Happy July 1st!

I am terrible at titles, hence the "Happy July 1st" title. I do however, wish you a happy July 1st. I can't believe it is July already. Ony six more weeks until we take our "baby" Meghan to college. We are flying out to Wyoming on August 15 to take her to college. The hardest day will be on August 21, when we give her a great big hug goodbye and drive to the airport to come home. To all of you who have little children and think in your frustration that they will never grow up, it comes all too soon. I remember when Meghan and John were little, having a particularly bad day and Matt telling me that soon they would be 18. I would just wail that that was still a long way off. Now I look back and can't figure out where the time went. I have posted a picture of Meghan when she was about 10 years old. I hope you like it.

The one consolation that I have is knowing that Meghan knows the Lord and that she will be involved in a solid, Bible preaching church in Wyoming. She will be attending the church that both Matt & I got saved in and spent the first several years of our Christian lives. They have a great college ministry that she can lock into, and there are plenty of godly women to disciple her.

A Little Bit of Sunshine

I am absolutely in love with this stamp set. It is the Sugar 'n Spice set by Whipper Snapper Stamps.

http://www.whippersnapperdesigns.com/store/shop/anna-wight-cling-mount-sets/shelly-comiskey-sets/sugar-n-spice.html. The little girls on this set are simply adorable. I wanted to try something different and break away from the earth tones that I had been using lately. I popped the wagon and flower pot for added dimensio.

Recipe: Stamps: Sugar n' Spice by Whipper Snapper Designs. Paper: Lovely Lilac, PTI White, DP from Michaels. Ink: Memento Black, Copics. Accessories: Dimensionals, Nestabilities Labels 1, Lime green large brads, Fiskars border punch.

God Will Carry You

I made this card for a friend that has really been tested this past year. She has had one trial after another, and sometimes in the midst of the trials one can get weary and feel a little lost. It's at those times that followers of Jesus Christ need to remember that God is by their side willing to carry them through the fires.

Recipe: Stamps: Refuge & Strength. Paper: Perfect Plum, Mellow Moss, Whisper White, 29th Street Market DP. Ink: Elegant Eggplant. Accessories: 5/8" satin ribbon, dimensionals, Nestabilities Labels 4, faux pearl embellishments (from Michael's)

Happy Father's Day

This is a card I made for my dad for Father's day. He is an outdoorsman who loves to hunt, fish, camp & etc. The fish stamp is supposed to be a large mouth bass, but I did not get the colors exactly right. It should be more of a brownish green, but I didn't have the right colors. I went onto the internet searching for photos and artwork depicting the bass, and it helped a little bit. The recipe is as follows.

Stamps: Large Mouth Bass, by Inkadinkado. Paper: Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, PTI White, SU's "To the Nines Specialty" DP. Ink: Close to Cocoa, Memento Black, Always artichoke, Copic Markers, Chocolate chip. Accessories: Oval Nestabilites, Dimensionals, Brushed nickel brads, Sewing Machine.

In Memory of Winston

I made this collage of Winston. I miss him very much; he was my buddy!

A Word of Encouragement

I made this card for a good friend of mine who has been going through hard times. She has been out of work for almost a year and her house is going into foreclosure. On top of that, she has developed an allergy to her cat, who she has had for 15 years, and she has various health problems. I have been praying for her daily, trusting that God will provide. While He has not provided a job with a consistent income yet, He has been providing for her basic needs through gifts from various people and by other means. Though she knows that people are praying for her, sometimes a card is enough to brighten a day a put a little encouragement into it.

The stamp I used on this card is by Verve Stamps, http://shopverve.com/, and the designer paper is Stampin Up's "To the Nines". The base of the card is Chocolate Chip, and I stamped the image on PTI white.

All Grown Up

Hi everyone!

It's been a long time. I need to be better about writing, and I will. Well, we have our first high school graduate. Meghan graduated a week ago, Friday, June 5th, from High School. I know everyone says this, but I can remember when she was little and in pig tails. When their small and wearing you out, you think they'll never grow up, and foolishly, you wish they would. Then, you wake up one morning and they are graduating from High School, and you wish that you could go back to when they were little, if only for a few moments. My advice to all mothers of young & younger children is to take your time. Savor the moments you have with them; really get to know your children; take lots of pictures and videos.

We take her out to Laramie, Wyoming, on August 15th, to go to college. This is where Matt & I went to school. She will also be going to the church where Matt & I both committed our lives to Christ and where we first met. We are excited for her spiritually. For some time now she has wanted a friend who is also a follower of Jesus Christ, but she has not had one. Now however, she will have many opportunities for that, Lord Willing, because Paul's (the Pastor) Church has a huge college ministry. It is in this church that we hope she will also be discipled in Christ. Another benefit of her going to Laramie is that her childhood friend lives there. She also is a Christian. So, while we will miss her terrible, we believe this is the best for her spiritually. Oh, and it is a good school too, but that is not the top priority.

The first picture above was taken right before the graduation ceremony, and the group picture has in it, from left to right: Matt, Meghan, Me, Pastor Spivey, and Joyce Beck. Pastor Spivey has known us since Meghan was about 3 years old. His wife, Patricia, is my good friend. She was unable to come to graduation, because their daughter just had her third baby. We met the Spiveys, when we were living in Wyoming, and Myrue came to preach at our church. We have been friends ever since. Joyce is a precious friend from our church here.

In these pictures, Meghan has long hair. Well, a few days later she had her hairdresser cut it off into a bob that comes a bit above her shoulders, and she donated her hair to Locks of Love, which makes the hair into wigs for children with cancer and leukemia. Below, is a picture of her around 5 years old, up in the mountains of Wyoming. I hope you enjoy it and the rest of the pictures.

Lisa