ASSORTED TAPES ELEMENT #16

U.S. Military Theme

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I created these U.S. military themed tapes at the request of blog reader Mary who's creating scrapbook pages with children to send over and cheer the troops. I may follow sometime down the road with some Canadian ones too. Hope these are useful to you!

TINY SPIDER HAVING A MEAL

I 'digitally' painted all day yesterday. I'm still working on my mystery project with a friend and I pushed myself to finish up something I'd been struggling through for several weeks now. It's always a great feeling when you can push through and complete something you've been putting off.

Just a note - in case you've not been to visit Everyday Digital Scrapbooking - then you're missing out on some terrific FREE tutorials on all sorts of projects and techniques. Julie Ann Shahin says they're having a team search at this time as well, so if you're a creative, entusiastic individual with some ideas to share you may want to get yourself added to the team! Slip on over HERE to check it out!

MAKING SHORT WORK OF AN APHID

Today will be a short day for me - I'm going to hang with my friend Becky - and we're decorating and helping host a bridal shower for our friend Leila! We will put our heads together at noon and just work from there - see what magic brews!

I would like to take a moment to spotlight the BEAUTIFUL digital work of another dear friend of mine - perhaps you all know her already! The other day when I featured my Air Balloon Element I used one of the papers from her JOY kit. I'm speaking about KristinCB. Kristin is a very special friend and she is a talented designer as well. Her work is just DELICIOUS - her kits are chock full of soft, sweet, elegant and tasteful designs and I am proud to be able to send you to her store. You can find so many sweet kits of Kristins - just the names alone are tempting eg: Flutter & Fly, Flutter Silks and Shimmer Shoppe to name a few! To visit yourself, just click HERE

KRISTINCB'S JOY KIT

(georgeous, isn't this?)

My other oh-so-helpful friend, Marie, (yes, the one with the cute Alpaca Baby) sent me another useful email - this one with a story by a woman who suffered completely unexpectedly with a heart attack. I think this is something we should all be aware of so I hope this is useful to you! This was sent under the name of Dellarose.

Did you know that women rarely have the same dramatic symptoms that men have when experiencing a heart attack....you know, the sudden stabbing pain in the chest, the cold sweat, grabbing the chest and dropping to the floor that we see in the movies. Here is the story of one woman's experience with a heart attack....

I had a completely unexpected heart attack at about 10:30 pm with NO prior exertion, NO prior emotional trauma that one would suspect might've brought it on. I was sitting all snugly and warm on a cold evening, with my purring cat in my lap, reading an interesting story my friend had sent me, and actually thinking,"A-A-h, this is the life, all cozy and warm in my soft, cushy Lazy Boy with my feet propped up." A moment later, I felt that awful sensation of indigestion, when you've been in a hurry and grabbed a bite of sandwich and washed it down with a dash of water, and that hurried bite seems to feel like you've swallowed a golf ball going down the esophagus in slow motion and it is most uncomfortable. You realize you shouldn't have gulped it down so fast and needed to chew it more thoroughly and this time drink a glass of water to hasten its progress down to the stomach. This was my initial sensation---the only trouble was that I hadn't taken a bite of anything since about 5:00 p.m.

After that had seemed to subside, the next sensation was like little squeezing motions that seemed to be racing up my SPINE (hind-sight, it was probably my aorta spasming), gaining speed as they continued racing up and under my sternum (breast bone, where one presses rhythmically when adminstering CPR). This fascinating process continued on into my throat and branched out into both jaws.

AHA!! NOW I stopped puzzling about what was happening--we all have read and/or heard about pain in the jaws being one of the signals of an MI happening, haven't we? I said aloud to myself and the cat, "Dear God, I think I'm having a heart attack !" I lowered the foot rest, dumping the cat from my lap, started to take a step and fell on the floor instead. I thought to myself "If this is a heart attack, I shouldn't be walking into the next room where the phone is or anywhere else.......but, on the other hand, if I don't, nobody will know that I need help, and if I wait any longer I may not be able to get up in moment."

I pulled myself up with the arms of the chair, walked slowly into the next room and dialed the Paramedics... I told her I thought I was having a heart attack due to the pressure building under the sternum and radiating into my jaws. I didn't feel hysterical or afraid, just stating the facts. She said she was sending the Paramedics over immediately, asked if the front door was near to me, and if so, to unbolt the door and then lie down on the floor where they could see me when they came in.

I then laid down on the floor as instructed and lost consciousness, as I don't remember the medics coming in, their examination, lifting me onto a gurney or getting me into their ambulance, or hearing the call they made to St. Jude ER on the way, but I did briefly awaken when we arrived and saw that the Cardiologist was already there in his surgical blues and cap, helping the medics pull my stretcher out of the ambulance. He was bending over me asking questions (probably something like "Have you taken any medications?") but I couldn't make my mind interpret what he was saying, or form an answer, and nodded off again, not waking up until the Cardiologist and partner had already threaded the teeny angiogram balloon up my femoral artery into the aorta and into my heart where they installed 2 side by side stents to hold open my right coronary artery.

I know it sounds like all my thinking and actions at home must have taken at least 20-30 minutes before calling the Paramedics, but actually it took perhaps 4-5 minutes before the call, and both the fire station and St. Jude are only minutes away from my home, and my Cardiologist was already to go to the OR in his scrubs and get going on restarting my heart (which had stopped somewhere between my arrival and the procedure) and installing the stents.

Why have I written all of this to you with so much detail? Because I want all of you who are so important in my life to know what I learned first hand.

