My Lenten Challenge

I've found my Lenten challenge, it's something that I actually spoke about recently at a spouses meeting. I was reflecting upon what I had said, really thinking about what I was asking the other spouses to do. It's not as if I hadn't done this kind of thing before but this time around I'm going to step it up a notch. I'm calling it - Practice what you Preach.

Quote of the Day

Love is a promise, love is a souvenir, once given never forgotten, never let it disappear.”
- John Lennon

Teaching vs. Instructing

There's a difference between teaching some one how to do something and instructing them how to do something. Teaching a group of people how to stamp without halo's, cut straight lines and what colors to put together is one thing but what I'm going to do with my group is more of a "lets pull the sticky tabs off and stick it together kind of thing".

Part of me feels as if I'm not really teaching anyone anything, then the other part of me says- we have major time constraints to contend with not to mention that 20 people is a large class (I like to limit my class sizes to no more than 10 people) and the fact that only 1 person that I know of has done any kind of paper crafting -so it's potentially a class full of newbies. I hope that they enjoy the projects that I have for them to work on.

Now I had intended on posting pictures of the projects here on my blog but I've changed my mind on that. I want the ladies to be pleasantly surprised when they come to the next function. I will post pictures after the event is over.

Quote of the Day

Few are those who see with their own eyes and feel with their own hearts.
-Albert Eninstein

Quote of the Day

Half of the modern drugs could well be thrown out of the window, except that the birds might eat them.
- Dr. Martin Henry Fischer

One prototype down...

So there I was, wanting to come up with something fresh, a card that was fun to make and fun to give. So as I was thumbing through some old card idea books there it was...I saw it, something that struck me as unusual...and I'm very pleased with the results! It's easy for me to make up 20+ kits for this class and what's even better - it will be easy for beginner paper crafters to put together too! So now for me to finish up inking all of the edges of the cut paper.

Note to self- need to buy 100 Ziploc baggies for all of the card parts/kits.

Now to come up with an idea for another card...I think that I have some manual labor to do for the next idea.

Quote of the Day

One joy shatters a thousand sorrows.
Chinese Proverb

Building Card Kits

Today I'm going to spend time in my scrapbook nook and build card kits for my up coming class AKA Paper crafting Night with our spouses group. I've got to come up with ideas that will be fun and entertaining and not frustrating and overwhelming. I'm going to put everyone on the same level and group them as beginners.

I decided to do 4 cards and a small box- how much would you pay for a class that made that many items? How much would you pay for a kit that all you had to do was to put it together and that the adhesive was included? There's no stamping involved in any of this, it's just a put together kit. I'm on a time crunch and will not be having an assistant to help me- not to mention that I could have as many as 20 people putting together cards. So stamping and punching out of items is not an option due to time constraints.

Now to have some more coffee and to look at what I'm going to have these ladies making in the realm of paper crafting :-) Will post pictures later after I come up with some ideas.

Quote of the Day

There are 350 varieties of shark, not counting loan and pool.
- L. M. Boyd

God's Plan

God's plan isn't just about "us" it's about a community of people coming together, praying together and supporting one another. His plan is different for each and every one of us. It's to remind us that although we might not be here forever- it's the good things that we do while we are here and the love we share with one another that will live on long after we are gone.

I wrote those words to a friend whose husband is terminally ill with cancer. The cancer has now spread to his brain and it's simply breaking my heart.

George Washington Birthday Celebration

Here I am, an American living in England, trying to soak up every little thing around me. Yesterday my husband and I attended a Birthday Celebration for George Washington at the Parish Church of Saint James the Less in Sulgrave. This small chapel was amazing! It's old (really old) and very well looked after. I found that a parish family bore my maiden name and that they also once owned Sulgrave Manor (George Washington's ancestral home), pretty cool stuff I dare say!



After the church service we went to Sulgrave Manor and had a tour of place. If anyone ever has the chance, I highly recommend the tour. I'm going to attempt to take the extended tour (one that includes the gardens) later on in a few months- once it's warmer and the plants have had a chance to grow back and especially when it's less muddy. I'll promote this to the spouses groups and see if any spouses from our base would like to go, we can easily make it a special event for us.

Quote of the Day

They say it is better to be poor and happy than rich and miserable, but how about a compromise like moderately rich and just moody?
-Princess Diana

I know that I've used this quote before, I just wanted to start the week off with a smile! Happy Monday Everyone!

Speaking of cake

How's this for a Birthday Cake? It's a Triple Layer Chocolate Truffle Cake. Yes I made this cake from scratch and with Ghirardelli chocolate no less! I don't do cake decorating with the fancy writing, scroll work and pretty icing flowers and such but I do know how to make dessert! I've made this cake a few times in the past and it's never failed me!

Quote of the Day

There is nothing better than birthday cake. It's like a slice of concentrated love with buttercream frosting.
--Takayuki Ikkaku, Arisa Hosaka and Toshihiro Kawabata

It's that time of year again...

To wish my husband Happy Birthday!

Quote of the Day

I have noticed that the people who are late are often so much jollier than the people who have to wait for them.
-E. V. Lucas

I'm a winner!

I've won something not once but twice this week! First it was oooooh I'm so thrilled with this... Kim's Blog- I won her blog candy on Monday and on Tuesday I won a prize at our spouses group Bling Bling Bunko (I won the bracelet). So please check out Kim's blog- she's got some great card making and scrapbooking ideas happening over there!

More on Lent...

I'm going to do what I've been doing these past few years and take on a challenge versus giving anything up. I laugh when friends think that they are helping me when they say "give up coffee" or give up Toast and Jam with your Tea- get real! These are the handful of things keeping me sane and you want me to give these up? I've give up quite a bit since moving here to England, I don't think that it's fair to ask me to give up more.

Think about it...
I've given up my quilters group, my paper crafting group, my water aerobics group and my group of friends I regularly did things with. I've given up my comfortable home in SD for one that is small, compartmentalized, cold and lets not forget to mention that it has major plumbing and electrical issues. I've not stepped foot into a quilt shop since last June nor have I bought quilting fabric since last year and when I say last year I mean May/June 2009! Same goes for scrapbooking supplies- minus adhesive. I've given up attending Scrapbooking crops, card-making workshops, quilting retreats, quilting workshops and quilting classes, I've given up going out for coffee with friends, I've given up taking chef classes, going to school plays and singing recitals. I've given up participating in the State Fair and the big Black Hills Quilters Guild Quilt show I've given up fast food, beer and Pepsi in Lents past and have managed to stay away from them- okay so I have a Pepsi once in a Blue Moon. Do I miss my life back in the states- that's a BIG YES!
I do have to say that living here in England has opened up other avenues of entertainment. I've found other things to occupy my time and other things to look forward to. Meanwhile I still do miss the things I used to do and the people I used to do them with.

So let me be selfish and say that No, I'm not going to give anything up. I'm not perfect, I'm human. I've taken on more personal challenges for this year. Will I make a scrapbook layout about this? You bet I am!

Quote of the Day

Basic research is what I am doing when I don't know what I am doing.
- Wernher von Braun

This is my excuse for taking so long with writing my cookbook.

Lent- what are you giving up?

If I've been asked this once I've been asked this a dozen times. Many friends have suggested things for me to give up...coffee, tea with toast and jam, dining out and even crafting. Personally speaking I think everyone is nuts! Can you see me w/o coffee? Oh it would be ugly!