VENETIAN PARTY -part 10, crafts and purchases

Here are some progress pictures on the crafts, and some purchases from earlier in the year for the party, sorry if any are repeated from previous posts, I'm losing track!

Progress on the faux flower chandeliers, the tealight holders arrived to stick on the bike wheels. One went missing, en route, leaving me with only 19 so the eBay seller sent another which also went missing en route, but was located. Yay tracking! So I have 5 tealight holders for each of the four flower chandeliers. Cost of 20 tea light holders was $17 au. We will put small battery candles in them. Florist wire also came in that shipment to wire the flowers on. Here's me trimming the flowers, the pile is bigger than shown.

I'm going to add cream and black faux flowers. 

Tea light holders (sellers photo), for the flower chandeliers, I will add some gold paint lightly to the yellow:

Some purchases for the party earlier this year, some we travelled a long way to pick up, brass wall cherub vase:

Dolphins because Venice is at the sea:

Due to my fear of the air conditioning not working that month, I got a quantity of lace fans in pink and also black for the tables:

The vintage mantlepiece clock for the party has a statue made in Italy, and the clock was made in Germany. Acerules can use it in her adult house in a few years. The oval box is also for the party but Ace can use it for her jewellery afterward, the other things behind them are always in our house. 

Also for the party and then Acerule's house one day:

I'm going to paint the frame of this cherub print gold for the party, and maybe add embellishments. It was very cheap with a candelabra we bought. Is quite large. Seller's photo: 

An embroidered choker from Lovisa I will wear to the party:

Vintage satin prints for the venue walls including one of Venice, and cameos for guest's costumes:

A beautifully framed oil painting that will someday grace Acerule's adult house after the party, seller's photo:

Plates for the main meal:

A huge framed tapestry depicting overlooking the sea to Venice that was only $30 au on eBay. We did a lot of travel to pick it up though. Photo taken by the seller:

Baroque mirror and shelf set purchased through eBay which was another pick up long distance earlier this year.

I made feather bunches for the small table flower arrangements, that I am going to ask the teens to arrange , along with the centrepiece compotes of fruit:

Cutting the florist wire:

The shirt for hubby's costume, the collar will be open:

Just some of the faux petals for the party, and underneath how they come flat packed, it's a tedious job unpeeling them. Medium pink and gold ones are on their way. I was wondering what to do with them afterward, so as not to send them to landfill. A few ideas thrown up were chook and duck bedding, kitty litter, and the the librarian suggested giving them to the early learning centre (preschool) for crafts. That idea appeals. I think there will be plenty for all the schools! 

I don't want them on the dance floor in case of causing slips, will be in the carpeted areas:

Tonight at the SES shed I was making a faux leadlight window for the venue. There are mistakes but hopefully no one will notice. The roll of cellophane was only $2.00 au at Kmart. I have another one to make later. 

So, I'm working on the party a little bit each day, will keep you all apprised! Keep tuning in!

"A HEART THAT FORGIVES THE WORST".

This week in Sydney two little boys were killed and several other children were injured when a car accelerated into a classroom. Australia was shocked. Police called it an accident, although causes are being investigated and the driver , a woman about my own age, has been charged. The first funeral was held today. Held in a mosque, it was packed out. The woman driver has apparently been distraught since the incident, and very apologetic. 

On the way to the funeral, in the hearse with his son's coffin, on behalf of his family, the father of the young student conveyed his forgiveness to the woman who had killed his son under her car. He said he would be happy if she met with the family after the stream of visitors went home. He asked people to stop retaliatory words and actions. 

It is of people and conciliatory actions like that, that true leaders are made. 

"Allah loves to forgive and loves those who forgive, and every Muslim wants to both receive the forgiveness of Allah and be among those whom Allah loves.  The Quran refers to those who forgive in the following terms:

الَّذِينَ يُنفِقُونَ فِي السَّرَّاءِ وَالضَّرَّاءِ وَالْكَاظِمِينَ الْغَيْظَ وَالْعَافِينَ عَنِ النَّاسِ ۗ وَاللَّهُ يُحِبُّ الْمُحْسِنِينَ

those who give in times of both ease and hardship, those who control their rage and pardon other people – Allah loves the good-doers (3: 134)—

A profound example of this in Islam can be found in its penal code: while murder is punishable by death, Islam provides a way out through blood money if the family are willing to forgive the perpetrator.  The latter is the option preferred by Allah and many families in such a situation living in Muslim countries have chosen to forgive on this basis, may Allah accept it from them."  Living the Muslim life Wordpress.com

A few lyrics of support from the Christians now. To lose a child at the hands of another has to be the very hardest thing to forgive, no matter what religion you are. 

