Sand Dollar Card and Something X-tra

Happy Saturday after Thanksgiving Y'all!!!!     (for those of us in the United States)      Did Y'all "Gobble till you Wobble"?      I hope the worst that anyone has done this Thanksgiving Holiday is eat too much turkey and dressing!      I have it on good authority, that Thanksgiving calories "DON'T COUNT".        Yay!!!!!       Now, if you believe that one, I'll tell you another "one" before that one gets cold!       hahahahahahaha       Oh well, it doesn't hurt to try, does it?       My "honey" has had vacation this week and it has been a great time!!!      If you will remember back to October when he took another week of vacation time, I got sick on Wednesday of that week, and have just now recovered from that.     So, this has been a wonderful week for both of us.     I told him yesterday that he was gonna have to go back to work just to get some rest!!!!      hahahaha     

On Tuesday one of my brothers came and spent the best part of the day with us.     I was really happy that he got to come for a visit.      We had breakfast at Shoney's, which is always great.   (those calories don't count either, hehehehe)      After breakfast, we went driving around and showing my brother some of the country and terrain where we live.     He really enjoyed it.     We drove to Cheatham County and showed him some of the areas that was under 20 feet or more of water back in May of 2010, when we had the great flood.     It is unreal to think of this area having flooded like that, but it did.  

Then yesterday, we got up early and got ready to go see my mom for a bit up in Ky.      She will be having Thanksgiving on Sunday for those that can be there.     We won't be there, so that's why we ran up for a bit yesterday.     While there, I got to see another one of my brothers; the one that is a part time mail carrier.     I ran out and gave him a big ole' hug and then let him get on with his work, and then he came by mom's apartment to give her her mail and he hollered at us before he left on the rest of his route.      So, we had a great little visit with mom yesterday.      I am hoping to get to go up to moms for at least one long weekend in December.     I have dr appointments and things like that that are making it difficult for me to get up there.   

It has been a great time of reflection for me.      I have SO very much to be thankful for.      I am so thankful for my husband!      God gave me the "Best of the Best" when He chose my husband for me!!!!      And I thank God every day for that wonderful blessing!!!!    

I thank God for my family.      That includes all of my family; parents, brothers, grand parents, aunts and uncles, cousins, sisters-in-laws, nieces and nephews, great nieces and nephews,......and even the people that has hung out with our family so much that they just became an adopted part of the family.     ggg   

I thank God for the friends that He has blessed me with!!!!!     I am so blessed and fortunate to have people in my life that I can get together with from time to time and just have fun and fellowship with.     I always look forward to the times that we can get together and just have a great time!      I am thankful for my friends that I can call or text and just say "Pray", and that's what they do.     I am also thankful for my "on-line" friends!!!!      The joy and fun and fellowship that we have on-line is just a gift in itself!!!!     The fact that we can pray for our long-distant friends is amazing.     You know what, we may be long-distant from each other, but God hears our prayers just as if we were all gathered together, around His feet and talking to Him!      We each have the same connection to God and that is "prayer", and when we pray for one another, He hears us!!!!!!!

I am thankful for all the material "stuff" that God has blessed my husband and myself with.     We have a wonderful roof over our heads, food in the cabinets, clothes on our backs, covers to keep us warm, and all kinds of toys and gadgets, and vehicles to drive, gas for the vehicles...............and the list goes on.     I am thankful to God for all that He has blessed us with.

I am thankful to God most for my Salvation!!!!       The fact that Jesus Christ would sacrifice so much for me; a nobody, a down and out, a Gentile, someone that no one else would walk to the other side of the road for, a shepherd, a publican, someone dead, but just hadn't lain down yet.    Can you relate to any of that?      If you are a Pharisee, No, you can't relate to that.     But, if you recognize yourself as a sinner, or a sinner saved by Grace, you know what I am speaking of, and you could probably even add to my list.     Just like Lazarus, when Jesus called my name, I had no choice but to go running to Him, leaving behind the tomb of death, with grave clothes on and all hanging from my body and dragging behind me!      Just like Lazarus, I have been brought back from the company of the dead, into new life and victory every day!       This is not based on anything I have done, mind you.     It is based on what Jesus Christ has done for me!!!     You see, if I'm a Pharisee, I see that I am good, in and of myself and don't need help or don't need being brought back from the tomb of death.     But..........when we recognize ourselves as sinners, in need of something and most of the time we don't even know what we need, we just know we need something, then, when Jesus calls our names, THERE IT IS, that's what we was in need of!!!!!!!!       And we go running to Him, thankful for His call on our lives!      I didn't have to do a thing, but hear and accept Jesus calling my name!!!!!      I couldn't buy it, a friend couldn't give it to me, I didn't have to go on a long journey looking for it, there's no hoops to jump through.......It is the Free Gift of Salvation, bought and paid for, and given freely by my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, my Messiah!!!!!!

