Rustique Art

What's On Your Plate Today?

2009-11-10T08:04:00.000-08:00

Here's a sampling of mine...

#1 Work for wonderful son in law...building a list. Hummm...never been much of a list maker. Probably would have paid off though. This would be a great time for my brain cells to kick in a develop a program that would import search criteria results into specified fields created on an existing spreadsheet. Easy right? I'll let you know. Just when I really begin to enjoy writing little snippets and thoughts, articles and blog comments...I get the list building chore. Oh well, gives me time to meditate on today's scripture and devotional.

#2 What's for dinner? Oh that's easy today, Riley wants sausage, biscuits and gravy. Super simple supper! Guess a fruit salad would be a great addition too.

#3 Some Super Hero Capes are in the works for my adorable grand kids. Who doesn't love super heroes and who doesn't love working with fleece. So soft and this project is easy-peasy-pudd'n-pie!

#4 Cut out fabric to make Autumn's skirt. I have my daughter fooled....yeah, she thinks that I am a "fabulous" seamstress. I love her...she always boosts my ego. Truth be told...I'm an average seamstress that loves her daughter so much that I would do anything for her. Well for that matter, I would do anything for my children. But Chris, Lucas, Riley and Jake don't ask me to sew many clothing items for them. I'm a little nervous though...the first cut is the hardest. We spent over an hour picking out her material. That was so much fun and the kiddos were with us. They were amazing and of course Autumn and I beamed with pride when the cute little elderly ladies commented on how good they were. And they were... I am so proud of how Autumn and Michael have taught their children to be respectful and polite. Same with my other grandchildren, all of them a respectful and polite. My grandma crown is adorned with sparkling rubies!

Here's what we picked out...and let me just say, they we both could have spent another hour or two picking out more. I love fabric!

and here's what Haven does when he does get tired of shopping...

he just finds some friends and has a chat with them!

That's probably enough for my plate today. We will see how much gets accomplished.

I'm off to build a list!

This is Personal....It's All About Me!

2009-10-23T12:16:00.000-07:00

Well here it is, almost the end of October. Can you believe it? What's new in this blog and what does the future hold?

Here's the scoop....this blog site has now become my personal domain for me....not Rustique Art, not anything business related. But it will still have the name because I'm just too lazy to shut this one down and start a new one. Therefore, it will reflect the personal side of Rustique Art which is me.

Just fun and personal. My time, my thoughts, my reflections. As a mommy of teens, adults and dogs, grandma of 8 and one more blessing coming in January, sweet loving wife, *my opinion of course* I need a place to call my own.

I have created another site for my Rustique Art business blogging and will be using that one to promote my designs, crosses, Christian artists, Etsy team members and various other business related topics.

This spot is like my favorite pair of worn out blue jeans. Soft, cozy and comfortable. A safe harbor. A journey through my thoughts. I suppose there will be a few train wrecks along the way, but most of the time my thoughts and reflections are quite sane for now.

I can't guarantee that my soap box won't get pulled out and stood upon. After all isn't that what a blog is for? To get things off of your chest?

How about bragging about your children? And grand babies? Oh, yes...this is definitely the venue for that.

Praising my wonderful man....he is wonderful. I will most definitely give him some blog time...only the positives though. If there are negatives, I give those to God in my prayers...dirty laundry just doesn't look good in a blog.

I would like my place and time spent, encouraging others through thoughtful prose. Sharing fun stories, laughs, recipes, giggles and of course cute pictures.

Yep, this is a great place for staying connected to those I love and those that I don't get to see so much anymore. Mom lives out of state, sis lives out of state, extended family live out of state. Friends move away, daughter moved away. *sniff*

So in the words of Stevie Wonder...."I just blogged to say I love you..." *ha...I'm so funny*

Hugs,

Who Needs TV?

2009-10-20T13:38:00.000-07:00

Seriously...who needs it? I've said it before...there's not much worth watching these days. Now with places like YouTube, Tangle and other various video sharing sites, television, at least in my opinion [in my blog that counts] is loosing it's appeal. Or maybe it's just my age and the fact I have so many other things I want to do, there is no time for the teletube any more. I found this on my friend Eric's site, Stone Art USA ...thought it was adorable and wanted to share.

