Loving Your Husbands

I just got back from our Tuesday morning, Ladies' Bible Study. We have been going through Elizabeth George's book, A Woman's High Calling. The focus is on Titus 2:3-5. Today, we looked at God's admonition to the Older Women to teach the younger women how to love their husbands. It 's interesting that He would say that, because we all think that we just naturally know how to love our husbands. Apparently, that is not the case, because God says that we need to learn how to do it. Another interesting part is that the phrase "love their husbands" is not talking about an emotion or feeling. This phrase is comes from the Greek word, philandros, which means friendship, companion, being a friend and companion to our husband.

We are called to be our husband's friend and companion, and this is regardless of whether our husband is lovable, kind, spiritual, etc. It is made more palatable (or easier) when we remember that the Bible says that Christ set His affection on us and saved us when we were unloveable and unloving. Romans 5:8 says, "God showed His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 1 Peter 3:18 says, "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God...." If God could set His affection on us nasty sinners, who am I to say that I can not be a friend & companion to my husband and set my affection on us.

There was a lot more to the study than that, but that's just a synopsis. The next time we meet (we're off for the week of Thanksgiving) we are going to discuss practical ways that we can "love" our husbands, starting with prayer.

Well, I'm headed to Orlando soon to pick up my mom from the airport. Pray that we have a great time of fellowship.

May the Lord be with you & richly bless you!

Lisa

"Walk in Him"

Hi, I am taking a break from housecleaning to make this post. The Lord has blessed me today with the ability to get many things done. I actually made everyone pancakes this morning, before they went to school. After 19 years of marriage, I am finally making breadfast about 4 days a week, relying on cereal. After everyone left, I cleaned up the kitchen, started the laundry, & sat down to pray and read. I read in James 1, where it talks about having joy in the midst of trials and praying for wisdom to walk through the trials victoriously. I also read in Psalms & then had a good time in prayer. Afterwards, I dusted upstairs & picked up the kids' "clean" rooms. They are required to make their beds & pick up their rooms before they go to school, but their idea of clean & mine don't always match. Next, I made the bed in the spare bedroom & cleaned the corresponding bathroom (my mom is coming tomorrow to stay for about a week). I took a break from that to photograph the two cards I made this weekend, of which I am posting one right now. Then I went back to my housework. I decided to take a break from that to post this update & card.

I had the idea for this card Saturday night, but I didn't have the paper. So, Sunday after church I went to Michaels & got the paper & ribbon. Unfortunately, Michaels & JoAnn Fabrics is the best we have here. I so wish we had a Hobby Lobby. I was unable to photograph the card very well, but that is the story of my life. It is one of the many ways God tries to keep me humble. I say try, because I am afraid I still have a long way to go. Anyways, I love the verse from Colossians 2 that is pictured on the card. The recipe for the card is below.

Cardstock: Christmas Red & Tan cardstock (from Michaels). Ink: Basic Black, Really Red, Versa Mark, Clearly Cocoa, Summer Sun. Accessories: Always Artichoke Brads, Antique Brads, Nestabilities, Red & Tan Grosgrain Ribbon, Martha Stewart Scallop Punch. Stamps: Inkadinkado Bird, Clear Dollar Stamps Bible Verses, Refuge & Strength.

Warm Friendship

Hi there!

This is a card I made a couple of weeks ago. I have been playing around with a new color (for me) called Really Rust, by SU. The base of the card is this color & it is accented with Old Olive, Navy & SU Designer Paper. The stamp I used is from one of Inkadinkado's clear stamp sets. A word of warning, there's a lot of break-in for those stamps. When new, you need to get a good eraser & erase the stamps quite a bit to break them in. Otherwise, they do not stamp very well. I hope you like the card!

A Long Time Gone

It's been a long time since I posted anything. The Lord has been putting us through many trials lately that have really tested our faith. That, coupled with the business of life & studying for my Ladies' Bible Study, has kept me pretty busy. I have been going through the book of Hebrews in my personal study & have been spending much time in Hebrews 12. It is a wonderful passage of encouragement & hope for those who are being tested. It reminds us that God disciplines (either as chastisement or the kind of discipline that an athlete goes through to become the best-training) those that He loves, and that if you never experience chastisement or trials in your life, you are not a child of God. We are then reminded that "All discipline for the moment seems not be joyvul, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness." Hebrews 12:11

This is such a message of hope and encouragement. He then tells us to "strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble". This can only be done through prayer and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. If we are lacking wisdom in these trials, we are told in James 1;5-8 to ask for it and God will grant it. This wisdom is for decision-making, but it is also the wisdom to go through the trial with joy (James 1:-4), patience, endurance and thankfulness, looking to the hope that is laid up for us in heaven.

The trials that we have been going through have been lengthy & rough at times, but I am trusting that God will bring us through with a more mature faith and a deeper love for Christ than when we started.

I hope that this is encouraging to any who may also be going through tough times.

