The richest parts of life are found in the fine print. The little details. Those moments in between the big moments that define our memories and shape who we are. It's a beautiful thing.
I've been a little busy! I've been scrappin' and organizing a veritable sea of photos! Over 16 years of photos. Can I just say that is a lot of photo's people? It feels very rewarding for this goal oriented girl to check this major task off her list! Now if I could tackle my closet!
Here are some of the layouts that I have done lately: Sleepy, happy love Sing, make a joyful noise Stolen Moments Today.......... Lego Lovin' Back 2 school Thanks for coming by! ~Tricia
I came across this article and wanted to share it. I hope you enjoy it.
Beings of Light, Human Angels
"During each of our journeys, there are those inevitable moments when someone comes into our life at precisely the right time and says or does precisely the right thing. Their words or actions may help us perceive ourselves more clearly, remind us that everything will turn out for the best, help us cope, or see us through difficult situations. These people are human angels – individuals designated by the God to be of service to those in need at specific points in time. All human angels come into our lives when we least expect them and when we can most benefit from their presence.
A few of the human angels we may encounter are in professions where helping others is an everyday occurrence. But most of them are regular people, going about their daily lives until called upon to be in the right place at the right time to bring peace, joy, help, or heal someone when they most need it. You may have met a human angel in the form of a teacher who gave you a piece of advice that touched your soul and influenced your path. The person that momentarily stopped you to say hello on the street, delaying you long enough to avoid an oncoming car or a collision, is also a human angel. They may offer nothing more than a kind word or a smile, but they will offer it when you can draw the most strength and support from their simple action.Human angels give of their inner light to all who need it, coming into our lives and often changing us forever."
This poem that I have kept for many years sums it up nicely:
Be a torch or be a spark, Be a candle in the dark. Be a sunbeam, be a star, Be the shining light you are.
Today we observe and honor the 24.9 million military veterans who have served and continue to serve out country. Thank you for you service and your sacrifice.
I have lots of layouts to share again from my Cathy Zielske class at BPS. The first is a "mini book" asking the members of my family to use 5 words to describe themselves then 5 words to describe us as a family. I'd have to say my favorite response was from my husband. When describing himself he said, "bald". Ha! Nothing like stating the obvious. He totally makes me laugh. It was a fun and easy project to complete and was interesting to hear what my family thought about themselves. It could be a neat yearly project to see how our view of ourselves changes over time. For this one I printed up a blog entry that I wrote on our 13th wedding anniversary last year, so the journaling was already done! I just added a photo and a couple of embellishments and viola! This one is about my son and his recent purchase of a drum kit. In fact, as I write I can hear banging, crashing and thumping. Aahhhh, deep cleansing breathe. In the top photo he is opening his wallet to show me that he is stone cold broke, but as you can see in the lower photo he is not too upset about it. This one is for the challenge I do with my homey's. I made a color wheel in the center and placed my families photos into a circle with the journaling around the edge. I had originally put it on a different background paper but didn't like it so I changed it up a bit. I like this version much better. This one I used some of my beloved Sassafrass paper. Isn't it lovely? I love the lone blue chickie in the bottom corner. This is one about my son's favorite sleep shirt. He has two identical shirts and wears one of them almost every single night since last Christmas! I cannot tell you how many pictures I have of this boy where he looks like he is wearing the same darn thing!!!!!! I love these pictures because they also show a bit of his goofy side. I used some super old photos on this one from when my son was born. He is 8 now, so it was practically a life time ago. I have never scrapped any photos from when he was this little (I started scrapping four years after he was born), so it was nice to get some of these done while I was inspired to do it. Well that is it for my scrappy update. I actually have been doing other things too, I just haven't had time to blog them. Thanks for stopping by and spending some time here with me. :0)
I have been a busy girl! I have had some time to scrap this week and was able to finish my assignments from last week and this week. I am LOVING that I am able to scrap lots of older photos that haven't made it to a page yet!
A short list about Peyton @ 10. Me and hubby when we got married and now. This one highlights the way we are the same since we've been married and how we've changed. Hubby turned 40 last year and we went to San Francisco for the day. I am glad I got these photos scrapped before his next birthday in a month and a half. :0) These pic's are from a random day a couple of years ago at the arboretum. The family at the peak of Mt. Lassen 2 years ago. The number in the title is the elevation of the summit. Okay, now I am off to get started on the recipe box challenge. ~Tricia
I have not posted in quite some time! It is not because I haven't thought of it, I just don't feel like I have had the time. I have been busy in life and I have been busy scrapbooking. I took a couple of class at Scrap in Styleand I am taking a 12 week course over at Big Picture Scrapbooking with Cathy Zielske. In the class I am scrapping in ways that are typically not my style, but I am learning to embrace change. I like that her style is more linear and graphic than mine tends to be and as a result often allows you to get more pictures on a page. Also, I have not done a two page layout in FOREVER, and since being in her class I have done 2. Up till now I had never done an 8 1/2 x 11 page either, now I've done 3! I am just breaking out of my "scrappin' box" big time and will hopefully be learning some great fundamentals of design along the way. The first layout is one I did with my homeys for our Elsie Recipe Challenge Blog.