1. Be aware that something very different is happening in your body not the usual men's symptoms, but inexplicable things happening (until my sternum and jaws got into the act ). It is said that many more women than men die of their first (and last) MI because they didn't know they were having one, and commonly mistake it as indigestion, take some Maalox or other anti-heartburn preparation, and go to bed, hoping they'll feel better in the morning when they wake up....which doesn't happen My female friends, your symptoms might not be exactly like mine, so I advise you to call the Paramedics if ANYTHING is unpleasantly happening that you've not felt before. It is better to have a "false alarm" visitation than to risk your life guessing what it might be!

2. Note that I said "Call the Paramedics". Ladies, TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE! Do NOT try to drive yourself to the ER--you're a hazard to others on the road, and so is your panicked husband who will be speeding and looking anxiously at what's happening with you instead of the road. Do NOT call your doctor--he doesn't know where you live and if it's at night you won't reach him anyway, and if it's daytime, his assistants (or answering service) will tell you to call the Paramedics. He doesn't carry the equipment in his car that you need to be saved! The Paramedics do, principally OXYGEN that you need ASAP. Your Dr. will be notified later.

3. Don't assume it couldn't be a heart attack because you have a normal cholesterol count. Research has discovered that a cholesterol elevated reading is rarely the cause of an MI (unless it's unbelievably high,and/or accompanied by high blood pressure.) MI's are usually caused by long-term stress and inflammation in the body, which dumps all sorts of deadly hormones into your system to sludge things up in there. Pain in the jaw can wake you from a sound sleep. Let's be careful and be aware.. The more we know, the better chance we could survive

Why not send this to at least 10 people you know - it may save a life!

THE APPLES ARE RIPENING, SLOWLY!

Today in History:

1632 - Britain grants 2nd Lord Baltimore rights to Chesapeake Bay area

1782 - Congress approves Great Seal of US & the Eagle as it's symbol

1837 - Queen Victoria at 18 ascends British throne following death of uncle King William IV Ruled for 63 years ending in 1901

1863 - West Virginia became 35th state

1867 - Pres Andrew Johnson announces purchase of Alaska

1893 - Lizzie Borden found innocent in New Bedford Mass

1939 - Test flight of 1st rocket plane using liquid propellants

1947 - Gangster Benjamin `Buggsy' Siegel shot dead in Beverly Hills Cal

1948 - Toast of the Town hosted by Ed Sullivan premier on CBS-TV

1963 - US & USSR agree to set up "Hot Line"

1968 - Jim Hines becomes 1st person to run 100 meters in under 10 seconds

1977 - Oil enters Trans-Alaska pipeline exits 38 days later at Valdez

1982 - It's National Bald Eagle Day

BARB'S HANDY TIP #286

Get Out In the Field!

This site thru the National Wildlife Federaton has some terrific reference E-Guides available online. There are listings for Birds, Fishes, Mammals, Reptiles, Seashells, Amphibians, Spiders, Butterflies, Wildflowers, Trees and Insects!

Go forth and identify!

ENATURE FEILDGUIDES

PINK LEMONADE TAPES

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I hope you like today's tapes - my good friend Melissa Renfro suggested I coordinate with her launching her latest kit with a refreshing Pink Lemonade theme! This kit is the perfect cool enhancement for your summer layouts! I've added a hotlink to the Lemonade Preview, just a few lines down, and alternately you can visit Melissa (who promised to have a fresh journal entry) on her blog by clicking HERE.

I have to acknowledge blog reader SAHM who was the person to suggest yesterday's interesting website on shadow knitting - and her son, who is an avid baseball fan corrected me on a historical fact: it was not YESTERDAY but TODAY that is the first organized baseball game was played in NJ. Thanks for keeping me informed!

LEMONADE - FRESH LEMONADE!

get yours at the store by clicking HERE

I invested a few hours in learning with Melissa yesterday - some exciting new techniques to try out on you all!

SASKATOON BERRIES

Do you know what a Saskatoon Berry is? They grow wild here, ripening - well, right about now! There are several trees where we live, so I took advantage of the mild weather to fill up a ziplock bag and try them out. My Grandmother used to pay us 50 cents for every ice cream pail we could pick and she turned them into the most amazing, delicious Saskatoon (Jam) Jelly which we smeared on the bread she was famous for, which kept her a pretty busy Gramma, considering there was eight of us kids! I believe she actually cooked the berries down and strained them and used the PEACH jam recipe from the Certo box. At any rate, its memory is indelibly etched on my toungue!

Saskatoons are not much to eat on their own. They are woody, with loads of big seeds inside. But to me, they are almost like tradition, so I eat them and pretend to enjoy them raw. But I have a desire to find the recipe which will transform them into something delicious without having to 'do jam' in the heat. I hunted on the internet yesterday and found a recipe for muffins, which I modified. It turned out pretty good, considering - even Miles ate a few, and he's not much for the berries. But I need to do some fine tweaking to the recipe and make some substitutions - then I will share with you all! At any rate, it was worth being outside for the our on the beautiful day & for the memories.

ALL MAN - but with a GREAT sense of humour!

Ok - I had to BEG to be allowed to publish this photo. I snuck this shot when my sweet MANLY husband was hosting a workshop with the Gifted Kids (brighter than avarage) in the school district. Part of his job is to work with the Gifted Kids, and I've helped him put on many challenging and interesting workshops over the past year. It's been a ton of fun and the kids really respond. We've had tremendous feedback from the children and from the parents - kids just love Miles! The hat, by the way, was provided by the Desert Center - its not his own (giggle!) ... there is a big hat box with all sorts of exotic, fun hats to 'play' in - cuz it can get HOT there - it's the Desert, y'know?

I mentioned yesterday that we had a young couple to our house on Sunday to do some pre-marital counselling. During their visit we shared from our own experience and I also read from a book - an excerpt from Love Life, by Ed Wheat MD. I'd like to share what I read, with you, too - as its good do even for ourselves! I may have published this before, but its valuable anytime:

NINE WAYS TO EDIFY (your spouse)

1. Make the irrevocable decision to never again be critical of your partner in word, thought or deed. This may sound like an impossibility, but it is not. It is simply a decision backed up by action until it becomes a habit you would not change if you could.

