More Lo's Done!

This was for Challenge #7 for Scrap-Cation to use Black, Bling & Butterflies:

More Scrappiness!!!

This is my first digital sketch so there are several mistakes that I could not figure out how to fix. It was challenge # 8 in our Scrap-friendzy Scrap-cation!


My example:

Here is another one for Gracie's book:

Diligence Article

In our adult Sunday School Class, I have been teaching on the subject of diligence. I think it is a very important subject. Diligence actually means, according to Webster; “Showing painstaking effort and application in whatever is undertaken”. Some other meanings of the word is to be; “persistent, constantly attentive, persevering, fervent & passionate”.

Of course, I have been talking mostly about how we need to be diligent in our walk with the Lord but, we also need to be diligent in our everyday life. The opposite of diligence is to be slothful or lazy. The Word of God actually has a lot to say about this kind of lifestyle, and our lifestyle says a lot about our character.

I think the lack of diligence is rampant in our society. How many times have you gone somewhere to shop or do business and the employees not only don't want to put forth any effort to help you, but they also act as if they are mad at the world because they had to work that day!

I believe diligence is needed in our own lives and also that it is important to teach our children diligence. Children will not “accidentally” grow up to be God fearing, productive adults. One of the ways we can train them in this is to teach them diligence. Teach them if they start something to finish it, teach them to work hard at what they desire and stick to it!

Don't allow yourself to feel as if you are being mean when you require them to do chores. You are actually doing them a favor. Statistics have shown that children who are allowed to participate in the upkeep of the household actually feel more secure and have a higher self esteem. I am not talking about requiring them to do everything you don't want to do around the house. I am talking about giving them a task, teaching them to stick with it until the job is completed and then reinforcing what they have done with praise. Anytime we complete a job or specific task it makes us feel good about ourselves. Remember; “Winners never quit and quitters never win!”

Still Scrappin' Like Crazy ....

This is cute!

Family Life Article

God wants to help us in every aspect of our lives. I am so thankful for the instructions and promises that are in the Word of God. There is absolutely not one problem that we can go through in life that God does not have an answer to!

He has answers for our family situations also! Marriage and family was His idea in the beginning, so don't you think He would tell us how to have the best marriages and the happiest families?

The problem is that most people don't look to the Word of God for their help and answers, even those who are Christians. If we studied the statistics I think we would find that the divorce rate among Christians is not too far behind those in the secular world. Why is this so? Because many times even the Christian people do not go to God for help in their relationships. They live their lives just wishing things were different and the other person would make all the changes.

It can be different though! God does have a plan for how our family life should be, and of how we should treat each other. Our part is to find out what His plan and instructions are and follow them to the best of our ability. We are in this thing together, hopefully for the long haul. There is a way to live in peace, harmony, and unity! There is a way to enjoy our family and loved ones to the fullest extent. It is GOD's way and if we will implement His plan, it WILL be blessed.

Been very busy scrappin.....

Still working on trying to get Stacy's books caught up. The first one is for my book & the rest are for Gracie's books. It's been fun but can get confusing when you are working on scrapbooks for 3 kiddos & they are a couple of years behind!
There are a couple of more pages but they are for challenges at our "Summer Scrap-cation" at Scrapfriendzy!

I am sooooooooo excited to announce our Summer Event!!!!
Beginning Monday, June 15 through August 15 we will be hosting a
SUMMER SCRAP-CATION!!! Escape to inspiration paradise!!

Each week, we will be posting fun challenges & games that you can complete and earn FRIENDZ POINTZ! At the end of the Summer, the member with the most FPZ will win a cool prize & a DT Spot!! 2nd & 3rd places will be rewarded cool prizes too!!
Also, on Friday, June 19, we will start a "Inspiration Paradise Survivor" Game!! Every 2 weeks we will post a new Survivor Challenge, you will have 1 week to complete your entry for voting. Each week, scrappers will be eleminated leaving a sole Survivor at the end of the Summer! The winning survivor will be awarded a cool prize and a DT Spot!!
A Summer vacation is supposed to be relaxing and fun, and we've got tons of fun things planned on our Scrap-cation that you DO NOT want to miss!!! So come spend your Summer in Inspiration Paradise!!

God's Cake

Sometimes we wonder, why certain difficult things happen in our life.
Here is a wonderful way to look at it!
A daughter is telling her mother how everything is going wrong:
She's failing algebra.
Her boyfriend broke up with her.
AND her best friend is moving away.
Meanwhile, her Mother is baking a cake and asks her daughter
if she would like a snack, and the daughter says,
"Absolutely, Mom, I love your cake."
"Here, have some cooking oil," her Mother offers.
"Yuck," says her daughter.
"How about a couple raw eggs?"
"Gross, Mom!"
"Would you like some flour then? Or maybe baking soda?"
"Mom, those are all yucky!"

