A dirt-y little blog and a FREEBIE!!!

Hi everyone!!! Okay so I usually don't speak too much about environmental issues but I do try my best to do what I personally can and to share any chance to make a difference with those in our parish. (Especially the children in our program).

So hang in there with all the environmental lingo because I wanted to share with you what we did on Saturday at our parish with some of the Confirmandi!!!

I'm sure you know that Earth day is coming up on Wednesday. Earth Day, celebrated April 22, is a day designed to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth's environment. It is held annually during both spring in the northern hemisphere and autumn in the southern hemisphere. It was founded by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson as an environmental teach-in in 1970 and is celebrated in many countries every year.
If you want more information on Earth day then go to: EARTH DAY INFO


The reason I am sharing this with all of you is because it is important that we all take care of God's creation and we should all be willing to do our share to see that it is taken well care of, not only for us but for the future generations!!! I always try to find ways that the Confirmandi can use secular events but add a Christian perspective to it.
Here's what our Diocese website said about Environmental justice
The U.S. Bishops have spoken clearly that caring for creation is another way that we care for life itself. Sustainable agriculture is a major duty of farmers and farm workers in the entire valley. Statistics show that the air quality in the Valley is often in the unhealthy range and affects the lives of all of our people. An effective social ministry effort will become aware of the environmental threats to the Valley, the parish, city, and state, and will work with others in the wider community to address those issues.
Well we did just that on Saturday!!! Okay so we didn't plant trees but we did plant flowers to help take in carbon dioxide and give off oxygen, and we helped to beautify our Parish (something that was long overdue!!!)
So here's some pictures... enjoy!!


This is BEFORE
(Yeah it looked like that for over 3 years!)



Did I mention that it is near our Prolife Memorial that the KofC put up?

Let the fun begin!!!


We had 12 Confirmandi come to help you know I do believe that Jesus was onto something when He chose 12 because that always seems to be the number that shows up to help at any function LOL!!!


Don't worry the end results are coming up soon!!!


Okay so I had to delegate to keep them on track and most of them have never planted flowers before!! Whoot Whoot!! Always a first for some of our kids!!! Thank you Jesus!!


SEE PROOF THAT I DID WORK TOO!!!


But here's a little something that I had to change quickly!!!
My son thought he would be able to just stand around and look cute!!!


Uh I don't think so!!!


Braawwwhhh Haa Haa!!! Workin' him hard!! LOL!!
Okay so after all of this:


We were very pleased and thrilled that the front of the Church
now looks like this





here's an upclose of the mini-roses


Now I pray that these all grow and flourish... it's all in God's hands now!!


Thanks for stopping by and visiting me and this very dirt-y little blog LOL!!! If you came here looking for something else, you should know better than that from me and hey get your mind out of the gutter LOL!!!!!


You were so patient reading through this dirt-y little blog so your reward is your freebies!!!!! All in honor of God's creation for this Earth Day!!! Hope you like them and as always please leave some love and give credit when credit us due....
Previews are linked just click each picture...


















Love,

HE IS RISEN and a Family freebie

A Happy Holy Saturday and Blessed Easter to you!!!
I know I'm a day early in saying that but tonight and tomorrow I will be very busy celebrating EASTER and I wanted to get this freebie posted!!! Tonight we have 3 parishoners being fully initiated into the Church!!! Oh I know that their families are very happy indeed... as I am truly blessed along with my husband to have been a part of their formation and their journey to this beautiful night for them!!!!

How wonderful is our God that we should be so blessed to be included as His children, that my Lord should die for me is something that is still difficult to grasp at times!!! I am so thankful for everything that He has given to me, even down to the weeds that grow in my garden!!!



I pray that you too have the same sense of thankfulness, I know you all do as you are all very smart and faithfilled people ;o)




Again I wish and pray you and your family many blessings upon you all on this wonderful Holy Saturday!!! And that you feel the Joy and Grace that we all have received this Easter Sunday and always!!!


In light of "Family" I thought I would offer you my wordart that I used for my new layout.
Here's the freebie preview, just click it and it will take you to my 4 shared



As always I ask that you give credit where credit is due and please let me know you were here.... that would be really nice!!!

My new layout was made by using:

A Touch of Romance by: "Stacey’s Scraps"


God's peace be with you!!

Someone like you and a FREEBIE!!!

Wow... Holy Thursday is only 2 days away!!! Where did Lent go??? I realize that being busy can set someone's clock off a bit but geez 40+ day's is a bit crazy to speed by!!! I like to think that this time of the year is my "cannery season" since we have Holy Week upon us which means Full Initiation at the Easter Vigil for 3 of our new parishoners and then First Sacraments, a Confirmation Retreat, Confirmandi interviews with Confirmation following shortly after that! Whew... between all of that wonderful Grace is my daily life!! Two graduations to prepare for smack dab in the middle of all of that... yeah it's pickin' time!!! LOL...

