Valentines Cards part Two

This is Valentines day...and I am picking up Rebecca from school...she is walking toward me now....can you see her...

She is getting closer and she appears to have a balloon parade trailing her....

On Valentine's day you can send balloons, flowers, candy and a singing telegram to any student at school for a small fee....it's a Senior fund raiser for their mission trip...and it's fun....

She is coming out of P.E. where she has been practicing pitching for an hour...she is a catcher.....but apparently she is going to be pitching this season for the school jr. high team....she has a great attitude....she appears to be loaded down...

She is laughing...and is trying to get a handle on all of her balloons....

she smiles...she is in the 8th grade...last year of Jr. High....

She has a handle on her balloons and poses for me....

As she was loading all her loot in the car one of the heart balloons escaped and went sailing into the wide blue sky....she is home now...she is just adorable.....she is my last baby at home till she grows up and fly's away like Holly did....but for now I have the joy of a few more priceless years to just LOVE ON HER....and cherish each fleeting moment....I  love Valentine's Day at school....she really enjoys it....

This is the card I made my mom....I used seafoam green cardstock and some of the colorbox rose garden designer papers....I added a red heart doily and some mini white doilies....I folded four doilies in half and pleated them into a circle and edged and inked them with the TH Burgundy distress ink....I used some thin maroon ribbon for the bow...I hand made the pink rose...and inked the edges with the burgundy ink as well....I made the hat pin and stuck it in the rose...I used some of the pink glitter flourishes...on the ledge I used some plaid ribbon and three pink brads....I really like the look of this card very Valentiny looking...

this is a side view...to show you the dimensional effect of all the elemental layers....

I have to give a shout out to my friend Christy Faught....this design concept is her idea....I think she calls it a tri-fold card...and I really like it...I hope you will give this idea a try....I bet you will like it too....My Guy asked me tonight if I would put his card on his desk....(My Guy liked his card...)...my mom put hers on her nightstand and kept looking at it and saying" it's beautiful"....Rebecca said "wow....uh...thanks."...and she took it to her room and immediately set it on her dresser....they all seemed to enjoy it as a " picture"....to look at....as well as a card you read and slip into a drawer....I will give Holly hers this weekend and see what she thinks....

I know I will make more of this style of card....it's too much fun not to.....if you have any questions....leave a comment and I will get back to you...you can make these cards any size you want...the bottom ledge is 4 inches and if you need to add it as a separate piece add one half of an inch to score and adhere to the back....

Blessings
Sherry

Valentines Cards part One

These are the beautiful flowers My Guy (Gary) gave me for Valentines day....I  spent Valentines day making cards, chocolate covered strawberries and chocolate truffles....house smelled like chocolate....it was wonderful....

I made this card for Holly....it turned out amazing....the base is white textured cardstock from Colorbok, and then I layered with desert sand cardstock...some red designer paper that I punched with the EK Success punch to look like I tore it out of a spiral....then a mini white doily, and a red doily heart...some sheer organza cream ribbon paired with a cotton plaid....to the right I added a dress form tag that I had made at a make and take a few weeks ago....I added some of the plaid ribbon on top to tie it into the card...and I tucked a pleated mini white doily behind the tag...I popped the tag out with pop dots...I then added a hat pin....hat pins are new to me....and apparently I love them.....so easy and fun...I used a corsage pin with a small pearl on top and added beads from my stash....the is also some Recollection brown glitter flourishes on the card and ledge...everything is inked with TH Vintage Photo distress ink....and there is some more of the plaid ribbon on the ledge...I popped out the sentiment with some pop dots....and edged the edges with some postage shears...

This is a side view...to see the dimension....

This is the card I made for Rebecca....it is just well...wow...I love the way it turned out....I  used colorbok white textured cardstock for the base...I then layered a sea foam green cardstock on top of the white.and then more layers with the rose garden colorbok paper on it.....I added a red doily heart...and used some mini white doilies (I folded them in half and pleated them, I used four to make the circle layered on top of the red doily heart...I added the scallop chipboard circle with the sentiment...I popped it out with a pop dot...I edged and inked with TH burgundy distress ink....there is organza cream ribbon on the side and I also used a bow of organza ribbon that I popped out with a pop dot...I have also used a small cotton plaid ribbon for a more layered effect...I am trying my hand at the hat pins....and they are fun...I used a corsage pin with a small pearl on top...and then added some beads and stuck it behind the doilies....there are some dark pink glitter flourishes from Recollections on this card, I placed them on the top right and on the edge of the ledge...I have used a MS doily punch on the edge of the ledge as well...and then inked it out with the TH burgundy distress ink....

This is the side view so that you can see more of the dimensional effect...

