Listen

The One Word Challenge is a popular thing taking place for the thrid year. This year I have chosen the word "Listen".
I created this LO to keep me remembering my word:



There are so many ways to "Listen" and one of them is being alert to nature. This week we have noticed quite of few unusual things in nature. Keeping in mind that it is the first week in January & winter is just getting a good start in our area, we have spotted robins & eastern bluebirds in our backyard. Then late this afternoon, our dog started acting weird, like she does when it's getting ready to storm. I'm not saying that God is speaking to me of spring, but I'm praying for wisdom in knowing what this all means & if this is what I'm supposed to be listing to from God.
I'm not sure if this makes any sense to you -- I'm not sure it makes any sense to me either! But I'm listening!

And a little ad for Faithfully Yours -- for this layout I used Dawn's kit Praise Today & Faith Pockets found at the Faithfully Yours website for both paper scrapping & digital scrapping.

Wilma4Ever's Aged to Perfection Kit

I got a new kit to work with this week & started a series on our grandparents. These first two layouts are of Dave's paternal grandparents using Wilma's Aged to Perfection kit found here:
http://wilma4ever.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=52_137&products_id=19338

First I did Grandpa Bricker's page using a photo of the wagon train Nebraska to Indiana in the late 1980s.

 

And here's Grandma Bricker;s page:

 

 



Lazy Days

You've heard of the "lazy days of summer"? Well, in my world, winter has far more lazy days! And today has been one of them. It's gently snowing right now, the kind that just makes you want to sit in front of the fireplace with a good book & let the world go by. I've spent it mostly scrapbooking. I did a challenge at Wilma4Ever...AprilTheScrapaholic provided a cool sketch (free download at W4E) & I used Patty's Frosty Day collection again (it's on sale right now at W4E -- see link in previous post).

 

 

We really did have a good time Christmas Eve. Brent & Mark hadn't been to our house in years (it's not like we haven't seen them, but not here). Once Brent's boys warmed up to Julie's girls and vice versa, the kids had a lot of fun. Had a chance to visit with Fritz a bit & compare feelings about being the oldest generation now.

I think it has hit me harder this year than any previous. With Mom passing away in October, neither Dave nor I have any living parents -- we're orphans now. But I really have found I miss Mom & Dad so much more, and it's also resurfaced emotions about Andy that hadn't been happening so much any more. I just try to focus on all the wonderful memories that I have buried in my heart.

No fire in the fireplace, but I think I'll go put my nose in the book I'm reading right now...To Kill a Mockingbird, decided to reread that one, it's been years & it was such a good read.

 

Frosty Days Kit by PattyB Scraps

I've started a new venture & am now on the Creative Team at Wilma4Ever. Now I have my first group of layouts finished. The kit I used was "Frosty Days" by PattyB Scraps shown above. You can pick it up in Patty's store at W4E -- here's a link:  http://wilma4ever.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=52_357&products_id=19470

Here's a couple of layouts that I did with the kit:

 

And here's a cluster that I made:

 

 

This is a png file, if you'd like to have a free copy of the cluster, here's a link to my dropbox:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/wb5l29udhbkrq92/Cluster.png?m

 When you go to the link, you will see a button "get link", click on that & then at the top of that page you will see a "download" button to pick up the cluster file. Enjoy!

 

 

Sad News/Glad News

You've heard that when God closes a window, He opens a door?
Well earlier this week I got a message from Barbara at Precepts & Promises that she is closing her store & going to work full time. So my time on her Creative Team is over. It has been a real pleasure designing layouts for her.
The good news is that Anmarie of ABCreations at Wilma4Ever.com had been encouraging me to apply for the CT at Wilma4Ever. I decided to go ahead and apply -- today I got word that I have been accepted there. So I end the year with new opportunities.
W4E is a relatively new scrapbooking website. I've been a member there for a little over a year, but not a very active one until the last month. Their monthly Speed Scraps & Bingo chats are what drew me in & kept me going back. They have a very nice variety of monthly challenges, 13 for December. Plus they have nice participation gifts.
Here's a couple I've done this week:

 



Be watching for more W4E LOs!

Almost Thanksgiving

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving! Where does the time go?
Everytime I think I will post regularly on my blog something bogs me down....blog bog, hmmm a new ailment?  LOL
Since I last did a new entry we have laid my dear mother to rest. I've done a few layouts celebrating her life. Here's a couple of them...

 

I've been taking photos again! This week there was a fantastic sunrise one morning. Here's what I did with those a couple of those shots:

 

 

And we've been having a few new visitors to the back yard, but I'll save those for my next post.

Have a blessed Thanksgiving -- God is good, all the time God is good!

 



It's been a busy summer, fall appears to be going that way too

With fall officially here -- it's Corn School Week -- I look forward to cooler weather. Alaska got me ready for it I guess. It's been tough getting back into the swing of things from vacation & my blog has definitely taken a back burner.So has my scrap-faithbooking.
At least my computer has been cooperating a bit more than before we went. Unfortunately the CD player doesn't want to play for me. I started another My Life My Faith class with Precepts & Promises at ScrapTakeOut. We've been going for 4 days now & I'm already behind 3 days. Yikes! Well, not totally behind. I have to add photos (they're on a CD) to my layouts & they'll be ready to post. I have tried to get inspired a little bit. Here's what I did last night:

Kind of hard to read, but I've had it in my head to merge together what I've been learning from a little book Eat That Frog  by Brian Tracy and from the Flylady's emails about keeping ahead of my housework. The book is about how to succeed & get ahead in your career; Flylady is about taking baby steps, but being consistent & doing something daily about cleaning out the chaos in your home. So much of their advice is applicable to my daily walk with God. I'm thinking it must be a good thing to do because satan sure is trying to block it happening. So I will take it a step at a time & let the Holy Spirit guide me down this path. The layout above will be my first two pages. I still need to do a cover for it..
And here's the cover for My Life My Faith class:

 



And I have done a few vacation layouts. I'll post those later.