Good Morning Sunshine!!

YES! we made it thru THREE nasty storms back to back!! Yay!! and the sun is back in full swing! WOOHOOO!! still only going to be about 60 degrees Farenheit today but it sure is better than before! We just had sustaining winds up to 50 mph and gusts up to 75-100 mph!! and RAIN! YUCK! and in the Sierra, they had the first blizzard there!! that area got 5 FEET of snow with these storms. that is just plain NUTS! i hope your weather is much better ;)
today i want to share another cool thing i got in an email, called Reflections, anyone of us could have penned this, later in life! :D i hope you enjoy!
REFLECTIONS

You know, time has a way of moving quickly and catching you unaware of the passing years.

It seems just yesterday that I was a young girl, just married and embarking on my new life with my husband. And yet in a way, it seems like eons ago, and I wonder where all the years went. I know that I lived them all...

And I have glimpses of how it was back then and of all my hopes and dreams... But, here it is...the winter of my life and it catches me by surprise...

How did I get here so fast? Where did the years go and where did my babies go? And where did my youth go?

I remember well... seeing older people through the years and thinking that those older people were years away from me and that winter was so far off that I could not fathom it or imagine fully what it would be like...

But, here it is...husband retired and he's really getting
gray...he moves slower and I see an older man now. He's in much better shape than me... but, I see the great change... Not the one I married who was dark and young and strong... but, like me, his age is beginning to show and we are now those older folks that we used to see and never thought we'd be.

Each day now, I find that just getting a shower is a real target for the day! And taking a nap is not a treat anymore...it's mandatory! Cause if I don't on my own free will...I just fall asleep where I sit!

And so, now I enter into this new season of my life unprepared for all the aches and pains and the loss of strength and ability to go and do things.

But, at least I know, that though the winter has come, and I'm not sure how long it will last...This I know, that when it's over... I will enjoy the Spring in the arms of my loving Father...and wait for my loved ones to come when their winter is over too.

So, if you're not in your winter yet...let me remind you, that it will be here faster than you think. So, whatever you would like to accomplish in your life please do it quickly!

For remember that scripture?...our life is but a vapor, it vanishes away... So, do what you can today, because you can never be sure whether this is your winter or not!

You have no promise that you will see all the seasons of your life...so, live for God today and say all the things that you want your loved ones to remember...

"Life is God's gift to you. The way you live your life is your gift to God. Make it a fantastic one."

LIVE IT WELL!!

~author unknown~

and another layout! :D did this one for a Lyric challenge for Moo Two Designs

Credits
Christmas kit by Nicole Kaltenecker , NBK Proudly presents
Window template by Buzybee Designs, Penny V. Lewis
Window 'glass' by Brandy O'Neal
font is Eurostile
and finally today i want to share with you a bittersweet story from Candee's blog about losing her dear friend, Jake. it's a very sweet & touching story and to deal with the loss, Candee has designed a kit.

you will see when you check it out, that all you need to do is donate any amount, to download the kit! all donations go to Nevada SPCA, a no-kill shelter in Las Vegas and you can donate any amount you want!!! if you want the kit for a penny, go for it, but it would be GREAT if you could afford a little more than just one cent lol :D It's a WONDERFUL cause for something we all go thru, if we have pets.
i just LOVE this digi scrapping world, the people are some of the nicest EVER!! :D
on that note, have a WONDERFUL day and thanks sooo much for your visit! i am off to see your blogs now hehe :D HUGS!!

New layout

made this layout for a challenge and then realized it was to be a themed layout and well, um, this was NOT the theme, so here it is for your pleasure hehe

Credits
Template#65 by Lottchen
kits & elements are from The Last Dream, Brown Dream & Pink Dream by Bridget
fonts are Extravagant Pete & FrenchScript MT
This past weekend, i mentioned some bad weather. it was so windy & caused blackouts for about a million in the Orange County alone and then Saturday night, we became part of that crowd. Hence, my layout :D
Thanks for looking :D

Gotta love those emails!

Recieved this email from a friend (Thank you Kathy!) and thought the best way i could pass this on, was to post it! :D

Please take a moment to relax your mind and humble your heart to focus on Christ. Allow God to be the only person on your mind while you read this prayer. If we can take the time to read long jokes, stories, etc., we should give the same respect to this prayer.

Friends, who pray together, stay together.

Dear Lord, I thank you for this day. I thank You for my being able to see and to hear this day. I'm blessed because You are a forgiving God and an understanding God. You have done so much for me and You keep on blessing me. Forgive me this day for everything I have done, said or thought that was not pleasing to You. I ask now for Your forgiveness.

Please keep me safe from all danger and harm. Help me to start this day with a new attitude and plenty of gratitude. Let me make the best of each and every day to clear my mind so that I can hear from You.

Please broaden my mind that I can accept all things.

Let me not whine and whimper over things I have no control over. Let me continue to see sin through God's eyes and acknowledge it as evil. And when I sin, let me repent, and confess with my mouth my wrongdoing, and receive the forgiveness of God.

And when this world closes in on me, let me remember Jesus' example -- to slip away and find a quiet place to pray. It's the best response when I'm pushed beyond my limits. I know that when I can't pray, You listen to my heart. Continue to use me to do Your will.

Continue to bless me that I may be a blessing to others. Keep me strong that I may help the weak. Keep me uplifted that I may have words of encouragement for others. I pray for those who are lost and can't find their way. I pray for those who are misjudged and misunderstood. I pray for those who don't know You intimately. I pray for those who will delete this without sharing it with others. I pray for those who don't believe. But I thank You that I believe.

