Christmas Cheer

This is a paint can (new!) that I altered into a "Christmas in a Can". It is covered with cardstock from Die Cuts With a View "Christmas Stack". I love this line of crafty papers. Some of them are glittery and all are very pretty and sturdy! On the handle of the can is an acrylic photo album.See below for a close-up view.

This is a gift from the Grans to the other Grandparents. They have all kinds of goodies in it to help them have a cheery Christmas! Now, just to get it in the mail!! EEKS!!

Happy Birthday, Bro!

Tooo many years ago on December 4th, my big brother, Charles, was born to John and Georgia Goodnight in Dallas Texas at Baylor Hospital. He went home to one older brother, Darrel. I came along about 4 years later. While I was growing up, Charles was a great big brother. He always had my back against bullies. Like the time, a kid told me there was no Santa Claus or the same kid called me "potato ears", he would get in their face and tell them to be quiet and put his arm around me and pat. Soooo sweet!

Now, he's a husband, father to 4, Grandfather to 4 and Great-uncle to many. He's still just as sweet and good-natured as ever. If I got to choose my brother, I'd pick him. He's the BEST!!

Happy Birthday, Charles!!

WooHoo!!

I was so honored recently when Michelle from Live Imagine Create called me and asked if I would be part of the Creative Team for her website! I am so excited to see what the next 6 months hold and I look forward to stretching my wings!

We have an awesome team, with Mardi heading it up as the Creative Team Coordinator. The team includes Jeana, Marcie, Susie, and yours truly. These ladies are so very talented and warm-hearted. So, come on over and scrapbook with us! We are all working very hard to make the next 6 months a fun and creative time!

Below is an ATC (Artist Trading Card) that I made to go with my application to be on the Creative Team If you are into ATCs and like to trade, come on over. Jeana and I are ready to trade anytime!

Christmas Love Campaign

CALLING ALL SCRAPPBOOKERS AND CRAFTERS WE NEED YOU FOR THIS IMPORTANT CAMPAIGN!
1.We want you to craft or scrap something big or small & then share the Christmas love by giving this item to a neighbour or a complete stranger.
2. Challenge a friend or two to do the same.
3.Then get a "Christmas Love Campaign" BLINKIE from the www.susiebeestudios.com website or Susie's blog "My Sweet Earth'- ,and put it on your blog or website.
4.Visit the 'CHRISTMAS LOVE CAMPAIGN' - scrapbooking & crafting contest group on facebook share your ideas & enter our contest there or mail them in to susiebeestudios@gmail.com . You will have until January 4 ,2010. After that names will be drawn to recieve fantastic gifts packages from some awesome sponsors that are helping us spread the LOVE.

Please help us touch the hearts of as many people as possible this Christmas season & spread the word about this campaign to everyone, any age ,anywhere, in churches, in schools, in homes, in craft stores. EVERYONE- TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
Any questions please go to www.susiebeestudios.com or contact Susie - susiebeestudios@gmail.com

In Memory

Our dear friend, John Browning passed away last week. John was a wonderful guy! He was a "gentle giant", a caring and compassionate man. John served his God with an undying faith. He also served his country in the US Navy. His duty took him all around the world in a Submarine. I loved to hear his stories about his adventures aboard the sub!

John was survived by his mother and 2 sons. His oldest son, Chance, is currently serving in the Navy and has been deployed to the Middle East 3 times and is scheduled to go again. John and his boys had a very special relationship and I know they miss him very much. Also, his girlfriend, Sandy is missing him so much. Please keep Sandy and John's sons in your prayers as they try to navigate the roads in front of them without John.

We miss you, John. You will always have a place in our hearts!

Lacey, the Poetess

My 10 year old Granddaughter wrote this poem and drew a picture to illustrate it:
"Sparkling starfish in the sea
Is this this the place I should be?
With glowing coral under these waters...
I've always been on the shore
Is this a place I should ignore?"

Soul Notes

Yes, I know. Definitely not a Van Gogh.

But it is what it is.

A Box Full.........

Photos........On a rainy day, there's not much I'd rather do than browse through old photos. As I look through stack and stacks, I see the tapestry of my life. I am usually smiling and have occasional tears. But mostly, just gratefulness for the people that have been sewn into my memories, my life.

In this particular box, there were photos of Pat Boone (top right), and of course, his biggest fans...my mom and Jean Randle. I love the picture (right bottom) of the KNUZ car that had some to welcome and have an interview with Pat right there on the tarmac at Houston International.

Top left is a photo of my mom hugging Cecil Price. My mom loved kids.

Far left is Nan Davis (Noles) on our driveway on Belcrest. She loves kids, too. She is still involved with the children's ministy at Impact. I love Nan. I had many firsts with Nan. The most memorable was my first ride in a convertible. Going 70 MPH down I-10. What a blast!!

Bottom left is my dad. John Goodnight. I loved the way my dad said his name. Confident. Friendly.

