Come to my chat tomorrow!

Join me tomorrow night for the first chat in my almost finished new site!

Learn how to use my chatroom to share layouts and tell me what you want to see in the forum. Learn about my goals and dreams for the site.

I will be giving three tags that coordinate with my contribution to the Christmas Around the World contribution.

If you would like to contribute, see this thread at my forum. This is part of a huge collaborative kit that will go live with over 60 designers on December 10th. There are some links that are live in the thread now and for those that do make kits, feel free to make some quick pages to share and add them to the thread.

There may be other designers giving away freebies at the chat.

Freebie Template #23

I appreciate all the comments on my templates. I am anxious to see layouts made with them and do appreciate those who have shared in the past. I realize not everyone is so comfortable sharing layouts on the internet.

Here is the thread to find the next template and challenge.

Themed Thursday - Belief

See this forum thread for inspiration! This is now available as a blog meme and a forum challenge! Upload yours to the gallery!


This week's theme is "Comfort." Future themes are in my sidebar!
Upload your layout to any gallery or blog and add the link to where you post your layout in Mr. Linky (in the box below). It may be a layout you already have or a new layout. Late?--Add your link at any time!

Take time to visit and comment on others.



To become a regular participant of Themed Thursdays For Scrappers and get your link to your gallery or blog in the blog roll, just e-mail me! To put the blog roll in your sidebar, get the code here!

At the bottom of Mr. Linky is a link to Technocrati. You can also find participants through this link provided that participants put this URL link somewhere in their post: http://technorati.com/tag/Themed+Thursdays

*****
Here is the code for the Mr. Linky above (code changes weekly). Add it to your post on your on own blog . It is quick and easy to add this same Mr. Linky right into your blog post to watch for new participants from there.

First, if you do not have the necessary code in your html template on your blog yet, you will need to add it, but just once. Put it directly after the "head" code on a new line.
<script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.blenza.com/linkies/header.js"></script>

Add this code to your blog post for this week.
<script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.blenza.com/linkies/autolink.php?owner=Hummie&postid=28Nov2007&meme=73"></script><br />

**************
Here's mine! I used Jeri Ingalls Lost Gulch kit.

LAYOUT REMOVED

Freebie Template #22

I made a new template with one of my recent layouts. It is in SQUARE and RECTANGLE again.

You can find it in the challenge forum thread.

The background is just a sample photo that you will replace.

My Shutterfly Book Arrived!

My very first Shutterfly book came on Monday and I was so excited, but have been to busy to get it up on the blog! These books are as great as everyone says they are!

The Law is the Law

BUT, YOU KNOW WHAT ELSE I'D LIKE?
Since we can't pray to God,
can't Trust in God
and
cannot Post His Commandments in Government buildings,
I don't believe the Government and it's employees should participate in
the Easter and Christmas celebrations which honor the God that our
government is eliminating
from many facets of American life.
I'd like my mail delivered on Christmas, Good Friday, Thanksgiving &
Easter.
After all, it's just another day.
I'd like the US Supreme Court to be in session on Christmas, Good
Friday, Thanksgiving & Easter as well as Sundays.
After all, it's just
another day.
I'd like the Senate and the House of Representatives
to not have to worry about getting home for the "Christmas Break."
After all it's just another day.
I'm thinking that a lot of my taxpayer dollars could be saved, if all
government offices & services would work on Christmas, Good Friday &
Easter.
It shouldn't cost any overtime since those would
be just like any other day of the week to a government that is trying
to be "politically correct".
In fact....
I think that our government should work on Sundays
(initially set aside for worshipping God...)
because, after all, our government says that it should be just another
day....

What Guide do you Read

They lie on the table side by side
The Holy Bible and TV guide.
One is well worn and cherished with pride.
Not the Bible, but the TV guide.
One is used daily to help folks decide.
No, not the Bible, but the TV guide.
As the pages are turned, what shall they see.
Oh, what does it matter, turn on the TV
Then confusion reigns, they can't all agree
On what they should watch on the old TV
So they open the Book in which they confide.
No, no the Bible, but the TV guide.
The Word of God is seldom read.
Maybe a verse as they fall into bed.
Exhausted and sleepy and tired as can be.
Not from reading the Bible, from watching TV
So then back to the table side by side,
Lie the Holy Bible and the TV guide.
No time for prayer, no time for the Word,
The plan of Salvation is seldom heard.
But forgiveness of sin, so full and free,
Is found in the Bible, not on TV!

Footprints...A new Version

Imagine you and the Lord Jesus are walking down the road
together. For much of the way, the Lord's footprints go along steadily, consistently, rarely varying the pace.

But your footprints are a disorganized stream of zigzags, starts, stops, turnarounds, circles, departures, and returns.

For much of the way, it seems to go like this, but gradually your footprints come more in line with the Lord's, soon paralleling His consistently.

You and Jesus are walking as t! rue friends!

This seems perfect, but then an interesting thing happens: Your footprints that once etched the sand next to Jesus' are now walking precisely in His steps.

Inside His larger footprints are your smaller ones, you and Jesus are becoming one.

This goes on for many miles, but gradually you notice another change. The footprints inside the large footprints seem to grow larger.

Eventually they disappear altogether. There is only one set of footprints they have become one.

This goes on for a long time, but suddenly the second set of footprints is back. This time it seems even worse! Zigzags all over the place. Stops. Starts. Gashes in the sand. A variable mess of prints.

You are amazed and shocked.

Your dream ends. Now you pray:

"Lord, I understand the first scene, with zigzags and fits. I was a new Christian; I was just learning. But You walked on through the storm and h! elped me learn to walk with You."

"That is correct."

"And when the smaller footprints were inside of Yours, I was actually learning to walk in Your steps, following You very closely."

"Very good.. You have understood everything so far."

When the smaller footprints grew and filled in Yours, I suppose that I was becoming like You in every way."

"Precisely."

"So, Lord, was there a regression or something? The footprints separated, and this time it was worse than at first."

There is a pause as the Lord answers, with a smile in His voice.

"You didn't know? It was then that we danced!"

To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven: A time to weep, a time to laugh, A time to mourn, and a time to dance.

Ecclesiastes 3:1,4.


It's not WHAT you have in your life, but Whom you have in your life that counts.... Think about that.

I ASKED GOD

I asked for a flower, He gave me a garden.

I asked for a tree, He gave me a forest.

I asked for a river, He gave me an ocean.

I asked for a friend, He gave me "YOU."

Send this to whomever you think of as a friend..... I did.

Side by Side

They lie on the table side by side,
The Holy Bible and the TV guide.

One is well worn and cherished with pride,
Not the Bible . . . but the TV guide.

One is used daily to help folks decide,
No, not the Bible . . . but the TV guide.

As the pages are turned, what shall they see,
Oh, what does it matter, turn on the TV.

Then confusion reigns, they can't all agree,
On what they should watch on the old TV.

So they open the book in which they confide,
No, not the Bible . . . but the TV guide.

The Word of God is seldom read,
Maybe a verse as they fall into bed.

Exhausted and sleepy and tired as can be,
Not from reading the Bible . . . from watching TV.

So then back to the table side by side,
Lie the Holy Bible and the TV guide.

No time for prayer, no time for the Word,
The plan of Salvation is seldom heard.

But forgiveness of sin, so full and free,
Is found in the Bible . . . not on TV.

Merging Two Photos into One (Video)

Melissa asked me how to merge two photos into one. To the left is my final results and I have two video tutorials showing how I did it in this thread. Melissa graciously offered her photos as a download so that you can play and learn along with us. Download them, play, and then share your results!

My New Vehicle

I just wanted to share a photo of my new vehicle with you. It's not the color I would have liked, but it's okay. It drives and feels just like my van did, so I am comfortable with it. It has a lot of fun stuff on it which I have never had in a vehicle before, so I am enjoying that! Oh, those bun warmers! I am happy to find something with the third row of seats, but not too big. It is a 2005 model and now I need to figure out how to work a car payment that we have not had in years into our family budget. Not a pleasant thought. It's a good thing I spent money on upgrading my site before my van died or I might not have done it.

