My baby is three today! Happy Birthday Caleb!! Check out my other blog for more pics! All is Grace

Three years ago today this precious boy entered our lives.....a true gift from my heavenly Father! I can't believe my baby is three today! We are all spoiling him rotten today.....well....actually I think he gets spoiled rotten every day!! A trip to the playground....pizza for dinner and homemade cupcakes for the celebration!

I am entering a new phase of life....this is the longest I have gone without having a baby in my arms....it is taking some getting used to on my part! I so miss that sweet baby smell and oh those baby smiles! But we are so blessed to have 7 and so I will hope that Caleb clings to me a little longer and needs me a little more before he decides to grow up!

Caleb my prayer for you today is that you would always remember how much I love you, how much Jesus loves you......and may you grow to be the man God intends you to be! He is already doing such a work in your heart my little man! And I thank God for giving you to me for this time.....may I be worthy of being your Mom...

You might remember sometime ago I posted about this wonderful site that hosts nature study challenges using The Handbook of Nature Study....We love this book as our third copy of it can attest too.....I believe the first copy was left out in a tree fort....the second forgotten out by the swing in the rain...we all love this book and our copy is worn and well used! I have decided to make an effort to pick up again on these wonderful challenges as Caleb is now old enough to hike along with us and explore as well. Barb has just started the Autumn challenges so jump in and join us as we explore Gods creation! She is even sharing journaling papers and other additional things to make your nature study easy and fun!

On a side note, Emily is using Barbs High School Art Curriculum this year and loves it....

I've been scrapping!! Not as much as I would like but I'm managing to get in some craft time in between everything the kids have going on!

This first layout is for the CPCM sketch challenge.


This went up on Tues. and I did not have the chance to post it yet. I have been wanting to do this layout and just needed the time to get it together. I found these old photo booth pics that Brian and I had taken when we were dating....in the summer of 1992. So I thought in my little scrappy mind that it would be an awesome layout if we went and had another photo booth experience this summer while at the Jersey Shore. So we did it and this is the resulting layout....

I am really happy with the way it came out! And it was so fun to put together....just check me out big jersey girl hair and all!!! What a great memory!!

This next layout is for this weeks sketch over at 52 sketches. It was a fun one too and I went back to 2005 and pulled these adorable pics of Jacob! What a cutie!!


I am really enjoying these new sketch sites and hope you take the time to try some of them out!!

Today I am joining Ann over at Holy Experience as we seek God in the every day....will you join us? I am continuing to add to my endless gift list.....because yes.....His gifts are endless!

This is what happens when I have to stay home and hang with sick kiddos! Our 2 youngest have the sniffles so Brian took the rest of the family to church and I got to hang and cuddle with the little guys! I also got to spruce up the blog a bit!! I'm still tweaking it but I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out.

I know I've been quiet around here lately but until we get our new routines down my time is limited on the computer!!

We are enjoying our workboxes and getting into the swing of this new season....I'll post an update soon!! Be blessed!

Well, I was stuck at home today with 2 sick kiddos...Brian took everyone else to church so I had time to fool around with my blog! I was not ever happy with the last change I made so I played around and I think I really like it this time! I got the background from The House Of Three and I actually made the header myself with some brushes....let me know what you think!
It always takes me forever to change up my blog because....I forget how I did it last time and have to go back and reconfigure it all out!

I should have taken time this afternoon to scrap......I hope to get some time in the next couple of days to get some projects started! Here is a layout I did last week for the scrap tag over at The Digi Chick...

I have been looking for some new sketch sites since TTS is now a fond memory....I have found a few that I never came across before. One I am enjoying is 52 Sketches...52 weeks another is Little Shop of Sketches  and if you go over to the Prima blog they have a sketch once a month as well......I love Septembers sketch! Go check it out!!
I'm off to go cuddle with my two littlest that both have the sniffles....and I'm praying the rest of the crew doesn't come down with them!
Be blessed!

