When our grandson Adam comes to visit, we are guaranteed a time of pure excitement, lots of laughs and plenty of hugs. Adam has such a sweet innocent spirit, he has no predetermined judgements, no hostility or angry feelings towards us (even though we have to say "no" on occasion) and no sense of entitlement - he unselfishly gives love to everyone with each smile, hug and kiss. He is a beautiful grandson whom we have grown to love beyond measure and cherish our time with him!
In 1 Corinthians 13:11 Paul writes, “When I was a child, I talked as a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me."
This is my first post in several
FULL STORY HERE.......
Have you ever had that person who was difficult to buy gifts for? (Even if they tell you there not!)
I think we all run into this from time to time....I have that challenge with my sister. She should be easy to buy for but alas, every time I have an opportunity to give her a gift, my mind goes blank on ideas!
Except for this last time......
We're getting older....when that happens, many of us welcome gifts that are handmade especially for us in mind. The "extra special" thought that goes into a handmade gift just warms the heart. Even better than that feeling is a handmade gift, especially for us that also serves a purpose!
Yay! I love those kinds of gifts!
I've been in FULL STORY HERE.......
"Stop procrastinating and write a blog post already" I keep telling myself!
I put the task on my calendar for this morning and promised myself that I would make this a priority today! If I made New Year's resolutions, I would say mine would be to quit procrastination and stop chasing those "squirrel" distractions!
I should have blogged about this a few months ago but better late then never! I am in love with altered cigar boxes that hold handmade cards! A lot of work? Why yes, yes it is! But oh, the results are well worth the effort!
This memory box and card were created at the request of a sweet friend who wanted something special for her mother who was celebrating her 80th 
It all began as a casual idea.....create handmade cards and donate them to Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa Fl. Staff would have the opportunity to write a special note on the inside and give them to patients and their day would hopefully be made a little bit brighter.
Sounds simple right?
A handful of donated cards by one person in 2014 has since turned into a great labor of love with events being held quarterly and hundreds of cards being created and donated! Women (and men!) come together to assemble cards that have been designed and prepped for Cancer patients and their families. The last event, held in July clocked 200+ man hours to create and package over 400 handmade cards! They 
The idea of prayer has been heavy on my mind lately.....for quite a few months actually.
I've been examining my own level of commitment to prayer, why I pray, how I pray and if I really believe in prayer.
"I'll pray for you".....if I could earn a dime for every time someone has said this, right? This common "comfort phrase" has grown in popularity it seems, becoming more visible through social media, so many posts on Facebook about real life tough situations and we respond "I'll pray for you"
Do we mean it? Or, is it just something we can respond with to let the person in need know we aren't ignoring them and to show the world that we're present we type these 4 little words. But 
Just a quick post today to show you a few cards & tags I made recently! I started off with the tag which was used to teach other ladies at a local Scrap booking crop which raises money for missions. I do this event twice a year and each time I try to raise the bar on my creations for the ladies to do as Make-it-take-its. I always chuckle because the ladies look at what I've made and always say they wish they could be so creative and by the end of their time with me they have been creative by making it! 
Living He loved me, dying He saved me
And buried He carried my sins far away
Rising He justified freely forever
One day He's coming, oh, glorious day
As we walk through Holy week, I feel compelled to spend time reading the story of Jesus' life, His crucifixion on Calvary and His rising from the dead. How can I even wrap my mind around what His last days on earth were like, how can I grasp that for me, He freely chose to be nailed to a cross and to suffer the worst kind of death?
Dying He Saved Me.....
Would you die in order to save someone else? I believe there are some who would be willing to sacrifice their life for others if the moment called for it, but to die for an entire 
"Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your Heart" Psalm 37:4
I have no doubt that God places people in our lives and in our path at different times for a purpose. I've experienced this, heard the stories of others who have seen this happen time and time again and just know it's God at work.
Today was another one of those opportunities for me.....
I was at Moffitt Cancer Center, a followup appointment for MRI's and a trip down the hall to see the doctor. I've moved to "regular attender" in the neuro clinic, lots of "good to see you again", and "welcome back", along with several hugs. They've got the personal touch down to a science!
While waiting for 
Here we are again, I'm really trying to tighten up my timeframe for posting, hopefully in time I'll be back to semi-weekly posts but for now, here's a new one!
I'm 2 1/2 months out from surgery and I'm making progress each and every day. There are limitations that I'll have to accept but those seem so insignificant when I count my blessings thus far! After spending a great deal of time in the hospital before and after surgery, I've had the opportunity to see many others, young and old, who are experiencing challenges far worse than mine. I often lift up those in the hospital in prayer, I may not know them or what they're going through but I can certainly pray on their behalf.....we all 