Strength Of The Small

DIY: Wine Glass Lamp Shades

By JM PerezSeptember 8, 20122 min read1.1K views

What would you do if, suddenly, a few of your favorite wine glass broke? My guess is that most of us would toss them in the trash can. Others like me, who collect objects with sentimental value will find it difficult to part with them. We would find ways to repurpose/ reuse these objects in hopes of holding on to them and/or extending their lives.

A few months ago, I purchased a set of Eiffel Tower Wine Glasses from which two were broken. I refused to part with them and decided to store them in a safe place until I figure out what to do. This evening we had family craft time. While the kids were working on their projects, my husband used Loctite Epoxy to reconnect the glass handle to its base. I was busy creating and decorating the lamp shades. Now we have a new use for them.

Materials Needed:

• Wine glasses
• LED tea lights
• Scrapbook paper (8-1/2″ x 11″)
• Scissors / Decorative bladed scissors
• Glue pen/ Double-sided tape

Step by step:

1. Be creative and design our own template OR print out this template (by Good Housekeeping).
2. Trace the pattern onto your scrapbook paper. Cut out the shape with your regular scissors (use decorative bladed scissors along the bottom edge to add another element to the shade).
3. Use the glue pen or the Double-sided tape to one straight end. Wrap the other end over and hold together to form the shade.
4. Set the lampshade on top of your glass and voilà!

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By JM Perez

Childhood Friendship People

Memories: A Childhood Friendship

By JM PerezSeptember 5, 20122 min read859 views

Today I feel warm and joyful inside. I feel the same way I remember feeling as a child: free of worries and content.

While growing up, I was blessed to have a Father (I still am) whose career took him all over the country. We never stayed longer than a year and a half on a set location. I had the opportunity to travel and make friends even though it only lasted for a little while. As we observe, learn and become aware of our surroundings; we connect and advertently share bonds free of prejudice at such a tender age. Those are the individuals we tend to remember for the rest of our lives.

It was only in 1990 that we finally settled down in Yaoundé, Nouvelle Route Bastos.
Not too long after we moved into our home, a family moved across from us. An unconditional bond was formed and friendship was born right from the get-go between one of the kids and me. Stéphane instantly became my best friend and confidant. He was the handsome, awesome, loving and friendly guy from across our house, who would bug and nag at every opportunity he had. We spent countless hours after school talking about parties, sweet nothings and sometimes current events. That’s how we enjoyed spending our time instead of doing homework and preparing for the next school day.
He was a huge source of compassion. I cherish and hold those memories close to my heart. Those were joyful times, when life was so simple. Those were some of the best days of my life.

Stephane & Family — *Stéphane & his beautiful Family.*

Though we last saw each other fifteen years ago; I never stopped searching for him and asking around. For some reasons no one had the time nor the will to track him down including those I spoke to, who knew his whereabouts. It made me wonder if perhaps only fate could reunite us once again, as it was the case twenty-one years ago? I can’t help but wonder.

This morning I was blessed to reconnect with him. When I logged into my Facebook account my eyes immediately spotted his name. I knew then, without a doubt, that he was the one since we both shared a childhood friend. I jumped with joy as my heart leapt with excitement and gratitude.

It was so good talking to you, dear friend. Thank you for still being a part of my life; it thrills me beyond belief. I am looking forward to new beginnings.

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God.” – Romans 8:28 (KJV)

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By JM Perez

Weather Nature High Desert

Red Sun on a Dark Sky

By EPEngineerSeptember 2, 20121 min read645 views

While working on my garage, out of the corner of my eye I caught sight of a plume of smoke over the mountains. It was not big in size but dark on its intensity. As the hours passed the smoke plume got thicker and wider and darker. It was quite a sight to behold since its not every day that something like this happens. The picture here was taken in the evening and it’s quite a sight.

Due to the intensity, I wondered about the origin of the fire. It seemed to me that the fire was towards Irwindale, CA/Pasadena, CA mountains. The radio made no mention of the fire nor the location as the hours passed on this day. Having witnessed some fires up close I can surely say that it looked like a very fast moving fire. And so, The cycle of life continues with the rebirth of the hills.