"If God is Good" Book Review

If God is Good, Faith in the Midst of Suffering and Evil, by Randy Alcorn

With so much turmoil in the world today, along with many family members, friends, and acquaintances experiencing traumatic situations, debilitating health issues, and sufferings of all kinds, it seems as though evil is gaining ground.  However, I believe in my heart that God is still the One and Only who is in control and that one day evil will be no more. Despite my unwavering faith, I felt I needed to learn more about God’s character and purpose regarding suffering and evil as they are revealed and taught in the Bible.

For these reasons I chose to read a book by Randy Alcorn called, “If God is Good, Faith in the Midst of Suffering and Evil.”  I found this book extremely helpful in locating a lot of scripture dealing with this subject.  Mr. Alcorn’s views and commentary seem to be right on and insightful.  He has broken up his writing by using many subject headings to organize his thoughts and progressively build his case on the reasons for pain and suffering.  This writing style makes it very easy to read and to better understand, from a biblical point of view, the answer to why there is suffering and evil.

I appreciate that Mr. Alcorn spent time pointing out that whether a person is a true believer of God’s sovereignty will determine if one has a spiritual view or a world view of suffering and evil.   

You may find that this book requires a real interest in reading it because it is a thick one.  Although it is easy reading, it is not one that you will want to breeze through as it offers plenty to pause and think about it.  It is a great piece of writing that will help you to minister to those who need help in dealing with any kind of suffering.  I have no hesitation in recommending this book to others.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

May the Lord bless and keep you,

Annie

Every Leaf Speaks Bliss to Me . . .

. . . awe, yes, such a beautiful poem by Emile Bronte.  And a perfect sentiment for this card, which by the way, is my first time making a One Flap Easel card.  I used the stippling technique to color the image and the cut out leaves.  Stippling is done by using a thick stiff bristle paint (or stencil) brush, tapping directly onto the ink pad, then tapping it onto the card stock.  Very easy to do and it's a fun technique so I hope you'll give it a try.

1. Card Base:
       4-1/4" x 5-1/2" Dark Green CS
       4" x 5-1/4" Olive Green CS
                      
2. Flap:    
       2-3/8" x 4-1/2" scored at 1/2"
and 2 1/2",  Dark Green CS
       2-1/4" x 3-7/8" Olive Green CS
       2-3/8” x 4-1/8” Dark Green CS
       2-1/8" x 3-3/4" Cream CS

3. Stamp the rake design (Serendipity Stamps) on Cream card stock in Memories Chestnut dye ink.  Color using stipple brushes and inkpads:  Fresco Sicilian Spice, Distress Pine Needles, and Distress Crushed Olive.  Layer onto the Olive Green card stock, then layer onto the smaller, un-scored Dark Green panel.

4. Stamp the sentiment Every Leaf Speaks Bliss to Me from Inkadinkado onto the right side of the Cream card stock using Distress Pine Needles ink.  Make sure that there is enough room for your flap. Place adhesive on the back of the 1/2" Dark Green tab and attach it to the back of the Cream piece.  Layer the stamped assembly onto the Dark Green strip, be sure to apply adhesive only to the portion below the score line.

5. Embossed Panel:  

            1-1/4” x 5-1/4” Dark Green CS
            1-1/8” x 5- ¼ “ Olive Green CS

6.  Emboss Olive Green strip with Leaf Garland from the Sizzix Thankful Background  Borders set.  Layer and center it onto the Dark Green strip and then attach it 1/4” from the bottom of the Cream panel.

7.  On a Cream scrap, stamp with the small leaf from the Hero Arts Real Leaves stamp set three times using Distress Pine Needles inkpad.  Color the leaves by stippling from the three ink pads- Fresco Sicilian Spice, Distress Pine Needles, and Distress Olive; cut out; distress the edges with Distress Pine Needles; glue onto the embossed panel.  And there you have it!  I love doing all that stippling and it provides a really great background.


Here, we have another fall card - a Circle Framelit Closure Card. 