2. Study your partner. Become sensetive to the areas where your partner feels a lack and think of ways to build up your partner in those areas particularly.

3. Think every day of positive qualities and behaviour patterns you admire and appreciate in your mate.

4. Consistently verbalize praise and appreciation for your partner. Be genuine, be specific, be generous. You edify with the spoken word.

5. Recognize your partner's talents, abilities and accomplishments. Communicate your respect for the work he or she does.

6. Husband, show your wife publicly and privately how precious she is to you. And do not express admiration for another woman. This is never edifying to your wife. Keep your attention focuse on her!

7. Wife, show your husband that he is the most important person in your life - always. Seek his opinions and value his judgement.

8. Respond to each other physically and facially. The face is the most distinctive and expressive part of a person. Your mate wants to see you smile, eyes sparkling in response to him or her.

9. Always eshibit the greatest courtesy to each other. You should be VIP's in your own home!

INFLUENCE IS A TWO WAY STREET -

YOU GET IT AND GIVE IT.

"A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly"

Proverbs 18:24

Don't wait for your spouse to be the one to 'do the right thing' or make how you treat them conditonal on their behaviour - you might be waiting a long time. Instead, be the one to set the standard, make a change. Sometimes in the emotional tug - of - war it pays to be the one to give in.

I was browsing through some old magazines yesterday and was actaully shocked to find a column in a 1977 McCalls which was called "The Heinous-Husband Award"... well folks, that just struck me as horrible - lets not only try to think up the worst, embarassing thing our husband has done, and send it in to be published in a national magazine. Duh! (what if the tables were turned, ladies?)

SUNSHINE WITH PETALS!

Today in History:

0240 - BC Eratosthenes estimates circumference of earth

1586 - English colonists sailed from Roanoke Island NC

1756 - 146 English people imprisoned in Black Hole of Calcutta

1812 - US declares war on England

1846 - 1st baseball game-NY Nines 23 Knickerbockers 1 (Hoboken - NJ)

1862 - Slavery outlawed in US territories

1867 - Mexican Emperor Maximilian executed - Mexican republic restored

1875 - Formal opening of US Marine Hospital at Presidio

1910 - Father's Day celebrated for 1st time in Spokane Wash

1917 - After WW I King George V ordered members of British royal family to dispense with German titles & surnames They took the name Windsor

1931 - 1st photoelectric cell installed commercially West Haven Ct

1934 - Federal Communications Commission (FCC) created

1946 - 1st TV sports spectacular - Joe Louis vs Billy Conn

1947 - 1st plane to exceed 600 mph - Albert Boyd Muroc Ca

1955 - Mickey Mantle hits career HR # 100

1961 - US Supreme Court struck down a provision in Md's constitution requiring state office holders to belief in existence of God

1963 - Valentina Tereshkova 1st woman in space returns to earth

1977 - Pope Paul VI makes 19th-cent bishop John Neumann 1st US male saint

1981 - Boeing Coml Chinook two-rotor helicopter gets certified

1986 - Artificial heart recipient Murray P Haydon died in Louisville Ky

TODAY'S HANDY TIP #285

Grow it QUICK!

Though this would be an amazingly handy site for teachers, I thought it might be a great one for finding things to entertain youngsters in the summer - and at summer camps etc!

Join thousands of teachers worldwide who use Fast Plants® to bring science alive in their classrooms!

These petite, hardy, fast-growing plants whiz through an entire life cycle in about 40 days, making them ideal for inquiry-based science investigations and for learning about plant biology.

FAST PLANTS

BROWN DAISY ELEMENT

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This brown daisy is made with my friend Valerie in mind - a dear friend who moved from here to Quebec (her original home) several years ago, and who I love and miss very much. Valerie's absolutely favorite flower is the brown daisy - and what should pop it's head up in the grasses here, but a perfect one?

Where did the weekend go, folks? It just flew by here, in fact I'm having a hard time accounting for it! We spent time chatting with our daughters on the phone, who called to say HAPPY FATHER'S DAY! to Miles... We love and miss you, Girls!

We did a bit of yard - saling which produced two neat games. One is the European version of Monopoly, all the little metal icons are things from Europe! The other game is the Viking Game, something which looks sort of like chess with a cloth map and carved pieces. I have not seen anything like it before.

ROW, ROW, ROW YOUR BOAT!

We took time out yesterday to paddle about the shores of our beautiful lake. My muscles are getting stronger and I'm finding I can go a BIT further and faster, but it will be a long time before I get strong enough we could paddle to town....

THE BOAT NOSING IT'S WAY!

We had a young couple come for dinner last night - they are getting married very soon and we, as part of our church, were to mentor and encourage them. They will be fine, they have the right values. It was good to share the evening with them and it caused us to look back over the past years and to appreciate the tall tree, with good strong roots, our marriage has become.

I'm going to keep this entry short as I am looking forward to an early start out-of-doors today, working in the yard. You all have a wonderful day!

Interesting articles I heard this weekend on NPR -

A slave labor operation in the brick kilns of China's Shanxi province has been uncovered. For years, boys as young as eight have been working in horrifying conditions. But authorities have just begun to free the workers and make arrests. As NPR's Anthony Kuhn tells Liane Hansen, there are reports from Shanxi and Henan provinces that poor children are among those who have been abducted to work as forced laborers. Boys as young as eight years of age were reportedly sold for about $65 each to unscrupulous bosses. Then, they were forced to work 14 to 16 hours a day making bricks in primitive kilns.

Listen Here

Host Liane Hansen speaks with James Kakalios, a professor at the University of Minnesota's School of Physics and Astronomy, and author of "The Physics of Superheroes." Lately he's been thinking about the unique strengths of Sandman in Spider-man 3.

