October is Gone......

and where did it GO!!!!!!    I'm  telling y'all, I DO not know where this month has gone.    I don't even know if my calendar had October in it.    It must not have, that's the only thing that I can think of that would make sense about it being gone so quickly.    When I look for calendars for 2015, I'm gonna make sure there are at least 12 months in it.    I just know I got cheated with the one I got for 2014!!!!!     It must have been a defective calendar!!!!!     Ohhhh that's good, that's what it was, it was defective!!!!   That's what I'm calling it anyway!   hahahahahaha

Well, hubby had vacation last week, and let me tell you, it was a royal stinker!!!!  He got up Saturday morning with a little tickle in his throat that progressed to an out and out "bad" cold.    I stayed as far from him as I could, but not far enough.   My Wednesday started off fairly normal, but by evening time, I was feeling pretty rough and by Thursday it had knocked my socks off.     Here it is more than a week later, and I still feel like I been knocked down by a bowling ball.     Just trying to stay in and away from people, so as not to spread it to others and also, not to pick up something on top of this.     I have sneezed and coughed so much that I am sore from head to toe.    A cough or sneeze quickly becomes a scream, it hurts so bad.   gggg    There is no holding it in either.    As the saying goes, there's more room out than there is in.    So I gladly let it out, I just worry what the neighbors think!!!!     hahahaha     I started thru the kitchen the other day and I felt a sneeze coming on and I stopped and grabbed my side with one hand and my head with the other and then sneezed/screamed and I thought my hubby was gonna get down and roll and then I started laughing too.     I needed about ten arms to hold every where that sore and hurting.    He said he had wondered how I was making that noise and couldn't imagine, I think it had something to do with the way I was trying to not make such a noise, that I was having the opposite effect.    I don't know, just so happy I'm not as sore as I was.  

I haven't had much desire to make anything or do anything either.    I can't concentrate or hold a thought long enough to do anything.    I was fixing lunch yesterday and hubby came through and asked me a question, and I totally forgot what I was doing and what I needed to finish doing for lunch.    I was baking some fish and I forgot to sprinkle the breadcrumbs on it.  Drats!    I can't make a full thought and retain it.    Hopefully that will get better.

I did need a haircut, so, yesterday I got one.    Remember I said I can't hold a full thought or even make a full thought.    Went to the beauty shop.     The next person finished was a man beautician.    I said, ok, this will be interesting.    Nothing wrong with that at all!!!!!    The best haircuts I've ever had was from a man.   Just not thinking well.    He called me back and said what can I do for you?    I commenced to telling him what I wanted.    I don't even remember what I said.    I usually tell them that I don't want the "little boy haircut" that they love to give me.     Understand, I don't remember what I told him!!!!     When I got up from the chair and looked on the floor, I said "where did all that hair come from?"    He said, "your head".    I didn't think I even had that much hair on my head!!!!!    So, now I'm wondering even more about what I told him.     When I got home and went to the bathroom and looked at my hair, I said, "oh (crap), I must have told him I WANTED a little boy haircut!!!!!!!"    I looked it and actually tried to pull some of it to stretch it, that didn't work.    If I had been thinking clearly, I would have known that, but alas, I wasn't.    I finally laughed and said, "oh well, it's hair and it will grow back!"     Well this morning, I shampooed it and blowdryed it, and I actually think it's one of the best haircuts I've had in a while!     I still don't know what I told him, wish I did, so I could remember it the next time and ask for the same cut.    hahahaha     A new day and a new perspective makes all the difference!     And he done a FANTASTIC job on my hair!!!!!      Yay!!!!!

I made a card here back and wanted to share it with y'all.

This was an image that I got with a card of the month kit from Crafters  Companion and the kit contained the Spectrum Noir markers to color the image.   I really love the big sunflower and leaves.    I cut the embossed layer on my Silhouette Cameo and then embossed it on my Cuttlebug.    I have a little die to cut the lady bug out with.   And I covered it with glossy accents to make it firm and shiny.

The little lady bug makes me happy.    It just does.  

I really think the sunflower is a beauty.    I would love to have a stamp of this very image.

I used some very thin ribbon that I got at the Dollar Tree on this card.    I just cut strips and trimmed the edges to a point and folded the pieces in half and taped them down.    Then when I popped on the sunflower it covered up the tape or glue or whatever I put the ribbon down with.

I took a little stamp and used it on the corners of the base card.    I used the same ink to ink the edge of the card front.    I also used it over the embossed area of the card front.    It was a sage green ink.

I was really happy with the over all result of this card.     I really enjoyed coloring the flower and the leaves.    I should have put some bling on it some where.   Oh the shame, just the shame of it all, at not putting any bling on it!!!!!   I will have to give myself a beating with a wet noodle!!!!    hahahahaha    Oh, bling!!!!!

 As I leave you today, I leave you with this scripture:    1 Thessalonians 5:18 "Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

Paul's conclusion in this letter to the Thessalonians was to remain faithful to God during the times they were living in.   He was encouraging them in Chapter 5 to build one another up, to help one another, to respect those who work hard, to live in peace with each other, to be kind to each other and a lot more encouragements like that.   And then Paul says "give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."     Oh no, did he really say to "give thanks in all circumstances"?     Well, yes he did.     That is totally opposite the nature of most of us, isn't it?     Am I really supposed to thank God when I loose my job?    Am I really supposed to thank God when when my child gets in trouble?    Am I supposed to thank God when family and friends are being diagnosed with serious health issues?     Am I supposed to thank God when it looks like our country is crumbling down around our ears?    These are just a few of the scenarios that each and every one of us have going on in our lives at any given time.     And there are soooooo many more things that are, have been, or will be taking place in our lives.    Do we thank God, that we get to go through these difficult times?  
Paul isn't telling us to be thankful "for" these painful scenarios.    He is telling us that when bad things happen, and they will, that we can thank God "in" the midst of those things, because we know that God will see us through those times.    We can, at all times, thank God for the clear evidence that He is at work in our lives.    We may not know why we are going through stuff, but we can count on God to be with us through it.

I don't know what any of y'all are going through.     I would suggest that maybe you challenge yourself to look at it differently.    Don't thank God that your are going thru something, but do thank God that He's "in" the trenches with you.    Each day brings it's own set of circumstances and what ever those circumstances are, just know that God is "in" it with you.     Our circumstances change.    God can change our circumstances, but until He does, He will be "in" it with you.

Hi ladybug!!!    It was good talking to you the other evening.    You are an "amazing" ladybug!!!!!  Sweetpea loves you!

