Great Weekend!!!!

Hello all. Hope you gals had a wonderful weekend. Mine was just fabulous! It was my birthday and the weekend was wonderful. Prelude to my birthday on Saturday, my hubby had arranged for about 6 friends to come over and hang out with me while he went shopping on Friday. Had a couple bottles of wine, laughed, talked about our grandchildren and our children, past marriages and just girly stuff. I was asked how my sweet daughter Vanessa met her precious husband Adam and I told them the story and how at the reception, he got the zipper stucked in her dress while trying to help get her out of the hot dress (it was 108 degrees that September day 13 years ago) and I had to go in and help him get it unstucked so they could get dressed and join the party. I'm not sure who laughed more, me or the gals, but it was a fun time to reminisce. I think our little get together lasted until 1:00 A.M.! Saturday, my daughter came to spend the day and night with me which was perfect! We had breakfast, went and shopped and then came back and proceeded to spend the rest of the day and evening in my craftroom making cards, sharing thoughts and had a fabulous dinner that hubby barbequed for us. Sunday was our granddaughter Autumn's first birthday. We went over there to celebrate hers and my DIL had made me a cake with Tinkerbell on it in chocolate..yummy, only had a small sliver but it was the thoughtfulness that counted. Left there around 5 and here I sit sharing all that took place with my fellow bloggers. Hope your weekend will continue to be great!!!! Birthdays are a sign of gaining another year of wisdom and knowledge and you are truly only as old as you feel....I feel like I am 35 again! Yippee!!!!!!!

Weekend Is Almost Here!

Just thought I would check in and say I am still here. No pictures of a card today. This weekend is my birthday and I am so excited as my daughter Vanessa will be spending Friday through Sunday with me. We haven't had a mom/daughter one on one time in quite sometime and both of us are planning to go do some shopping, lunch and then come back and hang out in my craftroom, have a glass of wine or two and be crafty. I think last time we did this was last year and it was only for a day as Reece her youngest one was not use to being away from mom for long periods of time. Knowing her, she will want to go through all the stuff I have and see what can be made. I think in all honesty I could open up my own craft store and I am sure there are many of you out there who can say the same thing. LOL!!! My DH has made a nice surprise for me and refinished a desk for my craftroom that he located that someone was throwing away. Just needed to be sanded down, new knobs and painted it black and white. I will have to upload a pictures so you all can see. He also found a kitchen island that had been used as a drafting desk and took it completely apart, sanded it and painted it black and white to go with the desk, and my room is finally starting to come together and looking sharp! You know what they say 'One Man's Trash is another Man's Treasure". I am very fortunate to have a hubby who can fix anything and build anything. He has saved us major $$$$ throughout these last 19 years! Anyway, hope you all have a great weekend that is forthcoming and I will have cards to post on Monday and pics of the desk and island.

Its a New Year..

Hello Fellow Bloggers! I hope you had wonderful holidays and that the new year is bringing you new creativity ideas and renewed strength. The last time I was on here I posted about a friendship that had gone away. Yes, it hurt and took me almost two months to finally recover (about 1/2 way). Through the help of another sweet Christian friend, I have been able to see the light at the end of this dark tunnel I was traveling through. She reminded me of how much my talent was needed in this world of uncertainess and awful attitudes people seem to be experiencing. She reminded me that the talent that I have was given to me by our Lord Jesus Christ and reminded me that I needed to use it to reach others and show the love that he shows me on a daily basis. Her email was long but I know that her words were from the Lord himself as she so eloquently typed it with such love. I have started creating again and hope to have something to show you within the next week. I want to thank you for staying with me through this difficult path. I know I'm not the only one who has experienced this, but it just seems harder and longer to recover from it compared to when I was 20 years younger. I'm leaving this post with a picture of a rose that my husband took last year. Its beauty and warmness reminds me of the light that God sheds on me daily and that the color of the rose is the deep red for heart felt love he has for me. I pray you have wonderful weekend and I will be back in a few days to post what I have been working on. Again thanks for your understanding through my trying time. Hugs!

Happy Thanksgiving

Its hard to believe that the holidays are upon us. Life has been really complicated these last few months and the loss of a close and deep friendship has just sent me into a spiraling whirl. I have pretty much put all crafting aside as I cannot get my crafting juices flowing after this loss and with a move ahead of me in December it will be sometime before I will be able to craft again. I just wanted to share that I have not forgotten about my followers or other blogging friends. But right now I am staying really close to my hubby and to the Lord in this path that I am now walking and I know his love will be the one thing I can count on to get me through this trying time. Never knew how much it could hurt and disable you when you lose a close friendship. So with that being said I will be taking a hiatus from blogging or crafting until I am back to being myself. I wish all of you a wonderful Thanksgiving. May all the blessings that you have in your life continue to bless your lives. I promise to be back sometime in the near future. Thank you for your understanding during this time.

