Thursday, July 31, 2008

Speechless


I just finished a book today that I feel everyone should read! It was seriously life changing for me and the way I think about the Lord and his place in my life. I know that some of you will know what I am talking about and there will be others who think I am just a Jesus freak or something (that's okay with me)! I know for so many people the biggest question is why would Jesus cause so much pain or better yet why does he allow such bad things to happen to such good people? As valid as that question is there has never been a good answer, has there? Every one of us has a shack of our own, we are a bruised and broken society. What are you dealing with Do you need healing in some area of your life? Well, this book provides one of the best depictions of what our God really feels and thinks and is such an amazing book of healing. I will share with you one of the passages that stood out to me. This passage is speaking in reference to unspeakable tragedies and this is God's remark..."Don't ever assume that my(God) using something (speaking of tragedies) means I caused it or that I need it to accomplish my purposes. That will only lead you to false notions about me. Grace doesn't depend on suffering to exist, but where there is suffering you will find grace in many facets and colors." Are you kidding me? I am so blown away by the message in this book that I am rendered speechless.

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Terrible Two's anyone?


Would you like to see what I found today upon entering the living room/dinning room? You've got it! That would be my 18 month old son, Jonah. Yes oh yes had has learned the art of climbing, of course I took a quick snapshot before getting him down. There he was with no regard for Daddy's laptop or big brother's site words or (if you look real close, not too close though)(lol) Mommy's scrappin corner. Oh man, it's gonna be a long rest of the summer with him! Just thought I'd share, hee hee! Good night everyone!

Okay I give!



Well a couple of weeks ago my sistah Tonya posted about her Bestie (BFF) and challenged all of us followers (of her blog) to make something nice for our Besties! It was just what I needed, a little boost. You see, I have been wanting to make a card for my BFF for a while now but I only get a small amount of time at my scrap-table and so my time is usually spent making the needed cards (you know for all the occasions) Anyway, I made this card for my BFF last week but then I ended up with Bronchitis and have been on the couch for the last three days so I haven't been able to do anything else. So, I'm gonna give in and post this before I even give it to her! I'll tell you a little about my BFF! We became friends in Kindergarten (can you believe that?) We were in a ton a classes together in school and we lived on the same street (about 20 houses apart). We have stayed friends all through our great times and the few not so great times. Through our good choices in life and our very bad choices (Lees, if your reading this you know what those are! lol!) And then to top things all off I married her big brother who is the love of my life and I can't imagine life without, so she is now my SIL! How great is that! We may not get to talk every day or hang out as much as we would like (she has a love of her life too) but we always love each other and know that no one can ever fill the other ones shoes! I love her so much and so this post is for her! Hats off to all the BFF's out there!

I am Honored!


I am so honored to receive this award from my girl Tonya over at Stamp Happens! Thanks so much Tonya, Love ya girl!


Here are the rules:

Only 5 people allowed.
4 have to be dedicated followers of your blog
One has to be someone new or recently new to your blog and live in another part of the world.
You must link back to whoever gave you the award. Quite simple really it is a way of saying thank you to those who take time out for wonderful comments to boost your day!

Well, I have to say since I gotta give this to five people that are faithful followers of my blog I must start by giving it right back to...

Tonya
She is always the first to leave fab comments!
Jami
Maria
Michelle

And she may not be too new to my blog but she is in another part of the world so...

Beckie

So thanks again for the fabulous award and have a great day!

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Oh what a day!


Well, it's official...I'm totally exhausted. Today was such a loooooonnnnggggg day. It actually all started yesterday when I realized that my washer was broken. You would think one would realize after trying to wash the same load of towels three times that the dog-gone thing was broken, but no. Anyway, three year old high efficiency front loaders and now I'm washing clothes at my Mom's. Oh, I was so bugged. Anyway, then I take my son to the Dr's only to find out(after 4 hours) that he has pneumonia! Are you kidding me? The poor boy has had a crappy summer so far. Then I wake up at 3:00am to find out that we have no power and continued to have no power until about 3:30 today. Oh my, it was so hot in here but all is well now though I will be at my Mom's for the next couple of days doing my laundry. The repair man will be here on Mon so hopefully it will be an easy fix. I was, however, able to make another card today for a special friend and her hubby. So I hope you enjoy. Have a great night and hopefully tomorrow will be much better. Good night.

