tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-364365952024-03-07T00:17:06.771-06:00heartrunesDeborah Kayehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14137873667899017976noreply@blogger.comBlogger241125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36436595.post-72866424642917608022017-03-19T11:22:00.001-05:002017-03-19T11:22:38.721-05:00Panda GirlI discovered <a href="http://www.tiddlyinks.com/">Tiddly Ink Stamps</a> through Instagram. I thought "Hm, anything good?" Oh yes! Much goodness there! When I saw this little <a href="http://www.tiddlyinks.com/beary-sweet-panda-digital-stamp/">panda girl</a>, all I could think of was my daughter, Brianne. She LOVES pandas. So... here it is. I'll actually be mailing this to her this week for encouragement. She's a full time college student studying Mechanical Engineering.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpR3IrGpUMkYR3g5jNmKB8uUhNWZanKfyZT_eF8Y5Y55SFw5EC3ZVMqtYVFS3AQM7XnZx5NHnSLn0Plf5bADKtLgBL9BbfHv_EaNlTbp2CABNMlCFmrNYYDM5L4NCMlRuHJ5dG/s1600/PANDA+GIRL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpR3IrGpUMkYR3g5jNmKB8uUhNWZanKfyZT_eF8Y5Y55SFw5EC3ZVMqtYVFS3AQM7XnZx5NHnSLn0Plf5bADKtLgBL9BbfHv_EaNlTbp2CABNMlCFmrNYYDM5L4NCMlRuHJ5dG/s320/PANDA+GIRL.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
The stripes are from <a href="https://concordand9th.com/products/love-always">Concord and 9th</a> and the sentiment is by <a href="https://www.techniquetuesday.com/planner-inspiration-stamp-set.html">Technique Tuesday</a>.<br />
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I colored the image with Spectrum Noir markers then decided it needed a background and colored the whole background with my BT2 marker. (It's one of my three favorite colors!) To make the little piece the sentiment is on, I punched the circle then cut up two paper flowers and glued the pieces to the back. Finally, I colored the petals with BT3 to get the color closer to the background color of the main image.<br />
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Posting this to the <a href="http://reverseconfetti.com/category/sketch-for-you-to-try/current-sketch/">Reverse Confetti Sketch Challenge</a>.<br />
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Now I'm off to finish work for the day. Trying to decide if I'm going to see Beauty and the Beast tonight or if I'm going to go to the Sunday evening service at <a href="http://cityhopechurch.churchonline.org/">City Hope</a>. (I've watched it twice online because I work during morning services.)<br />
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Deborah Kayehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14137873667899017976noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36436595.post-13924994684743021222017-03-16T17:10:00.000-05:002017-03-16T17:10:25.406-05:00Cuppa of Gold Friend<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Decided to make another card using <a href="http://shopverve.com/">Verve Stamps</a> freebie digital images for the month. I'm totally digging the digital images. I know I <span style="color: red;">LOVE</span> ink and paper, but there is just something about the ease of digital since I'm sitting in front of my laptop anyway.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz14YF-NXLf8XeG2kB03rajn2nY7zmqV-YPONfkr6OzoPGZsgBFglhKvUT8LAa7QORbtT87h4cgUngsVOPF9NMO16Ouip1U-ovDXL66oPASuuUofpsyCDJh_j-3EXLADjbuDww/s1600/cuppa+of+friend.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz14YF-NXLf8XeG2kB03rajn2nY7zmqV-YPONfkr6OzoPGZsgBFglhKvUT8LAa7QORbtT87h4cgUngsVOPF9NMO16Ouip1U-ovDXL66oPASuuUofpsyCDJh_j-3EXLADjbuDww/s320/cuppa+of+friend.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Colored with Spectrum Noir markers. The little honeycomb stamp on the background is from </span><a href="https://www.unitystampco.com/" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Unity Stamps</a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">What's even more amazing is that it's 16 days into the Daily Marker 30 Day Coloring Challenge and I'm still coloring. The image below is an old wood mounted stamp that I purchased way back in 1997 when I first started rubber stamping. I colored it with Prismacolor pencils. I think I need to be stamping on better cardstock. The cheap stuff just didn't get the job done with this one.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu1-Vrt_8CPrJ6dvH-Qgi6lfPa8YPA_m-uQJXCngFDUxIr6vi-HAPzf-uzkFYE5U7pINVDbIhpvbnpItvVyS2L-ITA_EaVTaweA43CftcGlkwbVn4Pqm967qoNfwcsrMJYezlV/s1600/stamp+oasis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu1-Vrt_8CPrJ6dvH-Qgi6lfPa8YPA_m-uQJXCngFDUxIr6vi-HAPzf-uzkFYE5U7pINVDbIhpvbnpItvVyS2L-ITA_EaVTaweA43CftcGlkwbVn4Pqm967qoNfwcsrMJYezlV/s320/stamp+oasis.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />Time to finish up making chili for my small group and get off line. (Yeah, like that's going to happen! LOL)Deborah Kayehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14137873667899017976noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36436595.post-52903647089638488332017-03-12T12:31:00.003-05:002017-03-12T12:31:50.217-05:00Still coloring...Some have been total fails, like these mugs that I colored and wanted to apply gold foil to. I didn't even think about the fact I had printed the images with my laser printer before I ran it through my laminator to make the foil adhere to the ink. Oops. I may try to salvage them later.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUT0xzmPJFg_H4mgBtbvOcSERY4E8meU4_msNA9Rc8wURv6ZBn0fp6eK77N7QpspT-sg8GOI6rBb_CnfVPzkyBC3DHjDa97PXYeVlyUM5VnMv77sedT02dfkqXkuHYSKaO0ASQ/s1600/foilmgs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUT0xzmPJFg_H4mgBtbvOcSERY4E8meU4_msNA9Rc8wURv6ZBn0fp6eK77N7QpspT-sg8GOI6rBb_CnfVPzkyBC3DHjDa97PXYeVlyUM5VnMv77sedT02dfkqXkuHYSKaO0ASQ/s320/foilmgs.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I decided to try the travel coffee cup and make it into a cup of tea. I even used the string from my teabag to attach to the tag on the cup. The "sleeve" on the cup is a small piece of sleeve from a latte I had months ago. I never throw those out. I'm just positive I'll have some great use for them one day! LOL The images I've used both above and here are from <a href="http://shopverve.com/">Verve Stamps</a> and were freebies. Verve has some wonderful stamps! The cup was colored with <a href="https://www.spectrumnoir.com/">Spectrum Noir</a> markers.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyFyr6LGykAk3zK458ojzN0t36Bb4TGEDf3VYA0GgsncC99XMPDsRf8vP2WF93zjfdW3lQVCkzff332-MOBH-JWyOyjR3wHdoS8hkwX5G6QsI7iinEK4DygMMeibRXLf_s7nXD/s1600/verve-2017March.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyFyr6LGykAk3zK458ojzN0t36Bb4TGEDf3VYA0GgsncC99XMPDsRf8vP2WF93zjfdW3lQVCkzff332-MOBH-JWyOyjR3wHdoS8hkwX5G6QsI7iinEK4DygMMeibRXLf_s7nXD/s320/verve-2017March.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.thedailymarker.com/">The Daily Marker 30 Day Challenge</a> has really encouraged me to color each day. I'm enjoying applying ink to paper again. I posted to Facebook yesterday that I realized I'm really getting back into stamping when I started to recognize what companies produced what stamps. I've not done that in years and years. :)Deborah Kayehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14137873667899017976noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36436595.post-71244345504698493672017-03-07T00:10:00.000-06:002017-03-07T00:12:51.700-06:00The Daily Marker Coloring Challenge<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I tried The Daily Marker Coloring Challenge the last time around and I think I made it THREE whole days. Now that's sad for someone who enjoys coloring. So, I decided to try again. I've made it through SIX days so far.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivtjvhyphenhyphenplNLdAofNbTm5JIoj0qsWn1VPACDaiHBqY8fUI2t32neyIYBLuBI_RuBqXqvUhng8rEwfd7CJWMjNqKUYSNGeN0jgZf5O_2dwsB_1FhZJL7AxcndprZjNwr9xZ2_IFX/s1600/frog+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivtjvhyphenhyphenplNLdAofNbTm5JIoj0qsWn1VPACDaiHBqY8fUI2t32neyIYBLuBI_RuBqXqvUhng8rEwfd7CJWMjNqKUYSNGeN0jgZf5O_2dwsB_1FhZJL7AxcndprZjNwr9xZ2_IFX/s320/frog+1.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGC5A9Gf0DYjb_oaewCJJ86zHWsdjm2oEitChcAW6myNGSP04x0VFRGNMDCV-jO2YGfRf4pxvjjcf4V6uR2aPU4wDh9_PN4cRCcwq-Xh_XJrOyKjFfqwSWl5rTkJIMZFzyHmsr/s1600/frog+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGC5A9Gf0DYjb_oaewCJJ86zHWsdjm2oEitChcAW6myNGSP04x0VFRGNMDCV-jO2YGfRf4pxvjjcf4V6uR2aPU4wDh9_PN4cRCcwq-Xh_XJrOyKjFfqwSWl5rTkJIMZFzyHmsr/s320/frog+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-size: 14px;">This adorable frog is from <a href="http://www.tiddlyinks.com/">Tiddly Ink Stamps</a></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-size: 14px;"> and colored with Spectrum Noir Markers</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-size: 14px;">. The sentiments on both are by <a href="http://shopverve.com/">Verve Stamps</a>. I finished them </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-size: 14px;">off with several sequins and a rhinestone. <br /></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje14iZc2XodHYDwR_e8XtvKi-HE74Iw4qTP59kUtT-AQflX4A7PdE8h8toAiTthrr0KEEvdEKrbOKNBGX4UZfd3j0H-eiQ5pV32rd110FnawrBuriSSoVMkoS0LsdGIFNdskwG/s1600/chicks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje14iZc2XodHYDwR_e8XtvKi-HE74Iw4qTP59kUtT-AQflX4A7PdE8h8toAiTthrr0KEEvdEKrbOKNBGX4UZfd3j0H-eiQ5pV32rd110FnawrBuriSSoVMkoS0LsdGIFNdskwG/s320/chicks.