Happy 49th New Year to Me!

I put a lot of thought into a post I did 2 years ago for my birthday. I spent a lot of time reflecting on some key life lessons and came up with a list of 47 lessons which I posted on my birthday in 2009

 Consider this post an addendum to that post. Life lesson 48 and 49. Number 48 was an eye opener last year. I'm constantly learning... It's a good thing. 

• I don't have forgiveness issues. I don't have trust issues. If I don't trust someone, it was because I was betrayed. We often mistake forgiveness and trust. I should forgive quickly. It's for my own good. Trust, however takes time to rebuild.
• It's not always what you say or do but how you make people feel. How they feel has to do with their perception of what you say or do, based on their experiences. What is the key? Get to know the recipient and tailor the message.

So Happy Birthday to me. :) I'm determined not to spend the whole day on the computer this year. 

Game On

This is the first card I've made in a long time. :) I'm afraid it took all the creative energy I had.  I tried to make two, and it just didn't work. :(  This is my entry for the Hambo Hoedown. Especially with all that I have going on,  I'm looking forward to at least making one card a week... but hopefully more.

Football Girl- Hambo Stamps, Football- Hero Arts, Message-computer generated, paper-Basic Grey, colored with Copic markers and Prismacolor pencils. 


BUT, I am doing great in my class despite the move and and the unpacking etc... I'm already in week 6 of 8. I'm still waiting on my grade for week 5, but my cumulative grade after week 4 was 98.5... just sayin'. I hope to finish just as strong. I'm working on "the Big Excel Project" this week. We don't get step by step instructions, but we have to put together all that we've learned so far.
The unpacking is going a lot slower than in previous moves because this is the first house we've moved into over the last 20 years that was actually smaller than the last. I'm also in a major purging mode. I've finally decided to get rid of stuff we don't use. I am going to have a massive garage sale as soon as spring arrives and whatever doesn't sell is going to leave via donations or dumpster. I'm even getting rid of most of my stamping/scrapping stuff and selling it. I want my room to be as uncluttered as Colleen Schaan's. She definitely inspired me. I don't know if I mentioned it before but she moved two doors down from me last year and I was sooo sad to leave her behind in GA.

Anyway, I must return to my school project. I hope you go to the Hambo Challenge blog and participare in the challenges. The first image is free to start and then you get a new free image just for participating each week.

Choosing Joy...  Jacki Marie

New Year, New House...

Dec. 30th

Wow! It's already January 10th! Where did the year go??!! Oh, I know... we've been "moving" for the last ten days. We actually closed on our new house on December 30, moved in a few key items and spent some time with my daughter who was leaving to go back to school the next day.

The kids and I in size order... I'm only taller than the 12yr old.

Pencils, welcome to your new home! 

They are happy... 

Dr. Pepper is in the house! 

 We got up the next morning and moved out of the the townhouse apartment on the 31st (where we'd lived since September). That day was rainy, but it was 50+  degrees all day and night. And believe it or not, in Michigan, it was still in the 50s at 11:56 when we brought the last item into the house. Happy New Year! At least we were in by the time the ball dropped. 

Over the weekend, I organized the kitchen... 

... and we bought a new rug for the family room. 

We settled in as much as possible and then my class started up on Monday. 

And then moving day came. A big snow storm was expected.  The Dad had it all cleaned off before they got here, but it kept coming down!  So apparently movers also shovel driveways... 

So with the heat off, I sat at the kitchen counter as they brought in box after box after box.

I'm going to do some reading for my class and save the rest of the pictures for tomorrow. I have the bonus room for my office/study area and The Card Castle. Getting all this set up should be interesting... at least to me. :)

And here is where I sat... 

Happy New Year! Choosing JOY, Jacki!!

I'm looking forward to the Hydrangeas! 

Brave Girls Club...

To all my girls...
If you haven't heard of the Brave Girls Club, you should go here  to the Brave Girls website and read about it and sign up to receive the inspiring emails.

Even if you don't have time to do that, make time to read this blog post.  Seeing Past What It Seems
I strongly, strongly recommend it. It takes a strong brave girl (or boy) to adjust your behavior and become compassionate to others despite of what it seems on the exterior.

That's my PSA for today.  We need each other... family, friends, neighbors... we need to be more compassionate to each other.

