Happy Thanksgiving!!!

I know it's been awhile since I last posted, but I have been busy with life. So this past week was a week of celebrating thanks. I had to bring food for Elisa's first Thanksgiving at Girl Scouts for family and friends and well as much as I love cooking I really didn't want to go through all the hassle so instead I purchased yes you read it purchased 6 already made Rotisserie chickens and put them in my oven with green and red peppers. I cooperated lol, did my part. On Monday I had to bring dessert for Chris's friends and family luncheon he was so happy that I was there. Well yesterday I was baking cookies all day, first time making sugar cookies loved the outcome. Tried a new recipe, peanut butter kisses cookies. Everyone loved them, they look too sweet to me and not really my thing but they were made with love and prepared with a heart full of thanksgiving. We are going to my moms today. I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
I also wanted to share a layout I created last week for Paper Treehouse, I really love this challenge. The word for me was renew. In so many ways I want God to renew me, from my faith to just everyday life. I need Gods presence in my life, it's what is keeping going from day to day. I am finding my strength in Him, a new LOVE I didn't think it was possible to feel that first love once again. So today on Thanksgiving I am saying thank you Lord, for being ever present in my life, for my wonderful family who has been so supportive in recent decisions I have made, thank You for blessing me with children and a husband who loves so passionately. Just Thank YOU!!!!!

Don't fear...

How many times do we fear the unknown, the future. Lately that is what I have feared, the what if's of the unknown, but I have to remember that God has it all in his hands. He has promised us a kingdom. In Luke 12:32 Fear not, little flock for it is your Fathers good pleasure to give you the kingdom. It's a verse that gives me hope of what God has in stored for me.

I created this layout for the challenge over at My Paper Treehouse thanks for looking!!!

Friends are Gods way of taking care of us...

how appropriate is that quote. I want you all to meet my best friend Evelyn, I have known her since I was pregnant with my first child which means a little more than 25 yrs, but we really became close when I moved into her neighborhood 17 yrs ago. I remember her telling me one day when we were having a girl time together " you know when I first met you, I was a little scared of you. You were unapproachable and I thought she just didn't like me. LOL but here we are 25 yrs later and still the best of friends. Oh don't get me wrong we had our moments were I thought we would never speak to each other again, but God intervened and He gave us a purpose. She was not only the person I went to when I needed prayer, but we could call each other at all hours of the night and just talk. Or even say OMG are you watching Lifetime. Yeah the Lifetime channel was our tear jerker movies. LOL.  I am writing about Evelyn today, because I need your help. Evelyn has Breast Cancer, she was diagnosed in May of this year it was heartbreaking to find out the news over the phone, I wanted to be there for her and hold her, cry with her, and just let her know that I'm here, but I can't. I can though call her, cry over the phone, or just lend an ear, but most of all I can pray for her. I believe that my God is a God of healing, I believe that her trials right now are going to be a testimony for others to hear. I spoke with Evelyn on Friday, and she cried and I was trying to be strong for her and encourage and let her know that God has it all in his hands when she told me "Dolores I lost my hair, my nails have gotten black and I'm so weak, I had to buy a wig" and she cried more. In all this though she continued to tell me how God has blessed them, she has to buy organic food which can be quite expensive, but people from her job, and her husbands job have been just donating gift cards to stores that have organic foods. Wow what a blessing, but the one that stood with me was the Wig. I can't picture Evelyn with a wig and she was crying through the store when she went to see them, but the ladies were so comforting towards her then she found it the one that was close to her real hair so she asked the sales girl if she can try it on through tears as she did she then asked how much the lady said $319.78 Evelyn cried even more knowing that she couldn't afford that she is a school teacher who by the way is still working because it is her other outlet. She got in the car and proceeded to pick up her young daughter at school, when the assistant principal so her and asked how she was doing with the chemo. She said she has her good days and bad days, but today it was bad because she went to buy a wig and well they are too expensive. How wonderful was this woman to offer to buy it for her, how God even then was blessing her. Evelyn refused it, can you believe it. Well the next day the woman saw Bobby and said I have something for your wife, and when they got home it was an envelop with $300 dollars. What a Blessing. So I want to do my part and what I'm asking for is not monetary but I'm asking for your creativity, your time. Evelyn has been blessed by so many through this difficult time, and has only had a chance to verbally say thank you, I thought wouldn't it be great if me along with my crafty friends can make her a few blank Thank You cards so that she can send out. If you are interested just send me a shout out at my email edenroses66@yahoo.com. I'm also asking that you keep Evelyn in your prayers, Evelyn has two daughters ages 14 and 6.  Please help me in helping my friend. I want her to know that everyone I know is praying and thinking about her. Sorry for the long post. thanks for reading

I am fearfully and wonderfully made...