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I went looking for an Easter image to color and found these sweet ducklings at <a href="http://adayfordaisies.com/stamps/">A Day for Daisies</a>. I colored them with Spectrum Noir markers and added a wee bit of Spectrum Sparkle to give it a little shine.<br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK_WLusihVnanZipHa8gWRW7CmpZPQcp1xKfbY-cqiku7AvIFUgvwovRybsuX3hfTwsvFT8j7fx6eXre36hcLDxGm8pglmlCl3jMVnIP9v_wSFvrblaizY4OMdaU1yuJ5QDYH3/s1600/bunny.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK_WLusihVnanZipHa8gWRW7CmpZPQcp1xKfbY-cqiku7AvIFUgvwovRybsuX3hfTwsvFT8j7fx6eXre36hcLDxGm8pglmlCl3jMVnIP9v_wSFvrblaizY4OMdaU1yuJ5QDYH3/s320/bunny.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I absolutely LOVE this little bunny and how the image turned out. It's another A Day for Daisies image and was printed on cheap cardstock. I colored it using Tim Holtz Distressed Inks and an aqua brush. I laid down water then color, then dabbed it off with a napkin and applied more color until I was happy. Happy? It would be closer to thrilled beyond belief at the color! Yah!<br /><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I mailed the flamingo congrats card to my cousin. She FINALLY received it today. So much for two day priority mail. She loves it. I'm so glad. <br /><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Guess I should head back to bed as I need to be up and working in about 6 hours.</span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span>Deborah Kayehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14137873667899017976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36436595.post-18313869377715248782017-02-28T15:12:00.002-06:002017-02-28T15:13:06.941-06:00We Flamin-go Together<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH5pSzb2ghj36Pc70bBk46Cm-RXRTTv6snsNlMEngTPtxKNvK1M_lntjqCASpVOhhjVm3FMstUkBfkK7eGY3tsz6JJgUvpVGcOwzZfgRV3WyPtcSVWBbKkxwjVL-U7s_-JiCpW/s1600/frond+of+you+flamingo+together.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH5pSzb2ghj36Pc70bBk46Cm-RXRTTv6snsNlMEngTPtxKNvK1M_lntjqCASpVOhhjVm3FMstUkBfkK7eGY3tsz6JJgUvpVGcOwzZfgRV3WyPtcSVWBbKkxwjVL-U7s_-JiCpW/s320/frond+of+you+flamingo+together.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Several weeks past Valentine's Day, and this card was floating around in my head. I wanted to use these great palm frond stamps that I won from <a href="https://theinkroad.com/">The Ink Road</a> for coming up with a name for the stamp set - <a href="https://theinkroad.com/product/ink-road-stamps-3x4-frond-of-you/">Frond of You</a>. Lara sent me a set of the stamps with a small ink pad from Hampton Arts and some peach colored sequins. Every girl needs some sequins! I also used <a href="http://www.lawnfawn.com/">Lawn Fawn</a>'s <a href="http://www.lawnfawn.com/products/flamingo-together">Flamingo Together</a> stamp set and dies to create this to sweet card.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-fJQ9Zv1ggKytWyirbpHBKbdfBDS9emc8jhLjDcXvsmDh-2wKwjlbzRqEWaxZRkL8W9Czv_ibEUIhy_mbNOertcxwsVgPxZ2QYpYqmwVVQObmzljw3QgnrOOCAbP30lmdBCDF/s1600/frond+of+you.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-fJQ9Zv1ggKytWyirbpHBKbdfBDS9emc8jhLjDcXvsmDh-2wKwjlbzRqEWaxZRkL8W9Czv_ibEUIhy_mbNOertcxwsVgPxZ2QYpYqmwVVQObmzljw3QgnrOOCAbP30lmdBCDF/s320/frond+of+you.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Believe it or not, this is the first watercolor background I've ever done. I used Tim Holtz Distressed inks in Wilted Violet, Blueprint Sketch, Mermaid Lagoon, and Salty Ocean on a piece of watercolor paper that I put water on before adding the inks. Although I've seen this done many times, it took watching a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCywI3C9h_bKiBd6xZWKBL6Q">Sandy Allnock</a> video on Youtube for the lightbulb to finally go off! Go me! And thanks Sandy!<br />
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The palm fronds were done by inking the stamps up with Zig Clean Color Watercolor markers then stamping onto regular cardstock. Three of the images were stamped directly onto the background while it was still damp. I cut them all out by hand then added Olive Jade and Crystal Clear Spectrum Sparkle to them to get that little bit of shine.<br />
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Flamingos were stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored with Spectrum Noir markers.<br />
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I layered everything together and used glue and pop dots to get the height in the images. I didn't stamp my sentiment until I had the card completely assembled. I used my <a href="http://www.mysweetpetunia.com/">Misti</a> to be sure that the sentiment was stamped clearly.<br />
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<br />Deborah Kayehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14137873667899017976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36436595.post-30717651172688661532017-02-25T15:17:00.001-06:002017-02-25T15:17:40.998-06:00Work...I have the best job ever (at least for me). I'm a dispatcher for a delivery company. I handle five stations and around 15 drivers per day - routing, keeping up with deliveries, and answering the phone. AND I get to work from home most days. What more could a girl want? Oh yeah, time to craft. LOL<br /><br />
This morning, I was staring at my laptop waiting for a driver to call in when I realized I had a small bag from Tuesday Morning in the back of my car. I ran out real quick to get it and by the time I opened it, I was itching to make something using the items - a roll of Artistic Wire's black mesh wire and a roll of Little B's black corrugated "tape."<br /><br />
I decided to use the cat from the Purr-fect Friends stamp set from <a href="http://www.mftstamps.com/">My Favorite Things</a> and went from there. After coloring the cat with my Spectrum Noir markers, I knew I wanted to use both the wire and the corrugated tape, but I wanted to add a feather into the mix somewhere. It took over two hours of looking at the pieces before I finally had an "ah-ha" moment and it came together. Added a sentiment from the Kindhearted Stamp set from <a href="http://concordand9th.com/">Concord & 9th</a> and I was finished.<br /><br />
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Back to work now. My mind has slowed slightly. :)</div>
<br />Deborah Kayehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14137873667899017976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36436595.post-18691771623396398142017-02-18T20:28:00.001-06:002017-02-18T20:28:46.143-06:00You Are the BestPulled out a couple sets of my new rubber stamps today and tested them between phone calls for work.<br><br>
I love the cat in the "<a href="http://www.mftstamps.com/purr-fect-friends">Purr-fect Friends</a>" by My Favorite Things. She's adorable. I intended to make her coloring (the non-floral part) look like my Pongo kitty but sadly, that didn't quite go the way I wanted, but I still think she turned out cute. The sentiment stamp is from the "<a href="https://www.simonsaysstamp.com/product/Simon-Says-Clear-Stamps-YOU-sss101211-51670?currency=USD">You</a>" set by Simon Says Stamp.<BR><BR>
I have several more images stamped out that I plan on coloring tomorrow. Maybe I'll use my Prismacolors instead of my Spectrum Noir markers. <br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh0IdgVxbprGDgVJgsxbu0LCmBrWp8QFr874jW61boFbiWH76FKrDc0MetKXutgT11-iCYPPkM9TDzY_QOr7wg3aDsCdOwnsd6eXNFa9vXYsFFNfWXG9MPE1gSmW6FsAfH8Ewn/s1600/16716199_10212748960303902_6540212472453058702_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh0IdgVxbprGDgVJgsxbu0LCmBrWp8QFr874jW61boFbiWH76FKrDc0MetKXutgT11-iCYPPkM9TDzY_QOr7wg3aDsCdOwnsd6eXNFa9vXYsFFNfWXG9MPE1gSmW6FsAfH8Ewn/s320/16716199_10212748960303902_6540212472453058702_o.jpg" width="320" height="320" /></a></div>Deborah Kayehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14137873667899017976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36436595.post-71299616044157774062017-02-17T11:30:00.001-06:002017-02-17T11:30:19.417-06:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkwUzx6F8_ga1sUL-Z6fuLrSpurEozQilgFKFhXUB2UnpWjclCeDfy8a1gJzFUjkCsVHtGp1RSeXk0NRZtzrFmsOFsBZ5-4hiR3dRqAMhP2lCf2c_r1ZFVtSb5W1ApNnRsJgfd/s1600/5529petalprints4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkwUzx6F8_ga1sUL-Z6fuLrSpurEozQilgFKFhXUB2UnpWjclCeDfy8a1gJzFUjkCsVHtGp1RSeXk0NRZtzrFmsOFsBZ5-4hiR3dRqAMhP2lCf2c_r1ZFVtSb5W1ApNnRsJgfd/s320/5529petalprints4.jpg" width="241" height="320" /></a></div><br><br>
I still love this card I made back in 2007. Faux postage has always been one of my favorite techniques and this kit from Stampin' Up was one of my favorites. I no longer have the stamps but do have several sets of the same type from other companies now. It's about time to pull this technique out of the locker.Deborah Kayehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14137873667899017976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36436595.post-14782946437860570862017-02-16T17:21:00.001-06:002017-02-16T17:22:56.029-06:00Cleaning up<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhftH7rqjEJFOgI38VieBwgwYBEY1hPzj6Pbj3zauvP0iCO1BjnmoipAMKfAb6zqlEDqBgrFdCbkSLufZs1p3x_2wPB3jWqMXQcIT74yUU_C58AYS8MRSH0daM7m2eJNbfMV9kR/s1600/IMG_2707.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhftH7rqjEJFOgI38VieBwgwYBEY1hPzj6Pbj3zauvP0iCO1BjnmoipAMKfAb6zqlEDqBgrFdCbkSLufZs1p3x_2wPB3jWqMXQcIT74yUU_C58AYS8MRSH0daM7m2eJNbfMV9kR/s320/IMG_2707.JPG" width="320" height="320" /></a></div><br><br>