This next one is digi. It documents a very special day for my husband this last summer.
The rest of these are layouts that I have done for my class. This one is supposed to represent why I scrapbook. This one is some pic's of my kids playing on a playground that I played at when I was a child. These are the same toys from when I was little, nothing has changed. It made me feel a little nostalgic to see my children playing on them. This is from an excursion we took up to Apple Hill this past weekend. These are from our vacation this summer to San Diego. We went to Balboa Park and I was in love the architecture, so I took lots of pictures of buildings. I am glad that I was able to incorporate them onto a page. For this one I used and old photo of my family and a quote I read on Ali E's blog. It completely captures the essence of why I love to scrapbook. Here is the quote:
Mary Jean Iron : Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are. Let me learn from you, love you, bless you before you depart. Let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow. Let me hold you while I may, for it may not always be so. One day I shall dig my nails into the earth, or bury my face in the pillow, or stretch myself taut, or raise my hands to the sky and want, more than all the world, your return.
Thanks for reading. I hope that you are having a beautiful, "normal" day.
Words are a unit of language that carry meaning by definition. Though they are sometimes small, like the word "no", they can carry quite a meaning. And likewise, just because a word is multisyllabic does not mean it is any more important. Case in point, Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. I am a self proclaimed lover of words. I think that they are fascinating. It is intriguing to me that a single word can potentially explain a moment, a feeling, an experience. Words are powerful. Proverbs 18:21 says, " The power of death and life are in the tongue". Likewise,"A wholesome tongue is a tree of life." (Prov. 15:4) and "The lips of the righteous feed many"(Prov. 10-21) We have the ability to build people up or tear them down just by using words. That is a tremendous amount of power just by opening our mouths. Words set to music often evoke feelings within us that may otherwise lie dormant. Greeting cards and poems can sometime express the words that we feel, but are unable to formulate ourselves. Our "word" is our vow, our promise that we make to someone else. By reciting words to one another and an officiant, we are able to commit ourselves to each other in marriage. A union that is meant to last a lifetime merely by the exchange of words. Through conversation we get to know others, and through the written words on this page you are able to delve deeper into my current thought process.
Yet, words alone are all too often what you will get. Words without any action to prove them to be so. Words without action essentially are void of sincerity. Take the wedding vows I mentioned earlier, by word you are committed, but it is by your actions that you thrive in your marriage. You can tell a person that you love them, but if your actions do not align with your words, those words are empty. Your actions must be in alignment with your words. Much likeJames 2:17 tells us, "Faith without deeds is dead". We are saved through faith in Jesus Christ, we don't have to DO anything it is a free gift (Ephesians 2:8). It is what we do once we are saved that proves our faith and shows others to whom we belong.
So where do the actions, words and faith come from? The heart! "...For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks" (Mat 12:34). The words you speak and your actions say a lot about the current condition of your heart, for better or worse. We are talking fruit here people. Matthew 7:16 say, "You will know them by their fruit. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?". You mean I cannot just say I'm a grape and get to be a grape? Darn it!!! If only it were that easy.
This is a video to a song by Casting Crown's called "Lifesong". I think it sums up what I am trying to say nicely.
"So may the words I say ,and the things I do make my lifesong sing Bring a smile to You! Hallelujah, Hallelujah, let my lifesong sing to You!"
I did this layout for a challenge with my Homey's. I used the lyrics from a song that I love and tucked some journaling on a note behind them. There have been times in my life when it would have been easier to curl up in a ball and give up, but I have learned that if I choose to draw closer to the Lord during these times He becomes even more real to me.
Did you realize that as of today there are only 90 days left till Christmas?That is crazy. It does not seem like this year could have flown by so swiftly, but it has. I was doing some work on the computer yesterday when it occurred to me that I should check on when tickets become available for a Christmas show we traditionally go to. When I navigated to the website imagine my surprise when I found out that not only were they already on sale, but much of the best seating was already sold out for the days and times that we prefer. I did end up being able to purchase the best seats we have had to date, but not as good as I would have thought considering it is September and most people aren't even thinking about Christmas. Obviously I was mistaken with that assumption.
My goal during the holiday season is the be as prepared as possible so that I can actually enjoy it. I do not like leaving things for the last minute and getting all stressed out. I HATE shopping late into the season and dealing with grumpy people, impossible parking lots and crowded stores. I try to avoid these things when possible. My goal is about preserving my mental health, not about being able to say in mid November, "I've got all of my Christmas shopping done. Do you???" I really, really love Christmas and prefer to enjoy it with my family doing activities together and focusing on what the real reason we celebrate this holiday.
