fbp Monthly challenge - October

Here's my take on the challenge - I'd love to see what you did with the sketch -

how can we look at the beautiful flowers He created and not know that
our Redeemer Lives!?!

Happy Halloween!

Foam pumpkins with cut-out stars - they'll stay out until Thanksgiving - the jack-o-lantern will be replaced with mums...

More of those vintage art images -
another frame from Good Will - painted black, background is old dictionary pages and I cut a couple of glittery foam pumpkins in half and hot-glued them to the outside of the glass. Sitting in the office - fun!

Got the frame and mat from Good Will and painted both - had the photo printed as a poster at Wal-greens [a favorite of mine - From Opryland Halloween years ago.] Trimmed it to a silhouette, put it on large white art paper [HL] and found the wooden letters in a little stand-up piece [also Hobby Lobby] so Craig took those apart for me to paint and place on the glass. 'Happy' is paper cut with cricut. Hanging in my foyer - love it.

Ten on Tuesday

1. First of all – a health update: I believe in physical therapy! WOW! What a difference in the use of my arm. There’s still some discomfort, but no surgery is scheduled as long as I can deal with it by doing these exercises…and the mri on my leg only shows some muscle damage [no tumor, and yes, the doc had mentioned that possibility to me] so again, as long as I can handle that discomfort I’m good to go. Seems I may have torn my meniscus a couple of years ago.
2. Fall Color Report: it’s gaw-jus in The South y’all! And I’m delighted because I was concerned that the oppressive summer heat may have dried things up to the point of no color –like it did our dogwood trees…
3. We sent the box of “fall” to our Auburn boys [the candy corn goodies on yesterday’s post.] Just a little treat for them to get in the mail.
4. Went to a continuing ed class this week that was TOTALLY off-the-wall. Some said, “What a waste of two hours from my day,” – but I say – TWO FREE CEUs – I’ll take it!
5. I returned to my office after PT one day to find these; some beautiful roses – “just because” [because I have such a sweet husband who wanted to give me a little ‘pick-me-up.”]
6. Chocolate Pie Day was Saturday [my father’s birthday] the only sweet thing he ever ate was chocolate pie and then only a couple of times a year. [How I wish I could be like that!] This year I didn’t have time to make a pie so I mixed a little cup of instant pudding with cool whip and graham cracker crumbs and remembered the good times.
7. Cleaned out my garden a bit Sunday afternoon - kept the peppers because they’re still growing like craz-ee, but the tomatoes, and dried up cucumber and cantaloupe vines had to go. The marigolds are blooming outrageously too.
8. But it’s mostly been a regular week, we had dinner with friends [so good to catch up!], Craig went fishing a couple of times, we enjoyed worship [pray for our pastor and his vocal chords – he has another appointment at Vandy today,] watched some football, and I scrapbooked this sweet photo of my cousin’s grand-daughter – it’ll go in my Heritage album of extended family. Jessica – her mom- takes such great photos!
9. And finally, we’re making lists [and stacks] of stuff that will move to Drew’s new [to him] house [he’s set to close on Friday.]
10. I’ll admit, there’s mixed feelings around here – on the one hand we’re thrilled for him to be self-sufficient and moving into his own place, on the other hand it’s sobering to think that he’ll never live at home again [as he so subtly reminded me this week. Thanks, sweetie.]

A Little Halloween Fun

That I really need to get in the mail ---

Once a Month [old stuff] Giveaway

Thanks so much for all of your comments throughout the month!
It's so fun to share together and
I love hearing your thoughts on some of things I put out there.
I appreciate each of you taking the time to stop by and visit!

I've subscribed to two monthly kits now [and am still busy cleaning out from the stuff I've had for years!] and try as I might to use it all,I [still] have a bunch of stuff to give away!- and I'm really tired of seeing the OMG abbreviation everywhere [I try hard to make my mind read 'oh my goodness!] So am hoping that we might also come to think of it as a

'Once a Month [old stuff] Giveaway!

