Artfully Arranged Disarray

Did I ever mention that I make Blog Books?

2012-01-28T17:01:00.000-05:00

I have been in the business of helping people preserve their memories, save their pictures, and share their stories for almost 15 years! I do parties, sell albums and scrapbooking supplies, host workshops and retreats where my friends can have fun while preserving their memories, teach digital scrapbooking, and I help others start their own businesses. Plus, I do lots of projects for other people.

When I first discovered blogging, I was in love. I think it is so great that so many moms are taking the time to share their photos and stories. This is just what my mission has been for so long! I love bloggers!!!

So what is better than a blog?

A Beautiful Blog Book!

I have had the joy of converting several blogs into colorful, unique, 12"x12" hardcover books that can be enjoyed and treasured forever. It is so fun to help my bloggy friends take their blogging to a new level by creating a Beautiful Blog Book that permanently documents all of their precious words and photos.

I lovingly copy each and every post, one by one, pasting it into this "newspaper" format so that you have a chronological record of your blog. OR, I can use selected posts... you may not want to have all your "giveaways" or diy's in your book, so I can include just the posts that you most want to save and cherish.

And then there are the photos! I actually do some photo editing, as needed, such as removing red eye and brightening up dark pictures. I do my best to include every picture, placing them where it makes sense, so that they flow with the story, just like you do on your blog.

Creating a Beautiful Blog Book is a labor of love for me. I am so honored when I am entrusted with this important task. I spend up to six weeks crafting each page, and placing each picture. You are able to choose from a wide array of beautiful digital artwork that complements your blog and style. But in the end, it is your stories and photos that are the star. Imagine holding your book in your lap, looking through the story of your life... who else might want a copy?

Isn't my sweet friend Jenny's family just the cutest? I loved making this book for her!

Caring Bridge Site for Marcus & Sue Cooper

2012-01-09T06:32:00.000-05:00

From Sue Cooper:

This past Thursday, Marcus was in a serious motorcycle accident. I have only been posting on Facebook but have now had the time to set up a Caring Bridge website. You can access it at: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/thecooperjourney/journal.

This will be the only email that I send out about the incident. This way those that want to stay updated or communicate with us can via this website. Please know that there is a "tribute" link. If you give any money it goes to keeping the website going, it is not asking for contributions to us or the his accident. The website is non-profit and it just helps folks stay connected through things like this situation. I just wanted to make sure everyone knew that, it is a little unclear if you have never used Caring Bridge before.

We love you all and just want to keep you updated as to what is happening and how we are doing. This is a whole new phase and a new way of life for us and no matter what happens, I pray we praise God through every step.

Another update from Sue

2012-01-08T04:45:00.000-05:00

Gathered to pray before a potluck at our house, October 2010

I wanted to share another quick update about Marcus Cooper. I have tried to share just Sue's words, but there are a couple of things of note that I thought I should mention.

Even though Marcus has been on the ventilator and unable to speak, he has indeed been communicating. He is using sign language! He has known it for some time, but Sue is in the process of learning. This past year, the Coopers started a Sunday school class for the deaf community in our church, along with our dear friend Lyndi, who is an interpreter. What a perfect plan of the Lord to prepare them for this time.

Another amazing development is that at the Saturday morning men's Bible study yesterday, one of Marcus' coworkers told the group, my husband included, that everyone at work wants to donate their sick leave to Marcus! Their company has in place a process for that to happen. He told the men that it isn't weeks or months of sick leave, it is years. Years. Praise God.

Sue posted the following, around noon on Saturday, January 7th.

Marcus continues to be stable and rested well through thenight. Today is becoming rough as his body is coming out of shock and they aretaking him off continuous sedation. He wakes up and is very anxious but yetcan't move or talk because of restraints and the ventilator and I take comfortthat I can be by his side to hold his hand, speak to him and help relax him.

This will continue to be a rough day for him and it was veryhard to see a tears roll out of his eyes as they adjust and wean from sedation,but each as hard as it is, they are all excellent signs that he is aggravatedby the tube that would aggravate anyone normally. All is the same as yesterdayand basically will be until Monday.

Monday will be a very rough day. He will have the spinalsurgery and they will finish cleaning up from the amputation. They will place atorso hard casting on him, begin taking the ventilator tube out, having him ata 30 degrees angle and work on getting him to cough and help his lungs. So hewill have to do a lot and be aware of it all. Prayers for wisdom for the docsand staff and strength for him and I.
Love, Sue Herron Cooper

The LORD is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.
He fulfills the desire of those who fear him;
he also hears their cry and saves them.
~Psalm 145:18-19

An update on Marcus

2012-01-07T09:57:00.001-05:00

Marcus & Sue as I arrived at my surprise birthday party in November

I have to say that these smiling images made me cry when I looked through them this morning. But I have to share them because they so clearly portray the wonderful, loving, fun, funny, and sweet personalities of our friends Marcus and Sue Cooper. They have a wonderful, special marriage and a bond we could all envy. I have honestly never heard them say one cross word to one another, or have heard of any disagreement between them. They truly weather the many storms of life with few complaints. Saying that we love this family is an understatement!

It is times like these that I wish I was more of a poet than a reporter. I am having trouble expressing my heart in words, but my every breath is a prayer for this family. Yet, I am praising the Lord for his divine protection over Marcus, that Marcus is still with us. This family has been through many valleys, and this is absolutely the deepest. I am believing God for the high mountaintop to which He is leading them.

Sue is one of my dearest friends here in Charlotte. I have only been able to talk to her briefly since the accident Thursday morning. I am now in touch with her mother, who, as of suppertime last night has their children. Marcus' family has now arrived, so the family circle has tightened around Sue to support her, the children, and Marcus through this crisis. We friends are waiting in the wings, ready to do anything we can as soon as we are asked. We feel helpless and want to DO something, anything. But we all have to realize that the needs will be many and the timeline will be long. Our turn to help will come. So we continue to DO the only thing, and most important thing, we can: we pray.

Actually, here are Sue's words from this morning:

Thank you the offer, right now family is here to help but inthe weeks and months of the beginning of this journey, I know I will need help.

I have been told that Sue will start a Caring Bridge site for Marcus' recovery. I will share that link when it comes and stop posting her updates here. But for now, here is what Sue posted on Facebook, Friday morning (24 hours ago):

Marcus has stayed stable thru the night. They had an MRI at1:30am, pain but they have good meds. He is still considered critically ill andwill be for a while. He has a fracture at his t8 and t9 vertebrea, surgery willbe in 3 or 4 days. It is a good possibility that he will not get feeling fromthat part Down, but in my opinion only if that is God's will. It was not thehip socket but a break at the top of his right femur. That surgery may be todayor tomorrow. We are not sure about any injuries in the neck they hope totest him today to find out more. He'll stay in a neck brace until they knowmore.

Posted by Sue, Friday night (last night):

Marcus is stable & resting remarkably well. For hisinjuries & status, he is at the top of his class & doing excellent. Hehas intermittent feeling from his mid-torso (the spinal injury area) down toabout the top 1/3 of his thigh. One time he feels it, the next not, the nextyes. So, still unsure if it is still trauma & just temporary or if he willloose feeling completely. Monday he will have back surgery to have a temporaryfix to the spinal injury.

He will continue on the ventilator thru the weekend and Monsurgery just to allow his body complete rest without having to work. They begana feeding tube today. God promises a peace beyond understanding when our faithis in Him, I have truly felt it since the moment I received the call yesterday.The realities & future began hitting me between the eyes today, but God inHis grace continued to bring someone with right scripture to me and not allowme to worry about the future.

I have decided to stay at home tonight and pray for sleep. Ihaven't slept in 2 days. I have read all of my posts & texts, I have notheard all of my voice mails, sorry. Thank you for prayers, thank you for yourlove and thank you for not letting me be alone. Good night and I will postanother update after speaking with the doctors in the morning.

My precious sister in Christ is an amazing woman. Her faith is carrying her, along with the prayers of so very many. I so wish I could give her this hug right now, but dear Sue, please know that I am holding you close in my heart.

You will keep in perfect peace

those whose minds are steadfast,
because they trust in you.

~Isaiah 26:3

Prayers for our Precious Friends

2012-01-06T06:11:00.001-05:00

My dear friend Sue posted the following on Facebook at 11 last night:

All,today Marcus was in a serious motorcycle accident. The aorta coming out the topof his heart was severely torn, 80% of victims w/ this die at the scene. Hisright leg was lost from the knee down, his left leg is dislocated but theartery down that leg unharmed. He has mid spinal injury but we are unsure ofhow severe, he'll have a MRI in the night. I pray that you can already see God's mighty hand at work. Ihave been told by others, not the hospital, that he has the best surgeons anddocs around. He was conscious the entire time from the accident to the ER to megetting to see him just before heart surgery. Very coherent, very aware. Theyrepaired the aorta and he is stable and resting. His right hip socket pushed to the back and it will needsurgery. He has more surgeries to come but we are unsure what or when at thistime. We (I) have been incredibly blessed by all the prayers, support and loveshown. I will try to read texts and email as I can, please forgive me if Idon't reply. I'm exhausted and now need to sit still, breathe and process. Loveto you all.

Please join many who love this precious family in lifting them up in prayer. Their two daughters, 9 and 4, are staying with us. They miss their parents and just want to see Daddy & Mommy. They don't know yet the extent of Daddy's injuries. Marcus and Sue are dear, dear friends of ours. Gil spent the day at the hospital yesterday, where many were gathered to support Sue and to pray for their family.

I have no words, except that God is sovereign and He is faithful. We lift up praises to Him that His hand is upon Marcus and his family no matter what. Please pray for the Cooper family.

Christmas Recycled

2011-12-29T09:18:00.000-05:00

We are putting away our Christmas decorations. For me, it gets to the point where it all just feels like so. much. clutter. I try to hold out until New Year's Day... but can't! I love the feeling of empty space when it is all cleared out and we have our house back. I thought I would share a couple of ways we "go green" as the Christmas season ends.

1. Ornament Storage
Nearly every time I go to Costco, I pick up a dozen apples. They are a staple in our fridge for school lunches and afternoon snacks. The containers in which the apples come are made of 70% recycled drink bottles, are recyclable, but are too way cool to throw away. They work perfectly to store many of our ornaments!

2. Ribbon Re-Do
I LOVE to wrap presents with real, woven-cloth ribbon! I love the luxury of big bows tied onto the packages. No wimpy, stringy, curling ribbon or stick-on bows for me!!! "It's so expensive," you say. Well, not really if you buy the big, 50-yard rolls of ribbon at Costco for just $6, and/or stock up at the after-Christmas clearance sales at the craft stores.

Plus, here is my big secret... I recycle much of our ribbon! Yes, I have trained my kids when opening presents on Christmas morning: "The paper goes in the trash bag. Pile the ribbon up by Mommy." Then, it is my job later to carefully smooth out and roll up that pile of ribbon. And, to make sure I find it when I need it, I put it away in our boxes of Christmas decorations. By taking care to store it, it is ready for wrapping next year. If you get a gift from me, you may wonder if the ribbon is recycled, but you probably won't be able to tell for sure!

How do you recycle {& I'm not talking about re-gifting!} at Christmas?

My Baby Boy is 15!

2011-12-28T05:19:00.000-05:00

This cute baby boy who has given me so much joy...

Is turning into a man right before my eyes!

Today we celebrate Zac as he turns 15! We so proud of the fine young man he is... great citizen, hard worker, awesome student, wonderful son! We love you Zachary!!! Happy Birthday!!!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T00:35:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas from our home to yours! What a joy to celebrate the birth of our precious Savior! Blessings!

Spinach Garlic Stuffing Recipe

2011-12-22T10:53:00.003-05:00

My sister makes this awesome stuffing. I have never liked the dressing or stuffing that usually accompanies Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. But my sister's stuffing, that is a whole 'nother story! I love it! I actually will make traditional cornbread dressing because my husband likes that. AND I will make my sister's stuffing, as well. I have been doing this for probably ten years. It is GOOD!

Dana's Spinach Garlic Stuffing

20 oz. frozen spinach, thawed and drained (I have successfully subbed fresh baby spinach)
1 cup butter
8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
2 stalks celery, sliced
1 whole onion, diced
2 heads fresh garlic, peeled (lots and lots of garlic cloves you will keep whole, or cut in half!)
6 cups fresh bread crumbs (I get sourdough bread and cut into 1" cubes)
15 oz. ricotta cheese
2 eggs
1 Tb dried parsley
2 tsp salt
1 tsp poultry seasoning
pepper

Stir fry the veggies in the butter. Add all the other ingredients and mix well. This can be stuffed in the turkey and also under the skin to add good flavor to the bird. Or, place in a greased casserole dish and bake covered at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. I like to bake it in a dish and uncover it at the end so it gets crispy on top.

{Note to my friends who had this with me this Thanksgiving.... I actually messed up and doubled the amount of poultry seasoning when I served it to you! This recipe calls for less poultry seasoning than what you tasted.}

Just keep smiling!

2011-12-19T05:30:00.000-05:00

Last week was one of those weeks! The downstairs heat went out last Saturday and wasn't fixed until Friday... I was settling into my new job... I was co-coordinator for a middle school ministry Christmas party for 150 Tuesday evening... I was responsible for getting 24 freshly-printed and properly-identified t-shirts to Jacob's class party on Thursday {after learning on Monday that they had been printed on the wrong color shirt, but that all worked out fine!}... I was scheduled to volunteer with the 7th grade "Victorian Celebration" at Abbie's school on Thursday... I have been assisting numerous customers with Christmas orders and deliveries and design projects... I was working on our Christmas card and letter... I had kids to watch and errands to run and packages to get ready to mail... all while certain rooms of my house look like something exploded.

