Prayers for My Cousin

Coffee of the Day - Sweet Potato (yes, it's a coffee flavor, and yes, it's quite tasty!)

What a week..... Tyler and I took Ryan to Indiana on Tuesday. a very long day of driving (15+ hours), and I ended up getting sick from the trip. rained almost the entire time, but thank goodness it was a safe drive. Ryan is happy in his dorm as one of the new R.A.'s. God has him right where he needs to be!

As I woke up Friday morning, I received the news that one of my cousins was in a terrible motorcycle accident. from what I understand, he is still unconscious. thankfully his body sustained only road rash type damage, but his head is a mess. not only is his skull broken, but his brain is quite damaged.

We are all just devastated. I think part of me is still in shock. the day of his accident he had several posts on my Facebook page. and that night I had a dream about him. because he lives in Texas, I haven't seen him since my dad's funeral, over 20 years ago. but we have been in touch recently because we both share cancer battles. you see, he also has leukemia.

if you have a moment, would you please say a prayer for him and his children? his name is Dan. I know your thoughts and prayers would mean so very much.
I am so thankful we have God's enduring love to bring us comfort. we hold tight to His promises right now. we hold on to the hope that He brings, every single day, no matter the circumstances.

Tell the people you love how much they mean to you RIGHT NOW. don't let another moment go by.
thank you from the bottom of my heart. you know that all of you are so very special to me.
love, Jennifer

p.s. here is Dan's Facebook page. not sure if you are able to access it or not, but thought I would try to post just in case you would like to leave a message. if you can't get to it, feel free to leave a post on my page. I will let the family know.

A Christmas Wish Blog Hop with Michelle Perkett!

Welcome to the very first blog hop with Michelle Perkett and her beautiful Christmas Wish Angel! I hope that you are having a wonderful time gazing upon the beautiful ways this angel has come to life and hearing about the ways so many kind & generous people want to bless others this holiday season! :) If at any time you get lost on this hop, head over to PCP and the forum, where you can find the blog hop list posted in the discussion lists. If you have arrived here from *Lori's fabby blog*, then you are right on track. If you are just arriving at my blog, then head back over to *Michelle's gorgeous blog* to begin the fun hop.

First I want to tell you a bit about my card and then I will tell you about my wish/prayer, which is one of the conditions of participating in the hop.

I used paper from K & Co. Que Sera Sera collection. There is a LOT of shimmer and shine that doesn't really show in the scan, but might if you click on the photo. Each star was outlined with my spica glitter pen, as were her wings. Then the stars were filled in with frosted stickles. The image border was outlined with the same glitter pen. The entire border of the image was first inked with the blue ink and then coverd in frosted stickles. The card base was inked with white craft and then immediately dipped in fine white glitter. I sponged the same white craft on the blue base. I added this silky soft Anna Griffin blue satin ribbon, Prima glitter stars, and some vintage buttons (of course). Finished off with a smidgen of gold trim at the top. This card also fits the challenge Michelle has going on over at PCP. I didn't put the lid down on the scanner when I scanned it in as I didn't want to squish the bow. so it came out a bit fuzzy.... sorry about that.

Now for my wish. Actually it is a prayer of sorts as I don't really do wishes. it took me a bit of thinking to come up with my prayer. First I thought of our nephew Wesley. but our prayers for him have really been answered already. he has finished his chemo early and doens't have to go through the last round. I thought about my children and husband, but I know that God truly has them held tightly in His loving arms already. If I trust God the way I say I do, then I need to trust that He has everything under control with them....

So this prayer is for a special someone that I am not going to name, because God knows exactly who it is. and this person will know, too.

Right now you have a place in your soul that is a quiet, dark place you go to hide. There is nothing wrong with quiet places, but this is more than that. this is a place you stay to escape and it drags you down. you don't let anyone else in, and it makes us sad. you feel so very alone there, yet you won't come out. you try to put on a happy face for the rest of the world, but I see the sorrow in your eyes. and it hurts my heart. This place is like a closet or a room where you feel comfortable, but it is not good for you. and deep inside you know it. I know, too, because I have one, too. I call it my cave, because it feels like I go there to hibernate. A very wise woman by the name of Beth Moore calls it a pit. She says that you can decorate it and make it as comfortable as you like, but it is still a pit of dirt. I have a little secret for you. No matter how alone you feel there in that place, you aren't. God is there with you. Maybe you don't feel Him yet, but that doesn't change the fact that He is there. Maybe you don't even believe in Him, but that doesn't change His existence or His love for you.
There is a wonderful scene in the movie, 'Across the Universe' where a character named Prudence has locked herself in a bathroom. Her friends are on the outside singing to her to come out. You see, my side of the door doesn't have a doorknob, dear one. I can't come in and be with you. I am waiting on you to open the door, just a smidge. And so that is my prayer - that you will open it just a bit for me, for someone, for God. Realize that you are loved more than you will ever realize. More than you ever really supposed to realize. And in some way, you have made someone's life better just by your smile. You probably won't believe me - Today - but tuck this away for another time so you can come back and read it later. and then maybe you will believe it that day. Because I love you. and so does God. more than you know. :)


now hop along to *Jean's blog* and be blessed! :)

Cards for the Boys

Coffee of the Day - Creme Brulee

Good morning to everyone! I hope it is just super glorious wherever you are!

