His Eye is on the Sparrow

This is the scripture that my loved sister in Christ, Linda picked for this week:

Matthew 6:25-34 ".... Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?...."

This verse also spoke to me this week:

Matthew 10:29-31 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing and on of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father... Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.

Both of these scriptures together show how much God cares for all of His creation, but He cares the most for people, for YOU, for ME...

I love the old hymn His Eye is on the Sparrow. I have posted 2 versions of these words. The first one is by the group Selah and is the traditional song. The second one is a newer version sung by Audrey Assad. I have listened to both of these songs over and over this last week and they blessed my heart so much. I hope you enjoy them too.






Linda's challenge was to make a card with a bird on it... dp, stamp, charm....etc.
I used my little nuthatch sitting on the fence from the newly released set by Mark's Finest Papers, a Heinrich company, called "PEACEFUL NUTHATCH" . I ink spray smashed the sky, and watercolored the trees and bird. I added glitter-styrofoam ball snow to the trees and fence. I made my card an easel card.

This week's sponsor is Sweet and Sassy. Make sure you check out what my Stampin' Sisters in Christ have created.

Hello! Welcome to Mark's Finest Papers a Heinrich Company's November Blog Hop!

This month's New Stamp Set Releases are

Peaceful Nuthatch

A Trip to Lancaster

What a Fox

Please hop along with us! You have a chance to win one of the above stamp sets! Just comment on the following blogs (don't forget this one), each day! We will announce all three winners on Thanksgiving Day. You can go back and comment if you missed a day. The winners will be chosen at 11PM EST on Wednesday November 23, 2011.

Lois
Vicky
Anne
Connie
Linda
Karen H.
Patty P.
Geri
Dawn M.
Marilynn
Chrissy
Karen K.
Pam
Debbie
Brenda T
Bonnie
Harriet
Mark's Finest Papers



With this wonderful quote by F. Kessler, I had to make a paper box to hold chocolates. I made a bellyband to go around the box.

Nov 2011 Blog hop for MFP day 2

Hello! Welcome to Mark's Finest Papers a Heinrich Company's November Blog Hop!

This month's New Stamp Set Releases are

Peaceful Nuthatch

A Trip to Lancaster

What a Fox

Please hop along with us! You have a chance to win one of the above stamp sets! Just comment on the following blogs (don't forget this one), each day! We will announce all three winners on Thanksgiving Day. You can go back and comment if you missed a day. The winners will be chosen at 11PM EST on Wednesday November 23, 2011.

Lois
Vicky
Anne
Connie
Linda
Karen H.
Patty P.
Geri
Dawn M.
Marilynn This is me *****
Chrissy
Karen K.
Pam
Debbie
Brenda T
Bonnie
Harriet
Mark's Finest Papers

Clean and Simple (CAS) is not my usual style, but I felt like I really needed to make a CAS card using this set. I really admire the Amish society in their goal for shutting out the distractions of the world so that they can focus on God. I know I have way too many distractions. I make life more difficult than it needs to be. So this card was a reminder to myself to take time to enjoy the simple things and be thankful for them. This card has no layers. I stamped the buggy image on white cardstock. I took a ruler and a black pen and drew the lines. I made a matching envelope using the watermark image with Speedy driving the buggy! :)


The card at the top of this post was done last week for a SCS challenge. I was thinking amish quilts when I made it.

Hello! Welcome to Mark's Finest Papers a Heinrich Company's November Blog Hop!

This month's New Stamp Set Releases are

Peaceful Nuthatch

A Trip to Lancaster

What a Fox

Please hop along with us! You have a chance to win one of the above stamp sets! Just comment on the following blogs (don't forget this one), each day! We will announce all three winners on Thanksgiving Day. You can go back and comment if you missed a day. The winners will be chosen at 11PM EST on Wednesday November 23, 2011.

Lois

Vicky
Anne
Connie
Linda
Karen H.
Patty P.
Geri
Dawn M.
Marilynn
Chrissy
Karen K.
Pam
Debbie
Brenda T
Bonnie
Harriet
Mark's Finest Papers

Job 13:15 Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him.
This is the scripture that Rebekkah, my wonderful stampin' sister in Christ choose for this week.
This verse, to live out, takes tremendous faith. My kids were at a youth retreat this weekend where they were talking and learning about the persecuted church. The leaders had toy guns that they used to "kill" the students because they were Christians. They would grab the students at random and question them and when the students would say that they were Christians, they would put the gun to their head or to their friends head and say renounce Christ or die. To my kids and the other kids from our church it was just an exercise, but there are Christians throughout this world who on a daily basis have the possibility of being killed for their faith. What is my excuse for not sharing Christ more, praising God more, giving more?... I am challenged to not take my freedom to express my faith in God casually, but to thank God everyday for that freedom and I am also challenged to pray for those who don't have that freedom.

