Ding Dong the witch is dead...

Well,actually there is NO witch,however I did make some shoes! I made some last year, (pattern from Papercrafts mag Oct.2006) and loved em. I used black textured card stock, gingham ribbon, patterned Stampin' Up paper for the shoe insert and the scallop tag punch..which says " Trick or Treat! " I passed them out to the teachers, since the kids usually get all the candy bags... sorry for the blurry shot..

Karaoke Blog Style! Oh yeah!

OK-You know when you hear a song and you want it to play again,then again and it makes ya smile, then sing along?? Well today when I was working on some cards -this came on the radio and I loved it!!! So I went on YouTube to listen to it again,then I found the lyrics-just so I could sing along !
And now you can too! Come on its fun! Sing real loud when you get to the chorus!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZef1vFIM_s

Lyrics...

Kirk Franklin, Mandisa Man I wanna tell y'all something, Man.

Man I'm not gonna let these material thing's, get in my way, y'all.
I'm trying to get somewhere.
I'm trying to get somewhere,
That's real and pure and true and eternal.
Father God, I am clay in your hands,
Help me to stay that way through all life's demands,
'Cause they chip and they nag and they pull at me,
And every little thing I make up my mind to be,

Like I'm gonna be a daddy whose in the mix,
And I'm gonna be a husband who stays legit,
And I pray that I'm an artist who rises above,
The road that is wide and filled with self love,
Everything that I see draws me,
Though it's only in You that I can truly see
that its a feast for the eyes- a low blow to purpose.
And I'm a little kid at a three ring circus.
Chorus...
I don't want to gain the whole world, and lose my soul,
Don't wanna walk away, let me hear the people say.
I don't want to gain the whole world, and lose my soul,
Don't wanna walk away, let me hear the people say.
[Mr. Franklin, Step up to the mic sir]

The paparazzi flashes, and that they think that it's you,
But they don't know that who you are is not what you do,
True, we get it twisted when we peak at the charts,
Yo before we part from the start,Where's your heart?
You a pimp, hustler?Tell me what's your title,
America has no more stars, now we call them idols,
You sit idle, While we teach prosperity,
The first thing to prosper should be inside of me.
We're free
Not because of 22's on the range,
But Christ came in range, we said yes now we changed,
Not the same, even though I made a fall,
Since I got that call, no more Saul, now I'm Paul.
[YEP!]
Chorus...
I don't want to gain the whole world, and lose my soul,
Don't wanna walk away, let me hear the people say.
I don't want to gain the whole world, and lose my soul,
Don't wanna walk away, let me hear the people say.
Don't wanna walk away,Don't wanna walk away
How do I sense the tide that's rising?
De-sensitizing me from living in light of eternity,
How do I sense the tide that's rising?
It's hypnotizing me from living in light of eternity,

How do I sense the tide that's rising?
De-sensitizing me from living in light of eternity.
[Lord what we gon do,We're relying on you,
all eyes are on you Lord, all eyes are on you,
all eyes are on you Jesus.]

I don't want to gain the whole world, and lose my soul,
Don't wanna walk away, let me hear the people say.
[Don't let me lose my soul, my soul.]

I don't want to gain the whole world, and lose my soul,
[This is my honesty, Father, won't you cover me.]
I don't want to gain the whole world, and lose my soul,
[Don't wanna walk away, and all those people say]
I don't want to gain the whole world, and lose my soul,
[Don't wanna lose, I don't wanna lose my soul.]

Lord forgive us when we get consumed by the things of this world,
That fight for our love, and our passion,
As our eyes are open wide and on you.
Grant us the privilege of your world view,
And may your kingdom be, what wakes us up, and lays us down.
[Hallelujah, Don't wanna lose our soul,No, Don't wanna lose my soul.]

...Hey excuse me,
I'm looking for the after party,
Toby, Ha ha, yeah,
last door on the left,
you'll hear it.
Thanks,No problem.

Don't let me lose my soul, I never wanna walk away,
I don't wanna lose my soul, No, no, no.
Don't let me, don't let me, lose my soul,
I don't wanna walk away,
Don't let me walk away,
Na na na na no,
Don't let me lose, my soul,
I'm never gonna walk away.

Todays Streams....

