Been Scrappin'

Finally snagged some time to catch up a bit on my scrappin'! These are three pages using sets by Doris Castle (www.castle-creations.com).

"The Kitchen Help" is actually a quickpage called Love and Lace. Totally fast! I tried a new black and white conversion method which can be found on my Digital Art Tips blog (see link at right).

"Here Kitty Kitty" is a simple page showing my son chasing after our kitten. The papers are from Doris Castle's Wood kit and the alpha is from her Stamps and Spots set. The cat is a ding and I drew the pawprints.

"Glorious Fall" showcases some of the many photographs that I talked about taking the other morning. I used Doris' Glorious Fall kit for this layout.

Thanks for looking!

Mr. I-Wanna-Buy-Sumfin!

Last week, my 3 year old son was cracking me up. He had gotten a hold of a toy catalog and was literally pouring over it. Every thirty seconds or so, he would come running to me exclaiming, "I wanna buy sumfin!" His enthusiasm was hilarious! I am so excited that I captured a bit of it in this photo!

I figured the pictures along with the title pretty much tell the story by themselves. I used a bunch of doo dads from Mo Jackson (www.mojackson.com) to create this layout. Most of them are from her Michael kit, but the title paper is from her Primitive Scrapbook kit and the blue electrical tape is from her new Construction Site kit.

Retro-Modern

I must be really old and out of the loop. A few weeks ago, my oldest daughter, Elizabeth, was trying to describe something to me and called it "retro-modern." It just cracked me up and I explained how that was an oxymoron of sorts.

Retro = old and Modern = new.

I have been teasing her of late; asking her if she considers this or that "retro-modern." Then I find THIS (see image link above). Yes, just call me old and totally NOT with it!

Don't you just love Fall!

I have to say that this is my favorite time of year. The other morning I walked outside to witness the most glorious sunrise! There was a foggy mist still clinging to the fields and everything was bathed in beautiful golden rays of sunlight. It was one of those times when you just can't deny the presence of God! So, I snapped a ton of photos! I edited a few for use in this Sunday's worship service. This one is just one example.

Is this fun, or what! I recall reading something about this several years ago, but had forgotten all about it. Sounds like a fun project to do with the kids - perhaps you could even all it educational! Clikc the image above (it's a link) for more details.

POWER!

Art for worship!

Surprising Find of the Day

Not exactly something I wanted to find! This morning I discovered we had left a colander out on the kitchen counter with grapes in it. When I looked in it, I discovered a dead black spider. Ewwww.....I went to dispose of the grapes and the spider flipped over to reveal a bright red hourglass on its belly! Now, I have never in my lifetime seen a black widow spider, but have heard about them. My mom tells the story of how she was told that black widows have a red hourglass on their belly and she always wondered WHO in their right mind would flip one over to check its belly. It wasn't until years later as an adult that she discovered one in a web under her dining room chair that she realized they hang suspended upside down in their web and you can't miss that red hourglass. Well, I am none too happy to discover this little guy in my kitchen. I am just hoping that he didn't have a wife hanging out and laying eggs! We do know he is a boy. I love the instant information at a click of a button with the internet! We looked up black widows and discovered that this one was small with extra markings which meant it was a boy. I also discovered that in the desert areas of the southwest, there are varieties that have 1 1/2" long bodies and and have a spread of 3 - 4" with their legs. Ick!!! Feeling thankful to be living in the Midwest!

Okay, I must be totoally blog happy because I just started ANOTHER blog. This one is more for myself, but I thought others might appreciate it, too.

So often, I come across these great tips for improving my photos or creating digital art. I usually bookmark them but then forget about them or have trouble finding them again. So, I decided that as I come across ones I really like, I would document them in one place. This new blog, Digital Art Tips is it. I will get a link on the sidebar for it, as well.

Time...First Time...Early Time

Time...First Time...Early Time

That is the theme of Elizabeth George in the first chapter of her book, "Life Management for Busy Women" which I just began reading for the second time. What is she referring to? Reading God's Word daily.

First we need to make time. Because to lead a fruitful life, we must be connected to God (see John 15:4-5). And the easiest way to stay connected to God is through His own inspired Word, the bible.

Next we need to give God our FIRST time. Just as Proverbs 3:9 says, "Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops," we must honor the Lord with the firstfruits of the time in our day, as well.

And we need to make sure that these first moments of our day are EARLY time. The bible gives us plenty of examples of men of God seeking God early in the day. Abraham - Genesis 19:27 , David - Psalm 5:3, and even Jesus himself - Mark 1:35.

I want to live a life that makes a difference. I know that *I* can't do that on my own; that will only happen through God's power. For God to be able to use me, I need to stay connected to Him and the best way to do this is by communing with Him first thing, early in the morning through reading His Word and prayer. This is not a new concept for me.

Over the past 10 years or so, I have really tried to find a time in my day to commit to bible study and prayer. With small children in the house, this is no easy task! When I would get up early, they would get up early and feel the need to talk to me non-stop. I would try during afternoon naptime, only to struggle to keep my mind focused because I was in the midst of my day and there were a million things from my mental "to do" list floating around in my head. I tried to seek God through His Word in the evening after the children were in bed only to discover that I was just plain exhausted and had difficulty staying awake.