Freebie Template 21 (& Challenge)

Well, we brought home our new vehicle today and I'll get a photo of it up tomorrow if I have time. I'm so glad to have that past me. In addition, after an entire week of working on it intermittedly, I finally got my store set up! Whew, that was hard! Only two or three more steps to get done before I can get busy creating more challenges and activities at my new forum.

I welcome everyone to join the forum and gallery. Some days it is lonely! I really appreciate the ladies who have been visiting regularly and posting. I know there is not much there yet and your efforts to make it a great community are appreciated.

You can find the download links for both SQUARE and RECTANGLE at the forum thread for the challenge.

Themed Thursdays - Amazing

See this forum thread for inspiration! This is not available as a blog meme and a forum challenge! Upload yours to the gallery!


This week's theme is "Comfort." Future themes are in my sidebar!
Upload your layout to any gallery or blog and add the link to where you post your layout in Mr. Linky (in the box below). It may be a layout you already have or a new layout. Late?--Add your link at any time!

Take time to visit and comment on others.



To become a regular participant of Themed Thursdays For Scrappers and get your link to your gallery or blog in the blog roll, just e-mail me! To put the blog roll in your sidebar, get the code here!

At the bottom of Mr. Linky is a link to Technocrati. You can also find participants through this link provided that participants put this URL link somewhere in their post: http://technorati.com/tag/Themed+Thursdays

*****
Here is the code for the Mr. Linky above (code changes weekly). Add it to your post on your on own blog . It is quick and easy to add this same Mr. Linky right into your blog post to watch for new participants from there.

First, if you do not have the necessary code in your html template on your blog yet, you will need to add it, but just once. Put it directly after the "head" code on a new line.
<script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.blenza.com/linkies/header.js"></script>

Add this code to your blog post for this week.
<script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.blenza.com/linkies/autolink.php?owner=Hummie&postid=23Nov2007&meme=73"></script>

**************
I am sorry I'm a day late in posting this, but the holidays and vehicle shopping got in my way!

LAYOUT REMOVED

It's Up to You

One song can spark a moment,
One flower can wake the dream.

One tree can start a forest,
One bird can herald spring.

One smile begins a friendship,
One handclasp lifts a soul.

One star can guide a ship at sea,
One word can frame the goal.

One vote can change a nation,
One sunbeam lights a room.

One candle wipes out darkness,
One laugh will conquer gloom.

One step must start each journey,
One word must start each prayer.

One hope will raise our spirits,
One touch can show you care.

One voice can speak with wisdom,
One heart can know what's true.

One life can make the difference,
You see, IT'S UP TO YOU!

Learn to Write in the Sand

A story tells that two friends
were walking through the desert.
At a specific point of the journey,
they had an argument,
and one friend slapped
the other one in the face.
The one, who got slapped, was hurt,
but without anything to say,
he wrote in the sand:
"TODAY, MY BEST FRIEND
SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE."

They kept on walking,
until they found an oasis,
where they decided to take a bath.
The one who got slapped and hurt
started drowning,
and the other friend saved him.
When he recovered from the fright,
he wrote on a stone:
"TODAY MY BEST FRIEND
SAVED MY LIFE."

The friend who saved and slapped
his best friend, asked him,
"Why, after I hurt you,
you wrote in the sand,
and now you write on a stone?"

The other friend, smiling, replied:
"When a friend hurts us,
we should write it down in the sand,
where the winds of forgiveness
get in charge of erasing it away,
and when something great happens,
we should engrave it in the stone
of the memory of the heart,
where no wind can erase it"

Thank You Lord

Thank you for this sink of dirty dishes; in means we have plenty of food to eat.

Thank you for this pile of dirty, stinky laundry; in means we have plenty of nice clothes to wear.

Thank you for those unmade beds; they were so warm and comfortable last night; in means I know that many have no bed.

Thank you for this bathroom, complete with all the splattered mirrors, soggy, grimy towels and dirty lavatory; it means convenience.

Thank you for this finger-smudged refrigerator that needs defrosting so badly; it means is full of cold drinks and enough leftovers for two or three meals.

Thank you for this oven that absolutely must be cleaned today. it means I have baked so many things over the years.

Thank you for that tall grass that needs mowing, the lawn that needs raking; it means I can enjoy the yard.

Thank you for that slamming screen door, in means my kids are healthy and able to run and play.

Thank you for the mess to clean after a party, it means I have been surrounded by friends.

Thank you for the taxes I pay, it means that I'm employed.

Thank you for the clothes that fit a little too snug, it means I have enough to eat.

Thank you for my shadow who watches me work, it means I am out in the sunshine.

Thank you for windows that need cleaning and gutters that need fixing, it means I have a home.

Thank you for all the complaining I hear about our government, it means we have freedom of speech.

Thank you for the space I find at the far end of the parking lot, it means I am capable of walking.

Thank you for my huge heating bill, it means I am warm.

Thank you for the lady behind me in church who sings off key, it means that I can hear.

Thank you for the piles of laundry and ironing, it means I have clothes to wear.

Thank you for the weariness and aching muscles at the end of the day, it means I have been productive.

Thank you for the alarm that goes off in the early morning hours, it means that I'm alive.

Thank you for all the email which bogs me down, it means I have friends who are thinking of me.

Thank you when the alarm rings, it means I can hear. There are many who are deaf.

Thank you for the morning light streaming through my window in the morning as I try to squeeze my eyes shut, it means I can see. Many are blind.

Thank you for allowing me to rise out of bed, it means I have strength. There are many who are bedridden.

Thank you for the hectic mornings with my family; it means I am not lonely.

Thank you for the messy table and unbalanced meals, it means we have food. There are many who are hungry;

Thank you for my routine, hard job; it means I have the opportunity to work. There are many who have no job.

Thank you for the teenager who is watching t.v., instead of doing dishes because that means he is at home and not on the streets.

Thank you for the parking spot I find at the far end of the parking lot, because it means I am capable of walking and that I have been blessed with transportation.

Thank you for the loud music my children are playing because it means they are home and are safe;

We can legitimately complain about a lot of things and stuff around us, but here is a whole new way of look at things.

Thanksgiving Day Prayer

Abundant Provider,

You are gracious to us and bless us. Bend our knees and fill our hearts with gratitude. We bow in thanks for the world you have made. Open our hands to share this abundance with the needy. Open our eyes, Lord, transform the way we see what we own. Help us to see what we can give, not what we can get.

Happy Thanksgiving! (aka Twas the Night before Black Friday)

Just wanted to pop in to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! I wish you many blesses today and always.

The car dealer loaned us a vehicle for our traveling today and we were SO blessed by that! Thanks for everyone who said a prayer.

We may have to do financing tomorrow and I'm so ready to be done with this vehicle shopping and back to normal life.

My son arrived safely on Tuesday night, walking in the door at midnight, and we thank God for his safe travel.

I found this new site called Black Friday Ads. Go check it out if you plan on shopping tomorrow. I'm probably not after I spend money on a vehicle. I generally avoid the stores that day anyway.

Template #20 Freebie

You can go to this forum post to download the RECTANGLE and SQUARE of this template.

If you make a layout with this template, I would love to see it in the gallery.

My okay day yesterday turned bad. It turns out my 1997 van (which I love like a pet dog and do not want to let go!--so many memories in it!) is in such dire need it is going to cost more money to fix than I want to put into it.

So please pray for me to have wisdom as we head out to get a replacement vehicle in the next days. It's a bummer because now we have nothing to travel to St. Louis with for the holiday, so we will either have to get something purchased or rent something.

I really did love my van. It seated 7, yet was a smaller vehicle the size of a regular car, so it was still easy to drive. It also got good gas mileage. I am just not seeing any type of vehicle out there like it and that is hard. Do I really need the seating now that the boys are getting older? Do I give that up? I have found need for it occassionally still. What to do!

In addition, my Dad was employed at General Motors, retiring from there, so to even look at any other brand makes me feel like a traitor. Hey, it was GM money that took care of me all my childhood years!

On a happy note, my oldest son is traveling home today from college (12 hour drive0 and I pray for safe travel for him. I just wish I were not so stressed about this vehicle situation that is overshadowing my excitement that he is coming home.

Safety Rules in Life

How to stay safe in the world today.

