i missed saturday.

[My Mind's Eye papers and die cuts, Fiskars punches, Doodlebug stickers]

The weekend zoomed by. And it looks like I'll have to be really careful or I'll miss the next two months of weekends! Soccer has started. Saturday games. Thursday practices. In addition to the rest of our crazy, fun life. My calendar is bursting.

I didn't want to complain. I. Am. Not. Complaining. But my dryer is broken. It's been broken for a whole week now. Since last Monday. Apparently, my dryer is special. It didn't break something normal that breaks on everyone else's dryers. It broke something that had to be ordered. Mr. Jim, my appliance repair person, says that Tuesday should be the glorious day for the repair. I'm not holding my breath. You should see the laundry that is piling up!

Off to church. Have a lovely Sunday...don't let it slip away!

good grief, cont.

Today my first contribution to the Good Grief Blog was posted. I was really nervous about it! Here are a couple of snippets...you can see the whole layout here.



I think it's going to be a healing experience...I'm glad I agreed to do this.

{and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the LORD
for the display of his splendor.
Isaiah 61:3}

more soup, please.

I have found a new favorite soup...

This week, the sponsor for CPS Blog is Jillibean Soup. We got to play with Jillibean papers (Lentil Soup for me), Journaling Sprouts, and Stamps. Oh, what fun and frolic. (smile) I absolutely LOVE this Jillibean soup and can't wait to get some more!

Here are some cards I made with my yummy Jillibean:

I have been hoarding these Karen Foster Thanksgiving Labels for a loooong time! I love how it looks on this cool krafty paper.


My sister-in-law's birthday is on September 1, so I made her card with this Journaing Sprout (I think that's what the die cut labels are called) and circled the date.


I could have blinged this one up a bit more and it would have been fun, but I kind of like the spartan look with the fluffy ribbon.


I left this one blank so I can add a sentiment when I need a quick card!

And here's my CPS Blog card for the week:

I'd like to reach right into my screen and fluff that bow a little bit...

More soup, please!

{Take wheat and barley, beans and lentils, millet and spelt; put them in a storage jar and use them to make bread for yourself. You are to eat it during the 390 days you lie on your side. Ezekial 4:9}

menu plan monday.

[I'm sorry. I have this "thing" about having to have a photo on every post. So here's a photo of one of my favorite cards in the July issue of Scrapbook Trends. It's mostly October afternoon with Fiskars punches, Prism cardstock and Heidi Grace rub-ons.]

I am still working on the discipline of menu planning. The Happy Housewife has Menu Planning 101 on her blog this week and I'm working on the first assignment: come up with a list of 15 meals you can make in a month - then add five more! (I guess she didn't want to overwhelm everyone in step one because the 5 more came in step two.)

So I need to make my list, taking into consideration our interesting schedule and some personal favorites and dislikes of my people. I usually try to make things that Doug and the girls like. Cody seems to eat just about anything I make these days, although his only real favorites seem to be pizza, chicken nuggets, and scrambled eggs. Corey is getting better about eating what I put into his reticent little mouth, although he still really hates beans, eggs, and beef. I have hope for him, though.

So. Anyway.

The list:
1. Cowboy Casserole
2. Popcorn Chicken
3. Lasagna
4. Taco Soup (crock pot)
5. Chicken Enchiladas
7. Baked Potatoes on the Grill
8. Breakfast for Dinner
9. Bean Soup (crock pot)
10.The other Chicken Enchiladas
11.Chicken Tacos (crock pot)
12.Chalupa Casserole
13.PW Chicken Spaghetti
14.Chicken Pot Pie
15.PW Pot Roast
16.Hamburgers
17.Chicken pockets
18.Meatloaf
19.Chicken Tortellini Casserole
20.Mary's Chicken, Broccoli, & Rice Casserole
21.Homemade Pizza

Some non-monthly meals:
1. Honey Ham
2. Spaghetti & Meatballs

The crock-pot meals are necessary on Mondays. I'll probably do three crock-pot Mondays and one cheap pizza night Monday.

Wednesday nights we either eat at the church or take sandwiches to eat between co-op and church, depending on what the meal is that week.

One of my main goal for meals next month is to double or triple the freezable recipes so I can have some things in the freezer during the busy months of November and December. I did that last year (with the help of some sweet friends) and it was so great to have all those frozen meals ready to thaw and cook!

I'd really like to link my list with recipes, so we'll see how long that takes me.

