this is our happily ever after

winner of giveaway

The winner of this giveaway is ktware.wordpress.com.  Please email me at [email protected] with your address and I'll get it in the mail next week! 

Happy Easter!

Scripture Memorization Album

I've been feeling a need to have all of my "memory verse monday" printables in one place so that I could access them during my daily quiet times (or other times throughout the day).  I have been placing a copy into my Project Life album each week, but still wanted a place for just these cards. 

What could be more perfect for these printables (created out of digital Project Life cards) than a Project Life mini album.  Last week I ordered a midnight mini album and very quickly placed all of my cards from this year...just 13 so far.  I also created a title card for the album which I'll share below. 

Because I don't have as many 3x4 cards I just used some solid cardstock to fill in those gaps.  I thought about embellishing them, but then decided against it.  I reminded myself that blank spaces, whether in our daily lives or in our journals, allow room to breathe...I need room to breathe... and reflect! 

Here's the title card from the kraft collection of PL

You'll notice that quite a few of the cards have some tape at the top of them.  This is the washi tape I used to tape them on my office wall.  Instead of tearing it off, and possibly tearing the card, I just folded it over. 

To get all of the scripture printables click here.  Sign up to receive my blog posts via email on the feedburner to the right of this post.  I'd love for you to join this challenge with me!

Easter Bunny Cake

Karsten and I had a playgroup Easter party to go to yesterday morning and it dawned on me Sunday that I should make an Easter Bunny cake.  I have many memories of my Mom, brother, and I making this cake nearly every Easter growing up.  It's simple, cute, and kids and adults love it. 

You'll need 1 boxed cake mix (I used vanilla), 1 container of white frosting (I like the whipped frosting by Betty Crocker), 2 round cake pans, 1 large sheet pan, jelly beans, sprinkles, black licorice, and any other assorted candy you want to use.  Although I didn't use coconut yesterday (because it was serving a crowd comprised mostly of  young children) I've always covered the cake with coconut which makes the bunny look furry...that and I LOVE all things coconut! 

After you've baked your cakes (2 round cakes) according to the package directions, remove them from the pans, and let them cool completely.  Then cut one of the round cakes as shown below, making 2 ears, and 1 bowtie.

Place the ears and bowtie in the correct spots

Next, frost the cake and decorate.  When I use coconut I will take a small amount of it, add red food coloring, and use that for the pink of the bunny's ears.  Today I just used pink sprinkles. 

 

memory verse monday (week 13)

Very busy week here as we prepare for Easter and Karsten's family birthday party (a week before his actual birthday).  I hope to carve out time to write a devotional...I kind of have it written in my head...it's just taking the time to type it up!  Until then...begin memorizing this word from the WORD.

 

Happy Birthday Brian!

Happy Birthday to my sweet, smart, good-looking, funny, kind, witty, wise, confident, wonderful, hard working hubby Brian!  Karsten and I love you so much!

Daily Word (needs)

As promised here's a devotional I wrote to accompany this week's memory verse.  I am challenging myself to do this every week in an effort to work on my book, A Daily Word. 

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Needs:  a lack of something requisite, desirable, or useful

“And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches.”  Philippians 4:19

How many times have you heard the phrase, “Is that a want or a need?”  My Mom used to say that to me when I wanted to spend money and it aggravated me so much.  However, like most phrases our parents annoy us with as children, I find myself repeating it to myself as I walk through Target.  Every time I’m in that wonderland of cute, inexpensive, brightly colored eye candy I have to play that recording in my head.  There are so many wants and needs in our society…some material, some spiritual, some relational. 

Throughout Scripture, God promises to provide what we need with his unlimited resources, His glorious riches.  He knows our needs more deeply than we do and He assumes full responsibility for our needs when we obey Him. I just spoke with a friend last night who had a need for a large sum of money in order to purchase a building for their ministry.  They had no idea how the money would be provided, but they knew that God would provide it in His time, in His power.  They received a phone call yesterday and on the other end of the line was someone willing to pay for the building.  Yes, God will supply all you need to do His work.  Period.  End of Story.

Many of us still have unmet needs, so what are we to think about that?  Well, we must evaluate whether our request is a want or a need, a longing or a necessity.  Ask the Lord to help you discern between desires and essentials and be open to what He reveals to you.  Sometimes there’s a role you must play in order for God to meet your needs.  If you need a job then you must make effort and connections to find one.  If you need healing in a relationship then you must be willing to take ownership of your actions and words.

Another key to having our needs met is to wait on God’s timing.  Oftentimes He has lessons for His children to learn during the wait, and until those lessons are learned He cannot fully supply what He has planned for us.  Fight the urge to press ahead of God’s plans and purpose to get the outcome you’re praying for.  Believe He has a good plan for you, but waiting is a part of it.  Embrace it and ask Him to reveal what His purpose is while waiting on His timing. 

Be encouraged that the Creator of the Universe, the King of Kings, our Father in Heaven knows each and every hope you have, whether it’s a want or need.  He has the power to bless you with His glorious riches and He will provide for each and every need you have in your life.  Examine your desires everyday and ask Him to give you exactly what you need for that day.  Keep your eyes and heart focused on Him, so that you may differentiate between wants and needs.  Then find comfort and courage in knowing that He has the power to provide everything you need to accomplish His purpose for your life. 

