Digital Art Journaling Class

I have signed up for a digital art journaling class on my favorite website-http://www.jessicasprague.com.
Here is our first lesson:

Amazing right?  Well there are more layers here than I care to count, but I love the end result.

Purge

Aren't you glad we have a New Year?  It is kind of like a new beginning.  A chance to start over on things.  While I am not one for making New Year's resolutions, I do try to make a list of things on the back page of my calendar that I would like to accomplish in the year.  Sometimes I do well, and other years, well what can I say, other than I fail miserably.  2011 seems like a blur to me.  It came and went, and left very little impression on me other than my poor man having a horrible time with back problems.  In fact, I started to write a Christmas letter and soon nixed the idea since there was not a whole lot of things to write about.  My blog is a reflection of my life...in bad need of attention and in desperate need of a makeover.  Enter 2012.  I feel like Anne Shirley in Anne of Green Gables (my favorite movie of all time) who says, "tomorrow is always fresh, with no mistakes in it."  That is how I view 2012--fresh with no mistakes in it.  I have decided my word for the year is going to be "PURGE".  I liked the definition: the verb form means: cleanse, clear, purify, wash, absolve. The noun form means: removal, expulsion, ejection, eradication.  Spiritually, I want to purge my life of anything that is displeasing to God and keep clean hands and a pure heart.  Physically, I would like to purge bad habits, and "fluff" that is so cluttering my home.  Like 30 years worth of stuff.  I have to say I have felt out of control, overwhelmed, overcome, and feel like I am just keeping my head above water until the next wave hits.  Where does the time go...there isn't enough.  This morning I timed how long it takes me to make my bed. Two minutes and fifty-eight seconds.  Of that time, half is spent putting pillows on my bed.  If I calculated how much time I would save just by eliminating the pillows, I would save 9 hours and 10 minutes a year!  (3 minutes x 7 days/week= 21minutes; 21 x 52 weeks=1092 minutes or 18 hrs 20 minutes.  Divide that in half since it takes me half of that time to add the pillows= 9 hrs. 10 min--provided my math is right which it may not be since that was not my best subject).  I wonder how long it takes me to take them off each night? Hmmm. Only problem is I wouldn't have my cute decorated bed--that is what Warren just told me.

My stopwatch time of how long it took to make my bed and add the pillows.

All the pillows.  They come out to the halfway mark on my bed! But aren't they lovely?

Anyway, I am trying to get a handle on some of my out of control behavior, like eating.  I am back on my lifestyle plan (not diet) of eating vegan (for cholesterol reasons only), and I have started walking in the mornings again.  It is rather chilly, but I use that time to pray.  I usually take my stack 3x5 scripture cards, but because it is so cold my eyes water and I cannot see the cards.  Early morning walks do have their reward.  Look at this glorious sight.  Oh, the wonders and glory of the Lord!

Sunrise. Notice the church and U.S. flag to the left.  God just thrilled me this morning!

The sun is just peeking above the horizon. This was the scene on my return walk. 

I am so behind in my 365 project, but I am working on that as well.  I am up to week 47 with some additional pages to include things like birthdays, anniversaries, baby showers, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.  It is going to be a big 2011 album that will cost a pretty penny, but it is like the MasterCard commercial: priceless.  I am confident I will get things under better control and not feel so overwhelmed  eventually.  It is a process, as long as I keep focused.

My scripture for 2012 is: "Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who alone works wonders.
And blessed be His glorious name forever;
And may the whole earth be filled with His glory.
Amen and Amen." Psalms 72: 18-19.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas...

It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas...all through the house! I love all the warmth and colors of Christmas.  I have taken hundreds of pictures--although you would not know it judging by the "no pictures" here.  I was fascinated with some stockings and a cute mantel I found on the website:positivelysplendid.com.  I knew I would be insane to try to make the stockings with all I had on my list to do, but I just could not stop thinking about them.  You know what I did?  I broke down and made them, and I love them and I am glad I took the time to make them.

This was my inspiration picture. 

This is my mantel.

I had most of the items on top of the mantel, and made the NOEL sign from letters I got at Hobby Lobby.  I just added Christmas scrapbooking paper to the front of them.  I wanted to have the word JOY, but they were out of those letters.  Others must have thought of the same thing, so I did NOEL.  I do like the word NOEL which means "Jesus' birth" in Latin. And isn't that what Christmas is all about?