I'm going to go snuggle with my dog now....he's so cute!

Click, Crop, Fill'r Up!

2009-10-04T10:43:00.000-07:00

Finally uploaded all of my wall cross and other Rustique Art pictures onto my flickr page.

It only took me....hmmm 4 hours!!!! That was just uploading, tagging and sorting into sets. Which by the way is so amazing.

Love it....it's like organizing your underwear drawer. :)

I just want to keep going back and looking at it....open, close, open, close.

You can take a tour anytime you like. You might recognize some really old designs, some of them I had forgotten about. Like the TeaChimes.

I might even sleep better tonight knowing that all my pictures won't be lost if my computer ever crashes. (bite my tongue)

So my trip down memory lane was fun but now I feel the creative bug nudging me toward my studio. I went in and turned the lights on....saw my work table....turned around and walked out.

Talk about a big elephant in the middle of the room! I know, one bite at a time.

I was feeling faint....I had to sit down and write about it.

Maybe that will motivate me to organize my work zone. Ugh!!! I think that's why I love working on my website, etsy and blogs. Oh, did I mention that I have a wordpress blog now two. It is very organized and pretty.

Why does Rustique Art need two blogs?

Why not....it's fun to write and everyone needs more great things to read online! Right? Add to that, Muggsey & Mae my Etsy shop with vintage dishes, cookie jars and tons of other junk not yet listed....it has a blog now too. And I'm thinking about another one....I said thinking.

But of course all of this just keeps delaying the obvious....cleaning my studio.

And then....I really need to finish some crochet projects. I don't have a blog for that yet! Need to get that going....It will be about just simple crafts and projects.

I know....it's time to go.

I've put it off long enough. Unless....

Antique Cookie Jars...Fond Memories!

2009-09-12T10:52:00.000-07:00

Everyone I know collects something...many collect more than one something. Like me, I collect snowmen, books, beads and at one time I collected lovely antique cookie jars. I have probably over 40 now and at one time more. I've given some away as gifts, I've broken some, *sob* displayed them and boxed them up. Like everything in life, it has a season. I'm ready to move out of that season and move these treasures out of my house. Oh, I will keep a few...some are very cherished and will be kept until I leave the earth, then they will go to one of my children. However, most of them I can and will part with.

The story behind my collecting cookie jars began way back when I was expecting my first child. Almost thirty two years ago, being so big in the belly, I had to bend over while standing up, just to tie my shoes. It was while I was in that strange position that I spotted my first cookie jar. It was a duck and I later on found out that this duck, who I've dubbed Mae, was made by Hull Pottery. Behind Mae was another find and thus my second addition to my collection. Muggsy, an adorable little dog with the sweetest face, was made by Shawnee. Those two I will never part with. They were from my grandmother's kitchen and although she had all but forgotten about them and had relinquished them to the depths of the second self on her microwave stand, I had miraculously found them. And to think...it was all because of my huge belly!!

Time went on and I began collecting more cookie jars over the years. However, the first two were my favorites. I love flea markets and antique stores and our family traveled to different states quite a bit. I would usually return home from any vacation with a cookie jar. Always excited to get it home, wash it up and display it until my next jar hunt. I love dishes too and just about anything that looks old, rustic and eclectic. You can imagine how my closets must look....thirty two years of collecting!

Since Etsy so kindly allows vintage items to be sold on their site, I took a bold step and set up my second Etsy shop and named it...."Muggsey & Mae" It was a logical choice...right? That was a year ago....and today I am just now to the point that I can put my cookie jars in my shop. Am I sad? No....not sad, however it is very difficult to put a value on things that you have loved and cherished. It's a daunting, time consuming task....wash, dry, photograph and research. I feel it's my responsibility to enlighten and educate those that just want to look at or buy my cookie jars. Wouldn't you want to know the history of an item if it had one?

So that's where we are....my jars and me! In a wonderful reunion of memories. This will take days, weeks and months to get these lovelies on the site....but I want to share them with you before they find new homes.

I'll begin with her....this sweet little bear. You think she's the one that stole the cookie from the cookie jar?

American Bisque Girl Bear Cookie Jar

I don't know...He's the one licking his lips!

