FLY'in High - What a SB Etc. Surprise!!

Does this count?? I had a few goals for 2007, one of which was not attained. That goal was to be published in Scrapbooks Etc. magazine. Let's face it - for me, it is a "tough egg to crack." Seldom are there any open calls (or if there are I don't hear about them). Once in a while I will complete what I feel is a pretty awesome page, so I will submit it as a general - never to hear a peep. Oh well...at least I tried! (LOL)

2007 overall was a great publication year for me - God is and continues to be good! Still, in my PC file folder where I place all my published works (purely so I don't make the mistake of resubmitting them) - one sub-folder remains empty. Scrapbooks, Etc. I love the magazine, so of course I am not giving up and made it a goal once again for 2008.

It has been a very busy, busy weekend. I spent 3 hours with Abby at the WalMart on Saturday shopping for household basics, looking for shoes and boots for the kids without success, checking things off a list that had grown in the past two months since we began writing it out. I did not plan to spend my entire Sat. morn shopping. Jesse figured we stopped at a scrapbook store for sure -once Abby mentioned she had new stickers. But NOPE! Had to peek in the craft department hoping to find a new kid project deal (and yes, no SB deals that interested me either). We got home, made us some lunch, finished a mock up of a prayer journal due for display at church today (for a class I am teaching there soon), and finally got back to working on taxes at 4 pm. Five hours later I had everything completed, but for the data entry part into an Excel spread sheet.

This means my Sunday, which I try very hard to keep as a day of rest and fun, was spent almost entirely doing laundry. I was gone last Saturday for Fiskars demonstrator training...so laundry was REALLY behind. Finally today, after supper, I was able to RELAX and peruse the April issue of Scrapbooks, Etc., which I believe arrived a week ago. Typically I browse the table of contents and go right to the topic that interests me most. But tonight I just started at the beginning. Nonchalantly turning pages, and sipping my re-warmed coffee that I never had time to finish on Sunday morning. I yelled "WOW!!!!" and my family just looked at me blankly. Then I pointed to the magazine and a little thumbnail of a layout - it was MINE!! Woo hoo! I was stoked! Granted, this may not count as an official pub... it is simply shared in the "from the web gallery" portion of the feedback column - but none the less - I have a layout, be it ever so small, in Scrapbooks, Etc.

So hey, should my 2008 goal not come to pass officially - I am ok with that. I will take whatever the Lord wishes to give me, and accept it with gratitude and praise. I know that all things, all desires, all wants - come in His perfect timing, and He also knows what is best for me.

All I know is that on this Sunday, as I had fun giving Abby her bath, as Kyle and I had some great laughs as I cut his hair (you had to be here to understand), and as the four of us snuggled on the couch to watch a re-run episode of Mr. Ed (d0 any of you actually remember the talking horse show from the 60's-70's?) before the kid's bedtime, is that God has truly filled my life with blessings. Each and every day I am becoming more aware of His blessings, whether it be a small thumbnail on page 10, or the huge feeling of love and togetherness that fills my heart as I journey with my family along that pathway to heaven.