A Quick one....

Just a quick post......

I got a job interview with the Federal Government on Wednesday!!!! It sounds like a pretty intense interview, with an hour and a half writing section followed by another hour oral interview. Please pray that I get this position and don't botch the interview! AHHHH, I 'm stressing already!

Just wanted to post another quick Digital layout I did. I did this one 10x10 and will paste it to some 12x12 cardstock and add a few embellishments to try the Hybrid Scrapping! Hopefully it will turn out alright!

Sources:

Embrace your life kit by Sandra Krieger

Digital Goodies....

I received an email from my good friend Sharon today. She is a crafty genius! Her cards are amazing and she also does a lot of scrapping. She told me that she has started doing some Digital Scrapping through Memory Makers. SO I thought I would check them out.

I learned a new term and that is Hybrid Scrapping, where you combine Digital scrapbooking and Traditional scrapbooking. This really intruiged me. I love the idea of doing most of the layout digitally and then adding some traditional embellishments! Some people have even printed out a 10x10 Digital layout and attached it to 12x12 card stock and added some embellishments. AWESOME!! I have been really struggling lately as to "what to do"! Should I make the switch to Digital only, or should I do a bit of both, but now I can combine the two. I still have so much product and goodies to use and I would hate to just let them sit there because I went digital. So I will have to experiment with this new Hybrid method.

Also, I wanted to share a few Digital freebies with everyone.

1. Check out these new free fonts from scrapNfonts.

2. Check out the free Bohemian Summer kit by Michelle Coleman on the Memory Makers site.

3. Check out the free Wild Sorbet Digital kit by Michelle Coleman as well.

4. Ok, there are a few, but I think they are gorgeous......so check out the free Embrace Life kit by Sande Kriegers.

5. And this is the last one (well there are more, but these were my favourites) and it is a Christmas one---the free Frosted Digital kit by Michelle Coleman. I think that the Magenta Snowflake peel-offs would make a great embellishment for a hybrid layout using this kit.

Hope everyone is having a Great Day!

Digital Scrapbooking

WOW!!! There is so much to learn about digital scrapbooking it almost seems overwhelming. I am thankful that I learned about Jessica Sprague's PhotoShop Fridays through Heather. There are some great tutorials on her site and she even offers classes. I am really close to signing up with her, especially after finishing this layout.

So here is a layout I finally finished.

Sources:
Jessica Spragues Echoes of Asia kit (this is a free kit found on her webpage and it is awesome!).
Jessica Spragues Book Materials for the Swirly thingy's which I believe was part of another free download her Home Away from Home kit.

Grateful Eight

It is so hard to believe that we are nearing the end of July already!

This week I am grateful for:

1. NO MORE TEETHING!!! Yes my little Zech decided to get his last 4 two-year molars all at the same time and of course he couldn't wait until he was two, they had to come early. He is not a good teether and these things have been bugging him for a while now. But finally all 4 have poked through!! THANK YOU LORD!!

2. Colours. Zech has been obsessed with colours lately and what a great distraction and game this has turned into. He now knows yellow, blue, purple, green and white. He gets so excited to point out the colours that he know!

3. Answered prayers for this little girl. Olivia had her appointment with the Cardiologist this past week and all of the doctors thought that she was going to need heart surgery at some point in her young life. However, the cardiologist gave her heart a clean bill of health. That is right her heart is perfect!!

4. A wonderful package in the mail from Heather! I won a RAK on her blog a week ago or so and I just received the package in the mail. Look at all of this fun stuff! I was blown away--Heather you gave me way too much! Also I had to show off the thank you card and the b-day card that she enclosed! Absolutely stunning! It's no wonder why she gets featured in numerous scrapbooking magazines and in the Calgray Herald!

5. Swimming Lessons. We had our last day of swimming lessons on Thursday. It was a lot of fun, but really tiring too! Zech loves that water, but HATED the big, cold pool. John came a few times to watch before he had to work the late shift and was able to get a few pictures. (I have to play with these a bit in Photo Shop. The one right below was so dark, you could hardly see us, but look what PSE can do--it still needs some tweaking though!)