1. Avoid riding in automobiles because they are responsible for 20% of all fatal accidents.

2. Do not stay home because 17% of all accidents occur in the home.

3. Avoid walking on streets or sidewalks because 14% of all accidents occur to pedestrians.

4. Avoid travelling by air, rail, or water because 16% of all accidents involve these forms of transportation.

5. Of the remaining 33%, 32% of all deaths occur in hospitals. Above all else, avoid hospitals.

You will be pleased to learn that only .001% of all deaths occur in worship services in church, and these are usually related to previous physical disorders.

Therefore, logic tells us that the safest place for you to be at any given point in time is at church!

Bible study is safe too.

The percentage of deaths during Bible study is even less.

FOR SAFETY'S SAKE - Attend church and Bible study.

IT COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE!

Truths to Remember

1. Faith is the ability to not panic.

2. If you worry, you didn't pray. If you pray, don't worry.

3. As a child of God, Prayer is like calling home every day.

4. Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape.

5. When we get tangled up in our problems, be still. God wants us to be still, So He can untangle the knot.

6. Do the math. Count your blessings.

7. God wants spiritual fruit not religious nuts.

8. Dear God: I have a problem. It's me.

9. Silence is often misinterpreted but never misquoted.

10. Laugh every day; it's like inner jogging.

11. The most important things in your home are the people.

12. Growing old is inevitable; growing up is optional.

13. There is no key to happiness. The door is always open.

14. A grudge is a heavy thing to carry.

15. He who dies with the most toys is still dead.

16. We do not remember days but moments. Life moves too fast, so enjoy your precious moments.

17. Nothing is real to you until you experience it, otherwise it's just hearsay.

18. It is all right to sit on your pity pot every now and again. Just be sure to flush when you are done.

19. Surviving and living your life successfully requires courage. The goals and dreams you're seeking require courage and risk-taking. Learn from the turtle; it only makes progress when it sticks out its neck.

20. Be more concerned with your character than your reputation. Your character is what you really are. While your reputation is merely what others think you are.

Some Friends Stay a While

Some people
come into our lives
and quickly go.

Some people
become friends
and stay awhile...
leaving beautiful
footprints on our
hearts.

and we are never
quite the same
because we have
made a good friend!!

The Holy Bible

Though the cover is worn,
And the pages are torn,
And though places bear traces of tears;
Yet more precious than gold
Is this book worn and old
That can shatter and scatter my fears.

Character-Honesty

At some point in your life you must decide whether you want to impress people or influence people. You can impress people from a distance, but you must get close to influence them, and when you do that, they will be able to see your flaws. That's okay. The most essential quality is not perfection, but credibility. People must be able to trust you, or they won't follow you. How do you build credibility?
Not by pretending to be perfect, but by being honest.

Ungrateful Man

An ungrateful man is like a hog under a tree eating acorns,
but never looking up to see where they come from.


(Ah-ha! What a great Thanksgiving thought!)

No Time

I knelt to pray, but not for long,
I had too much to do.
Must hurry off and get to work,
For bills would soon be due.

And so I said a hurried prayer,
Jumped, up from off my knees,
My Christian duty now was done.
My soul could be at ease.

All through the day I had not time
To speak a word of Christ to friends.
They'd laugh at me I feared.

No time, no time, too much to do.
That was my constant cry.
No time to give to those in need.
At last t'was time to die.

And when before the Lord I came
I stood with downcast eves.
Within his hands he held a book.
It was the "Book of Life."

God looked into his book and said
Your name I cannot find.
I once was going to write it down
But never found the time.

Balancing

Sometimes

I feel

as if I'm walking a tightrope and for a balance pole

I need control



control over my temper

control over my impulses

control over my emotions.

Help me keep my balance, Lord,

give me the patience, the power, the perspective to gain more control

so that I can get from here to there

without falling.

Good Morning Lord

This morning when I wakened,
And saw the sun above,
I softly said, "Good morning, Lord,
Bless everyone I love."

And, right away I thought of you,
And said a loving prayer,
That He would bless you specially,
And keep you free from care.

I thought of all the happiness
A day could hold in store.
I wished it all for you because
No one deserves it more.

Hardest to Pray

When it is hardest to pray, we must pray the hardest.

Change the World

Lord, change the world. Begin, I pray thee, with me.

He's Up to Something

A little boy was spending his Saturday morning playing in his sandbox. He had with him his box of cars and trucks, his plastic pail, and a shiny, red plastic shovel. In the process of creating roads and tunnels in the soft sand, he discovered a large rock in the middle of the sandbox.

The boy dug around the rock, managing to dislodge it from the dirt. With no little bit of struggle, he pushed and nudged the rock across the sandbox by using his feet. (He was a very small boy and the rock was very huge.)

When the boy got the rock to the edge of the sandbox, however, he found that he couldn't roll it up and over the little wall. Determined, the little boy shoved, pushed, and pried, but every time he thought he had made some progress, the rock tipped and then fell back into the sandbox.

The little boy grunted, struggled, pushed, & shoved; but his only reward was to have the rock roll back, smashing his chubby fingers. Finally he burst into tears of frustration. All this time the boy's father watched from his living room window as the drama unfolded. At the moment the tears fell, a large shadow fell across the boy and the sandbox. It was the boy's father.

Gently but firmly he said, "Son, why didn't you use all the strength that you had available?

Defeated, the boy sobbed back, "But I did, Daddy, I did! I used all the strength that I had!"

"No, son," said the father kindly. "You didn't use all the strength you had. You didn't ask me."

With that the father reached down, picked up the rock, and removed it from the sandbox.

Do you have "rocks" in your life that need to be removed? Are you discovering that you don't have what it takes to lift them? There is One who is always available to us and willing to give us the strength we need.

Isn't it funny how we try so hard to do things ourselves. Sadly, many adults who have been Christians for years are trying to do everything themselves and only turning to God as a last resort. God wants to be your first resort. Let Him help you with your trials, tribulations and temperament. He loves you so much . . . all He wants you to do is ask Him to help.

When you are DOWN to nothing.... God is UP to something!!!

Where did the weekend go?

I cannot believe it is Monday already. What a busy weekend.


We celebrated my son's 17th birthday on Saturday with eating out, two games of bowling, and the purchase of Guitar Hero 3. The boys have done nothing since but hybernate in the bedroom playing that game!


Then on Saturday night we attended a beautiful wedding and reception for some friends.


With all that, I could not manage to get much else done but some layouts for my Halloween Shutterfly book and to get my new store installed, but not set up. It is going to take a lot of brain power to set it up and I need some time to do that when I am fresh in mind.


Sunday, of course, is always half taken up by worship, but thereafter I baked a cake to take to a family gathering for Hubbie's side of the family for Thanksgiving.

I was able to finish and order my Shutterfly book, so I am very relieved to have that to-do off of my shoulders so that I can concentrate on a few other things without having to worry about that project. I am anxious for the book to arrive in the mail. It is my first!

My oldest son is coming home from college on Tuesday and I am all OH so anxious! Please pray for safe travel as it is a 12 hour drive. We will be taking my Little (Big Brothers Big Sisters) to the college basketball game Tuesday night, so that will help to keep my mind off of it and reduce worry while he is traveling.

The hose on the van for the coolant has gotten a hole in it and hubbie has taken off work to get that fixed this morning so that we can travel safely on Thanksgiving. There seems to always be something. Hubbie mopped the kitchen floor for me this weekend and it was amazing how having a clean floor changed the whole feel of the house and gave me energy! Wasn't he sweet to do that?

I was not able to finish the creation of a new template freebie this morning, so stay tuned as I plan to get that back up later. Be sure to watch the Template Challenge threads as I am also slowly putting back up all my old templates. Template #15 went back up yesterday.

I was invited months ago to participate in a huge collaborative kit and am excited about it. I asked and was given permission to organize more participation and I invite you to scoot on over there to read the thread and join in! The huge kit will go live December 10th, but we can begin sharing now in preparation.

I have about three more brick walls to knock down, so give me a few more weeks in upgrading my site and then I will have more time to get activities going. I'm anxious for the place to hop! It is so hard being patient as I take one step at a time.