At least, I'm cleaning up digitally. I should be cleaning up physically, but that's for another day. I checked in at <a href="http://www.splitcoaststampers.com">SplitCoastStampers</a> and decided to upload some of the cards I've made recently. I never noticed I hadn't put probably three-quarters of my images into folders, so I'm in the process of putting them into folders. Wish there was an option to change a lot of them at once. Alas.<br><br>
Random factoid: There is no longer two spaces after a period in a paragraph. I found that out a few weeks ago and it's so difficult to get out of the habit. I've been putting two spaces since I learned how to type in the early 80's. I would say late 70's but I typed so bad back then that it shouldn't even count as typing! LOL<br><br>
As for the image above, it is from A Day for Daisies. I love her images and lately, have been purchasing at least once or two every payday. I <3 this little set of chairs. There is something so welcoming about them. The fact that there are birds does help a bit as well. Colored with Spectrum Noir markers.Deborah Kayehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14137873667899017976noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36436595.post-45264254280058391982017-02-13T14:34:00.000-06:002017-02-13T14:37:45.864-06:00Love You a LatteIt's been quite a while since I've been here. I keep thinking I'll get back into blogging and something happens and I forget. Today, I thought I'd try again and upload a card I made using some fab <a href="http://shopverve.com/love2u.html">digital stamps</a> from <a href="http://shopverve.com/">Verve Stamps</a>. Too cute! Who doesn't love coffee? <br><br>
I will admit, while I was coloring the cups (with Spectrum Noir Markers), I had to have been thinking about the beach, because before I knew it, I was singing "Aruba, Jamaica, ooh I want to take ya Bermuda, Bahama, come on pretty mama Key Largo, Montego, baby why don't we go..." And it was all over. <br><br>
I decided to go tropical. Looked up the lyrics to Kokomo and printed them onto a piece of scrapbook paper for my background. Added a little tropical blue cardstock and cork paper to surround the cups. The trim is from a local drug store/fabric store called "A & E Drug Store." They are marvelous! <br><br>
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Now I'm off to finish work for the day. Hope to be around again real soon!Deborah Kayehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14137873667899017976noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36436595.post-31882890689192829232012-04-07T17:58:00.001-05:002012-04-07T17:58:16.466-05:00Pics...I've been slacking. I've barely taken pics with my phone the last three days. Not sure why. Maybe lack of subject matter? Boredom? Time constraints? No clue. Gotta get on it again tomorrow!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36436595.post-13736104837872144292012-04-01T23:26:00.000-05:002012-04-01T23:26:34.964-05:00SundayThird Sunday with no church. Chaz was throwing up this morning before we got there so we turned around and came home. He felt better after a couple hours. <br />
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Breezy went to the other campus today and then hung out with friends. Chaz and his girl went to the beach after he felt better.<br />
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I cleaned the kitchen, took a nap, cooked dinner. Watched the ACM awards and ordered Breezy the new Rascal Flatts cd. Hopefully, she'll be very surprised. :)<br />
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I'm headed to bed. Early for a change. Here are a few of my iPhone pics for the week. Lovin' Camera!Awesome still! Can't wait to get all the "extras" that it has.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO0dBDTL-wQUkm59EsN72GDzZ9RF7VsyNaakCPhQo0PMLVthyV5S0JzNOg2mK69QH0_IicxYqViUdjo5T3VPlsYXWAKSZ1N7QweFBMAdGp467oyrrvQm17G2Ytcyx4NlnWLe0Eng/s1600/029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO0dBDTL-wQUkm59EsN72GDzZ9RF7VsyNaakCPhQo0PMLVthyV5S0JzNOg2mK69QH0_IicxYqViUdjo5T3VPlsYXWAKSZ1N7QweFBMAdGp467oyrrvQm17G2Ytcyx4NlnWLe0Eng/s320/029.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My homemade stickers made from pages of an old book</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDlBJtBSZMFt0zLOASCEiUVyrTOuVugAfWeQe4xvSPUFiRZErcAm08skZ3NEV2QCg_94PIyYnntHlSl8fhvYR9oB-43W6zqzqJveAyJ4U8TsfUpW1qftCOIzYJz4rodRYPcQtamQ/s1600/026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDlBJtBSZMFt0zLOASCEiUVyrTOuVugAfWeQe4xvSPUFiRZErcAm08skZ3NEV2QCg_94PIyYnntHlSl8fhvYR9oB-43W6zqzqJveAyJ4U8TsfUpW1qftCOIzYJz4rodRYPcQtamQ/s320/026.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fortune from a fortune cookie that I got during Spring Break. How appropriate!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV5PPpOMldKwyAx2nGspSAHYGXX6rdUykKKKNUnNU3LaEdHCemb6Ma4-4XtPMBWt1tIlEkmrzPXnjCSZND1rZN13pafHJ2t6lh23NxvytASJowiJ5zzKd_v0tpOc3qM2xlmoK6nw/s1600/027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV5PPpOMldKwyAx2nGspSAHYGXX6rdUykKKKNUnNU3LaEdHCemb6Ma4-4XtPMBWt1tIlEkmrzPXnjCSZND1rZN13pafHJ2t6lh23NxvytASJowiJ5zzKd_v0tpOc3qM2xlmoK6nw/s320/027.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Birthday card for co-worker. Check out that texture on the Happy Birthday layer. It's the coolest yarn ever!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36436595.post-55761391126416832002012-03-24T23:13:00.000-05:002012-03-24T23:13:30.657-05:00I've not been here in months. I think about updating and then whoosh, out the window the update goes when life gets busy. Too bad there's not a great app for the iPhone to allow me to update with photos. <br />
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Photos. I <3 taking photos with my iPhone. I downloaded several awesome apps to use to process and share my photos. Instagram. Magic Hour. Hipstamatic. Camera! Awesome. Between these 4 I have a ton of fun.<br />
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My favorite for random shots is Hipstamatic. I bought all but one of the in app bundles and have used it for 100's of pictures already. I like the randomize function. Just shake and it's ready! <br />
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Magic Hour is free and lets you download lots of filters to apply to the photos you take with your iPhone. There are some super filters there.<br />
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My new favorite is Camera! Awesome. I think it was 99 cents and then you can buy extras in app. The variety of filters, frames, textures, and presets are great. <br />
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I share everything using Instagram. I set it up to send to Twitter and Facebook too. One upload gets everything. Awesome!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLDbYnvzk2w4Sa85O5asSEXOaTAvu1Zs7rTP42PMyMFcT1IuAdw8N6O1LyJtI0sR-BPHJuBD7KJvFRoPfvDLmvo0icZvoLfCe1cD2Z9AEFuMZhhWnPpFMCogjSmyb-0_tM9_uLVg/s1600/011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLDbYnvzk2w4Sa85O5asSEXOaTAvu1Zs7rTP42PMyMFcT1IuAdw8N6O1LyJtI0sR-BPHJuBD7KJvFRoPfvDLmvo0icZvoLfCe1cD2Z9AEFuMZhhWnPpFMCogjSmyb-0_tM9_uLVg/s320/011.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Expedition Everest at Animal Kingdom, Walt Disney World, Orlando.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3UYJeBWp0t46bYKZ3NuWGHWcij2gg5rUXtWE-dhyphenhyphenkJQPySEK4tBSUDfMiKeEdlsqPbMP_g_9-e-Z8rzdec0982W2KklNut_q0SftryjuuFbKUyhJHyQ5gfLro4QEGJVHI9OA7Jg/s1600/IMG_2806.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3UYJeBWp0t46bYKZ3NuWGHWcij2gg5rUXtWE-dhyphenhyphenkJQPySEK4tBSUDfMiKeEdlsqPbMP_g_9-e-Z8rzdec0982W2KklNut_q0SftryjuuFbKUyhJHyQ5gfLro4QEGJVHI9OA7Jg/s320/IMG_2806.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Chaz, Breezy, and Ally at the entrance to EPCOT.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifdtHqm2jnBV8opUV7wPrJd4WiKvPzQSgst8ukaTyHPCpvWTCIlS2M7VaKEX0v58kADrUN7sdYgU1j4aCR8GsaNOQQXpKU9e8KA7ZF2zkzxvB1H0mXiPcwIv5BSUv7RLYYGQavdQ/s1600/028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifdtHqm2jnBV8opUV7wPrJd4WiKvPzQSgst8ukaTyHPCpvWTCIlS2M7VaKEX0v58kADrUN7sdYgU1j4aCR8GsaNOQQXpKU9e8KA7ZF2zkzxvB1H0mXiPcwIv5BSUv7RLYYGQavdQ/s320/028.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Breezy, Chaz, and Ally at Small World.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN1XiSEgJQQHl1yoQpQgNSqJQRjLJnHBHlGCLq_aBEBxnHzozUwWOxvW0lramPxOqrN1L74oEK9YUTozZP73ox4NaToLCu8WVgIBj1Rs06gWY8WQf9aMLFMHyjeQxlNM5ezrCCKA/s1600/037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN1XiSEgJQQHl1yoQpQgNSqJQRjLJnHBHlGCLq_aBEBxnHzozUwWOxvW0lramPxOqrN1L74oEK9YUTozZP73ox4NaToLCu8WVgIBj1Rs06gWY8WQf9aMLFMHyjeQxlNM5ezrCCKA/s320/037.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Hogwarts at Islands of Adventure at Universal Studios.<br />
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These shots are from the very first vacation my kids and I have ever taken. Yes, we stayed together for the entire trip with the exception of tonight. They went to Tampa for a Tampa Bay Lightning hockey game.<br />
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It's been an amazing week!!! Yah!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36436595.post-70890324506471594552012-01-27T00:26:00.000-06:002012-01-27T00:26:18.675-06:00Boy aren't I a rocket scientist? Well, not really. Just extremely bad about posting. I'm still undecided about whether I'm moving my blog or not. Or if I just want to permanently archive what's already here and start over.<br />
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I'd really like to just add pictures and crafts on a regular basis. Just do it! Right?<br />