Brush Smiling Rabbit Cookie Jar

Both of these beautiful vintage cookie jars will be on display with details and available for purchase next week at Muggsey & Mae!

Wordless Wednesday...

2009-09-09T06:50:00.001-07:00

Make-It Monday....

2009-08-31T08:59:00.000-07:00

What to do, what to do...haven't posted in awhile. Thought I would share some thoughts, ideas and suggestions.

First...did you know? There are 115 days until Christmas...that means, for people like me who have vowed to make all presents this year, need to get moving!!!!

Second...do you know how much this is? 500,000,000,000

and what do you think that outrageous number represents? Grocery bags!!!!!!

...According to The Wall Street Journal, the U.S. goes through 100 billion plastic shopping bags annually. An estimated 12 million barrels of oil is required to make that many plastic bags.

This is just one of the facts related to this commonplace item in our lives today...Shocking!

Third...now you know! Monday's will now be my blogs make it day! Beginning today I will share with you a video, fact, tip, suggestion, commentary...whatever, on how to take something we use and throw away everyday and make it into something useful. Why? Because it gives me a reason to post, I want to write something useful and I want to challenge people to use their time to create wonderful things.

Simply put...God gave you a brain and two hands...use them! Everyone who knows me, knows that I have to be making something, reading something, cooking something or working something all of the time. I don't like my hands or brain to be idle. Today I'm sharing a YouTube video and guess what it's about.

Hint: Read above!

Plastic bags! I loath them....but yes! I confess, I forget to take my shopping bags into the store and therefore I come home with plastic....and never a shopping trip goes by that I'm not festering about how much I loathe them...((Haley won't let me say the "h" word anymore))

Therefore...let's make something out of them! Shall we...

I'll post this today and lets say...hummmm, next week when I post another Make-It Monday, I also include what I made with the previous Monday's topic. And I would love to see yours to. Here ya go....

What do you do with your plastic bags? I want to see! How about your blog? What do you post on Mondays?

Got it... Want it... Been there... Done that!!!

2009-08-06T16:56:00.000-07:00

she made it just for me.

bought it. love it.

love it. want it.

jerome, arizona...been there.

did these.

done that. x5 ;)

Start Spreading the News!!!!!

2009-08-02T07:01:00.000-07:00

START SPREADING THE NEWS

Yep! it's true... 50 % off everything listed in my etsy shop on Tuesday 8.4.09!!
See ya on Tuesday and don't forget to tell all of your friends!

Just Pondering....

2009-07-31T13:54:00.000-07:00

A young boy had just received his driver's permit and asked his father if they could discuss his use of the car.His father said he would make a deal with his son."You bring your grades up from a C to a B average, study your Bible a little, get your hair cut and we'll talk about the car."

The boy thought about that for a moment, decided he'd settle for the offer and they agreed on it. After about six weeks his father said, "Son, I've been real proud. You brought your grades up and I've observed that you have been studying your Bible, but I'm real disappointed you didn't get your hair cut."

The young man paused a moment then said, "You know, Dad, I've been thinking about that, and I've noticed in my studies of the Bible that Samson had long hair, John the Baptist had long hair, Moses had long hair. And there's even a strong argument that Jesus had long hair."

To this his father replied, "Did you also notice that they all walked everywhere they went?"

Answer to last weeks riddle:
Two weeks later....he received 5 traffic fine letters in the mail for driving without a seat belt!!! :)

What's the punchline? ♥keep it clean♥

2009-07-24T14:40:00.001-07:00

Don't you just love Friday's? The end of a long week and now a relaxing weekend with family, friends....or your dog!

Let's see how clever you are.....answer posted next Friday along with a new joke!

A man was driving when a traffic camera flashed. He thought his picture was taken for exceeding the speed limit, even though he knew he was not speeding. Just to be sure, he went around the block and passed the same spot, driving even more slowly, but again the camera flashed. He thought this was quite funny, so he slowed down even further as he drove past the area, but the traffic camera flashed yet again. He tried a fourth time with the same result. The fifth time he was laughing when the camera flashed as he rolled past at a snail's pace.

Two weeks later...

What's the punchline?

Interesting Sights on the Road...

