Gorgeous Summer Craft!

Ah, Pinterest, that source of everything we ever needed or wanted to know about anything ... and so much more.  I initially refused my dear Deb Ricker's invitations re Pinterest, to "just look at it" or "I think you'd really like this."  Then one night at SBX she wore me down and voila!  The rest is history.

In the intervening years my boards have grown in number and organization; new ones were birthed, and I have kept my word to myself to try 'at least' one new pin daily for every 10 that I save.  It's a great way to keep myself honest in my pinning and prevents any haphazard gathering of information I'll never use.  At least, that's what I tell myself!

On a recent trip to Facebook, I saw the most lovely project which screamed SUMMER!  Here's where I found the inspiration for what follows:  http://cfabbridesigns.com/gardening-and-floral/fall-candle-planters/#.WTvz6etHarV.  I encourage you to go to cfabbridesigns.com and view that craft, as you may like it better than my own version.  It includes fresh flowers, which would be lovely.  But since we're in the midst of a June heat wave here in NoNV (think Ella Fitzgerald singing 'Tropical Heat Wave'), I thought silk flowers would have a better chance of survival.

I began with a 'Shop it Out' list.  As often happens when I begin a list, my creative juices started to flow.  I encourage you, if you're not a plotter or planner or pre-scanner or list-maker, try it just once.  For me.  Because it's truly amazing how useful that process can be in drafting yourself a blueprint.

My 'Shop it Out' list of supplies looked like this: 

2 medium terra cotta pots / 2 lrg terra cotta pots / 2 terra cotta saucers to fit the bottoms of the large pots / 2 hurricane shades / Bag of dark pebbles / Beach sand / Quality silk florals

Now immediately I had visions of grandeur.  Why use plain hurricanes when you could etch hurricanes?  (More later on etching, but suffice it to say this project grew legs and ran away with itself!)  One of the first questions I asked myself was "hurricane shades or hurricane vases?".  Let's keep it real, shall we?  I am a HUGE fan of Dollar Tree.  And when I find quality merch there (which I do every time I walk in the door), I snatch it up so fast that the salespeople's heads spin.  This is what happened when I went in search of hurricane shades:  Instead of $7-20 shades out there in fancy-world, I found vases for -- you guessed it! -- ONE DOLLAR EACH at Dollar Tree!  First ingredient, um, supply -- BAM!  Like a gangster!  One down, several more to gather.

The pots were a breeze.  Michaels had them, and I had Michaels coupons, which is a match made in heaven.  When snagging them off the shelf, I made the executive decision to use only a medium pot with a saucer rather than nestling one pot inside another.  For fresh flowers, this is a great idea; for silks, it was unnecessary.

I had a bag of pebbles at home that I purchased at Dollar Tree for a different craft; but as I'd not done that one yet, they were free to a good home.  YAY!  Another item down.  And as I was headed to the beach that very weekend, I was sticking with the plan to use actual beach sand rather than purchasing generic sand (gasp!). 

At this stage of the game, I knew I'd use a filler for the majority of the pot.  As I have a shredder that cross-cuts, I was able to X one more thing off my list.  Because who needs to fill something full of a thing when one can simply use fillers?  Did Martha Stewart teach us nothing?  No, in fact she did not teach us nothing.  She taught us to be smart and frugal.  Thank you, Martha!  (Bubble wrap in pot on the right explained below.)

The same trip to Michaels that yielded terra cotta pots also yielded awesome silk florals.  Choose the ones that work for you.  I found stuff I loved that didn't cost an arm and two legs.  Plus, I had an amazing 50% off coupon which allowed me to buy the best-quality roses for HALF OFF.  Yup.  That happened.

I already owned a goodly supply of battery-operated votive candles that I'd stocked up on for a snowman craft I found (where else?!) on Pinterest.  One more supply crossed off the list. 

Finally, the day arrived for me to joyously assemble these darling pots.  As I looked at the, well, the 'newness' of the terra cotta, I decided I wanted to add some character.  I skimmed through a couple of YouTube videos on aging pots and got the general gist of what I was gonna do.  Then I looked down and saw the leftover blob of chalk paint and drying pouncer from stenciling our chalk 'welcome' sign.  It was right in front of me on the craft table.  Ding!  Lightbulb moment!  "You, hey you!  Why don't you use that almost-dry pouncer with the white chalk paint on it to get the look you're after?"  Wowsers.  Don't you just love inspiration?  Whether a food recipe or a craft project, my motto is 'USE WHAT YOU HAVE', and what I had was right in front of me!  I pounced on an uneven ring of white to simulate the calcium ring on an old pot and it came out just as I hoped.  New pots:

And pots with character:

Pebbles add that special something:

Now back to assembly.  As mentioned above, the filler I used was cross-cut shredded paper (safe and lightweight).  I topped that with a circle of used bubble-wrap (cut in the shape of the widest part of the pot) for added stability, which worked perfectly.  And I was glad I started the project before etching the glass because the way I loaded the florals, they went up rather high on the hurricane.  Etching would have been superfluous.  I gently filled in around the outside edge between the hurricane and the pot with the Dollar Tree pebbles.

