Building Card Stash, Radio and Feeling Better

I spent some of the weekend working on my birthday card stash! Jim got home from his big radio tour up North! BRRRRRRR................it is frigid up there! He toured through Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Illinois! He was gone 7 days and we were soooo happy to have him back home. I snuck in a much needed nap and woke up to coffee and crawled up on the couch. (happy face here) We really missed him. The kiddos made welcome home signs and hung them on the door! He had a surprise for me too. I wanted the cutie pie table and chairs from IKEA for the playroom. Yeah!!!!! He said the IKEA store was unbelievable! Unfortunately, I have never been inside of one. (sad face) The kids enjoyed putting the table and chairs together.

Jim's song, Start All Over, has made it's way into the top 40 within the first 1 1/2 weeks. WOOOOHOOOO! Honey I am so proud of you! As soon as we get copies of the album, I'm going to be giving away some yummy blog candy! :D :D :D So keep posted! It shouldn't be long, hopefully next week. Since his first concert is Feb. 10 we need them ASAP!

Now, for the cards I made. I hope you like them!

Baby Kathryn has been sick, but feeling so much better now! :D

Julie and I are off for a GNO to the movie and dinner!!! WOOOOHOOOO! I'm ready! :D

Sweet Treats

I purchased some yummy treats at Target. They are by Archer Farms, almond toffee crunch chocolate covered pretzels. They are individually wrapped so I thought they would make for a super sweet treat for Valentine's Day! I have some special people I want to make these for. I made a box shaped vase out of cardstock paper and put them inside! I think it worked perfectly!

supplies

cardstock from paper studio

stripes from paper studio

hugs and kisses ribbon from Michaels

pink shimmer ribbon from American Crafts

Marvy giga oval scallop punch

Marvy mega oval punch

Love stamp from Papertrey Ink's mixed messages

Heart stamp from Love, Elsie's Jack and Abby

Oh I LOVE this holiday! What a wonderful time to celebrate LOVE!

New Elzybells are HERE!

I LOVE these stamps. The figures are simply adorable! They have such a sweet and tender look about them. I have not purchased any before, but got to use Julie's and fell in love! Now, to decide which ones I want!!! You can click here for inspiration from Elzybell's Blog.

I'm off to figure out which ones to buy!!! Weehooo!!!!!! Then I'm off for a day at the mall, Target and Bed, Bath and Beyond!!!

Happy Day! :D

When God Speaks

I wanted to share my morning devotional with you. Several months before Kathryn was born, I was reading my daily email devotional from Christian Women Today. This particular day was about the need to change. It described how we spend so much time asking God to change others in our lives, we often forget to ask Him to change us. So, from that moment on, it struck me and struck me hard. I needed God to change ME, Beth and He would take care of the rest. I would say that from that moment on, I began to ask God to change me, make me the woman, daughter, friend, sister, wife, mother, etc. that He needed me to be so I could be an obedient disciple for His kingdom. I would say that prayer has been going on for a good 7 months now. I have slowly watched Him transform me and the complacent christian I had become. I was like a robot. But, now My heart has an incredible urge to be more like Him, unlike ever before. And it has nothing to do with me. It's all God! He has changed me and made me much more aware of the importance of me living in His word. I am, by no means, where I need to be, but I'm working on it and He is working on me too! :D Which reminds me of the song my husband wrote, Everything Changes, (song #3 on his playbar).

When I opened up my devotional from, Jesus, 90 days with the One and Only by Beth Moore, today I turned to the wrong verse in the Bible. I was ahead several chapters. I read from Mark 4: 1-25 I was so humbled by God's power at that moment. Not only had I read the wrong verse, but KNOW that He sent me there. It spoke of our inability to listen to Him and hear Him if we are not FULLY prepared to hear His word. Which reminds me of Julie's post about how she wanted the Lord to dig deep into her heart and penetrate all areas of it with His Loving Word. When I read her blog that day, I knew that I needed to work on that in my life, as well. And today the Lord shared that with me. The verses that stick out the most are Mark 4:24-25; "Consider carefully what you hear, " he continued. "With the measure you use, it will be measured to you - and even more. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him." This simply tells us that we must be prepared fully to hear what God wants us to hear, if we are not, He cannot speak completely to us. We must come to Him with an open, desiring heart for His word and ALL that it means, whether it's what we want to hear or not! As we obey Him, he will sharpen our vision and increase our understanding. (this was taken from my Life Application Bible) How beautiful that God wants to tell us everything and guide our lives completely, if we will just submit and be willing to live as He wants us to.

What about you? Do you find yourself asking God to change others in your life or path? Do you need to ask God to change you, like I did? I can tell you that it's amazing how much easier life can become if we just allow God to change us.

Has God worked wonder in your life you want to share? Please post below and share your story! I'd love to hear from each of you.

Have a blessed day!
Seek His Face and His Truth in all that you do!

Love Banner

Valentine's is one of my most favorite holidays! I absolutely love and look so forward to it. It's such a wonderful time to celebrate love, think about love, share with those you love, tell those you love how you feel, spoil those you love................love love love love.

My birthday is on the 5th of February, too. So, that might be another reason why I love this month. he he he :D

Seriously, though..............I finally got into my craft area and created this! My children love all holidays and all the decorations, so what a great excuse to create something with my hands for the family to enjoy!

