Sweet Little Angels

These little angels are handmade from real noodles by my friend Michelle.

She makes them in many different styles. I just love these that are holding a little baby. They are available in pink, blue and green. A very sweet gift for new parents.

You can view her shop on Etsy here:

www.michellesshop.etsy.com

Featured Artist: Michelle Endicott

I'd like to introduce you to Michelle. She is a blessing, and a very dear friend. She has a sweet, sweet spirit and a very special gift that I just have to share with you.

Here are a few questions and answers so you can get to know her a little, and the inspiration behind her talent.

Please tell us a little about yourself.

I am a wife, a mother of two teenage boys, a singer/songwriter, and a Christian trying to fulfill my purpose on this earth:)

What is the inspiration behind your music and craft?

I started writing music when I was pregnant with my first son Josh, and while on a walk one day I felt God whisper to me to "hide the Word of God in hearts of children through music). He impressed upon me how when you mix His Word with music it is so powerful and much easier to memorize.

Have you received any special accolades in your field?

Well I guess the kind of accolades I get are mostly from parents telling me how their children love my music and memorize it very quickly, and children as young as 2 years old coming up to me and singing it for me!!!

Do you have a favorite verse or quote?

"I have hidden your Word in my heart that I might not sin against you" Psalm 119:11

What makes you smile?

Seeing people go after their dreams, children laughing, my two teenage sons growing into young men and starting to see their purpose and gifting's God has put in them, and hanging out with my husband of almost 20 years makes me smile:)

Anything else you'd like to share?

I would like to share that I wish everyone would know that they have a special purpose here on earth, and that God has given each one of them special gifts and talents, no one gets left out. When they realize this and start walking in their destiny, nothing can be more satisfying:)

Where can we find your products?

My music can be downloaded at:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Michelle-Endicott/246564780963

http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/MichelleEndicott

http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/michelle-endicott/id253034312

All God's Creatures Great and Small

This is Seemore. We rescued him in 1997. He had fallen out of his nest into our front yard. The poor little thing didn't have any feathers and had a hole in his abdomen about the size of a quarter. There was only a thin membrane holding in his intestines. We took him to the vet and we were assured with proper care that he would survive and the hole would eventually heal over and feathers would cover his tummy.

He had to be hand fed every four hours. It was so cute. When ever he'd see me he'd flap his little arms and open his mouth wide for me to put the food in. Had to stick my finger way down his throat. As you can see in the above photo, he developed feathers and grew into a big beautiful bird. In this photo, he is still very much a baby. He grew to be twice that size. We called him Seemore Poops-a-lot for obvious reasons. (lol!)

He lived in our kitchen. Loved to be on the floor. Peeled the wallpaper off the walls, but, I didn't care. I loved that bird. I built a lovely big cage for him, but, he was only closed up in it at night.

We had two kitties and a dog at the time and one time our little dog was in the kitchen and Seemore nipped at the fur on her back legs and I thought we had a dead crow on our hands. But, alas! No one was hurt. The kitties were terrified of him.

We wanted to keep him, but, could no longer do so in the house. I phoned a wildlife rescue to find out the best proceedure to release him and they told me he couldn't just be let go because he didn't know how to be a wild crow. He would have to be rehabilitated.

It broke my heart. I wanted him to live in our back yard. How I cried the day we took him to the wild life rescue. They placed him in a huge aviary (about 60 feet square with an adult raven. They told us that Seemore would mimick the raven and hopefully eventually be rehabilitated. I was in tears when we left that place. I was not allowed to even visit him because he had bonded with me and I would inhibit his rehabilitation.

I had all I could do to not call every day to see how he was doing. Finally after 2 weeks, I could no longer stand it. I phoned and was told that he was doing great and would soon be released, but, not until they were sure he would survive on his own.

It's been 13 years ago now. I still remember how sweet and cuddley he was. So affectionate. And smart! If we had not had our dog and kitties, he would still be with us today. Whenever I see crows, I think about my little Seemore and wonder where and how he is. They can live a very long time. I hope he is well.

