Scripture Challenge: FORGIVE

Forgive.  To cease to feel resentment against. 

I'd love to say that this is EASY for me... mostly I have issues realizing that I need to ASK for forgiveness.  Or wanting to give up the resentment towards others.  I seem to REALLY have "Ceasing" issues.  Anyways, LOVE doing this challenge because it makes me look up verses I would normally just pass over.  And think.  It makes me think.  I need that.  I might be VERY BEHIND in the challenge, but that comes from NEEDING so much EXTRA time to contemplate these things... it takes me a very long time since I have LISTENING issues, too.  Grrrrr.

This verse!  Guess who the Remnant of His Inheritance is?  Lucky day, it's ME!  So He pardons my sins, and forgives my transgressions.  All of them.  There are many.  And the 2nd best part... He does not stay angry forever... but DELIGHTS to show mercy!  I love so much that God is our Father, because it gives me such a clear picture of His love for us.  I mean, I am a parent, and there are times (even though my MOM would DISAGREE!) when my kids are disobedient and they make me angry!  How many times must I ask them to do what I tell them?  To (ironic!) STOP saying "Stooooooooooooop!" to each other!  How many times do I have to talk to them about their rotten attitudes, their selfishness, their apathy?  But I am their mom.  I don't stay angry forever.  They might (or maybe not!) ask for forgiveness, and I melt.  I am pleased that they get it.  I am happy to show them some mercy.

Pretty sure God gets tired of telling me over and over again what to do (and I just DON'T!!)... I annoy him with bratty behavior.... my own rotten attitude.  My selfishness.  My apathy.  And yet.  You know, God's Mercy is incredible.  He forgives.  He still calls me His.  He forgives.

Let THAT inspire you today!

photo:  That would be Word of Life Island in Schroon Lake, New York, Where Ryan and I were camp counselors the summer of 1991.  It WAS the most tiring summer of our lives, until we had kids!  Pretty sure THAT relates with the above verse somehow!

Announcing Parker!

*Sigh*  There really isn't anything else to say. 

This is Parker Erwin K.!!!  Our sweetly adorable, newest nephew!  Ryan's youngest sister, Randee, gave birth to her FIRST baby nearly 2 weeks ago... safely delivered on his Great Grandpa Tuinstra's birthday, hence his middle name, Erwin!  We are SO HAPPY for this precious addition to our FAST growing family!  Parker makes GrandBaby #11 for Ryan's parents, and our kids are the oldest, so they've about gotten a new baby every year!  CONGRATULATIONS to Randee and Johnnny!  We are so proud of you and Parker!

So, I was THRILLED to make these for Parker!  These birth announcements were pretty fun to make, and Randee sending me txt messages with pictures of Parker while I was cutting, certainly help keep the momentum going!  That is Bo Bunny paper (it is actually Fourth of July paper!), SU! cardstock, and stamp sets from Michael's brand, Recollections (letters, and Baby Boy set).  Ribbon from SU!

For the inside, I printed all his "stats" and name on the computer and cut each one out using the CuttleBug and Nestabilities Label Eight.  Randee just needs to add a photo to the top half of the inside of the card, and these announcements are ready to go!  I also covered a tin box with paper from Creative Imaginations that already had that pattern and circles, etc on it.  Seriously, just glued it on the box, so no great creativity there. 

Aren't they so very sweet!  I just LOVE this picture of Parker!  He's so in love with his Mama, it just makes me smile.  Can't wait to meet you, Little One!

*A word about the photo's.... the first one I stole from Ryan's sisters blog, Renae.  THANK YOU!  I would have asked, but when I thought to call, it was the middle of the night, and generally speaking, no one REALLY wants to talk to me then.  It is a completely beautiful photo, and since you got to hold Parker and I didn't, it's the least you can do.  I mean, I'm giving you Photo Credit, so it's not really stealing, right?  Kidding about the "least you can do" part:)  Amazing picture! 

The last picture, I'm sure Parker's dad took, as he's a photographer person and it looks so professional.  It was on facebook, so that DEFINATELY isn't stealing.  HA!  Besides, if you look that great after giving birth, I doubt you really care if someone posts your picture on their blog, right? 

Congratulations Randee and Johnny!