I wanted to share with you my card projects from yesterday. It's kinda funny actually - I made 2 cards, 1 for Wes and 1 for another little boy I'll tell you about, but David didn't want to send the one I made for Wesley, so we're actually gonna mail him the one from this post instead. Several of you have asked me about sending him cards - I've emailed his mom to get their thoughts first. I want to be sensitive to what they are going through. But I'll post just as soon as I hear back. Today Wes goes to the oncologist. Before I even got out of bed this morning, I was praying for this visit. I know how that first trip can be. My oncologist is phenomenal - I wouldn't trade him for any other dr. around. He is as tenacious as a dog with a bone, but also kind. I hope and pray the same for Wesley. I would trade places with him in a heartbeat if I could. He has already undergone 1 surgery for this. But God is holding him tightly in His loving, healing arms. and I have to trust God to do exactly what He promises us He will do. Thank you for your prayers!

My first card uses a very cute (unless you don't happen to think little spideys are cute! grins!) from Shirley's 2 Girls. Be sure to drop by SNR this weekend for Digi Day, as S2G is sponsoring it! There is sure to be lots of fun whenever this group of gals is involved! anyway, 2 of the guys in my fam are TERRIFIED of spiders. think that might have something to do with why Dave didn't want to send this card?!?! ;) I happen to like them, so I thought this card was cute! this poor guy just looks like he knows he's always getting a bad rap. The paper is from Daisy Hill. love that great trim I picked up at JoAnn's.

The next card uses this adorable little image from Digi Stamp Characters. It's called Boy with his dog. The paper is from Cosmo Cricket. Kept it simple, as it's for a 2 year old boy whose 5 year old sister, Kate, is battling cancer. You can find more info about the card drive going on at this post here on Jennifer McGuire's blog.

I'm also posting both of these cards for the challenge issued for Stampin' Sisters in Christ blog this week - make a card to encourage a child. although Wes isn't technically a child anymore, gosh, I remember back when his mom was pregnant at Dave and I's wedding. So I think this will count. But I woulda made a card anyhow.

all of you take care and have a wonderful day! love ya! Jennifer

ETA - Wes's mom says cards will be great. email me for addy.

Quick Ali Update ~

Just a quick update on Ali Schmidlin as posted by Tosh on Split Coast Stampers very early this morning ~

Quick update...The Schmidlin's are on their way home. The swelling is what they call rebound swelling which is caused when the blood (from when the tumor was bleeding) dissipates and begins to be absorbed by the brain. As the blood reaches the outer membrane, it gets closer to the nerve endings which in turn causes the severe headaches. They're still not sure what type of tumor they're dealing with and plan to biopsy it in Jan. Right now the headaches are under control, but there is always a chance that could change. Unfortunately Ali still has problems with nausea because of the location of the tumor, but they have medicine that will hopefully keep that relatively under control. They also discovered that the tumor is in the frontal lobe and not in the parietal lobe which they originally thought. From what I understand, it will be easier to biopsy because of this.

Prayers please for the Schmidlin Family

I haven't updated in a while about the health issues facing young Ali Schmidlin. You can go to this post at SplitCoast Stampers to read the latest in addition to the well wishes of the community there. Just to summarize, Ali (12 years old) had been sent home from the hospital in Seattle until January to see if the swelling in the growth in her brain could subside to the point that the doctors could then do a biopsy to determine if it was cancerous. She was airlifted back to Seattle 3 days ago because the headaches were so severe and the swelling had intensified. Her mother, Laurie, is a most talented stamper and has the blog, Just Give Me Stamps.

Please, please say prayers for this family if you would. Not only is this a terrible thing for any family to have to go through, but Thanksgiving is approaching, and I'm sure they never invisioned spending it in the hospital with a child in this stage of illness. And then stop and say a prayer of thanksgiving to God for each and every one of your family members. Too often we take them for granted. At least I do. Thank you! I love you each so much! :)

Prayers needed please

lots of important posts today ~

this is an urgent announcement to all of you. One of our fellow stampers needs some prayers right now. Laurie Schmidlin of Just Give Me Stamps and her family have received the startling news that their daughter, Ali, has a brain tumor. They are currently in transit to Seattle for a biopsy to discover if the tumor is cancerous. PLEASE, please, please say prayers for this young girl and her family! People around the globe are sending cards and praying. I am getting this card I had on hand in the mail today. not real girly but I figure everyone needs puppy hugs! If you would like the address, please either post here with your email address or send me a private email. I will respond as quickly as I can.

The stamping community is a wonderful, kind group of people. It is times like this that we all bind together to offer support to one of our own. We are blessed indeed!

thanks so much!

Jennifer

p.s. for more information, check the Stamper's Dream blog hosted by Michelle Rodgers.