My one true Love

My Valentine

Having a Bad Day

The cat won’t let me sew. She keeps stealing my pin cusion with needles. Then she climbs on the table and tears apart my pattern. I have been sick and am not yet well enough to deal with her, so I quit sewing for the day. I can’t find my favorite website and I am sort of in an ill mood. Maybe getting better but not quite well does that to a person. Anyway, I am venting here. I will stop and go pray and hope that my joy comes back in a few….See you around the blog.

Follow Your Own Road

I saw this amazing photo from one of the blogs I follow and it got me thinking about my daughter. She is in the Navy, however, now she is posted with the Army in Afghanistan. I miss her terribly and I think for some reason she is angry with me or maybe a better word is hurt. I hate this feeling and I am praying that she will contact me soon. We talk everyday through gmail (Praise the Lord for GMAIL) and it’s now been 5 days since I have had any contact with her.

She is a wonderful person and the reason the photo made me think of her is that this is what she does and who she is. She follows her own road. I know she is a god fearing woman and I know she follows the Lord. She joined the Navy in 1997 and she has been away from her mom’s nest for a long time now. Everytime I think we are growing closer, she pulls away. I wish I could fix this and I wish she could feel how proud she makes me. Not just as a daughter (because she is the greatest) but because of what she stands for. She loves her country. She believes in what she is doing and she stands up for the weak and the poor. She never judges anyone and always sees the best in everybody.

If you knew her, you would like her, as I do. She is sweet, caring, funny, honest, and very creative.

File Folder Art Journal [VIDEO] How to Tutorial

I put this on here for my friends to see what I want to make. This looks like fun. I saw it on you tube and pinterest and Creativity in Motion Blog. Not mine. But like it.

creativity in motion

During a recent art therapy supervision session, I was re-introduced (thanks Mary!) to the technique of taking a basic file folder and re-purposing it into a mini book that could be used as an art journal.  I wanted to remember the folding sequence and steps involved, so I decided to do a quick, short how-to video and thought other creatives would also be interested in trying this fun, easy, and inexpensive idea.  Materials you will need to get started include a file folder (with side tabs, not a middle tab) and some glue:

Here’s some written steps:

1. Start with the tab in the upper right hand corner.

2. Fold the folder up from the bottom straight across so the tab curves line up.  This will create four pockets inside of the journal.

3. Next start with the right side and begin to fold this into the middle, making sure…

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Stampin Up

Hello friends and family. I just wanted to spread the word that this retired person is now trying to make some craft money by selling Stampin Up. I sold both Stampin Up and Close to my heart back in the day. I used to teach scrapbooking classes and card making classes. I need your support and your business. I can always use your prayers as well. I love to craft and create. I have been doing paper crafts since 1997. In fact I have a lot of hobbies, too many to get into with this post. I post a lot of my work on facebook pages as well as my own page, which is under my name. Friend me and take a look. You can also see my work on Digital Scrapbook Gallery facebook page. I don’t have an online stampin up site yet but I will have one soon so look me up and make me your preferred demonstrator. All you folks that know me from scrapbooking, come on and join in the fun.

Wanda

My Precious Boys

What to do next

This morning I was reading the daily passage from My utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers, and let me say, if you don’t have this book by your chair daily then go get it. It’s wonderful and always hits the nail on the head. It’s as if God knows what I need to hear daily, well duh, of course he does. This morning I was reading and I was also thinking I needed to create a new Bible Art Journal Page and wa-la, he provided the very inspiration for it.

A quote from Oswald, “If you yourself do not cut the lines that bind you to the dock, God will have to use a storm to sever them and send you out to sea.”

I could see this so clearly, God would do this for me. He knows what I need and when I need it. He knows when I am sidetracked on a lonely rail pull out. I have taken my self to a spot and just parked.

Jesus said, “Whatever you ask in my name, that I will do” (John 14:13) I am constantly thinking Help me Lord and he hears. I just forget that I said it and he heard it. Thank you Lord for being and abiding with me daily. I got the message today and I appreciate the sending of it. Amen

The Opposite of Faith isn’t Doubt, it’s Contol

 Faith by definition means to believe something that you can’t prove. At least in my book. I received an email today from Holley Gerth and it the timing of it was perfect. Of course, God always knows what I need when I need it so Holley and I had nothing to do with the timing. But the message could not have more in line with my thinking today. I work for  a Company called CKS Packaging, Inc. I am only a small cog in the big wheel, but I am never made to feel this way. I have a wonderful boss. This company is so good to me. I thought after my retirement last year that I wouldn’t work anymore and this job fell into my lap. I worked at Kroger and prayed for a job where the company not only talked the talk but walked the walk. Well this company does. They are Christians and I mean that they put their money where their mouth is. I am allowed to pray at work, even encouraged to pray. I am given scripture to read on a daily basis. I am never pressured to do anything I don’t want to do when it comes to religion. It’s so there if you want it and if not that’s fine too. But they run the company the way I always thought that if you were a Christian this is how it would look.