Listen Here

Today in History:

1178 - Proposed time of origin of lunar crater Giordano Bruno

1815 - Battle of Waterloo; Napoleon defeated by Wellington

1872 - Woman's Sufferage Convention held at Merchantile Liberty Hall

1873 - Susan B Anthony fined $100 for attempting to vote for President

1892 - Macademia nuts 1st planted in Hawaii

1898 - Amusement pier opens - Atlantic City - NJ

1928 - Amelia Earhart is 1st woman to cross Atlanti

1959 - 1st telecast transmitted from England to US

1977 - Space Shuttle test model "Enterprise" carries a crew aloft for 1st time - It was fixed to a modified Boeing 747

Good Thought For Your Day:

Imperfection is in some sort of essential to all we know of life. It is the sign of life in a mortal body. Nothing that lives is, or can be, rigidly perfect. The foxglove blossom - a third part bud, a third part past, a third part in full bloom- is a type of the life of this world. And in all things that live there are certain irregularities and deficiencies which are not only signs of life but sources of beauty. No human face is exactly the same in its lines on each side, no leaf perfect in its lobes, no branch in its symmetry. All admit to irregularity as they simply imply change; and to banish imperfection is to destroy expression. All things are literally better, lovelier, and more beloved for the imperfections which have been divinely appointed. - by John Ruskin

ALL MY DUCKS IN A ROW!

BARB'S HANDY TIP #284

Knit in 3d

Oh DEAR - I can't remember exactly which of you sent me a comment regarding this idea of knitting in 3d - I HAD to go investigate. What a cool concept, and I located this website which contains photos as well as free patterns! Please DO send your cool website ideas for me to share!

SHADOW KNITTING

BALLOON RIDE ELEMENT/TEMPLATE

- includes 3D look overlay!

use your own paper or photos

(paper used in preview is from KristinCB's JOY kit)

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If you RIGHT CLICK on the download link, and choose the option "Open in New Window" you won't be taken away from my blog entry, rather you will be able to download the element and still read today's entry.

I'm taking today off with my sweetie - just taking a day down for Father's Day. Hope you are all doing the same!

Some of you are not being able to download my past tapes elements which I had hosted with PutStuff... I don't know what's up with PutStuff these past few days, thus my move to 4Shared... so if there's a past element which you HAVE to have, you can email me a request at lalalime@hotmail.com and I will do my best to get it to you.

I'm featuring Silvia's layout today, using my bandaid element... won't YOU share your layouts you create using any of my other elements- I'd love to feature you!

MOM GOT A BOO-BOO

layout by blog reader Silvia (Thanks for sharing!)

credits:

Paper and brown element on the bottom to the left is by our Sweetheart Lindsay (LJD Designs)

the bandaid's are from Mrs. Miles

safetypin and brown doodle on top left is by my german scrap buddy Hannah

paper in big circle and button is by Amanda Heiman Designs

stitches are by Kris Meyers t

he flower in the left corner is by G. Mendes

dark brown and blue button is by Amelie Scrap Design

Jeans is by Monic

the purple doodle is by Kim B

cardboard is by Eva Rek

'DO IT YOURSELF' ICE CREAM CONE

TEMPLATE/ELEMENT

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I'm taking today off - just whipped you up a nice lickable ice cream cone - YOU decide if it's an element or a template - or just what! It's BIG - stacking up to the full 12 inches of your layouts! I would love to see what you make with this! I uploaded to 4 shared today because PutStuff is down... I hope it works out ok with d/l... I will check in later!

E. Your comment was SO SO SO encouraging and beautiful. I would love to publish it but I can understand your shy 'bout that. You KNOW you've been in my prayers many times and I too, think highly of you! Have a Blessed Day!

I'll leave you with a small thought for the day, a small bit written by P.S. Menzies many, many years past:

We talk of creation as a past thing. But the truth is, creation is eternal. Creation never ceases. Every time theh clouds drop in rain, every time the water freezes into new ice, every time the juices of nature gather into another violet, every time a new wail of life is heard upon a mother's breast, every time you breathe another sigh, or shed another tear, there is God as truly present in His miraculous capacity as on the day when He said "Let there be light"

SIMPLE BANDAID TAPE ELEMENT

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If you RIGHT CLICK on the download link, and choose the option "Open in New Window" you won't be taken away from my blog entry, rather you will be able to download the element and still read today's entry.

Just a little entry today folks! It's looking refreshingly cool outside and I have plans of just sitting and getting aquainted with my latest aquisition - Painter X (a digital painting program)

The pot-luck lunch at the school was a grand success - kind of a happy/sad affair as its the last one of the school year. We really get to know the students as family by the end. Roger & Marie, it was so nice to meet your visitors yesterday - I'll be praying for a safe trip home when they leave!

Bonnie and Roman visited last night and we watched slideshows of our past holidays - what a great way to pass an evening. What a wonderful thing to share all these happy memories with friends! Bonnie and Roman are also good photographers and we saw the most amazing pictures of thier hikes and the flowers and critters they've come across. We are hoping to do this more often!

I'll also be working up some Father's Day-ish thing for my sweet husband and finking up some ideas for an upcoming bridal shower for a young lady from our church - me and my friend Becky will be doing all the decoratin'

THRONE MOUNTAIN - after the rain.

I'm adding my blog reader Shirley to my 'forever' links to the left of my blog, as she has been a faithful encourager to my blog daily. Thanks so much Shirley - welcome to my world!

Thank you all, as well for your feedback regarding the criminal who's returning to his community... its really a hard one, for sure.