I made this card by watching it done on YouTube.  There are several things that I did differently: (1) used leaf stamps and Versa Mark ink to stamp on the brown panel, which is layered onto a yellow panel, (2) embossed the scalloped oval diagonally with the Branches embossing folder; and (3)  used a small punched leaf for the closure holder instead of a brad.  The card closes from the left, but it also has a flap on the right that folds over the closed card.  The little leaf layered onto a the yellow circle holds the flap in place.  Rather than trying to explain it here, I think you'll get a better idea of how it works if you watch the video - and I don't do videos - yet.  This link will take you to the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?    v=Px5L63LdPIA

Halloween is not my "thing" but still it's a special day to me because my youngest sister was born on Halloween and also my niece.  So when I saw the Tim Holtz Alterations die called Halloween Shadows,  I really wanted to use it for birthday cards but also for my card class.  On Pinterest I saw a card that had a haunted house in the middle of a pumpkin and decided that idea would be a perfect way to use the Halloween Shadows die.  Part of the die strip has a Trick & Treat sentiment design, so that is what is used for the inside of the card for my class.  For the birthday cards, I'll use birthday sentiments instead. Spellbinders Nestabilities Classic Ovals Small are the dies I used to make the pumpkin.  The pumpkin stem was made by using a small flower pot punch, turned it upside down, and then glued in place.  Perfect!  The leaf was cut with a Cuttlebug die set called Leaves, but any leaf die or punch will work.  

  

Also for my card class, I decided to do a Halloween Flip-its card.  The die is by Sizzix and called Card, Circle Flip-its #2.  The first pic is the front of the card and the second pic is the inside.  Decorative elements are a few sequins and some orange and white twine for the bow on the inside.  I was so surprised to find out how easily this die set works.  I am now hooked on it!  Here is a YouTube link so you can see how to use the die with your Big Shot:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUdikwhBDqk

 

Well that's it for my September card class.  I hope you've seen something you'd like to try.  It's been fun sharing with you.  Thanks for stopping by and check back soon for some more ideas.

May your creative juices keep flowing and may your days be blessed.

Annie







Fall Has Come Upon Us!

How beautifully summer has turned into fall.  I am thankful that I live in a place that shows the splendor of all four seasons.  Our Creator paints a new picture every day and I'm always excited to jump out of bed in the morning just to see His newest work of art.  Really!  I climb out of bed and the first thing I do is pull back the curtain and look outside.  Psalm 118:24 (NKJV) tells us,

"This is the day the Lord has made;

We will rejoice and be glad in it."

A changing season also means that it is time to change my church library display.  I've been busily working up a design and die cutting leaves with my Big Shot.  Truly, the Lord has blessed me by calling me to be our church librarian because I get to do three things that are a passion with me:  I love reading books, I love being creative, and I love making available materials that will help others grow in their spiritual life and for good wholesome entertainment. 

As I mentioned above, all the leaves were die cut.  I found a picture of a basket on the internet, enlarged and printed it, cut it out, and glued it on the poster sideways so the leaves would look like they are falling from the basket.  Several years ago I made the scarecrow.  Joann's had material with a scarecrow pattern, so all I had to do was cut out the pieces, sew them together, stuff, and embellish.  Mr. Scarecrow has been in many displays over the years.  The straw bale came from Joann's too, at a good price - only $1.  The sunflowers and the vines came from the Dollar Store.  Being creative can also be a lesson in good stewardship.  I think the display is colorful and cheerful and I hope it puts a smile on the face of viewers.

I pray you are experiencing the blessings of the fall season.  Enjoy!
Annie

The Last Summer Flowers

Good morning paper crafters,

Summer is sliding into fall and we are having a beautiful Indian Summer here in Wenatchee.  Before I turn my card making toward the next season, here are a couple of flower cards to say goodbye to summer.  This color combination has been around for a long time, but I just never get tired of it.  Isn't it amazing that brown can be so bright and cheerful!

 

This card is a top fold.

 

And this one is a side fold.



 

The flowers were made with punches from Stampin' Up:  Blossom, Pansy, Petite Petals, and the Blossom Petals Builder was used for the leaves.  The final touch was to add some jewels to make the flower centers pop.  The ribbon and the paper is also from Stampin' Up.

Thank you for stopping by.  May a wonderful blessing touch you today.
Ann

Murder at the Mikado by Julianna Deering

 Since I love a good old-fashioned murder mystery, I really enjoyed reading this story.  It was well written, taking lots of twists and turns, with dark secrets being revealed throughout the investigation.  Except for the three main characters, practically everyone else was a possible suspect.  Julianna Deering was an unknown author to me until my reading of Murder at the Mikado.  I’m glad she was brought to my attention and I plan to read more of her murder mysteries.

