Busy , Busy, Busy!!

Whew..............what a wonderful and verrrry busy week!!!!

We had VBS all week, it was GREAT. . I worked with 4 -6 year olds --- it was so much fun. I taught Kdg. for thirteen years, I had forgotten how much I loved working with that age group. On Friday, the Hospitality team put on an AMAZING luncheon for all the station and crew leaders. IT was yummy!!!

On Friday, I attended an evening Scrapbooking Crop. It was nice to spend an evening with grown-ups. There were more people than expected -- we had ten throughout the evening. I managed to finish up a few 2-page layouts.

On Saturday, it was our sweet girl's FOURTH birthday -- She's getting so big --I just love that kid!!
Here are a few pictures. She wants to be a "Rock-N-Roll" star when she grows up. She wanted a guitar, jewelry and a microphone. As I type this post, I can hear her singing at the top of her lungs -- "I LOVE YOU" -- an original song she wrote and all the VBS songs that she learned last week. LOL





She had a GREAT party and wonderful people to share her special day with her. On a side note, we love Ni Hao Kai Lan in our house. Little Kai Lan happens to be Chinese -- they are FINALLY coming out with Kai Lan toys. Yippeeee!!!!! For Emily's birthday she received the Kai Lan Puzzle and should be receiving the Nie Hao Kai Lan goes to China Video verrry soon. I pre-ordered it on Amazon and it should be coming out in days. While I was at it, I did some early Christmas shopping and bought a few more Kai Lan items to save for that special day. :)

Today we went to church and all the VBS kids performed several of their songs that they learned this past week. IT was fun to see them so excited singing about GOD!!! Then afterwards, despite the rain, we had a fun indoor picnic with everyone.

This week-- we will be just as busy. Emily will be attending CHEERLEADING camp for four days in the afternoon.. While she is at camp -- this will be LOVIN' On BRANDON week --- he gets to choose activities all week that he gets to do with ME. It will be nice to spend 1-on-1 special time with each child. I think Brandon has decided on swimming, a movie, bowling and Chuckie Cheese for his activities.

The following week, Brandon will be going to "SURFIN" camp and it will be LOVIN' On EMILY week. I'm not sure what she has planned for us to do. :)

Next weekend -- I volunteered to help the 4-6th Grade VBS OVERNIGHT camp. It should be FUN and interesting. The theme is SURVIVOR VBS. I haven't worked much with this age group -- my friend Shelly has ME as a tribal leader for 6 girls. LOL She told me she KNOWS that I will do a great job. I hope she's right. :)

As far as cards -- I managed to make ONE tonight. Whooo Hooo for me.

I love Ashley's Etsy Inspired challenges..... This week they have chosen Verbena Custom Blends as their inspiration.

Here is what I chose to use for my inspiration:



Here is my card:



Recipe:

Paper -- PTI -- Aqua Mist, Cream , and Berry Sorbet Cardstock
Stamp -- SU - Crazy for Cupcakes, Hero Arts - Sweetie
Ink -- Copics, PTI - Berry Sorbet, VersaMark Black
Accessories - -SU - Corner Punch, PTI - Vintage Buttons & Ribbon, jewel

I hope you have a WONDERFUL and BLESSED week!!!

Thanks and other stuff...

Happy Monday--

I hope everyone had a great weekend !!
I'm not posting any cards -- but I did want to post a BIG THANK YOU to two different Card Challenge sites.

I was HONORED to be picked as the weekly winner for the Etsy Challenge and was picked as Libby's Favorite for Courtney's Card Challenge. THANKS SO MUCH GIRLS!!!!! You made my day!!!! :)

We had a GREAT 4th of July Weekend!!
On Friday - the kids went to "Firecracker Camp" at a nearby gym and my hubby & I got to spend SIX hours together --ALONE without kids. We had a great day visiting some local museums and had a wonderful lunch out for just the two of us. Then that evening we went to the Royals Baseball Game as a family. The Royals did NOT win, however we still had a great time. The kids enjoyed visiting the "Little K", eating hot dogs/chicken and watching the wonderful Fireworks show after the game. Fortunately, the weather cooperated - the temperatures were fabulous and it didn't rain until AFTER the show was over.