Have a great rest of the day y'all!!!    I hope you enjoyed your visit here today.    I pray that you will come back soon.    Share with someone, what you have seen here today.   God loves y'all, and so do I!!!    hugs and love, Patty

Celebration Goin' On Y'all

Good morning y'all!    What's everyone doin' today?    I hope and pray that everyone is doing well and have a fantastic day planned.    I just checked with Weather Bug, and she says it's supposed to be really mild temps today.    The high is said to be 79*.    That is almost unheard of for the dog days of August, but hey, I'll take it and be happy for it, because I know it will be hot again, sooner than later.

I have a couple of projects to share with y'all today.   I have been really busy working on other stuff that I just can't wait to share with y'all in the near future.   But, for today, I have a couple of small projects to share.   The first one is a card that I sent to a young friend on her birthday.

I love this shoe stamp.   I love the flowers on it and I love the possibilities of all the different colors.   I went with yellow and orange on this one and I do love the way it turned out.   I colored it with my Spectrum Noir alcohol markers.

The card base is craft card stock.    I really like that for a different effect at times.   I put some pale blue flat back gems in the corners.

I stamped the image on a stipple cut card topper that I had roughed the edges up.   I used my trusty clear star gelly roll pen on this card to get that bit of sheen and shine going on.   I love the cute little dragonfly too.

The next project, takes a totally different turn for me.    It was fun though.   So, I hope you like it.

Ok, so I went to my favorite local store, our new Dollar Tree pretty soon after opening back in May and they had thousands of these fedora style hats.   That was what was on the label.   hahaha    I walked right by, and then I turned and thought, "ah, why not", so I tossed it in my buggy.    It was plain.   It had nothing but the band.   So, when I got home, I had a box of flower layers and I picked out what I wanted to make a flower with and used a brad to hold the layers together and then I very carefully worked the arms of the brad through the weave of the hat and put my flower on there.   I really like it for a "bad hair day".    You have heard of some of my bad hair days as of late, so this is a tremendous help.

So, I decided I wanted to jazz my hat up a bit and used this hair clip that I got a the Masquerade Hospital Jewelry sale.   I got it because it was "purple".    That's good enough reason for me to buy just about anything.   But, I really liked the way it classed up my hat. 

So, this one is of some daisies that I had gotten at another on of my favorite places to shop, Mighty Dollar, up in Russellville, Ky.    It was a clear box, full of these flowers to use on projects.    I placed three of them on a piece of acetate and used pop dots to stick it to the band of my hat.   I really like this one a lot.

This is of all three hat toppers, side by side.     Ok, so around the first of the month we had what's called "Fashion Revue" through our FCE groups in the county.    We were to model our favorite, least expensive, great purchase.    So, I figured since I gave only a dollar for the hat and the two small flower pieces came to about 10 to 15 cents a piece and then the purple one was $5.00.    So my hat with three interchangeable hat toppers cost about $6.25.   I modeled my hat for the "accessories" category and  actually won 2nd place.   I did not expect to win anything!   It was fun, though, it kinda got me outta my comfort zone.   So, I hope you enjoyed these projects.

As I leave you this morning, I leave you with this favorite scripture:  Psalm23:1  "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want".

Have you ever thought about those simple words?    How many times have we read it and quoted it, but how many times have we stopped and thought about those simple words.    When David wrote this Psalm, he was writing from his own experiences.   David was a shepherd in his youth.   And he likened his relationship with God to that of a shepherd.    When David said "The Lord is my shepherd", he was speaking of the same trust that sheep have in their shepherd.  A good shepherd will protect and lead and direct his sheep to the most fertile grass and sweetest stream of water all the while standing guard and watch over his flock, to protect them.    Sheep follow their shepherd out of obedience to their shepherd.   Their shepherd would always protect them and provide for them, because the shepherd loved his sheep.   The sheep recognized their shepherds voice and the shepherd recognized the calls of his sheep.

David then says, "I shall not want".    Sheep are totally dependent upon their shepherd for guidance, protection and provision.    A good shepherd will take his herd to the best grassy field and the clearest, coolest, freshest streams of water.   A good shepherd will take care or his sheep to the point that they will have no needs or wants, because all needs are met.

This is the image that David is giving of himself, as the sheep and the Lord as his shepherd.    David knew that God had only his best interests at heart.   David knew that God would protect him and that God would provide for him.

I love looking at this scripture, and I hope that you do too.   I pray that you recognize "The Lord" as your "Shepherd".    I pray that you recognize the voice of God as your Shepherd.    Just know that God always has your best interest at heart.   I pray that if you have heard and felt the call of the Shepherd on your life, that you will listen and follow the Lord as your Shepherd.    Your life will not be pain free, but you will never have to take another breath alone.    The Good Shepherd is waiting to be your Shepherd.     I pray that you will let Him.

The title of my blog post today is "Celebration Goin' On Y'all".    What is the celebration about?     One year ago today, I started my blog at the direction and guidance of the Holy Spirit.    Who am I to have a blog?    What do I do or have to say that anyone would be interested in seeing and reading?    I still haven't quite figured that out yet, but I had the assurance that if I keep God first place in all I do, then this venture will be successful.   Y'all have helped this become a success story for me.    As of this morning, I have had over 70 countries and more than 460 thousand visits to my blog and google+, for that, I am most thankful!!!   For many of you, you have that many visits in two or three months and that is wonderful!   For me, I never figured I would ever have a thousand  hits in 10 years.    God is good and faithful!     So, I am thankful for each and every visit that y'all have given me.   There are many places on the web that you could be, but at this moment you are here.    Just know that I appreciate that and I do not take that lightly.    I pray that y'all will continue to visit and tell your friends about this little corner of the web where I share "Fun little pieces of Life", one piece at a time.

I thank you for your visits and I appreciate all the comments that y'all have left for me over the past year.    I pray that you'll continue to check this place out form time to time and that you will take something good away from time to time.

Ladybug, I pray that you are doing well and hope to see you soon.   Sweetpea loves you.

Have a blessed day y'all.   Just know that God loves y'all and so do I.  hugs, Patty

Grungy Card # 3

Well, guess what y'all?    It's August!!!   Oh my!    Where has summer gone?    Technically, it's still summer, but with school starting back today, it seems like it has been a short summer.    I can remember back in the day, when school let out the middle to the end of May and didn't start back up until after Labor Day!    Sure makes me feel old, recalling the "olden days".   hahahaha

I wanted to share my third grungy card.    Back in July when I posted about the first one, I said I had three, so this is the last one.    I am really enjoying learning my Spectrum Noir markers.    I don't know that I'll ever get as good as I hope to get with them, but I have had a good time working with them.