Bottom is my dear little Laurie Ann Wilson. Laurie Ann now has a beautiful daughter, named Bailey, that looks like Julia Roberts. No kidding. Laurie also has a dog named Barnum.....get it? Barnum and Bailey. Cute!

Top right is my mom, with a scarf around her head in the early 50's style. She is in front of her new range. I love this picture!!

In the middle is me. I was 6 and experiencing my first snowfall of any consequence, in Houston. We (Lou Ann, Laurie Ruth, and my brothers) built a snowman. I'm standing in front of my parent's Mercury. I cried all the way to Downtown Houston,( in the floorboard of the front seat) because we were going to trade it in on a 1960 Pontiac Ventura. I loved that Mercury.

Now, to organize them so I can scrapboook.

Please help me raise money for Breast Cancer

I will be leaving this at the top.
Please scroll down to see my post.

Don't let Cancer Steal 2nd Base Charity Crop
When: October 19, 2009- October 25th, 2009
Where: Live Imagine Create
What you can do to help: Sponsor me in this crop with a one time sponsor fee and/or
donate a set amount of money per Layout that I complete during the week. (ie David
is donating $1 /Layout)

The charity you will be supporting is the Kommah Seray Inflammatory Breast Cancer Foundation. If you would like to see more info about them, you can visit them on the web at www.ksibc.org

What is Inflammatory Breast Cancer?
It's a different type of breast cancer that comprises less than 4% of all breast cancer cases. It's called IBC and it's aggressive, but many doctors don't think to look for it. It's estimated that 1%-2% of newly invasive breast cancers in the United States are IBC's. The median rangeof IBC patients is between 45 and 55 years old, but may be younger or older. The 5-year median survival rate is approximately40%, mainly due to delays in diagnosis, the lack of expertise in treating IBC and its resistnace to treatment with standard chemotherapy drugs.

This is the first Layout I did for the online crop I'm doing this weekend. It's all about my oldest brother, Darrel and his service to our country in the Vietnam War. I learned quite a bit about his experience in doing this. He was a Combat Corpsman in a Tank Squadron. He was also Chief Medic over three Tank Squadrons. He loved spending time with the orphans in the area. He was stationed at Camp Enarie near Duc Pho. All this time, I thought he worked in type of hospital and was totally safe! Of course, I'm sure I knew no more than what my parents wanted me to know!

He definitely is a hero!

Tribute to Our Heroes Crop

Cookin’ Up Creations - Tribute to Our Heroes Crop

When Friday, September 11 – Sunday, September 13, 2009
Beginning @ 6:00 pm EST on Friday and Ending @ 9:00 EST Sunday

Starting tonight we’re going to have our "Tribute to the Military, the Fallen Heroes of War and 9/11" Cyber Crop. The crop will be hosted by our current Design Team, and will include such activities as challenges, games, prizes, socializing, and lots & lots of fun! The cyber crop is sponsored by Creating Military Memories, who has generously donated tons of their products for this event! So grab your apron and start cookin’ up your scrapbooking creations with us! Bon Appetite!!

Cookin' Up Creations

Creating Military Memories

Six-inch Snow

I had fun doing this Layout. One of David's favorite things to say (especially when we're in West Texas in the car) is "It's a 6-inch rain!...that is the raindrops are 6 inches apart"as he points to the random raindrops on the windshield. We always have a good laugh!

He loved that I used his saying on the layout, but with a twist. The girls were so excited about the snow, even though it was short and sweet!

A Quilt to Treasure

My Sister-in-law, Joyce made this beautiful quilt wall-hanging. I LOVE this quilt!! My gorgeous Grandchildren are the main subjects. These photos were taken on a trip to San Antonio that Lucie and the kids went on with Darrel and Joyce. The top left photo is of my Aunt Oleta talking to Davy, her favorite Great-great nephew. Aunt 'Leta passed away this last year and we miss her terribly.

If you desire a quilt such as this (with your photos on it, of course), Joyce sells them out of her shop, CONCHO DREAMS, in Roby, Texas. A quilt this size costs about $85. I assure you it is very well-made and well worth it!

Certifiably Cute!

To celebrate Dani's birthday, I thought I'd share with you the latest Layout I've done about her. She loves to pose for me and I love it!!

OOPS!!

All week long, David, Laurie and I have been talking about Dani's birthday on Friday (today). So......Papa and I sang "Happy Birthday" to our lovely Dani over the phone this morning. About 10 minutes ago, it dawned on me that TOMORROW is her birthday!

So, that is okay because this little cutie deserves 2 birthdays! She definitely has her Nana (me) and her Papa (David) wrapped around her little finger.

Tomorrow, Dani will turn 7. This last year, she has lived here with us and I have enjoyed nearly every minute of it. We heard the most darling Kindergarten songs, learned all about pigs, and cried when she got her waist-long hair cut!

