Paul the Blessing Pig

Hi Guys!
So I'm not doing resolutions this year, kinda. This year I am going to count my blessings, be thankful for all that I do have and not focus on what I don't. And I'm here to tell you how I plan to do that.
One of my favourite bloggers Courtney Walsh is teaching another class with Big Picture Classes this year called Home Blessings. The idea of this course is to use crafty ideas to put your blessings on display in your home. The first week Courtney showed us her "blessing bird", a ceramic bird, she had covered with blessings. Because I'm cheap, I headed down to my local Sally Ann. There, I found a ceramic piggy bank. It wasn't actually what I wanted but the more I walked around store, the more I came back to this pig. As I was driving home I came up with this great idea, I could fill the pig with my blessings and at the end of the year I could empty the pig and see all the wonderful blessings I have. The final product is Paul the Blessing Pig. I don't know why his name is Paul, it just is.

Isn't he cute? Now just to find a place to put him so I can fill him up!

Faith Fridays - Is this a test?

Hi everyone,
Courtney Walsh is having a contest this week on her faithbooking facebook page and I decided to play along. This weeks prompt was to create a LO about a time when you were tested. I thought long and hard about this, there are many moments I could have used but this is a test that I live with everyday. Beware; this is not a pity party, this is just the truth.

Journalling reads: "Is this a test? Some might think this is silly but when you know in the very depths of your soul, that you were meant to be a wife and mother and @ 31 are still single, it sure feels like a test. Everyday can be a test, wake up alone. Have a bad day, come home to an empty house. Shovel snow, cut the grass, paint the bathroom, cook alone, eat alone, talk to yourself, no one to share sadness with, no one to share excitement with. Even though you know you are beautiful, no one to tell you, you are.No one to call handsome. And here's the thing; there is absolutely no reason why you are still single. You are a good person, a nice person who is not perfect but who is trying to figure out who she is and be that. A funny girl, a smart girl, a pretty girl, a sensitive girl, someone who will make an excellent wife and mother. So that that the only reason that you could still be single, is that this is a test. What's the lesson? Could be: Have faith, I have picked him just for you, your brothers and sisters are sure of it. Why aren't you? OR: You are stronger than you think you are. OR: All you need is ME. Okay then, have I passed yet?"

Hope everyone is enjoying their week so far. Thanks for stopping by!

Faith Fridays - Counting my blessings

This weeks faith Friday prompt from Courtney Walsh, over @ Telling stories was to document your blessings.
I am a contradiction; I'm an optimist but I also worry a lot. I sometimes tend to focus on what I don't have. I think this is very true of society as a whole, always wanting more, always wanting to do better and we forget about the amazing stuff that is standing right in front of us.

After a wonderful weekend spent at two showers for my sister Patti, hanging out with my niece, a long car ride with Katie, chats with my brother Dan and meeting alot of new people (which btw I really struggle with meeting new people, I always feel so awkward), this LO was really easy for me. One of my biggest blessing is my family and I know Patti, Dan and Katie would say the same thing. Whether that family is the one we were born into or the one we choose.

These are my blessing in no particular order;

A sister in law who speaks her mind.

The chance to travel.

A profession that will allow me many opportunities.

A sister who was my first friend.

Women to women relationships with my Nana and Grandma.

A sister who is more fearless than anyone gives her credit for.

A very special niece and goddaughter.

A huge extended family.

A few very good friends.

A mother who is my biggest fan.

The gift of music.

A brother who is a calm cool head just when it is needed.

A strong father.

A brother in law who has loved me and annoyed me like my own brothers.

A home to call my own, in a town that I love.

A brother I wasn't sure I wanted but that GOD knew I needed.

A GOD who knows me by name.

These are alot of things to be thankful for and that is only the half of it...there are many many more.

Well, I better run. I've got pies to bake for the church BBQ and I better check to see if Dad needs any help installing my new tub surround.

Thanks for stopping by!



Faith Fridays - Be Brave

Hi everyone,
Last week Courtney posted this faith prompt "Create a layout or project that focuses on one word or key phrase you know God wants you to focus on. Could be for this season of your life, this week, this month... What is God's plan for you in this moment?" on her blog. Here is my LO.

If you have been reading my blog, you know that I've been taking online classes with the amazing girls @ Brave Girls Club. One thing that I have learned about myself, is that I am much braver than I thought.  I have done a lot of things that have required great bravery. Owning my own home, calling my grandmother from the hospital early in the morning when my grandfather was dying and she needed to come, being a nurse, these things are very brave. But so is cutting the grass of that home you own, having glamour shots done, joining committees even though you are shy, going to a wedding when you are sure the only person you will know is the groom. Something else that is brave? Living the life you were meant to live, even if that means that for now you'll have to wait for your husband and your babies.
The journalling on this LO is from the movie We bought a Zoo. " You know, sometimes all you need is 20 seconds of insane courage. Literally just 20 seconds of embarrassing bravery and I promise you, something great will come of it."  I'm going to try to live like that.

Thank you for coming by. Love you all!