This is the card I made for Gary...aka...My Guy...it just seems perfect for him....I used some paper from colorbok with the tools and metal stuff for guys....and the base is colorbok white textured cardstock....I layered over the white with a desert sand type of cardstock color and then some designer papers on top...I used some metal gears...and a simple maroon ribbon....I had some brown glitter flourishes that I added and the effect is cool,,,,not girly at all....I used a few of my stamp sets to set off the sentiment on the pocket as well as the ledge the card sits on....and then I gave them more texture with some postage edge scissors...I have inked everything with Vintage Photo (my absolute fav.) distress ink...there are ten little 'sticks' in the pocket each a handwritten thing that I love about my husband....

This is a side view of the card....it shows more detail of how the card looks sitting on a table or desk...

this is what the card looks like on the inside...I used some more desert sand cardstock and some designer paper as a base...I used an EK Success punch to edge the designer paper...it added alot of dimension to the card...this photo is on the side (so you can see it better)...then I wrote the sentiment...and tore the edges and inked it out....it turned out AWESOME...I love this card...

A view of all three cards together....these were so much fun to make....
and it warmed my heart to do it....
the amazing thing about LOVE is it grows and grows and grows....


Blessings
Sherry

Valentines Day

Hello There,
These are the beautiful flowers 'My Guy' gave me along with a wonderful card and some amazing brownies....I spent my day making cards and chocolate covered strawberries and truffles....It was a slow paced wonderful day....then Gary and Rebecca had softball practice...so I went and visited with my mom... I took her roses and some other fluffy flowers and a card I will show you tomorrow...along with some of the strawberries, truffles and peach cobbler....let's just say she was very happy with the visit and it did me a lot of good as well to see her chatting away and munching on chocolate....
Blessings
Sherry

Weekends are Wonderful....

      I have been amazed with my weekend so far....today is Sunday and church was Amazing, the message about being on God's treadmill really hit home with me and is still ringing inside of me...we came home and had taco's (leftover's)....Gary fixed Rebecca's softball glove and then they headed out the door in this cold....cold....weather for a two and a half hour softball practice....they got home a little before five and it is now almost nine and Gary says his feet are still cold....(I told him it was too cold to do practice...but apparently they did not take my vote seriously....)...we went out to eat with Holly tonight...this is the first time we have seen her since she got back from her trip to Arizona and she looked great...vibrant and beautiful as always (thanks for praying for her...she had a great, safe trip)...the day before was Saturday...I slept in....shocking for me...but I did...then I realized...Rebecca and Gary and Gracie slept in...it turned into one of those days....late late breakfast and then late lunch....then I went to Michaels and literally looked around most of the store....I think I spent three hours in Michaels and I still did not see everything...but it was a wonderful piddle around kind of day...then I meandered around in HEB grocery shopping...eventually I came home... put up the groceries and made tacos... guacamole and pico de giyo (forgive my spelling I am just guessing how to spell this word)...and it was all good...yeah for the Pioneer Woman's recipes...these are great...after dinner I got comfortable...pulled out my laptop and went blog hopping...time passed quickly and I got tired and was about to go to bed...but something lured me over to You Tube and I started cruising You Tube Videos till the weeeeee...(picture that little pig in the commercials) hours of the morning....it was after one am when I finally went to bed....then there's Friday....busy work day....and then I went scrappin at the fire house with Gina, Christy and a few other friends...I got a great start on making my Valentines... came home around 11:30 pm (the firemen have asked us to leave at 11:00pm instead of 12:00pm....apparently they want to go to bed and have to lock up the firehouse after we leave)....well, I could not go to bed when I got home because I was sooo keyed up from scrappin... that I stayed up till about almost two in the morning...reading everybody's blogs (these things are so addictive aren't they...)....this is probably why I slept in....on Saturday....I plan on having a wonderful card making....chocolate baking kind of day....well, I will try to fit in what I can....because Monday is a workday....but, I have done all of my cleaning and most of my laundry today while Gary and Rebecca went to Softball practice...soooo....I'm kinda hopeful that I will get some cards and baking done on a MONDAY....it's going to be one of my FUN days.....

I managed to make a peach cobbler today while Gary and Rebecca were at practice...and it made the  whole house smell wonderful...here is the recipe if you are interested....
Blessings
Sherry


Peach Cobbler

1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup evaporated milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1tsp. orange juice

1 stick butter

1 large can of sliced peaches in heavy syrup

Place one stick of butter in 13x9 inch pan and put in oven, then preheat oven to 350 degree's (as the oven is preheating it will melt the butter....
meanwhile...
whisk together flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder in medium bowl...
in a glass measuring cup blend the evaporated milk, vanilla, and orange juice and pour into dry ingredients and whisk together....
remove pan from oven when butter is melted (but don't burn it....it just takes a few minutes to melt the butter)...
pour the batter mixture in the center of the butter in the pan, it will spread out...and then spoon the peaches and the juice over the batter mixture...but do not stir....place in oven and bake till golden brown....time will vary depending on your oven...30-50 minutes or so...
take out and enjoy...
be careful if you eat it right away...
it is very very hot...and very very good....

Sebastian and the Costa Rica girl....

