Netflix vs Pureflix

So I signed up for a free month of both.

Not so sure about this. It has been sometime since I have had television. Or Netflix. I've never had Pureflix but I figured that one would be more my taste.

So far I have watched Allisons Choice, God's Compass and Beauty and the Beast. The new Disney one and I have to say I actually liked it. I cried and snotted on everything. Until I got up and got a box of Kleenex. Why are they never where you need them???

 

I loved the cast in Beauty and the Beast! Kevin Kline is one of my all time favorites and I absolutely adore Emma Thompson. Stanley Tucci, AND Ewan McGregor?!? Cannot get much better than that. Not to mention the wonderful costuming.

 



I am not sure about keeping either of these at the end of the free month. Netflix has got so much garbage on there I don't like to sift through just to find something I want to watch.

 

However Pureflix has some really.....uuuummmm.....not good acting on there along with most of the scripts being like a B rate movie. Truth is, I don't need either of them, if today was any indicator of what is to come. Me. Sitting in my favorite chair. Watching. Doing nothing but watching. Good thing there is no food in the house because I would have been eating while doing that nothing but watching.

God is good.

I have 30 days to make up my mind.

Writing on the wall.....(Daniel 5)

Life can be difficult to understand. We all go through hardship and it is that hardship that, to coin a phrase, makes us or breaks us.

This evening, as I was traveling home from work, I had the radio set to one of my favorite pastors, Phillip De Courcy, of "Know the Truth" ministries. One little phrase that he used in this particular sermon, really perked my ears up. It was simply this,

"When bad things happen in life, are you a victim or are you a student?"

WOW.

I have to say this up front, just so you know where I am coming from. I use, as my plumb line,  the Bible. I don't understand all of it, to be sure, but when I come up against a problem, my sincere hope and effort go into understanding how and trying to react with the heart of Jesus.

Unfortunately I fail SO many times. I wish I could say differently, but that is the truth.

This truth often makes me sad, and so it was today. With Pastor Phillips words ringing in my ears, I came home, fed and watered horses, fed and watered dogs, fed and watered cats, fed and watered birds and pondered what I had heard all the while.

What kind of person am I? Do I learn from the difficult times? Do I take responsibility for my actions...I mean REALLY take responsibility? Or do I listen to psychology and blame others for the bad things I do and feel? These thoughts are enough to drive one to sit and devour an entire bag of chocolate chips and wash them down with a full 2 litre bottle of Dr Pepper!

So after I finished my outside chores, I came in and sat down on the chair next to my bed to take off my barn boots and chanced to look up at the wall above my bed. And THIS is what I saw.......

 

These are a few of my favorite things. I keep these things close to me because for whatever reason, they comfort me and I like having them near me where I can look at them as I fall asleep. While I was looking and thinking of the sermon and the problems life has thrown at me, it suddenly hit me. It suddenly became clear and I understood the true meaning of what these possessions represent in my heart and in my life. It was like God spoke to my heart about who I am and where He wants to lead me! Let me explain.......

 

Remember..... Everyone needs a little sparkle in their lives. A woman who casts a sparkle is rarely forgotten. So sparkle! Let that light SO shine for Me!

 

You are a daughter of the Almighty King. That makes you a true Princess. In light of this fact, you can be assured that you are precious and you are loved. Because I love you, you can move forward confidently and know I will never leave you or forsake you.

 

My daughter, never, EVER let go of the wonder and innocence of a child like faith. For such is the kingdom of God!

 

Never judge someone because of what they look like on the outside. People see the outside, but  I am God and I see the heart. There is something to love about everyone, so look to share My love with whomever I place in your life.

 

Reach for that star! Reach for that star and never give up! My Word will never go forth and come back void!

 

Believe in your dreams! I put those dreams in your heart for a purpose and I will see that purpose fulfilled. And remember. ALWAYS remember, only an open heart can catch that dream!

 

There are times I shall set before you a task that seems impossible. Others will encourage you to give up. Don't let others influence you to let go and not finish that task I set in your heart. If you stay with it and complete the job I have for you, you will have blessings you cannot even imagine!

 

 

I am blown away. My Father in Heaven loves me with an everlasting love. He sees each detail in my life. Nothing comes to me without first being sifted through fingers of love. Like the metal worker of old, melting down ore to get the gold within. He heats that gold to unbearable temperatures and as it cools the dross or impurities float to the top, where He can skim it and dispose of it. Then He heats it again, and again to do the same thing and take those impurities out. He knows that the gold is pure when He can look into that gold and see His own reflection.

 

Beloved. When life brings you to a problem, are you a VICTIM? Or are you a STUDENT?

 

I am praying for you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quite an Entrance- part B- Phillip De Courcy

 

 



 

 



 

 

 

 



Exhausted!

I slept in until 6:15 this morning. Ever had one of those days where your muscles feel like noodles?

Yeah. Me too.

But the carnival last night was so much fun! I had so many Moms tell me what a nice party it was and how nice that it was just a simple and fun carnival for kids. EXACTLY what we wanted!

