I hear the fireworks but can't see them

it is 24 below 0 and I have not got the courage to go outside to see the fireworks. But I hope you all have a great new year and that God truly blesses you.

Do you believe it is the last day of the year?

Wow, I just can't believe it is the end of the year. So much has happened this year and it seems like it just flew by (well most of the time.) I have been very busy the last week with the Christmas distribution at the Salvation Army here in the Mat-Su valley. We helped over 500 families and individuals with food and toys. We had 13 angel tree locations that Paul took good care of and then Jessica, my mom, and myself would catalog the gifts in and bag them for the families they were to go to. Jessica of course had the 2 weeks of work since the head start is closed for Christmas and New Years just like the public schools, so she was a big help.

I have been very busy scrapbooking also and have really enjoyed the time I have been a CT at the Scrapping Garden. A few of my newer LO's are below. I also have again participated in the color challenge by making a mini kit. Look at the bottom of the preview for the download link. Hope you enjoy it. Well I guess I better get this finished and get to bed as it is 3:00 AM, but before I go I just want to tell you all that it is a whopping minus 15 outside. Thank the good Lord for heaters that work. God bless you all and hope you have a happy new year.






Download the file here.

The final month of the year

Just seems like yesterday the year was starting and now it is winding down. Today was bitter cold here and when I was leaving my church (the Salvation Army) tonight, my car would not start. It turned over, but just would not catch. I had a new fuel pump and filter put in the middle of October and it has not worked great since then. Will have to get it towed to the shop in the morning and see what is going on. I just can't believe all the problems. It started just fine at home earlier today, ran just fine, with no issues and yet tonight it just wouldn't. Oh bother, and to top it off, Paul called and said the hospital was slow so they were putting him on call. Now that means that instead of over $18.00 an hour he only gets $4.50 an hour. That really hurts the pocket book. But I know that God will provide, just hope the car does not take a bunch of money cause I don't have it. Well, since I have to spend tomorrow doing things that I had not planned on, I guess I better get some work done tonight. God Bless and remember "JESUS IS THE REASON FOR THE SEASON", WITHOUT CHRIST THERE WOULD BE NO CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!

sometimes things are the pits

today is my birthday which should be a happy thing. However, I have been down with a seriously sore throat, high fever, and low energy since Sunday. Instead of going out for dinner I was brought some mashed potatoes and gravy at my request from Kentucky Fried Chicken. Even that is hard to swallow. My tonsils are definately swollen, mavbe swollen glands, strepped throat, or even tonsilitis, all of which require going to a doctor for some antibiotics. Of course I have no insurance and not much money so this would put a great strain on me. It seems that every year I think I am going to actually use birthday money for whatever, but it never happens. I need to go to the ER, but don't want to drive myself. well that is all, welcome to my world. ugh.

Can you believe it, October is gone.

It seems like the month of October slipped by,(ok only the second half really.) The month came with the disappointment of having to get a new hard drive in my computer. However, because I had taken an extended warranty plan out. I had to pay nothing for it, just that I was without my computer almost a week. When I got it back it was a brand new baby all over again. I am still trying to get an adapter to plug the old hard drive up to see if I can retrieve any of the files off.
I hope you had a good time at the Scrapping Garden Falloween celebration and was able to pick up all the freebies. I have a new mini kit made for the October color challenge there. Here is the preview of the kit.


Download it here.

November 1st is National Digital Scrapbooking Day here in the US and there are many places you can get freebies, do some fun challenges and even win some prizes. Make sure you check it out.

Just a reminder to set your clocks back and don't forget the 19th of November is my special day (my b-day). Have a great weekend.

The end is near

This is the last day to snag all the great things from the Scrapping Garden blog stroll, and don't forget to join us in the chat room at 9 PM EST for the festival. Hope you have enjoyed the freebies this week, be on the look out for other freebies later on. Thank you for stopping by. Sorry link has expired.

Sunday is here let us rejoice

Today is a busy day for me. At church this morning we are celebrating the youth groups called Girl Guards and Sunbeam. The girls will be in their uniforms and take part in the service. I hope to get some great photos.
Before I share my freebie link today, I want to share a LO of my favorite "kid," ok I know she is 21 now, but not in the photos here. I used Karen Wallaces kit "A New Life" which can be purchased at the Scrapping Garden here.



and now onto the freebie. This is day 6 and there is one more day of this blog stroll. Hope you have been enjoying these freebies and that you have checked out the other blogs that are particpating.
Day 6 can be downloaded sorry link has expired
Don't forget to visit these blogs for more blog stroll freebies. Join us Monday October 27th at 9 PM EST for the Fall-oween Festival Finale. It is sure to be lots of fun, lots of goodies, and a few surprises. Check out the informaion here.