Howdy....
Today has been a slow day....but I have finished two of my continuing education courses....and I mailed off Sebastian's cards ( I made him a little care package....I would love to see his face when he opens it...I placed a large holograph sticker of Spider Man in the bottom of the box with a Spiderman Activity Sticker book, on top of that I placed a stuffed Buffalo wearing a blue bandanna and a handheld flashing multi light, you push a button and the lights turn on multicolored and spin, I think he will like it)...Life is Good...and I love warm fuzzy moments like these....and I sent the shoebox in to Rebecca's school for the Costa Rica Senior mission trip....basically you fill a shoebox up with stuff for a child...girl box or boy box, it's fun to shop for and truly warms the heart to do....our box this year was for a girl....possibly an older child between 7-teen years....we started with a pink hand towel, and rolled a pink washcloth up for a pillow and placed an adorable elephant beanie baby on the makeshift pillow, then add a large cinnamon flavored toothpaste and two toothbrushes, a large hair brush, a package of pony's, lots of hair ribbons, two packs of BubbleYum gum,  two medium journals, a cool pack of colored gel pens, a ten pack of pencils and a pencil sharpener....the lid will not stay closed...but that's ok.... the seniors will tape it shut soon...(.great, I forgot the soap...I will have to send tomorrow and they will have to squeeze it in)....and that's all there is to filling a shoebox...oh, and I sent her the adorable card that I won in the blog prize I recently told you about...it was perfect for this box....with pink satin ribbon, hearts and sparkles....it will please a girl in any country...)......I am thankful that God allows me to be his hands once and a while....it blesses me....

Blessings
Sherry

Sebastians Blog Cards...

Hello There,

One of the things I love about blogging is sharing and feeling connected...last night as I was blog hopping I found this incredible story about a little boy name Sebastian...you can follow his story here:  http://gingershouse.blogspot.com/2012/02/cards-for-Sebastian.html....

This little boy is facing some very difficult life challenges... and his teacher has asked (teachers are such an incredible blessing in the world)  that if we have the time to send Sebastian a card...he is facing another surgery on February 15, 2012....She wants him to feel loved as he goes in for another surgery...

I have made two cards recently that I did not know what I was supposed to do with them....I have become attached to them, and did not want to give them to just anybody...so, I prayed and asked the Lord what I was supposed to do with them....and waited....

Now I know what I am supposed to do with these two cards....and I am blessed and honored that the Lord has used me to make these cards ahead of time, before I was even aware there was a need...

This is the card I am sending to Sebastian....

and this is the card I am sending to his mom....

Blessings
Sherry

Wow...what a productive day....I made breakfast, I heard a bell, I let the dog out, I took Rebecca to school, I came back, I let the dog out, I did the dishes, I began the conquest of conquering my laundry, I gathered, I sorted, I put in the first load, added soap, and turned the knob....basically repeat about 7 or 8 times and you could be done soon, I swap clothes to dryer....I hang up the drip dry....and then I repeat the process... I made the beds, I made lunch, I heard a bell, I let the dog out, I did the dishes, I cleaned the bathrooms, I started on my continuing education requirements for this year (this is like watching paint dry)....I heard a bell, I let the dog out, I went and picked up Rebecca from school and we went to check in on Mammaw and take her  clean laundry...we visited....and then headed home....I made dinner, I heard a bell, I let the dog out, I did the dishes, I checked homework, I folded more of the dry clean clothes and put them all away...hopefully one more day and my laundry will be done for another week....and now I think I'm tired....

blessings

Sherry

God's feathers

Hello There,

I hope you are having a wonderful day...today is Saturday and tomorrow is Superbowl Sunday....and I decided to go grocery shopping today....since I do not like to go shopping on Sunday...

First I went to Michaels and picked up some bling....I keep running out....and I also picked out some liquid pearls, I have never used this and I have been seeing some beautiful things made with this....and then I went to the drive thru at McDonalds and picked up a large diet Coke....something about this makes me happy....and then I headed out to HEB...

Well, imagine my surprise when I showed up and the parking lot was almost full....hhhhmmmmmmmm...interesting....and I get a buggy (there were about seven available) then I go in... HEB was packed...I've never seen so many men in this grocery store before....it was like Thanksgiving shopping crowded....wow.....who knew....certainly not me....I have made a mental note to self....do not go grocery shopping on Superbowl weekend....I hope I remember next year....

I still enjoyed my shopping trip....the diet coke helped and I had some mint gum that was nice to...and now I am home...groceries are put away....I got the mail....and put the trash cans up....and now I checked and the card I made yesterday was not uploaded....and I'm sitting here thinking why is this taking so long.....apparently....I did not tell it to upload, I just took the pictures......I think I was still distracted about all the wonderful friends that came to see me in the mail.....oh, the joy....see previous post for details, if you are interested....anyway, when I finally sent my card picture it uploaded in like two seconds....if I am having technical difficulties it usually is me....oh, well.....I have a beautiful card to show you I am entering it in the Word Art Wednesday blog challenge....I really enjoyed making this.....

