Show and Tell

Come quickly to my aid... and... Bitty Bird Valentine

Today is Friday, January 27. I felt fairly good this morning so I went to work. My main concern is that my mobility doesn't seem to be as good as it has been over the past few weeks. That's kind of a bummer and sends my mind to all kinds of places where I probably don't need to go. Then the office was pretty busy at work today and I neglected to eat lunch. So, on the way home from work I started nibbling on the sandwich I had brought with me — and pretty much immediately started vomiting. Yuck. I've felt better this afternoon, but still not great. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

Let's talk about something more pleasant... like last week when Ken & I went to the beach. We had not visited Wilmington before so we had no idea how charming it is...

 with spired churches and beautiful old homes.

We found a charming old building in the historic district that housed a restaurant...

I chose the "s'mac 'n' cheese" and a cup of fresh fruit for lunch. Perfectly delicious!

So that was the first part of our day on Friday. I'll show you some more next time.

 

Here is some scripture for today.

Psalm 22:19

"O Lord, do not stay far away! You are my strength; come quickly to my aid!"

Well, this is a very appropriate verse for today... today when I started out feeling good, but then went downhill pretty sharply in the afternoon. I need the Lord. I need His strength. I need Him to help me — and quickly, would be my preference. I'm finding out that I'm not as patient as I once thought I was.

So, Lord, please don't hide from me. Please don't stay so far away. You have always been my strength and my help. Settle my stomach and come quickly to my aid!   

 

Well, with Valentine's Day coming up, I decided to get a headstart on some cards.

SHOW

I love that bitty bird stamp set from Papertrey Ink. The bird is just so perky and happy looking.

AND TELL:  stamps are from Papertrey Ink (Little Bitty Bird, Heart Prints); cardstock is PTI (Vintage Cream, Stampers Select White); patterned paper (My Mind's Eye/Lime Twist: Life of the Party Sweet Bon Bon, My Mind's Eye/Stella Rose: Gertie Girly Lace); ink is Memento (Tuxedo Black); also used Copics (RV32, RV14) and PTI Bitty Birds die.

I think that will be it for today. Hopefully I'll be better tomorrow because right now I'm still feeling pretty crummy. Thank you for your visits and your prayers!     

never disgraced... and... a gift for you

Today is Thursday, January 26. Yesterday I was feeling pretty good until about half-way through the infusion and then started feeling a little puny. And that's continued into today. Food does not sound good but I make myself eat because not eating doesn't seem good either. Today I felt really good when I woke up. I did all my usual morning routine to get ready to go to work, but by the time we got in the car I was feeling sort of lousy so we turned around and came back home. This infusion stuff is getting tiresome. But, if it's working then I'll endure. And tomorrow should be better. 

I told you that last week we stopped in Raleigh on our way to the beach. We went to Archiver's, where I bought some new red embossing powder (but haven't had a chance to use it yet). We also spent some time with these people:

Kenneth & Britt! Always so good to spend time with them! And this time we learned something new about our son-in-law.

He builds an awesome fire! I suppose that being an Eagle Scout pays dividends throughout life. :)

 

Today's scripture:

Psalm 22:4-5

"Our ancestors trusted in you, and you rescued them. They cried out to you and were saved. They trusted in you and were never disgraced." 

These verses remind me of one of our family stories. Actually, it happened before I was born. I may not get all the details right, but I know I have the gist of it. My mom and dad were newly married and Dad had just been drafted. (This was in the early 1950s.) Until being called overseas, Dad was stationed in Missouri. Mom was in Indiana with her parents. Dad had a brief leave and was driving from Missouri to Indiana to be with my mom for awhile. It was the middle of the night and my mom suddenly woke up feeling that she needed to pray for my dad. As they compared notes later, the time that she awakened and began praying was the time that Dad was falling asleep while driving and was just about to run off the road. That really impressed me as a young child... how God hears our prayers and how He does rescue us and those we pray for. (And how if we are impressed to pray, we should pray!) I have other stories like that, and I'm sure you do, too. If you don't, maybe you should be praying more. Or paying more attention. It doesn't always hit me right away when God answers one of my prayers, but later (sometimes much later) as I'm reflecting on a specific event it might all of a sudden hit me how God answered that specific prayer. He is so good!  

