Still Hurting

This summer we had to give our dog, Spike, up for "adoption". We were living with Jared's family and he was making horrible messes (we'll leave it at that). We found a family to take him in who would love and care for him but it was still hard on our whole family. Emily took it the hardest, which is surprising bc she always seemed to be bugged by him. I guess it was one of those "love-hate relationships" bc the day he left she lost it. I created this LO using a Dec Page Map and in honor of the new Gutter Girlz prompt (to use the idea/phrase "Still Hurting" and sewing/pins, etc). Because of all of my Christmas gifts I have been working on, this is my first LO in months. It felt SOOOOO good to get back to actual scrapbooking!! Now just 1,000,000 pictures left to scrap!! ;o)



here is where I encorporated the pin and the phrase:


the journaling says "Emily took it the hardest when we had to say goodbye to Spike. She cried for what felt like hours. My heart broke as I tried to explain why he had to leave. I hope one day she will forgive us. Oct '08"

Celebrate Good Times

This is just a fun, quick card I put together for a friend...

Congratulations Julie!

My girls drew a name and the winner of the Starbucks 100th post RAK is... Julie M! Congrats Julie! Send me your address and I will get it in the mail to you asap. :o)

Happy Birthday Shane!

My cousin Shane is turning 21 today. It will be late but I wanted to make him a Birthday card. I used some new scrappy stuff I got from Adrienne and Janna for Christmas (thank you!!). It's simple and fun but I love it. I especially love that it's not square! :o)
I used a sketch from 2s4u as a rough baseline:

And here it is:

Hope he likes it as much as I do! :o)

For those of you who pray...

Jared and I are firm believers in the Lord. Prayer is important to us and important in our walk with God. We believe strongly that prayers are heard and answered. So if you pray, please take a moment to quietly lift my mom up. My sisters called tonight. My mom is in the ICU. There is a large sack of fluid around her heart (the doctors said it was about the size of a basketball) which is pressing against her heart and lungs. Her body is fighting to function and the doctors have given her medicine to help the fluid decrease. If it doesn't they will have to intibate (sp?) her. As of right now she is still talking and able to get out of bed to use the restroom so those are good signs. Unforunately, she is in tired (in every sense of the word) and not feeling much like fighting to get better. I would ask that you would pray for strength and healing. Also pray for strength and wisdom for my sisters as they are making decisions. Pray for peace as Jared and I wait anxiously by the phone, thousands of miles away. Pray that the doctors are patient and thorough and that God would bless their hands and minds as they heal my mom. She is obviously a very (very) important person in my life and in so many others'. When I have more news (actual news) I will add an update. Thank You.

My wonderful mom, Terry, whom I adore.

EDIT: My mom is now out of the ICU. She is having "pulminary adeema with resperatory distress". Which means her heart is swollen bc of extra fluid. The medicine seems to be working but we haven't heard the test results yet. More info to follow...

Santa and Rudolph Card

I typically don't like to do one card for two challenges (I think it actually makes it harder if you try to adhere to too many guidelines just for the sake of a challenge) but this card just kind of developed into something wonderful that fit the two challenge's "rules".

The first challenge is for Caardvarks. Their theme this month was to use Core Concepts Cardstock and make a card with no patterned paper. This card is made 100% out of plain cardstock. The little white snowflakes were doodled by hand. Each and every piece of Santa and Rudolph were cut by hand and pieced together. I LOVE how it turned out!!

The second challenge is for Card-A-Licious. Their theme this week is to make a card using an iconic Christmas picture. Really, what could be more iconic than Santa and Rudolph?? My very favorite part is the big, red gem for Rudolph's nose!!



I am so tickled with this card. It makes me smile just looking at it!! Fingers crossed about the two challenges. :o)

** Sorry all of my pics are so washed out. I am not sure WHAT is going on with my camera!?!? **

Aaargh!