Thirty Days of Thankfulness: Day 1~ Adversity

Yes, you read that right. On the first day of my Thirty Days of Thankfulness, I'm thankful for adversity. I don't particularly care for adversity, but when it's over, I'm always better for it. So I have to count it among the things I'm thankful for. Sometimes it's not a situation but a person who create the conflict. Even those people who rub me the wrong way have a place in my growth process. 
At least this is what I tell myself to keep from hitting them. LOL... I'm just kidding... ok not really. :) 
Have you ever heard the saying that mean people are like sandpaper? In the movie The Fighting Temptations, the character played by Beyonce says this in response to comments made by such a person. "You know what Sally told me once? She said, "When life makes you have to put up with mean and hateful people, just think of them as sandpaper. They may scratch you, rub you the wrong way, but eventually you end up smooth and polished and the sandpaper... it's just going to be worn out and ugly."
So, yes... today, I'm thankful for adversity... especially when it's over! And no, I'm not going to post a picture of my "sandpaper" LOL.
By the way, if you didn't already, click on the title of the movie above when you have a few minutes to listen to some of the songs from the soundtrack and maybe even read about the movie and watch the trailer if you haven't seen it before. 
Join with me in posting something you're thankful for each day this month? I'm attempting to post my list in alphabetical order, because my brain likes to organize. You don't have to do it that way. Feel free to be completely random. The purpose is for us to focus on what we have and how much we are blessed instead of what we don't have or what is wrong in our lives. I'd like to know what you come up with too so if you post on your blog, please send me a link. If you don't have a blog, post it on Facebook. If that isn't an option for you either, write the list somewhere like a journal, or your white board on your fridge. And then to share with the rest of us, just leave a comment on this blog. 


God is good isn't He? This song says, "'though I ain't good enough, but He still loves me."
His love, now that is something to be thankful for, for sure! 
(If you're reading this anywhere other then the blog itself, the video doesn't show up. You can click here to go to YouTube to watch scenes from the movie and hear this really great song. He still loves me.) 

*Somebody* needs to update this blog.

We haven't talked since World Card Making Day... and wow, so much has happened.

Let's get started with the important news that I know you are dying to hear...

• We are still in a townhouse, still looking for a job, still in school or back in school. I haven't taken too much card making time, but I have done a little coloring. Amazingly enough, I've been sending cards. As a matter of fact, there are several cards sitting right here waiting for the mailman to come in and get them.  He didn't get the memo last week... LOL 
• We found a house! We found a house that we all could agree upon, most importantly. We are still in the same school district but not the same neighborhood. I'll show you a picture or two of the space that is going to be The Card Castle later this week
• Our house has not sold in GA, so be prayin' that the perfect family is coming soon to see it and purchase it SOON! :) Did I say soon, already? 

In the way of updates, I don't have much else.  The job search and now the classes are keeping me busy.

I did realize that I haven't shown you this card. I made this for my son who turned 15 in September.  I made it but he sketched the design for me. He thought the ones I was working on were inappropriate for his manliness. :) Hey, he's an artist so he should have some say, don't you think? 

Unfortunately that's all the time I have to chat today. I still have some reading to do for my classes. By the way, because I know someone is going to ask...

I'm taking Intro to Business and Technology. Very basic, but updated version of the Intro to Business I took a "couple" of years ago. And I'm also taking Computer Applications for Business. This was a prerequisite for the other computer classes I want to take. Again basic stuff.  I'm hoping the classes this session aren't too difficult, and I don't think they are. They will keep me busy nevertheless. 

So that's all for now. Leave me a comment and let me know you're still out there. Thanks for your patience. 

Back in Business...

This is a picture of what I'm calling The Card Castle North.  I really can't call it a Castle anymore can I? Can you believe it? After being accustomed to having a whole room in which to create, this is all I brought with me!!?? This is where the true test of creativity begins. LOL!  :)  

So far, I have made a few cards but I've mostly done a lot of coloring.  This has been an amazingly crazy and busy month. I have to be honest and say that the Copics are really growing on me as I get better with manipulating and shading the colors.  I'll tell you a secret if you promise not to tell Color Pencils (what I call my collection of colored pencils). Sometimes I prefer the look I can get with the markers.  shhhh!!!! Color Pencils and I go way back so I have to be careful not to offend. :) 

I think I'm ready to start developing coloring classes with the markers and color pencils, but, I wonder if there is any interest here in MI... We will soon see. ;)

That's all I'm going to share for today because I have BIG PLANS! Seriously? It's World Card Making Day and I've announced to my family that I'm going to be making cards today. Truth be told, it would be much better for me if WCMD was on a work/school day when everyone is gone! I don't have a room with a door that I can close and cut myself off from real life.  So today, if I get anything accomplished, it will be a miracle! I'm just realizing that the best part about having a room is the door... just kidding... not! 

I will be back with a post showing you my successful card-filled day. Be blessed! 

I Wish...

"I wish those days could come back once more 

Why did those days ever have to go..." from Stevie Wonder's I Wish. 

