Life Inside a Scrapbook Room

love this song

2012-01-31T08:25:00.002-06:00

just wanted to share this song... it has such a powerful message! hope it speaks to you the way it spoke to me.

so VERY honored

2012-01-30T15:59:00.003-06:00

today i just had to share some exciting news! i am so very honored to have a piece of my work featured in this article on jessica sprague!! thank you so VERY MUCH to jessica griffin, colourlovers and jessica sprague! hope you will have the chance to hop over and take a peek... colourlovers interview & giveaway with jessica sprague on the 'art of poster design'!! this class is sure to be a FABULOUS one! i can't wait!!

to visit colourlovers click here...
to visit jessica sprague click here...
to visit jessica griffin click here...

featured piece

sunday blessing

2012-01-29T13:22:00.001-06:00

It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; He enables me to stand on the heights. He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

2 Samuel 22:33-35

great start to the new year

2012-01-28T10:35:00.005-06:00

what a wonderful month january has been!! i sure hope the new year is off to a great start for all of you!! i have gotten so much accomplished this month and am so happy with my progress! i started reading the 'happiness project' and what a fabulous book! i took gretchen's advice for january and started cleaning out everything!! basically taking the approach of... if i was moving would i want this in my new house?! as january is coming to a close... i am almost finished with my reorganization... i have a couple of closets left that i hope to tackle on monday... i made a new years resolution to throw out something that we do not need/want every trash day (tuesday and friday) until all is cleaned out! and take what is good to purple heart. i have stuck to it and have come to look forward to the ritual each trash day! love seeing the progress!! i have had fun doing a few design projects around the that i have been wanting to do... which include rearranging a few pieces of furniture and doing a bit of decorating!

along with cleaning and re-organizing i have started several projects and am most happy to report that i am loving all of them along with keeping up with all of them (pictures next week) and enjoying the process of each one. i have started 'project life' with becky higgins, 'one little word' with ali edwards, '52 inspirations' at oscraps, 'monthly photo swap' with simply kelly designs, i have a few classes that i am taking at jessica sprague - art journaling - and a few more coming up - poster design & one on one, i have signed up for cathy zielske's - type class, and i have finally made the decision/commitment to take liz lamoreux's class - create space. this year is a big year for me... i turn the big 50! over the past few years i have made a real conscious effort to cut out the 'yuck' in my life and to really listen and give my life to God's hands. this year my 'one little word' is 'relinquish'... and i don't think that i have ever had a word speak to me the way this one is... it truly is living on my heart!

to top off the month of january... i have had the most wonderful visitors in my house!! from new friends, old friends to re-connecting with friends!! i just so love the way company brings the house to life and new memories are made! after years of exchanging phone calls, a plethora of emails and chatting on facebook... i finally met my sweet dear friend, lori smith, and her family face to face. it was so wonderful to finally meet her family and put real faces to the stories that she had been sharing with me over the years. with in the same week my dear high school friends, debbie slater wyant and martha garcia harkins, along with myself, hosted a 32nd bellaire band and twirler reunion at my house for those who live in the general vicinity, on saturday the 14th. it sure was wonderful to see everyone. some I had not seen in 32 - 33 years. the night was topped off with a good ole girls sleep over with becky cunningham klemm and debbie slater wyant. just like ole times!!

sharing a few pictures with you from this months events!! thanks so much for stopping by and i hope you all have a wonderful day!!

smith family visit...

32 annual bellaire band and twirler reunion

a few pics from years gone by of our gang...

a little change

2012-01-23T10:24:00.000-06:00

hi there everyone!! i sure hope you all had a great weekend!! ours was nice and relaxing and for me, included a lot of time in my playhouse!! i have been busy re-organizing and making my space a place that is welcoming and functional... for both my digital and traditional scrapping. for years my traditional supplies have been packed away... but i have decided to bring them back out and incorporate them in my 2012 projects, project life and one little word. i have had more fun going through all of my old supplies and organizing all of my new ones. i think that i am almost finished and am really happy with the way my new functional traditional work space is turning out! i am in hopes of finishing up my room today, along with olw for january, catching up on project life and working on a few freebies to share with you! i'm looking forward to being able to have more pictures to share with you tomorrow!!

along with my new traditional space i have been busy re-organizing/designing my digital space too!! for those of you who frequent my blog, as you can see over the last couple of months a make-over has slowly been taking place on the overall design/concept of my blog. i am still busy building pages... but i now see the light at the end of the tunnel!

hope you all have a great day and thanks so much for stopping by!!

sunday blessings

2012-01-22T14:41:00.001-06:00

For God is working in you, giving you the desire and power to do what pleases Him.
Phillippians 2:13

one little word subway art revision

2012-01-19T15:51:00.002-06:00

hi there everyone!! today i am just sharing a revision of the subway art for one little word (post from monday). thank you all so MUCH for everyone's sweet kind comments, so thrilled that you all like the subway art... just for your jacquie!! :) to download just click on the poster (the poster is 8 x 10).

to find out more about ali's class 'one little word' click here

to find out more about jessica sprague's class 'subway art' click here

one little word subway art

2012-01-16T14:31:00.006-06:00

hi everyone! i sure hope that you all had a wonderful weekend... i had a fabulous weekend! saturday evening my two sweet high school girl friends and i hosted a 32nd bellaire band and twirler reunion at my house for those of us who live in the houston and surrounding area! we had loads of fun and it was so wonderful to see everyone and catch up! i also joined in on a chat with ali edwards at big picture classes one little word. i so enjoy her chats, they are so warm, informational and inspirationing! during the chat someone asked ali if she was going to do a wordle this year using everyones olw... the start of this year has been extremly busy for her and she said that she did not think that she would be able to do that, but would love it if someone wanted to do one. well, i recently took a jessica sprague class on how to make subway art... love jessica and her classes by the way... i had so much fun with her class that i decided to try my hand at making a subway art poster using all of our words rather than making a wordle, to share with the class. i sure hope you like... to download just click on the poster (the poster is 8 x 10).

to find out more about ali's class 'one little word' click here
to find out more about jessica sprague's class 'subway art' click here

sunday blessings

2012-01-15T18:27:00.002-06:00

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.
2 Corinthians 4:8–9

sunday blessing

2012-01-08T09:15:00.000-06:00

"If you want to know what God really wants you to do, ask him... but if you do not ask in faith, do not expect the Lord to give you any solid answer."
James 1:5-6

julia childs and avis devoto (sorta)?

2012-01-07T14:36:00.002-06:00

i sure hope that everyone is having a great weekend! i sure am! i am busy, busy, busy getting ready for company to arrive on monday! i feel like julia childs and avis devoto! my dear friend, lori smith, and her family are coming to visit and spend the night... this will be the first time that lori and i have ever met face to face, as she lives in australia! we met each other through scrapbooking and have been pen pals, im friends and phone chatters for years now, i feel as if i am going to see an old friend, not one that i have never met! i will be back early next week with pictures from our visit! so excited... i just can't wait! this sure will be one for the project life book!!

december daily starting to come together!