This is a weird one, I know! My brother-in-law (Jon) and I have this "inside joke" about a guinea pirate. I am going to try to briefly explain it before I show you the picture:

When Jared and I first moved to Kansas we stayed with his family for a few months. One night Jon was watching South Park and I was at my desk (in the family room) doing homework. I had never watched South Park before so I wasn't paying much attention until I looked up and there were "guinea aliens" attacking the cartoon city! AAAHHHHH! Run!!! The funny part about it was that they were real guinea pigs (not cartoon) just sitting in the middle of the cartoon streets twitching their noses and not doing much of anything. And the little cartoon people were going nuts in panic. I don't know why but I found this really funny. At the end of the show the "bad guy" (animated) declared that he was the one who sent the guinea aliens to attack the city and the he himself was an alien. But, as he said, "I am the most feared of them all! A guinea pirate! AAARGH!". Oh my gosh, Jon and I found this hilarious!! He said "I wish I was a guinea pirate!" Wish granted! Now his nic-name is guinea pirate (shortened to GP recently) and it is an ongoing joke in our family.

So for Christmas I did my best with my paper-piecing skills and came up with a framed piece of "art" (in an 8x10 frame) for his new apartment. Here it is:


Most people think we are dumb for finding it so funny but what can I say... maybe you just had to be there?? LOL!!

Lucky # 100!

Here it is - my 100th post! To celebrate I am going to give out a fun little RAK to one lucky winner!

If anyone knows me they know I love two things: Scrapbooking and STARBUCKS! I am completely addicted to both! Today I went to Starbucks (YUM!) and picked up a fun RAK to give away:



This RAK includes a $5 Starbucks gift card in a knit holder (that doubles as an ornament), a Milk Chocolate bar and a tin of their Classic Mints (Spearmint flavor).

To win - leave a comment on my blog letting me know what your two favorite things are! On the 30th of December (sometime after 1pm my time) I will do a drawing and someone will get a yummy New Years present!! Hurry and get your comments in before I gobble it all up!!

*Gasp* a 4.0 !!

I just got my last test score and it's official.... I received a 4.0 GPA for this semester!! All A's baby!! I am so... speechless. But excited and proud and shocked and thankful. I couldn't have done this w/o Jared and his family and the complete support of my family. LOL - sounds like I am accepting an academy award or something!! :o) I am just so thrilled!!

BTW - this is my 99th post so in honor of #100 it will be a RAK giveaway! I will head to the store early next week and pick up some goodies. If I have anything to post before then I will add it to this one so that I reserve the 100th spot for some fun!! Check back soon!! :o)

"A" number 2 and "A" number 3

It's official!! I received an "A" in Public Speaking and "Entrepreneurship"!! Add this to my "A" in my Acct 260 class and I have THREE!! Yay! I have one final left tomorrow in my International Business class. I did the math and I need to get a 75 or higher in order to get an "A" in that class. It sounds totally attainable but I don't want to psych myself out, either. I'll let you know how it goes!!

Wow - what a Tuesday!

Today was WEIRD. Everything seemed to go wrong but it turned out being a great day!

I woke up to a very stiff very sore ankle. It is quite large as well. But it's just sore. I think I just twisted it. I am trying to baby it a bit and give it a chance to heal. We'll go from there. But it made me nervous because I had to go to campus today for a final and Wichita State is LARGE so if I didn't get a good parking spot it could be a hike to class.

I finally convinced myself to get out of bed (trust me, it was a struggle!) and Kayla announced "There's snow outside!". It snowed and snowed and snowed while we were sleeping!! When it snowed last time it turned to ice and so that made me even more worried about driving. But I got Emily dropped off ok and headed back to the house with Kayla to study for my final (in Public Speaking). I decided to study by typing an outline of each chapter - all 18 chapters and 500+ pages! I had 11 pages of typed notes and no time left to read over them!! LOL. I took Kayla to school and hurried to my class. It usually only takes 25 minutes to get there (minus parking which has been known to take another 20) but today it took me almost an hour!! I slid in to my seat with 1 minute to spare -phew!! It is amazing how well you can do on a test when you actually study!! The test went really smoothly and I left chipper. It also helped that I got a great parking spot just outside of the building our test was in.