Making dinner wasn't exactly at the top of my To Do list! I was so glad when I had the inspiration on Thursday to make Tamale Pie. But then, in my distraction, I burnt the cornmeal I was cooking on top of the stove that was supposed to be the crust, and not just a little. I had a good 3/8" of black, burnt crust on the bottom of my little stainless steel pot. I was a little flustered, and set it down on my butcher block. {The butcher block my mother had commissioned someone to make for her over 25 years ago. The butcher block that has also belonged to my sister, and for the last 8 years has been mine. That butcher block.}

When I picked up the pan and saw the mark, it did look like a happy face to me! I just had to laugh. I posted a funny status on facebook: "My reputation is ruined! I just burnt dinner. On to plan B..." Plan B ended up being burritos, using the filling that would have gone in the tamale pie. Everyone agreed that dinner was tasty, fortunately.

The burnt mark on the butcher block might be able to be sanded away. Or it might stay. Gil says it adds character. Right now it is a reminder to keep smiling! Enjoy the moments. We are so blessed and have so much for which to give thanks!

Just keep smiling..... even when your husband surprises you with the news that you will be dog sitting for the next week!

Christmas is for kids

2011-12-18T06:57:00.000-05:00

But Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these."

~Luke 18:16

Right in my kitchen I have a beloved Nativity set. Whenever small children come to visit, they are immediately attracted to it. And their mamas are almost always heard asking, "Are you supposed to be touching that?"

And my response is always, "That's why it is there."

I love that kids can touch and feel and act out the Christmas Story. It should be right within their reach. My children have always loved playing with this set. And I can always count on one of them to put it back "right" after other kids have come along and set it up their way. I love that having this Nativity right at hand and eye level allows the opportunity to talk about Jesus and God and this beautiful season of Christmas!

I am linking this post up with Richella at Imparting Grace. She is having a Home for the Holy Days party!

It's a Giveaway Day!

2011-12-07T21:30:00.000-05:00

Welcome to my blog today! I am pleased and proud to be partnering with Modern Parent to give away this beautiful 8x8 pre-decorated scrapbook. You can go to the Modern Parent Facebook Page to get the details for this one-day (December 8th, 2011) giveaway!

If you want to give a gift from the heart, here is an easy way to share love and memories with minimal effort. I have already done most of the work for you!!! {But guess what... it was easy... I used a kit so it all came together really quickly!}

This cute 8x8 album has a classic chocolate cover (that can be personalized with added Persona Imprinting). The 24 inside pages are already decorated and ready for your pictures. These rich, earthy colors work well for a guy, like your husband or dad, as well as your mom or best girlfriend!

Each page is unique and will be even more beautiful with YOUR photos on it!

This prize package includes everything you need to make a special, sure-to-be-loved gift! Just add pictures!!! The pages are ready to go, complete with beautiful papers, stickers, and photo mats. In addition, you will receive a Tape Runner adhesive dispenser for attaching your pictures to the pages. Once your album is complete, Page Protectors slip on to add the finishing touch. All of this is worth nearly $72.

All YOU need to do is gather up your pictures, get them printed, and stick them down.

See how the photo mats are the perfect size for 4x6 photos? You can also add your own captions and sentiments directly to the pages. Cute and easy and memorable!

Be sure to check out Modern Parent to get yourself into the drawing for this sweet gift. You can also visit {& Like!} my Facebook Page, too! And if you don't win... well, I have lots of other options for you! Who in your life would appreciate a lovely little scrapbook made just for them?

{Quick Albums}
{8x8 Kits and Albums}

{Simply Said mini-books}

{Paper Albums}

{Gift Albums}

{Photo Displays & Decorations}

My Husband Rocks!

2011-12-06T10:19:00.001-05:00

Looking through my pictures, I see that I have lots and lots to share and I have no delusions of ever catching up. But here is something cute I can't resist sharing today. Pulling food out of the freezer yesterday for our meal last night reminded me!

A few weeks ago I had cooked a huge lunch of Chile Verde and homemade refried beans. We were having company after church, so I spent hours the day before prepping everything. I had my crockpot and roaster going Sunday morning so that when we arrived home, the delicious lunch was waiting for us to enjoy.

As soon as our company left, Abbie and I wanted to head out to do a little shopping before we went to church that evening. But my dilemma was that I had a lot of food to put away (I call them "planned-overs"!). Well, Gil graciously offered to package up and freeze the food so that we could leave without delay. So sweet!!!

Well, I just had to giggle when a few days later I went to the freezer and this is what I found. He made my day with this sweetness. And each time I see these (now dwindling) containers in the freezer I smile. He loves me!!!

Time for Tea!

2011-12-03T10:12:00.001-05:00

Today is the day! It is our annual Christmas Tea at church! {I wrote about it here and here last year!} I have three friends attending with me, plus four others who bought tickets will sit at my table with us. We have 80 tables all beautifully decorated, which is always a feast for the eyes.

I set my table up Thursday after school with the help of Abbie & Jacob. Then I went back yesterday to add a finishing touch and see all the other tables that had been decorated. I am looking forward to this afternoon and my SIXTH year enjoying this wonderful tradition!!!

{I am having so many issues with blogger letting me upload my photos... I don't know what is going on. After twelve attempts, this is the only one that would work and it isn't right, either. Hopefully I will be able to upload all the tea table photos I have taken!}

Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Recipe

2011-11-30T05:59:00.000-05:00

Here is one of our family's favorite meals! It is also what I most often take to friends who just had a baby, or have been sick. We serve this with refried beans, and with some salsa and sour cream on the side.

Green Chile ChickenEnchiladas
Original recipe by Terri Cendejas

Makes 12-20 servings (2 13x9 baking dishes)

¼ cup olive oil

½ cup flour

1 Tb ground cumin

1 Tb chile powder

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp salt

pepper

1 cup canned green chiles, pureed or chopped (or 8 oz chopped greenchiles)

6 cups water (or 3 cups water & 3 cups chicken stock)

7 cooked chicken breast halves, cut up into small cubes (or2-3 cups diced turkey or chicken)

1.5 lb grated sharp cheddar cheese (about 3 cups)

1.5 lb grated mozzarella cheese (about 3 cups)

16 large (12”) flour tortillas, use more if they are smaller(Can also use corn tortillas)

Sauce:

Heat olive oil over medium heat in deep fry pan. Whisk inflour and dry spices to form a roux. Cook for about 3 minutes while stirring.Slowly add liquid to form sauce. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Addgreen chile and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Cool.

Filling:

Toss together chicken and 1-2 cups of sauce. Add ¾ of thecheeses, and toss gently. Reserve 2 cups of sauce. Add remaining sauce to thechicken and cheese mixture and combine.

Assembly:

Ladle ½-¾ cup sauce on bottom of each baking dish. Spreadevenly. Taking one tortilla at a time, spoon filling along one side and rollup, leaving ends open. Place enchilada in baking dish. Repeat until all thefilling is gone, squeezing enchiladas into the pan if necessary. Top both pansof enchiladas with even layer of remaining enchilada sauce... it won’t covercompletely, but each enchilada should have at least a little dab. Finish withremaining grated cheese spread evenly on top of both pans. Bake at 350 degreesfor 30 minutes or until bubbly and browning slightly on top. Once assembled, you can refrigerate the enchiladas and heat later. Heating will take 10-15 minutes longer.

Tips:

Make one and freeze one! After assembly, only put cheese ontop of the one you will cook immediately. Wrap the second one with plastictightly over the enchiladas (no air space), and then tightly with foil. With aSharpie, write the meal name, baking instructions, and date directly on thefoil before putting in it the freezer. If you put the second set of enchiladasin a disposable foil pan, you will have a meal you can give away, too.

Love Displayed in Meaningful Gifts!

2011-11-29T11:09:00.001-05:00

During this wonderful season of giving (and all year, actually), I love to give gifts that are unique and meaningful. Here are a few fun gift ideas for you. {Bonus, I can help you with any or all of them!} If you are looking for information on my Beautiful Blog Books, click here!

Personalized photo gifts always are a favorite and much enjoyed by the recipient! Here are a few gifts I made this past year. The Photo Panel is wood and acrylic, but also comes in metal. {Free templates make it easy to put together yourself, or custom options can be designed.} Look here, and you will see how I am using another Photo Panel as my countertop dry-erase board!

The Custom Album Coverset can hold scrapbook pages or digital page prints. It can also be designed online, or made completely to your specifications. Items like mugs, mousepads and t-shirts are always fun, too! Who wouldn't want to enjoy daily seeing their favorite people on an everyday item???

Photo Calendars are another wonderful gift! Pictured here is a 12"x18" calendar... the page can then be inserted into a 12"x12" scrapbook when the month is over. This style is also available in 8"x12", for an 8"x8" album.

The calendar plus an album makes a wonderful gift for grandparents. {I like these luxurious 12"x12" Picfolio albums -- they will hold almost three years' worth of calendar pages!}

Another idea is to use the calendar pages for heritage photos... walk down memory lane with all your pictures from growing up, and give the calendars to your siblings. In 2-3 years, you will all have your own completed family album!

The desk calendar is new! It has it's own easel, and the 4"x6" images also tear out. It is a great size to put on a desk at work, or to carry when traveling. Every month can highlight a special memory or cherished person.

All of these calendars can be customized with one or more photos, words and quotes, as well as special dates and events. You can go here to see more info about them. Again, I am happy to help you with your custom calendars!

Now, here is another fun and personal gift! The Simply Said books are sweet little 7.5"x5" books ready for you to fill in the blanks with your photos and feelings. Don't know what to write? It is easy with the prompts that are provided!

So do you have a special person you want to bless this holiday season? These are all fun and easy ideas... and of course, there are also photo books, cards, photo displays albums, and more! I would be pleased to help you with your personalized photo gifts... in person or by email {terricendejas at gmail dot com}!

{If you create a Creative Memories Digital Center account, please use my Consultant ID: 24915986}

non-traditional tradition

2011-11-27T22:56:00.001-05:00

Here is one of our post-holiday traditions! We scour thesupermarkets looking for marked down fresh turkeys after the holiday is over.This year we {meaning Gil, who so graciously went out shopping for me!} foundtwo 20lb turkeys for $.39 a pound. Since we ate our Thanksgiving dinner at thehome of a friend, we didn’t have our own turkey leftovers. Which leads toanother tradition… having to cook a second Thanksgiving meal just for ourfamily!

Saturday we enjoyed our second Thanksgiving meal. And then I used the turkey to make my famous Green Chile Chicken {in this case, turkey} Enchiladas. They wereyummy!!! {I’ll post that recipe soon.} The rest of the cooked meat from theturkeys will be frozen for future meals. I love a good deal!

The Evolution of a Photo Panel

2011-11-26T06:00:00.000-05:00

This photo is one from my surprise birthday party earlier this month. What sweet friends I have! What you may not have noticed in the picture is up behind me on the mantle -- it s a photo panel that I designed last year and gave to my family for Christmas. A photo panel is either wood coated in acrylic, or metal, and makes a wonderful display in several sizes. I just love ours!

Well, I had a product credit toward another photo panel that needed to be used, so I decided that I would make a special one for myself.

I thought it would be fun to show my design process from the beginning, to the final outcome. And, even though it is called a photo panel... I didn't plan to include any pictures on it! I looked through my digital artwork collection to see what embellishments and papers I wanted to use. I knew I wanted colors that go with our other decor since I would have it in the kitchen. I also love hearts. And these little birds were so cute! So that was my starting point.

I found some other embellishments I liked and played around with the center shape. I needed more area in the middle than the first big heart had provided. I liked the paper with the writing, even though you can't read it.

I decided the first background looked too solid, so I swapped it for a different patterned paper. I also went with a simpler shape in the middle and tweaked the other elements. I am liking how this looks!!

Now I am starting to get excited because I think it is looking really cute. I love the little bunting and the scallop backing gives it a nice touch.

From the beginning, I knew I wanted to include scripture. If you go back to the first draft, I actually had scripture running around the outside of the heart. Since I also liked the look of the paper with writing, I decided I could make my own. So I added a bunch of my favorite verses in a variety of fonts, and it was done! I love it!!!

And here is my photo panel on my kitchen counter. So pretty!

Oh, did I mention that I can use it as a dry erase board?!? Acrylic photo panels can be written on with dry erase markers! This makes a great place on which to write my list of tasks for the day.

I am so excited that I can post my nightly menu and stop all those repetitive questions from the kids about what I am making tonight! This just makes me happy. What could you use a little dry erase board for? You know what else makes me happy about this? I used host credit toward the product credit, so all I paid for my fun little project was tax & shipping!

Thankfulness

2011-11-25T22:02:00.001-05:00

Since our first Thanksgiving in Charlotte in 2006, we have been blessed to have friends with whom we could share the day. This year we were invited by our friends and neighbors, Sean & Julie, to have Thanksgiving with them. They had two other families coming, as well as our good friends, Alan & Jennifer.

We all divided up the cooking -- I was assigned rolls, cranberries, and pies. But, I also had to add in our family's traditional deviled eggs and my sister's famous stuffing, as well as whipped cream for the pies. Thanksgiving day was actually pretty relaxing because I was able to get most of my preparations done the day before. {I have been asked to share my recipes, so expect some of them to appear here soon as I type them up!}

Sean getting ready to bless the meal, what a spread of food!, Julie serving her son

We gathered around 4pm. Soon, Julie's kitchen was filled with all sorts of yummy foods! We truly had a feast of flavors. Everything was so good!!!

Julie, Alan, Jennifer

Dinner was so good that I don't think any of the adults even ate any dessert! I know I couldn't. {But that's ok because pumpkin pie for breakfast is one of my favorite things about Thanksgiving!!!}

Our sweet kids shared their own table. Jacob and Julie's daughter are in the same class, and were in kindergarten together.

We enjoyed spending time with Alan and Jennifer!

Me and my sweetie! I wish I had gotten a photo of Sean and Julie together.

Abbie & Zac didn't have to sit at the kids' table! I love this picture and love these kids!!!

After dinner, my friend Yogi and her family stopped by Sean & Julie's for dessert. Yogi also brought along her sister and family. It just added to the fun!!!

I just love my friends!