2012-01-05T19:48:00.000-06:00

hi there everyone! can you believe that we are already half-way through the first week of january 2012! now i know what my parents used to mean when they said... the older you get the faster it goes! with the new year, i have started so many fun things!! i have started ali edwards - one little word, becky higgins - project life (as a 365 project) and 52 inspirations at oscraps... along with several new classes!! one being time management with simple scrapper... great class!! i am busy re-organizing my room... making it project life ready, you may say (pictures of my playground coming soon)!! and along with re-organizing and taking down the Christmas decorations (love that clean feeling and sense of restoring order) i have also been working on our new years cards and the hybrid portion of december daily! the digital portion is all finished, i'm now just waiting on the digital prints to arrive... and the hybrid work has started!! just sharing with you the last few finished digital pages along with pictures of the finished pages of my december daily book. hope every ones year is off to a fabulous and blessed start and as always, thanks for dropping by!!

hello 2012!

2012-01-02T20:55:00.004-06:00

happy new year to you all and hello 2012! i just can't believe the new year is here and the old year is behind us... i do love the start and feel of a new year... new dreams and aspirations, the hope of new things to come, the relief of leaving the old behind... remembering the good times and saying goodbye to the bad, the feeling of starting a new journey. i feel good about this coming year, i am ready to get started and i'm excited about my 2012 projects; project life/365 & my 'one little word'... relinquish!! this year i am working on 'giving it all up to God'... saying goodbye to control and goodbye to the worrying that come with the lack of control, goodbye to fear of the unknown, goodbye to insecurity, goodbye to anxiety, goodbye to feeling inadequate. hello to serenity, hello to calmness, hello to surrender, hello to a safe haven, hello to a sanctuary, hello to my protector, hello to release, hello to relinquish. this year, my word found me... i am excited about letting my word live on my heart and i am ready for this flight. after spending time reflecting on my word... i am eager for these changes in my life, i know what i want for myself and how i want my days to look this coming year. one thing i am going to focus on is relinquishing the desires to control my future... i want to relax and invite happiness and excitement of the unknown back into my life and feel secure while doing it. today i am sharing a song with you that i have been listening to for years, 'completely' by ana laura ... but today i heard it differently...

'the power of change is in giving my life and laying it down, down at your feet, right here in this moment. take my heart, take my soul, i surrender everything to your control'

these lyrics hit me like a bolt of lightening... i love those awe inspiring moments and i couldn't help but wonder how long God had been trying to reach me with this awakening. i love the line from the movie 'facing the giants' it describes how i have been feeling on and off for quite some time now...

Lord Jesus, would you help me? I need you. Lord, I feel that there are giants of fear and failure staring down at me, waiting to crush me. And I don't know how to beat 'em, Lord. I'm tired of being afraid. Lord, if you want me to do something else, show me. But You're my God. You're on the throne. You can have my hopes and my dreams. Lord, give me something. Please, show me something.

i can't wait to start this journey with God and my word and i can't wait to see where my relationship with this word will take me, alone with God... i am enough.

Wishing each and everyone of you happiness and joy in the new year and may God bestow many wonderful blessing in your life.

1 I love you, O LORD, my strength.2 The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. 3 I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies.

Psalm 18

sunday blessing

2012-01-01T13:48:00.000-06:00

"I forget the things that are past. I try as hard as I can to reach the goal that is before me."
Philippians 3:13

friday freebie!!

2011-12-30T12:44:00.002-06:00

i just can't believe the new year is just around the corner and wow!! has it been a while since i shared a friday freebie!! my apologies! i sure hope that everyone is having a wonderful and blessed holiday season! does everyone have big plans to ring in the new year? our new year is usually quiet... a family movie and really good munchie food! we still waiting to hear what the kiddos have planned... that we never seem to know until the last minute! this year may not be so quiet!

today i just want to share a little something from me to you, to show you my appreciation for all of your support, encouragement and friendship throughout the year! wishing you a most amazing 2012 filled with many wonderful blessings! hugs to all!!

click here to download freebie

sharing a page that i did using 'little helper'

celebrating living life!

2011-12-28T10:28:00.012-06:00

i just love scrapbooking! i think what i love most about it is the community! i have met the most wonderful, sweet, inspirational, motivating, encouraging and moving people... many of whom have become some of my closest friends. some i have never even met in person... we have only exchanged email, chat and skype, but i can't even remember my life when they were not a part of it!!

i was recently visiting becky higgins blog on my daily blog stops and the post for the day was '12 videos of Christmas: No. 9' and i have to say... this video really rocked me to the very core of my soul! the message behind it, the celebration of life, jenny's high spirit... it is so inspirational and joyful!!! the more i thought about her video and how it just makes you 'feel good', i really felt the calling to share it with you! i wrote jenny and asked her if it would be ok and i was thrilled to receive her answer of 'yes'!! she was so kind, sweet and humble!! jenny's story is amazing as she is a CANcer survivor!! the fight against cancer is one that is near and dear to me... as i have lost several family members to the disease, along with watching my best friend of 37 years fight it!! becky too is a CANcer survivor!!

i have fallen in love with jenny's blog and it is now one of my daily blog stops! her look on life is so exultant!! what an amazing person she is and what an amazing husband and family she has!! even though i don't really know jenny, i could not be more happier for her and her celebration of life! i know what she has been through to get to this point in her life (as i was with becky each step of the way and still am on each follow up visit)! i look forward to getting to know jenny in the coming year and watching and supporting her as she lives her 'life list'!! what a jubilant inspiration she is!!!

jenny... one question for you... what is that yummy treat you are eating?? it looks simply divine!!

a big big thank you to jenny for letting me share her video and the story of her 'living life'. you are amazing!!!

i sure hope you will watch the video and stop by her blog... you will be glad you did!!

Jenny Meyerson (click here to visit her blog)

inspiration behind this video...

Jeff - her husband writes this (from Becky Higgins blog)

Seven years ago when my wife was 30 years old, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Our kids were 6, 2, and 1 at the time so needless to say it was a very scary time. After a double mastectomy and 6 months of aggressive chemotherapy, she was declared cancer free by her oncologist. The ordeal had a profound effect on how Jenny looked at life. When she was going through treatment, she was challenged by a fellow patient to write down everything she wanted to do in life and “go for it”. He wasn’t going to survive and he had regrets about putting things off and not doing things because they seemed too crazy.

The treatment took a lot out of us emotionally and financially and 6 years went by until Jenny came to me early this year and said that she wanted to start a blog to document completing things that she had on her bucket list (we call it her life list). So, for Mother’s Day I had jennymeyerson.com designed and hosted and off she went.

Jenny is a little crazy and a nerd (in a good way) and one of her list items was to dance with strangers in front of the monuments in Washington DC. This summer we went to her 20th high school reunion in Virginia and spent the week touring DC and taking video. I was so embarrassed about asking strangers to dance that I would walk about 100 yards behind Jenny with the camera while she asked people to dance. To my surprise, people loved it. Eventually, she even got me to roll down the hill in front of the Washington Monument and to dance with her in front of the Lincoln Center.

i also wanted to share a page with you that i did in celebration of becky's fight against CANcer!!

my one little word

2011-12-28T09:36:00.004-06:00

i just can't believe that 2012 is just a few days away!! and with a new year comes a new little word for me! i absolutely love ali edwards class 'one little word' at big picture classes... i have done this for the past two years and have thoroughly enjoyed it!!! i love having a word to help guide me along my path of growth... one that is meaningful in my life and truly speaks to me. i have found it very comforting over the last couple of years to have a word to steer me in the areas of my life where i need it the most! my word for 2010 was 'now'... now in this moment, live in this moment. my word for 2011 was lil'things... enjoy the little things for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things. and my word for 2012 is 'relinquish'... lift, surrender, release, give up, entrust, hand over, renounce, to give it all up to God, trust in the Lord, His will be done, not mine. i sure hope you will join in on this adventure in 2012.

to find out more about 'one little word' click here

this i love...

