For Deb... ♥

Here is the card I made for my son's graduation party/dinner. Deb thought I should post at least the finished product... here you go!!! :-)

Here is the front of the card

Side view so you can see the numbers pop off card.

Inside with information...

Catch Up.....

So much has been going on in my life for the past month. The silence in updated posts is probably a dead giveaway for that though huh?? I have been doing one thing after another for at least three weeks now. I had a friend use our home for her daughter's birthday party. Then the next day we used it for a bridal shower for another friend. Then I had a women's retreat to put together for our church. I was the head of the hospitality team and there was a lot of last minute things to accomplish before the retreat, which was the following weekend. :-) What was I thinking right?? Actually it was not as bad as it all sounds, just busy.

The retreat was a huge success. We had 60 women attend and all of them were changed in some way as they met with God and were open to His leading in their lives.

I am having a small break in time right now, therefore the post.

I do however have cleaning to do for a party we will be having here at the house in 10 days. You see, my son is graduating from high school and then three days later will be leaving for Japan on his mission trip for 5 weeks.

Those of you who know me and my husband know how incredibly close we are to our kids. Ryne being the first one out of the nest is extra difficult for us right now. We are extremely happy for him, but it is also bittersweet for us. When he returns, he will be home for 4 days then off to Colorado then home for another 4 days then off to the Czech Republic for another mission trip. And if that were not enough, he will be leaving to college shortly thereafter. That part might be easy after our summer!! LOL

I am glad to have such a well rounded kid that he has security in our relationship and in himself to feel comfortable leaving to go so far away. He loves the adventure. Not sure where he gets that since we are both "homebodies". haha

I am trying to finish up school with my daughter.... poor thing, she is feeling a little left out right now. School has been on the back burner, so this week we will be busting through some things in order to finish so we can have some type of summer.

As for crafting.... I did get out a few graduation dinner invitations. They were super cute. I also made a few thank you notes and some birthday cards. I need to make some graduation cards for all my sons friends, so the classroom is quite a mess until that is finished. :-) That is okay though. This way I have an excuse to go in there and play. :-)

As I was making the invitations I thought of what my SIL would do. She would take pictures of the whole process. Believe me, I wanted to, but I was just so darn proud I got them done that I did not want to push the envelope any.. (haha - no pun intended)

So..... I hope to have more fun this summer and post a few exciting things, instead of writing them down AFTER they all happen. If there is anyone reading that was wondering how we have been and why the down time, I hope this post fills you in on everything. (Minako)

My love to you all

Liz ♥

Want to say hello to my new friend------

Thanks Deb for the fun gadget idea...

Anyone else want to add it, look here

for some fun blog gadget fun. ;-)

What kind of person are you?

Are you an introvert or an extrovert? Do you enjoy being around people all the time and being the center of attention, or does the very thought of this make your skin crawl?

I have been wondering some things lately about myself. I am very much an extrovert, but I do have introvert tendencies. I think most of us can be both. After a while I need time to just sit alone and be still from too much excitement. When people (like me) who are extroverts do this, others think we are upset or sad about something. They don't know how to react to us.

What do people think when an introvert becomes outgoing? Do they think they are just in a really great mood or something? Or do they even notice as much? Not sure, maybe you can help me with this mind boggling question. :-)

Just a thought for Tuesday......

Ballet..... what does this word mean to you?

Here at our house it means many hours of rehearsals along with lots of emotions. At least lately it has, since we have been getting ready for Savannah's Grade 3 exams.

My daughter has been doing RAD Ballet for 3 years now and we are forever hooked. It takes lots of time and a serious attitude about dancing, but it is worth it.

Below gives you a brief idea about what RAD is......

With over 13,000 members' spread across 79 countries, The Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) is one of the largest and most influential dance education and training organisations in the world.

The Academy's patron is HM Queen Elizabeth II. RAD Membership supports the advancement of dance and includes professional dancers, students, teachers, benefactors and friends.

Established in 1920, to improve standards and re-invigorate dance training initially within the UK, the Academy helps and encourages its teachers to perfect their teaching skills and pass on this knowledge to their students.

There are currently over 1,000 students in full-time or part-time teacher training programmes with the Academy and each year, the examination syllabus is taught to more than a quarter of a million students worldwide.

The Academy maintains close links with all those involved in the industry, at every level. From the internationally recognised 'Faculty of Education' degree programmes to those younger students participating in our summer schools. At whatever age or stage, anyone with an appreciation of classical ballet and jazz is able to participate in the work of the Academy.

Each class has its own syllabus that is taught in every studio around the world. Therefore no matter where we live, if Savannah wants to continue in ballet, she can pick up the same exact lessons no matter where she lives. Also, in Great Britain they have her registered and track all of her accomplishments in each grade level. So, as she moves up the ladder, they will know where she should be and how well she has done at each level. The Queen herself actually signs her certificate of completion (it is a stamped signature, but still, pretty cool!!)

This next year in Grade 4 we are hoping she will actually go "on pointe" (toe shoes). This is something she has been looking forward to for a while now. Actually i think every little girl thinks of ballet that way. The ballerina spinning around on the tips of her toes.

Here is Savannah with her partner and her instructor before entering the exam room

A little pose in their character skirts.

Another pose.

Since the exams are closed and only the examiner and the pianist are allowed to enter the room, Miss Kelly (her instructor) gives the girls two chances to show their work to their families throughout the year. Once at Christmas time with the classic Nutcracker and then another summer performance which changes each year. This summer they will be performing The Wizard of Oz. Should be fun for them all. Stay tuned for rehearsal pics and maybe some sneak peaks of costumes.... ;-)

Worship

Just sitting here on a late Friday night listening to my husband's awesome voice upstairs as he is worshiping our Creator. So nice. I love it when he has time to just sit and sing.... :-) ♥

Relaxing day to read..... maybe!!

I had the day all planned out for reading the latest book from my favorite author...

But, I have kids and sometimes they have needs that require my attention... :-)

My son's truck needed a jump because we thought the battery was dead, so I spent my morning and into the afternoon getting that taken care of since he had to work... all to find out he needs a new starter. Thankfully we have a friend who not only can fix cars, he is very generous to fix ours as well. So, Tim will be headed that way tomorrow to get that fixed with Ryne.

Back to my day..... time to read now. For those of you who are curious, my all time favorite author is Francine Rivers. She is a Christian fiction author and I adore her writing style. I learn so much about history and God through her books. She has not had a new release in about 4 years, maybe longer, so you can see why I am a bit anxious to get started..

Until next time... :-)