Only a Quick Post, but I had to tell you....

Hello! I am finally getting back to blogland. I have been very busy while dh is away, doing lots of projects around the house (more to come on that later!), visiting with my parents and big brother, and making a few cards along the way. I am hoping to post about my projects and cards SOON.

The biggest news of all is that dh comes home tomorrow night!!!!!!!!!!! (can you tell I'm excited, lol?) It will be SO good to have him home again. 25 days is a long time.

Anyhoo...while checking blogland this afternoon, I came across this amazing candy that I just had to share! Zoe at www.makeitcrafty.com has some BIG NEWS, and is giving away some amazing candy to celebrate. Check this out:

 Wow! You have until May 31 to enter, so go to the post here to check out how!

Zoe makes amazing cards, like this one:

 This carousel actually spins! Check out her post on how she did it here. I have always loved carousel horses, but I don't think I could actually make one. WOW. She has some other really amazing projects, but this one is definitely my favorite.

I hope you all are having a wonderful Sunday afternoon. I will try to post about a few cards later tonight, so check back soon!

Happy Memorial Day, and a big THANK YOU to all those who serve or have served our country! God bless America!!

*smiles*
debbi

Hello! I'm still here! :-) and a card.

Okay, I know I missed my Motivate Me Monday--OOPS! The truth is (as I've mentioned in previous posts) that my parents and my brother arrived Sunday, and we have been busy!

My brother left early this morning, but my parents will be staying for another week and a half. It is SO nice to have them here, especially with dh away for so long.

Sooooo...I've said all that to say that this week's goal is to spend time with my parents. :-)

I do have a card to show you while I'm here:

This is a very quick card that I worked up for a friend's birthday. You might even say that I cheated, lol, because the image is just decorative paper! I used the Crystal Effects on the flowers to make it look better.

I tried to get a closeup of the flowers, but my camera wouldn't cooperate. :-( Sorry!

The green CS is Certainly Celery (SU!), and the sentiment is from SU! God's Blessings. I used a MS border punch and the SU! Modern Label punch. The paper is from Michaels.

I am hoping to get some more cards made this week...once I find my motivation (it still seems to be missing, lol).

I hope you have a wonderful week! I will post my cards when I make them, so stay tuned. :-)

*smiles*
debbi

Thank You Thursday

It's time for Thank You Thursday...finally! I can't really say that this past week has dragged--but it does feel as if a year or so has passed since Friday when my dh left, lol. But, Praise the Lord!, we are under 20 days now until his return!! YAY!

Even with my dh away, I have so much to be thankful for. God is SO good to me! Which is why I take time every week (not always on time, lol) to post Thank You Thursday.

Thank You to the airline pilots that got my dh and his team safely to Ireland, inspite of delays and cancellations and (of course) a very large cloud of volcanic ash. (I hate to mention it, but, could you please bring him home safely, too??)

Thank You to the wonderful people that are housing my dear dh and his students. You have gone above and beyond to make them feel welcome and to ease their separation from home. You are truly making this trip a wonderful experience!

Thank You to my dear friend Christina for staying over the other night. You have been our babysitter for almost nine years (!), but you are also a dear friend and part of our family. Thanks for loving my children and for being someone that I can trust completely to care for them when I am not home. And thanks for being my friend. I always enjoy our time together so much.

Thank You to my wonderful neighbors for watching out for us while dh is away. Thanks, Gerry, for mowing our lawn! And thanks, Debbie, for making sure we get to bed on time, lol! :-)

Thank You to Serena for the awesome pics you posted on the Team Ireland blog. It is so great to actually see where dh and all of you are. I can't wait to see more pics!

Thank You to Mike for answering my questions about what to do when a piece of siding fell off the trim of the roof (I think it's called the soffit? And, no, I don't know how to spell it, lol!). It was great to have you put my mind at ease (especially with all of the rain we're getting!).

Thank You to my dd's BFF's mom for letting B come over so often this past week. I appreciate all of the distraction so much!! I simply cannot stand a quiet house right now, and B keeps us busy and laughing. So thanks, B's mom for sharing your dd!

Thank You to Deb for having us over this afternoon. I enjoyed our time with you so much! You are always a blessing, and I'm thankful that God brought you here this past summer!

Thank You, God, for the daily reminders that You are with us and that You care. You are so amazing, and I am so thankful for Your love! And Thank You, too, for taking care of dh. I know that You are with him just as much as You are with us, and I'm so glad!!

Thank You to Dorian Holt, author of A New World of Adventure home school curriculum. You have been so helpful in answering all of my questions, and your knowledge is so vast! I l.o.v.e. this curriculum, and I can't wait to use it next year!!