6. Possible Job Opportunities. As I am sure most of you know, I am on a Spousal Relocation leave with the government, which means I am on a priority list here in the Okanagan. I have been on this list since March and have been really frustrated that nothing has come up. I feel so in limbo. Finally on Wednesday I was asked to be assessed further for a position right here in Kelowna and they got my name from the priority list (this is the first time it has worked for me). I had to answer a few questions and have my answers and references in by Friday. Thank goodness JOhn had Thursday and Friday off as he took care of Zech while I frantically went through all of my old work binders and answered these questions. SO please pray that I get this position or that I get any position soon with the government.

7. ESL Teaching. I am now on the Substitution list for an ESL school right here in Kelowna. I am so excited about this opportunity. It may not be much, but just to have the connection is really exciting.

8. Knowing that I live my life to please and honour God. I make mistakes, but I don't have to worry about pleasing everyone else, because no matter what I do or don't do, say or don't say, believe or don't believe, and have an opinion about, someone will always be angry or upset with me. This has been a break through for me, as I am a people pleaser and I get so stressed, upset and let it affect me in such a negatie way. God knows me and that is scary too (my thoughts aren't always the purest), but at least I know that He will not forsake me nor turn his back on me.

A Recipe

Just thought I would share a recipe. I have been busy cleaning and sorting and I came across a binder full of some really great recipes that I had forgot about. This is a favourite salad that is perfect for those hot, lazy summer days when you don't feel like eating much or cooking much!

Hope you give it a try and let me know what you think! ENJOY!! :o)

Symphony Salad

Diced Apples
Diced Celery
Halved Grapes
Chopped Walnuts

Now unfortunately they didn't give any measurements. If I recall correctly, I did one apple, 2-3 stalks of celery and then I just put as many halved grapes in to make a nice even blend. Same with the walnuts. I also used red grapes as I liked the contrast of colours (I know, I know--kind of lame, but you can use green too). One last thing, I have made this salad without the walnuts and it is still just as tasty!

They also suggest covering the mixture with pureed bananas and a sprinkle of sugar. I have never put the sugar on and I have tried it both with the banana and without. It is great either way. The only problem with the banana is that you have to serve it right away and it can't be stored as the banana goes brown.

As the recipe states "Experience an Orchestra of taste!" Hence the name of the salad! :o)

A SAD STORY

This story was posted on our good friend's Blog (he has some really great, thought provoking posts, so check it out). It touched me so much and had me in tears and still has me in tears (so be warned).

John and I have felt such a huge burden on our hearts from God lately to speak out, to do something about the horrible reality of abortion. There have been many sleepless nights, many tears shed, and many times wondering why God has placed this huge burden on our hearts for this. This story makes our calling that much clearer!

After a speech, pro-life activist Penny Lea was approached by an old man. Weeping, he told her the following story:

"I lived in Germany during the Nazi holocaust. I considered myself a Christian. I attended church since I was a small boy. We had heard the stories of what was happening to the Jews, but like most people today in this country, we tried to distance ourselves from the reality of what was really taking place. What could anyone do to stop it?A railroad track ran behind our small church, and each Sunday morning we would hear the whistle from a distance and then the clacking of the wheels moving over the track. We became disturbed when one Sunday we noticed cries coming from the train as it passed by. We grimly realized that the train was carrying Jews. They were like cattle in those cars!

Week after week that train whistle would blow. We would dread to hear the sound of those old wheels because we knew that the Jews would begin to cry out to us as they passed our church. It was so terribly disturbing! We could do nothing to help these poor miserable people, yet their screams tormented us. We knew exactly at what time that whistle would blow, and we decided the only way to keep from being so disturbed by the cries was to start singing our hymns. By the time the train came rumbling past the church yard, we were singing at the top of our voices. If some of the screams reached our ears, we’d just sing a little louder until we could hear them no more. Years have passed and no one talks about it much anymore, but I still hear that train whistle in my sleep. I can still hear them crying out for help. God forgive all of us who called ourselves Christians, yet did nothing to intervene.

Now, so many years later, I see it happening all over again in America. God forgive you as Americans for you have blocked out the screams of millions of your own children. The holocaust is here. The response is the same as it was in my country - SILENCE!"

