Free Craft Friday with Mrs. P

I am an art teacher by trade and love to inspire others to paint and make crafts with their kiddos. I think it is SO important to let them create. Just as a parent into sports would think it is important for their kids to be on a softball team... all parents are created with gifts we pass on to our kiddos. This is my gift. I know I love to watch (and be inspired) by how other families do life so I hope you can be encouraged to create with your kiddo. For free!

FREE CRAFT FRIDAY with Mrs. P...
The Caterpillar
Supplies (ALL from around the house)
An old sock- who doesn't have one of those without a mate
4 wal-mart sacks
4 paper towels
hot glue gun (or needle/thread)
2 buttons
Thread (dental floss, pipe cleaners, yarn, anything)
Put the paper towel into the sack.
Make the sack into a ball and stuff it inside the sock.
Tie it up with thread
Repeat all 4 times. Glue (or sew) the end closed.
Hot glue (or sew) two buttons as eyes.
We added pipe cleaners as the antennae.
Don't have pipe cleaners. Draw/paint them on the sock.
We wrapped some around the body just for fun.
And no they do not have legs. But you could paint them on.
If you would like to add 1,000 legs be my guest and let me know what you used.
Important: Let your child NAME their caterpillar!
Her choice: Kissy Ma-nonda

Have a wonderful weekend!
Natasha

Do you like my fanny pack?

My mom, Avi Joy and I started Vietnamese lessons this weekend. Talk about...


WE.WERE.THE.ONLY.WHITE.PEOPLE.THERE! It is not often that we find ourselves standing out in a crowd, but in this case, we walked into a Vietnamese language school (about 200 people) and we're definitely noticed!
When I googled "standing out in a crowd" something else came up.
Yes, fanny pack's too will get you noticed. (over a speedo with your shirt rolled up of course)
So we walk in, fully Caucasian, with fanny packs on and a Vietnamese child in our arms. I had major butterflies and felt really nervous. We ended up talking with the language school director, Hai, and he was super nice. While talking with him, several more people came and welcomed us and encouraged us about starting lessons. We were SO thankful for their hospitality.
Avi Joy will be in the 3-5 age class learning ABC's, colors and numbers.
My mom and I will be in the "Advanced 3rd grade class." I LOVE it. Two adults with 8 years olds. Hey, if you want to learn and be apart of a new culture, you have to do uncomfortable things. Nonetheless, we are pumped about learning Vietnamese!!!

On an artistic note my Vietmom-blog-friend posted this and it peeked my interest...

Any opportunity to serve kiddos with art always sounds like a great idea to me... so, I entered a painted step stool for the silent auction.
I painted it red with flower design on one side and a scripture on the other side. Fully distressed it and aged with paint. I love the little mail handle pulls on the sides, so cute.
"Children are a gift from the Lord. They are a reward from Him." Psalm 127:3

A little sip of my life...
Natasha

One of the most awesome things in life is a divine appointment. Its when you meet someone or something happens that you know is not just chance, it is a divinely planned moment from God.
I have had more this summer than in the last 10 years combined!

I have already shared one, well here are two more... (and there are others, written down in a journal, so I don't forget His goodness.)

MEETING OANH...
While the kids and I were walking in our neighborhood park an Asian lady jogged passed us. I had that voice/feeling/prompting thing that happens- “Ask her ethnicity…” I did not want too, but there it was again- pushing- DO IT.
So I asked her.
She said, "Oh I am Vietnamese."

I introduced our family and we became instant friends.
We had everything in common. We both have a boy and girl, our girls are 2 weeks apart in age. We both graduated from NSU, she has the same degree as Adam, accounting. We have both lived in our neighborhood for 8 years and both gone to beauty school. We are passionate for Vietnam and we both wanted to share our Vietnamese/English lessons with a friend.

After talking for a while she invited us over to her house. We spent about about 30 minutes there then she came over to my house and we hung out a little more...
We could have talked the afternoon away, but long story short, it was a divine appointment. And I so look forward to practicing my Vietnamese bài học with her.

MEETING NIKKI...
All families built through adoption have to face many inappropriate statements or questions that we have to answer. I have shared a few moments before, one here, and we know it goes hand in hand with how our family is built- but that does not always make it easy.
I am REJOICING today because this meeting could not have been further from one of "those" moments, it was rather a breath of fresh air, a beautiful divine appointment!

It goes like this:
We pull up to Lowes to buy a screen for our backdoor as to stop the millions of flies from coming in the house. (We have new outdoor toys- so fun, but the flies must stop.)
I get out, grab Nehemiah and I hear...
"You are a lucky mommy," from behind me.
I turn around and a lady in the row in front of us has her window rolled down with a big smile.
I say, "Are you a lucky mom too?"
She says "Yes (with tears) four times over. Our children are all from Mexico."
From there our families go into Lowes and had The Best conversation.
Our families are so much alike and our passions were in line.
It will be exciting to see where this leads, we are looking forward to a playdate with them.

