Mud, Chocolate, and Hall of Fame

Wow - the past month has flown by - an entire month since my last post!! It has been so busy - making cards, and still not enough finished to make the basket appear full enough for the store. I have spent many hours on my nature photography and cropping prints just so, using some to create inspirational images for wall decor, placing print orders. Then on to display prep - shopping for frames, mats, cleaning glass, and framing photos. One thing for sure...I wish we had more blank walls in our home to decorate as I would love to have room for every framed photo! I love to bring nature indoors and capture its year round beauty.

Spring has arrived - warmer temperatures, melting snow. Melting snow equals run off down our road, and our son Kyle has been spending many hours in the past several weeks building a dam near the bus stop. This past week the kids had early release, and the weather was warm. All the kids in the neighborhood gathered to work on dam repair. I captured a number of great photos depicting March Mudness - and want to share one of our son and his friend engrossed in their project. This is such a great reminder of my own childhood and how much pleasure nature offers free of charge.

The Creating Keepsakes Hall of Fame calls go out tomorrow, and I am trying, without success, to put this out of my mind. Friday I realized our house was void of dark chocolate, or any chocolate, or even ice cream for that matter. What a crisis!!! I NEED chocolate to get through a Monday of stress and hitting the ceiling every time the phone rings. (Family, friends - if you are reading this PLEASE make any necessary calls before noon on Monday!)

The praise music before worship this morning really spoke to me - and put me in the right frame of mind for this all important eve in the world of a HOF wanna-be. First, it reminded me that Hall of Famer or not - I am God's child and He loves me. I am important, because HE made me - flaws and gifts all rolled into one small town girl package. Secondly, I was reminded through lyrics that if/when I do well - not to seek the crown but to give God all the praise and glory. I pray that I never lose sight of the King who is Lord of lords and above all powers. Whether or not the phone rings here tomorrow afternoon, with that elusive Utah area code, is completely in His control. By midnight I will crawl into bed, thank God for my blessings and acknowlege that He knows my needs and what is best for me.

I head into my Monday with a glimmer of hope left...which has diminished more and more as the day draws near. My husband was a real sweetheart and brought home dark chocolate for me today. For the first time since last year at this time, I am leaving work promptly on time, picking up my daughter, and carrying the phone around the house with me wherever I go.

To all you HOF wanna-bes - I wish you the best - and don't ever forget what really matters. Today I received a message that made my day...a layout I had created (shown below) made a difference in the life of someone who was struggling with disappointment that comes when you have your hopes set on something of the secular world. When she read the words in my journaling, it reminded her of why she preserves memories, and refocus on God. No matter what happens tomorrow I will need to remind myself. Time to pull this layout out and set it near my phone. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!