2011-12-27T16:54:00.001-06:00

i sure hope that everyone is having a wonderful holiday! we are... it is just passing by much to quickly!! my hubby goes back to work tomorrow and i so wish that he did not have to! i just love it when our whole family is together! today i have just a couple of extra pages to share with you that i am including in my december daily, i am still working on the hybrid part of the book... that is taking much longer than i imagined! it has been so long since i have done any traditional scrapping, i'm a smidgen out of touch with techniques and such! i will have a few more pages to add in on the digital side... i am working on a collage of pictures that shows the Christmas decorations around our house and i will have another page to share with you regarding my Christmas gifts!! a few presents that brian ordered for me did not arrive on time for me to open up on Christmas... and that is just perfectly ok with me... i feel like Christmas is extending a bit longer!! today i received a book that i have been wanting and what a nice surprise that was!! 'river flow' new and selected poems by david whyte... he informed me that i had a few more surprises coming!! YA!! thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful evening!! i'm off to get ready to go to the movies with my dear friend joanna... we are going to go see... we bought a zoo. sure hope it is good!

you still get excited

2011-12-26T15:32:00.002-06:00

i just can't believe the big day is over! i sure hope that everyone had a blessed Christmas... we sure did! for me... the greatest blessing was to hear ryan say that he was so excited about Christmas that he really did not sleep all that well!! i certainly did not feel blessed that he did not sleep well... but seeing a glimpse of that same spark of excitement from when he was younger... that was the only gift i needed for Christmas! our Christmas day really was a perfect one! the guys played their new star wars game all day (as predicted) we munched on food, i played at my computer and with my new project life goodies, chatted on the phone and even did a load of wash... but with the warm happy Christmas spirit that our house had, i didn't even mind the daily chores of making beds or doing laundry! at the end of the day... i decided to stretch out on the floor and put on a chick flick movie (as the guys would call it) and just when i thought the day could not get any better... ryan came and stretched out on the floor next to me! we put on a Christmas episode of 'frasier' and both fell asleep... it really was the perfect ending to the perfect day!

while the december daily project has come to a close (for the most part) i still have a few more digital pages to add, here and there, along with a good portion of the tradtional pages left to do. (i hope to post some pictures later today of what i have done so far on the traditional side) and wow do i have to hand it to ali... i just don't know how she does all that she does!! between her classes, projects, family and personal life... how do you do it ali?! i hope one day she will teach a class on time management... that is one class of hers that i will for sure take!! she is most definately my muse! sharing december daily days 24 and 25... off to take pictures, work on some freebies, tackle a few more traditional pages for december daily and start my prep work for one little word, project life, 365 and work on ali's storyology class!! hmmm can i do all of that this afternoon? good question for me!

sunday blessing

2011-12-25T13:16:00.000-06:00

"For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Might God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

Isaiah 9:6

merry Christmas eve!

2011-12-24T15:50:00.001-06:00

wow... the big day before the BIG night is finally here and i sure hope that everyone is having a very merry and joyful Christmas eve! we are enjoying quality family time and cooking together!! i know all of you with little ones are having a very exciting day full of smiles and anticipation!! how i miss those days! real quickly i just wanted to share yesterdays december daily with you! i'm off to the kitchen again to finish up our big Christmas eve dinner!!

sending many blessing your way and wishing you and yours a very merry Christmas!!

i'm dreaming of a white christmas

2011-12-24T15:38:00.000-06:00

my sweet friend joanna sent this to me and i just wanted to share this with you... what a fun way to listen to the song!

picture perfect!

2011-12-23T09:50:00.001-06:00

merry MERRY Christmas eve eve!! ohhhh i just can't believe the big day is almost here!! the only thing i have left to do is run to the market for a few items for Christmas dinner. this is the first year in years that we will be home on Christmas day, we usually go to my cousin sharon's house for Christmas day family merriment!! but this year they are on a tiger safari in india and i just can't wait to see the pictures (she is an excellent photographer) and hear all about it! it sounds like a wonderful trip... they will be packing into the jungle on elephants. when she was telling me about this trip, i started to giggle... and she asked, what is so funny? i told her that all i could think about was 'indiana jones' and kate capshaw on top of the elephant swatting at flies and spraying the elephant down with perfume! we both had a good laugh over that! so our family Christmas will not be until january... which gives us two Christmas' to look forward to!!! so since we are on our own this year... we have decided to change things up just a bit. we are going to have our big Christmas meal Christmas eve night... and on Christmas day i'll have a breakfast casserole ready to slide into the oven first thing and we can just relax, open presents, sip on coffee, play with all of our new toys, hang out in pajamas and eat leftovers all day!! i am hoping to get some good scrapping time in with some new scrapping goodies that i'm hoping santa will bring me!!

here's wishing you all a wonderful, jolly, merry Christmas filled with many blessings!

sharing yesterdays december daily...

ok... so it really wasn't that bad

2011-12-22T15:05:00.003-06:00

hi there everyone!! hope everyone is having a great Christmas week!!! we are... just enjoying having the whole family home!! we don't have a lot planned... we are just being breezy and that is really nice for a change, enjoying breaking away from all of the 'have to's' and 'must do's' that seem to dictate our lives. today i am sharing two days of my december daily's... i got a wee bit behind while i was working on my newest digital kit 'partridge in a pair tree' (due to release next tuesday the 27th at pxlcafe - perfect for scrapping all of those beautiful Christmas pictures you will be taking)! i am also working on a few Christmas freebies for you and hope to have those ready within the next few days... so make sure you check back soon!! thanks so much for stopping by and taking a peek... have a great afternoon!!

one little word 2012

2011-12-22T14:30:00.001-06:00

do you have your one little word... the one little word that can help you identify and sum up what you want for yourself in 2012? i have done this with ali edwards for the past two years... and have really enjoyed it! for me... it helps me stay focused on the path that I am walking down, helps me to grow in the direction that i feel i am being called and is calming to me in the midst of what can be a rather chaotic life at times!! while i am still mulling over my 2012 word and not quite ready to share it yet (thanks for your patients and understanding)... i'm still letting my word percolate and resonate through my mind... this year i am planning on incorporating one little word, project life and 365 together!! i've enrolled in ali's one little word 2012 class at big picture classes, i've have ordered project life (turquoise addition) and also enrolled in photo a day with nicole samuels at studio calico. hope you will join me...

my one little word 2011

2011-12-22T13:33:00.002-06:00

my one little word 2010

2011-12-22T12:35:00.001-06:00

holiday photo check list

2011-12-22T10:20:00.002-06:00

as the big day is quickly approaching... and the december daily project is quickly coming to an end... i wanted to share this photo check list with you that i ran across on the creating keepsakes magazine blog. it is a great list of moments that you don't want to miss or forget about!!

my deepest gratitude

2011-12-20T10:45:00.002-06:00

the big day is close and i think that i am all ready!! how about you?? we love receiving Christmas cards in the mail... and this year i have gotten quite a few by email... which i love too!! i love how easy email makes it to keep up with friends and family a far. speaking of friends a far... our wonderful friends the prentices' sent us an email the other day and it really touched my heart. it made me stop in my tracks and think... so much to the point that it became yesterdays december daily. there truly are no words to express the deep gratitude, admiration and thanks that i have for the men and women that have served, currently serve and will serve in our armed forces. peace be with you and God Bless.