I plan to randomly draw a name from the comments on this post and send that person a little bag of [old stuff] goodies that hopefully they can use [new to them and all, you know...]
And another little note - I've moved to the flat rate box so I can pack it FULL each month!
[Just ask some of the previous recipients!]

- To enter -just browse through the blog and leave a comment about
your favorite post from OCTOBER.
Comments will close on November 1st at midnight [central.]

The Winner for September is:
BJ from Colorado
- send your mailing address to me: Judy@faithbasedpages.com
and I'll get a little box of goodies out to you soon!

I’ve had several comments about my Ten on Tuesday posts [THANK YOU] and how I live a fun life, etc. – but the truth is – I’m just like everyone else – there’s ups and downs [and way downs] all the time. I think what these [ten on tuesday] posts have done is helped me focus on the fun [every day kind of] things that makes our world go ‘round. – But I know I’m just a little crazy dontcha think, I mean who else would grow brown cotton just for the fun of it?

[how funny is it that I took this photo outside and

a FLY landed on it just as I snapped? LOL]

Thanks for the comments on the Corrie Ten Boon quotes and photos – I’m trying to put seasonal photos up that I’ve taken – the sunset was actually from the back parking lot of a Hobby Lobby run – lol. And the zinnias were at the boat ramp – LOVE that I inadvertently caught some bokah on it!! [ I DO NOT have a fancy camera-]

Linda – I think it would be hilarious to watch pigs race for oreos – that would make a trip to the fair COMPLETE! And I’m enjoying the Scrapping Sisters [yahoo] site – but haven’t been as active as I’d like to be - Jessica – I wish you could get out one afternoon during the fair when it’s not so crowded – it really was fun to see it all again! And Marianne, a fried pie is basically biscuit dough cut in a circle, filled with fruit, folded to a half moon [crimped] and deep fried. They can be delish – I prefer the ones available at The Farmer’s Market in Montgomery [I think they’re made in Prattville.]

Loved what you shared about your dad and Proverbs 31, I think some men were raised to not be very open emotionally – so I know that’s a great memory for you! Thanks Jennybean for your comment on the happiness quote – I really love it too – and think many people look in so many different places to find happiness

And I agree, Crafty mom that it’s so fun sharing with people in different parts of the state [or country] and seeing how similar and different things are – growing seasons for one… I’ve loved the Top Ten from Charlie Brown as well. When we visited the Peanuts statues at a park in St. Paul I looked up quotes and loved them all – I may have to share those next year…

Ahh - Gloria L. it’s craziness in Auburn when there’s a game. We try to go to at least one a year and used to could walk from the boys’ apartment so didn’t have to worry about parking. Are you signed up for the Teresa Collins classes in Georgia [March at EMI]? Jenni Bowlin? I may do Teresa’s, but Jenni’s is a little steep for me this time of year. I’m sure they’ll both be fun though!

Becky – thanks for the encouragement about the devil woman thing – I find if I fuel my body better then everything is better [for everyone – ha!] – but that’s hard to do when I’m feeling grumpy already!

Rosalee – it’s all about the circle of life around here – what’s funny is to be outside and watch the squirrels throw nuts at the cats – they try to get their revenge anyway! And you know I’m thrilled that the cats eat the chipmunks. They’re nasty little critters.

Hey Debra – I still have that sifter if you have hoosier cabinet without one –lol!!

Kathy – I have my photos organized via Stacy Julian’s method from her book, The Big Picture – the funny thing is, I’d already started dividing my photos this way before I bought the book – it makes it sooo easy to find photos when you want them! I meant to ask to see some of your Colorado photos last weekend – hope you post some on your blog or FB! Sounds like y’all had a wonderful time!

Pam – welcome to my blog – so neat meeting you!! I loved all the things you were working on Saturday – wasn’t that just the best time?!? I hope to go in April - do you?

