One more from our FBP Classes study this month -

[I'll happily answer any questions.]
I also wanted to let you know that the
two slideshows to the right have been updated.
Happy Memorial Day everyone!

fbp Monthly challenge - May

The challenge for this month was to do a layout inspired by art from this site using
Psalm 46:10 - http://www.darbycreektrading.com/Be-Still-and-Know-C189.aspx
Here's mine [using an old- old photo taken while I was in college & stuff from my May kit from The Girls' Loft - lots & lots of goodness from Margie's own line!] - if you've created something with this verse please post it in our Flickr Group and post a comment here to let me know where to see your completed layout before the last day of the month. . A winner will be randomly chosen from those who complete the challenge.

I also wanted to share another layout I did for our FaithBasedPagesClasses group this month - using stuff from my [May] kit from Life Preserver's:

everyday goodness

I think a posted somewhere a while back that I got caught up in all the hoopla about the
Liberty of London line coming to our local Target stores.
And – that I ended up buying the cutest umbrella [sometime in March.] So now I will share – that as of May 19^th it had
never been used.
It’s not that it hasn’t rained – it has; I’m blessed to have covered parking both at home and at work. But!!! Last Sunday it “appeared” to be rainy so I pulled out my beautiful new umbrella and carried it off to church with me – and, you guessed it, nary a drop.
Still, as Craig said, it looked cute as I carried it around.
Fast-forward to Wednesday and as we were headed out to our weekly Mexican meal someone sat on the umbrella [innocently enough.] I was told the handle was broken, but honestly it didn’t SEEM so bad. Then THURSDAY IT RAINED – and I had someplace to go –
[Bible Study to be exact, with other ladies who would appreciate its cuteness – and, yes they did.]
– I pulled out my trendy umbrella, and alas, with the force of the umbrella opened the little crook broke completely off. Sadness? Sure, but I’m not giving up! As you know, I live in a house of boys [ahummm, men,] and there’s nothing a little epoxy glue and [girly] duck-tape can’t fix.Thanks guys!

Ten on Tuesday

1. We enjoyed lettuce and onions from our garden this week – I made a huge batch of taco salad and it’s been yummy.
2. Okay – so I’m not even a fan of Grey’s Anatomy [maybe watch an episode a season, if that. Haven’t seen even one this season…] But! OmGoodness! The season finale was wonderful! Two hours of great TV.
3. One of my favorite joys in life is singing praise songs next to my husband in church. Yes! He has a wonderful strong and sweet voice, but just being there – worshiping together is so special to me.
4. Three weeks out of the office has left me with more than enough to fill my days in the office this week. But it’s so good to be home.
5. Speaking of being back at home – watching Idol while sitting on my own couch [after seeing it in a hotel room for the past three weeks] was a treat [you never realize how much you use the re-wind on dvr until you’re away from it – ha.] And I apologize for being [more than] a little grouchy when I was disturbed.
6. As a result of said grouchiness I’ve now been tutored on how to set the dvr to record 5-10 minutes past the show so I can be sure and not miss the ending.
7. I’ve found 3 four-leaf clovers in the last two weeks [different places – different days] – though somehow, I always feel like they find me. I have this uncanny ability to just be walking along and glance down – and WOW! There’s a four-leaf clover! I’ve been ‘this way’ since I was a young teen. Funny thing is that both my dad and Matt had / has this same ability. Weird, but fun.
8. Enjoyed a little scrappy time over the weekend with a new group [that included some gals I’ve been scrapping with these last few months.] Completed a couple of pages and the scripture cards for the swap on FBP Yahoo group.
9. Craig and I went to an estate sale [think: older hoarder man dies and family was so overwhelmed with his STUFF that they sell the house with all contents and new owners are cleaning it out] this weekend. Seriously, I bet I saw 30 cartons of 24 drinking glasses…So of course, we found some neat things; here’s what I gathered up and paid $8 for: old samsenite make-up case, print by Joan Miro [Spanish artist] from 1962,; two blue bell jars with glass lids, three college algebra books from the 1940s, a trigonometry book from 1929 [with the student’s name at Auburn University,] a copy of Days to Remember, two paper doll books, two photography magazines from the 1940s, a small green bowl [with brown swirl,] a old [really old] box of birthday candles, a metal bowl, and a green glass pitcher. Craig’s box [for $20] included: miscellaneous tools and an old reel as well as a box of [20+] small shakers that I plan to use for glitter, two city phone books from the early 60s, a bag of tableware that included stainless, silver plate and at a set for six of sterling [yippee!] and four trays of slides in metal sleeves. At least two boxes of the slides are HILARIOUS photos of Bo the collie from the late 1950s [1958 we believe.] I’ll share these with you as soon as I take the time to scan them in and you will see how we know his name – I have fun plans for Bo. He was quite adventurous.
10. I got up early Sunday morning and worked in the garden for a couple of hours before church [it was sorely neglected] and could hardly walk yesterday when I woke up. So finally! I’ve re-committed to a regular walking routine [and maybe some stretching and free weights too.] Anyone want to join me? I’ll hold myself accountable by posting here each week.