The story takes place in the 1930’s in a small English town and at the country estate of  Drew Farthering.  Whenever there is a mystery to be solved, Drew somehow ends up in the middle of the investigation.  This time Drew becomes involved at the request from the beautiful wife of one of his employees.  To make matters worse, the wife turns out to be a former girlfriend and this does not sit well with Drew’s fiancée.  The wife is the first suspect in the murder of a celebrated actor with whom she had had an affair.  I say the first suspect because as the investigation progresses, four or five others are rooted out as possible suspects and they all have a motive for murder.  Just when Drew thinks he might be close to discovering the truth, the story takes another turn and he is hard put to find any solid facts.  

Both the main characters are Christians with good moral character.  The story is without profanity and sexuality – just a good, clean “who done it” murder mystery.  I recommend it to all mystery lovers and plan to donate the book to my church library.

Bethany House Publishers provided this book to me for free in exchange for an honest review.

Gate Fold Shutter Card

How I love to learn a new fold for my card making!  This is called a Gate Fold Shutter Card.  I saw the instructions for this card on YouTube.  It really is an easy to make card once you get all the pieces cut and scored.  Here is my take on it - hope you like it.

Remove the belly band and as you slowly open the gate folds, it pulls the shutter open inside the card as shown below.

Isn't that just cool!  The design is my own, but I can't take credit for the shutter mechanism.  I don't know who the original artist is as there are so many posted on YouTube.

Here are the instructions that I wrote up for my class.





Gate Fold Shutter Card – 8 ½ x 5 ½ Card Base
1. DO NOT FOLD CARD! We first need to score it.
          a. Score at 2 1/8 & 6 3/8.
          b. Fold on score lines.
2. The two outside panels of decorative paper are 5 ¼ x 1 7/8.
          a. Adhere the two panels to the front of the card.

3. The inside center panel is:
          a. Colored card stock – 3 x 5 ½
          b. Decorative paper – 2 ¾ x 5 ¼
          c. Adhere them together.
          d. Using a 2 ½ round punch or die, cut a circle in the middle of the panel.
          e. Lay aside.
4. The shutter: 2 pieces of colored card stock 3 ½ x 4.
          a. At one end score at ½, leaving the remaining section to measure 3 ½ x ½ .
          b. At the opposite 3 ½ end, make a pencil mark on the edge at the center – 1 ¾ .
          c. Make another mark 2” above the first mark.
          d. Cut from each corner end to the 2” mark, making a big “V” shape.
          e. With the “V” shapes facing each other, fold the ½” scored section toward the back on both pieces.

                                                                          ß  4”  à

                          ­­­­­­­­­__________________
                          |    .                             |
                          |    .                 ß2”à       | á
                          |1/2 .           .________.| 3 ½ “
                          |    .                             | â
                          |    .                             |
                          |_________________| 

          f. Place a strong DS tape (Red Line) on the end of the scored section.
          g. Place the folded panels just outside the centerfolds of the card, left and right, align the shutter pieces across the top and bottom, then remove tape and glue in place.

4. Use 4 dimensionals to stick the panel to the center of the card.
          a. Be sure to place the dimensionals one at each top corner of panel.
          b. Place the panel over the two shutter pieces.
          c. With the card lying open, stamp a small sentiment in the shutter
opening.

5. Two Side panels inside the card:
                  Colored Card stock 1 ¼ x 5 1/2
                  Decorative paper 1 x 5 ¼

6. Belly Band – 1 x 11”
          a. Place the right end of the band at the front of the card at the right edge.
          b. On the left edge of the card, fold the band around the back and to the front, placing the end underneath the previous piece of the bank.
          c. Glue or DS tape in place.
          d. Cut a notch in the showing right end.

7. Small panel to attach to center of bellyband:
                   Light colored card stock 1 ¾ x 2 ¼
                  Coordinating colored card stock 2 x 2 ½
         a. Stamp the Fish Net image on the 1 ¾ x 2 ¼ card stock (I used
Antique Linen Distress Ink).
          b. Distress the edges with Memories Midnight Blue.
          c. Over stamp with the anchor image using Memories Midnight Blue.
          d. Layer this piece onto the colored card stock piece.
          e. Adhere it to the center of the bellyband.