2009-07-17T07:53:00.000-07:00

Summertime is the time for most families to travel. Vacations, visiting family, camps and just good ole family time! Most travel by plane to get to their destinations. Our family prefers to drive...well I do anyway, because I can't resist the temptation of stopping at every little antique shop along the way.

And not to mention all of the ~~strange~~ interesting attractions you might see along the way!

Another reason to stop...and click!

Take a look...

A horse statue made out of horseshoes? Now that's IRONic *giggle*

A rocking chair big enough for my butt AND all of my beautiful grandbabies!!

A really awesome place to shop!

dah...you didn't think I would stop just to take pictures did you?
All of these pictures are in one spot! hwy 281 just south of I20 in Lipan...don't blink because Lipan is tiny. I think this is outside of Lipan but then again...what isn't?
Ya think they might need some Barbed Wire Crosses?

Smoke on the prairie...

just further down 281 closer to Stephville, you could see this smoke for miles, we drove right through it. A huge grass fire, those firemen had their hands full that day. We drove for many miles and we saw several smaller fires being fought that had been set off by sparks from the original. We prayed all would be safe, humans and animals, this fire covered a large area of land where you would usually see cattle and horses grazing. And we questioned if there was a home or two within the inferno.
While driving home a few days later we saw that there was indeed a home. Amazing Grace covered this "little house on the prairie", it was untouched!...but you could see where the fire had been all around it.

I think this will be Part One of many more to come, because we love to just go....sometimes no place in particular....just drive...and shop...and eat...and click!

Sweet & Sunny

2009-06-04T07:08:00.000-07:00

If these beautiful little flowers are this pretty in the flats...Just imagine how pretty these will be in the flower beds....

On my long list of things I have to get done this weekend. I'm ashamed to say that these have sat like this for 3 weeks...remember I told you in a previous post that I never claimed to have a green thumb. But that never stops me from buying flowers and then procrastinating about putting them in the ground. Now that I have set myself up for being accountable I will be getting this done...very soon!
I will be planting for my view pleasure, pretty dark pink dianthus (sweet william) and bright & sunny marigolds.
I found a couple of wonderful flower websites...check them out and be inspired!
The Gardner's Network
The Organic Gardener

A planting I must go~

And The Award Goes To.....

2009-06-03T20:27:00.000-07:00

I'm so flattered! *blush*
I promise my speech won't be long...
I would like to thank crochethoughts for the sweet kindness she has bestowed upon me by awarding my blog with the "One Lovely Blog Award"
Isn't she a sweetheart....you'll never guess what she does...I can tell you she just doesn't think about crochet, she creates wonderful designs. Go take a peek!
Okay, now we all know it is better to give than receive...so I would like to honor fifteen of my favorite creative friends....Help me make them feel so special today.

http://qdrenewal.blogspot.com http://mysnugville.blogspot.com http://warehouseartchix.typepad.com http://menageriestudio.blogspot.com http://geminimoonmosaics.blogspot.com http://nkpdesigns.blogspot.com http://cottageinthesun.blogspot.com http://wordzoflife.blogspot.com http://birdhouseaccents.blogspot.com http://iloveboojiboo.blogspot.com http://melissascrochet.blogspot.com http://jabonsoaps.blogspot.com http://blueyeduckstudios.blogspot.com http://cherryscreations.blogspot.com
http://hello-refabulous.blogspot.com

Hugs to you miss marcia...thank you for thinking of me!

Out of my Garden, Into a Pickle Jar

2009-06-01T15:27:00.000-07:00

Pictured below is a Gladiola that my friend Karen let me take from her garden before she moved to Illinois nine years ago. I love the color of this flower, so sweet and delicate. So why do I have it in my backyard where my dogs can trample on it? Because for some reason that is where it grows the best. So I leave it there and year after year it never disappoints me.

Rudy & Rover leave it alone long enough to get some beautiful blooms. This weekend they were so pretty...just had to cut and bring inside so I could enjoy. I placed in a quart sized mason jar (because I'm so fancy and remember I don't throw things away) added some fresh sprigs of mint (also from my garden) and a ribbon of raffia. Smell and color...don't you wish you could scratch and sniff the screen?