 

While we were on our little trip to the beach last weekend, we wanted to make sure that we got to see Kenneth's parents. They live about an hour in from the coast, so it was an easy visit to make on the way back home. Of course, it was a great excuse to make a cute gift bag, too. 

SHOW

I made this little bag using a Papertrey Ink die and a lunch sack, and filled it with a book, a notepad, and a Starbucks gift card. Making a gift bag is a fun way to personalize a store-bought present. It's also a great way to use up some of that patterned paper that you've been hoarding. (If you're a paper crafter, you KNOW what I'm talking about!) 

AND TELL:  stamps are from Papertrey Ink (Fillable Frames #11, Fillable Frames #9, Tag-its #5); cardstock is PTI (Rustic White); patterned paper is My Mind's Eye (29th Street Market: Beautiful Blooms/Peachy Paper); ink is Stampin' Up (Baja Breeze, Crumb Cake, Riding Hood Red); felt is PTI (Fine Linen); button is PTI (Ocean Tides); twine is PTI (Rustic Cream); ribbon is PTI (Vintage Cream classic grosgrain, Ocean Tides satin); also used PTI dies (Front & Center #1, Bloom Builders #3, Fillable Frames #11).

Well, that will be all for today. I'm going to try to rest up some more this evening and be ready to go to work again tomorrow. That's the plan anyway. I hope all is well with you. Thank you so much for visiting!

Life & Healing... and... You've Been So Kind

Today is Tuesday, January 24. So far today I've been to work and to Curves. And I've read a couple chapters in a book that had been recommended to me several times. Have you read "The Hunger Games"? That is what I'm reading and it's the first book that I've read in a long, long time. And since it's a trilogy, I will probably need to read the other two also. I wasn't sure that I could sustain attention long enough to read a book, but it hasn't been as hard as I thought. I'm much slower at reading than I used to be, but I think I'm retaining the story pretty well and that's encouraging. (If you've read the book, don't give anything away... I still have about 100 pages to go. :)  )

I told you yesterday that we went to the beach last weekend. We had hoped to visit with some friends (Sheila and Jimmy) while we were there. They used to live near us, but call Wilmington, NC home now. Unfortunately, they were going to be out of town for the weekend, so we'll have to catch them next time.

But, I wanted to show you a sweet present that I got from Sheila around Christmastime.

... this sweet pewter shell-shaped dish that was filled with real seashells. Shells Sheila wrote that she had picked up on the beach as she was praying for me. How sweet is that? What an incredibly thoughtful and meaningful gift.

I placed the dish full of shells on the bookcases in the living room... in front of the oil painting that we had one of our former preschool dads paint of our two children. My Oregon friends might recognize the coastline in the painting. It would be nice if my memory was working well, but it's somewhere around Newport, I believe. Maybe closer to Depot Bay. Anyway, I gave the artist several photos to work from: pictures of the Oregon coastline, of the clothes I wanted the kids to be wearing, and of our kids when Britt was about 5, I think, and Ian, 3 (although, when the picture was painted they were teenagers). The actual photo that he painted the kids from was taken in Florida. They were wearing swimming suits and looking out at the Atlantic Ocean. I think Greg did a great job melding all those photos together to make a painting that turned out even better than I could've hoped for. It is definitely one of my prized possessions. (If you're interested, you can learn more about Greg and contact him here. He's fabulous!)  

 

 

Here is the scripture I chose for today.

Proverbs 4:20-22

"My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen carefully to my words. Don't lose sight of them. Let them penetrate deep into your heart, for they bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body."

OK, I know. More verses talking about healing. I can't help it. It's kind of a big theme for me right now.