Then I went to Hobby Lobby and a Christian book store for some holiday/wedding stuff (Jared's sister is getting married on Saturday and I am making her wedding cake). After that I went to the mall to pick up my LAST gift (YEP, I'M DONE!!) and a new top to wear to the rehearsal dinner.

When I got home I checked my grades and it is official: I got an A in my entrepreneurship class!! And I did the math and all I have to get is a 70% or higher on my final I took today and I have an A in that class, too!! WHOO HOO! God is good! I have one more final on Thursday (at 1pm in case ya wanna pray for me) so hopefully I can make it a clean sweep.

Then at home I watched The Biggest Loser finale and .... yay..... Michelle won! I was totally rooting for her!! I was sitting in my living room, by myself, clapping and cheering and crying and yipping for ALL of the contestants. Even the mean ones (ahem, vicky). I love that show!

My last little bit of good news is that I got a sale on my etsy shop. Fun! Oh! and we got a box of pesents in the mail from my dad (thanks papa don!).

I am working on a craft project that I am taking to Emily's class tomorrow. We are making bookmarks with ribbon/buttons/flowers. I made a couple samples, here's a sneak peak:



that's it for now - but the night's still young! lol

scrappy presents...

I made scrappy presents for my dad and sisters this year. I took pics before I mailed them but I can't post them yet. I don't think any of them really check my blog but just in case, I am going to hold off. I will post them after they open them, promise! One gift was using my new binding tool (see a few posts back) and I love it!

Have you made anything scrappy for Christmas gifts? I wanna see!!

I got hurt today...

I was volunteering at the girls' school in Emily's classroom. I have been going on Monday afternoons to help the kids with their site words. I have to sit on the floor and we do the flash cards one kid at a time. Well, my foot fell asleep. I tried to wake it up before i stood up and I thought I had but half way up my entire leg rolled and I fell HARD. I hurt my ankle, foot, leg, knee, hip and back. The teacher rushed over to try to help - I was mortified!! So I tried to play brave and told her I was ok although I seriously thought I had broke my ankle. But I figured if I could hobble to my car I must have just strained it. So I leave the school and before i even hit the parking lot I started bawling. I called my hubby who was very compassionate and then my mommy (yep, at 30 I still call my mom who is 1700 miles away!!). I considered going to the hospital but bc we are still "new" here I didn't know where one was. So I just drove home and hobbled onto the couch. Jared's brother picked the girls up from school (THANK YOU JON!) and dropped them off so I didn't have to leave the house again. It's several hours later and my back, hip, leg and knee are better but my ankle is seriously hurt. I feel so stupid and kinda miserable. I have to go to WSU tomorrow for a final so I hope it's feeling better by tomorrow. :o(

Christmas Pictures!

Here are some pictures from "Breakfast with Santa" this last weekend:



My kissing kiddos!



Talking to Santa after the pics were taken.



In front of the Christmas Tree at the Rec Center.





Kayla told Santa that she wanted "A Princess Bible
and a Barbie!". Shhh... don't tell her but she is getting both.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

My first "A".

Today was my second "final" (out of 4). This class was nice bc it is on a computer and gives you an immediate result. Which means I know my final grade for the class..... an A!!! YAY. So, one down- three to go. Keep you posted!! Erin

a new toy!

I bought a wonderful new scrappy tool today! It is a "Binding System" by Carla Crafts. It retailed for $29.95 as my LSS and the spiral rings for it are 3 for $5. Here is a teeny tiny picture of it:



and a listing for it online (with a description) HERE. And a videa tutorial HERE.

I made a mini-album with it tonight and it was awesome. So easy to use!!! I will post pics of that project soon... I promise!!

:o)

Have you tried this?

