Ten on Tuesday

1. Wow - it's been a very busy week at work. It just always seems to BE there. But that's a good thing, right? I'm fortunate to have a stable job that I enjoy.
2. We had a ton of rain for several nights, and it feels a little more like winter than spring right now [that's okay, I can breathe again] so we had a little fire in our fire pit and made hobo dinners for supper one night. Yum.
3. Of course, Craig fished some, [love this picture of him!]
4. And we watched our TV shows [+ a couple of movies]: Modern Family on Wednesdays, Gray's Anatomy on Thursdays, Amazing Race, Desperate Housewives, and All-Star Chopped on Sunday, and of course - our favorite - House - on Mondays. [We DVR so we may not always watch the show the night it comes on.]
5. I had Bible Study on Thursday night - love this group of gals who can get together and share our pain and joys. Please join me in prayer for one who is especially hurting right now. Going through some tough stuff, and so tired of being brave for her husband through it all. Glad our Thursday nights are a safe place to share.
6. And crafted some - painted [by sight - truly] the Brave Girls Club logo on my apron for a contest [it's not exact, didn't want to infringe on copyrights ...] It's well-used, that's for sure!
   
7. We went out to eat with friends on the weekend - and yippee! It's 'prom season' - as mothers of boys, we love to see all the gowns and offer our little critiques [to ourselves, of course] of what we see. Two proms this weekend - and all the gowns [we saw] were classy and not showing too much. Saw some bling, some fabric flowers, some scrunchy ruffles, and one that looked like a fairy wedding dress - only when it was in the light it was the palest yellow - gorgeous. We especially loved a couple of the short ones too - very cute.
8. Sharing a photo of the fam from last week - just because. [Had to grab it in the parking lot after we had dinner, and no that's not our truck - the camera was on our vehicle...
   
9. Sunday we had the 'Jesus Painter' at our church - awesome work. He paints little vignettes underneath the paintings. And, wow! - they're big! I don't think I have a wall big enough to handle one!
10. And lastly - we had Thai for lunch with oldest - it's been a while since we've been there and it was delish, as always. Thai Noodle for me, Spicy Beef Salad for oldest, and Masamon Chicken with a little wasabe for my sweetie.
    