So here I am, in a lot of pain from a toothache and having to take the morning off to go to the dentist. Does my company whoop and holler, NO, we just worked out what needed to be done yesterday and we did it so I could be off this morning to see a dentist. Never not once did anyone make me feel like this was a big aggravation to them. I called my boss and told her about my visit and that I am seeing an oral surgeon at 3pm and she said Great, I hope you get some relief from the pain. Let me know how it goes. No sighs or grinding guilt laid upon me. This makes you want to never disappoint them or let them down. Yes there will be people who scam and skate but they usually dig their own graves where I work. The company gives you the shovel to do it with.

The scripture that Holley enlightened me with this morning was from John 17:4:

Jesus declared, “I have brought You glory on earth by finishing the work You gave me to do”.

I feel the same way she does when she expressed how much she enjoys having a “to do” list. I have one everyday at work and at home. Things seem to get done once they are on my lists. I feel a sense of accomplishment and am rather proud of myself when I check something off the list. But then she told me that all Jesus wanted me to do was to BELIEVE. That was it, just believe in the Father. Well that seemed to easy and there was nothing to do. I already believe so what was I supposed to do now. That’s when she told me that the opposite of faith is not doubt (she quoted from Haley Morgan, in her book Wild & Free) , it’s control. When we try to control everything we are saying to God that we don’t believe he can handle things all by himself. We are saying that he needs a little help from us.

Trying to control everything is a lack of faith. After reading her entire article I get it. I even understand it better. She said our work is simple. We are to bear witness to His word, say Yes and Amen to Him with our daily lives. I needed this reminder today and I am so glad I made a new friend in Holley Gerth. Here is the link to her site:  http://holleygerth.com/

 

Pocket Letters

I have just joined a group called Pocket Letter Pals. You take a nine-pocket card holder and fill it with tiny art based on a theme or just what you like. Then you mail it to someone in the group depending on the event and you receive one from them. This has been so much fun so far. I have joined 17 events and have already received 8 pocket letters so far. I enjoy making friends across the world. I enjoy writing and hearing from people with different ideas and daily paths that are unlike mine. People are interesting and so kind on this site. I am glad I joined. I feel like this is a good place to be in a safe corner making friends. If only everyone was more interested in other people and not themselves so much. Sharing with others is a big part of this site. Take a look and check out Pocket Letter Pals.

Wanda

Paul’s Secret

April 21, 2015

Dear Lord:

Thank you for sharing Paul’s secret with me in the way that you did. Paul’s secret was this: he had resolved to be contented.

I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know both how to have a little, and I know how to have a lot. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content – whether well fed or hungry whether in abundance or in need. I am able to do all things through Him who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:11-13).

I have just had the most wonderful day of my retirement so far. I was able to sleep in till noon. I woke up to discover that I had lost one pound of weight. My sugar was down from 249 to 168. I was euphoric. I made myself a bowl of wheat chex. Then my son called and asked if he could bring us lunch. The thought was so nice. Then my grandson came running in the house and called out for me. My cup runneth over.

It wasn’t raining. The sun was out. Dennis said he would go for a walk with me in the sunshine, which we did. My best friend called and asked could she and my sister come over after work. They wanted to show me the birdhouse that they had finished. I had finished my birdhouse as well and was pleased to be able to share mine with them.

They came over and sat with us in the sunshine on the deck that they had helped build the previous spring. My cup truly runneth over. They asked us to go out to eat with them and we went. We had a great time, we laughed and the food was within our budget (in fact, under our budget). It wasn’t fast food but home cooking. We made plans to get together the next day for dinner cooked at their home. My cup could not contain any more joy. The sun was still shining and the rain had not appeared all day.

After everyone left to go home. My husband and I sat in our living room and watched a wonderful movie about a man who lost his son and then did something wonderful in memory of him. The movie was written, directed, and produced by Emilio Estevez. Martin Sheen was the lead character and the movie is called “The Way”. It was so uplifting I cried. It made me stop and count my blessings. All through the day we talked about my daughter who is in the Navy and who is in harm’s way at this moment. She commented on something on facebook which let me know she was fine for today, which is all we have anyway. I am truly blessed.

My husband went on to bed after the movie and as I sat in contemplation of my day, I realized how truly blessed I am to have such great friends and family. I have the most wonderful husband and children. I have the most fantastic grandchildren. I am a blessed woman.

When you are content your cup is always running over and full. I must remember this day and go forward letting go so that the Lord will replenish my cup as I give to others from my abundance.

Thank you Lord,
Wanda

Good Morning God instead of Good God, it’s Morning!

I saw this somewhere and thought to myself that I have had mornings like that. Well not anymore! From now on I will greet each day with “This is the day that the Lord has made and I will rejoice and be glad in it.”

Don’t you think that’s a much better way to start the day. I am now officially retired. Since March 3rd, I have been to Virginia Beach to see my daughter off on a world cruise with the US Navy. I have been gambling with my sister in Wetumpka, Alabama. I have been to Panama City Beach camping in my new Camper named Rosie with my son and his family. So far retirement has not slowed me down one little bit. In fact I am home this week trying to catch my breath and catch up on my reading.

Dennis and I went to Douglasville Used Books today over on Highway 5, to see what treasures we could find and I left a small bundle of cash with the owner even after I traded $30 worth of books. Great little bookstore, and I would love it if everyone who could would go see her so she stays in business. Not enough bookstores anymore. Just can’t let that happen.

Tomorrow I will add some of my latest artwork so my friends can catch up with me and my creative side.