I wrote about my daily devotional book "Steams in the Desert"
this was today's devotional -it encouraged me ,thought I'd share it with you...
P.S. I have to read it a couple times because its deep,yet good.


Specialize in the Impossible
"The hill country shall be thine" (Josh. 17:18, RV).
There is always room higher up. When the valleys are full of Canaanites, whose iron chariots withstand your progress, get up into the hills, occupy the upper spaces. If you can no longer work for God, pray for those who can. If you cannot move earth by your speech, you may move Heaven. If the development of life on the lower slopes is impossible, through limitations of service, the necessity of maintaining others, and such-like restrictions, let it break out toward the unseen, the eternal, the Divine.
Faith can fell forests. Even if the tribes had realized what treasures lay above them, they would hardly have dared to suppose it possible to rid the hills of their dense forest-growth. But as God indicated their task, He reminded them that they had power enough. The visions of things that seem impossible are presented to us, like these forest-covered steeps, not to mock us, but to incite us to spiritual exploits which would be impossible unless God had stored within us the great strength of His own indwelling.
Difficulty is sent to reveal to us what God can do in answer to the faith that prays and works. Are you straitened in the valleys? Get away to the hills, live there; get honey out of the rock, and wealth out of the terraced slopes now hidden by forest.


--Daily Devotional Commentary
Got any rivers they say are uncrossable,
Got any mountains they say 'can't tunnel through'?
We specialize in the wholly impossible,
Doing the things they say you can't do.
--Song of the Panama builders

The camera and the cards...

I have a weekly card class and I wanted to take pictures for examples..but every time I try to take a close up shot ...it's blurry! I stood farther back and took some shots of the cards we've done. Since my birthday and Christmas are coming up, I think Ill be getting a newer camera-until then "No closeups, Mr. De ville'.

Positive encouraging..

I started reading the headlines and articles online and could actually feel myself feeling edgy and anxious! Like my heart rate went up and my stomach felt queasy...so after I said a quick prayer for direction ,I thought what should I do? And then I remembered KLOVE radio.Theyre motto is "positive,encouraging,KLOVE" and I can listen to it using my computer! I can clean,create,go about my daily life while excellent music flows through the house!And I always have my hymn CD's out in the garage!

The five dollar "Bargain?"

The Tree Story....

A couple years ago when I was dropping stuff off at the Salvation Army and they had new, artificial trees,unopened in boxes, for $5! I thought it was a great deal and bought one for my homemade ornaments from my kids , family and friends...and I put it in my room...

Then I thought how neat it'd be to put a tree in my dining room-so I went back and bought another...

"They're so inexpensive , I could put one in the kids' rooms!" So, I put one in Levi's with G. I. Joe's on it ( hard to see!) and one in Lily's room with her stuffed animals on it.

And finally I bought a small one and put it in the our bathroom.

I've always had a big tree in our living room for my glass ornaments...and its takes alot of time to put the lights on it, then the ornaments. After I put trees all over the house, it took so much more time to put everything away! However,the next year the kids were so excited for the trees in their rooms...and I didnt want to spoil the fun... so I decorated Levi's in Lego creations he made, and on Lily's tree I put all pink and bright colored ornaments.(sorry no pic's) Afterwards I vowed"No More trees! 5 is too much!"

Why did I purchase these "bargain/burdens?"

But..............now that "fall" is rolling around and since it never really "feels" like Christmas here..I'm thinkin it might be nice (next month) to pull out my decorations, play the Christmas music and deck out my "$5 Bargain trees!"

"Craft-A-Lackin!"

I heard on the news today that people plan on spending less this year on Christmas gifts due to the economy,and that more people plan on buying sale items, or trying to purchase everything during one shopping trip. My first thought about the upcoming holiday was "I need to get crafting!" Remember Laura & Mary being excited about their dolls in "Little House on the Prairie?" So sweet and simple and thoughtful. I love Christmas because of family, games, talking and crafts! Homemade ornaments that I look at and smile or laugh when I see them. I suppose knitter's could knit,crocheter's could crochet,bakers could bake(yum), "sewer's" should sew, and crafter's? Well, we need to get "Craft-a- lackin'!"

