Saving Beautiful Puzzles

Years ago, we were visiting Lindy C. and noticed what her family did with puzzles after putting them together. Instead of breaking them up and putting them back in the box, her family puzzle-glued them to poster board.

So we started to do the same thing...with puzzles that were just too beautiful to take apart.

Here are two of our favorites...

Garden Party

by artist Sandra Kuck

Cat Afghan
by artist Linda Picken

It's so easy and we have our own technique now:
1. Place the puzzle on Foam Board. [We tried Poster Board a couple times, but it always warped.]

2. Use Modge Podge from your local craft store. Pour it on top of the puzzle and spread it all over with a gloved hand...we keep disposable gloves on-hand (no pun intended!) for messy crafts and kitchen recipes. It will look scary at first...all white and gooey, but it does dry clear. Make sure that all of the "cracks" in the puzzle are filled with the glue. The glue will seep through to the Foam Board below and adhere the puzzle to the board.

3. Let sit for 24 hours.

4. Voila! A beautiful, inexpensive, and special wall hanging...that you've created as a family.

***Note: If you like a certain artist and can't afford an original or copy, just find the piece of art in puzzle form. You can even frame the finished puzzle artwork. We did this for Grammy with one of her favorite Thomas Kinkade winter scenes.

Enough

[We don't know who wrote this, but we thank Debbie for sharing it with us. If you know the author, please leave a Comment.]

I recently overheard a mother and daughter in their last moments together at the airport. The departure had been announced. Standing near the security gate, they hugged and the mother said, "I love you and I wish you enough."

The daughter replied, "Mom, our life together has been more than enough. Your love is all I ever needed. I wish you enough, too, Mom." They kissed and the daughter left.
The mother walked over to the window where I was seated. Standing there, I could see she wanted and needed to cry. I tried not to intrude on her privacy, but she welcomed me in by asking, "Did you ever say 'good-bye' to someone knowing it would be forever?."

"Yes, I have," I replied. "Forgive me for asking, but why is this a forever good-bye?."

"I am old and she lives so far away. I have challenges ahead and the reality is - the next trip back will be for my funeral," she said.

"When you were saying good-bye, I heard you say, 'I wish you enough.' May I ask what that means?."

She began to smile. "That's a wish that has been handed down for generations. My parents used to say it to everyone." She paused a moment and looked up as if trying to remember it in detail and she smiled even more. "When we said , 'I wish you enough,' we were wishing each other to have a life filled with just enough good things to sustain them."

Then turning toward me, she shared the following as if she were reciting it from memory...

I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright no matter how gray the day may appear.
I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun even more.
I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive and everlasting.
I wish you enough pain so that even the smallest of joys in life may appear bigger. I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.
I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.
I wish you enough hellos to get you through the final good-bye.

She then began to cry and walked away. They say it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them, but then an entire life to forget them.

Painting: Moonbeams by Jessie Wilcox Smith

Seek My Face...

When You said, “Seek My face,”
My heart said to You, “Your face, LORD, I will seek.”
Psalm 27:8

Painting: Seek My Face by Danny Hahlbohm

Seek the LORD and His strength, seek His face continually.
1 Chronicles 16:11

If My people, which are called by My name,

shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face,

and turn from their wicked ways;

then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin,

and will heal their land.
2 Chronicles 7:14

Seek the LORD, and His strength: seek His face evermore.
Psalm 105:4

Therefore came I forth to meet Thee,

diligently to seek Thy face,

and I have found Thee.
Proverbs 7:15

A Great Start

It is a great thing to start life

with a small number of really good books

which are your very own.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930)

Painting: Books in Winter by Jessie Wilcox Smith

I cannot live without books.

Thomas Jefferson

I find television very educational.

Every time someone turns it on,

I go in the other room and read a book.

Groucho Marx

A well-composed book is a magic carpet
on which we are wafted to a world that
we cannot enter in any other way.
Caroline Gordon

There is more treasure in books
than in all the pirates' loot on Treasure Island
and at the bottom of the Spanish Main...
and best of all, you can enjoy these riches
every day of your life.
Walt Disney (1901-1966)

The Reading Mother

You may have tangible wealth untold;

Caskets of jewels and coffers of gold.

Richer than I, you can never be --

I had a Mother who read to me.

~ Strickland Gillilan (1869-1954)

American poet

Be Still...

Lindsey

Tears filled my eyes this morning when I read the news...

From CarePages:
"God's grace was present with the Sowles family last night when His call came for Lindsey to join Him forever in heaven. At 10:15PM, July 24th, God chose to open heaven's door for Lindsey to walk through in peace. Lindsey was surrounded by her mom, dad, sister, brother, and her fiancé John and a small gathering of very close friends. Lindsey will be greatly missed by all of us and by everyone she ever welcomed into her life which was everyone she ever met. Although life will not be the same without her, she is already at work preparing heaven (her new home) for future celebrations of homecomings for all of us.



In closing I want to share a little something that I read in a book entitled Courage, "He called me to the cliff and I said no, He called me again and I said no, He called me a third time and I said yes, He pushed me off and I flew." Lindsey is flying now, no more pain, tears, or suffering, her hair is long and full, her beautiful brown eyes sparkle with life and happiness, and her smile is letting everyone know that it's ok and she loves us all. Celebrate Lindsey's life and the joy she brought into it, that is what she would want! God bless each of you and please continue to read her care page as we will post the times and dates of her services once we know them. With love from the Sowles and Lindell families!!"

* * * * *

Traci: I was asked last April to begin praying for Lindsey. Our comfort, as a close family friend said, is that she is now "truly healed." I will be praying for her family and friends. It sounds like she was a lovely, young lady who blessed all who knew her.

The Desert Sun article

Email Us!

We're inviting Mothers and Daughters everywhere to join us in celebrating fun, healthy, and loving relationships. If you have special activities, hobbies, outings, books, tips, recipes, or other good stuff you'd like to share, please leave a Comment OR email them to:

tmdBLOG2@Gmail.com

* Painting: "Flowers for Mother" by Johanna Bohoy

Special Love

The love between mothers and daughters is so special at any age. A mother takes her daughter under her wing and teaches her how to be a woman. A daughter reminds a mother about the importance of each stage of life.

Mothers, how do you pass life lessons on to your daughter? What are your hopes for her? How do you love her?

Daughters, how do you love and care for your mother? What does she do or say that makes you feel loved? How do you enjoy spending time with her?

* Painting: "Gathering Memories ~ Mother & Child" by Laurie Justus Pace

Quote of the Day:

The art of mothering is to teach the art of living to children.

~ Elaine Heffner