We had a fun, full evening. The kids ate dessert, and roasted marshmallows at the firepit. Each family signed Julie's tablecloth, which is such a neat tradition. I feel so blessed to have my community of friends who are becoming like family. I am thankful for all the many blessings the Lord has given me!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T12:05:00.001-05:00

This is a wonderful day to spend with family and friends, filled with memories and the tastes and smells of wonderful food. I am so blessed! I pray that we all are thankful, not just on this day, but throughout each and every day. Happy thanks-living!

My Coffee Girls

2011-11-15T08:41:00.001-05:00

"Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you." ~2 Corinthians 13:11

As humans, and especially as women, we have a hunger and craving for fellowship with one another. As followers of Jesus Christ, that fellowship is even more of a necessity as we navigate through our busyness and this worldly culture. I know I need connection, encouragement, comfort, as well as other people with whom to share joys, frustrations, concerns, and a few giggles. Truly connecting and making heart-friends has been one of my most fervent prayers since moving to Charlotte from Colorado over five years ago.

Our church is wonderful and filled with the Spirit of the Lord. I have met many amazing people. But I have found myself dissatisfied with the lack of time and opportunity to go deeper than the quick greetings in the hallways as we pass to and from our classes and worship services. I have even found myself envious of our Tuesday morning "MOMS" class, a wonderful fellowship and Bible study for mothers of preschoolers. With kids in elementary and middle, and now high school, I'm past the point of play-dates, which were probably more for the moms than the kids in the first place!

And then, last fall, a casual acquaintance invited me, along with several other women, to coffee at McDonalds. We were all from the same Sunday school class, lived in adjoining neighborhoods, and had kids in the same schools, but we all really didn't know one another. The plan was to meet on a Wednesday morning after the kids got on the bus. I suddenly found that I had my own MOMS (Mothers of Middle Schoolers) group! We began meeting twice a month and became dependent upon and so thankful for our regular fellowship.

On any given first or third Wednesday, you will find between three and ten of us gathered at our local McDonalds. We share, we laugh, we seek advice, we support, and we care. These ladies, virtual strangers to me not so long ago, are now counted among my closest friends. We're all striving to be godly mothers, wives, and women. Just as Paul did with the Corinthians, I share my heart with my "coffee girls." I am so looking forward to tomorrow morning!

Good morning!

2011-11-12T07:37:00.001-05:00

Today is our last day of flag football! Jacob has a 9am game, and while it is beautiful and sunny, it is just barely 34 degrees outside!!! Here is a quick thank you card I made for Gil to give to the team mom for this season. Here is hoping we {finally} get a win today!

{I used the CM Day to Day Digital Kit.}

I am still in shock!

2011-11-10T10:32:00.000-05:00

I am so blessed with an abundance of wonderful friends, an amazing, thoughtful husband, and sweet, wonderful children. Sunday was my birthday, and I am still in shock and having a difficult time expressing myself. We enjoyed a pleasant morning at church, had a meeting after, then went to lunch to celebrate my birthday. As we headed home, I was looking forward to our relaxing Sunday afternoon. We turned onto our street and I saw a long line of parked cars... "Someone's having a party," I said. I kept looking at each house on the left as we passed by, trying to figure out just WHO was having a party {I'm nosy like that!}.

As we headed toward our cul-de-sac, Gil said, "Why are those people standing in the street?" I was so busy looking at the neighbors' houses that I didn't know what he was talking about. I looked around, but didn't see what he meant. Then as I looked more carefully, and we got closer to our house, I noticed that in the shadows of the trees, people were indeed standing in the street. With the sun shining right at us, it took a second for it to register that I knew these people! WE were having a party!

My husband surprised me for my birthday, big time! It is absolutely amazing to stand in the street and have your friends sing "Happy Birthday" to you! I pulled out my camera and snapped a few photos. {Even in my shocked state, I remembered the camera!!!}

I was pretty much in a daze throughout the party. I am not sure I even said more than five words. But I smiled and laughed a lot. Our home was filled with wonderful people, and the kitchen counters were overflowing with lots of yummy treats.

My husband was very sneaky and managed to pull this party off without a hint to me! I was shocked to learn that my kids were even in on it. But my husband also utilized his resources very well. He knew he needed help, so he enlisted some of my best friends to help with food, invites, setting up, and spreading the word. I had no clue!

Gil was even sweet enough to have them all gather around me and say a few words on my behalf. Oh, how I wish someone had a video camera going.... I can't remember all the words, but I sure do recall the love that was shared. It was overwhelming. But I really needed the tissue box handy when Gil started talking, and prayed for me. What a wonderful, precious gift it is to have a husband who loves me and prays for me.

It was a fun, fun afternoon that passed much too quickly!

And even in the midst of the huge crowd that gathered to surprise me, I realized that so many others were missing and not able to attend. I am loved and so very, very blessed!

Zac got a phone!

2011-11-04T23:49:00.000-04:00

Tuesday we finally broke down and bought Zac a cell phone. We had actually hoped to get him one two years ago when he turned 13, but it just wasn't in the budget. He has been very patient, and willing to borrow one of our phones when he needed to be out and have a phone with him.

My cell, and Gil's cell, were both very old, and the batteries were not holding a charge. So we needed new phones. We had looked at them last weekend to get an idea of what our options were. We were pretty sure that we would go ahead and get a phone for Zachary as well, but wanted to get his input so that he would have the phone he wanted.

It turned out that we all were happy with the exact same phone. Even better -- we were able to get all the phones for free! So we added Zac's line and texting to our plan, and entered the 21st century!

Zac was happy to come home from school on Tuesday and find his new phone waiting for him.

We are all getting used to our new ability to text. A perk I didn't expect is that now I am getting all kinds of cute texts from my husband throughout the day! He didn't think he would text at all. Instead, I think he is finding that he enjoys the instant access to me while he is at work. It's been fun!

Oct 31 Fun

2011-11-01T20:49:00.000-04:00

Last night, my kids dressed up and went around the neighborhood in pursuit of candy. They each came up with their own outfits.

Here is my cute, 7th grade nerd! {I love that she can fit into her baby brother's size 4 sweater vest!}

She went around with a couple of friends from school {with her friend's dad supervising}. She said that the question she received most was about whether or not her hair was a wig! {no!}

And here is my 3rd grade Snowboarder! Gil and I walked around with him, and I can honestly say we did not see another snowboarder anywhere. Pretty original!

The medals were a nice touch.... a gold medalist snowboarder!

We had a fun night seeing neighbors. Since Jacob ran up to every door, he tired out pretty quickly, which was just fine for Gil and I. We were happy to get home to where Zac was passing out candy.

31 Days Wrap Up!

2011-10-31T22:02:00.000-04:00

Wow! Here is the last of 31 days of blogging through the month of October. I did it!!! It was fun, and not really a burden. I feel so good to have accomplished my goal, and look forward to continued blogging efforts. You can actually see a directory of all the posts from this month here.

October was a busy month for us, so I had a lot to blog about. My husband has also been working in the evenings, so I have had a little extra time for writing posts. As I mentioned before, I never lack for ideas, but my follow-through has not been there lately. This month I wrote more posts than I have written all year.

Family was my predominant topic this month. Jacob, our 8-year-old, had some medical tests (with good results) and a whole lot of teeth extracted, so I wrote quite a bit about him. Plus he was baptized this month, so that was pretty special. My mom, who lives in Arizona, came to visit for two weeks. She tries to come twice a year, and we always enjoy seeing her. This trip she was able to celebrate Jacob's baptism with us, and got to be the mystery reader for his class. We did have to say goodbye, though, after a great visit. I also enjoyed some special time with my sweet husband... seeing the movie Courageous, and having a "date" in the middle of chaperoning a middle school ministry event! I obviously need to devote a little more space to Abbie and Zac in the future, though.

Our church is a big part of our life. We are active in ministry, the kids are involved in activities, and we teach each week. Our church is not important to us for the sake of religion. Instead, it is our faith in Jesus Christ, our love for His Word, and our relationship with Him that we live for and rely upon. We are blessed to belong to a Bible-teaching church that provides us so many opportunities to grow, serve, and build community. We are so blessed by all the wonderful friends we have made in the past five years!

I had the chance the show off my creativity this month. I always love to be creative, whether it is an album project, making photo gifts for others, or putting together a raffle basket. I also get creative in the kitchen because I LOVE good food! This month I posted recipes for hummus, pumpkin cookies, and a layered quesadilla. I also feel like home management is another area where I can be creative to make our live run more smoothly, so this month I shared about packing lunches, collecting box tops, doing laundry, and my hiding place for my couponing deals!

It has been a full month, and I have enjoyed this little look back. I am going to keep on blogging!

{You can go here to get a taste of some of the others who took the 31 day challenge... and here to see a complete list of the over 700 participants! You will notice that I am #739 of 746 participants... and that most of the participants stuck to a theme during their 31 days. I was a rebel, and didn't. My goal was just to blog each day. I am happy to say I met my goal!!!}

Laundry-- I love it!

2011-10-30T21:25:00.000-04:00

Here is a post I have been meaning to right for a long time! I actually LOVE doing my family's laundry. Over the years, I have gotten into a routine that works for us.

I do laundry two or three days a week, sometimes four. I have baskets in each of my kids' closets for their dirty clothes. Whether or not they actually get the dirty clothes off their floor and into the basket is constant issue. I have a 3-bag laundry sorter in my closet which I love. As Gil and I take off our clothes, they go into either the "lights" or "darks". The third bin in my sorter is for (dry) towels and washcloths, as well as items with stains that need special handling.

Mondays, I do laundry for Gil and I, usually just two loads. As soon as it comes out of the dryer, I take it upstairs and fold it on our bed, hanging all our shirts and pants in the closet, and putting away all folded items. It never piles up this way! Much of our laundry is hung... only underwear & socks and nightclothes are in drawers. My husband's t-shirts, jeans and sweats are folded and on shelves in our closet. One other day a week, or two, I will do an extra load or two of our clothes, as well as towels, sheets, and dishcloths, as needed.

One day a week I do my three kids' laundry. It works best if I have a regular day for it. They each bring down their basket, and then THEY sort into two piles, lights and darks. I can usually do just 2 loads... sometimes I need to do an extra load of darks. After school, my oldest two put away their own clothes. I either put away my youngest's or have him help me. I hang all his shirts. My oldest son also hangs all his shirts. I am about to move my daughter over to hangers, too.

I like hanging as many clothes as possible because it is less folding, and less likely to get wrinkled and they sift through their drawers. {And I do hang our clothes in rainbow-color order!}

I love that my kids sort their laundry, because even though they don't have to do the laundry themselves, they are learning a valuable life skill. If they had to do their own laundry, they would know where to start.

I fold clothes on our bed because it gives me plenty of space on which to work. Also, I WILL make sure it is all put away in a timely manner so that my bedroom is back to looking pretty. This system works because I am also striving to get the laundry out of the dryer as soon as possible after the cycle is done. It also helps that I am only doing 2-3 loads of laundry on any given day. I fold the kid's laundry on my bed upstairs, as well, but instead of putting it away between loads, I pile it up until all is washed, dryed and folded.

I have also evolved into a system where each person's clothes has a specific "zone" on the bed where I place them as I fold them. I can toss underwear, socks, jeans, and nightclothes into the respective child's zone on the bed as I empty the clean laundry basket. As I come to a shirt, I can smooth it out and lay it in either Zachary's, Abbie's, or Jacob's shirt spot. Once the laundry basket is empty, I go back and fold each child's folding laundry. Years ago, in business school, we studied about efficiency... I find that it really is faster if I fold a bunch of socks all at once, then a pile of undershirts. Truly, it takes me just about 10 minutes to fold a load of laundry.

The best part is that I think about my family as I do their laundry. I love serving them this way. And every item of clothing is a reminder for me to take time to pray for each of them, which I do as I fold their clothes. I love doing my family's laundry!

Thankful

2011-10-29T20:45:00.003-04:00

To delight

from despair,

in the span

of a prayer.

Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!

~Psalm 4:1 {ESV}

Beautiful Fall Day with my Boy!

2011-10-28T21:36:00.000-04:00

Jacob is recovering beautifully from his teeth extraction earlier this week. Today, he went back to school, and even got to give a report on his adventure to the class. Tonight, he is not even in pain, so that is good news. Yesterday, he and I had a great day together!

Since Jacob has had to eat softer food, he has had a lot of special treats in the past few days. His day started with a yummy omelet, per his request. Later in the morning, we were headed to Costco... and Jacob couldn't wait because he was going to get a frozen yogurt there!

BUT, it was such a gorgeous, warm, wonderful fall day, that I surprised Jacob with a slight detour and a stop at the park. We enjoyed the beautiful weather, and glorious colors of autumn as we took a long walk together.

My little photographer even got a picture of me! I was having a wonderful time soaking in the beauty and enjoying time with my sweet boy.

Our walk in the park was perfect for Jacob to work off some of the excess energy he has had from being home and recovering for three days.

And Jacob thought it was especially cool to open up acorns to see what was inside! I am very thankful that my sweet boy is doing so well.

Shhhhh.....

2011-10-27T23:58:00.000-04:00

Here is my scrapbooking & all-things-photo "store", right in my dining room.... wonder what those boxes on the left hold????

Hey, it's my secret stash of grocery deals {$0.25 bags of Goldfish!}!!! Got to hide the stockpile so that I can make it last!

Homemade Hummus Recipe

2011-10-26T22:46:00.001-04:00

As I mentioned earlier this week, I pack 20 lunches in a typical week, five of which are for my husband. I try to give him an assortment of items so that he can pick and choose and eat whatever he is in the mood for. I also attempt to give him more healthy, satisfying options. One thing we have grown to love over the past couple of years is hummus! I love that it is full of protein and good fat, is filling, and tastes great with cut up veggies. If I have hummus on hand, it is a quick lunch for me at home. But Gil also enjoys it in his lunch, and it is one way I can get him to eat some vegetables during the day.

But hummus is kind of expensive, and a little container is gone pretty quickly. Since I only get it when I have coupons and/or hit a sale, it isn't something that is around the house all the time... that is until I started making my own!!! I had a dear friend mention on facebook that she made hummus, so I got her recipe. I tweaked it a little, and I change it up with some variations. Now we can have hummus on hand all the time!