Scrap Space

I've found that as my scrapbooking evolves so does my space where I 'create' - There's been some talk on-line lately about our space & organization, etc. So I thought I'd share what my space looks like NOW - as opposed to 2009 when I last invited you in -
I know, despite the OM[old stuff] Giveaway, I still have a LOT of stuff - but it *IS* organized in the way I use it best. First to note is that I've slowly taken over the other desk in our office area:This is where I now do all of my painting projects - mixed media materials are kept in baskets to the left and stamps & paint & 'whatnots' are kept in the drawers to the right. Gesso and Glue [I make my own mod podge -shhh] are underneath along with a couple of bookbags and a lazy susan I got at Ikea and have dreams of painting one day. [FYI - This desk is an old door set on a couple of file cabinets.] A couple of favorite things: The pedestal bowl [made from an old candlestick from a thrift store and a seasonal bowl from Target], the whimsical cake stand with dangling flowers [80% off Hobby Lobby], the giant teacup [a planter, on sale at Joanns,] and I {{LOVE}} my make-up case re-purposed for stamping - it holds my favorite stamps and the paint caddy with favorite colors fits in it nicely for travel.
Now on to the window alcove [my original scrap space]: To the left is my cricut [original - I'm so NOT a die-cut person,] a set of wire shelves that holds albums, notes from classes I've taken, favorite magazines, cricut cartridges [see how few I have compared to others I know-] and on top a desktop file sorter that holds layouts [sorted by album] until they get put in thier spot. [Lots of crop bags and boxes are stored underneath until needed.] Next is a couple of stacking drawer units that holds my paper divided by color [roygbiv] and theme [seasonal, holiday, etc.] as well as knitting and crochet info. On top of those are a basket that holds alphabets stickers [I can never have too many!], and my [Memory Makers] paper cutter. Above THAT is the [bathroom] shelves we bought at K-Mart and turned sideways [Craig did a great job putting in extra dividers for me!] to hold glitter, tools, ribbons on the spool, more mini albums, and photos that are ready to go to the LOM boxes on the bookshelf. Glass jars on top hold a variety of embellishments [chipboard, metal, etc.] Recent layouts hang below. Favorite things: the basket I bought at The Straw Market in Nassau and the glitter holders [found at various flea markets.] And of course I have my "shrine" to The Mouse.[The top corner has several little tin lunchboxes from the world and the land.] - It's a joke y'all. That's my original mickey ears from my trip to Disneyland as a 7 year old and the golden ears from our trip to WDW that year.My desk is a re-purposed table we had built for our very first house. It's counter-height and I love it since I'm a 'stand-up' scrapper. I use a carry-on with tackle boxes to hold embellishments and my CM circle cutters [easy to zip up for a crop.] Pens are in a flat snap container to the left, most often used tools stay in the carousal holder that's also easily taken to crops, photos are organized by month and special occasion / story to tell in the black file folder, drawers hold embellishments that need a quick tucking away [these are later sorted to the tackle boxes] and the bin to the right holds monthly kits I get [when I do a page I just stuff all the leftovers back into the bag it came in and when I've used all I want of it it goes into the OMGiveaway box that sits in front of the wire shelves.] Other caddys hold scraps of paper and bits and pieces I plan to use on future pages. Favorite things: my scripture roladex that inspires me, the rolly carry-on that is so easy to take to crops, my carousal tool caddy, fiskars cutting mat with thick glass table cover [remember Hobby Lobby for 5 bucks-] and of course Figment from WDW for my imagination!
To the right is a shoe bag that holds punches, two bulletin boards that were in our boys' rooms before we moved covered in lots of ideas, a framed newspaper print, hanging file that holds 'whatever' and my apron hook. [But you probably noticed my most used apron flung over the chair next to the paint area... Favorites here: the clear shoe bag that helps keep my punches in view.
So there you have it - I t looks a mess, and I know it's not 'all that' but it works for me. I feel fortunate to have a space to spread out a little while I work on crafty things. But I do feel a little guilty for taking over almost the whole room....

Ten on Tuesday

1. Note to self: zoom on phone is digital; not optical [and worthless.] But given the right parameters the phone CAN take some pretty good pictures! [All photos on this post were taken with my phone.]
2. I cut my hair this week. At work. With paper scissors. When I’m tired of it, it just has to go – ha. [I’ve been doing this for years and have had only the occasional mess up.]
3. Finished the week up with a little quality time with my new chipper / shredder – is it crazy to admit how much I enjoy pushing stuff through and seeing it come out in little bitty bits that will nourish my garden? Okay, so I embrace my quirkiness! Speaking of that -
4. We gathered the youngsters together to enjoy the St. Paddy’s Day parade downtown. Lots of good green fun! [Legend has it that my great – great –great [?] grandfather was found on the side of the road with no memory, a head full of red hair and an Irish accent.]
5. Afterwards we enjoyed the traditional meal of shrimp po’ boys and gumbo. [Ha.] What can we say? We’re loving this little Cajun place not far from our offices and wanted to share it with them.
6. It was Spring Break for youngest and when he’s home we can almost always plan on having a house full of boys [young men.] I’ve said it before – we’re [very] happy to be the go-to house, still.
7. He set aside time to be with his brother a few evenings, and of course we had some family time – just us. As much as I love that time, I find great joy in knowing they like to hang out together too.
8. Loving all the mixed media stuff I’ve been playing with lately [haven’t done a scrapbook page in WEEKS!] It reminded me of my old purse that was so popular a few [?] years back – lots of compliments on it this week too.
9. Still, I’m planning to scrapbook – and printed over a hundred photos [January – March] at Walgreens yesterday [- there’s a 10c coupon this week!]
10. And I pulled out the sewing machine – I found a skirt I LOVE at a thrift shop and it’s about four sizes too big [not exaggerating – it could be a dress!] so I cut it down and will use the leftovers for [you guessed it] mixed media projects.

Once a Month [Old Stuff] GiveAway

Thanks so much for all of your comments throughout the month! I love reading them and think it's so fun to share together! 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 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 March is:
Diane who posted about Lent
- send your mailing address to me: Judy@faithbasedpages.com
and I'll get a little box of goodies out to you soon!

