My life, my love, my reality...

Just playing around

Yesterday, I picked up a new camera.  My old one, which I got probably 6 years ago from Dan as a birthday present, is getting bad. And it is slow.  So, I did a little research online and decided on this one:

The Canon Powershot SD750.  Gorgeous.  I played around with it yesterday in the office and at home and we came up with these pictures:

Prego Sarah...almost done!

Me....not working! Bwahahahaaha!

Picture time with me and Madi

Madi upset because I wouldn't let her play with my new camera.  Don't worry sweetie, I have an old one you can destroy! LOL!

One of the coolest features on this camera is that I can switch it to a KIDS/PETS scene.  I will probably be using that scene a lot since Madi moves a ton when I am trying to take a picture of her.  There is even a Beach scene, fireworks scene, indoor, nighttime, portrait, underwater, aquarium.....seriously awesome.  I have been reading my manual to figure out all the tricks and get the best use out of this camera. 

Tonight Dan and I are going on a date night! Woo Hoo! We have a movie and restaurant giftcard that we  haven't used yet, so we are super excited to get some time in with just the two of us.  We so enjoyed that time alone last week so we are really going to try super hard to do it at least once every other week.  You gotta spend time with your spouse.  You have to. 

Speaking of spouse, last night we had a heartfelt conversation about ministry.  I have been so proud of my husband and how far he has come in reaching his goals and dreams in becoming a pastor.  But I can't say that it hasn't taken a toll on our family, and maybe a little bit of my pride too.  You see, when your husband is a pastor, many people need him.  Often times he is stretched emotionally because of the amount of people coming to him with issues and needs and problems.....and they want Dan to help solve them or pray for them.  This isn't a bad thing, it comes with the territory and I completely understand that and I am okay with it.  It just gets hard when your poor husband is so worn out from hearing other peoples concerns and frustrations and it is hard to voice your own because you don't want to burden him with anymore. 

I feel as if ministry hasn't been exactly an exciting thing for me.  In fact, Sundays have easily become the most dreaded day of the week.  This hasn't always been so for me.  Before Dan, I served as a high school youth sponsor at my church, went to church on Sunday evening and to a midweek service.  I loved Sundays and I thoroughly enjoyed a fresh and beautiful relationship with God.  Often I find myself reflecting on how things used to be and how I wish that I could be that same girl again.  Happy in her walk with the Lord, serving wholeheartedly and without hinderance. And the added bonus, a marriage to an amazing man.  But we all know that sometimes, life does get in the way.  Or at least we allow it to get in the way.  After having Madi, it has been a little harder to fulfill Dan's expectations of what he would like when it comes to serving in the college group.  I find it so hard to do more than just show up.  Say hi to students, then afterwards go pick up Madi from the nursery and get her home for bed.  I feel rushed and frustrated and impatient and forced.  It is an awful feeling. But I want to please my husband.

Which is why we had our conversation.  He wanted to make sure I was okay.  I expressed my frustrations, not just those listed above but other things that I won't get into.  And I so appreciated it.  And it makes me look forward to spending more time with him.  Because I know that no matter what, he has my best interests in the forefront of his mind and his heart. Love that man.

Okay, enough rambling for today.  I need to get back to work.  Today we are going to lunch with my friend Sarah as it is her last full day at work since she is going on Maternity Leave.  I can't wait until she has her baby boy.  

I will write on Monday.

Tiff~ 

This will be a sort of rambling post

So many different things going on in my head and my heart. But first, can I just start off by saying that last night's game with the Lakers and the Celtics had to be the most depressing thing I have ever witnessed in sports history.  Of course if I were a Laker fan, which I am not, I am not even a basketball fan.....I would be really upset for my team.  However, how cool was it for  Kevin Garnett!  I mean I was feeling really emotional for the guy. Finally his dreams of winning a championship have come true.  I am happy for him.  My hubs called me a traitor, but he had to agree that even he felt happy and emotional for the team.

