Doing It Scared + Possible Prayer Answered

Hello My Dear Friends,

I have to admit something...I am scared to death of my doctor's appointment tomorrow at 2 p.m. so if I may request something special just for myself tomorrow?

Exactly at 2 p.m. PST I want everyone who knows me or of me to say a prayer for me. There is a distinct possibility that I may have more than one form of cancer. Just thinking about it scares the daylights out of me but for the past month my physical pain has increased so much in my leg and foot bones. Hubby and doctor have been denying it all this time while I have been pleading for help. My doctor has finally believed me and referred me to the Bone Specialist I am seeing tomorrow. 

My Humira is to be covered by my insurance for up to one year, which is the answered prayer. At last notice they were fighting my pain patch so I still do not have it.  So pray that will get worked out as well,please.

I think our prayer is just about to be answered about getting  our box springs....thanks to family {{{GIANT Hugz}}}

I have determined this year to not let my fear keep me stuck in a rut so that is why I am going to start doing things even when afraid. 

Until Next Time,

Karen

My Prayers and Yours Are slowly Being Answered......

Hey there, My Friends,

Just a quick post before the hubby takes over the bandwidth, lol

My Doctor called this morning and while she is not ready to put me on Fenatanyl (?sp.) patch, she is ready to bump me up to maybe the Lidocaine Patch provided that my new insurance will cover it. I have an appointment to discuss this with her the 17th. So pray really hard for me, please {{{hugz}}}

I have changed the look of my blog in hopes of looking a bit more professional until the someday I can afford to get my own setup.

I am also trying to talk our family into helping me get my glasses since my insurance will only pay for the eye exam.

I have finally broken down and ordered myself a nice set of  15 cubby hole unit for my crafts and it should be here the 17th as well. I am super stoked, I love to be organized! It improves so much including my emotional well-being.  I am setting my blog organization and time management up. I will be working on it some more.

Oh, how I long to be able to hold my own Giveaways.....It will come, just do not know when, but I will think of something even if at first it is nothing more than some of my own handmade greeting cards or maybe a needle book :o).

You guys and gals are the bestest! Love you all so much {{{hugz}}}

Well, I better get this posted so ....

Until Next Time,
Karen

P.S. Feel free to visit me at  My Pinterest Boards

What I have been up to lately.....

Hello Ya'll *waves*

Are ya asking what I have been up to lately since I have been so silent? Well, Here Ya go have a looksy....

Ben and Karen Roth

This is the best pic he has taken to date and he has taken numerous gorgeous ones, let me tell you! This was taken on my last hike I was able to do, Silver Falls up near Entitat, Washington.

What I have been into :o)

Let me walk ya through it.....

Top Left: Spray painted a paper bell from our wedding. Then I hot glued the ribbons in the middle after I tied the ornaments onto the end of the ribbon.

Top Middle: is moi wearing my Christmas Corsage I made. 

Top Right:  Is the Hair Barrette I made.

Middle Left: Is a Dollar Tree Picture Frame I painted. The artwork is actually one of a few cards I received as I gift for Christmas.

Left 3/4 and Left Bottom: Is one of two Keepsake boxes I made that are now holding my paper clips and my binder clips on my desk :o) I am rather proud of them as they turned out better than I expected :oD. 

Top Middle Bottom:  Was the sweetest gift I had gotten for  any Christmas ever! I just love them as they came from my Wonderful sweet hubby after we had a fight on Christmas Eve due to my physical pain overriding my sweet heart because he was able to go to the family dinner and I was not able to ....Stupid reason to fight but that is how Chronic Illness is sometimes... You feel like you are being left out of life while all your family and friends keep living life like you were never ill and hold expectations that you can never meet even on your best day. So this is a gift I hold most dear to my heart. My sweet hubby found my sweet spot and the verse holds true...."A soft answer turneth away wrath..." 

Middle Bottom:  Are a complete set of booties I made for my sweet companion, Pepper Paws....Oh, My, I do not think I have laughed so hard as I did when I first put them on her and she first tried to walk in them...Oh, My! I kept telling her I was laughing with her and not at her but I don't think she believed me, lol.  She would take a step then shake her leg, take a step then shake another leg, it was so funny! While actually taking the evening stroll she would take a few steps then immediately lay on the ground on her tummy and lick her paws from where she had kicked snow up into the booties.