To make hummus, you will need:

2 cups cooked garbanzo beans, drained (or one can, rinsed and drained)
1/3 cup tahini (sesame paste, found near the peanut butter or in the international section)
1/4 cup lemon juice, fresh squeezed
1 tsp salt
2 cloves garlic
1 tb olive oil
1/2 tsp parsley
1/4 tsp pepper
water or cooking liquid from beans as needed

I have actually been cooking my own garbanzo beans in the crockpot. It is so easy, and they end up so soft and smooth! I check and rinse a cup of dry beans {I get organic from my health food store's bulk section}, then cover with 2" or so of water. Do not salt them! Just let them cook on low for about 6 hours or until soft and creamy. You can add a teaspoon of salt toward the end, once they are soft. Save the cooking water in case you need to use it to thin your hummus.

Back to the recipe! Add all ingredients, except the water or cooking liquid, to a food processor. Blend until smooth. Add additional liquid as needed, a little at a time, until hummus is desired consistency. That's it! Store in the refrigerator and serve with pita chips or cut up veggies. You can drizzle a little olive oil on top to make it pretty.

Now, just plain hummus is delicious! But we also like to change it up a bit for variety. One of my favorites is lemon hummus --- just add the zest of one lemon to the batch.

Fresh Basil is another yummy addition. It gives it a different, unexpected taste.

I also like to roast a head of garlic and add several cloves to a batch of hummus.

Here I made three batches of hummus, flavoring each differently. Since I have a small food processor, I did each batch individually, in succession. But it was easy and there was no need to clean the bowl in between batches. If you are serving it at a gathering, you would want to garnish it so that people know what flavor they are getting.

Hummus will keep well in the fridge for about two weeks. Between Gil and I, one batch of hummus can be gone in less than a week! Enjoy!

Click to print 5x7 recipe card

My Sweet Little Trooper!

2011-10-25T20:07:00.002-04:00

Jacob, less 6 teeth

I am so glad that my sweet little boy is feeling better after having SIX teeth pulled this morning! This afternoon he was his sweet, happy, playful self. I was happy to hug him and get this picture taken, so thankful that he is feeling better!

Yesterday, Gil came home early from work and took us all out for pizza! He wanted to spend some extra time with Jacob before his oral surgery this morning, and give him a special meal.

We all enjoyed the special treat and family time!

Jacob always loves having extra time with Daddy! Overall, he was feeling ok with what was coming up today.

This morning, on the way to the oral surgeon's, Jacob was feeling pretty good. He actually said he was excited, because later he would get to eat ramen noodles! My brave little guy also said that he was ok with having to get an IV, if that was required. Of course, he was relieved to learn that no IV was necessary! I was also very, very glad that Gil took today off work, so he could be with us. So was Jacob.

The doctor told Jacob he would look like a walrus after the surgery... I guess he was right! They took Jacob back at 9:28am, and at 9:57am the doctor came out to tell us that everything had went perfectly and that Jacob is a model patient! A few minutes later, a nurse came to bring us back to Jacob. He had been under general anesthesia for the extractions, so he doesn't remember anything but the "strawberry flavor" of what he inhaled and everything going black.

Jacob did remember that the doctor had "prescribed" a milkshake immediately following surgery. I asked him what flavor he would like, and the nurse asked what was his favorite flavor of milkshake... he said he didn't know because he has never had a milkshake before! I said, "Oh, you have only tasted your brother or sister's?" We were laughing so much, and the nurses were all giggling in the background. I said, "What a deprived child we have here, who has never had his very own milkshake!"

Gil brought the car around and the nurse wheeled Jacob out. Apparently, this was a big deal, because later on the phone he told Grama all about how he got to ride in a wheelchair!

It was so sweet to see Gil pick up his baby boy to put him in the car. Jacob was capable of walking, but Daddy was taking extra good care of him!!!

I just love how Gil is so tender with our kids. I love that side of him!!!

We did run through the drive-through and pick up a milkshake, but it was a little while before Jacob felt like having any. He had a rough trip home and the first couple hours were pretty tough. But he soldiered through, watching tv on the computer with Daddy, ice packs on his face, while I went to get his prescription filled.

We were told that he would pretty much sleep all day. Nope. After taking his pain medicine, he did finally nap for about 10 minutes. But once the medication took effect, he popped up, sounding chipper, and said, "I feel GREAT!" From then on he was a lot better, and enjoyed watching cartoons on the computer for a couple of hours.

And for some reason, I went on a major cooking spree while he was resting on the couch. Once Jacob was settled, I made sausage, mushroom, & pepper pasta sauce, a big pan of homemade mac & cheese, and hummus! I guess I had a lot of nervous energy to expend, and my love language is food!!!

This afternoon, Jacob actually did some of his homework and enjoyed playing with a little buddy. Jacob enjoyed snacking on his milkshake throughout the day, eating applesauce, and chowing down on mac & cheese for dinner. I am so glad he is feeling better. We have been blessed with many notes and calls of friends who have been praying for our sweet Jacob. We are so appreciative!!!

Packing Lunches Made Easy!

2011-10-24T22:46:00.000-04:00

Packing school lunches everyday for my 3 kids, plus my husband can be time consuming, day after day. Pre-packaged items would be faster and easier, but can be expensive and not as nutritious. Each week I am packing 20 lunches --- I want it to be as easy as possible!

I often get the kids involved in helping me prep a week's worth of our own pre-packaged items. I give them recycled applesauce cups to use to measure portion size, and we fill small zip snack-size bags with pretzels, gold fish, baby carrots, grapes, cheese cubes, lunch meat, etc.

We fill up a giant, recycled pretzel container in the cupboard with the bags of pretzels and gold fish, making them easy to grab as lunches are packed. {It is very clear that this container is for lunches only!! Not for general snacking. We have other containers for snacks.} Other lunch items are kept together in the fridge, usually in our bottom drawer.

In addition, I bake double batches of healthy treats like banana bread, and cookies or brownies with whole wheat flour, and wrap them up into individual portions and freeze in a large zip bag. Each morning I pull out their frozen treat for their lunch box. It will be thawed by lunch time, and nearly as fresh as the day I baked it.

Having everything pre-portioned and ready to go makes my morning routine quick and smooth, and helps me give my kids and husband healthy lunches every day! What tips do you have to make lunches easy and healthy?

Sunday Thought

2011-10-23T07:25:00.000-04:00

Pumpkin Cookies with Browned Butter Icing Recipe

2011-10-22T11:54:00.000-04:00

Wednesday was kind of a dreary, rainy day. It was the perfect time to make these yummy Pumpkin Cookies for an afterschool treat!

If you have a can of pumpkin on hand, it is a really easy recipe!

For Cookies:
2 cups sugar
1 15oz can pumpkin
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup butter (I used 1/2 cup butter, and 1/2 cup coconut oil)
4 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt

Mix first 3 ingredients. Sift together dry ingredients and add to pumpkin mixture. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Spread with yummy, irresistable Browned Butter icing when cool.

For Icing:
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup butter
2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp sea salt
1-4 tb milk

Heat the butter in a pan, stirring until it is light brown. Stir in powdered sugar and vanilla. You can also add the salt now, or if you will remember, add a tiny sprinkle to the top of each cookie when iced instead! Gradually add milk, one tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is achieved. Frost cooled cookies.

Now, just try to resist eating more than two, or three, or five.... I couldn't! Since these cookies were all gone by yesterday, today I think I will make this autumn treat I shared last year!

Printable 5x7 Card {click & print}

Amazing Raffle Baskets

2011-10-21T21:17:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow is the Fall Festival at Jacob's school. I signed up to be his class raffle basket coordinator for the second year in a row. My job was to put together a "Picture Perfect" themed basket for the big raffle. Since my items wouldn't exactly fit into a basket, here is what I came up with....

Pegboard put together with ribbons, and with ribbons ready to hold the items! the great thing about it was that it would collapse for transporting.

And here is my "basket" all set up and ready to be wrapped in cellophane. It included a lot of fun items including an Everyday Display Board, Calendar Display Accents, Monkey Business Display Accents, and a Simply Said Dad book. I also included a Quick Album (pages are already done!). I had a little bit more budget to use, so I had put a question out on Facebook to get some opinions. Because of the unanimous sentiments, I included the Daisy 12x12 File Mate to hold artwork, memorabilia, photos, or papers.

My great helpers!

I needed Zac to help me carry the pegboard into the school, so I brought all the kids with me when I set up my basket. I knew they would LOVE seeing all the cool baskets on display! Parents from each class make donations toward their class basket, so some of the baskets are really extravagant! Parents can buy tickets and put them in the box next to the basket(s) they want to win. It is a fun fundraiser.

My "basket" on display with the others!

Here are some of the amazing baskets on display...

Housecleaning basket

Tailgating basket

Baseball basket complete with Yankees tickets

Abbie's favorite basket... it had a sleepover theme

Thanksgiving extravaganza basket

Love this "Lego my Legos" basket!

"Have a Ball" basket

Pet themed basket... the stuffed puppy is a fun touch

I think Zac liked this one

Date Night basket... some nice restaurant gift cards in there!

I have a feeling that this one is going to be very popular

Lots of games for game nights

This one is for the guys

Another fun one

This one made me laugh

Wow

Notice how I had to add a pennant bunting to my basket? I love making these!!! I thought it would up the cuteness factor!

We won't be bringing any of these baskets home with us... I did resist the temptation to buy any raffle tickets! Not taking my wallet to the setup helped.

Custom Photo Gifts

2011-10-20T09:35:00.004-04:00

Thinking ahead to the holidays, do you have any hard-to-buy-for people on your list??? Pictures always make a perfect present! And I have some quick, EASY, and beautiful projects I can help you create.

With just a few of your favorite photos, you can have gorgeous, one-of-a-kind gifts that will be treasured.

Gift ideas include Calendars, Metal or Acrylic Photo Panels, Quick Albums (just add photos, all the work is already done), Custom Scrapbook Covers, T-shirts, Mugs, Mousepads, Posters, and more!! I can also help you with an assortment of gorgeous, custom cards for any occasion!!

Check out these beautiful calendars...
Watch a video here to see how you can use Creative Memories software to create your own custom calendars... and here is the link to the software for Mac & PC. At just $64.95 it is a great deal for all it does!! {Plus, you can try it out for 30 days, for free.}

Learning new software not your thing? Well, I also do custom work for you! You supply your pictures and I work with you to create your custom creation. I would love to help you with meaningful gifts this year!!!

Layered Quesadilla

2011-10-19T21:31:00.002-04:00

A number of years ago, I was given the opportunity to review a cookbook for the Denver Post in Colorado. This is my adaptation of one of the recipes I tried when I received the cookbook. It is a nice appetizer, or could be part of a light lunch. I made it over the weekend as a treat for my mom and I.

Layered Quesadilla

2 roasted red peppers

8oz roasted green chiles

1 ripe avacado

3oz softened cream cheese

2Tb minced fresh herbs (garlic, cilantro, parsley, basil, chives or combination)

salt & pepper

4 large (10") flour tortillas

Set roasted peppers and chiles on paper towel to dry
Combine herbs and salt & pepper with cream cheese until smooth
Peel, seed, and thinly slice avacado
Spread one tortilla with 1/3 of cream cheese mixture, then lay the avacado slices evenly over the tortilla
Spread 1/3 of cream cheese mixture on second tortilla, then place an even layer of roasted red peppers on the tortilla. Place this tortilla on top of the avacado layer.
Spread the remaining cream cheese on the third tortilla, and then cover evenly with the green chiles. Put this layer on top of the roasted red pepper layer and top with the fourth tortilla.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut the layered quesadilla into 8 wedges. Heat a little bit of oil in a pan on the stove and brown the wedges on both sides. Transfer to a baking pan and heat in the oven for another 10 minutes until heated through. Enjoy!

Bye Bye Grama!

2011-10-18T20:13:00.004-04:00

It was with sadness that I said goodbye to my mom today. We had a great visit of almost two weeks. Arizona is really far away, but I am blessed that she makes the trip out to see us twice a year. My home sparkles while she is here... the kitchen is magically clean at all times... the kids' laundry is continually caught up... and things are just better organized by the time she leaves. We speak on the phone several times a week, but being together in person is always better! I enjoyed our time running errands, window shopping, cooking, and just hanging out. It was a good visit and I look forward to the next one!!!

Pastor Appreciation!

2011-10-17T22:37:00.002-04:00

Gil and I are blessed to serve with our Middle School Ministry. October is Pastor Appreciation month, so this past Sunday we all honored our middle school pastor, Justin.

One of our wonderful leaders coordinated a beautiful basket of blessings to give to Justin and his sweet wife. Contributions by students, leaders, and parents all made this a very special gift for two very special people!

Debbie did a fabulous job pulling everything together! She asked me to make a sign, so I was inspired to make this pennant to add to the front of the basket.

I used this tutorial to make the pennant bunting from scrapbook paper. {I have also found another tutorial using fabric.} It was so easy and fun to make! Just a little token to show our appreciation.

Youth University

2011-10-16T20:31:00.003-04:00

Sunday evenings have been really fun for me, lately. I have the pleasure of co-leading a group of middle school girls in Sunday evening course as part of our church's Youth University program. I miss attending our Sunday night service, but I am really happy to be involved with our group of girls. They are 7th and 8th graders all interested in "Becoming a Young Woman God Can Use". I am blessed to be able to get to know them, and encourage them in their walk with the Lord.

It is also a blessing to share the leadership of this class with a sweet friend of mine. I admire her as a woman of God, wife, and mom. Some nights, I think I am learning as much as the girls are!

Tonight, we were talking about women we look up to and why. One of the girls said she really looks up to her YU leaders. She said that their faith in the Lord is inspiring to her. It was a wonderful compliment, especially since the girl was my daughter. Yep! Being involved with this class is definitely a blessing.