Faith Fridays - encouraging words

Good morning!
Courtney Walsh over @ Telling Stories is doing a series of weekly faith based scrapbooking prompts. Last weeks prompt was to scrap encouraging words, to yourself or someone else, to remind them that they are not alone.
For several months now, I have been receiving Brave Girls Club's daily reminder "a little birdie told me." A few weeks ago one about not fitting in and how it's better not to fit in as long as you are being yourself but also how painful it can be not to fit in, really spoke to me. I am learning that it's okay not to fit in with those who don't really matter. Two years ago when I was having dizzy spells everyday for over a year, I really found out the people who counted. It is becoming even more clear with all this personal growth that I have been doing who is worth making an effort for, those who have encouraged me and to leave behind those who have intentionally tried to hurt me. Taylor Swift sings "People throw rocks at things that shine."  I am much happier being shiny but because I am a sensitive girl, the rocks still hurt sometimes. So I made this LO with Melody and Kathy's words to remind myself that I am not alone, that this is worth it because it really really is. I have felt more like myself than I have in years and that is sooo wonderful.

Thank you so much for stopping by and I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!!!
Much Love.

Scrapbooking your faith - My truths

Courtney over @ Telling Stories and instructor of the Big Picture Class Scrapbooking Your Faith class that I participated in this winter, has decided to add prompts to her blog. This week was all about truths. This is what is true for me right now.

Journaling reads; 1. I am a sister, daughter, granddaughter, niece, cousin and aunt. 2. I am a Godmother to my beautiful niece Alexis and I take it very seriously. 3. I am still called to be a nurse, just maybe not in surgery anymore. 4. I am different from most people and that's okay because I am living my true life. 5. Many people love me and no one can take that away. 6. GOD has a plan for me.

This LO actually fits well with all the Brave Girls work I have been doing. Funny how things work out, huh?

Ciao!

Keep Listening

Good morning all.
This morning I wanted to share with you something I created for Courtney's class Scrapbooking your faith. I've been taking a Lenten study at my church. The lesson that stuck out most for me was "keep listening." Now my friends would say I'm a great listener, my sister Patti would tell you she is surprised by how much I know about people that I've never shared and that they don't even know I know. But when it comes to GOD, I'm not always a good listener. That is because sometimes it's not always what I want to hear (no, you can't have that right now), sometimes I have a hard time believing it is true (I have a fear that I'll be an old maid who hoards and has more than a dozen cats - that I'll never be a wife or mom, but my family has huge faith that this will not happen to me - first of all I hate cats and second they are not telling me this to be nice, they mean it)  and sometimes the other voices are way louder (you let us down, you are not enough).   
Courtney wanted us to create something to put on our walls to remind us of a lesson we have learned but often need reminding off. "Keep listening" is my lesson. It's funny how things fit together perfectly as if they were made to go together.
Here is the canvas I made for my living room;

The bird idea I borrowed from Brave Girls.. Melody always uses a bird as her Truthteller and encourages us to use it too. The butterfly image was left over from Brave Girls, Body Restoration printouts (I would not claim that as my own). This is the lesson I learned this Lenten season and I'm so glad I learned it. Now I just need to remember it. :)
Thanks for stopping by!

Mixed media fun.

Good morning.
Let me tell you a story. When I was a little girl I loved to put on an old work shirt of my Dad's, roll up the sleeves and paint with my sister Patti. One year my Nana put my sister and I in painting classes @ the local art gallery. This year my Nana told me that the reason we were put into the painting classes was because Patti was so good @ art but she felt that it wasn't fair just to put Patti in them and not me. Imagine her surprise when I loved the classes more than Patti. I think it was the structure or something. Patti could make up anything out of her head and didn't like to be confined (funny that she is a graphic designer now and gets paid to create someone elses vision). I on the other hand can't just "paint" but can paint a flower if someone asked. Somewhere along the line though, art was lost on me. Probably because I was always competing with Patti (which might also be why Patti doesn't sing much even though she has a beautiful voice  - I'm the singer). 
This year thanks to Brave Girls, I have re-discovered art....I love having paint and glue on my hands. And it doesn't matter if it isn't very good to anyone else, it always suits my style. Brave Girls has gotten me brave enough to play with paint and glue and fabric and paper and ribbon. And it has bumped my scrapbooking up a level.
I want to share a mixed media piece I created for Courtney's Scrapbooking your Faith class. The purpose was to pick a phrase, a scripture or whatever that when you read it you knew that it was true, even if sometimes you forget it. So I picked "You are loved" a line from Josh Groban's song of the same name. In fact I could have used any lyric from that song but this one pretty much sums up the whole song.

This is not something that I would have been able to do a year ago. I used a piece of drywall from my basement, taped the edges and painted. I added rub-ons and chipboard. Some old sheet music and letters. I'm happy with how is came out and just have to figure out how to hang it on the living room wall.

I am so grateful for the classes I've been taking, I'm having so much fun!

Hope you guys are having a great week so far, the weather here is amazing!

Life Verse

Hello all,
   Today I wanted to share with you a LO I've been working on. It's for a class with Big Picture Classes, Scrapbooking your Faith, taught by the awesome Courtney Walsh. A few years ago I found her book Scrapbooking your Faith and loved it. I've pulled it out for inspiration many times since I bought it. By happy accident (actually a blog post by my friends @ Brave Girls Club), I discovered Courtney's blog and then this class. It's come @ a good time as I've just finished up Body Restoration by Brave Girls and it's Lent.
   Anyway, the LO for this week was to scrap your life verse. It could be a bible verse, a quote you love, anything, as long a it speaks to you. This is mine. "Life is not about the number of breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away." It's spoken to me ever since Payton said it on One Tree Hill. It reminds me that I need to stop and take in what is around me and allow it to take my breath away. Here's my LO;

Here is a moment that I allowed take my breath away this weekend....My freshly bathed niece, after her 1st birthday party.

Thanks for stopping by!