One of the most enjoyable things has been scrapbooking with Dani. She does the "sticker sneeze", but has a great time and is always wanting to show her scrapbook to people.

Anyway, Happy Birthday, our Sweet Dani! We Love You!!

Skip the Girls....???!!!!

I had a lot of fun doing this layout about Davy's second year. Goodness, it brings back so many happy memories! It was during this year that he became entranced with Thomas the Train. He and I would sit for a couple of hours at a time and watch the Thomas videos and sing the songs. One day, Davy started doing this really really high pitch scream and we all exclaimed, "DAVY!!!" It wasn't long before we realized he was imitating Thomas' train whistle!!

I say this a lot, and even it though it isn't true....If I had known boys were so much fun, I'd had all boys and skipped the girls!!

Wrappin' my Brain Around God's Blessings...

Wow.........out of the blue, for some reason, I was moved to try to find some people on Facebook. And, my goodness, I still am in shock, there they were. Not many days go by that I don't think of the "daughters" that God gifted us with when we were Houseparents at a Childrens' Home several years ago. We had lost touch with all of them and now they are all adults and whoaaaa........do I feel old!!

This is a photo taken at Peach Valley. We love these girls so much and will be forever thankful that they and the other girls came into our lives!

Everyday 'putering

I really haven't stopped writing on my blog! Everything I've tried to post in the last 2 months won't post.....so today we'll see what happens..........

I just completed my rounds of my favorite internet stops. Included are Live Imagine Create, Facebook and Haley Edmiston's blog. I {{{{HEART}}}}} Live Imagine Create and all the gals (and 1 guy) there. Between them and Shelly, I somehow get motivated to be crafty. I also love Facebook and keeping up with friends and family that I don't always get to see or talk to. I did love going there to play on Farmtown, but I think I got a virus from it, sooooooooooo now I just admire photos of other's farms! I also like to keep abreast of Haley's activities. She is in process, if not already there, of going on another Thailand Mission trip. Only it's not just a trip. She'll be there for 3 years, I think. Keep her in your prayers!

Last month at Live Imagine Create, we "went" to the North Pole and worked at Santa's Workshops. I had a blast! My clone (as Lacey called me) took care of my Manvel duties. The funny thing is that my brother Darrel was really at North Pole, Alaska! Cool, huh?!!


This lovely creature is my Great-Granddaughter, according to Lacey. Her name is Starline and was born at the Build-a-Bear Workshop in Galveston in June. Starline is holding the little bag I made to take to the North Pole. Below are more of the projects I did.

Project 365

Towards the end of last year, Creating Keepsakes Magazine offered a kit for sale, called "Project 365". By the time I got around to ordering it, they were all sold out. So I decided to just do my own! It is a photograph and journaling diary of sorts. I am amazed at how I can see the growth of the Grans from month to month. Here is my latest week, which begins on Thursday and goes through Wednesday:

One of the activities that I regularly do is Bible Study. Several months ago, someone at Faithfully Yours posted a link to a lady's blog that had begun a "Soul Notes" Journal. After viewing a page of hers, I immediately knew I also had to have one. It has become my primary way to study God's Word. At first, I just created pages from sermons, and then one day, it just became necessary to me for it to be a daily tool. This is my latest page:

I would like to share my 2 newest Layouts because they are really special to me. The first is of my mom. This photo was taken on the occasion of her 16th birthday, in Wichita Fall, Texas. I love that the picture not only shows off the dress that was made by my Grandmother, but also that it was taken in front of the family car. My 7 year old Granddaughter, Lily, looked at the picture and said "Why is that rusty old car in the picture?" :)

The second layout is of my Dad. He served in the US Army for 4+ years. For some reason, we are not sure how many years exactly. Daddy enlisted and then after that he was drafted. (A fact that did not settle too well with him). He was stationed in New Guinea, Australia, Hawaii and for a short time in the Philipine Islands.

Welcome!!

Welcome to my new Blog! I keep suggesting to my SIL, Shelly, that she needs a blog of her own to showcase her artsy side, so I decided that if I do it, maybe she'll do it!! (Not that my artsy side can even compare to hers!) I hope to keep you entertained, or maybe just motivated to try to let YOUR artsy side shine!


I participated in an online crop this weekend at live imagine create ...well, actually only on Saturday, as the carpets were cleaned on Sunday afternoon. For one challenge, I made this card:



We were challenged to use a provided sketch. I am so indecisive that it took me half a day just to come up with the paper and embellies and THEN to put it together.



I also made this box for a challenge. The box itself is made from cardstock. My adorable Granddaughter (9 years old), "helped" me! I ended up giving it way yesterday, filled with chocolates to a kind lady friend at church, Beverly. Beverly came up to me last Sunday after Worship, afer Lucie had had a struggle with Davy during the service, and let me know that she also had been through raising kids at church and that the noise did NOT bother her. I soooooooooo needed to hear that! Anyway, my little box now has a friendly loving home!