The only time in my day that I have been successful with is first thing EARLY in the morning before everyone is awake. Right now, my goal is to be awake between 5 and 6am. I get completely cleaned up and dressed (learned that from Flylady), make my coffee, and sit down to have some quiet time with God. After years of doing this, my body's internal clock wakes me early AND my children know that if they get up early, to leave me alone. I may have to remind them that I am having my quiet time, but they have learned that I am in a much better humor if they let me be to have that time. ;) I know that 5am sounds terribly early, but you have to do what you have to do. For another example of an early riser, check out Laine's Letters. I believe she gets up by 4am!

The only other struggle I have with trying to have my quiet time is that because I am such a computer geek, I love to do my bible studying at the computer. I am a big fan of the Bible Gateway site. It is wonderful to be able read a passage of the bible in another version with just a click of a mouse button. BUT because of this, it is SO easy to get tempted to read a couple of e-mails or visit a favorite site BEFORE I commune with God. I am recommiting to my special early time with God. I have the words, "Time...First Time...Early Time" posted by my desk to remind myself that God deserves my firstfruits of my time.

I don't know how many out there reading this feel this same way. Do you struggle making your life one of purpose? Will you do this with me? I am committing to reading God's Word first before I read anything else in a day. I will do everything in my power to set aside the early portion of my day for God and communicating with Him. I really hope that you reading this will join me. I am praying that you will!

Revive me

Just sharing some of this week's art for worship.

Mega Digital Scrapbook Kit

Crafters United is a group of crafters that have banded together to raise money for hurricane relief. Their original goal was to raise $1000. This has been so successful that their goal has been upped to $15,000! You can read more about this at their site.

I am proud to be a part of a group called the Element Kit Gang. It is an e-mail group mentoring others and teaching the techniques to create digital scrapbook element kits. Our group has banded together to create a HUGE mega kit which will be offered for sale as part of Crafters United. Purchase information may be found here. This kit will sell for only $10 and includes well over 700 MB of goodies already and it still not quite complete.

This is the mini scrapbook kit I created as part of the mega kit. It includes 8 12" x12" backgrounds, and 6 coordinating elements.

DooDads for Donating

Mo Jackson is doing something a little different with her orphans this month on her website (www.mojackson.com). To get them this month all you have to do is make a donation to the Red Cross to get them. I did it!!! Will you join me?

A Reminder

in difficult times of who our source of strength is:

...another bit of art for tomorrow's worship services.

Project Noah

It is a blessing to see so many people across the country stepping forward and doing what they can to help those who have been devastated by Katrina. I discovered this organization that caught my attention as a homeschooler. Project Noah (see link above) is set up to replace homeschool curriculum for families who have gone through a crisis. As it was stated on their website, most homeschooling families displaced by Katrina are not thinking about curriculum right now, BUT when they do, Project Noah will be prepared to help. They work in a unique niche of need. They accept both donations of money as well as new and gently used curriculum. More details are on their site.

Borders for Relief

I just purchased a new set of photo borders from Blair. She is selling them and donating ALL of the proceeds to the American Red Cross for hurricane relief. But today is the last day! The details can be found here: Blair's Borders You do need some version of Photoshop to use them because the ten wonderful borders come as a single 10 layer .psd file. I sent her money through PayPal and she sent me the borders within the hour. Great service!!! I just wanted to pass this great, generous offer that she has made along. Run - don't walk to go check it out!!!

I discovered this deal on Jen's Digi Scrappin blog this morning. She has compiled a list of wonderful, generous digital scrappers offering special deals and kits to raise money for Katrina relief.

Survival of New Orleans Blog

Survival of New Orleans Blog info that you don't hear in the media and photos posted by someone in the city.

Rattled Baby another blog with lots of info about the status of New Orleans

Blog for Relief

According to this site today is Blog for Relief day. Many in BlogLand are encouraging others to donate to charities helping those in need in the areas hit by Katrina.

My children and I were discussing this morning about Hurricane Katrina and what it has done to SO MANY people - families just like ours. We sit here so far removed, but I can't help but have a desire to help. But how? First of all we can pray. God is a worker of miracles! He can use this difficult situation and use it for good. "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him." (Romans 8:28) Prayer is powerful and if we would lift our concerns for those who have lost much and are in desperate situations, God will do amazing things. Another way to help, of course, is financially. There are many wonderful organizations that are prepared to provide just the right help in these type of situations. If you'll notice, I have provided a link on the right to one of them. The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) is a not for profit organization providing disaster and hunger relief all over the world. One of their distribution depots is located right in Jackson, Mississippi and right now providing supplies without the need to ship them. If you also are feeling a desire to help, please lift everyone affected by Katrina up in your prayers and consider donating to assist in the massive relief effort that is needed to put lives back in order.

Book of Proverbs

I took a few minutes this morning to roam around BlogLand and discovered this link on Angie Pedersen's blog: Book of Proverbs. It is about creating a personal family Book of Proverbs using common everyday proverbs such as "Look before you leap" and "A stitch in time saves nine." The idea is to read the first part of the proverb to your child/children and have them tell you the last part. Could make for some interesting and funny bits of wisdom! I think this may be a fun project to begin and start collecting for our own book!