So, here's my attempt at a "tutorial". This is a little trick that I use to save $ by using my stash rather than buying new alphabet stickers. Have you seen those alphabet stickers that are teeny tiny and you line the little blocks up to spell out your phrase? You get lots in the package but it seems like I always use too many of a few letters then the set is sort of useless. So I created my own using my Creative Cafe rub-ons. Here's how:

Start with:
* A piece of scrap paper in a coordinating color
* Your rub-on (I love Creative Cafe rub-ons but any will do)
* Your rub-on tool
* A good pair of scissors
* Adhesive (Tombo works GREAT for this)

First, rub your image onto the scrap of paper. Then trim around the edge of the image so it creates a thin border. Next, apply adhesive to the back of the in-tact image:



Another tip: apply your rub-on to a piece of adhesive backed cardstock. Then you can skip the "adhesive" step.

Next, turn the image over and snip off the first letter:



and apply to your project. Continue snipping letters off and adhere them one at a time:





Continue this, spacing appropriately in between words, until your phrase is done:



and here is the card that I used it on:



I have used this technique before. I used the Creative Cafe rub-ons with the exact same technique (except I used the adhesive backed card stock rather than my Tombo) on this Christmas card:



On this card I printed a phrase on my computer then applied it one word at a time:



I like this technique because you can use what you already have (tons of rub-ons!) or make up something from scratch (using a really simple program like Word) to keep up with the latest scrappy trends for FREE!

I hope this tutorial inspires you to try this technique. And, please, let me know if you make a project using your own little "home-made" alphabet stickers!!

I'm crushing...

I love this pic!!



I had no idea that Jared could shoot so well! On Thanksgiving morning we (his dad, grandpa, brother, brother-in-law, uncle and cousin - oh, and me!) went shooting. We shot clay pigeons over his uncle's field in Morril, Kansas. Well, let's revise that. They shot clay pigeons, I shot clouds. LOL. But at least I tried it, right?? This is a pic I took of Jared while he was shooting. He was great!! He shot down like 6 in a row. He has told me how much he enjoys it but I haven't ever seen him (he hasn't shot a gun since before we were married .... more than 7 years ago!!). I am totally crushing on my tough guy. What a hottie!!

Unpacked!

well, at least my scrappy stuff is! I feel more settled now. :o) I had my own craft room in our last house but this house only has 3 bedrooms (and the girls won't share, I tried - lol) so we are improvising. Our living room is large so have a "corner" behind the sofa. I set up my desk and a few bookshelves. It is completely unsightly but I am "at home" now. I hesitated because I like to have our house always ready for company (even though we rarely get any, lol) but I figured, this is my home and I want to use it!! I'll take pics of my "corner" when I get a little more settled. Now I am looking forward to using all of my wonderful scrappy things again! I have a long list of projects I need to get done before Christmas so the pressure's on! But I have to budget my time (*SIGH*) because finals are coming up and I am determined to end with a 4.0 GPA this semester! So I will have to find a way to do both (hmmm, and kids and PTA and church and Christmas - eek!). LOL - wish me luck!!

baked out...

We are heading up to Jared's grandparents tonight to spend the Holiday with ALL of his family. Our contribution was desert. LOTS and LOTS of desert! I made the lemon ginger bundt that I posted instructions to on Saturday. I also made a loaf of banana bread (for breakfasts), a batch of fudge and two "triple chocolate pumpkin pies". I say two because I followed the directions exactly and ended up with two pies! She (Martha) must have a HUGE pie pan!! Or maybe it says it yields two?? I'll have to check on that.... lol. Two late now (pun intended)!

I hope you all have a very, very Happy Thanksgiving. God has been so amazing this past year and my family has lots to be thank full for. In the midst of yummy turkey, delicious pies and laughter with friends and family.... remember to take time to thank our Lord for all of the good things in our lives. God truly is good.

91.6% ???

