Saturday, June 28, 2008

silly thoughts...

I have been a little hesitant to tell people that I had started a blog... the thing is -- I started it mostly for me for a couple reasons: first, I have a dream of someday being "published" (I think this might be the closes I ever get) and second, I have a lot of opinions & to put them down in writing sometimes I think is better than sharing them with everyone in person. (I know my friends thank me for that one!) I guess this morning I am caught up in my thoughts (some silly, some not so silly... you decide)
Do you ever just sit & stare out the window & see God's beauty & wonder why you are where you are in life?????? I know a little deep for a Saturday morning, but I am just feeling so blessed that 3 years ago when my husband & I had the biggest decision to make of our life ... we were willing to take that leap of faith & do what God was asking us to do. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't easy & at times it still isn't easy (being so far from family), but I truly would not change a thing... it has been a path that has been covered in so many tears (on my part not Luke's) that I think the path has been washed-out & we could never take that same path back if we wanted to. The growth that happens in a person's life when they are willing to allow God to do a work in them... and by "growth" I mean spiritually & emotionally not physically (although that has happened too, but that is another story!) Anyway, just think about it... you may be facing a new challenge in your life & not even know it YET! hope this may help.

Yesterday I had some friends ask me to come to Cadillac to scrap with them at the new store, Scrapbook Hut... as I've said before I am a "fake" scraper, but I went mostly for the social aspect... I did finish 1 page in the 4 hours I was there -- WOW! what a page! They "begged" me to come back again today, so I must not have been too distracting for them. I won't mention names, but you know who you are... The one lady is so sweet & soft-spoken... although I think she might have a little "evil side" that doesn't show very often *Ü*. The other lady is one to watch out for... she is outrageously sarcastic with a little caddy thrown in there for good measure... hey, she would fit so well in my family! *Ü*

Got to go & get my day started some more... happy Saturday... and don't forget to have a grateFUL HEART! carin

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Catching Up!

Today has been a day to catch-up some of those not so great chores (i.e. - defrosting the freezer in the garage). I still took some time to do a little blog surfing and of course reading SCS... I took the masking challenge (although I probably will not put it on SCS) but here is the card I was messing with this afternoon... we have so many birthdays in May & June & I am behind on my card making. The card is simple, but I think it turned out pretty... love the Apricot Appeal & Pumpkin Pie from SU & they look nice together... can't live without Certainly Celery (by the way sis I am down to my last piece of Certainly Celery card stock *Ö*).


The other project is a notebook for me... I will use it for sermon notes. We have a great pastor and his messages are easy to outline... that way I think I can remember more of what he preaches about... and that's a good thing!
Keep a grateFUL HEART even on those catch-up days, Carin

blog candy?!

you may notice the question mark followed by the exclamation point... I am new to this blog thing and I'm not really sure about "blog candy" but I said I would post some today...so here it is -- go to http://krishubick.blogspot.com/ so see a unique art piece.
Even if you don't win remember to have a grateFUL HEART!

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

God's beauty

I was putting pics from our camera onto the computer... I thought a couple of the pics would be beautiful in a post...



My hubby took this pic the other evening after a thunder storm... it was a double rainbow and it was so huge a pic wouldn't fit it all in. God gives us something to be grateFUL for even after the storms... even the storms of life.



This other pic is a perennial from my garden... I don't know the name of it, but I just love it... it is the coolest plant. It started out last year as a litte green fuzz-ball and now this year it is a huge mound of the softest greenery... when you touch it it feels like moleskin (the fabric not the animal!).
Anyway this is a little of God's beauty here in northern Michigan.
Have a grateFUL HEART! Carin

Friday, June 20, 2008

This & That!

The weather has finally started to be nice again here in northern Michigan. We had plenty of rain & gloomy days for awhile, but thank goodness not as much rain as some. I feel so bad for the people that have lost so much in the flooding.

I finally got around to doing some stamping. My mom's birthday was on June 4, but we live 140 miles from each other so I hadn't seen her to give her gift to her so I just made her card to give her with her gift since we met Thursday at an in between point for lunch. (Bucilli's in Clare... good pizza!)


So here is the card I made for her... I got the idea from a card I saw on SCS, but I don't remember who did the card... thanks for the inspiration anyway!
It was so nice to have lunch with my mom & sis, Renee, I miss them so much sometimes, but I wouldn't give up our life here in northern Michigan for anything! Never thought I would say that after we moved here just 3 years ago... it was a long, sad and lonely first year, but the one thing I always knew was that Luke and I were right where God wanted us to be! It is times like that that made my trust in Him so much stronger.
With a grateFUL HEART,
Carin














Wednesday, June 18, 2008

good day to start a blog???

I came across this sort of by accident today and whether it is because I am bored or just have too much time on my hands I decided to start a blog... my sister (who is a stamp demonstrator and also has a blog http://stampinwithrenee.blogspot.com/) wanted to know what I would blog about -- my answer "I don't know, but I just think it is a good day to start a blog!?"

So here it goes... right now I am unemployed and so maybe that is why I have too much time on my hands... don't get me wrong I have plenty to do, but who wants to do housework???? I am married and have 3 cats (as you can see by my pic) -- no human kids, just the furry ones that are pretty easy to raise. No, we are not some of those weird "cat people" -- we just were never blessed with any babies... which has been a difficult pill to swallow, but I have so many other things in my life to be grateful for! I try to be grateful for the things I do have and not sad about the things I don't have.

I love to rubber stamp... doing mostly cards, some other little projects and a little scrapbooking -- I enjoy scrapbooking, I'm just not sure if I am very good at it. (By the way, I am a recovering perfectionist too!) I call myself a faux scrapbooker... which in my mind that means I am just pretending I can scrapbook!

I'm not really sure anybody will read my blog, but incase you do -- which I guess you are if you are seeing this? I have a very weird sense of humor... if you knew my family you would understand where that comes from... we tend to look at normal, everyday things in kind of odd ways!!! which makes for loads of fun at family gatherings or even 3-way calls. *Ü* I am the middle child (which explains a whole lot about me!) with one older sis and one younger sis. My parents have been married for 47 years... mostly happy years I think... which is very rare these days... they are both retired now, although my dad keeps busy with his part-time seasonal maintenance job at a private hunting lodge and my mom, she is a collector of "things". My husband, Luke, is a strong, handsome, well-adjusted, gracious, loving man... can you tell I adore him??? Not to be over the top but he is the perfect man... most of the time. Like I said in my profile..."he is my little part of heaven here on earth"... not bad for 18 years together, but then again we never had any kids to suck the life out of us either! *Ö*

Not all my postings will be this long, but since I don't really know what I am I can't guarantee that either! Have a grateFUL HEART!