Favorite Photo Friday

Just another quick favorite photo from my dad's slides --

Love this photo of my mom with her mom around 1954, or so. Love that it's taken at the house I remember so well. Love that you can see the old smoke house in the back and that the cedar tree by the porch is so small it can't be seen. But when I see this photo, I keep thinking about how my Mama M was just in her fifties when this was taken, probably close to the age I am now...

Ten on Tuesday

No Ten on Tuesday post this week –

Many of you know that Craig’s dad was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer on January 7^th. He fought a good fight, but went on to be with our Lord last Wednesday [only five and half weeks after diagnosis.] He had a peace about his diagnosis from the beginning that we can only attribute to his relationship with Christ. Craig, his mother, and I spent Wednesday night looking through over sixty years of photos – reminiscing about a life well-lived [photos can be such a comfort to us, can’t they?] Through the weekend the family gathered to honor and remember him and while he will be missed we know he’s praising our Savior forever and ever –

I Can Only Imagine…

[click above to hear the song]

I can only imagine what it will be like, when I walk by Your side...
I can only imagine, what my eyes will see, when Your Face is before me!
I can only imagine.

I can only imagine.

Surrounded by Your Glory, what will my heart feel?
Will I dance for you, Jesus? Or in awe of You, be still?
Will I stand in Your presence, or to my knees will I fall?
Will I sing 'Hallelujah!'? Will I be able to speak at all?
I can only imagine! I can only imagine!

I can only imagine, when that day comes, when I find myself standing in the Son!
I can only imagine, when all I will do, is forever, forever worship You!
I can only imagine! I can only imagine!

Surrounded by Your Glory, what will my heart feel?
Will I dance for you, Jesus? Or in awe of You, be still?
Will I stand in Your presence, or to my knees will I fall?
Will I sing 'Hallelujah!'? Will I be able to speak at all?
I can only imagine! Yeah! I can only imagine!

Surrounded by Your Glory, what will my heart feel?
Will I dance for you, Jesus? Or in awe of You, be still?
Will I stand in Your presence, or to my knees will I fall?
Will I sing 'Hallelujah!'? Will I be able to speak at all?
I can only imagine! Yeah! I can only imagine!

I can only imagine! Yeah! I can only imagine!! Only imagine!!!
I can only imagine.

I can only imagine, when all I do is forever, forever worship You!
I can only imagine."

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!

It's time for the

'Once a Month [old stuff] Giveaway!

Each month I will randomly draw a name from the comments throughout the month and send that person a little bag of [old stuff] goodies that hopefully they can use [new to them and all, you know...] It's a flat rate box so I can pack it FULL each month!

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

Ten on Tuesday

1. I’ve been out of town six days this week – for both work and pleasure – and let me just say, I’m a little tired of hotel rooms…
2. Snow Report in the South – OMGoodness – this flakey stuff is still falling every week, y’all. It’s a different experience to be stuck out of town because of the snow – and while it was inconvenient, it was still better than being in a hotel room with tornadoes bouncing around all night long – and I’ve dealt with that more than I’ve wanted.
3. But we’ve been predicted to have FIFTEEN DAYS without freezing temps – yay! And the daffodils are popping up – could it be that Spring is just around the corner?
4. Craig’s had a couple of opportunities to hang with the guys this week and do a little rabbit hunting – it’s a good respite from all that’s weighing on his mind right now.
5. And I went to a crop at Guntersville [State Park] Lodge – it is such a beautiful place – and it was so nice to crop with a fun friend and meet some new gals who love our hobby too!
6. Crop = gathering of people to work on their scrapbook pages, ooh and ahh over others’ layouts, learn about new product & technique, and buy fun things. I actually took a bin load of albums and sorted and placed pages [layouts] from the past year in those the first day - THEN I cropped.
7. And I think I had 28 pages completed at the end of the weekend– and I’ll admit that some of those were pre-made layouts that I purchased and embellished myself. [Photos will be in the 2011 Slideshow to the right.]
8. Missing my boys- things have been extra busy in our lives lately and we’ve only had snippets of conversations & text messages. I’m in need of some really good conversation with my guys.
9. Still loving the kindle on my phone – so very handy to have a book available when you’re stuck on the interstate for one and half hours due to a wreck…and hey, who am I kidding? Being able to check in on Facebook from anywhere is mighty nice too.
10. Lastly, Craig’s dad has developed some complications this week – a blood clot, pneumonia, etc. It’s hard on all of us [especially his mother] and your prayers are cherished.