I created this layout for My Paper Tree House. I loved the prompt, and knew right away what Bible verse encourages me even in my darkest hours. It is Psalms 139, I remember the first time I read 17yrs ago I was in a class for newly converted Christians where we were given Bible lessons. The Pastor asked me to read it, and as I did the tears began to flow, at the time he didn't realize my past and where I came from but God knew that I had to read it. He knew that it was important for me to know that He loved me from the moment I was conceived, but in my mind I thought how can it be how could HE know. Will he knew because He was there, that is what this Psalm is saying. Why was it important to me? Because as a child I was always told that I was conceived from a violent crime. RAPE. I was told on more than one occasion that the reason I was born was because abortion was not legal in 1966. It should never had reached my ears but it did so I always felt unwanted, unloved but to know that my God was there can you imagine what a burden that lifted. Knowing that God was there and that I was not hidden from Him in the secret place. Yes for the Bible to have it just like that in verse 15 "My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of earth". Wow what a revelation I was not a secret from God, because I was fearfully and wonderfully made. God has all the days ordained for me written in His book. You see then in 1966 God had a purpose for me, it was to know Him, Love Him, Worship Him and my God thank Him because even when I am at my lowest, or in my darkest hour He is alive and well in me, He is my comforter, and my refuge. Thank you to Nana Campana who reminded me by posting this challenge what an Amazing God I serve.

So Thankful

for really good friends, and especially to my sister Millie. Yesterday I had a terrible day, it seems one of my worst moments and the month has just begun. As most of you know my son Chris who is Downs Syndrome has really been acting up. Really he's 25 yrs old but for some odd reason he is going through his terrible two's. From temper tamtrums to just being stubborn, it is driving me nuts. Well yesterday I finally broke, I mean really just broke down in the street crying because he refused to get on the bus, he stood his ground and said nope I'm not going. Now if you know any child with special needs, then you know that once they stand their ground it's like a force within them and you just can't move them. He began the morning with an attitude, and began his ritual of saying I hate this, I hate that. I knew it was going to be a bad one, but I just couldn't take it anymore and my body and emotions gave in. I just cried told the bus driver to leave, and then just cried, but in that hopeless moment one of my good friends was walking by and started talking to Chris, in this same moment the matron got off the bus went over to me and just Hugged me and said everything is going to be okay, you need to relax we will try to get him to get on the bus. The bus Driver and GOD BLESS this driver parked the bus and made sure along with my friend that Chris got on this bus. I was crying uncontrollably my friend told me to go inside get myself together, my nerves were so bad that I started throwing up, called his social coordinator and told her I can't do this anymore HELP me please. So we made a few calls and yesterday I carried out the decision that has laid heavily in my heart, and with tears and anguish but yet taking comfort from the social worker on the phone, knowing that I have made the right decision. It's not easy, for me and yet some people may judge me, but you don't walk in my shoes to fully understand what an emotional and tormenting year this has been. I love my son Chris, that is without a doubt he made me a MOM first, it was because of him that I wanted more children. He was so loving, and sometimes I still see that but I think that he is ready for far more than I can give him. I'm still emotional about it all, and though I've made the decision doesn't mean that it all happens overnight, and that is probably good cause it gives me time to adjust to it all.To my friend Lissette who saw me at my worst, thank you for the beautiful yellow roses you made my night a little brighter. To my sister Millie, thank you for being so supportive and for being there not only for me, but for Elisa too. You taking her to school for me to ensure that she gets there on time, and so that I can deal with Chris has been a blessing. Thanks for reading, please continue to pray for us.

Thank you Basic Grey

 
for creating these fabulous card kits that my 5 yr old could enjoy being a card maker for the day. That's what Elisa and I did yesterday, she was pretty sick with a horrible cough and I didn't want to take her out. We were going to go to the New York Botanical Garden yesterday, but it was too cold to be outdoors and be sick at the same time so instead we created. She was so excited, she ran to Daddy and said guess what we are going to do today he says what? she says scrapbooking woo hoo finally. We were just cracking up. So thank you Basic Grey for making it easy for her to create her cards.