HOMEMADE MOSQUITO TRAP

HERE'S AN IDEA....

ITEMS NEEDED:

200 ML WATER

50 GRAMS OF BROWN SUGAR

1 GRAM OF YEAST

2 LITER PLASTIC BOTTLE

OR us CONVERSION:

1 CUP OF WATER

1/4 CUP OF BROWN SUGAR

1 GRAM OF YEAST

2 LITER PLASTIC BOTTLE

HOW:

 

1.  CUT THE PLASTIC BOTTLE IN HALF

2.  MIX BROWN SUGAR WITH HOT WATER.  LET COOL.  WHEN COLD, POUR IN THE BOTTOM HALF OF THE BOTTLE.

3.  ADD THE YEAST.  NO NEED TO MIX.  IT CREATES CARBON DIOXIDE, WHICH ATTRACTS MOSQUITOES. 

4.  PLACE THE FUNNEL PART, UPSIDE DOWN, INTO THE OTHER HALF OF THE BOTTLE, TAPING THEM TOGETHER IF DESIRED.

5.  WRAP THE BOTTLE WITH SOMETHING BLACK, LEAVING THE TOP UNCOVERED, AND PLACE IT OUTSIDE IN AN AREA AWAY FROM YOUR NORMAL GATHERING AREA.  (MOSQUITOES ARE DRAWN TO THE COLOR BLACK)

CHANGE THE SOLUTION EVERY 2 WEEKS FOR CONTINUOUS CONTROL.

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Crystal Invasion

Pure white mist

covers the valley

obscuring the mountains

from my sight.

Tenderly clinging to rose bushes

and grass-covered yards

homes are blanketed,

desperately send smoke signals

through their chimneys.

Soon it lifts

as if You’ve called it home

leaving behind

crystal remnants of the invasion.

A little like you, Lord.

I love crystal chandeliers, crystal candle holder, crystals hanging from any and everything.  Today, the sun shines through the windows and captures the light and colors of the world that surrounds them.  Prisms of light dance across the room in a playful display of joy… they pulse and radiate life…the red of the rose, the gold of sun, the green of the ivy and maroon of the room I’m sitting in. 

Captivated, I weep at the beauty.  I see You in every color, filling my life with passion and a hunger for more.  More of the One that loves endlessly and fervently.  More of the One that pours grace and mercy at the sound of “I’m sorry”.  More of the One that holds us when we are lonely, tired, lacking courage or bravado.  More of the One that takes every tear and stores it in a bottle. 

You’ve spoken promises over my life.  Promises I’ve packed away to observe at a later date and determine whether I’m ready or not.  They steal around the atmosphere today, peeking out from the crystal invasion, calling out to me, poking at me… tag you’re it.  And I am.  It’s time to say Yes.  It’s time to let go of the insecurities holding me back from running to the doors You stand prepared to open.  I’m ready to experience my defining moment, my strong & courageous season, my such a time as this. 

So I stir, from the carefree radiance of my illuminated world, to your arms.  One final waltz before we go…You and I…caught in the continuum of beauty.  Our Song of Songs.  The music ends.  I curtsy as reality births itself from the reverie.  I take off my dance shoes; tack on my armor and leave.  Through You, all things are possible.  Ready or not, here I go.

Blue and Broken

Blue and Broken

Pick up your heart

blue and broken

and entrust it to Me.

I will mend it

I will caress it

I will never misuse it.

Man can be so careless

with the fragile

but I created you.

For Myself

to be a light

to move mountains.

I will capture those tears

and clutch them to My heart

as pure joy.

I will embrace you

you will embrace the promise

and together

we will build My Kingdom.

Today I made Ice Tea…sun tea to be exact.  I chose the correct glass pitcher, filled it with RO water and added the perfectly picked tea bags to create a wonderful blend of sun drenched tea.  I set it out on the porch, covered so no bugs could get in, and left it to boil.  As I turned to come back in the house I was thankful for the grace of God.  For the love of Christ.  For a wonderful earthly family, husband and friends.  It’s been a long road for this girl.  There was a time I would think, ‘Here I am, covered in grace, loved by the Only One that matters, bound for greatness in His eyes and yet I have no love for myself.’  Struck down by words as a child, I fought a life tormented with insecurities.

I have my father’s feet; lovely on my father, not so attractive on me.  The infamous Venus di Milo second toe stretching beyond the first toe is apparently unattractive except on a Greek goddess.  I have my mother’s ankles and beautifully developed dancer legs, but in elementary school they are tagged ‘bird legs’. 

When I was 8 years old I had a friend who forever teased me about my ankle’s being too skinny and my toes too long.  And so I spent many years before and after the flash dance era wearing my socks scrunched down around my ankles and closed-toe shoes.  I was a faux pas waiting to happen.  My father would tell me that my ankles were not skinny, but shapely, and that Venus de Milo’s second toe was beautifully captured in sculpture.  But the voice of my ‘friend’ rang louder in my ears than the voice of my father who loved me more than any other earthly person.   

I began to see other flaws; one eye smaller than the other, one lip higher, one imperfectly formed eyebrow, barrenness… those are the things that shaped the way I felt about myself.  I’m not alone in this.  My younger brother faced much insecurity because he struck out as he came up for the winning run when he was a little boy.  There are the abused, the disabled, and the unwanted; all crying out for encouragement.  But sometimes a word isn’t enough.  What I’ve discovered as I walk with the Lord is that we must inhabit the belief that we are created BY God in HIS image!  How beautiful is the Face of He who sent His son in propitiation for our sins.

Though we are a fallen race, and must watch that fine line between walking in humility while knowing that we are Kings and Queens in His eyes, we must not allow others to determine the assurance in which we move through life.  1John 4 tells us we must love one another, for love springs from God and that we must know and understand the love God cherishes for us.  

“God is love and he who dwells and continues in love dwells and continues in God and God dwells and continues in him.  In this, love is brought to completion and attains perfection with us that we may have confidence for the Day of Judgment because as he is so are we in this world”.   

We must first love ourselves.  Now when I look in the mirror, rather than seeing a distorted view of the world’s image, I  focus on the words of Song of Solomon 4:7, “You are altogether beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in you”.   

I pray you find those words as well.