Mr. Brown

Mr. Brown came to see me today. Yay!!! That means my new Stampin' Up! catalogues are here. Whoo hoo!! So, in honor of the new catty, here is another card using almost all new "stuff".

Supplies: Zoofari Stamp set; Spot On Jumbo wheel; Blue Bayou, Purely Pomegranate, Soft Sky, and Whisper White cardstock; Versamark ink; Black Detail embossing powder; Eyelets; Slit punch; Many Marvelous Markers

On another note, I have a job interview tomorrow. It is for a customer service position at Marathon Electric, where I am working right now. That's not particuarly the field I want to be in. I am still hoping to find a ministry position. So, I appreciate your continued prayers that the Lord would lead, and I would have wisdom to know what to do.

Thank You, Friends!!

Thanks to all of my wonderful friends for their outpouring of love and prayers this past week. I have appreciated it more than you know. So, this Thank You card is for all of you. I hope a cyber-card is ok.

Supplies: All about Gratitude Jumbo Wheel; All About Occasions hostess set; Soft Sky, Blue Bayou, and Whisper White cardstock; Groovy Guava ink; Dazzeling Diamonds (ultra-fine glitter); Dimensionals

I love love LOOOOVE the new In Color selection. They are such wonderful colors. The Soft Sky and Blue Bayou look soo pretty together.

On Heartache

Well, I did not get the job in Cleveland. Wow! I was really surprised, because I left there sure they would hire me. But, apparently that is not what God has in store for me. It was so hard for me to hear the "No" answer. I put 105% of myself into that interview, and I honestly and truly desire to serve the Lord in that capacity. So, when I found out that I didn't get the job, my poor little heart was just broken.

Do you know what the amazing thing about a broken heart is? I serve the Healer of Broken Hearts. I have a loving Heavenly Father Who desires the best for my life. My Father knows what is best for me, I don't. All my Father asks is that I trust Him to know what is best for my life. I don't understand it, and that's ok. God never asks us to understand what He is doing in our lives. He only asks us to trust Him. 100% of the time. No matter what. So, that is what I am going to do. That doesn't mean it's easy, and that doesn't mean I am not disappointed. Right now, it is very hard. That seemed like the perfect opportunity for me to use my abilities to serve the Lord, and I am disappointed I didn't get that job. BUT, that is not what is God's best for me. God's best for me is yet to come. So, I will keep trusting my Heavenly Father, and I am so excited! I can't wait to find out is yet to come!!

Delightful Day

Yesterday was our church picnic, and it was such a fun day! It was at Josh and Shannon's house. Mom and I went early to help Shannon get some stuff ready...but we didn't really do very much. J and S were keeping a couple of kids from church overnight, Bryce and Anneliese, because their mom just had surgery. So, Anneliese and I made deviled eggs while Shannon and Bryce made cupcakes. How fun!! Anneliese wanted to taste everything. She is such a cutie pie!! It was so much fun, and I really want my own kiddos now. Then, some of the other kids got there and we "played" volleyball. I just love kids, and spending time with them. We had so much fun playing and having a picnic! Later, Josh had a squirtgun fight with the kids. I didn't play that because I was holding the baby. Ooooh where is my niece??? Babies are just the bestest. Mom and I actually bought some super cute outfits for Cynthia on Friday. Yay! I can't wait until my niece is born, so we can hold her and cuddle her and SPOIL her. Shhh....don't tell my sister about the spoiling part. LOL!!

So, parents watch out. Auntie Melinda is on the prowel. I don't have my own kids, so I am on the lookout for someone else's kids to spoil.

About the card: I used the Paint Prints set. The colors are Bashful Blue, Pixie Pink, and Certianly Celery. Then, I added a piece of yummy loopy ribbon and a ribbon slide. I love those slides, they are so cute!! Thanks for looking!

All about My Adventures

Ok...I finally made it home safe and sound. Yay!! If you have been keeping up with my blog the past few days, you know that I have had quite a few travel adventures while on my trip to Cleveland.