Here a are a few pictures:




The 4th of the July was spent with Family and Friends. We had great food and a great time!!
Afterwards, we came back to our neighborhood and shot off Firecrackers. The sky was FULL of beautiful colors , it was so much fun to watch. There were lots of children around - they loved the sparklers and throwing those little "snapper" ones that pop when you throw them on the ground.

(This is a picture of the kids before we left for our 4th of July picnic)

The new week has started and we are at VBS -- the theme is Crocodile Dock!!
Today was a the first day and it was soooo much fun! The kids LOVED it so much!! They've been singing the songs all afternoon.

All the rooms and main stage are decorated in the "Crocodile Dock - Down in the Bayou" theme --
Here are a few pictures:

(The main stage - getting set up before the kids arrive)

Then here is the Preschool Craft room -- we have around 20 kids PER rotation -- so we made LOTS and LOTS of crafts today. My Craft team had fun decorating our room -- the kids LOVED it so much!


We will spend the rest of the week at VBS, then on Friday night I am going to a CROP with 6 other girls. YEAH!!! I haven't scrapbooked in a while, so it will be a fun evening. Then Saturday is a BIG day for our girl who will be turning FOUR!!
Then Sunday -- ALL the VBS families are invited back to the 3rd Service so that the children can sing some of the songs they have learned, watch a Video/Power Point Presentation of all the week's activities, then a great Cook-out/Lunch afterwards.
I just LOVE our church --

I hope everyone is having a BLESSED week!

Take care!

Happy Thursday...

Hey All --

I thought I would post because I know that the upcoming weekend and week are going to be FUN and SUPER busy!!!!


I managed to complete a few cards -- since I won't be posting for while --

My first card is for Mojo Monday -- Here is the sketch:


This was a wonderful sketch, though I did change it around just bit!!
I LOVE this IAN stamp -- then again -- I LOVE ALL of the Ian and Anya stamps -- super cute!!!


Recipe:

Paper -- SU - Parisan Breeze, PTI - Brown Cardstock
Stamps -- The Greeting Farm - Baseball Ian, PTI - All Star Team
Ink -- Copics, SU - Chocolate Chip
Accessories -- buttons, May Arts Ribbon, Nestabiltities

The second card is for the Pink Elephant Challenge, this week is to use your favorite color combination. I LOVE Pink, Aqua Mist and Kraft -- so very pretty!!!



Here is my card -- very SIMPLE.-- (My favorite kind of card)


Recipe:

Paper -- PTI - Aqua Mist, Kraft and Pink Dots
Stamp - PTI - Heavenly Medley
Ink - SU - Chocolate Chip
Accessories - PTI - Aqua Mist Ribbon, PTI - Buttons, SU - Top Note

Cards and Stuff.....

Happy Sunday!

Wow -- it's been a while since I've posted -- I have been super busy! The summer has been great, I can't believe June will be over in a couple of days.


Before I get to some cards, I thought I'd share what's been going on in our lives:

**My favorite boy has done GREAT at summer school. He will be in Kindergarten in August, so this was his first chance of going all day at school. He has LOVED every day -- his teacher told me that he is a "HAPPY child, with LOTS of energy". I would have to agree with that!!!!!! He's also been busy swimming and having friends come over to the house to play.

**My favorite girl will be FOUR years old in a few weeks. She has been busy with gymnastics and just started a new dance place for the summer. She's loving both-- on Fridays she has been attending the gyms "FIT & FUN Fridays" -- it keeps her entertained for several hours. She has also been swimming, going on playdates, helping Mommy, "reading" lots of books and just having fun!!!!

** I have been busy working on my "TO DO" list for the summer. One of my HUGE projects was to clean out the Master Bedroom closet, both kid closets, the hall , the coat and the Toy closet. It was a BIG undertaking, but I"m done and it was soooo worth the hours. I had to make two trips to Salvation Army, but we donated almost 30 bags of clothing, toys, coats, bedding, etc....

**At the beginning of May, we began going to a NEW church -- it has been so wonderful. GOD has Blessed us with new friends and we look forward to going to service every Sunday. The children talk about their Sunday School class all the time. The week of July 6-10, we will be at VBS . I'm helping with the Preschool crafts -- I'm so looking forward to it.
Tomorrow is the last day of my Beth Moore Bible Study for the summer. I have so enjoyed this class -- God spoke to me in so many ways --- the women I have met have had such a strong impact on me -- their Faith in God amazes me!!! They truly Walk the Walk & Talk the Talk -- it's such a Blessing for me to have been in their company... I will definitely be signing up for the next Women's Bible study in the Fall.

