Victorine Challenge #62

 

Oops!  Looks like I forgot to post my card for the current Victorine Originals Challenge located HERE  The challenge is to use Red, White, and Blue or Monochromatic using one of the three colors.  I used the blue.  I started with Ivory Cardstock, stamped a music background that I distressed a bit over the Ivory with Blue Ink.  Next I stamped the tree image with the children and popped up the punched hearts made with designer paper which I matched on the left side.  A sentiment could be put in the scalloped oval before sending the card.

Straw Bale Garden

Hi Everyone,  I am so excited to show one of the reasons I have not been posting very often this summer. My reason is that I have been gardening.  Well, yes, gardening.  I am not a gardener.  I hate getting down in the dirt.  I don't like getting dirt under my fingernails and I hate being outside with the mosquitos.  The garden I am playing around with this year is different.  It's called Straw Bale Gardening and you can read about it HERE.  I was sold on the idea when I first heard about it from one of my stamping friends.  I bought the bales and Bob started hooking up the system for me.  What you see in this picture are my first Sugar Snap Peas and they sure are good.  This bale is in front of my front porch with chicken wire for the peas and beans to climb on.  I first made the mistake of planting bean seeds that were too old and they didn't come up.  Always trying to save a buck.

So I dug them up and started over.  This is why the peas are ahead and already have "food" on the vine.
The beans are just beginning to climb and will soon have flowers.
Yes, you plant IN the bale.  The bale turns to compost by the end of the summer and you start over in the spring. (or if it's early enough, you can plant another batch in the same bale this year.)   So I am very excited to get my first peas.
I have another bale on the other side of my Front Porch with cucumbers growing nicely and 4 more bales out in the yard with cabbage, broccoli, a tomato plant, a huge pumpkin, (well that's what the package says anyway)  a zucchini plant and 3 potato plants.  The BOOK says three potato plants COULD get an entire bushel of potatoes.  I'll let you know.  I'm sure hoping!
 

HSCRC13 #10

Good Morning,  I have been carrying this card around for several days trying to get a decent picture, but here it is.  This is my card for the Hymn and Scripture Challenge.  When I first saw it, I just couldn't find a verse OR think of anything creative.  Sometimes God has a different idea and He just waits for us to catch up.  That's what happened this time.  I just kept praying "Open my eyes, Lord" about anything and everything I had a problem with.  One of the things was my resentment of my job.  It has recently become way more demanding and the job I used to love is not the same job anymore.  So I determined to be thankful anyway - even for the fact that I have to go in.  It's a family business and my attitude can make or break the day for everyone around.

One day it occurred to me that if I didn't go in to work, I would rarely get to see my busy, busy son.  I believe it was God who opened my eyes to this fact.  So was it because I first obeyed by being thankful (barely) or because God is merciful and loving.  Anyway He opened my eyes which helped me to be very grateful.  The two phases I picked out are "Glimpses of Truth" and "The wonderful key".  I believe the key is Thankfulness.  My verse is Psalm 25:15  "My eyes are ever looking to the Lord for help".