The card base is black cardstock and I layered designer paper on top...gold, burgundy, and the top layer is gold...I used a Martha Stewart punch for the edges....a silky transparent ribbon...two silk floral leaves....a pink handmade rose....and a few feathers (we collected these on one of our trips to see Mammaw in Fredericksburg)...I don't know what kind of feathers they are, I only know man did not make them...God did and they are stunning and beautiful....and seem to have found a home on my card....this is my favorite card I think I have made....I shrank the Word Art a little and used a spellbinders die to place the Word Art on...I then backed it with some of the burgundy designer paper (I traced around the spellbinders on the edges and then cut it out...this is not the normal shape....that's what I love about spellbinders....you can change the shapes as you see fit....)...I used some brown, glittered chipboard pieces on top of the sentiment and on the side of the card next to the ribbon....I added a small amount of bling to make it pop a little more...as I studied it....I realized that the pink rose, even though it was pale pink.... was competing with the other hues on the card...so I took some of my Tim Holtz vintage photo ink and inked the tips of the petals and the edges...this really softened the effect of the rose and now it flows perfectly with the feathers....and makes a perfect card...


Have a blessed evening
Sherry

Some friends came to visit in the mail...

Hello there,

Remember I told you that I had won a prize....some blog candy.....well...I have never won a blog candy prize before....and now I know what that feels like....you want to know....."It feels Amazing", and "Exciting" and makes me all giggly to look upon it's goodness...and it makes me smile and smile and smile....I won the Purge blog hop from Teresa Kline @ http://paperieblooms.blogspot.com

Wow, this is just Wow, Amazing and brings me such joy.....I love this candy....it's the best candy I've ever had....Seriously...Teresa Kline you are sooo generous...I have never dreamed that all this was coming to me....and for this my friend I am truly honored, and grateful that you have bestowed upon me this "WOW...WOW...WOW...blog candy....(Please, insert happy dance music and dance with me....)

Can we just talk about how happy I am....the mail has brought me some new friends and a few of my old friends as well....so now I think I will show you just what this little gift had tucked away inside....first the box had my name on it....always a good sign....and then...it said Teresa sent it.....oh...my...I'm getting tingly....and then it had on the top some purple tissue paper....if she was going for the drama effect it worked.....oh, the anticipation....and in that box was well an untold treasure trove of goodness...so I just have to share ...it had an adorable valentine card tucked beneath the purple tissue paper....I have not posted a picture of the card...I don't know if I can since I did not make it.....but trust me it is adorable....gave me a warm fuzzy when I saw it....as I was going thru the box....Gary said "I haven't seen you this excited in awhile....and Rebecca passed by and stopped and said "whoa, somebody invested"....she knows the value of these items, because she usually is with me when I go to Michaels or Hobby Lobby.....do you want to see what I see in my treasure box...

Are you ready.....look carefully....and be as Amazed as I truly am....Do you see what I see.....

I see buttons, clips, hat pins, a prima applique, and a valentines tag book...Oh My...

I see Prima lace and lots of bling....

I see some Amazing papers...I can't wait to play with....

I see more Amazing papers....that will have to be patient and wait their turn....

I see some Amazing stamps...I can't wait to get inky with....

I see some old friends....I love Penny Black and I don't have these...:O (this is my singing voice...)

I see more Incredible Inky Treasures...

ا see a cast of characters from Just Right stamps that I am wanting to get to know better....

I see more images and sentiments from Just Right Stamps....so much goodness is going to come from this little seed Teresa Kline has sown....

I see more adorable stamps that are going to be so much fun....my head is spinning with possibilities....

I see a new Christmas Mini Album is coming soon....these stamps are just adorable....

I see lots of Recollections glittery flourishes....these will come in handy....I have already used some of the brown ones on a card....I told you I was excited....

I see lots of beautiful chipboard Christmas pieces that will go well in my new mini....and maybe a few cards....

I see tons of lovely ribbons, trims, lace, and twine....twine....such a sweet word.....I have been wanting to work with twine and now....oh, it won't be long till I have my fingers wrapped around you....and do you see what I see....look closely....the next photo is a close-up....

Isn't that just like God....to send me this....by way of His messenger angel "Teresa Kline"....

I took another picture of this....because....it just rocked me when I saw it....Oh the Joy of receiving such a beautiful gift....

I see Prima flowers, and some felt flowers...the blue ones are called Lollipop flowers....is this just too sweet or what....I have not used felt flowers before....let the adventure begin....

I see brads, and pearls, and lots of bling....did I mention that I love sparkly things......I am reminded of that Disney movie it had a bird....who had a hard time not looking at the sparkly jewel.....his friends are yelling "Don't look at it....nooooo..."....but he just says..."ooohhhh it'sssss Spppparrrrkllly.....and falls into some sort of trap....I can't remember the rest of it....I just always think of that little bird when I'm shopping for bling....apparently I'm digressing....


Rejoice with me this is such a wonderful blessing....all wrapped up in a box...sent by a fellow scrapper and I am blessed beyond measure by her kindness....