PS... if you like freebies... please see two posts below this one... pxlcafe creative team is having a blog hop and we have put a collab kit together that is just full of wonderful goodies just for you!!!

random sorta weekend

2011-12-19T18:54:00.001-06:00

hi there everyone! hope you all had a great weekend and your week is off to a great start! i know mine is, my dear friend joanna and i finished all of our christmas shopping and errands together today and boy it is much more fun doing all of that with a sweet friend! we had more fun!! thinking i may take ali's approach tomorrow and use my receipts from today!! sharing yesterdays december daily with you... thanks so much for stopping by!!

PS... if you like freebies... please see the post below this one... pxlcafe creative team is having a blog hop today and we have put a collab kit together that is just full of wonderful goodies just for you!!!

pxlcafe creative team blog hop

2011-12-19T08:22:00.039-06:00

hi everyone and welcome to the pxlcafe creative team blog hop!!! have we got some wonderful goodies for you today and you won't want to miss a piece!! you can download each mini-kit by hopping around to each of the designers blogs, there are a total of 7 hops!

here is a peek at all of the kits in the collab...

you can download my portion of the kit by clicking here or on the previews...

for the next stop... kimberly kalil... click here... she has some BEAUTIFUL hand written word art that you are not going to want to miss!!!

if you are just popping in on the blog hop at my blog and want to join in...

the blog hop starts here...

to visit Amy Coffey (the stop before mine) you can click here...

sharing a couple of pages that i did using both templates and the collab kit

below is a list of all the wonderful pxlcafe creative team blogs to make sure you haven't missed any!

pxlcafe blog

amy coffey

kimberly kalil

lisa reid

miranda assenberg

tracy martin

a sock feet kinda day

2011-12-18T09:38:00.000-06:00

happy sunday to all!! i sure hope that everyone is having a wonderful weekend! so far ours is nice and relaxing... Christmas break is almost here and i just can't wait! ryan has one day of school left and that is tuesday, he is off tomorrow... just the way the final/exemption schedule fell. then hubby has two days of work left and he off for the rest of the week and it will be Christmas family time!! baking, hanging out, friends, family, holiday movies, running last minute errands... oh i just can't wait!!! thanks for popping in!!

sunday blessing

2011-12-18T08:11:00.000-06:00

But the angel reassured them. ‘Don’t be afraid!’ he said. ‘I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.'
Luke 2:10

all caught up with december daily!

2011-12-17T10:24:00.003-06:00

happy weekend everyone!! hope everyone is having a great weekend!! is everyone ready for Christmas? i think we are almost ready!! just a few stocking stuffers and small items to pick up and i will be finished! today i plan on doing a bit of designing and working on the traditional part of this project... i hope to have a lot done and some photos taken by the first of the week to show you the album! thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful weekend!!

Christmas past and present

2011-12-14T17:27:00.002-06:00

happy hump day!! i hope everyone is having a great week!! since i have been working on my december daily project i have done a lot of reflecting on Christmas pasts... trying to recall the memories of my younger years and thinking about all of the questions that i wish i had answers to, so i can document those present moments for ryan. i've been pouring through old family pictures... some have warm fuzzy memories and some just leave me with frustrating questions that i have know one to turn to for answers! yesterday's pages reflect one of each... while i may not have the answers to a good portion of the pictures, i am thankful that i have some fabulous old family pictures that let my imagination run wild!!!

magic and twinkle a bit different

2011-12-13T09:57:00.004-06:00

wow!! half way through december daily already!! i can't believe it! i have to say that i am so thankful that i decided to join in on the fun with ali edwards and her december daily project! it truly is helping me see everyday... i know that sometimes i have the tendancy to just skate through the day and wonder the next morning... what did i do yesterday? or get to the high point of the season and wonder... where did it all go? this project has genuinly helped me see the special little moments in just an ordinary day! since ryan is now older, the magic and twinkle of our holiday season is just a bit different... and the excitement of the everyday that seems to grow with the anticipated arrival of santa... is no longer there... i realize that i now find myself in a totally different phase of life and seeing the holidays in a distinctively changed view... not in a bad way... more bitter sweet. while this is the first year that i have participated in collectively documenting each december day and i so regret that i did not do this during the magical years... i am very grateful for how this project is bringing back wonderful memories of a most cherished time in our lives. here's to special moments in ordinary days! hope you have a happy, scrappy day!

most memorable christmas present

2011-12-12T10:33:00.001-06:00

hi there and happy monday!! i sure hope that everyone had a great weekend!! our saturday was busy... but sunday was restful! today i am sharing with you my december daily 9th - 11th and a few extra pages. since this is the first year that i have done this project, i thought it would be fun to include a few extra tid-bits... one subject being... what was your most memorable christmas present as a child? my inspiration for this question came from a 'restoration hardware' catalog that i recently received (love that store by the way)! i loved the layout of the catalog so much that i incorporated a few of the pages digitally and i also plan on tearing out a few of the catalog pages to use as paper for this project too! how i wish that more of my family was still alive so i could ask them what their most memorable present was... but sadly they are not. when i asked my mother-in-law what her most memorable present was... i so enjoyed hearing her talk about her present and the story that went with it!! thanks for popping by and i hope you all have a good day!!

sunday blessing

2011-12-11T16:22:00.000-06:00

Make allowance for each other's faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.
Colossians 3:13

naughty or nice?

2011-12-09T17:38:00.003-06:00

i just had to share!! i had so much fun creating this little video and wow did it bring back a lot of fun, happy memories!! i can only imagine the excitement that ryan would have experienced if he had received this video from santa when he was younger!! ohhhhhh those were the days... such bitter sweet memories!!

Christmas concert

2011-12-09T13:10:00.001-06:00

happy friday!! wow, did this week just fly by... i can't believe that the weekend is almost here!! yesterday was a day full of picture opporunities for me... so much so that i could not decided which picture to focus on... so i just used all of them!! it was the coldest morning of the season, the sunrise was spectacular and my son's concert band Christmas program was last night. because i loved all of the pictures (even though some were taken with my cell phone and not that clear) i wanted all of them to be the focus. i decided to make 6 - 8 x 10 pages to document yesterdays story. i hope that everyone has a wonderful weekend and as always, thanks for popping in!!!

fall color

2011-12-08T15:46:00.002-06:00

happy thursday everyone!! wow, this week seems to be passing quickly!! i received my picture order for december daily from the ups man last night and i am so excited to start putting my book together!!! i have always wanted to incorporate sewing on my hybrid pages, but i had no idea how to sew!! so last night i pulled out my mom's ole singer and my sweet friend diane came over today to teach me!! i'm so excited that i now know how to sew and can add some stitches to my december daily project!! and oh boy... is sewing paper FUN!!! i'm off to practice some more!! thanks so much for stopping by and have a great rest of the day!!

our first christmas card... always! and a little extra...

