Drumroll please......

So, finally, as promised, pictures of my latest creations IN SILVER. It started yesterday actually when my husband, looking at yet more practice copper washers I was heartily pounding away on, said, "Copper makes your neck green." So, I had to look and yes, my neck was sporting a green line. So, I'd have to say I'm a purist. Silver and white gold for me. That was actually my goal all along(not to have a green neck, but to do silver stamping). It just took a little while to work up the courage. I mean a mess up on copper is only a few pennies down the drain (when you buy washers at your local hardware store). Silver on the other hand is increasing in value and I didn't want to risk messing up. But I did. I risked it. And I'm very pleased with the results. I still like the look of copper, but mixed with silver and definitely a silver chain!


Now, I'm wondering if I should do Etsy or just take orders from people I know and do them this way for a while. (If you're interested and would seriously consider purchasing pendants or a necklace, please let me know, leave a message. I'd love to hear your thoughts.) And one more thing. What should I call this new venture of mine? I'm going to do a surprise give away to my favorite inspiration for a name. Here are the pictures: (We had to do them inside tonight, so enjoy the flowers on our dining room table also!)



This will be a gift for someone special. :) Got the idea from her actually. (BTW, the shadow on the bottom is me taking the picture.)



This is a wedding gift for a dear friend I met in Costa Rica. Congrats April & David!



And this, the beginning of my own silver, memory jewelry collection. I have dear hubby's and my initials as well as two crystal beads of our favorite colors/birthstone colors. And the larger disc is Spanish, amado mío, meaning "my beloved".

Finally, hand-stamped copper pendants

Well, as promised, here are a few pictures of what I've been working on these days. They're not finished (they need necklaces or bracelets added to them), but they've been fun. And hopefully the recipients (who will immediately know who they are) won't be reading my blog before they get them. :) Anyway, it was great fun. I watched a video on beaducation.com (free) and also downloaded an ebook by tfakler off of Etsy in addition to taking a stamping class at Edy Beady's in Canton, Ohio. If you're interested in getting into this, I can share contacts/websites I've found, etc. Here are my latest pieces:



The Spanish word, Hope, also contains the idea of waiting. (If you're not waiting for it, you can't hope for it.)
A few pieces for some friends. :) For my mom. Her motto.
My latest favorite piece, copper hand-stamped, and embellished with moonstone (sparkly purplish bead) and jade.

I'm considering Etsy and maybe doing some to order. We'll see. It depends on how much interest there is.

Thankful Thursday/Happy Birthday Grandma Lorraine & Diego!!

I wanted to say a special Happy Birthday to Grandma Lorraine! August 13th! She shares her birthday with her great-granddog, Diego, who is a year old today!

I'm thankful for free tickets to Wednesday's Scrapper's game (Mahoning Valley Baseball) right behind home plate and beside the Scrapper's dugout. It was José's first live baseball game and we went with friends from church. José even got his picture taken with Scrappy the Bulldog!



See José with Scrappy! And to José's left are two of our friends from church!



Enjoying the game!

I'm thankful for getting my steel bench block in the mail so I can hammer away on metal stamping jewelry. (Stay posted for the latest, I'm practicing on copper and then hopefully on to sterling silver!)

I'm thankful for a great day off with hubby on Monday, we had a great time doing things together, "treasure hunting" at the Village. I think in all, I realize that GOD is the One Who Provides for every need, even before we ask (or start looking for it), it's there.

I read a chapter in a book called "Satisfy My Thirsty Soul" by Linda Dillow on waiting. I believe we're all waiting for something in life and while we wait, we suffer. It is hard to be denied the object of our desire. But I was once again reminded that waiting is God's way of drawing us closer to Him and that He would rather deny us our desires for a time so we can grow closer to Him than just give us what we want instantly, like He has the power to do!

Good stuff!

What are you learning? What are you thankful for?

Thankful Thursday (on Saturday)

I'm thankful for a few minutes this morning to sit down and reconnect with the online world. :)

I'm thankful for a great trip on Monday to Beulah Beach and God-ordained conversations which were of great encouragement.

I'm thankful for the opportunity last Sunday to share about our trip to Spain, both to share and to hear how God has worked in the others who went.

I'm thankful for a cookout at a good friend's house where we were able to further debrief about the Spain trip and encourage those who are soon departing to another wonderful place!

I'm thankful for a few hours this week to reconnect with my smart, wonderful, and eager to learn (even during summer vacation) Spanish students. And I'm looking forward to a "Mexican restaurant celebration" Spanish experience this week just before school begins.

I'm thankful for being able to catch up with family and friends on the phone this week!

I'm thankful for the opportunity to teach elementary aged girls how to make a simple bracelet or necklace for the craft portion of their camp-out. What creativity! It was great fun!

I'm thankful for being able to connect again with good ministry friends in the area, to share each other's burdens and be understood.

I'm thankful for being on the right time schedule this week and to be hungry at the right times. It really does make a HUGE difference!

I'm thankful for a great time of worship and preparation on Wednesday night and am looking forward to singing pretty regularly with the choir this fall.

I'm thankful for the energy to clean the house and get things in order. This time last year, we had just moved in and I was in the beginning of a year-long struggle with my thyroid, which mostly sapped my energy, my motivation, and after many doctors visits, sapped the "extra" we had stashed away.

I want to praise the Lord for bringing stability to my physical health and for feeling great, back to normal, and like myself again, after a year!

Thankful Thursday (Late Night Edition)

This week, I'm thankful for sleep. (Jet lag is lingering still).

