For the Art of it ...

Hello Single Life ...

Later a really long day at work and a quick trip to the gym only to find out that my class had been cancelled due to the instructor being ill, I decided to pick up the phone and text a few friends to see if anyone was interested in attending this evening's Single Life event at Big Valley Grace.

After a few back and forth texting and a quick dash home to change my clothes, Leslie and I met up to attend the event and boy am I glad that I went.  The music and storytelling by Fernando Ortega was amazing!  Just listening to him opened up my soul and brought contentment into my day. 

  

The message for this evening's event was delivered by Eric Heard who is the Pastor of Small Groups and Spiritual Growth at Mariners Church in Irvine, CA.  His topic was the 7 myths associated with singleness and it was really eye opening to hear him talk about some of the most influential people in the Bible being single.  He was also a great storyteller and had us all in stitches with his antidotes.

But the best part of the evening was getting over my fear of attending a singles event at the church.  I had a lot of preconceived notions about who would attend and what it would be like and I was more than pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed myself.  I will definitely be going to other events in the future!!

Me, Myself and Lies

 

 

I just got back from the last night of Me, Myself and Lies Bible Study and girls ... it was awesome! Through this study my ears have truly been open to hearing all of the lies that I have been telling myself as part of my daily mediation.  Can't believe how much I feel I have changed due to this study!

Since it was a potluck, I took a favorite family recipe ... Firecrackers!  And the ladies were a loving them ... forgot to take a picture before serving and needless to say with 100+ women at the potluck ... there wasn't any of them left, but here is the recipe: 

• 1 box (16 Oz. Box) Saltine White Or Wheat Crackers 
• 1 package Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix 
• 1 1/2 cups of canola oil 
• 2 t garlic powder 
• 1 t cayenne pepper 
• 2 T Red Pepper Flakes 

To prepare: Open box of saltines. Line them up in rows in a 9×13 Tupperware or Rubbermaid container. Whisk all remaining ingredients together in a bowl and pour evenly over crackers. Cover tightly with the lid and flip. Do this for half an hour, flipping every 5 minutes. Open and serve immediately or store in the same container covered for up to a week. Serve them with cheese, chilis, soups, or even brie.

One Amazing Weekend

Well, it was a quick but wonderfully amazing weekend in Bakersfield!  Beth Moore outdid herself as she spoke about Obtaining Our Hearts Desires (Psalm 37).  More than some of her points touched me deeply and I have been doing some journaling and soul searching trying to figure out my hearts desire ... or at least writing down those desires that only me and maybe a couple of really close friends or family members know about.  Something about putting them on paper really has me reflecting on what I want out of this life ... anyone else know what I am taking about???

De'Anna and I ended up having lunch with Teresa on Saturday and boy was it a blast!  Hey Teresa!!  We got caught up on each others lives, gathered advice from each other, point at each other's sore points and really enjoyed each other's company.  I miss spending time with them both!

I signed up for a class that is truly outside my comfort zone ... painting with acrylics for art journaling.  Those of you that know me or at least read my blog can probably tell that I am a fairly linear scrapbooker ... I don't do a page without the use of a t-square ruler ... that is just the way I roll. If painting anything is mildly uncomfortable, then learning a process that involves layering paint with different techniques is downright going to break down all of my boundaries or leave me with a great big box of supplies that I will be shipping off to one of you ... only time will tell!

I am sitting here waiting for one of my "layers" to dry so that I can finish up the page this evening, but since it is midnight I just might have to stop and pick it up again tomorrow.  Once I complete my first painting I will be sure and post it here to the blog so that you can all see my new "skill" and I do use that term very loosely.

So, back to painting ...

Heading to Bakersfield

I am heading down to Bakersfield tomorrow afternoon to see my good friend De'Anna or as some of you know her as De'Mario.  We have a fun filled weekend planned and I can't wait to get it started!

The big event that is taking me to Bakersfield is a Living Proof Live stimulcast with Beth Moore and De'Anna home church is one of the manyh host churchs for the event. The topic for the weekend is Coming Home to the Heart of Our Desires from Psalm 37 and I know that Beth will cover the topic in an amazing manner.  Can't wait!

After this event I am sure that we will have several ways to amuse ourselves like shopping for scrapbooking supplies, possibly meeting up with our friend ... Teresa if she decides to be social, and talking to the wee hours of the morning about everything that is going on in our lives since the last time we saw each other.  Can't wait!

Since I told you I would take a picture of my new, blonder hair ... so here is a quick picture that I snapped this morning before I headed out the door to work.  I was so excited to take the picture because I used my new remote control with my new camera ... cool!

 

3 Card Monte ...

I spent a little time in the studio today picking up my mini album mess and decided to make a few cards before relegating the bits and pieces of paper into the scrap pile.  So, here are the cards that were made:

I also made a quick trip to Beverly's before church as I have been in the mood to do a little sewing ... thinking maybe a cover for my Italy trip album, but I didn't find anything that just made my heart skip a beat.  So, I felt the store empty handed even though I really wanted to pick up the new June Bug collection by Basic Grey.