Template Freebie #19

I created a brand new template in both SQUARE and RECTANGLE.

If you make a layout with it, please upload it to the "template" gallery. I would love to see them!

I will be going back and re-doing all my templates in both square and rectangle and putting them up in the forums as I have time, so keep your eye out!

The download links are here, as well as my layout.

Have a great fall weekend!

Hummie's Freebie Template 18 (& Challenge!)

See my layout with this template! It utilizes a solid overlay, as well as a vellum.

Get ready for my first template challenge! I anticipate my gallery to be open tomorrow (with God's help) and this will be my first template challenge. Make a layout with this template and be prepared to post it in my gallery as soon as it is up! (no prizes...my challenges are for fun and inspiration and learning).

Have you ever done a monogram layout before? Now is your chance!

See the forum thread here to download (yeah, shamless plug to get you to go sign up at my brand new forum) SQUARE AND RECTANGLE NOW AVAILABLE!

Themed Thursday - Comfort

This week's theme is "Comfort." Future themes are in my sidebar!
Upload your layout to any gallery or blog and add the link to where you post your layout in Mr. Linky (in the box below). It may be a layout you already have or a new layout. Late?--Add your link at any time!

Take time to visit and comment on others.



To become a regular participant of Themed Thursdays For Scrappers and get your link to your gallery or blog in the blog roll, just e-mail me! To put the blog roll in your sidebar, get the code here!

At the bottom of Mr. Linky is a link to Technocrati. You can also find participants through this link provided that participants put this URL link somewhere in their post: http://technorati.com/tag/Themed+Thursdays

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Here is the code for the Mr. Linky above (code changes weekly). Add it to your post on your on own blog . It is quick and easy to add this same Mr. Linky right into your blog post to watch for new participants from there.

First, if you do not have the necessary code in your html template on your blog yet, you will need to add it, but just once. Put it directly after the "head" code on a new line.
<script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.blenza.com/linkies/header.js"></script>

Add this code to your blog post for this week.
<script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.blenza.com/linkies/autolink.php?owner=Hummie&postid=14Nov2007&meme=73"></script>

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I had to do a new layout for this theme because I did not have one. Just what I needed to do today, get side-tracked from my goals!

I thought about several ideas, such as a baby snuggling comfortable in a parent's arms, or my Bible, or the comfort of a friendship, but my hubby suggested this one and so I thought I'd go for it. Some day, years from now, my children's children will appreciate knowing this information...lol!

Today's Question of the Day got me thinking about how I should scrap things like this.

A template of this is coming up in the next post!

Credit: LaWanna Desjardin's Country Wine kit

LAYOUT REMOVED

Hummie Freebie Template #17

Yeah, I am SO excited that I was able to get my forum up and going that I wanted to share my excitement with you through another free template! I'm SO tired as it is SO late, but getting this up anyway.

It's not officially open. It's not all set up completely, but it is useable and you are welcome to register and chat away. Please just be patient with me as I continue to work behind the scenes.

Well, I just broke down brick wall #4 -- off to start on #5, while I continue to tweak everything else.

See my layout with this template here.


Download (and join the template challenge!)

SQUARE AND RECTANGLE NOW AVAILABLE (and I fixed it to 12 x 12..it was 8 x 8)

Macho Nachos

Sandy made this and shared it on her blog. It sounded SO good, that I wanted to put it here on my blog just to remind myself to make it! Thanks Sandy! Feel free to go leave her some love!

23rd Psalm for the Busy Person

"The Lord is my pacesetter, I shall not rush. He makes me stop and rest for quiet intervals. He provides me with images of stillness, which restore my serenity.

He leads me in ways of efficiency, through calmness of mind, and His guidance is peace.

Even though I have a great many things to accomplish this day, I will not fret, for His presence is here, His timelessness also.

His all-importance will keep me in balance. He prepares refreshment and renewal in the midst of my activity by anointing my mind with the oils of tranquility.
My cup of joyous energy overflows.

Surely harmony and effectiveness shall be the fruits of my hours, for I shall walk in the pace of my Lord, and dwell in His house forever.

Grateful Hearts

May God give us grateful hearts

And keep us mindful

Of the need of others.

This Day

This day's going to be a good one. I'm alive and well.

This day's going to be a fine one. I'll sit and rest a spell.

This day's going to be a great one. I don't have to go to work.

This day's going to be a swell one. I got some coffee to perk.

This day's going to be a fun one. My bills are paid on time.

This day's going to be the best one. I got some words to rhyme.

This day's going to be a happy one. I got my attitude in check.

This day's going to be a praising one. I'll give that old devil heck.

This day's going to be a dancing one. My feet feel fancy free.

This day's going to be a one of a kind. Cause it's my day and there's only one me.

Twenty-One Suggestions

ONE. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.
TWO. Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversational skills will be as important as any other.
THREE. Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.
FOUR. When you say, "I love you," mean it.
FIVE. When you say, "I'm sorry," look the person in the eye.
SIX. Be engaged at least six months before you get married.
SEVEN. Believe in love at first sight.
EIGHT. Never laugh at anyone's dreams. People who don't have dreams don't have much.
NINE. Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it's the only way to live life completely.
TEN.. In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.
ELEVEN. Don't judge people by their relatives.
TWELVE. Talk slowly but think quickly.
THIRTEEN. When someone asks you a question you don't want to answer, smile and ask, "Why do you want to know?"
FOURTEEN. Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
FIFTEEN. Say "bless you" when you hear someone sneeze.
SIXTEEN. When you lose, don't lose the lesson
SEVENTEEN. Remember the three R's: Respect for self; Respect for others; and responsibility for all your actions.
EIGHTEEN. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
NINETEEN. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
TWENTY. Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice.
TWENTY-ONE. Spend some time alone.

Translations

There were four clergymen who were discussing the merits of the various translations of the Bible. One liked the King James Version because of its simple, beautiful English.

Another liked the American Revised Version best because it is more literal and came nearer to the original Hebrew and Greek.

Still another liked Moffat's translation because of its up-to-date vocabulary.

The fourth minister was silent. when asked to express his opinion, he replied, "I like my mother's translation best."

The other three expressed surprise. They did not know that his mother had translated the Bible.

But he assured them, "She translated it into life, every day of her life, and it was the most convincing translation I ever saw."

FW: 1002

Dear Lord, I thank you for this day. I thank You for my being able to see and to hear this morning. I'm blessed because You are a forgiving God and an understanding God. You have done so much for me and You keep on blessing me.

Forgive me this day for everything I have done, said or thought that was not pleasing to you. I ask now for Your forgiveness.

Please keep me safe from all danger and harm. Help me to start this day with a new attitude and plenty of gratitude. Let me make the best of each and every day to clear my mind so that I can hear from You.

Please broaden my mind that I can accept all things.

Let me not whine and whimper over things I have no control over.

Let me continue to see sin through God's eyes and acknowledge it as evil. And when I sin, let me repent, and confess with my mouth my wrongdoing, and receive the forgiveness of God.

And when this world closes in on me, let me remember Jesus' example --to slip away and find a quiet place to pray. It's the best response when I'm pushed beyond my limits. I know that when I can't pray, You listen to my heart. Continue to use me to do Your will.

Continue to bless me that I may be a blessing to others. Keep me strong that I may help the weak. Keep me uplifted that I may have words of encouragement for others. I pray for those who are lost and can't find their way.

I pray for those who are misjudged and misunderstood. I pray for those who don't know You intimately. I pray for those who don't believe. But I thank you that I
believe.

I believe that God changes people and God changes things. I pray for all my sisters and brothers. For each and every family member in their households.

I pray for peace, love and joy in their homes that they are out of debt and all their needs are met.

I pray that every eye that reads this knows there is no problem, circumstance, or situation greater than God. Every battle is in Your hands for You to fight. I pray that these words be received into the hearts of every eye that sees them and every mouth that confesses them willingly.

This is my prayer.
In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Putting the Pieces Together

A father wanted to read a magazine but was interrupted by his little girl. She wanted to know what the United States looked like.

Finally, he tore a sheet out of his new magazine on which was printed the map of the country.

Tearing it into small pieces for each state, he gave it to his daughter, and said, "See if you can put this together. This will show you our whole country today."