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We got new phones. I broke down and bought us all iPhones. It was an expensive investment in a phone for two years but I think in the long run, it will help me with several goals.<br />
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I downloaded an app called My Net Diary that lets me put in what I've eaten with the nutritional information. I put in what I currently weight and what my goal is. It computes the calorie intake a day and then adds as I eat/munch during the day.<br />
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I'm horrid about munching. And it's mindless. It's got to stop. I was reading a devotional I get and saw a wonderful idea. When I find myself ready to eat mindlessly, open my Bible instead. Feed myself with the word of God rather than calorie filled food. <br />
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I've also downloaded three or four photo apps. Instagram, Hipstamatic, Magic Hour, and CamWow. I will probably get rid of CamWow. I think I much prefer the square format of the other three. :)<br />
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I made a small accordion fold book today. I'm going to start printing some of these little square prints and actually scrap them. Yes, with real paper and glue and ink.<br />
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I'm off to bed. Niters!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36436595.post-31237970684579852292011-12-28T11:28:00.000-06:002011-12-28T11:28:37.809-06:00ChristmasWe had a great Christmas. Just the kids and I for Christmas morning. It was quiet. Breezy got skirt, sweater, tights, camisoles, necklace, and gift card. Chaz got cardigan, boxers, the new Switchfoot vinyl album, and Zelda Skyward Sword game for the wII. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE6TJx7WvyPlYhuDEJ58VVSuu4zBIlbQxx9z3LWNlgIKJB9VIfq0FmxmlP-a8Qx2KWY24PeSNvtOQxLAxUB5prPjQSNoyT_shU02RV455S8zkfJlZ-NAWjgVzCKDvskjim4ViaWA/s1600/1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE6TJx7WvyPlYhuDEJ58VVSuu4zBIlbQxx9z3LWNlgIKJB9VIfq0FmxmlP-a8Qx2KWY24PeSNvtOQxLAxUB5prPjQSNoyT_shU02RV455S8zkfJlZ-NAWjgVzCKDvskjim4ViaWA/s320/1.JPG" width="228" /></a></div>The afternoon was spent with friends. Dinner. Playing 313. Much laughter. :)<br />
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Today, Chaz and Breezy are headed to Ft Pickens for a birthday celebration with a friend from Blue Ridge. I got to meet their friend the other day when they came by to pick up Breezy to spend the day.<br />
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New Years will be spent with family less Chaz. He's going to meet up with his girlfriend (via Greyhound) then they are off to watch the fireworks in Downtown Disney. Bet that will be amazing, huh?<br />
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I've got dishes to put away and laundry to do today. A bit of FB. Been doing some praying for friends in need of prayer. It is good.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36436595.post-38709486071966013262011-12-25T12:16:00.000-06:002011-12-25T12:16:49.943-06:00<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><b><span style="font-size: 18pt;">Welcome to the </span></b><b><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: 18.0pt;">12 Pearls of Christmas</span></b><b><span style="font-size: 18pt;">!</span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
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</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Merry Christmas from all of us at Pearl Girls™! We hope you enjoyed these Christmas "Pearls of Wisdom" from the authors who were so kind to donate their time and talents! If you missed a few posts, I hope you'll be able go back through and read them on this blog over the next few days. If you'd like to keep up with Pearl Girls and our new book project, Mother of Pearl, coming this spring, just<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://margaretmcsweeney.com/">click this link</a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>and sign up for our newsletter (lower left sidebar).<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Also, just a reminder that today is the last day for the pearl necklace and earrings giveaway!</b><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>Enter now by filling out this {<b><a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?hl=en_US&formkey=dGVFUTJIV1M5bmRvS19QQW5YMlVFQUE6MQ#gid=0">form</a>}.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></b>The winner will on 1/1 at the<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://margaretmcsweeney.blogspot.com/">Pearl Girls blog</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.pearlgirls.info/">www.pearlgirls.info</a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>and see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of <a href="http://margaretmcsweeney.com/books"><i>Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace</i></a> or one of the <a href="http://margaretmcsweeney.com/pearlgirls/">Pearl Girls products</a> (all GREAT gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">***<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Jesus -- The Reason For the Season</b><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">By: Rachel Hauck<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Through the narrow scope of 2000 years, Mary, the mother of Jesus, appears to be one lucky woman. Chosen by God to give birth to His son, the Savior of the world? All right, Mary, way to go.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you,” Gabriel said.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">How many of us would like a declaration like that? Highly favored. The Lord is with you. But Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The angel told her, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Mary’s seems confident and resolved when she responds, “I am the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">She’d just been told the Holy Spirit will come upon her, that God’s power will overshadow her, that she’d become with child even though she wasn’t married, and she said, “I’m the Lord’s servant. Let your words be true.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I find this amazing! A young woman. Ancient Bethlehem. Unwed mother. They stoned women for such things in her day. But Mary believed in God. And submitted to His will. He gave her the Holy Spirit – the same Holy Spirit given to us. If He gave her confidence, He will give us confidence. Even though, like Mary, our situation seems impossible.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Listen to Mary’s song later on in the first chapter of Luke.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me Holy is his name…”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Conceiving a child out of wedlock, by Divine intervention. Not a girl’s every day existence. Yet she had a Yes in her heart to God. She rejoiced. She boldly said, “Generations will remember me!”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">How we struggle to trust God with our children. Our finances. Our emotional well-being. We worry. We fret. And wonder why we have no peace.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Christmas is the season where words like joy, peace and love are bantered around like Christmas candy. Let’s not take them as just words, but as truth. Let’s be like Mary and embrace God’s favor on our lives. Boldly declare "He’s done great things for me!”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><i>Out of the grit of our own souls, we can reach His heart, and feel Him reaching for ours.</i></b><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>No matter the pain of our past, present or future, God is there for us. He is able. Best of all, He is willing. “My soul glorifies the Lord this Christmas!”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">***<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.rachelhauck.com/">Rachel Hauck</a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>is an award winning, best selling author who believes God has done great things for her. She lives in Central Florida with her husband and ornery pets. Her next release is Love Lifted Me with multi-platinum country artist Sara Evans, January 2012. Then in April, look for The Wedding Dress.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.rachelhauck.com/">www.rachelhauck.com</a>.</span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36436595.post-81920888020662657482011-12-15T16:12:00.000-06:002011-12-15T16:12:24.093-06:00<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>Welcome to the </b><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">12 Pearls of Christmas</span></b></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">!<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCdiLu5aMwZT7Jhp6Dbw6A4OJd36wBd0GC8zH5B_SD4fLoZdThxf9k9YwwUbQ-9qMLx7h5L6UaD6NO79StjG2n9AwkN4-PjGqjXBTON1nSo_PHVyF2sSDUWq76Rarviw26hJRGNA/s1600/12+pearls+log.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCdiLu5aMwZT7Jhp6Dbw6A4OJd36wBd0GC8zH5B_SD4fLoZdThxf9k9YwwUbQ-9qMLx7h5L6UaD6NO79StjG2n9AwkN4-PjGqjXBTON1nSo_PHVyF2sSDUWq76Rarviw26hJRGNA/s1600/12+pearls+log.png" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