So, let's talk about Lent -

– I asked the question earlier if any of you observe this season prior to Easter... Although I’ve always known people who enjoyed Fat Tuesday [Mardi Gras] – we DID live in Mobile for a few years afterall, I’ve never attended a church that actively participated in Lent. [To be clear: my church doesn’t advocate Fat Tuesday celebrations either. Ha.] I’ve also had friends who were very serious about “giving something up” for Lent, but I’ve never thought seriously about it until this year. When I decided to give up sugared stuff. Out of the blue. [Or hey, was THAT God talking?] So I’m one week ‘in’ and I’m thinking it’s a little harder than I’d thought it would be, when God reminded me that Jesus spent 40 days in the desert giving up everything – He knows what we’re going through and wants to help us through it.

Honestly? I’m a little ashamed to admit that this is the first time I’ve EVER associated the 40 days of Lent with the 40 days in the desert –[remember I’ve never attended a church that spoke of Lent very much.] So I decided I needed to do a little research on my own [and googled: "photos Lent", as well] – and I’ll share below what I found. [Forgive me if you’re already familiar with the purpose of Lent – and, please, feel free to share your opinions as well!]

This is some of the info I found on this website: http://www.churchyear.net/lent.html

[Pink highlights are the things that popped out at me – ]

“Many Christians throughout the world observe Lent. Catholic, Orthodox, and many Protestants look forward to this annual time of sacrifice and simplicity. For non-Christians, Lent can be a bit of a mystery. For some, Lent is a period of going on a diet; for others, it is when Catholic co-workers show up to work with ashes on their heads, and fast food restaurants start selling fish sandwiches. Many Christians, even those whose churches do not celebrate Lent officially, find they are attracted to Lent. Whatever your theological or denominational affiliation, we highly recommend exploring the season known as Lent.

In basic terms, Lent is the season before Easter, in the West lasting liturgically from Ash Wednesday until the Mass of Holy Thursday exclusive (see General Norms for the Liturgical Year and Calendar). While Sundays are typically excluded from the Lenten fasting and abstinence restrictions, and are not numbered in the traditional "40 Days" of Lent, they are still part of the Lenten season, as can be seen from their Lenten themes.

The purpose of Lent is to be a season of fasting, self-denial, Christian growth, penitence, conversion, and simplicity. Lent, which comes from the Teutonic (Germanic) word for springtime, can be viewed as a spiritual spring cleaning: a time for taking spiritual inventory and then cleaning out those things which hinder our corporate and personal relationships with Jesus Christ and our service to him. [Me: I love this!!] Thus it is fitting that the season of Lent begin with a symbol of repentance: placing ashes mixed with oil on one's head or forehead. However, we must remember that our Lenten disciplines are supposed to ultimately transform our entire person: body, soul, and spirit. Our Lenten disciplines are supposed to help us become more like Christ.

There are a few basic tasks that traditionally have been associated with Lent. Many of these have a long history. These are fasting, almsgiving, and prayer. In addition, reading the Scriptures and the Church's Writings can help one grow during Lent. Let's look at each of these suggestions individually.

Fasting: The Western Rite of the Catholic Church requires its members age 18 to 59 to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, unless a physical condition prevents otherwise. This means only one full meal is permitted. The Fridays of Lent are days of required abstinence, meaning meat, and soups or gravies made of meat, are not permitted. Abstinence is required of those age 14 and older.. Most Protestant churches that celebrate Lent do not have these official requirements. However, when we "give something up" for Lent, we are embracing a form of fasting, an excellent spiritual discipline. Eastern Christians have a more rigorous fast, abstaining from meat, wine, oil, dairy products, and even fish. Some people choose to give up sins (gossip, drunkenness, etc) for Lent. In this way, Lent represents a spiritual training time to overcome evil. Pope St. Leo, for example, emphasized that fasting from wrath is required along with food. Some give up things they have an inordinate desire for, e.g. sweets, caffeine, etc. We have listed various things you can give up for Lent here. By giving these up, the person fasting learns to control a particular part of his or her life, which leads to greater self-discipline even when Lent is over. As such in Lent we are able to learn, examine, and get under control our material excesses. Whatever you decide to fast from, remember, as Steven Clark likes to say: "Lent is more than a diet." Lent is about spiritual results, not material ones. So, while losing a few pounds may be a nice side benefit, all fasting should be done for God's glory and spiritual growth.