2011-12-07T13:52:00.007-06:00

what a gorgeous day we are having today!! the sun is out, the air is crisp and the high is only 49! i am so enjoying this fall weather... such a much needed break from all of the heat and drought of this summer!

i had more fun yesterday!! i went to archiver's and wow, what goodies they had!! i got a bunch of wonderful embellishments and beautiful papers for my december daily traditional / hybrid project and i also picked up a few more additional goodies that i just simply could not pass up!! it has been so long since i played with paper... i just can't wait to get started!!

sharing day 6 with you of my december daily, once again it is a simple one... time was running a wee short yesterday (guess i stayed at archiver's a bit too long)! and since it's been quite some time since i shared any of my scrap assignments with you... i am sharing a few of those with you today too!!!

thanks for dropping in and have a great afternoon!!! i am off to play with paper and scissors!!!

here are a few of the extra goodies that i picked up!!

and a few of my assignments for PxlCafe...
to find out which kits i used please click here

a quiet moment

2011-12-06T09:44:00.003-06:00

good morning!! i want to start off by saying thank you to everyone that is stopping by my blog!!! i sure am enjoying looking at everyone's blog that is posting their link at december daily!! the inspiration is simply unbelievable!!! and the variations of style is tremdous!! love love it!!!

my pages from yesterday's december daily are very simple... it was a busy day... but i got a lot done!! house is all decorated and laundry is fairly caught up! i never made it out to archivers yesterday... but that is where i am headed this morning!! have a great day everyone and thanks for stopping by and taking a peek!!

while it is hard to tell... this page is an 8 x 10 white background

happy monday!

2011-12-05T11:13:00.000-06:00

happy monday everyone!! did everyone have a good weekend? i sure hope so!! we got a lot done!! tree up and decorated along with a few house decorations too! i sat down this morning to send off my picture order and ran into a little kink... i had originally decided on an 8.5 x 11 format because i was going to do most of the printing myself... but then decided to use my faithful printers because the pictures always turn out so beautiful (i figured it was worth the wait of an extra day)!! so, as i go to order this morning i realize that my pages were the wrong size... my prints needed to be 8 x 10, so i have spent this morning re-sizing my prints and am now ready to order, YA!!!! i still plan on keeping some pages at 8.5 x 11... i figure it will just add a few more layers to my album, which i love!! i can hardly wait to get my pictures in and start putting my book together!! i hope to have time today to run out to archivers (my favorite scrapbook store) to buy a few new traditional embellishments!! thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

left side

a few more base pages...

wonderful friends!

2011-12-04T11:25:00.003-06:00

happy sunday everyone!! sure hope you are all having a great weekend!! ours has been so nice, quiet and relaxing! sharing my december daily #3... thanks for stopping by and taking a peek!!

intro page (slowly but surely i am getting the interior base pages done)

sunday blessing

2011-12-04T11:08:00.001-06:00

Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that lay before Him endured a cross and despised the shame and has sat down at the right hand of God's throne.

Hebrews 12:1-2

just an ordinary day

2011-12-03T15:50:00.002-06:00

happy holidays everyone! i sure hope that everyone's Christmas season is off to a wonderful start! i am truly enjoying participating in ali edwards' december daily, it is helping me see a different side of the holidays as i document the days. i find myself asking... what kind of things would i liked to have know about my parents during this time of the year and thinking about what i want ryan to remember years from now! it is helping me really focus on the season rather than just letting the days slip by. today i am sharing my pages from december 2nd, i had a chance to work on my binder last night and i really loved playing with my traditional scrapping goodies... something that i have not done in several years!! as i was pulling out my Christmas supplies i just had to giggle and wonder... what in the world was i thinking when i bought THAT!! funny how our style changes and evolves. i also had forgot how much i love the feel of paper, getting my fingers inky and hearing the sound of paper cutting! thanks for popping by and taking a peek... and have a great rest of the weekend!

day dividers

binder cover for december daily (still needs a bit of tweeking!)

and here we go...

2011-12-02T10:32:00.001-06:00

hi there everyone!! tgif!! today i just wanted to share with you my first few pages of my 'december daily'. i have decided to follow an 8.5 x 11 format and incorporate a lot of layers, i love the way ali uses so many different layers and textures in her book! i am not exactly sure how i want the intro pages to look or what kind of cover i am going to use for this project, but i am heading out later this morning to see what i can find! while my book is going to be mostly digital... i plan on adding traditional papers, embellishments and stickers along the way!

here are a couple of pictures from ali's pages, i just love how she incorporated both digital and traditional along with the multiple layers...

december 1st...

december 2nd...

this morning i woke up thinking about decorating the tree this weekend... so i decided to include a picture of last years tree. actually since this is the first year that i have done this project. i plan on including quite a few items from years past!

december daily 2011

2011-12-01T11:29:00.003-06:00

merry december 2011 everyone!!! it IS the most wonderful time of the year!! and this december i'm joining the fun of 'ali edwards december daily 2011'. i am a huge fan of hers and absolutely love her graphic style of scrapping, along with her poignant grace of journaling. for those of you who know me know that our family is quickly approaching the 'empty nest' phase of life, now more than ever i feel the sense of urgency to document everything and i can't wait to get started on this project!! i just bought a few new goodies of ali's at designer digitals and plan on doing a tad bit of hybrid for this particular album. here is a list of some things that i want to include in my album...

decorating the tree
nativity scene
favorite christmas movies
favorite christmas music
favorite christmas books
christmas shopping and the lists
our wreath
christmas cards
our holiday mugs
the stockings
ryan's christmas concert
picture of our tv with christmas shows on
daily weather
christmas to do list
new years resolutions
christmas baking
past christmas memories and pictures
list of things i am grateful for
love this moment pages
school calendar
favorite decorations around the house

thanks for dropping by and i hope you will join me in the fun!!

read about ali's 'december daily 2011' here

sunday blessing

2011-11-27T09:19:00.000-06:00

Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his faithful love endures forever.
Psalm 107

knock knock anyone home? and please excuse the dust!!

2011-11-26T11:00:00.002-06:00

hi there everyone!! wow has it been a long time since i blogged!! i sure hope this blog post finds everyone doing great!! so much has been going on in our lives, all good just really really busy!!! after my last posting, poor sheldon (for those of you who know me know that, yes, my computer has a name) got a terrible terrible virus and my husband had to completely wipe him clean!! but that happened right before our summer vacation to connecticut. then as soon as we returned it was time for my son's summer marching band camp to start (and for those of you who know me know that i am extremly involved in volunteer work with my son's band activities)! then school started along with all that entails (school activites, band practices, competition and friday night lights - the football games and play-offs) and well that pretty much in a 'readers digest condensed version' takes us up to today!! soooooo with all of that being said... i feel like i have finally found balance and it feels good to be blogging again!! i feel like i have so much to share with you since my last post... one thing being that i have decided to try my hand at sprucing up my little piece of the world wide web with a new look!! so for the time being i am busily working on a new design and learning html code... but hope to have sheldon back up and running within a few days!! so please excuse the dust as i do a little fall cleaning for the new year!!!

sunday blessing

2011-06-26T14:05:00.001-05:00

He guides me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Psalm 23:3

EXCITING NEWS and DIGITAL FREEBIES!!!

2011-06-23T11:14:00.003-05:00

so EXCITED to share!!! in honor of my designs soon to be sold at PxlCafe... i have made a FREEBIE mini kit!! this is a sneak peek to my new kit 'Make Believe - Pirates Plunder Mega Kit'... COMING SOON!!!! hope you will have a chance to stop by and take a peek!!!!

click here to download FREEBIE kit!!

Soooo EXCITED to share...

