WOYWW 255 - Neat and Tidy

It is once again Wednesday which means it is time to share our work areas with our fellow bloggers on Julia's Stamping Ground.  If you haven't been there - I would suggest you check it out.  You will be inspired.

Here is my desk in all its glory.

Thank you for stopping by.  Have a great day and be inpsired.

April
Romans 8:11  And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies beause of his Spirit who lives in you.

Project Life Week 6 - Vegas Baby!

As is typical I am behind on my Project Life pages, but I refused to give up or fret about it.  Weeks 6 and 7 required 2 page spreads, but I think I will work through weeks 8 - 14 pretty quickly as I have been remiss in taking pictures (bad April) and there has not been a whole lot going on.

Here is an over view of my layouts for week 6 and a few of my favorite pockets.

I really like working with a 6x6 paper pad and the coordinating embellishments.  I did a lot of sewing this week too.

And I did a video.  :-)

Well on to week 7.

Thanks for stopping by my blog.  Have a great day and be inspired.

April
Romans 6:23  For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The dreaded phone call

I don't know about the rest of you, but in my family there is usually some sort of drama going on.  Right now it is car drama, but I will save that for another post.  Today was my own drama because evidently I like to create drama if there is none.  ;-)  You know create my own drama as it were.

I have to give you some background first.  We attend a small church.  A very small church.  And one would think that church would be the LAST place where politics would be hanging out.  Especially in a very small church.  One would be wrong.  Oh the stories I could tell.  But I digress..... 

There were several individuals several years back that decided our church was too old fashioned.  Our minister believes that only men can be elders and that group had a problem with that.  Personally, I have a problem with that, too; however, I choose to pick my battles and that is not one of them.  If the men want all the responsibility - they can have it.  If I want to be a deacon or an elder - I will go to a different church.  Again, I digress.......

So this group of people decided to go on a journey that led them down the path of creating upheaval in our church.  The group was recruiting people for their cause and having secret meetings all discussing how to oust the minister.  Then it all came to a head in a meeting in the basement of the church.  The group expressed their concern.  Sheer silliness ensued, words were thrown around and the group who wanted the minister gone stormed out of the basement and never returned.  And our minister stayed.  And in my mind - that was a good thing because even if we don't agree on all doctrine, I know he wants only to do what is right.

It just so happens that two of my family members were in the group that stormed out that night.  Fortunately, they were not the true troublemakers of the group, but they did follow that group.  And in the midst of all the ruckus that was being caused one of those two family members said some things to the minister's wife that were hurtful and mean.

Prior to those words being said when I had family gatherings, I would invite the minister and his wife because they have no family in town.  I have Thanksgiving and Easter at my house for both my family and my husband's family.  Needless to say, I could no longer invite the minister and his wife because of those hurtful words and it was very awkward. 

This went on for several years. 

Then my daughter graduated from high school.  We always have a graduation party at our church and all members of the graduate's family are invited.  Uh oh.  Again - awkward.  My family members that left were coming to the graduation party.  Not only did they come, but they invited 2 members of the 'group' that had caused such chaos for our church to come, too.  Very awkward.  Fortunately, the day came and went without incident.

Then my other daughter graduated from high school.  And as always there was a graduation party at church.  And all of the graduate's family members were invited.  The fear was less, but still a little fear nonetheless.  This time it was just the family members and again everything went off without an incident.

Then I had an anniversary party for my parents.  My mother and the minister's wife are extremely close and the party could not be had without them or my family members.  Again - fear.  I was not as fearful as the last time, but fear nonetheless.  Even better than before, the family member and the minister's wife spoke this time.   The party went off without a hitch and there was no incident.  The pain of the past had lessened.

Then, there was craft day at church.  There was no fear and my family member and the minister's wife actually spoke and laughed.  And it seems there is peace.

Then, my mother, because she is so fearless, suggested I invite the minister and his wife over for our Easter celebration.  I thought that was a great idea.  My family member and the minister's wife had attended multiple social gatherings without incident.  I thought it was time.  Until I had to make the phone call.

Again - FEAR.  Because I like to create my own drama  -  you know.  I thought about calling my Mom and make her call my family member and tell them who was coming over for Easter since it was her BIG idea.  LOL  But the phone call went smoothly and it seems all is right with the world.

I think the moral of this story is that sometimes we say things we shouldn't.  And sometimes that causes awkwardness.  And that awkwardness can sometimes go on for years.  But when it is all said and done, we just need to put on our big girl panties and say - I forgive you.

Thanks for stopping by.  Have a great day and be inspired.

April

John 3:17  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

WOYWW 254 - I'm a Winner!

Well it is Wednesday once again which means it is time to take a picture of my work area and share it on Julia's Stamping Ground Blog.  If you've not stopped by for a visit - you should.  Lots and lots of inspiration from around the world.

Here is my work area.  On top of the plastic box is what I won from Daniella.  :-)  I cannot wait to use my paper and embellishments on a page.

And here is a peek at my prize:

Thanks for stopping by to visit.  Have a great day and be inspired.

April

Isaiah 25:8  he will swallow up death forever.  The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces;  he will remove his people's

disgrace from all the Earth.  The Lord has spoken.

Coming Up Daisies

I used the Deconstructed Sketch that I used on my other sympathy cards for this sympathy card, but the image is different.  I tried a new to me watercolor technique.  I actually tried several watercolor techniques, but this one turned out the best.

I think watercolor is like Copics - it takes some practice.  The patterned paper is Poppy by Little Yellow Bicycle.  The sentiment is by Avery Elle.

Thanks for stopping by.  Have a great day and be inspired.