Bottom Right:  Is my Butterfly wreath I am in the process of making for our Vow Renewal. I still have to make flowers out of embroidery floss to add to it in between my blue Butterflies. When I am finished with them I may try to write up a tut for them as it is my own pattern :o)

Sorry if the pics are a bit blurry, I have hands that shake and my dear hubby was still asleep when I took them...He is an amazing Photographer....but then I am a bit biased ^.^ I do love him so!

Get Your Craft on!

Until Next Time,
Karen

Is Your Computer Protected.....

Hello Bloggy Friends,

In all seriousness, is your computer protected from the the "New Hackers on the Block 2014"?

I personally use +Avast Internet Security. I do not usually back a product, but this baby is one that I swear by and I back it 300%.

I have had many backdoor attempts from seemingly innocent beautiful pictures and +Avast has caught every single one. So I encourage you to get +Avast and scan every file before you open it.

The crooks are getting smarter by the day and most of them are really slick and might even be your best friend without you even knowing that they are living a double life. Most hackers are very intelligent and very bored and looking for excitement in their lives so....

Get +Avast and stop them cold in their tracks and bite the bug before it finds you!

tillie tulip - a handmade mishmosh: Photo tutorial of how to create the daisy

tillie tulip - a handmade mishmosh: Photo tutorial of how to create the daisy: To beg - chain (ch) 5 and join to form a circle Round 1: ch 2, 11 double crochet (dc) into ring Round 2: change to ...

This is such a lovely project..... I have yet to do it because I have been so busy working on my Keepsake boxes, Christmas Ornaments, a lace angel, a lovely butterfly and pearl wreath, Also trying to finish my Crochet hook case...I have also started a jean purse I am making out of a pair of shorts I can no longer fit into. I am hoping to get on it and finish it tomorrow. I want to add one of +Tillie Tulips gorgeous flowers but I am thinking of using embroidery floss for it that way I can maybe have 2 on it :o).

I also have a tree skirt I want to do but I am lacking the burlap :o(.  Anyone just happen to have some I can have? I will give you my address by email if you would be willing to mail it to moi *crosses fingers and prays real hard* Please, oh,  please?!

I have a plethora of Crocheting projects backed up to yang yang and now I have a bug to learn how to knit (needing size 8 & 10 aluminum needles and cannot afford them at the moment and .....a very big AND... I wanna learn how to Even Count Peyote Stitch......

Wooo! There I told you my New Years Resolutions :oD Whaddya think? I am trying desperately to keep attainable resolutions this year that is if my body would just stop fighting my spirit.....*sigh*

God please shine your face upon all of my followers and bless them richly and abundantly in this new year....

Until Next Time,
Love,

 Karen 

For now, I will leave you with my sweetest dream...... Renewing My Wedding Vows wearing this dress with tweaking of course ;o)

Christmas 2013

Merry Christmas To you and Yours from the Roths 

Moi in the Flesh

The wonderful blessing God blessed me with. My wonderful husband Ben. My Valiant Knight in Shining Armor. 

May you enjoy the Lord's Blessings this coming Year.

May your house be full and merry and may your laughter be your love's delight!

The Lord was very good to us this Christmas as He has chosen to work through my husband's family and our Church to buy us new beds...... So Praise the Lord! No more sleeping on the floor with 1 of the world's Top 10 most painful diseases....Ankylosing Spondylitis (and a Bone Tumor in my Left Femur head). God is so Good!

At the first of the year I will also have Health Insurance so guess what?! I'm getting new glasses! (This pair I am wearing are 20 years old frames with 4 year old lenses :o()

I scored a whole slew of new clothes and jackets, all so beautiful! 

I have made some crafts that I will show later on when I am feeling better. I ended up with a Intestinal Virus for Christmas....Yeah me....Bah Humbug.... and out of Pain meds to boot....

To my own family the Joneses, I wish you all well and I hope you had a Merry Christmas and I pray that next year with be a new beginning for all of us and Hopefully one that will come Full Circle .....Mom, Pops, Bro, Son and Daughter... I truly Love each of you with an unconditional Love and I pray that you all forgive me for taking off the way I had but I only was leaving to get the help I needed, not because I hated you all.

Merry Christmas to all and to All a Good Night,

Karen

A Little Christmas Dreaming........A Mournful Remembering of a Christmas Past....

