Faith * Hope * Love

This card is for Gina K's challenge found on her blog. The challenge was for a black and white card, and this is my first challenge ever! :)

Wow! A good stamping day!

This card uses my one and only set of My Favorite Things stamps, a scalloped square nestie, and a couple of flower punches. I'm not a big "colorer" but I used Bic Markers on the stamped image. I think it looks pretty good! :)

This was a fun card to make. It is bigger than I usually make - 5 1/2 X 5 1/2. I used one of the Cuttlebug Vintage set dies, a Martha Stewart bird punch, and a Martha Stewart edge punch. You can't tell in the picture, but some of the birds are popped with dots.

Sorry the picture of the card on the left is blurry! These cards use an OLD lamb stamp, some sentiment stamps, a cuttlebug folder, some Bazzill ribbon, and a Martha Steward edge punch.
I love how the cuttlebug folder has the swirls like on the lamb. Too cute!

Simple, simple card that used one background stamp, a sentiment stamp, a Martha Stewart edge punch, and some ribbon.

This card used one of the Cuttlebug Vintage dies, a rectangle scalloped nestie, a Curved Rectangle megability, a Marth Stewart punch, and some ribbon.

This card was made much easier with the use of a square punch.

Stellan Baby

Please pray for precious baby Stellan. He is a total miracle baby, but he is in the hospital. Please pray for God's hand on him and his family and doctors. This entry title is a link to his MckMama's blog.

Introducing - My cards

I started this blog during the summer, thinking I'd post some of my cards. I've been afraid to post them, but I finally decided to take the plunge. These cards were all made during the summer, and they are long gone to other owners.

I've made more since, but since I hadn't ever posted these, I didn't take pictures of the more recent ones. Maybe if you like them, I'll start posting them as I make them.

This one used a Cuddlebug folder, some nesties, and brads.

Let me know what you think - be gentle! :)

Isaiah 40:31

Isaiah 40:31 "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary and they shall walk and not faint.

Encouragement card

I made this card for a friend who was going through a tough time. I just wanted to send some words of encouragement.
I used sizzix dies, a three different Cuddlebug folders, nesties, and brads.

Smile Card

This card uses Cuddlebug dies and nesties. I'd just gotten both and wanted to play.

Love Card

I used the Paisley Cuddlebug folder, nesties, and a Martha Stewart punch on this one.

Sympathy Card

This is another card I made several months ago and had never been brave enough to post.
I made this card for a friend whose mom had passed away. I used sizzix and nesties.

In this picture, you can tell I layered on the inside also and used a stamp of the 23rd Psalm. I had no idea this would be printed in the program at her service.

Lynn Family Photos

Another fun family activity with Dave's family was taking family photos after church.

Breanna, Sarah, Brooke, Michael, Seth, Grandma Judy, Me, David, Grandpa Jim, Tom, Brittany, Emily, Lori, Mark, Jon, Holly

Seth, Me, David, Sarah

Sarah and Kennon

Tom, Lori, Brittany, Brooke, Breanna, Emily, Jon, Holly, Mark, Michael, Me, Sarah, David, Seth

Precious Day!

What a great day we had today, celebrating the birth of Christ! Enjoy a few pictures! Daisy and me Dave and Attie My brother

Seth Sarah is our tye-dye girl. She tye-dyed her gifts this year.

My mom decided she wanted RayBan sunglasses this year. She didn't think she'd get them. Can you tell?

Cool Nana! Sarah and Tess

Merry Christmas!

Luke 2 (Today's New International Version)
Luke 2
The Birth of Jesus 1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register.
4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
The Shepherds and the Angels 8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14 "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests."
15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."
16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Christmas Fun in Plano

Several years ago, we decided on Dave's side of the family that we would stop exchanging gifts at Christmas. It took several years of "kind of" talking about it to finally come to the place where we were all in agreement that we wanted to try something different for our family Christmas time together. It had gotten more and more difficult to really know what would please each other when we were buying gifts. My inlaws have eight grandkids, and the age range is currently from 8-21. We have a lot of fun when we are together but we really don't get to see each other as much as we'd like to. Our true motivation for deciding to no longer exchange gifts was based on the fact that the desires of our hearts are that when we - the grandparents and moms and dads - are gone, we want our kids to know each other, to have great memories that draw them together in order to continue to have a relationship and love each other. So, we decided to be strategic about making memories now that will give them common experiences to draw on to continue their relationships. Dave has two siblings - a sister whose family lives in the same town as his Mom and Dad and a brother whose family is about an hour away from them. Our Christmas tradition has now become to plan a full day together, enjoying each other from start to finish. The favorite part of our day is to go to a local business called Whirlyball. Picture an indoor basketball court with ten bumper cars, five yellow and five red. Every player has a wicket like in lacrosse, and the goal of the game is to pass a ball with the wicket to teammates and trying to score by throwing the ball through a hole in the basketball backboard. Well, it is a BLAST! Here are some pictures of our fun time on Saturday.
This is us pretending to be a well-behaved group! This is the REAL us! :) It's hard to see in the picture, but there are "bunny ears" all around!

Not Me! Monday

Ok, it really can not be time for another Not Me! Monday! And, I'm certainly not putting this up a little early.

I really have not procrastinated for how many weeks now and not even started my Christmas decorating! I have not put off putting our tree up because that's a family thing and our son won't be home from college until Tuesday. No, that would not be me! I have not even actually considered doing without decorations this year. No, not me!

I did not write our Christmas letter today for the first time in at least five years. I have certainly not been a slacker for all those years and just enjoyed getting cards from others and not sent one from us. No, I would never do that!

My husband and I did not go to Nacogdoches (a real town in Texas) this weekend for our daughter's boyfriend's graduation from Stephen F. Austin State University. It did not feel like a dress rehearsal for May 16th, 2009 when Sarah will graduate. Also, we did not find ourselves playing pin the tail on the donkey - blindfolds and all - with her and her friends and roommates. No, we are almost 50, and we would not play pin the tail on the donkey with a bunch of 21 year olds! No, not us! My daughter did not win, by the way!

And last but not least, I did not start this blog in July with the intention of sharing some of the cards that I make, and I did not finally post a card on Saturday that I made for Kennon's graduation. No, not me! And, I would not love for you to take a look at it! :)

Celebration Day

Dave and I drove up to Nacogdoches yesterday to attend Sarah's boyfriend Kennon's graduation. The ceremony was this morning, and it felt like a dress rehearsal for May 16th, 2009 when Sarah will graduate. I can't believe she is a senior in college! I used the graduation program to make Kennon's graduation card. What'cha think?

God Does Good Work!

Wordless Wednesday

My husband and I went to Pennsylvania a month or so ago, and we saw some really awesome examples of the good work God does. Enjoy!

In addition to seeing beauty, we had loads of fun!

God is good!