Thanks to all for the good wishes on being published – it is kind of fun – but it’s something the Lord and I have been talking about [a lot] lately – there may be a blog post coming about that in the future – and Marianne – I do feel like I *know* many of my friends from on-line [so fun!] Your comments about my layouts were SO SWEET - seriously – for MOST of my layouts I use Stacy Julian’s ‘finish line’ method [can you tell I’m a HUGE fan of hers? LOL] – I just group a bunch of photos together in the center or to one side, add stuff around it, journal it and call it a day. [Supplies? Kits are the way to go!] I do try to have balance and a triangle of color and even spacing, but I usually spend very little time on most layouts…I share that as encouragement that anyone can make a great layout - "just stick it down" [as Stacy would say - lol] - thanks for the compliments.

And Kelly – the [fall] tree garland was made from scraps from my card stuff – I actually copied a tree rub-on and blew it up about 200% and used it as my pattern. Polka-dot trunks and patterned paper tops with little punched leaves make them cute. I’ve loved getting [back] into Halloween décor this year! More to come on that too!

Again – thanks to all who visit here – I read each and every comment and LOVE sharing with you all!!

Ten on Tuesday

1. Make no mistake: physical therapy can HURT. But it’s worth it in the end to have SO MUCH more movement / use in my arm than before I started.
2. Like much of you, I was consumed with the rescue of the Chilean miners. I couldn’t watch it at work, but did check CNN every so often to see the count! And once at home, I watched until the very last person was out. A-MAZ-ING.
3. I am blessed to have a group of friends who will come together for each other at a moment's notice - had a wonderful time of prayer and praise this week - *I* was blessed to be a part of it - thanks girls!
4. So fun to be with my mom and three of my favorite aunts this week – watching them laugh about chewy candy pulling their ‘teeth’ out [yes!] made me hope for good friends when I’m in my late 70s and 80s too. And I pray I have the same joy for life as I age that they have always shown me.
5. As the weather gets cooler, it’s not only football season – but also fishing time around our house. Craig has enjoyed adding to his count of a crappie for each day on his perpetual calendar.[Photo from this past summer-]
   
6. And of course, Drew is heading South almost every weekend to visit with Matt and see Auburn play. Maybe not necessarily in that order…
7. I’ve been to many scrapbook events – where I took classes [or taught classes] and cropped for a few hours, time set aside to share with others and spend time concentrating on doing scrapbook pages, but
8. I went to a 16 hour crop on Saturday – I’ve never done that before – and I had a blast! I took a couple of artsy projects that would take some time to paint and dry in order to complete – love these! I also completed 8 -9 layouts.
9. And I laughed ‘til I cried with old friends and new. It was such a wonderful day of crafty fun – THANKS Rachel and family!! Scrapping for Cure [for cystic fibrosis] was simply THE BEST!
10. Having dinner with my sweetie at one of our favorite Italian restaurants was a bonus. Chicken Ricatoni [grilled chicken with goat cheese and sun-dried tomatoes, veggies, and garlic mashed potatoes – yum] is about the best thing ever!

"Any concern
too small to
be turned into a prayer

is too small
to be made into a burden."

fbp Monthly challenge - October

Here's another Faith Based Challenge for you!

Use this sketch that is based on a layout designed by Heather Preckel in
Paper Kuts Magazine April / May 2005
[yes, I still have the issue, was this the last one?]
I love that it uses ribbon [something most of us have plenty of!] and the that the smaller photos have torn edges [who is brave enough to give that a try?]
This month's challenge must include:

Title – My Redeemer Lives

Photo[s] – 1 large + smaller ones [I’m thinking the splendor of fall!]

Papers – your choice, - any colors

Embellishments – ribbon

Technique – Use old book paper on your layout, and tear the edges of the smaller photos as done on this sketch.

Scripture / Inspirational Thought – For I know that My Redeemer lives! And in the last days He will stand upon the earth! – Job 19:25

Projects are due by the last day of the month. Please post your layout in our FBP Flickr Group and / or post a comment here to let me know where to see your completed layout. A winner will be randomly chosen from those who complete the challenge. If we have at least five participate the winner will receive their choice of these prizes:

My Mind's Eye album kit [red / black], fiskars cutting system [w/ blade and 5 cutting templates,] Cropodile Big Bite [gently used,] SEI card kit, MME brown album,
or pixie craft sewing machine [purple.]

