Boo!

Peanut M&M Pumpkin

Haven't been able to blog in a while, but wanted to share this. Each year at hubby's work at the Art Center, they hold a pumpkin painting workshop for the kids. This year, Evan decided to paint his pumpkin like a big peanut M&M. Though he didn't place this year (he has for the last three years in a row!), I am SUPER proud of him for making this little creation. I thought it was so cute and creative. He did the face and everything all by himself....such a little artist! He used Mr. Potato Head hands with gloves we got from Disney World for the pumpkin's hands. He decided to go with a blue M&M because blue is, of course, his favorite color. ;)

Not-So-Wordless Wednesday

Whew! What a busy month October has been for us already! This year, hubby and I decided to coordinate a pumpkin patch at our church, and the truck arrived last Saturday. Since then, it has all been about the pumpkins! We've done great with selling so far....the response of our little town has been great. All of the proceeds will go towards helping our youth group go on their annual mission trip to Acuna, Mexico, in the summer. It's taken months worth of planning and lots and lots of time, but I know that we will "reap what we sow!" As Matthew 9:37 tells us: ...the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."

I gotta admit; I was really worried that this whole pumpkin patch undertaking was such a huge ordeal that we may not be able to handle it and that maybe we wouldn't have the help that we needed to conquer such a task. The Lord has blessed us with a church family who has stepped up to the plate and has been there to help us along, volunteering their time and efforts for this cause. We have asked the Lord to send out workers into his harvest field, and these workers are doing just that. Not just the missionaries we are sending out...but the church members who unselfishly volunteer their time to make sure this ministry is running smoothly. All ages showed up Saturday to help us unload the big truck, even though the truck arrived at our church an hour early. I was blown away by how much help we had! It was cold, and pumpkins and bales of hay get quite heavy and hard to lift....but we had people of all ages there to help us! Sacrificing their time, efforts, and backs...Praise God! :) What a blessing.

We've got tons of pictures, and many more to come. This little pumpkin patch has been a great family-oriented place so far...drawing families in and gathering them together to pick out the perfect pumpkin and grab some great photo opportunities and memories.

So...that's what I've been up to the past few days. I usually go out to the church around noon and stay until dark every day, overseeing everything and being a cashier/pumpkin loader when needed. I can't wait to see how God uses this to touch our community. It's not about the money or fundraising we do, and it's not about the advertising of the church that we do....it's about "harvesting" the souls of our community and those who pass through. It's about showing them the love of Christ and showing them that we as a church body stand with our arms open wide, ready to accept them just as they are.

Today was our most successful day yet, and I am excited to see what tomorrow brings!

Happy Birthday, Honey! :)

Happy birthday to my husband, Van, today! How do you like that Mac cake? :) I love you and hope you have a great day. I am so blessed to be your wife!

Layout based on a sketch

I just love using sketches for my scrapbook layouts! What about you? Do you like use sketches? Do your prefer coming up with your own designs? Do you have a favorite sketch site you visit and use frequently? Leave a comment below and let me know. :)

One of my favorite sketch artists is Julie Bonner from 52 sketches...52 weeks. I was lucky enough to be on her Design Team for 3 months, and I loved working with her sketches! :)

Here is a layout I did recently based on one of Julie's sketches for Magpie Club: