Sunday Scrappin'

Has it really been five months since I've posted a Sunday Scrappin'? I didn't realize... Wow!

I have been in and out of the blog world in those five months but I thought I had posted something since September. I have check in with the other Sunday Scrappers even though I haven't posted. So much has been going on... Hurricane Ike came to visit (yes, in western KY) and we were without power for 2 1/2 days, then Christmas and New Year activities, January was busy and ended with "the storm of the decade" which knocked out our power for about a week and our internet for about 3 weeks. And, oh yeah.... I'm a brand new Aunt!!! My sister and brother-in-law had their first child on January 26. If you want to see the most beautiful baby in the world (who me, biased? No way!) you can check out their blog here. BTW, they're missionaries in Africa. He was born in Nairobi, Kenya.

Ok. Now for some Scrappin'! I've got a lot of catching up to do so hang in there....

The Ta Da's...

I joined a Stampin' Up group that meets once a month to learn new techniques and make quick projects. Each member takes a turn hosting a meeting and gets the hostess benefits for their month. Anyway, the first month we made two cards...

In honor of Valentine's day...











And a pretty little card for whenever...

The other ladies used glitter on their cards. I'm not such a glitter person, so I left mine plain. I might add a little bling to them sometime.






The second meeting we made two items. The first was another Valentine project which I'll show and describe in a moment. The other was this "Embrace Life". We used a pretty neat technique to make this marbling effect. I wish I could tell you what we used, but I think I missed that part while I was finishing up the other project.















So I have all these picture albums with no covers because I used them to make scrapbooks for my girls' group at church. You can read about them here and see a picture of one of them here.


I recently came into a small stack of chipboard, much to my friend Kim's dismay (the girl loves her chipboard). I thought I'd try my hand at making a custom cover for the album. I have about 10 coverless albums so I might get pretty good at it by the time I'm done. This is my first attempt. I have one bigger one and I plan to make that one for my mom to use for her pictures of her very first grandson.

Next is the Valentine project I mentioned earlier. It was a 3-dimensional stand up card that was adorable. The one in the top left hand corner is the one we made at Stampin' Up. I didn't have the same stamp set or heart punch so the rest of them are my version of the project. I made 22 of these suckers and gave all but 5 to kids and other folks at church.

I got this stamp set to use for the scrapbook I plan to make of my new nephew. But I think it made a cute valentine day project too. I think this meets last weeks challenge for Valentine's day. It took me the better part of Friday night, most of Saturday and early into Sunday morning to finish them all in time for church. It was quite an undertaking.

The next set of photos are of the scrapbook I'm making for a lady that used to help me with my girl's group at church. She supported the group from the start. Unfortunately, she and her husband have moved to another church and are greatly missed. I wanted to do something for her to thank her for her dedication to the girls. Jan, if you're reading this, look no further.

This first one is the front of the album. The name of the group is God's Girls and the theme is that they are all daughters of the King. They earn "jewels" by their behavior and participation in church activities. This album came like this, complete with little "jewels" on the cover.

The first spread shows all the girls that attended the very first God's Girls event. Every page has gems or jewels to carry the theme. I happened to have a book of paper that goes well with the album cover. I couldn't have planned it any better.

We have several sets of sisters that participate and lots of best friends. I'm trying to leave a little room throughout the book for Jan to write her thoughts and memories about her time with the girls.

During the first event, I set up a pretty pink armchair under a white canopy with a castle scene on the wall next to it. The girls each had their picture taken with a tiara and magic wand. The picture was completed by a frog sitting on a small table nearby. The girls had a blast doing a "photo shoot" in various mixes.

My mother helps with the girls sometimes and is a good friend of Jan's. So these two pages show the three of us. I've left some space on the right hand page to add lines for journaling. I'll probably write something there to Jan to tell her how much I appreciate her help.

Jan did a lot of cooking with the girls. In this spread she was teaching them to make taco salads, complete with homemade quacemole. Not many of the girls ate it. They tried it, which is what I had hoped.

The last spread I completed during the ice storm. I had to do something to keep myself busy and my mind off the cold. This is actually my favorite layout out of the group so far. I still have several more spreads to go, but I hope to have it completed sometime this year.

This last little item I have no use for. I have my friend Kim's Cricut machine and thought I'd make the best of it. I was looking through the book for one of the cartridges and saw this little box and thought it was adorable. I don't know what I'll do with it, but there it is.

I believe the scrapbook pages and this box meet the challenge which is: "This week, let's think outside the box and go round.... rounded corners, circle-shaped cards, a layout in a circular pattern, etc. Be creative!"