At this point, I had to pause until my weekend trip to the ocean landed me some beach sand.  I wasn't worried about the paper showing through on the inside, as I knew the sand would cover it completely.  Another aspect of this is, because I am using battery-operated votives, I had no worry about how hot the glass would get when burning the candle.  This meant I could build up the sides of the glass with silk florals.  If you're using a regular candle, please keep in mind that you'll want to keep your flowers well below the level of the flame.  We don't want any of that fabulousness to MELT!  And we certainly don't want you to smoke out your honey bunny in the night!

Here's a snap of the finished project on my craft table.  I love it!  I made a second one and it became a 40th Bday/thank-you gift to our cousin for giving us fabulous haircuts.  Yay us, yay Amber!

Here's the purple "Hurricane Amber"!

And here is our darling hurricane in its new home on our dining table.

What do you think?  This is totally something you could knock out in an hour or less -- and that includes planning and list-making!  I love mine and can't wait to see yours!  Feel free to share in the comments, below.

Thoughts on Toxicity

It has been a very long time since I wrote my first blog entry. I had hoped to begin journaling my life for the sole purpose of looking backward and musing at where I'd come from, and to share those musings with friends. But here it is, and here I am, blogging again to pour my heart out onto the medium that will have me.

I should warn at the outset that I am no armchair theologian, nor even a daily consumer of scripture (though I know I should be and am blessed to have access to YouVersion). I'm working on that fatal flaw, people, I'm workin' on it. But even in my gross humanity and lack of education, I am encouraged to study and grow as a believer. Such reflection leads me to the following thoughts on toxicity which have plagued me for the past seven years. I share my thoughts now with the hope that they will set you on your own path of discovery. If you would like to read a piece on conflict written by someone much smarter than me, try this:

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/markdroberts/series/gods-guidance-for-christians-in-conflict/

If you chose to read on, then I begin by saying I've found that, very often, worldly wisdom contradicts God's truths. There are secular ideas which we embrace, little "isms" that work their way into our personal lexicons. I've embraced many over the years (e.g. Maya Angelou: When you know better, you do better. Dr. Phil: People don't break bad habits; they replace them with new ones.) Unfortunately, we who are fans of pop culture can also be swayed to believe certain ideas that are not truths, but simply ideas which have gained steam. One such idea is that toxic people must be cut from our lives.

I couldn't agree more that if you are an alcoholic whose friend insists on inviting you out to party every evening, you might question the sanity of continuing to socialize with that friend. But unlike some popular memes, one of which follows, courtesy of http://quotesgram.com/toxic-people-quotes/, I am not suggesting you grow your selfish muscle or meet your own needs at the expense of all others. What I am suggesting is that you make choices that are healthy for you. You may need to choose a level of involvement with those you deem destructive -- for instance, if the problem person is a coworker, you may consider limiting your interactions to those at work and after-work phone calls only.  

I believe it was never the Lord's intention for us to alienate family. Temporary distance may be called for, but never annihilation of blood bonds. No matter what lies others whisper in my ear, and no matter what the world inundates me with from magazine racks and the internet, I believe family to be sacred and family relationships sacrosanct.

As so often happens in today's world, scripture has been perverted to reflect the personal opinions of the "teacher". False teachers use Luke 12:53 (NIV) as an example of this: "They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law." In context, I believe the writer of scripture to be speaking about believers and non-believers, which is an entirely separate issue and one I am unqualified to address. I believe it was never suggested that family stop being family. Rather, scripture was addressing a specific instance within the family of some being followers of Christ and others not.

Referring to a family member as "toxic" encourages an interpretation of scripture which I do not believe was ever intended. Certain actions, which would otherwise be unacceptable, are skewed to meet that erroneous and unhealthy interpretation. Two family members who serve the same God and believe in His sovereignty in their lives are called to work together for His purposes. These same two people may disagree; they may differ on major points of contention, perhaps even on theological points; they may remember life events differently; and ultimately they may make different choices which lead to different paths. However, if they are serving the same God, declaring the doctrine of Jesus Christ, they are called to be family and to work through challenges together, with eyes on the prize of resolution and a restoration of love.

When I am in the midst of conflict, I often stop to pray for the wisdom to know how to proceed. Stopping to pray is my single most important action. I must ask the Lord how He would have me think and proceed. I must lay down 'my right to be right' and ask Jesus to light my path. I must remember the fruit of the spirit and the life found in John 13:35 (NIV): "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

I confess that in the heat of battle, I sometimes fall pathetically short of my own ideal. But the more years I live, I find opportunities for redemption. I encourage you, brothers and sisters, to "seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you" Matthew 6:33 (KJV).

Now I'm off to mend that fence which seven years of conflict led me to finally tear down and stomp on. I'm off to pick up that relationship once more and cherish it in the way my God intended. Those six days felt good and I felt most empowered, but those days were the antithesis of everything I know to be true. Please pray for me, as I covet those prayers, and His resulting grace, mercy and peace.