I hope y'all like this card.    I had a good time making it.    It is so amazing at how little it really takes to make a difference.    I hope you can see what I'm talking about in a minute, when you start looking at the pics.

I really had fun with this one.    I love the pink and green combo.   The embossing folder is quickly becoming a fav.    I inked the edge of the green with pink ink.   Then also the edge of the stamped image.    It is stipple cut, to mimic a ragged edge and then I even used my sandpaper on the edge of it too.    I had a very small bit of ivy vine that I had cut and I used a sprig in the upper and lower right hand corners.    I took two short pieces of grosgrain ribbon and just knotted it together and trimmed the ends and fluffed the ends out and I really like that look.    On the left hand corners, I put flat back pink pearls.  

On this one you can see where I used my trusty Sakura gelly roll pen in clear star just for a bit of sheen.    You really don't see it front on, but if you look at an angle, you see it really well.    I enjoy the look.    It's blingy without obvious bling.

I put it on the flower and the foliage of the flower.   

Ok, so this is where I was talking about a very small amount of something making a huge difference.    Do you see what I'm talking about?    I took my liquid pearls and made very tiny dots on some of the squares of the embossed area.   I have to tell you, in hand, it made a tremendous difference.   It was just the icing on the cake, er, card.    ggg

Hope you enjoyed that.   Now, off to something just a little different.    Make that a lot different!!!!

Ok y'all, I don't like snakes.   I want to say that again, "I don't like snakes!!"   Not in the least little bit, no way, no how, not gonna happen in this lifetime.   Nada, zilch, nope, not gonna happen!!!!    So, the week I was preparing to go up to Ky, I was out and about, getting things ready for my absence at home, for a bit.   I was getting ready to make a quick run to the grocery store and out the back door I went and bounded down the steps off the deck and was getting ready to go to the garage and something at the back of the garage caught my eye, just as I breezed by.   I stopped, stepped back a couple of steps and looked over my right shoulder, and I screamed and jumped and ran back up the steps, my hubby thought a "booger" had scared me.   I said "not hardly, I scare "boogers", they don't have a chance."    But what did scare me is what is in the picture below.

After I got over my initial shock, I got my cellphone outta my purse and took a couple of pics of it.   You see the numbers on it.   Ok, while in Ky, I was showing my brothers what I had a pic of.   One of them asked me how long it was.    I measured out with both hands to what the length of about 3 1/2 or 4 feet.   I thought it was from #1 and #2.    He said, look at that thing again, it's longer than that.   Well, I looked at it again and zoomed in on it some and I'm tellin' ya', I almost passed out!!!!!   It was a foot longer than I had originally thought.   In reality, it is between 5 and 6 feet long!    Now, here's what gets me, where there's one, there's always another one!    Now, every time I leave the house, I'm looking for a snake!!!!   Did I happen to mention, "I don't like snakes!!"    One thing Jim Stafford and I have in common is this, "I don't like spiders and snakes!"    (Some of you will know who Jim Stafford is, others will have to google him.   ggg)

This got me to thinking when I was a kid, maybe seven or so.    Our kitchen was at the back of the house, behind the living room and it was bumped out on the end so there was an outside door that was on the front of the house, because it faced the front.    It was a small covered porch and three or four poured concrete steps.   Once on the porch, you could look directly up, and there was the attic entrance that was covered with maybe a piece of plywood that you would just move it to one side if you needed to go to the attic and then move it back over the entrance.    It wasn't used for any kind of storage, so it wasn't used much.    On the wall just under the roof of the porch was an outside light.   Just a single bulb with a kind of clearish, whiteish globe.    I was getting ready to come in the kitchen and looked up just as I stepped up on the porch and there was a huge black snake hanging around that light fixture, just like you would wrap a scarf around your neck to hang evenly, that's how that snake was hanging there!!   I screamed and ran back off the porch and my family came running, anyone that was home came running to see what the commotion was.  All I could do was point and say "there".    It was at least five or six feet long.    It scared the stink plum out of me.    I never went in that back door again without looking closely to see if there was a snake.    I asked how it got up there.   Someone suggested that maybe it was coming from the attic and I said, "you mean we live in that house with snakes in the attic!!!"    My brother said, "If that's where it came from, it came from the attic, and not the house, so it wasn't in the house."    My argument, "Technically, it was in the house, and I was in the house."     Did I happen to mention, I just flat out don't like snakes!!!

Which brings to mind, another reason I don't like snakes.    My grandparents lived in a big, old house out close to the church they went to.    Another house came available on the same road, but it was out closer to the main highway and they decided they wanted to move to that house.    If I remember correctly, the same land owner owned it that owned the one they was already living in.   So, he was gonna let them move in the one closer to the road.    It needed fixing up some, so my mom and dad was helping with cleaning and renovation of the house before they moved.     The two houses was a pretty good ways apart from each other.   Probably a mile or so.    There was a dirt tractor path through the farm area from one house to the other.    When mom and dad was at the house working  and the older boys helping, the younger ones of us could go over to Ma and Pa's and visit with them for a spell.   

The dirt on the path was as fine as powder.   Any barefoot tracks really shown.   If you knew the feet, you could easily pick out who they belonged to, just by seeing the prints in the dirt.    My two youngest brothers and I was walking along going over to see Ma and they were ahead of me by a little bit.   I was just moseying along and for some reason, I happened to look back over my shoulder and here came a "black racer" snake chasing me!!!    He had his head off the ground at least a foot and he was coming after me and I never seen anything like that before.    I screamed, and started running and ran and ran and ran and I didn't stop running till I got to Ma's house and I never made that walk through the dirt path again.  

I was talking about that with some of my brothers and mom and one of my brothers said that if I would have turned around and ran back at it, that I would have scared it as bad or more than it scared me.    I said, "Yeah, right! I still hate snakes!"   Now, I don't know if I could have scared the snake as bad as it scared me or not, but I would not have EVEN tried it back then for sure!    Not so sure I would try it now.    But, then again, I might have to do a stare down with one now, because now I could not "haul self" (run like the dickens)  like I did back then, when I was young.    Oh, to be young again, and be able to run from a snake!!!!    Even through all the years that have passed since these two incidents with snakes, "I STILL HATE SNAKES!!!"    Yup, that's right, still a sissy when it comes to all things slithery!    hahaha   Bet some of y'all are too!    hahaha

As I leave you this afternoon, I leave you with this scripture;  Psalm46:1 "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in our trouble."