Pammy
Cheryl
Pat
Marsha
Caz
Diann

wow can you believe it is day 5 already

Falloween seems to be just flying by. Today is day 5 and there are only 2 left. There are 3 opportunities for you to come, chat, and pick up some freebies today. 1PM EST is Falloween recipe crop, 3PM EST is a costume party, and 9PM EST is paper patch crop. Come and join in the fun at the scrapping garden.
My mom and aunt are doing a craft show this weekend and so I will be helping them some. My aunt makes these adorable oven towel dresses out of kitchen towels. They make nice decoration and or gifts. My mom has some crocheted items, some small craft things for the kids to buy, and jewelry that my grannie had made. I hope they do well.
The Salvation Army in Anchorage holds an annual Teddy Bear Tea. This is a major fund raising event for several of the programs in the area including the family transitional shelter, the rehabilitation from alcohol and drugs center, and the cares for kids program. Here is a LO I did showcasing just a few of the over 200 bears that are dressed and auctioned off both in a silent and a live auction.

And now onto the freebie for the day. You can download day 5 Sorry, link has expired.I hope you have been enjoying the freebies and don't forget to visit the other blogs for more gifts.

Pammy
Cheryl
Pat
Marsha
Caz
Diann

Can you believe it is day 4

Wow is it really the 24th of October already. Things are beginning to get busy for me. I belong to the Salvation Army and we are gearing up for Christmas distribution, kettles, bazaars, and many other things. There is still fun to be had over at the Scrapping Garden so don't miss out on it. You can get day 4 freebie sorry link has expired.

Here are the blogs participating in the blog stroll for Falloween, Visit each day to get your treats.

Pammy
Cheryl
Pat
Marsha
Caz
Diann

These links are only up for 24 hours so make sure you get your freegies and don't miss out on them. Also make sure you leave some love for each of them. See you tomorrow.

Day 3 Falloween Blog Stroll

well here we are on day 3. Seems like the time is just flying by. I hope you have enjoyed your stroll and look forward to coming the last 4 days as well. Hope you have stopped by the Scrapping Garden and joined in on some of the other fun.

There is still much fun to be had including the Candy Corn Hunt, a costume party on Saturday at 3 PM EST, and the festival finale on the 27th. Take a look at all the fun you could have.

Day 3 gift link has expired
Don't forget to stroll on over to the following blogs for more freebies. Have a great day and enjoy your "stroll".

Pammy
Cheryl
Pat
Marsha
Caz
Diann

So glad you have "stolled" back again for day 2

Welcome to day 2 of the Falloween blog stroll at the Scrapping Garden.
I hope you enjoy all the freebies you will get this week. Come and join me tonight in the chat room of the Scrapping Garden for Who's that hiding in the Pumpkin Patch. You can find out all about it here.

And don't forget to pick up todays blog stroll freebies sorry link has expired and at each of the participating blogs listed below.



Make sure you don't take to much time on your stroll though, because each link will only be available for 24 hours. Have fun.

Here are the blogs participating in the blog stroll for Falloween, Visit each day to get your treats.

Pammy
Cheryl
Pat
Marsha
Caz
Diann

And don't forget to come and join us for the Falloween celebration with games, crops, challenges, and prizes at The Scrapping Garden. Find out all about it here.

The Scrapping Garden Falloween Blog Stroll begins today

I am so excited and nervous all at the same time. I have joined in a new adventure. During the days of the Scrapping Garden Falloween celebration, October 21 to 27, you will find freebies on this blog and others. We are calling this a blog stroll. I can't think of anything bettter than a stroll out in the crisp fall air with the trees all yellow, orange, and red. I must admit though, we have already had snow here, but still it is nice. So, take a stroll with the Scrapping Garden among our blogs and get some great freebies. Here is a preview of what you will have gathered up if you stroll here each day of the Falloween celebration.


Make sure you don't take to much time on your stroll though, because each link will only be available for 24 hours. Have fun.

Day 1 is sorry link has expired

Here are the blogs participating in the blog stroll for Falloween, Visit each day to get your treats.