Stamps: Anchor (dragonflylaser.com)
              Happy Birthday (Stampin’ Up)
              Fish Net Background (Our Daily Bread)

Die: Nesting Circles (Lifestyle Crafts, the 2 ½ “ circle) or you can use a 2 ½ “ punch.

If you have any questions, please let me know. Wishing you a day full of blessings.

Annie

Flowers, Birds, & More Flowers

A happy hello to my blog followers!  I have three cards to share with you today from my last card class.  They are a nice mix and I hope they will inspire you to go create.

The "Card in a Box" style is popping up all over in blogs and Pinterest, so you won't have any trouble finding lots of other samples.  I chose to make one in shades of lavender and purple and this is how it turned out:

I found this template on Stamp with Jenn and then wrote up some directions. However, I used different measurements so please note the difference between the measurements in my directions and the measurements shown on the template.



Begin with a piece of card stock cut to 5 1/2" x 8 1/2".  Score at 1/2", 2 1/2", 4 1/2", and 6 1/2". Then score along the other edge, beginning at the end without the 1/2" score line, score at 3" but end the score line after three of the scored sections as shown.  At the ½” score line, cut off the top half. Trim the bottom half to make a tab.

You will also require one additional strip of card stock measuring 1" x 5".  Cut this in half.   The two pieces will be 1" wide and 2 1/2" long.  Each one is scored at 1/4" and 2 1/4" and then the ends are folded in a "Z".

Put double sided tape along the tab for the box and also along each of the 1/4" tabs on the small pieces.

There is no bottom to the box.  The inside dividers (small "Z" folds) are approximately equally spaced.

And after that, it's all a matter of decoration.  Be careful not to have too much of an overhang at the top or sides or it will make it difficult to fit the collapsed card into the envelope.

 

 

My dear friend Buffe introduced me to this bird die and I just love it.  It's perfect for this card.

                

This  is a fun and easy card that features the Savy Die "Sparrow #10070" and the Cuttlebug embossing folder "Sylized Flowers #37-1232."  Cut a 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" card base and a panel 5" x 3 3/4".  Die cut three birds in three shades of blue.  Before you emboss the panel, first stamp your greeting in blue, then emboss in the folder.  Layer the panel onto the card base, then layer the birds as shown.  For the inside I used a sentiment from Inkadinkadoo #97914.  This sentiment always makes me smile and I think it pairs beautifully with the blue birds.  Chuckling here!

 

Ok, here's the third card -- hang on just a big longer.  I realize this is a long post.



Another easy and fun card with a bit of spritzing.  Card base:  8 1/2" x 5 1/2"; yellow panel 4" x 3 3/8"; pale orange panel 3 1/8" x 3 1/8"; white watercolor paper panel 3"x3".  Tim Holtz distress inks - Antique Linen, Mustard Seed, Dried Marigold, and Shabby Shutters.

 

I stamped in the middle of the watercolor paper panel with Hero Arts Graphic Scribble stamp E2469 using the Antique Linen ink pad.  Ink the Solid Almond Petals Stamp (Autumn Leaves) with Mustard Seed, spritz with a mist of water, and stamp in the middle of the shadow image.  Randomly stamp tiny leaves or leaf stems on one side of the flower using the Shabby Shutters ink.  Overstamp the leavers with a tiny flower stamp using the Dried Marigold ink pad.  Layer the white panel onto the pale orange panel then layer onto the yellow panel leaving a 3/4" border at the bottom of the yellow panel.  Add the rick rack by taping the ends at the back of the yellow panel.  Layer it onto the white card base.  Add two tiny buttons at the right bottom edge of the white panel.  Easy peasy.

 

Well, that's it for today.  Now go have some fun!

Annie

 

 

True Story - A Short Walk to the Edge of Life

 It all started when Scott Hubbartt went for a walk in the high Peruvian puna (plateau) in the high desert region of the Andes Mountains.  Only the hardiest of living things can survive in its barren, dry, windswept, and rocky terrain.  Scott’s sister-in-law and brother-in-law were not excited about the walk he planned and would start the next day.  “But they had come to expect some impulsive, even crazy ideas” from Scott, so they only advised him to use a guide.  Tia Clara, his wife’s aunt, warned Scott to take a guide.   And Scott’s wife Carito cautioned him, “. . . please be careful, and please use a guide.”  Even the locals warned him that no one goes that way because it is too dangerous

 Scott admitted that sometimes he was a poor listener and that these were some of those times.  He was completely confident in his ability to walk in the mountains and even camp overnight if need be.  He was an Air Force combat veteran and had training in survival skills.  It would be just a walk in the park.  But it wasn’t!