Faith Based Pages

Faith Based Pages Challenge – What I did:

1. Cut out a hand drawn heart from ‘chipboard’ [I used the back of a writing pad.]

2. Mod Podge lots of small torn pieces of paper all over the heart, allow to dry.

3. Glue circles cut from old book [dictionary] pages to the back of the circle.

4. Using a red patterned paper for the background, place the following:

- Multi-colored patterned paper [Basic Grey Euphoria pkg] trimmed about 11 x 2 inches – placed two inches from bottom of page flush to right side.

- Red cardstock [2.5 – 3 inches] punched with a heart [Martha Stewart] border punch; place approximately 5 inches from the bottom of the page – over the top of multi-colored paper.

- Green paper [patterned – Basic Grey Euphoria pkg] trimmed 3 x 6 inches – round upper left corner, place ¼ inch from top and upper left corner of layout.

5. Place heart on top of above layers as shown, partially off the page [you can make a slit in your page protector to accommodate this in your album.]

6. Matt photo on white [patterned – Basic Grey - Euphoria] paper and place on heart.

7. Using metal trimmed letters from Cloud Nine [LOVE THESE - found them at JoAnn's] put “love is” on heart to partially frame photo.

8. Print and trim I Corinthians 13 verses on computer – cut into strips and adhere over photo, heart, and down the page.

9. Using a doily, trim journal paper to fit ‘inside’, journal and adhere to page, tucking it partially under the photo.

10. Additional embellishments:

- Trim hearts from patterned paper [unknown] and adhere on both sides of the page [as well as on the mod-podged heart.]

- Adhere flower and ‘vine’ stickers from the Basic Grey - Euphoria paper pack.

- Trace flower with black pen[#8 point.]

- Use gems to highlight the vine.

Hope this inspires you to put a little of your faith on your scrapbook pages - I'd love to see what you do - just post them on the Flickr Page [link to the right.]

Craig's Rainbow

Praise You in This Storm
words by Mark Hall/music by Mark Hall and Bernie Herms
[click HERE to hear the song -]

I was sure by now,God, that You would have reached down
and wiped our tears away,
stepped in and saved the day.
But once again, I say amen
and it's still raining
as the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain,
"I'm with you"
and as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise
the God who gives and takes away.

Chorus:
And I'll praise you in this storm
and I will lift my hands
for You are who You are
no matter where I am
and every tear I've cried
You hold in your hand
You never left my side
and though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm

I remember when I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry to You
and raised me up again
my strength is almost gone how can I carry on
if I can't find You
and as the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"
and as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise
the God who gives and takes away

Chorus

I lift my eyes onto the hills
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth
I lift my eyes onto the hills
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth

Ten on Tuesday

1. I visited my ‘torture’ doctor this week – the one who freezes off the pre-cancerous spots in an effort to combat the many sunburns of my youth.
2. We enjoyed dinner with oldest – Mexican on Wednesday is a family tradition.
3. This week’s *Good*Bad*Horrible* news: The washer is running [yay!], three outlets needed replacing [cha-ching!], and unbeknownst to us, the freezer had not had power for quite sometime [we know it did New Year’s Eve, but can’t remember opening it since then.] A total loss of everything in there = Not. Fun.
4. I hate it when I’m misunderstood because I would never intentionally hurt someone’s feelings. Anyone who knows me well could attest to this. But apparently I did just that a weeks back with an on-line acquaintance. I can only apologize again and hope they accept it. Now that’s all I’ll say about that.
5. One day this week I found myself in a room full of southern lawyers with accents as thick as sorghum molasses. [I really think they must practice it!] And I get to join them all again for a week of observing testimony [for work.] Whee.
6. I’m still loving the kindle on my phone – it’s good [so convenient!] and bad [I tend to not do much else if I have my nose in a book-]
7. Proud of youngest – he’s been notified that he was chosen to live at the Baptist Campus Ministries building as one of the hosts during the upcoming school year.
8. [Another] crazy thing I’ll do for scrapbooking – I sat in the park below my office during lunch one day just so I could participate in an on-line chat [there’s wireless there and chatting / live streaming non-business is a ‘no-no’ on my work computer.] So glad it’s held during lunch- it was fun to ‘meet’ everyone! Due to a busy schedule, I may or may not be able to join in again this week.
9. Was outside early one morning [right at daylight] and saw Pauly [long-haired gorgeous cat] come running up from the road – very unusual since he usually sticks pretty close to home – then I saw Michael J [or one of his relatives] running down the road [haven’t seen him around for while] – I sure don’t want Pauly to tangle with the foxes around our place. [Photo of other cat with Michael J last year…]
10. And lastly - Craig’s dad is back in the hospital – the doctors are taking good care of him and watching things carefully - please keep him your prayers THIS MORNING. - We appreciate it so much