Pammy
Cheryl
Pat
Marsha
Caz
Diann

And don't forget to come and join us for the Falloween celebration with games, crops, challenges, and prizes at The Scrapping Garden. Find out all about it here.

Boo Hoo Cry Cry

Ok, now that I have your attention let me explain. I have had computer issues again. This time it is the hard drive. It was going bad and so they replaced it. The good news is I had a service contract that covered it. The bad news is that means it is like a new computer off the shelf. All the programs and things I had on there are now gone and I have to reload them all. UGH. I do have some backups and they will try to backup the hard drive before giving it back to me, but of course there is no guarantee. In the meantime all the stuff I need to get done is not getting done. For now I am using my daughter's laptop to post this message. I just hope that I can get all the programs back that I had paid for. Some of them were sent to an email address I don't have any more and since the hard drive will be cleaned I don't know if I can access them in outlook express. On another note, I have been busy scrapbooking. We are starting an 8 week World Services push at church in Sunday School. We are going to "travel" to 8 different countries where there are officers serving from the Salvation Army western USA territory. These will include Kenya, Spain, Estonia, Switzerland, New Zealand, Costa Rica, Mexico, and Zambia. I hope to raise an awareness of the needs in these countries as we raise funds to help in the Salvation Army work around the world.
Praise the Lord my daughter has a full time job now. She is really enjoying it. She is working as an aide in preschool (head start). The job came about in a funny way and just goes to show that God has a sense of humor. Fall time only lasted a few weeks it has started to snow in Anchorage and I am sure it will be in the valley soon. Better get going, have a great day and God bless you

scrapping garden color challenge Aug 08

I went overboard on the kit this month for the color challenge. I found some real neat tutorials in a group I belong to called digitalscrapclass. Some of the things here I even drew myself after looking at something else. I did the sheep and the glass dragonfly on my own. Hope you enjoy this kit. Please leave some love if you download it and maybe a link to a LO if you use it would be nice. Hope you enjoy it.

You can download the papers
download elements

VBS and other stuff

We had our VBS August 4-8 on the Custom Garage theme. The subject was love God, serve others. We had a great time and the kids enjoyed it. There favorite snack for the week was the cars made out of twinkies and oreos. The games were fun even though they only got to go outside one day due to rain. Hope you enjoy the LO's, they are done with Lise Lotte Sunesen's kit called Back to School
It is nice to have Jessica back home, she spent 7 weeks in the Northwest division traveling on their VBS team. She had a great time, but I really missed her. Bill and Grace Bearchell are up visiting in Alaska and staying for a few days at my mom's. Paul is working night shift right now, so at least 3 nights a week he is gone, and sleeps during the day. Kind of hard sometimes to have any time together, but he does not work on Saturdays or Sundays so that is good.
Guess I better get busy on some more scrapbooking. Check out my gallery here.

scrapping garden color challenge kit

Here is my mini kit I designed for this months challenge. I call it Summer Jewels. I have been learning all sorts of neat design tips and the most fun and easy one is how to use scripts. If you want to get some head over to scrapping garden and check out Lise Lotte Sunesen's store. She has some fabulous ones and oh so easy. Hope you enjoy it and leave a little love here or at scrapping garden if you download it. Anyway, you can download this kit at the following links.
Paper
elements

I can't believe a month has past by

wow I did not realize that it had been a whole month since my last post. So much has happened since then. Let me start with the Salvation Army Western Bible conference. It was absolutely fabulous. The speakers were down to earth and inspiring. I enjoyed every minute of it. The next one being planned is in 2010 and I would recommend everyone to think about attending. The conference was held at Asilomar near Monterey California. We got to go to the beach which is one of my absolute favorite places to be. I love to hear the ocean come into shore. It was a great time and I am so blessed that I got to share it with my husband, mom, aunt Floy, aunt Dora, aunt Judy, and uncle Doug. Commissioner Gaither really challenged us to get out there and live our Christianity out loud and Bill Ury brought the book of Mark alive like I have never heard before.
This past weekend was our diviaional Family Bible camp held here in Wasilla at King's Lake, (the Alaska division Salvation Army camp.) Our special guest was long time friend Major Kelly Pontsler. The theme was come join our Army and even though I have been in the Salvation Army all my life, it was interesting and fun. I especially enjoyed the Salvation Army DNA and "are you smarter than a Junior Soldier" My sister, mom, and I did a workshop on Salvation Army Heritage. We split it in 3 segments. I did the part of the Salvation Army in Alaska, June did the Salvation Army in general, and we each did a little about our own heritage in the Salvation Army.
Now on to my scrapbooking. I have to say that one of my LO's done with all sorts of animals is actually a testimony of God's greatness. Recently it had been said that many times we pray but do not act like we believe God will give us what we are asking. My aunts and mom had been telling me all about the animals they had seen on the trip down to California and I wanted to see the animals also. I kept complaining about not seeing any and asking God to let me. But it was not until I acutally took my camera out of the bag and set it on the dashboard that I began to see them. You see, I had to act like I believed God would give me what I wanted. Here is the 2 page LO I did of the animals I saw on my trip home.

