My Mom's 69th Birthday Party

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Happy New Year 2009

Now that our Christmas decorations are all put away I've been in the mood to create some Valentine's Day decorations. I made a banner using my new Cricut cartridge called Storybook. I'm also working on getting our garage organzed and I'm planning to paint our down stairs bathroom. I've also been reading commentary on the book of Revelation. That book of the Bible always fascinates me. Yesterday I read about a verse in chapter 3 verse 11 that talks about how God promises to write on the saints His name, the name of His city and His new name. That's amazing to me that God has not finished revealing himself to us. Eternity is going to be amazing.

Basking in the light of His word and light and beauty of spring.

I'm just feeling joyful today. I made a pitcher of sweet tea yesterday and it was just the warm weather was just right to enjoy a refreshing cool drink. Yesterday I was in the mood to clean and organize our indoor space and today I just want to be outdoors and in the sun. We just had a patio addition in our backyard and boy is it calling my name. We still have a ways to go to get our yard in shape for summer but I already dream of the days by the pool. I praise the Lord for giving us the new life in Him and the beauty of new life in the spring to enjoy. Hope everyone has experienced the joy and beauty of having Jesus as your Savior. It's impossible for me to not want to praise the Lord when basking in the light and truth of the Word of God and also the light and warmth of His creation. "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord."

Lysa from Proverbs 31 Recipe Challenge

Honey-­Mustard, Chicken Breasts

4 chicken breast halves, skinless and boneless
1 cup bread crumbs
7 tsp.­ Dijon mustard, divided
3 TB honey
3 TB butter
Fresh parsley, chopped, as garnish

Pound and flatten chicken to 1/4" thickness.­

In a shallow bowl, combine bread crumbs and 1 teaspoon mustard.­

In another shallow bowl, combine remaining 6 teaspoons mustard and the honey.­

Dip flattened chicken in the honey mustard mixture and the coat with the
bread crumbs.­

In a nonstick skillet over medium heat, saut chicken in butter until juices
run clear, about 8 minutes.­

Garnish with the fresh parsley, if desired.­

Serves: 4.

Easter Egg Ornament

Easy and fun paper craft using a large oval punch and patterned paper.

Egg Ornament Tutorial

A 3D ornament made from a Jumbo oval punch and patterned paper.
First decide if you want to use three ovals for your ornament or six for a fuller look. Then punch desired number of ovals out of patterned paper Cardstock will also work. An oval template or die cut could also be used for this step.
If you planning to stamp a design on your egg do so before going on to the next step.
Now your ready to fold each oval egg in have vertically. If you are planning on using a small decortive craft punch you'll want to line up two ovals and punch both ovals at the same time. Be careful to chose a punch that will fit in the area outside of the folded line and avoid going into the folded line with the punch. Next glue the folded sides of the ovals together to form the ornament. Punch a hole in the top and tie a ribbon to complete.
Once you've made a few you may want to try another version with the floating disk inside.
3D Egg Ornament with floating disk tutorial
Step 1: Punch three ovals Step 2: Use a circle punch and punch the middle of each oval being careful to center Step 3: fold the ovals with punch opening in have. Step 4: Punch two circle for the center disk Step 5: Stamp or decorate as desired on both circles. Step 6: Glue both circles together with a loop of ribbon sandwiched between Step 7: Sand the edges of circles to allow it to fit into the opening of the oval Step 8: Glue the three sides of the oval around the "floating" circle with the ribbon loop sticking up from the top. Step 9: Make any adjustments to align edges before the glue sets. Viola! You've just made an egg-stra special egg ornament.

Faithfully Yours Friends

Inchie Ornament Step by Step

I started first by cutting a bunch of 1" squares.Then I stamped small images or centering the part of the image I wanted. You'll need eight total stamped inchies for each ornament.Ink, color and embellish inchies as desired. Use a 3" circle punch and make 8 circles from patterned paper (not cardstock).Make a triangle template that you will use to fold three sides of your circle. The sides to my triangle measured 2.9/16" Center the template on the circle and fold all three sides. You'll need four folded circles for the top and four for the bottom.Glue the sides of four circles together for the top of the ornanament.Next you'll want to add your ribbon before adding adding the bottom. There will be a slight gap at the top where the sides come together. Just tape the end of the ribbons inside the ornament. Finally glue the last four folded circles to the bottom.I like to glue my inchies on last to make sure they are all face up.

I've been tagged.

My friend from Faithfully Yours tagged me.

http://stephsscraphappenings.blogspot.com/
Here are the rules which must be posted on your blog if you are tagged:
1. Link to your tagger and post these rules.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself: some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post and list their names (linking to them).
4. Let them know they've been tagged by leaving a comment at their blogs.