Today in History:

0763 - BC Assyrians record total solar eclipse event on clay tablet

1215 - King John signs Magna Carta at Runnymede England

1520 - Pope threatens to toss Luther out of Catholic Church

1664 - NJ established

1752 - Ben Franklin's kite is struck by lightning-What a shock

1785 - 2 French balloonists die in world's 1st fatal aviation accident

1836 - Arkansas becomes 25th state

1844 - Goodyear patents vulcanization of rubber

1878 - 1st attempt at motion pictures (used 12 cameras taking 1 picture) done to see if all 4 of a horse's hooves leave the ground

1919 - 1st flight across Atlantic (Alcock & Brown)

1924 - Native Americans are proclaimed US citizens

1951 - 1st coml electronic computer dedicated Phila

BARB'S HANDY TIP #283

Trick your Eyes!

71 Optical Illusions & Visual Phenomena

These pages demonstrate visual phenomena, and »optical« or »visual illusions«. The latter is more appropriate, because most effects have their basis in the visual pathway, not in the optics of the eye.

OPTICAL ILLUSIONS

ASSORTED TAPES ELEMENT - NINA'S TAPES

Fwoggies & Flowers

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If you RIGHT CLICK on the download link, and choose the option "Open in New Window" you won't be taken away from my blog entry, rather you will be able to download the element and still read today's entry.

Today's theme is dedicated to my sweet sister, Nina. ( I hope you get in trouble at work today because you keep showing people your tapes when your supposed to be working. ) Nina is nuts about fwogs and I was intending on making an entire set of them... but there's not a ton of frog type sayings and quotes out there... at any rate, not ones that are short enough to fit on a tape... so I wound up putting on some flower ones with some Sister quotes even! Oh, and by the way Sis, when you requested the frog tapes, I was going to fire back "I'll hop right on that".... haha! I love and miss you, my Sis!

Thanks all of you for your comments and encouragement! To be honest with you, today I was considering taking a few days off - I have a few commitments which need my attention. One commitment in particular I've even been excused from, what I mean is,this mystery project does not have a time stamp on it and my freind has expressed we want to keep this fun and no pressure... Thanks for that, my friend, but I want to do our project - it's testing and growing me - and as my dearest husband knows, its more I'm scared of it a bit and I just have to push on through. I am going to do just that! And thanks for keeping this fun - you're wonderful!

At any rate, back to what I was saying - I was considering a few days off, but I recieved an email from a reader this morning which touched my heart and reminded me that this blog is yours, and this blog is actually way of sharing not just my view of the world, its much more. Its my place to share some of the talent the Lord has blessed me with and to encourage folks. Most days I don't know exactly what will be posted here, but somehow not only does God provide - what ends up here touches people. See, I was feeling a bit selfish about my blog - thinking about the COST it has to some days as it can take an hour of my day. This is an hour I could easily fill, and with a lot of good things... I enjoy this time so much, and somehow sometimes I think (like with a lot of fun & good things) that its TOO much fun and I have to question if I'm doing this for me..... or HIM? Why is it that as Christians we sometimes feel this way - if it's FUN, it can't be ministry, because in our minds we think ministry is something hard working and boring (or dry at least) and most often something we are asked to do, not that we choose to do?

At any rate, not 10 minutes after telling Miles that I am going to take some time off, I recieve an email that brings me to my knees. So I'm not going anywhere. I might not post some LOONNNNG entries every day, but I promise to be as faithful as I can. I desire my blog be for you to feel a little richer when you leave - whether it's something you read, or find, or download. Just know that this blog is entirely due to the Lord's blessings in my life - and I'm merely sharing the overspill of His love with you.

And so thank YOU for lifting me up and encouraging me - even when you don't know it! My blog truly is your blog too - it's just a bunch of pictures and words without your feedback.

NEW BABY ALPCA

Roger and Marie have a new baby! Hey, we all thought they were enjoying retirement and here they go having a baby! Welcome to the newest addition to your family, baby Cria, just born the other day and already several times bigger than your chihuahua Novia! Thanks for providing us all with this sweet baby picture! What a sweet surprize - may we come an visit her one day soon? My camera is twitching!

MMMMM.... MEATPIE!

It's potluck lunch today at the school so I took advantage of the cool evening yesterday and baked up this savoury meatpie. It's a really easy recipe I've created - and I will share it with you!

MRS. MILES EASY SAVORY MEAT PIE

pastry for top and bottom pie

two lb extra lean ground beef
1 packaged stuffing mix
1/2 to 1 cup water
two tablespoons dark soya sauce
fresh herbs, minced (basil, rosemary and/or oregano)
lotsa fresh ground pepper
3 - 4 slices of crispy cooked bacon, cut into small bits (optional)

Preheat oven to 450.

Prepare the bottom layer of pastry, lining a large pie plate.

Brown the ground beef over medium high heat until cooked. Now if you like a richer pie, as I do, and don't care terrifically if its a bit more fattening, you can add a few slices of crispy bacon too. Add stuffing mix and any spice packet it came with. Add the water as needed - so bread bits have soaked it up and mix is not 'dry'... add pepper and fresh herbs.

Put browned mixture into pie shell. Top with pastry, cutting vents in top shell.

Bake at 450 for 10 minutes... then reduce heat to 350 for aproximately 30 minutes. If it's browning too fast, cover with foil at that point.

SOFT SUMMER RAIN ON THE LAKE

I worked out of doors for a couple of hours yesterday - removing a surfiet of cones from some cedar trees (or were those junipers? all I know is they had a lot...) Sometimes when the trees get stressed they make an overabundance of cones which weighs their branches down... so I was just helping them so they can wave thier branches freely again. I usually take a radio with me so I can listen while I work, but yesterday I decided not to... and it was a good thing to be alone with my thoughts. You know it tells us in scripture to get away in quiet and pray when we can, and thats sort of how it was for me. I had some good thinking out there.... one thought was about the birds. You see, I know that when I stand still enough, the birds let me look at them, and it occured to me that if I sit still long enough perhaps the birds might come to look at me. In these busy times sitting still that long seems impossible.