2011-06-20T09:17:00.004-05:00

P.S. FREEBIES coming your way soon!!!

sunday blessing

2011-06-19T08:15:00.000-05:00

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
James 1:22

sunday blessing

2011-06-12T08:14:00.001-05:00

Don't be bewildered or surprised when you go through the fiery trials ahead, for this is no strange, unusual thing that is going to happen to you.

1 Peter 4:12 LB

sunday blessing

2011-06-05T06:52:00.001-05:00

Now you belong to him, in order that you might be useful in the service of God.
Romans 7:4

sunday blessing

2011-05-29T08:18:00.001-05:00

It is in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for… part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone.

Ephesians 1:11

my newest project at pxlcafe!!

2011-05-27T13:35:00.006-05:00

today i am so happy to share with you my newest design project at pxlcafe!! sports templates!! these templates are a fun way to showcase your favorite photos of all the sports stars in your life! they are fully-layered templates with editable text that gives you the flexibility you need to create projects for yourself, your child's sports team, or photography clients.

these templates are sold in themed sets or individually, including a fully-layered Photoshop (.psd format) file and a flattened (.png format) file for each template. template set themes available are baseball, soccer and track & field, however additional options are included in baseball and track & field sets to include similar sports such as softball, tee ball, marathon running and biking.

each set includes a 12x12 collage design, 8x10 collage design, 8x10 magazine cover design, 2x7 sports ticket design and 3x4 baseball card-style design (front & back). as with all products at PxlCafe, these templates are available with personal or commercial licensing options.

thanks for stopping by and have a GREAT holiday weekend!!

to buy the sports templates at pxlcafe click here

my sweet friend miranda

2011-05-24T08:43:00.007-05:00

hi there!! i just had to share with you this beautiful quick page that my sweet, wonderful and very talented friend miranda shared with me!! we are both on the 'pxlcafe' creative team and this was a layout that she did using the new kit 'garden serenity', i just fell in love with it!!

love you sweet friend and your page is simply G O R G E O U S!!! THANK YOU so very much for sharing your quick page with me!!!!!

click here to purchase the kit at pxlcafe...

almost summer!

2011-05-23T13:11:00.007-05:00

hi everyone!! i can't believe that summer is almost here!! we have 7 more days to go... how about you all?? so with the end of the year quickly approaching... i always do an end of the year print for our band directors (marking an accomplishment of the band from the school year)... just as a token of my appreciation for all they do for our kids!!! this year the print highlights the band going to 'state marching competition' and the marching performance titled 'deja view - you've seen us before, now we are back'. this was such an accomplishment for our kids!! never before has a band as small as ours (200+) or as young as we are (6 years old), made it to state!! most bands are 400+ and 10+ years old... we we're a FIRST!!!!! out of 1000+ bands, we finished 30th... not bad!! in my post today i have included a video of the bands first competition of many for 2010, on our way to state!!

hope you all have a great week!!

state marching competition

2011-05-23T13:10:00.001-05:00

sunday blessing

2011-05-22T09:38:00.001-05:00

Do not be fooled. Bad companions ruin good character.
1 Corinthians 15:33

WONDERFUL digital freebies for you & calling all designers!!!

2011-05-20T21:19:00.017-05:00

hi everyone!!! tgif!!! hope everyone has a great and fun weekend planned!! to help start your weekend off on a fun note i wanted to share with you some FABULOUS digital freebies from PxlCafe... they compliment the kit All Roads Lead Home, i am so blessed that i had the privilege of designing both of these for PxlCafe!!!

click here to download the Loving Word Art Freebies...
click here to purchase the kit 'All Roads Lead Home'...

freebie... Loving Word Art

kit... All Roads Lead Home

sharing some pages that i did using the word art and kit...

CALLING ALL DESIGNERS...

Sell Your Designs

Welcome to the information page for PxlCafe Sell Your Designs Program! We'd love to work with you to establish a very easy outlet for sales of your designs. Our program allows you to focus on what you love doing most - designing beautiful artwork. We'll do all the work of marketing and selling the artwork for you!

If you're ready to sign up and learn more about the program, simply send an email to designers@pxlcafe.com with your name, address, phone, email and a list of any stores where your digital artwork is currently sold. Our purchasing agents will contact you with some paperwork to sign and then you can begin selling!

Have questions? We've got answers for you!

Q: What percentage of revenue from my artwork will I receive?
A: You will receive 60% of the total revenue collected for your artwork.

Q: How do I enroll in the program?

A: Send an email to designers@pxlcafe.com with your name, address, phone, email and a list of any stores where your digital artwork is currently sold.

Q: What types of artwork will you consider?

A: We will consider all types of artwork including digital kits, sets of papers, elements or word art, alpha sets, Photoshop templates, Photoshop brushes, overlays, textures and any other type of digital artwork.

click here to visit PxlCafe Store
click here to visit PxlCafe Blog

happy monday!!

2011-05-16T09:53:00.001-05:00

hi all of my digi friends and happy monday!! every week i think things are going to slow down just a bit and well... they never seem to!! these last couple of weeks have been so busy with end of school and band events!! although i have to say... i just so love being around the kids and helping out!! weekend before last was my son's band banquet and i am just so happy and proud of him and for him!! he received two awards... the Director's Award and Trombone Section Award!! the Director's Awards is one of the highest awards that you can receive in band and the Trombone Section Award is a fun award given out by the Trombone Section Leader!!

a little about each award...

Director's Award... it is given to students that have shown outstanding commitment, dedication, improvement, enthusiasm and fervor throughout the entire school year.

Trombone Section Award... it is a fun award given out by the section leader to a few in each section that mark an event or something fun that has been shared throughout the school year in the section... this year two of the awards were given to ryan... 'They hate us in San Antonio Award' and 'The Boble Award'. 'The San Antonio Award' was given to ryan for something he started on the spring trip... everytime their group rode a roller coaster, they would put their hands up in the air, give the cy-woods sign and start singing as loud as they could a cy-woods song that he made up for the entire ride!! And the 'Boble Award' was given to ryan for his fishing skills in San Antonio... he was trying to meet up with an old friend from elementary school that he had not seen in years, they were both in the park at the same time... so his friends told him that he was 'fishing all day' looking for her!! silly, silly kids!!!

just sharing a picture from ryan's 'after band banquet pool party' and a layout i did about ryan's award. thanks for stopping by and hope you all have a great week!!

above lo was done for pxlcafe fontastic friday
click here to visit pxlcafe and for lo details

sunday blessing

2011-05-15T09:52:00.001-05:00

And this small and temporary trouble we suffer will bring us a tremendous and eternal glory, much greater than the trouble. For we fix our attention, not on things that are seen, but on things that are unseen. What can be seen lasts only for a time, but what cannot be seen lasts forever.

2 Corinthians 4:17-18

for all of my mommie friends

2011-05-08T18:50:00.008-05:00

happy mothers day to all of my sweet, dear mommie friends... just wanted to share a little something with you... i love you all!!

sunday blessing

2011-05-08T18:46:00.002-05:00

Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.

Exodus 20:12

a simple thought

2011-05-04T11:27:00.003-05:00

sunday blessing

2011-05-01T11:24:00.000-05:00

God is not a God of disorder but of peace.
1 Corinthians 14:33

'For The Luv Of Art's' first DIGITAL COLLAB KIT!!

2011-04-26T08:27:00.004-05:00

A few of the Digital Designers at 'For The Luv Of Art' are so EXCITED to share with you our first COLLAB KIT!! Hope you will stop by, take a peek and lend a helping hand!! ALL PROCEEDS WILL BE DONATED TO THE RED CROSS JAPAN & NEW ZEALAND!!

click here to purchase the kit...

a peek at my contribution...