The semester is coming to a close (just a few days of classes left) and I am fighting hard to hold onto my 4.0 for the semester. I am taking 4 classes and currently have an A in each of them. I am so proud and so scared! I am worried that I am going to mess something up and loose it!! Then I had this test last Tuesday in my Entrepreneurial Experience class (which I totally enjoy) and it was HORRIBLE! I felt like I was staring at questions written in Japanese!! I was stunned - when did we study this?? I left class totally bummed that I was unprepared and bombed the test.

Today (an excruciating 6 days later!) I checked my grade online and I got an A! I am shocked. A 91.6% - seriously!! And Wichita State does not yet do the +/- grading so it is a solid A. WHOO HOO!!! I have NO idea how I did that well other than to say - Praise Jesus! Literally. I read the first few questions and stopped to pray that he would help me remember things I didn't think I knew (does that makes sense??) and HE DID! Yay! So my precious 4.0 is still within reach!! I'll let you know how the semester ends (classes end around the 18th but I have no idea when final grades will be out). :o) YAY! I am so psyched!!

Lemon Ginger Bundt Cake

Have you read the "Everyday Foods Magazine" by Martha? I have been receiving it for a while and I love it. Most of the recipes are a bit ridiculous or are sea food (which we don't eat) but there are always a few gems that we keep going back to. One such recipe is for a Lemon Ginger Bundt Cake (March 2008, p 120). I am going to be making this (twice) for Thanksgiving. I made it for my mom's Birthday and it was a huge hit. Because I love this recipe so much - I thought I would share it!! Here ya go, I hope you take a chance to make it!

Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp

3 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)

2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest

and 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (from 2 lemons)
1 tablespoon minced crystallized ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
6 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Butter and flour a standard 12-cup bundt pan.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, lemon zest,

ginger, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

Using an electric mixer, beat butter and granulated sugar

on medium-high until light and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes.

Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition;

mix in lemon juice.
With mixer on low, alternately add flour mixture in three parts

and sour cream in two, beginning and ending with flour mixture;

mix just until incorporated (do not overmix).

Spoon batter into prepared pan, and smooth top with a rubber spatula.

Firmly tap pan on a work surface to level batter.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean,

55 to 60 minutes (if cake browns too quickly, tent loosely with aluminum foil).

Let cake cool in pan 30 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.

(To store, wrap cake in plastic, and keep at room temperature, up to 3 days.)

Dust with confectioners' sugar before serving.

YUM!! If you would like to check it out on her site, click HERE. Let me know if you try it!

Gobble Gobble!

I saw a card like this on a forum and I thought it was so cute that I decided to make one of my own. This is for my 6 year old cousin in Alaska - he is adorable!! Here it is:

* Challenge #1 *

Well.... scrap about it! has posted their first challenge!!
Click HERE to go straight to the challenge post!



Can't wait to see what you create!

moved in...

We are all moved in!!! Well, technically. :o) Our stuff is here but there's still plenty left to unpack (like my scrappy stuff!). Jared got wi-fi hooked up for me tonight so I am happy. I am eager to get scrapping, though. I'll take pics when I get something done. TTYS!

Moving....

I probably won't be around much for the next couple of weeks and I definately won't have much time (if any) for scrapping.

Since moving to Wichita in early August we have been staying with my husband's family. Now that things are starting to settle down and Jared has found a really great job, it's time to move into our own place!!



Um, that's not it. LOL. We wish (well, as long as someone else was paying for it!!). But we are moving into a really nice place where the girls will each get their own room and they will have a large backyard to play in. We also get a master bath which we are REALLY excited about.

We still have our house for sale in Yakima (PLEASE, keep that in your prayers. God has a plan for it but I honestly am lost as to what it could be at this point) and we will be renting the new place in Mulvane, Ks. We are VERY excited to be able to unpack for the first time in almost 4 months! And I am sure his parents will be grateful for a bit of quiet. :o) Mulvane is small so we are still within 8 or so minutes of his parents so the girls will get to see Nana and Papa often.

I am also registering for my classes for next semester. I was hoping to get my classes at an extension campus that is closer to home but it looks like I will be on the main campus again. Ah well, it is what it is. Just a longer commute. I'll let you know when I figure out what classes I am taking. I meet with my advisor on Thursday so I'll know more then.

