Easter Gifts for Jenny

How was your Easter?  I hope you had a great holiday with your family and friends!  My Easter was spent at church with a friend and with family/friends in the afternoon for brunch at a local restaurant.
I would have loved to have been volunteering in the nursery at church on Sunday because I just get a kick out of those little kiddos in all their Easter finery.  Although, it's a little hard changing their diapers when they are wearing three piece suits!  I heard they had a little egg hunt during the services, too! 
Well, I heard from Jenny that she finally received my Easter goodies sent via snail mail!  I learned a lesson about not sending a package priority mail.  It can take forever! She's been very patient and so sweet about it arriving later than Saturday, which was my original plan. 

Here's the tag I made Jenny - a sweet lamb image I found from a vintage card I bought in Arizona.   I kept it pretty simple yet colorful.

 

Jenny said she liked tulips so I found some fun tulip embellishments, a notepad, and a some other springtime goodies, including an antique doily. 

A cute chick pick for her garden or plant.  "Welcome Spring" - can you bring some sunshine now?  We've had enough rain for the May flowers to grow.  It's been pretty chilly in Nebraska as of late.

A little bunny for her to remember me by!

 

A nut cup basket I made with some goodies inside.  Baker's Chocolates are made in Nebraska and melt in your mouth!  Yum!

It been really great getting to know Jenny! Her heart is full of God's love! Glad we've become friends thanks to Sandy matching us up. Have a great day!

Happy Resurrection Sunday!

Happy Easter my friends!  I hope you are having a wonderful Sunday celebrating with your familes and enjoying the beautiful Spring weather!
I'm home after church waiting to hear where my family and I are having brunch together.  It's a bit chilly and cloudy today but the drive home made me smile as I was enjoying all of the blooming trees around town.  Bright purples and yellows and of course the pretty whites and light pinks, too!  Be blessed on this beautiful day!

"After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. "

The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”   Matthew 28:1-10 NIV



Adorable Easter Tag!

Yesterday when I arrived home I was greeted with a package at my front door.  A package I couldn't wait to get!  Craft swaps are so fun for me and I really look forward to something happy in the mail. 
I participated in the Easter swap hosted by Sandy of 521 Lake Street and was matched up with Jenny of Jenny's Heart.  Needless to say it's been a blessing getting to know Jenny and we have a lot in common.   We both have a strong faith in Christ, close family bonds, enjoy cute stuff, sweet stuff, and paper crafts.   Emailing eachother has been a joy for me and reminded of me of my pen pal days way back when (which I have missed).  I told her that "Jenny's heart is full of God's love"!  She has spoiled me with all of her thoughtful gifts!
Here's what I received:

I also had some cute yellow marshmallow Peeps!  Ummm they were unavailable for a photo.  LOL!  

Here's the adorable tag that Jenny made!  I love it!  She is quite the artist and I cannot believe this is her first tag, ever.  

My little "joy-Phil" bunny friend!  She remembered that I like bunnies and my last name means rabbit in Italian.  

It was a pleasant surprise to receive a cute bunny chickie made by Elizabeth of Creative Breathing!  Jenny knew how much I liked Elizabeth's crafts and missed out on the opportunity to buy something when she was cleaning out her craft room.   Very sweet of her to share what she bought!  If you'd like to make one of these Easter chicks Elizabeth shared a pattern on her blog and here for the pom pom pattern as well.

 

Delicious Whitman's chocolate marshmallow cross with a beautiful scripture on the front.   I can't tell you how much that scripture meant for me to read the day I received it.   There are some things I'm believing for in faith and it was such a sweet (literally) reminder!

I do believe!  Waiting for some great things to happen!

Look at all the pampering goodies!  Great colors for my toesies!  I'll be proudly wearing my sandals as soon as the temps get a bit warmer. 

Here's a basket I made before I received my tag from Jenny.  We don't have similar tastes, do we?  I think I found a kindred spirit and a great new friend.  Thanks for everything Jenny - you blessed my heart with your sweet one! 

I would love to share photos of the goodies and tag that I sent Jenny but I don't want to spoil it for her so once she gets her package via snail mail I'll post the photos.  

Check out Sandy's blog for more linkys to the other bloggers who swapped as well.  Lots of great goodies were received by all!  

Sweet Ruffles

Tonight when I was out shopping at Von Maur, I took a little detour to the baby girls clearance rack... just to take a gander.  I don't have kids but I have lots of little ones that I know and love. 
Sometimes it's just fun to look - especially at Easter time!  All those adorable dresses are out and it's hard not to oooh and ahhh at them.  Since so many of my fellow blog friends adore ruffles in their crafts I bet they'd love ruffles on their daughters and granddaughters, too!

The brand is Baby Biscotti by Kate Mack and there's a lot of online stores to find these items.  Please check out Little Colony Kids for some of these featured. 

