MOTIVATIONAL MONDAY - Amaze Yourself

WHEN LIFE HANDS YOU LEMONS

Mama never said it would be easy.  When life throws us a curve ball, we often react to the unbalance in different ways.  It's not easy to instantly ignore the elephant in the room because  past experiences dictated that worry, stress and fear must follow.  Our brain remembers when a similar situation happened that could have resulted in a traumatic state of unrest.  We associate this trauma with the past but if we break through that habit and instead regard the situation as if it was a true test which God allowed into our otherwise peaceful existence, we would be able to immediately identify it as such and offer it to God for resolution.  

God said in His word to lay our burdens onto Him and He will give us rest.  We know for a fact that God is perfect, and is not a liar.  So given these facts, if He said so, then there should not be any arguments on our part.  So lay your burdens onto Him, just do as He says with total surrender and trust and amazing things will manifest from it.  I can say this with so much conviction because He has done this for me in my life.  I'm sold!

Until my next rant.... LOVE ONE ANOTHER!  Love you, mean it!

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NEW ABSTRACT ART - This week on My Happy Cocoon Studio

Sharing with you my new abstract to inspirational music.  What do you think?  

Till my next art... LOVE ONE ANOTHER!  Love you, mean it!

Have an awesome weekend!  

Comments are encouraged.  If you don't see the comment box, please click the "No Comments" link.

THROWBACK THURSDAY -- Mural for a boy's bedroom

These are the paintings I did for a doctor in San Jose.  It was for his son's bedroom who was into sports.  Sharing with you.  What do you think?

Thanks for visiting my blog.  Till my next post... LOVE ONE ANOTHER!  Love you, mean it!

MOTIVATIONAL MONDAY - RISE ABOVE THE JUNK

Today is Monday, make a decision to have a great week!  Let the bad comments slide by.  Remember, nasty people WANT you to react.  Don't give them the satisfaction, instead, give it to God.  Simply say, "God, this person is yours."  Watch something magical happen.  Trust me, it works!

Until my next rant.... LOVE ONE ANOTHER!!! Love you, mean it!

LOVE AND FORGIVENESS - SYNCHRONICITY

An unscheduled trip to Las Vegas, and not for fun in sin city, was prompted due to my father's dire condition who is inflicted with a devastating disease called Leukemia, cancer of the blood, which triggered a myriad of complications.  Las Vegas isn't one of my favorite cities anyway.  So if all my brother, sister and I do while here is to be in the hospital with my Dad would not faze me either way.

The history between he and I go way back.  Majority of the time it was unfavorable for reasons I would not want to bore you with, although those reasons got in the way of trust, understanding and patience for each other.  I spent all my life affected by them and to date realized that I had wasted my entire life resenting someone while my actions hinged toward the negative instead of moving on from it.  Perhaps I needed counseling but I tried to heal myself the best that I could to be able to function in this already messed up world.

All in all I could say that my children took the focus off that wound for most of the years because my love for them became the proverbial band aid.  Although the ill feelings came back later on after becoming an empty nester and my father's decision to migrate to the U.S., I thought I could handle it like a pro.  And I did.  Until lately when another falling out flooded all the bad memories back. But this time there would be no second chapter or re-birthing of children to take my mind off of it.  The resentment came pouring back. 

God became my only rock to lean on.  Somehow and gradually, He began to hold me accountable for those negative feelings I held and couldn't shake.  I pretended that God thought it was okay for me to shun somebody who did me wrong and who was not walking the Christian walk.  There was a point in the not so distant past where I was questioning whether it really was "OK."  The reason why it was bugging me was because it wasn't ok.  So I asked God sincerely what He thought.  For that I prayed and asked Him to impress it in my heart somehow, someway, which only He knew how.  

He never disappoints.  I was listening to an Adrian Rogers message.  A message I've heard before I'm sure as he has since passed and what was shown on tv were reruns.  He said that God didn't joke when He included it in the 10 Commandments that we shall honor our fathers and our mothers.  He said that we should take care of them and love them unconditionally because who are we to not forgive their shortcomings when we are human just like them.  I'm pretty sure that in my children's eyes I was far from perfect and I will be the first to admit this.  God was right again.  Who are we not to forgive and love our parents unconditionally when we ourselves are not perfect.