A Little Christmas Dreaming

"Peace I give to you,
My Peace I give to you;
Not as the world giveth,
Give I unto you.
Let not your heart
 Be troubled, Neither
 Let it be afraid."
John 14:27

As I sit here this night my first "real" night back to my computer since my power supply died in the middle of the night while I was sleeping fitfully, I am dreaming of a fresh Shabby Chic Victorian Christmas decorations and I must say that I have found a ton of inspiration on Hand Beaded Ornaments Which I am dying to start making. 

I bought small emerald green and pearl colored ornaments for a $1.99 each at my Bi-Mart right next door to me for my kitchen/dining tree I found in the dumpster. Let's get it straight, I am no dumpster diver but if something is on top where I can reach or {as we do here} is sitting on the ground beside the dumpster that no one wants any longer then I get it if I like it....Are we straight now :o)?  I snagged a $385.00 Italy Made Tapestry of the "Last Supper" that way ^.^. I am so longing to get it mounted professionally so it can hang in my Living Room. But cannot afford it.

I also have this Pinterest Board : Christmas

Christmas holds bittersweet memories for me, but I still love the spirit of the season with Christ being the Reason for the wonderful season we do enjoy. I had a family tragedy happen on Christmas of 2008.{It was horrid that is all I will say, if you truly want to know what happened just email me and I will answer you.  I am finding that even though I have no trouble talking about it that most folks are too stunned or feel too awkward about it to talk. But I will say that God is bringing good from it.  My broken heart still feels for the other family involved. I still pray for comfort and peace for them all nightly. Everyone involved suffered a great costly loss. I think I have suffered just as hard as the others involved, but it has struck a deep thread within my soul that just refuses to let it go. }

Christmas is still my favorite holiday and always will be but not without haunting memories ever so vivid. But with God's help I am able to still move forward although not perfectly. I am ever so grateful for God's Love and Grace. So with this being said I have made a vow to start making things that will outlast my life and leave a legacy behind for my children if they should forgive me and want it.. Life is too precious to waste a moment! 

When Life Rains Down Persimmons.

Hey there Y'all! *waves and {{{hugz}}}*

So how to decide what to do when Life rains Down Persimmons....

Well, My Friends , You have one of 2 choices.....

Choice # 1 Milk it---> You can curl up in a ball ,weep, and isolate yourself from people period and let your health continue to get worse and worse because life has never been fair to you.

OR

Choice # 2 Juice it ----> You can buck up and put on your big kids undies, lose the Binky, the Blanky and lay all the garbage going on in your life at the precious feet of Jesus and His redeeming work on the Cross and pick up a much lighter burden of just resting in the Peace of God knowing that no matter what evil has befallen you  ( Every person has had one at one time or another in their life) that we have the (to quote my favorite song by @Chris Tomlin +) "King of Angel Armies by my side...I know who goes before and I know who goes behind....He is a Friend of mine" Just to quote my favorite parts of my all time Get-out-of-the-Funky-Pit song!  (Whom Shall I Fear (God of Angel Armies)  from the Burning Lights CD). Thank you so much +Chris Tomlin The Christian Music Artist, +1 Fan here in lil Ol Ellensburg WA!

 While you may have more of an burden than the person beside you, but know something to now quote @Joel and Victoria Osteen +lakewood church , "Hurting people hurt people." ( This was such an invaluable lesson for me to learn myself ,  I thank you, Joel,  for your wonderful Insight and for just being Real {{{hugz}}} to you and your lovely wife Victoria! AND Your wonderful Mama!) 

So,  Peeps, before you get mad and take offense at people for dumping on you when you already have more than your share of wounds and hurts please take a moment to remember:

1. Every person has a Story to tell about their own Journey through this thing we call "Life".

2. The person hurting you is hurting themselves and are in need of help as well.

3. That not every person on the Earth is going to like you no matter how you may sacrifice and change for this person.  

Start looking for the Lesson (s) to be learned in amongst your pain, suffering, and sorrow and believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that God truly means only good for you...that while He may not remove you from your situation He can bring the whole thing about for your good and in the process blessing you doubly. God will replenish all the years that the Locusts have eaten. You may have to wait quite a while for it but know this IT WILL HAPPEN!!!!

I do not know which choice you will choose to make,  but I can assure you that I choose to JUICE IT!!!!

I choose to LIVE Abundantly and FREE. Life is Glorious and Beautiful when you clean off the Windshield of all the bug guts!