Rest in Peace, Pete...

My brother-in-law lost his battle with cancer last week, only to be rewarded with healing in Heaven. He was only 56 years old. Pray for my sister, niece and nephew, and his entire family as they grieve his loss. 

There is something about funerals that really brings you to a place of reflection and introspection. They also provide a time of fellowship and reconnecting. I saw some people that I have not seen in 30 years. It was a really good feeling being in a place and with people that I spent a good part of my young life, although the reason for the gathering was very sad.  

Pete was dear and will be missed by a lot of people -- family and friends. 

I spent the last few days on the road. I drove all the way to NC from MI to attend my brother-in-law's funeral. We are in the process of moving so I had to go alone. The Dad was actually still in GA right up to the day I needed to leave to get to NC. But I was on a mission to get there and drove all night long.  I now realize that driving all night wasn't a good idea. I am still exhausted from that. I decided to make the return trip in two days instead of driving straight through. I stopped in Washington DC area at my sister's house for a couple of days. But I'm heading back "home" to our new (temporary) townhouse. The Dad moved from the hotel to a townhouse with the kids while I was gone. The house hunting will resume once I get back. I/we could use your prayers too... 

You know me, I color to relax so I did some coloring today. It's not a card yet but one of these days it will might be. :) This image and the song lyrics above remind me of my carefree days as a child... 

Be blessed, my dear friends. Another of my sisters told me today that she strives to live like she's dying. In recent years, my motto has been to "live without regret." We truly don't know what our future. The most important thing you can do is to be sure Who holds your future. Who am I by Casting Crowns

Happy Birthday, Daughter!

Happy Birthday, Son!

Happy Birthday to my first baby boy... The son of mine formerly known as "The Boy" officially needs a new name. He sounds like man when he talks to me as he looks down at me... Did I mention that he is even taller than me?... a lot taller?  I'm sure I have and yes I know that I'm the one who needs to get over that now.  Here he is with The Dad who is 6'3".

We'll celebrate tonight and then again when the rest of the family joins me and the boys in MI. Come to think of it, this won't be the first birthday we've celebrated in a hotel over the years... and it won't be the only one we celebrate this week. ;)

We are surviving temporarily in a hotel for a week or so, and then we will be in a townhouse for a month or so-- that is if we can find a house in the next couple of weeks and start the process to buy it.

School started on Tuesday and both boys reconnected with friends from when we lived here before.  It was a good day. I'm looking forward to this school year.
Now I just have to find a job for me...
In the meantime, this week, I'm still coloring to relax when I need to. ... My daughter wanted to see where we are so I took a few pictures and I actually have some pictures that I can show you...

 It's Moving Time Again

As you can see in the pictures, I brought my coloring supplies.  I did some coloring today, but I haven't finished his card.

  

the grown up boy... 

but this is  how his mom will always see him... 

Deck Project (continued)

True to form, I haven't done much more with the deck project since the last time I posted.  Over the last few days, I've been working on a card order and cleaning The Card Castle in addition to the normal house/mom stuff I have to do which includes my taxi service.  I wish there was a magic wand that would give me more hours in the day along with more energy during times like these.  It'll get done and I'll take pictures. But not today.

The kids and I had a business meeting yesterday.  We assigned tasks and made a chart so that theoretically, I can save my voice by not walking around the house telling people what to do. So far, it's helping somewhat-- but it's only the first day. I really wish they would let me video tape times like our meeting yesterday.  They are hilarous.  We really need to do a reality show. :) Maybe next time, I'll do a hidden camera thing. We'll see.

I signed up for Google Voice.  I was really dreading having to change my cell phone number *again*. This way,  once I get to MI, I can give the school and anyone else I want to have it, the Google number and they will be able to make a local call-- it'll ring on my cell phone just the same. One less headache I have to have of making sure people get the phone number change. It's all good.

Tomorrow, all projects are on hold long enough for us to go and see Eclipse. Tonight, I sleep.

Favorite Pizza!

I just realized that I never updated on the Favorite Pizza winner mentioned here on the post about the CeCe Winans cd.

My favorite pizza is from Pizza Hut. Thin crust, Veggie Lovers, no mushrooms, add pineapples. 

I chose MsAJ as the winner because she was the closest but I'm sending something to everyone who guessed. 
That's all... I've just been meaning to mention that for a while now.

I've started a blog about moving...

from a joyful heart is now a blog about moving.  If you are interested in following my ups and downs over the next few months as my family goes through another relocation >click here<.

School is over!

Done! 'Nuf said!

counting down...

