"The Shack"

So....I just tearfully finished reading "The Shack" by William P. Young...rarely do I find a book that I "can't put down" but this definitely qualifies! The subtitle says it all- "Where tragedy confronts eternity". I cried my way through most of it- jumping back and forth between tears of grief and tears of joy....(which are the kind I usually shed: joy-filled at the awesomeness of the God Who loves me without limits). I highly recommend it- whether you believe in God or not. I believe I am forever changed as it 'tweaked' or 'fine tuned' what I think I understand about God. You can check it out if you're interested at www.theshackbook.com......

Memorial Day

This is one of those bittersweet 'holidays' for me....."I'm proud to be an American- where at least I know I'm free" ( thank you Lee Greenwood for one of the best patriotic songs ever written, in my humble opinion....still makes me tear up when I hear it!) The bittersweet part comes from the aknowledgement that so many men and women through the years have given their lives to pay for that freedom. So this Memorial Day weekend, I will be prayerfully thanking God for our freedom, and for all of those families who are serving our country everywhere in the world, and for those who have lost their loved ones in the line of duty.....and I am going to try to be more deliberate about shaking hands with servicemen/women and thanking them if I see them out and about....

What A Great Day!

So today I spent the day quad riding with my hubby- something we hadn't done in a long long time due to life, home building, job, etc....and it was a beautiful day in God's awesome creation. We were high enough up in the hills that we could see the snow covered peaks of Mt. Rainier, Mt. Adams, Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Baker, Mt. Hood, and Mt. Jefferson. I have lived in the Pacific Northwest all of my life, and I NEVER get tired of looking at the mountains. God really didn't have to make everything so beautiful- I think He did it just to make us happy :) So thank you again, Lord, for the beautiful day, travelling mercies, the wonder of your Creation, and the eyes to see it all with ( plus the sense to know that it came from You! ) God is good...all the time.....

Yay For Spring!

Well it's finally starting to feel like Spring here in the NW....looking at Dina's beautiful flower pics made me think of this card I made awhile back with a picture of some lilies in a friend's garden last year. I used a photo editing program (Picture It) to soften the edges and give it that 'framed' look. You can print alot of these on one sheet of photo paper if you choose the 'wallet size'. I attached it to the black cardstock with gold photo corners, then layered it to the yellow paper- use a color that's closest to the color of your flowers :) The verse is from the 'new for spring' section of the Heart & Soul catalog.

Mother's Day Blessings to all of you moms!

May Day Sale

In celebration of May Day...Heart & Soul Rubber Stamp Company is having a sale on all things 'floral' in the month of May! Scoot on over to the web site and look through the catalog (click on the link here) and if you find something you like- just add the special code 'Mayday' to your order form to receive 30% off your entire order :)

May Day brings special memories of my two sweet little neighbor girls sneaking up on my porch with a beautiful bouquet of specially hand picked flowers- then ringing my doorbell and running away giggling :) They are both beautiful young women now, but their kindness will stay with me always :) Happy May Day- and National Day of Prayer!