GoodBye July

This is truly a month I am glad to see in the rear view mirror.

First Monday Of Vacation

I am thankful for my thoughtful, peaceful place. May all who enter

feel the peace and rest of my nest.

This little meme made me chuckle this morning.

I am that "Scary Mom" who live with my childhood

dreams illustrated by this Dick and Jane style of art.

I've lived through the baby food in my hair and this week

I get to have my Granddaughter give me some baby food conditioner.

I finally have white clothes that stay white after wearing for 6 months.

I no longer get wine in a box, but I do, indeed, have saggy eyes.

I can't imagine having them surgically removed.

....And this from Butterflies and Pebbles.

I am beginning my birthday month and vacation with a goal of rest and peace.

Yes, I have created a place of Peace and Rest, but I only enjoy it in two hour increments.

This week I am taking larger portions. Yes, I will get my apartment cleaned for baby...

...to explore every surface.

Em will touch, taste and explore...

Meanwhile, I will be Leaning on the Everlasting Arms. This past two weeks I did a She Reads Truth study on old hymns and their origins.

After spending my birthday with friends and family (Aug 2nd), I get to have three days with my little Petunia (Em).
Following that adventure, my sister and I are headed to the ocean to soak up the sand and sea waters. Our weather here is in the 100's all of July, August and a good part of June and Sept. Spending three days on the coast to soak in the 70's and sand is a respite I cherish every August.

Lamentations 3:22-23

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;

    his mercies never come to an end;

 

they are new every morning;

    great is your faithfulness.

Great is YOUR Faithfulness

Galatians 5:22-23

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 

gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Stock photo-Hummingbird feather

Today is the last Monday I will sit on my Terrace listening to the Hummingbirds twitter, feeling their wind on my face...in preparation for Summer Camp BC 2017. We have completed 7 weeks of our amazing day camp and today begins the final week.

As I watched one of my hummers drinking from the feeder this morning, I noticed that a tiny tail feather had stuck to the feeder. (It is the size of the one in the stock photo and my phone camera could not focus.) What a precious tiny gift a feather can be.

New Mug

I visited the Redding City Church yesterday and was given a coffee mug for completing the visitors form. The Spirit filled service was restful and spoke to my heart. I will be visiting again next week.

My Butterfly was on a puzzle -app

Butterflies and Pebbles

This being the last week of camp, I will have possibly more children in my care than in other weeks. We have a full house on the roster. Last Friday our afternoon director was ill and as I sat in at her desk for the 6 hours I was able to plan this week and see the world of directing camp.A different side of the coin, indeed.

Decorated Rock idea

Next week I have a lot planned, but I hope to get a stock of rocks painted as gifts and to hide on my travels. https://www.facebook.com/groups/815216071912820/

Let your life so show before men, that they may see your good works,
and glorify your FATHER who is in Heaven. Matt 5:16 KJV

I'm so proud of how my son has been dealing with his adversity this month.

July has been very hard, but we have a lot to look forward to in August

Em and Lion will come visit August 3rd

The Lord Will Turn Mourning to Joy

Thank you friends and family...

...for your prayers and thoughts for my son and me, as well as the Haedrick family.

July 4th a beautiful creature left our lives and went to God's garden to grace them with her wonderful spirit. Taylor, my son's girlfriend, was the sunflower and the butterfly all in one amazing package. The beauty of  the sun's reflection on a sunflower and the grace and joy of the butterfly. She passed away in my son's arms loosing a battle with illness that left us all speechless.

My Taylor Elephant

I have been buying Christmas presents in July as I have more money this time of year. This little elephant will remind me of our shared love of the Indian  Elephant Moteff. In Indian culture, elephants are a symbol of mental strength, earthiness and responsibility. I feel that is a great way to describe what Taylor and I share, along with a bit of this Free Spirit Child.

This summer I have spent time embracing my my God-given uniqueness. Taylor has been one of the people who excepted me on face value. The love she shared with my son was something I could not understand. I was blessed to see them enjoy something I have never experienced. Perhaps that was, because it would be such a short time they had to enjoy eachother. God gave her an extra measure of grace for my son.

S.C Lourie at Butterfly and Pebble described what I have

learned this summer about me.

This summer I learned most of the lessons about myself through the interactions I had with others.