When I was in the hospital nearly 6 months ago, I wished that I had spent more time memorizing Bible passages. I would've liked to have been able to comfort myself with the Word of God. It seems like all of the verses I know are attached to songs... which is good, but I'd really like to commit some entire passages to memory. Maybe my mind is working well enough now to do that. I'm sure it'll be slow-going, but I think I'm up for the challenge. :) What verses or passages are particularly meaningful to you? 

 

 

In my quest to use all the patterned paper that I can't seem to stop buying, I came up with this thank you card. Basically patterned paper, a stamp, and embossing powder — with a bit of ribbon for good measure. (This paper, like what I used yesterday, was purchased from Emma's Paperie — my favorite online paper source.)

SHOW

I really like the look of embossing powder, but I don't use it often. It's just too messy. But this Zing embossing powder did really well. It didn't scatter all over and it didn't leave a lot of extra specks. So — maybe my problem was that I was using old and/or cheap embossing powder. I think I may have to throw out most of what I have and get some new. And that'll be kinda fun, I think.

AND TELL:  stamps are from Papertrey Ink (a big thank you); cardstock is PTI (Vintage Cream); patterned paper is Sassafras Lass (sweetly smitten: floral fields); ink is Versamark; embossing powder is Zing (aqua); ribbon is PTI (1/4" white silk).

Tomorrow is another treatment day so I'll appreciate your prayers. Well, I always appreciate your prayers... they just seem so necessary sometimes. The last couple times the chemo has pretty well wiped me out — and if that's important to getting better, well, bring it on. But I'm pretty much a wimp so if the results are the same, I prefer the easy, "feel good" route. :)

That is enough for now. Thank you so much for stopping by and for listening to my ramblings. I really appreciate you — and your prayers! Sending you big, big hugs!

My Redeemer... and... Sending a Big Thank You

Today is Monday, January 23. I didn't tell you, but Ken & I went out of town for the weekend... to the beach. What fun that was!

I'll tell you more about that in a few days. Because today I want to talk a little bit about my brother-in-law, Michael. I've written about him before. He's such an inspiration to me. A now retired lawyer. A woodworker. A classical guitar player. A husband. A dad. A brother, uncle, etc. etc. etc. A guy full of funny stories. An encourager to those of us living with cancer... because he's living with cancer, too.

Mike and Lynne (Ken's sister) were at our house for Thanksgiving — for the third year in a row. And we sure loved it. But Mike always brings us some great item that he has wrought with his own hands. And I always show it to you, but this year I somehow didn't get that done. Until now.

That's the box that Michael made. And he told me that it has no stain on it. That's the color of the wood. Something from Brazil, I think he said. Isn't it beautiful?  

And that's the inside. It has four dividers that are perfect for earrings and what-not. It's great to have such talent in the family. :) (If you're interested, you can check out Mike & Lynne's blog here. It's partly their cancer journey, partly Mike's woodworking, partly Lynne's teaching, and partly family stuff — or whatever else happens to be on their minds.)

I thought I'd show you one more thing that was sent to us by Lynne & Mike.

 Look at his little dog flower arrangement. The puppy was fashioned from carnations and, maybe you can see, he's wearing wire-rimmed glasses and a little Santa hat. Quite cute and festive, isn't he?

 

Here is a biblical reminder for you today.

Psalm 19:14

"May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer."

My desire is that the way I live my life and that the things I say would be pleasing to the Lord. Actually, that is more than my desire. It's my prayer. And has been my prayer for quite a few years now. When the Lord looks at my life, I want Him to feel happy. I try to watch the things I say for several reasons... I don't want to grieve the Lord, I don't want to hurt anyone, and (a really selfish and unspiritual reason) I hate having to apologize. I find that it's better to live a life of prayer and as I do that the Lord will transform my thinking and I am much more likely to live as He desires. 