So until next time,

Karen

P.S. If ya would like to say a prayer for me,  these are the things:

1. Health for both the hubby and myself. Multiple major things going on all at once.

2.a comfortable mini-van (CV joints are getting ready to break and the van is too old to repair but we seriously do not have the money to replace the things we need to replace.

3. A bed-  our Box Springs are broken. 

Joel and Victoria Osteen say that God Holds Our Victory ... (+playlist)

For most who truly know me, know that I have always tried to live my life according to God's Word, yes, I have made poor choices in my life that even to this day I am experiencing the ill effects of, but I will not live a defeated life. Because God has been so good to me even in the midst of the harshest things that life and Satan could throw my way. I am still alive and still treasuring God so much more than my own physical life.

Because I always remember that God's Mercy is new and fresh every morning. We are given a new beginning every morning we wake up. So I am choosing to receive the blessings God has in store for me by faith and that I know that even though it looks like everything is coming against me all at once and having such tribulations and trials God has a good plan for my life and I am believing that. I know I have God's favor and approval even if the people in my life turn against me.  I know that it is time to tell them I love them but they do not control me I belong to God and God alone. If anyone stands against me and does not support me then I know that they were only "with me" and not "for me",  I am waiting for my divine relationships in my future......I also know that when it is the darkest....that is the very moment I will get my Victory! So I will continue to press forward.

So far I have overcome being a Sex slave, Pornography, Alcoholism, Smoking, Fear of Abandonment, my "stinking thinking" as my Pastor Dave Saltzman calls it ;o) , Being in a Victim cycle that led me from one bad abusive relationship to another, Domestic Abuse,
I have overcome the very Messenger of Satan Himself with the Lord's help....So I know there are Victories to be had and it has pushed me beyond myself and to grow in ways I never even thought possible and ,Friends, it can happen for you as well, just turn to God for your daily or even moment to moment strength as he has promised to give us "Strength for the Day".  And we also find in Philippians 4:13 that "We can do ALL things through Christ Jesus who strengthens us".


So I want to encourage you to step out of Defeat and into the Good life with Faith (Remember that all it takes is a Mustard Seed size Faith and you do not have to come clean to come to Jesus just meet Him where you are at this very moment) and you will receive the Victories that you need in your life...Just Hold On to Jesus. He will never forsake you or leave you even when everyone else in your life has.  Just remember that God is bringing better people into your life to help strengthen you and to help you grow to maturity.

May You Be Richly and Abundantly Blessed......

Until Next Time,
Karen

Time to Face the Facts, Ma'am...Let's Get Real!

Flat Belly Diet Recipes - Prevention.com This is a week's worth of healthy dishes and a shopping list for MUFA"S. It's like a Mediterranean Diet.

I am getting serious about getting serious about losing weight in a healthy way to also reduce my high Triglycerides. 255 is just too high. But I also want to make sure that it does not trigger my food allergies and Migraines so it may be trial and error for a while but I am praying that my hubby will jump on this boat with me.

At least my hubby is lucky in one aspect, he can still exercise by going hiking whereas I am not able to do so as I can barely even walk.

So say a prayer and wish me luck!

See what I mean?

Hey, it was windy what can I say, lol :o)

Ok, Folks, It's time to Get Real.....

For only being 5 foot 3.25 inches tall I do weigh way, way too much. I weigh in at sopping wet 155 pounds. I should be at 120 pounds, but I think 110 would be better for my Fibromyalgia, Arthritis, Undifferentiated Spondyloarthrophy, Asthma, COPD.

The changes will start as soon as I get over this stupid Salmonella H. Bug....I do not in any way shape or form wish this on even my worst enemy. 

I am already walking twice a day.  Gonna start back on my strength exercises to try to get my Core Muscles back since I have lost them all due to being in so much physical pain. It will be an all uphill battle but I have something that is pushing me forward....My Vow Renewal.