**Hubby has been busy with work, he just returned from a week long trip to Hershey, Pennsylvania. He has a few trips scheduled for July, but his travel schedule hasn't been too bad lately. :)

**My weight loss journey is still on track -- It's going verrrry slowly, but I did manage to loose another 1/2 pound. I'm hoping to loose at least 10 more pounds by the time both kids are back in school. I'm still heading toward my first goal of 50 pounds. As I have mentioned before, this is NOT a race. I want to be Healthy and Strong -- for ME and my family. I really feel better than I have felt in years.

July looks like it will be just as busy as June --- if I don't post -- I'm just really busy. Another thing on my To Do list is to CLEAN up my scraproom -- it's a MESS!!!!

I DID however find some time and a SMALL space on my desk to complete some cards. :)

So HERE they are:

The first one is the Card Positioning System sketch challenge. I always love their sketches -- here is this weeks:



In honor of the upcoming 4th of July weekend, I did a red, white and blue card. Here it is:




Recipe:

Paper -- PTI - Pure Poppy & white cardstock, my Blue Cardstock
Stamps - PTI - Let Freedom Ring
Ink -- PTI - Pure Poppy, SU - Pacific Blue
Accessories -- SU - Circle & Scallop Punch, Cuttlebug Dots Embossing Folder

The second card is for the Color Throwdown Challenge:
Here are the BEAUTIFUL colors for the week:




Here is my card:



Recipe:

Paper -- PTI - Cardstock, SU - DSP
Stamp- Clear & Simple Stamps - Generosity
Ink - SU - Chocolate Chip
Accessories - Nestabilities, ribbon, button, thread

The THIRD card is for the FABULOUS Courtney's Challenge. I have missed participating, so I decided I needed to join in the fun this week. Make sure you stop by Libby's site to see adorable Courtney in her summertime outfit:

Here is my card:



Recipe:

Paper -- Sassafraslass - Woodland Whimsy, Cardstock
Stamp -- SU -Hope Happens
Ink -- SU - Chocolate Chip
Accessories -- Quickutz - Flower, button, Nestabilities

My final card is for Heart Hug"s Esty Inspired Challenge. This week Tony Carlisle's photography is the focus.

Here is the photo that I picked for my inspiration :

I LOVE the pink!!!!!

Here is my card:





Recipe:

Paper -- SU - Pink Piourette DSP, Cardstock
Stamp - PTI - Bitty Baby Blessings
Ink - SU - Chocolate Chip
Accessories -- PTI - ribbon, SU- Felt Flurries, buttons, SU- Punch, corner punch

A Couple of Cards...

Hello Again -

Wow -- 2 posts in one day -- miracles happen!! :)

I managed to complete a couple of cards.

The first card is for TWO challenges.

I'm using the wonderful Mojo Monday sketch and Heart Hugs- Etsy Inspired Challege. This week Naturally Felt is the sponsor.

Here is the sketch and the color scheme that I'm using for my card:



Here is my card, I used my NEW and ADORABLE Hero Stamps. Love them so much!!!




Recipe:

Paper -- SU - Red Riding Hood DSP, White & Black Cardstock
Stamps - Hero Arts - Asian Dolls & Take Good Care Greetings
Ink - Memento Black, Copics
Accessories - Ribbon, button, thread, Nestabilities


The second card is for Mother and Daughters Challenge. PLEASE make sure you check out their site -- They will be picking their favorite entry each month and the winner receives 40% off their ENTIRE order from their store. (SO GREAT!!)

This week the challenge theme is FATHER's Day !!

Here is my card:




Recipe:

Paper -- Scenic Route - Salem Boardman Paper, Orange Cardstock
Stamps - Hero Art's - Happy Father's Day stamp, Papertrey Ink - Star Stamp
Ink - SU - Orange Ink
Accessories - Ribbon, Nestabilities, Nestabilities, thread, button

So Behind...

As usual -- I am behind. :)

Life is soooo very busy --- having a great summer, just very busy!
I really hope to post some cards soon ---

As far as my weight loss--- I've hit a MAJOR plateau --- I am not discouraged -- just have to get myself out of it. I haven't loss any, I haven't gained any either.
I'm eating healthy -- I continue to exercise -- It's good ---
So I'll keep you posted ----

I leave you with a CUTE picture of my kiddos ---taken this past weekend before church.