I hung this banner from my mantle.

Supplies

red cardstock

basic grey dasher paper from doodliedoo

basic grey blush collection from doodliedoo

red eyelets from making memories

Hugs and Kisses ribbon from Hobby Lobby

straw ribbon from Wal Mart

red glitter

I printed my heart from Photoshop

What do you LOVE about Valentine's?

Doodliedoo Does It Best! :D

*WINK* to my dear friend Julie Brooks! I got my hands on some of her "alter it" products from Doodliedoo and created some Christmas gifts that made my family pretty excited! :D I used Julie's ideas and I think they turned out rather well! Thanks Julie for your inspiration and encouragement! I love you and your family! I have some of her card files waiting anxiously on me in my half craft room half laundry room. (ill share some pics of it later when it's presentable) HA Maybe one day I'll have that craft room I've always dreamed of.

Hope these vertical albums inspire you today! Be sure and check out Julie's store.

BEFORE VIEWING: remember I am new to Blogging. LOL!!!! I will do better with my photos in the future and I will always make note of exactly what products were used. ;D Please bare with me.

I would love to see any of your alterations you have made with Julie's products.

How Delicious Does This Look?

I just came across this recipe in my email thatI get from Bright Ideas. I think it will make for a delicious Valentine treat! Can't wait to get my hands on this recipe!

If you try it, please let me know how they turn out for you!!!

YUMALICIOUS!!!! :D :D :D

TAKE NOTE

I put together some little personalized notepads and boy were they easy!




I gave these to Audrey's teachers and even to my mom and sister!

supplies

cardstock from Michaels

notepads and ribbon from the $1 bins at Michaels

monogram stamps and borders and corners stamps from Papertrey Ink

stazon ink Jet Black

decorative brads from Michaels

Me and My Family

I have been so blessed to stay at home with my children. I cannot imagine what I would rather be doing more. My mom has always reminded me that I have the rest of my life to work and that I will never get these years back.............. So, I have chosen to stay at home as long as it continues to be manageable. :D God has truly blessed me!

I taught 4th grade for 3 years, which I cherish those memories so much. I thoroughly enjoy young children. It was such a pleasure to have that time with those kids. I pray that I made a difference in their life. I loved them as if they were my own. :D Teaching school is an awesome job!

I married my INCREDIBLE husband in the summer of 1997. We dated in college for a little over a year before we tied the knot. **WINK** I fell in love with his beautiful smile and oh so sensitive heart. He is an amazing man. He loves the Lord and has chosen to share his voice as a ministry! I support him 100% and believe in him wholeheartedly! You can visit his website Jim Murphy for more info. His latest album is set to release Feb 12. Check it out, I think you will be pleasantly surprised. **insert proud smile here**

Audrey is 7 and our first child. She definitely possesses traits of a first child. She is so independent, stubborn, a perfectionist, smart, hardworking, funny and beautiful. She is such a joy to us and has been since the day she was born. She is in the 2nd grade!

Alex is 4 and our 2nd born. WOW! What a little man! He is a very physical child. He loves to be going and doing and has always been that way. He loves ALL sports! He is outgoing, silly, sweet spirited, smart and handsome! He brought additional joy to our lives the day he was born! He is in preschool.

Baby Kathryn is 3 months old and what an amazing blessing she has been. She is such a precious gift to us all. Audrey and Alex adore her so much and are the best big brother and sister ever! Audrey helps me out so much and Alex makes sure she gets plenty of attention with hugs and kisses at any given time of the day! **insert happy heart here** She is full of so much life and joy. She is smiling and talking all of the time now. I can't wait to see what her little personality will bring out!

Take a moment and reflect on your family and what each one offers. Isn't it neat how each of us have traits that make our family complete? My heart warms so much when I think of the awesome individuality of each of my family members. :D

I will begin posting my paper creations soon! I love getting my hands on paper and making new things!!!

New to Blogging and Lots of New Year's Resolutions

I've finally joined the blogging world! Please be patient with me as I embark on this "oh so technical" world. I love it and am truly excited about being here. What better time to start than the New Year! I have to say that my dear friend, Julie Brooks, is the one who has gotten me here!

I am happily married to a wonderful Christian man! He is my best friend, encourager and the precious father of our dear children. I love him with all my heart and thank God everyday for allowing us to spend our lives together. :D We have 3 beautiful children; Audrey, 7; Alex 4; Kathryn 3 months. I will share pictures soon!

I hope that I can encourage and inspire those that visit my new "internet" home. I have found so much encouragement from so many of you.

As for my New Year's Resolutions, I am going to work at eating healthier and working to get this baby weight off. I plan to spend more time with Jesus daily. I am going to work at managing my time more efficiently. That is so important with 3 children. HA

Scrapbook, Scrapbook, Scrapbook more!!!!! :D I must set time aside to get pages completed. I love to create cards and THANKS to Julie I have joined the stamping world. I have purchased some fine products from PaperTrey Ink and enjoy all that Nicole and her crew have created. Her stamps are so luxurious. I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE them!!! Thanks Nicole for the wonderful products you offer. I look forward to purchasing January's release soon! Valentine's Day is probably one of my most favorite holidays!!! :D

Until Next time.............
Have a wonderful day! God Bless You!!! :D