Today, one of the major fixations is the "super-heroes" in the movies.    Every one loves a good movie with a good hero in the end to save the day or to ride off in the sunset, or to live happily ever after.   We just love it when the "good guy" wins.

Have you ever thought that we have our own hero.   We don't look at God in that light, because it is trivializing to what God has done for us, is doing for us and will do for us.    I never want to trivialize God in that manner.    But, if you just have to have a hero, I challenge you to look at what God does for us.

Since God is the creator of all that is, He is in charge over all.    Do you have fears and worries?    Of course you do, we all do.    We don't mean to, but we do, none the less.    We struggle with that every day, and we confess those sins to God and ask Him to help us.     God is always there, at all times!     Never is He not there.    God is the source of our security and peace.    What do you think of when you think of the word "refuge"?   God being our refuge?    I think about that place of safety, that secret place, that hidden place where only God is, and I am there with Him.    Never to be disturbed by the things that disturb us in this life.    I think about all the problems and situations of life that arise, but God is going ahead of me working it out.    Yes, there is things of this life that will touch each and every one of us and we will have to walk those things out.    But, we don't have to walk it out alone.    Anything in this life that can hurt us or cause us distress is temporary.   This life is temporary.    Our ultimate goal in this life should be "eternal glory"!    Absolutely nothing will happen to any one of us that God doesn't know about.    God knows His own.    If you are not in a right relationship with God, why not get that worked out, now, so that you too, can know the comfort of God as your refuge and strength, and your present help in trouble?    Jesus Christ said that no one comes to Father, except thru Me.   The way to God, the Father is thru Jesus Christ, the Son.   I hope that you will take the opportunity to repent and ask Jesus Christ to forgive you of your sins and to be Lord of you life and to help you live your life with eternal glory at the fore front of your mind.    When we focus on eternal things, then the temporary problems doesn't seem so big.    I hope and pray that you will let God be your safe place to fall.

Have a wonderful rest of the day, y'all!    I hope you enjoyed your visit here this evening, and if you did, tell someone about your visit.   I hope you will come back soon.

Ladybug, I hope all is well in the village this evening.  Hope to see you soon.   Love you lots, Sweetpea!

Come back soon y'all.   Remember, God loves y'all and so do I.   hugs, Patty

Grungy Card 2

Good evening Y'all!     I hope you are enjoying this fine evening.    In my neck of the woods right now it is a very pleasant 71* outside as of 8:39 pm tonight.    I love it!    Up to 100* over the weekend, I'll take the lower temps any day!!    I still have humidity hair, and I guess that's not gonna change any time soon.    I know you know what humidity hair is.  

It's when you spend all morning with every hair appliance known to women to straighten your hair.   You get it straightened just perfectly and add a few perfectly placed little rats to give you that perfect height.   You take that one final look at your perfect masterpiece, just after you have sprayed a little hair spray on to keep in place.    You hit the door for that trip out town, just knowing you have this great looking head of hair.    You make stop after stop, just hoping everyone that you come in contact with notices your finely coiffed head of hair.    You have on your nicest smile, and you quickly smile at everyone you meet, but some of the ones you are smiling at are looking a little strangely at you.    Oh well, they must be having a bad day.    You sure hope their day gets better, you pray.    On you go, errand after errand and you are still stylin' and profilin' that snazzy head of hair.    Upon arriving at home, you walk by a mirror and catch a glimpse of someone.   You wheel around and run back to the mirror for a closer look, only to find that someone has replaced that beautiful head of hair that you was sporting so proudly, with a bad fake wig that looks like Bozo's head of hair!     That my friends, is humidity hair!    Yeah, you know what I'm talking about, don't ya'!    hahahaha

This is Grungy Card # 2.   I mentioned it when I put up # 1 the other day.

So, this is my Iris, from Crafters Companion, that I have shared a few times already.   But, I love this stamp and I never get tired of using it.    I stamped it on a background that I cut out on my Silhouette.    The image was created by Penny Duncan.    You can find her blog on the right side of my blog.    I love her designs.    I am trying to use her backgrounds more in my card making.    I loved the loops on this file and used them to run my 1/8th in grosgrain ribbon thru and I really liked the look.   You can also see that I added flat back pearls in the top and bottom corners.

After I colored the  Iris,  with my Spectrum Noir markers, I used my Sakura Gelly Roll Clear Star pen on the image to add a little bit of blingy goodness.   It's not real flashy, just very subtle.   It looks really nice in the hand.

I just used it more as a highlight than anything else, but it definitely looks nice.

I had it finished, I thought.   Then I took my liquid pearls and put a few dots of it around the loopy border and I think it really set it off.    The grungy part of this card is the edge of the bottom layer of the card.    I grunged up the edge with a shimmery mauve ink pad.    It doesn't show up as much as I wish it did in the pic.   Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this peek at grungy card # 2.    Three is on it's way shortly.

As I leave you this evening, I leave you with this scripture: Matthew 5:44  "But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."

In the setting here, Jesus had just called Simon Peter and his brother Andrew, to be fishers of men.   And a bit later he called James and John.   Jesus was going throughout Galilee teaching, preaching and healing the sick and diseased among the people.  Word spread all throughout Syria and people started bringing all their sick, hurting, afflicted, hopeless, demon possessed, paralyzed, and seizure ridden people to Jesus and He healed them.   Where ever He went, crowds followed.   So He seen the crowds and went up on a mountainside and sat down.   His disciples came to Him and He began teaching them.    This is where the Beatitudes are.   Jesus taught them many different things.  

Can you imaging being in that class, with the Master Teacher of all time teaching with "authority" of the Kingdom of God!    That is one class I would sign up for in a heart beat!    Of all the things He taught them, He also taught them to "love your enemies."    Can you imagine such a teaching?    Well, that's what He taught them.

Oh, let me tell you, it is so easy for us to love those who love us.   It is easy to pray for those who pray for us.   It is easy, isn't it.   Jesus asked them what was the reward in loving "only" people who love them?    The reward comes from loving those who persecute you and who are your enemies.   Jesus was asking them to not treat them as enemies, but to treat them as people God created, and as "potential" followers of Christ.

