I have left the 3's!

Well on Tuesday I had to get my Driver's License renewed. We have to renew them every 5 years here. So I was thinking about how much life has changed for me in the past 5 years.


Five years ago:

...........I was 35 years old, here's my last DL picture (I know it's a crummy picture but see my short hair?)

...........I had a newborn baby. Our youngest was just 2 months old (thus the pudgy face in the above picture...!

...........I was on mat leave, but both my husband and I were in a very difficult working environment, it was in a lot of ways a toxic working situation organizationally and relationally.

...........We left said employer, it was not a happy exit - in fact pretty ugly; then we were asked to come on staff with our church working as Youth Pastors with students. It was a renewed calling that we both love and threw ourselves into passionately - as we serve God and kids and families we love.

............I became an SU Demo and built a wealth of great relationships and a chance to express my creativity

............I started posting cards on Splitcoast in June of 2007 after my husband's cancer treatment. Life's too short to wonder if you are *creative enough*. I just wanted to enjoy creating!

..........JulieHRR asked me to be a part of the Dirty Dozen Design Team and my creative world grew a happy garden! I built some wonderful friendships in the sisterhood of the DD

.........In the time span of 3 years I became very ill and had to have 2 surgeries and a month of recovery; the next year my husband was diagnosed with a rare form of Cancer, but it was treatable and he had chemotherapy, about 6 weeks of isolation and is in remission! Then last spring my husband tore his quad muscle tendon separating his knee joint from his quad muscle, this meant surgery, 1 week in the hospital and then 6 weeks with no weight on his RIGHT leg (no lifting it, driving etc...guess who became the family chauffeur?).

It's been quite a five years. Some wonderful beautiful things that I'm incredibly grateful for...some rather painful ones I would not have chosen. A lot of people dread turning 40. In fact my husband asked me on Tuesday morning how it felt to be on my last day of my 30's. I replied "well, 39 wasn't always so good to me, so I'm ready for the 4's!"

Beth (MyPrecious) had a great post on her blog of 40 things she wanted to do before she was 40. Well, I wasn't that organized, but I have been thinking about that idea and I think I'd like to make a list of 40 things I'd like to do now that I'm 40.

Here are some (not 40 things yet) that I've come up with:

1. Build and continue to discover deeper depths in my walk with Christ. God has a lot of work to do in me in the year ahead, a lot of places of healing, a lot of places of deepening. I have always desired to be fully His, and I think He's taking me to places in these next month's that are making that more real. I think for me...these are years ahead of rebuilding.

2. See my children thrive in their growing up years...help them become more of themselves, more of who God is calling them to be.

3. Love my husband - deeper, wiser, with a more sacrificial heart. Time is so precious. We've learned that in so many ways in 5 years. I don't want to take it - or him for granted.

4. Carve out more space for me that includes stillness, silence, places of restoration from our busy world.

5. Healthier patterns...I'm not gettin' any younger! So, healthier eating, and more exercise and to finally lose ALL those baby pounds!

Well, that's a start! What about you? If you look back on the last 5 years of your life, what are some common themes? What about your next 5 years...who are you becoming and who do you want to be? There's a great song by Switchfoot called "This is Your Life" that I love. Some of the lyrics are:

This is your life, are you who you want to be?

This is your life, is it everything you dreamed that it would be?

When the world was younger and you had everything to lose.

Don't close your eyes

The idea for me is that you don't get a second chance, don't miss it because this is it, are you who you want to be? That really challenges me.

OK...enough preaching. Here IS a creative project I haven't shown you yet...I am privelaged to be a part of the Product Review Team over at Splitcoast and we review different products each month. Yesterday another review was unveiled for JustRite stamps of their new line of creative products. The review is HERE: and the creative projects by the team are really great and are HERE:

Here is one of mine projects using the Baking Ensemble from Just Rite. I created a sleeve for a mini Banana Bread loaf so it could be given as a gift. We really love Banana bread at our house (especially with Chocolate Chips :)) Whenever bananas are getting a little brown I throw them in the freezer for future banana bread.

The sleeve is 3 inches wide and 11 inches in length. I scored the sections in order to make a little *tote* for my bread. I wrapped the bread in waxed paper (I'd also wrap it in saran wrap too for giving to someone). I added ribbon around the bread and fed it though the word window hole in the top of my tote so my bread won't fall out.

I used the outside rim of the Just Rite Baking Ensemble stamp on my circle stamper to decorate the sections of the tote and added marker.

I LOVE the tag, it's my favourite part. I stamped the sugar label a second time on Kraft and trimmed it out, and added it on top, then I gave the spilled sugar some crystal effects and Dazzling Diamonds to make it more real. So CUTE! Some embellishments and it's a really cute gift!

Ok....nuff' for now. I still have lots to show you hopefully this week. And some exciting news too!

Recipe: Stamps: Just Rite Baking Ensemble Ink: Chocolate Chip, Real Red Paper: Real Red, Kraft, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White Accessories: Just Rite Round Circle Stamper, Striped Ribbon, Chocolate Chip Grossgrain, Gold Cording, Brads, Word Window Punch, Dazzling Diamonds, Scallop Circle Punch, SW Marker

Share:facebook - twitter - pinterest

I have left the 3's!