I like to read

Its funny,as a kid I hated reading and wasn't great at it. My mother decided I had to read a chapter everyday from Beverly Cleary's book "Homer". I can remember hating the title of the book (and I probably picked the book) and hating,loathing ,the time I had to read it.
I eventually got through it and started reading C.S. Lewis's books, then onto more Beverly Cleary books and eventually grew to LOVE reading. In high school I discovered devotionals (Daily Bread, Moment By Moment) and I loved seeing what the "verse of the day was" or if it pertained to me & my circumstances. After college I found a devotional at a thrift store and thought it was so good!!! I called my mom and asked her if she had ever heard of it,and being the avid reader she is, she said yes its been around a long time...and isn't it good!
And to this day,after scripture, its my all time favorite devotional to read,check,and be encouraged.
"Streams in the Desert"

Book Review
Few books ever attain such a widespread recognition and perennial appeal as Streams in the Desert. Now over seventy years since its first publication, this marvelous devotional by Mrs. Charles E. Cowman has established itself firmly in the ranks of the Christian classics. Written from Mrs. Cowman's rich experiences with life, from its dry wastelands to its well-watered gardens, Streams in the Desert is a legacy of faith and wisdom that is time-tested faithfully to the One who alone can slake their spiritual thirst. In the midst of today's fast-paced world, the wisdom of Streams in the Desert remains refreshing, relevant and trustworthy. Turn to it daily, tune out the clamor of living, and let these prayerful writings inspire fresh hope, confidence, and a deep awareness of God's presence in your life.
Streams in the Desert
By Mrs. Charles E. Cowman, L. B. Cowman
Contributor James Reimann
Published by Zondervan, 2006
ISBN 0310607051, 9780310607052
383 pages

What are you thinking?

Solomon wrote "As a man thinks, so he is.." Humm....what do you think about /on?
I know this isn't about "positive thinking" but more like keeping our thoughts fixed on "God is in control", "All things work together for good","to everything there is a season", kind of thinking..
After listening to Focus on the Family today at 8:00am I was impressed with his interview of Sara P.
Shes not thinking/dwelling on the media/writers blasting her,or her family-shes thinking about serving a cause greater than herself, and remaining true to her faith in God.
I know if I think about my discontentment, about certain areas, I get bummed, but if I think about the privileges I have to live in the USA , my purpose as a person,wife & mom, and that God is bigger than Any situation out there-my outlook changes.
Remember-God is bigger & says "You matter!"... Good thinkin'!

I was wondering...

I sometimes think I know what a word means, but when I look them up -I find out its something more or different than way I thought. Like "discreet" .
Out of curiosity I looked up "crafty" thinking it'd say "one who enjoys creating," but it said...
Main Entry:
crafty
Pronunciation:
\ˈkraf-tē\
Function:
adjective
Inflected Form(s):
craft·i·er; craft·i·est
Date:
before 12th century
1: skillful , clever
Huh-who knew. I kinda like that.

Bumper sticker

I think there should be a bumper sticker and every person should get one, when they're born or for their future vehicle...

"You Matter."
God

Crack me up...

I was on the Yahoo home page and the title said "Seven Easy Dinners"
And you know me...Easy! Dinners?
had to check it out
Here is their list...
Monday Paprika Shrimp & Green Bean Sauté
Tuesday Chicken Stuffed With Spinach
Wednesday Burritos El Grande
Thursday Bacon Fried Rice
Friday Ham & Chile Cheddar Calzones
Saturday Steak Sandwiches
Sunday Turkey Tetrazzini
I had to laugh!
A word association went through my head immediately.
I read "shrimp" and "$$$$$" went thru my head
"Paprika"-do I even have any?
"saute'" -can I do that?
"stuffed"-work..
"grande"-no thanks, all ready big enough
"bacon,fried"-see comment above
"steak" again $$$$$$$
"calzone"-yes, Ill admit, "sopranos,mafia!"
and the last one "tetrazzini" - hello! what is that, and how to pronounce it?
Soooo-I don't think Ill be making any of those recipes soon.

I thought it was going to say,
1.spaghetti
2.sandwiches
3. salads
4.soup
5.pizza
yeah I thought wrong.

I'd forgotten how much I like them...

Hymns!

As in the dictionary...