 

I'm pretty good at making thank you cards. But not so good at sending them. This one I made to send to my brother-in-law Michael. Yep. The same guy who made me that useful and sturdy jewelry box. In November. Yes, that's how bad I am at getting thank you cards in the mail. Can we just say, "better late than never"? 

SHOW

I thought that all the woodgrain on this card would be appropriate for Mike since he is such a master woodworker. But I also love the combination of the woodgrain with the bright-ish red. Just makes the whole thing look a little more contemporary and a little less rustic. (Michael, thank you so much for the beautiful box... the official thank you card will be in the mail soon!) 

AND TELL:  stamps are from Papertrey Ink (a big thank you, Background Basics: Wood); cardstock is PTI (Vintage Cream); patterned paper is Sassasfras Lass (My Dearest: Woo + Woo); ink is Stampin' Up (Poppy Parade, Real Rust); also used PTI's Double-Ended Banners die.

Now it's time to get on to something else. As I was working on this card (and the next few that I'll share with you), I was reminded about an order that I placed from Emma's Paperie a couple months ago... that included this patterned paper.

I love ordering from Emma's.

They always package up my patterned paper order which helps to protect it and is kinda pretty besides. There's always a little gift tied on the top.

And, here's my Emma's purchase from back in November.

I've already used quite a bit of this paper — and intend to use a lot more in the coming weeks. I find it hard to resist all the beautiful patterned papers that are available now. But, I'm determined that if I buy them I'm going to use them. No more wasting money. If I buy it, I use it. Sounds like a great philosophy, doesn't it? Now, if I can just stick to it. :)

And that will be it for now. Thank you so much for stopping by. I appreciate you very much!

His perfect way... and... love

Today is Saturday, January 21. It's been a good day so far. Did I tell you that we cut back on steroids again? Now I'm taking 1mg every other day. Oh. I do seem to remember explaining that before. I'm thinking that it may be time to go completely off of them. That's an exciting thought. We'll see and I'll keep you posted.

I thought I'd show you a couple pictures from the past week. Here's one from preschool

 You know how I like preschool art. These were done by a three year old class. Cute, huh? I especially like the painted snowmen. But the penguin are pretty precious, too. 

And you've gotta check this out. It's the sticker that was on my banana one morning this week.

 Haha! If anyone needs brain fuel, it may be me. Perhaps I should eat one every day! :)

 

Let's move on to some scripture now.

Psalm 18:30

"God's way is perfect. All the Lord's promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to him for protection."

You know, whatever God decides to do with me is perfect. I know what I hope and what I pray for, but when I gave my life to Christ I also gave Him permission to use me as He sees fit. That can be a hard pill to swallow sometimes — because we, as people, just want the good and the easy and the comfortable. At least, that's what I always want. That's just not real life, though, is it? So I've found that I just have to determine and agree in my heart that His way is best. I usually can do that pretty successfully, but sometimes... Well, how do you do at that?   

 

So, I decided to get a headstart on Valentine projects.

SHOW

This little folder has the perfect place for a square chocolate. Just a little Valentine treat. Who wouldn't like that?

I'm not completely satisfied with the way the little treat holder turned out. So, next time I'll tweak it and do a few things differently.

AND TELL:  stamps are from Papertrey Ink (Tag-its #11); cardstock is PTI (Stampers Select White); patterned paper is from my stash; ink is PTI (Berry Sorbet) and Memento (Tuxedo Black); baker's twine is Divine Twine (orange); also used PTI dies (Lunchbox Note, Love Lives Here, Filigree) and a Stampin' Up punch (1-3/4" circle).

That will be just about it, I think. Ken and I have been continuing on our walks... at least one a day, maybe two. Hopefully with the exercise and the steroids being reduced to almost nothing (or maybe to nothing) I'll start to get my girly figure back. :) But, you know... it's just good to be alive. Even if I am a little chunky. haha!

Hope all is well with you and I'll try to be back in touch tomorrow, but — looking at my Sunday — it may be Monday before we get a chance to visit again. Lots of love to you! 