After a few minutes, she handed him the map correctly fitted together with tape.

The father was surprised and asked how she had finished so quickly. "Oh," she said, "on the other side of the paper is a picture of Jesus. When I got all of Jesus back where He belonged, then our country just came together."

And, let us say AMEN!

The ABC's of Multiculture

A is for AWARENESS of those around us
B is for BEAUTY for all people
C is for CARING about each other
D is for DIGNITY that we all possess
E is for ETHNICITY ow which we would be proud
F is for FEELING, important to us all
G is for GIVING of ourselves
H is for HOPE for a better tomorrow
I is for INTEGRITY, our standards tell so about us
J is for JOINTLY working together
K is for KNOWLEDGE which erases ignorance
L is for LOVE to be shared
M is for MANKIND, the entire human race
N is for NOBODY is unimportant
O is for OPTIMISM which enhances everyone's life
P is for PROGRESS made toward understanding
Q is for being QUIET when asked
R is for RESPECT for oneself and others
S is for SELF-WORTH which we should never be without
T is for TOLERANCE toward others
U is for UNDERSTANDING different cultures
V is for VALUES learned along the way
W is for WEALTH gained by sharing our diversity
X is for X-RAY vision that helps us see the good in others
Y is for YOU. Make your life what you want it to be,
forward and upward
Z is for ZEAL to appreciate a multicultural world

The Jars

The preacher placed two identical jars on the table next to the pulpit.
He quoted 1 Samuel 16:7 'The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."

These jars came from the same factory, were made of the same materials, and can hold the same amount. But they are different, he explained.

Then he upset one and it oozed out honey. He turned over the other, and vinegar spilled out. "When a jar is upset, whatever is in it comes out."

Until the jars were upset, they looked alike. The difference was within, and could not be seen. When they were upset, their contents were revealed.

Until we are upset we put on a good front. But when we are upset, we reveal our innermost thoughts and attitudes, for "out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks ( Luke 6:45)

What if someone tipped you over today ??
What would flow out ??
Would you reveal the "honey" of grace and patience, or the "vinegar" of anger and sarcasm ??

"Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins" (1 Peter 4:8)

Have a terrific day knowing that the one who upsets you may be just looking for some honey.

The Winner

I was watching some little kids play soccer. These kids were only five or six years old, but they were playing a real game - - a serious game - two teams, complete with coaches, uniforms, and parents. I didn't know any of them, so I was able to enjoy the game without the distraction of being anxious about winning or losing - I wished the parents and coaches could have done the same.

The teams were pretty evenly matched. I will just call them Team One and Team Two. Nobody scored in the first period. The kids were hilarious. They were clumsy and terribly inefficient. They fell over their own feet, they stumbled over the ball, they kicked at the ball and missed it but they didn't seem to care. They were having fun.

In the second quarter, the Team One coach pulled out what must have been his first team and put in the scrubs, except for his best player who now guarded the goal.

The game took a dramatic turn. I guess winning is important even when you're five years old -- because the Team Two coach left his best players in, and the Team One scrubs were no match for them. Team Two swarmed around the little guy who was now the Team One goalie. He was an outstanding athlete, but he was no match for three or four who were also very good. Team Two began to score. The lone goalie gave it everything he had, recklessly throwing his body in front of incoming balls, trying
valiantly to stop them.

Team Two scored two goals in quick succession. It infuriated the young boy. He became a raging maniac -- shouting, running, diving. With all the stamina he could muster, he covered the boy who now had the ball, but that boy kicked it to another boy twenty feet away, and by the time he repositioned himself, it was too late -- they scored a third goal.

I soon learned who the goalie's parents were. They were nice, decent-looking people. I could tell that his dad had just come from the office -- he still had his suit and tie on. They yelled encouragement to their son. I became totally absorbed, watching the boy on the field and his parents on the sidelines. After the third goal, the
little kid changed. He could see it was no use; he couldn't stop them.

He didn't quit, but he became quietly desperate futility was written all over him. His father changed too. He had been urging his son to try harder - yelling advice and encouragement. But then he changed. He became anxious. He tried to say that it was okay - to hang in there. He grieved for the pain his son was feeling.

After the fourth goal, I knew what was going to happen. I've seen it before. The little boy needed help so badly, and there was no help to be had. He retrieved the ball from the net and handed to the referee - and then he cried. He just stood there while huge tears rolled down both cheeks. He went to his knees and put his fists to his eyes - and he cried the tears of the helpless and brokenhearted.

When the boy went to his knees, I saw the father start onto the field.
His wife clutched his arm and said, "Jim, don't. You'll embarrass him."
But he tore loose from her and ran onto the field. He wasn't supposed to - the game was still in progress. Suit, tie, dress shoes, and all - he charged onto the field, and he picked up his son so everybody would know that this was his boy, and he hugged him and held him and cried with him. I've never been so proud of a man in my life.

He carried him off the field, and when he got close to the sidelines I heard him say, "Scotty, I'm so proud of you. You were great out there. I want everybody to know that you are my son." "Daddy," the boy sobbed, "I couldn't stop them. I tried, Daddy, I tried and tried, and they scored on me."

"Scotty, it doesn't matter how many times they scored on you. You're my son, and I'm proud of you. I want you to go back out there and finish the game. I know you want to quit, but you can't. And, son, you're going to get scored on again, but it doesn't matter. Go on, now." It made a difference - I could tell it did.

When you're all alone, and you're getting scored on - and you can't stop them - it means a lot to know that it doesn't matter to those who love you. The little guy ran back on to the field - and they scored two more times - but it was okay.

I get scored on every day. I try so hard. I recklessly throw my body in every direction. I fume and rage. I struggle with temptation and sin with every ounce of my being - and Satan laughs. And he scores again, and the tears come, and I go to my knees - sinful, convicted, helpless.

And my Father - my Father rushes right out on the field - right in front of the whole crowd - the whole jeering, laughing world - and he picks me up, and he hugs me and he says, "I'm so proud of you. You were great out there. I want everybody to know that you are my son, and because I control the outcome of this game, I declare you -- The Winner."

Some years ago on a hot summer day in south Florida a little boy decided
to go for a swim in the old swimming hole behind his house.

In a hurry to dive into the cool water, he ran out the back door, leaving behind shoes, socks, and shirt as he went. He flew into the water, not realizing that as he swam toward the middle of the lake, an alligator was swimming toward the shore.

His mother, in the house was looking out the window, saw the two as they got closer and closer together. In utter fear, she ran toward the water, yelling to her son as loudly as she could. Hearing her voice, the little boy became alarmed and made a U-turn to swim to his mother.

It was too late. Just as he reached her, the alligator reached him. From the dock, the mother grabbed her little boy by the arms just as the alligator snatched his legs. That began an incredible tug-of-war between the two.

The alligator was much stronger than the mother, but the mother was much too passionate to let go.

A farmer happened to drive by, heard her screams, raced from his truck,took aim and shot the alligator.

Remarkably, after weeks and weeks in the hospital, the little boy survived.

His legs were extremely scarred by the vicious attack of the animal. And, on his arms, were deep scratches where his mother's fingernails dug into his flesh in her effort to hang on to the son she loved.

The newspaper reporter who interviewed the boy after the trauma, asked if he would show him his scars. The boy lifted his pant legs. And then,with obvious pride, he said to the reporter, "But look at my arms. I have great scars on my arms, too. I have them because my mom wouldn't let go."

You and I can identify with that little boy. We have scars, too. No, not from an alligator, or anything quite so dramatic. But, the scars of a painful past. Some of those scars are unsightly and have caused us deep regret.

But, some wounds, my friend, are because God has refused to let go.

In the midst of your struggle, He's been there holding on to you. The Scripture teaches that God loves you. If you have Christ in your life, you have become a child of God. He wants to protect you and provide for you in every way.

But sometimes we foolishly wade into dangerous situations.
The swimming hole of life is filled with peril - and we forget that the enemy is waiting to attack. That's when the tug-o-war begins, and if you have the scars of His love on your arms be very, very grateful.

He did not - and will not - let you go. Time is a very precious gift of God; so precious that it's only given to us moment by moment.

