Boy 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.

I'd really like to just add pictures and crafts on a regular basis.  Just do it!  Right?

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.

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.

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.

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.  :)

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.

I'm off to bed.  Niters!

Christmas

We 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.

The afternoon was spent with friends.  Dinner.  Playing 313.  Much laughter.  :)

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.

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?

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.

Welcome to the 12 Pearls of Christmas!

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 click this link and sign up for our newsletter (lower left sidebar).

Also, just a reminder that today is the last day for the pearl necklace and earrings giveaway! Enter now by filling out this {form}. The winner will on 1/1 at the Pearl Girls blog.

If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info 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 Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl Girls products (all GREAT gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.

***

Jesus -- The Reason For the Season

By: Rachel Hauck

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.

“Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you,” Gabriel said.

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.

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.”

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.”

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.

Listen to Mary’s song later on in the first chapter of Luke.

“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…”

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!”

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.

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!”

Out of the grit of our own souls, we can reach His heart, and feel Him reaching for ours. 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!”

***

Rachel Hauck 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. www.rachelhauck.com.

Welcome to the 12 Pearls of Christmas!

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.

AND just for fun ... there's also a giveaway! Fill out this simple {form} 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.

If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info 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 Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl Girls products (all GREAT gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.

*** 

Advent By Sibella Giorello

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.

Why?

Because the wait adds meaning to the moment.

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.

Because the wait adds meaning to the moment.

And that is why Advent is so important to Christmas.

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.

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.

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.)

Here's how it goes: 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).

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.

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.

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.

Does that sounds extravagant?

It is.

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.

"That's" extravagant.

And in the waiting, we find even more meaning.

***

Sibella Giorello writes the Raleigh Harmon mystery series which won the Christy Award with its first book "The Stones Cry Out." She lives in Washington state with her husband and children, and often wishes there were 36 hours in a day.

Welcome to the 12 Pearls of Christmas!

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.

AND just for fun ... there's also a giveaway! Fill out this simple {form} 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.

If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls, please visit www.pearlgirls.info 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 Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl Girls products (all GREAT gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.

***

A Christmas of Kindness

By Suzanne Woods Fisher

"You can give without loving, but you can¹t love without giving." Amish proverb

I do it every year.

I plan for a simpler, less stressful Christmas season and, every year, by Christmas EveŠ 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.

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.

The thing is: you can simplify your to-do list, but you can't really simplify people. We are just a complicated bunch.

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.

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‹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 Šoh so right.

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.

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.

And it's also how the story begins for A Lancaster County Christmas, 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 thenŠ. 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.

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‹the essence of true simplicity.

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.

***

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. www.suzannewoodsfisher.com.

12 Pearls of Christmas

Welcome to the 3rd Annual Pearl Girls™ 12 Pearls of Christmas blogging series!

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.

If you'd like to share the 12 Pearls of Christmas with your blog readers too, just email Christen and she'll send you the series.

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! Pearls - a tangible reminder of God's grace to us all.

***

Just a quick note before the series begins on the 14th ...

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.

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.

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?

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.

“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).

You are not alone this Christmas, dear friend. 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.

 “Joy to the world!”  

Thank you so very much for sharing the JOY of the Season with us this year.

God Bless,

Margaret

@mcsweeny

 ***

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 www.pearlgirls.info. 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 Facebook or Twitter.

Gratitude

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving.

I have so many things to be grateful for in my life.

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.

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.

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.

I am grateful for incredible friends.  Friends from work, church, the Navy.  Sounding boards.  Godly counsel.

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.

May your Thanksgiving be incredible.

Chili

Making chili for dinner tonight.  Here's my recipe:

1.5 pounds of ground beef, browned and drained
2 packages McCormick's Original Chili Seasoning Mix
1-24 ounce can of Crushed Tomatoes
1-15 ounce can of Organic Pinto Beans
1-15 ounce can of Organic Dark Red Kidney Beans

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.

Serving with cheese, onion, and corn chips.  

Yum!

Meet 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.

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.

She's such a love!  All purring and weaving and curling up!

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

And here's a picture I took of her two nights ago.

