Finally....

If you have visited lately, you have probably noticed I keep changing my background. After much searching I think I finally found a keeper. I loved the bold colors in a few of the others and what I love about this one are the colors but also the torn paper look.

With the world all buzzing about being "green" I wanted to show you a few of my favorite recycling projects just for fun.
These are all thanks to Jenn who taught me all about decoupaging.

An old trunk Sarah and I did as our first project

A set of clear glass plates with scrapbook paper

to match my bedroom

I couldn't find the wallpaper I wanted,

so I made me a quilt pattern
using about 15 different scrapbook patterns

A locker I purchased at a church yard sale in the midst of being papered

An old window frame with original paint

filled with outdated Mary Engelbreit calendar pages

My dressing room done with wallpaper samples

Those have been fun to do. Taking old things from scrap piles, salvage stores and yard sales. Some were made with brand new things and used in ways beyond what they were meant to be. There are lots more things I could show, but you get the picture. I think my favorite is my foyer. It took months of deciding on exactly which scrap book papers to use and decide how many sheets I would need of each pattern. Then when I actually started the project, it took forever or so it seemed. I would work on it a while and get tired and stop. A few miscalculations were made on the amount of paper. Some of my favorite patterns were purchased at the beach. I had friends who went back to try and find more of the same. When that didn't always work out I realized I would have to work new patterns into the mix. What I ended up with is one of my favorite spots in our house.

Below you will see the really big recycling project that is underway. It has been going on for way too many years to count. It has taken a lot of time and effort on the Crafter's part. Bless His heart... He must be worn out by now. I wonder how many times scrapping the whole thing seemed like the best thing to do.

Huh... "never"... you never thought once about throwing this one out!?!? Wow...

You see, we are all works of art in the greatest masterpiece ever. He knows that we are all worth saving. Once He has pulled us out of the scrap heap that we have worked our way into - we become little pieces of Him. We won't all end up in famous art galleries. He places us where we can reflect Him the best. So, wherever He has placed you today, be glad and rejoice and remember you are an ever changing reflection of your Creator. Hopefully we will all reflect Him bigger and better today than we did yesterday.

See ya ~ gotta go dance ~ it's raining outside and a little splashing around does a body good!

after all...Life isn't about how to survive the storm but how to dance in the rain!

piddly litte prayers

The sermon topic for the third and final week at SCC was the subject of prayer. Hub's closing remark hit home as he closed in a very powerful prayer.

All of a sudden I realized that according to who God is... my prayers have been way to small.

Here is a thought... imagine Bill Gates has a son/daughter who wants or needs a new phone- Bill who could hook them up with the latest and greatest gets this request from them . . .

Hey dad, I saw in the paper that Walmart has their Trac Phones on sale this week. Do you think we could get me one?

Can you imagine how Bill would feel? Like his child didn't have a clue who he was or what he was.

Father forgive me for the countless times I have come into your presence and been clueless to who You really are. Lead me to immeasurably more in my prayer life.

God can do anything, you know— far more than you could ever imagine or guess
or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, His Spirit deeply and gently within us. ~ Ephesians 3:20

Where have all the flowers gone?

You'd have to come real close to being a bona fide "hippie" to remember that tune. But as I started thinking about this time of year and what it represents at our house, the words of the song kept coming to mind.

It was Ray who stirred my heart to think about such things - and there it was...

The mailbox.

To an untrained eye, it was just a normal mailbox on any given day of the week. But it's our mailbox on the first day of school. There are no more kids standing by our mailbox. That was the place we hurried off to before we left for the first day of school. I will have to confess that some years, the picture was probably made a week or so after school started. It was a picture record of how Jenn, P.J. and Sarah had grown from year to year.

I love to look at the old photos. The first year it wasn't even beside the mailbox and Jenn would probably kill me if I posted that one. She was (and still is) a beautiful child. The best mom ever to two very special little characters. P.J. is a self-employed brick mason, who still has the same tender heart he had as a child. Then there is Sarah. The other day my mom was kind of worried about her changing careers. I asked her "when has Sarah ever not landed on her feet?" Jennifer once asked what we did for entertainment before Sarah came along.

They are an amazing group of people. I miss the days by the mailbox. But I am thankful for new days and new places beyond the mailbox. I am glad that God allowed me to be part of their family!

Thinking about our my days as a "hands-on" mom, I think about all the times I goofed up so bad I sometimes cringe when we all get together and we take a stroll or two down memory lane. Often some of the memories seem more like night mares than sweet dreams.

Ahhhhh.... but then there is little thing called GRACE. Actually it's not a little thing at all. It's a great big thing my family and friends offer me when I have done an "A-number-one job" of being a total wretch.

Today Lord, help me to offer it to others with the same eagerness that I want to receive it. God bless our families each and every one... no matter what they look like.

Home

Home. Hopefully it's a safe haven from the world for you. The place you cannot wait to get to at the end of the day.

This summer we had fun going to Charleston with our friends Larry and Tracy. It was sweet, beach by day (every day), pool in the afternoon and some of the best food ever in the evenings. I had my very first blueberry pie and never would have guessed I would love it so much. The best part was getting to spend time with our friends. As much fun as the trip was, it was good to be back home.

Most recently I have traveled back and forth to Raleigh for the birth of my granddaughter Charlotte Ruth, for her heart surgery when she was three days old. The next trip we went so Ray could see Jenn, Tim, Sam and Charlotte. The final trip was to help out when Charlotte was released from the hospital in record time. As much as I loved being with Jenn and her family during this very sweet and sacred time, when I walked into my bedroom on Saturday, it was good to be home.

When we've been away for fun or for difficult and unsure times, coming home usually represents a time back to what we know as normal. Back to a normal work week or routine. Back home because circumstances are well enough for life to resume the normal pace.

When I woke up Sunday morning it was as though I heard "welcome home" in my head. I thought it was funny because I had thought about being glad to be home, but this was welcome home.

I got dressed and headed off to church. As I looked at the bulletin I realized that we were observing The Lord's Supper. I remembered that was what we did our first Sunday at SCC back in January. At the beginning of the service we watched a video about The Lord's Supper and they spoke of being at home.
http://www.sermonspice.com/videos/840/suppertime--short-version-
When I heard the word "home" it literally took my breath. I asked of the Lord... is this my home? It doesn't feel like home, but then, I guess when Abraham followed God and pitched his tent it didn't either. I wondered if we would have to take that step of faith and cross on over before it will feel like home.

Father I trust you because you are a faithful God. You have walked me up many a mountain from the deep valleys below. On those days when it didn't seem like there was any reason to carry on... bless your heart... you carried me and on we went. We have cried, we have laughed and we have danced, oh, we have danced. I thank you for dancing feet, feet that long to be at home, wherever that is.
I love you :)