Fast forward to today.    He is still asking the same thing of us today.    I have to confess right here, right now, and just be very real with y'all about this.   I have not arrived yet at the place where I can love those who hate me, and pray for those who would persecute me, in the manner that is pleasing to my Lord and Savior.   It is a definite struggle for me.    But...I keep on trying!     I keep asking the Lord to help me with this.    I keep humbling myself in prayer and asking for help.   I struggle every day with this, and you know what, I know I am not the only one with this struggle.    It goes against every thing that we as human beings "feel".   How is it possible to get past the "feelings"?    Well, I won't get past the "feelings" on my own.    As Christians, we are called to live, based on what we know, not based on what we "feel".    Our feelings change, from one minute to another, one day to another.    What we know, never changes.    We know that Jesus Christ gave His life's blood for us to have a right relationship with God.    God never changes!!!    We do!    Our "feelings" change.    In essence, we should treat people based on God's feelings and not ours.    Jesus taught His disciples that all people are created by God, His own special treasure, His own peculiar treasure.    With that knowledge, we are to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us.    Easy?     No!    Possible?    Yes!!!     God never asks us to do anything we can't do.    God never sets us up for failure.    When we fail, it is because we haven't called on God for help.    So, if you are like me, keep on crying out to God for help!     That's where the reward is.    When we are calling on God, we are growing closer to our Creator, becoming more Christlike.    Therein is the reward.    Becoming more Christlike.    All Praises to God!!

I hope y'all have a great night of rest and a wonderful day tomorrow.   Good night y'all!  Till we meet again, take care.

Ladybug, sweetpea loves you with her heart and looks forward to seeing you soon!

God Bless Y'all and remember God loves y'all and so do I.   hugs, Patty

Click Your Heels

That's a catchy title, isn't it?     Just you wait and see what it's all about.   ggg    I hope and pray y'all are having  a great day today.     It's sunny, humid, and hot in my neck of the woods.    The sun is good.    The humid and hot, I could do with a lot less of it.    If I remember correctly, back earlier in the year when we didn't think warm weather would ever get here, I think I remember making a promise that I wouldn't complain about the weather.    So.......I'm pretty sure I just broke that promise, y'all.    I really didn't mean to, but, I just don't do very well in the humidity and heat.    Ugh!!!    One thing for sure, I am so thankful for our air conditioner.  

So, back to the title of my post.    I seen a card that a friend had made, +Tina Van Eick.    I loved her card and she shared where she had gotten the stamp from, and I ran as quickly as I could; without knocking anyone else over; to the web site, Paper Wishes, over in my left hand column, and ordered the stamp.   I love it!!!   My card isn't as beautiful as Tina's was, but I do hope y'all enjoy seeing it.   Thanks Tina!

So, this is my completed boot card.   I love this stamp!!!   This if the first stamp I have that is "steampunk".    But, I thought it was so gorgeous that I had to have it. 

The embossed layer is from an embossing folder I ordered the same time I ordered the boot.   It is called "gun metal".   I can see it quickly becoming a fav.  It is a 6" x 6" embossing folder.    I do think I will enjoy that size.   It does fit in the Cuttlebug nicely.   I get grungy with my ink on the edges of my card stocks.   I love that look.

I used my Spectrum Noir markers on this.   I also used a little generic gold ink pen that came in a card making mag that I picked up at Joann's around Christmas of 2013.   I used that to color the gold sections.

Then I used my perfect pearls on each corner and also on the boot in diff places.

You can see the dark raised spots in this pic, that is perfect pearls.   I love that stuff.

The slight glittery finish that you see over the purple (have I ever told y'all I love purple?) part of the boot is my faux stickles.    I brushed on a very light coat just to give it a little bling.    Hey, I gotta get a little bling in, y'all!    I was soooo happy with the outcome of my "steampunk" boot, I hope y'all are too!

As I leave you this afternoon, I leave you with this scripture:

Isaiah 26:3  "You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You."

Chapter 26 of Isaiah, in some translations has the title as "A song of Praise".   This song of praise is addressed to God in the form of a prayer, not petitioning God for something, but making a statement to God agreeing with God and proclaiming His work.   The people had honor for God and only God.   Their hope was in God.    Just as our hope is in God, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Verse 3 talks of peace.    Perfect peace is a gift from God.    Peace does not come from anyone else or anywhere else.    We can search a lifetime for peace, but we will never find it, till we trust in Him.    When we place our confidence in God, through the Blood of Christ, then we can have peace over the things of this world that tries to steal our joy and contentment.

People are striving for world peace.    You can't mandate peace, you can't legislate peace, you can't make peace a law that has to be followed.    Peace only comes thru that "individual, personal" relationship with God, through Jesus Christ.   Keep your mind on God!   If you don't have a relationship with Christ, you don't have peace.    It's just that simple.    Peace is based on our "steadfast" trust in God.    Do you have enough trust in God to say, "what ever happens, I will trust God"?    That trust produces internal peace, personal peace.    That kind of trust in God, on a personal basis; each individual having peace; CAN bring about peace on a larger scale.    That is the only way this unsettling world will ever know peace.    Individually.   

If you know Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, thank Him for that and the peace that comes from having a relationship with Him.    If you know people that don't have a relationship with Christ; and we all do; put those people on your prayer list.   We also should pray for peace.    The peace that I pray for people to have is the peace that passes all understanding, and it comes only from God.    May you have peace in your heart today and stay focused of God and all He's doing for you, through the Blood of Christ.

Ladybug, I pray that each new day is better than the one before.   Keep on keeping on.   Sweetpea loves you lots and can't wait to see you, soon.

Have a blessed rest of the day, y'all!    God loves you and so do I!   hugs, Patty

Grungy Card # 1

Good evening y'all!!!    I hope y'all are enjoying this fine day.    The temp has been back up in the mid to high 90's in my neck of the woods today.    That is a huge change from the last few days, when we had temps down in the 50's.    Yikes!!!!    Get out the winter coats, no...put them up, wait a minute, get them out again!     Oh well, it keeps us on our toes, doesn't it?    We did get a little bit of rain too, while the temps were lower.    It really was a blessing for the farmers, whose crops were about to burn up.    Some of the corn crops we had seen were just about ready to start twisting from being so thirsty for water.    So, it kinda looks like we may be back to what is considered more normal temps.    Hot, sweaty, and sticky!    Not my three most favorite words, but as long as our air conditioner works, it's all good!    hahaha

I have been working on some new cards and I wanted to share one with y'all this evening.    How many of you have trouble with remembering you have supplies and all kinds of tools and things to use in your card making and paper crafting?   I am awful about forgetting to use some of the stuff I have.    I get so focused on one thing that I forget about some of the other things that I can be using.    So, for this card and a couple more, I tried to use more of my stuff and I was happy with the outcome.    I hope you are too.    I do have a tendency to get a little on the grungy side of life when making cards, but that is just my style.   Where a lot of people choose to keep their cards stark and pristine white, or what ever the colors are, I choose to use a lot of ink and smear it everywhere.    I just like the looks and enjoy it.   I hope you do too.