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</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">Enjoy these Christmas "Pearls of Wisdom" from some of today's most beloved writer's (Tricia Goyer, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson, Sibella Giorello and more)! Please follow the series through Christmas day as each contributor shares heartfelt stories of how God has touched a life during this most wonderful time of the year.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><b>AND just for fun ... there's also a giveaway!</b><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>Fill out this simple {<b><a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?hl=en_US&formkey=dGVFUTJIV1M5bmRvS19QQW5YMlVFQUE6MQ#gid=0">form</a>}</b> and enter for a chance to win a beautiful pearl necklace and earring set ($450 value). Contest runs 12/14 - 12/25 and the winner will on 1/1. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents. You may enter once per day.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.pearlgirls.info/">www.pearlgirls.info</a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>and see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of <a href="http://margaretmcsweeney.com/books">Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace</a> or one of the <a href="http://margaretmcsweeney.com/pearlgirls/">Pearl Girls products</a> (all GREAT gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">*** <o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><b>Advent By Sibella Giorello</b><o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">Consider the bride's walk down the aisle. We all know where that woman in the white is going but somehow waiting for her to arrive at the altar is an essential part of the ceremony. In fact, the waiting is so essential that even cheapskate Vegas chapels include wedding marches.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">Why?<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><b>Because the wait adds meaning to the moment.</b><o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">At Christmas time, we tend to forget this essential truth about anticipation. We're lost to shopping malls and checklists, rushing toward December 25th so quickly that we forget the quiet joy of the month's other 24 days -- and then we wonder why we feel so empty on the 26th, amid ribbons and wrapping paper and our best intentions.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">Because the wait adds meaning to the moment.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">And that is why Advent is so important to Christmas.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">I'm as guilty as the next harried person. This Advent was particularly tricky because just six hours before it started, I was still trying to finish a 110,000-word novel that was written over the course of the year -- written while homeschooling my kids, keeping my hubby happy, and generally making sure the house didn't fall down around us.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><b>It's an understatement to say my free time is limited. But waiting adds meaning, and Advent is crucial to Christmas, so I've devised several Advent traditions that are simple, powerful and easy to keep even amid the seasonal rush.</b><o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">When my kids outgrew the simple Advent calendars around age 7, I stole an idea from my writer friend Shelly Ngo (as T.S. Eliot said, "Mediocre writers borrow. Great writers steal." Indulge me.)<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><b>Here's how it goes:</b><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>Find 24 great Christmas books, wrap them individually and place then under the tree. On the first day of Advent, take turns picking which book to open. When we did this, we would cuddle under a blanket and read aloud -- oh, the wonder, the magic! We savored "The Polar Express," howled with "How Murray Saved Christmas," and fell silent at the end of "The Tale of The Three Trees" (note: some of the picture books I chose were not explicitly about Christmas but they always echoed the message that Jesus came to earth to save us from ourselves and to love us beyond our wildest imagination. In that category, Angela Hunt's retelling of The Three Trees definitely hits the Yuletide bull's eye).<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">This Advent tradition lasted for about five years. It gave us rich daily discussions about the season's real meaning, without being religious or legalistic, and it increased family couch time. But like the lift-the-flap calendars, my kids outgrew the picture books.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">Because the wait adds meaning, and Advent is crucial, I prayed for another way to celebrate anticipation of Christmas. By the grace of God, last year I found an enormous Advent calendar on clearance at Pottery Barn. Made of burlap, it has large pockets big enough to hold some serious bounty.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">But my husband and I didn't want the kids focusing only on the materialist stuff for Advent -- we already fight that on Christmas day. We decided to fill the daily pockets with simple necessities and small gift cards. We also printed out the nativity story from Luke 2:1-21 in a large-sized font and cut each verse out. From Day 1 to Day 21, there is one verse to read aloud. The kids memorize it, then get to open their present (again, on alternating days for each person). Then we tape the verse to the wall in order. By Day 22, all the verses are on the wall, in order, and the kids now try to recite the entire nativity story from memory. That's not as difficult as it sounds because they've been memorizing one verse each day. Still, the entire recitation -- verbatim -- usually requires Day 23 and Day 24. Whoever does memorize the entire thing -- without mistakes -- earns a bonus gift of $25.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">Does that sounds extravagant?<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">It is.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">Because we want our kids to understand that God came down and humbled himself and taught us about love right before He suffered and died on behalf of the undeserving -- which is every one of us.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">"That's" extravagant.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><b>And in the waiting, we find even more meaning.</b><o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">***<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left;"><i><a href="http://www.sibellagiorello.com/">Sibella Giorello</a> writes the <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Raleigh</st1:place></st1:city> Harmon mystery series which won the Christy Award with its first book "The Stones Cry Out." She lives in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:state w:st="on">Washington</st1:state></st1:place> state with her husband and children, and often wishes there were 36 hours in a day.</i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36436595.post-34173948091290051512011-12-14T06:00:00.000-06:002011-12-13T23:38:36.320-06:00<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><b><span style="font-size: 18pt;">Welcome to the </span></b><b><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: 18pt;">12 Pearls of Christmas</span></b><b><span style="font-size: 18pt;">!<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCdiLu5aMwZT7Jhp6Dbw6A4OJd36wBd0GC8zH5B_SD4fLoZdThxf9k9YwwUbQ-9qMLx7h5L6UaD6NO79StjG2n9AwkN4-PjGqjXBTON1nSo_PHVyF2sSDUWq76Rarviw26hJRGNA/s1600/12+pearls+log.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCdiLu5aMwZT7Jhp6Dbw6A4OJd36wBd0GC8zH5B_SD4fLoZdThxf9k9YwwUbQ-9qMLx7h5L6UaD6NO79StjG2n9AwkN4-PjGqjXBTON1nSo_PHVyF2sSDUWq76Rarviw26hJRGNA/s1600/12+pearls+log.png" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">Enjoy these Christmas "Pearls of Wisdom" from some of today's most beloved writer's (Tricia Goyer, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson, Sibella Giorello and more)! Please follow the series through Christmas day as each contributor shares heartfelt stories of how God has touched a life during this most wonderful time of the year.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><b>AND just for fun ... there's also a giveaway!</b><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>Fill out this simple {<b><a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?hl=en_US&formkey=dGVFUTJIV1M5bmRvS19QQW5YMlVFQUE6MQ#gid=0">form</a>}</b> and enter for a chance to win a beautiful pearl necklace and earring set ($450 value). Contest runs 12/14 - 12/25 and the winner will on 1/1. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents. You may enter once per day.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls, please visit<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.pearlgirls.info/">www.pearlgirls.info</a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>and see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of <a href="http://margaretmcsweeney.com/books">Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace</a> or one of the <a href="http://margaretmcsweeney.com/pearlgirls/">Pearl Girls products</a> (all GREAT gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 18pt;">***</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">A Christmas of Kindness</span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">By Suzanne Woods Fisher<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">"You can give without loving, but you can¹t love without giving." Amish proverb<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">I do it every year.