My Strength... and... Kindness Matters

Today is Friday, January 20. Sorry that I've been AWOL for the last few days. Just stuff going on that I'll update you on later. Nothing like building a little anticipation, right? And, don't worry... it's nothing bad. Only good stuff. :)

Thought I'd show you one photo from the week past...

Me and my "I love my ducks" shirt went back to Curves! Whew! It's a lot harder than it used to be — usually you go around the circuit twice and I've just been going around once this week — but it's good to do some specific exercising. I'm slow, but I'm doing something — so that's good. I started back on Monday when Kris was still in Charlotte with us and we met Sara Gwynn for a workout... and then, since we weren't quite ready to go our separate ways, we walked across the parking lot to Dunkin Donuts. haha! In our defense, though, on the way back we walked around the perimeter of the shopping center which is a much longer walk. That's gotta count for something! :)

 

Wow. I already wrote this section, I thought, but it has disappeared... so guess I'll do it again. :) The scripture that I chose to use today is from the Psalms.

Psalm 18:1-3

"I love you, Lord; you are my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety. I called on the Lord, who is worth of praise, and he saved me from my enemies."

The Lord is MY strength, MY rock, MY fortress, MY savior, MY protector, MY shield, MY place of safety. He saves me from my enemies. He is so worth of praise! And, when I call in Him, He answers and He saves me. What could be better than that? I know! The fact that He will be all that to you, too. :)

 

 

The cards I'm going to share today are almost too basic and too plain to post. But I've always had this thing about sharing everything... the good, the bad, and the ugly. So — here they are.

SHOW

The card was too easy to make just one and call it quits. So I made three. I just changed up the colors, but used the same stamps and the same formula... darker color for the butterflies and lighter shade of the same color for the words. 

Nothing special about the cards, but there is about the words. Kindness certainly does matter... so these will be going into our stash of thank you cards that I really need to start giving out. I've said it before... we have been so, SO blessed!

AND TELL:  stamps are from Stampin' Up (Kindness Matters); cardstock is Papertrey Ink (Rustic White); ink is SU (Chocolate Chip, Crumb Cake, Old Olive, Certainly Celery, Not Quite Navy, Bashful Blue).

I don't know that I have anything else to say right now. But... I should be able to be back tomorrow. I'll "see" you then. Hugs to you!! 

hope of the world... and... wonderful friend

Today is Tuesday, January 17. Yesterday was a holiday, but today was a work day. So, I went to work for awhile, but since I didn't have a lot to do... and since Kris was still here (she left this afternoon to go back to California)...and since I forgot to take a lunch for us... well, it seemed like cutting out from work to visit our local McCallister's Deli was in order. :)

I've been forgetting to tell you something. Over Christmas break, Ken and I made the decision that I would resign from the Weekday School and spend more time enjoying life. In part, it was a hard decision. I've been working there since 1995, director since 1998. It's a special place and I love all the staff, the parents, and, of course, the kids. But in part it was an easy decision. I had actually been thinking for over a year that it was probably time for me to move on... but, you know... it's sometimes easier to just carry on with what's comfortable. So now Ken and I plan to do a little traveling between chemo treatments. I'll have more time for crafting and maybe can even get some of those unfinished projects around the house done. And — the best part and the reason that I can leave the school in good conscience, is the lady who I've been working with for all those years — the other director — has been asked to take the position of sole-director... and I know she'll do great. It does my heart good to see that the committee had the wisdom to continue with what has been working instead of feeling like they needed to bring someone in from the outside. I'm leaving the school in very good hands.

 

Here's a short scripture verse for today.

Matthew 12:21

"And his name will be the hope of all the world."

Don't we all need hope? Then we should all trust in Jesus because He is the hope of all the world!

