Some of you may have found this before….but I didn’t know they had so much cool free stuff from these magazines.

Paper Crafts Magazine has a download section and they even keep some downloads from previous issues too.

They have quotes and sentiments cutely done up that you can download.  Like this:

Very cool!  (and true but that is another blog post I am sure!)

When I first started scrapbooking, one of the things that drew me in was paper piecing.  Paper piecing is something I used to do a lot of.  I love to add dimension with inking and make cute paper creations.  I stopped doing that for a time but have been more drawn to it lately.  A current one that I am making work for a layout is here:

You know…me and birds.

 Scrapbooks, etc has a Piece talk section in every issue….this I knew.  I did not know that they have such a great online paper piecing area.

They have these birds and tree.  

Above layout is off of Scrapbook, etc. site….showing off the paper piecing options.

My oldest….firstborn…is such a sweetie.  I take my prayer/quiet time journal to church and some mornings my boys draw and write in it.  I have always enjoyed their scribbles and this is one of those times.   It reminds me that this time with my boys is fleeting…my oldest would not spell love that way anymore.  He is growing up fast. 

It reminds me that one of my main responsibilies is to teach my boys about God’s word.  To teach the truths that are there.  I added that scripture to the page the other day when I was having my quiet time.  The boys usually flip through the journal and write on pages toward the back of the journal so it had been quite some time since I had looked at the my firstborn’s scribbles and it just so happened that I had come across that scripture recently.   

I love that scripture..there isn’t a lot of security or peace in our world anymore…only God can give true peace. 

So remember…

Jesus luves you!

(very much!)

However, I have been busy…

1.  Gardening

2.  Appreciating teachers

3.  Along with a few other current things in my life…enjoying!

Today my family went on a day trip.  

We left when it was dark, came home when it was dark, we drove over 400 miles, we finished reading “The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe” together, we made a delivery for work, we went on a 3.5 mile hike, we had a picnic…..we had an outstanding day.

In no particular order….

1.  Two long legged boys who are spending hours training to be Jedi.  

2.  Reading from 2 Kings after a Sunday morning sermon that I enjoyed a lot by Del Tackett.

3.  Rotating clothes in the boys closets for a new season…I can’t believe that this 5 year old is in size 7 Levis.  Wow.  When it is time to wear those jeans again after the summer…I bet they will be too short so for a few weeks we will get some wear out of them.

4.  Making these protein shakes for my hubby (and myself)

Basically they are fruit, whey based protein powder, whey based greens powder, almond milk and ice.  Yum…our new breakfast.

6.  Waiting for summer…excited for summer break.

 Today my 5 year old told me all about what I suspect he learned in kid’s church (where they go after worship at our church…their own sermon time) on Sunday.  Out of the blue, during one of those moments when we were both putting on our shoes about to work outside planting some veggies…he starts talking about Jesus.  Kids want to have a discussion about these things when you least expect it (or at least mine do!).  He told me all about it while he pulled on his cowboy boots. 

“Mom, Jesus died on the cross and then when he came back to life…he came back to see his friends and then was taken right up into Heaven.  His friends were waiting for him to come back to them but they were told to go and tell others about Him.”  I chatted with him..about how he asked them to remember him by communing with Him.  He just nodded and it all clicked for him.  

What a moment…I am so glad I was there for that moment…so grateful.  

Summer is great that way…time for us as a family.  Precious moments…

I wasn’t totally sure I would ever shake the virus that caught up with me last week.  Yuck.  Chills, stuffy head….just “yuckiness” as my youngest and I decided to call it…during a bonding moment in the midst of our sickness.  I would say I am mostly back to 100 percent but it has been a week so you would hope so.  Yesterday was a get ’er done Monday….felt very accomplished by the end of it.  Work, housework, errands, a couple hours of yardwork….and I did okay, not too worn out.  Praise God for blessing us with a body that works hard to conquer viruses.  :0)

We ended up with a pretty nice Easter afterall.  We had cousins visit and share in the Easter blessings.  Kids were all fighting off infection…didn’t totally feel great but enjoyed some of their time together none the less.

There was some basketball playing…

Crafting…

School playing (pretty cute as the 5 year old is the teacher and the 1st/2nd grader are the hard working students)….

And some Wii playing…

Thankful for all these blessings…but mostly thankful for Easter’s true blessings. 

Acts 2:24

But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.

 PS.  The new header is a picture from 2004…have been scrapping and looking through a bunch of old pics…this is one of my all time favs.  My boys were 3 and 1….time flies.

and it was sooo much fun!

I do a little bit each year, trying to find things that flourish there.  It gets great morning sun but a big tree and my house keep it from getting all day sun.  I try to stick with perrenial flowers.  

Two plants that have liked the spot are candytuft (seen below with white blooms) and wallflowers (seen below with orange blooms).  The candytuft in particular is doing very well.  It’s only drawback is that it only blooms in the spring here.  

As seen in my next pic, my allysum (tiny white/purple blooms seen below) did great this year.  I think that due to our mild winter they didn’t die back much.  The tall plant is a butterfly blue pincushion that I am trying out for the first time.

The part of the flower bed that really needed help was the most shaded area.  I decided to put in mostly caladium bulbs (which you can’t any signs of yet), shasta daisies, and Heuchera Dolce Blackcurrent.  

I also put in Lithodora ‘Grace Ward’ which a striking blue color and a really pretty purple phlox.  

I bought the plants throughout the week and then choose Sunday to put them in.  I was surprised by signs of a frost on Monday morning but the plants were hardy enough to not miss a beat.  I will have to post some more pics later in the season and report back on what worked and what didn’t .  :)

And so….inspiration is needed.

I love some of Elle’s studios jounaling embellishments. 

These are for sure a favorite (just wish they had other color options…might email to find out):

I have been enjoying these cute weekly sketches from 52 sketches….52 weeks.

And these over the top sketches and out-takes from Pencil Lines.  

And so I thought I’d start with these weekly online sketches.  I certainly have enough pictures to do ANY type of sketch.  :)

And so I am going start with the current Pencil lines sketch (which will likely change soon but I like this one a lot)….

And I thought I’d wait for the new sketch which should be posted on Monday or Tuesday on 52 sketches…52 weeks.

Who would like to join me?  :0)

My five year old has talked about leprechauns ever since St. Patty’s day.  His school had quite the visit from some very mischievous and fun leprechauns on St. Patty’s day. Those little leprechauns must have come home in my youngest’s backpack because they were quite busy around our house in the afternoon.  So when we traveled to the farm, he told his Mee-Maw Moo Moo all about them and kept remarking that he wasn’t sure but the leprechauns may have followed him to the farm.  

Well, Mee-Maw Moo Moo used to teach 1st grade, you know…and has some experience with leprechauns.  So low and behold, the leprechauns ended up taking the kiddo’s coal ransom (most people wouldn’t value a few chunks of coal but you just have to know my little 5 year old).  Both boys were pretty bright eyed and interested as they followed the ransom notes.  

At the end of the day they had to eat their supper…hamburgers made from yummy Moo-Moo farm beef…in order to get their final ransom note.   The leprechauns put the coal and some coins (bonus!) in some old socks that they found in the mismatched sock bin.  My youngest was so funny…after seeing the “stinky” socks, he said, “Leprechaun’s are garbage diggers, huh?”

We are very lucky to have a Mee-Maw that has some prior experience with those silly little leprechauns.  

As the 5 year old wonder would say….

“Funny, isn’t it?”