It took me awhile to gather up the courage to call my father.  I spoke with him a few months ago.  He was already stricken with Leukemia but I treated that fact in a nonchalant way, becoming self-righteous in my pathetic little mind.  I was still unsympathetic actually after I spoke with him.  I did my part, I called him, and reasoned with myself that surely was enough.

Until last week when my sister told me that his condition worsened because of an ulcer that is causing the blood transfusion to leak out and he is bleeding internally.  He was rushed to the hospital.  We thought he would not recover from it.  When I spoke to him I could not control the tears, tears I never even thought I could shed for him given the negativity I held in all my life.  I never understood how people could bring themselves to closure with a parent until I experienced it myself.  It was because I realized that when he passes on, the mere presence of one that has wronged you would be gone and then nothing would matter after that.  That person can no longer hurt me.  So it didn't really matter anymore.  That was when I realized that I was humbling myself to God because that was His will.  I came to a conclusion that it was about God, it's not about me or my dad.  I don't know about you but that was the best feeling ever.  To see my father so happy to see us all perhaps the last time before he goes, or even if his cancer goes on remission, it didn't matter.  All that matters is that the unconditional forgiveness I experienced was not even an aota of God's forgiveness for our sins.  I can slowly but surely start to understand God and why He hates pride.  My father was released last Monday to go home.  His ulcers are healed, and his low dose of chemo has been successfully doing its thing for him.  He and I have resolved our conflict, never to look back and it seems to be the case with my brothers and sister as well.  God is awesome when He works in our hearts.  I give HIM the glory always.  Now I can say He is smiling down at me, and that my friends, is PRICELESS!

Until my next rant...  LOVE ONE ANOTHER!! I Love you, and I mean it!   :)

FOODIE FRIDAY - FROM VEGGIE STEW TO CHICKEN STEW

This is my cool idea.  My daughter is vegan and I'm not.  But I wanted to make a low cal, low salt chicken stew today and did not want meat to touch her food. SOOO..... Here's a two in one recipe!  Always giving God the glory! Hope you like.

This is the finished product - the Chicken Stew part.  I planned for making 8 servings

5 Chicken breasts
1 large onion
3 tbsp garlic chopped
3 small tomatoes
2 large potatoes (cubed)
5 medium sized carrots (1/2 in slices)
5 stalk of celery (sliced)
1 large green bell pepper
1 large red bell pepper
1 c sliced mushrooms
1 small can tomato sauce
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can beef gravy
2 tbsp soysauce
2 tbsp oyster sauce
4 bay leaves
pepper
garlic powder

1. Saute garlic, onions and tomatoes for about 2 minutes.  Add the bay leaves and season with pepper and garlic powder.

2.  Add in the tomato sauce and stir.  

3.  Add the soysauce then add the carrots and potatoes.

4.  Add the oyster sauce and the cream of mushroom soup.  Stir and let boil for about 5 minutes before adding the rest of the veggies

5.  After stirring, lower the heat to medium low and just let the hard veggies get halfway tender.

6.  Remove the portion you'd like to stay vegan into a smaller pot.  Turn off the heat from the large pot but continue to cook the vegan portion until potatoes and carrots are tender.  You're done with the vegan side.

7.  Cut up the chicken breast to large cubes and season with garlic powder.  In a frying pan, heat up enough oil to cover the pan.  Let it sit for about 30 seconds and put in the chicken. 

8.  Remove from pan and add into the large pot.  Stir.  Turn the heat back on.

9.  Add in the gravy, using water to dissolve leftover from the can and pour that into the pot.

10.  Stir and add more soysauce if needed.  I use lite soysauce for a lower sodium version.

I hope you enjoy and let me know if you like it.  This is perfect with steamed, basmati, or brown rice.

Until my next rant... LOVE ONE ANOTHER! Love you, mean it!!

THROWBACK THURSDAY - HOMER'S ODYSSEY

Years ago, I worked on a fabric art mixed media for a call for art submission with Somerset Studios. Unfortunately, life happened and I never got it finished.  So, the unfinished part followed me in about 4-5 house moves.  Now, I would like to share it with  you.  It had a purpose after all.  I hope you enjoy it. 