The second part of the challenge is to come up with a list of side dishes, fruits and vegetables my family enjoys. I have to admit, we aren't all that into variety with our sides, but no one ever complains. Well, Corey complains, but you know what I mean.

Side dishes:
1. Spinach salad (usually just spinach and carrots)
2. Steamed broccoli
3. Mashed potatoes
4. Fried potatoes
5. Strawberries
6. Grapes
7. Macaroni and Cheese
8. Green Beans
9. Avocados
10.Steamed Squash
11.Cut-up Apples

Okay, I'm going to have to work on the side dishes. That looks just pitiful!

eternal summer sounds a whole lot better than it is.

I made this card for the Prism blog last week. You can see the whole thing here. Sometimes I'm iffy about things I have made, but I love this one.

I love this quote about eternal summer. It sounds lovely. At first.

And yet...

Eternal summer??

Like over 100 degrees every single day?

No, thanks.

In Central Texas, we are close to a record for the most days of over 100-degree weather in one summer. I think the record is 56 or 58 days and today makes 50 days. Don't quote me on that.

Anyway, it's SO hot.

Eternal summer?

No. Thank. You.

{Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. Revelation 7:16}

blogging every day, except for the last seven...

I cannot believe it has been seven days since I blogged!

This last week has been a blur...we started our homeschool co-op on Monday. We go on Mondays and Wednesdays. For some reason, that sounds like it should make life easier, not harder. And the truth is, it DOES make life easier in the long run. It's just the short-term that gets a bit chaotic there for a bit. My kids take Latin, Spanish, Biology, General Science, History, Algebra, and Writing at co-op. I teach the high school writing class (I can actually write in complete sentences, although I often avoid doing so on my blog.). Many very talented mothers (and two dads!) teach the other classes. I love the concept of sharing the load... But the first week is a really crazy one!



This is a card I made for the Fiskars website card sketch this month. I used lots of punches and that yummy October Afternoon Cherry Hill paper.

Yesterday I got to do something kind of cool and unexpected. I was sick - alone. Yep, I woke up in the middle of Thursday night feeling horrible and I had a headache, tummy ache, fever, just all that stuff. and Friday morning, my sweet family left for an overnight visit to Grandma's! The sleepover was already planned, so I didn't run them off or anything like that. It was really pretty nice to lay on the couch and read, watch a movie, drink fluids, eat popsicles - all without sharing, getting up to take care of others, mediate disputes, etc. Honestly, it was a little refreshing. And I'm feeling much better today, I think, just a little bit of that icky feeling left and I'll still be alone until sometime after supper.

I think I'll go read a little.

{If one falls down,
his friend can help him up.
But pity the man who falls
and has no one to help him up!
Ecclesiastes 4:10}

looking back.

This card was in a recent Cards issue. I've seen it out in the stores, but haven't gotten it back yet. I used the October Afternoon Ducks In A Row Collection, Fiskars punches, and almost-antique Making Memories chipboard flowers...it's one of my favorites cards ever.

A year ago, I posted this entry on my blog (below). I thought it would be fun to post it again since it made me laugh. (If you'd have laughed at me a year ago, I'd have grounded you from your phone because it wasn't funny at all then.)

Anyway, last year's post:

"If wishes could come true, I would have the force right now. And I would have a fortune cookie." (Cody Kingman, man of many quotes, age 6)

The word for the day is Diflucan.

Let's use it in a sentence: How hard could it possibly be to call in a prescription for Diflucan?

Or...let's see, another sentence: Diflucan should be an over-the-counter medication.

I can think of some other sentences, but they involve swearing and threats.

{On the first day remove the yeast from your houses... Exodus 12:15}

good grief.

Well, here's the scoop: I am going to be a contributor to a new blog called Good Grief, a Scrapbooking Journey through Loss and Healing.


Amanda Probst had the great idea and started it. She explains all about her inspiration on the blog, so go read about it there.

I'm really looking forward to being a part of this, even though I know the experience might hurt a little sometimes. Like Amanda told me (paraphrased, so I shouldn't actually be using quotes), "It's not a great club to be in, but it's nice to have people to share it with."

So, please go check out Good Grief...and could you spread the word? Thanks!

{he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces... Isaiah 25:8}

finish-it friday.