A hymn is a type of song, usually religious, specifically written for the purpose of praise, adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity, a prominent figure or an epic tale. The word hymn derives from Greek ὕμνος hymns "a song of praise".

I was listening to Focus on the Family today & Joni Erickson was on and talking about hymns the impact they had on her while growing up.
As a little girl in church I loved when we'd sing and there would be the men singing one part and the ladies sing another-or the choruses and as I get older I realize so much more what the authors were talking about.
We sang one at Sunday morning service ( It is Well) and I loved it!
I'm going to find my hymn CD'S and start playing them more often and have the kids listen and teach/tell them what they mean.

HOW GREAT THOU ART
O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder,Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made;I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,Thy power throughout the universe displayed.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,How great Thou art, How great Thou art.Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,How great Thou art, How great Thou art!
When through the woods, and forest glades I wander,And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees.When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur And see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,How great Thou art, How great Thou art.Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,How great Thou art, How great Thou art!
And when I think, that God, His Son not sparing;Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;That on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing,He bled and died to take away my sin.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,How great Thou art, How great Thou art.Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,How great Thou art, How great Thou art!
When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation,And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart.Then I shall bow, in humble adoration,And then proclaim: "My God, how great Thou art!"
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,How great Thou art, How great Thou art.Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

And if you were wondering ...

50 Most Loved Hymns

Hymns are listed in their order of popularity

1 Amazing Grace 2 Ave Maria 3 Jerusalem 4 Holy Holy Holy 5 Battle Hymn Of The Republic 6 How Great Thou Art 7 Be Thou My Vision 8 Rock Of Ages 9 Joyful Joyful 10 It Is Well With My Soul 11 In The Garden 12 This Little Light Of Mine 13 Just A Closer Walk With Thee 14 Hallelujah Chorus 15 Nearer My God To Thee 16 Blessed Assurance 17 23rd Psalm 18 The Old Rugged Cross 19 The Lord Is My Shepherd 20 Abide With Me 21 He Who Would Valiant Be 22 To God Be The Glory 23 What A Friend We Have In Jesus 24 Onward Christian Soldiers 25 We Plough The Fields And Scatter 26 Eternal Father Strong To Save 27 Jesus Lover Of My Soul 28 I Vow To Thee My Country 29 Be Still My Soul 30 I Come To The Garden Alone 31 God Of Our Fathers 32 Breath Of God 33 Lift High The Cross 34 The Holy City 35 Breathe On Me 36 All Creatures Of Our God And King 37 All Things Bright And Beautiful 38 Fight The Good Fight 39 Faith Of Our Fathers 40 Jesus Loves Me This I Know 41 Take My Life And Let It Be 42 At The Cross 43 Jesus Paid It All 44 For The Beauty Of The Earth 45 Jesus Christ Is Risen Today 46 Shall We Gather At The River 47 All Hail The Power Of Jesus Name 48 Fairest Lord Jesus 49 Crown Him With Many Crowns 50 The King Of Love My Shepherd Is

My Helpful Hint

As many of my friends know-I'm not into cooking...on the other hand-I love hearing about easy, helpful hints for cooking or to cut prep time in the kitchen..
I thought Id list a few of mine..
1. Peel ripe bananas and put them in freezer bags and then on into the freezer -for fruit smoothies.
2. Cook up hamburger meat then freeze for later use..
3. Put lemon slices in the ice cube trays ,then water-then freeze!
4. Since a bag of salad is about $5.65 here-I buy the dollar salads at McDonald's when I need one for dinner. They have carrots,tomatoes,croutons,dressing, and everyone picks a different dressing .(4 salads for my family $4.00!)
Pitifully that's all I can come up with right now..feel free to,leave a comment and hint too!

Lego Master

Ever since Levi was 2 he has loved to build, especially with Legos. I thought as he got older his interest would fade but no, he's on to bigger and larger sets. The boys would live near us call him the Lego King and this morning he came out and said "Look I built a gun. Its like the Star Wars guns the clones use."

I had to take a picture because all I can build are walls or stacks that go straight up. I wonder if he'll be an engineer?

Makes me happy!

I was at this Bargain Bin thrift store and didn't see any thing I could use/need? and when I was leaving I saw this stump by the front door..I called Brian and said "Can I buy a stump?" Being the understanding (bad time to call during the day it was) husband, he said "yes" .