TTYS!! From our new place! Whooo Hooo!

Happy Birthday, Handsome!

My WONDERFUL husband, Jared, is turning 30!!
Happy Birthday Good Lookin'!



Jared and I have been married for almost 7 years (Dec 29th!) and I can honestly say that I love him even more now. He is AMAZING. The BEST hubby, ever! I hope his birthday is FAB. Love you, babe. :o)

cutest stamps EVER!

How cute are these stamps???

Look at the porcupines drinking cocoa! And the roley poley Polar Bear! And the moose with leg warmers! And the owl with ear muffs! Seriously, the custest stamp set ever. And would you believe they cost less than $3?? Gotta love craft stuff at WalMart.
The polar bear stamp, to give you an idea of size, is about 1.25" tall - perfect for cards or just as an accent on a LO. How cute would a winter scene along the bottom of a LO be?? I am so excited to get started (ha ha, as if you couldn't tell)- I am going to make a card right now! Be Back Soon...

Ok, I'm back and I made a super fast but fun card. It took like 15 minutes (I only had a little bit of time bc I have to take Kayla to Preschool soon). I think it turned out cute. I am getting better at the watercolor thing (on the porcupines). Here it is:

New Challenge Blog

There's a new Challenge Blog to check out! Well.... Scrap about it! Is a blog designed to help you scrap about... yourself! It is a journal type of scrapping. Check it out and read Adrienne's great description!



Also, Thank you Adrienne for adding me as a Design Team member, I am looking forward to getting started on the first challenge!!

Brrr! Card

I was talking to my mom on the phone last night and she said that my Aunt is having a rough time. So I wanted to make her something to hopefully put a smile on her face, even if just for a bit. She lives in Alaska so I thought i would use my imaginisce paper and new K&Co snowflakes to make her a wintery card. I like the way it turned out. My photographs never turn out as nice as I wish, however. I think that taking pics of my projects definately looses the detail and depth. But, as I don't have a way to magically create an image to share, here is the card using my plain ol' point and shoot camera:

"Autumn Memories" Mini Album

A few weeks ago I ordered a kit from Bella Scrapbooking (you can link to them in my side bar)for $5 and I finally put it together. I assembled mine a little differently than hers but I think it turned out SO cute. I really love it. I had taken a lot of pics of picking out pumpkins at a grocery store and this was a cute way to display them together.

The album measures 4"x6" and holds 6 photos and 2 large journaling pages. The binding is new for me, though. Hopefully you can tell from some of the pictures but there is a piece of cardstock folded "accordian style" then the pages are adhered in between. The ribbon crossing over the top (and secured with eyelets) are the actual binding of the book. I really liked using this technique, even if it was a bit tricky to get it all lined up. Well, with no further ado, here it is:











Doesn't it just make you crave apple cider and a cozy blanket? The fall is my favorite time of year...

Emily and Kayla

Here are a couple of really great pics of my girls that i took at "camp" this last weekend:

Emily (age 6):




and Kayla (age 4):




I think they turned out really cute but I wish they were more clear. I just bought my camera last year and I am already wanting a new one! Anyway, these are my beautiful girls hamming it up for the camera. :o)

MAXED OUT!

We started a new series in church today that is really interesting. It is about $$$!! Not about giving it to the church (like some might be thinking) but about how to use/spend/save it wisely. It is a 4 part series and I am going to do a brief re-cap each week here on my scrappy blog. :o) He teaches in a very informal way and we have a "fill in the blank" sheet to follow along with so I am going to follow that same format here.



1. Debt causes people to get MAXED OUT!
"The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender" (Proverbs 22:7)
Maxed out is not refering to racking up credit card bills to their limits but that when we are overwhelmed by debt we get stressed "to the max". That it starts to become the forefront of our lives and it starts to take over. When we become debtors we become bondaged to those debts and that we do not truly live free.