Here are the 7 facts about me:

1. I usually end up scrapbooking on the floor because my desk is so full of tools and supplies.
2. If I'm near a Big Lots I have to stop and check out if there are any new scrapbooking goodies.
3. I used to not like my name because it was unique but now I'm proud of it.
4. I twisted my ankle while skiing on our honeymoon and my husband had to wait on me.
5. All three of my boys were born in the same room at our local hospital, all three were born between 4:00 pm and 6:30 pm. Two of them had the same nurse and doctor and they were all over 8 lbs. Two were born with no meds.
6. I survived a car accident with only a broken nose that sent my car rolling over three times and ending upside down in the fast lane of freeway traffic during rush hour.

Now it's my turn to tag.

It's fall y'all!

We've been back to school for five weeks now. Maverick is finally in kindergarten and is doing very well. Matthew is really working hard this year and has a much better attitude towards his schoolwork. Hmmm, maybe he's just happy that his little brother has less full time. Justin is in 8th grade and his favorite subject is science. I got to meet my youngest nephew for the very first time on Sept. 18th. My brother and Jacy came out to California for 5 days. Jacy is 12 and in 7th grade. He lives with his mom and two sisters in Indiana. He is on the cross country team and plays the clarinet in the band. He also has a girlfriend and a myspace page. He's looking forward to going to New York with his band next spring. It was so fun spending time with my brother getting caught up again. His job is going well and he was just got a promotion. He's also leading a mission team and going on a two week mission trip to St. Vincent in January. We had a busy time while they were here.
We had a BBQ and swam at my folks house, went to La Jolla cove for exploring and snorkling, they went to Hollywood and Santa Monica on their own, followed by a day at Sea World, and the last day a trip to an indoor go-kart race track and a final dinner together. I put together a photo book as a gift to them using mypublisher.
It only took about an hour to choose the photos and arrange and place the order. The books arrived today and I was very pleased with the quality of the book and the photos. I got the paperback version that has 20 pages. It was only $10 plus shipping for each book. Last Saturday, Sept. 29th I went with a group from my church including Dan and Justin, to help a mission in Tijuana, Mexico. This was my very first mission trip and I hope it won't be my last. 180 kids attended our one day VBS at the communtity center. The children left with big smiles. We gave them a bag of food and a goodie bag and another church gave them lunch and a backpack full of school supplies. We hope to go back before the end of the year.

Whiffs of Wednesday

Our sweet dog Little Bit has a sore ear. I took her to the vet and she has an infection. The good news is that it's only on the outside of the ear and treatable with oinment and a daily cleansing "flush". She's resting now from the whole ordeal.

Maverick did very well at the dentist yesterday. He had two cavities filled and was quite a trooper. He didn't complain through the whole drilling process. He did say ouch! as the denist was filing down the filling. He had no pain afterward and was his same bouncy happy self.

We are close to winding down this school year. We are on the home stretch. We're praying about finalizing our decision to have Matthew attend a private school next year. They are close to home and teach the same Abeka curriculum that I teach at home. We took a visit to the school last week and Matthew met the 5th grade teacher and spent some time in her class. He really wants to go and experience being in a classroom setting. I think the change will be a positive one for everyone. Justin will continue to homeschool and will be in the 8th grade and Maverick will also homeschool and begin kindergarten in the fall.

I continue to craft and enjoy my position on the design team at Faithfully Yours. I hope that I have more time to craft this summer.

Oh and we are laying a stone patio this weekend underneath our palapa. The stone will be dilvered tomorrow and Dan is renting a tamper to level the gravel. We will use cement to hold everything in place. I'm sure we'll take photos of our big project. I can't wait for all the fun we'll have using our new patio this summer.

Mondain Monday

I've been sick for a couple of days. My throat is sore and I fell ache. It would be nice to just stay in bed today.
Latest Project:
I'm almost ready to start my scrapbook album of our Caribbean Cruise.
It will be a huge project. I found the coolest paper made by WUBE. http://www.addictedtorubberstamps.com/ProductDetail?SKU=6-758-513110

My first step was to lay out all of the paper and "plan" the pages simply laying out the photos on top of the paper. Then I loaded each sheet of background paper into the album and just simply dropped the photos for that page into the page protector. The layouts will be simple just cropped and matted photos. I have over 100 photos from our trip so I'm excited to see them scrapped.