WONDERFUL digital freebies for you!!

2011-04-25T18:15:00.001-05:00

happy monday all my friends!! and what fun news i have for you to start off your week!! the one word that i know digital scrappers love to hear is 'freebies' and do i have some wonderful freebies to share with you today from 'PxlCafe'!! as many of you know, not only am i blessed to be a content designer for PxlCafe, but i am also honored to be on their creative team with many wonderful and very talented ladies!!!! and a few of these fabulously talented ladies have designed some wonderful freebies that i am so excited to share with you!! my sweet, dear friends... Nicole LeBlance, Miranda Assenberg and Jenny Dammann have created some terrific templates for you that i know you will just LOVE!! i hope that you will have a chance to stop by and take a peek... here are just a few of the freebies that you will find... there is so much wonderful inspiration for you to see!!! hope you all have a great week and happy happy scrapp'in!!!

templates created by Miranda Assenberg
click here to download templates
jenny has also put together a YouTube video tutorial to help make it super easy to understand how to use the templates

template created by Jenny Dammann
click here to download template

page that i did using jenny's fabulous template

template created by Nicole LeBlanc
click here to download template

sunday blessing

2011-04-23T09:49:00.004-05:00

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
His love endures forever.
Give thanks to the God of gods.
His love endures forever.
Give thanks to the Lord of lords:
His love endures forever.
To him who alone does great wonders,
His love endures forever.
Psalm 136:1-4

Easter Prayer
You left your throne in heaven,
Your love endures forever.
You lived a perfect sinless life,
Your love endures forever.
You endured the humiliation of a trial,
Your love endures forever.
You went to a cross and willingly died,
Your love endures forever.
You were in the grave for three days,
Your love endures forever.
And on the third day you rose again,
Your love endures forever.

Easter greetings

2011-04-23T09:21:00.006-05:00

Easter greetings my sweet friends!! Today I feel so honored to share with you this beautiful pen and ink drawing done by one of my father's closest and dearest friends, Robert Hardy. My father, Edward Bodet, was a very prominent architect in Texas and was known for his beautiful churches throughout the state. He had his own firm and Bob worked with my father for 9 years. I feel so blessed to have Bob in my life... he has shared many wonderful stories with me about my father... the side of him I never knew!! He has made me laugh and cry. For years Bob's beautiful greeting cards have graced our mail box... his hand drawn pen and ink cards are a tradition and I always await them anxiously!! Thank you Bob for sharing your wonderful talent with all of us!! Much love to you!!

May you each have a very blessed Easter.

pen and ink by Robert Hardy...

my daddy...

one of his churches... Park Place United Methodist Church, Houston, Texas

so touching

2011-04-19T17:21:00.003-05:00

today my sweet friend joanna sent this video to me... it was so touching that i just had to share.

sunday blessing

2011-04-17T09:15:00.002-05:00

Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.

John 11:25-26

sunday blessing

2011-04-10T09:09:00.004-05:00

Therefore, no condemnation now exists for those in Christ Jesus, because the Spirit's law of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.

Romans 8:1

what do you want to see?

2011-04-06T08:04:00.012-05:00

good morning my friends!! i hope everyone is having a wonderful week!! this morning i came upon this wonderful blog (in)courage home for the hearts of women. it is so full of wonderful heart felt inspiration and i just wanted to share this particular article with you... hope you enjoy it as much as i did!! have a great day!!

visit (in)courage here...

A friend came over the other day and while she was at my house, she used the bathroom. Later, I mentioned that a book I’m reading about cleaning and organizing was making me feel lousy about my own less-than-stellar housekeeping.

I was completely shocked when she replied, “Well, every time I come to your house, your bathroom is spotless. How about not cleaning it once in a while, so I don’t feel so bad about my house?”

What? That’s crazy. I awkwardly shrugged off the comment, admitting that I had cleaned a little bit earlier in the day, but it was no big deal.

Later that night I walked into the bathroom and I had to chuckle. When I looked into that tiny room, I saw cat hair on the baseboards, an empty toilet paper roll sitting on the counter, a stray ponytail holder sitting on the sink and more water spots and toothpaste splatters than I could count.

That’s when it hit me: We see what we want to see.

A few years ago I realized that my good friend and co-worker had a bad habit of refusing to accept compliments. If I said, “Hey, your hair looks cute!” she’d reply with an exaggerated rebuff: “Seriously? I haven’t washed it in four days!” Or if I mentioned that I liked her shirt, she’d assure me that she’d had it since college and got it on the clearance rack, to boot.

My friend is smart, funny and beautiful, but she was choosing to see something else entirely.

What do you see when you look in the mirror?

Do you see a woman who works hard and loves harder? Do you see eyes full of wisdom and compassion, arms that carry groceries and fingers that write out letters and posts and songs? Do you see someone created and blessed and gifted and loved by God?

Or do you see gray hairs winning the battle against time and color from a box? Do you see running mascara and lipstick sunk into the creases of a mouth that hasn’t smiled since last week? Do you see tired eyes, flabby arms, knobby knees?

Me? I see a face that has sweated off any traces of makeup and eyes that say, “Go to bed. It’s late.”

But I also know that face sweated while changing yet another load of laundry so her husband would have a clean uniform to wear tomorrow, while hurrying her daughter into the bath after a backyard accident on a starting-to-feel-like-spring day, and while flailing around kicking and punching through a workout she didn’t feel like doing but did anyway.

Okay, maybe I see the spots of toothpaste and dust particles that never seem to be absent from my bathroom mirror, too.

But I have a choice. I can choose what I see when I look at myself, at my life. I can see all the bad things, the ugly parts – or I can see the beauty and the goodness. So tonight, I’m going to see what I want to see. And while I may never manage to see a “spotless” bathroom that my friend saw, I see a room that’s clean enough and serves its purpose. And a woman who’s good enough and today, served her purpose, too.

The LORD does not look at the things people look at.
People look at the outward appearance,
but the LORD looks at the heart.
(1 Samuel 16:7b)

What do you see when you look around your home? What do you see when you look at your life? What do you see when you look in the mirror? Do you see what you want to see?

sunday blessing

2011-04-03T09:51:00.003-05:00

If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.

James 1:5-8

the cadette ball

2011-04-02T09:35:00.014-05:00

i just can't believe that it is april!! where oh where has the first part of the year gone?? these last few months have been so busy around our house!! today i just wanted to share a few pictures with you from last weekend!! my son was invited to go to the 'cy-woods crimson cadette ball' by his sweet little girl friend!! and what an event it was for the kids... they went in perfect style!! it was a grand evening of fantastic food, big awards (a special congratulations to lindsay for her award!!), dancing (from ballroom to mambo... fun side note *they all took dancing lessons the day before*) and finished up with an after party!! it was a night i think they will always remember!! the kids were all so EXCITED and looked soooooo beautiful and handsome!!!

thanks for stopping by and taking a peek!! hope you have a GREAT weekend!!

sunday blessing

2011-03-27T20:16:00.001-05:00

If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

1 Corinthians 13

this melted my heart...

2011-03-26T10:42:00.004-05:00

just wanted to share this sweet little note that just touched my heart and made it melt!! have a wonderful weekend!!

won't you help??