I'm thankful for God's specific provision for something José and I have been praying for since just before we left for Spain. It's always a sweet moment when we realize that it was GOD at work in the details of our lives.

I'm thankful for the great surprise of coming home from Spain to a newly sealed deck! How wonderful!! (Thanks Jack!)

I'm thankful for having had the opportunity to reconnect with college friends in Spain as well as to see their work.

I'm thankful for having the opportunity to experience life in Spain through the eyes of a Spanish man who graciously opened his home to us and spent hours talking with us and answering our questions.

I'm thankful for a God who is never late, always on time, and who loves us more than we can ever know.

Wonderful Wordless Wednesday - La Puerta de Alcalá, Madrid, Spain

Spain, Jet Lag, and other thoughts

After an exciting and amazing 16 days, we're back from Spain! We left on July 10th and arrived in Madrid on July 11th. Talk about messing with your mind. On the plane on the way there, they told us that we should close our blinds because it would get light early. I woke up around 2am Ohio time which was 8am Madrid time, and it was bright, amazing, and we were above the clouds. I still can't fathom how it works, I mean I know the world rotates and the time is adjusted accordingly, but on Saturday, we had pretty close to 20 hours of sunlight. We got back home around 4am Sunday morning Madrid time (10pm the Saturday night before, Ohio time). See what I mean. You're falling asleep, but it's not late enough yet, so you try coffee or anything really to try and stay away just a little longer. It's working pretty well so far, and we're finally unpacked, clothes clean and everything put away. Now only to get started on emails and pictures! We'll be probably keeping odd hours this week (jet lag tends to last 1 day per hour of time difference, which would be 6 for us). So, until later! Thanks for praying! We'll be sending glimpses of our time in Spain in the next days and weeks!

Thankful Thursday

Wow, what a whirlwind week! There seem to have been a lot of those lately. It's nice to sit down and take a few minutes to be thankful. We heard a sermon on Sunday (by my amazing husband) on remembering the good God has done, so this week, that's what I want to focus on.

I'm thankful for God's provision in all of the details for our trip to Spain.

I'm thankful for friends who will take care of our little doggy, Diego, and water the plants.

I'm thankful for both José and I being in good health.

I'm especially thankful for God's miraculous healing of José's arthritis. (He is completely well!)

I'm thankful for the growth that intensity in life brings.

I'm thankful for Jesus who has already won the victory for us on the cross!

Here are a few links you may be interested in:

José's sermon: http://www.northmarchurch.com/sermons/July%205%202009.mp3
Victory song "The Desert Song": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QemZQKKJbRU

Thankful Thursday with LOTS of pictures!

Well, it's Thursday again. Funny marking my weeks with a day in the middle.

I'm thankful for the rain. I know, weird to say in rainy NE Ohio, but it's really made the basil, spearmint, cilantro, garlic-y-chives, thyme and oregano grow like crazy and it's delicious!!
I'm SO thankful for the wonderful flavors of the basil, chives and cilantro (which are ready to cut and eat). We had a delicious tomato, onion salad last night with chives, cilantro and a little basil topped with a squeeze of lime juice and salt. YUMMY!

I'm thankful to have had a wonderful time with missys during last week's Missions Impact Weekend (that went all week long). It was great to connect and we were encouraged as I pray were they.

I'm thankful for a good friend who helped me (with MUCH patience!!) sew a dress and a shirt (I'm working on a second shirt which isn't yet finished yet). THANKS Heather! I seriously couldn't have done it without you!

I'm thankful for being able to learn a new jewelry technique last week (I skipped a week, so I figured I'd stick a few more in). I went with another pastor's wife and we learned how to do metal stamping! Yes, it's also addictive, but best of all, very stress relieving as you pound on a piece of metal. The pearl/copper necklace has my initials. :) It was a LOT of fun! And the second necklace with the copper washer has the words: AMOR, COMPROMISO, LIBERTAD which José and I also have inscribed on the inside of our wedding rings. (Notice also the butterfly and the GREEN swarovski crystal). The bracelet with the faith pendant is still a work in progress. Here are they are!


I'm thankful to be packed for Spain. Only days now! I'm excited we're able to take this trip together and am anticipating great things from God during our time in Madrid and Barcelona. Notice the confused puppy who's wondering what's going on!

I'm thankful for a great team going to Spain!

I'm thankful also for good friends who will watch and play with Diego while we travel!

Thanks for reading! It may be a little while, but I will be posting Spain pics as I'm able!!!

Thankful Thursday (on Saturday)

What can I say? It's been a full week. We're trying to catch up after a great week of VBS, and get as much done before Missions Impact "Weekend" (that has been going on since this morning and will continue until next Saturday). Our church does three such Weekends per year in lieu of an annual week long missions conference. This has proven to be more effective in getting people involved as well as keeping missions before them more continually. This would have to be one of the reasons I'm thankful this week. I love getting to know the international workers who come and share with us! It's a huge privilege to be by my husband's side and to participate in one of the ways we partner with others to hasten the coming of our Lord while encouraging them in missional living.

I'm also thankful for several good friends here in Ohio. This is something we prayed for before moving almost a year ago in August.

I'm thankful to be teaching Spanish again to a few eager and excited kids. I had forgotten how much I love to teach Spanish. (I love teaching, and am realizing that it's also another creative outlet for me as I prepare lessons and activities!)

Continue to be in prayer for us and for our team (8 of us ) going to Spain in a few weeks. We've all had major health issues since signing up for the trip and have also had multiple obstacles to overcome. We desire so much to be light in a dark place.