JAMIE'S MIRACLE...worth repeating

I'd like to introduce you to a very special person. His name is Jamie Gillentine. He is a husband and father of three small children, a good swimmer and surfer "dude".It was a beautiful day at the beach with friends and family when suddenly things drastically changed. Jamie dove head first into a wave and hit a sandbar. The 6th cervical vertibrae was shattered and splinters pierced and severed his spinal cord. Instantly he was paralized from the neck down.He was face down in the water and would have drowned if he could not go face up. He doesn't now how, no one was near him, but he was turned over and able to breath and call out for help.Jamie had to have surgeries and for many months had to wear a "halo". That is a device that holds the head and neck so that it remains stable. (by screws drilled into the head). The following short youtube shows Jamie as the Lord began to heal him and he began to regain mobility. He had physical therapy 5 days a week. The video spans several months and shows his progress in physical therapy. I have seen this many times and still am in awe of this miracle. Our Father is so wonderful!Jamie Gillentine is Pastor over missions at our church Anaheim Vineyard in So. Cal. I pray you will be blessed and encouraged as you watch and listen.

I originally posted this back in March, but, with so many new friends, I wanted to share it again.

Click on the blue link below and you will be able to see the wonderful progress Jamie has made. God is so good.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DivRJm65ADc&feature=related

If you have any comments on this post, I'd love to read them. Simply click the "comments" just below and you will be able to leave yours. Thanks so much and God bless you.

BEST FRIENDS FOREVER ~ ERNIE & CHARLIE

We adopted Charlie in January as an adult kitty from the Cat's in Need Rescue in our community. He's between two and three years old. We brought him home and instead of running to hide until he got used to his new surroundings, he just jumped up on the bed and sprawled out as if he had always been here.

We had hoped he and our eleven year old kitty Buddy would become friends, but, that didn't happen. Charlie tormented Buddy terribly.

We brought Ernie home June 1st. He was one of a litter of feral kittens found in a neighborhood near us. He's a poly-dactyl kitty. He has six toes on each of his front paws and five on each of his back. They are also known as Hemingway Cats because Ernest Hemingway introduced them to this country and to this day, even though he has long passed, the descendants of his original polydactyl casts live and are cared for on the property he lived on in Florida.

He and Charlie have become best buds. They play, romp and wrestle and when things get a little too feisty, Tink steps in to referee.
When playtime is over, Charlie and Ernie cuddle up together and Charlie even grooms him. The baby loves it.

And Buddy? Well, he's just as happy as can be now that Charlie isn't pestering him anymore. He enjoys watching them play.

I'm so happy they all get along so well. What a blessing!

Father's Day

Today is Daddy's first Father's Day in heaven. I have been thinking about what I could write on this special day....

I decided to write about one of my favorite memories of him.... Daddy dressing up like Santa Claus. He did it for many years and we really believed it was the real Santa. Mom would wake us up after midnight on Christmas Eve to tell us Santa was coming. Outside the door we'd hear a big "ho, ho, ho!" and Mom would open the door and there he would be with his bag of gifts. (we didn't have a fireplace) We'd sit on his knee and just be in awe of him. I remember the year I realized Santa was really Daddy. I felt a little disapointed then, but, as I matured, it just made me love him more knowing he went to all that trouble for us to have a magical Christmas and make us feel so special.

Thank you, Daddy. Happy Father's Day.... I miss you so much.

June 14th Flag Day ~ Daddy's birthday

Today is Flag day. Did you know there is a special day every year set aside to honor our flag?

Daddy was born on flag day. That's the reason I can remember it. For his birthday celebrations we'd decorate red white and blue. Today, Daddy would have been 91 years old. Just above is a photo taken on his 88th birthday.

It's hard to believe it's been a month and a half since Daddy passed on to heaven.

Last night Tinkerbelle started barking like crazy. Later we found something left on our front porch. Tinky heard the visitor. They had left a package beautifully wrapped up in red, white and blue. It was from a very dear friend named Julie. The card was so sweet. Here is part of what she wrote....."special prayers to our father in heaven today as your daddy spends his first birthday with Jesus. May he comfort you and encourage your heart like only He can." Brings tears to my eyes.

Inside the package was a case to hold the Veteran's Memorial Flag that was draped across Daddy's casket. It is now proudly displayed in our dining room with a photo of him, his wrist watch, and a little figurine I made for him on his 80th birthday.

Flag Day has always been a special day, but, it's even more precious now.

Jesus, please give Daddy a birthday hug and kiss for me.