Doubt

The word for week #24 was Doubt. I deliberately kept this one simple. I put a tad of symbolism on the front with the knotted ribbon. Doubt can tie you up in knots. (OK, I know that's corny -- sorry). Anyway, here's the card:

The verse I used was: Matthew 21:21 Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.

A couple more cards

I made a baby card last night. No, not for another shower or new baby. The card itself is little (3" x 3") so its the baby. :)

I made a thinking of you card last week for my sister and forgot to take a pic of it before I mailed it. She graciously bailed me out and sent pics to me.

The Scraps-n-Such Princess of the Month for June is Angel. I made this tag to go with a few goodies I sent her. Princess of the Month is a fun RAK swap -- check it out!

I've made a couple layouts this past week but they're part of a DT (design team) assignment so I can't show them to you ....yet! :)

Kendra's Pride & Joy

Kendra's computer came in this week. She is SOOOOO excited. She got a cool (aka funky) design on the top of it. Nothing like a computer being delivered to get a teenager out of bed in a hurry in the AM. LOL Here she is with it -- wet hair & all.

The internal webcam takes GREAT pics. Here's a pic she took with it - she was on SKYPE at the time so that's why she has on the headset.

Truth

I am way behind on my Scripture Challenge cards. However, I do plan to eventually catch up. I got the card for week #23 done this week. The word for that week was truth and I thought it was quite appropriate since Tim just finished a sermon series on Truth in Today's Church. I did my card in black and white to symbolize that there is absolute truth.

The verses I used are:

Proverbs 3:3 Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart.

1 Samuel 12;24 Only fear the Lord, and serve Him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things He hath done for you.

Melissa's Circle Journal

I worked on a circle journal layout today. I used two different sketches from Triple the Sketch for my pages. The left side was sketch #6 and the right side was sketch #12.

I was to do a 2-page 8.5 x 11" layout about a time when the Lord taught me some lessons. I chose to do a layout on the lessons I learned before we had Kendra. Most of what I learned can be summed up in one word....Submission



The journaling says:

Submission seems to be a dirty word in our day & age. But one of the lessons the Lord taught me was the blessing of being submissive to my husband as well as to Him. I once read that submission is cheerful acceptance. Wow! That’s tough at times.

When our son, Ian, was about a year old (approx. March 1987), I began praying that in His time, if it was His will, could we please have a little girl someday. At that point in time I didn’t feel "ready" for another child but knew that someday I would. As our son approached his 2nd birthday, I was bitten by the "baby bug." My husband, Tim, however, was not bitten by the same bug. While he certainly knew how I felt, I did my best not to nag about my desire for a baby. The months passed & Tim didn’t seem any closer to agreeing to have another baby.
Finally, I prayed, "Lord, Tim is the head of our home. I need to submit to his leadership in this area. Help me to have a cheerful acceptance of his decision in this even if it means we never have anymore children." When I was able to pray this prayer, & sincerely mean it, I felt a peace I’d been missing.

Several months later, my husband told me that we could begin trying for a baby.
Months passed & I didn’t get pregnant. This was an unexpected difficulty for me, because we’d had no problems getting pregnant with our son. In fact, I’d gotten pregnant with him when we weren’t even "trying" for a baby. I’d also thought that since I’d (finally) been submissive to my husband pregnancy would quickly follow. I went to the doctor for fertility counseling but my husband & I agreed that there would be no drugs that would"get our picture on the cover of Time Magazine" as my husband put it. I truly learned that it is the Lord that opens & closes the womb.

Once again, the Lord had to bring me to the place where I could honestly pray, "Lord, You are in charge & You know what is best for us. If You don’t want us to have another baby, I accept Your will in this." The Lord graciously answered my prayers for another child with a "Yes" & Kendra was born May 1, 1990.

I learned a lot about submission. Not that submitting is a magic formula for getting what you want because we all know it isn’t. There have been many times where I’ve been submissive & things haven’t gone the way I thought they should. More times than not, later on, I saw where what I’d wanted would not have been a good thing. What I did learn is that submission brings joy, peace, marital harmony, & a knowledge that I’m doing what’s right. I am so glad that the Lord didn’t put me as the head of our home. That’s a responsibility I do NOT want. Even when it’s hard, being submissive, whether to Tim or to the Lord Himself, is always the best. God’s way truly IS the best way & you’ll never be sorry for putting the Lord first.