Anyway, so after the game was over and I got Madi down without a fuss for her bedtime and we said our prayers together, I was off scrapping!  This is the first time I have been able to do any layouts since coming home from vacation, so it was a nice treat for me.  Plus Dan was sitting really close by studying for his message on Sunday so it was nice I didn't have to scrap without my buddy next to me. Here is what I managed to get done:

A card using those fabulous Inkadado cupcake  stamps I picked up at Scrapbooking Oasis last week.  Love them!

A birthday card for my sister Sheena, whom I mentioned in yesterday's post.

A quick 8 1/2 x 11 layout (a size I rarely do, but I had lost my mojo for awhile and it helped jump start some creativity.) Just to play with products and put them on paper, even if it doesn't look stellar totally helps me!

Another 8 1/2 x 11 layout of things I love.  Such a fun layout to put together.

This morning, I actually woke up on time and was able to get into work a little after 8am.  It was nice to have a few moments to myself, to sip on some coffee, read my email and pray.  I work at a Christian University, so one of the perks is that often our Dean has us come into the conference room to pray together as a group.  I have been a little overwhelmed to say the least this past week, so I definitely needed a refresh of Him.  And speaking of emotional, our Dean spoke in regards to Luke 10:21-27: the most pivotal part of the passage that we are first to Love the Lord with all of our heart and we are then to love our neighbors as ourselves. 

The passage also talked about how God has revealed his mysteries not to those of status, of wealth and stature....but to those who are pure in heart.  With a humble spirit...who realize that their "holiness" so to speak is nothing but filthy rags.....but by the grace of God we can be pure in His sight.....by accepting the gift of His son Jesus Christ. 

I don't know why, but the image of my daughter popped up when she spoke about those who were humble and pure in heart.  My daughter last night as I got her a cup of milk before bed folded her little hands and began praying for her family.  I could distinctly make out Uncle Ken and Cassie and her cousin Jenna.  Dan and I looked at each other and we smiled.  God has revealed Himself to our daughter, and  we hope we have honored God by showing her to seek Him in everything, even if it is just saying a small prayer before getting a cup of milk.  A little child will lead them as the bible says.  I am learning more about the love of  Christ through my daughter than anywhere else, aside from God's word.

I have been thinking too about my own spiritual journey, especially this year.  I feel as if my faith has been hit hard.  Today in our weekly meeting, the Dean challenged us with this question: "What is in the hidden places of our heart?"

*gulp* I mean, I have to search deep to see what is hidden so deep in there, that sometimes keeps me from seeking God with all of my heart, for wanting to keep Him at a safe distance.  If He gets too close, I fear that I will be unpresentable in His sight and the vision will be ugly.  I do realize He loves me and will continue to pursue me....for I am His daughter....but it can be scary to stop serving yourself, and start serving God.  The bible says you cannot serve two masters.  And I know it has not been God who I have been loyal to.

Well, I think that is enough rambling for now.  Tonight, I hope to really dig deep and answer this question.  I will share the results with all of you as soon as God reveals what He needs to reveal.  May you all have a wonderful evening.

Tiff~

A little Father's Day update

So on Sunday June 15th it was Father's day.  I was lucky enough to get to spend it with both my parents and my husband's parents.  And they are both remarkable men.  First, I stopped by my parent's house with Madi in tow to spend some time with my family.  Madison was really happy to see her Grandma and Grandpa, and they were excited to see her.  My mom has been sick the last few weeks so it has been harder to go visit them.  But all in all we got to hang out and share a laugh as Madi went on a 10 minute presentation showing us all how loud she can be.  :) Gotta love it!

Then we headed over to my InLaws house for lunch.  As usual, great food and fun hanging out with the nieces and nephew and the rest of the family.  Madi is so lucky to have her grandparents.  And I am so lucky to still have my family close by.  I can't imagine what it would be like if/when we have to move and perhaps even far away. I didn't take any pictures on Sunday, but I took a mental picture.  I am truly blessed.