Church tonight was powerful as three couples got up and talked about the diagnosis of cancer in their family and the role that God is playing in their lives.  After their testimonies, Rick invited everyone in the audience that was in the battle with cancer to come forward for the elders, pastors as well as their spouses to pray over them.  During this time, everyone in the audience was lifting up prayers for these individuals as well.

This service was a difficult one for me as I have lost my father, an aunt and two of my grandparents to various forms of cancer in the last five years.  However, it was also a good one to hear as it gave me a good amount of peace.

Another mini album ...

I decided to make a mini-album / journal for both my Mother and sister (Mary Jon) for our upcoming Italy trip.  I don't want to have to capture their thoughts in my journal ... tee hee! 

I will complete the album tomorrow and will be sure to post it.

I got a late start today as I slept in until almost 1 p.m.  Guess it was my body's way of telling me to slow down, huh?  After I finally dragged myself out of bed, I rolled a lot of change.  Can you believe that my pocket change from the past year added up to more than $500?  I was shocked ...  needless to say it is going into my bank account on Monday so that I can purchase something fabulously lavish (without any guilt) during my upcoming trip ... pretty good plan don't you think?

This evening I headed to church and we are currently doing a series on Psalms 23.  It is really a good series and if you would like to check it out ... go to itunes.com and type in Big Valley Grace to download the pod cast.  You won't be disappointed!

After church I picked up some food at Tasty Thai and came home to watch a few Italy episodes from Rick Steves.  Talked to Mom and we decided to stay longer in Florence and take day trips out.  However, we both stated that we reserve the right to change our mind once we arrive in Florence.

Only a couple of more days until we leave for Italy, but tons of work that needs to be done prior to my departure ... never enough time in the day ... until tomorrow ...

A great way to start the week ...

Usually I have to drag myself into the office on Monday and while I was a little late today ... it was a great day all the way around.  I got everything crossed off my to do list at work ... okay at least the list of to dos that I had for today!

I had lunch at Tasty Thai with a group of co-workers ... yummy Pad Prik King ... doesn't get much better than that for lunch on a Monday.

When I got back to work I started searching the internet for airfare and hotel information for my trip to Italy next month.  I am going to Florence for business, but am planning on staying a little while longer to do some of the touristy things.  So, if you have been to Italy and more specifically Florence and have a good hotel recommendation or must see sites ... please drop me an email!

After work I met up with Petra at Baja Fresh for a quick bite of dinner before heading off to Big Valley Grace to start the new Beth Moore series ... Esther.  Here is a quick synopsis of the study: 

Esther may have been a queen, but her life was no fairy tale. An outsider, a foreigner, and an orphan, she found herself facing an evil plan to destroy her people. And you thought your life was hard! The Old Testament story of Esther is a profile in courage and contains many modern parallels for today's overloaded and stressed woman. You can share Esthers destiny even if your glass slipper no longer seems to fit.

If you live in Modesto or close by and are interested in participating in the series, please contact Diane at 209-571-4381.  It is not too late to sign up and I just feel that this series is going to be an amazing one.

After I got home, I finished up the last couple of chapters in my latest book ... The Choice by Nicholas Sparks.

 

Another wonderful book ... but read with a tissue in hand!

To round out the day, I am in the studio making a few more A Muse cards.  I promise that I will be back to regular cards real soon ... but I am just so loving the newest line of A Muse stamps that I just can't get enough of them.  So, here is another card for you to enjoy!

 

supplies:  A Muse Pink notecard, A Muse Lime Green Gingham paper, cardstock – white and turquoise, A Muse Black ink, A Muse stamps – Open Palm Tree, Cabana and Ready Set and the following Copic markers

HE has risen ...

Today I slept most of the morning away and boy did it feel good ...  After I finally dragged myself out of bed, I spent some time online getting airline reservations for my trips for this month and next ... Florida, Arizona and Rhode Island ... let the fun begin!!

This evening I headed to church to hear a really great sermon from Pastor Rick.  If you are in the Central Valley of California and looking for a church to attend, let me recommend Big Valley Grace Church in Modesto.  It nourishes my soul ...

Here is a quick card from this evening ...

 supplies:  A Muse  4 Bar Orange Crush Solid notecard, Hero Arts Robots stamps, A Muse black ribbon, and the following Copic markers

Let the Christmas Season Begin ...

Today I truly felt  that the Christmas season began for me as I attended with Petra, Lyndsay and Ivan the amazing Christmas service at Big Valley Grace called Behold the Lamb of God.  The Worship Team, Choir and Orchestra told a fresh and unique historical perspective of the story of Christmas.  It was an amazing service and I encourage you to attend if you are in the Modesto area.  Click the link picture below for more service information:

I finished up the latest in the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich this evening ... Fearless Fourteen and plan to start the book Epicenter by Joel C Rosenberg at bedtime tonight.  Can't wait!

I also spent most of this evening continuing to work on Kate's album ... is it ever going to be finished?  Boy, I sure do hope so ... maybe tomorrow???