[Photos may be added later ----]

Love and magic have a great deal in common.
They enrich the soul, delight the heart.
And they both take practice.
- Nora Roberts

Mama's Biscuits

My Mama has always made the best biscuits ever! Growing up our breakfasts were always centered around her fluffy white biscuits – in the summer I’d have one [or two] with sausage and a slice of tomato and a side of cantaloupe. In the winter there’d be sausage [almost always O'Guirre’s – specially made at a little shop in town – so good!] white gravy, and her famous biscuits with butter and hot blackberry jam.
It just doesn’t get any better than that, y’all!
When we all married and moved away
coming home to Mama’s big breakfasts was always a treat
[even if she did serve us gravy one time that she said the dog wouldn’t eat – ha!] I love this photo of Matt when he was around two years old – standing in a chair at the kitchen counter to help cut out the biscuits we loved so much. It perfectly captures this gr-mother tradition of letting the boys be a part of her “everyday” – even if they did make a mess. And it reminds me so much of those big [delicious!] breakfasts we used to all share together!

Blackberry Jam –[Mom - feel free to correct me if I'm wrong!]

1 Pick plump juicy blackberries down by the spring,

2 Wash and place blackberries in glass canning jars

3 Seal jars with the water bath method and put away for winter

4 In a pot over medium heat combine equal parts blackberries and sugar

5 Bring to a boil. Turn down heat to keep warm

6 Serve over buttered biscuits – yum.

Ten on Tuesday

1. I did a little long-haired cat grooming this weekend [and yes, I washed carefully afterwards so I could breathe – lol] - Bought a special little brush and comb to help prevent mats in his gorgeous fur. I’ll try and do it a couple of times a week…Having a long haired cat is a lot of work, hence the reason we haven’t had one since Smokey Joe; back in 1994 [we found a good home for him.] Pauly looks a lot like him – except for being polydactyl, of course.
2. Bad news and good news – our washer DIED on Wednesday; we got a new one on Sunday. The electrical outlet? – Also dead; electrician coming tomorrow. Nothing fancy-shamncy at our house – just a basic washer will do the job for these two empty nesters…[and no, the electrical is not what caused the other to not work – it’s been that way for a while, and no the new washer is not upside down, it’s out of the box already.]
3. No snow this week – although we could’ve had a big one! Instead we had a few wonderful high sixty days with sun shining through our windows – a little ray of warmth during this time of winter.
4. I took the time to sort through scrapbooks to return all the favorite beach photos I’d pulled out to scan for a little album a while back. I found some more all ‘round favorites to pull and scan while I was at it – [this is a photo my father-in-law took of his mother and our boys back in 1992. I love it.]
5. It was fun to go through my scrapbooks and see how scrapbook product has changed since I first embraced this hobby back in the mid-90’s – and it’s fun to see how my ‘style’ has changed too…does your scrapbook style mirror your clothing / decor style?
   
6. Craig spent a few days [at different times] with his parents this week; pray for him as he walks that balancing act of being there with them while still carrying work and home responsibilities…those of us who have been there know all too well that it’s a tough place to be.
7. I know I’ve shared my one little word for the year – Magic. I’m trying to embrace it and look for ways to really see the magic of God’s goodness as I go through my days – so I wanted to share what our Bible Study book [What Happens When Women Say Yes to God – Lysa TerKeurst] had to say this week, “God must feel the same way when we miss the ‘surprise parties’ [the divine appointments] that await us each day. How it must disappoint Him when we don’t hear or don’t listen to Him redirecting us… How it must grieve Him when we walk through our lives oblivious of His activity all around us. How it must break His heart when we brush aside something that not only would make us feel special and noticed by God, but would also allow us to join Him in making life a little sweeter for others.” I want to live my life in such a way that I’m LOOKING for the magic of God’s love, don’t you?
8. We enjoyed a little drive across the ‘mountain’ at sunset one evening while on our way to have dinner at our VERY favorite place in the area – Top of the River. The only problem is that we love their cornbread and coleslaw so much [and no, we don’t ask for seconds] that we end up sharing the catfish plate. It sure is yummy – worth both the wait and the drive…
9. And we visited the grand-dog this week – she’s a tiny [and cute!] little thing – and a little hyper, I’m just sayin’.
10. Lastly – we tried to repair the gutter situation and found [not surprisingly, given the age of our house] that the board behind it has rotted – so it’s time to do a little bit more of a repair than we first thought [like the entire board across the house and possible new gutters too.] But you know what? In the grand scheme of things – that‘s a small thing to deal with…