And today is a special day because it is my sister Sheena's 26 Birthday! She and I are 10 1/2 months apart and so for a month and a half we are the same age.  =)  Kind of cool eh?  Here is a picture of my gorgeous sister:

The brunette is Sheena.  Happy Birthday Sheena!

Back from Vacay!

Our little family is back from vacation. We had such a good time!  Here is a little run-down of what we did all last week:

June 9th: We arrived at Newport Dunes around 1pm.  We unloaded our car first and then headed out for lunch.  We stopped at Joe's Crab Shack and had some delicious crab cakes and for Madi Chicken fingers.  I love that place.  Probably quickly becoming one of my fave places to eat.

After lunch we took Madi home to take a little nap.  Well, we attempted to get her down for a nap, but it seriously wasn't happening. Sooo we headed out to Fashion Island. 

We stopped by the man made lagoon and checked out the fish swimming around.  Madi had pure joy on her face....and man were those fish big!

After we were done looking at fish, Madi spotted a carousel and just HAD to go on it! 

How happy does she look!  Her poor daddy had to go on it because I get a little too sick on rides that go around and around.  hehe!

We stopped into Barnes and Noble and I bought a couple of magazines and a book to read.  Btw, I finished said book in a day and a half.  I am a fast reader.  And I can totally tell you what the book was about too, only it would take a really long time because that book is part of a series of other books and there is a lot of history.  I can't just tell you the story and not give you the history. You would be sorely confused.

June 10th: Dan's parents picked up Madison so DH and I could have some alone time.  Seriously amazing.

First had lunch at Sharky's

Took a stroll around the beach

Had some coffee and shared a kiss.  Awesome

Later that evening, Dan HAD to watch the Laker game.  So we headed out to the Yard House at 4pm (2 hours before the game was supposed to start).  By the time it was 6, the place was packed and in constant activity.  It was a lot of fun! Good food and drinks, great company.  I completely enjoyed myself while hanging out with my hubby.  I think he really liked it too. He told me I was more my old self, which kind of disappeared after Madi was born.  I am going to have to figure out a way to change that.  Anyway, great night...Lakers won!

Then we headed home.......

June 11th: Dan and I got up and went to the beach!  I mean the actual beach, with waves and sand. Gorgeous weather and oh so much fun!

Gotta love the ocean!

And the sand.  Only to be completely honest, I don't really like sand.  I hate the feeling on my skin.  I know I am probably the only California girl who hates sand, but it is true. But my shoes look cute huh?

Oh and don't forget this hot guy...my date.  He actually hates it when I take random pictures of me.  And he hates it when I try to post them on myspace. But he doesn't read my blog....so he can't stop me! Bwahahahaha!

We totally acted like teenagers and ran into the waves and were pushing each other and picking on people who wiped out on their surfboards. Ha!  No I can't surf, but you know, its funny!

For lunch we ate at the Crab Cooker.  So yummy! 

Saw this sign and loved it.  Loved the message behind it.

Take 1

Take 2

And take 3! Good enough!

And how cool is this...Dan allowed me to check out Scrapbooking Oasis and I bought a whole bunch of goodies from there. Nice store.  If I am ever in the need for a little trip to the LSS, I will try to stop there once in awhile.  Found some great stuff I don't normally do at my LSS. 

Later that night, my in-laws brought Madi home and we had a little barbeque. Here is my happy little girl:

She is so gorgeous!

She wanted to take a pic with her mommy.  I was only happy to oblige.

Family photo with the view of the harbor behind us. Gorgeous.

June 12th: Disneyland! Enough said.  We don't get to use our passes enough so we had to take advantage of it!

Pirates Arrrgh!

Had lunch at this awesome place across from where they make the bread bowls and clam chowder. *I can't remember the name of the restaurant* Anyway, Dan and I had these awesome Monte Cristo Sandwiches. Awesome!

Ham and cheese, powdered sugar, fruit and a berry sauce to dip your sandwich in.  Delish! I had to share it with you all! 