I guess you would never believe me if I told you that my gardening skills are not the greatest. For some unknown reason this beautiful plant has continued to thrive in my yard. So I will continue to enjoy it's beauty...even if it is my only gardening success story!

What do you have growing in your garden this year?

This WAHM's Dress Code....

2009-05-30T09:51:00.000-07:00

Found this site and loved it. Great way to share your faith while your at the office...oh wait! my office is at home! Okay, my favorite way to dress for my "work at home day" is barefoot, bluejeans and tees...check out Wild Olive Tees.

Wonderful colors, several sizes and styles....ultra fitted to classic tees.

Beautiful verses and designs. Can't wait to get mine in the mail.

Subscribe to their blog and receive updates on new designs, coupons and promotions.

They love to share their blessings as well. Like the new charity tee Unfolding next month.

And their Give It charity is sharing their blessing with Love Without Boundaries a worldwide group of volunteers dedicated to improving the lives of orphaned and impoverished children in China.

I love it....cute clothes and helping others!

Don't Throw It Away!!!!

2009-05-29T16:29:00.000-07:00

I used to think that I was so good at getting rid of clutter....Meaning that I have no problem tossing items that don't concern me. *anything that does not belong to me*

If it is mine....dishes, magazines, pottery, jewelry...it stays!!!! Lately my mantra has become "Don't throw that away...I can make something out of it!"

I have a whole drawer dedicated to broken plates, china, tile....stacks of Country Living magazines that might possibly go back to 2000. The issues dating back to 1988 Jim forced me to toss. He though I needed intervention....I did need a few minutes to compose myself and my fingers had to be pried off of the trash bin.
But I survived and happily began stacking again...this time in my studio so that no one can complain as to how much space they take up.

I do look at them and I refer to back issues often when I need inspiration, motivation....justification!

If I had thrown away a cup and saucer that was chipped, I never would have come up with "Rustique Art"....seriously. That's how my passion began. I could not bring myself to throw them away so I made this...taa daa! A TeaChime!

And then there was the plate I broke...so sad, it was from a set. Oh well...What is a pack rat to do?

I can't think of a better way to spend a weekend than playing with broken dishes, unless it's going to a flea market looking for more dishes! Speaking of flea markets....it's Canton Trade Days weekend!!! Wonder what I can find?

Yippee! Someone loves me!

2009-03-26T21:26:00.000-07:00

Check out the beautiful treasury on Etsy featuring one of my Barbed Wire Crosses and many other wonderful Christian Artists from the CAST ((Christian Artist Street Team))
What an honor to be admired for the gift creativity the God has given me. Check it out and show those wonderful artists some love.

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=48465

Feeling Ornamental

2009-03-24T11:34:00.000-07:00

Find more photos like this on The Cafe Handmade Lounge

Spring = Fresh = Birth = Renew = Easter = Christ has Risen

2009-03-17T11:39:00.000-07:00

Just Charming ♥♥♥ 1 1/2" Aqua Wire cross charm embellished with pink rhinestone flower slider and accented with non-tarnishing silver wire.

Great Easter gift for teachers, friends, co-workers!

Add this cross charm to your Bible covers, backpacks, purses, jacket zipper....accent your jeans by attaching to your belt loop! Instant jean jewelry!!!
Remove clip and add silk cording or organza and create a beautiful necklace.

Many uses... very versatile... very affordable!
Comes in a small box reading to wrap up for gift giving.

((( contains small parts...not meant for children under 12 )))

Now available at Rustique Art Etsy!!

Hello....is anybody out there?

2009-01-29T20:46:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Soapbox Thursday! This blog carnival was created by Autumn. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else are yelling from their soapbox this week.

It's amazing...when someone tells you that you could have an open venue to stand on your soapbox and release your frustrations without a care....you would think I would have set my alarm earlier today so that I could be the first to spew! But nooooooo....my mind went totally blank. However....I was able to squeeze one teeny tiny rant into my little fingers this evening just before the first Soapbox Thursday was over! Here she blows....my rant....