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">I plan for a simpler, less stressful Christmas season and, every year, by Christmas Eve<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 3';">Š</span> I'm exhausted! After our delicious and very-time-consuming-to-make traditional Swedish meal to honor my husband¹s relatives (think: Vikings), it's time to head to church. I'm embarrassed to admit it, but the last few Christmas Eve's, I have sent my husband and kids head off without me. The pull to spend an hour of quiet in the house feels as strong as a magnet.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">It's odd. My children are young adults now. Wouldn't you think that Christmas would be simpler? Instead, it's just the opposite. Jugging schedules to share the grandbaby with the in-laws, trying to include our elderly parents at the best time of day for them, dancing carefully around recently divorced family members whose children are impacted by the shards of broken relationships.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">The thing is: you can simplify your to-do list, but you can't really simplify people. We are just a complicated bunch.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">Here's where I borrow a lesson about simplicity from the Amish. It's easy to get distracted with the buggies and the bonnets and the beards, but there's so much more to learn from these gentle people if you're willing to look a little deeper.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">Yes, they live with less "stuff" and that does make for a simpler, less cluttered life. But it's the reason behind it that is so compelling to me: they seek to create margin in their life. Not just empty space<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 3';">‹</span>but space that is available to nourish family, community, and faith. Their Christmas is far less elaborate than yours or mine, but what they do fill it with is <span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 3';">Š</span>oh so right.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">Christmas comes quietly on an Amish farmhouse. There is no outward sign of the holiday as we know it: no bright decorations, no big tree in the living room corner. A few modest gifts are waiting for children at their breakfast place settings, covered by a dishtowel. Waiting first for Dad to read the story of Christ's birth from the book of Luke. Waiting until after a special breakfast has been enjoyed. Waiting until Mom and Dad give the signal that the time has come for gifts.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">Later, if Christmas doesn't fall on a Sunday, extended family and friends will gather for another big meal. If time and weather permits, the late afternoon will be filled with ice skating or sledding. And more food! Always, always an abundance of good food. Faith, family, and community. That is the focus of an Amish Christmas.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">And it's also how the story begins for<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>A Lancaster County Christmas</i>, as a young family prepares for Christmas. A winter storm blows a non-Amish couple, Jaime and C.J. Fitzpatrick, off-course and into the Riehl farmhouse. An unlikely and tentative friendship develops, until the one thing Mattie and Sol hold most dear disappears and then<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 3';">Š</span>. Ah, but you¹ll just have to read the story to find out what happens next. Without giving anything away, I will say that I want to create a Mattie-inspired margin this Christmas season. Mattie knew inconveniences and interruptions that come in the form of people (big ones and little ones!) are ordained by God. And blessed by God.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">Creating margin probably means that I won't get Christmas cards out until the end of January, and my house won't be uber-decorated. After all, something has to give. But it will mean I make time for a leisurely visit with my dad at his Alzheimer's facility. And time to volunteer in the church nursery for a holiday-crowded event. And time to invite a new neighbor over for coffee. Hopefully, it will mean that my energy won't get diverted by a frantic, self-imposed agenda. Only by God's agenda<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 3';">‹</span>the essence of true simplicity.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">And that includes taking time to worship Christ's coming at the Christmas Eve service. You can hold me accountable! This year, I will be there.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">***<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><i>Suzanne Woods Fisher is the bestselling author of The Choice, The Waiting, The Search, and The Keeper, as well as nonfiction books about the Amish, including Amish Peace. Her interest in the Anabaptist cultures can be directly traced to her grandfather, W. D. Benedict, who was raised in the Old Order German Baptist Brethren Church in Franklin County, Pennsylvania. Suzanne is a Christy Award nominee and is the host of an internet radio show called Amish Wisdom and her work has appeared in many magazines. She lives in California.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.suzannewoodsfisher.com/">www.suzannewoodsfisher.com</a>.</i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36436595.post-32991280813834935852011-12-13T06:00:00.001-06:002011-12-13T06:00:14.778-06:0012 Pearls of Christmas<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><b>Welcome to the 3rd Annual Pearl Girls™<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></b><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">12 Pearls of Christmas</span></b><b> blogging series!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCdiLu5aMwZT7Jhp6Dbw6A4OJd36wBd0GC8zH5B_SD4fLoZdThxf9k9YwwUbQ-9qMLx7h5L6UaD6NO79StjG2n9AwkN4-PjGqjXBTON1nSo_PHVyF2sSDUWq76Rarviw26hJRGNA/s1600/12+pearls+log.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCdiLu5aMwZT7Jhp6Dbw6A4OJd36wBd0GC8zH5B_SD4fLoZdThxf9k9YwwUbQ-9qMLx7h5L6UaD6NO79StjG2n9AwkN4-PjGqjXBTON1nSo_PHVyF2sSDUWq76Rarviw26hJRGNA/s1600/12+pearls+log.png" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">We've gathered several of today's most beloved authors to share their Christmas "Pearls of Wisdom"! Please follow along beginning tomorrow (Wednesday the 14th) through Christmas day as Tricia Goyer, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Rachel Hauck, Sandy Ralya, Sibella Giorello, Susan May Warren and more, share their heartfelt stories of how God has touched their life during this most wonderful time of the year.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><b>If you'd like to share the 12 Pearls of Christmas with your blog readers too, just email<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="mailto:ckrumm@litfusegroup.com">Christen</a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>and she'll send you the series.</b><o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">AND of course there is a giveaway! Beginning tomorrow you and all your friends can enter to win a PEARL NECKLACE and EARRINGS valued at $450! The winner will be announced on New Year's Day!<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Pearls - a tangible reminder of God's grace to us all.</i><o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">***<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><b>Just a quick note before the series begins on the 14th ...</b><o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">As I write this, I imagine that we are sitting at my kitchen table and chatting over a cup of coffee while familiar Christmas carols celebrate the Season. My twelve year old Chihuahua, Pongo, barks for a pinch of pound cake while my Shih Tzu, Lilly, patiently sits by the chair and waits for a crumb to fall.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">My name is not Martha Stewart, and I will never receive a neighborhood beautification award. Just look at my front stoop. Yes, my never-had-time-to-carve-the-pumpkin-that-now-suffers-from-frostbite slouches next to the front door which is decorated with a Christmas wreath. I plan to roll this large orange ornament to the garbage pile tomorrow. For now, however, I will pretend that my front stoop is a contemplative modern art exhibit capturing the essence of contrast.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">Actually, I love the concept of juxtaposition – placing things together that don’t seem to belong together, yet somehow ultimately make sense being paired. A personal example for me this season is the phrase: “comfort and joy.” Having just completed my manuscript for New Hope Publishers about the aftermath of grief, I fully understand the contrast of those two words. How can comfort bring joy? How can one find joy in loss?<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">Perhaps, dear reader, you have experienced loss this year – loss of a loved one, loss of friendship, loss of health, loss of financial security, loss of trust, loss of love, or loss of direction. Even with the best intent, words of encouragement shared by others can somehow seem insufficient to address an inconsolable loss. A spoken word cannot fully restore joy to a broken heart; however the Word can. And that’s the bottom line message of Christmas! God gave us the most amazing gift: His Son - the Word of God, the Holy Comforter.