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Another Baby shower, another boy!



SO, I have another baby shower on Sat and I have been getting some things together for her and this is the card that I made. I really love my Bella's and my nestabilities, can you tell? I haven't had a lot of time to work but since my washer is on strike right now (it is broke and waiting for repair) I don't have to do any laundry, right? So that just leaves dishes, oh wait I don't do them either, hee hee. I'm totally kidding although, we do have a new summer toy. My Mom just had her pool put in this week so while they were filling it up with water I took the kids over there to play! We cannot wait til the weekend! Needless-to-say, you can see where we'll be for the rest of the summer!

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Loads of Love!



Well, last night just wasn't my night for card making, probably because I was supposed to be going to the grocery store, instead I was up trying to work on some of the SCS sketch challenges. I swear I made three of the same card and still wasn't thrilled with the final card but it's okay, I guess. I used CTMH paper and a stamp set from Stampin Up. Of course I used my nestabilities, did I mention that I love them? LOL!

Sunday, July 13, 2008

Introducing my new goodies!


Okay so I had a few minutes today to play with my new stuff! Whoo Hoo, I had so much fun! My hubby took the girls down to Cobo Hall for the big FLW weigh-in (fishing stuff). We were originally all going but my oldest son isn't feeling well so I stayed home with the boys while they went. Anyway, lets get to the good stuff! A couple of months ago I ordered the petals & stems set from Verve Stamps but until now I hadn't inked them up. Well, today was their lucky day! I also ordered my first set of nestabilities in May but they were on backorder until last week. I received them on Friday and absolutely could not wait to try them out. I must say I LOVE them so much! I can't wait to get the other sets, my birthday's in Oct for anyone who is interested. Hee hee! Just Kidding, unless of course my Mom is reading this, hint hint. Anyway, I combined the new goodies and this is what I got so here's my card for the day. Enjoy!

Saturday, July 12, 2008

My Mini Makeover






I am the Infant room director at my church and about a month ago I was asked to make our infant room more inviting. Have I mentioned the fact that I have had a sick family for the past month? Well, it ended up taking me a whole month to get it done, I had everything ready and at my house within three days but that's when the sickness started. It went from one person to another and now one month later I am still dealing with sick kids. However, I was able to get up to the church today for a couple of hours to work(with the help of my dear friend Kathy)on putting everything up. I have to say, I was so excited when I was done. It looks so cute! I made a table topper and some curtains to match, I bought some wood letters and my sister painted them for me, and I made two signs. The before picture is not very clear but you'll get the idea. So anyway, it's so nice to have that all taken care of and now maybe I can get to my workspace (a little corner of our table) and get some cards or layouts done. I just got some new goodies and I can't wait to show you guys! Hope you all have a great night!

Friday, July 11, 2008

Blog Candy up for grabs!

Head over to my stampin sistah, Maria's blog for a chance to win some great blog candy! Thanks Maria!

Thursday, July 10, 2008

The baby's on his way!





Okay, so the other day I posted the card that I made for my friend Crystal's baby shower and I said in that post that I was working on a quilt for her new baby. Well, the time has come that I can post it. So I am going to repost the card along with the quilt. Here ya go. Have a nice night.

Oh, I almost forgot!


I do have a project that I forgot to post! I made this shadow box for my daughter's first grade teacher. On the last day of school I like to give the teachers a Thank you gift for being so instrumental in the development of my children. This year especially, not only did Sarah have a great teacher who stayed after school to get Sarah up to her appropriate reading level but she became my friend as well. I used little black hearts because I did not get permission to post her daughters pictures on the Internet but you can see how cute this turned out. I cased the page from our CTMH catalog and all products are CTMH except the frame which I bought at Joann's.

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Dave Ramsey sums it up!

This is a recent writing from Dave Ramsey and it just sums up everything that I have been feeling. He is much more articulate than I am so enjoy! By the way, I am married to a butt scratching bass fisherman but not the kind that he is talking about! Hee hee!