Scripture Challenge: FEAR NOT

You know what?  This is hands down my favorite verse.  Ever.  Last fall I made this verse into a blog header for our family blog and wrote a whole bunch about my feelings on it HERE.  And now, 10 months later, I'm STILL amazed by the deep meaning revealed in this verse.  When I read it, I  feel this overwhelming sense of  unworthiness and amazement that HE called ME by name (you know, because HE knows it!).  I catch my breath every single time.  I love the ownership it reveals.  His ownership of me.  Tonight, our kids were having a swim meet and my husband asked me to hold MY ipod for him.  I said, "hey, this is MINE anyways!" and he stroked my cheek and quietly said to me, "YOU are mine!".  Such love.  And to think that the Creator of the Universe feels even more love towards me.  It is amazing.  Still.

And fear. I feel like I am constantly asking God to take it away from me.  And He does.  But it seems minutes later I am ignoring His protection and allowing fear to grip me again.  It's a constant battle for me.  Fear of losing someone I love.  This verse DOES comfort me, especially when I think of it in these terms:

"Fear not, for I have redeemed THEM!

I have summoned THEM by name!

THEY are MINE!"

His.  Not mine.  There is something so comforting about that, even though that might seem odd. 

The photo... from the Oregon Coast.  And our amazing vacation there last summer!  Loved every minute of it, and pictures of it make me so happy:)

Scripture Challenge: GROW

GROW: to spring up and develop to maturity.  I love this passage because I think it is REALLY encouraging... definately worth checking out!  I find that I need to remind myself daily to "live a life worthy of the Lord", so I'm glad to have this reminder. 

The photo.... NOT taken by me!  I knew the day would come when I would rely on someone else.  And I've been relying on her for years now!  My BFF grows amazing flowers.  I am certain that I have a BLACK thumb, so I am so very impressed with her capacity to GROW things, and also, quite impressed with her mad photography skills.  She has a really cool flower blog now, which you can check out HERE... I used to live in her backyard.  I wouldn't mind living in her backyard again, because there are many, many flowers.  She sent me my first flowers once when I was REALLY sick in high school (and also hid a bag of Munchos potato chips under my pillow because my mother wouldn't let me eat anything!) and she's still sending me flowers NOW, although they are digital files of her amazing handiwork!  THANK YOU, Sioux!!! 

Your Invited

Retirement party invitations for the Principal of the kids school.... she retired this year after being with the school for 36 years (as teacher, asst. principal, then principal).  She's been a GREAT boss for Ryan and Principal for the kids, and friend to all of us!  She will really really be missed.  I was pretty honored when the office staff told me they really wanted me to make these for her party.  I made 100. 

I printed the inside part on the computer, but stamped the flower thing in green.  The outside is kraft cardstock (SU!) and K&Company paper.  Scallop oval and Oval punches (SU!) for the "an invitation" part... that was also printed on the computer so the fonts would match.

On Mrs. B's last day, they had a Clap Out for her, complete with red carpet!  Ok, not a fan of the Clap Out, but just thinking about THAT one could bring a tear to my eye. 

Project Tiles

These are dry erase message boards I made for the Principal of the kids school to give out to the teachers for Teacher Appreciation Week.  She retired this year and wanted to give them something personalized.

They are tiles from Home Depot (white glazed tiles) and I stamped on them with Staz-On ink, then baked them in the oven at 350 degrees for about 30minutes.  I turned the oven off and left them in there to cool off over night.  If you stamp on them and it doesn't look right or isn't clear (the tiles ARE slippery!!!) you can wipe it off immediately with a paper towel soaked with Staz-On cleaner.  Then you can try again.  You CAN get it off the same way after time passes (but BEFORE you bake it!) but you are going to have to really work at it.  Once it's baked, it's STUCK:)

I made 55 of these!  and packaged them up for her with a dry erase marker and a stand.  They were actually pretty fun to make.  Many years ago my sister-in-law KRISTI made dry erase tiles for us and I always thought they would make GREAT teacher presents!  We are actually going to make a "kid friendly" version of these at camp... you can draw on them with Sharpie markers and then bake them (as above) and the marker stays on.  They are going to just decorate them and have their camp friends sign them, not so much a dry erase board.  If you try this method, the yellow and green do turn an odd shade, but all the other colors stay true! 

Scripture Challenge: PURPOSE

Purpose... an end to be obtained.  I loved this verse the most because I am a planner!  When my son says "What's the Plan for today?" I smile because I know exactly where he gets it from!  You don't have to have Asperger's Syndrome to need that "comfort"!!  But I know that there is GREATER comfort from the Master Planner.  I admit, it is hard for me to rest in that most days.  This verse and picture seem to make that a little easier for some reason.

The picture:  I took it on the back deck of Ryan's parents house in Michigan... the resting corn fields on an evening in December.  There were about 26 people INSIDE the house (about 10 of them small children all under the age of 10!) and I distinctly remember thinking it was CRAZY QUIET outside when I took the picture!