Have you ever wondered how people could have stood by and just let this happen? Do you wonder why the Christians in this true story chose to just sing their praise to God a little louder to drown out the victim’s cries?The old man’s story is in the past - it cannot be changed. It is easy to think we would act differently now. But the old man’s last words are haunting: "It’s happening all over again in America with abortion."

As American Christians, we have become so comfortable in our lovely buildings and padded pews. We have beautiful fellowship halls for our many banquets. We have the latest sound equipment for our praise and worship. We have computers to keep our records. We gather together each week and shut ourselves inside our buildings. We raise our voices as loud as we can in the name of God.

And yet, in the heavenly realm, our voices raised in praise are drowned out by screams of agony from millions of babies who are being executed before they are born. We can’t see them. We can’t hear them. But it is happening as you read this!Babies are being aborted up until the day of birth in this country. Their organs and brains are "harvested" for use in medical experimentation. In Wichita, Kansas, the smoke stack from the furnace of Dr. Tiller’s abortion clinic belches black smoke and the sickening smell of burning flesh. These are the bodies of preborn 7th, 8th, and 9th month old babies being "disposed of."If the Christians in the old man’s church had done something, they probably would have been killed. That is not the case with us today. We don’t even have that excuse for our silence.Years from now will you be like that old man trying to explain your apathy as millions were led away to slaughter in abortion clinics? Or will you raise your voice and cry out in protest for those who have no voice? The choice is yours. Read the list of things you can do on the last page and join the fight for the unborn!

Grateful Eight

I thought that there would be no photos, but it is finally working!!

This week I am grateful for:

1. Swimming Lessons for Zech! We started on Monday and he LOVES the water! He even goes down the slide all by himself!

2. New job opportunities. John has accepted a new job, which means less stress, hopefully better hours and a regular wage ( no more commission only)! I have also been handing out resumes like crazy, so please pray for me and pray that I get something soon!

3. Flowers from my wonderful husband! He is such a wonderful husband and father! I am so blessed!

4. The "Right to Life"! I am so grateful that my mom chose "life" and think that we should all count our blessings that our mother's all chose "life"! John and I have joined the Right to Life Society. We have both felt a huge burden and calling from God to do something about this cause. After seeing some of the pictures and learning about the different methods that they use to abort these precious little babies, I have never felt so horrified in my life. It brings me to tears everytime! We need to educate people and show them how horrible abortions are and we need to show these women that there are so many other options out there!! THERE IS HOPE, there is no need to abort!

5. A wonderful birthday BBQ to celebrate my birthday and my Mother-in-laws birthday. My Mother-in-law prepared a wonderful BBQ and cake.

6. Gorgeous summer weather! I just love the summers here. It is such a beautiful place to be living!

7. Homemade buns. Yes I made some buns and they tasted great! Plus I love the smell of fresh bread baking!

8. The birth of Olivia Simmone Whittenberg. We have been waiting for this precious little one's arrival and have been praying for her a lot during the last 9 months. Angie has had a rough pregnancy and it has been touch and go for this little one. Olivia has Turner's Syndrome and has a whole bunch of tests coming up. SO please keep these little one in your prayers and her parents Angie and Blake too! It has been a rough go for them and God has already worked a lot of miracles!

Grateful Eight

I have meant to get some pictures up all week, but we have had a few issues with electronics these past two weeks and are slowly working on fixing them. They say things happen in three's and that is exactly how it has been.

First our TV, then our desktop (yup it's gone, never coming back, dead!) and then our laptop was being attacked by all sorts of worms, viruses, etc. (I so want a MAC). I was frantically trying to back everything up. My 1000's of pictures, John's writings, and other Word documents. It was nuts. We did manage to fix things and I still have to finish my backup's, what a scare!

So I am sorry there are still no pictures posted of Zech and Jonas, no pictures for this week, but hopefully I will get some up soon!