Next week's challenge is: "Your challenge for this week: duplicate! Use the same colors/ decorative elements twice, but slightly changed... in a two-page layout, or in two cards, or in two of whatever else you're making."

That's interesting. I'm not sure if I'll have time this week to do any crafting, but here's hoping!

So, To Do's for next week: I don't know! I have a meeting on Thursday which I need to do some more preparation for, so I guess that's my ToDo. I know it's not crafting, but it's something that I need to do.

Well, if you've stuck with me this long... thanks! Hopefully, it won't be so long before the next time I post. BTW, if you like cheesecake, my sister makes the best! I wrote a post about them with pictures which you can see here.

Have a great week and happy scrapping!

Cheesecake!

Are you like me and love cheesecake? Well, do I have a treat for you! My sister makes the best cheesecakes in western Kentucky. (At least I think she does. And I'm not the only one.)

She's made all sorts of cheesecakes. This one is just your basic cheesecake. Simple, but oh, so good. (Don't look too long at the background.)





















Next up is my personal favorite, the Pumpkin Cheesecake. Beautiful. And delicious. Makes Thanksgiving a little more interesting for me.





















And this is her Blueberry Cheesecake. I'm not one for blueberries, but this makes me want to be.





















And there's plenty more where these came from. Brownie Bottom Cheesecake, Butter Pecan Cheesecake, Pineapple Upside Down Cheesecake…just to name a few. She has a whole list of them. All tasty and tempting, I might add.

Is your mouth watering yet? If not, LEAVE MY BLOG!!*** Just kidding. Stay. Don't go. I'll have you converted to Cheesecake in no time. I've got more pictures. But they'll have to wait for another day.

In the meantime, leave me a comment and share your favorite cheesecake flavor. And if you're not a cheesecake person, tell me what your favorite dessert is.

***Please don't be offended. I'm a little cheesecake crazy, so please excuse me for my outburst.

Brief Glimpse

In case you're wondering, I have not fallen off the face of the earth. I've just been....busy....no... can't say that...have to be honest.....lazy! Well, maybe a combination.

Lots of things have been happening lately. Like the "Ice Storm of the Decade!" (Can you name it that even though the decade is not over? What if we get something even worse next year? Hmmm?)

My family has been very blessed throughout this ordeal. We were only without power for four days. We had a generator so were able to have light, run our refrigerators and use the microwave. We are still without cable and internet. But in light of the state of the area, I think it's a luxury we can afford to do without. Here are a few photos around our house.

The ice was pretty thick on all the trees and power lines. It's no wonder there were record numbers who lost power.

















I wish I could have captured the sun through the trees better. It was so beautiful shining on the ice.








I thought this poor tree was going to split down the middle.

It's been nearly three weeks since the storm hit and there are still people without power. This whole experience has been a wake up call. For almost two days, entire cities were nearly shut down because no one had power. It goes to show how dependent on electricity we are.

Well, I have plenty more I could write about and tons of photos to share. Unfortunately, I am running out of lunch time. So until next time, and let's assume there will be a next time, thanks for reading!

Forgiveness

I've said it in previous posts. I’m not a wordsmith. Never have been, never will claim to be. But I’m going to try to express my thoughts on this subject.

I’ve been working with the kids at church on our Christmas program. A few nights ago, we were just finishing up our practice when two of the girls had some words. Later, I was talking with one about something entirely different when the other came into the room and started mouthing off. I told her to calm down. I wanted to try to get to the bottom of the problem. Instead, she started yelling at me although I had nothing to do with it. She started to walk away and I asked her to come back. She flat out said, well, yelled “NO!”, threw her “whatever” hand up at me and continued to walk away. Again, I told her to come back, as she rounded the corner and continued on her way. I didn’t literally see red, but that’s how I felt. I was so angry. By this time the first little girl was in tears and hyperventilating. I calmed her down the best I could. When I had a chance I went to find the one who back talked me. I told her that I was angry, that she disrespected me (her teacher), I deserved an apology and would be happy to accept one when she was ready. I also told her she owed the other little girl an apology as well. She ignored me the rest of the night, which was fine. She needed space, I know when not to push.

Whenever I have an argument with one of the kids, I feel terrible about it. Right or wrong, I feel awful. Not necessarily because I got mad, but that my relationship with the child is in a bad spot. I know that it passes, and all will be forgiven. I feel the same way when any of my relationships are rocky. With my family, co-workers, whoever. It gives me a feeling of, for lack of a better word, ickiness. So I know that I was right to demand respect, but I couldn’t help but review my actions. Was I setting a good example for this child and others? Maybe not. I feel horrible about that. When I went to bed, I felt horrible and sad. When I woke up the next morning, I felt the same way.