Saturday Snapshots

2011-10-15T20:32:00.005-04:00

A beautiful morning at flag football and Jacob made a touchdown!

Gil coaching and leading and doing his best to remain calm.

Zac doing a great job working as a referee for the big kids.

A yummy layered quesadilla for lunch.

An afternoon out with my mother, enjoying the gorgeous weather and fall colors.

Some fun finds while out shopping.

Yes, today was a wonderful day!

Praise!

2011-10-14T23:02:00.001-04:00

{Jacob just before his baptism}

Jacob's Week

Sunday: Jacob was baptized
Monday: Jacob saw the ear, nose & throat specialist after nearly four weeks of swelling of his parotid gland; an MRI was ordered. He has had several occurrences of this over the past year.
Tuesday: Jacob went to the dentist where we learned that he has three baby teeth that are in the way and need to be pulled, in addition to three permanent, back molars that are extremely diseased and must also be pulled! We have a referral to an oral surgeon to have these six teeth extracted.
Wednesday: Jacob was so brave as he endured his MRI.
Friday (today): We were back at the ENT specialist to get the MRI results.

The good news is that no mass was found. Instead, he has general inflammation and chronic infection throughout the gland. Since the issue with his teeth was brand new information to us, I asked the doctor if the teeth and swelling could be related. He said they absolutely could be, but we wouldn't know for sure until a couple of months after the extraction. We are hopeful that resolving the dental issues will resolve the gland inflammation. Otherwise, this is a condition that he should grow out of by the time he is about 13.

We are thankful to have more information, and to know that it is nothing more serious. We were SO relieved when we got that news. Jacob is still on a journey toward healing. Having dental work will not be easy on him, but he is such a strong little boy. We have a consult with the oral surgeon on Monday afternoon to see what the next step is. Right now, we are praising the Lord for carrying Jacob through this and giving us great news today!

Jacob's big adventure

2011-10-13T19:46:00.002-04:00

My baby boy has had the quite the week. Monday, I took Jacob to see his ears, nose, & throat specialist to get his salivary gland swelling looked at again. This is the same issue for which he was hospitalized last year. We have been doing our best to manage it, but have had to put him on antibiotics a few times in the past six months. About four weeks ago it became swollen, and after two rounds of antibiotics, it is still swollen. It was time to get it checked out.

The doctor agreed that it was time for an MRI. This gland that is acting up is the parotid gland. A few weeks ago I googled it just make sure I was spelling it correctly... the page of links that came up was pretty scary. The MRI will hopefully rule out those more serious situations.

Jacob had his MRI yesterday and did so well. He was SO still throughout it and so brave. He was amazing. Even when he had to remain perfectly still half way through while they gave him a contrast dye injection, he bravely endured and never moved his head. What a trooper! I am so proud of him.

The tech had him lay down, put cushions around his head to keep him still, and gave him earplugs. She then covered him with a blanket, and attached a "cage" over his face before sliding him into the MRI equipment. There is nothing like sitting in that room next to that monstrous machine and seeing nothing but my baby's nose and chin and closed eye as he bravely endured the noise and the pressure of remaining perfectly still for nearly 30 minutes.

I sat next to him, praying through the entire procedure. Once again, my heart hurt for all the mommies who sit through countless tests for children far more sick than my child. I also marveled at this giant contraption, built by man, trying to determine what exactly is going on inside my little boy's head. All the while I knew that my Heavenly Father knows exactly what's going on, and that Jesus has the power to heal him in an instant.

We see our doctor tomorrow morning at 7:15 for the results. I am looking forward to answers and ruling out anything serious. I am at peace.

The Man I Love

2011-10-12T21:05:00.003-04:00

This post is a shout-out to my wonderful husband, Gil! I am blessed to be married to a guy who loves me, our children, and the Lord. I appreciate how hard he works and that he has high standards for himself and others. I can't believe that we are in our 16th year of marriage! In some ways it has flown by. Each year, though, definitely gets better and better.

We have had our ups and downs, but through it all we remain committed to each other, our family, and our marriage. I love that! Our children are blessed to have a dad who loves them fiercely, and who isn't afraid to admit when he is wrong. I love how my husband is teachable, growing, and humble.

I pray each day for Gil. And I strive to be a better, more loving wife to him. I am blessed. He is my love and my hero. I admire Gil, respect him, and appreciate him.

I love you, Babe!!!

{Thanks to my friend Cindy who took these photos one day at her house. I pulled them off of Facebook to use here. They look ok, but the image files are super tiny, so I can't print these pictures. This is one of the dangers of having all our photos online... we get a false sense of security, thinking we will have access to them when we want them. However, if the image quality or size is very low, then they only really work for viewing online. To put them in an album or use in a digital layout, I am going to have to ask Cindy to send me the original, full-size images.}

Devotions

2011-10-11T21:17:00.000-04:00

So here I am on Day 11 {really, Day 11???! Wow!} of my 31 Days of Blogging effort. I am amazed I have made it this far!

Today I am going to put up a few links for some other writing I have done. Yes, I know it's a shortcut, but that's ok. I want to have this list all in one place and have been meaning to do this for a while.

I have been blessed to have the opportunity to participate in our Church's devotion writing project, and am starting my third year as one of the writers. The project began in 2009, and I was very interested in trying my hand at it, but did not step up. When the call for writers came out for 2010, I repeatedly encouraged my husband to sign up. He finally told me, flat out, "You do it." So I did. Last year I finally got him on board and he became a writer as well. We will both write again this year.

This writing has been a great growing experience. We have a specific format to follow, and a very limited 350 words in which to communicate. I usually start out writing a whole lot, then paring it down, word by word until I have the right amount. It makes me more careful with the words I use. I think limitations are generally good for promoting creativity. Writing these devotions has not been easy. I am not a Bible scholar, by any means. But it has been a very, very good experience, I highly recommend!

I have enjoyed revisiting these writings, some which I had forgotten. Here are links to my devotions:

Genesis 42 {February 19, 2010}

Joshua 7-8 {June 23, 2010}

Judges 8 {July 23, 2010}

2 Samuel 8-9 {September 27, 2010}

2 Kings 11-12 {November 30, 2010}

Acts 21:1‐16 {March 7, 2011}

1 Corinthians 13:8‐13 {June 17, 2011}

2 Corinthians 13:11‐14 {August 9, 2011}

Romans 16:25‐27 {September 29, 2011}

Glorious Day!

2011-10-10T21:37:00.006-04:00

Yesterday was such a special day! Last night at church, our 8-year-old son Jacob was baptized! He has been wanting to be baptized for over four years. We finally felt the time was right. He looked so cute in his little robe. I kept asking if he was nervous while we waited in the preparation room. He wasn't. But he was excited.

Jacob read the first two verses of Psalm 23, and did a great job! I was in the back taking photos, while the rest of the family watched from the sanctuary. I was so emotional!

It was a special, wonderful event for our family!!! We are so proud of Jacob. He is a sweet, special boy, and such a blessing to us.

After church, my mom took us all out to dinner. Since we didn't have school today, we were able to take our time and enjoy our evening and Chinese food.

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

~3 John 4

Sunday Thoughts

2011-10-09T15:36:00.001-04:00

Mystery Reader

2011-10-08T20:14:00.012-04:00

At parent night for Jacob's class, I had the opportunity to sign up for a Mystery Reader spot. The first one of the year was on Friday, and that was our day! Jacob had no idea I would be coming to his class. As it turned out, Grama is visiting, so she was also able to visit... in fact SHE was the Mystery Reader!

Grama had asked Jacob the night before about his favorite books so she could be sure to bring one he liked. When we came into the classroom, he got to help her to her seat, and sit in the place of honor beside her. He was so proud!

And he also had input for her along the way, such as, "You are supposed to show them the pictures." Fortunately, Grama didn't mind a little help!

Jacob's 3rd grade classmates listened attentively and were so well behaved. It is fun to see the kids growing up.

I think the Mystery Reader was a big success!!!

Cute gift!

2011-10-07T21:00:00.006-04:00

I LOVE that I have a very creative daughter! I guess you could say she takes after her mother... including the creative clutter everywhere, but that is a different subject. Where I have always been reserved and introverted, my daughter is outgoing, silly, loud, and social. I love that about her, too!

I love that Abbie has lots of friends, both at church and at school. Tonight she is at a birthday sleepover {complete with pedicures at a local salon!} for one of her very best friends. Her friend's name is Isabelle, and also goes by Izze. Several weeks back, Abbie spotted this sparkling juice in the grocery store and just knew she had to have it for Izze's present!

Earlier this week Abbie's vision was fulfilled as we picked up a 4-pack of the juice, and then went shopping for some extra goodies to put in two of the spots that hold bottles. Abbie picked out a couple of fun nail polishes, some lip gloss, and Izze's favorite candies. All of those items got wrapped in tissue paper and added to the drink box. I think it is quite the clever gift, and a fun & festive presentation. I am impressed at my girl's thoughtfulness on behalf of her friend!

Got Box Tops?

2011-10-06T20:00:00.008-04:00

Do you save Box Tops for Education? These cute little pink labels are found on all kinds of products. Each one is worth ten cents. That might not seem like a lot. But as you collect them, they add up quickly. You probably have or know a child who is in school. Well, these Box Tops can provide their school, or daycare, or possibly even homeschool co-0p with some much-needed funds with just a little bit of effort on your part.

I love to save these, and I have a few tips to make it easy.

I try to cut all my Box Tops off of the packaging as soon as I unpack my groceries. I use a box knife to slice through the first couple of layers on a cereal box, cake mix, or box of baggies (see the missing Box Top on the box above?), and peel off the label. By cutting them off first thing, I avoid having to dig through the trash later. I also don't have to worry about getting upset at whomever threw the packaging away without first cutting off the Box Top! That's a good thing.
I keep a little container in a kitchen drawer in which to collect all the Box Tops. They are small, and some are downright tiny. Having a place to store them keeps them safe and contained until it it time to turn them in.
I keep my eye out for special deals that will provide extra "Box Tops". Recently, a supermarket promotion provided a coupon at checkout worth 50 Box Tops with the purchase of eight qualifying General Mills products. These coupons get turned in right along with the Box Tops to the school.
Ask others to save their Box Tops for you. My mom regularly sends me a handful in the mail.
Submit the Box Tops to your child's school. Chances are they are having regular Box Tops collection drives. When I turn mine in, I trim them all down, and package them in lots of 50 per bag. This isn't necessary, but if you don't trim yours, someone at the school will have to before they are redeemed. I write my child's name, teacher's name, and "50" on each bag, because at our school they have competitions over these things!

Just last week I bundled up 300 Box Tops to send to my children's elementary and middle schools. These all accumulated over the summer with little effort on my part. What an easy way to give $30 to my kids' schools! I will continue to do this throughout the year.

I hope you save Box Tops! And if you don't, maybe you are inspired to start!

What's up with all the blog posts?

2011-10-05T13:28:00.000-04:00

I have to admit that I have really gotten out of the habit of blogging. It is not that I lack for ideas and thoughts. I even take a lot of photos specifically for future blog entries. It is more a matter of life being full, the To Do list being long, and blogging not ever making it to the top of the priority list. I am so deadline-oriented that often, if it doesn't have a deadline, it just might not ever get done.

Several bloggers I know {Nester, Emily, Jen} planned October as a "31 Days of..." month. They have admirable goals to write everyday on a particular theme. They have planned out in advance their topics and posts, leading to what will be a very informative, inspiring and helpful month on their blogs. While I haven't had time to actually read any of their wonderful posts yet, I do look forward to it! {Links to the nearly 750 bloggers joining them is here!}

For me, I thought I would just challenge myself to write and post everyday. {Oh! A deadline!} I am not going to overthink it. I am not going to spend a lot of time at it. I am just going to do it. It is a challenge to myself to get back to blogging. It is a creative outlet for me, a place to record thoughts and ideas and pictures, a wonderful opportunity to interact with others, and a way to share my Creative Memories fun. This is going to be an unplanned, fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants-month as I post about random things. My goal is to write something each day so that I can get back into the habit of blogging.

So here we are, on day 5 of the 31 days and I am making a commitment. I have a couple of good friends who are so faithful with their blogging, Jenny & Melanie. Their blogs, which inspired me to start blogging in the first place, are like their family scrapbooks. I really admire their tenacity and perseverance. I miss blogging. So now I am accountable to keep it up throughout this month. Accountability --- another thing that motivates me!

This is SO Cool!!!

2011-10-04T21:04:00.006-04:00

I have a new coverset to use for our 2011 family album, and I am SO excited! Creative Memories came out with a new Custom Album that can be designed simply with a photo, and maybe some text, or as elaborately as desired using the predesigned templates or our digital software.

Last week, I literally opened up the template at the Creative Memories Digital Center, uploaded my photo, dragged it in, cropped it, and added my text, and placed my order.... all in about 15 minutes before I headed out the door to flag football practice. Today, just a week later, it arrived on my doorstep! I was not prepared for how stunning it would look in person!!! These pictures truly do not do it justice.

This is a 12x12 coverset in which I can insert my traditional scrapbook pages, as well as my digital page prints. I am excited to add my layouts to this beautiful book! And I can't wait to help others create their own Custom Albums! What would you put on the front of an album?

What a great Sunday!

2011-10-03T23:08:00.006-04:00

We had such a GREAT weekend! It was busy and full, and so very FUN! Sunday was the best of all!!

We did have to get up and get out of the house bright and early. We had a special worship service at church. Both Abbie & Jacob were scheduled to sing, so they had to be there an hour early for rehearsal. I never mind that part... I get to enjoy all the wonderful music at least twice! Plus, I can get up close and get some good pictures during rehearsal!

Jacob sang with the Joyful Praise Children's Choir. {I was a bit of a stage mom and asked for him to be moved... at first he was totally hidden behind all the taller kids!}

We had a special Student Ministry choir made up of middle and high school students. Abbie was part of that. The worship service had a special emphasis on "The Next Generation". I am so thankful for our wonderful church and the opportunities our entire family has to grow in our knowledge of and service to the Lord.