SO, we will start at the beginning. I was supposed to leave Monday early evening for Cleveland. My original flight was to leave the Central Wisconsin Airport (CAW) about 5pm, have a layover in Minneapolis, and arrive in Cleveland at about 9pm local time. Well, there was some really bad weather here on Monday evening, so my flight was grounded. I ended up re-scheduling, which was actually better, because I had more time in Cleveland for my interview. So, I got up at 2:30am on Wednesday to leave for Cleveland AGAIN. Wouldn't you know it?? My flight was delayed for five hours!! Apparently there was some kind of technical problem with the flight. SO, the airline put us on a bus to Minneapolis. That was an extra special adventure in itself. I did get a bit of a nap on my ride, so that was good. I sat right in front of a woman who had a horrible, nasty mouth. It was aweful!! I just turned around and glanced at her during part of the trip, and she started talking and talking and talking. I have rarely heard such a dirty mouth, and I've heard a lot of dirty mouths. And this was on someone who is "grandmother" age. Ick!!! I got at least three of these tirades. Anyways, I got to Minneapolis ok, and my flight to Cleveland actually made it there only an hour or so later than I had originally been scheduled -- as in, my second flight schedule leaving Tuesday, not the one on Monday. The wonderful people at Baptist Mid-Missions scheduled my interviews and things that required thinking for Wednesday and not Tuesday.

When I left to go home, I was to fly from Cleveland to Detroit to CWA. Well, our flight sat on the tarmac for about half an hour before it took off. So, when I got to Detroit (HUGE airport!), I had only half an hour to meet my connecting flight and board. I made it to the flight with about 10 minutes to spare. Unfortunately, I got bumped from the flight. Apparently, they were flying into a strong headwind and had to take on more fuel. So, they had to get rid of some passangers. Fortunately, I got a free plane ticket out of it, so it wasn't all bad. Plus, my friends Stewart and Jeff live in Detroit. So, they came and rescued me from the airport. They drove me around downtown Detroit, and we went on the People Mover (mass transit/el train, and yes -- that's what it is really called) and to Greek Town for supper. Mmmm....yummmy....gyros. And flaming cheese. Tasty!!! So, thanks to Stewart and Jeff for coming to get me. I had a great time, guys!! It is so nice to spend time with friends you don't see very often. Fortunately, my flight on Thursday morning went very smoothly, and I made it home safe and sound.

My inteviews and visit in Cleveland went pretty well, so that was good. I am still praying about the whole thing. I kind of hit a bump in the road on Friday, but I am praying that the Lord will make His will continue to direct. This really is a test of my faith, though. I have a feeling I won't get the job, and that is really hard because I was so sure that BMM was God's will for my life. But, if it's not, then I am trusting the Lord that His will is best, no matter what, even if I don't understand it. God never asks us to understand why He does what He does in our lives. He commands we trust. My Heavenly Father knows what is best for my life, even though it is hard, and even though I don't understand what is happening.

I will keep you updated on the status. I am supposed to have another conversation with them on Tuesday afternoon. In the interim, I hope you will pray with me that the Lord will make His will known to everyone involved.

Blogging from Detroit

Yeah...you read that right. DETROIT!! My flight had some issues....they were flying in to a huge headwind, and had to take on more fuel. That means they had to take OFF some passengers, so I didn't make it home yet. Well, to begin with, though, my flight from Cleveland to Detroit was almost half an hour taking off because there was a lot of traffic going in and out today. SO, I was half an hour late getting to my gate. IT was on the other side of the airport from where I landed. By the time I got there, it was 15 minutes prior to take-off, and I was one of the ones that got booted.