So having said ALL of that, I wanted to share with you something I discovered. It is a website that offers a free 6 week Christmas countdown planner. I am sure that you may be thinking that I am ridiculously neurotic at this point, and you may be right, (insert wink here) but I think it is a genius idea! I especially love the "values worksheet". It asks you to evaluate your experience last year: What went well, what were the stresses, were you spiritually invigorated, what were your motivations for the purchases you made, how would you change it. There are also pages to evaluate this year once it is over, a page for notes on your memories from this year (I know all of you scrapbookers will love this one) and a "reality check" check list. Oh, and if you haven't already figured it out, I am a HUGE fan of lists. The organization, the sense of accomplishment, the plan of action before your very eyes, but I digress.
The reason I am telling you about this now is that if you would like to use something like this you will have ample time to print and get it organized before the countdown kicks off. October 26 is the official beginning of the 6 week countdown. And just so you don't forget, I have put a countdown on the side bar of my blog (totally neurotic)!
It has occurred to me that all of my blog posts seem to lack depth. They are all fairly superficial. I, however, do not actually consider myself a superficial person although I am sure there are those that may disagree. I think that the reason for this is I try to keep things on my blog light and easy for the most part. I am unlikely to pour out the entire content of my soul here for review, but I do try to share "pieces" of who I am. Anyways, today I came across a poem of sorts that has been a favorite of mine since high school. It is interesting to re-read something that has resonated in my spirit for over 20 years and have it STILL ring true. It penetrated a part of me that knew who I was and what was important regardless of my age. The part of a person that remains constant,the Spirit. It is called the Invitation.
It doesn't interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.
It doesn't interest me how old you are. I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dream, for the adventure of being alive.
It doesn't interest me what planets are squaring the moon. I want to know if you have touched the center of your sorrow, have been opened by life's betrayals or have become shriveled and closed for fear of further pain.
I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own, without moving to hide it or fade it or fix it. I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own, if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful, to be realistic, or to remember the limitations of being human.
It doesn't interest me if the story you are telling me is true. I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself, if you can bear accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul.
I want to know if you can be faithful and therefore be trustworthy.
I want to know if you can see beauty even when it is not pretty everyday, and if you can source your life from it's presence.
I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine, and still stand on the edge of a lake and shout to the silver of the full moon...YES!
It doesn't interest me to know where you live or how much money you have. I want to know if you can get up after a night of grief and despair, weary and bruised to the bone and do what needs to be done for the children.
It doesn't interest me who you are or how you came to be here. I want to know if you can stand in the center of the fire with me and not shrink back.
It doesn't interest me what or where or with whom you have studied. I want to know what sustains you from the inside when all else falls away.
I want to know if you can be alone with yourself and if you truly like the company you keep in empty moments.
Today started quite early for me. I woke up at 2:00 am for no good reason. This has been happening more frequently than I prefer. I was finally able to go back to sleep for a couple of hours before waking up to take the kids to school. The kids go to a small school out in the country. On any given day it is not uncommon for us to pass tractors on our way to school. This time of year it is not unusual for us to spot these either. This morning there were 7 hot air balloons floating in the sky near the kids' school. It was a beautiful site to see.
I had an appointment today, so I was off of work. The appointment took less time than expected, so I had the rest of the day to myself. I am supremely happy about scoring this deal: Yes, that's right, it was $23.99! It is 3.5 feet wide and 3.5 feet tall! I couldn't buy a plain canvas for that! I totally thought it must have been an error for it to be that cheap. Pretty cool, huh?
Here are the spoils I scored at an estate sale this weekend. I spent $1.25 for the lot! (not pictured is a deep glass bread baking dish) The books are vintage hymnals. The oldest one dates back to 1913. I just love them and the history they contain.
On Tuesday I made the Catwalk at Scrap in Style for the second week in a row! That is totally crazy (but cool)! Last week my layout called "I simply adore this girl" was chosen. This week the layout "Pieces of me" that I did with my Scrappin' Homeys using the Elsie recipe cards was chosen. My friend Jen, one of the homeys, also made the Catwalk this week!
Last, but not least, is the project I finished for my class at SIStv with Wilna. It is a great class and she is a great teacher. She is totally organized and comes up with unique project ideas that are fun to do. We altered a Starbuck's cup and made it into an album. I still have to put pictures and journaling in it, but I am excited to have finished it in time to move onto the next project. Best of all I did not buy ONE new item to complete this project. I tapped into my stash and used supplies I already had. I did get a cup from Starbuck's, but they gave it to me for free so that doesn't count. :0)
So there are the hilights: good deals, pretty balloons, more good deals, scrapbookin' lovin' and a fun project! What else is there?
Sing, make a joyful noise
Stolen Moments
Today..........
Lego Lovin'
Back 2 school
Thanks for coming by!