Thanks for reading, friend. And as always, thanks for grace with the imperfections of my process. I learn more and grow every day, by God's grace and His unfailing love.

With much love,

Cheryl

Sweets for M'sweets!

Welcome to The Edge of Reason ... And Beyond.  I've decided to dive head-first into the wonderful world of blogging.  What better time of year than Fall to take the plunge?  Blogging seems a natural outlet for journaling, and it offers a respite for my male Facebook friends who must wonder how the heck I manage to ramble on over the most mundane aspects of my life.  This (might) rein me in just a little bit over there.  Then again ... 

Please be gentle on me, kind souls.  This is my first entry, and it may look a bit skeletal.  I'll get better with practice and experience.  

Anyway, today I was inspired to whip up a batch of Almond Joy Cookies found on Pinterest.  Don't know about y'all, but I don't just randomly pin away in a mad jumble of craziness.  I made a deal with myself that when I reached a certain number of pins, I would make sure to accomplish a percentage of those pins in real life before pinning more.  Totally inspired plan, by the way.  My number of boards stays manageable, and when a board grows too large, a new board branches off.  Yay for me!  At least my digital world is sane!  

To digress for just a moment, a comment on the original recipe gave pause.  A dear soul (who freely admits she is "not a baker"), complained heartily about the recipe being a dud.  She suggested the cookies were dry and didn't taste a thing like the candy bar.  Yet she goes on to say how she didn't follow the directions!  Did she not read through the entire recipe before undertaking it?  Apparently not, as she mixed the sugar with the flour.  So she didn't follow the directions, chose to skip important steps, yet expected a perfect outcome.  What a great life lesson!  Read, ponder, consult the experts, and only then will the undertaking be a success.  Life without direction is a jumble.  My life without faith would be a bigger jumble.

So getting back to today's inspiration ... Almond Joy Cookies (link to original recipe).  Yum!  See below for my version.  I made a few adventurous adjustments, the gist of which follows.  

One of this week's accomplishments was processing coconut butter from Tropical Traditions' organic coconut flakes.  Like any nut butter, it's grand by the spoonful.  But as it was turning into liquid gold, I began to consider how I might substitute for other ingredients.  The obvious choice was to use it to enhance coconut flavor and as a substitute it for dairy butter.  Thus, I creamed butters and sugars in this recipe with a bit of coconut oil.  Voila!

Adding dry ingredients and yumminess comes next.  Try adding the sifted dry ingredients in two steps.  The almonds, coconut and chocolate chips only need gentle folding to evenly incorporate.  Do not over-mix.  I missed that pic, but here's a snap of what the batter looks like once dry ingredients are incorporated.

I'm a big proponent of "use what you have."  Found in the pantry were sliced almonds that I didn't have to chop.  Come to mama!  And milk chocolate chips that had weathered the heat of the summer, perhaps not as gracefully as some of you did.  They had that funny powdery coat that we all know doesn't change the quality of the chocolate.  Once baked, the chips were shiny and gorgeous.  Lastly, sweetened coconut was called for, but unsweetened organic coconut flakes (same ones that turned to coconut butter) were used.  No one will miss the extra sugar or preservatives.

Our *ahem* freshy-organized, spiffy-looking pantry deserve honorable mention just now.  Let's share a moment of silence and celebrate life's little victories, shall we?

OK, back to the cookies.  Considering store-bought lunchbox treats filled with preservatives and ingredients I can't pronounce, these cookies win  Maybe not quite as healthy as Energy Balls (need to replenish that supply next week), but filled with much of the same goodness.  

Coming up next, I pretend to use the beautiful potholders sewn for me by Mrs. Snow.  Of course, I don't actually use them.  If something stained them, I'd cry.

Don't these babies look great?  The batter bakes up quite nicely.  No little grease blobs here!

You may note in the background a vacuum-sealed container of these cookies.  The container is labelled "Old Fashioned Rolled Oats."  Who am I kidding?  They'll never buy it.

So that's it.  That's all she wrote.  For today.

Almond Joy Cookies ... I did it my way!  (Sung in the style of Frank Sinatra.)

INGREDIENTS --

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup coconut butter

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1-1/2 cups white sugar

1-1/2 cups brown sugar

4 eggs

3 teaspoons vanilla extract

4-1/2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

5 cups chocolate chips

2 cups organic coconut flakes

2 cups chopped or sliced almonds

DIRECTIONS  --

Pre-heat oven to 375°F.  Lightly spray cookie sheets.  Sift together dry ingredients, set aside.  In a large bowl, cream the butter, coconut butter, coconut oil and sugars together.  Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then the vanilla.  Stir in the dry ingredients, half at a time, until well mixed.  Then gently fold in the chocolate chips, coconut and almonds. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets.  Bake for 10 minutes or until edges are golden.  Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to finish cooling.