BUT it all worked out. I got a free round trip ticket. Also, my friends Stewart and Jeff live in Detroit. Stewart used to come on to our church on extension, when he was in grad school at Northland. I know Jeff through Stewart. So, I gave ole Stewie a call, and the guys came and rescued me. They showed me around downtown Detroit, and we went to Greek Town for dinner. Gyros. YUMMY!! Then, they twisted my arm and took me to the bakery next door to the restraunt. I had Creme Brule....tastyful!!! The, we went on the People Mover. It's Detroit's El-Train. That was a fun experience. So, the Lord works in mysterious ways, but my trip has been better than it would have been had I caught that first flight from Mosinee to Minneapolis on Monday evening.

And now....I'm off to bed. Y'all have a great night.

Cleveland at last!!

Well, I got up at 2:30 this morning to catch my flight. Guess what -- it was delayed for FIVE HOURS!!! HA! So, the airline chartered a bus. Yes....bus....sounds like another story I know. SOMEONE remind me to blog about the 3-day trip from Atlanta to Kansas City....but I digress. I arrived in Cleveland only about an hour later than my original flight was to have gotten here -- um, that's the original flight today, not yesterday. HA again!!

But, I finally made it here and I think my first day of interview stuff went well. All of the big stuff is tomorrow. So, I appreciate your prayers. I'm off to bed now. I will post more details when I get home.

One more sleep until Cleveland, AGAIN!!

Well, Ladies and Gentleman,
My flight did not make it. WE were rained upon. So I leave for Cleveland tomorrow. At 5:10am. I have to get up at 2:30 am. I am going to bed now.

Good Night

One more sleep....

.....until Ohio!! And that sleep is tonight. It's 11pm, and I should really be in bed. I hope that my nails dry soon so I can hit the hay. SO, in honor of my interview, I'm uploading this totally cool chicken card that I made a while back. I love this set so much, and I'm sad that it's RETIRING! Oh well...guess that means I will have to buy it. This one is my mom's.

Have a wonderful day, everyone. I think my nails are dry, so I'm off to bed. Thanks for the prayers tomorrow and Tuesday.

Hugs!!

Happy Stamping Times!!

OK....I have to tell you that I am SOOOO excited. I actually had time to stamp today, just because I wanted to. I made a card with my pre-order stuff for the Fall/Winter Collection. Aren't these new colors fabulous??? They are: River Rock, Purely Pomegranate, Wild Wasabi, Groovy Guava, and there is one more that I didn't use. It's Bayou Blue.

SO to make this card, I took a 4x5.25 piece of cardstock and cut it diagonally from one corner to the other. Then I did it again in the opposite direction. That is the Sky Blue/Wild Wasabi piece. I stamped the triangles with the Paisley Background stamp. The Purely Pomegranate piece is stamped with one of the circles from the Pick a Petal set. SO are the petals....ha! I used Groovy Guava ink on Whisper White and Sky Blue paper. The rounded points of the petals are up on dimensionals, but not the centers. The "Happy Anniversary" piece is also on dimensionals.

OH....and this set also has a dual purpose. My new blogging friend, Andrea, has an anniversary on Tuesday. So, this is a cyber-card for her. A -- if you send me your address, I will mail you the card. :o)

I also wanted to make a thank you gift for Karen, the gal from the Cleveland interview who has been helping me out with stuff. This was such an easy card to make, too. I colored the stamp with markers, and used the Stamping Off technique to get the faded edges. Some Stickles Glitter Glue in the upper right hand corner, a touch of ribbon, some DTP, and VIOLA!Thanks to Faith aka MarkiesMom for her inspiration. You can view her card here:http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/fo...p;d=1182046349

Supplies: Happy Harmony stamp set; Brilliant Blue, Perfect Plum, Cameo Coral, and More Mustard marker/cardstock, to get the main colors of the card; Sage Shadow ink; Very Vanilla cardstock; Stickles Glitter Glue; Assorted Ribbon.

Thanks for looking. I hope you all have a blessed Sunday.

Hugs and Prayers!

Melinda

I love to color!!

See what I made?? Isn't it pretty? This card was for a workshop. I used Stampin' Up!'s (gramariaticians....try to ignore that one, ok??) watercolor pencils and blending pens to make this. At the workshop, two of my six stampers bought the pencils. Isn't that cool? I was so excited about that!! I also used a white Craft Stampin' Pad, and sold three of those. Whoo hooo!!! I'm so glad my stampers love what I make. LOL!!!