Friends, if you haven't had the opportunity to have an encounter with my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, I pray that you would just call out His name right now, and tell Him you need a radical change in your life and that you believe He is the radical change you need!      Jesus always hears our plea for help!      If you don't know anything else to say, just say "Help me Jesus"!      I guarantee He will hear you and help you.       Then you need to seek out a friend that you know is already walking with Christ and tell them and let them help you find a Bible believing, Bible teaching church and start reading and studying your Bible.      Read two or three verses a day then read more and more and study.     Soon, you will find that you are eager to get into God's Word and find out what He wants to share with you today.      It is an exciting journey!       More than likely, you will have to change some of the friends in your life.      Not to be discouraging, but when we have accepted the call of God on our lives, it is radical, and that calls for radical changes.      Some of the people we hang with has to change, some of the places we used to frequent have to change, some of the activities we used to do have to change, simply because we want to be obedient to God, our Father, who has graciously given to us Mercy and Grace and the ability to have a relationship with Him thru Jesus Christ.        Praises, praises and more praises!!!!

That's some of the things I am thankful for!!!!      I am also thankful for all the crafting toys that God has blessed me with!!!!      I love to make cards and share pics of them with y'all.      I recently made another sand dollar card.      I just love the sand dollar stamps and enjoy using them.      This is what I came up with:

I done the usual, white card base, then a black layer and next a purple layer.     I used purple sheer ribbon under the tag and under the sand dollar.     I love the stuff I get at the Dollar Tree!!!!!

This little tag was cut from a Spellbinder tag and my cuttlebug.

The sand dollar was stamped with versa mark and then I embossed it with silver embossing powder and my heat gun.     Then I fussy cut it with some scissors.     I just love silver embossing powder, it gives my  "bling", and y'all know how much I love some good bling!!!!

This is the inside sentiment.    I stamped it on plain printer paper and used a Martha Stewart punch on two of the edges and kept two of the edges plain.    I stamped the sentiment in Memento London Fog and inked the edges of the insert with a silver gray cat eye ink pad.    Then used some platinum pearl drops in three of the corners and also a few spots on the front of the card also.   At the very top, I used a bit of that ribbon and just tied a knot and glued the little ribbon to the top.    And, there you have it, my latest sand dollar card.

Now, here is the something X-tra!!!!!

"Look Ma, I can fly!!!!!"       "Weeeeeee, I just learned to spread my wings and soar!!!!!!"         In reality, my husband was showing my brother how he has me trained!       hahahahahahahaha       I was cracking up as I typed this, just at how hilarious that last statement was, because my husband does NOT have me trained in any way, form shape or fashion, (I just let him think he does.)       ssshhhh, don't tell anyone, it's our little secret.

Now, for the rest of the story......hubby was showing my brother the camera system we have.     2 or 3 years ago we had 2 attempted break ins, so this is what we done, it won't keep anyone from breaking in, but we would have evidence to show the police to help catch whom ever it was.      So, with that in mind, hubby said,   "Hun, would you go wave at the camera, please?"      I said, "Sure, my goal in life is to wave at the camera!"        So, I did.      But, guess what, I did it my way!!!!!!      I waved as "Super Woman", showing off my flying skills!       And, I had just come in for landing and wanted to show off my ability to land on one foot.       It was a rough landing, but I survived.      hahahahahaha

This one was after I had safely landed and you can see the happiness on my face!     Oh well, it was a tough job, but I was happy to be the guinea pig for this experiment to show my brother.      Truth be known, I've done sillier stuff than that, and I may just have to share some of the silly stuff I've done with y'all sometime, just to prove it to ya'.       Does that sound like a plan or what?

No, I just wanted to share the face behind the words for a change!       She's a lot kookie, a little goofy, but always ready to laugh and have fun.       That's me in a nut shell.       Remember, the nut doesn't fall far from the tree, either.       I proudly come from a long line of nuts!!!!!!        Some are hickory nuts, walnuts, cashews, macadamias, almonds, pecans, but mostly just plain ole' "goobers"!!!!      hahahahaha

That's it for today.     Sorry it has been so long.     Just needed to breathe.      I hope and pray that all of y'all have a wonderful weekend.      God bless each and every one of y'all.      God loves y'all and so do I!!!!!!!      hugs, Patty