 I love my husband Ben ever so much more than even he realizes. I see him in a way that noone ever has, I do not see him as he is but what his true potential is.  His family had pretty much left him to himself instead of dealing with the fact that he is Developmentally Challenged. They treated him like he was always "Normal" which was the worst thing they ever could have done. I do give props to his sister Ruthi as she has spent a lot of time trying to make up for the way they treated him when he was younger. Yes, he requires special care.  He does require a lot more patience, more compassionate love, more understanding that sometimes things just do not click correctly in his mind,  but let me iterate,  that this does in no way make him stupid, unintelligent, or a troublemaker throwing a temper tantrum in any way. He is super intelligent but he has Social Anxiety that blocks his path. If you put too much pressure on him he will have a complete Mental Meltdown...So I have learned that it is best to just say what I want to say to him and then just keep quiet and just let him process what I had just said. Sometimes it takes longer for him to understand than others. Then I let him come to me when he is ready.  I have learned that if you let him take things at his pace, life is much more enjoyable for both of us. 

But I am not without my own faults, I suffer from Abandonment issues from my own childhood, PTSD, Anxiety, Panic Attacks and to boot a major bad Anger Management issue. Plus, living with the poor choices I made in regards to both of my beautiful Children Brianna and Cody for which I am truly regretful, but I cannot change my past I can only acknowledge it and learn the lessons to be learned , ask for Forgiveness and to accept the wonderful mercy of God and move in a Forward Fashion. But I do truly pray for them daily and ask for Restoration of our relationships when they are both ready. I love you both more then you will ever realize. Will you please take the Higher Road and Forgive me?

 But first,  I just want to say that I am so very Proud of you Brianna, You are Strong, Smart, Creative, Precious and Beautiful. Cody, I am so very proud of you, as You are Sincere, Handsome, Brave, Precious. I still retain all my Precious Memories of our good times. I ask that you forgive me for all the hurt I out you through when I thought that sincerely I was preserving your lives. But the one person I had trusted had let us all down because they refused to get the help that they needed. I will not mention this person's name as I am still praying for them to accept the Medical and Mental help that they need. But in everything, I have chosen to forgive and release all the burden's that came from Guilt, Shame,Hurt,Wanting Vengeance for being used, abused, and tossed into the garbage heap. For being unwanted ....

  But I just want to say that God has been very gracious to all of  those involved in our lives and know that we are "Growing Slowly Wise". Thanks to dear Mr. David Roper I have been realizing alot of my own errors in the way I was handling things.  I now realize that everything I say, think or do boils down to this, Which Choice Will I make? I can choose to take the low road and be miserable for the rest of my life or I can choose the higher road that in the end benefits everyone in my life. So from now on I choose the latter. { NOTE***** I will willingly freely Sponsor this author and publishing company Discovery House.*****} All I can say is if you slowly read and chew on just the facts not your imaginations you will definitely learn alot and have a strong season of Growth.

I pray that you and yours have a marvelous week  and I choose to Bless and not Curse. This is not something done lightly. It has taken much thought, tears, and woundedness and acceptance of self as I am to come to this point. 

But like the Butterfly, I am in my Season of Growth and,  yes,  it may hurt for a time, but it is only temporary as you look at Eternity with The One who has Redeemed me from the pit of Eternal Death. Thank You Jesus for Loving even me.....

Until Next Time,

Karen  

Color Challenge- Silver, White,Blue = Family

Hey there Everyone *waves a paw*

This weeks Color Challenge at Outlawz was so fun to do as it featured one of my favorite colors - BLUE!

Here are this weeks colors: The twist was to add a charm.

Colors to use

Here is my entry:

My entry

I stamped the sentiment on Georgia-Pacific 110lb. weight card stock I got on sale at Bi-mart and because they forgot to remove the old sales sticker I got it for $2.00 cheaper. Their mistake but I profited from it at their insistence :o)

The stamped sentiment and the foliage are two Stampin' Up stamps that a church friend loaned me her entire Stampin' Up stamp sets they are the original ones one dates back as far as 1998.  So, Jean, I thank you dearly from the bottom of my heart! 

I chose to add the the sentiment Family as that is what makes Christmas so very special to me underneath the fact that it is Jesus's birthday and such a wonderful gift that God has given us. I appreciate it in so many ways that words can never accurately describe. As we humans do not speak God's language of Love, as His is completely and totally selfless, whole, pure, forgiving, uplifting, and completely unconditional. 

The paper is from my new Coral Couture Stack by DCWV. 

The snowflakes were given to me as a gift. I chose to glitter the one on the right with silver glitter to get my silver in ;o)

Unfortunately, I did not have the exact blue in paper so I chose to hit my bead stash and found one that was close and that is the big bead on my silver and white Christmas bow with the two self made "hat pins" that I made out of headpins for making earrings with.