The other thing that was working in my heart was an issue which has been unfolding in our little valley. There was a convicted sex-offender released into the community recently. He was convicted of brutally raping an eight year old girl several years ago. He has served his time now but he maintains his innocence - therefore has refused to get any sort of help during that time, like psycologically. The police consider him both a danger to the community and at high risk to re-offend. He's chosen to come back and live at a community a mere 15 miles north of here as he has family there and says he wants to move on in his life.

Of course his presence has stirred a lot of people up. People are (rightfully) scared, abhorred and alarmed. A great many don't want him there and are actively working to try and get rid of him.

So, I've been an outsider looking in. I don't live right there, so I have the luxury of feeling fairly safe and unthreatened. I can only imagine how the family of the poor little girl feel - and her friends etc. So they would obviously feel passionately about this issue.

My first instinct is to lock him up and throw away the key ... and then my mind and heart say "Hey, wait!" Am I a Christian? How can I just slam the door like that without even examining this situation... and no, not the situation with the offender, but with ME. Who am I to simply want to lock up and get rid of this guy? I completely agree that we have to be safe and wise... but since when did I get to the point that I could just think "he's bad - lock him up forever" Where's my love and compassion for this fellow human being. Yes, he DID evil things, evil and possibly unforgivable things - but is this for ME to decide? Now the hardest part of all this is it SEEMS that this fellow is unrepentant that he did this crime - because he is in denial he did it at all. In that light then I would find it a bit easier for me if I believed he was innocent. I just honestly can't know, though from all I've heard the evidence points directly at him. But the scariest thing to me is that I'm so confused. What if this man decided to come to our Church? What if he came and begged for us to help him? How would we deal with this? I think at this point we have the convenience to know thats not a great probability. How many towns can simply shift him off? Which poor town will end up with this dilemma? This is some of the hardest stuff that God gives us - to know that this person is our brother. Why is it easier for us to pray for the victims and their familys than for the offender? Why is it we forget the offender has a family who would like to move on, too. I know there are many prison ministries ... how do these people do this? How do we put aside our immediate repulsion to give God to the sinners? I want to know. Situations like this remind me how much more I need to know of the Lord... Help me, folks, I need your thoughts on this.

You can see the footage on the news story of this crime by clicking HERE - perhaps you will get a sense of the emotions and drama unfolding. Perhaps you will have some words to share with me.

ANYONE CAN HATE, BUT IT COSTS TO LOVE.

"Greater love hath no man than this,

that a man lay down his life for his friends."

John 15:13

Today in History

1775 - US Army founded

1777 - Continental Congress in Phila adopts Stars & Stripes as flag

1801 - Former Revolutionary War Gen Benedict Arnold died in London

1841 - 1st Canadian parliament opened in Kingston

1847 - Bunsen invents a gas burner

1850 - Fire destroys part of SF

1876 - California St Cable Car RR Co gets it's franchise

1919 - 1st direct airplane crossing of Atlantic

1922 - Baltimore radio station WEAR 1st to put on a President (Harding)

1938 - Chlorophyll patented by Benjamin Grushk

1941 - Ground broken for Boeing Plant II (ex-AFLC Plant 13) Wichita KS

1942 - Walt Disney's "Bambi" is released

1948 - TV Guide is published

1951 - UNIVAC 1 - 1st commercial computer - unveiled

1954 - Pres Eisenhower signs order adding words `under God' to the Pledge

1967 - Launch of Mariner V for Venus flyby

1976 - Gong Show premiers

BARB'S HANDY TIP #282

Fun With Photography

This one of the sites I keep TELLING my friend Becky about - thought I better just publish it today so i don't forget AGAIN...

I'm going to set the link to today's project page because its a neat project, but after you check that out you might want to hit the HOME tab so you can bookmark the entire site. This site has been a terrific resource to me for loads of unique photo projects. I hope you enjoy it too! OH, and don't forget to sign up for the awesome newsletter, delivered right to your inbox.

4 easy steps to make Old Fashioned Lenticular images from your photos!

PHOTOJOJO

ASSORTED TAPES ELEMENT #14

cute cats & kittens

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If you RIGHT CLICK on the download link, and choose the option "Open in New Window" you won't be taken away from my blog entry, rather you will be able to download the element and still read today's entry.

LAYOUT BY BLOG READER GAIL

credits:

Q Template by RubyPapers and elements from Ruby's Show the Love kit

Volleyball tapes by Mrs. Miles at http://lalalime.blogspot.com

Gold style from Cheryl Barber's ScrapSimple Tools

Styles: 14K at ScrapGirls

Volleyball from © Photographer: Xaoc Agency: Dreamstime.com

Font: Shruti

Graphics Program: PSE5

Thanks for sharing, Gail!

I love to feature your layouts, using my created elements - send them to me and I will make you famous - not rich... haha!

ALLSOP SOLAR LANTERNS

I want some!

Are these cool, or what? These are some solar lights put out by a company called Allsop - I recently came across them in a magazine. Can't you just see your own patio party graced by the lantern ones? Free shipping too! You can read more about them and order some for me HERE (KIDDING! - bout the ordering part!)

YOUR FEET WILL BEG YOU TO VISIT...