Rebekkah's challenge is to : make a card of praise,using music, stamp, or design paper or just the word praise.

I used the sheet music for this old hymn, and a soon to be released Mark's Finest Papers set called Peaceful Nuthatch. I also used Layers of Color "Joyful noise" set in the background.



Hallelujah, praise Jehovah,
From the heavens praise His name;
Praise Jehovah in the highest,
All His angels praise proclaim.
All His hosts together praise Him,
Sun, and moon, and stars on high;
Praise Him, O ye heav’n of heavens,
And ye floods above the sky.

Let them praises give Jehovah,
They were made at His command,
Them forever He established;
His decree shall ever stand.
From the earth, oh, praise Jehovah,
All ye floods, ye dragons all;
Fire, and hail, and snow, and vapors,
Stormy winds that hear His call.

All ye fruitful trees and cedars,
All ye hills and mountains high,
Creeping things, and beasts, and cattle,
Birds that in the heavens fly.
Kings of earth, and all ye people,
Princes great, earth’s judges all,
Praise His name, young men and maidens,
Aged men and children small.

Let them praises give Jehovah,
For His name alone is high,
And His glory is exalted,
And His glory is exalted,
And His glory is exalted,
Far above the earth and sky.

Check out what my stampin' sisters have created and read Rebekkah's devotion on the STAMPIN' SISTERS IN CHRIST challenge blog.

Our sponsor this week is :Pizzazz Aplenty.

The scripture that my sister Traci picked for this week is:

1 Thessalonians 5:18 "Give thanks in all circumstances for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

I don't now if anyone else struggles with this, but I do. This last week, we had sickness in our house. To add to that there is a coach who has had it in for my daughter since the school year started. There was a lot of drama on Friday, becuase my daughter was home sick. I can deal with people doing a lot of things to me personally, but I struggle when my kids are attacked.
After I prayed and shared my anger with God, I sat down to write this post. The Holy Spirit started speaking to me.
I give thanks in good circumstances, and I give thanks in kinda good circumstance, but when I have bad circumstances, I pout and have a pity party. I even get a little angry. The bad thing is when I feel that way, the only one who suffers is me. If I can only learn this lesson to be thankful in ALL circumstances how much better off I will be.
Satan whispers"Why would you give thanks for bad circumstances?" I even asked God that question today. This was His answer to me.
Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.

I don't have to know why I have bad times. I don't have to understand how God will work it for my good (Romans 8:28). I do have to Trust and give Thanks.

Traci's challenge:
Create a card or project that depicts gratitude...it can be an image of something you are grateful for, a scripture that evokes your gratitude, or it can be a card made especially for a person you would like to thank this time of year!!


One of the things that I am thankful for are all the birds that are in my area. Just the other day I saw two bald eagles soaring on an air current. It really made my day. My card has a little red breasted nuthatch on it. I am going to give this card to a friend at church who I am grateful for her support. The nuthatch is a sneak peek at a Mark's Finest Papers set called peaceful nuthatch.

The sponsor for this week is Simon Says Stamp.
Check out Stampin' Sisters in Christ Challenge to see Traci's devotion and to see what my other Stampin' Sisters have created.

Words of encouragement

The following is the verse that Peggysue picked for this week:

Genesis 3:6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it.

At first I really struggled with this verse. I had no idea how God was going to speak to me about this scripture. I prayed about it for several days. I don't know if you are like me but sometimes when I read about things that people have done in the Bible, I get a feeling of superiority. I think... "I wouldn't have done that." My first inclination was to think, I wouldn't have been like Eve. I wouldn't have been tempted by that fruit. Then God began to show me where I am tempted in very similar ways when it comes to my eating habits. I resisted and wanted to say, "Well, Eve had been warned not to eat it and she did anyway." That wouldn't be me... then God reminded me about times I have known that foods with high fat, salt and sugar content are bad for me and I eat them anyway.
I am praying that God helps me make better decisions about my food and that He helps me with facing temptations.


Peggysue challenged us to dig deep into our stash and find old stamps that we hadn't used in awhile. I choose this really old SU set. I made a matching set of 5 cards to give to my daughter and her friends. They competed yesterday for small school state color guard competition. I wanted each girl to know that I was supporting them, and that I was proud of all the hard work they had done to prepare. One of the girls, Ericka had a costume for her program that was sparkly white and she had a flower in her hair. She was the inspiration for the cards.

Please check out our sponsor this week Clear Dollar Stamps

Also check out Peggysue's devotion and see what my wonderful sisters have created for this challenge. Stampin Sisters in Christ.

Side note: Congratulations to the colorguard girls. 5 # 1 division ratings. I'm so proud of you all.