After lunch we went on a few rides such as the carousel, Pinocchio, and Mr. Toads Wild Ride.  After Pinocchio, Madi said that the ride was scary.  So we didn't go on anymore after that.  We headed out towards Downtown Disney, and we stopped by the Disney store to pick up the movie "The Little Mermaid" for Madi.  I wanted to get it before it went into the vault.  All you Disney lovers know what I mean by the Vault.  Dan didn't believe me that it really existed, but oh is it true.

Oh and Madi did some dancing for us at Disneyland!

Happy girl! She loves to dance. Oh and don't mind the macaroni and cheese stains she has on her shirt from lunch.  Of course, you can't even imagine the number of parents who gave me dirty looks....as if I dressed her in dirty clothes. Please people!

Since it was Thursday night and that means, yes, another Laker game. We stayed indoors and had pizza.  Only it wasn't such a great night because the dang Lakers lost even though they had a stinking 20+ point lead over the Celtics in the first half! But I always told Dan they sucked so.......bwahahaha! just kidding.  I like to harass him because he gets so intense in his games.  Love it!

June 13th: Our last full day at Newport Dunes and we decided to take Madi down to the dunes to play in the sand.  It was kind of chilly so we didn't stay long.  But she loves being outside and playing with sand.

Isn't she the cutest thing alive? We had so much fun outside and hanging out together.  We decided to grab some lunch and hang out together.  Madi took a nap this time exactly at 12, which was a miracle because the whole dang trip she refused to take a nap! Then we had our final dinner at Joe's Crab Shack.

The view from our table

Joe's Crab Shack team dancing it up

Photo with me and Madi

Yummy. 

I mean the bucket load of crab people. Gosh...get your minds out of the gutter! ;-)

Madi and Daddy checking out the view. 

All in all, it was a fabulous vacation.  We would definitely do it again.  It is good to be back home though.  Only maybe if I didn't have to do all that laundry! Arrgh! 

Have a great day guys. 

And one more post!

This is for my friend Sarah, who is having a baby shower tomorrow but at work we decided to throw her one as well.  Sooooo here are a few pics:

Probably one of the cutest pregos I have ever seen.

She loves cake!  Actually, we all love cake.....lol!

Isn't that cake so cute?  Costco People...and man was it delicious!  I had two slices. That was probably because I didn't have lunch as I was trying to help get Sarah's party ready.  But it was completely worth the sacrifice.  And I got to eat cake!

And that's it for pictures!  I will take some of her "real" shower tomorrow, but I won't be able to post until the following Monday after my vacation.  Oh man I can't wait! 

Love to you all!

Tiff~

Goodbye for a whole week blog world!

The Harper family is going on vacation.  I am super duper excited.  Finally, some real time away from the office and the stresses of life.  All DH and I have to do is lay out, play with Madi and eat.  My in-laws have offered to take Madi for one night so Dan and I can have a date night.  Some alone time is definitely needed for me and Dan. 

And look what I purchased yesterday:

The Scor-Pal that I purchased at my LSS.  For anyone who makes cards.....it is a must.  I used it yesterday to make a card for someone and I am in love. My scoreline came out perfectly.  And no weird creases on my paper.  I love that.  Completely worth the money!  *smile*  Now I love making cards. Probably going to make some more tonight! 

Oh and speaking of creating.....I cleared out my scrap area.  Did I take pictures....no, because it was like 12 in the morning.  But I used the organizational pieces that I ordered from Target (this and this and this) and off I went to organize my space.  After I was done....I had to start scrappin!  I love having a clean and organized space.  It makes me oh so happy.  Hence the reason why I am itching to play with my goodies tonight.  I think I will need another cart so I can put my Studio Calico kits in there separate from the stash that I buy at my LSS.  It was only $30 which is a plus.  I fit a lot of goodies in there! 

Now onto a serious note, if I could ask for prayer for a friend.  She found out some news the other day and is really upset by it.  I don't blame her.  I won't go into details on this blog but please, if you come across and read this.....pray for my friend Kelly! 