Recent Cards

Father's Day Cards

I won some "blog candy" (prize) from April at Artistic Paperie. They were digi cards that I could print out and use. I printed out 2 copies of each one. I cut out various elements on one set and used pop-dots to attach the elements to the base card for a 3-D look. Here is how they turned out.

Baby Shower Cards

One of the young married ladies at church is expecting their first baby next month. She is a good friend of Kendra's. I received some stamped images several months ago from April at Artistic Paperie and had been saving two of them just for such a time as this. I made two cards to accompany our gifts.

Thinking of You

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Kendra's Graduation Party

Kendra's graduation party went really well last Friday night. She really enjoyed the evening. Here are a few pics of the evening.

Decorations & Such

Sasha loves to perch on this set of drawers on my scrap desk. She was investigating Kendra's banner. She's fascinated by the letters & pics on it. Silly kitty.

We found this mini-cap from Ian's party & she said Sam was graduating from Kindergarten & Darius from pre-school. Obviously, they really enjoyed wearing the cap. NOT!!

Sam

Darius

The Food

My in-laws gave her a hand made hope chest made of walnut & cherry. She was thrilled. Later she showed them scrapbooks about her.



Family & Friends

This was taken after the party when realized we'd forgotten to have someone take a pic of the three of us. However, we were all exhausted and looking pretty blah! (It was 97 on Friday! Always a good thing for my hair - NOT!!)


This was Kendra's mentor when she was in Grades 4-8. Kendra used to work with horses & show them with this lady & her husband.

All three of these girls are Class of 2008. Kendra and the girl on the left were both homeschooled; the girl on the right is from a local public high school. Both girls are friends from church.

Our Asst. Pastor & his family

Opening Ian's card. The front has a cat and says, "Ack! Ack! Ack!" The inside says, "Just a little something I coughed up for you."

This last one is just 'cause I like it.

Words of Wisdom Circle Journal

We are starting a circle journal in Scraps-n-Such. For my journal, I chose the topic of Words of Wisdom. I would like the ladies to do a 2 page 8 x 8 layout of their favorite quotes. Here are my pages.

Title Page

Introduction Page -- instructions to the ladies about my album

From Here to There -- each lady will put a brad on the map where they live

Getting to Know You -- each lady will sign a tag and add their picture

My Layout for the album

The quotes I used are:

If you do something each day you don't like to do, you'll be a success. (Dad quoting Socrates)

If it isn't for sale, don't advertise. (Mom on modesty)

Into each life some rain must fall -- just watch out for the hail. (Dad)

Don't sink to their level. (Mom on not retaliating when wronged)

A torn jacket is soon mended but harsh words bruise the heart of a child. (unknown)

He who would not fall down ought not to walk in slippery places. (A. Rogers)

Before speaking, make sure it is the right place, right tone, right words spoken the right way. (T. Wright)

You are right now, or soon will be, like your friends are. (A. Rogers)

If you do after you're married what you did before you were married in order to get married, you'll stay married. (D. Worch)

Kids spell love T-I-M-E. (unknown)

God may calm the storm around you but more often He'll calm the storm within you. (unknown)

Autograph Page -- each lady will sign this before she send it on to the next person.

Desire

For this Scripture Challenge word, we were to research "What is desire? According to Webster’s, it is “to wish, long for, crave, or covet.” And according to Vine’s Dictionary of the Bible, it is “a craving or lust.” Vine’s also reminds us that there are good desires and evil desires. Whatever our desires are, they should be in line with God’s desires not the world’s. Do we want what He desires for us or what we selfishly desire for ourselves?" [Patter Cross on Triple the Scraps].






The verses I used:

Psalm 27:4One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.

Proverbs 11:23The desire of the righteous is only good: but the expectation of the wicked is wrath.

Grace

For my latest design team (DT) assignment for the May 16, 2008 weekly ezine at Faithfully Yours, I wrote a devotional and submitted several projects using the theme of Grace. My key verse was Psalm 84:11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.

Here is my devotional:

Feasting on God's Grace

For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. Psalm 84:11

I have recently been thinking of all the times the Lord had shown His grace to us in the past and how important it is to be looking for His work in our lives. I love this verse because it contains the promises that the Lord will be our light and our protection, that He will give us His grace and that He doesn't withhold good things from His obedient children.