Oh, if I lived in Washington my feet would be begging me to visit one of these parks! Did you know there were such things as parks with Reflexology Paths? What a neat concept! The stones are laid out in different sizes and patterns and you simply toss off your footware and treat your feet to a massage while you walk! Hmmm... this might be a good idea for your own yard, even! You can find out more about the parks which feature Reflexology Paths by clicking HERE

Today in History:

0323 - BC Alexander the great dies of fever at Babylon

1373 - Anglo-Portuguese Treaty of Alliance (world's oldest) signed

1611 - John Fabricius dedicates earliest sunspot publication

1798 - Mission San Luis Rey de Francia founded in California

1871 - hurricane kills 300 in Labrador

1886 - King Ludwig II of Bavaria drowns

1898 - Yukon Territory of Canada organized - Dawson chosen as capital

1927 - Ticker-tape parade welcomed Charles A Lindbergh to NYC

1933 - 1st sodium vapor lamps installed Schenectady NY

1933 - Federal Savings & Loan Association authorized

1963 - Vostok 6 launched Valentina Tereshkova 1st woman cosmonaut

1966 - Miranda vs Az decision-Suspect must be informed of rights

1967 - Thurgood Marshall nominated as 1st black Supreme Court justice

1981 - A teen-ager fired six blanks at Queen Elizabeth II

1982 - Fahd becomes king of Saudi Arabia when King Khalid dies at 69

1983 - Pioneer 10 is 1st man-made object to leave Solar System

1986 - Benny Goodman the clarinet playing King of Swing died in NY at 77

1986 - Pres Reagan criticizes South African state of emergency

After entering today's historical happenings, I just had to go look up the story of King Ludwig - its actually quite interesting!

King Ludwig II of Bavaria (1845-1886) is remembered for his fairy-tale castles and his patronage of the composer Richard Wagner. Like many of his forefathers, Ludwig had a wildly eccentric temperament, was artistically talented and at times overwhelmed by a melancholia that gradually turned him into a recluse. As a result of his neglecting the affairs of state, he was declared insane in a plot to depose him. Soon afterwards he and his warden were found death in circumstances that remain a mystery to this day.

I won't spoil the rest of it for you - grab a coffee and click HERE to collect your trivia for the day!

BARB'S HANDY TIP #281

Good Gadgets!

If you like gadgets - or know someone who likes gadgets - or are looking for a gift for a gadget minded Dad ... well you really should have got on that one already folks. I'm so bad today! Bugging you all! At any rate, this website is the place to catch up on the latest neat gadgetry! I'd love to know your favorite one!

GADGET-HOLIC

ASSORTED TAPES ELEMENT #13

delightful dogs and puppies

(credit: pics from stock xchng)

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If you RIGHT CLICK on the download link, and choose the option "Open in New Window" you won't be taken away from my blog entry, rather you will be able to download the element and still read today's entry.

O God, I thank thee

for all the creatures thou hast made, so perfect in their kind -

great animals like the camel and the monkey,

friendly ones like the dog and the cat,

working ones like the horse and the ox,

timid ones like the squirrel and the rabbit,

majestic ones like the lion and the tiger,

for birds for their songs.

O Lord give us such love for thy creation

that love may cast out our fear,

and all thy creatures see in man

their priest and friend,

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

- Bishop George Appleton

I hope you enjoy these canine themed tapes - I've had so many wonderful suggestions for tape themes pouring in -and dogs and cats are the most popular request so far. Catsrul, Sheryl & Heather specifically - you requested these tapes. Still collecting suggestions, folks!

I want to thank you so much. When I recieve comments for our blog I usually try to track you down thru Blogger to visit your blog - but some of you don't have blogs and I have no way to say hello or thank you. Some of you tell me you find our blog a safe, happy, encouraging, warm place to be and that means so much to me. I know some of you work jobs and can't get here daily. I know some of you are busy with young families. I can't know all your situations, but I do know I can pray for you all. Some of you are so faithful with your comments and that is amazing to me, some of you do a blanket thanks when you can - I've had to do this too, at times. No matter, it all does mean a lot to me, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. My blog truly is your blog!

Bonnie and I went for a bike ride early yesterday morning. When was the last time you were out on a bike? Its funny, but when we are kids, a bike is a magical form of transportation which allows us to travel speedily from place to place... the obvious form of transportation before we graduate to vehicles as adults. Who doesn't have fond memories of learning to ride, or teaching a youngster to ride, sans training wheels?

Unfortunately, for most of us, as we get to be adults, when we forgo our bicycles for cars and they wind up in the garage, collecting cobwebs, or only coming out occaisionally. Miles and I go through phases with our bikes - usually they come out about a dozen times through the warmer months of the year, and we've taken them on holidays some years as well.

If you haven't done it yet this year - crack out your bike! My rides so far have been a small reconnecting of the magic I had riding as a kid. Once I got over the strange feel of it - it was hugely empowering and freeing! How exhilirating it is to zing down a big hill with the wind whistling through my hair (ends only... don't forget to wear a helmet at all times!)

Bonnie and I rode along some rural roads and stopped to smell all the flowers and pull out some weeds. Babies Breath grows wild here and I picked some to bring home as well. The big stop we made along the way was at a home where Bonnie's friend Brenda lives as I HAD to take some time to appreciate the incredible trees in her yard. Brenda, thank you for allowing me to come into your yard to photograph and admire these majestic beauties. What a thing to have these colossal giants grace your property!

To get a sense of how HUGE these trees are, just look at the basket at the base of the tree, to the right. This basket is at least a foot and a half tall and probably two and a half feet wide!

Can you imagine the critters this tree could house? To me, it would be like a giant condo unit for creatures and birds. Oh, if this tree could talk, surely the tales it could tell. Imagine the picnics its sheltered and the storms it has weathered!

Brenda told us that these trees were planted by her father back in 1957... hey, thats not so long ago (haha, I was born in 1958)... so I can only fantisize about the incredible growth these trees go through every single year. This tree, hundreds of feet high, is as only as old as me?

These trees are so tall that my neck got kinked from looking up to the tops, where they seemed to be tickling the bottom of the clouds! I wouldn't be surprized they are tall enough to tickle rain out of the bottoms of the clouds for drinks!

Won't you take a moment to admire a tree today?

Use everything as if it belongs to God.

It does.

