Gabby's Dedication

we dedicate you sweet baby, sweet girl of ours, to our Lord. we put your life in His hands, we know you are not our child but His. we know you are a gift and we are only but the hands that God will use to draw you to Him. may we honor Him in all we do to raise you. may we find ways to sharpen and grow your gifts and help you through the struggles and rejoice in your blessings. may we teach you to rely on your maker, rest in your savior and trust your Lord. thank you Gabrielle Esther for being our blessing #5.






May you have a strong love for family, a strong courage to walk through your fears, and a strong faith that will see you through all seasons of your life, like Queen Esther. After being on bedrest with you for so many months I prayed this prayer for you and chose Esther for your middle name knowing God had sent you to us to remind us to trust Him in all circumstances. You are a miracle!

1 Paper, 3 large circles, 3 pages I love

Recipe for a few great pages....

~1 beautiful scrapbook kit- check out this beautiful November kit by JuJu Bees Scrapbooking


~a few extra papers and embellishments from my stash

~a handful of gorgeous photos taken by Lindsey Peterson (why i bought the kit to begin with... check out her blog here... she a beautiful woman traveling life full of purpose and faith... i am blessed to call her my friend... not to mention she is a beautiful photographer...

~a curvy cutter


i took the beautiful BoBunny brown cardstock that was in the scrapbook kit and knew right away that i wanted to use the color and texture on several pages, so i decided i would cut circles and rings from the one sheet so i could use it over and over... first i cut the center circle, then i cut rings out of the paper that was still taped down to my glass mat. what i ended up with was three pages i really love and the brown rings added the perfect touch to the last two pages.

here i hand sewed the smallest center circle onto this page...




here i placed the medium circle ring around the photos and hand sewed it onto the page....








and here i distressed and placed the largest circle ring around another circle i had cut out of different paper...




why did i pull this kit out to begin with? i had hosted a mini challenge in January over at Willow Traders to "Use a Kit". this is the lovely kit i chose, one of only a few i was able to buy last year and i really am so glad i did. this kit created some of my favorite pages ever!

here was one of the other pages had made with this kit.....


thanks for stopping by..... i am so thankful for my followers....

Scrapbook Sussies February Kit

Here is the beautiful February Sussies Kit again... i wanted to make sure you knew that you can still buy this beautiful kit and still get in on the "Year of the Sussies" deal if you sign up now and buy a previous kit. i have had so much fun playing with this beautiful kit!


i have shown you some of what i have created this month, but here are a couple more pages....

a little rain must fall.... this is sometimes the greatest gift we are given- the rain- so that we might know how good the sunshine really is...


and me just being who i am.... mama


cut out, layer, distress, sew, love it


here is where you can find all the designers' work- really fun stuff this month!!!
i owe you just a bit more on Wednesday :)

as a side note i am posting on my 365 blog today.....

what do you really want in life????

today i was struck by that thought. what do i desire? what do i really want? what steps am i will to do to accomplish those things?

in the last week i have made 5 decisions that i feel will help me to achieve some of those goals and make a lasting impact not only in my life, but in the lives of those around me.

i am committing to morning devotions. this is a HUGE task for me to make myself get up and focus before my children are up, but the pay off is huge. i need to be spiritually healthy.

i joined weight watchers. i am going to my first meeting next week. i feel tired and uncomfortable and this will help me start a new path of health. i can't just set it aside, so i need to change it. now. i need to be physically healthy.

i will use my treadmill each week day. i will also buy a bathing suit for the pool and i will wear it to swim with my family.

i will find time for me that is fun and uplifting, but does not take time from my family or children that is needed.

i will surround myself with those who share my journey for encouragement and support.

oh and i will forgive myself when i mess it up :)

the reasons.....

i thought i might have done better to start my home school Wednesday posts with this thought. to really lay it out there. i don't have any hesitations in sharing what i believe and what i believe God has called me to do. i home school for Him. i didn't start out that way. i actually felt i wasn't good enough or that i would fail my children in some way. i felt that someone else could offer them more than i could. i believed lies for a long time and then God revealed the truth to me and that has set me free. i home school my children for these reasons....

number 1. i am their mommy. i know them more than anyone else. who can give them more, who could want to see them grow and learn and live more than me? only the One who created them.

number 2. i have tried other ways and right now this really is the best fit for our family at this time. that could change. there really is no right way, no one solution to this education process, but in my heart this is what is best for us as a family right now, what is best for each of my children. i love that i can offer this to them right now.

number 3. my dream was to be a teacher from the time i was 8 years old and God has gifted me that very opportunity. why would i not receive that gift and treasure it with my whole heart? :)

number 4. my most important reason for home schooling right now is for protecting my little plants from the harsh elements of this life. each of my children are still but seedlings and i feel the need to keep them safe and protected until they are ready to endure the storms of this world with all of the tools and guidance i can fill them with at this young delicate age. i can't wait to set them free someday and see that all of this work and love and endurance on our part has given them wings to fly in this big world, to not just fly but to soar.

right now i am just praying that even in the chaos of each home school day i will keep these truths close to my heart and remember what true joy is. what true joy my life really is as a young busy home school mom.

next week i want to show how my creativity and home schooling go hand in hand as i share about homemade flash cards and lap books :)

One Year, Two Pages

Recipe for One Year on Two Pages

ingredients:
~this VERY yummy Scrapbook Sussies February Kit (do you know you can buy this fun playful kit??? and if you do Lara will still offer you the YEAR OF THE SUSSIE deal if you buy one previous kit, as well!! yay!!)


~one dozen flexible badge holders. you can find these for a few dollars at Walmart, but if you leave a post here i will also draw for a winner over the weekend to receive one set that have here :D

~some Crate stickers and papers from my stash and the Crate chipboard from the Scrapbook Sussies February add on.

Directions:

the first thing you need to do is cut the top of your holders off with your paper trimmer, as seen below.


next you will spread your holders across your page any way you wish and staple the sewn edge to the paper. then place one number on each badge holder for each month. i ran out of "1"s, but found that cutting down the "T"s worked perfectly to make the number 11.


add photos, embellishments and journaling and you are finished.
here is my finished page with some close ups.








here is a close up of one of the pockets contents... the pockets can easily fit up to 4 photos/cards each :)


i hope some of you will use this fun idea to enjoy a years' worth of photos on one sweet layout~~

Ever wish you were a scrapbook designer?

Little Red Scrapbook is having a Guest Design Team Member contest and you could be exactly what we are looking for!
here is some of the info

We are looking for a March Guest Designer. Do you love to scrapbook and do you have a blog or an online gallery, if you do, then all you need to do is complete the following challenge and upload your layout to our LRS 2010 March GDT Gallery, then our Design Team, Rachel and I will choose one lucky person to be our Guest Designer for March.

March GDT Contest:

Create one layout about a special love of your life, or about a special friendship you have with someone. Upload the page in our members gallery on the message board.

March GDT Rules:

Deadline: February 20, 2010 midnight your time

Requirements: If chosen as GDT for March you will receive one complimentary LRS March kit. You will be required to create 4 layouts and 2 altered projects with the kit to be completed by a specified date. You will also be asked to introduce yourself on the board and be an active member on the board through the month of March.

i hope many of you will join the message boards and give this contest a try! we all would love to see a variety of styles and designs and make some new friends, too! LRS is such a friendly group of women who all care about each other and scrapbooking :)

wondering what a LRS kit has for goodies???? look at the peek for February....

here is a peek at the main kit....


and here is a peek at the beautiful add on...


give it a try... it could be your chance to shine :)