Butt Scratching and Bass Fishing by Dave Ramsey

A couple of weeks ago, I worked late like I sometimes need to do to run my business. It was a nice
Tennessee summer evening, and I was enjoying the drive home. About 7:30, as I pulled to a stop light a
few blocks from my office, I noticed a light on in the corner office of a friend's office building. Through the
twilight I could make out my friend's silhouette as he bent over his desk. Being a fellow entrepreneur, I
knew what he was doing.
He was pouring over some receivables. Some turkey hadn't paid him, and he was trying to make his
accounts balance so he would have the cash to make it another day. In that instant, I had a flashback to
some of the ridiculous statements I've been hearing on the talking-head news channels and from
some individuals during this political year. And I'll be honest—I instantly felt the heat of anger flow
through my body.
Let me tell you why. You see, my friend who I saw working late—we'll call him Henry—is a great guy.
He's what you want your son to grow up to be. He loves God, his country, his wife, and his kids. He didn't
have the academic advantage of attending a big-name university. Instead, he started installing heating
and air systems as a grunt laborer after he graduated from high school. He was and is a very hard and
diligent worker, and before long, the boss taught him the trade. But when he was 24, after 6 years of
service, the company he was working for got into financial trouble and laid him off.
Henry still had his tools, so he bought an old pickup to haul around his materials and tools, and suddenly
he was in business. He knew about heating and air-conditioning, but not about business, so he made a
lot of mistakes.
He persisted. He took accounting and management at the community college to learn about business.
He started reading books on business, HVAC, marriage, kids, God, and anything else someone he
respected recommended. Today he is one of the best-read men I know. Soon, because of his fabulous
service and fair prices, he developed a great reputation, and his little business began to grow.
Henry started 15 years ago, and now he has 17 employees whose families are fed because he does a
great job. He is in church on Sunday and seldom misses his kids' Little League games. Sometimes he
has to miss a game because some poor soul has their AC go out in the 96-degree Tennessee summer
heat, but Henry makes sure they are served. He is, by all standards, a good man. He is, by all
standards, what makes America great.
Henry and I are friends, and so he asked me some financial questions last year. I learned in the process
that his personal taxable income last year was $328,000. I smiled with pride for this 70-hour a week guy
because he is living the dream.
At the stop light that evening, I also thought of another guy I know—and that is where the anger flash
came from. We will call him John. While John does not have the same drive Henry has, I can say that he,
too, is a good man.
John also graduated from high school and did not attend a big-name university. He went to work at a local
factory 15 years ago. When 5:00pm comes around, John has probably already made it to his car in the
parking lot. He comes in 5 minutes late, takes frequent breaks, and leaves 5 minutes early. However, to
his credit, he is steady and works hard.
Over the years, due to his steadiness and seniority, he has worked his way up to about $75,000 per year
in that same factory. He seldom misses his kid's ballgames, but most nights you will find him in front of
the TV where he has become an expert on "American Idol," "The Biggest Loser," and who got thrown off
the island. When he is not in front of the TV, he spends a LOT of time and money bass fishing on our
local lake. He never works over 40 hours a week and hasn't read a non-fiction book since high school.
This is America, and there is nothing wrong with either set of choices. Nothing wrong, that is, until
the politicians and socialists get involved.
I have seen several elitist people on the talking-head channels make the statement lately that people
making over $250,000 per year have a "moral imperative" to pay more in taxes to take care of the
country's problems. This is not only infuriating—it is economically, spiritually, and morally crazy!
Where in the world do these twits get off saying that Henry should be punished for his diligence? If you
are John, where do you get off trying to take Henry's hard-earned money away from him in the name of
your misguided "fairness"? If you want to sit on the lake, drink beer, scratch your butt, and bass fish, that
is perfectly fine with me. I am not against any of those activities and have engaged in some of them
myself at one time or another. But you HAVE NO RIGHT to talk about "moral imperatives" about what
other people have earned due to their diligence. That money is not yours! You want some money? Go
earn some! Get up, leave the cave, kill something, and drag it home.
We are in a dangerous place in our country today. A segment of our population has decided that it is the
government's job to provide all of their protection, provision, and prosperity. This segment has figured out
that government doesn't have the money to give them everything they want, so somebody else has to
pay for it. That is how the "politics of envy" was born. "Tax the rich" has become the mantra of the left,
and this political season it has been falsely dubbed a "moral imperative."
Ninety percent of America's millionaires are first-generation rich. They are Henry. To tax them because
you think it is a "moral imperative" is legalizing governmental theft from our brightest, most charitable, and
most productive citizens.
If I can get a law passed that says you must surrender all your cars to the government because it is the
"moral imperative" of anyone who owns cars to support the latest governmental program, that would be a
violation of private property rights and simply morally wrong. This new "moral imperative" to
redistribute wealth is no different from that. It's the SAME THING!
Please, America, re-think the politics of envy! You are sowing the seeds of our destruction when you
punish the Henrys of our culture.
If you think taxing the populace to support government programs is the best way—and I don't—then at
least tax every single person the same! There are very few Henrys out here who would squawk much
about paying a set percentage of their income—if everyone else did, too. But this idea of some buttscratching
bass fisherman saying government should tax his neighbor and not him—just because his
neighbor has succeeded—must stop.
So the next time an elitist media talking-head starts telling you it is the moral imperative of our culture to
tax my friend Henry, change the channel.
The next time you see someone wealthy who feels guilty and is preaching the politics of envy, change the
channel.
The next time you see some celebrity who feels guilt over their income preaching socialism, change the
channel.
And the next time you run into a misguided, butt-scratching bass fisherman who says the evil rich people
in our culture should have their private property confiscated because that is fair… well just shake your
head walk away—and make sure to vote against his candidate. If he and his type win, God help
America.