2. Why should the Church talk about money?
* 2/3 of all parables are about money or possessions.
* 1 out of every 10 scriptures from Jesus are about money.
God understands that money is an important part of our lives. Without it we would not have shelter, food, clothes or basic needs. But He also understands, and warns us against, money becoming more than just a way to provide our basic needs. Hundreds and hundreds of years ago He understood. And He still understands and through scripture He tries to give us some answers.

3. Money is a heart issue.
"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also"
(Luke 12:34)
We tie our worth into our wealth. That if we just had a little more ____ or a new ____ then we might be happy. But we have piles of stuff in our homes, outrageous payments on things like cars, credit cards, "toys" and we still aren't happy. We try to use money to bandage the needs of our heart. God is calling for more. He is calling for us to heal those heart issues with more substantial things than cash and stuff.

4. Vision should drive your lifestyle.
"Where there is no vision, the people parish" (Proverbs 29:18)
How you use your money should be driven by your goals, not your wants. If your goal is to own a home, or to have children, or to save for college (for you or your kids) or prepare for retirement then that is what should shape your budget. That should be your vision, your goal, your driving force. Not the instant gratification or "retail therapy" on a bad day. If you have a vision, God will help get you there. "Where God leads, God provides" and "If He calls you to it, He will lead you through it"

5. Good debt is based on love.
"Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another..." (Romans 13:8)
This is not a "oooh, that purse is so cute, I just love it! so that means I can buy it, right??" thing. This is saying that the only thing we should owe anyone is our friendship, our love, our hearts. That we should invest in people, not stuff.

6. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail!
"the plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty" (Proverbs 21:5)
You gotta have a plan or you'll never get out of debt and settled with money issues. Period.

Homework for the week:
* What is God's vision for your life? How will you use your $ to help you fulfill that vision? Is He calling you to spend more time volunteering but you can't afford to cut back your hours? Is He calling you back to school? To adopt a child? To help out a friend? Think about what He is wanting for your life right now and for the future. Is debt or bad spending holding you back?

* Pizza Problem: You only have so much money. Your paycheck comes in and it gets divided up between bills, groceries, gas, etc etc etc. When all is said and done, how much of that is left? Or is all that you are left with the oily cheese strings at the bottom of the box? Where does your money go now?

That's a recap of this week. Sorry if that was long. Hope it helps someone out there. If you want to find out more about my church or our pastor, check out http://www.aviatorchurch.com/. Next week's series part is titled "Acting your Wage". See you then!

Officially Published!

I am officially published! You can link to my project on scrapbooking.com by clicking:

http://scrapbooking.com/article/72156

Yay! I'm too exhausted to post more now - but I am VERY excited!!!

MORE cards?? Wow! I am on a roll!

I had more scrappy inspiration tonight and I made FOUR MORE CARDS! I am so happy that I am getting things done. These four cards were for no particular reason, just a little inspiration from here and there (one card is straight from someone's blog, but I'll notate that when we get there). Let's get started:

I am loving little round cards lately. This is about 4" diamater. I didn't use any punches, the ice cream cone is "paper piecing" cut freehand. Super easy and so cute!


This whale card was inspired by a pillow I saw in a craft book. I love the funky, bold colors of it. It says "Have a whale of a good time!" It is also cut freehand:

ps - do you think he needs a mouth??


This one is a card that I made just so I could play with my new snowflake "stickers" that I bought at Target for $2.50. They are made by K and Co. I looove snowflakes!


And this last one is lifted (almost exactly) from Shaela. She made a card like this and posted it on her blog. I loved the tree and how simple it is. I think her's was SO cute and i had to try one of my own, just for fun. I like her felt cloud better but I didn't have any felt so I improvised with paper. I also used a pipe cleaner tid bit for the tree trunk and added the bracket (bc I am bracket obsessed). I like the way it turned out, thanks for the inspiration Shaela!! Check out her blog bc she is an amazing scrapper and card maker. :o)



That's it for now. Yay for scrappy inspiration!!