To which the mother replies:
"Yes, all those things seem bad by themselves.
But when they are put together in the right way,
they make a wonderfully delicious cake.

God works much in the same way.
Even when we are going through yucky, difficult times,
God can take all these things and turn them out for our good!
We just have to trust Him and, eventually,
He can make something wonderful out of us!

New pages!

Here is a couple of pages for the girls' books!

Diva Day !

Me, Amy, Stacy & all the girls went for a day of shopping & getting our nails done! It was lots of fun but I am sure that the people at the nail place gave a sigh of relief when we all left! HA!

Memorial Day Pics!!

Egg Hunt

Kenady had a blast at Easter! At first she just pointed to the eggs & wanted someone to pick them up for her. But then she really got into it!

Mother's Day Gifts

Ok, I know this is super late but just wanted to share my Mother's Day gifts!
Amy made me these beautiful wood canvases that I hung in my scraproom! They are absolutely gorgeous. Stacy gave me a gift certificate the the local scrapbook store, can't beat that! Got a card from D. J. & Elizabeth & a gift certificate for a pedicure from hubby!! Loved it all!

Verbal Affirmation

Miracle Christian Center
Family Matters
Cheryl Lane

The Word of God tells us that we are to train our children up in the way they should go. One of the most important things we can all do for our children & family is to give them continual encouragement and support through verbal affirmation. That will build a confidence in them that will become a great asset in their life. Every child and adult needs to feel that they are important.

I recently read a story telling about the world famous boxer, Muhammad Ali. His renowned trainer, Angelo Dundee, at every boxing match, would write a number on a small piece of paper and place it inside Ali's glove. The number was the round that Dundee was predicting Ali would knock out his opponent. He had such confidence that Ali would win that he would also predict when he would win. Ali of course knew of his trainers great confidence in him. Even though it was just a little piece of paper, it was actually much more than that. When we verbally affirm our confidence in our loved ones it in turn builds a great confidence in them.

We all know that Ali did not lack when it came to confidence in his own ability. He made that very plain in the intimidating antics he would recite to his opponents. Ali surely had others encouraging him, but it is when those closest to us do it that affects us the most. I know that when my husband ministers, everyone in the church may tell him it was a great sermon, but he still wants to know what I thought about it, and I am the same way with him.

As I mentioned earlier, this is something everyone of us has the ability to do. We can uplift and encourage our loved ones. Don't worry about “giving them the big head”, because believe me, their will be plenty of people out in the world telling them what they can't do!

Scrappy Time

Amy & I are helping Stacy get caught up on the girls scrapbooks. It's going to take a while, but it will be fun. Here are a few new ones:

Family Matters Article

The world may not care a whole lot today about the marriage relationship, but according to the Word of God, He does! Marriage was His idea in the first place. He created male and female to be together in the garden of Eden. In Genesis 2:18, He even said it was not good for man to be alone. He intended for us to be there for each other through whatever life brings our way.

We should see ourselves as a team, working together against all odds. We are to “complete” each other, not “compete” against each other. Many couples I know are so busy trying to get everything they can out of the other person, and never consider that they may need to be giving something in order to complete their spouse. It really doesn't matter who spends the most time doing things for the kids, it's all about working together with the same, common goal. Many times instead of working together to see what we want accomplished, we waste our time pushing against each other.

God intends for us to be a strong unit, as husband and wife. Ready to stand against the enemy, and stand behind each other. We need to show our children that we are on the same page and let them know they cannot put one against the other.
God even sees us as one flesh! I wonder what kind of relationships we could all have if we always treated the other person in the same way that we want to be treated? Huuum! Food for thought!

Scrappy Time!!!

So much enjoying having more time to scrap again!!
Here are a few recent LO's:

Happy Mother's Day!!

I want to say Happy Mother’s Day to all of the ladies today! Being a mother is one of the hardest jobs in the world. That is what I wanted from the time I was a little girl, to be a mommy. I have such a great example in my very own mother. I have always known that my brother and I were her priority in life, no matter what else was going on with her. Even being grown and on our own, we still know that she would do anything she possibly could for us that we needed.

Let me say, there is not a mother alive that has not made mistakes, we all have. But, I believe our children are a gift from God and we should place our mothering job at a high priority. God expects us to do everything in our power to love & nuture our children to adulthood. He also expects us to teach them to love, serve, and trust Him. It is our responsibility to train them so that they know they can call on God in every situation they have to face in life. As our children get older, we are not always able to fix their problems, but if we have done our job, they will know to call on our God who can!

Let me give a special Happy Mother’s day to my mom, Billie Hearn, my mother-in-law, Madeline Lane & my two daughters, who have made wonderful mothers themselves, Amy Gaskins and Stacy Morris. I love you all!

Easter Fun !!

Finally getting around to posting some Easter pics! We had a wonderful day!