So, it's Friday, otherwise known in these parts as "finish-it Friday." I have a LOT to finish. So many projects started but not FINISHED. Where to begin?? Let's just say my first things to finish are fun and crafty and a tiny bit overdue (but only by two hours - so far, but I hate being overdue at all). Then we move on to these started-but-not-finished items:
* fold laundry
* load up all the donations in the garage for the thrift store
* purge old scrap stuff for wonderful girls who adore scrapbooking and don't care about latest-and-greatest
* clean up yard from two intensely windy, garden-wrecking, 5-minute storms this week
* organize coupons for double-up-to-$1-coupon-day at Kroger tomorrow
* move storage items to 300-degree attic
* finish writing syllabus for co-op writing class
* put away new curriculum

Okay, so I'm scaring myself because my list is longer than I thought it was. And this stuff needs to happen! And I'm still ignoring some other stuff...

The card at the top of the post is made with the new October Afternoon Report Card collection and Jenni Bowlin's chipboard bird, in case you might be wondering. Oh, and Prism kraft. Because Prism Kraft is a lot like homemade wheat bread...it's yummy with just about anything.

Oh, and speaking of Prism, it's time for another Guest Designer call! All of the details are on the Prism blog, so check there for official info. The things I know for sure about it is that the people who were guest designers from the first call were a lot of fun and got a lot of paper!

One more thing. Check back tomorrow and I will be able to share with you a wonderful thing! It's a project I've been invited to join that is going be a huge blessing to my heart and to anyone else who wants or needs to participate. You'll see. Tomorrow. (Just so you know...it's not the project I mentioned yesterday. I do seem to have a lot of lovely things going on at the moment, don't I?)

{Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Luke 12:24}

report card and a secret.

I made this card with the amazing new Report Card collection from October Afternoon. I absolutely LOVE these papers! They are sort of vintage with great old-fabric designs and wonderful schoolbook text backgrounds...it has to be my favorite so far! So I made this card and I am looking forward to making some actual layouts with it very soon. Oh, and head on over to the October Afternoon blog to leave a comment and possibly win some OA clear stamps!

I'm kind of in a funk this afternoon and all my blogging vibes have flown out the window. Well, not really...it's way too hot to have any windows open around here! I just literally cannot remember anything I had planned to blog about today.

Oh, here's something. I have a fun project that I'm working on. I don't think I'm supposed to share the details just yet, but I'll give you some clues:
1. It's scrappy.
2. It's faith-focused.
3. It's going to begin sometime in September.
4. It involves some way-cool Jesus-loving girls.
5. You can be a part of it, too!
6. I'll post more as soon as I can!

Hey, that worked wonders! Just sharing the barest of details about my secret has lifted my funk a little...

In the getting-ready-for-school-to-start category, I am expecting the man in brown to bring me some Latin books and flashcards and Becky Fleck's Pagemaps book. I had been wanting Pagemaps, so I had to sneak it into my Latin book order...it's funny, I used to really struggle with sketches, now I love them!

Have a lovely day!

{Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Romans 4:7}

favorite treetops.

This week's sponsor for the CPS Blog is Susan Tomaino, Independent Close To My Heart consultant. I loved the stamps and papers and inks I got from her so much that I made several cards! Here they are:















And then there's the one I made with this week's CPS Blog sketch:


I think I've found a very favorite stamp set. I love these trees...

Changing the subject:

We're about to start school. It's freaking me out. That sounds spiritually mature, doesn't it? I'm just not ready. We are not ready. It will be my first year to have all four kids doing actual schoolwork. My boys won't want to work much. They like their freedom. I'm sure I'll have more on this later...

What is it about the new school year that makes me want to have everything in my environment in order? Since we homeschool, this translates to "entire house clean and organized." It means having my garage cleaned out, my menus planned, my coupons organized, closets purged, kids' bathroom painted, meals in the freezer...this list goes on. Actually, all of those things are ongoing projects that I am either a.) currently working on, b.) procrastinating, or c.)fantasizing about doing.

My garage especially has been an ongoing project. I was planning to have one LAST garage sale because there's so much out there. My hubby isn't all that supportive ("You're not having a garage sale!"), especially after the neighbors had one a few weeks ago and one of their customers defecated in front of our mailbox. (Yes, eeew.) So, anyway, I am having trouble giving myself permission to just donate these boxes of potential garage-sale stuff. (Anyone local having a garage sale soon?)

My kids say the word "thingie way too much." It goes on the end of pretty much any statement that isn't 100% confident: "Can I have one of those frozen fruit-thingies?" "Did someone lock the barn-thingie?" "Mom, where's my Star Wars Lego Clone Trooper-thingie?" I guess it could be worse.

I'm going to blog again tomorrow. I miss blogging.

{And the LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. Genesis 2:9}