Devotional Mini Book

So my sis-in-law Jessi at This Camera Tells My Story, recently made a Mini Book for her baby. She got the idea for this at Elise Joy's website and I got inspired to make one too. I recently started a Bible study with my small group from Hope Baptist Church through Elizabeth George's book A Woman After God's Own Heart. Each week we receive printed off copies of the devotional that goes along with the book. For a few weeks, my devotional papers were piling up and I didn't know where to put them. Then it hit me - make a mini book! Creating a mini book is so simple and fun to make! Mini books can also be used for other types of journaling, collages, or even as a means of scrap booking. There are so many uses for this simple craft, my sis-in-law even created one to store her sermon notes in. I hope this has inspired you to create a mini book for yourself!

My Devotional Mini Book!

What you'll need:

*Binder rings (sold at Office Max)

*Single hole punch

*Cardboard for front and back cover

*Extra scrap booking supplies: paper, stickers, borders, etc.

*Magazine clippings

*Scissors

*Markers

*Extra gift wrappings: I used gift wrapping that I had lying around for the background cover.

Happy Crafting!

Day 26: A Picture of My Family

My Beautiful Family!

My Family, May 30, 2008

Ray's Family, May 30, 2008

My grandparents

Raymond and I, and our first home!

Me and my baby sister

My brother-in-law and his family

From left: Jessi (sis-in-law), my hubby, Joe (father-in-law), and Craig (bro-in-law)

The Family at Ethel M Chocolate Factory, Christmas 2009

Day 25: Shuffle

So I know for this post I was supposed to put my iPod on shuffle and list the first 10 songs. However, I don't have an iPod of my own, so instead I will put my playlists from playlist.com on shuffle for you all. I love all kinds of music with Christian music being my favorite. I love songs from the 50's, classic rock, country, and alternative rock/punk. I'm not to picky when it comes to music. Here's my list!

1) Firelies by Owl City

2) All Around Me by Flyleaf

3) Jesus Take the Wheel by Carrie Underwood

4) Leader of the Pack by The Shirelles

5) Just Dance by Lady Gaga

6) Heaven Song Phil Wickham

7) Turn it Off by Paramore

8) Get Your Back Off the Wall by Family Force 5

9) Long Legged Guitar Pickin' Man by Johnny & June Carter Cash

10) Sema'l Unplugged by Helm and Fat Chance Belly Dance

And, because I'm having way too much fun with this, here are five more songs!

11) I Gotta Feeling by Black Eyed Peas

12) Airplanes by B.O.B. featuring Hayley Williams

13) Strangers in the Night remixed by Cake (original version ~ Frank Sinatra)

14) The Catalyst by Linkin Park

15) Piece of My Heart by Janis Joplin

Have a great weekend everyone!

Day 24: Lessons Learned

Lessons I've Learned

God puts tough situations in your life to grow you, mature you, equip you, teach you, and ultimately transform you into His image. They are meant to deepen our dependence on and relationship with God.

Worrying is a waste of time and energy.

God will always provide, protect, and love me.

God is always faithful.

"Sometimes you need to think like a six-year-old." ~ Advice from Joy Bartlett (cooperating teacher during my student teaching) when preparing for and teaching a lesson.

Without effective classroom management, a lesson is sunk!

If I don't spend time with God, I can't be the wife, woman, sister, daughter, and one day mother that God created me to be.

God wants my heart and devotion - all of it!

Choosing God and His ways deepens my relationship with and devotion to Him.

Sometimes we take for granted what prayer truly is. It deepens our relationship with God, changes lives, teaches us not to worry, grows our dependence, faith, and obedience to God, and is every Christian's ministry.

Christianity isn't a religion, it's a relationship.

No matter what a person did to you, you should choose to forgive. Forgiveness heals.

Always treat someone the way you yourself wish to be treated.

Actions speak louder than words.

The secret to a strong/healthy/awesome marriage is putting Jesus at the center of it.

God has a plan for my life.

In the end, mom is always right.

Sometimes you just have to be patient and trust.

Day 23: My Favorite Vacation

My all-time favorite place to vacation is Rivera Maya, Mexico. My hubby and I vacationed there on our honeymoon in 2008. Rivera Maya is about 15 minutes outside of Cancun. We stayed at the all-inclusive resort Excellence Rivera for 5 days. When we were there, we didn't do much site-seeing. We pretty much just stayed in the resort lounging on the white sand beaches, splashing around in the pools and clear ocean waters, spending a day getting pampered at their day spa, and eating at the delicious restaurants. We did spend one day at the Mayan ruins - Chichen Itza "At the mouth of the well of the Itza's." While we were there we saw El Castillo aka Temple of Kukulkan, The Great Ball Court, La Iglesia, El Caracol/observatory temple, and Cenote Sagrado to name a few. Rivera Maya is such a beautiful place to visit! My hubby and I plan to return on our 5 year wedding anniversary. I hope when we return we get to visit Cancun, go snorkeling, visit the Isla Mujeres, visit Playa de Carmen, possibly take a tour through the Reserva Natural Tres Rios, and maybe even return to the Mayan ruins.

Here are some pictures from our vacation!

El Castillo (Mayan ruins)

Raymond and I at the Cenote Sagrado

Excellence Rivera resort beach

Excellence Rivera

Excellence Rivera

Excellence Rivera resort beach

My model pose

Raymond and I

Day 22: My Favorite City

My favorite city would definitely be the city I am currently living in, the beautiful and sunny Henderson, Nevada. Henderson is literally minutes away from Las Vegas, it is also the second largest city in Nevada! Las Vegas of course being the largest. I love Henderson because its far enough away from the city, so that it is quiet and more laid back, but close enough to still take in the beauty of the city lights. I also love the beautiful mountains that surround our valley and the desert. After living in Las Vegas for 18 years, I have grown used to the heat. It's not unusual for Henderson/Las Vegas to reach 115 degrees and I don't mind it. The summers are great I think: dry heat, pool time everyday, and awesome tans! Fall and winter time are also beautiful! There's lots of sites to see (Las Vegas & Henderson): Red Rock, Valley of Fire, Mt. Charleston, Lake Mead, Hoover Dam, Bonnie Springs Ranch, Spring Mountain Ranch, and The Strip of course! There's also lots of shopping too, I love Town Square and The District. If you ever get a chance, come visit Las Vegas!

Cities I also love:

*Santa Barbara, California

*San Diego, California

*Dana Point, California

*Redondo Beach, California

*Washington, D.C

*Riviera Maya, Mexico (15 minutes outside of Cancun)

*Boulder, Colorado (Never been there, but from what my hubby and I have seen it's gorgeous and a nice place to raise a family).

A Last-Minute Halloween Craft!

Hey everyone, so I know this is kind of a last-minute craft, but I finally finished it just in time for Halloween. I made Ghosties! You can check out Elsie's blog A Beautiful Mess for the craft tutorial and downloadable Ghostie template.

For this project you'll need:

* White felt

*Black felt with adhesive backing for face

*Ghostie stencil

*Needle and thread (white)

*Fabric scissors

Happy Crafting!