oldest living people in her village--all the other adults had died of AIDS. It was a village of orphans, doing their best to survive in a harsh world that wants to take advantage of them. As Jim finished reading it, his eyes brimmed over with tears. "Rache," he said, "This is why we've got to do this..." Like our last movie, this isn't just a fun project we work on because we have too much extra time on our hands. No, real lives are at stake. And if we don't do something, they will die.

After he went back downstairs, I quietly opened my Bible, hoping not to disturb Jadon (the world's lightest sleeper!). God showed me favor, and I continued my journey through Psalms. After reading a few, I couldn't get past the end of Psalm 62.

Verse 11-12: "One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard: that you, O God, are strong, and that you, O Lord, are loving. Surely you will reward each person according to what he has done."

My God is strong, and he has the money and people and resources and actors that we need to make this movie impacting so that we can rescue a generation of dying 3rd world orphans and apathetic 1st world teens. He can release those resources to us in a moment, so we pray that he will indeed do so when we are ready for them...

Because my God is loving, and he loves the orphans and teens more than we ever could. And beyond just seeing them healthy and well fed here and now, He wants to see them all join Him for all eternity.

And because our God is so strong and loving, we will press on to do our part in His plan.

What a great reminder. Especially in this Christmas season. I love Christmas--the lights, the decorations, the smells, the cookies, the family time... But as I fret over what Christmas gifts to buy, and how to store all the decorations, and how to get everything done, etc. I have to remind myself, in the grand scheme of things...Who cares?!

James 1: 27 --"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widos in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."