This day was extra special because right after the morning service, we all went outside for the groundbreaking ceremony for our new Calvary Life Center! It was a wonderful celebration of the faithfulness and grace of our Lord. I can't wait for this new building to be completed! As someone who serves with the children and youth, I know how needed it is.

Our wonderful morning was capped off by our church's annual Family Day picnic! It was a beautiful, brisk fall day. The weather was just about perfect. I was asked to be judge for the dessert contest. I am always ready to serve where needed! Abbie immediately took off with her friends. The only time I saw her was when she asked if she could sit with her friend's family during the dinner! All my boys enjoyed the rock wall, games, and football. It was fun to see Gil in his element, surrounded by his team of players! I had a great time catching up with all my friends. It was a great way to end a wonderful weekend!

Fun Fall Outing

2011-10-02T19:09:00.000-04:00

After our Friday night date, Gil and I got another date on Saturday! We spent the evening at a cute, country corn maze... listening to a great band, eating grilled hamburgers, and enjoying the beautiful, crisp, fall weather.

Gil really liked the band, which we didn't realize would be there. We enjoyed the extra time together.

And Abbie enjoyed the time to play a game of football with all her friends!

Did I mention that we were on a middle school youth outing? We were part of the adult leaders attending the Fall Kick Off. It was a great event with dinner, fun, fellowship, and s'mores around the bonfire. Here is our wonderful youth pastor Justin challenging the students. We had a great evening out with all these cool kids.

And on the way home on the bus, I got to snuggle with my sweetie!

Courageous!

2011-10-01T15:10:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, the new movie "Courageous" opened across the country. It is made by the creators of "Fireproof" and "Facing the Giants", so we were really looking forward to it! I have actually been watching the progress of the movie on Facebook all during filming and editing.

I surprised Gil with tickets to the movie on opening night. Our church bought a block of 200 seats, so many from my Adult Life Group (Sunday school class) were also there. It was so fun to go to the theater and see lots of friends! Gil and I got there early and were first in line. So we sat down and watched everyone come in... wondering if we knew them, too! Most of them, we did.

The movie was awesome! So worth seeing!!! It was suspenseful, action-packed, family-friendly, funny, and heart-wrenching. It's message is Truth, and a call to action for us all. We loved it! We will definitely be buying this one. We absolutely recommend it!!

It has been really fun, too, looking forward to our date over the last couple of weeks. We need to do this more often!

31 Days...

2011-09-30T07:23:00.005-04:00

I am challenging myself to blog everyday for 31 days! Thanks for joining me as I blog each day in October!

{Day 1} Courageous!

{Day 2} Fun Fall Outing

{Day 3} What a Great Sunday!

{Day 4} This is SO cool!

{Day 5} What's up with all the blog posts?

{Day 6} Got Box Tops?

{Day 7} Cute gift!

{Day 8} Mystery Reader

{Day 9} Sunday Thoughts

{Day 10} Glorious Day!

{Day 11} Devotions
{Day 12} The Man I Love

{Day 13} Jacob's big adventure

{Day 14} Praise!

{Day 15} Saturday Snapshots

{Day 16} Youth University

{Day 17} Pastor Appreciation!

{Day 18} Bye Bye Grama!

{Day 19} Layered Quesadilla

{Day 20} Custom Photo Gifts

{Day 21} Amazing Raffle Baskets

{Day 22} Pumpkin Cookies with Browned Butter Icing Recipe
{Day 23} Sunday Thought

{Day 24} Packing Lunches Made Easy!

{Day 25} My Sweet Little Trooper!

{Day 26} Homemade Hummus Recipe

{Day 27} Shhhhh.....

{Day 28} Beautiful Fall Day with my Boy!

{Day 29} Thankful

{Day 30} Laundry -- I love it!

{Day 31} 31 Days Wrap Up!

Going with the flow

2011-09-14T21:23:00.000-04:00

This was the week I was going to get organized...

I was determined to conquer my paper piles in the kitchen. I was really looking forward to clear counters. But life didn't quite go the way I had planned.

Gil took Monday off from work. Jacob had been sick over the weekend and was still feeling badly. So we kept him home from school and took him to the doctor. Poor baby has strep throat. Gil decided to spend the afternoon mowing the lawn. As he came into the garage after, he noticed water all over the gargage floor! Water was pouring out of the hot water heater in a steady drip. The troops {Zachary & Abbie} were called in to help move stored boxes and carry wet books into the house.

I am doing my best to save the books that I can, grateful that only a few boxes of books were damaged. We should have a new hot water heater tomorrow. We are going into our third day without hot water. The kids don't mind the lack of showers.

Time to heat some water on the stove so I can wash some more dishes. All the clutter around here is driving me just a little crazy. But first, I think I will make another scrapbook page!

My Business Card!

2011-08-06T18:46:00.005-04:00

I just read a post by my friend Kim at Everything Etsy on creative business cards. I realized that I haven't shared my business card before... and I think it is somewhat creative! I designed it with my software, dropping one of my favorite scrapbook pages in as the photo. It is actually 1/2 of a 4x6 photo. So for the price of printing a picture, I got 2 business cards. I think they are fun! What do you think?

{Just for August 2011, my software and all the artwork is 50% off here!!! Wow!!}

A weekend with my "best friend"!

2011-07-23T18:15:00.004-04:00

Beth Moore came to Charlotte this weekend!!! For the past 12 years, I have been doing her Bible studies. I have completed about 11 of them, and some of them I have actually done 2-3 times. I love her teaching! I was blessed to see her in person in 2004 in Colorado Springs. I was very excited to have the opportunity to see her again. Beth Moore is so down-to-earth and open... anytime I see her on video I feel like I am reunited with my best friend! I think she makes everyone feel that way!!

Our theme for the weekend was "hold fast". The Lord is holding fast to us... will never let us go, if we have trusted Him for our eternal salvation. We need to hold fast to him for earthly security and abundant life (not a life that is pain free, but a life that works). He loves us SO much!

We had 9400 women in attendance. Lots of women from my church were there... I kept running into groups of them all over the arena. I was blessed to attend with my sweet friend Leah. In fact, I nearly didn't get to go to this conference... but Leah surprised me with a ticket a few weeks ago!!! We have spent the last year and a half doing Bible study together, so she knew how much I really wanted to be there. I was touched, humbled, blessed! What a truly wonderful friend Leah is!

We ended up making plans with a number of other women to ride the light rail to uptown, have dinner, and then find seats together for Friday night. It was an adventure, and lots of fun! It was also wonderful to grow closer to some women I didn't know as well before this weekend. This morning we met bright and early at 6:30 to carpool back to uptown. The worship and teaching this weekend were just amazing! I will be absorbing and processing all we learned for the next week or two and beyond, I believe!

{My Simply Stylish Predesigned Pages made it so quick and easy to make these pages in just minutes!!!}

Wednesday Words...

2011-07-20T08:05:00.001-04:00

Fun Cutting Tools

2011-06-13T16:52:00.006-04:00

I love my Jumbo Custom Cutting System Patterns for making quick, traditional scrapbook pages! With one simple cut, I get a neat border, plus a piece to add to another page. Two pages from one piece of paper!

I have been working on Jacob's toddler pages... really enjoying my trip down memory lane! Here is a page I love, using the circle that was left over when I cut a border for another page, using the Jumbo Circle Pattern.

Now, when I started out with that red circle all by itself, it looked a little too much like a Japanese flag!

So, I decided to cut it up, and shift things around a bit. I started with one straight cut off of one side... no need to be exact.
I then made a second cut of of the larger piece. Again, just eyeballing things.
I took those 3 pieces and arranged them so that all the straight edges and corners were against the outside of the page.
I added a photo mat, 3 pictures, some fun embellishments, and some title stickers. {Using a Power Palette ensures that everything matches, and really cuts down on time!} I think it turned out pretty cute, and only took about 10 minutes!

You could do the same thing with any of the cutting patterns. {Good news! Through June 30th, 2011, all of our top cutting tools are on sale for 20% off!}

Pictures of Pictures

2011-05-10T09:36:00.000-04:00

One of my friends was saying that she didn't have any photos of her mom that aren't digital. Trying to scan her pictures was too much trouble. So last week, when everyone was changing their profile pictures on Facebook to their mother's photo, she didn't participate.

Well, I have a fix for that! I often use my camera to take pictures of pictures.

I also use my camera to take photos of children's artwork, receipts, scrapbook page ideas, and other documents.

Now, if quality is really an issue, then scanning will yield the best results. But many things can be successfully photographed, quickly and easily.

This is especially nice to know when you have large, bulky artwork that won't fit in a scanner, or are out and about and want to capture a great idea. {It helps to have a nice, small camera and carry it with you!}

Here are my tips for taking photos of photos:

1. Set the camera on auto {or if you know how, engage the "macro" setting}
2. Turn off the flash
3. Place the document or photo on a flat surface in a well-lit area with indirect light
4. Position the camera so that you are looking straight down on the picture you are photographing
5. Zoom in, or get as close as possible
6. Hold the camera steady and take the photo

That's it! Let me know if this makes life easier for you!!

Love never fails!

2011-05-06T08:20:00.002-04:00

Life gets hard and I get silent. My face smiles as I complete the normal, daily routines, but my heart despairs. I find that I tend to turn inward, not sharing, reaching, or showing my need. I long to express myself, but the words won’t come. And when they do, the tears race to get there first, so it becomes easier to not even try. This is exactly when I need to turn to the Word of God. And there I am comforted: “Love never fails.” (1Corinthians 13:8a)

It has been a tough week (month… year… few years…). The cares of this world, the stress from my never-ending To Do list, the circumstances of bills greater than the bank balance, the busyness of days multiplied by children with their own schedules and deadlines—these all threaten to overwhelm me. I am bound to drop one or more of these balls I am juggling. I fail. Thankfully, in the midst of all is a beacon of light: “Love never fails.” God is love. God never fails.

“Let me hear in the morning of Your steadfast love, for in You I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to You I lift up my soul.” (Psalm143:8 / ESV)

Bare branches bursting into bright blooms announce that the darkness of winter has given way to spring! Those blooms are a resurrection reminder. Even in the darkness, the Lord is doing His greatest work. The enemy would love for me to wallow in my self-centeredness, to be ineffective, and to bring others down. Instead, I need to choose to seek the Lord. I thank Him for the words of Jeremiah 29:13, “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.” Likewise, I am soothed by the numerous verses throughout the Bible that speak of God’s unfailing, steadfast love. No matter what darkness I face, I choose to cling to His Word. There I find rest, comfort, peace, and hope. Even at my worst, my lowest point, He loves me. “Love never fails.”

What circumstances cause you to forget about God’s unfailing love? What are ways that His unfailing love has manifested in your life?

Photo Taking Tips for the non-professional!

2011-04-26T20:58:00.004-04:00

Isn't he cute?!? I am not sure which is my favorite photo. But to get these cute shots... I had to take quite a few pictures! I am an average photographer with a decent point-and-shoot camera who is always striving to get good results. I am going to share a few of my tips here.

We were visiting with Grama and Grampa out on the screened porch a couple days ago, and Jacob was talking. I just kept clicking away because he looked so cute and I wanted to catch the perfect picture.The great thing with digital, is that we can take lots and lots of pictures!

Here are a few of my tips:
1. Take lots of pictures
2. Get in close with the zoom
3. Turn off the flash
4. Try the "kids and pets" setting on the camera and take multiple shots in a row
5. Take pictures often, and the kids (or adults) will not really be aware of the camera
6. Try not to pose your subjects, but catch them in action
7. Delete the duds and showcase the best!
8. Contact me if you need help with easy ideas for accomplishing #7!!!

Grama & Grampa are here for just 6 more days... I'll be taking lots more photos!

Free Resource for Moms of Girls!

2011-03-08T18:03:00.003-05:00

I got an email from a friend today that gave the link to this free e-book! Usually when I download an e-book, it is a pdf file. This one, however is through Amazon and is a Kindle book. Well, while I am fairly technically savvy, I am not a gadget girl. I don't text and I certainly don't have a Kindle. But, to my delight, I learned that you can download a free Kindle app for your computer! So I did. And then I downloaded this book.

I started to read "Moms' Ultimate Guide to the Tween Girls World" by Nancy Rue this afternoon and I am so thankful for this resource! I think anyone who has, will have, or works with middle school girls or younger should read this book. I am just into the first chapter and can see that it will be so helpful and encouraging on my parenting journey, and as I serve with middle school girls in our church. I especially appreciate that it is written from a Biblical perspective.

I am thankful that I have found this book for free... and can't wait to see what other free treasures I can find for my new "kindle"!

Our evening at a French cafe!

2011-03-07T14:18:00.003-05:00

Abbie is taking French as one of her 6th grade electives. This past week she had a French food project to complete. For the project she had to plan, prepare, serve, evaluate, and document a French cafe meal. Saturday evening, our dining room was transformed into The French Lily Cafe as we ate the delicious meal she had prepared for us! (She had just a little help from me.) To complete the project, she put together a scrapbook all on her own, which she presented at school today. What fun to be treated to a wonderful, fun meal prepared by my daughter!!! Here is a peek!

Due to Popular Demand!

2011-03-05T16:10:00.006-05:00

Every time I bake this cake, I get requests for the recipe! Up until now, I have simply been too lazy to type it up and pass it on. I just made this cake yesterday and our dinner guests last night raved over it. Since my newspaper copy is getting yellowed and tattered, I thought now was a good time to put the recipe in a more permanent form.

I found this recipe over three years ago in the food section of the newspaper. It came from a write-up about a book called "Southern Cakes" by Nancie McDermott. Once I saw the recipe, I knew I had to try it. I have been hooked ever since! I have been known to offer to bake my own birthday cake, just so I can use this recipe.

I have tweaked the recipe a bit. For one thing, the original icing recipe made twice as much. Having a 3/4 inch-thick layer of candy on top of this yummy cake seemed like overkill to me. So I cut the recipe in half and thinned it down some so that it is more of a glaze. I prefer this more subtle addition of sweetness, and I still have icing left over after frosting the cake.