I am sitting here, munching on chocolate graham cracker cookies and resting my exhausted muscles. For the love of Petes Dragon! Even my abs are sore! I didn't think I did that much yesterday, but apparently shoveling all that sand for the "bone pit" did my poor abs in! I was grateful when packing up all the stuff we decorated with and all the games that were there, some kind husband of my friend took the shovel out of my hands and shooed  me away. I didn't even have to lift those buckets of sand into the horse trailer and empty them back into the obliging wash......another co-worker said he needed sand and took it saying he would return my buckets later. YAYNESS!!!

The place looked great and the trees were absolutely perfect. I got a few shots as we were setting up, but once the party began, there was no time to take photos. So these will have to do....

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This guy was my favorite....his face was absolutely PERFECT! Unfortunately I did not get a good photo. That dang sun was in my eyes and I couldn't see my phone....

I made these photos the original size so you could see the detail. In painting, I chose a dark gray paint and then air brushed a black paint over details to give shading and texture. All paint used was flat. CHEAP flat latex from Home Depot that could be tinted to the shade of gray needed.

 

This guy greeted everyone as they walked in with his perpetually surprised look. His bony dog was set to howl every time someone walked by.....

This guy.....was not happy with his face. I will redo him next year. But I loved the way they all turned out! Not bad for a first try. The Activities Director and I are already planning next years' event and we plan to start months ahead of time so that we HAVE the time for details such as these. Live and learn is a good moto when you are planning a kids event.

 

So thanks for stopping by and looking. Hopefully you will find something valuable here that you can do for your own Halloween celebration. If you need specific details on how tos, just leave a comment and I will be sure to answer!

 

Happy Halloween, my friends!

 

Even though it is NOT my time of year..............

I love the fall.

So in that respect it IS my time of year. I do fall decorating and I love the colors and scents of the earth at this time of year. But I am not all that much on Halloween.

As a kid, I LOVED Halloween! We lived out in the country and because of that, there was no Trick or Treating in my childhood, but we had something even better! Every year, the school and the community center got together and did a BIG carnival. Fishing booths, Haunted House, Costume contest.....the works! We used to have so much fun as a kid, but when I got to be a teenager, it got even better. I was asked to be in charge of the Haunted House. My friends and I had a blast planning and because we were all in Thespians, (our little high school drama group), each of us excelled at something that helped us in implementing all those plans, be it make-up, costuming or sets. WE ROCKED!!!

Halloween isn't so much fun anymore for me. It has gotten too gory and violent for my taste and not many people agree with me. We have all sorts of icky stuff going on here in Kingman, to include a Zombie Walk, downtown! (There are kids who won't sleep for a month after seeing those costumes. They TOTALLY go all out and the costumes are Just. Too. Freakin'. REAL!!!)  So I just don't do much but decorate for the change of season. However, THIS year, I was asked to be on the committee at my workplace to do the..........yep. You guessed it. The Fall Carnival!

OH. YAYNESS!!!!

Because we are gearing it for the younger crowd, it won't be gory and violent. We will leave that to others in our community and believe me, there are many! My contribution is mostly in decorating, so I thought I would share a tad about what I have been doing.

We decided to do a "Babes in Toyland" entrance to our little carnival, so I was responsible for the trees. Here is what I came up with.....

This is the original drawing from the Disney classic movie, "Babes in Toyland". I can remember being scared out of my knickerbockers when those trees came alive in that forest! My hands were over my eyes while I peeked between my fingers. Not sure why I felt safe viewing the movie that way.....But the problem is....can I re-create these? All I have to work with is cardboard, newspaper and paint!

THIS is one of my barrel racing barrels. You know. The ones I was going to paint and never got around to? Well, I need a base, so the tree won't blow over in our lovely Kingman winds!

 

Thank goodness I work at a place where cardboard and newspaper are abundant! I had no problems with being well supplied!

 

So let's begin. Cardboard base, held together with masking tape. Hey! Hay string and duct tape can't be painted over!

 

Add facial features and branches....

 

My porch started looking spooky. I am sure my neighbors were wondering what in the heck I was doing when they drove by! They do look odd. Sort of naked........they are lacking bark, so that was what comes next.

 

(Miss Scarlett. Helping me by keeping the squirrels from building a nest in the tree!)

And now the trees have bark!

 

BARK!

 

MEOW!

(Sorry Mom. You cannot have THIS box!)

 

I painted them this afternoon. They look great, but it was too dark to shoot a pic of them for this blog. So THAT will be tomorrows blog! I have to load them, (and a gazillion other things) into the horse trailer and get them down to the facility, set everything up and have it ready to go by 5:00 pm when the kiddos start arriving.

 

I can't wait!!!  Finally I can say, Happy Halloween!

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Abracadabra!!!

And just like that I have internet.

I have only been waiting for a year and a half! So glad to be back online again and have the ability to write whenever the urge hits me.

So much has happened and I cannot wait to begin the next leg of my journey in life and document it as I go.

Good grief! What did we DO before internet?!?!?!