© The Lampo Group, Inc. all rights reserved.

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Dishes are done!


This is what happens when one tries to load the dishwasher! Hee hee!

My Everyday!



As I walked into the living room today this is the picture that I saw. All six children playing nicely for a brief moment and I thought to myself, since I cannot post any artwork, I'll post this picture so you can see what my days look like! For most of the morning my living room looks as if a bomb went off but after lunch I am able to clean everything up and it's back to normal (that is until they all wake up!) Sometimes (most of the time) it is craziness but there are some calmer times like this one. Four of them are mine and I am so used to them that I do everything with them. If I need to run to the store for one thing or if I having a ton of errands to do we all head out together but adding two that are not yours puts a little bend in that. They are pretty good but it is definitely a challenge. Anyway, this is my life until 5:00 pm and then it's dinner, playtime, baths, and bedtime! AAhhh, then when it's time for me to enjoy a little time creating I usually crash on the couch! Hee hee. Oh well, gotta love it! Hope you all are having a great day!

Sunday, July 6, 2008

One Nation Under God?

Wow, where do I even start? I haven't had a single minute to produce anything creative lately so first and foremost I am sorry about that. I hope to be able to sit down and create again very soon. I was hoping to make something all fourth of Julyish and post a happy little post wishing everyone a fabulous holiday but honestly I was having a hard time this year finding my warm and fuzzy feelings. Our great nation is in such a delicate state right now and I'm thinking... in less than six months we are going to take an extreme turn one way or another. This morning I experienced a heart warming patriotic service that was quite moving. I normally try to pick one verse from our morning service to take with me throughout the week, pray about, and apply to my daily life. The verse that stood out to me today is found in second Corinthians 7:14 and reads, If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and will heal their land. Wow, I have to take a minute, catch my breath and ask myself, Will God heal this land? Will He forgive the people of their wicked ways? I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that our loving Savior offers complete grace to those to ask but what about the men and women who hold high power in this country and yet defend wickedness and evil in His name? Or even worst yet have chosen to completely deny the fact that this country was founded in His great and holy name by God-fearing men. Remember, the currency that keeps this nation running is inscribed, "In God we Trust" but do we? Some of our current leaders have taken his name right out of the nation. Like for instance a U.S. appeals court recently decided that a high school football coach could not bow his head or take a bow while his students said a pre-game prayer. Are you kidding me? This man was not leading them in prayer or encouraging prayer in any way but simply showing respect to his players and bowing his head or kneeling with them and a some judge had the nerve to say that this is not acceptable! We wonder why our nation is in the shape that it is in but take good look around, our values have slipped through the cracks and what kills me the most is that most of this is done from people who claim to know and love Christ. How can we be Christ-like if we are doing the very things that shame Him? What are we (who claim to be Christians) doing to steer this nation towards Godly morals and standards. We are called by God to stand in His image and share His love with all! Even those who are far far from him. If you say that you are a child of God, ask yourself, what kind of a job are you doing? Join me in making this Independence holiday a day of a renewed people who will engage in making this a great country that is truly "One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all"!