The Scar

Some years ago on a hot summer day in south Florida a little boy decided
to go for a swim in the old swimming hole behind his house.

In a hurry to dive into the cool water, he ran out the back door, leaving behind shoes, socks, and shirt as he went. He flew into the water, not realizing that as he swam toward the middle of the lake, an alligator was swimming toward the shore.

His mother, in the house was looking out the window, saw the two as they got closer and closer together. In utter fear, she ran toward the water, yelling to her son as loudly as she could. Hearing her voice, the little boy became alarmed and made a U-turn to swim to his mother.

It was too late. Just as he reached her, the alligator reached him. From the dock, the mother grabbed her little boy by the arms just as the alligator snatched his legs. That began an incredible tug-of-war between the two.

The alligator was much stronger than the mother, but the mother was much too passionate to let go.

A farmer happened to drive by, heard her screams, raced from his truck,took aim and shot the alligator.

Remarkably, after weeks and weeks in the hospital, the little boy survived.

His legs were extremely scarred by the vicious attack of the animal. And, on his arms, were deep scratches where his mother's fingernails dug into his flesh in her effort to hang on to the son she loved.

The newspaper reporter who interviewed the boy after the trauma, asked if he would show him his scars. The boy lifted his pant legs. And then,with obvious pride, he said to the reporter, "But look at my arms. I have great scars on my arms, too. I have them because my mom wouldn't let go."

You and I can identify with that little boy. We have scars, too. No, not from an alligator, or anything quite so dramatic. But, the scars of a painful past. Some of those scars are unsightly and have caused us deep regret.

But, some wounds, my friend, are because God has refused to let go.

In the midst of your struggle, He's been there holding on to you. The Scripture teaches that God loves you. If you have Christ in your life, you have become a child of God. He wants to protect you and provide for you in every way.

But sometimes we foolishly wade into dangerous situations.
The swimming hole of life is filled with peril - and we forget that the enemy is waiting to attack. That's when the tug-o-war begins, and if you have the scars of His love on your arms be very, very grateful.

He did not - and will not - let you go. Time is a very precious gift of God; so precious that it's only given to us moment by moment.

Abilities or Disabilities

I read this this morning and it made me smile and I wanted to pass it on.

-----Thank God He loves me no matter what my abilities or disabilities are.

"The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the
outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." (1 Samuel
16:6-8)

I am feeling rather disabled lately trying to learn all this new techy stuff for my website upgrades. I learned this morning that Dreamweaver does stuff to my text files when I upload them for the forum files, so I had to download a new FTP client and am learning it! Just what I wanted to do--learn yet another program! With God's help, I will get through this.

I appreciate everyone who has helped me with questions and thank God for them as I continue to push forward.

Hummie's Template 16 (square!)

I am planning on sharing several square templates from my Shutterfly project. I am a rectangle scrapper normally, so if you are a square scrapper, better grab them while you can!

This is up for a limited time. In a few days, I'll put up the next one.

Download

NOW A CHALLENGE AT MY SITE IN SQUARE AND RECTANGLE!

Michaele did a page with this template already! Oh, warm fuzzies abound! Go take a look and leave her love!

Sharing 6 Layouts

Well, I got stuck today on the forum and there is not technical help on Sundays, so I decided to work toward getting my Shutterfly project done. I got 6 layouts done! I only have six more to go, which include a front cover, back cover, and journaling page, so I am almost done! It will be good to have the big project done so I can just work on layouts here or there as I have time.

This one had me laughing so hard recalling all the fun memories playing with that silly spider. They played with him so much, I just had to dedicate a page to Eeeek, the spider.

Credit: Melissa Bennett Just Say Boo for papers and buttons and Amy Teets for the web.




Here are some more easy costume ideas, but I guess they won't be useful til next year for you!

Credit: Glenda Ketchem's Oh, Brother kit.




This was from the one year when we got into the newspaper for our original costumes. I am upset I could not find a photo of all three of them in costume, but I think we ran out of film.

Credit: Cheryl Meier Fall kit for papers and elements




Okay, so I was stuck trying to think of things that came in threes. Look at the way their poor hands had to stay?

Credit: Amy Knepper's Shabby Geek kit




I love doing white spaced layouts!
Credit: Jeri Ingalls Pumpkin Patch kit for word art and Fall Leaf Kit for papers




Aren't they adorable? I've enjoyed taking a trip through time.

Credit: Lawanna Desjardin Family Time kit



Do you think any of the designers will find there way to my blog to see the layouts without me e-mailing them? Somehow I doubt it. Sigh.

Breaking Down Wall #4

Praise God! All of my content is transferred over to the new site so at least everyone can find the information and tutorials they need.

I know it looks boring, but I want to get the basics down first before I get sidetracked making fun graphics for the site. I have to keep focused and moving forward.

I anticipated this would take me two months to get set up and I've already got three weeks into it and I am just excited to have come this far.

I started breaking down Wall #4 this morning. I purchased the forum, but I have NO idea what I'm doing it to install it and get it set up. It's like traveling down a road with no map and not knowing where the road will take you. You just keep taking one more step and enjoy the scenery!

Unfortunately, I have to head out in a few minutes to travel (yes, again) to St. Louis for a bridal shower for my cousin's bride-to-be. It will be nice to see the family and I am anxious for that, but, why-oh-why is it I cannot be at two places at once! I'm anxious to work on this forum too!

My entire life I have always wished I could be two people, don't you? For instance, wouldn't it be nice to watch two sons' soccer games at the same time?

I appreciate all the support I am getting and most especially the prayers. I have no idea what I'm doing!

What do you think?

I know it is boring with no graphics, but I need to learn the basics first.

I have everything back up except two pages and I'm wearing thin for tonight.

Everything looks okay in IE, but some pages give a weird error and do not look right in Firefox. Go figure.

What in the world is causing a "<%@LANGUAGE="JAVASCRIPT" CODEPAGE="65001"%>' error in Firefox? At first it was only on the link pages, but now it seems to be spreading to other pages.

Firefox always gives me troubles when creating webpages! I always have to tweak things for Firefox. Uggg.

So, what do you think so far? I separated out the links onto four pages so I think it makes it much easier to read. If only I could get them all to center like I told them too! It will leave me something to play with another day. I've had enough stress with it for today.

I WILL learn this stuff!

Uggggg! Someone point me to a tutorial on how to add columns in CSS. Mixing tables in CSS does not work right.

I SHALL perservere! I SHALL learn this stuff! .....with God's help that is.

It appears that some people are seeing my new site and some are seeing the old site. I understand it can take up to 48 hours for all the techy pinging and cacheing web mumbo-jumbo to catch up!

Did you Notice?

Did you see me stressing today when my site and blog went down? Oh, what a stessfest!

I have gotten it partially back up and hope that tomorrow I can at least get the content back up. The tutorials are all available once again.

The website is not very pretty now, but I wanted to work on the basics first, then I can play with making it pretty.

I have mentioned for a while that I am working behind the scenes on some major upgrades to my website and maybe it is time to share what my goals are.

I want to add a forum and a gallery to my website so that I can offer a paid only area in the forum for tutoring.

I get a lot of joy out of helping people and giving freely, but I feel God pulling me to move down a different path. I spend a lot of time in private e-mails helping people and believe I should move toward being paid for these services. My dilemma for a long time was how I could still give freely and make money at the same time. Finally, I realized that I could do both by leaving my written tutorials available to all people while offering a private area to view videos of the same tutorials. In addition, I will be able to answer questions by throwing together videos too.

My current plan is to have a monthly cost to access the tutoring area with all the videos. To make it worth the cost, I will probably offer some freebies to paid members too. Of course, I hope to keep the cost low, but that will all depend on how much the bandwidth and hosting end up costing me.

As always, I want to remain a site that can support all other sites, so I do plan on having an open gallery as long as it is not abused by advertising and CT members. My hopes are to have a forum where we can gather to do challenges together around the digiworld and to inspire each other, sharing links and other resources. These areas of the forum will be open to all.

I am trying to always stay focused on education and teaching others and do not want to get wrapped up in designing as I have always felt I am not gifted artistically enough to design. However, I may offer some kits for sale to help offset the cost of the site, but do not want that to at all become my main focus.