 

I don't think I mentioned that Sara Gwynn and Doug came over for dinner last night. Well, to be truthful, they came over and we took them (and Kristine) to Bricktops for dinner. And, since we were at Bricktops, we got to see Ian while he worked. Kind of a bonus. :) 

SHOW

This is the card that I made for Doug and Sara Gwynn. It was the first time I had used that Bloom Builders die (#3)... and I think I like it. :)

AND TELL:  stamps are from Papertrey Ink (Fancy Flourishes, Round & Round); cardstock is Stamp Up (Pixie Pink); patterned paper is Sassafras Lass (Mix and Mend:  Fancy Free) and a pink/flower scrap; ink is Memento (Tuxedo Black) and Versamark; rhinestone brad is Recollections; also used a PTI die (Bloom Builders #3).

This is me, Sara Gwynn, and Kristine at our house before leaving for dinner. I have these metal letters that slide into grooves on a wooden track. I like arranging the letters to make little messages. This one says, "My girlfriend's back". 

You know the song, "My boyfriend's back..."? We tweaked it a bit and made a "My girlfirend's back" sign for the dining room. And we sang the song. And, yes, we had a ton of fun and laughed a lot, too!!

I think I forgot to mention that we cut back on the steroids again. Since I was at 1mg a day, the way the doctor had suggested that we drop down further is to go to 1mg every other day. So, that's what we've done. I had 1mg on Sunday, none Monday, and 1 today. Tomorrow we'll be back to none. And so forth. We'll see how it goes... so far, so good. 

Well, that's it for today. I definitely need to get ready for bed... it's after 11:00. yikes! Thanks for stopping in for a bit. I'll try to be back tomorrow with another update tomorrow. Hugs to you!

Playing today

There will be no for-real post today. Kris and I went on a walk around noon and then did a little cleaning because our friends Sara Gwynn and Doug are coming for dinner. Yay! After that we spent a little time in the craft room. The doorbell just rang so I better go. We'll catch up more tomorrow. :)

Give freely... and... January Stamp Club

Today is Saturday, January 15. I'm kind of at a loss as to what to write about today. And you know that's not normal for me! While I may be pretty quiet in real life, I'm usually downright chatty on the blog!

Today is stamp club and the theme is love/Valentine's... stuff like that. So, before I show you the card (and share the scripture) I thought I'd share some really cute cornbread hearts that we received from some neighbors.

Aren't they great? Cute and tasty. Can't beat that combination! (Thanks, Cheryl and Jerry!)

 

Today's scripture is from the New Testament.

Matthew 10:8b

"'Give as freely as you have received.'"

Hmm. Sounds like my cornbread story and this passage were meant to be together. Isn't that funny how often God works that out? :)

We have been so humbled by all the kindnesses that have been shown to us over the past 5 or so months. I mean, truly overwhelmed. When we cut the gravy train off (haha!) at the beginning of December and started fending for ourselves, we really realized what a blessing those months of food deliveries had been. But there is something very satisfying about taking care of yourself, too... you know?

We so appreciate all the weeks of people bringing us food and loving on us in such a tangible (and tasty!) way. But we realized that, not only was it time for us to take care of ourselves, it was time for us to look for opportunities to help others, too. It is so easy to get all wrapped up in our own stuff — and, really, providing meals for people has never been my thing -- but I think that is mostly about laziness and selfishness... not really qualities I want to be know for! 

So — I do hereby vow to pay attention to those around me and their needs... not just my own. :) And I just so happen to know someone who is scheduled for serious surgery in the next few days. Sounds like a golden opportunity to me.

 

Today was stamp club and, as usual, it was fun, fun, fun! As I mentioned, the theme today was love or Valentine's Day... 

SHOW

and I'm a bit partial to red, pink, hearts, and all that girly stuff. But I'm not so good at vintage type designs, so this stamp set works well for me. A little more contemporary. I designed this card with kind of a peek-a-boo feature, so that you would get a little preview of the inside of the card when the card is closed. Kind of a fun feature.

And, as usual, I finished the card off with with an image and my initials. Isn't that a pretty cute image?

