Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Divine Mercy

This was heard during our fifth day of doing the Divine Mercy Novena and Chaplet.....

“For the sake of His sorrowful passion”
--the response from everyone---“have mercy on us and the whole world”
--tiny girl voice piping up at the end of the response--“have mercy on us and the whole Lily”

Yeah.  Of course, we all crack up and laugh...which prompts Miss Lily to continue with her very personalized ending to the prayer.

Yes, Lord, have mercy on Lily AND the whole world.

Amen.

Saturday, April 16, 2011

More art and Lily (one of the moving pieces of art in this house!)

Just a few pictures of me trying to pretend to be an artist......okay, wait a minute. I AM an artist. No excuses.....just art.







And then.....one of my best shared pieces....




Why didn’t someone tell me how absolutely fun it is to see little girls run around with sparkly butterfly wings.....so, so sweet! (and sparkles are everywhere in our house now!)

Enjoy!

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Bread

I bet a lot of you eat bread most days....not a big deal right?  But when you are 3 1/3, have always been tube fed, and eating is sort of scary and not always pleasant.....bread is a big, big deal!

Chewing is a new thing for this little one....most of Lily’s food that she has tried has been mushy puree.  She is always trying to “grab” things off of our plate these days, like rice and spaghetti, and the OT doing feeding therapy said, “Maybe we need to follow her lead, and not panic if she tries to eat ‘normal’ food.”  As Lily was eating, I could tell several of her guys were a little nervous, given they have seen Lily choke horribly in the past on tiny bits of anything!  My heart rate was a tiny bit up as well.....but I encouraged Lily to go for it, and boy, did she!!



Tadaa!!!  She did it!!  The first time around, she ate about 20% of the piece of bread....and subsequent pieces she has take a little bit more. Lily is still pretty uncoordinated in her chewing, and takes a long time to swallow tiny pieces, but she has not choked one time!!  WOW, this is a big deal!!!

We also got a new stroller, one of those nice three wheel running kind of strollers.  I can assure you I will NOT be running along with Lily in the stroller, unless some marauding rogue pit bull comes chasing after us...but it is very nice to push on my end and Lily is very comfortable in it.  Lily and I went on a walk the other day through our little town.....I stopped and got a latte at our local coffee shop.....it was beautiful and sunny, a bit cold at 48 degrees, but that is a heat wave up here!!!  I was so, so thankful to be walking with a single stroller.....not a big double one filled more with medical supplies than little girl....and now here we are, single stroller and tiny girl going for a latte with mama, and not having to stop once for suctioning a trach....We stop now to look at big puffy clouds as Mama takes a sip of her latte.
Life is good!

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Day Three

 I just have started working in an “altered” board book.  Basically, you take a children’s board book and do all sorts of fun stuff to it.  After you prepare the pages with a primer called “gesso” and place masking tape in the middle seam,  you can paint and do all sorts of fun things.  If you google, “altered board books” and mixed media, there is a whole world out there of videos and such.  I plan on playing around with color and collages in this book...I’ll keep you updated.  

  
I just heard this quote a few weeks ago.  It really resonates with me.....how your happiness truly starts to dwindle away as you compare yourself to others.  I have done this so much, and know deep down it can be a symptom of ingratitude to God for all that I really do have.......this is why I started my book off with this, to remind me....I need it.
I won’t be posting so much as the weeks get closer to Lent....more quiet contemplation away from the computer.

Day Two....

I have a few places I am doing my art journaling....one, is what you see below.  It is a mixed media notebook that I got at Michael’s and I love it.


The other little fun I am having is with repurposed pieces of cardboard from Lily’s diaper boxes.  I think that is so funny!  I plan on doing several a week, and then at the end of the month, punching a hole through them and putting them together with a metal ring thingy.   That is how I did the the last image from yesterday.

Here is another one made on the repurposed cardboard.


And so now you are thinking, “Geez, Ma, maybe you should stick with yarn....seriously.”

Hey, let’s see what YOU can make out of recycled diaper boxes!!




Friday, April 1, 2011

New Endeavor

Hi Friends!

I am doing something a little new.  I have started a new art journal, and am finding it one of my favorite creative endeavors yet.  The best part is there are no rules.  Love it!

Here is something I am working on right now.....I cut this piece of cardboard out from a box of diaper. Now, it is a piece of art!!

I also joined a group that is doing a daily challenge of art journaling....just for 10 minutes a day.  I am jumping in, even though I am a major art rookie.  

Who would have thought a lowly piece of cardboard could be so fun??

Enjoy....and go be artsy!