If you see her... or... pop on her blog tell her I said Thanks....this is a beautiful memory....

Wow, I am overwhelmed with all the beauty in this box...a true treasure chest of possibilities  are awaiting me....I have to leave you now, because my new friends are calling me to come and play.....and boy do I want to play......Thank you sooo much Teresa, this is a wonderful gift.....

Blessings Sherry

The mouse and the new room-mate

 Hello,

Here is my card that finally up-loaded...can you see this little mouse....adorable....I have decided to learn how to color with Copic markers and Prisma pencils....so remember I'm a beginner...I don't have any copic markers yet...but I do have a large stash of various tom-bo and stamp-in up markers that Holly gave me....today was very productive....I have managed to get a good deal of my scrap room organized....I'm not done....but I can tell you I have made some real progress....

Today was errand day...Rebecca is off for teacher in service days....so I took her with me....I worked on my sraproom this morning while listening to Ustream archives of Kathryn on Life on the scrap beach....that was fun, she is so nice....and Gary went to his last day of physical therapy for his foot....after lunch...we headed out...to accomplish all my to do stuff for today....we went to the Goodwill and dropped off some clothes and toys....then we went to the bank...then we went to Sears and took back a dolly that we did not need after all....and I bought my mom and electric throw...so that she can try to stay warm at dialysis....they have turned her machines to the coldest temperatures (this is to keep her from clotting off her access)...she is using two blankets right now and she can't get warm...she says it's like being in a freezer and your blood feels like icicles as they are pumping it back in...:O....So...we bought her the electric throw... I hope this helps...we then ran it over to her house....she has dialysis in the morning....then we went to Best Buy and returned a mouse pad....but it was 35 days after I bought it...and apparently they have a 30 day return rule even with a receipt....and some stuff is 14 days...wow....did not know that...so basically they have given me a gift card thing for store credit...


Then we went to JC Penny and returned a shirt....which I had bought in early December....they returned my money no problem....and then Rebecca bought some green nail polish at Sephora....for $10.00...I didn't even know nail polish could cost $10.00....

Next stop Hobby Lobby...now granted I did not need to go to Hobby Lobby....but it was in the same parking lot as JC Penny....so, we went in and I looked around....and bought nothing...can you believe it...seriously this does not happen often....I showed great restraint....

Then we were supposed to go to Wal-Mart and buy some AA batteries and get the jewelry dept.  to replace my watch battery....but at this point me and Rebecca were shopped out, and I decided that I didn't mind wearing a watch that had stopped....so we blew it off...we will do the Wal-Mart adventure another day....We would have high-tailed it home....but....we were not done....we had to go check on MaMaw in the nursing home...and take her clean clothes and pick up her dirty clothes...on a side note the nursing home is excellent and gives excellent care and is perfectly willing to do her laundry....but....MaMaw refuses to let them....because....they won't do it right....and she knows I will...or so she tells me anyway....While we were there we filled out her menu for the next week with her, wow....they feed her good....Rebecca and I were getting hungry just reading the list....Mamaw has a new room-mate that she is not too pleased with....she says she plays in the bathroom and stops up the toilet by continually filling it with toilet paper....I asked her how she knew this, because she is blind...and she told me "the nurses told me...."
O....K......and then I suggested that we pull the curtain more closed between her side of the room and the other persons as the other person was trying to sleep...."Oh, heaven's no, don't do that...she will sleep all day and keep me up all night..."....I said  "Why, is she talking to you?"...."No, she just rummages around on my side....riffling thru my things and waking me up in the middle of the night" she said.  As MaMaw is talking to us...she is facing her TV in her wheel chair with her feet propped up on her stool...me and Rebecca are sitting on her bed.........the room-mate comes over and riffles around on Mamaw's table and grabs the candy jar opens the lid and helps herself....and turns around and walks back to her bed...we can hear her clicking the candy in her mouth....me and Rebecca just look at each other....then she comes back and puts a blood pressure cuff behind the candy jar on Mamaw's table (she is hiding it from the aid that is looking for it so he can't take her blood pressure)...she does not talk very much....her daughter comes in to check on her while we were there and Mamaw tells her that she is into her stuff...so the daughter scolds her mom "You can't be messing with that lady's stuff, that's not yours...and stay out of her candy...you're diabetic and shouldn't even be eating that...."...the staff scolds her while we are there....finally she responds loudly "O...K..."...so the daughter leaves and the three staff people leave and a few moments not minutes later here she comes straight for the candy jar....I get up and go over to her and gently remove the candy jar and tell her "no, that's not yours... remember..."..she stops and I notice she has her hand out and I ask her "Did you want to put it back?"...she nods her head up and down...and opens her frail little hand and drops two pieces of the hard candy in my hand....I say "Thank You..." and she goes back to her side of the bedroom....I thank God that he has been working on my patience....and I wonder how long she has had to live with diabetes....and told you can't eat that....no candy for you....and now I have a phone call (to ask permission) and another errand when I venture out again...to buy a new candy jar with some sugar free treats for Mamaws new room-mate...