 

 

memory verse monday (week 12)

I need this verse this week and will share a devotional related to it on Wed....hopefully!  Please feel free to right click, save, and print.....and share it with others!

digital card from Project Life Cherry Edition

if you give a boy some water.....he'll play for hours

While my parent's in IL are dealing with freezing temperatures and sleet we put Karsten's swim trunks on him and filled up his kiddie pool and pirate ship water table this past Sat.  Last year he was never quite sure what to do with all the water, but now he's got it down and LOVES it!  He played himself into exhaustion on Saturday. 

I took hundreds of photos and here are some of my favorites.  I have a feeling that this is a glimpse into our hot summer days. 

one of my favorite shots...ever!

he loves his "shish", Nemo

2013 Project Life (weeks four - seven) + images of weeks in progress & a giveaway

So this is the second time I'm writing this post because the first one deleted itself when my computer went into hibernation...boo! 

I'll be honest in saying I miss not posting Project Life each week and I'm trying to come up with a way that I can get high quality photos printed locally.  I think I'm going to go back to Costco again and compare.  My photos are far from professional to begin with, but my drugstore photo lab just wasn't coming close to the quality I desired.  I've tried both Persnickity Prints and Mpix.  Both of these companies produce high quality photos which I've been very satisfied with.  I like Pernickity Prints because they offer 3x4 prints as well as instagram (which I have yet to print any), but I really like the navigation of Mpix's website a lot more.  However, if Costco can come close to these two labs I may choose to print there every couple of weeks so I can get my photos in a more timely manner and it's less expensive.

Week 4---WAY back in late January!  This is a perfect glimpse of everyday life.  Laundry detergent, an intersection I'm at many times a week, sidewalk chalk, tacos for dinner, lemon blossoms, and the cutest little boy I ever did see!

if you're visiting for the first time and wonder where the Scripture printable is from, I create one each monday, using the Project Life digital journaling cards,and you can find them in the memory verse monday category

I also made meyer lemon simple syrup and posted the "recipe" here

Week 5--more glimpses from the everyday + photos from a Girl's weekend

Week 6--I didn't pick up my camera much during this week, so several of the photos on the right page are from the same day.  One of our first warm Spring days when we spent a lot of time outside.

Week 7--this week includes a Design G page protector (my favorite design other than A) which holds pictures and the story from our day at the Zoo. 

This title card is from the childhood mini kit--Wellington Edition--not just for a children's album :)

journaling card also from the Wellington Edition

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Since I've been ordering photos from online companies I found myself forgetting the details of what I wanted to journal about a specific day.  So, every couple of days (or at least once a week) I try to sit down, look through the photos I've taken, put the photos I want to print into a folder, and get some journaling done while it's all fresh in my mind.  Below are some good (and not so good) examples of this.

You can see that I've put sticky notes where specific photos will go and I've done a part of my journaling.  I think I'll use a 6x12 page protector in the middle of this layout to share some reflections on the dotMom conference I attended.

I have most of my journaling finished for this particular week and I also put a inserted a Design G page protector where I place some photos taken at the park.

Wow...did you make it to the end of this post?  If you did and you're still reading I'd love for you leave a comment and enter to win some goodies. US residents only, please

I've been cleaning out my scrapbook stash and would love to bless someone with some happy mail.  If you're a Project Lifer tell me what new edition you're most excited about if you're not a PLifer then tell me your favorite way to document your life....facebook? Instagram? Twitter? Blog? Traditional Scrapbook? Photo Albums? or just Kodak moment memories?

Included in this giveaway are some fun journaling papers from Creative Imaginations, journaling spots, ribbon and embellishments from October Afternoon, date rub ons from heidi grace,and a stack of 3x4 journaling cards perfect for PL. 

11 years

This past Saturday, March 9th, Brian and I celebrated our 11th anniversary!  It's crazy to think we've been married for 11 years...in some ways it seems we've been married a lifetime and in other ways it seems we've just been married a few short years.  It used to bother me when people said "marriage is hard work" because I didn't feel that it really was...until we became parents...now I feel that it's work.  Not work in a laborious way, but work to stay connected and communicating.  We both adore our Karsten so much that's very easy for us to constantly put him first in our actions, conversations, and dreams for our family.  And I think that's good and normal, but sometimes we need to step back from our roles as "Mahmeee" and "Da" and step into our roles as husband and wife, Brian and Angela. 

We were blessed to have my cousin, Kate and her family here this past weekend, so Brian and I took the opportunity to go away for a night.  I found a hotel on Priceline (can't beat $59 for Hilton in the Galleria!) and we dined at McCormick and Schmicks...which we both thought was delicious!  We discussed some of our favorite memories from the past 11 years (+one dating).  Many included trips, but also reminisced about adopting Zoe (our cat), meeting Karsten and bringing him home, rebuilding our first house after Ike, moving into our home now, and a number of other sweet memories we share. 

He had flowers sent to me on Friday---beautiful!!

I got ready at the hotel...and after a few refelction photos we went to dinner.

We toasted to 11 years

and then enjoyed these yummy shrimp kisses...pepper jack cheese stuffed shrimp wrapped with bacon--DIVINE!

Then it was salmon for Brian and blackened redfish topped with crab for me

Brian finished off his dinner with a fancy and delicious coffee and key lime pie.  I couldn't pass up one of my favorites, creme brulee

Before heading back home on Sunday morning we stopped at Corner Bakery Cafe and had some breakfast....oatmeal for both of us...I know, we like living on the edge of haute cuisine!

Next year we're hoping to go out of town for a long weekend without Karsten. Though we love him dearly it's important to just have time for the two of us.