Prayer: Lent is a good time to develop or strengthen a discipline of daily prayer. Contemplative prayer, based around the idea of silence or listening for God, is also well suited to Lent. We can also find many excellent prayers for Lent from the Scriptures. The Seven Penitential Psalms are excellent for prayer, as is the apocryphal Prayer of Manasseh..

Almsgiving (Charity): While Lent is about giving something up (i.e. fasting), it is also about putting something positive in its place. The best way to remove vice is to cultivate virtue. Lent has been a traditional time of helping the poor and doing acts of charity and mercy. While as Christians this is a year round calling, Lent is a good time to examine ways to get involved and to make resolutions to actually do them. Giving alms can be done in more ways than just giving out money to people on the street. It can be done by helping your family, friends, and neighbors out of tight situations or being more generous to hired help. However, one of the best ways to give alms is to get out of your comfort zone a little bit, maybe by volunteering for a charity or a shelter. There are many lay religious orders, which devote much of their time to charity. Lent is a perfect time to discern a call to these or any other ministry.

Scripture Reading: When facing temptation in the desert, Jesus relied on Scripture to counter the wiles of the devil. It is a formidable weapon for us as well. Biblical illiteracy among Christians of all types is rampant and, quite honestly, shameful. Lent is an excellent time to remedy this problem. One way to read Scripture is to use the lectionary of the Liturgy of the Hours. This will get you through most of the Bible in two years.”

So there you have it – Lent is about so much more than just ‘giving something up’ – it’s about turning to God [as He so subtlety reminded me the other day when I really, REALLY wanted that little mini snickers bar in our snack bowl] in a renewed and searching way. It’s about growing spiritually and preparing ourselves for the Celebration of the Resurrection. It’s about spending time in prayer, in the scriptures, and looking for ways to help others. [Another little thing God has been putting before me over and over these past few weeks – being mindful to share His Love – in some way, no matter how small – with at least one person every day.] Won't you join me for observance of the remainder of Lent? You can share here, or you can keep it deeply personal. But I encourage to use these next days as a way to draw near to God as we prepare to celebrate the greatest gift we’ve ever been given – forgiveness of our sins and everlasting life with our Father in Heaven.

Ten on Tuesday

1. So it’s a win-win: our ‘yard’ truck’ has found a new home! Yippee! This truck belonged to Craig’s gr-daddy; given to him when Paw Paw died. We kept it a few years then sold it to my father who put it to good use for many years. [Remember how Goodfellow loved to go along for a ride?] It came back to us when my dad died in ‘07. And honestly, we just didn’t use it enough to warrant keeping it. So glad it went home with a nephew who hopes to restore it to its full 1973 glory!
2. Had gumbo and a shrimp po boy for lunch on Mardi Gras – delish. [The King Cake was the best I’ve ever tasted too!]How many of you give up something for Lent? I've never attended a church that advocated this - but it's interesting....[more on this subject later -]
3. Thrifty Finds – love this jar we found at Goodwill for $5.00 but can’t decide if it should hold our oatmeal / carnation instant or snack crackers… And, if you have a Dirt Cheap [store] near you – go quickly! Craig picked up these Vera Bradley accessories for 50c each – wow! [Edited: Photo's here! I told you I'm late with everything these days! - ]


4. We took care of a few routine doctor’s appointments and tests this week – and happy to hear all is as normal as can be.
5. Enjoyed dinner and a movie with friends during the weekend. Good fellowship, good movie [The King’s Speech], & good food [Conner’s], but not so good service… but you can’t have it ALL, can you?
6. Completed the great winter [yard] clean-up – when you live with old trees there’s always a limb or two falling somewhere. We set aside one day in March to get the place ready to mow. I had three trailers full of limbs by the time I was finished. [And by the way - this NOT how a forsynthia should look - in my opinion - ha.]