fbp Monthly challenge - May

This month we've got several projects going on over on FBPClasses as we study From Clutter to Clarity. So this month I wanted to overlap a bit so the challenge is to use one of the following pieces of art to inspire your own project using Psalm 46:10:

http://www.darbycreektrading.com/Be-Still-and-Know-C189.aspx

Projects are due by the last day of the month. Please post your layout in our Flickr Group or post a comment here or on my blog to let me know where to see your completed layout. A winner will be randomly chosen from those who complete the challenge.

Ten on Tuesday

1. Summer is here! I have a tomato!
2. Drew has joined the ranks of others in our little town who work in jobs where we jokingly hear them say – “If we told you what we did at work we’d have to kill you.” Suffice it to say he’s working in missile defense.
3. Enjoyed [haHAha] another full week of training policy to new [and not so new] workers. And again, was happy to have a fun and respectful group to be with.
4. Montgomery is probably one of my least favorite cities and being there for a week is soo not fun.
5. I almost missed my peonies in bloom! But made it home in time to pick a few of the last buds and bring them inside to enjoy.
6. I’m feeling very burdened for a family member with a very serious medical situation. There’s nothing I can do but pray – and isn’t that the greatest thing of all? Still, wish I could make it all better -
7. Every few months I decide to give ‘drugstore’ make-up a go [cover girl, L’Oreal, etc.] but I’m happy to say that I’ve once again returned to my tried and true Este Lauder. Life is good.
8. I surely don’t think I’m ‘all that’ because I’ve always believed I’m a self-described simple scrap booker, but I won’t deny that I’m just a little disappointed that none of my submissions were selected this quarter- [just a few of the many I submitted] -
9. Had a wonderfully relaxing weekend with my boys. So fun to linger over breakfast and catch up. So good to have Matt home for the summer!
10. And, once again, our house is filled with kids [coming in and out] who feel welcomed and ‘at home’ enough to ask what they can eat [or not.] We are blessed.

"God's viewpoint is sometimes different
from ours -
so different that we could not even guess at it
unless He had given us a
Book which tells us such things....
In the Bible I learn that God values us
not for our strength
or our brains
but simply because He has made us."

So -- a little creativity to share with you this week. You've seen this photo before [John's house] I love this photo and knew it was such a great visual for the quote I wanted to use in
week two of our study over on FBPClasses -"True contentment is not having everything you want,

but learning to appreciate everything you have."
And to be honest, at first, I had planned to stitch up the side with yarn, but after I had punched the holes I knew that I wanted to use these eyelets [that I've had for-EVer] in there...
papers were chosen to compliment the photo [something I rarely do, actually] and the quote was computer generated and cut in strips. Circle was cut from a pattern made from a dinner plate [but have to say that - yippee!- I've just received the large circle cutter from creative memories - & love it.]