I may consider the idea of accepting advertising on the site to help with the cost also.

So, here's what's going on with my website. It's a bit scary for me to go down an unknown road, especially spending money. I have already invested a lot of money into the changes.

The host where my previous site was uploaded came with their own software and it did not support forums or galleries. So I had to move to a new host and get new website building software.

I have many brick walls to knock down, some of them which I have already broken down and I am trying to take this one step at a time.

Wall #1: My first wall was to choose a software to build websites, so I spent a day playing with two trial versions and I choose Adobe Dreamweaver and went to Staples and bought it. So that was a relief that I could learn the programs so quickly enough to choose one, but that hit my pocketbook hard.

Wall #2: My next wall was to learn Adobe Dreamweaver and rebuild my site. I spent two weeks reading and playing to teach myself the program. It was frustrating and sometimes I really had to push myself.

Wall #3: Finally I felt comfortable enough and purchased the new hosting service and put in for a domain name transfer last Sunday. The transfer was complete today and my site and blog went down! Uggg! How stressful trying to get the blog redirected, much less getting the settings for uploading website page to work right. I am working now to get all pages back up, but this wall is almost broken down now! What a scary step that was.

-------->I am here!

Wall #4: The next wall to get over is to purchase a forum and get it set up. I think this is going to be difficult and the thought of jumping into it is scary.

Wall #5: The next wall is to purchase the gallery and have it installed on my site and integrate it with the forum. Of course, I don't have money for all this, so I sure hope I make some money to pay back the loans I'm taking out.

Wall #6: The next wall to break down is to get the shop set up.

Wall #7: The next wall is to get the security issues set up so that people cannot steal my videos by just spreading around links....so I will need the local guys to go in and set that up for me and I'll have to pay them and they are going to help teach me the best compression for the videos. Of course, I have to purchase the video software I've already chosen yet. I'm still using a 30 day trial. Ouch!

Wall #8: I have to investigate business aspects, such as what I have to do legally with regard to my business name and taxes and such so that I'm prepared to do things right. I have already started this task, but have to complete it.


As you can see, it's gonna be a very long process and I am sure praying that this is what God wants me to do...I feel like he is encouraging me to make these moves and I sure hope I'm right. I sure need some wisdom from Him as I move forward to break down all these walls.

Any prayers for me would be greatly appreciated.

I feel as if I don't at least try to make this dream happen, I will always wonder if I could have made it work. It's scary thinking it could be a flop.

Themed Thursdays - Work

This week's theme is "Work." Future themes are in my sidebar!
Upload your layout to any gallery or blog and add the link to where you post your layout in Mr. Linky (in the box below). It may be a layout you already have or a new layout. Late?--Add your link at any time!

Take time to visit and comment on others.




To become a regular participant of Themed Thursdays For Scrappers and get your link to your gallery or blog in the blog roll, just e-mail me! To put the blog roll in your sidebar, get the code here!

At the bottom of Mr. Linky is a link to Technocrati. You can also find participants through this link provided that participants put this URL link somewhere in their post: http://technorati.com/tag/Themed+Thursdays

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Here is the code for the Mr. Linky above (code changes weekly). Add it to your post on your on own blog . It is quick and easy to add this same Mr. Linky right into your blog post to watch for new participants from there.

First, if you do not have the necessary code in your html template on your blog yet, you will need to add it, but just once. Put it directly after the "head" code on a new line.
<script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.blenza.com/linkies/header.js"></script>

Add this code to your blog post for this week.
<script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.blenza.com/linkies/autolink.php?owner=Hummie&postid=08Nov2007&meme=73"></script>

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I want to thank everyone who participated last week! I so enjoy seeing everyone's interpretations of this challenge.

I had no time to scrap, so I had to drag out an old layout, one of my earlier ones. This is the boys' first job--soccer referee. All three of them did this as their first job and it was a great job to get money in their pockets, open a checking account to teach responsibility, and still not invade on school work.

Of course, I cannot remember credits, but I believe the clip was Sandy Dr.......(oh...how do you spell her name?....she used to have her own shop and now is at 3Scraps I think)...Sigh. I made the verticle stripes and remember recoloring someone's paper to match.

Layout Removed

No Thank-you Comments Again & A Site Recommendation

Since my last rant about not getting thanks for my freebies, the thanks have gone to almost nil again. After over 440 visitors to download yesterday (and that was not even anyone listing me in a freebie list), with so many downloads it zapped my bandwidth again, I received 3 comments on the blog post, 5 in a Yahoo group, and 2 on Fotki.

How sad is that? I am not the only one who feels this way and I am finding more and more it's not worth my time to make freebies. Please go read Hillybilly Scraps posts.

I have a site I would like to recommend to you. I found this weeks ago and have been too overwelmed to get it posted. I have enjoyed reading DigiScrap Review and find it great to refresh my memory. It is a great resource for newbies just learning about the digiworld. Her reviews and explanations are very well written. Here is her post about me for which I am very greatful.

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On a personal note, I had a nice time with my Little last night (Big Brother, Big Sisters). We went out to eat and went shopping. I am having trouble thinking of things for us to do, though. My creativity seems zapped lately.

I was excited to find myself a new pair of brown dress shoes and mine were years old and were stinking. In addition, I splurged and bought me a nice dress coat. I have needed one for about 17 years since I grew out of my last one, but I don't always have the money to get things I want for myself. The boys always came first.

Actually, I have not even owned a coat for years. I have a jacket I've worn and I've even used it in scout campouts in 20 degree weather. I just put layers of heavy shirts underneath it to keep warm. But even it is not in good shape any more with spots I cannot clean out. I won't even wear it to work or church any more. So I am excited to have a nice coat that I can wear to work and church now, or whenever I dress up, or even with jeans. I can save that old jacket for layering up to play in the snow or any time I might get messy.

I must confess though, that my new coat is light weight as well. I just do not wear a coat that often at all. It seems senseless to me to wear it for half a minute across a parking lot just to carry it around and risk losing it. I usually put my coat in my vehicle and leave it there for emergencies and just grin and bear it across parking lots.

Tennessee Ten Commandments

Some people in Tennessee have trouble with all those "shalls" and "shall nots" in the Ten Commandments. Folks just aren't used to talking in those terms.

So, some folks got together and translated the "King James" version.... The Hillbilly's Ten Commandments (posted on the wall at Cross Trails Church in Gainesboro, TN.) read like this:

(1) Just one God
(2) Honor yer Ma & Pa
(3) No tellin' tales or gossipin'
(4) Git yourself to Sunday meetin'
(5) Put nothin' before God
(6) No foolin' around with another fellow's gal
(7) No killin'
(8) Watch yer mouth
(9) Don' t take what ain't yers
(10) Don't be hankerin' for yer buddy's stuff

Ain't that clear and short enough?
Ya'll be good now!

Anything Breakable?

There was a very gracious lady who was mailing an old family Bible to her brother in another part of the country "Is there anything breakable in here?" asked the postal clerk.

"Only the Ten Commandments," answered the lady.

The Singular Fruit

Notice the word *fruit* is singular, yet it lists nine. So there is only one fruit of the Spirit. That fruit is LOVE.
The others...
Joy - love smiling
Peace - love resting
Patience - love waiting
Kindness - love showing itself sensitive to others'feelings
Goodness - love making allowances
Faithfulness - love proving constant
Gentleness - love yielding
Self-control - love triumphing over selfish inclinations

The Lord is My Shepherd

A Sunday School teacher decided to have her young class memorize one of the most quoted passages in the Bible; Psalm 23. She gave the youngsters a week to learn the verse.

Little Rick was excited about the task -- but, he just couldn't remember the Psalm. After much practice, he could barely get past the first line. On the day that the kids were scheduled to recite Psalm 23 in front of the congregation, Rickey wasso nervous. When it was his turn, he stepped up to the microphone and said proudly, "The Lord is my shepherd, and that's all I need to know."

Church Shoes

I showered and shaved............. I adjusted my tie.

I got there and sat.............. In a pew just in time.

Bowing my head in prayer......... As I closed my eyes.

I saw the shoe of the man next to me..... Touching my own. I sighed.

With plenty of room on either side...... I thought, "Why must our soles touch?"