Almost 3 months...

I cannot believe I have not posted on my blog for 3 months! Time has certainly gotten away from me and a lot has happened since I last posted. I haven't even had time to craft like I usually do but the mojo is coming back and hopefully I will be able to post pictures of a creation very soon.

Since moving to the 55+ community we have been busy it seems every night and weekend. I have finally finished up decorating our new place and feel that there are just minor touches that still need to be done, but have yet to find that certain something for a couple of the rooms to give it a "WOW" factor. But the important rooms we entertain in the kitchen , livingroom and diningroom are completed and people who visit state it is warm and cozy and definitely has a WOW factor when you walk in and we love it.

The Lord has blessed us with two couples in our life that we have befriended here. I knew from the start when I first met the gals that God had something special planned and how special he has made it! We are inseparable and we are always having hot tea and sharing our most inner secrets of things from the past and we each have had a BFF moment where you can just let it all out and cry and the great thing is that when one of us don't know what to say but are feeling the pain of that particular friend..we just cry with her. You have girlfriends in school, when you are young and sometimes when you are older. But God has truly blessed me with these women who are of the same morals and values as I. Who love their families and grandbabies, who worship God 24/7 and attend his church every Sunday, who make you laugh when you done some silly antic and who are there to give constructive critisicism when needed. Who love you unconditionally and help you sing the words to a song you had forgotten. I have truly been blessed by these two women and I know that is of God's hand that he placed us all in the same place at the right time.

Wayne has become close to their husbands and we teasingly call them the "Three peas in a pod" as they are always getting into trouble with us gals and or doing something goofy. LOL!!! The men are just inseparable as us women and they don't go anywhere without the other two when running errands.

I pray that you will continue to visit my blog. I know it has been far and few beyween posts and I am sorry for that but life has just been happening and wonderful. Please visit soon as I promise their will be new creations and even pics of the new place.

Hugs!

Finally...I've left some love :)

Okay I think I have finally caught up visiting all of your sweet gals blogs and leaving love on your beautiful creations. I know it was promised way back when after the move, but life has finally settled down and I can now began staying on top of things of blogging, emailing and creating. I should have some pics this weekend to share. Hope you all have a great weekend. By the way I forgot to mention when commenting on your blog, please grab the award that is below this post as it goes out to all of you in the various groups on my side bar. Hugs everyone!

I am still here......

Okay, honestly I am getting forgetful in my old age. LOL!!!! This month has been crazy and full of new resposibilities at work and then trying to create when I get home is nearly impossible and to be quite honest I am just pooped! I truly believe that mental tiredness takes more out of you than physical tiredness does. Especially when you spend all day crunching numbers and preparing year end taxes and making sure all the numbers are correctly entered before the forms are printed. I am getting ready to be in a Valentine bazaar next weekend and do have some pics that need to be loaded and shared and promise to load them up this weekend and visit my sweet blogging sisters who I am sure thinks I have forgotten them..I haven't honestly!

I appreciate all the lovely comments being left and would certainly like to know who the anonymous ones are and why all of sudden I am being hit with comments of windmills and turbines ??????? and a language I have no idea how to decipher! I'll just pray that it is a nice comment and not some absurd way of telling me off in their language. LOL!

Have a blessed day and I promise I will be back blogging on a regular basis! Hugs!

Merry Christmas

Just checking in and wanting to wish every one a stocking full of wishes and a blessed Christmas. May the true meaning of Christmas be with you and yours during this wonderful season.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I am alive and well..Life is just crazy!!!!!

Hello my fellow bloggers and sisters! I am so sorry I have been missing in action for over a month now! Time has certainly gotten away and the holidays are upon us and I have just lost track of time! Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and you were able to find some great unbelievable deals on Black Friday.

I am in the midst of moving (swore I would never move during the holiday season) but you do what needs to be done especially in the housing market here in California. Our house sold quickly and they wanted a short escrow like 7 days!!!!! Yikes! Luckily for us we were blessed to find a beautiful new place to live in that is a gated community for 55+ and all the amenities you could ever imagine to be spoiled by. We had to sell all our massive furniture as it would not fit in the new home, but that is okay as it has been time for a change in style for quite a while, just couldn't justify buying new until now. (wink). So instead of having myself enthralled in making ornaments, cards and all the other items that go with this merry season, I am packing boxes and moving. The movers will be here tomorrow to move us and thus I will begin the task of unpacking, putting things away and then hopefully get my craft room done but it will be the last thing to do as there is so much other stuff that needs to be done first which means it probably won't be until the end of the year or the new year before you see any new creations. I hope to still have your faithful following and to all my blog sisters, I promise to comment on your creations (I know I said that before and didn't get around too it) but definitely will I promise!!!!!!. Will get pictures of our new place on here once it is decorated and unpacked for all to see.