I could go on and on, but it is late (1:30am! Oops! Sorry, Deb, ha ha!) and I really should try to get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day--I need to clean!! My parents and my big brother are coming in just four days...can't wait!! ;-)

Have a Thankful day!

*smiles*
debbi

Motivate Me Monday

Well, it is past midnight, so I figured it would be okay to go ahead and publish my Motivate Me Monday post. :-) My dh is still away, and I don't sleep well without him, so I've been up pretty late at night. You'd think that I'd be getting lots of stuff done, but so far...well, I haven't been too motivated.

Oh, well, on to my post! :-)

First, I want to say a belated Happy Mother's Day to all you moms out there. I am going to see my mom this coming Sunday (YAY!) and we will celebrate Mother's Day with her then. I am looking forward to it!

So here's my list for this week...

I need to get my house "company clean". My parents and big brother are coming in less than a week, and I've got some deep cleaning to do before then!

I hope/need  to work in three of the four bedrooms in our house, deep cleaning and sorting clothes (winter to spring), cleaning walls, straightening drawers, etc.

I forgot to get my deacon care cards ready for church today, so I will need to have them finished by Wednesday night.

I would like to have some time for "therapy" (card-making). I need some more get-well and sympathy cards to keep on hand.

I need to send a card to the mom of one of the boys on our ds' soccer team. Her mom has cancer, and I made her a card similar to the one I told about in this post. I can't believe how many times I saw her and forgot to bring the card to her! UGH! Getting old (and forgetful!) isn't for sissies. :-) Anyhoo, now I need to mail the card to her so that she can give it to her mom. (BTW, if you want to pray for her, the mom's name is Pat. Thanks!).

I think that's about all I want to plan for this week. I have several fun things planned (sleepovers, meeting friends at the park, etc.) to help the time pass quickly while dh is away. So far, it is working out pretty well. We are already on Day 3...of *sigh*25.

I hope you have a wonderful week, and that you accomplish your goals. Happy Monday!

*smiles*
debbi

Candy...YUM!

I must admit to being a "bump on the log" ever since dh left yesterday morning. I just needed some time to "adjust" to him being gone and to catch up on "blog land". I have entered so few contests lately, and I really do enjoy blog-hopping to see all of the wonderful creations that everyone makes. WOW! There are some really creative people out there in blog land!

Tonight, as I was blog-hopping, I came across this:

Tracey at Spesch Designer Stamps is offering up this terrific candy to celebrate the launch of Spesch Designer Stamps website. You can enter the giveaway here.

The giveaway ends May 15th. Hurry on over!

*smiles*
debbi

CAS Graduation Cards

I actually made these cards last week, but I just haven't had a chance to post about them. Now that my dh is gone, I seem to have all the time in the world, lol...

I needed to make several cards FAST, so these are very simple.

I colored in the stars with black marker, since they were too bland with just the outline. The stamps are both SU!--the stars are from Starring You and the the sentiment is from Congrats.

I decided to try the SU! Heat 'n Stick powder and glitter on these stars. I don't really like how it came out. Guess I'll have to keep working with the Heat 'n Stick until I get it figured out!

 Here's another version of the same card. I added the white border around the outside to help the stars to POP a little. I think this is my favorite of the star cards. What do you think?

For this card I stamped black ink on DP. The flowers are from SU! Kind and Caring Thoughts and the sentiment is (again) from SU! Congrats. The DP is from I don't know where (if you could see my stash of DP, you'd understand why, lol).

Same as above, except with different DP. This time I know that the DP is from the Basic Gray Wisteria pack--LOVE this paper! And I tried using embossing powder over the black (SU! Iridescent Ice), and I don't really like how it looks IRL. Oh well. The paper is so pretty, that maybe the recipient won't notice the glitter. :-)

I would love to hear which one of these you like best. Or maybe you have an idea of how to make a CAS Graduation card that you wouldn't mind sharing? I am always making lots of graduation cards every year at this time (my dh is a teacher!).

Happy Saturday!
*smiles*
debbi

A Cheer Up Card for a Friend

My neighbor's daughter went through a really tough week, and I wanted to send her a card to cheer her up. This is what I came up with:

She is 13 and I know she likes bright colors, so I went for bright DP and accents.

I made a matching envelope with my Ultimate Crafter's Companion (love using that!). I just love making matching envelopes! All that matching paper...YES!

Besides, that gives me an excuse to feed my obsession with designer paper...lol.

Our neighbor's daughter came home from the hospital today and she came right over to say thank you! Wasn't that sweet? She seems to be doing really well. I'm so glad! :-)
Happy Crafting!
debbi

Thank You Thursday...on Friday (oops!)