This is the final outcome.   I thought I would show it first and then show you the other three pics I took of the card "before" I added the liquid pearls dots to the sides and top and bottom corners.   In this pic, the flower looks blue, but in reality, it is the color of the bow.    But, I started with a white card base and then I added a lt. gray layer that I ran thru my Cuttlebug with a barbed wire embossing folder.   You can't see it very well.    But, I took a darker gray studio brand ink pad and then rubbed it over the embossed area of the layer.    Then I took my top layer and used memento black and stamped my magnolia and colored it with my Spectrum Noir markers.    Then I took a little bit of grosgrain ribbon and tied two lengths together and clipped the ends and used one of my home made glue dots to adhere the ribbon to the front of the card.

Ok, the above pic WAS the finished card until I eyeballed my liquid pearls and added those to the card.    I really think the liquid pearls added a lot to the card.    The flower looks blue in this photo also.

This is what I really love and it does not show up at all in the first two pics.    I took my Sakura Clear Star Dust gelly roll pens and went all around the edges and the highlights of the design.    It just adds such a subtle sheen to the card.   I absolutely love it.    It really makes me happy.    I'm gettin' my bling on!   By the way, this is the real color of the flower.    I don't know why it is blue when in the full front pics, but it is.   ggg

I tried to get a couple of pics at an angle to show the glimmer of the gelly roll pen.   I love it!    Around the edge of the flower layer, I used a shimmering copper ink pad just swiped over the top of the card ever so lightly.   I grunged up the edge of the white card layer, the gray layer, and the top card layer.    So, it is really grunged up, but that's what makes me happy.    I do have a couple more to share in the near future.    I really hope you like this card and enjoyed seeing it.

As I leave you this evening, I leave you with this scripture:   Psalms 147:3  "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds."

I LOVE this scripture!!!   It shows how God is at work in our lives extending grace and mercy to His people.    Read the whole chapter.    It is very uplifting.

Verse 1 says Praise the Lord.    Then it proceeds to tell why we can sing praises to the Lord.   He builds up, He gathers the exiles, He heals the brokenhearted, He binds their wounds, He knows the stars and has named each one, He sustains the humble but casts the wicked to the ground, He covers the sky with clouds, He supplies the earth with rain, He makes the grass grow on the hills, He provides food for the cattle and the birds of the air, He delights in those who have reverent fear for Him, He delights in those who put their hope in Him, He gives strength, He gives peace.    Every thing in existence exists because God created it for a reason.   Nothing that God created can cause God to have fear.   God knows no fear, because He created everything.

We live in a world of uncertainty.    But, it is not uncertain to God.    He knows all about His creation because He is actively involved in His creation.    He also knows there is evil in the world because we, God's greatest creation, have "free will".    In our "free will" we either choose to serve God or we choose to ignore God.    In our ignor-ance of God, we choose evil.   We choose to inflict pain on others.    That is a choice that we make.    We can not sit on the fence.    We choose to serve God or we choose NOT to serve God.    Back to "not sitting on the fence", I heard it said the reason we can't sit on the fence is because the enemy, the devil, owns the fence.    No choice IS a choice to not serve the Lord.    Since we know there is pain and heartache due to people choosing NOT to serve God, we know that God does heal the broken hearted and God does bind up their wounds.

I know that God has healed my broken heart and He has bound up my wounds.    I pray that if He hasn't healed your broken heart and bound up your wounds that you will choose to let Him.    Christ died on the cross for my sins and your sins. Sin is a word we don't like to acknowledge, but until we do acknowledge sin and confess it, repent of it and invite Christ to be Lord of our lives, we will keep on hurting and being hurt.    "Hurting people hurt people."   That's just the way it is.   I can speak of that with a "been there, done that" knowledge, because I've "been there, done that".    I'm sure you have been there too.    Or you may even be there now, but you don't have to stay there.    Change is as close to you as whispering "help"!    Jesus Christ is ready to help you, but He is a gentleman, He will not force Himself on anyone.    But, just as quickly as you can say, "help", He will.

So, I sing praises to God for the help He has given me in my life.    I sing praises to God for the help He has given you.    I sing praises to God for the help He is waiting to give to those who are ready to receive His help.    Thank you God for loving Your creation enough to provide us help through Jesus Christ!!!

Ladybug, I sure hope you are feeling better and look forward to the days to come for you.    Sweetpea loves you bunches!!!

I hope you seen or read something here this evening that you liked.   If so, tell someone.   Share it, pass it on, just don't sit on it.   ggg

God love y'all and so do I.    Till next time, hugs, Patty

Welcome July and Two New Cards

Greetings one and all y'all!!!    God Bless every one of y'all as we go into the month of July and as we celebrate "Independence Day".    What does that day mean to you personally?     I hope, where ever you are, and what ever country you happen to live in, that those words, alone, mean something to you.    Here in the great country of the United States of America, those two words mean an awful lot.    There was much blood shed and loss of life to gain our independence from another great country.    We should never forget that our freedom was purchased at a GREAT price!!!!     I pray that as we go into this holiday weekend, that each and every one of us will take the time to pause and thank God for the blessings that He has bestowed upon this great country!

I made a couple of cards recently for some friends that have been recovering from surgery.    I hope the cards will be an encouragement and uplifting for both of them.   

This is a new stamp set that I ordered.     It is Hello Daisy from JustRite Papercraft that I ordered through Blitsy.

I love the boldness of the flower.   As usual, here lately, I'm trying to use my Spectrum Noir Alcohol Markers.

The flower itself, doesn't require much coloring, if you choose to go that route.   After I got the image colored, I used my Studio brand glitter glue, or faux stickles, as I call it.    After all, I just gotta add a little bling.   hahaha

I used my standby Spellbinders die and Cuttlebug to cut and then I inked the edge so it would stand out on the card front.   I also inked the card front ever so slightly with a purple, yeah, my fav color.

I was really happy with this image and I'm sure it will become a favorite of mine.

This is the second card I made using the same stamp.   I used the Sizzix Postage Stamp Die to cut this image.    When I got it cut, I used my Martha Stewart Score Board to make the straight lines just inside the scallops indented a little more than they were.   I am trying to find something else that I like as well as I like the Spellbinders Die, just so they all won't look the same.   Anyway...

