Collecting Spiritual Art

As long as I can remember I have always been captured and taken away by art but I have never been more inspired or connected than through the spiritual arts. So it seems to only make sense to collect my most favorites and give them a home. This oil painting was drawn by Adolphe-William Bouguereau (Mary,Jesus and a Lamb). I have fallen in love with lambs here in Germany because their purpose is beautiful and soft plus they are our new neighbors!! This Portrait brings the lambs meaning and purpose that much more to life and in full circle for me.

I would love to make my home feel more than just a home through the touch of spiritual art . It seems that there is nothing more better to invest and decorate a home with than that which awakens the spirit. I love collecting spiritual ART!

Wish to purchase

I love the detail in this painting! I love the engaging between the daughter and mother on the rug floor and the offering of food (cherries). Maleha and Kasiah are always trying to feed me something. This portrait rings Truth in reality, Beautifully made by Lord Federick Leighton.

My desire

My desire to become an artist has been calling me for some time now and I always seem to find reasons to never un-tap that passion or talent within me. I feel pulled in so many directions as a wife, mother, sister, daughter, and friend, that I seem to hold off on trying to discover the more that is within me.

Right now, I do pursue ART in referring to photography and crafts which makes life easy to balance but lately I feel the spirit nudging me on even stronger to get more serious with this form of art . I am sure it has alot to do with the Lord blessing me to envision life on canvas. I have put it off for too long. So, according to time, there is no better time than now!

I have always been inspired by paintings while growing up and I have for the most part a natural knack for drawing but I know this will still be a challenge to teach myself and try to figure out all the different kinds of paints that are out there. So far, I feel drawn to oil paints. Even though I have never explored with them or let alone touched them; At this point, I have nothing to lose.

The only paints that I have experience with is water coloring and finger paints (with Maleha) and maybe a little bit with acrylic. I can definitely see this being a long journey ahead of me but a challenge worth taking. Well, with all this talking and writing I hope to share and post my first ART piece by the end of this year. Wish me luck!

Spring Cleaning!

The best spring cleaning you can do is to pretend your moving out. But in my case we really are moving out! This Thursday! We are so excited! We went to the store for cleaning supplies and Maleha and Kasiah grabbed these HUGE fake feather Dusters. They just loved them! Kasiah snuggled with hers while Maleha imagined she was holding a BIG blue cotton candy. They have been such great little fairy dusters around the house. So good for toys I will just start buying them brooms and dust pans for Christmas. haha

Dandilions

Dandilions are growing in this field right across from our home. You can actually see our house right above Kasiah's head in this photo. I couldn't help but take my girls to go play with these wild yellow growing weeds. They had a dandi ol' time!

Germans brought the plant to Pennsylvania in the 1850’s and used it as an early spring infusion of nutrition and vitamins. The English also brought the plants over to cure liver problems and other illnesses. Native Americans soon started to see benefits from the plants and started to grow them for the same uses as others. The plant is grown in India and is used mainly for a remedy for liver problems. Most recently the dandelion root is being grown and exported to Russia for use in medical remedies.

Interesting Facts

The word Dandelion comes from the French name for the plant dents de lion. This means teeth of the lion and refers to the jagged edges of the leaf of the plant.

The other French name for this plant is pis-en-lit, in English this means wet the bed. Dandelions deserve this name because their greens, when eaten, remove water from the body. So eating the greens could cause someone to well… you can guess the rest. Not recommend for a bedtime snack.

The dandelion first came from Asia but it now calls the entire planet home!

The Dandelion provides an important food source to bees. The pollen from this plant helps bees out in the spring because it flowers early and the flowers continue through to the fall providing constant food. In fact no less then 93 different kinds of insects use Dandelion pollen as food.The Dandelion seeds are important food to many small birds.