THANK YOU LORD FOR YOUR DIVINE APPOINTMENTS.
"Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders You have done. The things You planned for us no one can recount to You; were I to speak and tell of them, they would be too many to declare." Psalm 40:5

NHP

Surprise!

I am never surprised.
But I was yesterday and loved it.
(I so love being surprised but I tend to catch on to unusual clues.)

Here is what happened...
To start, Adam never comes home for lunch. But he walked in the door at noon (I didn't even hear the garage be/c the dryer was running) with flowers and a new book.
I have been wanting Shanghai Girls be/c I love the author Lisa See, but am too cheap to buy a new book!
Adam has a 'no flowers' rule. I think they became an easy and somewhat unthoughtful gift so they were ixnayed a very long time ago.
Arranging flowers is part of the fun of getting flowers for me.
But DO NOT ask Third Street Flowers in Jenks. I wanted a job there in high school arranging flowers. They waved me off like a fly on their prize winning pie.
I TRIED to tell them I was really creative and a hard worker. They would have none of it. SO now I enjoy arranging flowers even more- HA!

So he walks in and I was truly shocked. Hubby home for lunch, with flowers for me to arrange, with a new book, on our 8th anniversary.
I made myself a Faux Sunrise (o.j. + Grenadine over crushed ice, w/ or w/o Sprite, OMW) as a treat- to you know, thoroughly enjoy my day.

I'm looking forward to jumping into Shanghai Girls. If you have not read Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See, DO IT. So great.

RECIPE TIME:
I threw four things together and it was the best meal ever. Just had to share...
(I realize this pic is not Taste of Homes quality, sorry!)

1 jar Bertolli Organic- olive oil, basil and garlic flavor
1 can artichoke, squeezed and cut up
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
3 chicken breasts cut cup
MIX, BAKE covered with foil, at 350 for almost an hour.
YUMMY!

Yes, you could serve it over pasta or whatever you like. I served it with our squash bake.

Take squash, wash and cut thin
Melt butter and mix with olive oil- both amounts to your liking
Toss together
Sprinkle with Cajun seasoning
Bake covered with foil, also at 350 for almost an hour

They were done at the same time and the best throw together meal ever.
Here is one more just for fun.
My girlfriend Amanda's most requested dish.

"Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him." Psalm 34:8
Natasha
perrymanadoption

Anniversary- 8 years

We became friends in January 1998.

My girlfriend and I wanted to play a prank on her crush so we asked a guy who lived on his floor to check us in. We ran into his room to reek havoc in his closets. When we opened the closet these two guys jumped out and shot us with waterguns. The check-in guy had snitched on us.

I saw the closet guy next day and said, "Hey, you're the guy. From yesterday. Who shot me? Aren't you?" He said he was. His name was Adam.

We became friends. Not friends that liked each other, just friends, in a big group of friends. It remained that way until Sept 1999. I started to like him first (his character hooked me) and apparently turned on the charm. He asked me straight- "Do you like me?" I told him I did but he said, "We just need to stay friends." : (

That only lasted a month before he came to me and asked if I would like to start dating him.
Our first date in October 1999.

We dated until Feb 2001. Then we got engaged. Do we not look SO young?!
Our rehearsal dinner.
Married on August 4, 2001. It was also the 50th anniversary of Adam's grandparents!
We have both been through so much in these 10 years. We bought a house, we were both laid off, I gained and lost 40 lbs., Adam was diagnosed with "idiopathic nocturnal angioedema", we processed 2 adoptions in four years, lost and gained friends, I went through counseling, we both turned 30 and most importantly we have a love that far surpasses most!
Today, our 8th anniversary and many more to come!
My favorite anniversary present was taking bridal portraits! My mom (who has a spa w/ spray tanning) needed a fair-skinned bride to take before and after pictures. She tried to book other brides but no one had their dress ready, were really white or had a good camera.

It was exciting to be the one who was able to take the pictures for her brochure. I did not have bridal portraits taken so it was a real treat. AND Adam was the one to take all the pictures. On our anniversary week!

She will be using the before and after pictures at her booth at the Tulsa Wedding Show. Here are a few of the thousands we took. (these are not the ones she choose... but you can still see the difference.)

BEFORE (this was the rehearsal dinner dress)

Fair skin...
AFTER
I went to the beach and got some "sun" in my wedding dress.
Even upclose it looked very natural!
I asked Adam what scripture he would like to put for anniversary post. He said, Proverbs 5:19. I had a good laugh. And told him to pick another one. Just another reason I think he is funny.
"Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised." Prov 31:30

Natasha
perrymanadoption