Next, I experimented with getting the lights on our Christmas tree to look like stars using a photo technique.  I wanted to have Warren in the picture, but he was busy with a heating pad on his leg, so there is only the stars.  I will try again later to get this picture with a person.  

Wish I had a person in this picture.

Up close of the Noel. Left side of my mantel.

Up close of the right side of the mantel.

When it came time to get out our Christmas tree, there was discussion about maybe getting another one.  That was quickly nixed, because we both love our skinny, flocked tree.  Warren did most of the tree decorations while I tackled the house.  He did a great job too.  Naturally, he did it differently than I would have done it, but I like the change.  Sometimes, change is good!

I have a couple of dear friends who have become wonderful prayer partners with me.  Early on, our motto became: Clean hands and a pure heart.  Consequently, a lot of our gifts to each other have something to do with hands and hearts.  I love this heart ornament.  When I hang it on the tree, I think and pray for my friend.

Heart ornament from my friend Pat.

Talking about pure hearts, I have another friend who really does have the purest heart I know.  One Christmas, she gave me this snow scene ornament.  At the time, it was the biggest ornament I had ever seen. I like the cross on the house or church or whatever that building is. It is another of my favorite ornaments.

Ornament from my friend, Marisha. It is made in Poland.

When Warren and I were first married, we had no ornaments.  I found a salt dough recipe in a magazine with pictures of homemade ornaments, and thought they were so cute, so I made us some.  They were so whimsical and were a delight to both of us.  Through the years, they have gotten broken, and are no more.  This is my last one...and you can see that the top of his scarf is missing its end.  When Warren pulled this ornament out of the box, he brought it to me, and said, "Do you remember this?"  How well I did.  I am so glad he remembered too, because men do not always remember things we women do. Maybe I will make us some new, "old" ornaments one day.  But this little guy is a treasure to us.

Ornament from Our first Christmas as a married couple.

Thank you for taking a trip down memory lane with me this morning.  It has warmed my heart which is wonderful, because today is rainy and dreary...but I am thankful for the rain!  Be warm and blessed.

Shutterfly coupon

Shutterfly has something wonderful for those of you who use it a lot.  You can post your Christmas card, sent them the link and you will receive a coupon.  Well worth the effort.

Stationery card

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Our 30th Anniversary

I can hardly believe our 30th anniversary will be tomorrow.  It truly does not feel like it was that long ago.  Since the actually anniversary falls on a Monday...and what can you do with a Monday before Thanksgiving when you are trying to get ready for the holiday...we decided to celebrate this weekend.  Our celebration was rather simple.  I wanted to go to Wendy's to get there new juicy burger.  I know that sounds crazy, but I did not want to go to the finer restaurants.  Warren wanted to go to Schlotzski's.  Are we pitiful or what?  So we went to Wendy's on Saturday and Schlotzski's on Sunday, that way we were both happy.  

I wanted to take some pictures of us, and he indulged me, although it was somewhat grudgingly.  Then we had the most decadent chocolate cake ever.  I combined two different recipes to come up with the "ultimate" cake.  It was very, very good.  (More inches to the hips).  The ganache in the middle was almost as big as one of the cake layers!  More tomorrow on the official anniversary day!

I am thankful for...

Grandkids!

Yesterday we had our grandkids over and we had a grand time.  I am thankful for their lives and how they enrich ours.

November is here

There must be something special about November this year...look at the date 11/1/11.  All ones.  November has come in all her glory; the richness of the fall colors, the crispness in the air, and happiness of holidays just around the corner.  November was when the pilgrims gave God thanks for their lives and the many blessings He had showered on them.  In honor of the pilgrims heritage, I want to share this month the bounty of November...the bounty of Thankfulness.

My grandparents (the Norcross side) had a wonderful tradition.  Each day at 4 pm, the family gathered in the study and we had a "party."  My grandmother made cheese biscuits, chex-mix, and we had beverages.  It was about the only time we were allowed to have soda and it was Nehi strawberry.  Yum!  The adults had "adult beverages."  Warren and I have adopted something similar except we have tea instead and we call it our "unplug" time.  Obviously, we cannot do it everyday since he is working, but when he is home, we have "unplug" for about 15 or 20 minutes.  It gives us a break in our day, and allows us to reconnect.  I am thankful for these special moments with my very special man.

God's glory

Working to store up for the winter

God's beauty

Mr. Gumpy...at least that is what his face looks like to me.

Mums growing in my front yard.  See the small bug in the far right flower.

A bee, flowers, and a pumpkin.

The cottonwood in our backyard.  Such colors.