My co-workers, friends, and even the fellow shoppers at Trader Joe's. I know I am a bookworm who would rather spend my free time in the summer ~ curled up in a cool place with a book. I have done that enough to get my prize at the library reading program for summer. BUT...I have made myself get out and I have invited people into my nest. This summer I reach out of my bubble of comfort.

I have also been going to counseling. This week I am to begin a program called "Brain Spotting". I still don't know what that is, but the internet and my therapist assure me that it will help with anxiety and PTSD.

Jeremiah 31:13b

"...  For I will turn their mourning into joy and will comfort them and give them joy for their sorrow.'

Ian and Taylor (the happiest couple)

Grief will have it's unpleasant cycle, but our strength is in the Lord of the Butterfly and the Sunflower.

5 Jelly Beans and "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness"

Yes, I said, "Jelly Beans." Just 5 little jelly beans 

can put me over the edge, but I did not go there.

Every one has those triggers in their life, mine this week was "5 Jelly Beans" at 4:30 pm 

on Friday afternoon in a room with 16 soon-to-be 3rd and 4th graders.

Not ever one has the amazing summer job I do, so I will explain.

I am a group leader for 20 or so soon-to-be 3rd and 4th grader from all over Shasta County.

They are with me for 8 weeks, some only come every other week, some come only one week and some will be here the entire 8 weeks as their parents work and cant take off summer break.

We have a lot of fun! There are 2 field trip options for each week, 4 different activities available during each day....6 different choices three in the morning and three in the afternoon.

Yesterday was the half way point; four weeks down and four to go. July 28th at 6:00 pm will find me wanting to be done, but I'm going to miss the high energy, fast passed schedule.

So, what's with the "5 Jelly Beans", Mrs Deena? 

I have been on a Sugar Detox for 4 weeks. No refined or added sugar of any kind. Until this last week I hadn't even had fruit. This is a lifestyle change that I hope to keep on forever.

This last school year there was a point ever day around 3:30 to 4:30 pm when I would open the cupboard and give the kiddos a jelly bean, M&M or some kind of treat for being good. Since I was being "very good" I would give myself "5 Jelly Beans".

Some days that was the only added sugar in my life, but it added up. A granola bar can have 12 grams of sugar and there are 4 grams of sugar in a sugar cube.

Jelly Beans have about 37 grams of sugar to a 120 calorie serving, where as, I would have to eat 4 Nature Valley Crunch bars for 120 calories and that would be 24 grams of sugar. 

Wine is harder to figure, in US we don't have the nutritional info on the bottle, like "food".

Dry wine can have only 4 grams of sugar per litter and sweet wine can have, as much as 46 grams per 6 oz. I quit sugar has all kinds of info on the topic of alcohol and sugar detox.

I did not eat the jelly beans yesterday or any of the other days the past 4 weeks when the trigger came. Friday was one of those day where we had spent time and money to give the kiddos a good time and expected them to be respectful and thankful. My group seems to have a hard time with that concept. It seems to be an age specific thing with these kiddos. I can get the attention of any of the other groups with little effort, however, it is shared at camp that my group is the hardest to rein in. 

I was ready to grab the treat for the good ones...but I did not treat them with the sweet or get into it myself. The four ring leaders were put in "four corners" with a book while I addressed the other 12 and gave them an art project to chill with after our trip to the lake. Then the "four" got to sit at the table with me and write an apology to the director with a plan of action for future. I was pretty proud for a Friday afternoon to work through my "5 jelly bean" moment and include a lesson for the entire group. The 12 who didn't have to write were watching every move I made with the other four kiddos. It seemed to be a milestone moment for me. I had a clear head, I acknowledged my trigger and I didn't treat the kids with food either.

On to July

Grammie's little Petunia is ready for the 4th of July in her Auntie Mary's old dress

.

 Auntie Mary in November 1991 in the same dress. I bought the dress for her with my birthday money. Aug. 1991. Now August 2017 I get to spend my birthday week with Petunia as we prepare for her 1st birthday. Meanwhile, July is another month of busy camp afternoons and preparing mind/spirit/body for a new school year that will begin the 2nd week of August. (I have no countdown either way.)

Happy 4th of July. My henna tattoo is celebrating my Independence Day Motto. "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness."  I am thankful for a country where we celebrate everyone's difference and the right to be different. There is no perfect and there is a lot of bad stuff in this world, but I choose Joy.

John 16:33

"I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (NIV)