I wanted to be able to share more often but like I said above, busy busy busy....
I need a day (week) to just be able to be still and sit with God!
But for now I have to go and clean house and prepare food for a meeting when our Parish priest comes over to finalize Holy Week with Lance (you know my hubby is a Deacon of the Church?), I absolutely LOVE THE EASTER VIGIL!!!! Although theres a lot of work involved, just being a part of it is a blessing in itself, although all the work makes it not seem so "blessed" at the time until you see the end results and that is CHRIST IS RISEN!!!!
I really would like to say more but so much to do with so little time....

My freebie today is about siblings again...
I too have a brother (and 3 sisters) and it's funny to think that I felt the same way (see freebie) when we were kids.... funny how life is a revolving door and we are able to see this in our children!!!

My kids are great, although I often hear others call their "step brothers/sisters" by that title, you know I'm sure you've heard it when people say, "oh my stepbrother is coming over" or "my stepsister had a baby". I'm so thankful to God that although my son is adopted they have never once looked at each other differently or placed a title on each other!! They are truly Brother and Sister-- no titles involved, after all we are all Brothers and Sisters in Christ....



So here's my freebie for you!!! Click the preview to go to my 4shared



Please give credit where credit is due and please leave a comment telling me a quote you'd like to see, I'd be happy to make it if only you give me words.

I used my PURCHASED KIT: Kingdom by the Sea from
Secret Garden Creations to make this LO.

I pray you all have someone to lean on and that the someone you have doesn't have a lable attached to them.
Have a blessed Holy Week!

Understanding and a Freebie!

Hi all!
Well another week has flown by and I was hoping to be able to post more freebies during the week but well what can I say, time got away from me.

I'm still working on making a full scrapbook for my daughter's graduation and its going slow but it's going! Geez who would have ever thought that it would take so long to share memories, then again it took time to make them so it's just as important to take the time to make a really nice scrapbook right???

I was going through some older pictures and found these from a couple of years ago....
you know how it is when you were a teenager and well, parents just don't understand.. lol!!! By the way that was a really good song way way way back in the 80's and it still rings true, for past and present kids (and parents hahaha). I had my moments too, growing up I didn't think my mother would ever "get me" and now I am experiencing the same thing with my own children... geez it's life re-lived I'm just on the other end of spectrum this time.




I love the crazy look on my kids faces! It's pretty much how I feel sometimes when it seems like they are talking in circles... but even though they think "I don't understand", I really do!!!! Yep been there, done that, got the t-shirt! lol....


I've made the layout using the sister term but made 2 wordarts, one for sisters and one for brothers, so I hope it works for someone out there.


Click the samples and they will lead you to my 4shared. While you are there please leave some love... I'd really appreciate it!

Here's the goodies:



WAIT WAIT WAIT..... I JUST REALIZED (3 DAYS LATER) I MIS-SPELLED BROTHER (DANG! Yes I know they can be a bother but lol if you downloaded the bad one I apologize)... I FIXED IT SO PLEASE RE-DOWNLOAD THE CORRECT SPELLED ONE ABOVE!!!!

and


I always try my best to give credit where credit is due and I hope you do the same.
My LO was made using:
Naturel Scrap Kit Created by Happy-Scrap

May God bless you with someone in your life who can "understand" just who you really are!

God's blessings be with you!

Siblings and a Freebie!

Hi everyone... hahaha I type as if I have a ton of people stopping by here... but whatever I'll continue to talk as if I have a ton of new friends and hopefully one day I will have at least more than a few hahaha...
Well I made it through Ministry Day last Saturday and now it's time to put that behind me and move forward with other everyday life issues.

It's hard to believe that March is already in it's final weeks... whew where does time go???? It's getting closer and closer to the end of the school year which causes my stomach to jump and twist! Why? Well, my darling daughter will be graduating from High School and will begin a new chapter in her life... I wonder, will she still need me as much as she did in the past, she and my son have always been my #1 job (even if they think differently at times), it was something both my husband and I decided when I was pregnant for her 18 years ago... I would stay at home and I would live my vocation as wife and mother to the best of my ability.... Okay so I haven't been the best in the world, but I do try and that's all that matters... when I fall I get back up and try again.... parenthood is afterall a growth process!!!

My son is a completly different child compared to my daughter and when the two of them stick together (instead of fighting) they really can conquer the world (don't tell them I told you that, there might be an uprising in the house LOL).