Last, but not least, I have my little pewter reindeer charm hanging on the bottom left of my card off the silver and white Christmas bow. He is kind of in the shadows so you cannot get a good look at him other than to tell he is a charm.  He was previously a necklace pendant from a broken necklace which was given to me with a bunch of other jewelry and art prints by a previous neighbor when she was moving out of good old Briarwood. So I thank you, Hazel! I sure do miss seeing your sunny face riding your bike and running Layla along side you!

Well, y'all, I sure do appreciate the visits and the comments on my projects and I pray that you will have a most blessed week ahead of you!

Thank you so much for your prayers and support this week. They are greatly appreciated. However, my battles are not over yet. I just got one more thrown into the mix this past week.  I was also finally able to get ahold of my Disability Attorney today...so YAY on that part. But you know what it's all good as for what Satan means for evil, God means for good! and I CAN do all things through  Christ who strengthens me!!!

Crossings Books Shortest post to date

The best Christian Books   Check them out!!!

Creative Freebie Challenge-Roxann

Hello Everyone,

How are we all doing this fine evening? Great, I pray!

I did  manage to get one of my cards done for the Creative Freebie Challenge. She is so beautiful. She reminds of all the elegance one might see at a ritzy function at say the White House :o)

So here she is : May I present to you for your viewing pleasure, Dear Ms. Roxann from Sandi Huggett over at Outlawz Challenges

Roxann by Sandi Huggett

You cannot see it really but her bodice of her dress is covered in iridescent  glitter.  For the buttons on her gloves I used a shimmering pinkish-red nail polish I had on Hand.

It really does look better in person. The bow is also all shimmery. I have come to really love wire edged ribbons for bow making as they really do hold the shape better and frankly, it just looks more elegant in my opinion. Unfortunately, this was the only size I had on hand in red,lol. 

I am still waiting to hear back from my pharmacy as to which new medication I will be getting since my health insurance is refusing to cover my Celebrex. One gentleman I spoke with thinks it is because they have a couple of alternatives they would rather be used first before they will pay for the Celebrex. But we will have to wait and see I guess. But I do know from past experience that Celebrex is the only one that really worked on reducing the inflammation in my body. I know Naproxen 500 mg. is one of them and that does not work for me. I am curious to find out what the other one is though. 

Well, I pray that everyone has a wonderful week ahead of them and that get to create lots of beautiful cards, notecards, etc.

Welcome Friends, Get to Know the Real Me

Hello, My Sweet Wonderful Guests! Without you this blog could not be possible and I sincerely thank each and everyone of you who take time out of your busy schedules to visit my little niche of cyberspace. It is my hope to make new friends and share many wonderful creations together. I am truly sorry if I tend to complain too much , that is not my intentions, but you know that sometimes you just have to get what is in your heart out in the open to get a better perspective on your current circumstances. Here's my life story for those who are bored enough to actually read it as it is a highly suggested reading if you truly want to get to know the "real" me. First of all, let me introduce myself. My name is Karen Michelle Roth and I’m Bipolar and suffer from PTSD. I am happily married and I own two types of pets, 5 Guppies in a small tank and a sassy medium-sized dog named Pepper. My Background: I was born at Fort Riley at the Irwin Army Hospital. My father was in the military then. We lived in Abilene, Kansas till I was old enough to go to school. My father then moved us to Hutchinson, Kansas in 1977. I do not remember much about my childhood. Over the next few years I was molested, beaten, abused, raped, and stabbed.   I was in an abusive marriage before I met my current wonderfully sweet husband, Ben.   I have two children that I do not have custody of. My son lives with his father. My daughter lived with my parents until she ran away this year with her boyfriend and his family. I truly want to thank you both for caring so much for my son and daughter.   truly pray that she is safe and doing well.  Neither of my children wants anything to do with me currently but I pray that will change for the better. In fact, my parents disowned me when I moved to better my life and to be married.  I have tried numerous times to obtain my degree, but do to illnesses and the lack of funds I was forced to quit my pursuit of a higher education.  My Present Illnesses:   I am currently battling  Fibromyalgia, Being HLA-B27 Positive, Asthma, Mild COPD, Panic Attacks, PTSD, Anxiety Attacks, Major Depression, Undifferentiated Spondyloarthropy, Concentric Bulging Disc in my L4-L5 region (that is spreading my Fascia nerves farther apart than they should be), Migraines, Seasonal Allergies, Pet Allergy (I WILL NOT GIVE UP MY PEPPER PAWS!!!!), Food Allergies, Both elbows and hands have Tendonitis and Carpal Tunnel. I just discovered that i now have Thyroid Issues (Enlarged with multiple Nodules on both lobes and one nodule that is made up of different materials on my Isthmus (which is the piece of flesh that holds both thyroid lobes together. I have in the past created a number of blank and lined stationery as well as seed bead earrings I have made. I also crochet ripple afghans for relaxation. Crocheting is my stress reliever. I have just recently discovered the wonderful world of making cards and scrapbooking. It has been therapy for me as it takes my mind to a happier place where I can focus on seeing that I can make others happy with my creations. My Dream: It is my dream to eventually open a Non Profit Charity named "Gentle Whispers of Love".  I have always been involved with the arts for as long as I can remember. I fully believe that everyone has a creative streak and that some of you just need some coaxing to bring it out. It is also my dream to be the first one in my immediate family to have made it to and through college. I only have 10 credits left. I have come way too far to quit and give up the ship now.  I am a firm believer that anyone can rise above their circumstances and become a better person for it. But I also believe that we should always remember our humble beginnings even if they are painful as they are part of who we are rather we like it or not. Not so much as to dwell upon the hurt and pain but to rejoice in just how far we have come and have grown. Now that you have come to know me a little bit I hope you will stick around as I have a ton of love to share :o) {{{{hugz}}}} Much Love, Karen                                              Link to code and pictures