THis week I am grateful for:

1. Saving our laptop and that I didn't lose the many pictures I didn't have a chance to back-up!

2. CHERRIES!! Need I say more!

3. Beautiful summer days. I really love the Okanagan Summers. It has been so nice and hot here and I am LOVING it!

4. Fresh potatoes straight from the garden. John's friends parents gave us some and they were so delicious!

5. Joe Fresh. They have some great sales on right now and some great baby clothes too!

6. A chance to explore and go mountain biking in just one of the many parks here!

7. A chance to play with Photoshop. I have so much to learn, but man does it ever fix some of my really bad photos! :o)

8. God, the Bible, Faith, Trust, Mercy!

Grateful Eight

Oh so much to be grateful for this week!! :o) Hope everyone had a great week, a Happy Canada day, and fourth of July and of course a chance to enjoy the beautiful summer weather!

So this week I am grateful for:

1. A nice visit from the Lee's and my Mom! We had a lot of fun and the time just seemed to go by way too quickly (it was too short)!

2. Beautiful weather. We broke records here last week and I just love the Okanagan summers. The nice dry heat and all the lakes around here to go and cool off in. Also the fruit is just coming into season!!!

3. These two little boys! I love watching Zech interact with his cousin Jonas, even if he seems to sufocate poor little JOnas. Zech loves his baby cousin so much and just wanted to hold him, hug him and give him kisses. He did get a little jealous of him too! Poor Jonas didn't really know what to do with this wild cousin! I will post some more pics. of the two of them in their matching outfits later this week.

4. The arrival of Rachel Olivia Faith Nenasheff. Our good friends Dave and Jeanette had their little princess on July 3rd. We have been anxiously waiting for her and we are oh SOOOO happy for the Nenasheffs. God has truly blessed them with this little angel. SHe is so cute!

5. Wii bowl-athons!! We got my Mom playing the Wii and it turned into a Wii bowl-athon night! We went for supper, had some b-day cake and played a lot of Wii! My Mom is hooked and had a lot of fun! Check out her form!! :o) (she is going to kill me for posting this pic.)

6. Being spoiled for my b-day! I got some nice gifts; a new scrapbook storage container that has wheels, Princess house glasses, Adobe PHOTOSHOP ELEMENTS (I've been waiting for this), Airbonne body wash, Imu oil chap stick, new hair products, and the Don't Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me book.

7. A nice b-day breakfast with my family before they headed home.

8. Great inspirational messages at church. It is really refreshing to be encouraged with the Word and God's messangers!

Grateful Eight

Oh I am so behind, but I thought I should quickly get my grateful eight posted and then I can post a lot more for this week. I have really been enjoying spending time with my sis, bro-in-law, nephew and mom. This week is going by way too fast!

So I am grateful for:

1. Getting the apartment all cleaned and looking somewhat presentable! :o)

2. A new shelving unit that allowed me to properly store and organize things.

3. A visit to the park with my friend Amber and her two boys Pearson and Jacob. Jacob is two months younger than Zech, but Zech is a lot taller and bigger, so Pearson (who is 3 1/2) thinks that Zech is his age and should be doing all of the things that he does. Too funny!

4. Good deals on electronics. John gets some pretty good deals at work and picked up a new Sony DVD player with speakers, amp, etc., for only $50! (now we just need a new tv--long story)!

5. Possible job opportunities. I just applied for a job (through the government-of course) and I have all of the requirements, it sounds interesting and it is a higher classification than what I was in Edmonton, so please pray that I get it!

6. Josh's b-day! Our nephew turned 8 and Zech and I went to the party. Zech was a little too young to play lazer tag, but was quite happy to hang out with all of the kids. Plus the cake really got his attention too!

7. Safe travels for my family. Mel and Cory picked Mom up after work and they drove to Golden Friday night. They spent the night and then arrived here on Saturday. It was nice to see them and Zech has been waiting for them to arrive. It is funny how much he does understand, but he doesn't quite understand the whole concept of "time". I told him that Aunty, Uncle, Baby cousin Jonas and Grandma were coming and he runs to the door to let them in and was not too happy that they were not at the door the second I told him! Too funny.

8. A nice relaxing Sunday afternoon at the beach. It has been really hot here (LOVE IT) and we went down and spent the whole afternoon at the beach just lying under a tree close to the water. I love those kind of days!