As you can see, some of the beads came loose.  Hopefully, one day I will replace them.   The substrate is just canvas fabric. The background is acrylic paint.  The photos were printed on iron on fabric sheets, then stitched onto the painted canvas fabric.  Finally, embellishments were attached.

Until my next rant... LOVE ONE ANOTHER! Love you, mean it!

NEGATIVITY HAS NO PLACE.... ANYWHERE

Just like an annoying bee on a cat's nose, negative people with negative opinions get in the way of our service to God.  They constantly buzz around us to negate and sometimes successfully do so, to halt our efforts of completing God's purpose for us.  They  could be in the form of events, bad habits, or just simply life.  No one is immune.  

But God’s power is boundless.  We are but a little tiny speck in this world that we live in yet we fail contemplate on how powerful God can truly be.  He only imposes limits on His own powers when it comes to us because we were given the gift of free will when we were created.  He waits on us to ask Him for His will to be done because He only rules on where He is invited.

He will work through people.  There are those who resist, those who sin in rebellion to His will but understand this, there will be someone through whom he can work, and He will.  Working for his kingdom is here on earth as it is in heaven.  We are here for but a minute, heavenly life is eternal.  Make yourselves available to do God’s work right here, right now, on earth and sow true riches in heaven because that wealth is more important than earthly wealth.    

Jesus then says, “Let it be you.”

Until my next rant... LOVE ONE ANOTHER!! Love you, mean it!

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BABY ROSE- PICKED FROM OUR WALK TODAY

Just wanted to share this cute pic.  Picked a baby rose today.  The bottle is only 2 inches!

FRIENDSHIP FRIDAY! - Sending a thank you card to an art trade friend

I recently joined a musee art trade where your name is sent to another person who sends you two art pieces and you will get someone as well you would send art pieces.  However, I felt that I should send something to the person who sent me the gifts as well.  Why not?  After all it is Friendly Friday!

So I decided to send her a handmade postcard.  I started with an index card (the one I pre-gessoed).  Gathered some watercolors and embellishments.

Painted some background color and let dry.

Then I glued a decorative paper tag and one of my leftover sized artwork and some other embellishments.

Then I sealed it with two coats of self-leveling gel.  Let dry completely in between coats.

Finally, add the name, address, and note in the back.  Don't forget the stamp!!

Until my next rant... LOVE ONE ANOTHER!! Love you, mean it!!

TIPSY TUESDAY - FOR STAMPERS AND SCRAPBOOKERS - CARING FOR YOUR STAMPS

With care, your stamps will last for years.  Sunlight is an art stamp's worst enemy.  It a very short time sunlight will dry out and crack the rubber, rendering it incapable of absorbing ink.  Store your rubber stamps, image side down, in a cool, dark place.

To prolong their wear, clean your stamps after each impression.  The easiest way is to moisten a paper towel with a very weak mixture of water and stamp cleaner or household window cleaner, then pat your stamp onto the paper towel to remove the ink.  pat again on a clean, dry paper towel.  Some stamp pros use commercial baby wipes instead.  The cleansing agent is not only gentle to the rubber, but the moisturizers help keep it supple.

Till my next tip.... LOVE ONE ANOTHER! Make lots of art.  Love you, mean it!

MOTIVATIONAL MONDAY - Obliterate Fear and Guilt

"In your heart, you know exactly what you'd love to do, but the fears and guilt stop you from acknowledging it!" DrDemartini.com

It's human nature.  It's what you were told.  It is what others experienced and your ability to apply the feelings of guilt and fear to yourself.  These feelings are life-suckers.  They love to immobilize you.  These are the lies of the enemy, human or spiritual.  A strong person will fall into its trap every now and then but will rise above it and realize that misery loves company.  Being human is a double-edged sword.  It is about decision, though. You make the decision.  Either fall into the traps of failure or rise above in victory?  Choose to obliterate fear and guilt, now!

HAVE A GREAT WEEK!  LOVE ONE ANOTHER! Love you, mean it!!!