I can't believe it, I won team best second month in a row

Wow I am in awe. I have won team best at the scrapping garden two months in a row. I am so honored and yet humbled. I could never have done it though without the awesome designers there. I am just so excited. Here is the winning LO for this month.


The LO is a tribute to my dad, whom really was a super dad as it says on the page. I used the kit "Super Dad" by April Sevigny and froggypond designs aka Marsha. If you are into digital scrapbooking or if you want to see what it is all about take a look at scrapping garden. You won't be disappointed.

my first LO as a creative team member at the scrapping garden

Well here it is, my first LO done as a CT member for the scrapping garden. I used a beautiful kit called "Sealed with Love" by Lynn Griffin

and I have enjoyed working with it. The template I used is one I made, leave a comment if you want the template. Hope you will go over to the scrapping garden and check out this awesome kit along with all the other kits there, check out a challenge or two whilie your there.

woo hoo I am so excited

I along with 10 others has just been chosen to be on the creative team for the scrapping garden. I am so excited and a little bit nervous at the same time. It is going to be challenging and fun and I can't wait to get started. Also I have designed a mini kit for the color challenge at scrapping garden, subtle as spring. Check out the challenge here


you can download it here
hope you enjoy it, come on over to the scrapping garden and check out all the challenges and fun.

I can't believe it is June already.

My the time is slipping away. So much has happened recently and I think I forgot all about this blog. My mom had a freind visit for the month of May and so we went to Seward and also Talkeetna. The day we went to Talkeetna was such an awesome day. Mount McKinley was absolutely gorgeous and clear. For those of you who do not know, Mt. McKinley is the tallest peak in North America. We also saw sheep on the hillside on our way to Seward, as well as some moose. I really do live in the most beautiful place in the world.
I am so excited because I was voted as the team best LO in the scrapping garden for May. I really have not gotten alot of pages done recently with all the visitors and such. Also been working on a sermon for this Sunday as our officers are on vacation. Jessica will be traveling to Washington on the 15th to be on the divisional VBS team there. Paul and I are both attending the Western Bible Conference at the end of this month. It will be a nice time together. He is flying home and I am driving with my mom back home. Then it will be time for camps here and VBS in August. Here is the LO that won team best. Thank you to all who voted for me.

my baby is turning 21

My daughter is turning 21 on Saturday April 26th. I can't believe it. It seems like only yesterday I was holding her in my arms completely ecstatic over a newborn adorable baby girl. The time has gone by quickly. I am very blessed that my daughter has stayed faithful to the Lord Jesus and the church. She is a wonderful caring young lady and that is hard to find among many at her age. I praise the Lord for her everyday. I have been busy scrapping digitally and want to share some recent LO's, one is a gift for my daughter for her birthday. It is photos of each of her first 20 birthdays and then a recent one. The template used is by C Schnieder at sweet shoppe, The kit is "Love is a Journey" by Lise Lotte Sunesen.

I have also been busy doing some heritage LO's. I have really enjoyed scanning old photos of my family and have done several LO's. This one I am sharing is of my dad in his early years. The template is by Jen Maceyunas at scrap outside the box. The kit I am using is by a new designer who has done an awesome job. It is called "Grandma's House" by April Sevigny. It is a huge kit and she has it divided into 2 element and 1 paper kits.


I hope you enjoy these. I will try and post a little more often. You are always welcome to check out my latest LO's in my gallery at the scrappinggarden here
Have a great day and remember God is in control.

guest blogger this week

I am the guest blogger at the scrapping garden this weeek, come and check it out here

Check out my Slide Show!

It's March already!!!