I am kind of a cake snob... I like my cake made from scratch. And only real butter will do. I love any kind of pound cake. I won't even tell you how many calories this cake has in it. But it is worth every bite! Enjoy...

Brown Sugar Pound Cake with Caramel Glaze

3 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1.5 cups (3 sticks) butter, softened
2.5 cups brown sugar
5 eggs
Caramel Glaze (recipe below)

1. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Generously grease 10-inch tube or bundt pan with butter, and flour liberally.

2. Sift together flour, salt, and baking powder; set aside. Add vanilla to milk in a measuring cup or separate bowl. (The recipe actually calls for whole milk, but I use 2% with no issues.) Both the flour and milk will be combined in the batter in a later step.

3. Beat the butter with a mixer at high speed until light and fluffy. Beat in the brown sugar in three batches. Add the eggs one by one, beating well after each addition.

4. Reduce the speed to low and add half of the flour mixture, then half the milk. Be sure to mix until the flour has disappeared into the batter before adding the milk. Add the rest of the flour, then the milk, in the same way. Quickly scrape the batter into the prepared tube pan and bake about 1 hour and 10 minutes, until the cake is browned at the edges, and the center springs back when lightly touched. A wooden skewer or tooth pick should also come out clean when inserted into the center of the cake.

5. Remove the cake from the oven and leave in the pan on a wire rack to cool for 20-30 minutes. Loosen the cake with a table knife and turn out onto a wire rack or cake plate. Let the cake cool completely before finishing with the Caramel Glaze.

Note: I have made this recipe with good results in a 13x9 pyrex dish, as well as in two loaf pans. Baking times will need to be adjusted. I am planning to try these out as cupcakes or mini cupcakes, too!

Caramel Glaze

¼ cup (½ stick) butter
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup evaporated milk (plus a couple extra tablespoons)
2 cups sifted powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Melt the butter with the brown sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir until a smooth sauce forms, about 2-3 minutes.

2. Add the milk and bring the icing to a gentle boil. Stir well, remove from heat and add the powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat well until the glaze thickens and looses some of its shine. More evaporated milk can be added if it gets too thick, a little at a time.

3. Use at once, drizzling over the cooled Brown Sugar Pound Cake.

I have linked up with Jen's Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Bedlam & Beauty!

Fun Birthday Party!

2011-02-08T10:57:00.003-05:00

In my last post, I wished my sweet husband happy birthday! Well, here is the party I threw to celebrate him! I designed the invitation, sent it out by email, and handed some out in person. Then I let Gil know that we were having a party! My hope was for him to be incredibly blessed on this important milestone.

We really had no idea who was coming. I just invited everyone we know and care about. I ordered a low-cost cake from Costco, made some homemade salsa, and put out a bowl of chips, and we were ready! This was a super-easy party to throw! And since everyone was invited to bring an appetizer, we had plenty of food!!!

This was such a fun gathering!!! We had friends from all over stop in. I made sure to take a photo of each family or couple.

Over the course of the evening, we had 70 guests in our home! Gil was absolutely blown away. Everytime the doorbell rang, it was another surprise. Gil was so very blessed by this wonderful, easy-to-plan event. What a joy it was to show him how much he is truly loved, in honor of his special day!!!

Happy 50th Birthday!

2011-02-03T08:02:00.003-05:00

Today I am so blessed to wish my sweet husband a happy, happy, 50th Birthday!!! I just know that the Lord will bless him in his next 50 years even more abundantly! I am so proud of Gil. He is a wonderful husband and father. He loves us and sacrifices so much for us! I am so very, very thankful for my sweet, wonderful husband. Happy Birthday, Babe!

Our Christmas Miracle...

2010-12-28T20:50:00.003-05:00

On Christmas Eve our family had a miracle take place! I still don't even know how to talk about it. We are all still in awe and speechless.

We were home, and someone rang our doorbell... a man I don't know. He handed me an envelope and said it was from someone who cared about us. He left, and I came inside. Gil and I opened it, and found inside ten $50 bills! I just broke down and cried. We were so thankful and overwhelmed. We have no idea where it could have come from, or who could have known how much it was needed.

The past few years have been hard... the last few months, sometimes even harder. We feel like things are getting better, we just have to get through the next few months. This unexpected gift was a ray of light and hope, a hug from the Lord, and just what our aching souls needed. We gathered our family and praised Him together, asking that those who provided would be blessed a thousand-fold. It was so amazing how the Lord showed His great love for us. We are grateful, thankful, and so very blessed.

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!
~1John 3:1

Happy Birthday!

2010-12-28T11:37:00.002-05:00

Today we celebrate Zac's 14th birthday! We are so proud of our wonderful, responsible, smart, and caring young man!!! We love you, Zac!!!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-20T19:03:00.003-05:00

{Beautiful Photography by Cindy Gongon...
card designed by me using StoryBook Creator Plus and the Holiday-Traditional artwork}

Cute Snowman Game!

2010-12-16T13:52:00.001-05:00

As one of the room moms in Jacob's class, I'm helping plan the snowman-themed "winter celebration" in his class tomorrow. I have the responsibility of bringing in the "Put the Buttons on the Snowman" game. I had so much fun putting this together, that I thought I would share. It will be fun for the kids in class... and a great way to keep the houseful of kids I'll have at home next week occupied!

This could be done as a fun activity for kids to play with, or as a game. So here are the supplies I gathered for the snowman and the game. I made two snowmen, so we can have two games running simultaneously. I used posterboard for the snowman, post-it notes for the items to "pin" on {can I just say that post-it notes are one of my most favorite things ever?!!}, scissors, marker, white printer paper, and some dark paper to make a hat. The painter's tape will hold the snowman on the wall, and the bandanas are for the kids to wear as blindfolds during the game. Here we go!

First, with one piece of posterboard, I made the snowman's body. You could totally adapt this and make your entire snowman on one piece of posterboard, or several pieces of printer paper. I wanted a big snowman! I also didn't worry about being perfect. A lumpy snowman is ok with me!

I found my largest lid to trace for a his head.

He is looking good!

I used my marker to put in a whimsical outline, and make the eyes and mouth. Now if you wanted to make this as an activity, rather than a game with blindfolds, you could opt to not draw the eyes and mouth, but make them the same way I made the other decorations.

And here come the post-it notes! Aren't they so fun? I have a great selection of 4x4 notes, so I used an assortment to cut into 4" circles.

I then outlined them, and added the button detail.

More post-its to make....

...carrot noses!!! Since this game has to endure 22 students plus siblings, I am making lots of extras!

Isn't he cute???! Hmmm.... he's missing something, though...

I cut a hat out of a piece of dark paper, colored in some cheery cheeks, and added another button. I think he's adorable!

Finally, I put sets of the buttons and noses on sheets of printer paper, ready for the "Put the Buttons on the Snowman" game. Like I said, I made a bunch of sets... the kids will have their choice of button colors. And, if anything needs to be replaced before we are done playing, we are well-stocked! I'll use the painter's tape to attach the body, head, and hat to the classroom wall. I can't wait for tomorrow! So, do you think you might want to make your own snowman?

Beautiful Tables

2010-12-05T13:05:00.003-05:00

So yesterday, I shared about my table at our church's annual Christmas Tea. Today I am going to show off some of the other gorgeous tables I really enjoyed.

This is my friend Jenny's adorable table! It was just over-the-top in cuteness!!! She and her mom decorated it together. They did a great job!! When I arrived around noon on Friday to set up my table, Jenny just happened to be there, too. You can see in the background that many tables were not yet decorated.

Doesn't this table just scream fun? Jacob loved Miss Jenny's table! All those treats sure were tempting!!

This table is stylish and classy, just like my friend Melanie! {I'm pretty sure this is one of the two tables she decorated.} I love the mix of modern and traditional elements.

I couldn't resist zooming in on these fabulous details! I love the birds... and all the beautiful ornaments. Somehow, I managed not to get any pictures of Melanie's other gorgeous table. But this one makes me happy.

I love how this table puts the focus on the reason for the Season. Such a beautiful Nativity!

This table was decorated with apples, and the banner around the tree in the centerpiece says, "The Apple of His Eye". Those cups and saucers are one of my favorite china patterns, too!

I have used my pink and green "Desert Rose" dishes to decorate a tea table for four years. I am always drawn to any other table using pink to decorate for Christmas. Here is one that is very sweet. I later learned that my good friend Missy decorated this table! Her sister made the gorgeous centerpiece.

And I like this pink table, too. Abbie called this the "lemonade table" because the water glasses look like they are drinking pink lemonade!

I love all the traditional Christmas-y tables a lot. This one is quite elegant.

I like this one, too! Makes me want to make my own forest of trees... I later found out that it was decorated by the mother of my friend Jeanette! I just love all the gold and red, and of course, the trees.

This table is very traditional, and very pretty. Look at the little gifts waiting for each guest. Next year, I need to zoom in on all the favors at each table.

It is amazing how many different centerpieces adorn the tables. When I decorated my first table in 2007, I had no idea what to do about a centerpiece. Well, there is no shortage of ideas in this room!

I had to take a picture of this table because I just love cardinals!!! I lived my whole life without ever seeing one, except in pictures. Then we moved to North Carolina and they are everywhere. I just love them! This table is wonderfully done, too.

This table is just, wow! I love seeing the unexpected. I am still tickled by the individual bottles of sparkling cider. It is all the little touches that each woman brings to her table that makes this event so fun! The background of this photo shows the sea of tables... this is such an amazing event!

Jacob, who was helping me decorate my table, was very excited to tell me that we even had an "I Spy" table! Of course, I had no idea what in the world he was talking about. Then he showed me this amazing centerpiece. I just have to talk more about it in another post! {Update: after I went to Bible study on the Thursday following the tea, I learned that one of my sweet ladies, Mary, decorated this table and made this family heirloom!!! It was so fun to learn that fact!}

I thought this table was particularly dramatic. The table linens looked like silk, and the colors were smoky shades of purple and lavendar. My photography does not do it justice!

It is always fun to see different interpretations of Christmas decor. I love what Sandy did here! Again, so unexpected. I wish I could have a photo of every table. I did not even get to see all of the 80 tables decorated. But that just makes me look forward to next year's event all the more!

Christmas Tea!

2010-12-04T21:06:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite things since moving to Charlotte is the annual Ladies Christmas Tea at our church. The first year I attended, I was in total awe.... Eighty tables for eight each creatively set for a tea party. Now, for the 4th year in a row, I have been blessed to decorate a table!

Poor Jacob has had another infection in his salivary gland (we are awaiting a referral to see a specialist), so he was with me on Friday when I set up my table. Jacob was a very good helper!

Here is my table, ready for today! Once we had my table set, Jacob and I went around and admired all the other pretty tables.

We had a surprise invitation for Abbie to also attend the tea! It was fun to get dressed up and go together. Last year she got to help me set up my table, but has never attended.

Abbie sat with her Joslyn friend at a table with no adults. I think she enjoyed her first experience at the Christmas Tea!

We ate yummy, yummy food! The assortment of treats is always fun. And we enjoyed beautiful music and a wonderful speaker. I especially appreciated the message of hope that she shared.

The highlight of the day, of course, is the fabulous fellowship with good friends. It was great to spend the afternoon with Lori, Noelle and Robin! The annual tea is truly one of my favorite Christmas traditions!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T22:00:00.003-05:00

{A traditional page using Jacob's word art he brought home from school this week.}

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

~Colossians 3:16-17

Great Fall Season of Sports!

2010-11-13T15:33:00.000-05:00

Today we ended a great season of flag football and soccer! It was a glorious fall day... warm, sunny, and beautiful. Jacob had his last flag football game this morning. And Abbie played two games this afternoon.

No more weekly practices...

No more Saturday games....

I have been SO proud of Zac this season because he has had his first job! Each Saturday he has been a referee for 2-3 games, earning pretty good money for a 13 year old.

{Card I made for the coach}

We love Jacob's flag football coach. He has done such a great job with the boys. Jacob really enjoyed flag football. It really clicked with him, more than soccer ever has. At first I wondered about running plays with 7 and 8 year olds. But for Jacob, it really worked. He liked knowing he had a job and what he needed to do. In contrast, soccer was too random. He can't wait to play flag football again in the spring!

Abbie had a great season in soccer. She is a good player and sure plays hard. We love her coach, too, and were glad she got to play another season with him. We aren't sure where she will be in the spring, so we really enjoyed this season. Coach Pete had me make these cards up to give out to all the girls. I love being able to do stuff like this!

And then the parents surprised him with this 16x20 poster! It was really fun to make, especially since I had access to such gorgeous photos, courtesy of one of the dads from the team. Needless to say, Coach Pete was blown away with his gift!!!

As a mom, I'm looking forward to the break that the end of the season brings. But at the same time, it was a lot of fun and it is sad that it's over!

A giveaway and my Open House is coming!

2010-11-12T07:59:00.003-05:00

I just LOVE fall! Here in North Carolina, we have had sunny skies, warm days, crisp nights, and brilliant, brilliant colors with all the changing leaves. It is a rich, magnificent time of year, especially as we begin to prepare for Thanksgiving!

I have mentioned many times how much I love Paper Album Kits! Well, here is an exclusive Give Thanks Paper Album Kit that you can only get by visiting my friend Nicki's blog! I have the pleasure of sponsoring a giveaway over there starting today --- leave a comment on her blog and you might be the one who is blessed with this gorgeous little kit when she draws a name on Monday! You will just love Nicki's heart for the Lord, her transparency, and her love for her family.

And if you are visiting me from Nicki's blog, welcome! I love visitors!!!

I hope you will consider attending my Open House next week! I can't wait to show off all the fun ideas for fast, easy, and meaningful gifts. I will also be unveiling my Winter Schedule with workshops, Faithbooking Classes, Mommy & Me Classes, and more! I'd love to do a fun and inspiring Photo Solutions Party with you, too... you get credit towards photo processing, photo gifts, or free products -- your friends get a night out, photo-taking tips, and easy ways to enjoy their pictures now.