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"SATAN IS ALSO A FISHER OF MEN."

Kids have shorter attention spans in church the younger they are. In this church you can see the youngest kids ducking out of the pews, fidgeting, but some older ones are listening, because the service is not pretentious, it's not over their heads. The Pastor Frank Pomeroy makes sense. He uses ordinary language, and a nice story about his fishing trip, with a video of the dolphins there to illustrate his point. 

His child Annabelle is since dead.  

The music is relatable, accessible, likeable guitars, you can sing along. There is lots of music. There is no hate speech. 

First Baptist Church, Sutherland Springs, Texas

There are a wide range of ages there, in the little church, including alot of children. Some are likely now dead. Reportedly the youngest dead is 5. A two year old is injured and a pregnant woman is killed.

Even deaf people are included in the video as there is a lady doing sign interpreting. 

First Baptist Church, Sutherland Springs, Texas

First Baptist Church, Sutherland Springs, Texas

First Baptist Church, Sutherland Springs, Texas

As the stated intention is to evangelise, as the congregation are invited to do by the pastor, I hope it's ok to put up these screenshots from their video. The words on the overhead screen seem comforting.

The pastor invites everyone to a church party at the swimming pool and to bring outsiders , so that they can see how normal the church people are. It is only August of this year, the last Summer some of the congregation will ever see in this world. This Sunday that church is yet another target of the church mass shootings in America. First Baptist Church, Sutherland Springs, Texas, USA.

Well it might be the first baptist church, but it isn't  the biggest. It is little, and humble, and ordinary, at least to look at. So is the congregation. Ordinary people just like us. By now, some of them know something we don't know, the afterlife.

As an overseas person, I've got the impression that Texans are proud of their right to carry guns. A civilian outside the church chases the gunman, firing. 

Guns do not help the people in the church, they presumably don't take guns to church. They are armed with faith, community, care for one another.

Should they have taken guns to church and fired back? No. 

"An act of evil" - President Trump.

"This evil act" - Governor Abbott

So I was thinking about the evil that can make people do such things, whether through agents like oerweening anger, mental illness like PTSD, brainwashing, peer pressure, physical changes in the brain through injury such as drugs and alcohol abuse, collisions, etc. 

As I often do I decided to do my research and was led to this clip, taken in the targeted church below, just a few months ago. There's a whole series online taken there this year, as if someone was prescient. It's over an hour, is nice to watch, though eerie, but for anyone with low download limit,I've included a partial transcript of the pastor's sermon.  Anyway, I think the pastor has some reasons nailed as to how we can all be tempted to do evil. 

Partial transcript of the above sermon on temptation :

"Satan is also a fisher of men". "I can guarantee that everyone in this room has been bombarded with some kind of lure. " " Jesus is the only one who has never been caught."

"Satan is an incredibly good fisherman." " Satan is persistent." "Dolphins never take the bait. Why? Because they are too smart to take the bait. They are too smart to get hooked."

" It comes down to you and I not taking the bait."

He goes on to say that Satan tempts us more often at certain times. First, just after we have experienced some spiritual high. 

Second, we can be tempted when we are really physically tired or sick, hungry, or in pain. 

He also said that Satan likes to hit us when we are alone "without godly brothers or sisters to lift us up. "

 "A big old lure on a Satan filled line." 

Photo from Pexels.

"When you get alone that's when Satan tends to surround you."

"The more we cut off our communication to God the brighter the lures that Satan drops in front of us."

"Satan gets us to sin against God....he wants us to sin against God so we will feel unworthy to reach others....he says look what I've done he bit the lure". 

"Satan gets us to doubt God sometimes... Satan knows where and when to catch us, we need to say how can I resist (the lures)." 

He recommends reading the "word of God" (while waving a Bible) that that will give help from the Holy Spirit during temptations. "When you are in the midst of temptation Satan is going to throw a lure out there and say 'just do it'....how are you doing with the temptations that Satan is throwing in your life?"

" If you don't love Jesus Christ as your Lord and saviour God's knocking at your heart.... I believe Satan is out there fishing every day and he's taught his minions how to fish as well. "

Photo from Pexels.

Sermon by Pastor Frank Pomeroy. 

Parishioner then prays:

" Father, Thankyou for all the great gifts you have given this church. "

The congregation files from the church, taking their time, people hugging ,talking and shaking hands, a baby shifted from hip to hip, children excited, while the band plays on and sings.

The last line of my handwritten transcript says - (Me crying). 

Lord, let me never cease to be shocked by evil like mass killings and please don't let people like the survivors lose their faith because of it. Please help the injured, the families, and the souls of the departed.

Tell me what you think about these mass shootings in the comments below. If you know credits for the hymns on the overhead screen , please post them. 

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