If by some chance that I do not get back on here to make a post (as I will have to wait for the new internet service to start) Please have a wonderful Merry Christmas and remember that Jesus is the Reason for the Season!!!

Been that long?

No card,ornament or other to show. I cannot believe it has been this long since I have posted anything on my blog. I know I promised to show more of the christmas ornaments I have made, but just haven't taken the pictures and life has been really CRAZY right now!!!!! So please bear with me and I will get them posted.

I have not even visited my fellow blogging sisters to leave comments and certainly need to visit everyone and will do that this week I promise.

I did have a nice surprise from my sweet hubby..he purchased the Cricut Expression for me along with 6 cartridges and the studio. YIPPEE!!!! I have yet to play with it and figure out how it all works, but I know once I learn it will be smooth sailing.

I hope you all had a restful weekend and that you were able to get some projects done. I cannot believe we are two months away from Christmas!!!!! Please continue to visit as I promise to have more items to show.

Where Are The Photo Cards?

I am surprised by the number of emails I have received asking when I was going to post more of the photo cards I was making. I have to be honest with you and say that the wind had been taken out of my sails when I had received the negative emails about them and it took some time through the grace of God to get myself back into making them.

I am in the process of creating another four cards and they should be posted by Friday if not sooner. Thank you to all who have left warming and compassionate comments, the emails I have received and even phone calls reassuring me to continue in making them.

I will be making some normal cards using stamped images as well, but will mostly be concentrating on more of the photo cards.

Keep your eyes open for my next post and please continue to visit my blog and leave comments or suggestions. Again thank you for being so sweet and caring. It means the world to me. :)

Why Are People Hurtful?

I have nothing to post today, but I am having the need to vent. I have received some not so nice emails sent to me in regards to my latest postings of the cards that I have made and as I sit here and ask the Lord why, I am calming myself in prayer and feeling the comfort of His arms around me assuring me to let it go and to just pray for them as maybe they aren't of the Christian Faith or are struggling within their own faith. God is so Awesome!

It all has to do with statements saying "how can you post these when there is no stamping involved?" Or these are just pictures there isn't any talent here... Excuse Me? I have chosen to use the pictures on my cards as a different way to express the talent that my DH has and was given to him by the Lord himself and to show a different take on making cards. I agree that there needs to be sentiments to go with them, but that doesn't mean they are any less nice or artistic just because an image wasn't stamped, colored and fixated to the card. I believe I have used various mediums in making these cards and have received numerous complimenting comments from my sister stampers, neighbors, family and friends. And to be really honest here, with the way the economy is right now and having my hours cut, it means that I have had to really tighten my budget and I have chosen to use what I already have in my craft room and sort through disks upon disks of pictures. You know the Lord says we are to be good stewards of our finances and all that he gives us in everything. I am sorry for having to vent, but sometimes you just need to get it off your chest. You know what I mean? Thanks for listening.

Only In God's Timing

Everything happens in God's time but there is always the selfish part of me that says "but I want it now". LOL!

I turned in four submissions for the DT Calls and was unfortunately turned down. I am not sure why, as I feel my submissions were equally done well, but I guess not according to whatever standards they hold for selecting you.

I did however receive an email from one of the owners of the companies I had submitted to and she said "For me not to get discouraged" and did compliment me on my details and the photographing of my submission, and gave me a few pointers to help for the next time and to just keep submitting when Design Teams are being called. She also said "Sometimes it takes a bit for companies to fully realize what potential you have and the one you submitted a few months ago maybe the exact style they are looking for the next round".

I really appreciate her taking the time to email me and be honest with me. I was feeling rather down after being notified that I had not been selected, but after her email today, it help brighten my day knowing that there are still other chances out there and most importantly "Just Be Patient and Wait on God to make it happen".

Hope all is well....

I don't have anything to post today, as I am getting ready to leave to go see my son graduate from the California Highway Patrol Academy tomorrow. It is a 6 hour drive up there and the weather is rainy and cold here so will need to take or time getting there. I will be back to update on Saturday as I have a couple of new items that I have been working on and will post them when I get back. Have a great weekend and will talk to you all soon.