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.

9/11

My 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.

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.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Tuesday, September 11, 2001

What has our world come to????

From headlines today:

"......... Witnesses: Plane Crashes Into World Trade Center

.c The Associated Press

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.

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.

The president ordered a full-scale investigation to ''hunt down the folks who committed this act.''........ "

i'm shaking so bad..... so many people and so much violence.

9:02 AM •  

Wednesday, September 12, 2001

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Hug your family and friends. Be sure to say I love you. You never know when it will be the last time.

10:32 AM • 

Dear God, what a horrid horrid day. These acts of terrorism are horrendous. So many lives lost.

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.

BUT let me tell ya, we may not be in DC or in NYC or PA..... but the US will pull together.

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.

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.

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.

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.

12:43 AM •  

playing...

With the background.  Graphics by Graphic Fairy.  Not completely happy but I'll play with it some more later.

Saturdays...

It's quiet. A little football on the television.  A great graphic blog on my browser.  A little Words with Friends on Facebook.  And Pinterest.

I am pretty sure Pinterest has surpassed every website other than Etsy for inspiration.  I can get lost for hours on Pinterest and following links.  Wonderful quotes, awesome recipes, amazing refinishing, decorating, reuse, you name it.

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.)

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 Graphic Fairy and some images from digikits I purchased at Scrapbook Graphics.  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!

  

  

Off for now.  Need to sew the signatures together and go pick up cash to pay for our "delivery" barbeque.  yah!

Soap, Rain, and stuff...

I found a "pin" on Pinterest for homemade laundry soap.  Today, I bought the stuff to make it and find out how well it works.  The supplies came to $8.16 from my local Walmart.  I totally forgot to get quart jars.  Duh.  But I'm going out later on to find some.  Believe it or not, I have none in my house.

It is raining.  Constantly.  Whether just a sprinkle or heavy, it's raining.  And I love the rain.  This is the perfect weekend.  Tropical Storm Lee sitting in the Gulf churning.  And expected to churn for another two days.  While we don't need quite this much water at once, I'm enjoying it.  The last time I remember a storm sitting like this in the Gulf was Hurricane Danny in July 1997.  I had come back to the states from Guam.  My Daddy passed away on July 14th.  We held a memorial service for him and then had to wait until Danny was gone before we could go sprinkle his ashes.  I can still close my eyes and remember my brother wading into the water to sprinkle his ashes.

We are trying the trial subscription to Netflix.  I'm disappointed that several of my favorite movies aren't on it. What?  Really?  Yes, no You've Got Mail, no Two Weeks Notice, and no to several others I can't think of right now.  I did however, on the first day, manage to watch the first 5 episodes of Star Trek - The Next Generation.

Bet you never knew I was a closet Trekker, huh?  I HATED ST-TNG when it came out originally.  I was stationed in Jacksonville, Florida when it came out.  However, after we (the now ex & myself) to Japan, we started renting movies from a local video store.  We picked up the first few episodes of ST-TNG because we didn't see anything else we wanted to watch right then.  I've been hooked ever since.  Now if only I could convert my children so I could watch them while they are home and not just while they are away.  *sigh*

No kitty love yet.  Still have to wait a wee bit longer.

My daughter and her boyfriend have been together a month now.  It's a big milestone for them.  Seeing as they don't live in the same city, let alone in the same county, they have to make an effort to see each other.  They spent over 2 hours today texting each other to make arrangements to get together on Monday.  Of course, in between, she was texting me asking yes or no to "this that or the other."  We came to an agreement as long as the weather cooperates.  If not, it'll be next weekend.

I'm off to find quart jars now.  Have a safe weekend and have fun.

A week has gone....

and there is no kitty.  We weren't able to get the kitten because my friend couldn't get back in touch with the gentleman who had it.  So..... we wait.  We actually want a full grown cat.  A cat that might not have had a wonderful family to love it.  As my daughter says a "fat lazy cat."  My son wants a kitten.  And maybe there is room in the house for both.  We will see.