It bothered me, his shoe touching mine... But it didn't bother him much.

A prayer began: "Our Father"............. I thought, "This man with the shoes.. has no pride.

They're dusty, worn, and scratched. Even worse, there are holes on the side!"

"Thank You for blessings," the prayer went on.

The shoe man said............... a quiet "Amen."

I tried to focus on the prayer....... But my thoughts were on his shoes again.

Aren't we supposed to look our best.. When walking through that door?

"Well, this certainly isn't it," I thought, Glancing toward the floor.

Then the prayer was ended............ And the songs of praise began.

The shoe man was certainly loud...... Sounding proud as he sang.

His voice lifted the rafters......... His hands were raised high.

The Lord could surely hear.. The shoe man's voice from the sky.

It was time for the offering....... And what I threw in was steep.

I watched as the shoe man reached.... Into his pockets so deep.

I saw what was pulled out.......... What the shoe man put in.

Then I heard a soft "clink" . as when silver hits tin.

The sermon really bored me.......... To tears, and that's no lie.

It was the same for the shoe man... For tears fell from his eyes.

At the end of the service...... As is the custom here.

We must greet new visitors.. And show them all good cheer.

But I felt moved somehow............. And wanted to meet the shoe man.

So after the closing prayer........ I reached over and shook his hand.

He was old and his skin was dark..... And his hair was truly a mess.

But I thanked him for coming......... For being our guest.

He said, "My names' Charlie.......... I'm glad to meet you, my friend."

There were tears in his eyes....... But he had a large, wide grin.

"Let me explain," he said......... Wiping tears from his eyes.

"I've been coming here for months.... And you're the first to say 'Hi.'"

"I know that my appearance........."Is not like all the rest.

"But I really do try................."To always look my best."

"I always clean and polish my shoes.."Before my very long walk.

"But by the time I get here........."They're dirty and dusty, like chalk."

My heart filled with pain............ and I swallowed to hide my tears.

As he continued to apologize......... For daring to sit so near.

He said, "When I get here..........."I know I must look a sight.

"But I thought if I could touch you.."Then maybe our souls might unite."

I was silent for a moment............ Knowing whatever was said

Would pale in comparison... I spoke from my heart, not my head.

"Oh, you've touched me," I said......"And taught me, in part;

"That the best of any man............"Is what is found in his heart."

The rest, I thought,................ This shoe man will never know.

Like just how thankful I really am... That his dirty old shoe touched my soul.

A Parent's Prayer

Oh, God, make me a better parent. Help me to understand my children, to listen patiently to what they have to say and to understand all their questions kindly. Keep me from interrupting them, talking back to them, and contradicting them. Make me as courteous to them as I would have them be to me. Give me the
courage to confess my sins against my children and ask them forgiveness, when I know that I have done wrong.

May I not vainly hurt the feelings of my children. Forbid that I should laugh at their mistakes, or resort to shame and ridicule as punishment. Let me not tempt a child to lie and steal. So guide me hour by hour that I may demonstrate by all I say and do that
honesty produces happiness.

Reduce, I pray, the meanness in me . . . help me, 0 Lord, to hold my tongue. Blind me to the little errors of my children as those of their own age. . . . Allow me not to rob them of the opportunity to wait upon themselves, to think, to choose, and to make their own decisions.

Forbid that I should ever punish them for my selfish satisfaction. May I grant them all their wishes that are reasonable and have the courage always to withhold a privilege which I know will do them harm.

Make me so fair and just, so considerate and compassionate to my children that they will have genuine esteem for me. Fit me to be loved and imitated by my children. Oh, God, do give me calm and poise and self-control.

Abigail Van Buren

A Poem for a Friend

A Poem for a Friend
(By Pastor Kerry S. Doyal, Grace Evangelical Free Church)

He knows How you hurt
He knows Why you hurt
He knows You
He knows Hurt
He hurt Too
Family hurt Him
Friends hurt Him
Society hurt Him
Life hurt Him

He Hurt

He Hurt Deeply
He Died From Hurt
He Recovered From Hurt

He Lives

He Heals Hurt
He Gives Life
He Knows how you hurt
He Knows why you hurt
He Knows YOU

He Hurts too
He Loves YOU

Report Card

Interm Report
Student: J. CHRIST Form: III Term: 1

SUBJECT
GRADE
TEACHERS COMMENT

Religion
D
To the question "Who made the world?" persisted in answering 'My dad.' Claims bible originated from the same source.

English
D+
Tends to speak and write in archaic forms and uses outmoded figures of speech.

History
A
Excellent pupil of ancient and Religious History.

Geography
C-
Assignment on 'Hot, dry lands' was excellent, but shows little interest in the rest. In geology, keeps talking about the Rock of Ages instead of the ages of Rock.

Social Studies
B+
Shows keen interest in social issues.

Mathematics
E
Lacks basics. Keeps muttering about 'Three in one' and 'I and the father are one'.

General Science
D
Lacks disipline - eg, when asked to repeat the experiment for making hydrogen, claims he knew a better way.

Graphic Communication
D
Prefers to draw with a stick in the sand to pencil and paper.

Consumer Education
C+
Interesting ideas about alternative life style: Something about living like sparrows and lilies of the fields...too impractical.

Art Craft
B
Obviously has imagination and creativity, a good potter - likes working with dirt and water.

Material Studies
A
Excellent in woodwork section. Obviously receives help and stimulation at home.

Music/Drama
B+
A keen member of the school choir. On occasions can be frighteningly dramatic.

Community Living
A
Keen and interested in all aspects of community.

Physical Education
D-
A trouble maker - eg during the learn-to-swim campaign insisted on trying to walk across the pool.

Health Classes
A
Shows a remarkable aptitude for first aid and knowledge of the body.

Home Ecconomics
A+
This kid really knows how to stretch a loaf of bread and a fish!


CLASS TEACHERS COMMENT: This boy has a very unhealthy tendancy to form gangs. He has organised twelve of his friends into a gang and is seen constantly in the company of the children of publicans and sinners. He needs to be more selective in his choice of friends. Also, he should learn to keep his hair at a tidy length and not wear sandals with the school uniform.


"Don't look - you might see.
Don't listen - you might hear.
Don't think - you might learn.
Don't make a descision - you might be wrong.
Don't walk - you might stumble.
Don't run - you might fall.
Don't live - you might die.
Don't change - you might grow."
- John C. Maxwell

Turn Your Security System On

A horrible thing happened to me today.....a thief broke into my house.
It happened shortly after I awoke this morning. I got up and began
rushing about. I had a thousand things on my list and was already
running behind. Quickly, I gulped down breakfast, took a shower and got ready for work.

In my rush, I forgot to turn the security system on at my house. It was just about a half an hour later that the thief broke in. Of
course, he didn't make a sound. Just kind of snuck inside, not drawing any attention to himself. In fact, none of the neighbors ever saw him.

But, I did.

You see, I WAS HOME when the thief broke in.

He naturally startled me, as I was unprepared for his
visit. He, of course, didn't announce that he was coming and I certainly had not invited him over.

And yet, I found myself face to face with danger and I felt
so powerless. I also felt so very stupid, because this whole
incident could have been avoided if I had just taken the time to turn the security system on.

You better believe I'll be turning it on tomorrow morning!
I thought I'd warn you about this guy, because he's still on the loose. Chances are,he's in your area. Possibly even headed for your house.

His name? His name is Satan. You see, this morning when I
jumped up in my haste to get started on my busy day, I skipped my prayer time - opting to "pray later today." In other words, I DIDN'T TURN ON THE SECURITY SYSTEM. My defense wasn't on, my guard was dropped ..... and when the thief came into my home to attack me, I was unprepared to do battle. He tempted me and I felt powerless. Like I said, I also felt so very stupid, because I could have avoided the incident if I had just taken the time to pray.

My friend, the thief has come to "steal, kill and destroy."
And, as a Child of God, you are on his "hit list." He'll probably pop over to your house today. He may be lurking outside your door right now, just waiting to catch you off guard.

Take time to pray this morning. Ask God to bind Satan from
your very presence, to protect you and empower you to do battle. In short .....don't forget to turn your security system on.