Scissors Up! Scrap on –

Halloween Ideas

I've been looking at way too many halloweenie ideas this year! [And it's been FUN!] It's always been one of my all-time favorite holidays and we used to have 'blow-out' affairs back in the day! But as the boys have grown older my Halloween decor was pushed to the back of the attic. until I saw this [really] cute metal jack-o-lantern at Cracker Barrel [I'm sure you've noticed it's a store I frequent often...] a couple of years ago and now, slowly, I'm setting a little more out each year.



I've always LOVED fall and have adapted much of my decoration to last all season [foam pumpkins with stars cut all over instead of the classic jack-o-lantern face, etc.] So now I'm loving coming home to a little jack-o-lantern sitting on the porch [the metal one hangs from a hook by the door.] And I also love the little vignette I pulled together in our dining room - love [LOVE] this layout I did with a photo of me and a childhood friend about our Halloweens - I didn't have a Halloween photo so I copied some witch hat clip art and printed it out for us - so cute! And I made the tree banner from scraps in my card box - so happy that it can stay up through Thanksgiving! I picked up the bucket at Hobby Lobby a few years back and it's been a part of our fall decor since we moved into this house. I also have a couple of more Halloween artsy things up my sleeve that I hope to share with you in the next few weeks but for now - All the decor is out so now I can say - Happy Fall Y'all!!

Ten on Tuesday

1. On the health front – I [finally went to the doctor and] had an MRI on the leg I injured two years ago; no results yet. And I’ve got some shoulder pain going on [think: hurts when stretching back to the backseat to get something] so I’m doing therapy a few days for the next few weeks to see if that will help.
2. Spent two days in Montgomery this week – whee. It was two [looooong] days of meetings, but it’s done. And I had time to visit The Farmer’s Market [not the restaurant] while I was there so that was nice --
3. A few of us ate at Davis’ [hole-in-the-wall soul-food southern restaurant, you wouldn’t want to go there at night] and for the first time it was a little too greasy for me. But I gave rutabagas a try and they were de-lish!
4. We’re still picking peppers from the garden; and the basil is still good.
5. Ten-Ten-Ten – the first ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ date that we were NOT together as a family since 01-01-01 [which we celebrated in Disney.] Matt stayed in Auburn, Drew was coming home from the Auburn-Kentucky game and Craig and I had lunch in Guntersville and then meandered around Mentone for the afternoon. [Saw LOTS of artsy projects that gave us ideas for something for that HUGE wall in Drew’s [soon-to-be] new living room.]
6. I’ve been published again! Yay! This is a little [8.5x11] layout that I did with a photo Kelly took and I shopped up a bit and I [literally] threw it together with leftovers from some of my kits. I love how it turned out and the simple style shows that it really doesn’t take much to pull together a cute page; it’s in the Hobby Lobby Magazine [4^th Quarter.]
7. I’m planning for an all-day crop and have some halloweeny art planned to work on, but as I’ve been gathering supplies together I’m having a hard time resisting getting started! I hope it turns out to be a couple of fun pieces that I can use year-after-year.
8. The youngsters [lol] in the house across the street [new to the neighborhood] spent a couple of afternoons raking leaves up the hill to the street into nice little piles. I feel bad for them because 1] The great falling of leaves has hardly even begun, and 2] the city has clearly stated that they have no intentions of curbside leaf removal this year as a means to cut the budget. We’re hoping to mulch or burn ours.
9. Monday was a holiday for us [oddly, Drew had to work, but he didn’t mind so much since he could subtly wear his orange and blue with a little pin that said, “Steve Spurrier is my Home Boy.” – No, he didn’t wear the pin, but he sure had fun talking about it. Ha.]
10. We ate dinner at Five Guys – and have to say we all think that’s about as close to home-cooked burgers as you can get [and the fries are pretty good too,] Photo taken while sitting outside eating peanuts – love living in our little neck of the woods, nestled in the valley.