I love this card I used blue cardstock for the base and raided my stash of scraps for the rest...there is a sheer ribbon and a thin burgandy ribbon layered on top of the red designer paper...I made the rose with a Cricut cartridge and backed it with a silk floral leaf...I cut black cardstock with a Cricut cartridge and used my spellbinders circle die for the image....I used a Penny Black image and sentiment...I colored the image with Tom-bo and Stamp-In Up markers...I used my postage scissors and edged the sentiment and inked it with Tim Holtz  distress ink and popped it up with pop dots....I used an EK Success scallop punch for the side edge....

The process of coloring this image was heartwarming for me and I am encouraged that as I progress on this journey I will find inspiration and great joy....

Blessings
Sherry

The fog and the mouse

Hello,

Today was beautiful....I woke up to fog...rolling...misty....fog....it always reminds me of God...all encompassing....mysterious....and shows up suddenly in your midst....I love the accronym of F.O.G. it stands for the favor of God....isn't that beautiful....

I made a card today and when it uploads I will show it to you....it has a mouse...I'm not too keen on mice but I love this one he is just adorable....he is floating in the air in a hot air balloon in a basket and throwing out handful after handful of flowers and love....it makes me smile just to look upon it's cuteness...

I did a blog hop today on Our Daily Bread Design Blog....and it was the most incredible hop I have ever done....the theme was about the strength of God in relation to meeting all of our needs in the midst of any storm...and tied it into the sea and ocean...they were also using the old hymn that always speaks to me called "It is well with my Soul"...this is one of my favorite hymns as it always brings strength and peace whenever I hear it...or ponder it....I also, love the newer spin on it by Ray Boyles I think it's called "The Anchor Holds"....but I'm not sure if I spelled his name right or remembered the title of this song....but whatever the case...this song is soooo amazing....some of the lyrics that are constant on my mind these days are "The anchor holds, in spite of the storm, the anchor holds, tho the sails are tattered,  the anchor Holds in spite of the storm....." there are some days when this is all I can say, think or pray.....

Rebecca had her last Junior High Basketball game last night...it was fun....and now I am trying to plan a party for both the girls and boys teams....they need a memory....and I need some more pictures....this has been a wonderful season for them all....

Well, apparently my pictures have still not up-loaded....so I will hurry up and wait...obviously I need to work on my patience....

Have a blessed evening
Sherry

Holly's Trip and A Prize

Wow, it's been another beautiful Sunday....Church was amazing...and I have just gotten back from having lunch with Gary, Rebecca and Holly....Holly is going on an adventure tomorrow to Arizona for a work conference with lots of exciting classes....she's a crafty girl too....loves, loves, loves every thing about jewelry...wearing jewelry, making jewelry and teaching others how to make it....I should have had an inkling that this would be the direction she would be heading, since she has always been a "Jewel" of a child to raise...and she always sparkles and shines...a beautiful Jewel from God...she will be gone for about nine days....please keep her in your prayers for a safe passage to and from and for peace and security as she ventures out....Thank you for your prayers....God is good all the time and all the time God is good....

Now, guess what ???

I was going thru emails this afternoon and found out something Amazing....I have won a blog candy prize and it will be announced Monday...so I don't think I can tell you yet....but I think I can after she posts it on her blog....wow, wow, wow....I have never won any blog candy before...this is very exciting....I will keep you posted....

I hope you have a beautiful and peaceful Sunday afternoon....
Blessings
Sherry

Jr.High Basketball last Away game...

We just got back from Lake Jackson and had a great time at the basketball games with Rebecca's team and the Jr. High boys team....these kids have really developed their game this season... it was great watching them come up against the tallest girls they have ever played...and they did not faint.... Rebecca is tall herself...one of the girls on the other team Rebecca nicknamed "The Great Wall Of China"...this girl was tall and strong and could play this game and play it well....it was hilarious watching our girls try to jump high enough to try and block her....and play defense on her... and try to shoot with her on them... and not to mention our girls trying to get up on her and take the ball away....they were like gnats trying to bother a bear...but the bear took no notice of them, and when they did try to take her down... they pinged off of her , like the bear had some sort of gnat repellent on....up and down the court they went....legs pumping, pony-tails flying in the wind...and the showdown at the net was...well, it was not hoop dreams...it was more like "Shoot, Shoot...." and our girls are like..."I can't, there's a tree (insert very tall and clever girl) in my way...."....dribble, dribble, dribble....skuffle, skuffle, shove, poke, smack, shoot, shoot, shoot....and then they are running down the court...with each little "hoop encounter" the pony-tails are becoming more miss-aligned and askew....sweat is beading down their beautiful faces....some of them are looking like "Bob, the Tomatoe..."....and still the game goes on....skuffle, skuffle, shove, poke, smacK....slap, squeak, skid....thud....some of them have literally "Hit The Wall"....they get knocked down...and they get up...no, they don't cry...they get mad and they want to win at all costs....so when the dust settles....and my child comes to me...and sits down on the bleachers....I notice another swollen...green, yellow and purplish color on her knee...I reach out to comfort her and she Yells:  "Don't touch me there, I'm fine... just don't touch me there...O...K....".....My child is a sports kid....I never know what she will find in the morning when she wakes up....there have been mornings that she has awoken with aches and pains and bruising....as she says..."Where did that come from...."go figure...I wonder how many of our girls are going to wake up tomorrow and say...."Where did that come from".....

