Christmas in the Pines...

I broke out my new Patterned Pines stamps and some retired paper/ink to make this quick and easy card.
Paper and Ink: Riding Hood Red, Kiwi Kiss
Stamps: Patterned Pines, Warm Words

Soft Sky Ballerinas...

These are the invitations that we made for Leighton's 1st birthday, complete with matching envelopes!

Punch Art Ballerina

Ink and Cardstock: Soft Sky (retired

Big Shot Top Note Die

No Peeking...

He's making a list and he's checking it twice.....NO PEEKING! This little notepad is perfect to make notes about Christmas gifts and shopping lists. It will fit nicely in a purse. I used Garden Green cardstock from SU! for the main folder. The designer paper was purchased online, as were the chipboard accents and sentiment.

Yesterday afternoon was spent making birthday invitations for my sweet little Ladybug's 1st birthday! I'll post the invitation hopefully later in the week. I also went down to Stella's and took pictures of Leighton in her birthday outfit. Stella ordered the most precious tutu and matching top featuring an appliqued cupcake. It was chilly here yesterday, so Leighton wore leggings and long sleeves under her outfit. Precious!!

Delusions...

"How long, O men, will you turn my glory into shame? How long will you love delusions and seek false gods? Know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself; the Lord will hear when I call to him." Psalm 4: 2-3

Anything that takes our focus off the Father is a delusion. Anything that takes His place in our lives is a false god. I needed this scripture today...forgive me Lord.

Father, I thank You for this day and for knowing that I am forgiven. You are my salvation. I still sin...we all do...and we all fall short...none of us can stand before You without sin...but Christ's redeeming work on the cross makes it possible for me to spend eternity in Heaven with You. I love You. Amen and amen.

Georgia Aquarium...

On Our Way!

Tired little girl!

Captain Ladybug...

We're here at Lake Sinclair, enjoying the Fall Break from school. Leighton and her parents spent the weekend with us. We visited the Georgia Aquarium (pictures forthcoming) and spent some time out on the boat Saturday evening. My Ladybug, it seems, was born to be a boat captain!

Hummer Bummer....

What a bummer! Imagine getting stuck every time you tried to leave the room... This poor little hummingbird managed to wind up in our screened porch Sunday afternoon. Every time it tried to get out, it's beak would get stuck in one of the holes in the screen. My husband was able to capture it and release it outdoors. Isn't it beautiful?

Warm Wooly Mittens....

I love making pocket cards! I used some stamps I purchased last year---online....love 'em!! The designer paper was purchased in a pad from an online vendor. The cardstock is SU! I'm sorry for being so vague about the stamps and paper, but in keeping with the requirements of the new IDA from Stampin' Up!, I cannot offer links to these products.
We are headed to Lake Sinclair for a long Fall Break....5 days!!!! Yeah!! Stella, Grady, and Leighton are going also & we're taking Leighton to the Georgia Aquarium on Saturday. Fun!!!

****NEWSFLASH!!!****** We are going to be the very, very proud grandparents of a bouncing baby boy in March! Our son Randall & his wife Lori are expecting a little boy. Hooray!! So...now you get to see pictures of 2 babies growing up!

And to all a good night...

Don't look too closely...this is just practice....

I've been admiring these cards on many different blogs, so I thought I'd try it. It was so much fun...but next time I want to make the sky darker so there's more of a contrast with the trees. I was just a little afraid with my sponging this time. I love the effect, especially with the navy and silver. I'm thinking of using this as one of my Christmas Class cards.

Stamps: Wandering Words by Stampin' Up!

We had a lot of fun Saturday at the Halloween Class & I'll be posting pictures this week of the items we made.

Stella and I took Ladybug outside to blow bubbles and play in the grass this afternoon. We couldn't get enough bubbles to really excite her, though. I'm thinkin' a bubble machine.....yeah! She'd love it! Here are some pics of our afternoon.

TA-DA!

Hey....what is that on my head? I wonder if Daisy would notice if I pulled her tail????

THE END (hee-hee)!

The Cutest Baby In The World....

Check out those silly little smiles! Leighton is so funny!! How could you resist such a precious face?

Sweet Center Ornaments...

This very simple card was made using the Sweet Centers stamp set (ornament tops) #116521. The ornaments are punched (1-3/4" circle punch #112004) out of flocked paper from Christmas Cocoa Specialty Paper #116770 and the sentiment is from Snow Swirled #111690. I stamped the ornament tops with Versa-Mark and embossed them with silver embossing powder. I used my Versa-Mark pen to hand-draw and emboss silver "threads" for the hangers.

No Re-Wind Buttons...

“Live a life of love.” Ephesians 5:2

Do you like to read? Why? Part of the enjoyment of reading a novel is that you don't know how it's going to turn out until you get to the last page. When you finish a book, do you ever think back on how the characters' lives might have been lived differently if they had known what the end would be like? The fact is, we must understand that there is a finality to life...we don't get any do-overs....no re-winds. What are you doing (or perhaps, not doing) with your life right now that you may regret later on? Rest assured, a life full of love is never regretted.

Father, I thank You for this day and for the fact that we don't know what tomorrow brings. I can only imagine how paralyzed with fear most of us would be if we knew the future and how our lives would end. You hold us in the palm of Your hand, and for that I am so very thankful. Help me to live a life of love, never regretting or wishing for a do-over. I love You. Amen and amen.

Peppermint Tag...

This began as a Very Vanilla piece of cardstock with the top corners trimmed off. I added some strips of retired SU! designer paper (polka dots) and a strip of other designer paper. I stamped the image with Real Red from SU! The image, ovals, and scalloped oval are not from SU! I added a large eyelet from SU! with my Crop-a-Dile, and threaded a strip of ribbon through the eyelet. The edges of the tag were sponged with Creamy Caramel and Close to Cocoa. I love the vintage effect.

How's Your Sight?

“Where there is no vision, the people perish.” Proverbs 29:18

Have you ever been faced with having to make a decision or do something that caused you have butterflies in your stomach, a panic attack, or made you literally sick to your stomach from nerves. I have…many times…and whenever that happens, I remind myself that I can do anything for an hour, or a few hours, or a day…with God’s help and strength. Sometimes God places things in our path, or places us in situations where He knows we will struggle, but He does that to help us grow in Him. We have to remember that He sees the whole picture, we only see what’s right in front of our face….and sometimes, not even that. When we run into problems, any vision we might have had is often crippled. We have to reenergize our vision through faith. 1 Corinthians 2:16 says that “We have the mind of Christ”…God thinks His thoughts through us. Imagine how empowering that is!! So…there’s no limit to what we can do through Him!

Father, I thank You for this day and for reminding me that there are no limits to my vision, when You think Your thoughts through me. Help me to reenergize my vision, Lord, and lead me to make the decisions that will bring You the greatest honor and glory. I love You, Lord. Amen and amen.