You are God's steward.

"The earth is the Lord's and all it contains,

the world,

and those who dwell in it."

Psalm 24:1

THIS SQUIRREL (on trunk) HAS LUXURY ACCOMODATIONS!

Today in History:

1665 - English rename New Amsterdam NY after Dutch pull out

1776 - Va 1st to adopt Bill of Rights

1838 - Hopkins Observatory - dedicated in Williamstown - Mass

1917 - Secret Service extend protection of pres to his family

1936 - 1st 50KW radio station - Pittsburgh Pa

1946 - Philippines National Day

1957 - Paul Anderson of US back-lifts a record 2850 kg

1967 - USSR launches Venera 4 for parachute landing on Venus

1979 - Bryan Allen flew man-powered Gossamer Albatross over English Channel

1982 - 750 -000 anti-nuclear demonstrators in Central Park NYC

1986 - P W Botha declares South African national emergency

BARB'S HANDY TIP #280

Find a Phrase

I always ASSUME... I assume, because I just know, that you all know about this terrific resource for finding phrases and sayings and qoutes etc... If you're a digital scrapbooker, or scrapbooker at all, chances are you do know this site... but this site would be great for almost anyone! I'm talking about the Two Peas site - and in particular, the search feature of their 'soup' - the resources for their quotes etc... Just plug in your key word an it will spit out a wealth of good 'stuff'' .... While you're here you should check out the rest of the site - its chock full of wonderful goodies (its highly addictive...)

TWO PEAS

ASSORTED TAPES ELEMENT #11

butterflies and flamingos

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If you RIGHT CLICK on the download link, and choose the option "Open in New Window" you won't be taken away from my blog entry, rather you will be able to download the element and still read today's entry.

Welcome to Monday, folks! I hope this week is good for you. You know, I believe I get something called a Monday mentality - and I don't even have a formal job? I'm going to work on erradicating that thought from my mind.

If you have an opportunity you may want to slip over to my friend Kat's blog to encourage her - she recently had surgery and her recovery is not a quick and easy as she would have hoped... Throw in her lil guy's third birthday in the middle... I'm praying for you Kat...

LAYOUT BY BLOG READER SHIRLEY SHANLEY

Thanks for putting my picture into such beautiful surroundings!

credits:

Picture - Mrs. Miles Template - Kissed StudioKit - Charlie's World - Designs by Candee (aka CDez)Font - Scriptina

GO TROPICAL!

I whipped this pie up the other day and it was just terrific!

MRS MILES TROPICAL SUMMER PIE
(simply delicious!)

1 baked pie shell
1 package Shirriff Lemon Pie filling
1 good sized fresh pineapple
2 tablespoons freshly minced ginger

Prepare the Lemon Pie Filling as directed. Let cool (about one hour)

Meanwhile, peel and chop the pineapple into small 1/2 inch chunks. Soak up as much of the excess juice as you are able, using paper towels, or draining it well. Mince the ginger very fine and then fold it into the pineapple.

When the Pie Filling has cooled, fold the pineapple and ginger in. Pour all into the baked pie shell. Cool. Serve with dollops of fresh whip cream, sweetened with brown sugar.
I also like to toast some sweetened coconut in the toaster oven, on a bit of tin foil, and sprinkle it ontop of the whip cream, just before serving!

Warning: You better give 1/2 of this pie to someone right away or you will eat the entire thing - like we did!

HOW DOES OUR GARDEN GROW?

pretty well, obviously - Bonnie's box is a growing concern!

I recently read this neat trick in a March 2006 back issue of Martha Stewart magazine, and it's got me thinking it would be a good one for summer entertaining. Its a great way to dress up any material thing, eg: shower curtain or tablecloth....

Start by collecting a variety of complementary-coloured cloth flowers (craft stores, yard sales, thrift shops) Remove the 'flowers' from their stems. Stick mini-magnets with fabric glue to the backs of the flowers, just above the raised centers (the bigger the flower, the further up you must place the magnet, to make the flower hang flatly) Secure the flowers to any soft surface by placing a second magnet on the reverse side of the cloth or curtain!

Here's another sweet idea:

Create flower 'shaped' sugar cubes for your special event. To make them, add 2 tsp. of water to 1 cup of sugar and mix until the sugar is the consistency of wet sand. Pack moistened sugar into plastic mold trays (with shapes 1 to 1.5 inches wide) which you can buy at kitchen supply stores. Scrape level using a spatula, then immediately turn out molded shapes onto a parchment lined tray. Let harden overnight. Store in an air-tight container in a cool, dry place for up to a month.

MOM - BRING US MORE FOOOOOOD!

Thought for the day:

The rule for us all is perfectly simple. Do not waste time bothering whether you 'love' your neighbor; act as if you did. As soon as we do this we find one of the great secrets. When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come to love him. - C.S. Lewis

Find out where you can render a service; then render it.

The rest of it is up to God.

"Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people..."

Galatians 6:10

Today in History:

1488 - Battle of Sauchieburn - Scotland

1770 - Capt Cook runs aground on Australian Great Barrier Reef

1838 - Iowa Territory organized

1859 - Comstock silver load discovered near Virginia City - Nevada

1895 - 1st auto race

1919 - Sir Barton 1st horse to win the Triple Crown

1942 - US & USSR sign Lend-Lease agreement during WW II

1947 - WW II sugar rationing finally ends

1955 - 1st jet magnesium airplane flown

BARB'S HANDY TIP #279

Wow - What a Race!

Ok, car racings not MY thing - but I'm sure most guys (yes, YOU brother Barry!) and some of us women are attracted to it - and I definately don't agree with street-racing etc... but if a guy has to get the speed out of his system, and there's a sanctioned event to do it in... well, this would be something you need to see. This is definately a Monday morning waker upper...

Ari Vatanen Pikes Peak climb