Work has been absolutely crazy.  That's all I'll say.  C R A Z Y

I'm still playing with Pinterest.  If you come by here and haven't tried it yet, leave me a note and I'll send you an invitation.  It's nothing but a huge web page of inspiration.  You name it, it's there.  Sometimes, it's just fun to find something that hasn't been pinned already.  I did discover a pet peeve.  If you want to "pin" something, please make sure you open the post that the image is in to a separate window.  So if there is a picture in this post, click on the permalink and open in a new window.  That way when the next person clicks on the image in Pinterest, it goes to where the picture is and not to the main page of the blog/store/web page.  *s*

Other than that, life is life.  I'm grateful to be alive.  I turned 48 a couple weeks ago.  I have amazing children. A great job.  Super church.  Nice place to live.  Vehicle to drive.  So many people don't have half of that or even a third.  I'm thankful to be so blessed in my life.

Niters. I think I'm headed to bed early.

Belt Deconstruction

Breezy gave me a couple of her belts that have fallen apart.  They are made of these really rows neat "brads."  As the first belt was peeling on the back, I grabbed the peeling piece and yanked it.  When it came apart from the rest of the belt, all the little "brad" pointy pieces came up.  This made it easier to straighten them and remove them.

Here's the pictures:

I'm going to use these "brads" on the covers of journals.

Colors and Pinterest

Today, I had a luggage run.  Not too long.  Chaz and Breezy cooked dinner.  It was so good!  Sirloin roast with potatoes, carrots, and corn on the cob cooked in the crock pot.  I have no idea what sauces/spices/seasonings they used but it was fabulous! I'm letting them cook more often.

I spent some time reading journals and "pinning" to my Pinterest page.  Here are a couple noteworthy before I go to bed.

Source: michelleward.typepad.com via Deborah on Pinterest

Source: michelleward.typepad.com via Deborah on Pinterest

I have found some amazing creative blogs.  Blogs of women who have been published in some of my most favorite magazines ever.  Which ones you ask?  Why that's be nearly anything published by Stampington.  Somerset Studio, Somerset Life, Artful Blogging, Art Journaling, and so many more.  Ah....  These are the magazines I splurge on when I get extra into the household every now and again.

kitty....

My friend called earlier.  She was making a delivery and there was a little cat outside that kept trying to get into the house she was delivering to.  She said the owner offered her the kitten.  She asked me if I wanted it.  But of course!  She is going to call the man back and ask him if he was serious.  If he's serious, Breezy and I'll go get him tomorrow!

work...

Just wanted to post a couple things that I made for work today.

Source: thepinkandblueblog.tumblr.com via Deborah on Pinterest

and this:

Source: likecool.com via Deborah on Pinterest

I posted a set of them inside the bathrooms, one set on the door to the clinic, and one set on the outside of one of the bathrooms.  :)

I'm thinking about taking my window with the chicken wire to work and using it to hang photos and artwork on during the year.  Not sure yet.  Will have to see what my nurse thinks about it.

Tomorrow I'll post pictures of the banners I made.

I haven't been here in a while as you can see.  I am not on any creative teams for digi-scrapping right now.  I so need to take my computer in for repairs.  Both the usb ports on the right side are messed up. I've gotten a memory error and a display error in last couple months.  Of course, I'm over due for a backup and for a defrag. But it has been virus scanned thank goodness. :)

I am thinking about starting a new blog.  This one has been around a while.  I'm thinking photo blog?  Art journaling?  Digiscrapping?  Who knows.  Just feel like it's time for a change.

School starts back up for the kids on Monday.  Breezy is a Junior in high school and Chaz is a Freshman in college.  Hard to believe we're at that point!

I'm headed to bed soon.  Another early morning so I can get to SHO for training.  Niters!

Moments in Time by ScrappinDsigns

Awesome kit!  18 papers and 74 elements to scrap those great outdoor moments!  Great variety of frames and flowers.  Got garden pictures that you want to scrap?  This would be an awesome kit.

CSD ~ DSA ~ DSO ~ DST ~ GP ~ My Blog

CSD ~ DSA ~ DSO ~ DST ~ GP ~ My Blog