Sawdust and Grass

Lately, the weather has been decent enough to spend our days at the Park playing in sawdust and grass. It has been so wonderful for us to finally get out and breathe in some fresh air. The Park has been a great place for us to have the girls run wild and free but mainly for me to really ponder and focus my thoughts on my father and his healing. He has always been a huge part of my life and has created the most wonderful childhood memories that any daughter could ask for. I love him with all my heart and am praying and hoping that I will be close by his side soon. Just hang in there Daddy!

Heaven

I picture entering heaven to be somewhat of a fluid motion.

waving goodbye to those your leaving behind and and saying hello to those you use to hold close.

reaching the end of the sunset only to find a new sunrise.

Cries of seperation, tears of reuniting.

Time to reach out, time is of the essence.

Life is breath, life is spirit, life is eternal.

Heaven is beautiful!

Zada

Zada means Grandpa in Hebrew and it's what my Father likes to be called instead of Grandpa and only because he says being called Grandpa makes him feel old and he doesn't feel old. But I am sure at this time as he has been in and out of the ER that he definitely feels like a Grandpa.

Maleha loves her Zada and Zada loves his Maleha. She has not seen him since our family reunion in Hawaii but she sure does remember him and you can not blame her. He was so patient, kind and loving towards her and he even taught me a a few valuable lessons while watching him interact with her. But thats what Zadas are for.

Well, About a week ago I had mentioned to Maleha that Zada was sick and she said "That is so sad,Mom." and then she went on with her own busy little life but today she woke up from her nap crying and repeating "Mom, Zada's sick!". I tried to comfort her and asked her "Do you want to go see him?" and she said "Yes, he live far away, We need airplane". So I went to pull his picture up on the computer and I tried to capture this sweet moment that she was trying to express towards how she feels right now. I know that it may be hard to understand her speech. I thought she said medicine, she said "My Zada sick, Zada drink milk and eat breakfast". She's so sweet when she says "My Zada...". Any time an airplane goes by she cries out "We need to go see Zada, he live far away!" She also keeps saying that we lost him on the airplane. But in this clip she was agreeing with whatever I thought she was saying. She was just sooooo sad.

An hour later after I filmed this my sister Mahana calls me and tells me that Zada just went through another surgery and that it doesn't look like he may pull through the after math of it. My heart dropped. I never pictured my father passing away like this. I see more life for him to live. I want Maleha and Kasiah to see and know their Zada. I mean the only thing I can do from here is just pray and have faith that the Lord will do his will. Wether it be that it's time for my Dad to go or that there is more life for him to live is all up to the Lord. I leave it in his hands and will come to peace with the out come through time. Luckily, Mahana and Kathy are flying from Utah to Seattle tonight to see him.


My heart is saddened by all this and I wish I could be close to him right now. I will do what I can to be there for him in spirit. Maleha and Kasiah will draw pictures for him and I will post them. We love you and miss you Zada!! You are in our hearts, thoughts and prayers!

My two girls

Here is a picture of my two girls attached to my hip and Maleha's hand in between my boobs. That is her favorite spot to cuddle. Really she just likes to slip her hand down there any chance she can get but in this photo I am actually heading out the door to drop them off at the babysitters so that Dustin and I can go to the temple with the youth to do baptisms. The drive was 3 hours away and worth every minute of it. We had a wonderful time and hope to go again in a few more days.

Adora Belle Dolls

Adora Belle Baby Tiny Tot is a collectible tiny tot doll with original porcelain head by sculptor, Marie Osmond. You can tell she is a Marie Osmond sculpt because she has the trademark beauty mark underneath her left eye. Adora Belle Baby Tiny Tot has been hand-crafted with the special attention to detail that is the hallmark of all Marie Osmond dolls.

I am so excited to say that I am in love with these two little adorable porcelain dolls. Can you blame me? I selected these two out of all the other thousands of dolls that Marie Osmond sells because they look so much like my two little girls and were introduced the same month and year that Maleha and Kasiah were born.

I am not much of a collector in the finer things in life but I see no harm in collecting these beautiful porcelain dolls as a family heirloom for my little girls to one day collect for themselves and possibly their own little girls as a family tradition..