Because of the Love of Jesus Christ,

Lisa

Happy Monday

Hi, Here's a new card I did this weekend. I didn't have to prepare for Bible Study this weekend, so I had some extra time. I just got this stamp in from Cat's Pajamas, and was anxious to use it. I tried some of my favorite colors together for a light & cheery look. I embossed the white with the Birthday Folder from Cuttlebug, & I used my Nestabilities rectangles & scalloped rectangles for the phrase.

I spent the day doing laundry & learning Algebra II. My daughter Meghan is struggling with her Algebra II class and needs help. Tutors are pretty expensive, so I thought I'd give it a try. My brain is tired!

The stamps for this card are "Smells Like Cake", from Cat's Pajamas. The Cardstock is Taken With Teal, Whisper White, Ballet Blue, YoYo Yellow & Pixie Pink.

Seasons of Change

Hi, sorry it's been so long since I've posted. Things have been pretty busy here, since school started back up. Meghan & I went out to Salt Lake City to be tested by a Naturalpath, in Mid August. We were gone for 3 days. The trip was worth it, because some issues with our health turned up, that we were hopefully able to catch early on.

The week after we got back, the Women's Bible study at our church started back up. I have been teaching it for four years now. We have gone through various studies during that time, with my favorites being when we went through the book of James; John Piper's book When I don't desire God: How to fight for Joy; and we went through the life of King David. This year we are going through Elizabeth George's book A Woman's High Calling. It is a book that goes through Titus 2:3-5. We meet every Tuesday morning from 9:30 am to 11:30 am, and our class generally averages about 11 ladies. Most of the ladies have been coming for at least 2 years, so we have developed into a close family. With the starting up of school and teaching Bible study, my time for making cards has been cut back quite a bit. I clean a house on Thursdays and spend a good portion of my time on the weekends studying for the Bible Study.

In the middle of all of that, my daughter Meghan turned 18. That was exciting, but it was also awful. I can't believe my baby has grown up; it just blows me away. Part of me wishes I could turn back the clock to when she was little and do it all over again. She is very precious to both Matt & I, and has become even more precious since she gave her life to Jesus Christ. The change in her since then brings us tremendous joy.

On top of all of that, our son John turns 17 next month. My advice to everyone with small children is, cherish every moment that you have with them.

Shown up above is the Birthday card that I made for Meghan. I can't remember if the stamp is by Hero Arts or Inkadinkado. The cardstock colors are Basic Black, Whisper White, Bashful Blue, And Old Olive.

Nestabilities Sale at Ritz Camera Online

Hi, it's been a very long time since I've written. I've been pretty busy, what with going to Salt Lake City with my duaghter, the start of my Bible study, preparing for hurricanes, & Meghan's 18th birthday. Anyways, I have been looking everywhere for affordable Nestabilites, and I found a place. Ritz Camera is having a sale on them. You can get a bundled 4-pack for $50.89, or you can get singles packs for $15.89. For instance. I got the complete set of the classic rounds, both large & small and the corresponding scallops for $50.89. If I just wanted a set of something like the classic rectangles, small, I would only pay $15.89. There is no sales tax, and what's more, shipping is free for purchases over $100.00. What a blessing!

After the Storm

It's Sunday afternoon and we finally have more than 1 hr. of sun. It was dry enough for my daughter and I to mow & trim the lawn after church this morning, so we took advantage of it and got it done. It is so humid though that after 1/2 hour I was soaked with sweat and flushed in the face. I took advantage of the downtime this week and caught up on my card making. With Ladies' Bible Study starting soon, I wanted to stockpile some cards for birthdays and such. Pictured above is one of the cards I made. I still am having problems taking good pictures of them, so the colors aren't near as nice as they are in person.

I used one of my Fluffles stamps for this card. I get all of my Fluffles stamps from Simon Says Stamps. I shop for them on ebay, but you can also purchase them through their website. Their shipping rates are reasonable, and they get them out fairly quickly. I used a textured navy base that I got from JoAnn Fabrics. I then layered it with Whisper White, Banana Yellow, and I print I got from Michaels. I used my nesting flower dies from cuttlebug to create the flowers, and I used my scallop punch from Martha Stewart. On another version of this card, I embossed the yellow with my Swiss Dots folder. It looks much better that way; however, I don't have a decent picture of it yet.

Meghan and I take off for Utah tomorrow. We are going to see a holistic/naturalist for a check up. I have been seeing her for 10 years. I prefer to go the natural route for our health needs, and the Lord has allowed her to achieve great results. Unfortunately, it is expensive as we have to fly to Salt Lake and stay in a hotel. We will get back on Wednesday, and I'll let you know how it went.

Take Care!

Lisa

In Everything Give Thanks

Good Morning! It's still windy & cloudy here from Tropical Storm Fay. School is cancelled again & our street is flooded with rain. It's at times like these that it's even more important to remember the words of 1 Thessalonians 5:18, which says, "In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

Posted above is a card I made yesterday, while we were riding out the storm. It reminds me of Thanksgiving and the verse I quoted up above. For a list of the materials I used, go to my gallery page, http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/gallery/showgallery.php?cat=500&ppuser=147591 , at splitcoast stampers. This was a time consuming card, because of all the leaves I had to cut in paste, but it was worth it to achieve the textured look. The tricky part was getting the glue on the stems.