 I saw something similiar to this sweet pink number!

photo by me

"A friend is one to whom you can pour out the contents of your heart, chaff and grain alike. Knowing that the gentlest of hands will take and sift it, keep what is worth keeping and with a breath of kindness, blow the rest away.” - Unknown

ありがとう Arigatō!

This week I received some sweet gifts from my BFF Tammy, who recently returned from her overseas cruise.  Tammy & her husband Peter are great travelers and have been so many interesting places! I was excited to see their pictures and I really need to call her and hear more about their adventures in Japan, China, and Russia!  Thank you for all of your prayers for their safe return.  They were completely out of harms way and were able to get a flight back to the U.S. without any problems, Thank the Lord!

Tammy knows I love cute illustrations - especially of darling little children!

Notice the lines are going vertically on the notepaper.  Wish I knew how to write something in Japanese for everyone!  I barely could learn German in Jr High so I doubt I'd do too well trying to learn another foreign language at this point in my life.  I guess you never know til you try, though!

A closeup of the cute little girl and her pup!  Love it!

A few other cute things from China as well.   Such sweet friends to think of me on their trip.   Hmmm now I'm craving dim sum.  YUM!

Hope you all are having as beautiful weather as I am right now.  I was soaking up the sun driving around town and letting the wind blow in my hair.  It's pretty unbelievable how much a good day can raise your mood levels to a nice natural high!  There may be a little rainstorm later but as we all know "April showers bring May flowers"!

I better get going ... have to finish up my Easter tag to send off to my new friend Jenny in Virginia.   I think I may post a few sneak peeks next time.  I'm also thinking of doing my first blog giveaway!  Would ya'll like that?

Me And My Peeps



Peeps by Just Born



Peeps oh so sugary Peeps!  You either love em or hate em.  I am one (obviously) that loves them!  Part of it sentimental and part of it because I like marshmallows... and sugar!  Those of you that like them either swipe them up when they are soft and smooshy or you purposely sit them out so they can be hard & stretchy.  Weird, I know!  I just found out that one of my coworkers dips hers in chocolate.  Now she doesn't have to because they sell them that way, too! 

When I was a little girl Easter was a big deal.  My mom would dress me in a pretty yellow Easter dress, white tights, patent leather shoes and a big hat with the string around my chin to keep it on.
I really wish that I could find a favorite photo of my mother and I on Easter.  She had a fabulous platinum bouffant hairdo a classy shift dress on and we are laughing hysterically!  No doubt my dad said something that had us practically on the floor.  He's quite the jokester!
Anyway, the "Easter bunny" would leave me a basket somewhere in the house that I had to find.  It was filled with lots of yummies like a chocolate bunny (with a stunned look on his face because he was about to be eaten), jelly beans, and little trinkets.   No Peeps... not yet
When I went to my Nana's house to visit ... that's when the Peeps came out.  I loved her dearly and I loved that she was the one that always gave me those Peeps.  Every year.   I miss her so!

Fiona And Twig Giveaway

Check it out!  What a great giveaway (that I super hope I win - loving the feminine feel of the photographs) week.  So many nice giveaways to win out there in blogland!



Fiona & Twig Giveaway

Simple Joy

Photo by me

"The ordinary arts we practice every day at home are of more importance to the soul than their simplicity might suggest."    Thomas More

Oh the joy of simple things!  Last weekend I picked up a bouquet of pretty white buttercups at Trader Joe's.  I popped a couple of them in a light blue vase and they made a great simple gift for a sweet work friend of mine.

They looked so nice in her kitchen window with lots of natural light streaming inside.  After we had a tour of her new home we went off to Kona for a girls night out with two other great gals!  Avocado rolls and potstickers, yum yum!

Old friends, time spent catching up and laughing, and bonding ... these are the greatest joys in life.

I know everyone loves to have their super techie cell phones practically super glued to their hands these days... not me.  I have a normal cell phone, no texting, no Internet or email capabilities (sometimes Internet would be nice as well as GPS) and you know what?  Me & my gal pals did not once have to get on our cells or text.  We had each others complete attention.  I loved it!  I almost wanted to applaud them because two of my friends are busy moms!

Sometimes all the texting & lack of face to face communication kind of makes me sad.  I mean, if we don't want to even hear each other's voices or see someone face to face ....?   SAD!

Now, in some circumstances I completely understand but wouldn't you agree that it's out of control?

We need interaction in the physical realm.  An embrace, to look upon someones face and appreciate their  beautiful eyes, to hear their laugh out loud (rather than LOL), etc etc. 

Boy oh boy I must sound like I'm an old lady!   Ha ha!  I just think maybe some folks out there should treasure life and keep it simple.  

I'm staying up a little too late on a work night and better get in bed soon.   Got a lot on my plate for this weekend.   I'm also gathering a few crafty things to make for my Easter swap.  We'll be hopping into April very very soon!

Have a great day!   Angela