Now on to the Jr. High boys game...it was an awesomely close game....feet pounding, pulses racing...hearts thumping....sweat pouring....wow...I felt like I was on the court....it's an amazing transformation that takes place in gangly jr. high boys when they step on the court to "PLAY" (and I use this term loosely)....they seem to add a whole new dimension to the game...I saw soccer plays, football tackles, track hurdles, baseball throw-downs to second base....seriously, the basketball was thrown down court from the hoop and went completely out of bounds, several times... and if all else fails just body slam-um....these boys know the pain of hitting the floor hard...then...jumping smack dab in the middle of a free for all for the ball...they don't seem to understand the boundaries of their physical bodies....it's like watching a dog play fetch....they don't get tired....they don't stay down, writhing in pain... no, they get knocked down and they jump back up... they get slammed into walls. and they laugh...they repel off of each other in massive waves from the aftermath of multiple collisions...they have no fear....all they know is "Get The Ball"...and "Get Out Of My Way"....FIERCE....I tell ya......they are FIERCE....

it's a shame to see the season end.... our girls and  guys are just getting warmed up...

You've got to love a kid that can take a lickin and keep on ticking...you should see all their little determined faces...I can almost hear what they are thinking..."You think you got game...we'll see....Bring It"....

The last game of the season is next Tuesday....I'll be there....and I'll keep you posted....

My first card to enter in a blog challenge

Today, has been beautiful...a cool, breezy, sunshiny kind of early spring day.....I know....I know....we are supposed to be in winter mode....Well, I live in Texas... and the weather changes about as often as the clock chimes...

I have been in jeans and a light sweater today....I am happy to inform you that I seem to be energized just by the appearance of my old friend Mr. Sun....well, Hello sunshine....sit down and stay awhile....I have not been tired at all today....and the only change is....the sun came out.....God help me if I have to move somewhere with no sun for long periods of time.....I think it would be quite rough to say the least...and I might turn into Rip Van Winkle.....

Guess What ???


I have finally decided to enter my first card EVER in a Blog Challenge....and I like the way it turned out...the only requirement was to use the scripture presented on the blog "Word Art Wednesday" or another scripture or up-lifting quote with your ART....Well, I figure if it's got the word in it, my time won't be wasted....so I dove right in and came up with this card....I'm just not sure which picture to submit...and how to link it to my project page....since I blog....here....and I don't have any other pages....I think this is the correct page...at least....I hope so....we shall see....this is like going on an adventure and you just don't know what's going to happen around the corner....but you keep going....just to see what happens next....What do you think of the card...and which picture shows it off the best....to submit....

The link to the challenge is:  http://wordartwednesday.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html
This is part of the Word Art Wednesday Challenge they do each week....this is fun and I hope some of you can join in on the fun....there is a prize....but, I have no idea what it is....if I find out I will let you know....

Here in photo #1- I took a straight shot of it laying flat on the black background.....

On photo #2 - I took the shot with the card standing up and tried to get as much light as possible on it....to show the depth of the colors and the degree of layering....

On this photo #3 - I angled the card slightly...and I love the way the light is cast on the card...I think this is the best photo to submit....but,  I'm not positive....

On photo  # 4 -  I tried to get a side angle so that you could see the dimension on the flowers, leaf, bling, and layers of paper and ribbon...I am  not sure which picture is best to submit....what do you think....