Pray that God would continue to show He is sovereign, regardless of the outcome or of the circumstances

*That He would continue to show that He will never leave her or abandon her in her pain.  That He is gracious, good, loving and the one who seeks our hearts.  That He absolutely loves her.

*For her to lean on Him during this time, as hard as it might be and to not be afraid to voice her frustration or disappointment to God.  He can handle it! 

*That there will be others who will love her and help her carry this burden.

Thanks Bloggy friends!  Have a great weekend and I will see you in a couple of weeks!

Tiff~

Happy Hump Day!

I am sooo glad it is finally Wednesday.  That means only a couple more days until Friday, a day I am so looking forward to. 

Last night I told you all that I was going to try and get some scrapping done.  Mission accomplished. I finished a card for a certain person.  *Pam, if you read this....you say NOTHING! =)*

Here is the card:

The prego stamp is called Pregabella from the oh so fabulous Stamping Bella.  I had bought a few of the Bellas from her awhile ago and I finally got to play around with it.  I colored her in with my copic markers that I purchased from Eclectic Paperie and I used Crate Paper's Blue Hill collection.  And as you can see I used my Threading Water border punch....fabulous!

Next layout is of me and Madi in our shades:

I had a sketch, but I didn't follow it at all.  Used some Heidi Swapp flowers and the paper and other embellishments are fromStudio Calico's May Kit.  I love their kits.  They are always gorgeous and I always get tons out of them.

It is a good thing that I was able to get some time alone, because today started off really crappy! Pardon my french people, but seriously.  I woke up at 7:30am. Had to get dressed, get Madi ready for her babysitter's and then I had to stop for gas.  Only when I stopped for gas and grabbed my purse, I realized that my wallet was not in there! WHAT!  I am seriously trying to rack my brain to figure out what the heck I did with my wallet.  I have a feeling I left it at Madi's daycare.  Please Lord let it be there! Otherwise, I am screwed!

Dan and I plan on having a nice dinner at home tonight.  I told him I was craving steak.  Nope, not prego.....just really want some steak.  Because it sounds delicious.  We also discussed the Philippines on the phone today.  I was feeling really sad that I wasn't going to go with him when he leaves in July (for two weeks mind you!)  I really want to be with him.  He suggested that Madi and I go with him.  He leaves in  July....how the heck am I going to request time off to go to the Philippines for two weeks?  He suggested we talk about it and pray really hard!  I would hate to be without him for two weeks.  And I think it would be a great experience for Madi to see a different country (she would get her own passport and have a stamp that said she visited the Philippines and any other country we would have to stop in due to layover!)  What do you all think?  We are planning on having another baby by next year, so this may be the only time that we will be able to do this together until they are older.  Prayers and input are much appreciative (as long as you are not mean.

Well, that is all I got for right now.  Will post tomorrow!

Tiff~

Countdown to Vacation

It is Tuesday and we leave for Newport Dunes on Monday morning.....early Monday morning.  I am so stinking excited I can't even contain myself!  Dan and I desperately need this time away from work and life.  It will definitely be nice to refresh our spirit a little bit and get some R&R.  Oh and some sun too.  I am pasty white ya'll.

This weekend we didn't do too much.  I made a Michael's run on Friday evening while DH went to our local Lifeway Christian bookstore.  I wasn't expecting much from Michael's as I usually just browse through there and only pick up ribbon if I need it.  But lo and behold....there it was....the Fiskars Threading Water border punch that I had been searching FOREVER for.  I totally believe that people lied about it's existence as I had not seen it anywhere.  ANYWHERE.  So of course, I grabbed that baby fast as I noticed there were only two left.  I wasn't going to wait ten years for it ya'll. When you see something you really want and it is a hard find...you buy.  Let that be a lesson for all of you.