Thanks for stopping by! Be sure to go visit Nicki and enter to win the gorgeous Give Thanks Paper Album Kit!

Celebrating your Star!

2010-11-08T16:41:00.003-05:00

I am in the process of working on an end-of-season coach gift and remembered this picture I wanted to share. One of my awesome customers has kids who are athletes. Last spring, her daughter's softball team had a perfect 17-0 season!!! To celebrate, Susan made her daughter this gorgeous poster! I happened to be at Susan's home a while back and was able to see it in person and take a photo {that in no way does this 20x30 poster justice}!
Isn't this such a cool idea?! It is a natural for celebrating a coach or an athlete... but would also be great for a teacher, a dancer, a cheerleader, a pet lover, a horse rider, a special couple, a grad, a dad.... well, you get the picture! What a terrific gift for a hard-to-please teen. It is so easy to get started because you can go here to pick out free designs, upload some photos, drop them in, and order! {If you need a consultant ID for your CM Digital Center account, you can use mine: 24915986.}

I am also able to make custom posters for you in a variety of sizes. You send me the photos and I send you the finished product ready for hanging or framing. What fun project would you like to display?

A day Full of Love!

2010-11-06T15:44:00.006-04:00

"My albums aren't an art gallery. They're a celebration of the moments in the photos and the memories they contain."

~Nancy O'Dell in Full of Love

I am half way through reading this wonderful book by broadcast journalist Nancy O'Dell! I came across this quote and had to stop and write it down. I love it! I am having a lovely birthday afternoon... sipping hot tea, sitting cozy under a comfy quilt, and actually taking time to read a book. I'm so thankful to my family for this day!!! {I'll share more about this book later!}

Dual Duty Gift

2010-11-01T05:08:00.003-04:00

What a relief to have one Christmas gift completed and ordered! Gil's parents were just here for a week and I took as many pictures as I could. During the visit, the kids had a day off from school, and then Gil had them take two more days off to be with their grandparents. So they had some fun times out and about with Grandpa & Grandma Cendejas! However, I got fewer photos than I would have liked. But, I think I've made the most of those that we do have!!!

This is the custom photo calendar that I just ordered for Gil's parents' Christmas gift! This is really cool because the top strip with the spiral binding, and the calendar part on the bottom, both tear off, leaving an 8x8 scrapbook page.

Last year, Gil's parents visited and I sent them an 8x8 PicFolio Max album with several completed pages in it. The idea was to keep adding to it for them. The Max album is really nice because each page is a giant side-loading pocket, so it is super-easy for them to put in additional scrapbook pages.

Now they will have 12 additional pages for their album!

Because their visit was in October, most of our pictures are fall themed. I didn't try to worry about the months on the calendar, but thought instead about the flow of the scrapbook album. My intent was to document their visit, and the calendar was just an extra bonus!

I actually created the calendar as a 12x18, which would make 12x12 scrapbook pages, or page prints. I always like to design in the larger size, then with a simple click I can convert my project down to the smaller size. That way, I can use some of these pages for our album!

I wanted to get this completed and ordered so I would have it for my Open House on November 20th. {December 13th is the deadline to order for Christmas delivery!} I actually started it Tuesday night. Then I worked on it again Saturday afternoon, finished it up, and got it ordered! I love digital scrapbooking because it is so quick!!!

I mostly used the Free Presdesigned templates found here, but I also adapted most of them somewhat. This page I played with using one picture for the whole page. I like it!

In just a few hours, I have 12 pages finished!

I think you can see that we had a good time at the pumpkin patch!

Of course, the visit was much too short... and the visits are far too infrquent... but Gil's parents can be reminded of our time together all year long!

Trick or Treat!

2010-10-31T18:38:00.003-04:00

Here are my sweet children... dressed as a Nerd, Sleepover Girl (her two friends have matching outfits), and Penguin!

Abbie and Zac are both going across the road to the next neighborhood to hang out with their friends for a couple of hours.

Jacob is going around our neighborhood with Gil.

And I am home to welcome the children who come to the door. Right now I am indulging in a little joy that is almond.... (and thinking about the scrapbook page I will make)!

An unlikely friendship...

2010-10-26T11:34:00.003-04:00

She came into my home, where I hosted our ladies’ Bible study… She had made friends at a recent leadership event with the girls leading our group and they had invited her. I was intimidated by her presence, her knowledge, her big personality. And then she admitted that she was in a season of depression and I wanted to run far away in fear. But, as I got to know her, as I drank in her wisdom, I knew I needed more. I was a baby Believer, thirsty for knowledge. I asked her to be my mentor. We began to meet weekly: walking, praying, and doing Bible study together. I was in turn, able to offer her a job. She was my mentor, my assistant and my best friend. I met my husband at her house! She was definitely brought into my life by the Lord to stretch me. I wouldn’t have picked her for a friend, but I’m so glad He did! I pray that everyone could have a sweet sister-in-the-Lord like my friend of almost 18 years! Do you have any unlikely friendships?

Continue On

2010-10-16T11:50:00.004-04:00

Continue On
by Roy Lessin

A woman once fretted over the usefulness of her life.
She feared she was wasting her potential being a devoted wife and mother.
She wondered if the time and energy she invested in her husband and children would make a difference. At times she got discouraged because so much of what she did seemed to go unnoticed and unappreciated. "Is it worth it?" she often wondered. "Is there something better that I could be doing with my time?"

It was during one of these moments of questioning that she heard the still small voice of her heavenly Father speak to her heart.

"You are a wife and mother because that is what I have called you to be.

Much of what you do is hidden from the public eye.
But I notice. Most of what you give is done without remuneration.
But I am your reward.

Your husband cannot be the man I have called him to be without your support. Your influence upon him is greater than you think and more powerful than you will ever know. I bless him through your service and honor him through your love.

Your children are precious to Me.
Even more precious than they are to you. I have entrusted them to your care to raise for Me. What you invest in them is an offering to Me. You may never
be in the public spotlight. But your obedience shines as a bright light
before Me. Continue on. Remember you are My servant.
Do all to please Me."

I was first given this encouragement from a dear friend at MOPS, at least 12 years ago. A couple years later, I received a beautiful framed print with these words as a gift from my sister-in-law. It continues to hang in my bedroom, a reminder that even when no one else sees or appreciates my efforts, my heavenly Father notices. Maybe you needed to hear this today.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
~Colossians 3:23-24

Quick Update on Jacob

2010-09-28T07:00:00.004-04:00

Jacob, our 7 year-old son, was admitted to the Children's Hospital on Saturday.

Once his pain was under control, he thought the entire experience was fun. {I'll have to share some of the cute things he said while he was there in another post.} We were originally told he could be there for 3-4 days. But, thankfully, Sunday morning his doctor said we might be able to go home later that day.

He was definitely feeling much better. The swelling in his face was still there, but much less than the day before. Around 5pm on Sunday, Jacob was discharged! Once home with prescriptions filled, a dear friend delivered a hot meal. We spent yesterday resting at home. Jacob is definitely on the mend, but still has some pain.

We are heading to the doctor for a re-check this morning. We are so thankful for the dozens of friends and loved ones who have been praying for Jacob and for us. We feel so loved and supported. We are grateful for all the emails, phone calls, and meals. Throughout our adventure, we have felt the Lord carrying us, comforting us, and leading us one step at a time.

When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.
~ Isaiah 43:2

Unexpected Adventures

2010-09-25T22:53:00.006-04:00

Some days just don't turn out at all the way we expect them to. This morning my plan was to get up, have my tea, read my Bible, eat breakfast, drop Zac off at work, get Abbie to the soccer fields by 11:30am, watch her game, and then spend the afternoon and evening at a crazy youth group event. I got as far as tea and Bible.

Jacob has been sick the last couple of days. He was up late Wednesday night/early Thursday morning complaining of pain near his left ear, and had a 101 fever. My husband is a rock star with sick kids --- they wake HIM up in the middle of the night! So I didn't know what was going on until we got up Thursday morning. Not only did Jacob have a fever, but he also had a wierd lump under his left ear. Jacob wasn't going to school, of course, but I was scheduled to teach Bible study. And Gil had to go to work. So we decided I would take Jacob with me, and he could sit quietly as I got through the first hour, then we could come home when it was time for the ladies to watch the video. That plan seemed fine...

But, at church, Jacob was feeling a lot worse. He had the chills, and was looking terrible. Just as ladies started to arrive, Jacob came over to tell me he didn't feel so good. I was like a deer caught in headlights as I tried to figure out what our options were since I knew what was coming next. But before we both knew it, he was getting sick all over both our shoes! Poor baby! And it was right up front in the classroom! I tried to get him down the hall to the bathroom... I am pretty sure we left a trail. Once he finished getting sick in the bathroom and I got him cleaned up, we did our best to get home as soon as possible.

I felt horrible! I had been so conflicted over my responsibilities at church and taking care of Jacob... I was so sorry I had taken him out, and so sorry that because of my decision there was a huge mess to clean up. Of course, we had ladies who stepped up and Bible study carried on without me. And I am ever so grateful for the excellent housekeeping staff at our church.

Thursday, Jacob's fever spiked to 103.5 and was pretty much there all day. He continued to throw up, so we figured he had a virus. Friday it was more under control in the 99 degree range, but he still had the lump on his face and it was causing him discomfort. Normally, a parent would get their child to the doctor, right? But we haven't had health insurance for over 3 years, and the budget is tight, so we were really weighing what we needed to do as we prayed he would get better.

Saturday mornings, Gil gets up and attends an early-morning men's Bible study. When he got home, he walked in the door he said, "We're taking Jake to the ER." I was glad for a plan of action, because Jacob's discomfort and pain were definitely increasing and I was getting worried. Plus, Jacob now had a patch of cold sores breaking out in his nose. We decided we'd try the minute clinic first (it costs a lot less, especially if we only needed a couple of prescriptions), so Gil and Jacob headed there while Abbie and I took Zac to work, then met up with Gil and Jacob. Once it was our turn, we were told that this looked pretty serious and could even be life threatening! We definitely needed to be at the ER.

Abbie had a soccer pictures and a game coming up, and Zac was at the fields working as a referee, so it was decided that I would take Jacob to the ER and Gil would take care of Zachary and Abbie.

We arrived at the ER at 11:15 a.m. Jacob was starting to feel pretty miserable. I was a little stressed and hoping Gil would get the other kids situated and be able to join me soon. Jacob was most worried about getting a shot. I explained to him that they would probably need to give him an IV... letting him know how it would work and what the advantages of that would be. We were in the waiting room about 45 minutes, then saw a doctor who said Jacob would need a cat scan. We were taken to another room to spend the day, and after two tries, he did get an IV put in.

Jacob was feeling pretty miserable. His pain was getting much worse. We were both glad when Daddy arrived. We were taken for a cat scan, and Gil was able to stay with Jacob during that.

I had to stay out in the hall, but I could see into the tech's room. Here is my baby's head...

We were told it would be at least 30 minutes before we had the results. No treatment could take place until we knew what the diagnosis was. Meanwhile, Jacob was getting worse by the minute. It was now after 1 in the afternoon and all the motrin and tylenol we had been alternating for the past couple days had long worn off. His fever was back, and he was not a happy camper. Our friends Tom & Kathy had come to the hospital just as we were going back for the cat scan, so they were in our room with us. It was great to have the support, especially since Kathy was a nurse. We were commenting about how on tv everything that takes place in the hospital seems to happen very quickly --- they never show all the endless waiting that we were going through.

Finally, the doctor came in and said that Jacob has an infection of his parotid gland, which is a salivary gland. We were told that Jacob would have to be admitted to the hospital, at least overnight! He would have to be transported downtown by ambulance! Not at all what I was expecting, to be sure. The doctor ordered meds for Jacob, including a dose of morphine for the pain. Jacob quickly felt better.

We had two cars at the hospital, so Tom helped Gil get the van home, while Kathy stayed to wait with me. Meanwhile, Jacob was asking dozens of questions, and even saying he was having a "fun" day. His nurse had come in to tell us he was going off shift and let us know the status of things. He told Jacob how great he was doing and how brave he was. Jacob asked him if he was going to going to get something for being good! That caught the nurse off guard, but he returned several minutes later with a stuffed lion, a pack of stickers, and some crayons for Jacob! Two hours after the morphine dose, the EMT's arrived. Jacob was very excited to be able to ride to uptown in an ambulance!

I said goodbye to Kathy and followed Jacob to the ambulance. He wanted me to take plenty of pictures of the inside, but I will spare you. I think this was his first smile of the day, though!

But, you can tell he still feels pretty miserable.

We got to the children's hospital where they had a room waiting for us. Gil and Zac were already there! Abbie didn't think she could handle being in the hospital, so she stayed at her friends and planned to spend the night. Turns out she scored the two goals in her soccer game today, leading her team to their first win of the season! {I'm sorry I missed it!}

Poor Jacob had only eaten about 3 bites of cereal in the morning, and had nothing else to eat or drink all day! We got to the children's hospital around 5pm, and finally at 7 he was allowed to have something to eat. See if you notice the commonality between the next few photos...

Here are his day nurse and his night nurse as the shifts are changing. We know he is in good hands!

Big brother Zac was glad to be on hand to support his baby brother. And baby brother really appreciated it!

Jacob is finally resting comfortably. Daddy and Zac left at about 8pm. So did you notice? Jacob's eyes were glued to the tv from the moment we got into the hospital room! First it was Spongebob, then it was G-Force. He was kind of oblivious to everything else.

And finally at about 10:30pm, Jacob sleeps.

And what else is a mommy to do, but blog about our eventful day, that didn't turn out at all like I had planned.

Our doctor said we might be here for several days. We have to wait and see how Jacob responds. All day I have had scripture come to mind, as well as a peace that God's timing is perfect. I know He is in control, and that He will be glorified through this. I am thankful for our church family, for all that are praying for our sweet Jacob.

So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
~Isaiah 41:10