Supposedly, this trek was to be only a five to eight hour walk, but Scott soon found himself hopelessly lost.  It turned into a five-day nightmare bringing Scott to a desperate and near-death experience.

I was astounded by the number of things that Scott experienced:  loss of his glasses, compasses that no longer worked properly, thirst, hunger, his skin, clothes, and shoes being torn up from the cactus needles and rocky terrain, exhaustion, attempting to eat an ant in the hope of finding a small food source but instead his tongue felt like it had been set on fire, it swelled and protruded from his mouth, a very close encounter with a snake, realizing that he was totally alone and totally lost, and so much more.  It was only when Scott finally came to the realization that he was not able to do anything to save himself and to completely place his faith and fate in God’s hands, even if it meant his death, that his circumstances began to change.

This true story of a man’s courageous struggle -- physically, mentally, and spiritually – really touched me and I believe it will touch you also.  Scott believes that he was spared only by the direct intervention of God and that it made a forever change in his life.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Sending a Hug in Blue, Green, & Purple


 
After spending a "pleasant" morning with my dental hygienist, it seemed a good idea to relax in front of my computer and do another post to the blog.  Actually, it's always pleasant to visit Lona.  She's a delightful woman and I love her entertaining chit chat.  I believe she even understands my guttural responses. 

So here is what I have for you today.  I saw a card very similar to this one made by Michelle Woerner.  The cheerful and bright colors captivated me and I knew I just had to make one.  There were only a few card details, so I decided to write up some directions for future reference and now I'll share those with you so you can make the card, too.

 Directions
1.  Top fold an 11” x 5 ½” piece of card stock.

2.    Cut a 2”x6” strip of patterned paper.  Attach at an angle.  Trim sides.

3.    On the die cut label, use a dots stencil to sponge ink on it, starting in the upper left   corner, gradually fading the color as you move down.

4.    Stamp sentiment on the right side of the label about 1/3 of the way down from the top.

5.    Edge the label with a Wink of Stella clear glimmer brush.

6.    Lay label aside to dry.

7.    Curl ends of petals, then layer the lighter shade flower onto the darker shade flower.

8.    Next, layer the two smaller flowers onto the large flower, brush smallest flower with Wink of Stella clear glimmer brush, and finish off with a pearl in the center.

9.    Using a 10” piece of ribbon, tie a small bow.

10.Using a 15” piece of twine, tie a large bow.

     Final Assembly

1.    Attach the label slightly off center towards the right and glue the ribbon bow on the right side of the label.

2.     On the left side of the label, glue the twine bow in place with the flower on top.

3.     Glue on the leaves and the flourish.

Tools:

Punch:  EK Success Swirl Flourish Punch

Dies:  Cheery Lynn Designs Large Leaves #2

              Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels Two

                  Tim Holtz Alterations Tattered Florals  



Fluttering Butterflies

What a beautiful day outside! 
I could hardly bring myself inside but for the fact that I needed to be out of the sun for a while and cool off.  So while I'm having an iced drink and dropping my body temperature, I'll share a couple of cards that I taught in my class this week.    They are basically the same except for the color selection of the butterflies for each card.

 

These are clean and simple cards, but still have a touch of elegance to them, and are really fun to make.  I think it must be the butterfly effect.  I love, love, love butterflies - can't resist them.  Really, it's almost as bad as my craving for chocolate! 

 

So, here are a few card details in case you would like to make one.  Have fun!

 

Black CS - 5 1/2x 4 1/4  -  cut one

White CS 4 12 x 3 12   -  cut two, one for outside & inside

Gold glossy CS

Various colors of pattern paper

 

Dies:  Technique Tuesday "Hello"; QuicKutz "Nesting Ovals"

 

Punches:  Several sizes of Martha Stewart Butterflies or whatever brand you have;

All Night Media "Small Butterfly"

 

Add a butterfly to the inside of the card on the white paper.