A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father in heaven, today I am expecting Your goodness. I am looking for Your favor. I’m trusting that You, the God of the breakthrough, are working mightily on my behalf. Help me to live a life pleasing to You as I wait for Your hand to move in my life. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Look -- I made some cards!! :)

Happy Saturday --

I hope you all had a great week -- mine was BUSY!!!!
Family was in town and my son started his ALL day Pre-Kindergarten Summer School. He LOVES it so much! I emailed his teacher to see how he did the first couple of days and she told me that Brandon was a "GREAT kid, but that he does love to talk A LOT. " LOL
Yep -- that's my boy!!!
I'm so happy he loves school, that makes my heart sing!!! :)

Well -- I managed to get FOUR cards made. WOW -- that's really good for me.

My first card is for Mojo Monday -- Love the sketch so much! :)


Here is my card:



Recipe:

Paper - -3 Bugs-Snips & Snails, PTI - Cardstock
Stamp -- The Greeting Farm - Surfer Ian, PTI - Star Prints
Ink -- Copics, PTI -Chocolate Brown
Accessories -- Brown Ribbon, Stampin Up - Circle & Floral Punch, PTI -buttons & twine, Nestabilities

The second card is for The Pink Elephant. This week it is a Recipe Challenge to use 1 Sentiment, 2 Layers, and 3 buttons.

I really don't know how to count layers -- I used the "base" as one layer and then I added one more -- I hope that's OK.

Here is my card-- very clean and simple!!



Recipe:

Paper -- PTI - Kraft and Aqua mist Cardstock
Stamp -- Our Daily Bread - Verses
Ink -- PTI - Chocolate Brown
Accessories -- PTI - Aqua Mist Ribbon, PTI - Buttons & twine, Cuttlebug Dots Embossing Folder

My third card is for The Color Throwdown -- Here are the colors:



My colors are lighter in shade than what was suggested for the challenge--





Recipe:

Paper -- SU - Simply Scrappin Love Stories
Stamp - Our Daily Bread - Verses
Ink -- PTI - Chocolate Brown
Accessories -- SU - Love Stories, PTI - button, ribbon & twine

Finally -- my last card is for Ashley's Etsy Challenge -- I love this week Etsy Store -- such CUTE stuff!!!

I chose this very cute bow to use as my inspiration. I just LOVE the pink & brown color!



Here is my card:



Recipe:

Paper -- Taylored Expression Paper Kit
Stamp - Unity - Birdie Inspiration
Ink - SU - Pixie Pink
Accessories - Nestabilities, PTI -Button, thread

Have a great rest of your weekend! :)

Still Here

Happy Tuesday --

I can't believe it's June 2nd, time just keeps going tooooo fast for me.

We just got back this past weekend from a little trip to the other side of the state and tomorrow we have family coming into town. I've been busy doing LOTS of laundry and cleaning the house for guests.

Our trip to St. Louis was fabulous -- the weather did cooperate for the majority of the trip. The temperatures were quite PLEASANT --- I have been to St Louis in July when it's soooo HOT and HUMID -- NOT fun!
So we decided to go at the end of May -- which was PERFECT!!

Here are a few slideshows of our trip -- so MUCH fun!! We went to a couple of places I had never been before, the kids had a BLAST!!!! (so did the parents)

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

As far as my WEIGHT LOSS journey -- it's going well . I managed to loose another ONE pound -- even though I was on vacation. I did exercise every day -- I went down at 6:00 AM to the hotel's workout room and did the treadmill. So GREAT!

Sooooo I am up to 31.5 WHOPPING pounds. I'm feeling good!!

Last night was my Women's Bible study-- I am so enjoying this class. I"ve never done a Bible study before - -God knows what He is doing -- this class is PERFECT for me. It has been such an UPLIFTING experience-- I'm loving it so much!!!

This week my son starts his "Pre Kindergarten Summer School -- He's excited, I hope he stays that way. :)

I really do hope to make a few cards this week, but life is just very busy -- I have a HUGE To-Do list for the summer. I hope to get some of it accomplished -- we will see.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Week!!

**I can and WILL do this ONE pound at a time---


A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father in heaven, search my heart. Show me any area in my life where I may be hiding. I choose today to stand in faith and invite You to move mightily on my behalf. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.