Supplies: And Everything Nice Stamp Set, Hollyhock Jumbo wheel, Pallette O'Prints in Almost Amethyst, Almost Amethyst and Very Vanilla Cardstock, Lavander Lace and Chocolate Chip Classic Stampin' Pads, Watecolor Pencils, Blender Pens, and my fave Mono Multi glue to hold it all together.

On another note, I am getting really excited about my trip to Ohio. Yesterday, I took some typing tests, and today I worked on a Power Point presentation about myself. I think it turned out pretty good....hope they do, too.

I even gained a new blogging friend in the whole moving process. Andrea (HER BLOG) lives about an hour from Cleveland, and she came across my blog randomly, through Blogger, I would imagine. Isn't that cool? AND she is a Christian, and loves to stamp. What a perfect friend!! Even if I don't move, I still LOOOOOVE making new friends.

And so, friends...it's off to bed for Melinda. She has been staying up waaaay too late at night.

Hugs to you all!!!

OH yeah....only 6 more sleeps until Ohio!!

Look -- I Stamped!!

Yeah!! Me!! I made a card, JUST FOR FUN!! All of the stuff I've made lately has been for workshops. Wanna see?? Check out my Splitcoast Stampers Gallery. But, I made this card just because I wanted to make one....and, because I have a friend who just found out (after tons of infertility stuff) that she is having a baby. I'm so excited for her!!

So, about the card. I used the Bundle of Joy, Paisley Background, and Curvy Verses stamp sets. The background of the card is Creamy Caramel, and I stamped it with Night of Navy ink, using the Paisley stamp set. Then, I stamped the animals in Night of Navy ink and colored them with my watercolor pencils and blending pens. I used Stickles (LOOOOVE that stuff) to accent the animals. The top panel is stamped with the saying "One little baby, many happy hearts", from the Curvy Verses set, three times. Then, one bear and one giraffe are up on dimensionals. I used pink and blue gingham ribbon, and VOILA!! I love the way this turned out.

Thanks for looking!! I hope you have a great week.

See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil

We as Christians are so good at the first two, but what about the last one? This is something the Lord has really been convicting my heart about lately.

I was looking at a Facebook group last night, and the discussion was about different ways some Christian College students replaced explatives in their language. You know, the classic "oh Fudge" instead of using the "other" word. Or how about "Oh Buddah!"?? When you really think about it, how different is this from actually saying the curse word? Sure, we want our lives to exemplify Christ, and most Christians I know would not even THINK about cussing. But isn't "christian cussing" the same thing?

When I'm at work (especially), and frustrated about something, it is so easy for me to use a word that isn't quite right. And I think "well, everyone else does it. It's not BAD". The truth, though is that it's not GOOD, either. In fact, the more I think about it, the more the Lord convicts my heart that this really is just wrong. Matthew 12:34b says "for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh".

So, I challenge you, and myself, the next time you start to say something, stop and really think about it. What kind of testamony do you really want to have?

I don't want to be a fence sitter anymore.

(OK...I hope this has been as challenging to

you as it has to me. Feel free to post a

comment. I'd love to hear wha the

Lord is doing in

Your life, too.)

And for the stamping part of today's entry....

....a notecard holder set that I made. This is one of my favorite ones. First, I wheeled Bordering Blue cardstock with the Spot On wheel. The main image panel is the Little Pieces stamp set, stamped with random bright colors. I used MicroBeads and glue dots on some of the circles. Add a piece of bright yellow ribbion, and VOILA!! These notecard holder sets are one of my favorite projects to make. Here are the direcitons:

Notecard Holder measurements:

1. Start with an 8.5" x 11" sheet of cardstock

2. Score along the 11" side at 2.5", 3", 7.5", & 8"

3. Score along the 8.5" side at .75", 1.25", 7.25", & 7.75"

4. Trim corner to 3" score line and 1.25" score line. Repeat on corresponding score lines for all corners.

5. Fold along all score lines and put together.

Insert Clever title here

And insert clever text here. I've been trying to decide what to blog about today, and I decided that there isn't anything really that exciting going on. I've been a little down today, with a migraine. That's always a happy time right there. LOL!!