So I asked the older man sitting by the door,how much?-got it for $10 and promptly brought it home!! ...Being raised in the "tree State", I look at it and it makes me smile. And Pottery Barn's selling them too! See first pic..$199

It will look better when the tile floor is done. It's smooth and the kids sit on it or some (S) stand on it, but me-I just smile.

My Cutie Pies

When I saw my grandson -I think he, his daddy and Sawyer look alot alike-... heres a comparison between them.

An uplifting movie...

With everything going on in the world,life,etc... I love to hear uplifting stories, read scripture,
listen to praise music ,etc.. and tonight I watched a movie I'd only seen once but REALLY liked..so we watched it again and I tell you it was uplifting! Great! and encouraging!
If you havent seen it...please rent it from Blockbuster or purchase it!
What was it????

Facing The Giants!
So good..and as I finish this post the words keep repeating in my ears..
"What is impossible for God? Nothing."
"What is impossible for God? Nothing!"
"What is impossible for God?"
Now your turn.....
NOTHING!

And after you see it...please leave a comment!

Cleaning my Craft/Stamp Room!

Here are before and after shots of cleaning my crafting space! Brians tools on other side...

(we each get half of the garage)
I've always done crafts but I usually stored everything in boxes in closets, had a little space in a basement and/or in the garage,or worked at my dining room table....Now I have half the garage outside and I love it! Its cooler outside, I can shut the door to the house and leave projects out.

Brian got a great deal on shelves at Home Depot ($4 each) and put them up for me. I got the cabinet from my neighbor ( in exchange for sewing a valance for her) , the heavy duty banquet table off Craigslist ($20),the bookshelves ($5 each) at a garage sale, the glass canisters at Savers Thrift store, the cassette tape holders for my ink pads from Salvation Army, and the chairs from Brian's grandma.

And when I first moved here I drove past a house with a big construction dumpster in front of it and saw the Disco ball, so I stopped and asked a worker if I could have it.

Score! Makes me happy looking at it. Brian attached it to one of the beams for me. "Stamp Disco" my house!

Its the little things...

I opened the fridge and saw this...and had to smile. Sawyer must have been in Lily's Barbie stuff. I loved how innocent it was to go and make sure it was in the fridge staying cold. Its the little
things that make life sweet.

What 15 minutes can do!

...Last year I heard about the "Flylady" in my MOPS group..and she said clean 15 Min's at a time..so I started setting the timer and I work on each room 15 Min's almost everyday. I usually call my sister and have her clean her house at the same time and we "race" for fun..I taught the kids to clean their rooms with a "15 minute room rescue". This morning I thought I'd post the before and after pics since I love looking at that kind of stuff in magazines! The timer usually went ding! while I was sweeping, or spraying off the Lanai, or vacuuming!
I swept,dusted,windexed the counters and put everyones stuff in their rooms..and after I clean my room,Im going to work on my craft space.which I will take pictures of too!

Before

















After

















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After















Before

After















Before















After















Now your turn! Take Pics!

My new Stampin Up site!

I'm so happy-I just got a Stampin Up website..and now you can order directly online! At any time! Ill be putting my cards up -and this is a great time of year!! Christmas is around the corner and we'll be making Christmas cards at my class. I have so much fun with my girls on Tuesday making cards,laughing and talking..
Check it out! http://valthecraftygal.stampinup.net

The new man in my life

Well its true, someone came into my life and I cant resist him! He arrived on Oct 4th and weighed in at 9.5...not tall,but dark and handsome!

I get to hold him in December and I cant wait!

My son & his wife had their first child..Ryan and because I live in the middle of the Pacific I have to wait till December to see him in person!

What I love to do..

I thought I'd post some of my creations..I used sand from Kailua beach here on Oahu..

Its Finally Here!

My very own blog! I read and search and admire blogs and I finally asked my friend Erin if she'd come over and help me create one! I cant wait to share all my crafty ideas and great finds,my family and have a place to share with my family and friends! Tonight i need to clean up my stamp space and work on some cards for a friend. I also am going to going on my Christmas projects.And then before I go to bed I will pray for all the serviceman who so faithfully protect and serve and pray for our country!