I have to go now, and do some housework. In the meantime, I hope God blesses you today with the peace & Joy that are to be had in Jesus Christ.

Lisa

Delight in the Lord

Good morning! I am sitting here at home riding out the outer edge of Tropical Storm Fay. Thankfully the Lord kept it from reaching Hurricane status. It should be out of our territory sometime tonite, and the kids can go back to school tomorrow. Right now we're getting lots & lots of rain & some wind. The wind should pick up later this afternoon.

I am posting a card I made about a week ago. I got the scripture stamp from Agape Gifts on Ebay. I love their store, because they carry a lot of Scripture stamps. The backgrond stamp is SU's Polka Dots & Petals. I used Cuttlebug's Paisly embossing folder & Martha Stewart's border punch. The card stock colors are Bashful Blue, Cameo Coral, Chocolate Chip, Sage Shadow & whisper White.

Happy Hellos

Posted above is a picture of a card I made a while ago. It's cheerful & bright with some layering & cut outs.

I used several stamps for this card. The flowers are from the SU set Friendship Blooms, the bear is from SU's You're Neat, and the words are from SU's Lots of Thoughts. The cardstock is Real Red, Old Olive, Not Quite Navy, Summer Sun, Whisper White, Close to Cocoa.

Waiting for the Storm

It's 3:11, and I am taking a break from housework to write in my blog. I was going to photograph two cards I made over the weekend, but it's raining outside and I usually photograph them out there. We live on the Southeast coast of Florida about 60 miles north of Palm Beach. Today is the first day of school, and wouldn't you know it, school is cancelled for tomorrow because of Tropical Storm Fay. The storm is supposed to hit somewhere on the Southwest side of Florida and cross the state going Northeast. It is possible it will be at least a cat. 1 hurricane when it hits. We are already starting to get rain from it and will get a bunch of rain and some wind tomorrow. There are flood watches and tropical storm watches, thus there is no school tomorrow. The kids will be glad, but it just means they might have to make up the day later. Another system is ramping up in the Atlantic and has a good chance of hitting us late next week. We'll see what happens.

This is a card I made the other day. I love pink & green, and I love flowers. I used SU's Pretty in Pink for my base & layered it with Certainly Celery, Whisper White, Brocade Blue, and the striped pink from Michaels. The stamp is from Hero Arts. I used dimensionals to pop up the flowers & staggered the "panes" on my daughter's suggestion. If I were to do this differently, Iwould stamp the flowers in a darker green than the certainly celery. The photo does not show this to its best advantage. I am a lousy photographer.
Lisa

Hello

Hi, this is my first post on my very first blog. The only blog I have ever posted on is The Weather Underground Tropical Hurricane blog. I don't have a My Space page, or AIM or anything else of this sort, so this is relatively new to me.

I decided to blog, because I have been surfing all of the other stamper blogs and have enjoyed reading them and looking at the beautiful cards that are posted on them, and I was hoping that by starting my own blog I could meet a bunch of other stampers. So, basically this is a social thing. I hope it works!

As I said on my profile, the most important thing about me is that I am a born-again believer. God graciously reached down in my life in 1989 and saved my soul. My life has not been the same since. I am certainly not the model Christian, but with the help of the Holy Spirit I am becoming more Christ-Like. I married my husband, Matt, on September 2, 1989 and we have been married ever since. He is also a born-again Christian. We have two children: Meghan is 17 and is starting her senior year in High School, and John is 16 and starting his Junior year in H.S. Meghan is a born again believer. God saved her soul about 2 years ago, and the change in her life has been tremendous. John, however, is not saved. While he does not completly reject the gospel, neither does he accept it. Matt & I continually lift him up in our prayers for his salvation.

We are pretty active in church, with Matt teaching a Bible study on Wednesday night & Wednesday morning before work, and me teaching the women's Bible study. I have been teaching for a little over 4 years, and I love the Ladies. We start up again in two weeks and will be going through Elizabeth George's Book A Woman's High Calling, which goes through Titus 2.

As far as my hobbies. Stamping is my passion right now. I just started a year ago and I love it. I have a friend that was a demonstrator & she invited me to a card party. I was hooked right away. It is a great way to relax, and I love giving the cards to my Bible study ladies & family members. In addition to stamping, I used to have my own beaded jewelry business, but I closed it down last summer, (But that's another story) I like to cross stitch & crochet. I also am the household handyman (person), because Matt hates doing that kind of stuff, and I like it (in moderation)

Anyways, I hope you like this blog, and I hope you like some of my cards. Some of them I love, others are so-so. I find that I get better as time goes by, but I have a long way to go to even match some of the cards I have seen elsewhere.

Well, gotta go! In the meantime, I hope that God blesses you with joy & peace.

Lisa