I have also been "catching up" with some of my old college buds on Facebook. Now, that's COOL!! Mom and I have talked about this before, but isn't it funny how you just loose contact with people you were really close to in college? People move on, get married, have families, and pretty soon....you don't have that much in common anymore. But, I have re-connected with several of my friends lately, and it is so nice to hear from them again. Of course, most of my friends are married and have babies and homes.

So, that leads to another line of thought. I KNOW that being single is the Lord's will for me right now, even though it can be hard at times....like when my sister is having a baby, or my brother is getting married. It's hard, and it hurts....but then, I keep on thinking. One thing that has struck me recently is my relationship with my mom. We do almost everything together -- shopping, cooking, or just hanging out. I have the greatest MOM in the world. She is such a good, godly role model for me, and I love her so much. If I were married, then I couldnt' spend as much time with my mom. Memorial Day weekend, the Friday night before, we went to Appleton, WI, overnight. It was so much fun. We spent the night in a motel, just because we wanted to. Then, we went shopping all day long. It was a blast! AND....I got a whole bunch of new clothes, that I actually needed for once. LOL!!!

AND...I have a job interview IN OHIO on the 19th of this month. I'm really really excited about that!! I have been looking for a job since January, but the Lord hasn't opened up any doors in this area. It has always been in the back of my mind that I would like to work at a Christian School or church or "something like that", but I never really persued it seriously, until now, and I believe that the Lord may be about to open up a really great opportunity for me. The job is located in Cleveland, which is about 600 miles or so from where I live right now. Now, if I were married, I would not be able to persue this wonderful opportunity, so I guess maybe it's not such a bad thing after all.

Above all, though, I am 100% confident that where I am right now is God's perfect will for my life. No questions asked. Ok so maybe I doubt sometimes, or get lonely, but that is just human nature. So I just have to get out of the flesh and remember that my Heavenly Father loves me, and only wants the best for me.

Welll....thanks for listening, as it were, to my ramblings. I feel better already!! I hope you are having a great week. Be sure to keep in touch, ok???

Hugs!!
Mellinda

Cute Stamps

Don't you just LOVE THIS STAMP SET??? I do!! I can't believe they are retiring it. I gues SU! knows what they are doing, but...sigh!! This is the cutest baby set in the book right now!! I have done so much with it. Here are a couple

of examples. Isn't it adorable?? I really love how versatile stamp sets are. Both of these projects were made with the same stamp set, but they look totally different. The on eon the left is embossed, and the one on the right is watercolored. How fun!!!

All Creatures of our God and King

At Mom's work on Friday, the men in the shop found a Lunar Moth. Isn't it beautiful? Well, when I saw the pictures, the first thing that popped into my mind was the following song:

All Creatures of our God and King

By Francis of Assisi

All creatures of our God and King
Lift up your voice and with us sing,
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Thou burning sun with golden beam,
Thou silver moon with softer gleam!

Refrain

O praise Him! O praise Him!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Let all things their Creator bless,
And worship Him in humbleness,
O praise Him! Alleluia!
Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son,
And praise the Spirit, Three in One!

Refrain

Things like a simple moth really make me stop and think about how much our Heavenly Father loves and cares for us. He can create something so incredibly beautiful just by speaking, and yet He still knows the number of hairs on my head. WOW!! That is absolutely incredible!!

I was thinking, too, about this tonight, and the following passage of Scripture came into my mind:

Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, [shall he] not much more [clothe] you, O ye of little faith? (Mt. 6:25-30).

I guess no one can remind us of that than our Lord, Jesus Christ. Have a great weekend, everyone!!!