Ten on Tuesday

1. It’s no secret that we love The Gulf, so when Craig had a meeting down that way this week I jumped at the chance to go with him, never knowing that there would be an impending oil slick on its way.
2. The seagulls welcomed us back. We know they missed us. [Okay, okay -- so our ‘neighbors’ were throwing bread out to them…]
3. It [the oil] was expected to be there by Wednesday, but fortunately for Alabama, the weather changed a bit and has kept it off our shoreline – for now.
4. But everyone is talking about it, saying things like, “at least with a hurricane you know when it will hit and what to expect – with this, no one knows…”
5. Volunteers* are gathering to do a pre-cleaning of the beaches to make it easier to clean the oil once it comes ashore. * BP is paying these volunteers so many of the shrimpers & oystermen are doing this since they can’t bring in a catch right now.
6. Deep Sea fishing boats are being checked by the coast guard so they can assist if needed.
7. Booms are going out to protect the in-land waters. [We saw on the local news that whole barricades were being put up on Dauphin Island. Yay.]
8. And it’s so sad to think that the wildlife has no idea it’s coming – and will get caught in it unaware…
9. Still, we enjoyed the sugar white beaches, the warm ocean breeze, and ate delicious shrimp and fish [love The Shrimp Basket & Tacky Jacks.]
10. And I cried when it was time to go…not knowing how things will be the next time I visit. So we sat just a little longer on our bench on the board walk to soak in the last drop of golden goodness that God so richly provides to the Gulf Coast.

The Top Ten Lessons I Learned From Charlie Brown #5

5. Sometimes you need to listen.

Even crabby, self-indulged Lucy knew the importance of listening. She started the famous 'Psychiatry Booth' where any and all could come and be heard.

Submitted by Jim Allen, a personal & business success coach, who can be reached at Jim@CoachJim.com, or visited on the web at http://www.CoachJim.com.Jim Allen wants you to know: Charles Schulz taught me much through his daily work. Now, I hope to return the favor in some small way.

Judy's How-to Guide for Managing Face Book –

[My tips for organizing and staying in contact with my friends without giving up my life
&a nod to our study over on FBP Classes about de-cluttering our lives...]

1. Set aside a self-determined amount of time to review and update with Face Book friends.
2. Organize friends into groups [lists] such as high school - college; scrapbookers; friends; designers; family, etc.
3. Limit your friends to those you know personally [unless you are a ‘known’ personality, and hey – I’m not.]
4. Please don’t ‘friend me’ if you plan to hide me – I don’t post often and I’m not going to be sharing what I eat for lunch everyday…and I HATE being ignored [where's the 'dislike' button when you need it?]
   
5. Likewise, limit groups and things you ‘like’ to only those groups you want to receive information / advertisements from. [Why clutter your updates with useless information? It's like inviting spam into your fb page.]
6. Check upcoming events to see your friends' upcoming birthdays.
7. Click on ‘Top News’ at top of page and scroll through the posts to see information that all of your friends has posted.
8. Hide the games your friends play unless you’re joining in on the fun. [This alone cuts your fb clutter in half]
9. Click on the left side bar ‘friends’ and go quickly through the lists [that opens up underneath this] to get the most up-to-date news quickly. If time is limited, choose those lists that are most important to you. - See #2.
10. Check upper left to see notices about friend requests, email notices, and updates to posts you have commented on. These updates will also inform when someone has commented on your posts or photos.
11. Remember, you do not have to click on every website, video, or note if you do not have the time or interest to explore further…
12. Chat with friends [instant message] by clicking on ‘chat’ and a list will come up of all your friends on face book at that moment [maybe.]
13. Check your profile page to be sure you see everything someone has sent to you directly. [It’s very frustrating to me to write something on someone’s wall and not get a response…]
14. Check your security settings – do you want everyone to see your information / photos, friends of friends or just friends? – It’s up to you!

Ten on Tuesday

1. This week was filled with long days of training policy to workers from the Northern part of the state – whee. We try to break it up and make it fun, but we know we’re ‘pushing’ an awful lot of information to them in the four days they’re with us.
2. I’ll admit, I was very concerned about possible cell phone / texting rudeness [last time we had attendees blatantly hold cell conversations as we tried to train] so I was VERY pleased to have the best group ever!
3. While I was out of town I shopped at JoAnn’s and honestly, now that I get a couple of kits a month I just didn’t find anything I had to have. But I stopped at a LSS on the way home and found a great kit to use for some upcoming pages – I love kits – and for me they’re the best way to scrapbook these days!
4. We are Idol watchers [American Idol, the TV show-] and I’ve gotta say that I was VERY surprised this week with the person going home. But America’s voting has been a little cRaZy this year [and I don’t vote so how I can complain?]
5. Siobhan [Magnus] is a quirky girl with a great voice who appears pretty artsy in all areas of life and reminds me of a childhood neighbor. I wish her the best of luck and was surprised to see her go but I still hope Crystal [song posted here a couple of weeks ago-] wins.
6. I am GRIEVING for The Gulf. I remember oh-too-well the destruction the oil spill caused in Alaska and my heart aches for The Gulf I love so much.
7. And all the fishermen /shrimpers that I’ve met up close and personal [during the emergency food stamp application process after (hurricane) Ivan] – how will they survive? What will Bayou La Batre be like in a year or six months? It’s heart-breaking to me.
8. Had a little scrappy fun on Saturday – until I became a little ill after eating lunch and had to exit quickly. Still, I did four pages, I think.
9. Over the weekend, we were consumed with the need to get all the possible information we could about the flooding in Nashville. We watched You-Tube videos for hours. It’s amazing and devastating at the same time. As far as we know – our relatives’ homes were safe, but brother-in-law’s horse was evacuated…
10. And as our youngest finishes up classes for his sophomore year at Auburn, our oldest took the next big step in this game called life and started his first ‘real’ job on Monday. We’re proud as can be of both of them.