The Top Ten Lessons I Learned From Charlie Brown #10

10. Laugh every day!

While the kids themselves may not have seen the humor in the things they did, Schulz made sure that *we* did. Life is only as serious or as humorous as YOU make it... Lighten up. Go play softball. Fly a kite. Dance with your dog. Smile... it makes people wonder what you're up to.

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.

Drew's House - for those who are interested...

Ten on Tuesday

1. We went out on the boat for a bit this week – just cruising around to see if the leaves are turning. Saw a falcon, an osprey, and a few vultures [seriously] but no eagles [yet.]
2. I’m trying to add dairy into my daily diet – and it’s not fun. But I know I need it.
3. Craig enjoyed fishing with his dad on a gorgeous fall day.
4. And I cropped with friends – worked on a few little mini albums that needed updating: Halloween, Disney through the years, and a Halloween Carol book.
5. I decorated for fall – my favorite time of year!
6. And I’ve finally gone to the doctor with this leg issue I’ve had since I twisted it back in 2008 [and shoulder pain I’ve had a for a couple of months now…] Headed for an MRI and some therapy –
7. I’m enjoying some early morning time sitting on the glider [bench] with my tea – but at 39* yesterday I’ll be warming that tea in the microwave soon!
8. We hope to soon begin the first steps of the bathroom re-do [getting all the stuff OUT.] Next will be the demo – and I’m thinking that will be fun!
9. Garden update: the tomatoes are getting a second breath and the peppers have started producing like crazy and both my brown cotton and green cotton produced! But the green tint is so light it’s hard to see the color. LOVE THE BROWN.
10. And we’re still loving our little kitty who makes the cutest growly-purring sound. He’s a hoot to watch as he plays in the yard. And ‘our’ other cats seem to have accepted him well [our black cat brings him chipmunks, the orange tomcat we feed has been seen playing with him [we’re pretty sure he lives up the hill], and even DaddyCat [wild, no one can touch him] has taken time to play with him.]

Creativity Tied to Inspiration

NOTE: THIS IS NOT ME TALKING, THIS POST IS FROM:
From: http://faithcreativitylife.blogspot.com

I had a wonderful time on Monday speaking to a group of women from northwestern Wisconsin at their annual retreat. I spoke for three 45-minute sessions on "Treasures of the Heart." It's one of my favorite subjects because I get to mix my love for trash to treasure decorating with my love for helping women see how much God loves them.

In the first session, I showed lots of trash to treasure decorating ideas (many of them from my trash to treasure website) on a power point presentation. Then in the next two sessions, I talked about how God can take our struggles, frustrations, and difficulties (our trash) and turn them into opportunities to bring him glory (treasure). It's part of helping women connect the dots by seeing how the delight we take from taking yard sale junk and turning it into beautiful art is just a tiny glimpse of the delight God takes in turning our emotional junk into something beautiful.

It might not happen overnight though. It involves a change in perspective. It means that we begin to see everything as an opportunity instead of wasted experience. I showed the women a plastic Wal-Mart bag that we'd normally consider as either junk, or a liner for our trash cans. But then I showed this flower.

I took several discarded store bags and cut them into strips. Then I wrapped the strips around a piece of cardboard, slipped the looped plastic off the cardboard, and tied a string around the middle of the loops. Then I cut the loops, just as I would if I was making a yarn pom pom. I attached the plastic puffball to a wire and wrapped the stem with floral tape to make it into a flower.

It's still plastic bag. But it's different. Now, the bag has become something that we can appreciate, something we might consider beautiful, even though it is made from the same material.

Our experiences might seem like junk. Abuse. Divorce. Depression. Losses. Teasing. Loneliness. It's all difficult. But when we begin to see that as the material that God uses to make something beautiful out of us, we begin to appreciate the role that our difficulties play in making us beautiful examples of the grace of God.

What "junk" do you wish you could see in a different way?