Not Dreaming - He’s Watching Over Me!

Gosh – I have been wanting to blog ALL week. Drives me nuts when I don’t have time to type about life – ‘cuz I just LOVE to write and blog! There has been so much going on this past week. Have wanted to share this and that…and then this and that, so now where to start? Well, first – let me say I am SO glad to be here typing today. Praise God…because I had a surprise today that have totally altered our lives.

First, I want to draw attention to the layout above. I have to say I love the contrast of our daughter’s turquoise colored shirt with the fall colors. BoBunny’s “Beautiful Life” papers has that hint of aqua going through it and it was the perfect choice. Dana Zarling, a newer designer with BoBunny, creates BEAUTIFUL papers – I love ALL of her stuff! This is definitely my favorite new fall release of papers and cut-outs. Dana will be at the Scrapbook Superstore in Madison, Wi on Dec. 13 for a designer showcase. She will be creating a make n’ take with her new Winter Whispers line, which I also have by the way – gorgeous! Mark your calendar and swing by the store if you are in Madison.

Check out my chipboard leaves by Magistical Memories. Notice anything different? I have always been a “realist” when it comes to playing with my leaf chipboard shapes…but not this time. Noting the blue in the layout I opted to paint the raw chipboard with Tahiti blue acrylic paint, then I topped it with Coffee Bean brown ink by Rubber Stampede, and on top of that I used Staz-on by Tsukineko and scroll stamps by Autumn Leaves to stamp on the chipboard leaves. I then stitched around the leaf edges with brown thread on the sewing machine. Because they’re leaves and unique in their own right, my stitching had no need to be perfect as I maneuvered the shape through the machine around corners and curves. I topped the small leaf with a button and ribbon, and used a BoBunny cut-out to create my title block, or should I say “title leaf”. (LOL) Here is a detail – you can see how I fringed the mat for added texture and dimension…



If you love chipboard, even as half as much as I do, you may want to try for the Magistical Memories 2009 Design Team – they have an open call right now and you can find the details here.

This week my husband and I celebrated 19 wonderful years. We visited the nearby Baraboo bluffs and hiked trails at White Mound County Park near Plain, WI. What a super park – a definite treasure and secret that needs to be let out of the bag. If you like to camp check out White Mound! The bluffs were in full color- I have LOTS of pictures needless to day. When we arrived home Saturday afternoon it was still gorgeous so we took some family photos outdoors – cannot wait to scrap pictures from this past week!

Tuesday was our actual anniversary. For the past 4 yrs. We have been taking off work to spend the day together. Another gorgeous day and we hiked trails at nearby Indian Lake County Park. You can see some of the photos I took in this digital layout, which uses the October ad inspiration challenge from A Cherry On Top, digi elements by Faith Sisters Father’s Day Collaboration Kit.



God has given us a most glorious fall. But more than that, He has blessed me with 19 glorious years of marriage and two awesome kids. I will never take them for granted. Life can change in an instant, one should never live regretting anything. Take time to say, “I love you” to those you love, and hug every day – even when your kids are thinking they are too grown up to be hugged. Hug them anyways. Because you just never know…. Like today….

We have a steep driveway – probably around 50-60 degree angle. I put the car in reverse to go to work, and stepped on the brake as I always do to go down the driveway. Only thing is…I had no response! I managed to turn the car so that it stayed on the road instead of going off into the neighbor’s yard, as there is a drop off on the other side of the road. I then started coasting backwards while in reverse, put it in drive and the car moved forward. So that was good, I could stop it from going backwards. Tested the brakes…hmmm, this is not right… Drove ever so slowly, and if I put the brake to the floor it would come to a stop…kind of. Obviously I needed to get the car to the local service station, Mike’s Mobile in Cross Plains. A fairly flat, somewhat uphill kind of drive, and only 3 stop signs taking the back side streets. I crept to the service station, braking a half a block from any stop sign, which got me there. Whew!! I went in and asked if Mike, the owner, could take a look. He found a broken brake line right away, rusted right through. Wow – I was just at the coffeehouse earlier in the morning meeting gals for bible study and everything was fine – the brakes were not even mushy.

I got to thinking about this… the “what ifs.” Afterall, my drive to work is a hilly and curvy one – with drops off the road edge that always made me close my eyes as a kid. The whole thought that I might have been on those roads driving 55 mph to get to work is just too scary to imagine. I have no doubt God was watching over me today. That brake line could have snapped at any moment, but He was in control and it apparently snapped in our driveway. Praise the Lord!

We are also blessed with wonderful neighbors. One neighbor was on his lunch break so he drove me into work. Another did not need both vehicles for the weekend so they were going to loan me a car so I could get to work. As it turns out, Mike must have worked real hard to get to my car, as he was swamped and did not feel he could get to it until Monday. By 5:05 my husband was able to go pick up my car, so I have my old Buick back for weekend transportation. This is what it is all about folks…. lovin’ one another, helping one another in need, and praising God for His presence in my life and so happy that He watches over me as I stumble through life’s journey.

My journaling on “Dream” reads: Beyond the happiness of playing in leaves- dream of the joy that life can bring.
Fall leaves are so temporary…here today, gone tomorrow. But the only joy that can truly last a lifetime is that which comes when you have a personal relationship with Jesus. I pray that each and every one of you finds that joy, it will carry you through the trials in life. No matter where you are in your journey, He is watching over you just as He does me. You could be walking the straight and narrow, or may be you have fallen way off the path…it doesn’t matter, because God will meet you where you are at and love on you.