I oriented the stamp differently on the front of this card.    I inked the edges and also the raised straight lines inside the scalloped edge.    Then I took some of my liquid pearls and went around the scalloped edge.    I really loved that, it makes it look like lace when you are holding it.

In the center of this flower, after I used my faux stickles all over the flower,I used my glossy accents and covered the center of the flower.  I loved that also.

This is just a close up of the swirly effect of the liquid pearls.  

I really liked this card and I know I will use the stamp more and more.   When I was finished with both cards, I went around the images with a pale blue for this one and a pale gray for the other one.   I love to do that to give a bit of dimension to the stamped image.    Any way, I hope you have enjoyed looking at my latest two cards.

As I leave y'all today,  I would love to share another scripture with you.

Isaiah 41:13 says, "For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, "Fear not, I am the One who helps you."

Have you ever thought about holding hands with God?    Maybe you don't, but He does.     God wants to hold our hand with His "right" hand.    There is all power, all strength, all favor, all glory in the Father's right hand.    God is the One who helps you!    God is the One who says to you, "Fear not!"

Recently a sister in Christ asked me where God was at in my early life.    All I could say at the time was, "I don't know".     She asked me if I would like to know.     I said, "I really don't know if I want to know."     On the way home from our visit, I asked God where He was.    This is the response I got that evening while in the kitchen, cleaning up a bit, and in the blink of an eye, the answer was,  ""God spoke to me thru the Holy Spirit and said, "When your hands were clenched, as if making a fist, you weren't;  I was with you, holding your hands!!!""

Picture, if you will, someones hands in a closed manner.    Anyone seeing those hands would assume they had made fists, and getting ready to fight.    Ok, now picture those same hands holding hands with God.    There's no fight in those hands at all.    Just the hands of God holding my hands.    To think that God loves me enough to hold my hands is more than my feeble mind can comprehend.    Thank you God, for loving me and being my El Rohi, "the God of Strength who sees me".

God has held my hands my whole life and I praise Him for that!    I'll bet that God has held your hands too.    There's only two people that I want to hold hands with and that is my husband and God.    Just knowing that God has held my hands in the past, it does not matter what the future brings, because I know He'll hold my hands through it.

I hope and pray that you have a right relationship with Father God, through the blood of Jesus Christ.   If not, then maybe this is the time or the weekend  for you to have an "Independence Day" from sin.   Knowing that your "freedom" from sin was bought and paid for with the blood of Christ.   Christ died for one and all, only once.    One death was sufficient saving grace for me, and everyone before me, and everyone after me.   One death paid the penalty for "all" sin.    But, you don't automatically have the ransom just because you belong to the human race.    You have to acknowledge the sin in your life, repent, and ask Jesus Christ to be the Lord and Savior of your life.    He will!    He wants to hold your hand!     Jesus wants to be your, "Fear Not"!    Let Him, you won't be disappointed.    Happy Independence Day!!!!

Ladybug, I hope you are staying cool!    Praying for the days ahead!    I love you bunches and look forward to time with you soon.   Sweetpea loves you!

Where ever you are, what ever country you live in, I pray for all to have a happy and blessed weekend ahead.    God loves y'all and so do I!   hugs, Patty

New Card

Howdy folks, "how y'all are" today?    I know, I know, not proper grammar, but if I have told y'all once, I have told y'all a time or two more that that's not me at all.   gggg    Some of y'all out there will remember a cajun chef by the name of Justin Wilson some years ago.    He had a cooking show that aired on our local Public Broadcasting System (PBS) some many years ago.    I loved watching him cook and tell stories while he done so.    His was as much a story telling time as it was cooking program and I always watched, till they stopped airing it.    One of his favorite greetings was "How Y'all Are?".    So, that was my homage to him this morning, from me to y'all.   ggg

I hope today is a most glorious one for y'all.     I will be ever mindful to ask y'all to pray for those around you that are hurting.    We all now people that are hurting, sick, awaiting surgery, friends healing from previous surgery and the list goes on.    Please remember these folks, y'all.    We all need help from time to time, so let's be diligent in keeping these folks lifted to God in  prayer.

I have had a fun filled week so far, starting with my birthday on Monday, and Ladies Night Out at church last night where one of the ladies asked me if I was trying to get the preachers job.    By the way, our Pastor would get a kick out of this.    I said I wasn't, but...if he ever needs a break, I would be happy to fill in, because if it was the will of God, He would certainly give me what I need when I need it.   We never know what God is preparing us for, so we just need to be ready at all times.   So, guess what y'all, I'm ready!   hahaha     It really was a fun time, just being with our sisters in Christ is always great.

This morning I needed to make a card for a friend of mine who's beautiful daughter graduated from high school.    So, I got to work on it and got it made, it is happily awaiting a trip to the post office, here in a bit.    I did take pics and I hope you enjoy them.

This is the cutest little stamp.    It is from a set of Inky Antics called Swirly Sunshine and Flowers.    It is such a fun and uplifting stamp and it also has several really nice sayings with it, but I didn't use them this time.

I used my SN markers to color it in.   I am really starting to enjoy the markers more and more.

Then I used my Cuttlebug and fav Spellbinder die to cut it out.   I used Tsuneko Brilliance Archival Pigment Pearlescent Beige color Ink Pad to ink the edges of the cut out.    It has a very subtle shimmer to it.

I then took a frosty mauve Studio brand ink pad and inked the edge of the card base and adhered the top to the base.    I didn't take a pic of the inside, but I had written a verse, then chose a pretty font and printed it out, to go on the inside left of the card and just square cut then and used the frosty mauve again and inked the edges so it would pop a little.

I know the young lady will be thrilled with it.    She is a wonderful young lady and I can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for her.    It will be awesome, for sure.

So, this was just a quick update for y'all this morning and I hope you enjoyed it.    It seems as if all I do anymore is colored images, but I am just trying to learn to use the Spectrum Noir alcohol markers.    It has really been challenging for me, but I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel, I just hope it's not a train coming.    hahahah    My mantra, "I will learn, I will learn, I will........"

God bless you as you go through your day.    May you see all the beauty that is before you.    May you have the mindset to thank God for seeing it all!

Mark 11:22 says:  And Jesus answered them, "Have faith in God."  