THE JARRAH TREE

The Jarrah tree found in Australia, also known as “ironwood” is known to be so dense and hard that the termites hate it.  It is also widely used in construction, for obvious reasons.  It takes skill, strength and determination to build with ironwood.

In life we are often faced with “jarrah” situations.  There are daily challenges that happen where we see no end in sight and sometimes feel that they are impossible tasks to handle.  These situations will seem so big that it hinders our vision to what is behind it.  What is behind it, no matter how enormous is God, the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit is omnipresent, deeply personal and all powerful.  The Holy Spirit wants us to use Him, yes, in every jarrah situations that seem impossible to “cut.”

The most important thing is to ask for help as soon as it appears in front of us.  To ignore such challenges is to allow it to grow and develop as sturdy and as hard as a Jarrah Tree.  We are expected to ask for the assistance from the Holy Spirit.  That is what He is there for.  Jesus’ promise to be with us at all times is the Holy Spirit.  Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.

Practice asking.  Till my next rant… LOVE ONE ANOTHER!  Love you, mean it!

FOODIE FRIDAY - ORANGE MANGO CHICKEN

MANGO ORANGE CHICKEN

8 pieces chicken fryer

½ c. sherry

1 c. mango-orange juice

paprika, salt and pepper to taste rubbing into the chicken parts

olive oil

1 onion, quartered

2 bay leaves

orange zest

1 can chicken broth

Marinade the chicken in mango orange juice, rubbing salt pepper paprika into the fryer parts and keep in marinade for 30 minutes to 1 hour.  Do not discard the marinade as we will be using it later

Fry the chicken in the olive oil until brown and almost cooked through.

Take about 6 tbsp from the chicken oil and sauté the onion and bay leaves and zest in another pot until the onion is transparent.  Put in the fried chicken into the pot.

Add the chicken broth, the rest of the marinade, cover and simmer for another 15 minutes or until chicken is done.

Remove the chicken and arrange in a platter.  Strain the broth and return to the pot.  Mix 1 tsp. flour in about 4 tablespoon water and dissolve the flour.  Pour into the mixture and cook until thick.

Serve with rice, mango and orange wedges if desired.

Until my next rant... LOVE ONE ANOTHER! Love you, mean it!

THROWBACK THURSDAY - Tuscan Mural

I am sharing with you a trompe l'oiel mural I painted way back in 2001 in my massage studio in San Jose.  It took me four whole days to finish this. I would sometimes skip meals because of being so engrossed in it.  One day I will do another one.  Until my next rant... LOVE ONE ANOTHER!!! Love you, mean it!

ART DAY WEDNESDAY - Humor Me

To be a great artist, you have to have a sense of humor.  Why? Because there are days when your creative juices are tapped out.  There are days when you are excited to create but life gets in the way requiring your attention all day.  It's good to get away from the canvas and paint sometimes.  Give yourself time to replenish, to walk away from it all because it makes for some sweeter artwork when you get back into it.  Trust me... it works!

Until my next rant... LOVE ONE ANOTHER!!! Love you, mean it.

TIPSY TUESDAY - LOVE DOLLS, OH YEAH!

I love these LOVE dolls.  I'm not going to bog you down with the details.  First, I made a very simple pattern, head, arms, legs and body, just like the photo below.  Then I made 2 sides, front and back. I stitched around with an opening, turned and stuffed it with polyfill.  You can make your own pattern etc.   I then painted the entire doll yellow.

I then printed out some bible verses, highlighted them in different colors then cut them in strips.

After cutting them in strips, I curled them using the finger scissors method, meaning with the strip in between my thumb and scissors and with a little pressure, pull the strip through to make it curl.  Set aside.

Stamp the body with your favorite stamp.  I used my Love verse stamp 1 Corinthians 13.

I then used the strips of curled verses as her her, cut a piece of heart shaped, and in a separate cardboard, stamp a face.  Attach them to the face area to make face.

 Embellish with ribbons, bling, etc.  

Attach a pinback.

Variations

Available on my etsy https://www.etsy.com/listing/120603166/love-is-patient-love-is-kind-doll?

 Till my next rant.... LOVE ONE ANOTHER!  Love you, mean it!