What a Fun Day!

Yesterday a new friend, Angie and I spent 3+ hours playing with my Cuttlebug, Nesties and Scor-Pal. Whoo Hooo - what a fun day!

I first met Angie in July at a Stampin' Up workshop (where else?) A couple weeks later she recognized me at the grocery store (where else?) and spoke to me. Then last week she came to an SU workshop my daughter and I had. We used the Cuttlebug in one of our cards. Angie was so intrigued with it she went and immediately bought one, then sent all of us an email telling us! I asked if she would like some help learning about it and some of the things she could do with it. Of course, she agreed that it would be fun.

That's us - Angie on the right, me on the left.



Sooooo we embossed every folder I have, the border folders, small corner folders each of us have and the fun set of a die and mini folders she got with her CB. Then we cut some shapes with the Nestibilities and played with them. The we did some scoring with the Scor-Pal and embossed portions of the cardstock with the folders. She left with a bag of goodies embossed, cut and a mind brimming over with ideas!

Be sure to check out Angie's blog here http://pinkroomponderings.blogspot.com/.

She has some really special things that she shares.

Until next time,
Blessings,

September Blog Hop Challenge Card

This is my first attempt at a 6x6 card. I really liked the larger area to play with. I may do more of these larger cards if I can find envelopes for them.

The images are from Cornish Heritage Farms Kim Hughes Let's Get Stuffed. SU cardstocks were True Thyme, Always Artichoke and More Mustard. The images were colored with SU markers. The background paper and ribbon came from JoAnne's. The leaf brads were purchased online. This was a really fun card to do.

Happy Blog Hopping and Happy Thanksgiving!

Aaaahhh! A Short Time to Relax

We plant a fairly large garden with Roma and beefsteak type tomatoes, bell peppers, Hungarian Wax and sweet banana peppers, and zucchini. This year we also grew butternut squash. My DH thinks it is fun to start the plants from seed. So---beginning early March he plants his babies and tends them until early June when we put them in the garden.

This week I finished up with canning spaghetti sauce and chunk tomatoes and got the peppers chopped and in the freezer. The butternut squash aren't quite ready yet - probably another week.

Aaaaaahhhhhh!! A short time to rest!

Harvest time is a major project around our house, but it provides our provision for much of the next year. My DH is Italian thus the spaghetti sauce. He has few rules for our home, but the most important one is that Sunday dinner has to be red. It's usually spaghetti, but lasagna, stuffed shells, manicotti, stuffed zucchini are all acceptable. I need to change the subject - this is making me very hungry.

I've been making a few cards between batches of sauce.

This is Tina's anniversary card. The background is cuttlebugged with the Stylized Flower and Swiss Dots. The main image was colored with markers, stamped once, the stamp moved slightly and stamped again without reinking.

The sentiment ovals were cut with Nestibilities. I like the way it turned out. How about you?





This is my friendship card to Norma. I love the blue on white. It is so crisp and clean.

I used Friendship Blooms and stamped in Brilliant Blue ink. After stamping, the main image was outlined with Dazzling Diamonds glitter. The centers of the tiny flowers also are glittered.












This card was for Norma - thinking of her during and after her surgery. Gray is not a color cardstock I use very often, but it was perfect for this card.



I also did a card for my secret sister and will post it after the "Big Reveal"!!


Now I just have to get a birthday card done for Julanne. That's a project for another day.

Blessings,

An Award and A Change of Direction

My SBS22 sister Jhet sent me the Javablu award! It is so cool! She likes my blog - YIPPEE!

I have received so many beautiful cards from my SBS22 sisters and SCS WishRAK gals that I feel a little ashamed that I have not been more active in posting to my blog and granting wishes at WishRAK. SO - About a month ago I did some very serious thinking about all the things I do. Then I made a mental list of the things I really enjoy doing and things I did out of duty or obligation or just not being able to say "No" to people.

The one thing that took the most time and produced the least enjoyment and most frustration and stress was the alterations on bridals and formals I had been doing for about 5 years, so it was a really tough call to totally give it up. Once the mental decision was made, I went to the bridal shop that sent me most of my work and told them I was finished, but I gave them 2 names of ladies willing to take over the sewing I was doing.

I will be still sewing, but I will pick and choose carefully what I want to do. The first time I told someone over the phone that I wasn't doing the sewing anymore was difficult but at the same time so liberating. It was REALLY over at that point and I could move on to do the fun things I like.

Having said all that, I am going to make a real effort to visit everyone's blog every week, leave comments and get cards posted on mine every week.



Here is the card Sarah sent me for our anniversary. It is gorgeous. Thank you, Sarah. You are the best!

Those little owls have the cutest eyes!





That's all for this time.


Have a wonderful rest of the week!


Blessings,

Young Friends, Young Christian Family

Several years ago my DH and I became involved as volunteers at Freedom Village, USA, a Christian residential campus for troubled teens. We go there for Sunday morning service and then have lunch with our "gang" - several girls who have been our Adopt-A-Teens.

In 1999 our church backed us with a missions project to make new curtains for the boys' dorm. When the curtains were ready to be installed, a couple young men in the program and a young man in the maintenance department helped my DH get the old window coverings down and put the new curtains up. We became very good friends with two of the helpers, Rod and Mark.

A couple years or so later, one beautiful young lady named Rachel came to the Village as an unwed teen. She was required to attend school, do chores, clean her room just like every other girl there. Just before her baby was due, she moved into the Gift of Life Home where she had a room for herself and her baby. After she had her baby, she was required to care for him - feeding, changing, bathing, etc. - AND still attend school, do her chores, clean her room, etc. There was child care available for the baby while she was in school. At all other times she had her baby with her just like you and I would have to do.

This is Rachel and baby Ryan.

Rachel continued her schooling and everything she was required to do and eventually went back home to her family. We didn't see her for a couple years.


Then she came to the graduation ceremony in 2007 with Ryan. Look how he has grown!

She told us she was engaged to a wonderful young man that we also knew from his time at the Village - Rod!

They were married later in 2007 and are now serving the Lord together on staff at Freedom Village.



Don't they look happy?

We are so happy for them to have each other, the Lord and Ryan.

It has been our joy to see them both mature in the Lord and seek His will for their lives.

They both are on staff as a way to give back to the Village the chance they were given to change their lives and give other troubled teens a place to go for help changing their lives.



Until next time, Blessings,