Color Challenge-Blue,Black & White

Hi there Everyone,

My entry for the Color Challenge is a wee bit late this week due to major pain and being unable to use my left arm at all today.

I tried a new flower tutorial I found online at Pinterest. It uses magazine pages and does not require glue or brads.  I found it here: How About Orange: Recycled paper Flower
My flower did not turn out like hers I think because my magazine page was too flimsy. But still I like it :o)  Marcelle,  this one is for you :O) I made it from a coffee ad. hehe, just kidding, Ya know I love ya!

I sure hope that tomorrow I feel better pain wise so I can work on this weeks card and my cards for the Creative Freebie Challenge. I have them printed out and sitting on my craft table to be colored ...does that count? ;O)

I pray that everyone is having a marvelous week {{{hugz}}}

Until next time, Keep being creative! 

Paper Roses Tutorial

I have just found what has to be the easiest Paper Roses Tutorial.  I will have to try this myself as soon as I get the chance :o)

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. <3

Paper a la Mode Challenge- Nature

Hello everyone,

How are we all doing? Me, well, I just finished another challenge over at Outlawz called the Paper a la Mode. This week is was based on a Nature only theme. So I thought I would get a bit creative and create myself a Nature themed notebook with notecards. Took me all week due to having a Fibromyalgia flareup due to the thunderstorms. For some reason by bulging disc does not like clouds either so it also decided to flareup severely. But it did not stop me from going out with my sweet sister0in-laws Ruthi and Maureen. We had a blast! Well, I sure know I did as this times was a belated birthday gift shopping trip. I made out like a bandit because the places we went had really good sales. Thank you Joann Fabrics and Goodwill Industries! They also took me out to lunch at this cute quaint little cafe that is also a bed and breakfast. I even ate semi-healthy! I had a Chicken Caesar Salad with Strawberry Italian Soda plus water :o) Thank you so much, Ruthi and Maureen, I love ya'!

Now onto my nature themed project :  *NOTE- Enlarged pictures may look blurry as I just could not get a clear photo of them, I think my hubby may have changed the usual settings and I cannot figure out how to choose the right settings for up close photos..Flippin' Fuji!  Oh, and in the background of the first photo you will see the main centerpiece, card basket and my bouquet for Our Vow Renewal. I still need to hot glue them. But I still have plenty of time as it won't be until June 28,2014 :o) I will also be making a Victorian Ballgown to wear. As well as a quilted wall hanging to hang up behind us while we are saying our vows :o) So some time I need to get started on those.

Nature themed notebook and card

Inside of Nature themed notebook with notecards

One of sixteen notecards for the nature themed notebook.

Sentiment on front of nature theme notecards.

I hope everyone has a very blessed week ahead of them and may you remember to find joys in the little things :o)

Much Love,

Karen

 {{{hugz}}} to ALL!