When  you have time, sit down and read a few verses in Mark, Chapter 11, verses 20-26.    Maybe read the whole chapter to get a good grip on what is happening here.    The religious people already wanted to kill Jesus.    Jesus had turned the religious crust up side down, and they were seething mad at Him.    They had their little money rackets going, right on the temple grounds.    They had turned the House of God into a den of thieves and Jesus called them out on it and they was plotting to get rid of Him.    When people that need Jesus listen to the teachings of Jesus, religious folks start getting scared and they want to get rid of Jesus and His teachings.

The same is true today.    Most churches are so full of religion and law, there is no room for Jesus and grace.    Examine some of the traditions that take place on a regular basis in your church.    Why do we do what we do?    Is what we do rooted in what "man" has determined we should do, or is it rooted in the foundations and principals of Jesus Christ when He said "Loving God and loving your neighbor as yourself" is the two most important commandments.

Do we have faith in God enough to say that it doesn't matter what my worship and praise to God looks like to others, I'm still gonna worship and praise God as He sees fit for me to do.    The calling of God on my life is gonna look different than the calling of God on your life.    He didn't use cookie cutters to make us.    He created us in His divine image.    Each one of us is unique, but each one of us possess characteristics and traits of our Creator.    Let your worship and praise of your Creator reflect "how" He created you to worship and praise Him!    

What is God calling you to do?    Jesus said, "Have faith in God."    Those words are as applicable today as they were when Jesus spoke them more than 2000 years ago.    Again, what is God calling you to do?    Maybe God is calling you to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of your life.    If He is, then that is the very first step that each and every one of us who is serving the Lord, took.    You have to accept Christ as the Lord of your life, first.   Repent of you sins.    Yes, I said sin.    That is a word that people don't like to hear, but for the life of me, I can't call it anything different to what God called it.    He called it sin.   Ask Jesus into your heart, the soul of your being, the essence of who you are.    Ask Him to make a difference in your life.    Ask Him to help you to "Have faith in God."      Those are requests that He, Jesus is eagerly and patiently waiting to fulfill in the lives of those who will ask.

May God bless the rest of this day for you.

Ladybug, I hope today is a a fun filled day for you as you minister to those around you.   Sweetpea loves you and prays for you daily and for the days ahead.

Y'all come back again real soon.   God loves y'all and so do I.   hugs, Patty

Sharing a Couple of Cards

Good morning y'all.    I pray that wherever y'all are today that you're excited to be a part of God's plan!     I know I am.    I don't know what kind of plans y'all have for today, but I will assure that if you invite God to be a part of your plans, your plans will be much better.    Don't believe me!     Try it!     I, again, am reminded of a tv commercial from way back in the day that said, "Try it, you'll like it".     So, that is the challenge for the day.     Invite God to be a part of all that you do.     Then, thank Him for blessing you in an amazing way, by being present in you life and plans today.

I have a couple of cards I want to share with y'all today.    I made these cards for some friends at church whose mother went home to be with the Lord after a lengthy illness.    God heard the prayers of all who had been praying for her.    She is now healed and in the presence of her Maker!    Praises for that!

This first is a Magnolia Blossom from Crafters Companion, by Sheena Douglass.  I love this big blossom and I loved the challenge for me to use my Spectrum Noir Markers to color it.   

For the blossom itself, I used just one color, my lightest color purple, and outlined the stamped image.   That's it.    I definitely enjoy the way it turned out.

The biggest challenge for me was the leaves.    I really had a time with them.

But, I think I finally got them blended pretty well, using three colors.

Then, after I got it colored and I always use a very light color and outline the image all the way around.     For some reason, I like that look.     Then I stamped my sympathy sentiment and used my Cuttlebug and a Spellbinders die and cut out around the image.    This particular die has become my "go to" die for the images that I have used my SN markers on.    I just like it.   I have tried to find something else, but I haven't found anything I like as well as I like this particular die.   I lightly inked around the edge of the image with a pale green ink pad.     I took another ink pad, a shade or two darker, and inked all around the front edge of the white card base, about an inch all around.     After I mounted the image to the card base, it looks like it is layered with another piece of cardstock.

Then my second card was another of my Iris images from Crafters Companion, by Sheena Douglass, again.     I love her images.    They have lots of great detail and there is also great videos showing how to color them.    I sure need all the help I can get.   ggg

I have colored this image so many times now, but I still never get it quite like I want it, but I think I am almost there.     I love the Iris and my friend that gets this one love Irises also.    

I used the same Spellbinder die to cut this one out that I used on the Magnolia. 

I used the same sympathy stamp on this one also.     I think I may be getting the hang of blending the three colors for the leaves.    I also forgot to mention that over the Memorial Day Holiday weekend, Crafters Comapnion had a half price sale.    So, I ordered two packages of the cardstock they recommend for using with their SN markers, and I do really like it!    I do think it has helped me get just a tad better with my blending and it has a wonderful feel to it, plus it is a lot thicker than the cardstock I had been using from Wal-Mart.

This is a close up of the edge of this card.     I inked the edge of my cutout with my small ink pad in a lt. purple.    Then for the outer edge of the card front base, I used parchment color.    I really like the way this one turned out.

I hope and pray that they give a little comfort to my friends as they go thru this painful transition.    I just pray for their hearts to mend a little every day.     I know they will lean on God also.

All of us know people who are hurting, sick, or just plain trying to deal with a boat load of junk.    Put those people on your prayer list.    I have several family members and friends and church family on my list that I pray for daily.    It not only helps them, but it helps me to pray for these folks.    It will help you too, to pray for the people that you know, who needs your prayers.

Galatians 6:9 says "And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season
we will reap, if we do not give up."

One of the best ways we can do good, is to pray for those around about us.    We may not know someones story, but you can bet your bottom dollar, every one has a story.    Some are not easily shared, just because of the nature of the story and the pain that goes along with it.    Just because you may not know a person's story, doesn't mean you can't pray for them.     God knows all of our stories.     He has seen us thru them whether we acknowledge He did or not.    So, don't grow weary of praying for the people that you know who needs it.     The time will come when you need the prayers of the people who care for you.    We all hope and pray that those times don't come, but they will.     It is a wonderful thing to know that your prayers has helped someone thru a trying time and then when you need prayer for the situation you are facing, just knowing that your brothers and sisters in Christ are ready to pour out their heart to Father God, on your behalf is equally wonderful.    Your "due season" will be blessed by God.    Hang in there, don't give up praying for those that need it, which is all of us.

Sweetpea is sending many hugs and much love to Ladybug today!!!!

May God Bless each and every one of y'all in such a special way today!     Come back again real soon and see what I have for y'all.    Stay dry and keep on crafting.    Until next time, God loves y'all and so do I!    hugs, Patty