I just came across this quote and had to post it

John Wesley on education:

" Let it be remembered, that I do not speak to the wild, giddy, thoughtless world, but to those that fear God. I ask, then, for what end do you send you children to school? “Why, that they may be fit to live in the world.” In which world do you mean, — this or the next? Perhaps you thought of this world only; and had forgot that there is a world to come; yea, and one that will last for ever! Pray take this into your account, and send them to such masters as will keep it always before their eyes. Otherwise, to send them to school (permit me to speak plainly) is little better than sending them to the devil. At all events, then, send your boys, if you have any concern for their souls, not to any of the large public schools, (for they are nurseries of all manner of wickedness,) but private school, kept by some pious man, who endeavours to instruct a small number of children in religion and learning together."

John Wesley actually thought this back then...
I wonder what he would say today?

Visit the Wise Womens Blog to read more on the perils of putting christian children in public schools.

Well this is it!! Our last time designing for TTS!! I am going to get right to the sketches today to get this blog hop rolling!!

You should be arriving here from TTS where Patter showed you the awesome sketches we had to work with today! The first one is my own sketch #75 and if you would like to play with the digital template you can download it HERE. Please link me up if you create with it...I would love to see!

And this is my Digital layout using Shabby Princess Summer Cottage Kit, fonts are contra and prissy frat boy, created in PSE 6


And sketch #76 was fun....I turned it and flipped it to come out with my layout. This is Caleb at 6 months...he is going to be 3 in 2 weeks....my baby! Sorry the pic is a little fuzzy, I did not realize it at the time.

supplies used are bazzill kraft paper, mm paper, ranger distress ink, cm letter stickers, Tim Holtz mask, mm flowers and brads, autumn leaves transparency, collage press journaling tape

I finally got to use my ranger distress ink with the masks. I used the scroll one and just inked around the edges around my title. So fun and really easy to do!! I love the grungy look! I also wrapped some fiber around the chipboard #....I was being lazy and did not want to cut paper to cover it....but I love the texture!

Well everyone that's it.....remember that the site will still remain up with just no new content added so we can go back and use the origianl sketches again and again!! Your next stop is Chelsea's blog and I know you will be inspired by what she has created.

To all the TTS followers and my wonderful design team friends please feel welcome to come and hang any time! I have so enjoyed our time together and I'm sure I will see you around as we follow this path God has put before us.....who knows where He will have us creating for Him next!!

It is with a heavy heart that I begin this last blog hop for TTS. Working for Patter and being on this design team with such inspiring and Godly women has meant so much to me!

I want to take the time to thank Patter for all the hard work she has done to make TTS what it is and for leading us and guiding us and not just in creative endeavors ...she is a spiritual mentor to us all. Thanks Patter!! May God bless you as you step out in obedience!

Let me wipe the tears so I can get our blog hop rolling!! You should be arriving at my blog from the main Triple The Sketch Site. I am your first stop for this hop!

Our first sketch is #73. I loved this one and really enjoyed playing around with it and using this great picture of my girls for it.

supplies used are pebbles inc. paper, colorbok die-cut paper,pink paislee chipboard, mm stickers, chatterbox chipboard, jillibean journaling circle, fiesta felt flowers and some really cool misc. bead embelly from the Scarlet Lime Kit.

Scarlet Lime has the coolest kits and I always love the neat embellys they find....very unique!

I loved the funkiness of Sketch 74! There are so many ways to use this one! I opted to let my photo flow of the page for better use of space.

supplies used are bazzill kraft paper, colorbok die-cut paper, jillibean journaling circle, title is cut with the slice, Tim Holtz journaling tickets, creative cafe stamps and misc. ribbons and buttons.

You can see in this close up of how I pulled the edges of the ribbon to gather it to give the page more texture.


I will be back tomorrow morning to begin our last postings......I hope you all enjoyed the sketches and if you get a chance go and leave Patter some love today!! I know she would appreciate all your comments!

Now you need to head on over to Chelsea's blog where I know you are in for a treat! Have fun hopping and be blessed!

Let me leave you with a scripture to ponder on today....

Well I stayed up late last night fooling around with the blog! I never liked the last template so I decided to change it! I may fool around with the header some more....but I think it turned out good!
Here is this weeks sketch challenge over at CPCM.



and here is your download link for the free template

Download

Enjoy and please link me up and let me know if you make something using my sketches!!