7. And I couldn’t breathe the next day. Blooming trees are my #1 allergy – and it’s that time of year, folks. It’s too pretty to stay inside so Craig bought me some masks to wear. [Think my spring tan might be a little uneven? Ha.] I'm also sore in places I’d forgotten existed. But thankful I have the energy and ability to get out there and get ‘er done.
8. The de-cluttering continues and we have a nice stack of stuff that’s headed to Goodwill. [We donate and we buy and sometimes we re-donate what we buy – lol.]
9. Still praying for those affected by the devastation in Japan. Our friend who lives there is safe. Thank goodness for facebook and skype!

10. And lastly – it’s Spring Break for youngest. And it’s good to have him home for a few days. [Hop over HERE and pick up Elizabeth’s book and you’ll see that Thursday is ‘Absolutely Incredible Kids’ Day. We’re blessed to have two of the best, how about you? [Photo taken - Spring Break 2008]

Faith Based Pages

I have to admit, I feel like I'm behind on everything and am still playing catch-up from the holidays! Here it is Monday and this should have been posted yesterday [will past-post it so it will show then. And while I'm at it there's another past-post that will go up too - be looking for it!] And I should have a completed layout to share with you as well. Hopefully I'll get to that this week [sometime.] Check back, because I'll slip into this post once it's done.
So here's the Faith Based Challenge I have for you: Using the sketch provided from Scrapbook Etc. Magazine complete a layout inspired by a favorite praise song or hymn. [I'll give you a hint - I'm using a large photo of a sunset and the title 'I'll Fly Away'.] As always, please leave a comment here and let me know if you've accepted the challenge and where I can see your work! Have fun!

Favorite Photo Friday

Another late post - this has always been one of my favorite photos.

My brother and cousin
[I'm 13 years older than them]
in our backyard during a rain shower.- Straight out of the camera goodness.
1979 - [They were or 7 or 8.]
Taken with my trusty Canon AE-1.And, okay, with quick enhancement with picnik. Fun.

Quick Update

I LOVED all the comments and reading all the blogs - seeing how the Lord used Soul Restoration to touch each heart is amazing! The random winner for the Soul Restoration Drawing is Kathy Corbett - please get your mailing info to me : Judy@faithbasedpages.com and I'll send your package right away! Thanks again to EVERYONE for participating in this fun blog hop!!

Ten on Tuesday

1. Can anyone say – busy week? Lots to do at work and home this week – and as you can see, I’ve stuck with my tried and true [color-coordinated] calendar – while I use the calendar on my phone for the occasional reminder, I won’t be using it exclusively anytime soon.
2. It’s fishing season! [When’s it NOT is the real question – ha] and Craig’s had a couple of relaxing outings with friends. Good for him since he’s covered up at work too.
3. Good {{GREAT}} news from my sister's recent eye surgery. It makes me happy.
   
4. Flowers are blooming everywhere around here, y’all! The rose bush we moved is sprouting new leaves – yay! It usually blooms in May and June. I’m so happy it can grow in a spot with wild abandon!
5. Speaking of which – what is your opinion of forsythia? Mine? It should be allowed to grow wild and free – love to see those yellow spires waving in the wind! A sure sign that Spring is here!
6. Craving the calmness that a de-cluttered home gives me – and we’re getting there – I still have a roll of Christmas paper tucked in a corner of our dining room, should I even admit that? But I did finally get everything unpacked from the crop I attended last month. [Priorities -Ha.]
7. Bought a GREAT piece of glass at Hobby Lobby for $5 that fits on top of my scrapbook table perfectly. I’m so happy about this because it’s nice and thick and made for this purpose – in the past I’ve used glass from large picture frames I’ve purchased at Good Will and let's just say those don't hold up well to eyelets being pounded in...
8. I found the ‘funnest’ blog this week – love – love – LOVE her art! I know I’ll be working on some things inspired by her!
9. And it’s always fun to see the circus parade when they’re in town [it’s really just the walking of the elephants from the train depot to the Von Braun Center – a short walk from our office. Thanks to a co-worker for the photos.] But I can’t help but think, “Really, Barnum & Bailey? I know it’s their day off, but couldn’t you toss in a few clowns and a fancy-dressed woman on top of one of the elephants? “
10. And finally – our Sunday School moved to First SS [it’s always been ‘Second’ after 1st worship] so we gave early service a go with it’s traditional hymns – very nice… but the verdict is still out since we like the contemporary service too...