We had another practice the next night and she came and acted like nothing had happened. At the end of the night, when the other kids were out of the room, I told her I shouldn’t have fussed at her in front of other people, but that she shouldn’t have disrespected me. I told her I was still waiting for that apology. She threw out a sarcastic “sorry” and rushed out of the room. I said, sarcastically, “I really believe that.” Probably shouldn’t have said it, but I don’t think she heard me anyway. I thought she needed more time but was determined that I was not going to forget. I would see her again in a few days and would play it by ear whether to remind her or not. At this point, I was feeling better about the argument and that our relationship was on the mend.
As it happened, I took her and her sister home. On the way, she sat in the front seat with me. I was mildly surprised. I figured she would want to put as much distance between us as possible. (Not that it would be that much distance considering I drive a Neon). Anyway, as we’re driving down the road, she says, “I’m sorry Miss Kara”. I was so surprised, I blurted out “for yesterday?” She said yes. I said “Thank you”. All was right with the world again. You may wonder if she really meant it. I’ve known her most of her life. I know her characteristics, I know when she’s faking. I believe she was sincere.

After I dropped them off I got to thinking about the whole situation. About how I felt when she was separated from me because of what she did. And about how I felt when she told me she was sorry (for real). I realized there is something I can learn from this whole experience.

When we disobey God, we are separated from Him. I think I know, in just the smallest inkling of a way, how He must feel when we sin. Being a perfect God, He can’t look upon sin. That separates us from Him. He loves us so much, how must He feel when we disobey Him. It hurt me that this girl chose her own path and disobeyed me. She completely disregarded my feelings and authority. How much more must God feel that when we do the same to Him. He knows each one of us better than we know ourselves. He created us to be with Him. To turn our backs on Him…I can’t imagine His sadness.

And I think I know, in just the smallest, tiniest, inkling of a way, how He must feel when we come back to Him and say we’re sorry. I was so happy when she apologized. I wanted to pull the car over and hug her and tell her I love her. What joy God must have when we come back to him. His creation, His love…

I also realize more clearly why we must ask forgiveness for each sin we commit. Maybe I’m the only one who does it, but sometimes I say a kind of generic prayer… “Forgive me for my sins.” But God is saying, which ones? There’s this one and this one… Of course, I mean that I’m sorry for all of them. But how can I know not to do it again, if I don’t ask for forgiveness for specific sins. If I don’t realize what it was I did wrong, I’m likely to repeat it. I try to remember to ask God to show me what I’ve done wrong and to help me correct it and not make the same mistake. Being human, I’m bound to mess up again. And this girl and I, we’re bound to mess up again too. But here I can see, in just the tiniest, smallest inkling of a way, God’s mercy. We keep messing up, and He keeps forgiving. I have to remember that the next time I get angry at one of the kids. If it weren’t for God’s mercy I wouldn’t be where I am right now. I have to try to model myself after Him. And hopefully, teach these kids to do the same through my example. And that means asking their forgiveness when I’ve done something wrong. They have to know it’s okay to admit when you’re wrong, even when you’re an adult. It’s okay, and it’s important to admit when you’re wrong and do your best to make amends.

I hope I’ve made sense. As I said before, I’m not a wordsmith.

If you've stuck with me this long, thanks for reading.
Kara

Life on planet Kara

What have I been doing for two months? I'm too busy to figure it out. A couple of highlights though:

My sister and I went camping in early October. It was a gorgeous weekend, beautiful weather. Our parents came out Saturday night to visit and enjoy the outdoors. I took a bunch of pictures but this one is my most favorite.

Every year our church hosts a "Trunk-or-Treat" on Halloween. Members decorate their trunks in the parking lot and kids can "trick-or-treat" from car to car. We've had tons of positive feedback from parents and the community. It's a lot of fun to get together with everyone, relax and see all the great costumes. We have a bonfire and roast hot dogs and have S'mores. It's so much fun. I try to do something different each year without using the traditional Halloween stuff (witches, scary monsters, etc.) One year, my theme was jack o'lanterns but that was about as Halloween-y as I've gotten. This year, being a lifelong University of Kentucky fan, I figured I'd go with a UK theme. Then I started trying to gather up our UK paraphanalia. I'm sad to say, I feel like a fake fan. I had a hard time coming up with things UK. In the end I managed to scratch up enough blue and white to get the job done. So my sister, my friend Kim and I, along with our dog, Missy, were UK fans.

Well, I have to go get ready for our Hanging of the Greens tonight. Thanks for reading!