Oh, I forgot to tell you how I made the card....first I used black cardstock for the base it measured 8 x 5 and a half wen it was folded, I used my scoreboard...next I layered some gold vellum slightly smaller than the base that I used a Martha Stewart punch on the edge and glued it to the black cardstock...then I used a piece of red designer paper from DCWV Mariposa pack cut it down to 8 x 4 and a half and I also edged it with the same Martha Stewart punch (it is not marked...so I do not know the name, they should label these so people can buy them, when somebody does something cool with them that you just NEED to DO to....but you don't know the name of their punch....)...I then inked the edges with Tim Holtz -Vintage Photo Distress Ink (I love this stuff, I can do soooo many amazing things with it...and it looks like I am amazing...but really its just the ink doing it's own inky thing)....I then raided my ribbon stash...don't ask me what kind....all I know is it's soft, transparent, organza like and silky on the paper and slippery in my fingers....and I have it in several colors...perfect for cards and bows...but I did not put a bow...I tried but it looked tacky....I tucked the ends of the ribbon behind the designer red paper and glued it down...I love the gold peeking out from under the red...it thrills me....and then I used some of my stash that I had made out of black cardstock with my new Cricut cartridge called "Art Philosophy" from Close to my Heart (it's an exclusive of theirs, and it really is....AMAZING....this is me singing....:)....)...I used two different sizes of something frilly...if you really want to know, leave a comment and I will go look it up....I then took my sentiment and ran it thru my cuttlebug on white cardstock and used a spellbinders Labels Eight (the fourth one if you are counting smallest to largest, since there are six in this set)...I then inked it to look like suede or leather...with...what else...Tim Holtz - Vintage Photo Distress Ink...I told you I can do amazing things with this stuff....and then I popped it up with some foam dimensionals...and laid it on top of the black frilly circle things...and then I grabbed my stash of paper Roses...yes, I have a stash....I made these while I was at the softball fields on weekend with Rebecca and Gary....yes, I did....frankly, Honey...I can scrapbook anywhere...and then I grabbed a silk leaf and used my Red tape...you know the good stuff and stuck the roses and leaf in place...trust me...they are on lock down now....and finally I had to add a little bling....because....because....it's my card....and I wanted it on there....so I DID IT MYYYYYYYY WAY....Oh wow, excuse my loud letters they are just way to excited about this card....if you have any questions about this card that I did not answer, leave a comment and I will get back to ya....






Enjoy what's left of this beautiful day....


Blessings
Sherry

A sleepy day ponderings

Hello....today has been a little strange...we are supposed to be in winter mode right....well, we are in gray skys, misty, sometimes a few sprinkles of rain and temps in the upper sixties, it's been like this for days ....I think it feels weird...I can't seem to tell my days from my nights when the weather stays like this...for example I did not want to get out of bed this morning....and I stayed in bed a whole eleven minutes after my alarm went off....this is not normal for me...I usually wake up a little before my alarm actually goes off or if I sleep till it goes off I then easily get up...because I have things to do, I have everything timed out, I have a routine and if I deviate from it on school mornings things can get a little sticky, so I try to keep it moving....get up, get dressed, get breakfast for three, make Rebecca's lunch for school, feed the dog, let the dog out, let the dog in, unlock the shop, make sure Rebecca is up and getting ready, she usually is...but this morning we were both dragging...I told you it was a weird kind of day...I drove her to school in a haze....it was not foggy outside...it seemed to be foggy inside of my head....and then I went to Walmart to pick up a few things for us and Mammaw, she needs socks and black knee highs...when I got home this morning I started the laundry, made the beds, did the dishes, emptied the trash, put up the groceries....all the while, feeling tired.....which is strange for me, I am a morning person and have the most energy at the start of my day, but apparently, not today....I decided to sit down and rest while I removed the packaging and stickers and plastic brad things that hold socks together these days and write Mammaw's name in her white socks and unwrap her black knee highs and put them in pairs....well, I discovered that in one of the packages of knee highs they only had three knee highs and it was a two pair pack, so there should have been four altogether....but they short changed me....I have decided not to mention this to Mammaw....because....I don't have I have the energy to go into a lengthy discussion of the value of a dollar...(this two pair pack of knee highs cost $1.24, where they came up with that number I will never know)....If I tell her about this she will tell me I should take them back and don't let them short change me....and they need to know that the package said two pair, and it only had one and a half pair...and I should not have to pay for two pair when they only gave me one and a half pair....etc.....etc.....I can almost quote you ver-ba-tum what she will say....:0....so please, let's just keep this to ourselves and she will never know....I see no need to stress her out over one little missing knee high...I got a phone call from her the other day while I was at the scrapbook expo she left me a message, she said ".I need for you to pick me up some plain ol chapstick, nothing expensives....no scented kinds or expensive brands like carmex....no it needed to be plain"...so, I got her plain....I will take it to her tommorrow if the weather does not turn bad...her clothes should be dry by then I hope...

In the meantime I took mom in to check her access and get an ultra sound done to see if she needed surgery to get it unclotted, her dialisis nurses thought it may be clotting off...apparently the term..."The thrill is gone"... does not mean what it used to mean...:)....but her "Thrill" in her arm fistula is still strong....and she does not need surgery yet....Praise God for little blessings like this...it makes my day.....

Rebecca had a basketball game this afternoon... we went.... they played well.... we came home.... ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.... she did her homework and studied for her tests.... then Gary and Rebecca loaded up and went to softball practice...did I mention it's drizzling outside now...so here I sit on the couch.... I'm still tired.and my eyes feel very fuzzy....I fell asleep at lunch.....and I'm still tired....it's not even 8:30pm and it feels like midnight....it's weird...I will be glad when the weather clears up....

If I wasn't soo tired I would go and work on my Starbucks mini album....but apparently, I need a blankie and some warm milk or cocoa....I can't go to bed yet...Gary and Rebecca aren't home yet, and I have to tell them goodnight....but if I'm asleep on the couch when they finally show up....that counts right...I stayed up....I didn't go to bed....that counts right...

goodnight and may the Lord bless you with a peaceful nights sleep
Sherry