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but shall have everlasting life.” (John 3:16).<o:p></o:p></div><div class="separator" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><b>You are not alone this Christmas, dear friend.</b><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>Juxtaposed to the unexpected grit in life is the gift of God’s grace wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. This year I purposely placed a pearl in the Nativity scene as a metaphoric reminder. When we place our grit into the hands of the Lord, His grace transforms our pain into a pearl.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><i> “Joy to the world!” </i><o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">Thank you so very much for sharing the<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">JOY</span></b><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>of the Season with us this year.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">God Bless,<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">Margaret<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">@mcsweeny<o:p></o:p></div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"> ***<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><i>Margaret McSweeney lives with her husband, David and two teenage daughters in the Chicago suburbs. She is the founder and director of Pearl Girls. For more information please visit<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.pearlgirls.info/">www.pearlgirls.info</a>. Margaret is fast at work on several fiction manuscripts. Her book Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace was written to help fund the Pearl Girl Charities. She is also the host of weekly radio show, Kitchen Chat. Connect with Margaret on<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/margaretmcsweeney">Facebook</a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>or<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://twitter.com/mcsweeney">Twitter</a>.</i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36436595.post-31201622916685299222011-11-23T10:00:00.000-06:002011-11-23T10:00:56.749-06:00GratitudeTomorrow is Thanksgiving. <br />
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I have so many things to be grateful for in my life.<br />
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I am grateful for my children, Chaz and Breezy. They never cease to amaze me. Caring, loving, helpful, kind. Their relationship has changed so much over the years. They stick up for each other. <br />
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I am grateful for my Father God. He sent his son, Jesus to die for me on a cross to set me free. He always loves me.<br />
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I am grateful for my family. While we don't always see eye to eye, we're still there for each other. Still love each other.<br />
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I am grateful for incredible friends. Friends from work, church, the Navy. Sounding boards. Godly counsel. <br />
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There's just so much to be grateful for. A roof over our heads, vehicles to get to work and church with, a job. An awesome church with a pastor who cares and great people. <br />
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May your Thanksgiving be incredible.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36436595.post-74895741795432486192011-11-08T17:32:00.000-06:002011-11-08T17:32:27.299-06:00ChiliMaking chili for dinner tonight. Here's my recipe:<br />
<br />
1.5 pounds of ground beef, browned and drained<br />
2 packages McCormick's Original Chili Seasoning Mix<br />
1-24 ounce can of Crushed Tomatoes<br />
1-15 ounce can of Organic Pinto Beans<br />
1-15 ounce can of Organic Dark Red Kidney Beans<br />
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I chose to use organic beans to help reduce the salt in the recipe. I'd really like a low sodium version of the chili seasoning mix also.<br />
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Serving with cheese, onion, and corn chips. <br />
<br />
Yum!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36436595.post-33477672933769970722011-10-01T11:22:00.000-05:002011-10-01T11:22:28.540-05:00Meet Lily...Late on the 26th, I got a Facebook message from a friend. She had found a kitten at the church as she was leaving. She wanted to know if we were interested in taking her. She sent a photo of a little gray tabby that was so cute. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitp4Qz7KL9oPRr61iyW4GdzDNT9bBTZVXHD5IjnyeS8vDzfnPQBSi4XuEXyIZdddy03JrjwWgEvrxQ9QIHmndrlVe-h1kiXw3FnLmjVnzGxCO5rCZIgjVJPAcIQS_2O0CWTGFL7A/s1600/2011_0926+-+Lily.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitp4Qz7KL9oPRr61iyW4GdzDNT9bBTZVXHD5IjnyeS8vDzfnPQBSi4XuEXyIZdddy03JrjwWgEvrxQ9QIHmndrlVe-h1kiXw3FnLmjVnzGxCO5rCZIgjVJPAcIQS_2O0CWTGFL7A/s320/2011_0926+-+Lily.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
I shared the picture with Chaz and Breezy. They were like "Yes!" Jen would bring over the kitten and I'd head to Walmart to pick up kitty stuff. <br />
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She's such a love! All purring and weaving and curling up! <br />
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After 5 days, she's a little more active. Into everything! Last night, she discovered the plastic cup I keep on my dresser with some change and stuff in it. Sad, to say, it's no longer on the dresser and I have a mess to clean up! lol<br />
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And here's a picture I took of her two nights ago.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL75PnD8j92AEwTqz5SoZOy6dclON147HBKprsKfzGl6phwCMH2WWRuIf-MbyGqJokjj5YZMSU9z17Y5fcRBY12ZV09ypahEZaDCx5OEgkWkYTk4A-vrZPRJbtmcivib6WpC3_8w/s1600/lily.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL75PnD8j92AEwTqz5SoZOy6dclON147HBKprsKfzGl6phwCMH2WWRuIf-MbyGqJokjj5YZMSU9z17Y5fcRBY12ZV09ypahEZaDCx5OEgkWkYTk4A-vrZPRJbtmcivib6WpC3_8w/s320/lily.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Her name is officially Lily. Breezy calls her Lily. I call her Lily Belle. Chaz is calling her "Biggie Small." I have no idea where that came from but it's funny.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36436595.post-9625170751517610362011-09-11T21:38:00.000-05:002011-09-11T21:38:41.669-05:009/11My heart still breaks when I think of the events of 9/11. I am glad we got Osama Bin Laden. But all the lives lost can never be replaced.<br />
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This morning, I was digging through my old cd "archives" looking for my "911" disk and found not only it but my blog archives from 2001. The rest of this post will be my blog posts from 9/11/01 and 9/12/01 and images that I saved from the days following 9/11.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">~ ~ ~ ~ ~</div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"></span><br />
<div style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em;"><strong>Tuesday, September 11, 2001</strong></div><div style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em;"><br />
</div><div style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em;">What has our world come to????</div><div style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em;"><br />
</div><div style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em;">From headlines today:</div><div style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em;">"......... Witnesses: Plane Crashes Into World Trade Center</div><div style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em;">.c The Associated Press</div><div style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em;">NEW YORK (Sept. 11) - Two planes crashed into the upper floors of both World Trade Center towers minutes apart Tuesday in what the President Bush said was an apparent terrorist attack, blasting fiery, gaping holes in the 110-story buildings. There was no immediate word on deaths or injuries.</div><div style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em;">Within the hour, an aircraft crashed on a helicopter landing pad near the Pentagon, and the West Wing of the White House was evacuated amid threats of terrorism.</div><div style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em;">The president ordered a full-scale investigation to ''hunt down the folks who committed this act.''........ "</div><div style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em;"><br />
</div><div style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em;">i'm shaking so bad..... so many people and so much violence.</div><div style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em;">9:02 AM • </div><div style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em;"><br />
</div><div style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em;"><strong>Wednesday, September 12, 2001</strong></div><div style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em;"><br />
</div><div style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em;">The morning after. I was up til 2 am EST listening and watching the news. I was up again at 7 to begin listening again and to get the kids to school. I dropped Chase and Brianne off with a friend. She drove them to school and I headed to Books A Million to pick up copies of the New York Times.</div><div style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em;"><br />