April
1 Peter 1:3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy begat us again unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

A Get Well Box

My latest obsession is box cards.  I made one for my mother-in-law for her birthday.  I also made several get well boxes for future use.

I used the Silhouette to cut out all the pieces and then put them together.  I put googly eyes on the owls because you can't go wrong with googly eyes.  :-)  They fold up into an a2 size so they will fit in an a2 size card.

If you have a silhouette - give it a try.

Thanks for stopping by.  Have a great day and be inspired.

April
Nehemiah 8:10  The joy of the Lord is your strength.

WOYWW 253 - Master Craftswomanship

It is once again time to take a picture of my work area and share with the rest of the world at Julia's Blog - The Stamping Ground.

I feel like a broken record here.  I am having technological difficulties.  Technology is great when it works. My Sony Bloggie died.  :-(  I've looked for a new one, but it seems a little silly to buy a new one when I have regular digital cameras that have video capability.  So my difficulty isn't as much technological as it is set- upological.  I couldn't think of an ology word for setup although I am sure there is one.

My dilemma is that the location of the of the doo dad that attaches the camera to the tripod is not conducive to shooting video from overhead without interfering with the movement of my arms and chair.  So, in order to overcome my set up issues - I created my own bi-pod structure with the material I had available to me.  Foam Core fixes everything - right?  Foam core and pins.

Here is my innovation at work:

The camera sits on top in the middle - there is a hole for the lense.  It serves the purpose right now.  It will not withstand much wear or tear though.

Well I'm off to visit desks from around the world.

Thanks for stopping by my blog.  Have a great day and be inspired.

April
Romans 8:1 -2  Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.

More Bunches and Bunches

I'm having fun using the the Stamps of Life Die Hard club stamp and die set.

The base is Papertrey ink kraft cardstock.  The patterned paper is Teresa Collins 'Hello My Name Is'.  I used Hero Arts shadow ink in Cup O Joe.  The sentiment is from the Stamps of Life stamp set.  I also used my Swiss Dots embossing folder on the kraft flower.

Thanks for stopping by.  Have a great day and be inspired.

April
Proverbs 3:  5 -6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;  in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.

Bunches and Bunches

I am a member of the Stamps of Life Die Hard club and this is April's stamp and die set.  Flowers are one of my favorites and the matching dies give you lots of options.

I stamped the background with the stamps and cut out the dimensional flowers with the matching dies.  I inked the edges and also did some faux stitching on the edges as well.

Thanks for stopping by.  Have a great day and be inspired.

April
Joel 2:  21 - 22  Do not fear, O land, rejoice and be glad for the Lord has done great things.  Do not fear, beasts of the field, for the pastures of the wilderness have turned green.

WOYWW 252 - Happy Birthday Box

It is once again Wednesday which means it is share your desk day on Julia's Blog.  Check it out - you will be inspired.

My desk is covered with my latest obsession - box cards.  I made one for my Mother-in-law whose birthday was 3/31.

You can see the boxes in the wings just waiting to be finished.  The boxes in the wings are actually get well box cards.

The winner of last week's stamp was Maggie C.  So Maggie - if you see this, leave your email in the comments or send me your name and address to april underscore story at hotmaildotcom.

Thank you all for stopping by.  Have a great day and be inspired.

April
Deuteronomy 7:9  Know therefore that the Lord your God is God;  he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.

New Year's Resolutions Check Up

Well, believe it or not we are done with the first quarter of the year 2014.  Time flies when you're having fun.

As promised I am doing a review of my New Year's resolutions:

1)  Only buy what I need and not EVERYTHING I want.  Check!  I have been staying away from the stores so I'm only tempted online.  I bought some paper during a weekend retreat, I bought some Stampin Up sets during saleabration and some digital images.  Update  -  this weekend was an epic fail on this resolution - but I"m not going to let that get me down!  LOL  Thank goodness Stampin Up Saleabration is over.  And I don't have access to quality cardstock very often.

2)  As far as crafting:

                   1)  Keep up with  Project Life - I'm caught up through the second week of Feb.  I give 
                        myself a so so.
                   2)  Catch up on my scrapbooking of vacations and trips - I've worked on my trips on my 
                        retreat and our monthly crops.
                   3)  Make lots of cards for Operation Write Home - check!  I sent a box of 94 last week.
                   4)  Use up my stash!  check! - Since I haven't purchased much paper, I've been using 
                        up my stash.  
                   5)  Participate in challenges in order to accomplish my goals.  Not so much.   I've                                    participated in a couple challenges, but not as many as I would like.

3)  Get organized.  Every week I want to clean out a drawer or a corner of a room.  I am going to work at it small pieces at a time.  And hopefully by the end of the year - I will be decluttered.  I haven't done this every week, but I have done a little.  I give myself a need to do better.

4)  Spend at least 5 minutes a day (not nearly enough) nurturing my faith either by devotion or reading the Bible.  It is a small small amount of time for all the blessings that have been bestowed upon me.  Check!  I downloaded the Holy Bible app on my iphone and I am particpating in a 'read the Bible in a year' plan.

That is my progress report.  I am doing well on some of my resolutions and not so well on others.  Let's see if I can improve at the next quarterly check up.

If you made new year's resolutions - are you keeping them?  Have you done a check up?  Tell me how you're doing on yours.

Thanks for stopping by.  Have a great day and be inspired.

April

Isaiah 1:18 - 20  Come, let's consider your options, says the Lord.  Though your sins have stained you like the color red, you can become white like snow;  though they are as easy to see as the color scarlet, you can become white like wool.  If you have a willing attitude and obey, then you will again eat the good crops of the land.  But if you refuse and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword.  Know for certain that the Lord has spoken.