Those of you who teach a SS class or Bible study know that when you're teaching on a certain topic, the Lord will frequently work on you in that area before you share the lesson with your class. Well, the Lord decided to give us a fresh lesson on His grace these past two months. In a three week time period in February, we moved my dad from one assisted living facility to another, Dad fell and was life-flighted to Columbus. I stayed up in Columbus for the next week while he was in ICU. One week after he fell, Dad was ushered into the presence of the Lord he loved and served and was reunited with my mom. We had his funeral here and then traveled to PA for his burial service. We then had our 5 day missions conference. We finished this 3 week time period with me having elbow surgery.

Throughout this challenging period, we saw the Lord working in so many different ways. The Lord gave encouragement, Christian medical staff, strength, comfort, grace, and the list just goes on and on. That's just the way our Lord is. He loves to give His children good things and when we're facing the tough times in life, He's right there beside us, giving us light, protecting us, and providing comfort for us.

While I was in Columbus with Dad, the first round of the circle journal ended. When I got home, after Dad passed away, my circle journal was here at the house waiting for me. I'd chosen the theme over 6 months earlier. My theme? Words of Comfort! I'd asked the ladies to do a two page layout of their favorite "comfort" verses in the Bible and the songs that brought them comfort during the tough times in life. Only the Lord could have known what I would need at the exact time my journal returned to me.

It is such a comfort to know that the Lord is our shield and that He will give us the grace we need for every situation and circumstance that comes our way. We can also be confident in knowing that as we are walking close to Him, He will not withhold good things from us. As you look back on some of those challenging times in your own life, think of the ways you have seen the Lord shielding you and giving you good things in the midst of the challenges. God is ALWAYS good.

Store supplies used in the following projects were: Victoria Mini-kit, Whimsical Ladies Tag Elements, Lotus stamp, Dainty swirl stamp, Vellum, Psalm 84:11 Digital wordart. Non-store supplies are listed with each project.

The first project was a double-page layout entitled Poised to Grow. I used some pictures taken during a mini-photo shoot in the church courtyard.

The verse under the large picture on the left is Psalm 84:11.

The journaling on the right page says:

As your senior year of high school quickly comes to a close, thoughts and plans for the future are frequent topics of conversation. You are planning to attend college and major in Creative Writing. As you were deciding what to study, a major factor in your decision was that you wanted to be able to be a Biblical helpmeet to the husband you hope to have someday. Being an author will allow you to work wherever the Lord sends your husband. If the Lord blesses you with children, it will also allow you to be a stay at home mom.

Your high school years have not been easy. You have suffered and continue to suffer so much physically. Your dad and I have been so proud of you for the way you have handled it. With your health challenges, just going to college is going to be a major step of faith. However, you’re not letting that stop you from pursuing what you feel the Lord would have you do.

We also admire the high standards you have set for yourself. We’ve watched your spiritual growth over the past couple years with very thankful hearts. We pray daily that you will continue to keep your standards high and that you will always keep this desire to put the Lord first. Remember, as this verse says, "...no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly."

And as your dad frequently says, "You’ll never be sorry for putting the Lord first.

Remember too, Precious Girl, that you are GREATLY loved.

Non-Store Supplies used: Non-store items: white paper, Stamp Craft Dye Ink - violet
Fonts: Cricut - Jasmine, Computer - Tempus Sans ITC

The second project was a card for my on-going Scripture Challenge project.



Non-store supplies: game cards, white paper, stickles - diamond, green buttons, Stamp Craft dye ink - violet, Colorbox Fluid Chalk - pastel olive, Cricut pen - brown, Zig rollerball 0.5mm journaling pen - black

Then I made two notepads:



Non-Store Supplies: stickles - diamond, eyelets, brad, greenish ribbon, Stamp Craft dye ink - Violet, white paper, chipboard, heavy-duty stapler/staples, Cricut - Jamine cartridge and CTMH stamps for word "notes"

Lastly, I made 2 cards. For the first one, Psalm 84:11 is used on the front.



Non-store supplies: flowers, brads, Stamp Craft dye ink - violet, card blank, white paper

For the "You're Sweet" Card (my personal favorite), I used lots of stickles (glitter glue) to add some sparkle.



Non-Store supplies: G Studio stamp - "You’re Sweet," SU black ink spot, brads, stickles - diamond, Stamp Craft dye ink - violet