Romantic Scrap Kit by: DitaB
Template by: Andrea Gold


I want to put together something that encompasses both of their lives for their graduations (oh my son graduates Jr. High one day before my daughter, did I fail to mention that above?) so I thought I would start with some "Sibling" layouts....
in the process I hope to give you my wordart. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do making them. Please let me know if you do snag them as I'm beginning to wonder if they are even any good.

Below you will find the links to my 4shared so just click on the Tag and it will lead you there.

May you too have a shoulder to lean on that will give you strength...
God bless you today and always!



P.s. I'm not sure why when you go to file share that it only shows up as a black box, but I promise it's there ;o)!

Here's the Freebie for today:

Amazed and a Freebie!

Have you ever been amazed at just how much you really love your signifigant other... even after being together for so many years I still am amazed at how much I love and need my husband.
We have been happily married for 18 years now and are still very much in love with each other. Just this last August we went to San Damiano Retreat House to "get away" with one another and to just be still with God for those few days that we were there. If you are ever looking for a great retreat house and live near Danville I suggest that you go and see the Franciscan Friars up there on the hill or you can go just for a day to walk the beautiful grounds that they have there! I'll post a few pictures of our trip there so you can see how beautiful it is.

I know that there are others out there so I thought I would offer you my word art that I used to make this scrap page. Please leave a comment telling me a bit of your Amazing love while your here.
For the following layout I used Piccolina's Kit Japanese Garden and Kaelira's Template

Here's my love of my life....(of course I love my kidlets too!)




Now on to my 2nd freebie!
Click the sample to download it from my 4shared
As always please give credit where credit is due

I hope you enjoy it!




May you always be amazed at how much love is surrounding you every day!

Ministry Day and a Freebie!

Well I'm taking the leap!!! After a couple of years of dinking on my computer with PSP, and downloading Hundreds of wonderful freebies (shamelessly I'm addicted thanks to all the talented ladies out there!) Well I thought I would try my hand at offering a freebie as well. Although I don't have the ability to do kits as I haven't learned how, I do know how to do Word Art, another addiction of mine. I am able to convey my feelings as well as my Faith to others that I work with and for by making Word Art for prayer services and environment when needed.
I actually had this finished a week or two ago because I had been asked by a dear Sister (yep a nun) if I would be able to do the environment for the presenters rooms and the roundtable discussion for our Annual Ministry Day gathering. What's Ministry Day?? Here's a brief run down before I post my pics and my freebie....

Ministry Day is the Annual Adult Faith Formation Conference of the Diocese of Stockton. The Conference provides professional development opportunity for all parish ministers and a day of spiritual enrichment and growth in faith for all Catholics. As a diocese we gather around our Bishop to celebrate who we are and to affirm our commitment to carry out our mission as the local Church. It is a must for all who take their baptismal call seriously. (I borrowed this from our Diocesan Website, glad they had it posted... whew... lol..)

Okay so here's what I came up with for the roundtable decorations, the Mass being celebrated for the day is the Conversion of St. Paul so I thought I would carry that theme into the environment... this is what I came up with:



I made this (LO? layout?) using
Bel Vidotti Scraps
and a few rocks from Granny


Well here's my try at a freebie!
If you happen to snag it can you let me know...
I don't know if anyone even stops by here to listen to my rants, prayers or reflections.... so it'd be kinda nice to find out ;o)

Here's it is...


Click the sample above to be taken to my 4shared
Please send others to download it themselves
and please give credit where credit is due

Thanks!
I hope you liked it and I pray that you Run as to Win for Christ today!

Addicted

Hello all!! All... that's funny because I'm sure there are only a few who stop by and read my rantings....
I have to come out of the closet and say that I am totally addicted to Digi-Scrapbooking and Word Art.
I've made a few tags for my Myspace friends and have tried to do my own word art so I thought I would share one of them with anyone who stops by here....

I do love dinking around with PSP that's for sure....
Here's what I made this morning. The info for all that I used will be posted below...

The inspiration to the word art that I made came from the song:
The first time I saw your face by Roberta Flack





(The song that inspired this graphic)



The other one I made was:



Well I suppose I better get off here and get busy cleaning house, not to mention the fact that I have to prepare a session for my 1st Sacraments group for tomorrow...

Let me know what you thought of either graphic...
I'd really like to get to meet and know some people on here....

Now for all the copyright stuff....

Both Graphics
Scraps by:
JAELOP DESIGNS
DIGITAL SCRAPBOOK LAYOUTS & DESIGNs
http://jaelop.blogspot.com/


Heart Template by Ali
http://Designsbyali.blogspot.com

The First Time Word Art by Itsjuls (me)


Square
Template by Missy
http://divineintentionz.com

Friend Word art by:
Crystal Z