Time flies, doesn't it? Three more days of an 8 week term -- that just came and went didn't it? 
I'm writing a paper and studying for a final. And then, after a good night's sleep, I'm going to have a day of card making! --a day of epic marathon-like proportions!!!
  I'll "see" you Friday with a lot of the cards that are already in my head, and I am trying to ignore. 
After writing my persuasive essay on the topic of why everyone should create an autobiographical scrapbook, it looks like I'll be working on that this summer too... Hahaha..  I persuaded myself even if no one else gets it! LOL!! Lots to talk about, lots to show. But not tonight. Tonight, actually it's this morning... I need to go to sleep. 
Psalm 4:8 ~ I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.


I know the picture is random, but I had to include a picture.  This is my favorite computer (say hi to Baby Mac)  and my favorite mug (given to me by Karen...) which is now broken. :( I'm so disappointed about that.  You can see tulips in the background.. they aren't purple, but we won't hold that against them, they're still tulips. Ok, I'm really going to bed... Be Blessed. Jacki... who is feeling better today, thank you! :) 

YOLANDA ADAMS LIVE - I'M GONNA BE READY

Sight beyond what I see
You know what's best for me
Prepare my mind, prepare my heart
For whatever comes, I'm gone' be ready

Strength to pass any test
I feel like I'm so blessed
With you in control, I can't go wrong
'Cause I always know, I'm gonna be ready

What a difference a day makes...

or a couple of weeks. LOL!! Let's see... so much has happened since the last time I posted.  I really don't have time to post now, but what the heck?!

• I never did show you what they got me for Mother's Day. It's a necklace that says "Jones 7" This is the name I gave our little bunch.  There is birthstone charm and a star charm.  They were pretty proud of themselves for picking this one out.  I'm proud too...

• My daughter graduated from high school.   Three down, two to go... 

• I ran away from home for a week alone.  I headed north, making stops in North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware, before returning home. Guess what I did? I went to the Apple store in Virginia.  I LOVE the Apple store... I wonder if they would hire me.  I might look into that... 

• I really wished I had a card to show you, but alas, I don't.  I have done some coloring here and there, but mostly I've been studying and writing.  This is the last week of classes. Yup, week number 7 of my 8 week session with week 8 as finals week. I can only see one thing in my near future. I'm writing a persuasive essay for my composition class on scrapbooking.  I'll share it when it's done. The other class is a Psych class called Motivation and Leadership and it is kicking my butt, but I'm learning a lot! So far two B's.  I had a 98 average in the composition class until I had a technical error last week in uploading my rough draft of my essay.  I'm sorry, I still can't talk about that without crying. :( 

And if my life needed any more excitement... Are you sitting down?  I have some news... Ready?? 

• My husband accepted a position in Battle Creek Michigan and we're heading back up north (to freeze).  The good news is, we are going back to the place we moved from three years ago and already have lots of friends there. The bad news is, I've been talking about looking for a job once this session of classes is over.  That means, I won't be able to sit by the fire on snow days and watch everyone else struggle to get to work when it snows. That is, unless I can find a job that involves telecommuting. -- that is not something I'm opposed to.  P.S. I hate snow. 

• The good thing about the cold weather is I'll read more, cause I ain't going out from November 'till June. :) AT least as soon as school is done next week, I can finally relax ( hahaha) and read the new book Heart of the Matter, by one of my favorite authors, Emily Giffin.  I pre-ordered it and it's been here for a few weeks now.  I dare not start reading it until school is done, or that book will have cost me a couple thousand dollars by the time I fail the class.  Her writing is engaging. The characters will become your friends and you can't walk out on your friends, right? Once I've started a book of her, I didn't put it down until I was finished. By the way, Her first two books are currently being made into a movie. The cover design is originally what attracted me to  Love the One You're With.  Once I read it, I went back to see what else she had written.  I haven't read Heart of the Matter as I said, but I've heard it is as good as the rest.  I just remember when I read each of them, nothing else got done until I was finished... sometimes including sleep. 

       
Something Borrowed

Something Blue

Baby Proof

Love the One You're With

What's with me taking so many pictures of myself lately?

Sharing some pictures...

I have some Mother's Day stuff to post but I want to get to a certain point in my course work this week before I take the time to do an actual blog post.  I uploaded a bunch of pictures of me and the kiddies this weekend and I thought you might be interested in seeing them.

Mother's Day Album

A long time ago, I put aside a few photos to do a Mommy and me page for each of their scrapbooks. I'm still going to do that one day.  I don't get in a lot of pictures and was pretty surprised that I had so many of me with them. 

Come back in a few days. Choosing Joy (inspite of the fact that I am not able to do anything but course work these days. :) )