Little Red Wagon #78

Our challenge this week was to create something for Mom!

I love this little digi image and I thought she was perfect for a Mother's Day card.

I colored her with my Copics and added some Liquid Pearls to her necklace. Sweet!

Join in the fun this week at Little Red Wagon and show us your own Mother's Day card! We would love to see what you create :)

Spring Cloche

One of my favorite gifts that I received this past Christmas is a bell jar cloche! It is stunning, and has wire added to it for beautiful detailing.

The French developed the glass cloche, or bell jar, which is formed of a solid piece of glass shaped like a dome. The purpose was to protect an early garden plant from the cold and frost. This would hasten their crops to maturity. Now you will often see a cloche being used as part of home decor, a garden accent or even as a food cover!

I love when they are used for home decor! I found a sweet little bird's nest and some Robin's eggs and made up a delightful Spring cloche for our mantel.

So now even if it doesn't look or feel like Spring outside, I have a little piece of it inside!

Have a lovely day ~

Counting Easter Joys!

Happy Easter! The gifts I count this week are full of the joy of Easter!

#91. Little Nolan finally being well enough to come home on Easter Sunday! He is our little Easter miracle!

#92. the gratitude of our family for all the prayers that have been said for Nolan

#93. the freedom to worship at the altar of Christ

#94. sacramental reconciliation and experiencing the grace of forgiveness

#95. Resurrection joy!

#96. Easter linens

#97. beautiful foil-covered chocolate eggs!

#98. chocolate covered strawberries

#99. never being too old for Easter treats

#100. the joy of recognizing 100 precious God-given gifts in my life!

Counting gifts becomes easy, even in the midst of difficulty, when your eyes are open to the hand of God in your life. I am grateful for seeing the gifts that are all around me... daily... and naming each one. I am grateful that each gift is a gift from Him!

"Every good and perfect gift is from above"
James 1:17

May your week be blessed!

Just In Time For Easter!

We have a new little member of our family! We finally gave in and allowed our son to have a pet rabbit. He is a Lionhead Lop Bunny and his name is Ace.

I took these photos at night so the lighting is not the best, but isn't he sweet? He is super soft and all fur and he is just the friendliest bunny ever! He actually comes when you call him and he loves when you pet him or hold him.

Spencer works at a pet store and he is thrilled to actually have a pet of his own. He is even litter training Ace and so far, so good!

As much as Mr. B and I resisted having another pet, it does feel good to have a little fur ball in the house again :)

Little Red Wagon #77

It was my turn to post the challenge at Little Red Wagon this week and I chose clouds!

My clouds are made out of some left-over batting that I used to make a quilt. I combined them with a kite I pieced together, then added a little heart element and a sentiment that I have had in my wagon for quite some time!

Clouds are sweet and I know that behind every cloud the sun is shining! So lets see your clouds this week. Put them on a card or layout and show us what you create. Maybe if we all think white fluffy clouds we can coax the sun to start shining and Spring will finally arrive!

Counting Gifts with Gratitude

It has been a very busy and stressful week for us! My sweet niece, Danielle, gave birth to a beautiful baby boy, Nolan Michael, on Wednesday, April 13th! She was induced early (37 weeks) as her blood pressure went to a critically high point. Nolan was safely born and everything seemed good for the first few hours. Then they started to suspect something was wrong, so after some testing they determined that he had holes in his lungs and pneumonia.

Baby Nolan was in critical condition and had to be transferred to a different hospital that was equipped to treat his condition, but Danielle, who was still on complete bed rest had to stay behind. It was a heart wrenching time as this young mom cried out in agony as she watched her little one being taken away.

We were able to make the trip home to see Danielle and Nolan this past weekend and it was a joyful but very emotional time. Danielle was finally discharged and was reunited with her little one, but she is still in a lot of pain and she wears her emotions on the outside. It was hard for us to witness the highs and lows of a young mom with a critically ill newborn. It was also a privilege to be close to her to comfort and support her in this difficult time.

The good news is that as of last night, Nolan has been showing some improvement! We are all praying that he will continue to gain strength and health.

I was able to take a few photos while I was there and I am so happy to share them as they are at the top of my list of gifts this week! Nolan is in an oxygen tent, so the photos are not too clear.

#80. Welcoming little Nolan into our lives and into our hearts

#81. newborn feet and a mother's loving touch

#82. four generations (Tears were being shed just moments before I took this picture, but I made them all smile for me.)

#83. the miracle of medicine

#84. hospital staff that do their job with compassion

#85. a sweet Jewish cardiologist, a slightly bent older man, with a long grey beard and sparkling blue eyes, that tested Nolan's heart while we were there. He assured Danielle that his little heart was 'a million times stronger than 1,000 hearts'!