I own an online store and have a shop on Etsy. Often I get emails from interested clients who have inquiries about my crosses. What other sizes? Can you do this? or that? Do you wholesale? Will you donate? How much does it cost?
I am happy to respond and delighted to know that someone in interested enough to stop what they are doing and type out a request to me. Usually I will respond upon receipt and reading of an email, unless there are extenuating circumstances such as checking to see if I have all that is needed for their request or taking the time to find what I would need to complete their request and have the lead times and pricing ready with the email. Most often in the latter example I will shoot back a response something like...."thank you for your interest in Rustique Art designs, I will gather any info I need to answer your questions and get right back to you."

So my soapbox is this...you answer the email and wait to hear back....anything....hello! is anybody out there? Did they fall into a well?
All I want is a reply that they received my reply.

Like....thank you but "no thanks" or how about...just an "OK!"
Probably 8 times out of 10 I don't hear back.....but that's okay! I get over it and move on. Yes....my marketing guru friends, I do follow up a few days later with an email..."just checking in to see if you had anymore questions" or "when would you like that shipped?" LOL...not really!

Okay...I'm done and I was very mellow tonight....wasn't I?

Hello.....are you there?

What is your soapbox? Your rant? Your pet peeve?

Turn on the light!

2009-01-18T10:15:00.000-08:00

Ephesians 5:11 (New International Version)
11Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.

Remember the game truth or dare? I really never played a lot because I really didn’t want people to know all of my truths…you know what I mean? Fun at first and then comes a question you really don’t want to answer.
That being said and how it relates to this post is two fold…the dare part comes later as I challenge you several times. I dare you to share this with others. I dare you to use it as a tool to be a more responsible parent. I dare you to turn away from this post and never let it effect you.

The truth, that’s where we begin.
I prefaced this post with a verse from Ephesians because…
1) I believe the word of God with all of my heart
2) I have faith that if you have a problem, God will hear your request and make it quite clear how to respond to your problem.
3) Because this verse is the crux of this post.
It begins with a phone call received be me at my work last week. Usually I am running all over the office trying to meet the needs of our patients and lately it has been a zoo. However, the Lord must have seen fit to create, “the calm before my storm” as I was experiencing a moment of quite when my phone rang. I was my child (in distress) asking if I could talk.
I answered yes! While observing that no one was in the office at that moment and for many minutes that it took for me to listen to what my child had to say. Explaining to me that a friend had shared some news about their self and because my child had not reacted in a way that the friend had desired, a disagreement followed. My child was saddened and was sharing this news with me. Drama aside….and there is drama coming….my office remained quite and empty until I could get my child calmed down enough and encourage “my child” to call an older sibling for counsel. At that time I called hubby and asked if he was aware that of the issue occurring right under his nose. He was in one room of the house while our child was calling me at work from their room. I was told by hubby that he would handle it and that he did. Our child never knew I had called home. Hubby and child sat down and talked after the convo between siblings had finished. Needless to say, by the time I arrived home all was calm but much was left to be said.

Okay…. now I grew up in a very different time I realize this…my parent’s issues with their teens were…sex, drugs and rock & roll. Really! It was a time when the divorce rate was sky rocketing and it was a real “it’s all about me” era.
Looking back…they had it so easy. No cell phones, no texting, no instant messaging, no internet, no internet porn, no emails. And if you were a bully…your only venue to spew your threats was on the school play ground or as you walked home.

Now it comes via texting, email, my space and face book. It’s called cyber bullying and it is amazing what these “teens” will put in writing.
Going ahead with the story….now comes the text messages my child begins to get from another person. How and why this teen is fixating on my child is not clear other than the knowledge of the teen doing the texting says that they are speaking for the “friend” that had shared with my child.

Are you confused yet? Let’s review….

Friend A confesses something to my child. Friend A gets angry because my child is unequipped to handle this confession and does not react the way Friend A would like.
Mutual friend B (friend?) gets in it somehow and begins the texting. Friend A refuses to speak with my child and Friend B thinks it is their job to get involved. This is the drama part I was alluding to earlier. I

If you are beginning to laugh at this post thinking that I am all wrapped up in this teeny bopper drama. You might be correct as I too would find this comical if the texting hadn’t become threatening and if the Friend A had not admitted that they were hurting themselves.

Still laughing?

John 3:20 (New International Version)
20Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.