Oh, My! I am not sure if life is just busy or if I am just rapidly losing brain cells (or both!), but I TOTALLY forgot that yesterday was Thursday! I look forward to my Thursdays so much, because it is always so good to take time to reflect on what I'm thankful for...but somehow, yesterday, I forgot!

Okay, it could have something to do with the fact that I was helping my dh pack...and it could have something to do with the fact that he left this morning for 3-1/2 weeks *gulp, sob*...or it could just be that God knew I would need to take time today to reflect on all the good in my life. It has been a rough morning, and this is just the thing to lift my spirits.  So, here goes!

Thank You to my BFF who called me this morning to see how I'm doing now that dh is gone. It was such a lift to talk with her! And I really appreciate the fact that she cares.

Thank You to my sister-in-law, who also called. You're so sweet to remember, with all you have on your plate!!

Thank You my Emily-Friend, who surprised me with this amazing award...today--just when I needed the encouragement! You're so sweet!

Thank You to Brenda-Lea, whose package arrived today. It was another surprise that lifted my heavy heart, and I so appreciate it!

Thank You to my wonderful dh for all of the work you did before you left, and for how you took so much care to make sure that I would have to do as few "extra" things as possible while you are gone. I love you!

Thank You to my parents, who are coming in a week, for giving us something to look forward to. Thank you also for being willing to stay until it is almost time for dh to come home!

Thank You to the wonderful (NOT!) volcano in Iceland, for cancelling so many flights. Please, please, PLEASE don't delay the flight that will bring my dh home to me!! (Pretty Please!?!)

Thank You, God, that I can rest in the assurance that You are in control of the wonderful (NOT) volcano, and that I know that You will be here with us and there with dh at the same time.

Thank You to all military families. I cannot imagine having dh away for a whole year (or longer). You sacrifice so much, and I thank you!

Well, that's my thank you's for this week. I hope you all are having a wonderful week and that you are being thankful!

*smiles*
debbi

Card for Cancer

When my mom had cancer several years ago, I found a card that had this amazing poem on it called "What Cancer Cannot Do". My mom loved it. So, when I heard that Dar from Dar's Crafty Creations was asking for cards for her friend Mary Frances, who has cancer, I knew just what I wanted to use on my card.

Here is what I came up with:

 

I used my new Ultimate Crafter's Companion (from Nancy--THANK YOU!!) to make the square card and matching envelope. The ribbon and stamp set I used are from Sally (You're awesome--Thanks so much!). The paper is scrapbooking paper that I got at JoAnn's. 

Here's a closeup of the poem:

Isn't it great? I hope that Mary Frances is encouraged when she gets my card. 

If you want to send her a card, I know Dar would be so grateful! Read this post to find out how.

Have a wonderful day!

*smiles*
debbi

Motivate Me Monday

Good morning, Lovelies! I hope you all woke up to a beautiful day like I did. The sun is shining, and today is going to be a GOOD day. After all, "Today is the day the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it."

Well, today is Monday (again?!), and this is going to be a busy week (YIPES!) so here is my list for this week's Motivate Me Monday:

I hope to make several cards and send them. There are about ten people that I need to send cards to for one reason or another.

I hope to go help my friend that has just come home from the hospital. I plan to bring a meal, and a baby gift for her darling baby that was born six weeks early (and is doing great!).

I hope to get together with my BFF for some good-ol'-fashioned "women-talk". It has been a few weeks since we were last able to get together--I'm in withdrawal!! :-)

I hope to get together with another hs-ing mom to show her the curriculum we will be using next year. It is called Learning Adventures, and we L.O.V.E. it!!! 

I hope to get 23 cards/notes made for my husband to take on his trip to Ireland (one for each day that he will be gone, boo hoo!). 

I hope to face his leaving with joy. I am not going to cause a scene or sob uncontrollably, even though I will want to, lol. I truly want God to be glorified in how we handle this separation. 
I. just. don't. know. if. I. can. do. it. *gulp*

I hope to purchase some things for the missionaries that my husband is going to work with.

I hope to purchase or make two baby gifts, a bridal shower gift, and a wedding gift.

I hope to write and send several Graduation cards.

I think that is probably enough for now, don't you think!? I really do pray that God will use this week for His glory and in a way that pleases Him.


Until next week...Happy Motivate Me Monday!

*smiles*
debbi
 

Cricut Expression Giveaway--NO WAY!!

I came across this giveaway today, and I thought I MUST share...I mean, who wouldn't want to win a Cricut Expression???

Everyday Cricut is giving away a Cricut Expression in honor of National Scrapbooking Day. The winner will be chosen on May 9 (now wouldn't THAT be an awesome Mother's Day gift??). Check it out and enter for yourself here.