2011-03-23T09:38:00.008-05:00

hi everyone. today i want to ask all of you to help a very worthy cause! my sweet and very dear friend Kristina Proffitt's daughter was just diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes.

Crystal Wilkerson, one of my favorite digital designers, has designed some kits to help defray medical expenses for the family. Kristina even designed some of her fabulous 'happy' word art!! Be sure to visit the One Happy Mama blog to see the cute freebie that's available, too! Here's a peek at the kits, all available for as little as a $1 donation.

click here for kits at 'One Happy Mama'

sharing a couple of pages that i did using these WONDERFUL kits!!

thank you ScrapMatters!!

2011-03-22T11:55:00.004-05:00

hi all!! hope everything is going great with you all!! things here have been busy, busy, busy... causing me to be a 'not so great blogger' these days!! just wanted to say a BIG thank you to ScrapMatters... they chose one of my LO's to be in their 'Gallery Standouts'!! I was soooooo THRILLED!!!!!

sunday blessing

2011-03-20T12:56:00.004-05:00

For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat. It is written: "As surely as I live, says the Lord, 'every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.'"

Romans 14:9-11

in loving memory

2011-03-18T08:47:00.002-05:00

sunday blessing

2011-03-13T11:41:00.003-05:00

You have begun to live the new life, in which you are being made new and are becoming like the One who made you.

Colossians 3:10

sunday blessing

2011-03-06T09:06:00.003-06:00

I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness - the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery.

Colossians 1:25-27

a fabulous sale at pxlcafe!!

2011-03-05T09:25:00.014-06:00

hi my friends!! i sure hope that everyone had a wonderful week!! this weekend i plan on doing some digi scrapping just for me and i hope you all will have a chance to do the same!! with digi scrapping first on my plate... i always want new kits to play with... sooooo i wanted to share this fabulous sale with you that PxlCafe is having...

"To celebrate International Scrapbooking Day, they are offering $5 off a $20 or more purchase, and $20 off a $50 or more purchase. Enter promo code SAVE5 or SAVE20 (depending on your cart total) and save! Happy weekend!"

soooo if you are looking for new kits to play with... i hope you will stop by PxlCafe and take a peek... i know you will love what you see... this site is so full of inspiration AND don't forget to check out the freebies too!!! hugs, happy weekend and thanks for stopping by!!

here is one of the newest kits that you will find at Pxl...

click here for PxlCafe store
click here for PxlCafe blog

just sharing a few pages i did using this kit...

digital creative team call at 'For The Luv Of Art'

2011-02-28T21:33:00.006-06:00

hi everyone!! i sure hope that every one's week is off to a great start!! today i am so very EXCITED about all of the fun, new things that are happening at 'For The Luv Of Art'!! the first thing i am so excited to share with you is... at FTLOA we have a new digital design team leader... Chris Lothian!!! not only is Chris an extremely talented artist, but she is one of my dearest friends and one of the sweetest, most generous people i know. i absolutely love and admire her talent and work, it is so inspiring!! her passion for digital design work shows through in everything she creates!! Chris is full of fantastic ideas and i can't wait to see her in action with the FTLOA digital creative team!!

which brings me to my next bit of exciting news!! FTLOA is now having a digital creative team call... you only have till the 15th of march so don't wait to send in those submissions!! (see below for all of the information) we have so many new exciting things going on and we hope that you will join us in our fantastic community: we hold challenges, giveaways, day to day talk, inspiration and friendship! i sure hope that you will take a moment and hop over to visit us at FTLOA... you will be glad you did!!

visit FTLOA here
visit Chris' blog here

mean people?

2011-02-27T11:02:00.007-06:00

happy monday everyone. i hope everyone had a wonderful, restful and happy weekend. we sure did!! so last week my sweet dear friend Kristina Proffitt posted this poster and it just made me giggle... because well... it is so blunt and so true!! so, just a few days after she posted this, well... i came across (in the cyber world) two sucky people and immediately this poster popped into my mind! it is sad how little tact some people have... and yes, it is best just to avoid, forget about them and move on!! hope you get as much of a grin and a giggle out of this poster as i did!! and as Kristina said... hope your day is beautiful and the sucky people leave you alone!!

click here for poster

sunday blessing

2011-02-27T07:51:00.000-06:00

‎'Our God is merciful and tender. He will cause the bright dawn of salvation to rise on us.'
Luke 1:78

fabulous sale at pxlcafe!!

2011-02-25T13:30:00.004-06:00

hi PXLCAFE fans and happy friday! PXLCAFE has a great surprise for you! because spring is right around the corner, they've decided to do a pre-spring extravaganza, and offer you 50% off on all your purchases now through the end of february! enter promo code 50FEB on the shopping cart page and your discount will magically appear! happy shopping! and don't forget to check out their FABULOUS freebie section too!! today i am sharing a page that i did using a freebie quick page from pxl!! all i did was add the picture and my text!! thanks for stopping by!!

shop PXLCAFE here...
visit PXLCAFE blog here...

sunday blessing

2011-02-20T10:52:00.002-06:00

And he said to them all, if any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

Luke 9:23

thanks Kristin from Log Your Memory!

2011-02-19T17:54:00.005-06:00

thanks so much kristin!! it was my pleasure!! i so enjoyed working with you and i hope all of your fans will enjoy the goodies that i created for them!!

visit Log Your Memory here

paris

2011-02-17T08:16:00.005-06:00

i came across this video this morning and i just had to share... it just made me smile!!

EF - Live The Language - Paris from Niklas Johansson, FSF on Vimeo.

i so long to visit Paris one day!! my roots are actually french, as my dad's family was from France. on my list of things i want to do... learn french!! hope you have a great day and i hope this video brings you a smile.

log your memory

2011-02-16T08:28:00.007-06:00

hi everyone! so happy to tell you... this week i am thrilled to share my digital creations for the weekly challenges and to work with Kristin at LOG YOUR MEMORY! I've made some digital goodies for them to give away (a few templates and a new kit)! Hope you will stop by their WONDERFUL site and visit... it is so full of FANTASTIC inspiration! To recieve some of the FABULOUS GOODIES you can join in on the chat next Monday at 1 p.m. Mountain. It's always in the LYM Chatbox!! Thanks for stopping by!!

Log Your Memory
Log Your Memory Chatbox

sunday blessing

2011-02-13T10:02:00.003-06:00

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:38-39

fun valentine freebies at PxlCafe!!

2011-02-11T12:07:00.004-06:00

hi everyone!! tgif!! today i just wanted to share with you some of my latest content that is at PxlCafe... 5 4x6 valentine quick cards... and they are FREE and easy to use!! all you have to do is drop your picture behind the card, print and they are all ready for monday!! hope you have a wonderful weekend and thanks for dropping by!!

click here to download cards at PxlCafe blog

more from 'yesterday and today'...

2011-02-07T08:47:00.009-06:00

good morning and happy monday to all of you!! did you all have a great weekend?? did you do anything special for superbowl?? we always have 'fun' food and watch the superbowl for the commercials!!! my favorite one... was the little boy in the 'darth vader' costume!! probably because he sooooo reminded me of my son when he was little!!!!! thought it was just a fun, sweet, feel good commercial!! today i just wanted to share a few more pages from Ali Edwards - 'yesterday today' class at the Big Picture!! i had fallen a little behind on the assignments but was able to get all caught up this weekend!! i am so enjoying this class, it really is helping and prompting me to get these stories down!! hugs and have a great week!!!!!