What really has brought me to choose the Marie Osmond collection is that all the dolls that she sculpts have the trademark of her beauty mark on her left eye and I have that exact beauty mark on my left eye as well and so it has brought an affinity towards wanting to collect her work and sharing that beauty mark with my own girls. It's much more meaningful that way. Plus it doesn't hurt that she shares the same faith as me.

I am hoping to include my talent of photography with these dolls and have my girls dress and pose just like them so that there will be more to have fun in collecting them. Dolls are such a wonderful creation!

My Dad Dreams BIG

My dad has been admitted into the ER 3 times within the last week due to side effects from healing from his open heart surgery and dealing with diabetes. But I just got off the phone with him and he is in high spirits and optimistic towards his goal to one day receive his match to qualify for his kidney transplant. He says "I'm just paying for the good times I had earlier."

I feel my dad has has always had a great sense of humor and a good head on his shoulders and even when his head is not on his shoulders he is always making sure that he is dreaming BIG. And boy does he dream BIG! I have always admired my father for his dreams because no matter how impossible they may seem he is always willing to do what it takes to pursue the impossible. Some may say foolish but I say "What a Genius!"

I have to give a special thanks to Sarah who is my Dad's endless and wise companion who lets my dad live his life so vicariously and unpredictable. She gives him the chance to live his life and to be happy in what he feels is fulfilling it but at the same time keeps him grounded and secured. She is amazing in supporting him right now at this fragile time of healing and making everyday trials of life possible to live through. I love you and wish you both well.

21 years LATER

It has been 21 years since Amelia Leha Tuita-Vehikite Muchnick passed away (My mom) but I remember it as though it was yesterday. Today I would like to go back 21 years ago when I was 9 years old and record what I had witnessed.

My mom had been diagnosed with cervical cancer in her early 30's and had pain of living with the fact that cancer may end up taking her life one day. Well that one day finally came where she desired to pass away at home with us family gathered around. It was the morning of April 18th 1987. She was laying in her bed with her hospital gown on. My Dad was calling through out the whole house with an urgent cry to gather quickly in their bedroom.

I remember my mom mentioning that she wanted to pass away with her temple garments on and so I reminded my father as he rushed to put them on underneath her sheets. At this point, all she could do is slowly gasp for air and wait for her body to take it's course to shut down. She could not speak and so all we could do is tell her our last words of peace. Everyone was crying except for me. Ironically, I cry more now than I ever would have then. Only because I couldn't help but be more observant in watching everyone else and trying to feel and see what others were going through. Once she finally partook of her last breath and her spirit had left her body all you could hear in the room was the cries for her to come back that much louder.

I remember a calm and peaceful feeling that came over me at this time as though I knew she was going to a better place and that I would see her again. Once we all realized that she was truly gone my father made the phone call for the funeral place to come and pick her body up and we all stood back and watched as they took her body and drove it away for preparations.

Today I can still hear her gasping for air as if she is trying so hard to hold on for those few more seconds of her dear life to be with us for just one more moment in time. It seemed that it happened all so sudden. Now it's 21 years later.

My mom was born into a family of 11 kids and had 4 children of her own and adopted 3 of our 1st cousins in which makes 7 kids.. Between us all the oldest was 16 and the youngest was 5 years old. She was 36 years old when she died.

My mother insisted that my Father re-marry so that we would have a mother to raise us. I took it as a sign that my mom was pleased that my Dad fulfilled her wishes when he announced that he had married in secret to Sarah Cottrell exactly a year later on this day as well... Happy Anniversary!

It has been through this marriage that I have received the wonderful blessing of Sarah as a Step mother and her 5 children as my step brother and sisters. Sarah then was able to have a child together with my father soon later who is now known as my lovely sister Meredith Rose. So all together we are one big family. 9 girls and 4 boys. It has been an experience of a lifetime.

So this day is a very momentous day that will always be remembered as a day of remembrance and celebration.

Now as a mother, I seriously could not imagine the heartache my own mom had to be facing knowing that she would not be around to raise her own children.