Tuesday Tidbits

How's your week been so far? My husband just bought all brand new tires for his car so I'm feeling much better they were getting pretty bald and wouldn't you know it, we've had some rain again. Money well spent. I can't believe this school year is winding down. We are almost on the home stretch. I spent the day with my mom on Sat. and we went to Target. She agreed to ride in her wheel chair (I struggled with the decision to ask her to use it. I told her if she felt like walking I would let would just push it. She did get up when we were in the purse section. It wasn't but a few moments later she was felling weak again).so we ran around the whole store and enjoyed looking at purses and plants. We actually left without buying anything but still had fun. It's been a tough year for my mom and her fight to live with Parkinsons. http://www.parkinson.org/NETCOMMUNITY/Page.aspx?&pid=201&srcid=215
I've been taking the kids to see the dentist. The older boys both had no cavities but yesterday we got the news that Maverick has two. I was bummed. He is my little candy nut. He has the ability to sniff out candy no matter where it hidden. He will even get the candy from the little shacker jars that are meant for cupcakes and ice cream. Ug! He is definately my boy witht that sweet tooth of his. This Thurs. is my last dentist appt. I also have two cavities. We only have about 4 more weeks of Awans too. The boys close to finishing their books. My middle boy has made it his goal to have perfect attendance and so far he made it without missing one night. I just love the fact that the boys love going and they look forward to it. My dh is putting together the video for awards night. This will be his third year. It's a labor of love. He interviewed the five youth that will be receiving their citation awards last night. They each will have a special video presentation to go along with their speech. My oldest boy has been in Awana Club http://www.awana.org/ since he was 4 years old and in Cubbies, He is 13 now and is 5 short years away from earning this honor. Next year will be his last year in Jr. High and then he'll move on to High School. Wow. We are started to think about VBS at church. I'll be teaching 1st and 2nd grade again. http://vbs.lifeway.com/vbs2007/yourvbs/ Last year I had the biggest class. Enough rambling.

Monday Musings

I'm feeling refreshed today. I'm ready to take on a new week and have healthy habits. I've been taking a good look at myself and I've decided to work on being grateful by not complaining. I also want to get back into the habit of walking on the treadmill. I'm also taking care of my teeth and gums with my new toothbrush and flossing regularly.
I love this brush and how clean my mouth feels. http://www.prodentec.com/Product_RotaDent.aspx
Our guest speaker Sunday had a great message. He spoke on "God is not our personal Savior". You might say, "What?". He warns us not just be satisfied and content that we've recieved the gift of Salvation but that our Savior came to die for the entire "world" and our aim should be for glory of his kingdom and that missions should be the focus of all believers. I'm praying that this week God will send me opportunities and I will recognize them and respond with obedience. PTL!
ps. I bought a new Cricut font yesterday at Walmart. I saved $20 using a Michael's ad for a price comp. Whoo Hoo! I picked Base Camp because I love all the tag features. http://www.cricut.com/shopping/ProductDetails.aspx?id=10&s=1&sc=18
I'm also jazzed about these cool tumblers I heard about from a message board member at The Stamp Shack. They are made by Tervis http://www.tervis.com/
I think they are going to make excellant Mother's Day gifts for both grandmas. I especially love the shells and the butterflys.

Sabrina

I'm just a bloggin'

Okay, So I'm still getting the hang of this bloggin' biz. Life goes buy at 100 miles per hour sometimes. It's hard to put on the brakes and take those moments to reflect. I just finished a Bible Study of Daniel with Beth Moore. http://www.lifewaystores.com/lwstore/product.asp?isbn=1415825882
The last half of the book of Daniel is all about eshatology. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_eschatology I had a blast gaining a better understanding what's in store in the future. It puts our everyday petty concerns into a new perspective. I highly recommend this study.
I just started my next study, The Prayer of Jabez.

So what's up lately around here. I have a great new friend named Tammy. We attended a women's conference together last Jan. and have become friends and I enjoy our conversations. She is hungry for the word of God and wants to impact the world around her. PTL. Yesterday we had lunch at her home and then we took the kids to the Noah's Ark Bible book store and then to the Imagination Zone Children's Museum in Temecula. http://www.cityoftemecula.org/Temecula/Residents/ImaginationWorkshop/ImaginationWorkshop.htm
It was a fun afternoon.
I'm having a great time on the Design Team at Faithfully Yours. net. If you love scrapbooking and have wondered how to incorporate your faith on your pages this is a great community of faithbookers. It some great features: a message board, a montly ezine, a gallery, lots of great articles on faithbooking. So come see what all the fuse it about over at http://www.faithfullyyours.net

I have been doing a lot of scrap booking. I recently completed a 20 page album for my dad's birthday. The photos are from my dad's first church as a pastor in Perris California. I had a great time reliving the memories and giving it as a gift to honor my dad and his service to the Lord. It was very satisfying project. My dad loved it too. Would you like to see my album?
http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=15922530&uid=4006483&members=1

Easter Sunday was such a beautiful day. We had both sets of parents over for lunch and my dad invited a couple from church and his pastor and wife. We all enjoyed our lunch together. The kids had fun playing with bubbles and chalk and then we had a late afternoon egg hunt too.
Grandma spolied them with a pail full of treats. I gave Justin a watch. Matt got a GI Joe action figure and Maverick got his very favorite Littlest Pet Shop pets.
Spring is in the air and I'm enjoying the beauty of God's world in the spring.
Dan and I have started going on walk in the evening. The kids and the dogs are loving this.
Well that's just a quick snapshot into the happnins round here.
Take care, ya hear.

Sabrina