 

 

 

 

 

AND TELL:  stamps are from Stampin' Up (Valentine Defined, Bella Toile, Amazing to Zany); cardstock is Papertrey Ink (Stampers Select White); ink is SU (Melon Mambo) and PTI (True Black); seam binding is SU (1/2" rose red); also used items from SU (Heart-to-Heart Punch, Sizzlets Lots of Tags Labels 2, Stampin' Write Rose Red Marker).

I took a few pictures at Stamp Club today and thought I'd share them with you.

Since my sister-in-law Kris was back in town, she got to go to stamp club with me — and get personal instruction from our Stampin' Up demonstrator, Judy, and one of our club members, Kelley (who is also my pedicurist... :) ) Isn't that room great? Judy's upline lets us meet in her club house. So fun!

This was the spread we had today. Needless to say, no one left hungry!

And here is one of the walls in the club house. 

No shortage of inspiration around here! (Hi, Kathy! :) )

Well, that's more than enough for one day. And, besides, it's 10:00 at night now. Time to get ready for bed so that I'll be refreshed for church tomorrow. Thank you so much for stopping by for a visit. We so appreciate hearing from you! Sending you big hugs! 

 

The Lord still rules... and...You are just dandy!

Today is Friday, January 13. I was feeling pretty good this morning so I went to work. But I started to fade about half-way through the day and really should have gone home... but didn't. Now I'm really regretting that as I'm tired, nauseous, and pretty grumpy. And my sister-in-law is arriving from California in a couple hours so I'd really like to get over it so I'll be ready for some fun.

On the plus side, though... I did sleep really well last night. And, that's always good! 

Here's some artwork from a three year old class last Friday. You know how I like preschool art!

Cute owls, aren't they? They're made from painted paper plates with construction paper eyes and beaks, and they're flying through a night sky of sticker stars. Preschoolers love stickers. And getting them off the paper backing is really good for their developing fine motor skills. (So, if you have preschoolers in your life, don't be stingy with the stickers. Buy some cheapies and let them go to town!) And, back to the artwork, don't you just love those big ol' owl eyes? 

 

Now some scripture for today:

Psalm 11:4a

"But the Lord is in his holy Temple; the Lord still rules from heaven."

Today I am feeling so sick and tired. My day didn't start out that way, and it probably won't end that way, but it's the way I feel right now. I'm thinking that I'm going to take a nap and go to sleep meditating on this verse... the Lord is in His holy temple... the Lord still rules from heaven. He still loves me. He has not abandoned me. He will give me the strength I need. 

 

Since Kris is coming today, I did what I nearly always do when we have out of town guests... I made a welcome card to put in her room.

SHOW

You may recognize this card. It's quite similar to a couple that I made in October for the receptionists at the radiologists office. (Here... you'll have to scroll down quite a ways.) And Kristine is completely and totally "dandy", so it's the perfect card for her. I'm sure we'll have lots of fun while she's here. :) 

As I often do, I used a little stamp from the set along with my initials to sign the card. Just a nice extra touch, I think.

AND TELL:  stamps are from Papertrey Ink (Flora Fusion #11, Floral Fusion #5, Floral Fusion #7, Floral Fusion #4, Floral Fusion #8, Love Lives Here); cardstock is PTI (Stampers Select White); ink is Stampin' Up (Pear Pizzazz, Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie) and PTI (True Black); also used PTI's Basic Backgrounds: Diamonds Impression Plate and dies (Floral Fusion Stem, Floral Fusion #11, Floral Fusion #4, Floral Fusion #7), SU's Regal Rose marker, and Creative Memories corner rounder.

 Well, it's nearly 4:00 now and I'm getting a bit of a second wind. I think I'll still let Ken pick up Kris at the airport on his own, though. And I'll either stay here to rest or do some laundry. Or a little of both. :)

Thanks so much for stopping by for a bit of news, complaining, scripture, and craftiness today. I so love visiting with you and, again, want to thank you for all the specific prayers over the last few days. You all are the absolute best! Sending hugs your way!