I believe that God changes people and God changes things. I pray for all my sisters and brothers. For each and every family member in their households. I pray for peace, love and joy in their homes, that they are out of debt and all their needs are met.

I pray that every eye that reads this knows there is no problem, circumstance, or situation greater than God. Every battle is in Your hands for You to fight. I pray that these words be received into the hearts of every eye that sees them and every mouth that confesses them willingly.

This is my prayer.

In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Don't ignore and God will bless you. Know that you are already blessed by the person who posted this for you.

'Friendship isn't about whom you have known the
longest; but about who came and never
left your side.'

my goodness, some days are like Christmas, just checking my emails lol
i am not Irish but sure enjoyed this too! it is WOW AWESOME :D
Irish Blessing

and one last thing for today... i leave you with a picture of Booreguard, our male cat. i think he found a friend lol

cute, huh? lol well, here is a little challenge hehe well, not really a challenge but a quest for info LOL seriously, if anyone knows just WHAT that is, i would LOVE to know LOL i bought it from a local thrift store for 99 cents and figure if for nothing else, i could send it to my sister, in Pennsylvania, she LOVEs cats LOL but i would LOVE to know if it's a neck roll or what?
Have a WONDERFUL day and thanks so much for your visit!!! HUGS :D

New layout & Freebie!

i hope your weekend was everything you wanted!! this saturday was bad weather, so the swapmeet wasn't even open and sunday it didn't look like many vendors showed so we didn't even stop in. no bargains this weekend lol
we (HA! should i say I?) took down the Christmas decorations. mostly consisted of wrapping & packing up Santas & snowmen (sounds like a GREAT kit name, don't ya think? hehe) since we have such a small tree.
i did make this layout from our New Year's night, i hope you like it.

Credits
template by Peaches(template #1)
beads & wire by ManuScraps, Designs by Manu B.
Misty Night, Sheryl's Colors & Instants Magique by Newlife's Dreams
i bet you have been wondering where are the freebies!?! well, wonder no more lol because here's a small one :D

i hope you like it, it sure was fun to make (with the help of Dover Publications)
Download Here
i would LOVE to see what you do with it! as always, thanks soo much for visiting & have a WONDERFUL day! HUGS! :D

new layout & previews

Good morning :D today i have a new layout to share and i hope you like it!

Credits
Picture by DS Cliff in NY
template#8 by Peaches
xashee's Snowmen kit
font is Gigi
i LOVE the pictures my son takes and am thankful that he allows me to play with them and i absolutely LOVE Peaches templates too and am soo grateful she shares!
i also have a new kit i have been playing around with and it has no name yet.lol i was kind of thinking in the direction of "Spring in my step" or something like that but i am so not sure yet, it just seems to be lacking something, but here's a preview just the same :D

Credits
Kimb. designs
Bunny S Cates aka SomeBunny
Roberta D'Achille
Gail P. from Moo Two Designs
Bannerwoman
i LOVE your designs, ladies and would not have NEARLY as much fun creating, without you! THANK YOU!
MooTwo also has some big things a-comin' this year and i have been busy creating to donate. here are peeks at my shares for the upcoming events, just to whet your whistle hehe


Credits
Roberta D'Achille


Credits
Kimb. designs
ManuScraps, Designs by Manu B.
Bannerwoman
hehe pretty sneeky, huh? Some of you may have gotten a better look before i changed the previews to peeks! hehe
i hope your weather is good today, better than ours anyways lol... we expect 3 storms to hit us. the one yesterday missed where we live, thankfully, although i realize we need the rain too. starting this afternoon, we are expected to get 5-10 inches of rain, yuck! looks like it is suppose to rain til maybe monday too! Yuck! hopefully it will be dry enough to go to the swapmeet tomorrow morning (sigh) just about the only place i get to go lol but if not then it will be a cozy day inside but i LOVE my swapmeet mornings!! lol oh well, stay dry & warm where you are and thanks so much for your visit!! Have a GREAT day! HUGS!!

two new layouts, a video & new blogger

I hope your holidays were as WONDERFUL as you wished them to be and only wish you all the BEST through the new year!! Ours was soooo nice & mostly quiet! i LOVED the time my DH had home this time!! Today my guys are back to work and this weekend we will be taking down our decorations. (sigh) that's always the toughest part lol
anyways, i made two layouts i hope you enjoy!
First one is a challenge for a blog site and the second is my guys again :D

credits
template by The Template Club
Dazzling Evening by Newlife


Credits
template by Gloria Val Verde TT17 (Template Tuesday #31)
Dazzling Evening & Misty Night by Newlife
font is ChopinScript

and here is a video i found on the web and just thought it was SOOOO AMAZING that i had to share! PLEASE KNOW IT HAS A HAPPY ENDING!!!

is that NOT the MOST AMAZING video? i am totally astounded by nature constantly!
and finally i wanted to share with you a new blogger! My DH hehe he wanted to create a blog for him to spout off, vent or even just share his opinions of today's world! You might like it & share the same opinion or not, but you can just leave a message welcoming him too!
Through common Eyes
Thanks so much for your visit and have a WONDERFUL day! HUGS!! :D

Wishing you a

(Hey Kathy, this one is for you!!!) hehe
Here's a video i thought i might have shared before but WELL WORTH the second look! This rider & his horse are absolutely STUNNING! i hope you enjoy it!