I bought a brand new album to store my layouts in.  I also bought Madi some new markers (washable) and a coloring book so she didn't feel left out in our shopping trip.  She loves going shopping with me and I love hanging out with her.  I have a feeling my poor DH is going to dread the words "we're going shopping" when she gets older.  *smile* The price you pay for having a little girl! LOL!

Dan bought a couple books at the Lifeway.  He is as bad as I am when it comes to shopping.  I bet you wonder how we do with our budget. Not good but thanks for asking. Ha!

And the rest of the weekend we did nada.

Oh and I realize that I have not posted any pictures on my blog in awhile.  I have been a very lazy picture taking person.  I haven't even taken pictures of my layouts!  I will try to do that before I go on vacation next week. 

Well, I got nothing else for you guys. Except check out this website if you are looking for some new stamps to play with.  Quickly becoming a new favorite.  Blessings!

Tiff~

Life has moved on

No more excitement on this end...thank God.  I have had a fabulous day at work and it is Friday.  Need I say anymore.  I think this weekend will be all about relaxing, hanging out with the family, and scrapbooking.  I want to get some projects done this weekend. 

I have a ton of layouts that I have done that I have not even taken pictures of.  I was going to enter the Scrapbooker of the Year contest at Creating Keepsakes, but I decided...the timing isn't right. And that is okay.  I think I will challenge myself in other ways and try out for design teams and contests.  Anything to push me creatively is what I need right now.  I am so thankful for an outlet.

Been spending sometime on the Two Peas website.  I rarely go over there because I hang out mostly at Studio Calico (those gals are hilarious), but there were a couple of threads at Two Peas that had me cracking up.  If I could remember the links I would post them, but I don't and.....they are might chatty over there and I can't quite keep up!

In the world of blogs today, I read this post.  My heart just breaks for this family.  Sometimes I ask God why He would allow things like this to happen so soon.  I often don't understand.  All I can do is spend time on my knees, seeking Him and His will.  Believing who He is and what He has done for me...you can't help but see the cross.  As painful as life can be sometimes, God is always there, even if we do not understand what is happening. 

On Myspace today I learned that a friend of mine lost her baby at 15 weeks.  My heart breaks for her because I have been there. I know how that feels. 

My prayer is that this weekend will bring comfort and peace and healing to those who are  hurting...and rest for those who need rest. Have a great weekend everyone.

Tiff~

Enough!

This will be the last time I mention the name My Girlfriend's Kitchen on my blog.  So those who are reading listen up.

I was not talking about the entire MGFK franchise.  It is horrible that those who are losing so much money, their homes etc are going through such a painful experience.  Had that been the plight of the store I went to, I surely would have been a little more considerate.  However; the specific franchise that I went to was not only closing their doors but opening up a brand new restaurant.  They themselves are to be the owners of the new restaurant.  She cannot afford to be rude, or curt to current or future customers.  I did talk to them an hour after the first post I made, and she was still rude. She was even rude the next day.  Please tell me how she plans to obtain business?

I know plenty about being compassionate to others.  I have seen bad things happen to good people more times than I care to recall. I would appreciate that only those who know me make a personal judgment against my character. Those who do not do not have the right to do so. Sorry, but free speech on my blog comments is not allowed. Whine all you want.

Furthermore, please take note that this is MY blog.  If I have a negative experience that I want to share on MY blog, then I am free to do so.  Should you not like what I have to say.....please leave.  This is not a public forum to leave behind your nastiness. It is unwelcome. 

I have deleted the previous posts not because I am embarrassed by what I had to say, but the absolutely unnecessarily mean comments left behind are taking away from the real reason I have a blog. 

This post is closed to comments, so sorry, you can't leave anymore of your ugliness here.  Please go make up your own forum and do it there.   

And one more thing, should you appear on my blog and are lame enough to leave a nasty comment and yet do not even have the guts to leave a REAL email address....then consider yourself deleted and blocked. I am a lady and I choose not to have a discussion in public or in the comments section of my blog. Sorry, but if you don't have any guts then please go elsewhere.  Please take your own advice and show compassion and be kind!

Thank you!