Although, I still have great peace with her death and find myself closer to her now than ever.I just can not wait for my own children to have the opportunity to meet her ONE DAY because that day will be when we will all be together forever again.

I will have to give credit to where credit is due and that is the gospel in my life and how it has kept my spirits high through out all the trials in my life . I am just so grateful for the gospel and the truth it possesses of the plan of salvation. . What a marvelous plan Heavenly father has made for us. What a wonderful blessing. What a WONDERFUL LIFE!

Just US Girls

It seems that life just gets sweeter having spent my day with my two precious girls. As far as this day in age they are attached to my hip! I sit down they sit on me. I walk around, they follow me. I go to sleep they are sleeping on top of me. Lately, they have been bickering to see who can get closer to mommy's face. I can not breathe without these two sharing the same breath I take. Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining. I take in every moment with these girls as though there is no tomorrow and I never pass an opportunity to teach them to love one another and to share (especially when it comes to their mommy). I know they are growing up so fast and how I need to savor these moments with them . I am doing my best to just live in the moment when it's just us girls.

The Stroller

Kasiah is growing up so fast!! She loves to sit in this little doll stroller and have Maleha push her around in it. She just turned 18 months old and is the smartest, sweetest, most sassiest girl in sight.We all just love her to pieces!

She has been talking so much latley AND yesterday her first sentence unfortunately was" I want pop!" It was hilarious though! It totally surprised us because Dustin is trying so hard to quit drinking pop but when he does drink it the girls go wild for it and he tried to sneak it pass them when Kasiah caught him a mile away and said with a loud voice " I want pop!"

Snow and Hot coa coa

Today it snowed! By noon it was all gone but Dustin got the girls to atleast get a good taste of it and as you can see they had no problem doing that. We warmed up real quick in the house with some good old fashioned Ovaltine hot Coa-coa. When Maleha realized there was no more coa-coa in her cup she was not happy. Haha! too cute!

P.S Conference was amazing! Love the spiritual food and guidance from such righteous leaders! It always feels wonderful to sustain a new prophet but sad to see one go.






The camera battery died so what I captured on video was 2 seconds of Dustin trying to build a snow man with his corny sound effects while Maleha is asking if she can throw it. (She thinks it's Big snow ball) It eventually turned into one because we had a snow ball fight right after this and Dustin missed me 5 times in a row... It was so funny because Maleha's first try she got me!

Historical day

Inside of Peter Whitmer's Farm home

It was at this location that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints was organzied, on April 6th, 1830.
See Doctrine & Covenants Section 20:

"1 The arise of the Church of Christ in these last days, being one thousand eight hundred and thirty years since the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the flesh, it being regularly organized and established agreeable to the laws of our country, by the will and commandments of God, in the fourth month, and on the sixth day of the month which is called April—"

Kasiah's 1st Pony Tail

Kasiah is always pulling out anything that I put in her hair BUT the day has finally come where her hair is long enough to pull it all back into a ponytail and she actually left it in long enough for me to take this pic. haha! Here is a before and after picture of her hair blowing in the wind and her posing with her look-a-like doll friend.

April fools

Surprisingly, we did not pull any pranks on eachother today but it seemed everyone else around us did. The funniest one was this morning when our neighbor left a note on our car saying that they were in a rush to work and accidentally hit it. Dustin went out to the car 3 times during the day trying to see exactly where they may have hit it and could not find a scratch. All the while, our shy new neighbor was in her house laughing the whole time at Dustin. After her husband came home from work they both came over and said "April fools day!" HAHAhA Good one!

My favorite days are the days Dustin has off work. Today was that day! So, we went to the bowling alley and had fun hanging out as a family and then we let Maleha try out her new wheels outside. Dustin was trying so hard to teach her how to pedal forward instead of Backwards. His patience was tested. I think Maleha was trying to April fool her Daddy. Dustin definitely won for being an April fool for the month! haha

P.S I already know this month is going to fly by!!