[Straight out of the camera shot from a McDonald's Drive-through - Montgomery, AL]

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord….

It is the Lord you are serving.”

~Colossians 3:23-24

Thought from 'My Creativity Blog':

I love this scripture. It can be applied to anything, such as, creativity, life, marriage, education, physical fitness, etc.

This week my former mother in law, Joyce Adrienne Paschal Holliday, passed away after over 20 years of battling Parkinson’s Disease. We celebrated Joyce’s life today in a service with family and friends in Houston, Texas.

Joyce lived her life according to Colossians. She was devoted to serving the Lord in whatever way she could. Joyce was a wonderful wife, mother, daughter, grandmother and friend. She taught others by example about faith, hope, joy, strength, peace, dignity, and grace.

So many memories of Joyce’s life have flashed through my mind since learning of her death. Those memories make me smile. I think the thing I will miss the most about Joyce is her laughter. Her laugh was contagious and often came at very inopportune and inappropriate times which created some funny situations. I feel fortunate to have had Joyce in my life. I will miss her with all my heart but, I rejoice in the fact that Joyce is free. She has finally beaten Parkinson’s disease.

Thank you for visiting my blog today. I know you came here to read a devotional about creativity. I hope you don’t mind that I digressed a bit about family.

Post the scripture in Colossians up on your mirror, the refrigerator, or better yet, memorize it. Today as you work on creating artwork, planting your gardening, making cupcakes for your children, or playing a game of golf, remember to do it with all your heart. God bless.

Prayer:

Lord,

We want to serve you. We want to do your will. We want to make you proud. Please bless us with the ability to use our whole heart as we live our life for you. Fill us with thy spirit. At this time, we especially ask that you comfort those who are dealing with sickness or death. In Christ’s name. Amen.

HAPPY NATIONAL SCRAPBOOK DAY!!

I know there's a TON of activities planned around the country so I hope you have fun plans for the day! I thought it would be fun to share

the VERY FIRST scrapbook page I ever created.
Let me preface a little first - I've always loved scrapbooks and kept many [of what I refer to as the old-fashioned ones] during my middle - high school - college days; and I've always - always loved photography... so one day back in the late 90s [?] a good friend of mine called me to invite me to a new home party - to create scrapbooks. She said - I know you'll love it because it's a great way to preserve all those photos you take. And after that first [CM] class - we were hooked - and made many a scrapbook page with white CM pages and bright Mrs. Grossman's stickers. - AND we were thrilled even if they did have stickers sneezed all over the page. We also begin to want a little something more and would search art stores far and wide for muted colors of acid free papers...
[No scrapbook stores back then!]
ahh - those were the days -- But my 'everything in a box'-organized-self longed for inspiration that fit what I desired: orderly and organized pages that still told my story
in an artsy-paper crafty kind of way. Enter CathyZ And I've often stated that, "I love CathyZ! -In a totally neurotic scrapbook groupie kind of way! When her 'style' first became published - it was a total ah ha moment for me as I'd been trying so hard to scrap according to the floatie sticker craze that was going on at the time and just not loving my end results. It's like she gave me permission to be me.
And I love her for it.
So here's a few other layouts I've done recently - I know I like the way they look so much more - but for me, it's still all about the photos and telling the stories.[using stuff from Dear Lizzie - professional photos] [from a class: close to my heart or stampin up]

Enjoy your day!