</div><div style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em;">TRAFFIC? Pensacola has 3 bases. All are accessable from Blue Angel Parkway. Entry to NAS Pensacola was back up from the back gate past the Sorrento intersection and down Sorrento road for as far as I could see.</div><div style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em;"><br />
</div><div style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em;">As I was leaving to go to Books A Million, I observed the moment of silence for the victims. The radio station followed with the song "God Bless the USA." I couldn't drive. Just sat there and cried.</div><div style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em;"><br />
</div><div style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em;">After I decided what way to take to the book store I headed out. As I continued my drive up Airport, I saw Ted Ciano's car lot. Normally, he has flags from all over the world flying. Today? He has 3 American flags only flying. All at half mast. Thumbs up.</div><div style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em;"><br />
</div><div style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em;">I made it to Books A Million 35 minutes before they opened. I spent the rest of the time talking to a gentleman who works nights for Life-Flight. We talked about the reaction, the horror. How lives have been shattered and changed forever. He said that there is bounty on the head of Osama bin Laden. He thinks we should take ALL the lotteries of the U.S. for one week and put toward the same bounty on the head of who did this. You know, I agree. Maybe a bounty like that would help. We were joined by a guy from Tennessee who is new to the area who was also looking for the NY Times. A few short minutes later, a lady who has 3 family members who worked in the WTC in NYC. One did not go to work because his time to report to work was after the planes hit the buildings. The other two are unaccounted for. Thank you for your company this morning.</div><div style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em;"><br />
</div><div style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em;">We made it in and bought our editions of the New York Times. I walked back out to the van and sat and cried. The headlines are horrendous. Yes, that is one of the only words i can use to describe this.</div><div style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em;"><br />
</div><div style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em;">There isn't much I can do from here. We can give blood, fly our American flags at half-mast. BACK our president in the swift retaliation of this terrorist act. Show your support for your fellow man. We are all in shock.</div><div style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em;"><br />
</div><div style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em;">I think a great thing would be ~ for all of those business who do not have flags to fly at half mast, use their billboards/signs to show their support and sympathy.</div><div style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em;"><br />
</div><div style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em;">Hug your family and friends. Be sure to say I love you. You never know when it will be the last time.</div><div style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em;">10:32 AM • </div><div style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em;"><br />
</div><div style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em;">Dear God, what a horrid horrid day. These acts of terrorism are horrendous. So many lives lost.</div><div style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em;">I sat here this morning for a couple hours and did nothing but cry. I couldn't see. I went to give blood as it's one of the few things I could do, but I had my ears pierced less than a year ago and couldn't.</div><div style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em;">BUT let me tell ya, we may not be in DC or in NYC or PA..... but the US will pull together.</div><div style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em;">There were close to 200 people in line at the Northwest Florida Blood bank to donate blood. TK101 broadcast live from there all day. They broadcast full coverage from the time it started until 8pm tonight. Companies brought food and drinks for those waiting to donate blood.</div><div style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em;">AND this was going on around the U.S. Overseas there is outrage. By the time the count is over there will most likely be over 10,000 dead in NYC alone. The estimates at the Pentagon are 100-800. Everyone on all 4 planes died ~ that's over 250 people.</div><div style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em;">What have we come to? Tonight I sat and explained to my children and Judy's children what they were seeing on the tv. That there are bad people in the world who don't like the United States and how they help other people. AND try to explain that there are so many people who will never see their mommys and daddy's again.. their sons and daughters.... And to watch their faces as they try to understand.</div><div style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em;">In under an hour, the entire U.S. came to a screeching halt. The entire commercial air system came to a halt. Buildings evacuated all over the U.S. Military installations are in the max state of security.</div><div style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em;"><br />
</div><div style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em;">12:43 AM • </div><div style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em;"><br />
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36436595.post-6486442428657261182011-09-10T16:27:00.002-05:002011-09-10T16:27:48.197-05:00playing...With the background. Graphics by <a href="http://graphicsfairy.blogspot.com/">Graphic Fairy</a>. Not completely happy but I'll play with it some more later.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36436595.post-35862767420336020362011-09-10T13:10:00.000-05:002011-09-10T13:10:34.365-05:00Saturdays...It's quiet. A little football on the television. A great <a href="http://graphicsfairy.blogspot.com/">graphic blog</a> on my browser. A little Words with Friends on Facebook. And <a href="http://pinterest.com/">Pinterest</a>.<br />
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I am pretty sure Pinterest has surpassed every website other than <a href="http://www.etsy.com/">Etsy</a> for inspiration. I can get lost for hours on Pinterest and following links. Wonderful quotes, awesome recipes, amazing refinishing, decorating, reuse, you name it.<br />
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As for actually making something? I made name pendants for my nurse, myself, and the door to our office. All of them have a little bling. The school mascot is shown on our name ones. Of course, mine I had to actually put the name of the school because I don't want to be mistaken for a UF Gator fan. lol (Yes, I removed the school name.)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQUylpG0hktJWJrcVW5POg3SGQpcg6ESPENT-MEfEOnYIMtvb1ybIjL4uF47HqAz-pGltVCtuG9UVMKxe9hrh0ckjS45elx-lixQXdaCc4WqKP0fm9VJo_-WH0gUyQQMSZGueb7g/s1600/1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="98" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQUylpG0hktJWJrcVW5POg3SGQpcg6ESPENT-MEfEOnYIMtvb1ybIjL4uF47HqAz-pGltVCtuG9UVMKxe9hrh0ckjS45elx-lixQXdaCc4WqKP0fm9VJo_-WH0gUyQQMSZGueb7g/s320/1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhudGjqpI4fZYaYYDAI9zPmSHVNs3YIJT5USFBy4xs5JBmgPhuRClqnMM5zo_qokK3UTkcKAH_2sT6EBx9wVMzdnrqVunCMmdJU7IruMyp8wE4QWfz4sG-IC3PlDJttfJuzEAsrvw/s1600/3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhudGjqpI4fZYaYYDAI9zPmSHVNs3YIJT5USFBy4xs5JBmgPhuRClqnMM5zo_qokK3UTkcKAH_2sT6EBx9wVMzdnrqVunCMmdJU7IruMyp8wE4QWfz4sG-IC3PlDJttfJuzEAsrvw/s320/3.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>I also prepared 16 - 4.25 x 5.5 mini pages to print out and add to a journal. They turned out so well. I used some free graphics from <a href="http://graphicsfairy.blogspot.com/">Graphic Fairy</a> and some images from digikits I purchased at <a href="http://www.scrapbookgraphics.com/">Scrapbook Graphics</a>. I set the pages up with the double border lines and then set most of them to overlay for layer properties. By the time I'm finished with the book, it will have 128 pages (front and back). I chose the scrapbook paper for the cover yesterday. So cool!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9ewQhmqPVycS-wO81HeQPueufUwATkbNXHmWdN_9Uj_7OXsrYCyy7UENK7vBQGJsv7IhPXHk0vx8UiMtndwS60a14Ut4kLEFEJ_oiE7vy3HWISNCCzi_UMc1L3ICMztkqq2u6zQ/s1600/page+1+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9ewQhmqPVycS-wO81HeQPueufUwATkbNXHmWdN_9Uj_7OXsrYCyy7UENK7vBQGJsv7IhPXHk0vx8UiMtndwS60a14Ut4kLEFEJ_oiE7vy3HWISNCCzi_UMc1L3ICMztkqq2u6zQ/s200/page+1+copy.jpg" width="154" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9fUke6LHXDbgQvzKEVCcGVTqwZz4QYHqFmHmYk8lbHFJmIvP2lSc5l1sm36Qzk9Bd6onvHiJn2HRz8Z-60ytvGIuW-2rKrKmNi0l9OPQUQWnOcm3K8jrMGPRqotmJ8VbvNJVbpw/s1600/page+11+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9fUke6LHXDbgQvzKEVCcGVTqwZz4QYHqFmHmYk8lbHFJmIvP2lSc5l1sm36Qzk9Bd6onvHiJn2HRz8Z-60ytvGIuW-2rKrKmNi0l9OPQUQWnOcm3K8jrMGPRqotmJ8VbvNJVbpw/s200/page+11+copy.jpg" width="154" /></a></div><br />
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Off for now. Need to sew the signatures together and go pick up cash to pay for our "delivery" barbeque. yah!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0