 

 Uhmm, time to go check my flower garden for butterflies. 'Bye for now!

Embossing on Patterned Paper

Hello again!

Are you ready to try something different?  Let me share with you some of the fun things that have been going on around here.

During card making with some of my friends this afternoon, the card pictured is one of the cards we made.  I cased the basic idea from Jennifer McQuire, but made a few changes in the layout.  Three tips that I learned from Jennifer are:  (1) to distress both edges of each strip; (2) emboss an image on patterned card stock; and (3) to outline the embossed image with a grey Copic marker which made the white image stand out a bit more.

While browsing at Craft Warehouse last week, I discovered foam sheets with a self-adhesive backing.  How cool is that!  I die cut the "hello" from a black sheet of it.  Just loved the result!  Now it's my new favorite thing.  The foam cuts very nicely and provided a nice dimensional word.  Now it's your turn and all the information you need is included below.  Have fun!

Finished Card Size:  4 ¼ x 5 ½ top folded.

Cut:   white card stock for card - 11 x 4 ¼

          small piece of white card stock - 5 ½ x 3
          2 solid color strips – 5 ½ x ¼
          1 patterned card stock - 5 ½ x ½
          2 strips -  use different patterned card stock for each one- 5½ x ½
          1 strip with pattern different from first 2 – 5 ½ x 1

All strips should be of coordinating colors.

 Die Cut:  the word “Hello” from black self-adhesive foam sheet.  Alternatively, you can use regular black card stock and glue the word onto the card.  (Technique Tuesday die)

1.              Score and fold your card, and set aside.

2.              Use distress ink on the sides of all strips.  For the colors of the card stock that I chose, I used Tim Holtz Peacock Feathers and Shabby Shutters.

3.               Now we will work on the strip of white card stock.  Use adhesive along all sides and then several times on the body of the strip.

4.              Begin layering the strips according to the card sample or make your own design.

5.              Be sure to snuggle them up tight against one another.

6.              Using adhesive, diagonally layer the striped piece to the card

7.              Trim the excess off both sides of the card.

8.              The next step is to emboss the flower stamp over the patterned strips.

9.              Be sure to use an Embossing Buddy first in order to keep excess embossing powder from sticking to the card stock.

10.          After embossing with white embossing powder, use a tiny brush to remove any powder that may be left on the piece.

11.          To make the white flower stand out a little more, lightly trace around it using a grey Copic marker.  I used #N1, neutral grey.

12.          Last step – peel the backing off the word and stick onto the striped piece, then glue 3 black sequins under the word. (Doodlebug Designs sequins pack)

The Magic of Red Dragonflies!

Hello stamping friends,

Finally, I had time to make a screen card.  I've been ogling them on Pinterest and Face Book and YouTube, so at last I got organized and made one, and now I want to share it with you.

This color combination is one of my favorites.  It's easy on the eyes and seems restful to me, even with the red dragonflies.  

The measurements are:  Card:  11" x 6 1/2"; Panels:  4 1/2" x 2 1/2"

 1.  Cut the black card stock to size.

 2.  Use a decorative border punch across the top.

 3.  Score the black card stock at 2 3/4", 5 1/2", and 8 1/4".

 4.  Punch the legs using the Stampin' Up label punch.

 5.  Score across the top of the card just below the punched border, about 1/8", then

      score across again below the first score line.

 6.  Score across the bottom of the card just above the punched legs, about 1/8", then

      score again above that score line.

 7.  Fold your card - mountain, valley, mountain.

 8.  Cut the panels from decorative scrapbook paper or card stock.

 9.  Layer the panels in place, centering between the upper and lower score lines.

 10.  Next, add the flowers and words.  I glued them on using Aleene's Tacky Glue,

        fast drying glue pen.

 11.  Finally, punch the bow and dragonflies from red card stock and glue in place.

The card was much easier to make than I anticipated.  Once I decided on the color combination and decorative paper, and finished with all of the die cutting, the card went together in about 10-15 minutes.  Now go have fun and make one for yourself!