I can't believe how fast this year is going. It seems like only yesterday we were setting of fireworks and waiting for the magic stroke of midnight. So many things have been happening and it is sometimes hard to keep up with. We are doing fine here in Alaska, our corps is getting very excited about building a new corps. Currently, we have no classrooms, which really inhibit young families from coming. We have very little space for storage, and the current building really is not in a good location anymore. A majority of our active members live at least 10 miles away here in Wasilla and so we are planning on building on camp grounds. It will be great.
I am actively learning scrapbooking on the computer and a little about designing kits for digital scrapbooking. This in turn is great information in designing Salvation Army stuff. I am also doing our Sunday School Iditarod contest which we started in February and will conclude the end of this month. We have been having a great time and everyone seems to be enjoying it as well as and most important really, they have been responding to the lessons learned about their faith. Even got some learning Bible verses each week.
I have been working on several Layouts and will be sharing just a few hear today. Check out the slide show for more of my work, hope you enjoy these. thanks for reading my blog. Credits for LO: Pat Hall kit "Tyler", template from gottapixel challenge.

outside my comfort zone

ok, I have done it, I have been working on learning to design and I know that I am not that good, but one of the challenges at the scrapping garden for Feb 08 was to use the color swatch for a LO or mini kit. I chose the later. The preview is above. To download this humble beginnings, ( I have much to learn), click here

It's the 5th of February all ready

Ok, who is moving the time so quickly. Seems like only yesterday it was Christmas. The year seems to be going so quickly. Many things has been taking place and boy I hope it slows down. My husband is working out near our home now at the local hospital so that is good, he has been getting called in alot this week so is getting tired. But it will be nice if we can get a little ahead since he was off the whole month of December. My daughter finally got a job, started on the 24th of January. She worked full time the week of Jan. 28 to February 2 and then the morning of the 3rd the day care where she works caught on fire. It didn't destroy it but there was a lot of damage and so for the time being she is not working again. My team lost the Super Bowl and Jessica sprained her ankle playing with some kids after the game at church. The wind is blowing outside but it is warmer than it has been of course it is only feeling like 3 degrees, (last few days got to 20 below without wind). All in all, God is in control and I praise Him no matter what is going on. I know His ways are perfect and He will never leave me. Have another LO to share. This one is my wonderful husband, being his usual silly self (gotta love that). I used the kit called About a Man

the snow is falling, I am cozy and warm

we have gotten quite a bit of snow in the last 24 hours and it finally looks like winter. My daughter started her new job yesterday and I am so happy, the only problem is I have to drive her to work and then go back and pick her up excet 2 days a week. It is 11 miles away so that is going to be a little difficult. But at least she is finally working and going to be able to save some money. I have the privilage of being a CT for Pat Hall and Lise Lotte Sunesen. The LO's posted today are from Pat's new kit called True Love and Lise's kit called grandma's flowers. I hope you enjoy them.

Wedding Song

I did a new LO with my wedding photo and the song that my grandparents sang at my wedding. The beautiful kit I used is called "February Song" and will be a free bonus with a one time $10.00 purchase during February at scrappinggarden.com. The kit is by Pat Hall and she also has out an expanded kit called "True Love" which you can find Here http://scrappinggarden.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1812

Snow is falling, friends are calling

Today it is finally snowing. It has been very cold the last few days, down to 20 below zero. I am glad today is one of my stay at home work on computer days. This weekend is our women's ministry retreat so I will be away from the computer for 2 days, yikes. I know we will have fun though and lots of pictures. Saturday night we are having dinner at the Anchorage Korean Corps (Salvation Army) and that will be fun not to mention great food. My most recent LO is made with Pat Hall's kit entitled "Cold" you can find it at scrappinggarden.com

Check out my Slide Show!

getting with the program

I decided that if I was going to have this blog, I better get with it. I just wanted to tell you a little about myself. I have been married for 22+ years to the love of my life. My daughter turns 21 this year, and we live in the most beautiful of all the 50 United States which is Alaska. I have belonged to the Salvation Army all my life, it is my place of worship to God and service to man. I currently am a Sunday School teacher, the women's ministry leader, and the girl guard leader which is a character building program for jr and sr high school girls. I love the computer which is why I am addicted to digital scrapbooking although I do hybrid or paper scrapping as well. I love to read Christian books, I have several favorites some of which are John Ortberg and Cathy Lechner. I love to sing and get a chance in church often, (solos that is). I also love to take photos which would explain the scrapbooking. I love to cook and do crafts. I am truly blessed each day by the Lord Jesus and am so thankful for His love for me. Well, I guess that is a good introduction. I will try to be more active.