#86. the same Jewish doctor, with his beautiful Jewish accent, taking the time to explain to Danielle that the name Nolan Michael means 'close to God'

#87. all of us who watched this sweet doctor being convinced that he was actually an angel in disguise

#88. baby gifts to welcome Nolan home

#89. celebrating my Mom's 83rd birthday!

#90. a home-made waffle breakfast

May your week be filled with gifts too numerous to count! May your heart give thanks to God for His wondrous ways ~

Blog Hop Giveaway Winner!

Our Easter Blog Hop was lots of fun! The Two Scrapbook Friends DT did an awesome job with all their Easter crafting and I am sure it inspired some great projects from our scrapbook friends!

As promised, I drew a name for a gift from me for those who participated in the Hop and was a Follower on my blog.

This is my prize - some totally yummy new papers from Pink Paislee, along with some chipboard letters, a die-cut pack, alpha stickers and wooden buttons!

And the lucky winner is JoAnn Heinbuch! Congrats JoAnn! I will leave your package at the store for you to pick up!

Little Red Wagon #76

Deanna challenged us to make an Easter themed card this week at Little Red Wagon, so I created this card using a Stamping Bella stamp!

It is a combination of coloring with my Copic markers and paper piecing! I also added a little butterfly that I punched with my Martha Stewart punch, some gems and a bit of ribbon.

Why not make up an Easter card this week and join in the fun? We would love to see what you create :)

Two Scrapbook Friends Easter Blog Hop!

If you are participating in the Two Scrapbook Friends Easter Blog Hop then you should have started at Two Scrapbook Friends and arrived here from Carolyn's blog!

My Easter project is a sweet little Easter Basket that I made using the KaiserCraft Wooden Handbag. I used some Making Memories craft paint in bright pink and lime green to cover the wooden pieces. Then I used a bit of We R Memory Keepers Easter Dots paper on the front.

KaiserCraft also had some gorgeous Printed Chipboard flowers that matched perfectly with my color scheme, so I added one to the handle along with some pretty ribbons.

Last, but not least, I put some green Easter grass into the basket and now it is all ready for some Easter goodies for someone special! I also made a cute little card to go along with the basket.

Now don't forget to leave a comment on my blog! And as an added bonus - if you become a follower on my blog, I will be doing my own draw for a special Easter goodie from me to you! If you are already a follower - you will be included as well!

Now hippity-hop over to Shelby's blog for the next stop on the blog hop! Have fun!

Multitudes on Mondays

My list continues...

#71. memories of my oldest son explaining the beautiful colors of a sunset when he was small - "God is painting the sky!"

#72. finding pretty seashells on my nightstand - a gift brought back from my son's recent trip to Myrtle Beach

#73. my sweet nieces - all 7 of them :)

#74. soft green moss growing between patio bricks

#75. loud thunderstorms in the night that make me grateful for my safe, warm bed

#76. sisters

#77. routines and spontaneity... routines because they keep us on track and give us a sense of normalcy... spontaneity because a different direction makes life interesting!

#78. teamwork

#79. warm breezes

#80. Mondays!

Have a blessed week filled with God's grace ~

Little Red Wagon #75

Rosanne challenged us with a color challenge this week at Little Red Wagon! She chose this photo as our inspiration to use white, light pink and light yellow on our creation.

I decided to color a sweet Lori Boyd digital image with my Copic markers and I created this card.

I just used bits and pieces of paper from my wagon, did a bit of stitching, used a border punch and added some ribbon and a couple of buttons.

Why not join us this week by creating something using this sweet color combination! It is so pretty and Springy!

Have a wonderful Wednesday~

Multitude of Blessings

My beautiful niece is expecting a little boy in May and this past weekend we had a baby shower for her. It was a true coming together of family and friends to support a young girl who has decided to keep and love her child despite the odds against her. She is barely 18 years old and unmarried and yet she is determined to give her baby the best and is totally committed to his well being.

I was touched and blessed by the show of support and the out flowing of love for my niece by the 40+ ladies who gathered together in my sister's home. Some attended that had never even met my niece, but they opened their hearts to her and their words of encouragement meant the world to her. I can't help but feel that the saying, "It takes a village to raise a child" is so appropriate in this circumstance. And it is a village filled with God's love that ultimately shows their support for someone in need.

My list of gifts this week flow out of my experience of the baby shower, the beautiful generosity of friends and the time spent with my niece...

#71. the love that my niece has felt for her child from the moment she knew she was expecting

#72. my niece, who is a brave and beautiful young lady

#73. pretty baby shower goodies

#74. yummy cupcakes

#75. the generosity of family and friends

#76. friends that love and support - no matter what

#77. little baby boy clothes that make your heart melt!

#78. a mother that would do anything for her daughter

#79. a foot rub at the end of a long day

#80. the knowledge that every child is a gift from God

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
and before you were born I set you apart..." Jeremiah 5:1

May your week be blessed and your gifts be many!