Dies Used:

Impression Obsession Hollyhocks

Memory Box Fresh Daisies

Memory Box Meadow Rue

Sizzix Sizzlits Happy Birthday

Punches:

McGill Bow and Tiny Dragonfly

Image not available Photos not available for this variation        Stampin' Up Label Punch

Martha Stewart Bubble Bath



Sisterchicks in Gondolas, by Robin Jones Gunn

So here we are, another set of Sisterchicks off to Italy this time. Jenna has been invited to cook for a small retreat group, with airfare and lodging included and a free ticket for a friend – unbelievably in Venice!  Having been on her own since her husband walked out on her when their daughter was only 3 month old, and now with her daughter grown and out of the nest, Jenna felt this was the perfect opportunity to get a fresh start in her life.  Of course the perfect companion for this trip would be her best friend sister-in-law, Sue, who only required a small amount of coaxing to accept Jenna’s invitation.  For the last couple of years Sue had been caring for her husband and helping him to recover from a serious auto accident that had left him paralyzed.  Sue really needed a retreat of her own to help her get over her anger at God for letting this happened to her husband.

With only a few Italian words between them, I found their attempts at communication with the shopkeepers to be hilariously funny.  I loved their goal of eating a new flavor of gelato everyday.  Yum!  With all the shopping, sightseeing, riding in gondolas, and exploring the city, I’m surprised that Jenna and Sue were still able to find time to do the grocery shopping and cooking for the conference.

As the women spent more time together, they were able to open up and share about their past hurts and unpleasant experiences.  They found that they were being drawn into a deeper relationship with God and the bond between them was growing ever stronger.  A healing had begun and they realized that God was not done with them yet.  A bright future was waiting for them.  Yes, God does answer prayer.

I love this definition,  “SISTERCHICK n.: a friend who shares the deepest wonders of your heart, loves you like a sister, and provides a reality check when you’re being a brat.”

One of the reasons I like the Sisterchicks books so much is because they remind me of the escapades of my two sisters and me and all the fun we have when we get together.  And also because God is woven throughout the stories and there’s always a message that points us to Him and how to apply it to our lives.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Persecuted, I will not be Silent! by Robin Parrish

As John Luther ran in blind panic through the woods, desperately trying to get away from the men who abducted him, he couldn’t believe this was really happening to him.  It didn’t make sense; what did they want with a preacher, a God-fearing, peace-loving man with a wife and a daughter, devoted to teaching the truth of God’s word.  Who would want to harm the man who was considered the most popular evangelist of his day?  Barely stopped to catch his breath, he suddenly doubled over, coughing and gagging, and threw up on the ground.  His body was sluggish, his brain foggy.  He knew he had been injected with some kind of drug.  Then suddenly he sank into darkness.

It was in all the news – John had been charged with the rape and murder of a young teenage girl.  Horrified by the filth the media was saying about him, John knew that somehow he must prove his innocence and find out who had set him up, who was framing him.  Thinking that it couldn’t get any worse, John found that he was wrong.

The strain of evading both the police and the men persecuting him was taking its toll, but at least he had discovered the reason for his life being turned upside down.  John had refused to lend his support of a new religious-equality bill for which his senator friend had been pressing him.  And his endorsement was critical.  Was the senator the mastermind behind this plot or did it go higher up – as far as the White House?

I love to read suspense novels and this one did not disappoint every bit as suspenseful as a John Grisham book.  This is the first book I’ve read by Robin Parrish and the first present-age religious persecution story I’ve read.  It was well written, moved quickly, and stayed suspenseful until the very end.  I look forward to reading more of this author’s books.

Bethany House Publishers provided this book to me for free in exchange for an honest review.

Love That Chocolate Dipped!

Hi friends,
I want to share with you about a little surprise I found while shopping at my local Bi-Mart.  The store actually doesn't carry much in the way of stamping/scrapping supplies, but I always stroll by that section just in case there might be something new and interesting.  I'm not much of a card kit person, but this kit was on sale for such a low price that I couldn't resist the purchase of it.  The kit is called, "Chocolate Dipped Artful Card Kit," by Hot Off the Press, Inc.  The custom designed paper is very pretty and colorful.  And all the die-cuts and cut-outs are well designed in interesting shapes -- made me really want to use them instead of tossing in the waste can.  You can learn more about the kit by clicking on the above link.  I posted this particular link just so you would have a quick way to see what the kit looks like.  I'm sure there are many places online where you can purchase it if you're interested.

So here are the cards that I've made so far with this kit and I still have oodles of paper left to make more.  I'm really happy that I took a chance on this one!

As always - wishing you happy stamping,
Annie