After much debate (stand down) between my child and me, I explained that I had every reason to request viewing these texts and that the word “privacy” would not be an issue in this house until dad and I were no longer responsible for their nourishment, shelter and care. In other words…if I pay for the phone, computer, the clothes on your back the room over your head and the food in your tummy, then you will abide by my rules. Tough love? No! it’s common sense and let’s be real people…we as parents are suppose to protect our children.

I read the texting that was being sent to my child last night beginning at 9:30ish until almost midnight. I asked “why are you responding to this unbelievable garbage…?” “I dunno!” and “because!” were the answers. My child did not want me to read the text messages and I saw why. Not only was the language offensive and would be rated R if it was a movie, but there were threats of violence also. Now this jumps out of my hands and becomes an issue for authorities.

I have to tell you…I really had to chew on this before it became clear as to my next step. Was I angry? Yes! Did I want to retaliate? Yes! What would you do?

What I did was go to my knees and pray for these children. Friend A your parents need to be aware of your actions against yourself or thought of. And Friend B beside the obvious, washing your mouth out with soap if you had said these words, your parents need to be aware of how you are spending your free time and using the phone that they are paying for. I’m sure that’s not what they intended. I prayed for holy intervention into their lives and for my forgiveness of their actions toward my child.

Did I receive an answer to my prayers? You bet I did….and here it is.

Ephesians 5:13 (New International Version)
13But everything exposed by the light becomes visible

I am exposing it to the light and I will use the same venues as my child’s attackers are using. I will expose this to all of you my friends, readers and yes even those of you who will read this that I don’t know. Why? Because evil cannot stay or live in the light no more than bugs or rats will once the light is turn on in a room.

I am praying that each and every one of you as parents take the time to send this to your friends because these teens in this post might be their child or a friend of a friend. I am sending this to any one and every one I know. Even if you don’t have a child….you have a neighbor….you have a coworker….you can make a difference in a child’s life. I dare you! It could be your child. I dare you to look at their text messages, emails, my space, face book. Privacy? You must be kidding…if they have a my space page or face book page, blog or the send instant messages….there is no privacy. It can all be accessed by those that no how too. So the privacy theory is out the window.

My child did the right thing….Told me! What is Friend A doing? Cutting. Don’t know what that is? Google it! You will be amazed what our children are doing under our nose. Is Friend A really cutting? That’s not for me to try to find out…it for me to help without exposing my child to any more angst and retaliation. Friend A told for a reason…I can only pray that they shared with my child because they had faith that my child really cared enough to tell me. I am respecting the privacy of these families by not using names and you really don’t even know which child of mine I am talking about.

Truth or Dare….Will you help me get this out? Will you dare to share this? Will you go to your child and look at their arms, legs and torso? Will you confiscate their phone and read the text messages? If you do, you might be helping a child get the help he/she needs. If you do you will be responsible for exposing someone’s threats.

Now if you are reading this and you “think” you know the “who, what, where and when”….keep it to yourself. This is not meant to slander anyone or spread gossip. I will be staying on top of this and if I see that things are not getting resolved I will be knocking of the doors of these teens and speaking with the parents one to one. I am concerned for my child’s safety and do not want to further fuel the fires. This is my attempt to put them out.

Your negative comments will not be needed, however if you must post one, please know that I will most likely allow it to stay so others can read how you would handle this situation.

You will be exposed so choose you words wisely.

Below are some links dealing with cutting and cyber bullying. I encourage you to check these and others. Our children need you to know what they are facing every day.

http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_mind/feeling_sad/cutting.html
http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/features/cutting-self-harm-signs-treatment
http://www.notreligion.com/index.php/Relationships/How-Can-I-help-someone-who-is-cutting-themselves.html
http://stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov/adult/indexAdult.asp?Area=cyberbullying

Thinking about Valentine's Day?

2009-01-08T06:06:00.000-08:00

Need something for your sweetheart?

...visit my Rustique Art Etsy shop for more gift ideas.

Belated but sincere....

2009-01-07T21:04:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year

On my list.....

2008-11-07T03:55:00.000-08:00

This book has made my list of great all time reads! If you don't have it....get it! If you have it and just have not had the time to pick it up.....do it! If you've read it and loved it.....buy more and give them away!
The Shack will make a wonderful Christmas gift for anyone.