I have always been delighted at the prospect of a new day, a fresh try, one more start,

with perhaps a bit of magic waiting somewhere behind the morning.
- J.B. Priestley

Soul Restoration Blog Hop

Welcome to the Brave Girls Club / Soul Restoration Blog Hop! If you joined in the middle of the hop you came here from Dawn's blog. I hope you enjoy reading about some of our experiences in Soul Restoration with Melody Ross. I’ve been a fan of Melody’s since her Chatterbox days and have followed her blog – through all the ups and downs – since. What can I say? SHE IS AN INSPIRATION. Since I can’t quite find the moolah or the time to attend a Brave Girls Camp in Idaho, I was THRILLED when she, her sister, and crew decided to offer it on-line.

I love this class! I love that they give you LOTS of tools to work with to create art-inspired reflection. I love that while the creators have definite religious beliefs they leave it open enough for each person to define their own relationship with God [who is definitely MY truth-teller!] I love that they give you lots of video to encourage creativity. And I love that I gave myself permission to just play with it all – I even committed to using only scissors throughout the class [no paper trimmer for exact / straight lines.] Ha.

I’d say the basis of the class is that while we all have struggles in our lives – they do not have to define who we are or where we’re going. And I think, for me, I’ve learned this through the years as my relationship with The Lord has grown. This is a little project that shows Christ is my Light – The One who guides me as a lighthouse as I move through life here on earth, He is what makes the difference between darkness and light for me.

[NOTE: For those in the class, I chose to do most of the assignments in an altered book / art journal format. I plan to journal all over the blue page about how my hope is in the Lord and His unchanging love for me.]

This is a wonderful class! I encourage you to be a part of the next one – You can join Melody for the powerful and fun online workshops that are being enjoyed and loved by women all over the world! Soul Restoration on-line classes - Now expanded to TWO sessions: Soul Restoration Part 1 – Finding Your Truth (6 weeks) April 5, 2011 Session: $99 – Register HERE and Soul Restoration Part 2 – Living Your Truth (6 weeks) For graduates of Soul Restoration 1 only June 7, 2011 Session: $99 – Register HERE”

Thanks for visiting! Now, to continue with the hop you’ll need to go see Pippa over at her blog - it's great! PS: I'll do a random drawing from the comments on this post for a great give away from My Mind's Eye! And here are some others who enjoyed Soul Restoration as much as I did! September, Joann, Kathy, Leanne, and Stephanie - be sure and visit their blogs this weekend too!

The complete list of blogs in this hop is right here:

1. Judy	www.bepresentbereal.blogspot.com -
2. Pippa	http://pjbear-determinedscrapper.blogspot.com
4. Sandi [tigger]	http://sandi-mybravesoul.blogspot.com
5. Leslie	http://wordsofmeproject.blogspot.com
6. Juel	http://colorfulmoments.blogspot.com/
7. Kai	http://www.enjoytheridetoday.blogspot.com
8. Angie	http://thefeathersinmynest-mommiextwo.blogspot.com/
9. Lacey	www.winterwidow.blogspot.com
10. Kathy Mc	http://shockingpinkthread.blogspot.com
11. Lynn	www.rubyrabbitstudios.com
12. Sandra	www.skippingwithobie.blogspot.com
13. Stephanie	http://mycreativewish.blogspot.com
14. ZuZu	http://www.zuzu.typepad.com/about.html
15. Sami Jo	www.herhousehold.blogspot.com
16. Rebecca	www.flyoverpilgrim.blogspot.com
17. Dawn	http://www.seekingsense.typepad.com/
18. Donna	http://orangalicious1.blogspot.com
19. Rana	http://definitivedesignsbyrwilson.blogspot.com/
20. Judy	http://mycraftingroom.blogspot.com/
21. Trisha	http://adgb.blogspot.com/
22. Kas	http://www.whispersandwishes.blogspot.com
23. Shelley	renaissancewyoming.blogspot.com
25. Deb	www.aswewalkalongtheway.blogspot.com
26. Karen	www.writtenbyangels.com
27. Jennifer	www.studiojenn.blogspot.com
28. Dawn	http://dawnhueser.blogspot.com